BIO-TERRORISM INTERCESSION

Jackson County, Tennessee

OCTOBER 27, 2001

Fort Blount

BIO-TERRORISM INTERCESSION

FORT BLOUNT JACKSON COUNTY, TENNESSEE

In 1811 scarlet fever was released to the Shawnee population that inhabited the Flynns Lick area of Jackson County, Tennessee. This scarlet fever was known by the Shawnee as the Death of the Robes. Prior to 1811 bio-terrorism had been released through William Trent. Documented correspondence indicated that he had taken small pox infected articles of cloth giving it to the native population. The letter continues to state that it was his hope that the articles would have the desired affect. William Trent founded Trent-town. Trent-town became Trenton, New Jersey. At present anthrax contamination of the United States mail service is centered around Trenton, New Jersey. Fort Blount was erected in 1792 to protect early travelers moving along the Avery Trace. The Avery Trace was a major Overland Trail created to link the Cumberland River at Fort Blount and the Tennessee River at Kingston, Tennessee. The first Commander of Fort Blount was one of Andrew Jacksons officers. From historical documents the soldiers of Fort Blount had little respect for the native population. It is unclear weither the Death of the Robes, was intentional or an accidental outbreak. Regardless of the intentions, scarlet fever wiped out 90% of the children and 80% of the adult population. We hiked from Fort Blount Ferry to the top of a mountain overlooking the Cumberland River. It was there that the original location of the Fort was found. Fort Blount was the first seat of government in the surrounding region. Once we verified our location we began to pray in the spirit for wisdom regarding what to pray. Our team gathered back together to see what the Lord had placed on their hearts. One team member had been impressed by the fact that there were many boundary signs in the surrounding area. His uncle had negotiated all of the land purchases when the adjoining lake was impounded. He felt a place of identification regarding land issues. There was a root of greed for land that was upon the area. Several days prior to our intercession another team member had had a dream. In the dream there was a release for healing for children. She felt that her portion of the prayer team was to release healing for the lost children. A third team member had received a prophetic dream. In her dream she was wandering in the woods looking for her children. On each tree was a face of someone who had died. She was one of the mothers looking for her children. Having lost one child there was a tragic sense that yet another child was lost. The dream continued, as she would go to the river to immerse herself. Yet the water became a treacherous place of quick sand. Her lament continued as she looked in a vessel searching for a cause of the loss of her children.

As a result of the dream she found a place of representation for the Shawnee mothers. The fact that she had lost one of her own children a few years ago added to her understanding. It is important to understand that the Shawnee nation was matrilineal in that it was headed by women. A fourth team member felt she was to be an intercessor for the representative for the Shawnee mothers. This was a critical place, as worldly sorrow might become a factor. The final team member had ancestral connections to the early settlers in the area. These ancestors were settlers in an adjoining county, which would date from the time of the Death of the Robes. He felt a call to stand in the gap for the men who had released scarlet fever upon the land. Our first prayer was about the greed over the land. The need of the British Empire to take land. We repented from the lust for land rather then the need for people. Then he pulled a boundary sign off of a tree. The U.S. Army Corp. of Engineers had placed boundary sign. The sign read boundary in big letters. He used the sign to represent for what we have done to the Shawnee. When the boundary sign was handed to the Shawnee mother she could not even look him in the face. She felt a very strong sense of anger. She wanted to scream. She was amazed in the arrogance that he would give back land which was not his to begin with. We talked about that issue for awhile. The anger built for a while as she expressed what she was feeling. She was feeling that some of the women had their entire family stolen by the Death of the Robes. There was not even enough people to carry the food and their belongings to go to another place. Then taking the boundary sign she spoke forgiveness. Stating that there would no longer be any boundary between the two people. The representative of the early settlers presented the representative of the Shawnee mother one of his childrens blankets and a wreath that had been woven from passion fruit. There was an abundance of passion fruit at he Fort site. Passionflower is the state of Tennessees wild flower. There was a seedpod there. In our spirit we heard the jeers of the white settlers. It was an awful thing that happened in that Fort. They dehumanized the native population. They were another sort of wild game to be hunted. Women were abused and misused. They were not treated with dignity. What was upon the representative of the early settlers was an absolute indignation. He felt a coldness of heart with a total lack of compassion. He extended to the Shawnee mother the wreath of the passion fruit. He handed to her a blanket that was safe and repented on behalf of his the nation for perpetrating the robe of death upon the Shawnee. He assumed the position of death before her. For a long moment the Shawnee mom just stood as he bent in front of her. Her head bowed not knowing whether she should even speak that forgiveness. Then the words came to speak life and forgiveness. She spoke life instead of death. She forgave them for the taking of so many lives. She spoke life into both nations. She spoke life into the Native Americans and into the whites that had come in as conquerors. She prayed for healing between the people groups and over the land. 3

The team also felt that the dehumanizing of life was a grounds for abortion on the land. So we prayed about the abortion issue. One team member felt she saw an open gate. A gate toward continued insensitivity to the sanctity of human life. Our team repented for the sin of dehumanizing life. We prayed that the nations would realize that God was the great creator. On the way up the mountain one team member heard someone singing. She had thought the team leader was singing a song. Upon further inquiry we all realized that none of the team had been singing. The song she heard sounded like a Native American melody. She did not hear words just the melody of the song:

As the song was released we all felt it was a lament. It was beautiful but at the same time it was haunting. The team took the passion fruit breaking it open. Digging a hole we buried the seeds of com-passion into the ground. The representative of the Shawnee mothers buried her ring of hope from her daughter Mary Lee. Mary Lee had died as an infant in 1998. Unless this seed falls to the ground it doesnt bear fruit. We p ray by burying these seeds of our intercession that there would be a great awakening that would come into the region. We made a declaration in the Heavens that the grounds under which this injury is visiting upon America because of its past sin of bio-terrorism would be broken We further declared that there would be a new boundless mercy that would be released upon the land. As we prayed the final closing prayers a strong wind blew upon the Fort. A fresh wind blew that rustled the trees. It was very much like our experiences the Island of Iona in Scotland of recent. It was almost like the earth itself was responding to our prayers. A word in a tongue was given at the closing. One team member offered an interpretation. She heard that God had heard the prayers of the team. God had released a new day upon us. There was a release upon the region. Healing had come to the land. The team proceeded to hike down from the top of the mountain. We gathered at the waters edge. Fort Blount was located on the Cumberland River. We had found a feather on the way down. We placed the feather in the wreath from the passionflower. As were about to launch the wreath into the River a team member found a key on the ground. Inscribed on the key was the letters K-62. So we went to II Kings: Chapter 6 verse 2. The scripture spoke about the floating axhead in the Jordan River. This scripture seemed to speak to us about finding a place of mutual dwelling. We placed the wreath with the feather into the water as our final act of the day. The sun was setting directly in front of us. The River was alive with color. Our little wreath floated out into the deep water.

From this point forward, no further anthrax came from Trenton, New Jersey. The team