a small party of Indians who had killed several settlers.  He followed their trail to Scolacutta’s town, where he slew eight or nine Indians, most of whom were friendly. [Footnote:  Robertson MSS., Smith to Robertson, June 19, 1793, etc.; Knoxville Gazette, June 15 and July 13, 1793, etc.] The Indians clamored for justice and the surrender of the militia who had attacked them.  Blount warmly sympathized with them, but when he summoned a court-martial to try Beard it promptly acquitted him, and the general frontier feeling was strongly in his favor.  Other militia commanders followed his example.  Again and again they trailed the war parties, laden with scalps and plunder, and attacked the towns to which they went; killing the warriors and capturing squaws and children. [Footnote:  Knoxville Gazette, July 13, July 27, 1793, etc., etc.]

    Revengeful Forays.

The following January another party of red marauders was tracked by a band of riflemen to Scolacutta’s camp.  The militia promptly fell on the camp and killed several Indians, both the hostile and the friendly.  Other Cherokee towns were attacked and partially destroyed.  In but one instance were the whites beaten off.  When once the whites fairly began to make retaliatory inroads they troubled themselves but little as to whether the Indians they assailed were or were not those who had wronged them.  In one case, four frontiersmen dressed and painted themselves like Indians prior to starting on a foray to avenge the murder of a neighbor.  They could not find the trail of the murderers, and so went at random to a Cherokee town, killed four warriors who were asleep on the ground, and returned to the settlements.  Scolacutta at first was very angry with Blount, and taunted him with his inability to punish the whites, asserting that the frontiersmen were “making fun” of their well-meaning governor; but the old chief soon made up his mind that as long as he allowed the war parties to go through his towns he would have to expect to suffer at the hands of the injured settlers.  He wrote to Blount enumerating the different murders that had been committed by both sides, and stating that his people were willing to let the misdeeds stand as off-setting one another.  He closed his letter by stating that the Upper Towns were for peace, and added:  “I want my mate, General Sevier, to see my talk ...  We have often told lies, but now you may depend on hearing the truth,” which was a refreshingly frank admission. [Footnote:  American State Papers, iv., pp. 459, 460, etc.; Knoxville Gazette, Jan. 16, and June 5, 1794.]

    Sevier Takes Command. 
    He makes a Brilliant Raid.