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Colonial and State Records of North Carolina
Address by Hamilton to the Creek Nation concerning Native American support for the British Army
Hamilton
1776
Volume 10, Pages 329-330

[B. P. R. O. Am. & W. Ind. Vol. 280.]
Talk delivered by the Commissioners appointed by the Continental Congress for managing Indian Affairs as related by Lecoffee, who was present at Augusta. Interpreted by Samuel Thomas.

This Talk was delivered by one Hamilton a lawyer, and interpreted by one Forrest, to the Creek Indians, in presence of Galphin, Rae and some others who they called Beloved Men, all the Back Settlers were present at the Plantation of Rae, Elbert & Co in Augusta.

We are all very glad you are come our great Friends and Red Brothers. We the Great Beloved Men of Virginia. Carolina and Georgia sent our Interpreter up to your Nation with good Talks to all the Chiefs and head men of the Upper and Lower Creeks, that they might come down to us to see each other and renew our old friendship.

We want to let you know the intentions of Captain Stuart, and when you hear what he has said you can then judge whether he is your friend or not. We thought none of you would have come down as his beloved Man was trying all he could to stop you and ordered our Interpreter to be taken, he does not want you should come to us, for fear we should tell you the truth. We are the Beloved Men of this Land, the Red People are Masters of it—we therefore consider ourselves one people. We always sent our Traders with goods into your Nation to supply the wants of your women and children. But now our King wants to make us poor if he can and has tried to distress us by stopping our ships and preventing any goods & ammunition being sent us. But we do not value that, we have plenty of ammunition and can make our own cloaths here, and you our Friends and Brothers will know this soon. We have always beat the King's Troops they have no chance with us, we will soon have ships at Pensacola and St Augustine and Mobile, which are all the places the King has. You will now hear the intents of Captain Stuart—he wants to blind you and get you to join the King's Troops against us. This is his Talk wrote by his hand and sent to the King's warriors, but we took the ship it was in and everything on board. We made a slave of his Talk as we were the best warriors—here he says he intends to make peace with the Choctaws

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and Creeks, and then he will set all the Red men on the Frontier Inhabitants.

You may now know he is not your friend for he wants to run you into danger that you may get killed. We know the Indians are a people that love their young men and don't want any of them killed, therefore we don't ask you to join us.

He says some of the Lower Creeks' Chiefs were down last winter with him, and that the Cussata King, the Pumpkin King and the Chihasau Warrior have promised him to help the King against us.

Now that we have told you all his Talks, you will consider the matter, and I think you had best send Taitt out of the Nation, as the Land is yours you can turn him out of it. There has been nothing but disturbance ever since he came into your Nation. You must neither join the King's Troops nor us, as you are between us you must not let them come past your Nation to us, nor do we want to march thro' your Towns as it might surprize your women, children and young men. This is our desire, and you our Red Brothers and Friends see all our Talks are very white and good, altho' our old trading path is shut up we will have it open again when the dispute 'twixt the King and us is settled. We hope you'll give ear to these Talks.

The Chawokly Warrior then said—

“I have heard your Talks and they are good, now I am going to speak to you—I have been one day considering on the matter, it is our way when we go in publick Company to give over mourning. Now I say if you intend the path 'twixt this and our Nation should be white, you must give satisfaction for my relation, whom some of your People have killed, or blood will be spill'd; I tell you so now, but if you give satisfaction it will be straight as formerly.”

Galphin then told him he should have satisfaction and desired two of his people should stay to see the white man killed.