In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

Having received his instructions from the king to launch a second expedition, Bienville had to decide on the most practical route to reach the villages. His alternatives other than the Mobile/Tombigbee River were to go up the Mississippi to Prudhomme Bluff and march overland or to go up the Mississippi and then up the Yazoo River to the Chackchiuma villages and march overland from there. Because his route depended on the time of year and other more complex variables and he could not judge very far in advance whether logistical conditions would be suitable, Bienville had dif¤culty establishing an attack plan. At ¤rst, Bienville proposed to move in January 1739, but some conditions became favorable for an earlier date, so he moved his plans forward to January 1738. By June 1737, however, other conditions were not right so he changed the date back to January 1739. Finally, in about July 1739, the second expedition got under way, the Mississippi River route to the Prudhomme Bluff area having been decided upon.1 In the meantime, between June 1736 and September 1739, the Chickasaw were subjected to continued harassment from the Indian allies of the French. In February 1737 Bienville reported that he had induced several parties of Choctaw to attack the Chickasaw but that the promise of the Iroquois to come and join the Arkansas to attack them had not been kept. Diron d’Artaguette reported that by May 1737 he had paid the Choctaw for the scalps of about twenty Chickasaw men and women and that “they go [to attack] in little bands of ¤ve, ten, twelve, twenty men.”2 In June 1737 Bienville received assurances from the Choctaw that in August they would go and lay waste to the Chickasaw corn¤elds. Men from ten villages in the eastern division were to strike the small prairie and men from the remaining villages were to strike the large prairie. Bienville agreed to allow Joseph Chauvin de Lery, two of de Lery’s brothers, and two Choctaw interpreters to accompany them. In October 1737 this expedition did in fact occur, but 4 The Road Has No Fork only Choctaws led by the medal chiefs from the western division participated.3 On October 10, the Choctaw force of 500 men, de Lery, and his brothers assumed a position in front of the Choukafalya, Apeony, and Ackia forts. While “entrenchments” were being made, the Chickasaw launched an attack but were repulsed, losing six or seven men. After forcing the Chickasaws back into their forts, the Choctaws cut the corn growing near the villages (see ¤elds on Figure 11). Later that day de Lery and some of the Choctaws went to the large prairie where the same thing occurred. From the forts the Chickasaws watched as the Choctaws destroyed their corn¤elds. Getting low on ammunition, the Choctaws returned with ten scalps and a woman prisoner. No Choctaws were killed, but fourteen were wounded.4 Upon de Lery’s return, the Choctaws of the eastern division became excited when they learned of the success of the western division warriors. Thereupon, de Lery suggested that another attack be made as soon as possible. On October 23 a force of more than 900 Choctaw from both divisions again marched on the Chickasaw. The Choctaws encountered a Chickasaw hunting party several miles from the villages and killed ¤ve men. When they reached the small prairie , de Lery and the Choctaws discovered that the villages of Choukafalya, Apeony, and Ackia had been abandoned and burned a few days earlier.5 On the ridge where the Chickasaw had won their great victory in 1736, the French found the burned remains of four forts. Bienville attributed the destruction of the forts to the Chickasaw upon desertion of the small prairie and described what they had looked like: “One of their forts had small regular bastions , two were long squares and another was oval in the Indian fashion. These forts each had in their enclosures a forti¤ed cabin which occupied almost all their space leaving only a gallery all around six to seven feet in width between the piles of the cabin and those of the exterior enclosure.”6 There are no known records of the circumstances of the abandonment and burning of the small prairie villages. Bienville only stated that they were burned by the enemy when they “retired.” Possibly the pro-French faction among the Chickasaw destroyed the villages, but this is unlikely unless Ymahatabe , who...

Share