Anglo-Cherokee War (1759 - 1761)

Anglo-Cherokee War (1759 - 1761). . , At the beginning of the French and Indian War, the Cherokee and their British neighbors were close allies. That changed due to the tragic events which transpired in 1758., Several hundred Cherokee warriors participated in the 1758 Forbes Campaign to take Fort Duquesne. As many as forty Cherokee were murdered by Virginia militiamen. These murders sparked a series of events which led to a war between the former allies., 1759 , Cherokee warriors conducted revenge raids on the Catawba and Yadkin settlements. In response, South Carolina's Governor William Lyttleton raised an army to intimidate the Cherokee into turning over the raiders. During a negotiation, Lyttleton took 21 Cherokee chiefs hostage, destroying Cherokee trust., 1760 , The Cherokee renewed their attacks on the western settlements, fueled by the murders of the Cherokee hostages held in South Carolina. The British Army sent Col. Archibald Montgomery to lead a combined British and Provincial Army to punish the Cherokee. The June 27 Battle of Etchoe Pass forced Montgomery to withdraw. During his retreat, he had five Cherokee towns razed. The Cherokee attacked and captured Fort Loudoun in modern Vonore, TN., 1761 , A second British Expedition, under Lt. Col. James Grant, devastated the Cherokee towns. Grant defeated the Cherokee at the second Battle of Etchoe Pass on June 10. A joint North Carolina ans Virginia Provincial Army assembled on the Holston River, threatening the Cherokee Overhill towns. Just before Winter, peace treaties ended the war., Twenty-three Cherokee towns and over 1500 acres of crops were destroyed. The death toll for both sides numbered in the hundreds. The Cherokee were forced to contend with massive land losses, embargoes and an estimated 4000 refugee men, women, and children.