Tuscarora War facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tuscarora War
Part of the American Indian Wars
The execution of John Lawson on September 16, 1711.
Date September 10, 1711 – February 11, 1715 (3 years and 154 days) Location Eastern North Carolina Result British victory Power of Tuscaroras broken Tuscaroras retreat from the coast Tuscaroras migrate to New York
Belligerents
North Carolina South Carolina Apalachee Catawba Cherokee Yamasee	Tuscarora Bear River tribe Cothechney Machapunga Mattamuskeet Neuse Pamlico Senequa Weetock
Commanders and leaders
The Baron of Bernberg (POW) Template:Country data Kingdom of a Great Britain John Lawson  Edward Hyde Col. John Barnwell Col. James Moore Chief Tom Blount	Chief Hancock

The Tuscarora War was a major conflict in North Carolina from September 10, 1711, to February 11, 1715. It was fought between the Tuscarora people and their allies against European settlers and their Native American allies, like the Yamasee. This war was the most violent colonial war in North Carolina's history. After the war, the Tuscarora signed a treaty in 1718 and settled on a piece of land in Bertie County, North Carolina. Many Tuscarora later moved north to New York and joined the Iroquois Confederacy. The war also changed how the slave trade worked in North and South Carolina.

European settlers first successfully created a colony in North Carolina in 1653. For over 50 years, the Tuscarora and the settlers lived mostly in peace. This was unusual, as many other colonies in America were often fighting with Native Americans.

The Tuscarora People

The Tuscarora were a group of people who spoke an Iroquoian language. They had moved from the Great Lakes area to the Piedmont region of North Carolina many centuries before Europeans arrived. Other groups related to the Tuscarora formed the powerful Iroquois Confederacy in New York and Southern Ontario.

Why Tensions Grew

As English settlers moved into Carolina, the Tuscarora initially benefited from trading with them. They got weapons and metal goods, which helped them become stronger than other tribes nearby. However, these benefits were mostly for the Northern Tuscarora. The Southern Tuscarora were cut off from this trade as more European settlers arrived.

Over time, settlers kept moving onto land that belonged to the Tuscarora. As they got closer, they started having more conflicts over hunting grounds and cultural differences. A man named John Lawson surveyed the land and wrote about how good it was for settlers. This encouraged more people to move in. Lawson also helped start New Bern, a settlement that was built on Tuscarora land. The land in eastern North Carolina also became swampy, making it hard to farm. This pushed settlers further west. At the same time, the trade of Native American slaves grew in the area. All these things caused a lot of tension between the Tuscarora and the growing number of colonists.

War Breaks Out

In the early 1700s, there were two main Tuscarora groups in North Carolina. One was led by Chief Tom Blount in the north, near the Roanoke River. The other was led by Chief Hancock in the south, closer to New Bern. Chief Blount became friends with an important settler family. However, Chief Hancock's people had suffered from slave traders who raided their villages and kidnapped people.

Chief Hancock's group decided to attack the settlers. Chief Blount's group did not join the war at this time. Some historians believe the war started because of misunderstandings between the colonists and the Tuscarora. The Southern Tuscarora, led by Hancock, joined with other tribes like the Bear River, Core, Cothechney, Machapunga, Mattamuskeet, Neuse, Pamlico, Senequa, and Weetock.

They launched attacks over a wide area very quickly, starting on September 22, 1711. They attacked homes along the Roanoke, Neuse, and Trent rivers and in the town of Bath. Many settlers were killed, including important leaders like John Lawson. Others were forced to flee their homes. The Baron of Bernberg was captured by the Tuscarora during these attacks. He described how many settlers, including children, were killed in the New Bern area.

Barnwell's Expedition

By 1711, the North Carolina colony was weak from an earlier conflict called Cary's Rebellion. Governor Edward Hyde asked South Carolina for help. South Carolina sent Colonel John Barnwell. He led a force of 30 white officers and about 500 Native Americans from South Carolina. These allies included the Yamasee, Wateree, Congaree, Waxhaw, Pee Dee, and Apalachee tribes.

Barnwell's group traveled over 300 miles and arrived in January 1712. They were joined by 50 local soldiers. They attacked the Tuscarora, who then retreated to Fort Neoheroka in Greene County. The Tuscarora then agreed to a truce and released their prisoners.

Barnwell's expedition did not completely end the war. Barnwell left for South Carolina, which upset the North Carolina settlers who wanted a full victory. The South Carolinians were also unhappy because they didn't get paid for their help. Some South Carolina officers also captured Tuscarora people to sell as slaves. This made the Tuscarora angry and led to new attacks. These attacks happened while a yellow fever outbreak was weakening the North Carolina colony. Many settlers fled because of the combined pressure. Governor Thomas Pollack again asked South Carolina for help.

Chief Blount and the Moore Expedition

South Carolina sent Colonel James Moore with 33 colonists and nearly 1,000 Native American allies. They arrived in December 1712. The settlers offered Chief Blount control over the entire Tuscarora tribe if he helped them defeat Chief Hancock. Blount captured Hancock, and the settlers put him to death in 1712.

In 1713, the Southern Tuscarora lost their Fort Neoheroka in Greene County. Neoheroka was one of several Tuscarora forts at that time, including Torhunta, Innennits, and Catechna. All these forts were destroyed by the North Carolina colonists during the war. About 950 Tuscarora people were killed or captured and sold into slavery by Colonel Moore and his South Carolina troops. Many of those captured were sent to the Caribbean or New England.

After the War

After this major defeat, many Tuscarora began to move to New York. There, they joined the Five Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy and became known as the sixth tribe. Some Tuscarora groups stayed in North Carolina with Chief Blount for many years. The last of them left for New York in 1802.

More Conflicts

The Tuscarora War did not bring lasting peace to the region. On April 15, 1715, a group of Native Americans attacked South Carolina. These groups included the Apalachees, Savannahs, Lower Creeks, Cherokees, and Yamasees. Many of these tribes had been allies of Colonels Barnwell and Moore during the Tuscarora War. This attack started what is known as the Yamasee War.

The Yamasee and other tribes in South Carolina learned from the Tuscarora War that colonial settlers were very involved in the slave trade of Native Americans. Also, the Tuscarora War had greatly reduced the number of Native Americans available to be enslaved. Because of this, the tribes of South Carolina decided to attack first. They wanted to stop the colony from getting stronger, kill the traders, destroy plantations, and end the slave trade.

During the Yamasee War, Colonel Maurice Moore, who was Colonel James Moore's brother, led a group of soldiers. Among his group were about seventy Tuscarora warriors. They were eager to fight against the Yamasee, who had fought against them in the Tuscarora War. After the Yamasee War, South Carolina officials asked these Tuscarora to stay in South Carolina as allies. They wanted the Tuscarora to protect the colony from Spain and its Native American allies. As part of this deal, South Carolina would return one slave taken during the Tuscarora War for each Tuscarora killed in battle. They would also return one for each enemy Native American they captured. The Tuscarora became so respected that they were given land in the colony. The Yamasee War and other conflicts showed how the Tuscarora War made relationships unstable among Native American groups in the South.

Impact on Slavery

The Tuscarora War and the Yamasee War were big turning points for the slave trade in the Carolinas. By 1717, South Carolina began to control its slave trade more strictly. Also, after two major wars between colonists and Native Americans, fewer Native Americans were available to be enslaved.

The most important role of Native Americans also changed during this time. They became more valuable as allies than as slaves. This was because the French and English were constantly fighting for control of North America. Since colonists wanted to make alliances with Native Americans, the enslavement of Africans began to increase.

Legacy of the War

Almost 300 years after the Tuscarora were defeated at Fort Neoheroka, the fort was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 17, 2009. A monument was built there and officially opened in March 2013. The ceremony was attended by descendants of the Tuscarora, some from New York and others from North Carolina.