Robert Stewart's report on the Indians Sept 1759
Here is Robert Stewarts's report of 28 Sept 1759 on the Indians to retired Colonel George Washington, Burgess, representing Frederick Co VA. We quote it here, adding extra notes on the details of the letter. We're interested not just in this report, but also in the man writing it. We have a street named after him. And we have many stories on him here. This report is also of the building of an immense fort, and also of Robert Stewart's difficulties on obtaining well paying rank, and in the coming winter Robert Stewart hopes to take up the invitations of Martha and George to visit Mt Vernon. Robert Stewart reports from "Pittsburg":
The Indian Report
The Indians are far more numerous than thought. They're also still friendly and needy. They need a lot of trade items such as knives, tomahawks, clothing, blackpower and muskets, cooking cutlery, food, rum ---- not necessarily all in that order. They can trade deerskins, furs, venison for them. They're also still friendly because they have no idea what's coming. They still have no idea how big this fort will be. They have no idea of the avalanche of migration coming.
In the coming winter Robert Stewart hopes to take up the invitations of Martha and George to visit Mt Vernon. Robert Stewart reports from "Pittsburg":
The Indians not only of this Voisinage,
[meaning neighborhood or this venue, this place]
but of several remote Nations beyond the Lakes,
are of the best Disposition towards us &
sincerely inclin’d to enter into & cultivate a strict & permanent Freindship with us,
Captives
they have already brought us
near Fifty of their Captives
& Promise to Deliver up the whole at a Grand Treaty to be held here in about three weeks—
See more about 25 Oct 1759 Treaty here.
Size of the Indian Nations
We find the Ohio Indians,
(compos’d of Scatter’d & Detach’d Parties from different Tribes)
to be much more numerous than they ever were thought to be,
notwithstanding the great Loss they acknowledge to have sustain’d on our Fronteers,
These call’d Delawares,
are now eight hundred fightg men, which is accounted for by their Junction with the little Tribes, that at different Times went from the interior Settlements of our Provinces;
the Shawaneese
are likewise more powerfull than we imagin’d,
tho’ we cannot yet exactly ascertain their Numbers;
They don't like George Washington
Both those Nations are greatly incens’d against you,
who they call the Great Knife
& look on you to be author of their greatest misfortunes;
the Delawares confess they had 50 of their best Warriors Kill’d and many disabled,
the Shawaneese have also had a very considerable Loss,
Read the names the Indians had for the Whites in each of the colonies. Long Knife originally referred to the Virginians while the leader of them, Washington, was called Big or Great Knife. The Long Knives name extended to all Whites later in the great invasive Westward expansion.
The coming Cherokee-Anglo War
they have between them just Detach’d
64 Warriors agt the Cherrokees,
which at this Juncture may be productive of very desireable consequences. If it is true that the Creeks & Cherrokees have enter’d into a League against us, I tremble for our Southern Colonies! as from what the Ohio Indians have done, we may easily conceive, what the united Force of such Warlike & Formidable Nations can effect to our prejudice6—
Fortunes in Trade
In the mean Time we here enjoy Peace and tranquillity,
and the Pens. ever attentive to Gain & tenatious of their Interest,
carry on an extensive and most advantagious Furr Trade with the Savages,
conducted under such prudent Regulations,
as cannot fael of Success &
producing immense Fortunes,
so easy a Road to attaining which,
is now so plainly pointed out,
Overlapping claims between VA and PA
that I’m astonish’d our Province remain dormant and inactive,
[Imagine: A Virginia city? Or after the Civil War, a West Virginia city?]
we certainly have
many public Spirited Gentn
and some of them
who must have an
Inclination to advance
the Interest of their Country
[Virginia]
by encreasing their private Fortunes,
What can be the reason
that none of them embraces
so favourable an opportunity
of accomplishing so desireable an End?7
This area of PA and VA went through 20 years of overlapping court systems, overlapping tax jurisdictions.
Counties from both PA and VA overlapped with a vengeance towards civil war right in the heart of the war for independence, while fighting both the British and the Indians.
That's it.
That's our lead story.
There's always more.
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Compiled by Jim Moyer 13 Sept 2023, updated 9/23/2023, 9/24/2023
Table of Contents
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The 25 Oct 1759 Treaty
[Founders Footnote 5. With the aid of the old Indian hands George Croghan and William Trent, General Stanwix held a meeting with representatives of the Ottawa, Twightwee [Miami], Wyandot [Huron], Shawnee, and Delaware Indians in late October 1759. The purpose of the meeting was to confirm the terms of the settlement that Gen. John Forbes reached with some of these at Easton in 1758, effectively ending the French-Indian alliance in the Ohio country.]
[There already was a 4th of July 1759 conference of the same protagonists. Source https://jimmoyer1.wixsite.com/fortloudounva/single-post/a-fourth-of-july-1759-meeting ]
[US WAR ARCHIVES states --- Here, General Stanwix met the representatives of the Six Nations, Shawanese, Delawares and other Indian tribes, on the 25th of October, 1759. There were present on the part of the English, Brig.-Gen. Stanwix, with sundry gentlemen of the army; George Croghan, Esq., Deputy Agent to Sir William Johnson; Captain William Trent and Captain Thomas McKee [and his son Alexander McKee who had helped Croghan in April 1759 to deliver much needed food and supplies to "Pittsburg" ] , Assistants to George Croghan; Captain Henry Mountour was interpreter. At these various conferences the Indians were represented by their prominent chieftains, of whom may be mentioned, Guyasuta, The Beaver, King of the Delawares, Shingas, the Pipe, Gustalogo, and Killbuck. (78.) Source http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/1pa/1picts/frontierforts/ff26.html
Croghan and Alexander Mckee in April 1759 "escorted 28 horses laden with Indian goods and military supplies from Carlisle to Fort Pitt. They and their cargo arrived safely at the British garrison [mostly just Virginia Regiment and other provincials] on June 18, [1759]." Source: page 31, A Man of Distinction among Them, Alexander McKee and the Ohio Country Frontier 1754-1799, authored by Larry L Nelson. Source https://jimmoyer1.wixsite.com/fortloudounva/single-post/white-frontier-red-backyard-and-thomas-bullitt
Long Knife
Governor Howard of Virginia travelled to Albany in New York, July 13, 1684. The Original Long Knife is Francis Howard, Crown Governor of Virginia. “It was presumably at this council that Governor Howard was given the Iroquois name Assarigoa, which signifies, “big knife.“ He “held his conference with representatives of the Mohawk, Oneida, Cayuga and Onondaga tribes, the Seneca not yet arrived from their distant western homes.” Source: Page 64 https://archive.org/details/indiannotes51928muse/page/64 According to Jean-Andre Cuoq (Lexique Iroquoise, Montreal 1882) “, the word is derived from asare, knife, or even saber ; kowa, or goa, great or big. “.… although Assarigoa means literally Big Knife, Iroquois believed they were translating Lord Howard’s Gaelic name directly …. ” Source page 72.“It was presumably at this council that Governor Howard was given the Iroquois name Assarigoa, which signifies, “big knife.“ He “held his conference with representatives of the Mohawk, Oneida, Cayuga and Onondaga tribes, the Seneca not yet arrived from their distant western homes.” Source: Page 64 https://archive.org/details/indiannotes51928muse/page/64
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Iroquois names for other Colonies
At the Lancaster PA, June 30, 1744, Gov George of PA, the Commissioner of Virginia, and the Commissioners of Maryland heard these references:
TOCARRY-HOGAN – MD
“…they had agreed to give him the Name of Tocarry-hogan, denoting Presidency, Excellency, or living in the middle or honorable Place betwixt Assarago (Virginians as Long Knife) and their Brother Onas (Pennsylvanians) ….” Source page 69.
“…Tocarry-hogan is our Friend, and that we are ready to honour him, and that by such Name he may always be called and known among us.” Source page 70.
BROTHER CORLEAR — NY
“Similarly the Governor of New York was known to the Iroquois as “Brother Corlear.” that title having been bestowed upon the English and Dutch high officials by the Iroquois in affectionate remembrance of that doughty Dutchman, Arent Van Curler, who came to America in 1630 as superintendent of the Colonie Rensselaerswyck. ” Source page 70.
From about 1634 until the time of his death in a storm on Lake Champlain in 1667 he was held in high esteem by the Mohawk and thereafter all of the governors of New York were known by his name.” Source page 70.
ONAS – PA
William Penn, first governor of Pennsylvania, was given the name Onas, which in Iroquois signifies “plume.” Source page 70.
ONONTIO – NEW FRANCE
So it was with Onontio, the title conferred upon Charles Hualt de Montmagny, third governor of New France, who held office from June 11, 1636 to August 20, 1648. Translating his name Montmagny (mons magnus), it is literally “great mountain” but the Iroquois term Onontio means “beautiful mountain.” page 70 According to Jean-Andre Cuoq (Lexique Iroquoise, Montreal 1882) “big mountain” in Iroquois is onontowanen.” Source page 71.
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Winter Mt Vernon Visit?
Did Stewart ever visit Mt Vernon in the winter of 1759?
In his letter of 28 Sept 1759 to Washington he writes to wanting to accept the invitation to visit:
I am vastly oblig’d by your Lady’s kind rembrance of me, and your Joint Invitation to pass part of the Winter at Mount Vernon should I go down the Country I shall certainly do myself the pleasure of paying my Respects to you both, at your Seat where in that Event I promise myself much pleasure from the enjoyment of your agreeable Company, I beg you will be so good as to present my Respectfull Complemts to Mrs Washington and tell her that our Freinds at Mount Vernon is a constant Toast in this Camp—I ever am with the most perfect Esteem & unalterable Regard My Dear Colonel Your truely Affecte & Sincerely Obliged hble Servt
Robert Stewart
Source
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Previously at Fort Ligonier (camp Loyalhanna)
Founders Online footnote 3. Maj. Gen. John Stanwix arrived at Pittsburgh at the end of August 1759, and on 3 Sept. his engineer Capt. Harry Gordon initiated work on the permanent fort, Fort Pitt. Stewart probably left Fort Ligonier in Pennsylvania with Lt. Col. Adam Stephen on 18 Sept., arriving at Pittsburgh with supplies and about one hundred and fifty men and officers on 23 Sept. 1759. Stewart’s sketch of the proposed fort has not been identified.
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The Renaming
A quote from Cubbison's book on the Forbes Expedition:
On December 1 [1758],
Forbes issued those orders that remain today as his most enduring legacy in North America. Specifically, he named the posts upon which he had expended so much labor and effort:
"General Forbes is please to name the different Posts as follows & all Officers serving in the Army are desired to give them their several appelations either in Writing or otherwise;
Late Fort Duquesne = Pittsburgh
Loyal Hannon = Fort Ligonier
Ray's Town = Fort Bedford "
Source:
Page 179, The British Defeat of the French in Pennsylvania, 1758: A Military History of the Forbes Campaign Against Fort Duquesne: by Douglas R. Cubbison. More on this author here. And a review here.
The letters by all the top officers --
all refer to Reastown (Raystown) and to Loyalhanna -- not Fort Bedford, not Fort Ligonier until after the French abandoned Fort Duquesne
More detail on why those name changes
Stories of Robert Stewart
Robert Stewart is also interesting to Winchester VA because there is a street named after him. He had spent much time during the building of Fort Loudoun in Winchester VA. He had a broader fame too. He was well known for his part as head of the Light Horse in Braddock's Defeat. He and George Washington were both credited as carrying Braddock on his sash. That sash looking ornamental and distinctive of high rank, also served the function of being a stretcher. And sadly this man, so close to winning a good position and comfort, never did attain it. He did ask for help from George Washington after the War of Indpendence, but Washington could not give him a position when many other men risked their lives for the new country. Robert Stewart had remained a passive loyalist and did not help in the independence effort.
Jul 9, 2019 published
Apr 18, 2023 published
April 2023 published
Apr 18, 2023 published
Sep 13, 2023 published
Sep 13, 2023 published
Sep 13, 2023 published
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