The Winning of the West, Volume Two | Page 2

the home
government bade him hire them he soon proved himself very expert, as
well as very ruthless, in their use. [Footnote: Haldimand MSS.
Germaine to Carlton, March 26, 1777.] He rapidly acquired the
venomous hatred of the backwoodsmen, who held him in peculiar
abhorrence, and nicknamed him the "hair-buyer" general, asserting that
he put a price on the scalps of the Americans. This allegation may have
been untrue as affecting Hamilton personally; he always endeavored to
get the war parties to bring in prisoners, and behaved well to the
captives when they were in his power; nor is there any direct evidence
that he himself paid out money for scalps. But scalps were certainly
bought and paid for at Detroit; [Footnote: See the "American Pioneer,"
I., 292, for a very curious account of an Indian, who by dividing a large
scalp into two got fifty dollars for each half at Detroit.] and the
commandant himself was accustomed to receive them with formal
solemnity at the councils held to greet the war parties when they
returned from successful raids. [Footnote: Haldimand MSS; _passim;_
also Heckewelder, etc.] The only way to keep the friendship of the
Indians was continually to give them presents; these presents were
naturally given to the most successful warriors; and the scalps were the
only safe proofs of a warrior's success. Doubtless the commandant and
the higher British officers generally treated the Americans humanely
when they were brought into contact with them; and it is not likely that
they knew, or were willing to know, exactly what the savages did in all
cases. But they at least connived at the measures of their subordinates.
These were hardened, embittered, men who paid for the zeal of their
Indian allies accordingly as they received tangible proof thereof; in

other words, they hired them to murder non-combatants as well as
soldiers, and paid for each life, of any sort, that was taken. The fault lay
primarily with the British Government, and with those of its advisers
who, like Hamilton, advocated the employment of the savages. They
thereby became participants in the crimes committed; and it was idle
folly for them to prate about having bidden the savages be merciful.
The sin consisted in having let them loose on the borders; once they
were let loose it was absolutely impossible to control them. Moreover,
the British sinned against knowledge; for some of their highest and
most trusted officers on the frontier had written those in supreme
command, relating the cruelties practised by the Indians upon the
defenceless, and urging that they should not be made allies, but rather
that their neutrality only should be secured. [Footnote: E. g. in
Haldimand MSS. Lieut.-Gov. Abbott to General Carleton, June 8,
1778.] The average American backwoodsman was quite as brutal and
inconsiderate a victor as the average British officer; in fact, he was in
all likelihood the less humane of the two; but the Englishman
deliberately made the deeds of the savage his own. Making all
allowance for the strait in which the British found themselves, and
admitting that much can be said against their accusers, the fact remains
that they urged on hordes of savages to slaughter men, women, and
children along the entire frontier; and for this there must ever rest a
dark stain on their national history.
Hamilton organized a troop of white rangers from among the French,
British, and Tories at Detroit. They acted as allies of the Indians, and
furnished leaders to them. Three of these leaders were the tories McKee,
Elliot, and Girty, who had fled together from Pittsburg [Footnote:
Haldimand MSS. Hamilton's letter, April 25. 1778. "April the
20th-Edward Hayle (who had undertaken to carry a letter from me to
the Moravian Minister at Kushayhking) returned, having executed his
commission--he brought me a letter & newspapers from Mr. McKee
who was Indian Agent for the Crown and has been a long time in the
hands of the Rebels at Fort Pitt, at length has found means to make his
escape with three other men, two of the name of Girty (mentioned in
Lord Dunmore's list) interpreters & Matthew Elliott the young man
who was last summer sent down from this place a prisoner.--This last
person I am informed has been at New York since he left Quebec, and

probably finding the change in affairs unfavourable to the Rebels, has
slipp'd away to make his peace here.
"23d--Hayle went off again to conduct them all safe through the
Villages having a letter & Wampum for that purpose. Alexander
McKee is a man of good character, and has great influence with the
Shawanese is well acquainted with the country & can probably give
some useful intelligence, he will probably reach this place in a few
days."] they all three warred against