Hopewell, two
years later, that the Cherokee surrendered their claim to the same
region, and even then the Chickamauga warriors, with their allies, the
1 Ramsey, Tennessee, pp.516, 519.
■ Brown's narrative, etc., ibid.. pp. .308-516.
a Ibid., pp. 159, 489.
hookey] DESTRUCTION OF COLDWATER — 1787 <'>"
hostile Creeks and Shawano, refused to acknowledge the cession and
continued their attacks, with the avowed purpose of destroying the new
settlements. Until the final running of the boundary line, in 1797,
Spain claimed all the territory west of the mountains and south of
Cumberland river, and her agents were accused of stirring up the
Indians against the Americans, even to the extent of offering rewards
for American scalps. 1 One of these raiding parties, which had killed
the brother of Captain Robertson, was tracked to Coldwater, a small
mixed town of Cherokee and Creeks,on the south side of Tennessee
river, about the present Tuscumbia, Alabama. Robertson determined
to destroy it, and taking a force of volunteers, with a couple of Chick-
asaw guides, crossed the Tennessee without being discovered and
surprised and burnt the town. The Indians, who numbered less than
fifty men, attempted to escape to the river, but were surrounded and
over twenty of them killed, with a loss of but one man to the Tennes-
seeans. In the town were found also several French traders. Three
of these, who refused to surrender, were killed, together with a white
woman who was accidentally shot in one of the boats. The others
were afterward released, their large stock of trading goods having
been taken and sold for the benefit of the troops. The affair took
place about the end of June. 1787.