1654 Erie and Iroquois Wars and Burning Captives at the Stake
In 1654, war broke out between the Eries and the Five Nations. "They [the Iroquois] tell us a new war has broken out, which fills them with fear, that the Eries have taken arms against them (we call the Eries the Cat Nation, because there is in their country a prodigious number of wildcats, two or three times as large as our tame cats, but having a beautiful and precious fur). They tell us that an Iroquois town has already been set on fire and destroyed at the first attack ; that this nation pursued one of their armies which was returning victorious from the shores of Lake Huron, fell upon the rear guard of eighty picked men and entirely cut it to pieces ; that one of their most distinguished chiefs, Annenraes, has been taken prisoner; in a word, that the Iroquois are inflamed, and are arming to repulse the enemy, and are, therefore, obliged to seek peace with us. " This Cat Nation is very populous. Some Hurons, who have scattered everywhere since the destruction of their country, have joined them, and excited this war, which alarms the Iroquois. It is said they have two thousand men, good warriors, though without fire-arms. But they fight like the French, enduring courageously the first discharge of the Iroquois, who have fire-arms, and then pouring upon them a hail of poisoned arrows, which they can shoot off six or eight times before the others can reload their muskets. " However this may be, we shall remain at peace, and Father Simon Le Moine, just returned from the Iroquois, assures us that they have sent out eighteen hundred armed men." (Relation, 1654, p. 10.) Father Simon Le Moine, before leaving the Iroquois, held counsel with them, and delivered a harangue after their manner, marking particular passages with gifts of wampum or hatchets, to preserve the memory of what was said. " The eighth, ninth, tenth, and eleventh presents for the four Iroquois nations, a hatchet for each, for the new war, in which they are engaged with the Cat Nation. " And, finally, by the nineteenth present, I dried the tears of the young warriors for the death of their great chief, Annencraos, lately taken prisoner by the Cat Nation." The orator of the Iroquois, in the course of his reply, sent thanks to the governor of Canada " for encouraging them to fight against their new enemies, the Cat Nation." (Relation, 1654, pp. 15 and 16.) An embassy of Iroquois went to Quebec, in 1655. The orator began with twenty-four belts of wampum. With the fifteenth " he asked for French soldiers to defend his towns against the invasion of the Cat Nation, with whom they are at war." And, at the close of his oration, he asked for arms to be used against the Cat Nation." (Relation, 1656, p. 6.) The Relation of 1656 is filled with accounts of the burning and torture by the Iroquois of prisoners taken in their war with the Eries, or Cat Nation, and contains an account of the war itself. Preparations were begun jn January, 1656 (p. 29). The narrative of the war is as follows : " The Cat Nation had sent thirty ambassadors to Sonntonan [a town of the Senecas], to confirm the peace then existing between them ; but it happened that a Sonnontonahronon [the French name for Seneca] was killed by one of the Cat Nation in a chance encounter. This murder so provoked the Sonnonton- ahronons, that they put to death all the embassadors but five, who escaped. War was now kindled between the two nations. It was a contest who should take the greatest number of prisoners to burn them. Among others, two Onnontagshronnons [the French name for Onondagas] were taken by the Cat Nation. One escaped; the other, a man of consideration, was preserved for burning, but he pleaded his cause so well, that he was given to the sister of one of the slain embassadors. She was absent from the town ; but the people gave the captive fine clothes, held feasts for him, and assured him he would be returned to his country. " When she, to whom he had been given, returned, she was told that her dead brother was restored, and that she should prepare a hospitable reception for him. She, on the contrary, began to weep, and protested that nothing could dry her tears till the death of her brother was avenged. The old men represented to her the importance of the matter, and told her this would bring on a new war; but she would not yield. At length they were constrained to surrender the unfortunate captive to her, to be treated according to her pleasure. He was in the midst of a feast while this was passing. He was called out and led to the cabin of the cruel woman in silence. Upon his entering, he was surprised to be stripped of his new clothes, and at once saw that he was doomed to death. Before dying, he cried out that they were burning in his person an entire people, who would cruelly avenge his death. This was true. For scarcely was the news brought to Onnontague, be fore twelve hundred resolute men were on the path to take satisfaction.
In 1654, war broke out between the Eries and the Five Nations. "They [the Iroquois] tell us a new war has broken out, which fills them with fear, that the Eries have taken arms against them (we call the Eries the Cat Nation, because there is in their country a prodigious number of wildcats, two or three times as large as our tame cats, but having a beautiful and precious fur). They tell us that an Iroquois town has already been set on fire and destroyed at the first attack ; that this nation pursued one of their armies which was returning victorious from the shores of Lake Huron, fell upon the rear guard of eighty picked men and entirely cut it to pieces ; that one of their most distinguished chiefs, Annenraes, has been taken prisoner; in a word, that the Iroquois are inflamed, and are arming to repulse the enemy, and are, therefore, obliged to seek peace with us. " This Cat Nation is very populous. Some Hurons, who have scattered everywhere since the destruction of their country, have joined them, and excited this war, which alarms the Iroquois. It is said they have two thousand men, good warriors, though without fire-arms. But they fight like the French, enduring courageously the first discharge of the Iroquois, who have fire-arms, and then pouring upon them a hail of poisoned arrows, which they can shoot off six or eight times before the others can reload their muskets. " However this may be, we shall remain at peace, and Father Simon Le Moine, just returned from the Iroquois, assures us that they have sent out eighteen hundred armed men." (Relation, 1654, p. 10.) Father Simon Le Moine, before leaving the Iroquois, held counsel with them, and delivered a harangue after their manner, marking particular passages with gifts of wampum or hatchets, to preserve the memory of what was said. " The eighth, ninth, tenth, and eleventh presents for the four Iroquois nations, a hatchet for each, for the new war, in which they are engaged with the Cat Nation. " And, finally, by the nineteenth present, I dried the tears of the young warriors for the death of their great chief, Annencraos, lately taken prisoner by the Cat Nation." The orator of the Iroquois, in the course of his reply, sent thanks to the governor of Canada " for encouraging them to fight against their new enemies, the Cat Nation." (Relation, 1654, pp. 15 and 16.) An embassy of Iroquois went to Quebec, in 1655. The orator began with twenty-four belts of wampum. With the fifteenth " he asked for French soldiers to defend his towns against the invasion of the Cat Nation, with whom they are at war." And, at the close of his oration, he asked for arms to be used against the Cat Nation." (Relation, 1656, p. 6.) The Relation of 1656 is filled with accounts of the burning and torture by the Iroquois of prisoners taken in their war with the Eries, or Cat Nation, and contains an account of the war itself. Preparations were begun jn January, 1656 (p. 29). The narrative of the war is as follows : " The Cat Nation had sent thirty ambassadors to Sonntonan [a town of the Senecas], to confirm the peace then existing between them ; but it happened that a Sonnontonahronon [the French name for Seneca] was killed by one of the Cat Nation in a chance encounter. This murder so provoked the Sonnonton- ahronons, that they put to death all the embassadors but five, who escaped. War was now kindled between the two nations. It was a contest who should take the greatest number of prisoners to burn them. Among others, two Onnontagshronnons [the French name for Onondagas] were taken by the Cat Nation. One escaped; the other, a man of consideration, was preserved for burning, but he pleaded his cause so well, that he was given to the sister of one of the slain embassadors. She was absent from the town ; but the people gave the captive fine clothes, held feasts for him, and assured him he would be returned to his country. " When she, to whom he had been given, returned, she was told that her dead brother was restored, and that she should prepare a hospitable reception for him. She, on the contrary, began to weep, and protested that nothing could dry her tears till the death of her brother was avenged. The old men represented to her the importance of the matter, and told her this would bring on a new war; but she would not yield. At length they were constrained to surrender the unfortunate captive to her, to be treated according to her pleasure. He was in the midst of a feast while this was passing. He was called out and led to the cabin of the cruel woman in silence. Upon his entering, he was surprised to be stripped of his new clothes, and at once saw that he was doomed to death. Before dying, he cried out that they were burning in his person an entire people, who would cruelly avenge his death. This was true. For scarcely was the news brought to Onnontague, be fore twelve hundred resolute men were on the path to take satisfaction.
