History of the Border Wars of two centuries, embracing a narrative of the wars with the Indians, from 1750 to 1876. Illustrated ... Third edition, revised, enlarged and published by A. C. Pennock

Front matter

HISTOEY OF THE BORDER WARS OF TWO CENTURIES, EMBRACING A NARRATIVE OF THE WARS WITH THE INDIANS, From 1750 to 1S76. ILLUSTRATED. COMPILED AND WRITTEN FROM THE MOST RELIABLE SOURCES ET C. R. TUTTLE. THIRD EDITION. REVISED, ENLARGED AND PUBLISHED BY A. C. PENNOCK, 11 KING STREET, MADISON, WIS. 1876. The Eevlsion entered according to the Act of Congress in the year 1876, BY A. C. PENNOCK, in the office of the Librarianof Congress at "Washington, D. C. ATWOOD A CULVER, STEREOTYFEKS AND FK1NTBM, MADISON, WISCONSIN. CONTENTS.

Chapter I. Fags

The Indian Tribes of the Lake Region — General Characteristics — Tribal Divisions — Mode of Government — Myths and Legends — Their Eloquence and Sagacity — Dwellings, Villages, and Forts — The War Path — Festivals and Pastimes — Religious Faith 9

Chapter V

A Glimpse at Fort Detroit in 1703— The Conspiracy — The Treachery of Pontiac — His Plot Revealed — The Savages Baffled — Murder of English Settlers — The Siege Commenced — The Assault — Gladwyn Offers Peace — Pontiac Refuses — Departure of Major Campbell to the Ottawa Camp — His Warning 42

Chapter VI

Pontiac's Treachery — Campbell and McDougal made Prisoners — Scarcity of Provisions in the Fort — Perilous Situation of the Garrison — Continuation of the Siege — Pontiac Summons the Garrison to Surrender — Gladwyn Refuses — Complaints of the French — Pontiac's Policy CONTENTS.

Chapter VII

The Siege of Detroit— Fate os Cuyler's Detachment — Bravery of the Wyandots — Indian Carouse — Massacre and Murder — Horrible Fate of the Western Outposts — Fall of Sandusky, Presque Isle, etc. — The Forests Growing Black with Indian Warriors — 56

Chapter XI

Continuation of the Siege of Detroit — Adventures of a Schooner on the Detroit River — Defeat of the Indians — Pontiac Appeals to the French for Assistance — Horrible Death of Capt. Campbell — The Wyandots and Pottawatomies Sue for Peace 88

Chapter XII

Approach of Dalzell's Detachment — The Battle of Bloody Run — Slaughter of the English — The Fatal Retreat — Adventures of the Schooner Gladwyn — Bravery of her Crew — The Indians Sue for Peace 94

Chapter XIII

Frontier Settlements and Forts — Alarms at Fort Pitt — Slaughter of Traders — Narrow Escape of a Garrison — Destruction of Forts — The War Raging to the Highest Pitch — Danger Thickening Around Fort Pitt , 103

Chapter XIV

The War on the Borders — The March of Death — The Terrified Inhabitants Fleeing to the Older Towns — Bouquet's Army at Carlisle — Adventures of Volunteers — Burning Settlements — The Battle of Bushy Run — Distress and Danger of the Troops — The Victory CONTENTS. III

Chapter XXVII

Results of St. Clair's Defeat — The Americans, the English, and the Indians — Brant Invited to Philadelphia — Horrifying Scenes on St. Clair's Battle Field — The Peace Makers — Their Instructions — Americans Desire Peace — The Indians for War 225

Chapter XXVIII

Fate of the Peace-Makers — Great Council of the Maumee — Propositions of Peace Rejected by the Indians — Wayne Marches into the Indian Country — The Skulls on St. Clair's Battlefield — Fort Recovery Established 231

Chapter XXIX

Gen. Wayne's Battle on the Banks of the Maumee — Position of the American and Indian Forces — The Victory — New Forts Erected — Destruction of Indian Dwellings — The Indians Sne for Peace — The Treaty of Greenville 237

Tecumseh's Anger — He Joins the British — Hull's Inglorious Campaign—Surrender of Detroit — Surrender of Mackinac — Triumph of the British — Hull's Incapacity t^RQ CONTENTS. V

Chapter XXXIII

Chicago — Its Early Settlement — Its Condition in 1812 — Order for Evacuation — Council with the Indians — Their Promises and their Treachery— The Massacre — Heroism of Women — Account of Mrs. Helm and Others — Thrilling Incidents 265

Chapter XXXIV

Raising an Army to Conquer the English in the Northwest — Early Settlements in Illinois — Expedition under Governor Edwards and Col. Russell — Siege of Fort Harrison — Capt. Taylor's Defense — The Army under Harrison, Winchester and Tupper 279

Chapter XXXV

The War of 1812 — Defeat at Frenchtown — Groghan's Heroic Defense of Fort Stephenson — Defeat of the Americans — Preparations for a New Campaign — Perry's Victory — Harrison's Triumph — The Indians Subdued — The English Defeated— Close of the War 284

Chapter XXXVI

The Life and Times of Black Hawk — Black Hawk Distinguishes Himself as a Warrior — Black Hawk Joins the British — The Sacs Driven Beyond the Mississippi — Black Hawk Remonstrates — Description of the Principal Sac Village at Rock River 292

Chapter XXXVII

Difficulties between Black Hawk and the Settlers at Rock River— A Military Force Called out to Remove the Sac Indians West of the Mississippi — Sketch of Keokuk — His Bravery, Sagacity and Eloquence 299

Chapter Xxxviii

Commencement of the Black Hawk War — The Sacs Violate their Treaty — They are Ordered to Return West of the Mississippi — They Refuse — Pursued by American Troops — Black Hawk and his Band Victorious — Desolation in the Border Settlements of Illinois — Black Hawk Defeated — Starvation among the Savages 305

Chapter XXXIX

Black Hawk's Defeat — He and His Band are Driven into the Mississippi—Terrible Indian Slaughter — The War Ended — Black Hawk Captured, and with other Chiefs Confined in Irons — He Visits Washington and the Eastern Cities — His Reception 313

Chapter XL

Ceremonies of Liberating Black Hawk — Keokuk's Triumph— Black Hawk's Anger — He will not Conform to the Councils of Keokuk — His Speech — He Departs to his Squaws — Interesting Incidents at Rock Island CONTENTS VI

Chapter XLI

Indian Tribes West of the Mississippi — The Mandans, their Dwellings, Manners and Customs — Their Traditions of the Flood — Their Singular Ceremonies — How they were Destroyed — Their Supposed Origin.. 330

Chapter XLII

Sketch of the Sioux Indians — How they Nursed their Infants — Leaving their Old and Infirm to Die from Starvation — The Peculiarities of the Red -Pipe Stone Quarry — Superstitions of the Sioux Regarding the Pipe Stone — The Buffalo Hunt 338

Col. Fremont and Kit Carson — Kit Goes as Guide with Fremont's Expedition — The Buffalo Hunt— Adventures in a Prairie Dog- Village — Crossing the South Fork— Immense Buffalo Herds 354

Chapter XLVII

Division of Fremont's Party— Thrilling Incidents of the Journey to Fort Laramie— Description of Fort Laramie — Frights ul Rumors of Indian Hostility — Fremont Determines to Continue — Kit Carson Resolves to Follow Him — Bravery and Cowardice 302

Chapter XLVIII

Journey of Fremont's Expedition from Fort Laramie to Fremont's Peak, in the Rocky Mountains — Hardships of Col. Fremont— His Description of the Wild Scenery in the Rocky Mountains — Fremont Thirteen Thousand Feet Above the Level of the Sea — The Return o~.

Chapter XLIX

Sketch of Kit Carson — His Early Adventures — His First Visit to the Far West — He Distinguishes Himself as a Hunter, Guide, and Scout — His Adventures on the Sacramento — Mr. Young's Trapping Party _ __ g79 CONTENTS. VII

Gen. Kearney and Col. Doniphan — The Conquest of New Mexico — Battle of the Sacramento — Chihuahua Taken — Glorious Victory of the Missourians — Triumphal Entry into the Ancient Capital 432

Chapter LVII

War between the United States and Mexico — Gen. Taylor Proceeds to Point Isabel with an Army — He is Ordered to Leave the Country — He Refuses— His Danger at the River Fort — The Battle of Palo Alto - - — 439

Chapter LVIII

The Battle of Resaca de la Palma — A Desperate Struggle — Bravery of the Mexicans — The Dead and Dying — Gen. Taylor's Victory — Matamoras Taken — Gen. Taylor's Difficulties — The Siege of Monterey— The Victory CONTENTS. VIII

Chapter LIX

Gen. Taylor at Monterey — Saltillo Taken — Gen. Santa Anna — Victoria Taken — Scott Supercedes Taylor — The Battle of Buena Vista 466

Chapter LX

Gen. Scott's Campaign — The Siege of Vera Cruz — Victory of Cerro Gordo — Capture of Puebla — Advance on Mexico — Battle of the Contreras — The Victory — Other Battles — Battle of Churubusco — The Armistice 477

Chapter LXI

Termination of the Armistice — The Battle of Molinos del Rey — The Siege of the Capital — The City of Mexico Occupied — The American Flag Floating from the Mexican National Palace 492

Chapter LXII

Wars with the Indians in New Mexico — The Massacre of the White Family — Brutality of the Apaches — The Wars with Utahs and Apaches — The Settlement in New Mexico Invaded by Hostile Indians — A Brilliant Company — Seven Battles — Peace 497

Chapter LXIII

The Navajo Indians Join the Rebels — Their Hostile Attitude — Car. son Leads an Army against them — Ten Thousand Indians taken Prisoners — Advocates of the New Reservation Policy — The Military Division of the Missouri — Its Extent — Condition of the Tribes in this Division in 1866 509

Chapter LXIV

Indian Troubles in the Military Division of the Missouri in 1867 — The Horrible Massacre at Fort Phil. Kearney— Indian Outbreaks in Montana — Outrage at Smoky Hill and along the Route to California—The Peace Commission Policy — Inactivity of the Military. 515

Chapter LXV

Wars with the Indians in the Military Division of the Missouri — Operations of the Peace Commission — Councils with the Indians Congress Fails to Co-Operate — A Formidable Indian War — Breaking out of Hostilities — Murder, Massacre and Horror — A Chapter of Outrages gig

Chapter LXVI

Winter Campaign of Lieut.-Gen. Sheridan in 1868— A Brilliant Triumph over the Indians East of the Rocky Mountains — Surrender of the Tribes — They are Placed on the Reservations — The Way Opened for the Labors of the Peace Commission CONTENTS. IX

Chapter LXVII

Indian Troubles West of the Rocky Mountains— Horrible Massacre of Indians— Difficulties of Making War on the Savages in the Wilds of the West — The Peace Commissioners in Arizona and California — Curious Speeches of Chiefs 533

Chapter LXVIII

History of the Modocs— Horrible Massacre of a Party of Immigrants — Ben. Wright's Vengeance — Terrible Destruction of the Modocs from Starvation — Cannibalism — The Reservation Troubles 540

Chapter LXIX

Quarrels among the Indians on the Reservation — Departure of Capt. Jack and his band for the Lava Beds — The Troops Pursue them in Vain — Fatal Attempts of the Peace Commission — Murder of the Commissioners — Execution of the Modocs- 547

Chapter LXX

The Seminole War — Early Settlers of Florida and Georgia — Indian and Negro Slavery — Difficulties among the Creeks — Sea Coffee's Band — Slaves Flee to Florida — Treaty with the Creeks 553

Chapter LXXI

The Seminole War — Difficulties with the Creeks — Their Inability to Return the Fugitive Slaves — Complaints of the Slaveholders of Georgia — The Georgians Invade Florida — Their Defeat — Cruelty to Settlers — The Second Invasion — More Suffering — British Interference and Occupation in Georgia and Florida — The Fort of the Exiles — The Fort Blown up — Great Destruction of Human Life — Commencement of the First Seminole War 556

Chapter LXXII

The First Seminole War — Massacre of Lieut. Scott — Jackson's Army Invades Florida, and Burns Seminole Towns — Peace — Purchasing Slaves from Indians with Whisky — A Movement to Remove the Seminoles West of the Mississippi — Osceola, His Wife, Her Fate, and His Revenge — The Massacre at Fort King — Louis, the Guide — Terrible Massacre at the Great Wahoo Swamp 562

Chapter LXXIII

The Second Seminole War — The Battle of the Withlacoochee — Bravery of Osceola — The Seminoles and Negroes Defeated— Gen. Game's Fruitless Campaign — Osceola Attacks Miconopy— Heilman's Gallant Defense — The Battle between Pearce and Osceola— Several Severe Battles — The Seminoles Hard to Conquer X CONTENTS.

Chapter LXXIV

Conclusion of the Second Seminole War — Several Battles — Gen. Jessup's Peace Policy — Hostilities Renewed — Slave-Catching Parties — The Seminoles and Exiles Persuaded to; Go West — Efforts to Subject them to Creek Authority — Invaded by the Creeks — Emigration of the Exiles to Mexico 574

Chapter LXXV

The Indian Wars of the Southern States — Tribes, Etc. — King Tonmohichi and His Queen — Bosomworth and Mary — A Thrilling Incident — A General War — Gen. Jackson's Campaign — Terrible Massacres — Hard Fought Battles — Complete Subjugation of the Indians — Bravery of the Celebrated Weatherford — 585

Chapter LXXVI

The- Sioux Massacbe. The Cause of the Outbreak — The Part Rum had in it — The Savages Attempt to Take Fort Ridgely — The Promptness of Gov. Ramsay — Burial of the Slaughtered — An Engagement with the Indians — They are Conquered; and Five Hundred Captives are Released — The Murderers are Seized and Sentenced — A portion are Hung 601

Chapter LXXVII

The Outbreakov 1876. The Grasping Nature of " Sitting Bull," Chief of the Sioux — The Battle on the Rosebud by Crook — Battle on the Little Big Horn — Custer's Death — The Prospects of Peace with Some of the Indian Tribes — Sketch of Custer and Lady

Preface

. A Preface is the '" privileged corner " for the author. A place where he may come directly and familiarly to his readers, and tell them, as between themselves, his intent and his plans — -his helps and his embarrassments in his production. As though no one else were to hear or to know what is said there, and as though the revealments therein were a sacred trust, not to be criticised and banded about like the news on the street corners ; but to be treasured and cherished as a mat ter of unfeigned confidence — -as the incense of friendship poured out. Hence, it is here that strangers can meet, shake hands, and find and feel a common interest in each other — can speak and hear without restraint, fear or embarrassment. This, then, let us do hereby and now, as we unroll the plan of this volume, which is truly what its title page indicates — a history of the Border Wars of the United States, from the fall of Canada, in 1759, to and including the death of the lamented Custer, on the banks of the Rosebud, in the summer of 1876.

The narrative opens with a brief history of the Indian Nations east of the Mississippi, and a short description of the outposts of both the English and French colonies as they appeared at the close of the French war. Then follows, in considerable detail, an account of the Pontiac War, which, in its desolating PKEFACE. march, spread the horror of murder and massacre from the Carolinas to the most northern lake fort. From this desperate struggle the reader is conducted through the tempest of Border Warfare in its frantic and fell march across the continent, from the Alleghanies and the lakes to the dangerous lava-cave am buscades of the Modocs, in Arizona, and the wilds of the Pacific slope. At the proper point the narrative is interrupted to give place to a brief history of the Indian tribes, and a description of the outposts of civilization west of the Missis sippi.

In the course of the history the reader is presented with interesting and authentic sketches of the lives of Chiefs Pon tiac, Brant, Tecumseh, Black Hawk, Captain Jack, and the great Indian warriors who have figured conspicuously in Bor der Warfare in North America ; the various treaties that have been made and broken, the boundary lines that have been agreed upon and invaded ; in short, all the events that have, for the time, either prevented or promoted these wars, are fully and truthfully represented, so that the reader, after carefully perusing this volume, will, in the absence of any opinion expressed by the author, be able to judge intelligently for himself of the merits of the treatment which the native tribes have received at the hands of the United States government The demand for this work cannot be questioned.

There is not a single person interested in the history of the United States, who has not felt the want of a reliable Historv of the Wars between his country and the Indians ; and it is with a view to supply this want that this book is presented to the public. It has been compiled and written from the most reliable sources, and, it is confidently believed, will be found complete, authentic and interesting. The various books pub-

PREFACE.

. lications and reports which have been consulted, and to which the perfection of this volume is largely indebted, require some thing more than a passing notice in this introductioa In compiling and writing a volume such as the following, where most of the materials used have been, in some way, connected with other books, it is impossible, in the course of the narra tive, to give proper credit to the authors consulted ; and, in order that the reader may know to what extent books hereto fore published have contributed to the perfection of this work, I take this opportunity of making the necessary explanation. Mr. Francis Parkman deserves the first mention. From his valuable works on the Indians and Indian wars east of the Mississippi, has been gathered the materials which make up the first part of this book, and it is only necessary to make this reference to establish the authenticity of my history of the Pontiac war, for there is no more able, complete or interesting narrative of this terrible border war than that given by Mr. Parkman, whose writings are justly regarded as an ornament to American literature.

In that part of the narrative which gives an account of Harmar's, St. Clair's and Harrison's campaigns against the Indians, including Tecumseh's war, I have gathered much from the works of Messrs. James H Perkins and J. M. Peck — a volume originally compiled by the former and revised by the latter — entitled "The Western Annals." I have fre quently given this volume credit in the course of the narrative ; but, in addition, I wish to make this acknowledgment here. My account of the Black Hawk war is materially dependent upon Mr. Upham's valuable little book which is entirely de voted to the life of this wayward chief. In this volume, the author takes occasion, and I think, justly, to censure the acts

PREFACE.

. of the United States authorities for needlessly irritating the Sacs to this bloody onset. In the brief account of the Indian tribes west of the Missis sippi, which precedes my history of the Indian wars in the same territory, Mr. Charles DeWolf Brownell is the most val uable contributor. His standard work, entitled the " Indian Eaces of North and South America," has been freely consulted, and, although the usual credit is given in the proper places, I cannot fail to mention it here. In my account of the adventures of Colonel John C. Fremont and Christopher Carson, I have freely used the official reports of the former, the " Life and Explorations of Fremont," and other volumes, but I shall not undertake to enumerate all the official reports and documents which have contributed to the thrilling catalogue of wars and adventures west of the Mississippi, which constitutes the last part of this book.

It will suffice to say that some five or six hundred of these have been diligently consulted and always with good results. A description of the principal battles during the conquest of Mexico, which has been thrown in to relieve the general cur rent of Indian warfare, is largely dependent upon a neat little volume entitled "The Mexican War and its Heroes:" I have no means of knowing the name of the author of this volume, since it has not been attached to its pages. I ought also to mention the history of Minnesota, by E. D. Neill, and " The Life and Adventures of Kit Carson," by Col. DeWitt C. P eters the last of wnich came into my hands a few days before this volume was given to the publishers. It is a deeply interesting and strictly authentic work, that reflects scarcely less honor upon the name of the famous mountaineer than credit upon his

PREFACE.

. biographers. Several important items in this work have their origin in the labors of this author. The brief account of the Seminole war found herein, has been compiled and written from Mr. Joshua R. Giddings' valuable book, entitled " The Exiles of Florida," a neat little work of great value and interest. The account of our heroic Custer and his command, in the late Indian disturbances, has been picked up from various sources supposed to be authentic. All that is claimed by the author is the earnest labor of a compiler, and in presenting this book to the public, it is be lieved that the materials have been so carefully selected and arranged as to constitute the most complete and satisfactory history of the wars with the Indians of the United States and Territories, that has yet been written. AUTHOR. Madison, September, 1876. CONQUERING THE INDIANS, DEATH OF STERRITT, THE CELEBRATED STAGE DRIVER. I 23 JTJ 80 j HISTORY OF The Border Wars

Chapter I

The Indian Tribes of the Lake Region — General Characteristics— Tree al Divisions— Mode of Government— Myths and Legends — Their Eloquence and Sagacity — Dwellings, Villages and Forts— The War Path— Festivals and Pastimes— Religious Faith. Before entering upon an account of the scenes and incidents of the Border Wars of the Northwest, I will give the reader a faint glimpse of the condition of the Indian tribes of the lake region about the date at which our narrative commences — 1700. The territory east of the Mississippi was occupied, excepting where the whites had intruded their colonial settlements, by three great families, differing from each other by a radical peculiarity of language. They were called the Iroquois, Algonquin and Mobilian nations. The Mobilians embraced the confederacy of the Creeks and the Choctaws, but as they took no active part in the ensuing narrative, I will avoid any details of their history.

But the Iroquois and the Algonquin nations, being conspicuously identified with the last great struggle of the savages against civilization, demand a closer attention. Foremost in eloquence, war and intellect stood the Iroquois. To use their own words, they " were a mighty and warlike * people," and they extended their conquests from Quebec to the Carolinas, on the seaboard, and to the Mississippi on the west. Everywhere in this broad country they established their name and power, and, indeed, throughout the country they were the terror alike of whites and Indians. In the south they had conquered the Delawares, and were, at this time, forcing them to a heavy tribute; in the north, they had completely subjested the Wyandots, and prohibited them the use of arms; in the west they exterminated the Eries, and in the east " a single Mohawk war (cry was sufficient to terrify all the Indians in New England."

But the Indians were not alone in terror of the Iroquois. All Canada trembled beneath their infuriated onset. More than once Champlain fled with his troops to the forts for refuge, leaving his pursuing conquerers to destroy and plunder the defenseless French settlements. Certainly the history of such a powerful nation should not be slighted, yet to trace it beyond the dark border of the discovery is beyond the power of human penetration. As we glance at them in 1700, we find their central government located within the present limits of the state of New York, where, in the Yalley of the Onondaga, the chiefs of the several tribes of this great family held their civil and military councils for many generations. The Iroquois nation consisted of, first five, and, at a later period, six tribes, called the Mohawks, the Oneidas, the Onondagas, the Cayugas, the Sen ecas and the Tuscaroras.

These tribes were bound together by a loose confederacy, being, in a small measure, subject to a general congress, but each tribe had its own organization, and independent tribal government. Each tribe had several sachems, who, with the subordinate chiefs and principal men, regulated all its civil and military affairs; but when foreion powers were to be consulted, or important treaties made, all the sachems of the several tribes convened in general assembly at the great council house — the Iroquois capitol — in the valley of the Onondaga. Here the Congressmen of the Six Nations were received, the great council fire kindled, treaties made and difficulties settled. Here the simple Iroquois sachem sat and listened to the eloquent speeches of the leading chiefs, who spoke their honest sentiments in accordance with the most ancient usages of their nation.

When Jacques Cartier first visited the St. Lawrence he found the savages of the Six Nations occupying the country along the north bank of the river, and, as early as 1535, he discov ered a town of the Huron-Iroquois, consisting of about fifty huts, near the present site of the city of Montreal. This village was situated in the midst of large fields of Indian corn, and must, even at this early day, have been a place of considerable importance, or, to use the words of another, "the metropolis of the neighboring country." Mr. Stone, in his able writings on the Indians of the Six Nations, gives the following description of this village : " It was surrounded by palisades or trunks of trees set in a triple row. The outer and inner ranges of palisades inclined till they met and crossed near the summit, while the upright row between them, aided by transverse braces, gave to the whole an abundant strength.

Within were galleries for the defend ers, rude ladders to mount them, and magazines of stone to throw down on the heads of the assailants. A single entrance was secured with piles and stakes, and every precaution adopted against sudden attack or seige. The town consisted of about fifty oblong houses, each fifty feet in length by twelve or fifteen in breadth, built of wood and covered with bark. Each house contained small chambers built round an open court in the centre, in which many fires were kindled. The inhabitants were devoted to husbandry and fishing, and the lands in the vicinity were well cultivated." According to the history of Cartier's voyage, the Indians of Hochelaga — now Montreal — were unusually civilized, for bar barians, and greatly in advance of their nation a century after wards; but in 1600 no trace of this village could be found.

According to their own traditions the people of the Six Nations originally came from the north, but they date the period of their migration a long number of centuries back. Cusick, the Tuscarora author — and the only Indian who has written upon the subject — dates the event more than five bundred years before the discovery by Columbus, but his writings are not generally accepted. The tradition of the Senecas, the fifth of the Six Nations, is that the original people of their Nation broke forth from the earth, from the crest of a mountain at the head of Canandaigua Lake. The mountain which gave them birth is called Ge-nun-de-wah-gauh, or the great hill, and for this reason the Senecas are sometimes called the great hill people, and, I believe, this was their original title. The Ge-nun-de-wah-gauh has been held, by them, sacred as being their birth-place.

It was for many years the place of holding the councils of this tribe, and was the hallowed place of their religious services. As with the Senecas so with all the tribes of the Six Nations. They have no written history of their origin, nor can one now be produced. One of the principal supports to the confederacy of the Six Nations, and one of the strongest ties which bound them together was the system of totemship. In the Six Nations there were eight totemic clans. The Iroquois believed that Taounyawatha, the God of Waters, had descended to the earth to teach them the arts of savage life. They claimed further that this God, seeing the evils by which their various tribes were beset, urged them to form a great confederacy for their common good and defence. But before the people could be collected together this Messenger took his flight, promising, however, that another should be sent to instruct them in the principles of the proposed league.

"And accordingly," says the glowing pen of Francis Park man, " as a band of Mohawk warriors were threading the funeral labyrinth of an ancient pine forest, they heard, amid its blackest depths, a hoarse voice chanting in measured cadence ; and following the sound, they saw, seated among the trees, a monster of so hideous an aspect that, one and all, they stood benumbed with terror. His features were wild and frightful. He was encompassed by hissing rattlesnakes, which, Medusa like, hung writhing from his head; and on the ground, around him were strewn implements of incantation, and magic vessels formed of human skulls. Recovering from their amazement, the warriors could perceive that in the mystic words of the chant, which he still poured forth, were couched the laws and principles of the destined confederacy.

The tradition further declares 'that the monster being surrounded and captured, was presently transformed to human shape; that he became a chief of transcendent wisdom and prowess, and to the day of his death ruled the councils of the united tribes." The last of the presiding sachems at the councils at Onondaga inherited from him the honored name of Atotarho. Such, according to Indian tradition, is the origin of the great Iroquois confederacy. But if the reader is shocked with this preposterous legend, what must be said of their tradition regarding the epoch which preceded the auspicious event of their union. In these evil days, according to the same authority, the scattered and divided Iroquois were beset with every form of peril and disaster. Giants, cased in armor of stone, descended on them from the mountains of the north.