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Prior to the Creek-Chickasaw peace, the Spanish had been trying to arrange a conference with the Four Nations tribes for the purpose of ending the war and creating “a permanent congress composed of three chiefs of each of the four nations” in order to strengthen mutual protection and trade ties and to maintain the land boundaries of each nation. Governor Gayoso instructed John Turnbull to go to the Chickasaws, urge them to make peace, and present letters from Gayoso regarding the proposed conference to Taski Etoka, Piomingo , Wolf’s Friend, and two traders af¤liated with the Spanish, Hardy Perry and Benjamin Fooy. Gayoso proposed that the conference be held at “the ball ground,” which was located a short distance up the Yazoo River from Walnut Hills (present-day Vicksburg). Upon being informed of the desired conference, the Choctaws demanded, as reported by Juan de la Villebeuvre, that it be held “in a place they call Scito Ayacha which is a little below the Ball Ground because the water is better there, for they fear the fever.” After postponements requested by the Chickasaw and Creek, the Spanish ¤nally decided to hold the conference at Fort Nogales in October. Wolf’s Friend attended the Nogales conference , along with a number of the Spanish-faction Chickasaw consisting of Atakabeholacta, Mongulacha Mingo, Chicacha Olactaopaye, Stanapayahacho, Ufehuma, and Enehenantla. Although earlier in the year Piomingo had expressed interest in attending, he failed to show up. The Treaty of Nogales, signed on October 28, 1793, bound the southern tribes in an offensive-defensive alliance. It also provided diplomatic support from Spain regarding Indian land claims, provided for annual distributions of gifts at sites desired and/or approved by the Indians, and provided for the appointment of permanent Spanish Indian agents. With regard to the latter, trader Benjamin Fooy became the Chickasaw agent in early 1794, replacing de la Villebeuvre, who had been agent for both the Choctaw and Chickasaw.1 Although the Chickasaw-Creek War had of¤cially come to an end in June 10 The War Road Ends 1793, the animosities and misunderstandings did not end. Both Piomingo and Mad Dog had lost close relatives, and the former, at least, could not let it go. On the ¤rst day of September, Piomingo sent a long letter to Mad Dog through the hands of James Seagrove, United States Indian agent to the Creek, in which he pleaded for clari¤cations as to why his nation disliked the Chickasaw. Like a person seeking closure after being surprised by rejection in a personal relationship , Piomingo articulated to Mad Dog his bewilderment and lack of understanding for the past Creek animosities. He closed the letter by almost begging a response from Mad Dog: “I have given you my thoughts in full and Expect you will not hide your own from me.”2 If Mad Dog received the letter and responded, his letter does not seem to have survived. In any case, the peace was to be of short duration. The end of the Chickasaw-Creek War did notterminate depredations against the Cumberland settlement by Creek radicals, a circumstance that greatly distressed General Robertson. Between May 20 and July 20, at least eleven white people were murdered and ¤ve whites and a black man were wounded by Creek marauders in the Cumberland settlement, by then called the Mero District.Detailed examples of the attacks that occurred in August alone include the killing of Samuel Miller at Joslin’s Station; the killing in Tennessee County (presentday area of Robertson, Montgomery, Cheatham, and Dickson Counties) of the widow Baker and all her “numerous”children except two who were old enough to manage to escape; and the killing in the same county of Robert Wells’s wife and two children while he was away from home.3 In late August, with peace between the Creek and Chickasaw concluded, Piomingo felt comfortable enough to set out with four other Chickasaw chiefs on a journey to Philadelphia, apparently at the invitation of the U.S. president. The trip, however, was terminated in southwest Virginia after Governor Blount happened to encounter them there. After Blount informed them that a fever epidemic was raging in Philadelphia, the group decided to cancel their trip and accompany Blount back to Knoxville.4 In the meantime, the United States army was recouping from the St. Clair disaster of 1791. Now Major General Anthony Wayne was in command of a United States army bent on revenge. Again the Chickasaw...

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