We are in possession of very little authentic information respecting the monuments of the Southern United States.74 All accounts concur in representing them as very numerous and extensive, and as characterized by a regularity unknown, or known but to a limited degree, amongst those which occur further north, on the Ohio and its tributaries, and upon the Missouri and Upper Mississippi. This extraordinary regularity, as well as their usually great dimensions, have induced many to regard them as the work not only of a different era, but of a different people. Mounds of several stages, closely resembling the Mexican Teocalli in form and size; broad terraces of various heights; elevated passages and long avenues, are mentioned among the varieties of ancient structures which abound from Florida to Texas. The mounds are often disposed with the utmost system in respect to each other. Around some of the larger ones, others of smaller size are placed at regular intervals, and at fixed distances. Some have spiral pathways leading to their tops, and others possess graded ascents like those at Marietta.75
It is to be observed, however, that while mounds are thus abundant, enclosures are comparatively few, especially those which seem to be of a military origin. A few have been noticed in South Carolina, on the Wateree river, which partake of the character of military works, and of which some account will shortly be given.
The following plans from original and hitherto unpublished surveys will serve to illustrate, to a limited degree, the character of a portion of the Southern remains. p105
XXXVII. Ancient Works on the Wateree River, Kershaw District, South Carolina.
It is unquestionable that the race of the mounds occupied a portion of the State of South Carolina; and although the traces of their occupation are far from abundant, they are still sufficiently numerous to deserve notice. The only reliable information we have concerning them, is contained in a MS. letter from WILLIAM BLANDING, M. D., late of Camden, South Carolina, a gentleman distinguished for his researches in natural history, to SAMUEL GEORGE MORTON, M. D., of Philadelphia, the eminent author of “Crania Americana,” by whose permission it is embodied in this connection. The observations of Dr. Blanding were confined to a section of the valley of the Wateree river, embracing about twenty-five miles in the immediate vicinity of Camden, and mainly included in the Kershaw district.
“The first monument deserving of notice is ‘Harrison’s Mound’ (A in the Map). It is the highest in position of any on the river, and is situated on the west side of the same, in the Fairfield district. It is about four hundred and eighty feet in circumference at the base, fifteen feet high, and has a level area one hundred and twenty feet in circumference at its summit.
“The next relic of antiquity is the ‘Indian Mortar,’ (B in the Map,) in the Kershaw district. It is a regular bowl-shaped excavation in a solid block of granite, holding upwards of half a bushel, and is evidently the work of art. It p106 was used as a mortar by the early settlers, and is still devoted to the same purpose. The part of the rock projecting out of the ground is equivalent to eight or ten tons.
“Next is an old Indian town or camp near the mouth of Beaver creek (C in the Map). A little below the mouth of the creek is an old fortification, of oblong form, consisting of a wall and ditch (D in the Map). The embankment is now not more than three feet high above the level of the plain. The ditch is distinct. Nearly opposite this work, on the west side of the river, are the traces of an old Indian village, remarkable for its arrow-heads, fragments of pottery, etc.
“Proceeding down the river, we come to a point near the head of the canal, where the land rises to the extraordinary height of five hundred feet, forming a long, narrow hill. Upon the point of this hill nearest the river, stands what is called the ‘Indian Grave’ (F in the Map). It is composed of many tons of small round stones, weighing from one to four pounds each. The pile is thirty feet long from east to west, twelve feet broad, and five feet high, so situated as to command an extensive view of the adjacent country, stretching as far as Rocky Mount, twenty miles above, and for a long distance below on the river. It may be suggested that this is the elevated burial-place of some great chief, or that it was designed as some sort of an observatory. The Catawba Indians can give no account of it, nor will they venture a conjecture as to its purposes. A mound, G, is situated opposite this stone heap, on the other side of the river. The ‘shoals’ in the immediate vicinity seem to have been a favorite haunt of the ancient and more recent races. Here to this day is to be found an abundance of fish and game, and the vicinity is marked by numerous aboriginal relics. Here also is the highest boundary of the long-leaved pine, and the limit of the alluvial region. Below, the river becomes sluggish, and during high water leaves its banks and spreads over large tracts of land.
“The mound next below, H, was two hundred and fifty feet in circumference at the base, seventy-five feet at the top, and thirteen feet high. It was situated about a hundred yards from the river on lands subject to overflow. Three other small mounds surrounded it. In 1826 it was levelled, and the material used for manuring the adjacent lands. A part of the treasures which it contained were saved, but the rest are scattered or destroyed. The mound presented, upon excavation, a succession of strata, varying in thickness from six inches to one foot, from top to base. First vegetable loam, then human and animal bones, followed by charcoal of reeds, vessels of clay and fragments of the same, (some holding not more than one pint,) arrow-heads and stone axes, then earth, etc., alternately. In one small vessel was found a tag or needle made of bone, supposed to have been used in making dresses. Near it was found the skeleton of a female, tolerably entire, but which fell in pieces on exposure. A stratum of dark-colored mould was mixed with these articles; perhaps decomposed animal matter. The superstructure of the mound was the alluvial loam, and constituted tolerable manure. It was mixed with great quantities of mica, some pieces three or four inches square. Marine shells, much decomposed, were found in this as in other mounds, mixed with the bones, from top to bottom.
“Descending the river, near Mound creek, we come to a large mound, I, enclosed p107 in a circle, and accompanied by a smaller one. It is perhaps the largest and most perfect on the river. It is five hundred feet in circumference at the base, two hundred and twenty-five feet in circumference at the summit, and thirty-four feet high,—slightly oblong. It is covered with stumps, briars, etc., having recently been brought under cultivation. In April last, while ploughing over the small mound, an urn was discovered, a sketch of which is enclosed. It holds forty-six quarts, or nearly twelve gallons. It had a cover fitting closely over the body for about six inches; this was broken by the plough. The vessel was curiously ornamented, and is probably the largest ever discovered in the valley. It contained a number of large shell beads, much decomposed, about the size and shape of nutmegs. It also contained another article of the same material, about the size of a man’s palm, a quarter of an inch thick, and carved in open work; probably designed for suspension around the neck as a badge or ornament. The ditch around this mound is slight.
“Still further down the river, upon the opposite side, and some distance south of the road from Camden to Columbia, is the most remarkable ancient work in the valley (O). It is called the ‘Indian Ditch.’ It occurs at the great bend of the river, and consists of an embankment and ditch carried across the isthmus, cutting off, and, with the river, enclosing some hundreds of acres of fine alluvial land. It is about one mile in length, and the circuit of the river from one end to the other is between three and four miles. Twenty-one years ago, when I first visited it, this ditch was about eight feet deep and the wall of corresponding dimensions: a primitive forest was then growing upon its southern portion, but it is now all under the plough and fast disappearing. The bank is exterior to the ditch, which circumstance seems to conflict with the notion that the work was constructed for defence. It has been suggested, but with no good reason, that it was designed for a ‘cut off’ or artificial channel for the river. Whatever its purpose, it was a great undertaking for a rude or savage people.
“On the opposite side of the river, about two hundred yards below the mouth of Pine-tree creek, is a group of mounds, surrounded by a low embankment (J). One of them has been nearly washed away by the river, and the others have been much reduced by cultivation. The largest is yet twelve or fifteen feet high, with a very wide base. From these mounds are disclosed arrow-heads, axes, urns, and other vestiges of art, accompanied by human bones and the bones of wild animals, and marine shells, all much decayed. As the water washes away the side of the mound on its bank, charcoal, urns, bones, etc., in successive strata, are exposed; as though it had constituted a cemetery, receiving deposits from time to time, from its commencement to its completion. The strata vary in thickness from six to eighteen inches, and are mixed with much mica, sometimes in large plates. It was long under cultivation in corn, then indigo, and in 1806, when I first saw it, in cotton, which is still cultivated on it. On the large mound stood the overseer’s house; around it, on the smaller piles, were the negro quarters.
“In the bend of the river nearly opposite the south end of the ‘Indian Ditch,’ is a mound, perhaps fifteen feet high (K). Little is known respecting it, having been for many years the site of an overseer’s house. I obtained a circular stone, p108 with concave sides and finely polished, which had been found here, also two large urns, one holding twelve, the other twenty quarts, with a number of other aboriginal relics. At the mouth of Town creek, some distance below, there was formerly, no doubt, an Indian town or camp, (L,) judging from the quantity of relics found here. A very fine description of clay is found at this spot, which is resorted to by the Catawba Indians every spring and autumn, for the purpose of manufacturing pottery from it.
“Boykin’s mound (M) is one mile lower down the river upon the same bank. It is now nearly washed away by the river. Twenty years ago, when I first saw it, large trees covered it, and it was entire. Four years afterwards I visited it, when only about one third remained, which on the side next the river beautifully exhibited the various strata composing it. It had the usual layers of earth, pottery, charred reeds, etc. Some few of the vases were entire, containing fragments of bones, and were well arranged in tiers, one above the other.
“Last of the series is Nixon’s mound (N). It is much reduced, and is not now more than ten feet high. From this to the sea I know of no similar relics. Paint hill and Kirkwood, in the neighborhood of Pine-tree creek, must have been much frequented, judging from the numerous relics occurring on and around them; the former for its pure water, the latter for its fine clay. Hobkirk’s hill, near Camden, abounds in aboriginal relics. I have procured several large pipes from these localities, all of which exhibit a skill in workmanship surpassing that of the present race. The entire section in which the above remains occur is exceedingly fertile, and capable of sustaining a large agricultural population.”
This work occurs within the present limits of the State of Alabama, upon the banks of Etowah river, a branch of the Coosa. It is situated upon an alluvial “bottom,” at an angle or bend of the stream; and its defences consist of a semi-circular ditch, the flanks of which rest on the river. This ditch is twenty-five p109 or thirty feet in width, by eight feet in depth; and is interrupted by no less than seven passage-ways, placed at irregular intervals, and formed by leaving the earth unexcavated at the points where they occur. It is a remarkable fact that no embankment accompanies the ditch; although the work is not entirely singular in that respect. Within the enclosure thus formed by the river on the one hand and the ditch on the other, are several mounds, one of which is of great size and extraordinary character. It measures upwards of seventy-five feet in height, and is twelve hundred feet in circumference at its base. It is truncated, the area at its summit having a diameter of one hundred and forty feet. A graded avenue, which may be ascended on horseback, leads to its top from the east. Upon its northern and southern sides, at the height of forty feet, are triangular platforms or terraces, which are also reached by graded ascents from the plain. The supplementary plan A exhibits the outlines of the monument. Upon its top, trees are growing, which, at the height of a man’s head from the ground, measure little under eleven feet in circumference. A fallen oak measured by Mr. Cornelius in 1818 was found to be, at the distance of six feet from the branching of the roots, twelve feet four inches in circumference, exclusive of the bark. There are two other truncated mounds, to the south-west of the great mound, but of less dimensions. One of these has a perpendicular altitude of thirty feet; and its summit was fortified, with a parapet and palisades, by the Cherokees in their war with the Creeks. The earth taken from the ditch above mentioned was probably used in the construction of these mounds.
XXXVIII. Ancient Works:
No. 1. On the Etowah River, Alabama.
No. 2. Chickasaw Surveys, Lafayette Co. Mississippi.
No. 3. On Clear Creek in Lafayette Co. Mississippi.
No. 4. Prairie Jefferson, Moorhouse Parish, Louisiana.
An analogous work of some interest, (Fig. 21,) but partially destroyed by the Tennessee river, upon the bank of which it stands, occurs near the town of Florence, in Alabama. “It consists of a large mound, hexagonal in form, truncated, and forty-five feet in height by four hundred and forty feet in circumference at the base. The level area at the summit is one hundred and fifty feet in circumference. It appears to be composed of the ordinary surface loam, and is carried up with great regularity. So far as it has yet been examined, no traces of bones or other foreign substances have been discovered.
“Partly surrounding the mound is a wall two hundred and seventy feet distant from its base, which extends from the main river below, to a branch formed by Cane island above, constituting a segment of a circle, the centre of which would be in the Tennessee river. The wall is about forty feet across the top, and, making allowances for the ravages of time, must have been originally from twelve to fifteen feet high; it is now about eight feet in height. The mound and wall bear the same marks of antiquity, both being covered with large timber of the same age and description with that found growing on the surrounding lands. The wall has what appears to be a ditch on the outside. p110
“These works are situated on the river bottom, and are half surrounded by a very high ridge, which runs parallel to the Tennessee river, about four hundred yards distant. This ridge, upon which the principal part of the town of Florence is situated, overlooks and entirely commands the whole. The mound, with its surrounding wall, thus situated and exposed to attack, could hardly have been designed as a place of defence. It must have been appropriated to another purpose.”77
These works are specially interesting from the fact that they partake more of the character of the works in the valley of the Ohio, than any other southern structures with which we are acquainted. The accompanying descriptions were furnished by Rev. R. MORRIS, of Mount Sylvan Academy, Lafayette county, Mississippi; the plans are from surveys by the same gentleman.
NUMBER 2.—“This work is situated in T. 4 S., R. 7 W., of the Chickasaw surveys, five miles south-east of the Tallahatchie river. It occupies a point of high land, overlooking the valley of a small creek, and consists of a simple embankment of earth, about three feet in height, with an exterior ditch of corresponding dimensions. It is a polygon in form, and at first glance appears entirely irregular. It will be observed, however, that the line c d corresponds in length with h i, and also that e f is exactly equal to f h,—coincidences which could not possibly be accidental. The side c s j, fronting on the creek, is not entrenched, being sufficiently protected by the high bluff bank. There are no interruptions in the embankment, the ends of which terminate within a short distance of the bluff on the right, leaving passage-ways fifteen or twenty feet wide. A ditch, however, extends from i to j, at the south-east angle; but it is a question whether it was not formed by the water overflowing the artificial ditch at i. The angles of this work are not rounded, but sharp as if newly dug. There are two points, (indicated by the letter s on the plan,) one on a spur of land within the enclosure, and the other at the extreme point of the headland on which the work is situated, where there are excavations from which the earth is thrown up on the outer side. They resemble short sections of the wall and ditch, and suggest the notion of sentry posts, or signal or alarm stations.
“Within the work are several low, irregular mounds, all of which are flat on the top, except k, which is basin-shaped, the concavity being about two feet deep by fifteen across. Excavations, at any point around these mounds, disclose ashes, p111 charcoal, and sooty earth; the charcoal is of oak-wood and very bright. Abundant fragments of the black pottery, glazed inside, and so common in this region, are found in and around this work. At the time of my visit, I found several arrow-heads and a wedge-shaped stone. A few years ago a carved pipe was found here and a piece of heavy metal, which was tested for gold and afterwards mislaid. Inasmuch, however, as the Indians lately occupied this ground in great numbers for several years, these minor relics may be regarded as having pertained to them.
“The bluffs around this work are of extraordinary height for this region, and the whole position seems well designed for defence. The regularity and apparent freshness of the structure, and its correspondence, in some striking respects, to our modern system of defence, almost induce me to ascribe to it an European origin. This supposition is further favored by the well known fact that Hernando de Soto passed through here, and probably erected works at various points.”
NUMBER 3.—“This work is situated on the left bank of Clear creek, near Mount Sylvan, Lafayette county, Mississippi. It occupies a high point of land, overlooking the creek bottom; upon the right is a bluff bank, forty feet high; towards the north the ground is somewhat broken, and upon the left it slopes gradually to a hollow. There are no hills or elevated points commanding the work within a mile or more. The ground within the enclosure is level.
“The structure itself is quadrangular in form, and consists of a slight embankment of earth, about three feet high by thirty feet broad at the base, and twelve feet broad on the top. It has no ditch, exterior or interior to the embankment, although upon both sides there are evidences of the removal of the earth, leaving slight depressions, as shown in the section. At the gateway G, the original level of the ground is preserved. Various forest-trees are growing upon the walls, consisting of black oak and hickory,—some of the oaks are upwards of eighteen inches in diameter. At the foot of the bluffs, to the right of the work, are numerous and copious springs of water.
“There are no mounds within the enclosure; although there are two a little way outside of the walls, occupying the positions indicated in the plan.78 The one nearest the gateway, number 1, has trees growing upon it, twenty inches in diameter. Fragments of pottery are scattered in abundance upon and around it. Mound number 2 I have carefully examined. It is situated upon sloping ground, and is perhaps one foot high on the upper, and three feet on the lower side, by twenty feet base. In the centre is a regular concavity one foot deep and twelve feet across; and in this respect it is different from any I have elsewhere observed. The first excavation was made upon the lower side, where were found several p112 arrows, a human skeleton, (a mature subject,) and a large quantity, nearly a half bushel, of coarse pottery. It is of the same kind with that so abundant in the Clear creek valley, where it would be easy to fill a cart in a day. None of the vessels were whole; and I may here remark that I have not been able to recover any of the pottery entire,—all, not excepting the clay pipes, are invariably broken. Among the fragments of pottery was found a piece of hard-burned clay, resembling in form a sweet potato, split longitudinally. The next excavation was made in the centre or lowest part of the concavity above mentioned. The removal of the vegetable accumulation disclosed a layer of yellow clay, four inches thick; beneath which, and nearly upon the original level of the earth, was found a hard-burned stratum, perfectly black, and apparently mingled with ashes. It was with difficulty broken up. Beneath this hearth was a spongy unstratified mass, in which, to the depth of six inches, were mingled fragments of earthenware. Beyond this, nothing was discovered. There were no traces of bones upon the hearth, and but few fragments of pottery. Large trees are growing upon this mound.
“Mound number 3 is about four feet high, and is situated upon the creek bottom, not far from the stream. I opened it nearly a year since. About two feet from the surface was found the skeleton of a child, much decayed, and unaccompanied by remains of any sort. A little below the surface was found a stone tool, resembling a carver’s flesh knife, and a leaden ounce bullet. There is much pottery upon and around this mound; but little, if any, within it. It was not thoroughly excavated; but so far as examined there were discovered no traces of fire,—it being, in this respect, peculiar. Every other mound which I have investigated has been found to contain ashes and charcoal.”
Whether either of the works above described had a military origin is sufficiently doubtful; although the last named has some of the characteristics of a work of defence. There is nothing, however, in its position or structure so different from hundreds of other works as to warrant us in assigning to it a later date or a different origin. As a military work, it is vastly inferior to many with which we are acquainted, and its regularity is not sufficiently marked to entitle it to any special consideration on that account. It clearly belongs to that great family of remains, of which so many examples have already been presented. Throughout the entire field of their occurrence, these maintain certain characteristic features, some of which are well exhibited in the particular work here mentioned.
Had Hernando de Soto erected one tenth of the works which have been ascribed to him, in the States bordering the Gulf, in Tennessee, and even in Kentucky, he must have found ample demands on his time and exertions. It is most likely, however, that the intervals between his tedious and toilsome marches were occupied more profitably, if not less laboriously, than in the erection of vast earth structures of this description; which, when finished, could not possibly have served him any useful purpose. His handful of weary followers probably found in a small stockade of logs a better defence, and one more obviously within their capabilities of construction.
In addition to the above plans, Mr. Morris has kindly communicated accounts of several other interesting works; of none of which, however, he was able to p113 make surveys. One of these is situated three miles east of Panola, Mississippi, and closely resembles No. 3, Plate XXXVIII. It is accompanied by several remarkable mounds. A few miles south-east of Delta there is a square enclosure of some twenty acres area. It contains several mounds, one of which is forty feet in height, truncated, and ascended by a graded way. Within this enclosure there is also a square excavation, fifteen feet deep, and one hundred feet in diameter. It is surrounded by a low embankment of earth, three feet in height.
This group of ancient works occurs on Prairie Jefferson, Moorhouse parish, Louisiana. They are minutely described by Prof. C. G. FORSHEY, in a letter to Prof. Silliman of New Haven, published, with the accompanying plan, in the American Journal of Science and Arts, vol. xlix. p. 38. For some interesting facts in addition to this account, acknowledgment is due to Dr. HARRISON, proprietor of the plantation upon which these remains are situated.
The works, consisting of a series of mounds and terraces, accompanied by lines of embankment and by excavations, are found near the south-western portion of the prairie, and partly in what is now woodland, though probably at no very remote date free from forests. The mounds are disposed with some degree of regularity in respect to each other, and are of the following dimensions:
length, feet |
width, feet |
height, feet | |
|---|---|---|---|
A. base, |
180 |
135 |
48 |
A. summit, |
51 |
45 |
|
B. summit, |
210 |
75 |
5 |
C. base, |
132 |
132 |
4 |
D. summit, |
120 |
120 |
4 |
E. summit, |
60 |
42 |
10 |
on summit, |
length, feet front |
length, feet rear |
length, feet wide |
length, feet high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
F. |
60 |
78 |
42 |
12 |
G. |
60 |
39 |
51 |
12 |
H. |
60 |
60 |
54 |
7 |
I. |
36 |
27 |
45 |
10 |
The embankment between E and F is one hundred and thirty-five feet long, fifteen feet broad at the base, and four high. The embankment j k l is ten hundred and fifty feet long, twelve feet broad and from one to three feet high.
The great mound E has been denominated “the Temple.” It has a level area on its summit fifty-one feet long and forty-five broad, which is reached from the west by the winding graded path X. All its angles are much rounded; still its four faces are very plainly marked. Since it has been cleared of trees, several p114 slides have marred its symmetry. These slides, as also excavations made in it, have shown that it consists of a series of strata or tables, one above the other, each surmounted by a burned surface, resembling rude bricks. No bones have been found in it. Any extended examination of its contents is avoided, from a desire to preserve its proportions. From the summit a good view may be had of the surrounding works and country.
The mounds which face the “Temple” on the west have great uniformity of figure and dimensions, and are highest in the rear, except E and I, which are nearly level on top. E, F, H, and I, have terraces in front; and all incline gently to the plain, which exhibits marks of excavation. In the rear and on the sides they are for the most part very abrupt. The pond in the rear is evidently artificial, and formed by removing the earth for building purposes. Extending around this pond are an embankment and ditch, (j k l,) the latter produced by the excavation of the earth for the embankment, which seems to have constituted a sort of levée around the pond to the high grounds at j and l.
“The mounds C, D have great similarity in their magnitude, form, and general position in respect to the “Temple;” but situated, as they are, in cultivated fields, their definite outlines are fast disappearing. B, however, differs essentially from the other mounds of the system; it is perfectly level on its summit, of gentle declivity and moderate height, and has been fitly chosen as the site of a dwelling-house, which fronts the area surrounded by the mounds.
“The several ponds have outlets for the water at particular points, which were probably controlled as the mound-builders desired. The long embankment (m n o) is abruptly cut off at o, but is continued again towards p, diminishing in magnitude as the land grows higher, until it almost disappears at s. The swale or low strip of ground which borders this embankment on the left, continues up to very near the pond at s, but has no actual connection with it. It does not appear that the large pond, within this grand levée, is artificial. The smaller ones, however, were manifestly produced by throwing up the earth around them, as at m n; s; t u, and v w.
“The necessity for these artificial ponds is apparent from the fact, that there are no streams or supplies of water nearer this prairie than five miles. Hence the excavations, usually made without apparent design in constructing the mounds, are at this place so economized as to produce the ponds in the immediate neighborhood. Here the conformation of the ground, which is gently undulating, rendered it easy to construct large ponds or lakes, to contain a perennial supply of water. This has plainly been the object of the extensive levées or embankments traced in the map. The general inclination of the land is southward, and the drains in its surface were with some skill called into aid.”
A similar mode of retaining a supply of water has already been remarked, in the case of a fortified hill, in Ohio. (See page 15.) The ancient inhabitants of Central America resorted to the same method. Their aguadas, lined with pavements and enclosed by embankments, are among the most interesting remains of ancient art. p115
The accompanying plans are from original surveys made by JAMES HOUGH, Esq., of Hamilton, Ohio, for Mr. MCBRIDE, and may, it is believed, be relied upon as entirely accurate, in every essential respect.79
XXXIX. Ancient Monuments, Madison Parish, Louisiana.
The group here presented is situated upon the right bank of Walnut Bayou, in Madison Parish, Louisiana, seven miles from the Mississippi river. It consists of seven large and regular mounds, and a graded or elevated road-way half a mile in length. The plan exhibits the relative positions of the remains and their predominating features, and obviates the necessity of a particular description, which at best would be intricate and obscure.
The largest mound of the group, A, is distant two hundred and fifty yards south from the bayou, which here extends in a direction nearly east and west. The principal structure is two hundred and twenty-five feet long, by one hundred and sixty-five feet broad at the base, and thirty feet in height. The summit is level, presenting an area of one hundred and twenty feet long, by seventy-five broad. On the side next the bayou towards the north, at the height of ten feet, is a terrace ten feet wide and extending the entire length of the mound. On the south side is a road-way twenty feet wide, commencing at a point sixty feet from the base of the mound, and leading with a regular grade to its top. At either end of the mound is an inclined platform or apron, seventy-five feet long by sixty wide. These are six feet in elevation at the point joining the mound, but decline gradually to three feet at the outer ends, where they terminate abruptly.
B is a mound similar to the one just described, but less in size. It is one hundred and eighty feet long, one hundred and twenty broad, and fifteen high. The level area on the top is one hundred and twenty feet long and sixty wide. A graded road leads to its summit from the north. At the east end is an inclined platform, seventy feet long by sixty broad, eight feet high where it joins the mound, and sloping to five feet at its outer extremity. At the west end is a similar elevation one hundred and twenty feet long by sixty broad.
C is a singular work, consisting of a central mound ninety-six feet square at the base, and ten feet high, with a level area forty-eight feet square on the top. Connected by elevated terraces with this mound, are two others of similar construction, p116 each sixty feet square and eight feet high. The terraces are forty feet broad, four high, and one hundred and twenty-five and seventy-five feet long respectively.
The character and dimensions of the remaining mounds are sufficiently indicated in the plan. There is however another singular structure connected with the group, which deserves special notice. It consists of a terrace extending due west from the principal mound above described, parallel to the bayou. It is elevated three feet above the general level of the plain, and is seventy-five feet wide by two thousand seven hundred feet in length. Upon either side of this terrace, and parallel to it, are broad excavations, at present about three feet deep. These excavations are not far from two thousand feet long, by from one hundred and fifty to three hundred feet wide. There are no other perceptible excavations in the vicinity; and it is reasonable to conclude that most, if not all of the material for the construction of the works was taken from these points.
The ground occupied by these remains is for the most part under cultivation. It was originally covered with a heavy growth of the black walnut, a species of timber scarcely known on the alluvial lands of the Mississippi, so far south. It was first cleared by a Mr. Harper, in 1827. Broken pottery is found in abundance around these monuments; and fragments of human bones, much decomposed, are observed intermixed with the earth. Upon the mounds, in many places, the earth is much burned. There are no other remains of magnitude in the immediate vicinity.
The works here represented, Fig. 22, are situated in Bolivar county, Mississippi, near Williams’s bayou in the Choctaw bend, one mile and a half from the Mississippi river. They consist of two truncated pyramidal structures of the character already described, accompanied by two small conical mounds, the whole surrounded by a circular embankment of earth, without a ditch, two thousand three hundred feet in circumference, and four feet high. A gateway opens into the enclosure from the east. Mound A is one hundred and fifty feet square at the base, seventy-five feet square on top, and twenty feet high, with a graded ascent from the east. B is one hundred and thirty-five feet square at base, fifty feet at top, and fifteen feet high. The ascent in this instance is from the north. The two small conical mounds are about thirty feet in diameter, and five feet high. The sides of the pyramidal structures do not vary two degrees from the cardinal points p117 of the compass; a feature not observed in any of the others above noticed. They all, however, appear to have been placed with some reference to these points,—probably as near as they could be located without instruments.
At the junction of the Washita, Tenza, and Catahoola rivers in Louisiana, is a most remarkable group of ancient remains, of which no plan has yet been published. They have nevertheless been often referred to, and are described as consisting of a number of mounds, some rectangular and others round, embraced within a large enclosure of not far from two hundred acres area.80 The principal mound is said to be circular, four hundred feet in diameter at the base, ninety feet in height, truncated, and having a level area at its summit, fifty feet in diameter. The summit is reached by a spiral pathway, which winds with an easy ascent around the mound, from its base to its top. This pathway is sufficiently broad to permit two horsemen to ride abreast. From the summit a wide prospect is commanded. Here, upon penetrating the earth to a slight depth, strong traces of fire are visible. The ground upon which the mound stands is somewhat elevated above the surrounding plain, which is low and marshy.81
The great mound at Seltzertown, near Washington, Mississippi, is one of very singular construction. It consists of a truncated pyramid six hundred feet long by about four hundred broad at its base, covering nearly six acres of ground. Its sides correspond very nearly with the four cardinal points, its greatest length being from east to west. It is forty feet in perpendicular height; and is surrounded p118 by a ditch at its base, of variable dimensions, but averaging perhaps ten feet in depth. It is ascended by graded avenues. The area on the top embraces about four acres. Near each of the ends, and as nearly as may be in the longitudinal centre of the elevation, is placed a large conical mound. The one towards the west is represented to be not far from forty feet in height, and truncated, with a level area at its summit of thirty feet diameter. The opposite mound is somewhat less in size, and is also truncated. Eight other mounds are regularly placed at various points; they are of comparatively small size, measuring from eight to ten feet in height. The ground here is considerably broken; and it has been supposed by some, from the fact that it slopes in every direction from the base of the monument, that the structure is simply a natural elevation modified and fashioned into its present form by the hands of man.82 Human bones have been exposed by the washing away of the sides of this structure.
The above examples, it is believed, may be taken as very fair illustrations of the general form and external characteristics of the Southern monuments. There are no perfect pyramids. With the exception of a portion, probably the larger portion, of the conical mounds, which are abundant, but overshadowed by the more remarkable structures which surround them, all appear to be truncated, and to have, in most instances, graded ascents to their tops. As already remarked, they do not seem to have been connected with any military system,—their form and structure, so far as developed, pointing to a religious origin. Some have been noticed as having parapets raised on their summits, as if to protect the area in case of assault; and hence it has been concluded that the larger elevations were “forts” or citadels. This feature was observed in many of the Teocalli of the Mexicans. It is possible that they may have been designed secondarily for defence. That the Mexicans fought with the greatest determination around the bases of their temples, from their terraces and their summits, we have abundant evidence in the records of the conquerors. However well these elevations may have served for places of retreat in case of sudden attack, it is obvious that they were in no wise adapted to resist anything like a regular siege or a continued investment. The absence of sources for procuring water, and the narrow compass to which the besieged must necessarily be limited, seem sufficient in themselves to p119 successfully combat this hypothesis. The defensive works on the Ohio, on the contrary, possess all the requisites for resisting an enemy and for sustaining a protracted defence.
We must seek therefore in the contents, as well as in the form and position of these works, for the secret of their origin and purposes. And it is at this stage of our inquiry, that the lack of a systematic and extended investigation, conducted on philosophical principles, is most sensibly felt. Some of these structures, it is stated, where their formation is disclosed by slides or the wasting action of the rivers, exhibit alternate layers or platforms of earth and burned clay, from base to summit. Others are represented as having alternate layers of earth and human bones in various stages of decomposition. And others still, we are assured, have various horizontal strata of earth and sand, upon which are deposited at various points human remains, implements, pottery, and ornaments. Many of the remains of art exhibit great skill in their construction, more especially the pottery and articles of similar composition. The conical mounds, so far as we are informed, have many features in common with those of a higher latitude. How far the coincidences between them may be traced can only be settled by future inquiries.
From what has been presented above, it will readily be seen that it is impossible, with our present limited knowledge concerning them, to form anything like a determinate or satisfactory conclusion respecting the numerous and remarkable remains of the South. The immense mounds that abound there may be vast sepulchres in which the remains of generations were deposited; they may have been the temples and “high places” of a superstitious people, where rites were celebrated and sacrifices performed; or, they may have answered as the places of last resort, where, when pursued by foes, the ancient people fled to receive the support of their gods and to defend the altars of their religion. Perhaps all of these purposes were subserved by them. What significance may attach to their form; whether there exists any dependence between their exterior features and their contents; the dates of the different deposits found in them; indeed, whatever of design and system which these works may have possessed, and how far they may serve to reflect light upon the character and customs of the people who built them, their religion, their modes of burial, and their arts,—all remain to be determined by careful and systematic investigation, conducted with a view to develop facts rather than to excite wonder. Such an investigation must also finally determine whether these are the remains of the same people whose works are scattered through the more northern States, and whether they were probably contemporaneous in their origin; and, if the works are of the same people, and not contemporaneous, whether the course of migration was southward or the reverse; whether the less imposing structures of the Ohio are the remains of a ruder and more warlike but progressive people, or the weaker efforts of a colony, pressed by foes and surrounded by difficulties. It may disclose the curious and important fact, that upon the Ohio and Mississippi first originated those elements which afterwards, in a regular course of progress, developed themselves in the gorgeous semi-civilization of Mexico and Peru. Or it may, on the contrary, make known the no less interesting fact, that from these centres radiated colonies, which sustained p120 themselves for a period, and finally disappeared, leaving perhaps only a few modified remnants in the region bordering upon the Gulf.
Subsequent to the preparation of the foregoing pages for the press, and at too late a date to permit the introduction, in another connection, of the facts it embodies relating to the aboriginal monuments of the South, a manuscript work on the Southern Indians, by WILLIAM BARTRAM, was placed in the hands of the investigators, by Dr. Morton, of Philadelphia. The character and history of this MS. have been sufficiently explained in the Preface, to which the reader is referred.
As already observed, it relates principally to the manners, customs, government, and religion of the Muscogulges and other southern Indian tribes; but it also embraces many interesting and important facts respecting the remains under consideration. Taken in connection with those presented by the same author in his “Travels in North America,” they serve very much to explain the character and illustrate the secondary if not the primary purposes to which the southern monuments were applied. The accompanying illustrations are reduced fac-similes of Bartram’s original pen sketches. In introducing them he observes, in language somewhat quaint but forcible:
“The following rough drawings of the ancient Indian monuments, consisting of public buildings, areas, vestiges of towns, etc., will serve to illustrate what I have elsewhere said respecting them. They are, to the best of my remembrance, as near the truth as I could express. However, if I have in any respect erred, I hope my mistakes may be corrected by the observations of future and more accurate and industrious travellers. But as time changes the face of things, I wish they could be searched out and faithfully recorded, before the devastations of artificial refinements, ambition, and avarice, totally deface these simple and most ancient remains of the American aborigines.”
“CHUNK YARDS.—The ‘Chunk Yards’ of the Muscogulges or Creeks are rectangular areas, generally occupying the centre of the town. The Public Square and Rotunda, or Great Winter Council House, stand at the two opposite corners of them. They are generally very extensive, especially in the large, old towns: some of them are from six hundred to nine hundred feet in length, and of proportionate breadth. The area is exactly level and sunk two, sometimes three, feet below the banks or terraces surrounding them, which are occasionally two in number, one behind and above the other, and composed of the earth taken from the area at the time of its formation. These banks or terraces serve the purpose of seats for spectators. In the centre of this yard or area, there is a low, circular mound or eminence, in the middle of which stands erect the ‘Chunk Pole,’ which is a high obelisk or four-square pillar declining upwards to an obtuse point. This is of wood, the heart or inward resinous part of a sound pine tree, which is very p121 durable. It is generally from thirty to forty feet in height, and to the top is fastened some object which serves as a mark to shoot at, with arrows or the rifle, at certain appointed times. Near each corner of one end of the yard, stands erect a less pole or pillar, about twelve feet high, called a ‘Slave Post,’ for the reason that to them are bound the captives condemned to be burnt. These posts are usually decorated with the scalps of slain enemies, suspended by strings from the top. They are often crowned with the white dry skull of an enemy.
“It thus appears that this area is designed for a public place of exhibition, for shows, games, etc. Formerly, there is little doubt, most barbarous and tragical scenes were enacted within them, such as the torturing and burning of captives, who were here forced to run the gauntlet, bruised and beaten with sticks and burning chunks of wood. The Indians do not now practise these cruelties; but there are some old traders who have witnessed them in former times. I inquired of these traders for what reason these areas were called ‘Chunk Yards;’ they were in general ignorant, yet, for the most part, concurred in a lame story that it originated in the circumstance of their having been places of torture, and that the name was but an interpretation of the Indian term designating them.
“I observed none of these yards in use in any of the Cherokee towns; and where I have mentioned them, in the Cherokee country, it must be understood that I saw only the remains or vestiges of them among the ruins of ancient towns. In the existing Cherokee towns which I visited, although there were ancient mounds and signs of the yard adjoining, yet the yard was either built upon or turned into a garden plat, or otherwise appropriated. Indeed I am convinced that the Chunk Yards now or lately in use among the Creeks are of very ancient date, and not the work of the present Indians; although they are now kept in repair by them, being swept very clean every day, and the poles kept up and decorated in the manner I have described.
“The following plan, (Fig. 23,) will illustrate the form and character of these yards.
“A. The great area, surrounded by terraces or banks.
“B. A circular eminence, at one end of the yard, commonly nine or ten feet higher than the ground round about. Upon this mound stands the great Rotunda, Hot House, or Winter Council House of the present Creeks. It was probably designed and used by the ancients who constructed it, for the same purpose.
“C. A square terrace or eminence, about the same height with the circular one just described, occupying a position at the other end of the yard. Upon this stands the Public Square.
“The banks enclosing the yard are indicated by the letters b b b b; c indicates the ‘Chunk Pole,’ and d d the ‘Slave Posts.’ p122
“Sometimes the square, instead of being open at the ends, as shown in the plan, is closed upon all sides by the banks. In the lately built or new Creek towns, they do not raise a mound for the foundation of their rotundas or public squares. The yard, however, is retained, and the public buildings occupy nearly the same position in respect to it. They also retain the central obelisk and the slave posts.
“In the Cherokee country, all over Carolina and the northern and eastern parts of Georgia, wherever the ruins of ancient Indian towns appear, we see always, besides these remains, one last, conical, pointed mound. To mounds of this kind I refer, when I speak of pyramidal mounds. To the south and west of the Altamaha, I observed none of these, in any part of the Muscogulge country, but always flat circular or square structures. The vast mounds upon the St. John’s, Alachua, and Musquito rivers, differ from those among the Cherokees, with respect to their adjuncts and appendages, particularly in respect to the great highway or avenue, sunk below the common level of the earth, extending from them, and terminating either in a vast savannah or natural plain, or an artificial pond or lake. A remarkable example occurs at Mount Royal, from whence opens a glorious view of Lake George and its environs.
“Fig. 24 exhibits a view of the great mound last referred to. Fig. 25 is a plan of the same structure with its accompanying avenue, which leads off to an artificial lake or pond, on the verge of an expansive savannah or natural meadow. A, the mound, about forty feet in perpendicular height; B, the highway leading from the mound in a straight line to the pond C, about half a mile distant. What may have been the motive for making this pond I cannot conjecture, since the mound and other vestiges of the ancient town are situated close on the banks of the river St. Juan.83 It could not therefore be for the conveniency of water. Perhaps they raised the mound with the earth taken out of the pond. The sketch of this mound also illustrates the character of the mounds in the Cherokee country; but the last have not the highway or avenue, and are always accompanied by vast square terraces p123 placed upon one side or the other. On the other hand, we never see the square terraces accompanying the high mounds of East Florida.”
From the above quotations it appears that, less than one century ago, a portion of the monuments of the South were in actual use by the Indians. It will be observed, however, that our authority ascribes their construction to an anterior race and assigns to them a high antiquity. In his Travels he remarks that the region in which they are most abundant, lying between the Savannah and Ockmulgee rivers on the east and west, and between the sea-coast on the south and the Apalachian mountains on the north, was occupied subsequently to the arrival of Europeans, by the Cherokees, who were afterwards dispossessed by the Creeks; that “all this country was probably, many ages preceding the Cherokee invasion, inhabited by a single nation or confederacy governed by common laws, possessing like customs, and speaking the same language, but so ancient that neither the Creeks nor the Cherokees, nor the nations they conquered, could render any account by whom or for what purposes these monuments were erected.” He nevertheless inclines to the belief, and not without reason, that the uses to which these structures were appropriated, by the existing Indian tribes, were not widely different from those for which they were originally constructed. Upon this point he adds: “The mounds and large areas adjoining them seem to have been raised in part for ornament and recreation, and likewise to serve some other public purpose, since they are always so situated as to command the most extensive prospect over the country adjacent. The square terraces may have served as the foundations of fortresses; and perhaps the great pyramidal mounds answered the purpose of look-outs, or were high places for sacrifice.”84
Whatever date or origin we may ascribe to these monuments, we cannot overlook the singular attachment to the square and the circle exhibited by the Creeks in the public edifices known to have been constructed by themselves. That these forms had some significance at the outset can hardly be doubted, although their perpetuation may have depended upon custom. The circumstance that the eternal fire was only maintained in the circular structure, designated by Bartram as the “Rotunda,” goes far to support the conclusion that its form was symbolical, and referred to the sun. That these tribes were sun worshippers is well known: the inferences drawn from analogy are therefore sustained by collateral facts. In their less imposing structures, may we not discern the type of the great circles and squares of Ohio,—the traces of a system of idolatry which has dotted the valleys of the West with giant temples, symbolizing in their form the nature of the worship to which they were dedicated?
74 The inability to add very largely to our stock of information respecting the monuments of the Southern United States, is less a matter of regret, since it is ascertained that Dr. M. W. DICKESON of Philadelphia, whose researches in natural science have created no little interest, has devoted much of his time to their investigation. His inquiries have been conducted on a large scale, and will serve to reflect much new light upon our antiquities. It is to be hoped the public will soon be put in possession of the results of his labors.
75 Most of the accounts of the monuments of the South met with in various works, treating directly or incidentally of our antiquities, are derived from Bartram, whose animated descriptions of those which fell under his notice are not always easily recognised, in the various forms under which they are presented. Near the conclusion of his work, he sums up his observations in this department as follows:
“The pyramidal hills or artificial mounds, and high ways or avenues leading from them to artificial lakes or ponds, vast tetragon terraces, ‘chunk yards,’ and obelisks or pillars of wood, are the only monuments of labor, ingenuity and magnificence, that I have seen worthy of notice or remark. The region lying between the Savannah river and Ockmulgee, east and west, and from the sea-coast to the Cherokee or Apalachian mountains, north and south, is the most remarkable for these high conical hills, tetragon terraces, etc. This region was possessed by the Cherokees since the arrival of the Europeans, but they were afterwards dispossessed by the Muscogulges; and all that country was probably many ages preceding the Cherokee invasion inhabited by one nation or confederacy, who were ruled by the same system of laws, customs, and language, but so ancient that the Cherokees, Creeks, or the nation they conquered, could render no account for what purposes these monuments were raised. The mounts and cubical yards adjoining them seem to have been raised in part for ornament and recreation, and likewise to serve for some other public purpose, since they are always so situated as to command the most extensive prospect over the country adjacent. The tetragon terraces seem to be the foundations of fortresses; and perhaps the great pyramidal mounts served the purposes of look-out towers and high places for sacrifice. The sunken area called by white traders the ‘chunk yard’ very likely served the same conveniency that it has been appropriated to by the more modern and even present nations of Indians, that is, the place where they burnt or otherwise tortured their captives that were condemned to die; as the area is surrounded by a bank, and sometimes two of them, one behind and above the other, as seats to accommodate the spectators at such tragical scenes, as well as at the exhibition of shows, dances, and games. From the river St. Juan’s, southwardly to the point of the peninsula of Florida, are to be seen high pyramidal mounts, with spacious and extensive avenues, leading from them out of the town, to an artificial lake or pond of water: these were evidently designed for ornament or monuments of magnificence to perpetuate the power and grandeur of the nation; and not inconsiderable neither, for they exhibit scenes of power and grandeur, and must have been public edifices.”—Travels in North America, p. 518.
76 From the Rafinesque MSS. The scale on which the plan is drawn is not given. It is probably about five hundred feet to the inch. An account of this work, substantially the same with that given by Prof. RAFINESQUE, was published by Mr. E. CORNELIUS, in Silliman’s Journal, vol. i. p. 223. Mr. Cornelius was accompanied in his visit by several Indian chiefs, who, he says, “gazed upon the remains with as much curiosity as any white man. I inquired,” continues Mr. C., “of the oldest chief, if the natives had any tradition concerning them; to which he answered in the negative. I then requested each to say what he supposed was their origin. Neither could tell; but all agreed in saying, ‘They were never put up by our people.’”
77 Western Messenger.
78 The notices of these mounds, although falling with more propriety within the scope of the chapter on “Mounds,” can hardly be omitted from the above connection. It will shortly be seen that the mound first described (number 2 of the plan) probably belongs to the class of altar or sacrificial mounds, or those which were connected with the superstitions of the builders. The human remains found in that, as in mound number 3, were, most likely, deposited subsequent to their erection. It is not impossible that the mound last named is of a later date than those upon the higher ground.
79 The perfect regularity which the plans exhibit, it will readily be understood, does not actually exist. The angles of all these structures are more or less rounded. The predominant features, nevertheless,—the terraces, platforms, and graded ways,—are truly represented. All of these works seem to have been originally moulded with the utmost care, and possessed the highest degree of regularity of which the materials were capable. They were undoubtedly faced with turf, which seems better than solid masonry to resist the ravages of time and the elements.
80 Stoddard, in his History of Louisiana, p. 349, gives an account of some works near the junction of the Washita, Acatahoola, and Tenza, probably the very ones in question. His account is subjoined:
“Not less than five remarkable mounts are situated near the junction of the Washita, Acatahoola, and Tenza, in an alluvial soil. They are all enclosed in an embankment, or wall of earth, at this time ten feet high, which contains about two hundred acres of land. Four of these mounds are nearly of equal dimensions, about twenty feet high, one hundred broad, and three hundred long. The fifth seems to have been designed for a tower or turret; the base of it covers an acre of ground; it rises by two stages or steps; its circumference gradually diminishes as it ascends; its summit is crowned by a flattened cone. By admeasurement the height of this tower is found to be eighty feet. Perhaps these works were designed in part for defence, and in part for the reception of the dead.”
There is a slight discrepancy in the dimensions of these works, as given by Prof. Rafinesque and Mr. Stoddard. Both agree, however, respecting their vast size, and general character.
81 This monument is not singular. Mounds with spiral pathways are frequent at the South, and are occasionally found at the North. Bartram describes one on the Savannah river in Georgia:—“These wonderful labors of the ancients stand in a level plain near the bank of the river. They consist of conical mounds of earth and four square terraces, etc. The great mound is in form of a cone, about forty or fifty feet high, and the circumference of its base is two or three hundred yards; it is entirely composed of the loamy rich earth of the low grounds; the top or apex is flat; a spiral path or track leading from the ground up to the top is still visible: there appear four niches excavated out of the sides of this hill, at different heights from the base, fronting the four cardinal points; these niches or sentry-boxes are entered into from the winding path, and seem to have been meant for resting-places or look-outs.”—Bartram’s Travels in N. America, p. 323.
The niches here mentioned have been occasionally observed in Mississippi and Louisiana, placed at right angles in respect to each other, and not always, though sometimes, corresponding to the cardinal points. It has been suggested that they were designed as recesses for idols, or places where altars were erected. It seems likely that proper investigation would throw light upon this point.
82 Breckenridge’s View of Louisiana, Appendix. Mr. J. R. BARTLETT, in a recent Memoir on the “Progress of Ethnology,” presents, on the authority of Dr. M. W. DICKESON, some new facts respecting this mound. “On digging into it, vast quantities of human skeletons were found; also numerous specimens of pottery, including vases filled with pigments, ashes, ornaments, etc. The north side of the mound is supported by a wall of sun-dried bricks, two feet thick, filled with grass, rushes, and leaves. A shaft has been sunk in the mound to the depth of forty-two feet, without reaching the original soil.” Dr. DICKESON also mentions angular tumuli, the corners of which “were quite perfect, formed of large bricks, bearing the impression of the human hand.” We have the same authority for the fact that the great enclosure at the “Trinity” in Louisiana, which contains one hundred and fifty acres, “is partially faced with sun-dried bricks.” Also that ditches and ponds are sometimes found, in the same State, “lined at the bottom and sides with bricks.” These bricks are stated to be from sixteen to eighteen inches in length, and of proportionate breadth.
83 The remains here described are referred to in Bartram’s published travels as follows: “They are situated upon an eminence, near the banks of the lake, and command an extensive and charming prospect of the waters, islands, east and west shores of the lake, the capes, the bay, and Mount Royal; and to the south the view is in like manner infinite, where the skies and waters seem to unite. On the site of this ancient town stands a very pompous Indian mount, or conical pyramid of earth, from which runs in a straight line a grand avenue or Indian highway through a magnificent grove of magnolias, live oaks, palms, and orange trees, terminating at the verge of a large green level savannah.”—Travels. p. 101.
84 Travels in North America, p. 518.