3xx7 (Letter from Col. William Martin, son of Brigadier General Joseph Martin to Lyman Draper - transcribed by William Kent Martin)

Dixons Springs Tenn, 6^th of Sept 1842

Lyman C. Draper, Esqr.

Dear Sir

At your suggestion, I have written out, & sent on to you a good while ago, the particulars of my father's life, & public services, as far as I knew, together with a great deal of traditional matter. This was in two separate packages, at different times. From neither of which have I received an acknowledgment of its receipt, for which I have been looking with solicitude.

I told you, I had written to my brother Col. Joseph Martin, Henry County Va., respecting documents etc. To that letter, I have just received his reply, for which I will here give some extracts.

"Since the receipt of your last letter, I have been engaged some part of almost every day, in the examination of our father's old documentation. +++. At the sale of my mother's estate, I purchased his old desk & bookcase, containing our father's papers, intending at some convenient time to examine them carefully. But after stowing away carefully the old family furniture, the contemplated examination never commenced until you called my attention to the subject. And I have been surprised to find such voluminous witness of the public services of our venerated parent. I have not wrote to Mr. Draper, the gentleman you spoke of, as being engaged in writing out Biographical Sketches of Distinguished Pioneers of the west. And I find at last how to give sketches from such a voluminous record of public services as his papers in my possession show. And they are too bulky to be sent on. Would it not be worth a trip for Mr. Draper to come here & examine for himself. I should be pleased to entertain him on such a visit, or as you are engaged in writing from your recollections the history of our fathers services, could you not yourself undertake a journey here for the purpose."

The papers I have examined are so numerous, I have not been able to read them all, and can merely try at this time give a general sketch.

In the year 1774, he, our father, received a captain's commission in his majesty's service in the Indian wars, signed by Governor Dunmore. In 1775, he received the commission of Capt. from the Committee of Safety at Williamsburg. And there is documentary evidence of his continued & active & important services throughout the whole, revolutionary struggle, & the continued Indian wars afterward. His various appointments of agent, & superintendent of Indian affairs, & various other stations by other states, besides his native Va., and by the Congress of the U.S., will go to show in what high estimation his services were held.

He was appointed with Shelby & Doneldson, by General Green while he commanded the Southern Department of the American Army, to treat with Indians etc.

I find many letters from all the distinguished men during his public life in the South West, giving unrequested evidence of their respect for his ability and integrity. Major Preston's correspondence commenced in 1774, & continued throughout his long service.

Campbell - Christian - Shelby - Doneldson - Bledsoe - Hawking - Pickins, & many others, not now uncollected, in service with him, manifest the highest regard for his services.

The correspondence of the Governors of Va. & Tenn., many letters from, Harrison - Henry - Jefferson - Lee - Wood - & Monroe - is flattering in a high degree. And many letters from Governor Martin of NorthCarolina show the high estimation in which he held him.

In a letter from Mr. Henry of the 10^th of March 1790, he says, "You have spent your prime of life, & have done nothing capital for yourself. It is now time to look about you, & avail yourself of your knowledge of the Indians & their country, & do something for yourself. And not wait for that preferment, which is uncertain in its consequence at best. For I think you might do more as a private man than if you were in office. This I think is a duty you owe yourself & family, & it is your right to have some of those benefits you have so often hazzarded your life to serve."

I find upward of one hundred pages of manuscript, of details & Indian talks, of the various Indian treaties in which our father was engaged.

This my brother writes, & from which it appears that there is in his possession an abundance of documentary matter important to your work, not only as giving a more enlarged knowledge of my father's character, but also in opening to view more fully, the immense field you will necessarily have to explain. I wish very much you had possession of those papers, were they here, I would send them to you forth with. As Col. Fountain lives your neighbor, & formerly lived in Henry County, and probably may have intercourse there, & in this way they may perhaps be conveyed by private hand. I will write to my brother to try to give them a passage. He ought not to hesitate about it, he is very sick, & ought to employ some one to take them directly to you. So you write also, & speak of the great importance of presenting Genl. Martin before the country in his true character, which cannot be fully done without those papers, that thru me you have got to understand, they are there, that I have done all I could in furnishing, etc.

My brother is a very smart, & a very cleaver man & just twenty years younger than I am, half brother.

I wrote you that I was in possession of no documentary evidence of my father's history. I have since found a paper representing his first trip to Powels Valley. Many years ago a young brother Patrick H. Matin, came her from Va. & lived with me several years. And died here, leaving his papers etc., in my possession. After my father's death he made a visit to Va., & on his return brought as I suppose the papers alluded to, which I have lately found among his papers. It purports to be the copy a letter from my father to a friend, while in P. Valley the first time. The copy is in the proper hand writing of my said brother. And is as follows: "Copy of my father's letter of May 9^th 1769 from Powels Valley."

"Worthy friend"

"Having a few leisure hours, I embrace the opportunity of writing to you. Perhaps it may not be disagreeable to you to hear of our former travels, as well as our present station. The day I parted with you and my other friends, with sorrowful hearts, and weeping eyes, I set on my tedious journey. The weather proving tolerably good. I got to Staunton in four days - completed my business there - got to Capt. English's on New River, 14^th of the month, being March, where I laid in a sufficient stock of provisions for our journey (viz.) seed corn and ammunition etc. I then sent the boys on under the care of my brother, and waited for Doct. Walker, and my companion Capt. Hord, who came up 16^th at night. Next morning we started. Nothing material happened till we got to Holston River, where we were informed, the day we left New River the Kirtleys, with Capt. Rucker and several others, came there and gave a man five pounds to pilot them a road several days journey nearer than the road we were then going, which confused us very much. For the case stood thus, if they got there first, they were all to have 1000 acres of land each, where they thought proper to take it. If we got there first, we were to have 21000 acres, where we chose, and they were not to interfere with us. We immediately hired a pilot - took two of our best horses - about a quart of flour, and pushed on as hard as interest and desire would lead us, leaving the boys to follow after. The third day to our great mortification, we found we were lost - and after three days travel more, over mountains - creeks - laurel - canebrakes etc. our dogs being spent with hunger, gave out, ourselves and horses, very little better. We were under the disagreeable necessity of resting part of 2 days. The 2^nd day, I found the hunter's track about five miles from our camp. I hastened back as fast as possible to tell the welcome news to my companions. The next day being 24^th, we set out full of hopes once more. With much difficulty I prevented my companions from discharging our pilot with heavy blows. We then got to our long denied place. April 1^st the boys got to our camp, which was on Saturday. Monday being the 3^rd we then began to work, and from then till now, there has been little else but eating and confusion. As to our health, I need not mention it. You may be assured of that yourself, after I tell you, we have eat and destroyed 23 deer - 15 bears - 2 buffaloes and a great number of turkeys. The 15^th April, the Kirtley, got to the Valley, very well pleased with the land, till we gave them a letter from Doct. Walker, that informed them if we got to the Valley first, we were to have 21000 acres of land, and they were not to interfere with us. They endeavored to prevail on us for a part of our land, which we would not consent to. They then pushed home without making any further search for land. The place we are now settled in, is the nature of Beargrass, called by the hunters, Powels River, about a mile from the foot of a large ledge of mountains, called Cumberland, much resembling our Blue Ridge, only considerably larger and much steeper, covering the same course by the account, three hundred miles, and from Powels Mountain about 7 miles. Powels Mountain is near the course of the South West Mountain, covering the same course. From where we crossed it, for nearly 6 miles is broken land. There commences a rich valley, which is in length (by the hunter's account, equal to that of the mountains above mentioned.) We have marked off in length about 10 miles - in width, some places, a mile - some places more, some less - all very rich, and lies very well, with vast quantities of black walnut, and wild cherries. Great signs of old Indian towns. It lies out of all danger from water, being near 5 miles from Powels River. Very good springs - bold creeks, big enough for mills - great quantities of corn, sufficient to support great stocks for many years. I think considerably warmer here than with you (vast numbers of ticks and gnats). We had abundance of snow fell the 20^th, April, tho very little lay. We had frost 4^th May. April 24^th, came several gentlemen, from Culpeper with Negroes to settle. Likewise several gentlemen from Bedford, 3 gentlemen from Maryland to get land to settle 100 families."

There you have a copy of this singular letter verbatim. There is no name to it, nor is it addressed to any particular individual. I am supposing this was intended for some friend in Va. And before it was competed, something prevented it being finished, & was never sent off, but retained as a kind of Journal. Hence my brother's access to it among my father's papers.

That this is genuine as far as it goes, I am fully assured from its similarity with what I used to hear of that trip when I was a boy. I told you in a former communication that Dr. Walker (the same who with Smith run the line between Va & NC) had been, with some of the Cherokee Chiefs to England, & on their return, conducted them home, & on their way, went through Powels Valley, named Cumberland Mountain etc.

Now I am supposing, from the contents of the above letter, that those Indians became attached to Walker, & considered themselves under obligations to him. So that when they came to this fine valley, at his request, they gave it to him. And he determined to form a settlement there. And that when he went home, he proposed terms of settlement to my father, the Kirtleys & others of 1000 acres to each man who would settle there, & that those first there, they have preference, hence the mighty rush. It would seem from the letter, that Walker went on, at least as far as New River, about 200 miles. For the letter says, we got to Capt. Englishes on the 14^th March. Laid in supplies and sent the boys on, & I waited for Dr. Walker & my companion Capt. Hord, who came up the 16^th at night. Next morning we started, no more account of Walker being with them. Englishes was near Fort Chessel. By this time the settlements had extended to Holston, perhaps within, sixty or seventy miles of the Valley.

This Powels Valley story is not intended as biographical matter, but historical, as far as it may go, presuming you may at some time undertake a History of the West.

I conjecture, that this Powels Valley letter, was intended for Capt. Wm Simms of Albemarle, where my father had lived. A man of some distinction, & who had been his firm & constant friend throughout his whole life, was in his ( ? ) days.

In the year 1773, as observed in a former letter, my father removed to Henry County & after having been in the West, in the Indian Wars several years, he visited his native Albermarle, went to see his old friend Simms. While there, Simms shaved him, & when he was done, observed, "Well Joe, I expect I shall never shave you again." The other replied, "I will never be shaved again until you do it." From that time he let all that part of his beard under his chin grow, & it became quite long, twelve or fifteen inches, had it plated, & wore it under his shirt collar. I have often seen my mother comb & plat it. After a good many years passed, he again went to Albemarle, his friend Simms still living, went to see him, & said, "You see I have kept my word about my beard." Simms cut it off, & kept it. When I was nearly grown, I went there on business, Simms spoke of the beard, brought it out of his desk, nicely wrapped up, &, I think, he wept over it.

You will have observed, in my narratives, I go pretty much by round numbers, it is my way. I know but little about fractions in anything.

I am now about to close this paper, &, from your long silence about the others, I have my doubts whether this will be acceptable. I will nevertheless venture it.

In the mean time, I am very respectfully your obedient servant.

Wm Martin

P.S. It would seem, from the letters referred to within, that others had been in this valley before my father & his company, for he speaks of the hunter's trail - The berth of Cumberland Mountain etc., as the hunters said. Those hunters were probably Boone & his party, going to Ky. for this was the correct time. Were I with you, I could tell you a great many little things concerning the West, which are of little import individually, but combined would assist you greatly in comprehending the true character of those regions.