Person:John Watts (63)

About John Watts, Cherokee Chief

John Watts (or Kunokeski ), also known as "Young Tassel", was one of the leaders of the Chickamauga Cherokee (or "Lower Cherokee") during the Cherokee-American wars. Watts became particularly active in the fighting after the murder of his uncle, Old Tassel, by militant frontiersmen who attacked a band of delegates traveling to a peace conference in 1788.

Family Life

Watts was a "mixed-blood" son of a British trader (who was also named John Watts, and was the official British government Indian interpreter for the area —until his death in 1770). His mother was a sister of Old Tassel, Doublehead, and Pumpkin Boy.[1] Watts' parents resided in the Overhill Towns on the Little Tennessee River. Wurte Watts, the mother of Sequoyah may have been a sister of John Watts.

Separation from Overhill Towns

Although he withdrew from the Overhill Towns along with Dragging Canoe's band, Watts was, at first, only occasionally involved in the activities of Dragging Canoe and his Chickamauga warriors. He moved first to Running Water, and later to Willstown.

Watts eventually became Dragging Canoe's hand-picked successor.

Warrior

Watts led his first major action of the Cherokee-American wars in 1786 against the forces of the State of Franklin over their incursions into the territory of the Overhill Towns. Warriors from the Valley Towns joined in the attacks.

His next major action came in October 1788. Following Old Tassel's murder, he led a large war party which included The Ridge (known as Nunnehidihi, or Ganundalegi) into his first battle. They captured and burned Gillespie's Station, killing its defenders and taking several prisoners. The Cherokee warriors then proceeded against White's Fort (modern day Knoxville, Tennessee), where they were repulsed. Afterward, the group made camp along Flint Creek (in the area of the future Unicoi County, Tennessee), harassing, raiding, and attacking white settlers in the surrounding countryside. Their base was discovered (in January the following year) and they were attacked by a troop commanded by John Sevier.[citation needed]

Watts signed the 1791 Treaty of Holston, along with fellow militants Doublehead, Bloody Fellow, Black Fox (a future chief of the Cherokee Nation), The Badger (Dragging Canoe's brother), and Rising Fawn.

Leader of the Lower Cherokee

In 1792, Dragging Canoe died suddenly. Watts, who had been living back in the Overhill area, succeeded Dragging Canoe as council head of the Lower Cherokee (in accordance with the old warrior's wishes).[2]

First actions

Watts, along with Bloody Fellow, Doublehead, and "Young Dragging Canoe" (Tsula), continued Dragging Canoe's policy of Indian unity. He honored the agreement with McGillivray, of the Upper Muscogee, to build blockhouses (from which warriors of both tribes could operate) at Running Water, Muscle Shoals, and at the junction of the Tennessee and Clinch Rivers. Watts traveled to Pensacola to conclude a treaty with the Spanish governor of West Florida, Arturo O'Neill. The treaty provided them with arms and supplies with which to carry on the war.[citation needed] At about this time, Watts moved his base of operations to Willstown, which positioned them closer to their Muscogee allies while further insulating his band from the westward expansion of the new United States.

In September 1792, Watts assembled a large gathering of Cherokee and Muscogee warriors (which also included a contingent of cavalry). He planned to lead a campaign into the Cumberland region of Appalachia. It was to be a three-pronged attack: Tahlonteeskee would lead a force to ambush the Kentucky road; Middle Striker would take the Walton road; and Watts would lead the main army of 280 Cherokee, Shawnee, and Muscogee warriors against Nashville itself (then capital of the Mero District of the Southwest Territory). On the way to Nashville, the army encountered and attacked a settlement known as Buchanan's Station. It proved to be a disaster. Watts was seriously wounded, while Siksika (known as "The Shawnee Warrior," and an older brother of Tecumseh), Tahlonteeskee (or Talotiskee of the Broken Arrow) a Muscogee warrior; Little Owl, a brother of Dragging Canoe; and Pumpkin Boy, a brother of Doublehead, all died in the encounter.

Last campaign

A delegation of Shawnee is known to have stopped in Ustanali in 1793 on their way to the Muscogee and Choctaw settlements. The purpose of the trip was to ask the tribes to join in a united effort to punish the Chickasaw for joining St. Clair's army in the north.[citation needed]

Later in 1793, Watts sent envoys to Knoxville, (at the time the capital of the Southwest Territory) to meet with Governor Blount to discuss terms for a lasting peace. The party included Bob McLemore, Tahlonteeskee, Captain Charley of Running Water, and Doublehead, as well as the white delegates. Along the way, the group was attacked by a militant group of frontiersmen during a stop at the Overhill town of Coyatee. Hanging Maw was wounded, while his wife and daughter (along with several other Indians and one of the white delegates), were killed. The Cherokee people, along with Watts' Chickmauga warriors, agreed to await the outcome of the subsequent trial. In large part because the man responsible was a close friend of John Sevier, the trial proved to be a farce.

Watts responded by invading the Holston area with one of the largest Indian forces ever seen in the region, over one thousand Cherokee, Muscogee, and Shawnee, intending to attack Knoxville itself. On the way, the Cherokee leaders were discussing among themselves whether to kill all the inhabitants of Knoxville, or just the men. Doublehead argued for the former, while James Vann advocated the latter.

On the way to Knoxville, the war party encountered the small settlement of Cavett's Station. After they had surrounded the place, Bob Benge negotiated with the inhabitants, agreeing that if they surrendered, their lives would be spared. However, after the settlers had walked out, Doublehead's group and his Muscogee allies attacked and killed them. Vann managed to grab one small boy and pull him onto his saddle, only to have Doublehead smash the boy's skull in with an axe. Watts intervened in time to save another young boy, handing him to Vann, who put the boy behind him on his horse and later handed him over to three of the Muscogee for safe-keeping; unfortunately, one of the Muscogee chiefs killed the boy and scalped him a few days later.

Final Peace

With the defeat of the Western Confederacy at the Battle of Fallen Timbers and the destruction of Nickajack Town and Running Water Town, in September 1794, the leaders of the Lower Cherokee became convinced that continuing the war was futile. The council signed the Treaty of Tellico Blockhouse in November, officially ending hostilities.

Although a "national" government, complete with a Principal Chief and National Council, was elected in 1794, it had no real power, with individual regional councils for each of the major Cherokee geographic divisions predominating. Watts himself spurned any "national office." He served as chief of the Lower Cherokee until his death in 1802, upon which he was succeeded by Doublehead.

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

John Watts (or Kunokeski ), also known as Young Tassel, was one of the leaders of the Chickamauga Cherokee (or "Lower Cherokee") during the Cherokee-American wars. Watts became particularly active in the fighting after frontiersmen murdered his uncle, Old Tassel Carpenter 1708-1788, in 1788, while he traveled with Cherokee delegates to a peace conference.

Link to the Cherokee Heritage Project Page

1. ↑ RootsWeb's WorldConnect Project.

   http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~tnpolk2/watts.htm

2. ↑ Ancestry.com. Public Member Trees: (Note: not considered a reliable primary source).

   John Watts, or Kunokeski, also known as Young Tassel, was one of the leaders of the Chickamauga/Lower Cherokee during the Chickamauga wars, particularly after the murder of his uncle, Old Tassel, by marauding frontiersmen firing upon delegates at a peace conference in 1788. A mixed-blood son of a Scots-Irish trader named John Watts who resided in theOverhill Towns on the Little Tennessee River, who may have had other wives (both white and Cherokee). Trader Watts was the official government interpreter until his death in 1770. The younger John Watts was only occasionally involved with the warriors of Dragging Canoe until that time, after which he moved first to Running Water and later to Willstown and eventually became Dragging Canoe's hand-picked successor. His mother was a sister of Old Tassel, Doublehead, and Pumpkin Boy. Under the Cherokee clan system, a maternal uncle-nephew link was more important than a father-son lineage (since clan identity was that of one's mother). It is very likely that a sister of young John Watts was Wurte Watts, the mother of the famous Sequoyah, who was a great-nephew of both Old Tassel and Doublehead. A brother of John Watts was known as Whiteman Killer Watts. Flint Creek band Although he withdrew from the Overhill Towns along with Dragging Canoe and company, his first recorded actions came in October 1788. Following Old Tassel's murder, he led a very large war party —which included The Ridge (known as Nunnehidihi, and later, Ganundalegi) —on his first outing. They successfully captured and burned Gillespie's Station, killing its defenders and taking prisoners, then proceeded against White's Fort (modern day Knoxville, Tennessee), where they were repulsed. Afterward, they made camp along Flint Creek in the area of the future Unicoi County, Tennessee, harassing, raiding, and attacking the surrounding countryside, until their base was discovered (in January the following year) and they were attacked by a troop under John Sevier. Always an advocate of peace (but not "peace at any price"), he signed the 1791 Treaty of Holston, along with fellow militants Doublehead, Bloody Fellow, Black Fox, The Badger (Dragging Canoe's brother), and Rising Fawn. .
   
   Leader of the Lower Cherokee.
   
   In 1792 Dragging Canoe suffered a stroke or heart attack while performing the scalp dance. After Dragging Canoe's death, Watts succeeded as principal chief and head of council to the Lower Cherokee according to the old warrior's wishes; at the time, he himself had been living back in the Overhill area. Watts, along with Bloody Fellow, Doublehead, and "Young Dragging Canoe" (Tsula) continued Dragging Canoe's policy of Indian unity, including an agreement with McGillivray of the Upper Muscogee to build joint blockhouses from which warriors of both tribes could operate at the junction of the Tennessee and Clinch Rivers, at Running Water, and at Muscle Shoals. Watts moved his base of operations to Willstown in order to be closer to his Muscogee allies. Prior to this, he had concluded a treaty in Pensacola with the Spanish governor of West Florida, Arturo O'Neill, for arms and supplies with which to carry on the war. In September 1792, Watts orchestrated a large campaign into the Cumberland region of combined Cherokee and Muscogee forces which included a contingent of cavalry. It was to be a three-pronged attack in which Tahlonteeskee led a force to ambush the Kentucky road and Middle Striker led another to do the same on the Walton road while Watts himself led the main army, made up of 280 Cherokee, Shawnee, and Muscogee warriors plus cavalry, against Nashville, then capital of the Mero District of the Southwest Territory. Along the way, they attacked a settlement on the Cumberland known as Buchanan's Station. It proved to be a disaster; Watts himself was seriously wounded. Siksika or The Shawnee Warrior (older brother of Tecumseh), Tahlonteeskee or Talotiskee of the Broken Arrow (a Muscogee or Creek warrior), Little Owl (brother of Dragging Canoe), and Pumpkin Boy (brother of Doublehead died in the encounter. .
   
   Last campaign.
   
   Shortly after a delegation of Shawnee stopped in Ustanali in 1793, on their way to call on the Muscogee and Choctaw to punish the Chickasaw for joining St. Clair's army in the north, Watts sent envoys to Knoxville, then the capital of the Southwest Territory, to meet with Governor William Blount to discuss terms for peace. However, the party, which included Bob McLemore, Tahlonteeskee, Captain Charley of Running Water, and Doublehead, among several others, as well as the white delegations, was attacked by militia before reaching the capital during a stop at the Overhill town of Coyatee, in which Hanging Maw was wounded while his wife and daughter, along with several others, including one of the white delegates, were killed. The Cherokee, even Watts' hostille warriors, agreed to await the outcome of the subsequent trial, which proved to be a farce, in large part because the man responsible was a close friend of John Sevier. Watts responded by invading the Holston area with one of the largest Indian forces ever seen in the region, over one thousand Cherokee and Muscogee, plus a few Shawnee, intending to attack Knoxville itself. On the way, the Cherokee leaders were discussing among themselves whether to kill all the inhabitants of Knoxville, or just the men, James Vann advocating the latter while Doublehead argued for the former. Further on the way, they encountered a small settlement called Cavett's Station. After they had surrounded the place, Bob Benge negotiated with the inhabitants, agreeing that if they surrendered, their lives would be spared. However, after the settlers had walked out, Doublehead's group and his Muscogee allies attacked and began killing them all over the pleas of Benge and the others. Vann managed to grab one small boy and pull him onto his saddle, only to have Doublehead smash the boy's skull with an axe. Watts intervened in time to save another young boy, handing him to Vann, who put the boy behind him on his horse and later handed him over to three of the Muscogee for safe-keeping; unfortunately, one of the Muscogee chiefs killed the boy and scalped him a few days later. .
   
   Epilogue.
   
   After the destruction of Nickajack and Running Water Towns in September 1794, coupled with the earlier defeat of the northern alliance at the Battle of Fallen Timbers, the leaders of the Lower Cherokee became convinced that continuing the war was futile. In November, they signed the Treaty of Tellico Blockhouse, they agreed to cease hostilities and bury the tomahawk. Although a "national" government, complete with a Principal Chief and National Council, was elected in 1794, it had no real power, with individual regional councils for each of the four Cherokee divisions (Lower, Upper, Hill, and Valley) predominating. Watts himself spurned any "national office", content with that which he had been handed down by his friend and mentor. He served as principal chief of the Lower Cherokee until his death in 1802, upon which he was succeeded by Doublehead. .
   
   http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/17014063/person/519252620

3.   Cozzens, Peter. Tecumseh and the Prophet: The Shawnee Brothers Who Defied a Nation. (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2020).

   In 1742 became war chief for the Chickamauga Cherokee after the death of Dragging Canoe. https://www.werelate.org/wiki/Person:Dragging_Canoe_%282%29