Indian Attacks Of Tennessee 1790's

Some of this information has been recorded on some of my other pages, however this information goes into much more detail on what happen on that day.

Authors note. This information comes from a book called. “The Annals of Tennessee to the end of the Eighteenth Century“.
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1791, June 2.—"The Indians killed John Thompson in his own com field, within five miles of Nashville.

on the 14th of June they killed John Gibson and wounded McMoon, in Gibson's field, within eight miles of Nashville.

They killed Benjamin Kirkendall in his own house, within two miles of Colonel Winchester's, in Sumner county, and plundered his house of everything the Indians could use.

On the 3d of July, Thomas Fletcher and two other men, were killed on the north side of Cumberland, near the mouth of Red River— their heads were entirely skinned.

On the 12th, Thomas White was killed on the Cumberland Mountain and on the Cumberland trace.

On the 24th of October, 1794, a party of Indians fired upon John Leiper and another man, near the house of the former, on the east fork of Bed River, in Tennessee county. On the 5th of November, 1794, a party of fifty Indians, on the waters of Red River, in Tennessee county, fell upon the families of Colonel Isaac Titsworth and of his brother, John Titeworth, and killed and scalped seven white persons, wounded a negro woman, and took prisoners a white man, three children and a negro fellow, and also a daughter of Colonel Titsworth. Pursuit was given by the neighbouring militia, and the Indians, discovering their approach, tomahawked the three children and scalped them, taking off the whole skins of their heads. The white man and the negro fellow they either killed or carried off, together with the daughter. These murders wero imputed to the Creeks."

Colonel Valentine Sevier had removed west of Cumberland Mountain, and built a station near Clarkesville. This the Indians attacked. An account of the assault is copied from his letter to his brother, General Sevier, dated, Clarkesville, Dec. 18, 1794.

Dear Brotlwr:—The news from this place is desperate with me. On Tuesday, llth of November last, about twelve o'clock, my station was attacked by about forty Indians. On so sudden a surprise, they were in almost every house before they were discovered. All the men belonging to the station were out, only Mr. Snider and myself. Mr. Snider, Betsy his wife, his son John and my son Joseph, were killed in Snider's house. I saved Snider, so the Indians did not get his scalp, but shot and tomahawked him in a barbarous manner. They also killed Ann King and her son James, and scalped my daughter Rebecca. I hope she will still recover. The Indians have killed whole families about here this fall. You may hear the cries of some persons for their friends daily.

" The engagement, commenced by the Indians at my house, continued about an hour, as the neighbours say. Such a scene no man ever witnessed before. Nothing but screams and roaring of guns, and no man to assist me for some time. The Indians have robbed all the goods out of every house, and have destroyed all my stock. You will write our ancient father this horrid news; also my son Johnny. My health is much impaired. The remains of my family are in good health. I am so distressed in my mind, that I can scarcely write. Your affectionate brother, till death.
Valentine Setier.

" On the 27th of November, 1794, a party of Indians killed and scalped Colonel John Montgomery, and wounded Julius Saunders with four balls, and Charles Beatty through the arm, on the north-western frontier of Tennessee county. And on the 20th, another party of Indians, on the northern frontiers of Sumner county, killed and scalped John Lawrence, William Hains, and Michael Hampton, and wounded a fourth, whose name was not reported. On the 20th of December, were killed and scalped by Indiana, on Harpeth Eiver, Hugh Tenin, of Sumner county, then late colonel of Orange county in North-Carolina, and John Brown and William Grimes.

" On the 5th of January, 1795, Elijah Walker, one of the mounted infantry on duty for the defense of Mero District, acting as a spy on the frontiers, was killed by Indians, twelve miles south of Nashville. On the 5th of March, a party of Indians, supposed to be Creeks, at Joslin's Station, seven miles from Nashville, fired upon Thomas Fletcher, Ezekiel Balding, and his brother, a lad, who were at work in their field; wounded the two first with balls through their bodies, knocked down the third with a war club, broke his skull bone, and skinned the whole of his head. On the 14th, a man was killed by the Indians, within five miles of Nashville. On the 5th of June, old Mr. Peyton was killed, and a negro, belonging to Mr. Parker, wounded dangerously in a field of Mrs. Bledsoe, near Bledsoe's Lick, by Indians."

1791, June 2.—"The Indians killed John Thompson in his own com field, within five miles of Nashville; on the 14th of June they killed John Gibson and wounded McMoon, in Gibson's field, within eight miles of Nashville; they killed Benjamin Kirkendall in his own house, within two miles of Colonel Winchester's, in Sumner county, and plundered his house of everything the Indians could use. In June, three travellers from Natchez to Nashville, were found dead on the trace near the mouth of Duck River; there were eight in company and only two come in ; on the 3d of July, Thomas Fletcher and two other men, were killed on the north side of Cumberland, near the mouth of Red River— their heads were entirely skinned; and in the same month, a man was killed within a hundred and fifty yards of Major Wilson's, on the public road, as he was riding up to the house; on the 12th, Thomas White was killed on the Cumberland Mountain and on the Cumberland trace.

On Monday, the 19th of January, 1792, the Indians killed Robert Sevier and William Sevier, sons of Valentine Sevier, who lived at the mouth of Red River, near the present site of Clarkesville : they had gone to the relief of the distressed families on the Cumberland River, who had sent an express for assistance ; the officers of Tennessee county could give none. A part of the crew was on shore getting provisions to be carried in boats to the sufferers; the boats were ahead of them when these young men discovered the enemy, whom they mistook for their own party, the Indians having been seen late in the evening at a considerable distance from that place. Robert Sevier hailed them, who answered they were friends, with which answer being satisfied, he sailed on, and the Indians carelessly began to chop with their hatchets, till the young men in the boats got very near them. Robert said to the man who was with him in the boats, ' these are not our friends, steer off.' The Indians then fired upon them ; the man leaped out of the boat, and left them in it about three rods distant from the shore.

Before the 25th, William was found and buried, but Robert met a party of twelve white men, pursued, but did not overtake the Indians. On the 16th of the same month, Valentine, a third son of this unfortunate parent, also fell by the hands of the savages; he was in a boat ascending the river, and was fired upon and killed dead in it; two others were wounded, one of them, John Rice, died, and both he and Valentine were buried about sixty miles below the mouth of Red River. Until Valentine fell, he and two others kept up so brisk a fire, that they intimidated the Indians and saved the crew. Deprived of all his sons who had come with him to Cumberland in so short a time, the afflicted parent wrote to his brother, General Sevier, to send to him his son John to come and see him ; as, said he, in the moving language of suffering innocence, I have no other sons but small ones.

On the 28th of January, 1792, Oliver Williams and Jason Thompson, at night encamped on the road leading from Bledsoe's Station to the ford on Cumberland River, on the north side of the river, where they were fired upon by Indians and both wounded, and their horses and other articles were taken from them. About the beginning of March, 1792, the Indians attacked the house of Mr. Thompson, within seven miles of Nashville, killed and scalped the old man, his wife, his son and a daughter, and made prisoners Mrs. Caffrey, her son, a small boy, and Miss Thompson.

On the 6th of March, 1792, twenty-five Indians attacked Brown's Station, eight miles from Nashville, and killed four boys ; on the 6th they burnt Dunham's Station ; on the 12th they killed McMurray on his own plantation, at the mouth of Stone's River ; on the 5th of April, they killed Mrs. Radcliff and three children; on the 8th they killed Benjamin Williams and party, consisting of eight men, in the heart of the Cumberland settlements; on Station-Camp Creek a boy was wounded in three places ; at the same place two boys, sons of Robert Desha, were killed in the field in the daytime, near their father's house, and also Kirkendall, on the 16th of May, 1792, and a man on the 17th. On the 24th of May, 1792, General Robertson and his son Jonathan Robertson, were at or near Robertson's Lick, half a mile from his station, where they were fired upon by a party of Indians; the General was wounded in the arm, and thrown by his horse amongst the Indians; his son was wounded through the hip, but seeing the dangerous situation in which his father was, he dismounted, though so badly wounded, and fired on them as they rushed towards his father; this checked them for a moment, and give time to the general to get off, and both got safely into the station.