Imagine the Scene

Rushing into Town

Though the basic facts are supported by other sources, all details of this attack come from a single source, Moore’s report to Rutherford written on November 17. Believe with caution!

The river is just on the other side of the trees that border the back sides of the farm fields. Look toward the line of trees between the fields, mentioned under “Location,” which mark a small stream emptying into the river.

Located near the river on the east side of the stream, you see the Cherokee village of Stecoah (pronounced “steh-KOH-ah”[1]). A book of Cherokee stories says the name might mean “the baby one,” referring to the parent village of Kituwah six miles upstream. Cherokees at times called themselves ani-Kituhwagi or “people of Kituhwa.”[b] The book says Stecoah may have been hundreds of years old by the time of the Revolution. Sometime in its early history, a story claims, a massive flock of birds chose to roost here one night. So many landed that buildings and homes collapsed. A number of residents, including entire families, were killed. Survivors joined hands and pushed through the flock to the river to escape.[c]

Prominent in 1776 is a larger round council house, or rather the finished walls, probably near the stream and river. The roof is not yet covered. About 25 log homes surround it. Fallow farm fields spread to the west along the river. What is missing is people, except for two, possibly left as caretakers or messengers in case the rumored invasion doesn’t come.

When the milita came within sight of the town, they halted to discuss how to attack it. Moore describes it as, “Very scattered.” This suggests it followed a typical layout of Cherokee towns, in which homes surrounded by farms spread out from a central townhouse, with paths in between. With only 97 men, they could not surround it. In the end, they “rushed into the Centre of the town, in Order to surprise it.”

Look down the tracks to the east (away from Whittier).

A trading path runs near or where the rails run today. First you hear the sound of galloping horses. Then you see the soldiers riding straight into town. These are part-time “militia” soldiers in everyday clothes carrying muskets or rifles.

The two Cherokees run for the river and dive in. Some of the horsemen ride to the bank and aim. As the Native men climb out on the other side, the militia fire, and one escapee falls dead. The other sprints up a hill. A few of the militia dismount and plunge into the river; a few others ride to a nearby ford (toward modern Whittier), and catch him in the far distance. Meanwhile one of the militia soldiers who swam across kneels down and scalps the dead man. The other was scalped as well.[2]

While that happens, the regiment spreads across the flats (in the direction of Clearwood Drive) and plunders the homes.

The residents had taken the most valuable items with them, “save corn, pompions (pumpkins), beans, peas and other trifling things of which we found in abundance in every house,” Moore reports. They take the corn and the “trifling things” they want. Torches are lit, and all of the buildings are set afire. The militia then ride to the ford and continue north.

After the Raid

The militia found and followed the path the two Cherokees were trying to reach. Seeing a fire on Hogback Mountain directly north, an advance party including Moore crossed the mountain and found evidence of Native camps. They went back for the rest of the men, and then probably went as far as the Little Tennessee River, now Fontana Lake. Chasing two women and a boy, one of the men fired a gun, which warned the camps in the area and sent the refugees farther into the mountains. The militia captured the trio and found more plunder and horses. Among the latter were some stolen from white settlers, which they eventually returned.

Short on supplies, they headed home. While camped on an unknown mountain that night, they experienced “a Severe Shock of an Earthquake.” It took two days to get to the road back to Richland Creek, from there going on to Pigeon River. After a dispute there described on that page, the prisoners were sold into slavery for £272, part of a total from all plunder of £1,100 (around $174,000 today).[d]