He further stated that he had believed
the Creek chief would approve of the expedition to punish the marauders
at the Muscle Shell Shoals, inasmuch as the Creeks had repeatedly
assured him that these marauders were refractory people who would pay no
heed to their laws and commands. Robertson knew this to be good point,
for as a matter of fact the Creeks, though pretending to be peaceful,
had made no effort to suppress these banditti, and had resented by force
of arms the destruction of their stronghold. [Footnote: Robertson MSS.
Robertson to McGillivray. Letters already cited.]
Robertson's Letters to the Creek Chief McGillivray
Robertson then came to his personal wrongs. His quaintly worded letter
runs in part: "I had the mortification to see one of my children Killed
and uncommonly Massacred ... from my earliest youth I have endeavored to
arm myself with a sufficient share of Fortitude to meet anything that
Nature might have intended, but to see an innocent child so Uncommonly
Massacred by people who ought to have both sense and bravery has in a
measure unmanned me.... I have always striven to do justice to the red
people; last fall, trusting in Cherokee friendship, I with utmost
difficulty prevented a great army from marching against them.
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