St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1891-02-07
THE NATCHEZ INDIANS,

BEEN FOUGHT ON SICILY lSLAND-AN IN
TEREsTING EFT OF HISTORY By A Pleas
ING WRITER.
A recent number of the Natchez Banner
contains the following interesting sketch:
In 1928, when visited Sicily island, |
was informed by Mr.. George w. Lovelace,
the survivor of a numerous family, who
many years previous had covered the
greater part of the arabic land of Sicily
island with their Spanish grants, that the
Natchez Indians, after having been driven
from their country on the eastern side of
the Mississippi river by the French, forth
fed themselves on Sicily island, and after
having been discovered by the French,
were defeated by them in hard fought
battle. Subsequently | purchased the
plantation on which this desperate battle
was fought.
The battle field was on the bluff of Sicily
island, at the lower end of small lake,
formerly known as the King lake, plant
er of that name having settled on it many
years since This lake is about thirty
miles northwest of NatChez, sixteen miles
from Harrsonburg and twenty-seven
miles from Trinity. For many years after
located on Sicily island the planters in
this locality were in the habit Of laying in
their yearly supplies at NatcheZ, which
place they visited in large plrogues,
passing up Fool river four miles, thence
up bayou st. John Tor La john into the
Mississippi, and there is no doubt in my
mind that the NatcheZ took the same route
when they emigrated to Louisiana. From
time to time have picked up many of the
destructive implements brought into re-
QUESTION on the memorable occasion of that
battle-many of them have been mislald
and some of them lost.
still have enough, however, to prove
that the Natchez were finally conquered on
Sicily island, and not in the neighborhood
of Trinity, as Mr.. Gayarre and other histo
rians have supposed from the imperfect
manuscripts that they have been able to
find in relation to an event in its days Of
great magnitude to the French settlement
at New Orleans and its vicinity.
The Natchez were the most powerful and
refined tribe of Indians that inhabited the
Mississippi valley. At one period of their
history they numbered four thousand war
rors They were worshipers of the sun
and had two temples on Second creek in
the vicinity of Natchez. in the village of
White Apple They had two languages,
one for the royal family, or those chiefs
who were called suns-in honor of the
great center of light and heat that they
worshipped, and from which in some mys
.erious way they protested to have de-
rived their origin; the other language was
used by the plebeans or common Indians.
The Natchez are represented by hlstor-
ians as being of lofty stature and proud
bearing, the men rarely measuring less
than SIX feet and well made in proportions
of stature fair and slender-frame
But firmly knit was Ma Icon Greene.
The hcted plaid and tartan hose
Did ne'er more graceful limbs disclose
Trained to the chase his eagle eye
The ptarmagau in snow could spy;
Vain was the bound OF dark brown doe.
When Malcolm bent his sounding bow,
And scarce that doe thus winged with fear,
uutstripped in speed the mOuntaineer.
Ia consequence of cruelty and oppres-
sion on the part of the French command
ers, particularly Chopart, the French
commander at Nstchez in 1925, their ire
concilab!e enemies, and after many hard
fought battles, in which either party were
at times victorious, the Natchez having
been besieged for upwards of two months
by the French and their allies the Choc-
laws and Tunicas, on the 2Sth OF February,
1880, abandoned their fort and crossed the
Mississippi river. Cannon were used by
the besieged and the besiegers (Gayarre,
vol. I, page 433) The Natchez in their
Punishment were not forgetful of their
mortal enemies, but annoyed them so
much that an expedition was fitted cut
against them ON the 4tk of February
1871, Perier the governor of Louisiana. to-
gether with his allies, the Tunica Indians,
united his forces at the mouth of Red
river, which they assembled in boats TO
Black river, thence into the Silver river or
Ouachita, thence into q small lake. 1t Is
not improbable that the stream that is
here mentioned is no other than the one
set down on our old maps as the Ouachita,
and that the lake alluded to is the small
one which is but short distance from
Trinity. {Gayarre, page 445, vol. l.
This is mistake only so far as regards
the lake There is no doubt the lake al
uded to is Lake Louah, or Squirrel lake,
| in English phraseology, name still as
| appropriate as when the country was held
poss. ssion of by. the aborigines, who were
remarkable for the appropriateness of
their names this lake is now known as
Lovelace lake, a name more euphonious
and equally appropriate, being the name
! of numerous family come elton, and for
merly from Carolina. who were the first
settlers on the luxuriant lands bordering
| it's western margin. This lake is about
| Is miles from the Ouachita, is about
miles in length, and is connected with the
| Ouachita by q large navigable bayou,
Bayou Louah, which discharges into Qua
| chita 3 miles above Harrisonburg.
| Governor Perier had hardly given the
order to march when he heard brisk
! firing of 1nusketry kept up between the
! fort and skirmishers, and having marched
an hour, came in sight of the fort. Gay
are, page 445, vol The distance from
the head of Lovelace lake, where Perier's
army must have landed, to the battle field
on Sicily island, at the lower end of Kings
| lake, is three miles, and the time required
| to march that distance would correspond
with the time mentioned by Mr.. Gayarre,
viz: one hour On the contrary, there are
no indications in the vicinity OF any lake
near Trinity of a battle having been fought
in that neighborhood. Some of the me-
mentoes of that battle field which have
from time to .ime been picked up anc
which have in my possession are as fol
lows A bombshell 15t inches in cjrcum
ference, weight 81 pounds; it has cavity
large enough to contain three ounces OF
water it has the remains of neck, anc
NAV have been chain shot. l have alst
G. pound cannon ball, also many piece:
of bombshells varying in thickness from
to inch. These pieces are parts of :
circle of 16 inches; also concave piece O.
copper, 2 inches wide by p in length, sup
posed to have been the cover of a touch
hole of cannon or mortar; also an ole
musket frizer Il inches in length by
inch in breadth also many old and much
worn musket fiints II inches in width.
A number of old battered musket balls
apparently ounce and half ounce; thes'
were. so numerous that the hunters in tn
neighborhood formerly supplied them
selves with lead by resOrting to the battl