The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-02-18

neighborhood OF the fort about the Isl
OF March. the indian scouting parties
falling back as he advanced. After
some skirmishing between the advance
forces OF Moore's troops and the out
posts OF the enemy. the T~uscororas re-
tired into their castle and prepared TO
make their last stand against their
avenging foes. 1t was to be a contest.
nos for supremacy: for the star OF the
Iroquois a already begun to pale be-
fore the rising brightness Of the Saxon.
but for birthplace. for home, for coun-
try, and for life Itself.
Behind these wooden walls, that pro-
tected them from their ~insatiate en-
envy. they made their last desperate
stand, fully expecting TO be able To
beat off the foe from their intrech-
ments. But Moore extended his lines
cautiously. TO prevent surprise, and
gradually drew in toward the fort un-
til he had it closely invested on all
sides. The red skins within saw the
line OF steel without drawing nearer
and nearer 10 their walls. and watched
ii day by day as IL crept closer to the
destined prey. Days passed and the
Indians IN the fort kept up a stout re
resistance, driving the attacking party
back many times with consummate
bravery.
At last. on the Goth of March. a bold
$1,000 ~ NA@ AtF- pal &SAS
the besiegers within close range OF the
fort, and every one within and with
out saw that the beginning of the end
was at hand. Those within the fort
fought with that desperation born of
despair. Those without. composed
mostly of South Carolina Indians,
fought with a determined
knowing that by the capture OF the
fort man slaves would be theirs.
Seeing that the time was ripe for a
decisive stroke, Colonel Moore ordered
a simultaneous charge upon the fort
from all directions to be made. The
Tuscaroras, seeing the advancing host,
leaped over their battlements and met
the enemy in a hand to hand encoun-
ter upon the open filed. Back surged
the line of the Palmetto Indians before
the desperate onslaught of the Tusca-
roras. Renewing their courage the
Yamassees stopped the rush Of their
foes from the fort and drove them back
in a wild route, covering the ground
with the slain.
Again the Tuscaroras rallied. and
made a bold front to the advancing
enemy. Rising to their full might.
they rushed upon the oncoming foe and
grappled with them at arms length.
The struggle was brief, for the South
Carolina Indians were stronger in
numbers and better armed. The Tus-
caroras, however, fought bravely and
sold their lives dearly. They broke
through the line of the Yamassees and
White in large numbers and fed to
another fort, about forty miles dis
tant, leaving the fort. with its inmates.
to the mercy of the conquerorS. AS
soon as the Indians had fled, the fort
was surrendered. In it were about 500
persons, mostly women, children and
old men. These were taken as prison
ers of war. A large number of Indians
were killed in the battle, but the ex-
act number was never reported. Moore
lost about seventy-five men.
Colonel Moore at once marched
against Fort Cahunke, where the
refugees from the other fort had
gathered, but they did not await his
arrival. Abandoning their last strong
hold, they fled up the Roanoke river,
through Virginia to New York, where,
uniting with their kindred, they formed
the six nations of the %Iroquois in the
latter state. Thus it was that the Tus-
carora nation came to an end. Only
Tom Blunt and his followers remained
Of the once strong race, and they mad
already sworn fidelity to the authori-
ties OF the COLONY.
After the battle, most of the South
Carolina Indians, with their captured
booty, returned home, leaving only
about $50 to watch the movements of
the other hostile tribes. Tom Blunt
performed his part in the war, and was
rewarded, according to the promise of
President Pollock, by being made king
of the tribes that remained. A large
tract of land, in what is now BERTHE
county, was allotted to them; which
they held for many years. Finally,
however, they sold out to the white
settlers and emigrated to New York,
joining their brethren already there.
eaving eastern North Carolina entirely
to the whites.
Before n~arrating the the details of
the warfare with the other tribes and
the final establishment Of peace, by
which the Indian cOnfederacy was en-
tirely broken and the future safety OF
the colony secured, it will be an in
teresting study to enter into the his
tory Of the earliest contact of the
white man with the wilds Of North
Carolina. This, then, will be the theme
Of the next article.
Daily New Bernian: We learn from the