USA > Ohio > History of the Upper Ohio Valley, with family history and biographical sketches, a statement of its resources, industrial growth and commercial advantages, Vol. I > Part 16
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 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92
General Broadhead, knowing that these two Indians would endeavor to give immediate notice of the approach of the army, ordered a rapid march, in order to reach the town before them, and take it by surprise. This was done in the midst of a heavy fall of rain, and the plan succeeded. The army reached the place in three divisions, the right and left wings approached the river a little above and below the town, while the center marched directly upon it. The whole number of the Indians in the village, on the east side of the river, together with ten or twelve from a little village some distance above, were made prisoners, without firing a single shot. The river having risen to a great height, owing to the recent fall of rain, the army could not cross it. Owing to this, the villages on the west side of the river es- caped destruction. Among the prisoners, sixteen warriors were pointed out by Pe Killon, a friendly Delaware chief, who was with the army of Gen. Broadhead. A little after dark a council of war was held, to determine on the fate of the warriors. They were doomed to death. They were then bound, taken a little distance below the town, dispatched with tomahawks and spears, and scalped.
Early the next morning an Indian presented himself on the oppo- site bank of the river and asked for the " Big Captain." Gen. Broad- head presented himself and asked the Indian what he wanted? The Indian replied, "I want peace." "Send over some of your chiefs," said Broadhead. " May be you kill." He was answered, " they shall not be killed." One of the chiefs, a well looking man, came over the river and entered into conversation with Gen. Broadhead in the street; but while engaged in conversation, a man belonging to the army, in a cowardly manner came up behind him, with a tomahawk > concealed in the bosom of his hunting shirt, and struck him a blow on the back of his head. He fell and instantly expired. The name. of the man who committed this dastardly deed was John Wetzel.
* Heckewelder's Narr., p. 214.
9-A.
t Ibid., p. 215.
130
HISTORY OF THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY. .
About mid-day the army commenced its retreat from Coshocton. Gen. Broadhead committed the care of the prisoners to the militia. They were about twenty in number. After marching about a mile the men commenced killing them, and did not cease until the whole were murdered and scalped, except a few women and children, who were spared and taken to Fort Pitt.
Although we have in a preceding portion of this history briefly ad- verted to the massacre of the Moravian Indians in the month of March, 1782, yet we feel called upon to give a more detailed account in a succinct form, of that unfortunate occurrence, which is a stigma on those who perpetrated it, and will forever remain a blemish on the courage and humanity of brave men. This wicked and miserable episode is known as:
Williamson's Campaign .- In 1769, the " Praying Indians," as they were called, upon the Delaware river, had removed and commenced three settlements upon the Muskingum river, which they called Guadenhutten, Schoenbraun and Salem. They were under the min- isterial charge of the Moravians, and more particularly of the Rev. John Heckewelder, Michael Jung and David Zeisberger. Here they hoped to live in peace and quiet undisturbed. by the temptations of white settlements and the bloody conflicts which raged along the borders. They were partially civilized, cultivating the soil and re- ceiving education and religion. Their towns were situated in the southern portion of Tuscarawas county, Ohio, and had become places of some consequence. They had several hundred acres of corn on the river bottoms, 200 head of cattle and 400 head of hogs. As some of the Delaware nation were unfriendly to the government of the United States, and the whites supposed many more to be so than were in reality, the frontiersmen indulged in a strong dislike to the Christian Indians who were Delawares. Many persons thought or pretended to think, that, although the Christian Delawares had renounced theft and war, they still did not scruple to carry information to those who had not. On the other hand, the Wyandots, mortal enemies of the whites, and at open and secret war against them, suspected the Moravian Indians of being in communication with the white citizens, and even with the military of the United States.
The British officers at Detroit made application to the Six Nations in the year 1781, to cause them to be removed. The matter was con- sidered in a council at Niagara, at which the Iroquois evaded the question by authorizing the Ottawas and Chippewas to kill them, in a figurative message which reads thus: "We herewith make you a present of the Christian Indians, to make soup of." But both the Chippewas and the Ottawas refused the present, and returned the fol- lowing speech: "We have no cause for doing this."
As early as 1781, the Wyandots under a noted chief called Half King, arrived at the Moravian towns, with 200 warriors on their way against the Virginians, and threatened these peaceable Indians with destruction.
131
HISTORY OF THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY.
According to the statement of Mr. Doddridge, in his History of the Indian Wars, the Christian Delawares were really friendly to the whites, and gave them timely notice of the approach of the inimical tribes. Those expatriated whites, Girty, McKee and Elliott, who now held commissions in the British service, and swayed as with an hereditary authority the movements of the Wyandot tribe, longed for the blood of these peaceable Indian settlers. Half King and Capt. Pipe were of the same mind. In this condition of things the Six Nations sent the message, which the Ottawas and Chippewas had refused to execute, to the Wyandots, who were in a very different state of feeling with regard to the Delawares. They did not, how- ever, give it a literal fulfillment, but forcibly removed the Moravians, from their towns and their property into their own country on the Sandusky. While Capt. Pipe and his savage troops were prosecuting the removal, a courageous squaw stole one of his horses and rode it from the Muskingum to Fort Pitt, in order to inform the garrison of the doings of the Wyandots. The Indian woman was a relative of Glickhikan, the sachem of the Moravian band of the Delawares, and this daring act very nearly cost him his life. He was taken to San- dusky with the tribe, and their dear missionaries were compelled to accompany them. Considering the geographical position of these unfortunate Indians, situated between the contending forces of the British, British Indians and the Americans, it is by no means strange that they should have been suspected by both parties, and therefore a prey to both.
These inoffensive and unprotected Christians arrived at the Wyan- dot villages about the middle of October, 1781, accompanied by their children and women, all of them in destitution of body and sorrow of heart. During the winter of 1781-2 their missionaries were separated from them and sent prisoners to Detroit. Not only the mission- aries, but the people, were treated with severity. The British finally released their preachers and suffered them to return, expressing their disapprobation of the proceedings. Half King, who had already in- terfered to save Glickhikan, threw all blame on the head of Girty and his white confederates, whom he upbraided with vehemence and indig- nation in a public speech.
The suspicions entertained against them by the whites had been of several years' standing. Immediately after Dunmore's expedition, the people inhabiting the exposed frontiers of Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Kentucky, regarded the position of these Indians as favorable in a military view to their red enemies, the Shawnees, Delawares, and especially the Wyandots. Their villages on the Muskingum lay di- rectly on the war-path of the Northwestern Indians, and the corn which they raised necessarily afforded sustenance to the warrior on his way to the settlements. So, on his return, he probably rested himself in the Moravian cabins, ate their food and perhaps exchanged a portion of his plunder. They showed the same hospitality to trad- ers, and in case a party of whites had passed that way, would un- doubtedly have shown them equal kindness. Weak, peaceable, and
I32
HISTORY OF THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY.
opposed to contention, they could do no otherwise than to succor all who came to their villages.
In the fall of 1781 this feeling of dissatisfaction had become so strong that a party of men, chiefly from the Monongahela, under the command of Col. Williamson, marched to their towns determined that they should remove from the Muskingum. When Williamson arrived at Guadenhutten as we have related, had previously been there with an armed force for the same purpose, and had succeeded in their object. A few persons were still at the Moravion towns, who had been stripped of their property by the Wyandots, and that branch of the Delawares at enmity with the whites. They were taken and carried as prisoners to Pittsburgh, where they remained during the winter.
On the 8th of February, 1782, Henry Fink and his son John, were assaulted by the Indians at the Buchanan settlement, where John was killed. In the latter part of the same month, William Wallace, who lived above Wheeling on the Ohio, with his wife and five chil- dren, were killed, and John Carpenter was made prisoner. This was was probably the work of a party of Wyandotts, but was charged upon the Moravian Indians or persons whom they sustained and har- bored. Several murders and arrests had taken place on Buffalo creek, late in the fall or early in the winter, and for all these acts, the Christian Indians were held responsible. In fact, a prisoner who was escaped is said to have charged the affair on Buffalo creek upon them directly. Finally, on the night after the prisoners taken by William- son and his men in the fall, were released from Fort Pitt, the family of Mr. Monteurs were all killed or made prisoners in the settlement adjacent to the fort. The people no longer hesitated to undertake the work of revenge; and early in March an irregular force collected on the Ohio at the Mingo Bottoms of about 100 men. Their con- fessed object was to capture and remove the Christian Delawares and destroy their fields and houses. Many of them, however, enter- tained a deadly hostility within their bosoms. They moved on with rapidity, and on the morning of the 7th of March arrived within a mile of Guadenhutten, which lay upon both banks of the river.
Unfortunately it so happened that, although the villages had been uninhabited all the winter, at this moment about 150 of the Moravians were there. In the severity of the season, among their red captors, they had suffered severely for want of corn, while large quantities still remained in their old fields, on the Muskingum. They had been permitted to make a temporary visit to their once happy homes for the purpose of gathering a supply of food. They were engaged in the fields when the whites arrived. The latter deferred the attack on that portion of the village on the eastern shore until one-half the men had crossed the other side. As the river was high and contained floating ice, it was with difficulty they were enabled to make the pass- age. A young man by the name of Slaughter, seeing a small canoe on the west shore, swam across and brought it back with him, but it proved to be only a large sap-trough, which would carry but two men
I33
HISTORY OF THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY.
at a time. They concluded at once to place their clothes, ammuni- tion, etc., in the trough and swim the river without delay. This was soon accomplished, and they stole unseen by the Indians upon the western bank. Both parties extended around the town, enclosing it within their lines.
Another account* of this affair states that in the morning the men were divided into equal parties, one of which was to cross the river about a mile above the town. The other party was divided into three divisions, one of which was to take a circuit in the woods, and reach the river a little distance below the town on the east side; another di- vision was to fall into the middle of the town, and a third was to enter at its upper end. When sixteen of the party, designed to make the attack, had crossed the river, their two sentinels discovered an Indian whose name was Shabosh. One of them broke one of his arms by a shot; the other sentinel then fired and killed him. These heroes then scalped and tomahawked him. Fearing that the firing of the guns which killed Shabosh would lead to an instant discovery,.they sent word to the party designed to attack the town to move on instantly, which they did. In the meantime the small party, which had crossed the river, marched to the main town on the west side. Here they found a large company of Christian Indians gathering the corn which they had left in their fields the preceding fall, when driven away by the British Indians to Sandusky. On the arrival of the murderers at the town, they professed peace and good will to the Christian Indians, and informed them that they had come to take them to Fort Pitt for their safety. The Christian Indians, not doubting their sincerity in the least, walked up to them, and thanked them for being so kind, de- livered up their arms and appeared to be highly delighted with the prospect of their removal, and began with all speed to prepare vict- uals for the white men, and for themselves on their journey.
To resume our account taken from the American Pioncer: - "The other party, in surrounding the eastern village, saw a woman skulking through the brush, who was shot also, and proved to be the wife of the Indian-Shabosh-who had been killed on the west side of the stream. A few were killed in passing the river, but the remainder offered no resistance. The people at Guadenhutten being thus se- cured and without arms of which they had been deceitfully deprived, and which, had they been in possession of, they could not conscien- tiously and probably would not have attempted to resort to them for defense. They were then collected in two log houses and made pris- oners. A party was despatched to Schoenbrunn and Salem to prac- tice the same deception with similar success. A boy, who had witnessed the imprisonment at the latter place, escaped to Schoenbrunn and saved those at that place from a horrible fate. The half savage troops now avowed their determination to despatch every Indian in their power. A portion, however, opposed the act with tears and remon- strances, but an officer having no more influence than a man, the mat-
* Early History of the West, pp. 204-5.
-
I34
HISTORY OF THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY.
ter was referred to a vote of the mass. When Colonel Williamson requested those who were in favor of life to step to the front, only sixteen moved from the ranks, and the doom of the wretched Mora- vians was fixed. They were ordered to prepare for death. That por- tion of the company who were determined upon blood, impatient for the butchery, rushed in among them as they knelt in prayer and sup- plications of forgiveness from heaven for their transgressions. From the time they were placed in the guard house they foresaw their fate, and begun their devotions of singing hymns, praying and exhorting each other to place a firm reliance in the mercy of the Savior of men. On being accused of aiding the hostile Indians they declared their in- nocence. They were told that they had the property of the white people in their possession. They were prepared to render a satisfac- tory account of every article-where or from what trader they had purchased it. But the number of horses and other property which the Christian Indians possessed was an object with these murderers who concluded that, 'when they killed the Indians the country would be theirs; and the sooner this was done the better.' When the poor creatures were told that they must die, finding that all entreaties for the preservation of their lives were of no avoil, they united in beseech- ing a short respite that they might prepare themselves for death, which request was at length granted. During the time of their devotions their murderers were consulting on the manner in which they should put them to death. Some were for setting fire to the houses they were in and burning them alive, others wanted to take their scalps home with them as a signal of victory; while others remonstrated against either of these plans, declaring that they never would be guilty of murdering a people whose innocence was so satisfactorily evinced; and these proposed to set them at liberty, or, if they would not do that, at least to take them as prisoners and deliver them up to the proper authority; but, finding that they could not prevail on these monsters to spare their lives, they wrung their hands, and calling God to wit- ness that they were innocent of the blood of these harmless Christian Indians, they withdrew to some distance from the scene of bloodshed.
" While they were engaged in these pious duties the murderers, im- patient to make a beginning, came to them, as we have already stated, and inquiring whether they were ready to die; they answered in the affirmative, adding, 'That they had commended their immor- tal souls to God, Who had given them the assurance in their hearts that He would receive their souls.' While the prayer was still breathing from their lips and the hymn of praise was still lingering on their tongues, one blood-thirsty villain took up a cooper's mallet, saying, ' How exactly this will do for the business,' and continued knocking down one after another, until he had counted fourteen that he had killed with his own hands. Handing the instrument of death to one of his fellow murderers, he said: 'My arm fails me! Go on in the same way! I think I have done pretty well!'
"In another house, where mostly women and children were con- fined, Judith, a remarkably pious, aged widow, was the first victim.
*
.
I35
HISTORY OF THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY.
Christina, who had formerly lived with the sisters, in Bethlehem, Penn., and spoke English and German equally well, fell on her knees and begged for life in vain. Only two lads escaped, each between fifteen and sixteen years of age - one hiding himself in the cellar of the house where the women and children were murdered, beheld the blood run in streams into the cellar, and waiting until night, escaped through a window. The other, receiving but one blow, and not being scalped, recovered his senses; but seeing the murderers return and kill a, man by the name of Abel, who was endeavoring to raise him- self up, he lay still until evening when, the doors being open, he es- caped into the woods.
" While we write these lines the very blood boils within our veins at the bare recital of this infamous deed. Its particulars are too hor- rid to relate. In addition to what is narrated, it is sufficient to say that in a few minutes these two slaughter-houses, as they were called, exhibited in their ghastly interior the mangled, bleeding remains of these poor unfortunate people, of all ages and sexes, from the aged, grey-headed parents, down to the helpless infant clinging to its mother's breast, dishonored by the fatal wounds of the tomahawk, mallet, war-club, spear and scalping knife. The number of the slain was ninety-six; forty-three men, twenty-one women and thirty-four children.
" The Indians in the upper-town Schoenbrunn, ten miles further up the river, were apprized of their danger, and providentially made their escape just in time to avoid the fate of their brethren below. A new division of the members arrived at Shoenbrunn just after the Indians left, but finding the place deserted, took what plunder they could find, and returned to their companions. After the work of death was finished and the plunder secured, all the buildings in the town were set on fire, and the slaughter houses among the rest. The dead bodies were thus consumed in ashes. They then returned to the settlements, and proceeded to Pittsburgh, where, on the op- posite side of the Ohio river, they attacked the camps of the peace- able Delaware chiefs, with a number of friendly families, all under the protection of the government; killed a number, and among them a promising young chief, and went off. Fortunately the chief Gillel- mund and others, saved their lives by taking to the river, and reach- ing the town.'
There have been some who have attempted to act as apologists for those who were engaged in this horrid affair, but their efforts to pal- liate the enormity of this tragedy have only resulted in adding con- demnation instead of excuse. Would that the mantle of charity was broad enough to mitigate the just judgment of humanity in reference to this outrage; but, alas, truth compels the sad conclusion in all fair and impartial minds that it was murder most foul, unprovoked and audacious.
The massacre of the Moravian Indians was foreseen and recog- nized by the settlers on the frontier as initiatory of a fearful and avenging warfare, as the indignant Delawares, Shawnees and Wy-
-
136
HISTORY OF THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY.
andots would surely find vent for their fury in visiting condign pun- ishment upon the settlements by way of retaliation. And this proved to be only too true. The savages soon broke loose upon the frontier, visiting it with massacre, fire, plundering and captivity.
All of the settlements in the upper Ohio valley were in a state of continued alarm, and most of the settlers had abandoned their homes and gone into the forts for protection. During the day they worked their small clearings while sentinels stood guard to watch against a sudden surprise from the savages, carrying their guns with them to the fields, where they were stacked for use in case of an emergency which might occur at any moment.
Gen. Irvine was appointed to the command of the western military department in September, 1781. Soon after his arrival at Fort Pitt, having made himself acquainted with the prevailing state of af- fairs, he addressed a letter to Col. Shepherd, of Ohio county, calling a convention of the county commandants and the officers of militia to consult as to the best means to be adopted for the defense of the frontier. After a full and free discussion had been indul sed in a plan was adopted by which the militia was to patrol the east side of the Ohio from Pitts- burgh to Wheeling and take every precaution to prevent the incur- sions of the Indians. To the extent proposed this was a wise plan. But along a frontier of such length a limited number of militiamen could not effectually guard against their inroads, for in spite of all their vigilance, roving bands would watch their opportunity to cross the river, which they did, and suddenly accomplished the object of their visitation, and then hastily retreated to the western side.
Under these circumstances a general sentiment prevailed among those on the border to the effect that the most efficacious manner in which to secure safety, was by carrying the war into the enemy's coun- try. Hence a meeting of the settlers was called, which was held at Wheeling, one of the objects of which was to further this scheme. It received the approval of Gen. Irvine, and after due deliberation it was determined that a force should be raised to march to Sandusky and destroy the Wyandot towns, and that the place of rendezvous should be at Mingo Bottoms. This expedition was composed wholly of volunteers.
The day which had been appointed for their gathering was the 20th of May, but it was several days after this before the completed force arrived. The men who collected here were from the upper portion of Virginia bordering on the Ohio river, and from Westmoreland and Washington counties, Penn. Col. William Crawford, of Westmore- land county, was elected commander, and Col. Williamson, second in command. Dr. John Knight was appointed surgeon, and Jonathan Zane and John Slover, guides.
The little army began its march on the 25th day of May, 1782, in four columns in the straightest line for Sandusky, distant 150 miles. They numbered nearly 500 men, and each man owned his own horse, equipments and clothing. We have the authority of Doddridge for
137
HISTORY OF THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY.
saying that Col. Crawford did not seek the position in which he was placed and when notified of his election it is said that he accepted it with apparent reluctance. 'Crawford was the friend and agent of Washington. He received from Washington a colonel's commission in the revolution, as a reward for his efforts and energy in behalf of the cause of his country at the very commencement of the revolution.
The army followed along the trail which had been traced by Will- iamson at the time he marched against the Moravian Indians. One of their encampments was at one of the Moravion towns which had been burned and plundered by Williamson's forces. In the fields they still found plenty of corn hanging on the stalks, with which they fed their horses during the night they encamped there. Shortly after their arrival, three men who had walked out of the camp in com- pany discovered two Indians. The three fired at one of them, but their shots proved to be harmless and the Indians made good their escape.
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.