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Colonial and State Records of North Carolina
Address by Kittagusta to [Charles Greville Montagu]
Kittagusta
September 22, 1766
Volume 07, Pages 256-257

[B. P. R. O. America & West Indies. Vol. 270]
A talk from the Cherokee Chiefs Head men of the Nation to their Father in Charles Town.

22 September 1766.

Yesterday we received your Talk for which we return you our thanks, but the times are so much altered with us since we spoke to you last, that we could not attend at the fixing of the Boundary Line before the Spring. We shall be at Reedy River with our Brother Mr Cameron by the 10th of the 7th moon (April) before which time, we hope the Governor and beloved men of Virginia will agree to settle the Line on the back of their Country, so as to make a final conclusion of the whole at once. We request that you would thank the Governor of North Carolina for his readiness in agreeing with you to have the Line run this Winter; & altho' it is now so late in the season nothing but the mortality that has seized our People would have prevented us from settling that important piece of business. But altho' we came yesterday to a resolution to set out with our Brother here on the 10th of next moon for that service, the dismal scenes about us this morning weakened our resolutions; and we make no doubt but you will admit of the following reasons as a sufficient Apologie for our putting it off for this fall.

When I got up this morning I could hear nothing but the cries of women and children for the loss of their relations, in the evenings there are nothing to be seen but smoak and houses on fire, the dwellings of the deceased; I never remember to see any sickness like the present, except the small Pox, and if we should attempt to

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go to run the Line, we might have been taken sick in the woods, and die, as several of our people have already been served, who attempted to escape this Devil of a disorder. Besides the above, the Governor and beloved men of Virginia have not yet agreed to extend it behind their Province, as proposed to them; and it is troublesome to be always going about it. Before the Express could reach North Carolina and the white men be ready to join us on Reedy River, it would be the winter, and our horses would perish for want of food; now this is what we considered upon this morning, and came to our Brother, that he might stop the Express that was to be sent to North Carolina.

We are sorry to hear of the murders that are committed on the White People; but we do not Know any of the Perpetrators of it. The woods have been full of the Northward Indians all this summer, and it is more likely it was done by them than by any of our People as we always give them good Talks; but we cannot be answerable for the acts of rogues, whom you Know will not at all times listen to our injunctions, and especially when they are out in the woods and meet with the White men hunting on their ground. But you may depend upon it, that we shall never hide anything of that kind from you, when it comes to our ears, and we promise to make a diligent search of any such acts, in order to suppress them if possible,

You inform us that the Creeks & Chocktaws are at war with each other, it is what they will, the Creeks loved war a long time, and thought there was no people that could cope with them, and it is good that they should have enough of it; for our part we are tired of War, for our enemies were too numerous, and we beg that you will not think it troublesome to sue for peace for us. We have sent you a Talk lately on that subject.

Hear us now Father, it is our intention always to walk straight, and will endeavour to keep the path clear for that purpose, but if any bush should accidentally grow up on your side of the Line, we hope that you will pull it up.

I thank you for the Flag which you provided for the Town House at Chohe. What is it that's bad can disturb us, when we set under it. I hold you fast with both my hands.

(signed)
KITTAGUSTA
Head beloved Man of the Cherokee Nation.