Extract of letter from Lieutenant Van Allen of Federal Troops to Major Henry Gaither on white efforts to justifiy incursion on Chehaws
Document 1793Lieutenant Van Allen of Federal troops reports from Galphin Town on the Ogeechee River that 40-50 Georgia horse militia gathered under command of Captains Kitchen, Carson, Wilbern, and Hampton, later joined by Captains Harrison, Stokes and Irwin in order to march against Chehaw towns. To justify this act, Van Allen says he was told that horses were brought over the Oconee and then claimed as stolen. General Irwin called the men back, but he was ignored.
426 Extract of a letter from Lieut. Van Allen of the federal troops to Major Henry Gaither. Galphin Town on Ogeechee 18th October 1793. Sir, “Yesterday morning about 40 or 50 horse collected at Mr. Hutchinsons store at the White pond, 20 miles from Fort Fidius, under the command of Captain Kitchen, Carson, Wilbern, and Hampton, on their way to Carr’s bluff the place of rendezvous, where they were to be joined by Captains Harrison Stokes and Irwin making in all two hundred men, to march against the Chehaw towns. In order to justify this excursion I am told that two or three of them took their neighbors horses and brought them over the Oconee and then propagated that horses were stole, and that their trail appeared toward the Indian Country. General Irwin I am told ordered them to return but they paid no attention to him.” “I am &[undecipherable]” Copied from the original James Seagrove, Agent
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