ful. In 1790, he accompanied several Creek
chiefs on a visit to the American capital in
New York City, where he was introduced to
another influential chief, President George
Washington. After much wrangling, in August
1790 McGillivray agreed to sell certain por-
tions of Creek land in Georgia to the United
States, in exchange for inviolate borders
around the remaining Indian lands. The
Americans agreed in principle and, to
sweeten the pot, granted McGillivray a
brigadier general’s commission and control
over all duty-free trade. Considering the po-
tential military hazards that war posed,
McGillivray used his charm and intelligence
wisely, defused a possible crisis, and elevated
the stature of his people in the eyes of their
white neighbors.
Before long, events forced the wily
McGillivray to change his tune again. The
sale of land belonging to the Lower Creeks
alienated those tribesmen, and many of Mc-
Gillivray’s opponents within his own Upper
Creek faction also voiced discontent. Gaug-
ing the opposition as insurmountable, he
thereupon renounced his treaty with the
Americans and, for insurance, renewed close
ties to Spain on July 6, 1792. However, within
six months he died of an illness in Pensacola
at the age of 34, leaving a vacuum in Creek
leadership that would not be filled again until
the ascent of William Weatherford in 1813.
Contemporaries said he displayed “the pol-
ished urbanity of a Frenchman, the duplicity
of the Spaniard, the cool sagacity of a Scots-
man, and the inveterate hate of the Indian.”
McGillivray skillfully blended and brandished
all three traits to ensure the survival of his
people and their land.Bibliography
Braund, Kathyrn E. Deerskins and Duffels: The Creek
Indian Trade with Anglo-America, 1685–1815.Lin-
coln: University of Nebraska Press, 1993; Caughey,
John. McGillivray of the Creeks.Norman: University
of Oklahoma Press, 1938; Corkran, David H. The
Creek Frontier, 1540–1783.Norman: University of
Oklahoma Press, 1967; Edmunds, R. David. Ameri-
can Indian Leaders: Studies in Diversity.Lincoln:
University of Nebraska Press, 1980; Green, Michael.
The Creeks. New York: Chelsea House, 1990;
Kennedy, Thomas J. “The Origins of Creek Indian
Nationalism: Contact, Diplomacy, Clans, and Inter-
marriage During the Colonial and Early National Pe-
riods.” Unpublished master’s thesis, University of
Houston, 1992; O’Donnell, James H. “Alexander
McGillivray: Training for Leadership, 1777–1783.”
Georgia Historical Quarterly49 (1965): 172–186;
Romaine, Dannye. “Alexander McGillivray: Shrewd
Scot, Cunning Indian.” Southern Humanities Re-
view9 (1975): 409–421; Saunt, Claudio.A New Order
for the Indians: Creeks and Seminoles in the Deep
South, 1733–1816.New York: Cambridge University
Press, 1999; Starkey, Armstrong. European and Na-
tive American Warfare, 1675–1815.Norman: Uni-
versity of Oklahoma Press, 1998; Watson, Thomas D.
“Striving for Sovereignty: Alexander McGillivray’s
Creek Warfare and Diplomacy, 1783–1790.” Florida
Historical Quarterly58 (1980): 400–419.MERRITT, WILLIAMHAMILTON
Merritt, William Hamilton
(July 3, 1793–July 5, 1862)
Canadian Militia Officer
M
erritt was a dashing dragoon and par-
tisan fighter throughout many en-
counters of the War of 1812. After-ward, he provided impetus behind building the
famous Welland Canal and is today regarded
as the father of Canadian transportation.