USA > Ohio > History of Ohio; from the glacial period to the present time > Part 2
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The serpent entered largely into the mythol- ogy of the ancient Mexicans, and seems to have had about the same significance with them, that
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HISTORY OF OHIO.
it had with the ancient Egyptians, Assyrians and Grecians.
They, also, enter largely into the supersti- tions of the Hindoos and Chinese. The site of this mound, being as it is in a secluded spot, seems to indicate that it was a place for the observance of sacred rites. The gently rising tableland was aptly fitted for the assembling of the people. Here assembled this primitive peo- ple and with the fire of religion burning in their souls, they observed their most sacred rites. While their religion may not have been sup- ported by the logic of a Paul, it was laden with a sincerity and devotion that the churches of to-day might well emulate.
The observer standing on the head of the serpent can see, in the distance, although eight miles away to the northward, fort Hill in High- land county, one of the best and most interest- ing forts in the state. It is situated on the top of a high hill, about three miles north of Sink- ing Springs. The hill stands out alone and is washed on the north and west by the east fork of Brush creek. At the top of the hill, 500 feet above the water level in the creek, is a level plateau containing thirty-five acres. This pla- teau is enclosed by a wall of stone and earth excavated from the top of the hill. The excava- tion, made in the interior of the mound, is about
CROFREUD & WFT FOR
CC.
IVES
EMBANKMENT CROSSED BY FENCE, NEW FORT ANCIENT, EAST SIDE. Courtesy of Ohio Archeological and Historical Society.
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THE MOUND BUILDERS.
fifty feet wide. The embankment is about six feet high and averaging in width, at the base, about twenty-five feet. The wall of the inclos- ure is 8,582 feet long. There are arranged at intervals thirty-three gateways, ranging in width from ten to fifteen feet. At eleven of these gate- ways the interior ditch made by the excavation in building the walls, is filled up. A stronger position, for the construction of a fort, could scarcely have been chosen. This fort properly garrisoned was almost impregnable. Near this fort the ruins of a once populous city have been observed.
Fort Ancient, built on a high. plateau over- looking the valley of the Little Miami, in War- ren county, is the most extensive prehistoric for- tification in the world. The strongest position, that could have been found in the state, was chosen for the erection of this fort. Surrounded as it is on every side by precipitous ravines it stands isolated, and is the Gibraltar of the Mound Builders.
The walls follow the contour of the plateau, forming an inclosure about one mile long and a quarter of a mile wide, narrowing in the cen- tral part until the walls come within two or three hundred feet of each other. Cross bars were built at each end of the narrow passage. di- viding the fort into three parts, called The Old 3
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HISTORY OF OHIF.
Fort, New Fort and Middle Fort. The distance around the fort is three and two-thirds miles; inclosing about one hundred and twenty-six acres. The average size of the wall is about twelve feet by fifty feet, and built mainly from earth, although stone was extensively used in some places. The stone used was of limestone formation and about two feet by three feet in size, layed up without mortar.
Within the fort were two village sites; one in the old fort and one in the new. The one in the old fort shows evidence of its having been occupied for a considerable length of time, and covered about forty acres of ground. The one in the new was not so large and does not show any evidence of its being used for so long a time. On the side of the ravine running down from the entrance leading to the old fort into the middle fort, are many artificial terraces, from fifteen to twenty feet wide. On these ter- races are evidences of camp sites. Hundreds of skeletons have been found in these terraces, dif- fering widely in method of interment and form of skull from those found within the walls of the fort. At the base of the wall of the fort at the head of this ravine, many skeletons in a re- markably good state of preservation, were ex- humed. Many fractured skulls and bones pene- trated with flint arrowheads, which still stuck
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THE MOUND BUILDERS.
fast, were found. The warriors were, evidently, buried where they fell.
Two forms of skulls predominate. Those found in the fort and in the burying ground of the city, that was located near the fort on the plain, were round, the width of the skull being more than two-thirds the length; while those found in the terrace were long, the width of the skull being less than two-thirds of the length.
There were many other forts on the hilltops, of scarcely less importance than those described. One was located on Spruce Hill near Hillsboro; one near Glenford in Perry county; another at North Bend outlooking all the territory about the mouth of the Great Miami river; and others in different parts of the state we will not take up space in describing. In magnitude and inge- nuity these old forts in Ohio have no prehistoric equals.
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The earthworks of the ancients were not con- fined entirely to the tops of hills or strong posi- tions. The mounds located at the site of Mari- etta, are built upon an elevated plain on the east side of the Muskingum river, about one-half mile from its junction with the Ohio. They con- sist of walls or embankments of earth thrown up in such a way as to form two hollow squares. The inclosure lying to the north, sometimes called the town, contains forty acres. The walls
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HISTORY OF OHIO.
are from six to ten feet high and from twenty- five to thirty-five feet wide at the base. There were three gateways or entrances in each of the sides, and an entrance at each corner. In the southwest corner a semicircular mound, back a little ways from the wall, guards the opening. From the opening at the northwest corner two parallel walls, about two hundred feet apart, lead down from the terrace; upon which the in- closure is built, to the river bottom. This pas- sage-way was made by removing the earth be- tween the two walls and piling it up on either side. The walls are twenty feet high on the in- side, while on the outside they are but five feet. Two similar walls were built from the middle opening on the west side to the base of the ter- race. The river, at the time those passage-ways were built, followed along the base of the ter- race. These passage-ways, no doubt, were built to protect the garrison on their way to and from the river for supplies of water. Within the inclosure are three square table mounds which measure about eight feet in height.
The fort lying to the south is almost square and built in the same way as the other, except, there is but one gateway in each of the sides of the inclosure and located about the center of the side walls. Each of the gateways in this fort - those in the sides and those in the corners
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THE MOUND BUILDERS.
are defended by circular mounds located just inside the entrance.
A short distance south of this fort stands the sugar-loaf mound, rising thirty feet high. It stands on a circular base one hundred and fif- teen feet in diameter and is surrounded by a ditch four feet deep and fifteen feet wide, out- side of which is a parapet four feet high with an opening directly in front of the center gateway in the south wall of the smaller fort.
The earthworks at Newark, Ohio, consist of an octagon, a square and several circular and crescent mounds, together with several parallel walls connecting the different inclosures. The fort is not a strong one, being built on the level plain between the Raccoon and South Fork creeks. The fort, together with the walls and mounds, covers about four square miles of the plain between the two streams which come to- gether at right angles. These earthworks ex- tend about two miles up Raccoon and South Fork creeks, making the space covered nearly the shape of an equilateral triangle. The Newark race course is inside of one of the circu- lar mounds; this mound, containing thirty acres (being large enough to enclose a half-mile track), has but one gateway. The wall of this enclosure is higher than the walls of the other enclosures in that vicinity, which are usually
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HISTORY OF OHIO.
low, being about six feet high. Within the in- closure, sometimes called the old fort, is an in- teresting effigy mound, called the Eagle Mound, which represents a bird on the wing.
The Octagon and Circular mounds, lying to the west, have been purchased and reserved by the state. These inclosures present to the eye as beautiful a picture as one might wish to see; built as they are upon the level plain, so true that the eye cannot detect a single flaw, they inspire the beholders with awe and veneration for their builders. The Octagon consists of eight walls of earth forming an octagon, with an opening at each angle. Each angle is guarded by an embankment thrown up about thirty feet from the interior of the opening. Two parallel embankments about one hundred feet apart, extend perhaps three hundred feet to the opening in the circular mound lying to the west, connecting the two mounds by the passage-way. Tradition tells us that a subter- ranean passage-way, built of stone, led from this circular inclosure to the creek now about eighty rods distant. The Octagonal mound encloses fifty acres and the Circular encloses twenty acres of land. The Circular is covered with a beauti- ful grove.
A class of mounds called Altar Mounds, be- cause of the relics found upon them, which are
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THE MOUND BUILDERS.
supposed to be sacrificial offerings, are very numerous and peculiar to Ohio. They are built upon the surface of the ground, the site of the mound being first cleared of any foreign sub- stance and well tamped or burned. An oval ex- cavation is made in the ground, so prepared, and plastered with mortar made from well-kneaded clay. A hot fire was then built in the excava- tion and kept burning until the walls became thoroughly hardened. The ashes were, in some cases, taken out of the excavation, while in oth- ers they were allowed to remain. These mounds often contain relics ; some only a pipe or arrow- head; while others, as the one at Madisonville, contain large quantities of relics. In one of this class of mounds was found the engraved copper plate which gives to the Mound Builders credit for a greater degree of skill than any relics that have yet been found. Those plates were stamped and cut into such intricate de- signs and figures that it seemingly would be im- possible for them to have been made without the aid of steel instruments or dies, but they may have been made, and perhaps were, with delicate instruments made of flint. In one of these mounds near Chillicothe, Ohio, were found two hundred pipes; in another a copper axe weigh- ing thirty-eight pounds was found; and others contain charred human remains.
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HISTORY OF OHIO.
Many of the cone-shaped mounds contain human remains, but only a limited number were honored by such lasting monuments. By far the greater portion of the population were buried in unmarked graves. In sandy or loose earth the graves are large and about three feet deep, while in hard or clay ground, they are small and very shallow, not often being over a foot deep; in most cases the earth was thrown back upon the remains without any other cover- ing. Many skeletons have been found in tun- nels built from stone slabs, the sides of the tomb being walled for a short distance from the bot- tom, the remains laid in a horizontal position on the bottom, between the two walls, and covered with stone slabs; the grave was then filled with earth. Near the city sites, cemeteries are found. The mode of burial is the same as in isolated graves, except that many graves are located near the same place, and a systematic arrangement of the graves prevails.
There has been much speculation concerning the Mound Builders. It is impossible, from the historic monuments left by them, to form a con- clusion concerning their origin or their decline. They had no alphabet any traces of which have . been found. They had no domestic animals, and made but little of the useful metals. They were not much different from many of the Indian
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THE MOUND BUILDERS.
tribes, for it was a custom, with many of the early Indian tribes, to build mounds. The his- torian, perhaps, would be justified in saying that the Indians are the direct offspring of this primitive people. Their manner of living is practically the same, their weapons the same and many of their implements the same. There is much in the character of both for civilized men to admire, while he must deplore their surroundings. They were patient, as can be learned from the fact that a vast amount of time and labor was necessary in order to perform some of the tasks that they accomplished; they were content with solitude, as can be readily seen in the fact that they built their mounds and forts in secluded places when it was pos- sible for them to do so; they were peaceful, as can be seen when we consider the fact that it must have taken many, many years of incessant labor, with the rude tools they had, to build their earthworks or places of abode and worship.
Chapter III
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LITTLE TURTLE.
Courtesy of Ohio Archeological and Historical Society.
THE AMERICAN INDIAN
W HEN Columbus discovered America in 1492, he supposed he had reached the Indias, and that the savages with whom he came in contact on the shore were in- habitants of that country, so he gave them the name of Indians. Thus by mistake were the primitive inhabitants of the New World named.
The family of the Huron Iroquois occupied the territory now comprising the State of Ohio, and they were divided into numerous tribes. The origin and early history of the Indians are wrap- ped in as much obscurity, or even more, than that of the Mound Builders. The most reasonable conclusion that can be reached concerning their origin is that they are the direct offspring of the Mound Builders.
The most potent argument that has been advanced against the unity of the Mound Build- ers and Indians is based upon the assumption that the Indians knew nothing concerning the monuments left by the Mound Builders. The erroneous assumption is the result of imperfect and limited knowledge of the known Indian tribes. It is very probable that the commingling
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HISTORY OF OHIO.
of the two races of Mound Builders, after the decline of the more peaceful nation of the south,. and their subjugation by the warlike, and rest- less nations of the north, that a race was pro- duced differing somewhat from either of the. older nations. It would also be reasonable to conclude that the method of warfare practiced. by the conquerors would be substituted in a large degree, for the methods of the conquered. Those in the south, usually, if not always, waged a defensive warfare, as can be seen by their numerous defensive works. Those in the north waged an offensive warfare, attacking their enemy in his fortified cities, or drawing him from them by strategy and meeting him in the open field, or surprising him in ambush.
The abandonment of fortified positions is what we would expect from the offspring of two such nations. The manners and customs of the Indian tribes are not very different from those of the Mound Builders. Their weapons were the same, their houses were built in the same way, and they smoked the same pipe. Many of the known Indian tribes, not more than two centuries ago, built extensive earthworks. It was quite common for them to build a wall of earth around the wigwams, and when closely pressed, and flight impossible, they constructed parapets around their camps, but when over-
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THE AMERICAN INDIAN.
powered, if flight was possible, they sought safety by fleeing.
There was a tradition among the Delawares, translated and reduced to writing more than a century ago, which, while it is far from being conclusive as to any theory, may throw some light upon the origin of the early Indians.
The tradition is that their tribe, in migrat- ing from the west toward the east, came to a great river. The country beyond the river was occupied by a people called the Allegwi or Fal- legwi who had many towns. They gave the Delawares permission to pass through their ter- ritory ; but when a part of the tribe had crossed the river, the Allegwi attacked and routed them with great slaughter. Enraged at this treach- ery, the Delawares formed an alliance with the Iroquois who had in the meantime come to the same river farther up. The combined forces crossed and drove back the Allegwi. For many years warfare continued with varying results, but gradually the combined forces gained ground. The Allegwi built large and strong forts which they stubbornly defended, but were sooner or later compelled to abandon. Finally the invaders triumphed and the native tribe fled southward, the Delawares passed on to the sea while the Iroquois remained west of the moun-
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tains. It is said that the Iroquois have a simi- lar legend.
The Indian had no fixed habitation. He might, in his pursuit of game, lose his wigwam, but he never became lost himself. The tribes shifted from place to place, never staying in the same locality any considerable length of time. Of the tribes living in Ohio, the Wyandots were the most peaceful and most highly civilized. The Mohawks, Shawnees and Delawares were numerous and powerful. Senecas, Onanadagos, Congas, Oneidas, Chipewas, Otawas, Tuscara- was and Potawatamies also roamed through the forests of Ohio.
A great injustice has been done by the his- torian, to the American Indian. The bad traits of his character have been carefully preserved and given prominence on account of the cruel- ties inflicted upon the whites by the red men. Their virtues, and they had many, are seldom referred to, and the Indian's environment is never considered. The provocations of Euro- peans should be taken into account. If the early historian had taken as great care in recording the provocations of the whites, and the methods employed by the various jealous European na- tions to incite the savage to violence and cruelty, we would find very often that the motive lay deeply hidden in the recesses of the minds of
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some Europeans. This extreme cruelty very frequently originated with civilized man who was better acquainted with barbarism than the savage himself. When the lessons of peace were taught him by the Moravians, he was peaceful ; when taught by the French court, that he was being robbed of his hunting ground by the Eng- lish settlers, and made drunk by their intoxi- cants, he became ferocious.
The Indians, uninfluenced by any outside causes, were usually peaceful and hospitable. The popular conception of the character of the Indian is based upon a few of his traits, and they, his most ignoble ones. Pretended histories of frontier life, novels and romances, usually give undue prominence to his acts of cruelty and treachery ; he is pictured as a hunter, warrior and vagabond. But few, if any, tribes, spent their entire time in hunting, and none of them spent any considerable time in war. It is true, he roamed about from place to place, but he was a nomad, not a vagabond. He possessed the same faculties that civilized men possess, was influenced by the same passions, and cherished the same hopes of a future life. His only book was nature. And from its varied pages he ab- sorbed its beauty and its eloquence. He pre- ferred a wigwam to a village, and the solitude of the forest to a wigwam. Solitary and alone, he
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HISTORY OF OHIO.
sat upon the trunk of a fallen oak and drank the eloquence and grandeur of nature. A child of nature instead of art, he was ruled by pas- sions rather than by reason. He was always hospitable and would give to strangers the last morsel of food he possessed. As a friend, he was loyal and faithful; as an enemy, cruel and treacherous. To any enemy, under his code of morals, he owed not the slightest duty. With the suave diplomacy of a courtier, he would de- coy his enemy from a place of safety, and when opportunity afforded, crush his skull with a tomahawk or pierce his heart with an arrow. While there were tribal wars, he very seldom engaged in general killings. War was waged to requite tribal and personal injuries, rather than for conquest or avarice.
Many of the tribes that occupied the terri- tory now comprising the state of Ohio, were the remnants of tribes that had been expelled from the territory east of the Alleghanies by the Euro- pean settlers. The conduct of the whites to- wards the Indians had much to do with the con- duct of the Indians towards the whites. The Quakers of Pennsylvania sought and obtained their friendship, and the Quaker garb was a better protection against Indian hostilities than the strongest blockhouse. But as a rule, the whites respected neither the rights nor the
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THE AMERICAN INDIAN.
friendship of the Indians. The Indian was treated as an outlaw, and a continued warfare was kept up along the border settlements. Many of the whites followed Indian hunting as a profession; and hunted him without other cause than the sanguinary ambition to excel their contemporaries in crime in the number of their victims. The life of an Indian was no more respected by the border ruffians, than the life of a wolf or rattlesnake.
The Indian did not understand the proprie- tary right of the whites to the lands of his fath- ers. He knew nothing of land titles. The armies of the whites had killed his chieftains and his kinsmen, and humbled his pride. He was no longer the master of all he surveyed. The sound of the ax and the hum of industry had driven the game from the forests, and was rapidly destroying the forest itself. So the In- dian took up his journey westward, crossed the mountains, and sojourned for a time in the for- ests of Ohio. But he longed for the freedom of the forest and the land of his fathers. Could it be expected that a chief, endowed with the mas- ter mind of a Tecumseh or the matchless elo- quence of a Logan, would sit idly by unmindful of the further encroachments of the extermin- ators of his race? Could it be expected that the warrior who had been accustomed to travel hun-
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dreds of miles to resent an injury, would not re- spond to the call of his chieftain, and engage in what was to him honorable warfare in defense of his family and his hunting grounds?
When the Indian once took the warpath, he made use of all the resources peculiar to his manner of living and life in the forests. The tactics of Indian warfare forbade the offering of battle in the open field. To have tendered battle in the open field would have been fatal to his army and his cause. He avoided a gen- eral engagement as long as possible. He carried on a sort of guerrilla warfare, lay in ambush, and awaited the approach of the enemy, or advanced as stealthily and cautiously as if in pursuit of a herd of deer, upon a detached portion of the enemy in an unguarded moment, and slaugh- tered or routed it, and returned as stealthily as he advanced. When overpowered by superior forces, and flight was impossible, he rarely asked for quarter, and never gave it. He yielded to his fate with the courage and fortitude of a martyr.
In regard to the arts, the Indian was a bar- barian. He clothed himself in the skins of beasts taken in the chase. The style of his cloth- ing in summer was a simple breech-clout, but in winter he wore a robe made from such pelts as he might be able to obtain, fastened together
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THE AMERICAN INDIAN.
with thongs made from the same material, and thrown over the shoulders. He decorated his body with fangs of rattlesnakes, eagles' claws and scalps of neighboring tribes, and orna- mented himself with pieces of copper, silver and gold. He bedecked his head with feathers taken from the eagle and wild turkey, and in times of war, painted his body in all manner of glow- ing colors, in order that he might be able, as he thought, to frighten the enemy with his hideous and demon-like appearance.
His weapons, until supplanted by the more effective ones of civilized man, were the bow and arrow and tomahawk. The bow and arrow, in the hand of the Indian, was an effective weapon, as he could shoot the flint-pointed, fleet- winged arrow entirely through the body of a deer one hundred paces away; and when the white man was his target he directed it with a skill and precision that seldom failed to deliver its sanguine message. In the hand to hand con- flict, the tomahawk was no less efficient, but more brutal. With it the savage crushed the skull of his unfortunate victim, and as the spirit reluctantly fled from the body it had so long in- spired and animated, the dread instrument which a moment before gleamed among the leaves and flashed in the sunlight the horrors of death, per-
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