USA > Massachusetts > Our western border : its life, combats, adventures, forays, massacres, captivities, scouts, red chiefs, pioneer women, one hundred years ago, containing the cream of all the rare old border chronicles > Part 13
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80
75
100
OUR WESTERN BORDER.
had finished this keg, near one-third of the town was introduced to this drinking club; they could not pay their part, as they had already dis- posed of all their skins; but that made no odds-all were welcome to drink.
When they were done with this keg, they applied to the traders, and procured a kettle full of brandy at a time, which they divided out with a large wooden spoon-and so they went on, and never quit while they had a single beaver skin. When the trader had got all our beaver, he moved off to the Ottawa town, about a mile from the Wyandot town. When the brandy was gone, and the drinking club sober, they appeared much dejected. Some of them were crippled, others badly wounded, a number of their fine new shirts torn, and several blankets were burned. A number of squaws were also in this club, and neglected their corn planting. We could now hear the effects of the brandy in the Ottawa town. They were singing and yelling in the most hideous manner, both night and day; but their frolic ended worse than ours; five Ottawas were killed, and a great many wounded.
After this a number of young Indians were getting their ears cut, and they urged me to have mine cut likewise, but they did not attempt to compel me, though they endeavored to persuade me. The principal arguments they used were, its being a great ornament, and also the com- mon fashion. The former I did not believe, and the latter I could not deny. The way they performed this operation was by cutting the fleshy part of the circle of the ear close to the gristle, quite through. When this was done, they wrapt rags round this fleshy part until it was en- tirely healed ; they then hung lead to it, and stretched it to a wonderful length; when it was sufficiently stretched, they wrapped the fleshy part round with brass wire, which formed it into a semicircle, about four inches diameter.
Many of the young men were now exercising themselves in a game resembling foot ball; though they commonly struck the ball with a crooked stick made for that purpose ; also a game something like this, wherein they used a wooden ball, about three inches diameter, and the instrument they moved it with was a strong staff, about five feet long, with a hoop-net on the end of it large enough to contain the ball. Be- fore they begin the play, they lay off about half a mile distance in a clear plain, and the opposite parties all attend at the centre, where a disinterested person casts up the ball, then the opposite parties all con- tend for it. If any one gets it into his net, he runs with it the way he wishes to go, and they all pursue him. If one of the opposite party overtakes the person with the ball, he gives the staff a stroke, which causes the ball to fly out of the net; then they have a debate for it, and
101
INDIAN DEER DRIVE AND RING HUNT.
if the one that gets it can outrun all the opposite party, and can carry it quite out, or over the line at the end, the game is won ; but this sel- dom happens. When any one is running away with the ball, and is likely to be overtaken, he commonly throws it, and, with this instru- ment, can cast it fifty or sixty yards. Sometimes, when the ball is at one end, matters will take a sudden turn, and the opposite party may quickly carry it out at the other end. Oftentimes they will work a long while back and forward, before they can get the ball over the line, or win the game.
About the first of November, a number of families were preparing to go on their Winter hunt, and all agreed to cross the lake together. We encamped at the mouth of the river the first night, and a council was held, whether we should cross through by the three islands, or coast it round the lake. These islands lie in a line across the lake, and are just in sight of each other. Some of the Wyandots or Ottawas frequently make their Winter hunt on these islands ; though, excepting wild fowl and fish, there is scarcely any game here but raccoons, which are amaz- ingly plenty, and exceedingly large and fat ; as they feed upon the wild rice, which grows in abundance in wet places round these islands. It is said that each hunter, in one Winter, will catch one thousand raccoons. As the raccoons here lodge in rocks, the trappers make their wooden traps at the mouth of the holes; and as they go daily to look at their traps, in the Winter season they commonly find them filled with rac- coons ; but in the Spring, or when the frost is out of the ground, they say they can find their traps filled with large rattlesnakes; and there- fore conclude that the raccoons are transformed. They also say that the reason why they are so remarkably plenty in the Winter is, every Fall the snakes turn into raccoons again.
INDIAN "DEER DRIVE" AND "RING HUNT"-NOVEL FISHING.
We concluded to coast it round the lake, and in two days we came to the mouth of the Miami of the Lake, and landed on Cedar Point, where we remained several days .. Here we held a council, and concluded we would take a driving hunt in concert, and in partnership. The river in this place is about a mile broad, and as it and the lake forms a kind of neck, which terminates in a point, all the hunters (which were fifty- three) went up the river, and we scattered ourselves from the river to the lake. When we first began to move, we were not in sight of each other, but as we all raised the yell, we could move regularly together by the noise. At length we came in sight of each other and appeared to be marching in good order ; before we came to the point, both the squaws
102
OUR WESTERN BORDER.
and boys in the canoes were scattered up the river and along the lake, to prevent the deer from making their escape by water. As we advanced near the point, the guns began to crack slowly ; and after some time the firing was like a little engagement. The squaws and boys were busy tomahawking the deer in the water, and we shooting them down on the and; we killed in all about thirty deer, though a great many made their escape by water.
We had now great feasting and rejoicing, as we had plenty of hominy, venison and wild fowl. The geese at this time appeared to be preparing to make southward. As cold weather was now approaching, we began to feel the doleful effects of extravagantly and foolishly spending the large quantity of beaver we had taken in our last Winter's hunt. We were all nearly in the same circumstances-scarcely one had a shirt to his back; but each of us had an old blanket which we belted round us in the day, and slept in at night, with a deer or bear skin under us for our bed.
When we came to this place, we met with some Ottawa hunters, and agreed with them to take what they call a ring hunt, in partnership. We waited until we expected rain was near falling to extinguish the fire, and then we kindled a large circle in the prairie. At this time, or before the bucks began to run, a great number of deer lay concealed in the grass in the day, and moved about in the night; but as the fire burned in towards the centre of the circle, the deer fled before the fire; the Indians were scattered also at some distance before the fire, and shot them down every opportunity, which was very frequent, especially as the circle became small. When we came to divide the deer, there were about ten to each hunter, which were all killed in a few hours. The rain did not come on that night to put out the outside circle of the fire, and as the wind arose, it extended through the whole prairie, which was about fifty miles in length, and in some places nearly twenty in breadth. This put an end to our ring hunting this season, and was in other respects an injury to us in the hunting business ; so that upon the whole we received more harm than benefit by our rapid hunting frolic. We then moved from the north end of the glades and encamped at the carrying place.
After some time, one of Tontileaugo's step-sons, (a lad of about eight years of age,) offended him, and he gave the boy a moderate whipping, which much displeased his Wyandot wife. She acknowl- edged that the boy was guilty of a fault, but thought that he ought to have been ducked, which is their usual mode of chastisement. She said she could not bear having her son whipped like a servant or slave- and she was so displeased that when Tontileaugo went out to hunt she
103
NOVEL FISHING.
got her two horses and all her effects, (as in this country the husband and wife have separate interests,) and moved back to the Wyandot camp that we had left.
When Tontileaugo returned he was much disturbed on hearing of his wife's elopement, and said that he would never go after her were it not that he was afraid that she would get bewildered, and that his children, that she had taken with her, might suffer. Tontileaugo went after his wife, and when they met they made up the quarrel, but he never re- turned, but left Tecaughretanego and his son, (a boy about ten years of age,) and myself, who remained here in our hut all Winter. Tecaughretanego had been a first-rate warrior, statesman and hunter, and though he was now near sixty years of age, was yet equal to the common run of hunters, but subject to rheumatism, which deprived him of the use of his legs.
Shortly after Tontileaugo left us, Tecaughretanego became lame, and could scarcely walk out of our hut for two months. I had considerable success in hunting and trapping. Though Tecaughretanego endured much pain and misery, yet he bore it all with wonderful patience, and would often endeavor to entertain me with cheerful conversation. Sometimes he would applaud me for my diligence, skill and activity- and at other times he would take great care in giving me instructions concerning the hunting and trapping business. He would also tell me that if I failed of success we would suffer very much, as we were about forty miles from any one living that we knew of; yet he would not in- timate that he apprehended we were in any danger, but still supposed that I was fully adequate to the task.
When we came to the little lake at the mouth of Sandusky, we called at a Wyandot town that was then there, called Sunyendeand. Here we diverted ourselves several days, by catching rock fish in a small creek, the name of which is also Sunyendeand, which signifies rock fish. They fished in the night with lights, and struck the fish with gigs or spears. The rock fish there, when they begin first to run up the creek to spawn, are exceedingly fat, sufficiently so to fry of themselves. The first night we scarcely caught fish enough for present use, for all that was in the town.
The next morning I met with a prisoner at this place by the name of Thompson, who had been taken from Virginia. He told me, if the In- dians would only omit disturbing the fish for one night, he could catch more fish than the whole town could make use of. I told Mr. Thomp- son that if he knew he could do this, that I would use my influence with the Indians, to let the fish alone for one night. I applied to the chiefs, who agreed to my proposal, and said they were anxious to see
104
OUR WESTERN BORDER.
what the Big Knife (as they called the Virginian) could do. Mr. Thompson, with the assistance of some other prisoners, set to work, and made a hoop-net of elm bark; they then cut down a tree across the creek, and stuck in stakes at the lower side of it to prevent the fish from passing up, leaving only a gap at the one side of the creek ; here he sat with his net, and when he felt the fish touch the net he drew it up, and frequently would haul out two or three rock fish that would weigh about five or six pounds each. He continued at this until he had hauled out a wagon load, and then left the gap open, in order to let them pass up, for they could not go far on account of the shallow water. Before day Mr. Thompson shut it up, to prevent them from passing down, in or- der to let the Indians have some diversion in killing them in daylight.
When the news of the fish came to town, the Indians all collected, and with surprise beheld the large heap of fish, and applauded the in- genuity of the Virginian. When they saw the number of them that were confined in the water above the tree, the young Indians ran back to the town, and in a short time returned with their spears, gigs, bows and arrows, &c., and were the chief part of that day engaged in killing rock fish, insomuch that we had more than we could use or preserve. As we had no salt, or any way to keep them, great numbers of turkey buzzards and eagles collected together and devoured them. x
Some time in July, 1758, the Ottawas, Jibbewas, Potowatomies and Wyandots, rendezvoused at Detroit, and marched off to Fort Duquesne, to prepare for the encounter of General Forbes. The common report was, that they would serve him as they did General Braddock and ob- tain much plunder. From this time until Fall, we had frequent ac- counts of Forbes' army, by Indian runners, that were sent out to watch their motions. They espied them frequently from the mountains ever after they left Fort Loudon. Notwithstanding their vigilance, Colonel Grant, with his Highlanders, stole a march upon them, and in the night took possession of a hill about eighty rods from Fort Duquesne; this hill is, on that account, called Grant's Hill to this day. The French and Indians knew not that Grant and his men were there, until they beat the drum and played upon the bagpipes, just at daylight. They then flew to arms, and the Indians ran up under cover of the banks of the Allegheny and Monongahela, for some distance, and then sallied out from the banks of the rivers, and took possession of the hill above Grant; and as he was on the point of it, in sight of the fort, they imme- diately surrounded him; and as he had his Highlanders in ranks, and in very close order, and the Indians scattered and concealed behind trees, they defeated him with the loss only of a few warriors-most of the Highlanders were killed or taken prisoners.
105
SMITH'S MARRIAGE.
When Tecaughretanego had heard the particulars of Grant's defeat, he said he could not well account for his contradictory and inconsistent conduct. He said, as the art of war consists in ambushing and sur- prising our enemies, and in preventing them from ambushing and sur- prising us, Grant, in the first place, acted like a wise and experienced officer, in artfully approaching in the night without being discovered ; but when he came to the place, and the Indians were lying asleep outside of the fort, between him and the Allegheny river, in place of slipping up quietly and falling upon them with their broadswords, they beat the drums and played upon the bagpipes. He said he could account for this inconsistent conduct in no other way than by supposing that he had made too free with spirituous liquors during the night, and became in- toxicated about daylight.
In April, 1759, Smith accompanied his Indian relatives to Montreal, and managed to secrete himself on board a French ship; was again taken prisoner and confined for four months ; was finally exchanged, and reached home in 1760, to find his old sweet-heart married, and all supposing him dead. They were much surprised to see him so like an Indian in looks, gait and gesture.
SMITH'S MARRIAGE-A WILDERNESS HERMIT-TAKES A BRITISH FORT.
In May, 1763, Smith married, and the same year the Indians again commenced to harass the whole Pennsylvania frontier. Very many of the inhabitants deserted their plantations, while those who remained raised and maintained bodies of riflemen. Smith was elected Captain of one of these troops of rangers, who were all dressed in Indian fashion. They did good service, scouring the whole line of frontier. He then accepted an ensigncy in the British regular service, which he soon after resigned and took service under General Armstrong. In '64, he went as Lieutenant on Bouquet's expedition against the western Indians.
The next year savage marauds and scalpings again took place, and as the traders were, contrary to law, furnishing the savages with goods, guns and ammunition, the back country was greatly excited. Smith, however, was not content with grumbling, but took a more summary course. Selecting ten of his old Indian fighters, he painted and dis- guised them, and waylaid a company of traders, firing on their pack- horses from front to rear of their line, putting them to flight and burning up all their war-like goods. The traders complained at Fort Loudon, and securing a party of Highland soldiers, arrested a number of persons not at all concerned in the action. Smith at once raised
106
OUR WESTERN BORDER.
three hundred riflemen, marched to the fort, and soon took enough of British troops in his possession to redeem all the prisoners. They also made continued war upon the traders, and kept guard and watch on the frontiers for several months.
In '66, Smith, captivated by the reports of the rich game country in the West, proceeded, with four active young fellows from Carlisle and a mulatto slave boy, and explored Kentucky and the region south of it (this was before Boone's time) ; also the region watered by the Cum- berland and Tennessee rivers. Following the latter stream to the Ohio, his companions concluded to go to explore the Illinois country, but Smith determined to go east, through the vast wilderness, to Carolina. Taking only a little powder, he started off on his long and adventurous journey, accompanied only by the mulatto lad.
After about eight days of wilderness tramping, Smith received a painful cane stab in the foot ; his leg commenced to swell, and finally became so intolerably painful that he had to perform a surgical opera- tion in order to draw the huge splinter from his foot. He had nothing but a knife, a moccasin awl and a pair of bullet-moulds. But these, with the aid of the faithful darkey, proved efficient, but they were com- pelied to lie by here many, many weeks. He made the darkey hunt up Indian fomentations and poultices, using wood mosses instead of rags, and wrapping the whole around with elm-bark. A shelter was made with branches covered over with cane-tops, about a hundred yards distant from a regular buffalo trace, and with the aid of a Psalm Book and Watts upon Prayer, the two hermits got along very com- fortably, Smith even composing poetry.
Some weeks after, Smith was able to travel slowly, and the two moved on, arriving in Carolina in October. He had, as he quaintly writes, "been now eleven months in the wilderness, and during this time I neither saw bread, money, women nor spirituous liquors, and three months of which I saw none of the human species except Jamie. When I came into the settlement, my clothes were almost worn out, and the boy had nothing on him that ever was spun --- buckskin leggings, moc- casins and breech-clout, a bear skin, dressed with the hair on, and a rac- coon-skin cap. I was strictly examined by the inhabitants. I told them the truth, and where I came from, &c., but my story appeared so strange to them that they didn't believe me, asserting they had never heard of any one coming through the mountains from the mouth of the Ten- nessee, and if any undertook such a journey, surely no man would lend him his slave. On suspicion, they therefore took me into custody, and set a guard over me."
Meeting soon with an old acquaintance who vouched for him, poor
107
TAKES A BRITISH FORT.
Smith was liberated, and, with an old beaver hat and blanket, buckskin leggins, moccasins, and a new shirt, which his pitying friend gave him, he marched on with Jamie, clad in his rough bear skin, and the twain presenting such a wild and uncouth spectacle, that Smith avers the dogs would come out and bark at them, and the settlers frequently stopped them on suspicion. He soon after obtained good clothes and a horse, and then, adds he, "no man ever asked me for a pass ; there- fore, I concluded that a horse thief, or even a robber, might pass with- out interruption provided he was only well dressed, whereas the shabby villain would be immediately detected."
In the Fall of 1767, Smith reached home, his wife and friends having again given him up as dead, since they had heard he was killed by In- dians, and his horse brought into one of the Cherokee towns. In 1769, he and his "Indian boys " again commenced his war on the Indian- traders, for which some of his companions were arrested and lodged in Bed- ford jail-then, of course, a British post. Smith did not approve of the conduct of some of those who were arrested, but he could not bear to think of them chafing in irons, and so he boldly resolved to attempt a grand rescue. Collecting eighteen of his " black boys," he openly marched, with the avowed design of taking Fort Bedford, but employ- ed a friend to go before as a spy. The next day they encamped near the crossings of the Juniata, about fourteen miles from the fort, and commenced erecting tents, as though intending to stay all night. None but Smith knew differently. At eleven at night, however, he roused his band and marched rapidly on towards the fort. Meeting his spy, he was told that the commandant had put thirty men on guard, and ridi- culed the very idea of such a small rabble taking the fort.
Smith, finding the gate shut, moved his men quietly up under the Juniata's banks, where they lay concealed about a hundred yards from the fort gate. Soon as he found the gates open in the morning, the arms standing stacked, and the guards taking their morning dram, he, with his trusty followers, made a sudden rush inside the gate and took possession of the arms. They then raised a yell, hurriedly proceeded to the guard-house, found a blacksmith to remove the irons off the prisoners, and taking them all with them, rapidly left the place. " This, I believe," modestly adds Smith, " was the first British fort in America that was taken by what they called ' American rebels.'"
Some time after, while Smith was quietly riding from Bedford, en route to visit his lands located on the Yough, he was overtaken by some travelers on horseback who asked his name, and on. his telling it, they pulled out their pistols and threatened to kill him if he didn't surrender himself as prisoner. But Smith was not that kind of a man. He
108
OUR WESTERN BORDER.
stepped back, upped with his rifle, and upon one of the party snapping a pistol at him, let drive, dropping his enemy to the earth. The party, however, now made a rush on him, seized him, put him in Bedford guard-house, and held an inquest, bringing in Smith guilty of murder. As they were afraid to keep him at Bedford for fear of a rescue, he was sent privately to Carlisle, where he was heavily ironed and securely guarded.
Smith's arrest, it may well be supposed, created a terrible pother in the country round about. Hearing that a number of the old " black boys" were coming to tear down the jail, he told the sheriff he would not be rescued, but would stand his trial, and wrote a letter asking his eld companions to keep off. They, hearing he was in irons, however, would come on. Smith asked the sheriff to take off his irons and he would make them a speech. This he did, begging them as the greatest favor his friends could do for him, to keep away and let him stand trial. That he was innocent and would surely be released. They retired but soon after met another force of three hundred rescuers, when the whole party returned to Carlisle and asserted that as he could never get a fair trial, they were resolved to rescue him. These also were per- suaded to move off without attempting any violence.
Smith remained in prison four months, and when the Supreme Court sat, had his trial, the upshot of which was a verdict of " not guilty." Smith now quieted down and became a substantial citizen. In 1774, an- other Indian war commenced, in which Smith acted as Captain. At the outbreak of the Revolution, he was elected a member of the State Assembly, and afterwards headed his old Indian fighters and went on a scouting expedition against the British in Jersey. Preceding Washing- ton, they waylaid the road at Rocky Hill, and with only thirty-six men attacked and defeated a force of two hundred. They afterwards made captive a lot of Hessians. Smith was soon seized with camp fever and lay at Burlington a long time. He then tried to get permission to raise a battalion of riflemen, to be dressed as Indians and to act as scouts, but Washington did not favor the idea, but offered him a majorship, which Smith, wishing to be with his own boys, declined.
In 1778, Smith secured a Colonel's commission, and was diligently and constantly employed protecting our frontier against British Indians. Soon after he commanded four hundred riflemen on a successful expe- dition against the French Creek Indians, and in 1788 he migrated West and settled in Bourbon county, Kentucky, representing his district in Assembly down to the present century.
109
CAPTAIN JACK, THE WILD HUNTER OF THE JUNIATA.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.