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1814

This webpage reproduces a section of
The Journal

of
John Sevier

published in Vols. V and VI
of the Tennessee Historical Magazine,
1919‑1920

The text is in the public domain.

This page has been carefully proofread
and I believe it to be free of errors.
If you find a mistake though, please let me know!

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Appendix
This site is not affiliated with the US Military Academy.

John Sevier's Journal

Vol. VI
p56
January, 1815.

Sun. 1 Went to the Catholic meeting. . . .

. . . . . .

[memoranda]

Fry. 6 . . . Memo. Scrape off an ivory comb a teaspoonful & mix it in a table spoonful of honey take its fasting 3 mornings running & the cure will be affected.

. . . . . .

Thur. 12 Went to the Catholic Church. . . .

. . . . . .

Wed. 18 Went to the Presidents Levee in evening.

. . . . . .

Sat. 28 Dined with the President.

. . . . . .

[memoranda]

Memo. Beef tea a certain cure for vomiting &c.

Mecuryº taken till the mouth turns sore a sure cure for the yellow or other fevers. — lay fresh meat, sausages &c. up in hogs laird as it becomes cold, will keep sweet & fresh long the lard will keep so. — it must be always covered with the lard. It must be laid in as the lard becomes coagulated.

. . . . . .

February, 1815.

. . . . . .

Sat. 18 attended the house. The City illuminated in consequence of peace — cold day and a little sleet. . . .

. . . . . .

Mon. 20 . . . Received from Mr. W. Kim $10 being a prize drawn in the second Mossoleum lottery.

. . . . . .

Wed. 22 . . . Went in evening to McKewens the Ball in memo of George Washington.

. . . . . .

March, 1815.

. . . . . .

Fry. 3 Cloudy & foggy morning — attended the House which was adjourned this day — Congress adj.

Sat. 4 Went to the Theater at night. . . .

. . . . . .

Sat. 11 Attended the commissioners — Fine day.

Sun. 12 . . . Memo. To purchase for Valº Sevier of Greenville a book called the olive branch — requested by Majr. Alexr. Sevier.

 p57  Mon. 13 Attended the War office & drew a draft on the Treasury for $1500 as a commissioner to run Creek line.

. . . . . .

Sat. 18 . . . Settled with Mrs. Sutor & left her $12 in my debt.

Sun. 19 Set out in the stage & arrived in Frederick town 9 o'clock at night. Stage fare $5. . . .

. . . . . .

April, 1815.

. . . . . .

Mon. 3 Bought of Mr. Mosby saddle & bridle $24.50 plated stirups of Cowan $7, silver plates before & behind $4.50 clasps for s. leathers 75 cents, 1 saddle blanket $4, the whole amounting to $40.75. . . .

Thurs. 11 . . . Bought pr ladies' slippers from Cap. Matthews pd. for them $9.

Thus. 20 rode 15 miles to Brabson Ferry where there was a Battalion muster. Fed & treated the Battn. & pd. $3. Then rode 4 miles with Hosea Roase to his house & dined, then rode 8 miles to my own house. Expensed in Travelling home from Washington $67.

. . . . . .

May, 1815.

. . . . . .

Tues. 30 . . . Memo. Abraham Reed lost one day going to town to see after his discharge. Richard Brown bought at Kennedys mill 1 hundred weight of flour.

. . . . . .

June, 1815.

. . . . . .

Sat. 10 Set out for running the Creek boundary line,​172 went to Knoxville & stayed all night at Colo. Seviers.

. . . . . .

Fry. 23 Some stores laid in & brought down by Cap. Walker were put into the public waggons and sent to Ft. Strother, also one new tent cloth for my use. . . .

Sat. 24 Cloudy morning. Rainy day — Memo. A brother of Genl. Carroll inquired of J. Master Tathum (?) if a certain person had not been in the waggon some who replied not that he remembered. Carroll replied that it did not make any difference, that he could give certificate & his brother would pay well for it (meaning Genl. Carroll).

. . . . . .

Tues. 27 We wrote a letter to the Path killer & chiefs of the Cherokees to meet us at this place on the 17th of July.

Wed. 28 . . . The commission made a re­quisition on the commanding officer of this place, Lieut. Pain & received 24 blankets, 24 soldiers shirts & 3 quires of coarse w. paper.

 p58  Thurs. 29 Very warm, our messenger returned who was the bearer of our letter to the path killer for which J. Sevier commissioner paid him 12/. . . .

July, 1815.

. . . Memo. that in March last after the peace was known, Monroe Secretary of War, furnished E. Earle with $20000 worth of goods for the Cherokees some to give as presents some to engage them as soldiers. It is said that the goods is since ordered to be given over to Genl. Jackson for to be distributed as presents &c. — Colo. Barnett informed me and also states that Dr. Bibb of Georgia is acquainted with the transaction.

James Phife, a half breed Creek, said the boundary line between the Creeks and Cherokee Nations began at the high Shoals of . . . . . . . . and run to the forks of Coosa and Hightower rivers, from thence a direct line to where old McDonald then lived, somewhere near the Lookout mountain or what is called the Wills town valley. Old Chinabee (?) a Creek chief states the same.

Pope of Huntsville, being in the Contractors department was last winter at Washington with a letter from Genl. Jackson stating in very high terms, the great services Pope had rendered to his army.

The auditor of accounts refused to pass his account, but it is said the Secretary of War did, and that he was allowed at least $40000 more than he ought to have received — information from Colo. Burnett.

Wed. 5 Myself, Colo. Burnett, Maj. Strother & Mr. Gaither, at the distance of about nine or ten miles from this place visited Tallehatchie, the village destroyed by Genl. Coffee. There appeared to be the ruins of about forty huts of various dimensions & the bones & skeletons of about 8 or ten persons. The land with few exceptions is poor & broken. There is a small village about six miles from this place as we passed on to Tallihatchie — Talahatchee village is very irregularly built; the huts are scattered at least 3 fourths of a mile in length & nearly as broad; less than 10000 men could not have completely surrounded the place. about fifty acres of cleared land, some peach trees are in the village & a good small Creek of water runs bordering on the place.

. . . . . .

Mon. 10 . . . The Shoeboots and two other Cherokee chiefs visited our camp and tarried all night.

Tue. 11 The commissrs. drew a re­quisition on the contractor for 75 rations for the use of Shoeboots & his party. rained heavily.

Wed. 12 Commissioners drew on the contractor for 20 rations for the use of some Cherokee chiefs (Being Barny Hughs & other) Also 20 rations for Alexr. Lastly Creek chief & others & 20 rations for Dick a Cherokee chief & four others of his party. Some rain this day moderately. Paid an Indian 1/6 for 1 pint honey. & 6c for 4 yearsº corn (greene).

. . . . . .

Fry. 14 . . . Give to an old Indian woman called Blouz 15/ at different times to purchase some provisions &c. for five or six orphan children she has taken in charge.

Sat. 15 . . . Issued re­quisition to the contractor for Dick a chief & 5 others of his party for 18 rations. For Barny Hughs Ch. chief & 7 others of his party 24 rations.

Sun. 16 The Commissioners issued request for 8 rations for John & one other Cherokees For Dick Tutt & 5 others of his party 24 rations.  p59 — To Tuskatakee & 19 more of his party all Cherokees for 80 rations To Barny Hughs & his party for 24 rations.

. . . . . .

Tues. 18 Commissioners issued request for 80 rations for the Boots & 30 of his party. To Chaloh & 5 of his party 12 rations. To Barny Hughs & 4 others 10 rations. Memo. About 8 years past the Creek Indians seized upon & took away Parson Blackburn's whiskey lying at the spring Frogs a little below the Turky town, claiming it because it lay within the Creek territory & the big Warrior of the Creeks said every drop of water in the Coosa below Hightower belonged to them — when the Cherokees was called on in behalf of Blackburn to make compensation for the Robbery, they excused themselves by saying the Creeks was the owners of the land & could do as they pleased in their own country — Blackburn had hired James Phife to freight the liquor from the spring Frog town, it being by the two Nations understood that place was the line. . . .

. . . . . .

Fry. 28 Colonel Barnett set out to ride a short way down the river, & perhaps to overtake and see how the surveyor is progressing.

. . . . . .

August, 1815.

. . . . . .

Fry. 18 last night Majr. John Strother departed this life intered today. Wrote letters to Mrs. McClellan, Mrs. Lockhart, and Colo. Wm. Barnett, & dispatched W. Craton to Huntsville. Craton left in the garrison two Tent cloths & covers, 1 sheet & four blankets — 2 Boxes, 2 tin pans, 2 tin bucketts, 2 Bridles & 2 pack saddles wantees (?) &c. 1 tomahawk, 1 fryingpan, candles & soap salt and bacon & 1 bag flour, the ax left at Stephen Hawkins.

. . . . . .

Tues. 22 Very warm, nothing extraordinary. The mail came into this place yesterday and went out on return today, it being the case weekly. . . .

. . . . . .

Fry. 25 Myself & Colo. Barnett rode out to the conjunction of Coosa & Tallapoosa. . . .

Heard a Mr. Cristy (Methodist minister) preach a sermon in Mr. Ross's house.

Sat. 26 Some unwell with pain in my back . . . pain in my back. . . .

. . . . . .

September, 1815.

Fry. day rndº very warm. Entertained an old Indian fellow and his wife of the Cursataw (?) tribe today & yesterday.

Sat. 2 Very warm day.

Sun. 3 Very warm day.

Mon. 4 Sent on a letter to M. D. Willson a lawyer Sent on a letter to Rutha Sparks.

Tues. 5 Cool pleasant morning.

Wed. 6 Nothing extraordinary.

Thurs. 7 Set out for Tookabatchee. Went about two & a half miles & Crossed at Rosses on Tellipoose river. Good land on the river after crossing we traveled through pretty good level land,º and tolerably  p60 watered & lodged at an old village (evacuated) 12 miles from F. Jackson.

Fry 8 We traveled through several old villages for about 8 miles distance to Simmonse's & eat & let our horses feed; this place is 3‑4 of a mile from the ofuchsee Creek & two miles from its conjunction with the Talapoosa. We then traveled along the main public road to B. Hawkins old place & then turned off towards Fort Decatur — very good land in Simmonses neighborhood for 4 or 5 miles square on the east side of the creek. After crossing this creek we came to the next two miles distance called (?) Creek at the mouth Genl. Floyd had a bottle We lodged at (?) Creek. T. 18 miles.

Sat. 9 Dicky Brown very sick — We started late & traveled . . miles. there is some tolerable land on Culluba (?) Creek & about Hawkins old place, but between that & other see (?) the land is sandy, poor, & the growth long leaf pine.

[End of the Journal.]


The Editor's Note:

172 In 1815 Sevier was appointed by President Madison​a as a commissioner to run the boundary line of the Creek nation in Alabama, as provided by the treaty made by General Jackson after his conquest of the Creeks in 1814. His service lasted from early in June, 1815, until his death, September 24, 1815. He was buried on the east bank of the Tallapoosa River at an Indian village called Tuckabotchee, near Fort Decatur, in Macon County. In 1889 his remains were removed to Knoxville, Tennessee, and re-interred in the court house yard. A beautiful monument stands over his remains, dedicated in a splendid oration by Col. W. A. Henderson.


Thayer's Note:

a The printed journal has Monroe; but Monroe would only become President after Sevier's death. But who is meant: President Madison? or Secretary of State Monroe? The latter would have been in charge of matters dealing with the boundaries with Indian nations.

But Madison it is; we find in a 1970 reprint of the 1894 edition of the Calendar of correspondence of James Madison, p137, under March 4, 1815, the President asking "for the appointment of John Sevier as one of commissioners for running the boundary line agreeably to the treaty made with the Creek Indians". (The mistake was caught, and its solution discovered, by an eagle-eyed correspondent, to whom thanks. E‑mail can be wonderful.)


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Page updated: 29 Mar 14