SR_SS_Continental_Congress_Records_Cherokee_1776

When the said Head Men and Warriors being present the following talk was accordingly delivered by the said commissioners.

Forrester } Interpreter

By the Honourable John Hancock President of the Continental Congress held at Philadelphia,

A talk to the Creek Indians. (Viz.l) The Continental Talk to them, the same (verbatim) as the Talk (antea) to the Cherokee Indians, adn delivered, as by Order the Hon'ble the Continental Congress, in the name of John Hancock Esquire President.

Addition by the Commissioners.

Brothers & Friends? We can with equal truth and satisfaction inform you that all the Northern Nations of Indians are in the Strictest Amity with us, in so much that many of them have offered us their assistance, but as we think ourselves able to fight our own battles against any power on Earth, we have only requested a neutrality of them which they have faithfully promised and we belive will perform - & Some of your young men were not long since present at a small skirmish between our people & the red coats at Savannah, and such was their friendship for us that they Assisted us unasked. We now thank them for their zeal & the services rendered us, but do not desire them or any of you to interfere in our disputes with our own flesh and blood - We should rather advice you all to live in peace & take care of your Wives and Children - Our's is a

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family quarrel, in which it will be foolish, & impolite for you to interfere, We are from beyond the great Water, that counsellors are coming over to settle this dispute with us - Suppose an Accomodation should take place and any other nation should in the meantime have taken an Active part on either side - What left could you expect, than that both parties would join in exterminating such nation from the face of the Earth, besides you well know that these Red Coats can neither fight nor run in the woods - you cannot pass thro' our Country to join them, neither can they to you - for all these reasons and many others which might be added, We conjure you, as you love yourselves, your Wibes and Children, not to interfere - The thirteen great Colonies of this Continent which estends almost from the rising to the seting of the sun, are now all so firmly united and inseperably bound together by one great chain of friendship that a wound received by one will most assuredly draw down the vengeance of the whole on any nation either white or Red that shall strike the blow - The British Troops have made many attempts to lands on various parts of our Coast, but have been as often repulsed with so great loss to them and so little to us that 'tis to be presumed the great man above is on our side.

We have lately received accounts that our people have beaten ten thousand of the Red Coats and driven them from their forts at Boston - their ships also are gone, we know not whither. We have in the same paper an account that Quebec is taken, which compleats the Conquest of Canada, We have all that extensive Country, with the Six nations and other Northern Indians As...

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