John Watts (or Kunokeski; 1750–1808), also known as Young Tassel, was one of the leaders of the

Chickamauga Cherokee The Chickamauga Cherokee is a Native American group who separated from the Cherokee from the American Revolutionary War to the early 1800s. Most of the Cherokee people signed peace treaties with the Americans in 1776-1777, after the Second Chero ...

(or "Lower Cherokee") during the

Cherokee–American wars The Cherokee–American wars, also known as the Chickamauga Wars, were a series of raids, campaigns, ambushes, minor skirmishes, and several full-scale frontier battles in the Old Southwest from 1776 to 1794 between the Cherokee and American se ...

. Watts became particularly active in the fighting after frontiersmen murdered his uncle, Old Tassel (1708–1788).

Family life

John Watts was the son of a sister of the chief known as Corn Tassel or Old Tassel. He was probably born about 1746 or 1750 in the Cherokee Nation. His father is believed to be the John Watts, "white trader who served Captain Demere as interpreter during the building of Fort Loudon whose wife was the sister of chiefs Old Tassel, Doublehead, and Pumpkin Boy.” His wife or wives are unknown, but according to researcher Don Martini he was the brother of Unacata (Whitemankiller) and a Cherokee killed at Boyd's Creek and was the father of John Watts, Big Rattlinggourd, and perhaps Hard Mush (Gatunuali) "

Separation from the Overhill Towns

Although Watts withdrew from the Overhill Towns along with

Dragging Canoe Dragging Canoe (ᏥᏳ ᎦᏅᏏᏂ, pronounced ''Tsiyu Gansini'', – February 29, 1792) was a Cherokee red (or war) chief who led a band of Cherokee warriors who resisted colonists and United States settlers in the Upper South. During the Ame ...

's band, at first he was minimally involved in the raiding they made against American settlers during and after the Revolutionary War. Watts moved with the band downriver to Running Water Town, still in Tennessee but further from the frontier. Later they moved to Willstown, in what is now Alabama.

Warrior

Watts led his first major action of the Cherokee-American wars in 1786 against the forces of the

State of Franklin The State of Franklin (also the Free Republic of Franklin, Lost State of Franklin, or the State of Frankland) was an unrecognized proposed U.S. state, state located in present-day East Tennessee, in the United States. Franklin was created in ...

over their incursions into the territory of the

Overhill Cherokee The Overhill Cherokee were a group of the Cherokee people located in their historic settlements in what is now the U.S. state of Tennessee in the Southeastern United States, on the western side of the Appalachian Mountains. This name was used b ...

. Warriors from the Valley Towns in North Carolina also joined in the attacks. In October 1788, following the murder of his uncle Old Tassel by frontiersmen, Watts led a large war party into North Carolina's Washington District (now

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

). The band included the young man The Ridge (known as ''Nunnehidihi'', or ''Ganundalegi'') going into his first battle. They captured and burned Gillespie's Station, killing its defenders and taking several prisoners. The

Cherokee The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...

warriors proceeded against

White's Fort James White's Fort, also known as White's Fort, was an 18th-century fort and settlement that became Knoxville, Tennessee, in the United States. The settlement of White's Fort began in 1786 by James White, a militia officer during the American ...

(modern day

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...

), where they were repulsed. Afterward, the group made a semi-permanent camp along Flint Creek (in the area of the future

Unicoi County, Tennessee Unicoi County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,928. Its county seat is Erwin. ''Unicoi'' is a Cherokee word meaning "white," "hazy," "fog-like," or "fog draped," and refers to ...

), harassing, raiding, and attacking white settlers in the surrounding countryside. Watts was one of the leaders of the Indian confederacy that failed in their 1792 attack of Buchanan's Station, though he was badly wounded and barely survived.Slate, Mike
''Buchanan's Station : The battle that saved the Cumberland settlements''
WebPage; Nashville Historical Newsletter online; retrieved December 2022 Watts signed the 1791 Treaty of Holston, along with fellow war leaders:

Doublehead Doublehead (c. 1744–1807), or Incalatanga (''Tal-tsu'tsa'', ᏔᎵᏧᏍᎦ alitsus'gain Cherokee), was one of the most feared warriors of the Cherokee during the Cherokee–American wars in the Upper South region. Following the peace treaty a ...

, Bloody Fellow, Black Fox (a future chief of the

Cherokee Nation The Cherokee Nation ( or ) is the largest of three list of federally recognized tribes, federally recognized tribes of Cherokees in the United States. It includes people descended from members of the Cherokee Nation (1794–1907), Old Cheroke ...

), The Badger (Dragging Canoe's brother), and Rising Fawn.

War chief of the Lower Cherokee

In 1792, Dragging Canoe died suddenly on March 1, 1792, but he had earlier said he wanted Watts to succeed him. Watts, was then living again in the Overhill area. He became war council head, or "'' skiagusta''," of the Lower Cherokee.''Chronicles of Oklahoma''
; article; Brown, John P.; "Eastern Cherokee Chiefs" (Volume 16, Number 1); March 1938; retrieved July 2013.

First actions

Watts, along with Bloody Fellow, Doublehead, and "Young Dragging Canoe" (''Tsula''), continued to encourage Indian unity in resistance to European-American settlers. He honored the agreement with McGillivray, of the Upper Muscogee, to build blockhouses (from which warriors of both tribes could operate) at Running Water, Tennessee, Muscle Shoals in Alabama and at the junction of the Tennessee and Clinch rivers near Kingston, Tennessee. Watts also traveled to

Pensacola Pensacola ( ) is a city in the Florida panhandle in the United States. It is the county seat and only city in Escambia County. The population was 54,312 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Pensacola metropolitan area, which ha ...

to conclude a treaty with the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

governor of

West Florida West Florida () was a region on the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico that underwent several boundary and sovereignty changes during its history. Great Britain established West and East Florida in 1763 out of land acquired from France and S ...

, Arturo O'Neill. Under that treaty, the Spanish would provide arms and supplies to the Native Americans to carry on their war against the U.S. At about this time, Watts moved his base of operations to Willstown (Cherokee town), in what is now Alabama. This put the Cherokee closer to their Muscogee allies while shielding them from the westward expansion of the new

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. In September 1792, Watts assembled a large gathering of Cherokee and Muscogee warriors (which included some cavalry). He planned to lead a campaign into the Cumberland region of

Appalachia Appalachia ( ) is a geographic region located in the Appalachian Mountains#Regions, central and southern sections of the Appalachian Mountains in the east of North America. In the north, its boundaries stretch from the western Catskill Mountai ...

. It was to be a three-pronged attack: ''Tahlonteeskee'' (aka ''Ataluntiski'') 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 Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

(it was then the capital of the Miro District of the new

Southwest Territory The Territory South of the River Ohio, more commonly known as the Southwest Territory or the old Southwest Territory, was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 26, 1790, until June 1, 1796, when it was ...

). On the way to Nashville, the army encountered and attacked a settlement known as Buchanan's Station but suffered serious casualties. Watts was seriously wounded, and ''Siksika'' (known as "The Shawnee Warrior," and an older brother of

Tecumseh Tecumseh ( ; (March 9, 1768October 5, 1813) was a Shawnee chief and warrior who promoted resistance to the Territorial evolution of the United States, expansion of the United States onto Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

)); ''Tahlonteeskee'' (also called ''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

Later in 1793, Watts sent envoys to Knoxville, which was at the time the capital of the

, to meet with Governor Blount to discuss terms for a lasting peace. The peace 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, COL. James Herrell Hubbert (who had lost his family in an Indian raid) was a close friend of John Sevier, the trial proved to be a farce. Watts responded by invading the Holston area with more than 1,000 Cherokee, Muscogee, and Shawnee warriors, one of the largest Indian forces seen in the region. He intended to attack Knoxville. On the way, the Cherokee leaders were discussing among themselves whether to kill all the residents of the settlement, 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 Robert "Bob" Benge (c. 1762–1794), also known as Captain Benge (or "The Bench" to frontiersmen), was a Cherokee leader in the Upper Towns, in present-day far Southwest Virginia during the Cherokee–American wars (1783–1794). Early life He wa ...

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 grabbed one small boy and pulled him onto his saddle, but Doublehead killed the boy with an axe. Watts intervened and saved 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. One of the Muscogee killed and scalped the boy a few days later.

Final peace

With the defeat of the

Western Confederacy The Northwestern Confederacy, or Northwestern Indian Confederacy, was a loose confederacy of Native Americans in the Great Lakes region of the United States created after the American Revolutionary War. Formally, the confederacy referred to it ...

at the

Battle of Fallen Timbers The Battle of Fallen Timbers (20 August 1794) was the final battle of the Northwest Indian War, a struggle between Indigenous peoples of North America, Native American tribes affiliated with the Northwestern Confederacy and their Kingdom of Gre ...

by the United States, 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 with the US. Although the Cherokee elected a "national" government in 1794, complete with a Principal Chief and National Council, it had no real power. The individual regional councils for each of the major Cherokee geographic divisions still dominated decisions in their relative areas. Watts spurned any "national office." He served as a chief of the Lower Cherokee until his death in 1808. He was succeeded by Doublehead.

References

Sources

*''American State Papers, Indian Affairs, Vol. 1, 1789-1813'', Congress of the United States, Washington, DC, 1831–1861. *Brown, John P. ''Old Frontiers: The Story of the Cherokee Indians from Earliest Times to the Date of Their Removal to the West, 1838''. (Kingsport: Southern Publishers, 1938). *Evans, E. Raymond. "Notable Persons in Cherokee History: Bob Benge". ''Journal of Cherokee Studies, Vol. 1, No. 2'', pp. 98–106. (Cherokee: Museum of the Cherokee Indian, 1976). *Evans, E. Raymond. "Notable Persons in Cherokee History: Dragging Canoe". ''Journal of Cherokee Studies, Vol. 2, No. 2'', pp. 176–189. (Cherokee: Museum of the Cherokee Indian, 1977). *Haywood, W.H. ''The Civil and Political History of the State of Tennessee from its Earliest Settlement up to the Year 1796''. (Nashville: Methodist Episcopal Publishing House, 1891). *Klink, Karl, and James Talman, ed. ''The Journal of Major John Norton''. (Toronto: Champlain Society, 1970). * McLoughlin, William G. ''Cherokee Renascence in the New Republic''. (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1992). * Mooney, James. ''Myths of the Cherokee and Sacred Formulas of the Cherokee''. (Nashville: Charles and Randy Elder-Booksellers, 1982). *Moore, John Trotwood and Austin P. Foster. ''Tennessee, The Volunteer State, 1769–1923, Vol. 1''. (Chicago: S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1923). *Ramsey, James Gettys McGregor. ''The Annals of Tennessee to the End of the Eighteenth Century''. (Chattanooga: Judge David Campbell, 1926). *Cruse Hardion, Freda. '' Birth of the Ozarks 1794-1839 Trail of Tears''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Watts, John 1802 deaths 18th-century Cherokee people Chickamauga Cherokee people Native American leaders Year of birth unknown Cherokee Nation people (1794–1907) 18th-century births