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Colonial and State Records of North Carolina
Letter from William Sharpe to Waightstill Avery
Sharpe, William, 1742-1818
November 03, 1777
Volume 15, Pages 704-706

WILLIAM SHARPE TO WAIGHTSTILL AVERY, ESQ.

Charlotte 3d. Novr., 1777.

Dear Sir:

When I left home I forgot the articles of the Treaty that should have been sent you (in case they are called for at the Assembly.)

I doubt not but you will endeavour to have a Law for preventing

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the many Trespasses and grievous outrages of the frontier Inhabitants on the Indian's Land and also regulate the commercial Interest of the White people with the Cherokees in such a Manner as may tend to the Interest and Happiness of this State.

The Indians who were at my House seemed somewhat dissatisfied when they went away because I did not furnish them with a good gun each. If any of the Chiefs go to Assembly, I hope you will satisfy them that, that was not my Province, and that I did everything in my power to recover the boy from James Miller that they might see him before their departure agreeable to promise.

Some time after the Indians came to my House I sent the Interpreter with one of them to General Rutherford in order to see and bring up the Squoy; who was dead before their arrival. The Fellow who went with the Interpreter, being uneasy about the death of his Sister and the usuage the Genl. gave himself (by keeping him at a great Distance) and the Genl., finding him Home Sick, without further Ceremony or a single line of advice to me, directed the Interpreter to remove them Immediately to Colo. McDowel's, to whom he wrote a letter, the Contents of which I understood by the Interpreter was to go to Bd. River for the prisoners who had been brot. in by our orders and convey them to his house, &c., as the Colo. can more fully tell you. I was not a little Chagrined at his assuming such an Air, and thereby frustrating the end for which they were brought in; and therefore very easily persuaded them to stay some time longer, and in the meantime sent the Interpreter with an Active young man to Bd. River to bring in the Boy & Squoy the prospect of which pleased the Indians very well. Winters readily gave them the Squoy, but Miller detained the boy and wrote me an evasive and equivocal Letter. At the same time I wrote a Letter and sent it to Colo. McDowell with the General's Letter, in which I was under a kind of Necessity of signifying a Hint that it was a matter the Genl. had not a right to direct and apologized for not sending the Indians.

After the Interpreter & young man returned with Miller's insolent answer, I thought the Genl., being a man of War was a proper person to Apply to and after mentioning in a Letter at Large the circumstances of Miller's aggravated case I concluded with mentioning the necessity of being cautious with respect to being too

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credulous of the Expresses & reports he had of danger on the frontiers. By the time the Letter had reached him he had heard I suppose in an aggravated point of light the small hint in Colonel McDowel's Letter complaining as he calls it of his conduct, in consequence of which he would do nothing with Miller and wrote me a pitiful, ill-natured and aggravating Letter by which I found he was in what you may call a great rage. I have thought it too mean to be the subject of an answer in writing & therefore intend taking it in fair scold when I see him which I don't expect now till after Assembly. This perhaps had better not transpire at least till after I have seen him. I am in great haste and with much esteem,

Sir, your Obt. Humble Servt.,
WM. SHARPE.