y they cannot for a moment be taken
against the explicit declaration of the official report.

Mr. Kirke merely follows Ramsey, and adds a few flourishes of his own,
such as that at the Chickamauga towns "the blood of the slaughtered
cattle dyed red the Tennessee" for some twenty miles, and that "the
homes of over forty thousand people were laid in ashes." This last
estimate is just about ten times too strong, for the only country
visited was that of the Overhill Cherokees, and the outside limit for
the population of the devastated territory would be some four thousand
souls, or a third of the Cherokee tribe, which all told numbered perhaps
twelve thousand people.]

In the burnt towns, and on the dead warriors, were found many letters
and proclamations from the British agents and commanders, showing that
almost every chief in the nation had been carrying on a double game; for
the letters covered the periods at which they had been treating with the
Americans and earnestly professing their friendship for the latter and
their determination to be neutral in the contest then waging. As
Campbell wrote in his report to the Virginian governor, no people had
ever acted with more foolish duplicity.

Before returning, the three commanders, Campbell, Sevier, and Martin,
issued an address to the Otari chiefs and warriors, and sent it by one
of their captured braves, who was to deliver it to the head-men.
[Footnote: Campbell MSS. Issued at Kai-a-tee, Jan. 4, 1781; the copy
sent to Governor Jefferson is dated Feb. 28th.] The address set forth
what the white troops had done, telling the Indians it was a just
punishment for their folly and perfidy in consenting to carry out the
wishes of the British agents; it warned them shortly to come in and
treat for peace, lest their country should again be visited, and not
only laid waste, but conquered and held for all time. Some chiefs came
in to talk, and were met at Chota [Footnote: The Tennessee historians
all speak of this as a treaty; and probably a meeting did take place as
described; but it led to nothing, and no actual treaty was made until
some months later.]; but though they were anxious for peace they could
not restrain the vindictive spirit of the young braves, nor prevent them
from harassing the settlements. Nor could the white commanders keep the
frontiersmen from themselves settling within the acknowledged boundaries
of the Indian territory. They were constantly pressing against