Tuscarora War: Difference between revisions

The '''Tuscarora War''' was fought in [[North Carolina]] from September 22, 1711 until February 11, 1715 between the [[Tuscarora people]] and their allies on one side and European American settlers, the [[Yamassee]], and other allies on the other. This was considered the bloodiest colonial war in North Carolina.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|last=La Vere, David.|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/856017210|title=The Tuscarora War : Indians, settlers, and the fight for the Carolina colonies|date=2013|publisher=The University of North Carolina Press|isbn=978-1-4696-1257-7|edition=1st ed|location=Chapel Hill [North Carolina]|oclc=856017210}}</ref> The Tuscarora signed a treaty with colonial officials in 1718 and settled on a reserved tract of land in [[Bertie County, North Carolina]]. The war incited further conflict on the part of the Tuscarora and led to changes in the slave trade of North and South Carolina.

As the English settled Carolina, the Tuscarora benefited from trade with the English. By acquiring weapons and metal goods from the English, they were able to develop commercial dominance over other tribes in the region. These benefits were experienced to a greater degree by Northern Tuscarora than their Southern counterparts, who became cut off from the prosperous Northern Tuscarora by increasing numbers of European settlers. Over time settlers continued to push into territory held by the Tuscarora. As the settlers moved closer to the Tuscarora and the two began interacting more frequently, conflict arose over shared hunting grounds and cultural differences.<ref name=":2" /> The Tuscarora associated the settlers' expansion into their territory partially with the writings of [[John Lawson (explorer)|John Lawson]], who surveyed the interior of Carolina and emphasized the potential that land held for settlers. Lawson also played a role in the founding of [[New Bern, North Carolina|New Bern]], a settlement which encroached on Tuscarora territory.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book|last=Esterline, Matthew Cameron, author.|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/889804295|title=For the men on the ground : an examination of the Tuscaroras-colonial relations in North Carolina before and during the Tuscarora War|oclc=889804295}}</ref> The westward push of the English also resulted from geological factors. Over time, land in eastern North Carolina became swampy and difficult to farm.<ref name=":2" /> As settlement expanded, so too did the Indian slave trade in the region. These factors all led to tension between the Tuscarora and the growing population of colonists.<ref name=":3" />

The Tuscarora War did not ensure lasting peace in the region. On Good Friday, April 15, 1715, a group of Native Americans attacked South Carolina. Among them were Apalachees, Savannahs, Lower Creeks, Cherokees, and Yamasees, as well as others. These were all allies of Colonels Barnwell and Moore during the Tuscarora War. This attack began what is known as the [[Yamasee War]].<ref name=":22">{{Cite book|last=La Vere, David.|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/856017210|title=The Tuscarora War : Indians, settlers, and the fight for the Carolina colonies|date=2013|publisher=The University of North Carolina Press|isbn=978-1-4696-1257-7|edition=1st ed|location=Chapel Hill [North Carolina]|oclc=856017210}}</ref> The Yamasee and other tribes in South Carolina learned from the Tuscarora War that colonial settlers were heavily invested in the slave trade of Native Americans. Furthermore, the Tuscarora War had drastically cut down the number of Native Americans in the area who could be enslaved. With this in mind, the tribes of South Carolina decided on a preemptive attack. As one historian put it, "[b]etter to stand together as Indians, hit the colony now before it became any stronger, kill the traders, destroy the plantations, burn Charles Town, and put an end to the slave buyers."<ref name=":22" /> During the Yamasee War, Col. Maurice Moore, the brother of Colonel James Moore, led a regiment in the battle against the Yamasee. Among his regiment were some seventy Tuscarora warriors who were keen to fight against the Yamasee, a tribe who had fought against them during the Tuscarora War. Following the Yamasee War, these Tuscarora were asked by South Carolina officials to remain in South Carolina as their allies and to protect the colony from Spain and its Native American allies. As part of the arrangement, South Carolina would return to the Tuscarora one slave taken during the Tuscarora War for each Tuscarora killed in the line of duty and for each enemy Native American they captured. During this time, the Tuscarora came to be so well respected by the South Carolina government that they were given land in the colony.<ref name=":22" /> The Yamasee War and other conflicts between the remaining Tuscarora and other Native American groups in the region are examples of how the Tuscarora War destabilized relationships among southern Native Americans.