University of the South - Cap and Gown Yearbook (Sewanee, TN)

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moved, with the consent of the Iroquois, to Pennsylvania and settled there. Having been incited against the Americans by the British, it was during this period that they gave the American armies considerable trouble by practicing on them that type of warfare for which they were so famous. It has been told that the Litany used by the Continental Army contained the invocation from the fury of the Shawnees, Good Lord, deliver us. At the end of the war the Shawnees were forced to withdraw into Missouri (which was then Spanish Territory) since they could no longer get aid from the British. At this time a second division took place, when a part of the tribe established friendly relations with the American government, and was allowed to settle on the banks of the Ohio river. This concession on the part of the government, how- ever, later proved somewhat indiscreet. About 1800, one of the Shawnee medicine men, called Tenshawatowa, the Prophet, who was the brother of Tecumseh, began to preach a new dec- trine, ostensibly a form of communism. Lured to him by that superstition which gave the Prophet power over them, thousands of In- dians from all tribes rallied around. Through the ingenuity and eloquence of Tecumseh, a confederation resembling the earlier one of Pontiac (whom Tecumseh probably conscious- ly imitated) was formed, and in a short time the intentions of the cagy Tecumseh departed from all similarity to the original communistic doctrine and became obviously hostile. In 181 1, after a series of outrages, the American government was forced to send William Henry Harrison to the West. Harrison at- tacked Tecumseh at the center of his confed- eration, Tippecanoe, and completely shattered the revolt. Tenskawatowa was killed, but Tecumseh and his confederations, though both were somewhat shattered, survived. The spirit of Tecumseh was not yet brok- en, for during the next year, when the War of 1 8 12 broke out, that famous leader was immediately sought by the British agents. As a result, Tecumseh soon strode forth in the uni- form of a British Major-General. The aid of the Confederation had been pledged to the British King. The agent who drove this bargain with Tecumseh was probably well pleased with himself, but it was this subtle move which lost the British cause. Some time later the English army was retreating through the north, and was joined by Tecumseh and his braves at the Thames River. Tecumseh could not bear to retreat, and, forcing the English to wheel, gave battle at a disadvantageous point. The result is told in the historic battle at the Thames River, where the English were crushed and Tecumseh killed. After the death of Tecumseh, the spirit of the Shawnees was broken and the tribe fell apart, leaving no group to sing of the struggles and wanderings of the robber band which once took refuge in Sewanee long enough to name it. Hola.

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northwestern part of the state, but later moved to the banks of the Cumberland in the central part. As the Shawnees realized the purpose for which the Cherokees had issued the invitation, and having successfully withstood a few at- tacks from the tribes to the northwest, they quarreled with the Cherokees. Whereupon the Cherokees allied themselves with the Chica- saws and drove the Shawnees out. At this time the tribe split into two parts, one group going to the headwaters of the Santee and Peedee rivers in South Carolina, while the main body remained on the Tennessee river. From this time (1690) until I 760 the history of these two branches of the tribes is separate. The Savannah, or South Carolina branch shall not be considered, since only the Cumberland, or Tennessee, branch played a part in the history which is now being traced. Suffice it to say that the Savannah branch remained in South Carolina until its migration to the north, which occurred just prior to 1 760. In 1700 the Cumberland Shawnees estab- lished themselves on the land in the eastern and middle parts of Tennessee. Their main village was located not far from the present site of Nashville. However, they were finally forced to flee into the Smoky Mountains, due to the- continual attacks of the stronger Chero- kees. Seeking safety they erected their main village on the mountain which is the present site of the University. On the mountain they finally found shelter from the attacks of their enemies, since it was considered sacred by these hostile tribes, besides being well-nigh im- pregnable. Hence, the Shawnees named this mountain Sewanee, meaning Mother, Mountain, because it fostered and protected them with almost maternal care.. With this point as their center, they substantially aided the French in the French and Indian Wars. Their raids into South Carolina and Georgia made them the scourge of the British colonists, and they wrought irreparable damage to the colonial planters. In every case the Shawnees sided against the colonists, not only because they looked on them as invaders, but also be- cause they had gotten the worst in most ot their dealings with the Americans. Even before the end of the war their wandering spirit had again moved them, this time to the north, into Kentucky, through which state they roamed for a number of years. Leaving Kentucky after a visit of per- haps half a decade, they moved north again, through Illinois, stopping near the present town of Shawneetown, but finally settling on the banks of the Ohio river, where they uni ted with the Savannah group in 1760. From this time ' till 1 795 the Shawnees were constantly at war with the English. Their in- tense hatred of the English is shown by their boast that they (the Shawnees) had killed more Englishmen than any other tribe. Just prior to the American Revolution they

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seniors In every University it is the Senior Class to whom the burden of guiding and directing the student body is given. More so here at Sewanee than at larger institutions. To this is added the knowledge of impending graduation. Thus the serious garb of scholastic gowns fittingly symbolizes their increasing maturity of mind and their growing po- sition as leaders of men. Yet another duty lies before the Sewanee Senior Class, that of perpetuating and maintain- ing that institution to which they owe their gratitude after they have left its campus. The duty of maintaining its high reputation and ideals by talcing interest in the future members of their Alma Mater and of encouraging those leaders who give so unselfishly of their time to the development of each student ' s character and mind. With this in mind the Cap and Gown gives: The Graduating Class of 1939. % %