Indians, Empires, and the Contest for Information in Colonial Miami and Illinois Countries DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Cameron M. Shriver Graduate Program in History The Ohio State University 2016 Dissertation Committee: Professor Margaret E. Newell, Advisor Professor John L. Brooke Professor Lucy E. Murphy George Ironstrack Copyright by Cameron M. Shriver 2016 Abstract Colonial regimes in eighteenth-century Miami and Illinois Countries reflected imperial efforts to institutionalize surveillance. Placed within military bureaucracies, Euro-American networks attempted to exert control over this Indian Country and their development was in direct response to Miami and Illinois politics and communication. ii Acknowledgments Since I started this project, I have benefitted from a great deal of help. For sharing their expertise and support, I am grateful to Neil Safier and Iris Montero, Kim Nusco, Val Andrews, and Ken Ward at the John Carter Brown Library, as well as the scholarly community while I was there: Natalie Zemon Davis, Justin Pope, Michi Nakashima, Ahmed Reid, Kim Hall, Jake Frederick, Stephen Hay, Tatiana Seijas, Nathan and Jacqueline Wachtel, Nancy van Deusen, Jim Muldoon and Michele Reid-Vazquez. Meg McSweeney, Kathy Ludwig, Brian Graziano, and Laura and Patrick Spero at the David Library; Susie Moser at the Huntington Library; and Scott Manning Stevens at the Newberry Library made my research profitable and pleasant. Special thanks to Drew, Melissa, and Walter LaVine for their hospitality in Chicago. Colonial Williamsburg is special to me, more so for the friendship of Del Moore, Inge Flester, Juleigh Clark, Susan Shames, and Joann Proper who welcomed me back for research, as well as Ted Maris- Wolf and Jim Horn who both discussed some of the ideas that ended up in this dissertation. Portions of the research have been supported by funding from Ohio State Arts and Humanities; summer research funding from the Kauffman Family Research Award and the Retrieving the American Past Award from the Ohio State History Department; iii DISCO (with special kudos to Christine Ballengee-Morris); the NEH; the American Philosophical Society Phillips Fund for Native American Research Grant; an Institute for Political History Hugh David Graham Award; a fellowship at the David Library of the American Revolution; a Newberry Library fellowship; a W. M. Keck Foundation Fellowship at the Huntington Library; a Paul W. McQuillen Memorial Fellowship at the John Carter Brown Library; a Gilder Lehrman Research Fellowship at Colonial Williamsburg; a travel grant from the American Society for Ethnohistory; and the Committee on Institutional Cooperation. I have workshopped portions of this work in many venues. The insights of Dan Richter, Paul Finkelman, Juliana Barr, Robert Englebert, Chris Parsons, Gina Martino, Susan Sleeper-Smith, Danielle Moretti-Langholtz, Buck Woodard, Greg Ablavsky, John Bowes, Ken Owen, John Hall, Josh Piker, Dave Nichols, and Nick Crane all promoted my interpretations. I was introduced to the historian’s craft as an undergraduate at William and Mary, where I had the good luck to enroll in courses taught by Paul Mapp and Danielle Moretti- Langholtz. Those two, with additional worthy guidance from Brett Rushforth and James Axtell, ushered me through my first serious research and I had a great time doing it. My coaches there, especially Dan Stimson and Emil Davis, made sure I succeeded. I had the fortunate patronage of the Hawthornes, Shelby and Randy, who gave me the freedom to continue living and working in Williamsburg. Buck Woodard opened doors for me and the American Indian Initiative at Colonial Williamsburg continues to be a model of public history under his care. This dissertation would be significantly shallower if not for iv the aid of the Myaamia Center at Miami University. John Bickers, Bobbe Burke, Andrew Strack, Jonathan Fox, and Jarrid Baldwin have all offered camaraderie and answered questions; the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma and its elected leadership has been a supporter and has my continuing appreciation. Daryl Baldwin and David Costa answered innumerable emails, as well as read much of the dissertation. George Ironstrack is a real niihka. His prints are everywhere to be seen on these pages. Ohio State is an ideal place to study early American history. Jim Bach is a graduate student’s best friend. At various stages of research, reading, teaching and writing, Dodie McDow, Daniel Rivers, Ken Andrien, Drew Cayton, Lilia Fernandez, and John Lowe have offered thoughtful advice. Alan Gallay oversaw the dissertation’s early progress as mentor, teacher and editor. John Brooke has an uncanny ability to both prod and encourage his mentees and I’m lucky to count myself in that group. I owe Lucy Murphy a lot of coffees—she has been a consistent and positive force in this project’s life. As my advisor, Margaret Newell’s support means much. Her critique and encouragement sharpened my arguments; she has a talent for thinking big. Of course, the dissertation could not have been completed without my fellow grad students at OSU. Nearly all of the early Americanists read pieces of it, including Josh Wood, Dan Troy, Marcus Nevius, Jessica Wallace, Hunter Price, Kevin Vrevich, Joe Wachtel, Grace Richards, and Lisa Zevorich. My special gratitude goes to the cohort of Emily Arendt, Jamie Goodall, and Mark Boonshoft. My grandfather instilled an affection for academics from an early age, and in large part prepared my path toward Native American history. My parents encouraged me v all along the way. Kyle has always offered his support and good humor—he’s a great little brother. Julia has not only read almost the entire dissertation in various states of disrepair, but has always helped me figure out what I was trying to say. She’s been an unfailing, loving partner in graduate school. vi Vita 2009............................................................... B.A. History, College of William & Mary 2012............................................................... M.A. History, Ohio State University 2010 to present ............................................. Graduate Teaching Associate, Department of History, Ohio State University Fields of Study Major Field: History vii Table of Contents Abstract……………………………………………………………………………….…...ii Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………………iii Table of Contents…………………………………………………………………..……viii List of Tables………………………………………………………………………..……ix List of Figures…………………………………………………………………….….……x List of Maps……………………………………………………………………….…..….xi Introduction………………………………………………………………………..………1 Chapter 1. Stitching Together the Towns with Mobility and News……….……………16 Chapter 2. French Empire and Conspiracy………………………………………….…..68 Chapter 3. The British Empire…………………………………………………………130 Chapter 4. Miami and Illinois Concerns, 1752-1765……………………..……………167 Chapter 5. Acquiring Surveillance………………………………………..……………221 Chapter 6. A U.S. Indian Department…………………………………………….……260 Chapter 7. Military Clash………………………………………..……………….….…315 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………….……..367 References………………………………………………………………………………372 Appendix. “Bad bird” and “bad birds” in four historical collections………………..…407 viii List of Tables Table 1. Names………………………………………………………………………….21 Table 2. 1752 Census of Illinois………………………………………………………...96 Table 3. French and Miami-Illinois Populations, ca. 1750 ……………………………105 Table 4. French and Miami-Illinois Populations ca. 1750……………………….…….106 Table 5. Pennsylvania Deerskin Values, Exported to London….…...……………..….143 Table 6. Pennsylvania Value of Deerskins as a Percentage of Total Exports to London……………………………………………………….…….144 Table 7. “Account of Expences on Indian Affairs paid out of the Provincial Stock by the Treasurer and Trustees of the Loan Office”………….……….147 Table 8. Engagés from Montreal to the Wabash, 1755-1759………………………….176 Table 9. British Debt, 1702-1763………………………………………………...……225 Table 10. British Revenue and Expenses, 1750-1768………………………..………..226 Table 11. United States Army Troops, 1789-1808……………………………...……..332 Table 12. United States Army Troops, 1789-1850…………………………………….332 ix List of Figures Figure 1. Franquelin, Carte de la Louisiane ……………………………………………29 Figure 2. Coxe, A Map of Carolana…………………………………………………….32 Figure 3. Georeference of Thomas Hutchins, A Plan of the several Villages ………….36 Figure 4. Hutchins, A Plan of the several Villages ……………………………………..37 Figure 5. Carte que les Gnacsitares ……………………………………………………87 Figure 6. Dewing, To His Excellency Samuel Shute…………………………………….88 Figure 7. The Illinois River Forts and Towns…………………………………………...89 Figure 8. The Mississippi River Forts and Towns………………………………………90 Figure 9. Phinn, A map of the British and French Settlements………………………...134 Figure 10. Pattin, A Map of the western parts of the province………………………...148 Figure 11. Chegeree, Map of the Country ……………………………………………..149 Figure 12. Pennsylvania Gazette, May 9, 1754………………………………………..157 Figure 13. French Information Schema, ca. 1755……..……………………………….165 Figure 14. British Information Schema, ca. 1755…….………………………………..165 Figure 15. Forts in 1763………………………………………………………………..214 Figure 16. British forces, summer and autumn, 1764………………………………….239 Figure 17. Movement of the Rumor.…………………………………………………..261 Figure 18. George Winter, “Miami Indian Girl.”……………………………………...289 Figure 19. Key Sites in the 1790s……………………………………………………...320 x List of Maps Map 1. Miami and Illinois