Enclosure I: Statement of John Anderson, 13 February 1798
Enclosures
I
Statement of John Anderson
Mr. John Anderson a merchant in Fredsburg says that in the Year 1774, being a Trader in the Indian Country, he was at Pittsburg, to which place he had a Cargo brought up the River in a Boat navigated by a Delaware & Shawnese1 Indian & a white Man. That on their Return down the River with a Cargo belonging to Messrs Butler2 *Colo.3 Michael Cresop with a Party fired on the Boat & killed the two Indians.4 After which two Men of the Name of Gatewood & others of the Name of Tumblestone, who lived on the opposite Side of the River from the Indians, with whom they were on the most friendly Terms, invited a Party of them to come over & drink with them, & that when the Indians were drunk they murdered them to the Number of six, among whom was Logan’s mother.✓ That five other5 Indians uneasy at the Absence of their Friends, came over the River to enquire after them, when they were fired upon, & two were killed & the others wounded. This was the Origin of the War.
As to Logan’s Speech, he says, that Colo. John Gibson, (who he believes is now living at Pittsburg,) who was at that Time Interpreter to the Indians, informed him that he delivered the Speech to Lord Dunmore. He farther says, that when Gibson shewed him Anderson the Speech he observed that he suspected that he had made it for Logan, but he assured him that he had not, & that tho’ he had translated it literally, he could by no Means come up to the Force of Expression in the Original.
MS (DLC: TJ Papers, 106:18201); undated; entirely in Mann Page’s hand. Tr (same, 106:18199); entirely in TJ’s hand; with variations, not recorded, in punctuation, capitalization, abbreviations, and symbol used to key author’s second footnote; endorsed by TJ: “Logan’s speech Anderson John.” Printed in An Appendix to the Notes on Virginia Relative to the Murder of Logan’s Family (Philadelphia, 1800; see No. 3225); consists of first paragraph only; lacks author’s footnotes; with minor variations of punctuation and capitalization not recorded, and significant variations recorded in notes below; with three numbers inserted in text in brackets, this being TJ’s system for keying, in the Appendix, specific instances of violence in 1774; identified at head of text as Anderson’s “Certificate,” quoting Page’s comments about Anderson from the letter of 13 Feb. 1798 above; adds at foot of text: “I certify the above to be true to the best of my recollection. JOHN ANDERSON,” with attestation by David Blair dated 30 June 1798 (, 231, 237–8; see TJ to Page, 6 Mch. 1798).
It is likely that the name Anderson recalled as Gatewood was actually Greathouse. A note that TJ keyed to the name Tumblestone in the Appendix to the Notes on Virginia calls it “the proper pronunciation of Tomlinson, which was the real name” (, 238, 301n).
1. Preceding word and ampersand omitted in Appendix.
2. Preceding seven words interlined.
3. Abbreviation lacking in Appendix.
4. Appendix: “Michael Cresap fired on the boat, and killed the Indian.”
5. Preceding two words interlined in place of “the.”