1798, Nov 4 - To George Washington from Benjamin Hawkins

The Chickamauga Nation

February 11, 2025
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History

1798, Nov 4 - To George Washington from Benjamin Hawkins

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From Benjamin Hawkins

Tellico in the State of Tennessee 4 novr 1798

The bearer of this, Mr Silas Dinsmoor is agent of the Cherokees, and one of those chosen to carry into effect the benevolent plan devised by you, for bettering the condition of the Indians in the southern parts of the United States.1 He is going on a visit to the Secretary of War, and will pay his respects to you. It is with pleasure I recommend him to you, as a man who has faithfully and ably executed the trust reposed in him; and from whom you will have the satisfaction to learn, that the plan has succeeded notwithstanding the violence with which it has been assailed by the mischief makers in this quarter. The Cherokees are no longer to be called Savages, they are a decent orderly set of people, who possess unbounded confidence in the Justice of our government, and are worthy of its continued attention.

I beg you to assure Mrs Washington of my sincere wishes for a long continuance of her health and happiness to accept of the same for yourself and to believe me very sincerely and respectfully My Dear sir, your obedt humbe Servt

Benjamin Hawkins

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ALS, DLC:GW.

1. Silas Dinsmoor (Dinsmore), a graduate of Dartmouth College in 1791, went in 1794 to the Cherokee Nation to live as agent of the United States to keep the peace. Dinsmoor visited Mount Vernon on 24 Dec. “on his way to Philadelphia” (Diaries, 6:327).

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[COMMENTARY]: In 1788, the du Chat Nation a.k.a. Over the Hills Cherokee (Modern Cherokee Nation) abandoned Chote in Tennessee and abandoned all of Tennessee for northern Georgia. Benjamin Hawkins who is the author of this letter, is writing from Tellico in Tennessee which is NOT where the du Chat Nation dwelt at that time in history, and had not for over 10 years.

Therefore: it is reasonably argued that this letter is in fact discussing the Lower town Cherokee a.k.a. the Chickamauga. No other interpretation can actually be made concerning the context of this letter.

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(C) This document was produced at the request of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs on July 18, 2019, to document the History, Anthropology, Culture, Religion, and Archaeology of The Chickamauga Nation.

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