Letter from Federal Commissioners for Sandusky conference to Henry Knox on western Indian refusal to make peace: Page #4

Transcription

and Captain Hendricks to advise them of the written one. The object of the letter and message, was to obtain a decisive answer from the Indian Council whether a treaty was to be held or not, and to bring the business to a speedy issue.

On Friday the 16 .^th in the afternoon, two Wyandot runners arrived with the final answer from the Indian Council. We made imme- diately a short reply and began to embark our effects. On Saturday morning we completed the embarkation of our stores and baggage, and in the afternoon sailed for fort Erie.

On Friday evening our own two runners returned. According to their information, the Six nations know nothing of the contents of the final answer of the Indian Council. Their name is not subscribed to it. They have heard indeed of an answer, but were told it was to invite the the Commissioners to meet the Indians Nations on the Miamies (instead of Sandusky) about five miles below the Rapids, to which place the Six nations proposed to remove the day or the day after our runners left them. From the same information it seemed probable that the six nations were not made acquainted with our written message of the 13th. nor the letter to Colonel McKee, so we made out copies of them, of the final answer, of the Indians, and of our last reply, and on Saturday morning sent them off by our runners, with directions to deliver them to Captain Brant, and to inform the other six nation Chiefs thereof. A letter was also written to Hendricks referring him for information to those copies. We verbally direc- ted Runners to tell those Chiefs to be of good treat, and to assure them of the strong an unalterable friendship of the United States for the six nations.