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 39
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We have stated that Colonel Eb. Zane was also a dead shot. About the year 1781, some of the whites in the fort observed a savage on the island going through certain insulting gestures. He thought he was be- yond all reach of danger. Colonel Zane's attention having been drawn to the indelicate performances, said he guessed he would spoil his sport. So charging his rifle with an additional ball, he waited patiently for the fellow to reappear. In a moment the savage's naked body was seen emerging from behind a large sycamore, and commencing anew his per- formances. The Colonel drew on him a most careful aim, and the next instant the red harlequin was seen going through a painful gyration not down "in the bill."
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MAJOR SAMUEL MCCOLLOCH AND HIS FAMOUS LEAP.
MAJOR SAMUEL McCOLLOCH AND HIS FAMOUS LEAP.
The story of McColloch's ride for life is as familiar as that of Putnam's, and his subsequent leap as that of the mailed Marcus Curtius and his noble steed, but few know anything of his history. There were two Major McCollochs, John and Samuel, both famed on the Virginia border for their daring exploits, and to the former has often been attributed the mad leap adown Wheeling hill. But De Hass has incon- testibly proved that it was Sam., the elder brother, who did the gallant deed. The family was one of the earliest and most noted that settled on Short Creek, West Virginia. There were three brothers, all noted for bravery, and two sisters, in every way worthy of them. Elizabeth, as stated, was the honored wife of Colonel Ebenezer Zane ; her whole life was a model of love, virtue and gentle kindness.
As an Indian hunter, Major Sam. had few superiors. He tracked his wily foe with wonderful sagacity, and would unwind his most secret trail with the unerring and instinctive tenacity of a bloodhound. He could not be frightened or shaken off. It was mainly to his ener- getic operations and daring exploits that the frontier was so often saved from savage depredation; and, by cutting off the Indian retreat, by at- tacking their hunting camps, and by annoying them in every possible way, the Major soon became to them an object of fear and intense hatred. He was a marked man, and sleepless vengeance was vowed against him.
At the close of the memorable siege of Fort Henry, in 1777, the Major had brought forty mounted men from Short Creek. The gates were joyfully thrown open to receive them, for never was reinforce- ment more timely, since the heroic little garrison had been very hardly pressed. A rush was made by the wary foe to prevent an entrance. All, however, succeeded in squeezing in but the gallant Major himself, who, anxious for the safety of his men, held back until completely hemmed in by desperate foes bent upon cutting him off. Finding him- self in the most imminent peril of capture, there was nothing left but flight. He was admirably mounted on a noble steed of great stride and power, and giving him the spur, off they dashed, pursued by a yelling mob of exultant savages, on the road leading to the summit of the high hill back of the fort, and thence to Van Metre's Fort, on Short Creek.
Knowing the deadly rancor which the savages entertained for him, and seeing their desperate endeavors to entrap him, the Major goaded
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on his horse, who rushed up the hill at heart-burst speed, and at length reached the top. Galloping ahead of his pursuers, the Major was con- gratulating himself on his lucky escape, when, just as he gained a point in the path, lo and behold! there encountered him a considerable body of Indians, just returning from a plundering expedition among the settlements.
In an instant his full danger was comprehended. With foes in the path behind and in front, and both parties spreading about him on the third side, escape seemed utterly out of the question. What was to be done? He saw his pursuers in a yelling curve about him, stealthily gliding around among the trees, as if to completely hem him in. To fall into their hands was agonizing to think of. But one only avenue of escape remained, and that was by the precipice to one side. Death among the rocks and brambles seemed to him, in his extremity, prefer- able to the knife and fagot of the pitiless savage, and so he made quick resolve to try a plunge over the precipice. Without a moment's hesita- tion, then, for the savages were crowding in upon him, he firmly ad- justed himself in his seat, grasped securely the bridle with his left hand, and supporting his rifle in the right, pushed his unfaltering horse over the abyss.
A plunge, a crash, crackling timber and tumbling rocks were all that the dazed and astounded savages could see or hear. They looked be- wildered, one upon the other. The hill where their rash and reckless foe had gone over was near three hundred feet high, and in some places the slope was almost precipitous ; while, therefore, they could not but admire his audacity and rejoice that their most inveterate enemy was finished at last, they regretted that he had been so unexpectedly spared their tortures. They crowded to the edge of the cliff, but what was their amazement and disgust to see the fiery steed, with the invulnerable Major sitting erect upon his back, dashing across the creek which ran at the base of the hill, and then careering across the peninsula at a free and rapid stride. They were safe at last, and the baffled savages had nothing else to do but return dejected and discomfited to camp.
After a life of such deeds of " daring emprise," it is sad to chronicle the Major's sad and untimely fate. In the Fall of '82, Major McCol- loch and his brother John started out on horseback for Van Metre's Fort, to track up some "Indian sign." They scouted closely and cau- tiously, proceeding almost as far as Fort Henry and not discovering any traces of Indians, had gone nearly back to "Girty's Point" on the river, when all at once a deadly discharge of rifles took place from a matted covert close by the path, by which the Major was vitally hit, falling dead from his horse. John escaped himself, but his horse was killed.
MEEDER- CHUBB
Major Sam. McColloch's Famous Leap Down Wheeling Hill. SEE PAGE 850.
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MAJOR SAMUEL MCCOLLOCH AND HIS FAMOUS LEAP.
Quick as thought, however, he leaped from the writhing animal and sprang to the back of his dead brother's horse, and made off to give the alarm. As yet no enemy had been seen; but turning in his saddle, after a quick dash of fifty yards or so, the path was filled with whoop- ing savages, and one fellow was seen in the very act of scalping the unfortunate Major. This was too much for the infuriated brother. In an instant his rifle was at his shoulder and flash ! crack ! the mutilating savage was rolling on the leaves in the agonies of death. With the exception of a slight bullet scratch on the hip, John escaped to the fort unhurt and aroused the settlement.
The next day a party went out fron Van Metre's and gathered up the mutilated remains of the poor Major. The savages had actually dis- emboweled him, but the viscera all remained except the heart. Some years subsequently an Indian, who had been one of the attacking party on this occasion, confessed to some whites that the heart of Major McCol- loch had been divided and eaten by the party ; " so that," he con- cluded, " we be bold like Major McColloch." On another occasion the Indian, in speaking of the incident, said : "The whites (meaning John McColloch) had killed a great captain, but they (the Indians) had killed a greater one."
John McColloch afterwards became almost as distinguished as his lamented brother. He did glorious service in the Revolution; was a most devoted patriot and filled many posts of trust and honor. Samuel at the time of his " untimely taking off" had only been married six months.
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OUR WESTERN BORDER.
BENJAMIN LOGAN AND HIS HEROIC DEEDS.
Among the earliest and most respectable of the emigrants to Ken- tucky, was General Benjamin Logan. His father was an Irishman, who had left his own country early in the eighteenth century and settled in Pennsylvania, from which he subsequently removed to Augusta county, Virginia. Here he shortly afterward died. Young Logan, as the eld- est son, was entitled, by the laws of Virginia, to the whole of the landed property, (his father having died intestate). He refused, however, to avail himself of this circumstance, and, as the farm upon which the family resided was too small to admit of a division, he caused it to be sold, and the money to be distributed among his brothers and sisters, reserving a portion for his mother. At the age of twenty-one he re- moved from Augusta county to the banks of the Holston, where, shortly afterward, he purchased a farm and married.
In 1774 he accompanied Dunmore in his expedition, probably as a private. In 1775 he removed to Kentucky, and soon became particu- larly distinguished. His person was striking and manly, his hair and complexion very dark, his eye keen and penetrating, his countenance grave, thoughtful, and expressive of a firmness, probity and intelligence which were eminently displayed throughout his life. His education was very imperfect, and confined simply to the arts of reading and writing. Having remained in Kentucky, in a very exposed situation, until the Spring of 1776, he returned for his family, and brought them out to a small settlement, called Logan's Fort, not far from Harrodsburg. The' Indians during this Summer were so numerous and daring in their excur- sions, that Logan was compelled to remove his wife and family for safety to Harrodsburg, while he himself remained at his cabins and cultivated a crop of corn.
In the Spring of 1777 his wife returned to Logan's Fort, and several settlers having joined him, he determined to maintain himself there at all risk. His courage was soon put to the test. On the morning of the 20th of May, a few days after his wife had rejoined him, the women were milking the cows at the gate of the little fort, and some of the gar- rison attending them, when a party of Indians appeared and fired upon them. One man was shot dead and two more wounded, one of them mortally. The whole party, including one of the wounded men, in- stantly ran into the fort and closed the gate. The enemy quickly
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BENJAMIN LOGAN AND HIS HEROIC DEEDS.
showed themselves upon the edge of a canebrake, within close rifle shot of the gate, and seemed numerous and determined. Having a mo- ment's leisure to look around, they beheld a spectacle which awakened the most lively interest and compassion.
.
A man named Harrison had been severely wounded, and still lay near the spot where he had fallen, within full view both of the garrison and the enemy. The poor fellow was, at intervals, endeavoring to crawl in the direction of the fort, and had succeeded in reaching a cluster of bushes, which, however, were too thin to shelter his person from the enemy. His wife and family were in the fort, and in deep distress at his situation. The enemy undoubtedly forbore to fire upon him, from the supposition that some of the garrison would attempt to save him, in which case they held themselves in readiness to fire upon them from the canebrake. The case was a very trying one. It seemed impossible to save him without sacrificing the lives of several of the garrison, and their numbers already were far too few for an effectual defence, having originally amounted only to fifteen men, three of whom had already been put hors de combat.
Yet the spectacle was so moving, and the lamentation of his family so distressing, that it seemed equally impossible not to make an effort to relieve him. Logan endeavored to persuade some of his men to ac- company him in a sally, but so evident and appalling was the danger, that all at first refused ; one herculean fellow observing that he was "a weakly man," and another declaring that he was sorry for Harri- son, " but that the skin was closer than the shirt." At length John Martin collected his courage, and declared his willingness to accompany Logan, saying, that "he could only die once, and that he was as ready now as he ever would be." The two men opened the gate and started upon their forlorn expedition, Logan leading the way.
They had not advanced five steps, when Harrison, perceiving them, made a vigorous effort to rise, upon which Martin, supposing him able to help himself, immediately sprung back within the gate. Harrison's strength almost instantly failed, and he fell at full length upon the grass. Logan paused a moment after the desertion of Martin, then suddenly sprung forward to the spot where Harrison lay, rushing through a tre- mendous shower of rifle balls which was poured upon him from every spot around the fort capable of covering an Indian. Seizing the wounded man in his arms, he ran with him to the fort, through the same heavy fire, and entered it unhurt, although the gate and picketing near him were riddled with balls, and his hat and clothes pierced in several places.
23
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A PERILOUS JOURNEY AFTER POWDER-BOWMAN'S SINGULAR BEHAVIOR.
The fort was now vigorously assailed in the Indian manner, and as vigorously defended by the garrison. The women were all employed in moulding bullets, while the men were constantly at their posts. The weakness of the garrison was not their only grievance. A distressing scarcity of ammunition prevailed, and no supply could be procured nearer than Holston. But how was it to be obtained ? The fort was closely blockaded, the Indians were swarming in the woods, and chances were sadly against the probability of the safe passage of any courier through so many dangers ! Under these circumstances, Logan de- termined to take the dangerous office upon himself. After encouraging the men as well as he could, with the prospect of a safe and speedy re- turn, he took advantage of a dark night, and crawled through the In- dian encampment without discovery.
Shunning the ordinary route through Cumberland Gap, he arrived at Holston by by-paths which no white man had yet trodden ; through canebrakes and thickets ; over tremendous cliffs and precipices, where the deer could scarcely obtain footing, and where no vestige of any of the human family could be seen. Having obtained a supply of powder and lead, he returned through the same almost inaccessible paths to the fort, which he found still besieged and now re- duced to extremity. The safe return of their leader inspired them with fresh courage, and in a few days the appearance of Colonel Bowman's party compelled the Indians to retire.
During the whole of this and the next year, the Indians were exceed- ingly troublesome. The Shawnees particularly distinguished them- selves by the frequency and inveterate nature of their incursions; and as their capital, Chillicothe, was within striking distance, an expedition was set on foot against it in 1779, in which Logan served as second in command. Captain James Harrod and John Bulger accompanied the expedition ; the former of whom, shortly afterward, perished in a lone- ly ramble; and the latter was killed at the Blue Licks. Colonel Bow- man commanded in chief. The detachment amounted to one hundred and sixty men ; consisted entirely of volunteers, accustomed to Indian warfare, and was well officered, but not so fortunate in its commander.
They left Harrodsburg in July, and took their preliminary measures so well that they arrived within a mile of Chillicothe without giving the slightest alarm to the enemy. Here the detachment halted at an early hour in the night, and, as usual, sent out spies to examine the condition of the village. Before midnight they returned, and reported that the
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enemy remained unapprised of their being in the neighborhood, and were in the most unmilitary security. It was determined that Logan, with one-half of the men, should turn to the left and march half way around the town, while Bowman, at the head of the remainder, should make a corresponding march to the right ; that both parties should pro- ceed in silence, until they had met at the opposite extremity of the vil- lage, when, having thus completely encircled it, the attack was to commence.
Logan, who was bravery himself, performed his part of the combined operation with perfect order and in profound silence; and having reached the designated spot, awaited with impatience the arrival of his commander. Hour after hour stole away, but Bowman did not appear. At length daylight appeared. Logan, still expecting the arrival of his Colonel, ordered the men to conceal themselves in the high grass and await the expected signal to attack. No orders, however, arrived. In the meantime, the men, in shifting about through the grass, alarmed an Indian dog, the only sentinel on duty. He instantly began to bay loudly, and advanced in the direction of the man who had attracted his attention. Presently a solitary Indian left his cabin and walked cau- tiously toward the party, halting frequently, rising upon tiptoes, and gazing around him.
Logan's party lay close, with the hope of taking him without giving the alarm ; but at that instant a gun was fired in an opposite quarter of the town, as was afterwards ascertained, by one of Bowman's party, and the Indian, giving one shrill whoop, ran swiftly back to the council house. Concealment was now impossible. Logan's party instantly sprang up from the grass and rushed upon the village, not doubting for a moment that they would be gallantly supported. As they advanced they perceived Indians, of all ages and of both sexes, running to the great cabin, near the centre of the town, where they collected in full force, and appeared determined upon an obstinate defence. Logan in- stantly took possession of the houses which had been deserted, and, rapidly advancing from cabin to cabin, at length established his de- tachment within close rifle shot of the Indian redoubt.
He now listened impatiently for the firing which should have been heard from the opposite extremity of the town, where he supposed Bowman's party to be, but to his astonishment, everything remained quiet in that quarter. In the meantime, his own position had become critical. The Indians had recovered from their panic, and kept up a close and heavy fire upon the cabins which covered his men. He had pushed his detachment so close to the redoubt, that they could neither advance nor retreat without great exposure. The enemy outnumbered
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OUR WESTERN BORDER.
him, and gave indications of a disposition to turn both flanks of his position and thus endanger his retreat.
Under these circumstances, ignorant of the condition of his com- mander, and cut off from communication with him, he formed the bold and judicious resolution, to make a movable breastwork of the planks which formed the floor of the cabins, and under cover of it, to rush upon the stronghold of the enemy and carry it by main force. Had this gallant determination been carried into effect, and had the move- ment been promptly seconded, as it ought to have been by Bowman, the conflict would have been bloody, and the victory decisive. Most probably not an Indian would have escaped, and the consternation which such signal vengeance would have spread throughout the Indian tribes, might have repressed their incursions for a considerable time. But before the necessary steps could be taken, a messenger arrived from Bowman, with orders " to retreat !"
Astonished at such an order, at a time when honor and safety required an offensive movement on their part, Logan hastily asked if Bowman had been overpowered by the enemy ? No! Had he ever beheld an enemy? No! What, then, was the cause of this extraor- dinary abandonment of a design so prosperously begun ? He did not know : the Colonel had ordered a retreat ! Logan, however reluctantly, was compelled to obey. A retreat is always a dispiriting movement, and, with militia, is almost certain to terminate in a complete rout. As soon as the men were informed of the order, a most irregular and tumultuous scene commenced. Not being buoyed up by the mutual confidence which is the offspring of discipline, and which sustains regular soldiers under all circumstances, they no longer acted in concert.
Each man selected the time, manner and route of his retreat for himself. Here a solitary Kentuckian would start up from behind a stump, and scud away through the grass, dodging and turning to avoid the balls which whistled around him. There a dozen men would run from a cabin, and scatter in every direction, each anxious to save him- self, and none having leisure to attend to their neighbors. The Indians, astonished at seeing men rout themselves in this manner, sallied out of their redoubt and pursued the stragglers, as sportsmen would cut up a scattered flock of wild geese. They soon united themselves to Bow- inan's party, who from some unaccountable panic of their commander, or fault in themselves, had stood stock still near the spot where Logan had left them the night before.
All was confusion. Some cursed their Colonel; some reproached other officers; one shouted one thing, one bellowed another; but all
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seemed to agree that they ought to make the best of their way home, without the loss of a moment's time. By great exertions on the part of Logan, well seconded by Harrod, Bulger, and the late Major G. M. Bedinger, of the Blue Licks, some degree of order was restored, and a tolerably respectable retreat commenced. The Indians, however, soon surrounded them on all sides, and kept up a hot fire, which began to grow fatal. Colonel Bowman appeared quite bewildered, and sat upon his horse like a pillar of stone, neither giving an order, nor taking any measures to repel the enemy. The sound of rifle shots had, however, completely restored the men to their senses, and they readily formed in a large hollow square, took trees, and returned the fire with equal vi- vacity. The enemy were quickly repelled, and the troops recommenced their march.
But scarcely had they advanced half a mile, when the Indians reap- peared, and again opened a fire upon the front, rear and both flanks. Again a square was formed, and the enemy repelled; but scarcely had the harassed troops recommenced their march, when the same galling fire was opened upon them from every tree, bush and stone capable of The
concealing an Indian. Matters now began to look serious.
enemy were evidently endeavoring to detain them, until fresh Indians could come up in sufficient force to compel them to lay down their arms. The men began to be unsteady, and the panic was rapidly spreading from the Colonel to the privates. At this crisis, Logan, Harrod, Bed- inger, etc., selected the boldest and best mounted men, and dashing into the bushes on horseback, scoured the woods in every direction, forcing the Indians from their coverts, and cutting down as many as they could overtake.
This decisive step completely dispersed the enemy, and the weary and dispirited troops continued their retreat unmolested. They lost nine killed and a few others wounded. But the loss of reputation on the part of the Colonel was incalculable, for, as usual, he was the scape- goat upon whose head the disgrace of the miscarriage was laid. No good reason has ever been assigned for the extraordinary failure of his own detachment ; and the subsequent panic which he displayed when harassed in the woods, affords room for suspicion that either the dark- ness of the night, or the cry of an owl (for he did not see the face of an enemy) had robbed the Colonel of his usual presence of mind.
Logan returned to Kentucky with a reputation increased rather than diminished, by the failure of the expedition. His conduct was placed in glaring contrast to that of his unfortunate commander, and the praise of the one was in exact correspondence to the censure of the other. No other affair of consequence occurred until the rash and disas-
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trous battle of the Blue Licks, in which, as we have seen, Logan was unable to share. He seems to have remained quietly engaged in agri- cultural pursuits until the Summer of 1788, when he conducted an ex. pedition against the Mack-a-chack towns on Mad river, which, as usual, terminated in burning their villages, and cutting up their cornfields ; serving to irritate, but not to subdue the enemy. A single incident at- tending this expedition, deserves to be commemorated. We give the first version from McClung:
THE MURDER OF MOLUNTHA BY THE FIERCE HUGH MCGARY.
Upon approaching a large village of the Shawnees, from which, as usual, most of the inhabitants had fled, an old chief, named Moluntha, came out to meet them, fantastically dressed in an old cocked hat, set jauntily upon one side of his head, and a fine shawl thrown over his shoulders. He carried an enormous pipe in one hand, and a tobacco pouch in the other, and strutted out with the air of an old French beau to smoke the pipe of peace with his enemies, whom he found himself unable to meet in the field.
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