Martin, Joseph (1740-1808) to unknown
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02437.04784 Author/Creator: Martin, Joseph (1740-1808) Place Written: Richmond, Virginia Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 30 November 1790 Pagination: 1 p. ; 29.2 x 18.1 cm. Order a Copy
Discusses the "truly alarming" situation going on in the Virginia back country. Reports the deaths of several people at Martin Station in Powell's Valley. Believes the news that he is no longer the Indian agent there has caused these problems. He had thought about erecting a "station on the bank of the Cumberland river for the security of travellers" with the support of Congress. Martin would buy one hundred acres of land from the Cherokees. Notes that the ford of the river is, by treaty, the line between the United States and the Cherokees. Suggests a trade post and garrison to ensure security, "as it is well known that the Indians seldom or never strike where they have any trade."
General Martin served in Lord Dunmore's War in 1774 and the American Revolution. He made a name for himself through his military command on the frontier. Virginia governor appointed Martin as an Indian agent in 1777, and he resided on the Virginia/Tennessee border. Martin also worked as a surveyor. He married a Cherokee woman and was involved in North Carolina's constitutional convention.
[Draft excerpt]
"The situation of our back country is truly alarming. Several people, who lived at both my stations in Powel's valley, have been killed within the course of this month. It is what I greatly feared for some time past. As the Indians would hear that I was discontinued as agent, the salvation of those people depended on my influence with the Indians."
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