The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-12-06

| the battle ground as were also Littleton
| Pickett, Green Berry, John Thornton,
| and many others. Capt William owens,
| the father of Hardeman owens, was pu-
ried at Fort Hull The drummer, as
| brave q man as ever beat the call to bat
tie, Daniel Smith of Saundersville, Ca,
and Tom Blanks, a mess-mate of mine,
| rest at Fort Hull. Whitmael Williams,
| David Conyers and Leven Grear. from
| Washington county, we're buried at what
| was once known as Fishers old field,
near the mouth of Caleebee creek. They
| were killed at Otisee.
| II the Uchees and Shawnees (Sowano-
kas) were not originally the same people
! they had lived so long and so near each
other as to appear the same tribe. A
stranger could not tell the difference.
| Many years ago I General Woodward
| became acquainted with a Shawnee chler
| in Texas, who headed little band OF his
| people who emgrated to that country
! very soon after General Harrison oe-
/ feated them at the battle of Tippecanoe.
4, This chief spoke very good English, was
| quite intelligent for an Indian, and was
in the famous Tippecanoe fight, and has
| often related to me the details OF that
| affair, or at least as he understood them.
| This man has, perhaps, been better
| known than almost any other chef OIL
any tribe in the early settlements OF
| Texas and Arkansas. Tie remained In
| Texas until the American population be-
gan to put aside Spanish and Mexican
! customs, and then he moved his people
| into a thinly settled portion OF Arkansas.
| In the year 1884, Mr.. James Woodland
| and myself were travelling in Arkansas
| and met with this chief, whose name was
| Spy Buck / remembered having seen
and known him IN Texas. He made
many inquiries of me and where lived.
I told him l was living In the Old MUS
| qua country, but intended setting on
| the Washita river, at point that ne
seemed to know; and in January 1872.
| located at the place spoken of. week
| after my arrival Spy Buck and his party,
| consisting of a few Cherokees, some Choc-
| Jaws one or two Chickasaws and Del
aware. all made their appearance. The
| shawnees with Spy Buck, remained two
years near me, and then left Tor the
| Kansas river, except his youngest proth-
er. who remained with me two years
longer. From these people learned
much concerning their history. They
gave the same account of being forced
| back from the Savannah, and the settle
ments of the Musqua in Alabama and
| Georgia, as the Creek Indians them
selves HAD given. Spy BUCK told me that
| he had hunted with Savannah jack. IN
the region above the Cross Timbers on
|
others who sought and found peaceful
home in the west was Capt. Isaac Brown,
who located in Bossier parish, LOUISIANA
and lived to be very old
Mistakes in regard to the habits OF an
! imals are often made. as the. panther
for instance, which never eats flesh show
ing the least sign of decay. This Is TACT
| known to every hunter, from the DAYS
of Daniel Boone, the early hunter OF
IF
bert Pike and Kit Carson of the plains
| of New Mexico; winthrop Colbreath or
the Caddo mountains of Arkansas, ana
John L, Winston of Texas All the coun-
tries inhabited by Indians were infested
! with wolves and other animals which
prey upon the dead. II left exposed. ana
they always guarded against sucn. either
by the use of scaffolds or burial Some
! tribes differed with others in their man
| ner of sculpture. Ht.-
The Simondes generally known as
Seminoles) is a mixed race of almost all
the tribes I have mentioned, but mostly
| Hicheetas and Creeks The whites nave
regarded the Hicheetas as belonging to
| the Muscogees, but they did not Tney
| had an entirely different language OF
their own and resided in the country
when the Creeks first entered It,
! Simonde. or Seminole in the Creek IAN
guage, signifies wild, or runaway, or out
| law. General Woodward heard much or
| the expedition of DeSoto among the ira
ditions of the Indians and firmly believed
in them He says the Indians tod MIN
that DeSoto began his march from
Tampa Bay, Florida, and the first winter
camped on the Apalachicola river, near
ocheese. which place has peen known for
centuries as Spanny-wakeo which means
the Spanish camp, or the Spaniards lay
there. Their object was the search Tor
| gold They divided their forces into sew
eral commands under various OFFICERS
! marching in northerly directlon'
through portions of Georgia and Alabama.
The Indians say that none OF Desoto
men ever crossed to the east or the
Oconee river, unless 1t was some OF i's
head branches. A portion of the Span
iards made their way up the Chattahoo-
chez river to Owe-Cowka, or the shoals
! Of Columbus, Ga; there they called g.
halt until they could communicate with
the others that had gone farther east
and north Tallapoosa was then known
as the river of towns, Tuckaoatcnee
being the most important town IN al
the nation, except Cusseta. ana was inc
noint for the different commands to meet
at. Some of them had Travelled the route
through northern Georg nd then
southwesterly course, thro ~ portion
of Alabama, reaching the Talassee IN
dians. who then occupied portion OF
what is now Talladega. Their principal
town was on creek that bears their
name to this day. During this time the
Standards had become obnoxious to the
indians. especially those that had made
their encampment about where the city
Of Columbus, Ga, now stands. and the
| prospecting party above referred TO saw
| signs of discomfort and were constantly
on their guard. The party stationed al
! Owe CoWka or shoals of Columbus, lett
the Chattahoochee for Tuckabatchee ana
| travelled the same route that now leads
from Columbus, Ga, to Pole Cat SPRINGS
Their trail or trace (what we now call a
! wagon road) passed through Tuskegee'
! and was always known among the pioh-
| eers as DeSoto's trace. They missed
their way and instead of going to Tucka-
batchee they reached the Iaiiapooss
| lower down, where the Indians disputed
their passage and a fight ensued, and
as before said, the field OF battle tooh
| it's name from the Indian meaning OF the
words, Rolling Bullet. 1t Is some times
called Curvally, at others Hotniea"aiiy y
hut ThIea Waila is the proper name. 1T
was here that the Indians picked up the
| copper and brass plates. The Indians
say that DeSoto, failing to find gold In
the mountain regions Of Georgia and Ala
hama. pursued course little north OIL
west for the Mississippi; that his army
| divided, some going to the seapcaro'
where they were picked up by the yes
! sells that traded along the coast or the
| Gulf of Mexico some starved and many
| died of disease; that DeSoto himself
with small number OF his men, some
/ fr,and1v Creek Choctaw and Maubile, or