Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-12-15

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seep' 80, do let BIe seeP' The objects
of so much curious interest were several
white flint arrow heads and large cor
roded leaden ball. Such was the mar
vel at what had been picked up on the
prairie, that the Chief and his braves,
who had been standing seemingly IN
concerned, were applied to for some
thing Of their history. They certainly
had a history relies Of art, Of the white
and the red man, found side BY side In
the wilds Of a savage co0sTtxy, excite the
curious to know something Of them.
The Chief, q huge mass Of fat, Jolly,
I good-natured face, VIM an int5issSzns,
laughing eye,s shook his big sides with s
Rrunt, and spoke through his black in
{ terprefer thus sLong, long ago.
pointing Ia the direction from which the
4 bOyE came running, Ten Wonder hill &
big battle was fought between the red
man and the white man. The red
men killed ali the white men
since which time the red man has been
at peace with the white man." This
Sss the pnlv Inflammation obtained to
t.e cumerous inquiries as to when, and
who were the white pea gnpged in
such dssdly eonfIct with the red mn.
The rock from which the arrowhead
was CIT they did ret obtain in this
region. 1ns szs Of the Ieaden ball ca
Tered nom nc ordinary rifle bullet then
In use, and its ecroded state excited in
terest as to its ehtsquiEy Ny hs er,
thinking he eo1ldtthow some light upon
the subject. spoke, addressing himself
TO the Chief, who had settled himsel
Upon Ole ground. with his ht legs
crossed under him, "That more Than
- $500 - slA- 49,
Spain, q powerful DatiOE across the big
water, seDta great many big ships, filed
with mel, arms and ammunition, and
fine horses e take possession Of I'll this
country; that they landed so-QcWhere
tor the coast OF Florida, under the com
mand of a grea6 MAJ, called Fernando
DeSOto;. that DeSotO landing his meis,
guns and horses, marched up through
the territory Of the Alabamas. then
turning west, crossed the Tom0igber
somewhere near the ChicKas:T village,
passing through their territory, crossed
the Mississippi at the ChickasaW bluffs;
that the Chickasay-S we're offended With
tho STRANGERS for entering their territory,
without asking their big Chief y salezs
+he calumet, gave them battle, kill
ing a great number; that more than
one hGpaeu end ninetv years after the
G~.21iSrGs passed through the territory
OF the ChiekssaEs, the French. who
claimed all the country On both sides >,
the Mississippi from its mouth 70 the
| great lakes in the north, beeSme Offend
! cd with Ur Eaickasa,- for taking sides
with and helpic@ tie -satehez, WITH
whom they Iesaa at war, self Bielvi1e,
VINO was GovCnOr Of Louisiana, With q
great army of white 7en and a FrgG
number of Chcetsp-s up the yembigbee
I river to drive them kora theft Territory.
BieHviIle, with his soldiers and ChoctaS
frierds, lan3k40s5r the ChiekasaR VII
IsSsa, S.srchtd out ard b6da bis fight
at Nekiz E.IsSp. fAs the nSne Of Re
] Village is mentioned, the Chief, who il
will be remembered bal takea ks seat
u9na tle Eeue6- quick aS-l arrow rcm
its bow, junpeG sp with features ani-
mated and both arms extended, gestieu-
latilg in the direction OF q hiliOck to the
~.ra4snzzaal tEaaded.
and repeated the name Of the village,
"Nekial Nekiari) Resuming, he told
the Chief that his people defeated the
French, killed a great many, and puT-
sued the remainder to their boats; that
his people had neve been conquered,
taey were famed ia history for their bra
very and heroic bearing in De-
lighted with such a glorious account OF
his nation, he, with his companions,
took their leave, making my father
promise to come outand eat with him al
his village, which he promised to do
Monday.
Our tents had been pitched within a few
RODS Of the historic ground upon which
the village of Nekia stood, where, more
than two hundred and eighty years ago,
its red defenders put to flight DeSOtO
and his bronzed companions, with their
golden spurs, where BienYile fought
his great battle with the brave Chieka-
saws, where the sshes Of the handsome
Chevalier D'Artaguelle, and the noble
De Vineennes rest in peace, mingled with
mother earth. Shall we voueh for the
history of the leaden ball and the white
flint arrowhead among those fallen
braves, whose names and deeds have
made glorious the history Of this mem
Orable spot? Let us while away the
Sabbath in so pleasing a search.
The Chiekasaws gave the French
more concern than al the nations Of red
men combined They were the impla-
cable enemies of France. Maintaining
their independence, they greatly weak
ened and divided the New Empire.
| Communication with the lakes in the
North and New Orleans, was in con-
stant danger of interruption by the in
trepid Cbiekasaws. With their cedar
barks, they were ready to shoot out in
Mississippi. They permitted no settle
ment upon the eastern shoreOf the great
river. From the Natehez to the Kas-
ikaskia, they claimed dominion, and held
.F ooafnuf tho Er1mah ~hn h0A nnunnnd
fout as belonging to France all the
try west Of the Alleghanies, to the
Rocky MOuntains-that not q rill or
brook, that flowed from the mountains
into the Father of Waters, but ran
through French territory. Independent
and resolnte. they had given aid and
comfort to the Natehez, whose utter an
Inhalation the French aimed at. In or
der, therefore, to secure and reduce the
eastern Valley Of the Mississippi, it was
necessary TO rid themselves Of the Chick
asaws. To this end Bienville, tqen Gov
ernor Of Louisiana, was instructed by
the French Government to lit out an
expedition equal to the undertaking,
and drive them from the territory.
After two years preparation,
fresh troops having been sent
over from France, BienyiIle announced
himself ready to move with his expedi-
ton upOnthe Chiekasaws. He had writ
ten to the brave young Cheyalier OAR
taguelle, commanding the Illinois de-
partment, to gather all the troops, both
white and red, under his command, and
join him in the Chickasaw territory Ito
meet him at the Chiekasaw village on
the last day of March. Prompt to duty,
DArtaguelle, communication with Vim
~cennes, commanding the IroGuois and
tribes on the Wabash, and M~ontcheval,
commanding the Miamis and Dacotahs,
be was o ready and descending the
Mississippi, with one hundred and
thirty white troops and three hundred
and sixty red allies. On the fourth of
March Bienvills left New Orleans with
his imposing army finely appointed aud
equipped, carrying many cannon. IN
toward winds greatly retarded hismove
ments, and he did not reach Mobile un-
til the twenty-third day. Being delayed
there on account Of the condition of his
boats, it was the first Of April before the
expedition commenced its move up the
river. Two hundred miles from Mobile,
on the TOmbighee, a depot of ammuni-
ton and suppliC had been established,
where Bienville wRs to be joined BY
twelve hundred warriors ofthe ChOetaw
tribe. Reaching their depot of ammu-
milton and supplies, after innumerable
delays, they found the ChOctaws n0tyet
arrived. While there, Bienvile review
ing his grand army. bis red allies came
I'D to the number of six hundred, add
lug greatly to the grand military parade.
On the eighteenth Of April, Bienyille
resumed his march up the Tombigbee,
arriving opposite the ChiekasaW Village
the twenty-third day of May, q month
and twenty-three days behind his APP
pointed time ford ArtaguelletO join him.
His first order, h0wever, was TO send out
scouts to learn something, If they could,
Of the expedition from the illinois, and