kept raiding the new settlements. At the outbreak of theRevolution, the Cherokee received requests from the Mohawk, Shawnee, and Ottawa tojoin them against the Americans, but the majority of the Cherokee decided to remainneutral in the white man's war. The Chickamauga, however, were at war with theAmericans and formed an alliance with the Shawnee. Both tribes had the support ofBritish Indian agents who were still living among them (often with native wives) andarranging trade. During 1775 the British began to supply large amounts of guns andammunition and offer bounties for American scalps. In July, 1776, 700 Chickamaugaattacked two American forts in North Carolina: Eaton's Station and Ft. Watauga. Bothassaults failed, but the raids set off a series of attacks by other Cherokee and the UpperCreek on frontier settlements in Tennessee and Alabama. The frontier militia organized in response made little effort to distinguish between hostileand neutral Cherokee, except to notice that neutrals were easier to find. During Septemberthe Americans destroyed more than 36 Cherokee towns killing every man, woman andchild they could find. Unable to resist, the Cherokee in 1777 asked for peace. The Treatiesof DeWitt's Corner (May) and Long Island (or Holston) (July) were signed at gunpointand forced the Cherokee to cede almost all of their remaining land in the Carolinas.Although this brought peace for two years, the Chickamauga remained hostile andrenewed their attacks against western settlements in Tennessee, Alabama, and Kentuckyduring 1780. After more fighting, the second Treaty of Long Island of Holston (July 1781)confirmed the 1777 cessions and then took more Cherokee land. Through all of this, the Chickamauga fought on but were forced to retreat slowlynorthward, until by 1790 they had joined forces with the Shawnee in Ohio. After the initialIndian victories of Little Turtle's War (1790-94), most of the Ohio Chickamauga returnedsouth and settled...
