USA > Ohio > Historical collections of Ohio, containing a collection of the most interesting facts, traditions, biographical sketches, anecdotes, etc., relating to its general and local history : with descriptions of its counties, principal towns, and villages > Part 55
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"The weather, for some time previous to the attack, as we learn from the diary of Hon. Paul Fearing, who lived at Fort Harmer, had been quite cold .. In the midst of winter, and with such weather as this, it was not customary for the Indians to venture out on war par- ties, and the early borderers had formerly thought themselves in a manner safe from their depredations during the winter months.
"About twenty rods above the block-house, and a Httle back from the bank of the river, two men, Francis and Isaac Choate, members of the company, had erected a cabin and commenced clearing their lots. Thomas Shaw, a hired laborer in the employ of the Choates, and James Patten, another of the associates, lived with them. About the same distance below the garrison, was an old " tomahawk improvement" and a small cabin, which two men, Asa and Eleazer Bullard, had fitted up and now occupied. The Indian
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378
MORGAN COUNTY.
war path, from Sandusky to the mouth of the Muskingum, passed along on the opposite shore, in sight of the river.
"The Indians, who, during the summer, had been hunting and loitering about the settle- ments at Wolf creek mills and Plainfield, holding frequent and friendly intercourse with the settlers, selling them venison and bear meat in exchange for green corn and vegetables, had withdrawn early in the autumn, and gone high up the river into the vicinity of their towns, preparatory to winter quarters. Being well acquainted with all the approaches to these settlements, and the manner in which the inhabitants lived, each family in their own cabin, not apprehensive of danger, they planned and fitted out a war party for their destruction. It is said, they were not aware of there being a settlement at Big Bottom until they came in sight of it, on the opposite shore of the river, in the afternoon. From a high hill oppo- site the garrison, they had a view of all that part of the bottom, and could see how the men were occupied, and what was doing about the block-house. Having reconnoitered the station in this manner, just at twilight they crossed the river on the ice a little above, and divided their men into two parties ; the larger one to attack the block-house, and the smaller one to make prisoners of the few men living in Choate's cabin, without alarming those below. The plan was skillfully arranged and promptly executed. As the party cautiously ap- proached the cabin, they found the inmates at supper ; a party of the Indians entered, while others stood without by the door, and addressed the men in a friendly manner.' Suspecting no harm, they offered them a part of their food, of which they partook. Looking about the room, the Indians espied some leather thongs and pieces of cord that had been used in pack- ing venison, and taking the white men by their arms told them they were prisoners. Find- ing it useless to resist, the Indians being more numerous, they submitted to their fate in silence.
" While this was transacting, the other party had reached the block-house unobserved ; even the dogs gave no notice of their approach, as they usually do, by barking ; the reason probably was, that they were also within by the fire, instead of being on the alert for their masters' safety. The door was thrown open by a stout Mohawk, who stepped in and stood by the door to keep it open, while his companions without shot down those around the fire. A man by the name of Zebulon Throop, from Massachusetts, was frying meat, and fell dead in the fire ; several others fell at this discharge. The Indians then rushed in and killed all who were left with the tomahawk. No resistance seems to have been offered, so sudden and unexpected was the attack, by any of the men ; but a stout, backwoods, Vir- ginia woman, the wife of Isaac Meeks, who was employed as their hunter, seized an axe and made a blow at the head of the Indian who opened the door ; a slight turn of the head saved his skull, and the axe passed down through his cheek into the shoulder, leaving a huge gash that severed nearly half his face ; she was instantly killed by the tomahawk of one of his companions before she could repeat the stroke. This was all the injury received by the Indians, as the men were all killed before they had time to seize their arms, which stood in the corner of the room. While the slaughter was going on, John Stacy, a young man in the prime of life, and the son of Col. William Stacy, sprung up the stair-way and out on to the roof ; while his brother Philip, a lad of sixteen years, secreted himself under some bedding in the corner of the room. The Indians on the outside soon discovered the for- mer, and shot him while he was in the act of " begging them, for God's sake, to spare his life, as he was the only one left !"
" This was heard by the Bullards, who, alarmed by the firing at the block-house, had run out of their cabin to see what was the matter. Discovering the Indians round the house, they sprung back into their hut, seized their rifles and ammunition, and, closing the door after them, put out into the woods in a direction to be hid by the cabin from the view of the Indians. They had barely escaped when they heard their door, which was made of thin clapboards, burst open by the Indians. They did not pursue them, although they knew they had just fled, as there was a good fire burning, and their food for supper smoking hot on the table. After the slaughter was over and the scalps secured, one of the most im- portant acts in the warfare of the American savages, they proceeded to collect the plunder. In removing the bedding, the lad, Philip Stacy, was discovered ; their tomahawks were in- stantly raised to dispatch him, when he threw himself at the feet of one of their leading warriors, begging him to protect him. The savage either took compassion on his youth, or else his revenge being satisfied with the slaughter already made, interposed his authority and saved his life. After removing every thing they thought valuable, they tore up the floor, piled it on the dead bodies, and set it on fire, thinking to destroy the block-house with the carcases of their enemies. The building being made of green beech logs, the fires only consumed the floors and roof, leaving the walls still standing when visited the day after by the whites.
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MORGAN COUNTY.
"There were twelve persons killed in this attack, viz., John Stacy, Ezra Putnam, son of Major Putnam, of Marietta ; John Camp and Zebulon Throop-these men were from Massachusetts ; Jonathan Farewell and James Couch, from New Hampshire ; William James, from Connecticut ; Joseph Clark, Rhode Island ; Isaac Meeks, his wife and two children, from Virginia. They were well provided with arms, and no doubt could have defended themselves had they taken proper precautions ; but they had no old revolutionary officers with them to plan and direct their operations, as they had at all the other garrisons. If they had picketed their house and kept a regular sentry, the Indians would probably never have attacked them. They had no horses or cattle for them to seize upon as plunder, and Indians are not very fond of hard fighting where nothing is to be gained ; but seeing the naked block-house, without any defences, they were encouraged to attempt its capture. Colonel Stacy, who had been an old soldier, well acquainted with Indian warfare in Cherry valley, and had two sons there, visited the post only the Saturday before, and seeing its weak state, had given them a strict charge to keep a regular watch, and prepare imme- diately strong bars to the door, to be shut every night at sunset. They, however, fearing no danger, did not profit by his advice.
N. SHEPARD &
View in M' Connelsville.
" The party of Indians, after this, bent their steps towards the Wolf creek mills ; but find- ing the people here awake and on the look-out, prepared for an attack, they did nothing more than reconnoitre the place, and made their retreat at early dawn, to the great relief of the inhabitants. The number of Indians who came over from Big Bottom was never known.
"The next day, Captain Rogers led a party of men over to Big Bottom. . It was a melan- choly sight to the poor borderers, as they knew not how soon the same fate might befall themselves. The action of the fire, although it did not consume, had so blackened and dis- figured the dead, that few of them could be distinguished. That of Ezra Putnam was known by a pewter plate that lay under him, and which his body had prevented from en- tirely melting. His mother's name was on the bottom of the plate, and a part of the cake he was baking at the fire still adhered to it. William James was recognized by his great size, being six feet four inches in height, and stoutly built. He had a piece of bread clenched in his right hand, probably in the act of eating, with his back to the door, when the fatal rifle shot took effect. As the ground was frozen outside, a hole was dug within the walls of the house, and the bodies consigned to one grave. No further attempt was made at a set- tlement here till after the peace, in 1795."
M'Connelsville, the county seat, named from its original proprie- tor, Robert M'Connel, is situated upon the east bank of the Muskin- gum, 75 miles southeasterly from Columbus, 36 above Marietta, and 27 below Zanesville. The view was taken in the center of the town : on the left is seen the court house, the jail and county clerks' office, and in the distance, down the street, appears the Baptist church.
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This thriving town contains 1 Presbyterian, 1 Congregational, 1 Baptist, 1 Protestant Methodist, and 1 Episcopal Methodist church ; 15 mercantile stores, 2 newspaper printing offices, 1 foundery, 1 woollen factory, 2 flouring mills, and had in 1840, 957 inhabitants.
According to the United States statistics for 1840, more salt is manufactured in Morgan than in any other county in Ohio. It is procured by sinking wells, which, in some instances, are nearly 1000 feet in depth. The salt manufactured on the Muskingum finds its principal market in Cincinnati, where it is called " Zanesville salt," although the far greater part of it is made in this county. The sketch of the salt region on the Muskingum, we take from an article, by Dr. S. P. Hildreth, in the 24th volume of Silliman's Journal.
The first attempt at procuring salt on this river was made by Mr. Ayers, in the year 1817, a few miles below, and at the foot of the rapids at Zanesville, in the year 1819, by S. Fair- lamb. He being a man of considerable mechanical ingenuity, constructed some simple machinery, connected with a water mill, which performed the operation of boring without much expense. Salt had been made for many years at the works on Salt creek, nine miles SE. of Ranesville, and some slight indications of salt on the rocks, at low water, led to this trial. Water was found, impregnated with muriate of soda, at about three hundred and fifty feet. It afforded salt of a good quality, but was not abundant, nor sufficiently saturated to make its manufacture profitable. Within the period of a few years after, several other wells were bored in this vicinity, but generally lower down the river. It was soon dis- covered that the water was stronger as they descended, and that the salt deposit was at a greater depth. At Duncan's falls, nine miles below, at the mouth of Salt creek, the rock had descended to four hundred and fifty feet, and with a proportionate increase in the strength of the water. At the latter place, the owner of a well not finding a sufficient sup- ply of water for his furnace, although it was of the desired strength, pushed his well to the depth of four hundred feet below the salt rock. His praise-worthy perseverance, however, met not with its proper reward. No additional salt water was found, although it is highly probable that other salt strata are deposited below those already discovered, but at such a depth as to render it very difficult to reach them by the present mode of boring. As we descend the river, wells are found, at short distances, for thirty miles below Zanesville, gradually deepening until the salt rock is reached, at eight hundred and fifty feet below the surface. The water is also so much augmented in strength as to afford fifty pounds of salt to every fifty gallons. Twenty-two miles below the rapids, a stratum of flint rock, from nine to twelve feet in thickness, comes to the surface and crosses the river, making a slight ripple at low water. This rock has a regular dip to the south, and at M'Connelsville, five miles below, it is found at one hundred and fourteen feet ; and two and a half miles further down, it is struck at one hundred and sixty feet. Where wells have been sunk through this rock, it affords a sure guide to the saliferous deposit, as the intermediate strata are very uniform in quality and thickness, and the practical operator can tell within a foot or two the actual distance to be passed between the two rocks, although the interval is six hundred and fifty feet. Above the point where the flint rock crops out, the rock strata appear to have been worn away, so that as you ascend the river the salt rock comes nearer to the surface, until at the forks of the Muskingum, it is only two hundred feet below. This flint rock is so very hard and sharp-grained, that it cuts away the best cast steel from the augers, nearly or quite as rapidly as the steel cuts away the rock, and requires three weeks of steady labor, night and day, to penetrate ten feet. With a few exceptions, the other strata are readily passed.
The lower salt rock often occasions much difficulty to the workmen, from the auger's becoming fixed in the hole. The sand of this rock, when beaten fine and allowed to settle compactly about the auger in the bottom of the well, becomes so hard and firm as to re- quire the greatest exertions to break it loose, frequently fracturing the stout ash poles in the attempt. From the sand and small particles of the rock brought up by the pump, the salt stratum appears to be of a pure pearly whiteness ; and the more porous and cellular its structure, the greater is the quantity of water afforded ; as more freedom is given to the discharge of gas, which appears to be a very active agent in the rise of water, forcing it, in nearly all the wells, above the bed of the river, and in some to twenty-five or thirty feet above the top of the well.
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Malta, on the west bank of the Muskingum, opposite M'Connels- ville, is a thriving little place, containing 1 Episcopal Methodist, 1 Protestant Methodist church, 6 stores, a woollen factory, a flouring mill, and had, in 1840, 247 inhabitants. The following are the names of other villages in the county, with their population in 1840: Pennsville 198, Deavertown 182, Windsor 118, Sharon 109, Eagle-' port 63, Big Rock 61, Sarahsville 55, Morganville 36, Hiramsburgh 35, Airington 34, and Rosseau 33.
MUSKINGUM.
MUSKINGUM was formed March 1, 1804, from Washington and Fairfield. The word Muskingum, says Kilbourn's Gazetteer, "is said to signify, in the old Indian language, an elk's eye, or the glare of an elk's eye." Col. John Johnston, of Upper Piqua, Miami county, says that "Muskingum is a Delaware word, and means a town on the river side. The Shawanoese call it Wa-ka-tamo sepe, which has the same signification." The surface is rolling or hilly, and clay the predominating soil. It abounds with bituminous coal, and has pipe clay and burr-stone or cellular quartz, suitable for mill stones. There are numerous salt works. The brine is obtained by boring into a stratum of whitish sandstone-called salt rock-at a depth of several hundred feet. The ancient works are numerous, and iron ore is found. It is a rich and thickly settled county. The principal agricultural productions are corn, wheat, oats, potatoes, tobacco, wool and pork. The following is a list of the townships in 1840, with their population.
Adams,
988
Jefferson,
2128
Rich Hill,
1426
Blue Rock,
1074
Licking,
1322
Salem,
1002
Brush Creek,
1765
Madison,
1070
Salt Creek,
1252
Falls,
2002
Meigs,
1333
Springfield, Union,
2334
Harrison,
1426
Monroe,
918
1625
Highland,
884
Muskingum,
1252
Washington,
1486
Hopewell,
1807
Newton,
2707
Wayne,
1276
Jackson,
1123
Perry,
1061
Zanesville,
5141
The population of Muskingum, in 1820, was 17,824; in 1830, 29,335 ; and in 1840, 38,746, or 52 inhabitants to a square mile.
The Muskingum country was principally occupied by the Wyan- dots, Delawares, and a few Senecas and Shawanoese. An Indian town once stood, years before the settlement of the country, in the vicinity of Duncan falls, from which circumstance the place is often called " Old Town." Near Dresden, was a large Shawanoese town, called Wakatomaca. The grave-yard was extensive, and when the whites first settled there, the remains of cabins were still visible. It was in this vicinity that the venerable Major Cass, the father of Hon. Lewis Cass, lived and died. He drew 4000 acres for his mil-
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MUSKINGUM COUNTY.
itary services, and the location embraced within its limits the ancien town plot of the natives.
The annexed narrative of an expedition against Wakatomaca, il from Doddridge's Notes.
Under the command of Col. Angus M'Donald, 400 men were collected from the western part of Virginia, by the order of the Earl of Dunmore, the then governor of Virginia. The place of rendezvous was Wheeling, some time in the month of June, 1774. They wen down the river in boats and canoes, to the mouth of Captina, from thence by the shortes route to the Wappatomica town, about sixteen miles below the present Coshocton. The pilots were Jonathan Zane, Thomas Nicholson and Tady Kelly. About six miles fron the town, the army were met by a party of Indians, to the number of 40 or 50, who gave a skirmish, by the way of ambuscade, in which two of our men were killed and eight o nine wounded. One Indian was killed and several wounded. It was supposed that sevy eral more of them were killed, but they were carried off. When the army came to the town, it was found evacuated, the Indians had retreated to the opposite shore of the river where they had formed an ambuscade, supposing the party would cross the river from the town. This was immediately discovered. The commanding officer then sent sentinels up and down the river, to give notice, in case the Indians should attempt to cross above o. below the town. A private in the company of Captain Cressap, of the name of John Hargus, one of the sentinels below the town, displayed the skill of a backwoods sharp shooter. Seeing an Indian behind a blind across the river, raising up his head, at times, to look over the river, Hargus charged his rifle with a second ball, and taking deliberate aim: passed both balls through the neck of the Indian. The Indians dragged off the body and buried it with the honors of war. It was found the next morning, and scalped by
Hargus.
Soon after the town was taken, the Indians from the opposite shore sued for peace. The commander offered them peace on condition of their sending over their chiefs as hostages Five of them came over the river, and were put under guard as hostages. In the morning they were marched in front of the army over the river. When the party had reached the western bank of the Muskingum, the Indians represented that they could not make peace without the presence of the chiefs of the other towns. On which, one of the chiefs was released to bring in the others. He did not return in the appointed time. Another chief was permitted to go on the same errand, who in like manner did not return. The party then moved up the river to the next town, which was about a mile above the first, and or. the opposite shore. Here we had a slight skirmish with the Indians, in which one of them was killed and one of our men wounded. It was then discovered, that during all the time spent in the negotiation, the Indians were employed in removing their women and children, old people and effects, from the upper towns. The towns were burned and the corn cut up. The party then returned to the place from which they set out, bringing with them the three remaining chiefs, who were sent to Williamsburgh. They were released at the peace, the succeeding fall.
The army were out of provisions before they left the towns, and had to subsist on weeds. one ear of corn each day, with a very scanty supply of game. The corn was obtained at one of the Indian towns.
Additional to the above, we give the reminiscences of Abraham Thomas, originally published in the Troy Times. He was on this expedition, and later, among the early settlers of Miami county.
The collected force consisted of 400 men. I was often at their encampment; and against the positive injunctions of my parents, could not resist my inclination to join them. At this time, I was 18 years of age, owned my own rifle and accoutrements, and had been long familiar with the use of them. Escaping, I made the best possible provision I could from my own resources, and hastened to enter as a volunteer under old Mike, then Captain Cressap. The plan of the expedition was for every man to cross the Ohio, with seven days' provision in his pack. The object was to attack the Indians in their villages at Wapa- tomica. Some were on the waters of the Muskingum. On the first or second day's march, after crossing the Ohio, we were overtaken by a Colonel M'Donald, a British offi- cer, who highly incensed the troops by ordering a halt for three days, during which we were consuming our provisions. While laying here, a violent storm through the night had wet our arms, and M'Donald ordered the men to discharge them in a hollow log, to deaden the report. My rifle would not go off, and I took the barrel out to unbreech it. In doing
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MUSKINGUM COUNTY.
this, I made some noise in beating it with my tomahawk, on which M'Donald came towards me swearing, with an uplifted cane, threatening to strike. I instantly arose on my feet, with the rifle barrel in my hand, and stood in an attitude of defence. We looked each other in the eye for some time ; at last he dropped his cane and walked off, while the whole troop set up a laugh, crying, the boy has scared the colonel. Cressap heard what was going on, and approached to defend me, but seeing how well I could defend myself, stood by, smiling at the fracas. The colonel having no reputation as an Indian fighter, was very naturally disliked as a leader, by Cressap and the men.
From this encampment we proceeded towards the Indian villages with the intention of surprising them ; but late in the afternoon before we reached them, we encountered the Indians laying in ambush on the top of a second bottom. We had just crossed a branch, and was marching along its first bottom with a view of finding some place to cross a swamp that lay between us and the upper bottom. The men were marching in three par- allel, Indian file columns, some distance apart. On espying a tracc across the swamp, the heads of the columns, in passing it, were thrown together, and as soon as they had gained the bank, unexpectedly received the fire of the enemy. The troops immediately displayed to the right and left, under the bank, and commenced ascending it, when the skirmish be- came general and noisy for about thirty minutes. The Indians then gave way in every direction. In this fight, we had four or five killed and many wounded ; it was supposed the Indians suffered much more.
During the engagement, while I was ascending the point of a bank, formed by a ravine from the second bottom, in company with two men, Martin and Fox, all aiming to gain the cover of some large oak trees on the top, they both fell. The first was killed, the last wounded in the breast, the ball having entered the bone, but was drawn out with the clothes. Those men were walking in a line with each other, and an Indian chief, con- cealed behind the tree for which I was aiming, shot theni both with one ball. I took no notice whence the ball came, and hastened to the tree ; just as I had gained it, the chief fell dead from the other side, and rolled at my feet. It seems a neighbor, who had seen him fire at Martin and Fox, and dodge behind the tree, stood ready to give him a shot whenever he should again make his appearance. The Indian had got his ball half down, and peeped out to look at me, when Wilson shot him in the head. The Indians retreated towards Wapatomica, flanked by two companies in hot pursuit; we followed in the rear, and as the last Indian was stepping out of the water, Captain Teabaugh, a great soldier and good marksman, brought him to the ground. I was at the time standing near Teabaugh, and shall never forget the thrilling emotion produced by this incident. During this battle, one of the men, Jacob Newbold, saw the colonel laying snug behind a fallen tree, sufficiently remote from danger, had there been no defence. It was immediately ·noised among the men, who were in high glee at the joke; one would cry out, " who got behind the log ?" when an liundred voices would reply, "the colonel! the colonel !" At this, M'Donald became outrageous; I heard him inquire for the man who had raised the report, and threatened to punish him
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