USA > Ohio > The Revolution on the Upper Ohio, 1775-1777 > Part 2
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7 For the Indian purchase here referred to, see Dunmore's War, p. 5, note 8, also p. 20. Col. John Donelson was born in Maryland about 1726; but he early removed to Pittsylvania County, Va., where he owned iron-mills and was a man of im- portance, representing his county in the Virginia house of burgesses. In 1771 he was employed to survey the Cherokee boundary line. Becoming interested in Western lands, he moved his family (1779-80) to central Tennessee. Descending Tennessee River with a fleet of flat-boats, he joined James Rob- ertson at Nashville, and laid the foundation of that settlement. In 1781 he removed to Kentucky, returning to the Cumberland settlement in 1785. This latter year he visited Virginia, and was employed by Georgia to lay out a town at the Tennessee bend, being killed in the wilderness in the spring of 1786. His daughter Rachel became the wife of President Andrew Jack- son .- ED.
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REVOLUTION ON UPPER OHIO
ment otherwise it is too likely that valuable & exten- sive Territory will be forever lost to Virginia.
It has been said here that your Lordship intended to have those Lands Surveyed and Sold for the Crown at a reasonable Price. If, so, I can think of no step so effectual to settle that Country, as the Vir- ginians at least, & perhaps many of the Carolinians would rather Purchase even at a higher Price from the Crown & be assured of a good Title than run any Risque under the Carolina Company. But as that Company has declared that they will not suffer any Land to be Surveyed below the Kentucky, I am appre- hensive this step could not be taken unless the Busi- ness could be Supported by an armed force ; & how that could be effected. either by the removal of the Garrison or a large part of it from point Pleasant8 to the Falls or by raising a Company for that Purpose your Lordship can best determine.
Should yr Lordship incline to dispose of the Land in this or any other Manner & order it to be laid off in Lotts. I will cheerfully wait for my Fees until money can be raised out of the Sales, & should any unforeseen accident prevent the Sales thereof I am willing to run the Risque without having any charge against your Lordship or the Governt. for that service.
Tho' there are yet Lands to Survey for Officers & Soldiers? I was affraid to Send out any Surveyors this
8 For the garrison at Point Pleasant, left there at the close of the campaign of 1774, see Ibid., pp. 309, 310 .- ED.
9 Preston here refers to the bounty lands granted by Gov. Robert Dinwiddie to the officers and soldiers from Virginia who took part in the French and Indian War (1754-63). After the king's proclamation of 1763, these lands could not
5
MOVEMENT TO KENTUCKY
Spring untill I first acquainted your Lordship there- with & untill I would receive further Instructions, & the rather as I have been informed by Colo Christian10 and others that your Lordship intended to send me Instructions how to proceed in this important Business.
The bearer Capt. Floyd who was out last year as a Surveyor11 can inform your Lordship fully of the Probability of settling that Country as above proposed, & of the Numbers who have already removed, & are about to remove there this Spring in order to plant Corn let the Consequences be what it will.
Upon the whole my Lord it appears to me that the Country will very shortly be inhabited by Numbers of Industrious People who can not be prevented from go- ing there; & it now remains with your Lordship to take such immediate Steps as you may Judge most ex- pedient to encourage those People, to dispose of the Land for the Crown, & to secure to the purchasers proper Titles for the Same
By the last returns Capt Russell had from the Point he informed me that the Flour & Indian Corn there would not last longer than the middle of this Month, upon which Report I conveened several Officers who advised to have some Corn purchased on Clinch &
be surveyed on Ohio waters until after the treaty of Fort Stanwix (1768). Washington was much interested in these claims, and in 1770 visited the upper Ohio on their behalf. em- ploying William Crawford as surveyor. The surveyors from Fincastle County who were down the Ohio in the spring of 1774, were laying out these patents. See Ibid., pp. 1, 7, 22-25, IIO-133 .- ED.
10 For a brief biography of Col. William Christian, see Ibid., pp. 429, 430 .- ED.
11 For John Floyd, and a letter written while surveying in the West, see Ibid., pp. 7-9; consult also pp. 42, 143, 144 .- ED.
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REVOLUTION ON UPPER OHIO
Send it on Horse back to Sandy Creek & from thence to the Fort by Water,12 for an immediate Supply ; but as this will be attended with considerable Expense to the Country I could not venture to advise Capt Russell to purchase more than 75 or 100 Bushells un- till I would inform your Lordship thereof, which I was about to do by Express had I not prevailed on Mr. Floyd to go down, for which reason your Lord- ship will perhaps think proper to Order his Expen- ses to be repaid.
Capt Russell is of opinion that Colo. Stephen would order Some Flour by the way of Fort Dun- more on an application from your Lordship.13 It will be necessary either to send a Supply of Flour down, or have the Company discharged and the stores dis- posed of ; which last would discourage the settling of that Country ; but could part, even fifty men be Sent to the Falls it would certainly answer a good purpose on the present occasion.
Should your Lordship Honour me with any In- structions relative to ordering a Supply of Flour to the Point, or to the Surveying of the Lands on the Ohio I shall take the utmost Pleasure in Obeying them with the greatest Punctuality.
I am Your Lordships most Obt. & very hble Sevt W. P.
12 Clinch River is an upper tributary of the Tennessee, on which a considerable settlement was beginning to spring up. It was contiguous to the headwaters of Sandy River, that affluent of the Ohio River which now forms the boundary line between Kentucky and West Virginia. Sandy was more easily navigated than the Great Kanawha, hence this suggestion with regard to provisioning the fort at Point Pleasant .- ED.
13 For Col. Adam Stephen and Fort Dunmore, see Dunmore's War, p. 191, note 35, and p. 35, note 60 .- ED.
7.
GOVERNOR AND CHIEF
LETTER FOR CORNSTALK
[Edmund Winston to Col. William Preston. 4QQ8-A. L. S.]
BEDFORD March 20th, 1775
Dear Sir-I received only last Week the Favour of your Letter of January the 9th. I happened to get early Information of Capt. Russell's coming in, & pro- cured the Governor's Letter to the Corn Stalk,14 which Colº. Christian has before this I suppose deliv- ered to Captn. Russell. The Letter from his Lord- ship was not so full as I could have wished, for I think it contained not more than twenty Words, how- ever it was all could be got. I wrote to Capt". Russell in Jan'y last recommending my Affair to him, & now send another Letter of which I must trouble you to procure a Conveyance. After all perhaps it will be necessary that I should go out, and I shall be glad of a Line from you advising what it is proper to do on my Part. I am Dr. Sir
Your affectionate
E. WINSTON 15
To Colo. William Preston of Smithfield
14 Russell's absence from Fort Blair, at the mouth of the Great Kanawha, was but temporary. Visitors to Kentucky called on him at his garrison in the early summer. See letter of June 12, post, and Draper MSS., ICC 89. For Cornstalk, the Shawnee chief, see sketch in Dunmore's War, pp. 432, 433 .- ED. 15 Edmund Winston was a son of William, maternal uncle of Patrick Henry. Born in Hanover County about 1745, he inherited a considerable property, and for many years was judge in the Virginia courts. He married first Alice Winston, second Dorothea Dandridge (widow of Patrick Henry), and died upon his estate in Bedford in 1818. His father had in- vestments in Western lands, to which, doubtless, Winston re- fers in this letter .- ED.
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REVOLUTION ON UPPER OHIO
ORDERS FOR THE MILITIA
[Col. William Preston to Col. William Christian. 4QQ14 - A. L., draft in Preston's handwriting.]
Sir-As the Militia Law of 1757 has expired & the Invasion & Insurrection Laws of the same Date will expire in June, Probably before the Assembly can meet to revise those Laws therefor the Militia must now be regulated and Diciplined by the only Law in force for that Purpose I mean that of 1738.16 And as the safety of the Frontier Inhabitants in a great meas- ure depends on a well regulated Militia, It is the Duty of every Officer in Fincastle17 to use his Author- ity and Influence for that Purpose, by making them- selves acquainted with the only Militia Law in Force & as frequently as may be convenient for the People to call private Musters of the Respective Company's and by duely exercising the Soldiers under their Com-
16 The Virginia Assembly, or House of Burgesses, met at Williamsburgh, May 24, 1774. Two days later it was pro- rogued by the governor for passing resolutions of sympathy with the oppressions of Massachusetts. By various proroga- tions, the meeting was postponed until June 1, 1775, when, after a stormy session, the house adjourned never to re- assemble-the authority passing to the convention assembled by the people of the state. The organization of the militia under act of 1738 was recommended by the Virginia conven- tion which met at Richmond, March 20-27, and it was doubt- less in obedience to this request that Preston issued these orders. See also Force, American Archives, 4th series, ii, p. 169 .- ED.
17 Fincastle County, embracing all southwestern Virginia and Kentucky, had but a brief existence. Formed out of Botetourt in 1772, it was in 1776 superseded by the three coun- ties of Montgomery, Washington, and Kentucky. While it existed, Col. William Preston was county-lieutenant, and Col. William Christian colonel of its militia regiment .- ED.
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ORDERS FOR MILITIA
mand, as also to see that they are provided with Arms & Ammunition as that Law directs ; or as nearly so as they Possibly can. Should any Officers have neg- lected to Quallify into their Commissions it is neces- sary they should take the first Opportunity to do so.
And as a general Muster will be held some time in Sepr. or Oct". next of which Notice will be given. The Officers are to keep Just Returns of the Delinquent in their Companies, that they may be enabled to make a due report thereof on Oath to the Court Martial, that such Delinquents may be fined according to the Sd. Law.
I would request you to give Instructions to all the Captains in this County agreeable to the above & ear- nestly Exhort them to a punctual Discharge of their Duty, especially as the Savages have lately committed some Murders on the People about to Settle to the Westward18 & we don't know how soon they may fall upon the Inhabitants. I am Sir yr hble Servt.
W. P.
29th Ap 1775 To Col. Christian
May Ist. 1775
18 This refers to the attack upon Boone's men, who were cutting a road to Kentucky; see note 4, ante. Early on the morning of March 25, 1775, a party of Indians crept up to their camp, fired upon the sleeping men, and killed Capt. Wil- liam Twitty and his negro, besides wounding Felix Walker. Two days later, the same band killed in the near neighborhood two men from the party of Samuel Tate. See Draper MSS., 3B .- ED.
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REVOLUTION ON UPPER OHIO
VIRGINIA HEARS OF LEXINGTON AND CONCORD
[Rev. John Brown 19 to Col. William Preston. 4QQ15- A. L. S.]
Dr Sr-I look upon myself indespenciblly obligated to return you thanks for your two Epistles & have no other way to demonstrate it but by as speedy an An- swer as I possibly can, therefore I sit down to tell first the proceedings of the Presbry relative to the semenary for the Education of youth.20 ** * * 21
What a Buzzel is amongst People about Ken- tuck? to hear people speak of it one Would think it was a new found Paradise; & I doubt not if it is such a place as represented but ministers will have thin congregations, but why need I fear that? Min- isters are moveable goods as well as others & stand in need of good land as any do, for they are bad Farmers.
* -X * 21
19 For a sketch of Rev. John Brown see Dunmore's War, p. 27, note 42 .- ED.
20 This was first called Augusta Academy, which was opened for students in May, 1776. Three years later it was removed to Lexington, and rechristened Liberty Hall. In 1782 the in- stitution was incorporated. Its work drew the attention of Washington, who in 1796 gave a considerable donation to this Western seminary, whereupon the trustees changed the name to Washington Academy. Later, it became Washington Uni- versity, and upon the death (1871) of Robert E. Lee, who had served as its president, received the present name of Wash- ington and Lee University. A subscription paper for starting this academy is found in Draper MSS., 7ZZ7 .- ED.
21 The omitted portion gives the names of those appointed to solicit subscriptions, and the prospects of success, of which latter Brown was not very sanguine .- ED.
22 Here the original deals with family affairs, and the desire of Rev. James Waddell to acquire by purchase the estate of Springhill .- ED.
II
NEWS FROM BOSTON
This very moment Boston's News Struck my Ears & affects my Heart, tho' it is but what I expected we live in a terrible world (terrible indeed) when men of the same Nation make a merit of sheding one anothers Blood. I have not seen the express; but as I am informed that the Kings army in a Town some distance from Boston killed 6 of the inhabitants & wounded severals, for which reason the N. England men rose to the number of 4000 & surrounded 1200 upon a hill & killed 150 at the expense of 50 of their men perhaps you have the account more perfect than I.28 3 ships of the line with 4 Companies of marines are come to Virginia to keep us in Order. it is said they have taken the magazine in W :burg2 I think it is time for the Continent to do something for the deffense of Life and Liberty. I am no polotition yet I can see that we are in no posture for deffense, were we independent of England & laws military and civil,
23 The news of the battle of Lexington and Concord reached Virginia the last of April, and was published in the Virginia Gazette of the twenty-ninth of that month. It is interesting to note that in less than six days it had crossed the Blue Ridge and was known to the dwellers in the Shenandoah Val- ley, and that it was thought to have spread as far as Preston's home at Draper's Meadows, near Blacksburg, in present Mont- gomery County, on waters draining into the Ohio .- ED.
24 April 20, Governor Dunmore ordered the captain of the "Magdalen," lying at anchor in the James, to carry off twenty kegs of powder from the public magazine in Williamsburgh, and place it on board the vessel. This alarmed the Virginia patriots, and at the time Brown was writing this letter, Pat- rick Henry at the head of the Hanover County militia was ad- vancing upon the capital. An armed collision at this time was prevented, and the king's officers prevailed upon to pay the value of the powder to the patriot leaders. During his alarm over this affair, Dunmore armed the Indian hostages who had the previous autumn been brought in from the Shawnee town .- ED.
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REVOLUTION ON UPPER OHIO
money struck to support an army, it wou'd not (I am apprehensive, be easy to subdue us or Make us Slaves as is intended. As far as I am acquainted I find the spirit of resentment increased among the people, but what can they do? They are like sheep in the Wild- erness without a head. May the Good Lord who can bring order out of confusion order all things for his own Glory & protect his Church & people in america from all ill designing men is the earnest Prayer of Dr. Brother your's
May 5th 1775
JOHN BROWN
P. S. Wou'd not £50 pr 100 [acres] be sufficient price for Spring Hill Plantation which I am apprehen- sive Mr. Waddell25 woud be willing to give.
Colo. William Preston in Smithfield, Fincastle County.
GARRISON AT POINT PLEASANT
[Capt. William Russell to Col. William Fleming.26 4QQ19 A. L.]
FORT BLAIR June 12th 1775 Dear Majr .- I Recd. your welcome Letter by Thomas Tays ; which, be assure'd, in this remote De-
25 Rev. James Waddell, afterwards famous as the "blind preacher." and described by William Wirt, in Letters of the British Spy (N. Y., 1832), pp. 195-205, was born in 1739 either in Ireland or on the sea. Educated under Dr. Samuel Finley, he was licensed to preach in 1761. First residing in Lancaster County, Virginia, he removed to the upper country about the date of this letter. He served the Tinkling Spring congrega- tion until 1783, when he removed to Louisa County, where he died in IS05. The estate of Springhill, of which he purchased 1300 acres for £1.000, was part of the original estate of Col. James Patton, for whom Preston was executor .- ED.
26 For Fleming, see Dunmore's War, pp. 428, 429 .- ED.
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AT POINT PLEASANT
partment, contributed more than a little to my Satis- faction.
I had some Days before the Receipt of yours, been favour'd with the shocking Acct. of three Battles be- ing fought near the City of Boston, between the Brit- tish Troops, and Americans; tho', must acknowledge my great joy, in our victories obtained over the Ene- mies Tyranic Pride.
The unheard of Acts of Barbarity, committed by the Brittish Troops, will doubtless stir up every lover of his Country, to be Zealous, and forward in it's de- fence, to support our Liberty ; tho', I doubt not, but many sychophants to Brittains Interest, will now ap- pear Patriots ;- as long as our Arms prove Victor- ious ; but, should ever our present success change, and in ever so small a manner, be Sully'd, you'l find Traytors enough prick up their Ears, and in a Pro- fetic language, display their presuggested knoledge of Events. I have, as long as in my power, procrastin- ated our departure from this Garison, expecting that ere now, we should Receive some Orders from the Convention, that might countermand the Governors Letter to me,27 but as none such have yet come to hand, I am this Morning preparing to start off our Cattle up Sandy, and expect, that Commd. will leave this Wensday, or thursday at farthest, and shall Decamp
27 The Virginia convention which met at Richmond, March 20-27. 1775, provided for embodying the militia of the state (see Preston's orders, ante, pp. 8, 9), but not the garrisons of the frontier forts. By one of his last executive acts, the gov- ernor ordered the garrisons at Fort Dunmore (Pitt), Fort Fincastle (Wheeling), and Fort Blair (Point Pleasant) dis- banded, and the stockades evacuated. See Amer. Archives, 4th series, ii, p. 1189 .- ED.
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REVOLUTION ON UPPER OHIO
myselfe with a Convoy to the other stores next Mon- day, and expect to overtake the Stock, at the big painted Lick28 about sixty Miles up Sandy.
I expect you have hear'd of Colº. Preston's Orders, to Maj". Engles29 to take possession of the Cattle, and Horses in my care at this Garison ; but, as I found not a word, in his Lordship's Orders to me, Similar to the Colonels pretended authority, I took the oppinion of my officers, who judged it most to the Interest of the Country, that I should keep together the Stock and Stores, and Convoy them into the Settlement, and dispose of them myselfe, unless contra Orders come to me from the Convention. I am in a singular man- ner obliged to you, for your Advice in the disposal of the Beves, and horses, I have on hand of the Coun- try's ; and as your oppinion corroberates with our Reso- lutions, I trust all things will go right, and will I hope, at least open the Eyes of the designing Colo. to see his folly, in aiming to make use of me as a Tool, in any one [Ms torn] his unfair Intentions. The Gari- son we intend to let remain, as I think the distruc- tion of it at this time might prove Injurious to the Country.
The Corn Stalk left me, last thursday; and in the space of four Days [conve]rsation, I discovered that it is the Intention of the Pick Tribe of Indians [to be troublesome to our new Settlements whenever they
28 Probably where Paintsville, Johnson County, Ky., now stands, at the junction of Paint Creek with the Levisa fork of Sandy River .- ED.
2º For a brief sketch of Col. William Ingles, who acted in Dunmore's War as commissary, with the rank of major, see Dunmore's War, p. 101, note 46 .- ED.
.
15
AT POINT PLEASANT
can; and he further assured me, that the Mingoes 30 behave in a very unbecoming manner Frequently up- braiding the Shawances, in cowardly making the Peace; & call them big knife People; that the Corn Stalk can't well account for their Intentions. if this be true, and a rupture between England and America has really commenced, we shall certainly Receive Trouble at the hands of those People in a short Time, as they got the news of the Battles in the Shawanee Towns, eight, or ten days before the Corn Stalk came here; Tho' I am confident, the Shawanees will always be our Friends. The Corn Stalk brought me two of the Horses taken by that party of Cherrokees ; who, murdered the People on Kentucke in March. The Shawanese took the Rascal, who had them; but, he made his escape from them, it is supposed he is re- turn'd to the Cherokee Nation. It appears to have
30 The Pick tribe were a division of the Shawnee, who lived in the neighborhood of the modern Piqua, Ohio. The name is doubtless taken from Pickawillany, where a branch of the Miami, led by La Demoiselle (or Old Britain), settled in 1748 in order to make a treaty with the English. Gist and Croghan visited this town in 1750, finding there a number of British Indian traders. Two years later a force of French and In- dians, under the command of Charles Langlade of Wisconsin, fell upon this village, destroyed it, and burned its chief. After the French and Indian War, the Miami withdrew to the Northwest, being succeeded by the Shawnee. Their chief town, known as Piqua, was two and a half miles north of the present Piqua, on the west bank of the Great Miami, south of the entrance of Loramie's Creek. This and adjacent villages (collectively called Piqua) were especially hostile to the whites during the Revolution, being twice raided by George Rogers Clark, in 1780 and again in 1782.
For the Mingo see Dunmore's War, p. 28, note 47. They were irreconcilables in the war of 1774, and refused to make peace with Dunmore until he sent a force to raid their town. See Ibid., p. 303, note 17 .- ED.
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REVOLUTION ON UPPER OHIO
been the Pics, that fired on Boones Camp when the two Men were kill'd, out of his Party.31 I had re- solved when I left home to go from this Place to Ken- tucke ; and especially since I Recd. my other Warrant ; but hearing of the troublesome Times, in the Country, I am greatly purplex'd in mind, to hear more cer- tain acct. how affairs are likely to go in Virginia; nor can I fall upon any method, to save the Stores so ef- fectual, from the danger of the Indians, as to bring them into the Settlements; and after seeing Colo. Christian and your selfe, I hope to be satisfy'd in the present Times.
I have wrote several Letters to Colo. Henderson, since I returnd to this Post, and have had it in my power, to calm the Minds of several Compys. who, have gone down this River, so that I hope, the new Country about Kentucke will Settle quickly: I have also Wrote Majr. Connelly,32 so that I wood fain hope, our wishes, and endeavours may prove effectual, to the speedy Settling that Country.
I have heard the Convention is to meet some Time this Month; and have wrote to Inform Colo. Chris- tian,33 respecting the present Temper, of the neigh- boring Tribes of Indians, to the Shawanees; which, I think is really necessary, the Convention should be made acquainted with, that they may judge accord-
31 See ante, p. 9, note 18 .- ED.
82 For Dr. John Connolly see Dunmore's War, p. 42, note 77. Evidently Russell was not vet informed of Connolly's plans to side with the English and attack the American fron- tier-see post .- ED.
33 The convention met again July 17, Col. William Christian representing Fincastle County .- ED.
17
AT FORT PITT -
ingly ; and as your Letter to me got brook open on new River, his may also, and probably miscarry ; there- fore, I think it best to send off Henry Boyer,34 and Geo. Oxen as an express, one with this Letter to you, and the other is to let my Family know of my coming, and withall to have some Horses taken out to Sandy, to carry in the Stores upon. If Colº. Christian should be down the Country, and any opportunity offers, pre [MS torn] to dispatch my Letter, sent to him, by Mr. Engles last Week [MS. torn] this may find you, and Lady, and little Son in Health;35 and that the Al- mighty may comfort, and protect you in the present troubles, is the harty wish of yours most Affection- ately.
[WILLIAM RUSSELL]
[To Col. William Fleming]
AFFAIRS AT FORT PITT
[Summary of printed documents concerning movements at Fort Pitt and vicinity, during the spring and summer of 1775.]
Upon the retirement of Lord Dunmore (November, 1774), from his military expedition into the Indian country, he left a garrison of seventy-five men in Fort
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