History of Davidson County, Tennessee, with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 6

Author: Clayton, W. W. (W. Woodford)
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Philadelphia, J.W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1013

USA > Tennessee > Davidson County > History of Davidson County, Tennessee, with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 6

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The following account of an adventure with the Indians while gathering Col. Donelson's corn at Clover-Bottom in the fall of 1780 is taken from Putnam's " History of Mid- dle Tennessee" :

" The company from the Bluffs was under the command of Abel Gower. He had with him his son, Abel Gower, Jr., John Randolph Robertson, a relative of Col. Robert- son, and several others, white and black, seven or eight in all. The party from Mansker's Station was under the di- rection of Capt. John Donelson, second son of Col. John Donelson. He was a young man of about six and twenty years of age. Robert Cartwright, an aged gentleman, was also in the company. . . .

" The parties having ascended Stone's River and fas- tened their boats to the bank (between the present turnpike- bridge and the small island a few yards below), commenced gathering the corn, packing it in baskets and sacks and transferring it by means of a 'slide' to the boats. Capt. Donelson had brought a horse for the purpose of dragging the rudely-constructed ' slide,' as also to use in towing boats up the stream. They were encamped for several days and nights upon the ground. During each night their dogs kept up an almost incessant barking. They had with them more dogs than men. Some of the party had suggested that the dogs scented or discovered Indians in the surrounding woods and cane. But the prevailing opinion was that as there was much fresh meat at the camp and offal left in the woods where buffalo had been killed, the wolves were attracted thereby, and the dogs were barking at these wild beasts. During the last night of their continuance at the place the

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HISTORY OF DAVIDSON COUNTY, TENNESSEE.

dogs rushed furiously in every direction around the camp, as if actually mad, making the woods ring and ccho with their barking.

" In the morning they made no examination for Indian signs, but hastened the completion of their loads and prepa- rations for departure. Very early Capt. Donelson pushed his boat across the river and began to gather the bolls of cotton and deposit them in heaps upon the corn in his boat. It was thought this would cause but a short delay. But when Capt. Gower's party had finished their breakfast they became impatient to start. Donelson had expected Gower's boat also to cross the river, and his people to share in the crop of cotton.

" Great was the surprise of Capt. Donelson and Mr. Cart- wright to discover Gower's boat passing down the stream instead of coming across. Capt. Donelson stepped to the bank of the river, hailed them, and asked if they were coming over or going to leave them behind. Gower re- plied, ' We are not coming over ; it is getting late in the day. We wish to reach the Bluffs before night. I think there is no danger.' Capt. Donelson remonstrated, but added, ' If you can risk it, so can we; we will first gather the cotton.' By this time, and while they were yet con- versing, Capt. Gower's boat had drifted into the head of the narrow island shute, when the Indians, who were in ambush on the south side (supposed to be several hundred in num- ber), opened a desperate fire upon the men in Gower's boat. Capt. Donelson saw the attack plainly. He immediately ran down to his own boat and secured the rifle and shot-bag. Upon rising the bank he saw the Indians in pursuit of sev- eral men who had jumped from the boat at the first fire. The water did not exceed three or four feet in depth.

" He also discovered a large party of Indians making their way up the river-bank to a point opposite his boat. There, however, the river was too deep to be forded. Upon that party Capt. Donelson fired, and then endeavored to join his own party. They had all fled into the cane upon hearing the guns fired and the yells of the savages. It was with considerable difficulty he was enabled to rejoin his friends. The horse was given to Mr. Cartwright, who otherwise could not have escaped, being aged and infirm. Some of the party of Capt. Gower were killed at the first fire, others were overtaken in the water and tomahawked. . . . One white man and a negro escaped into the woods. Another negro, a free man, known as Jack Civil, was slightly wounded and surrendered. He was taken to the Chicka- mauga towns, remained, and moved with that roving, mur- derous, thieving set farther down the Tennessee River, and gave name to the town of Nick-a-Juck, or Nigger-Jack's town.

" The white man and negro who jumped from the boat and escaped into the woods wandered for twenty hours. At length they reached the station towards morning, pushed aside some of the pickets and entered the inclosure at the bluffs undiscovered by any one in the fort, although the dogs gave the faithful alarm. Gower's boat floated down the river, the corn and some of the dead being on board, undisturbed, except by some of the dogs which continued therein. The opinion prevailed for some days that the Donelson party had fallen victims to the guns and toma-

hawks of the savages. It was hazardous to pass between stations so distant as Mansker's and the Bluff. James Randolph Robertson was among the slain.

" There was no alternative for the Donelson party ; they must abandon the boat and all it contained and flee into the woods. They could render no assistance to their friends, now overwhelmed ; they could not pass out with their own boat; and they might well suppose that the savages, flushed with an easy victory over half the harvesters, would speedily be in pursuit of themselves. After Capt. Donelson had overtaken the fleeing party, they hastily agreed upon the direction to be taken, so that they might assemble the next day upon the banks of the Cumberland some miles above the mouth of Stone's River, where they would attempt to cross and escape to Mansker's Station. It was deemed ad- visable to separate, not all to go together, lest thereby they should make such a trail through the cane and bushes as the Indians could easily follow.

"Having continued their course until sunset, Capt. Don- elson discovered a large hickory-tree which had fallen to the ground, and as it had a thick top and a large supply of leaves, he called in the wanderers, and they huddled together there for the night. They did not attempt to kindle any fire, though they greatly needed it. The night was passed in quiet, but with very little sleep. Capt. Don- elson informed the party of the slaughter he had witnessed of the Gower party. He believed they were all killed, and that the Indian force was sufficient to besiege and capture any of the stations.

" The situation of this little squad was also very critical. The savages might be in search of them, and they had the river between them and their friends at Mansker's Station, and there was no boat to be had. How should they get over ? or what should they do ? Having convened upon the bank of the river, they endeavored to construct a raft upon which to be floated across. They had left the axe in the boat, and no light and suitable material could be found to answer the purpose. Yet they gathered sticks and fast- ened them together with withes and vines, and made sev- eral attempts to go over, but the current inevitably drove their rude float back to the side of the river whence they had set out. They had to abandon all efforts thus to get over, and permit their raft to be carried away by the cur -. rent. What now shall be done ? At this juncture Col. Donelson's faithful servant, Somerset, volunteered to swim the river with the aid of the horse, and ride to the sta- tion and give information of the situation of the party. He succeeded in crossing, ascended the opposite bank, and hastened in the direction through cane and woods. Safely arriving at the station, he gave the first information of the disastrous defeat. It was indeed sad news, disheartening to every one.

" Immediately a few active men returned with Somerset, taking axes wherewith to cut and prepare a float for the relief of their friends, who were suffering with cold and hunger. It was chill November weather, and the rain bad fallen during a part of the night and morning. They were all passed over and safely arrived at the station."*

* No better subject could be offered for a poem than the voluntary heroism of this old servant, Somerset. Ile merited a monument.

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PIONEER LIFE AND CUSTOMS.

CHAPTER VI.

PIONEER LIFE AND CUSTOMS.

Mode of Reaching the Cumberland Settlements-Primitive Houses- Rough Fare-First Wedding-Public Morals-Backwoods Schools- Pioneer Ministers Circui :- Riders-Long Journeys to Meeting- The Hunting-Shirt of the Early Days.

FOR most of the matter contained in this chapter we are indebted to Dr. J. B. McFerrin, himself a pioneer, and able from his personal recollections to describe graphically the scenes of that period.

As salt was very difficult to obtain, the first settlers saved their meats by drying them in the sun and open air. This was commonly called "jerking." The meat was cut into thin slices and strung upon sticks, which were placed upon scaffolds in the sun, or over a slow fire, and kept until per- fectly dry ; in this condition it remained sound and sweet for a long time.

The immigrants in coming into Middle Tennessee usually followed Indian trails and buffalo paths, or, guided by their pocket compass, followed their course till they reached their destined point. They usually located near a spring of clear water, where they cncamped till they could determine on some permanent settlement. They generally came in com- panies. Each man had his rifle, his shot-pouch, powder- horn, and ammunition. Each company had a number of pack-horses on which they brought their camp-kettles, pro- visions, and blankets, and, when families came through, a stall amount of bedding, with wearing-apparel, was brought along to supply the women and children, and with which to make a little start in housekeeping.

Many of them built " half-faced camps," in which they lived till they could clear a patch, plant some corn, and erect a cabin. These camps were constructed of forked stakes driven into the ground, across which poles were laid, and covered with split clapboards. The rear portion of the structure reached the ground, the ends were inclosed, while the whole front was left open. The bed was made upon boughs under the slanting roof, while the fire at the open front served them for warmth and for cooking such provisions as they could obtain. A skillet with a lid, a small pot, and an oven were considered a large supply of cooking-utensils. Those who were not so well provided broiled their meat upon the coals, or on a spit made of a hickory stick, while the bread was baked in the ashes or on a journey, vulgarly called a " johnny," cake-board. These journey-cakes were delicious. The board was made of a piece of timber or plank dressed smooth, about six inches wide and twenty long, and the dough, well kneaded, was placed upon the board, set before a fire of hot coals, baked, turned, and cooked brown. It was choice bread on the tables of the most aris- tocratie pioneers. Made rich by lard, cracklings, or bear's oil, it was delicious.

These camps were followed by log cabins made of trees cut from the forests. They were usually small and con- structed of round logs, roughly notched together at the cor- Ders. One doorway, and a window made by cutting one log in two, were the common modes of admitting the in- habitants, light and air. The chimney was made of sticks and clay, and the cracks were sometimes daubed with mud.

The floor was often nothing but the earth "beat solid, or made of rough puncheons split from soft trees, generally lin, which grew in abundance. A hewed log house with a shingled roof, stone chimney, plank floor, and glass windows was considered a great improvement on the primitive cabin, and a mark of wealth and distinction. For a considerable time in the early settlement these were the best houses which the country afforded, and many of them are still standing.

The fare in those days might be considered rough ; ven- ison, bear meat, elk, and wild turkeys were considered lux- uries. As civilization advanced, and the game became scarce, " hog and hominy" became the standing dishes. After a while the farmers began to grow wheat, and as soon as mills existed for converting it into flour the youngsters were allowed wheat, or English bread, as it was called, on Sunday morning. Coffee was a rare article, and only in- dulged in on great occasions. The most wealthy could not think of its use more than once a week. Sugar and syrup were principally procured from the maple-trees, which were " notched" in the latter part of winter or early spring, the sap caught in troughs, and boiled down in kettles or pots till it became thick enough to be " stirred off " into sugar, as the process was called. These sugar-camps were great institutions in their day, and a "stirring off" was a grand occasion, when many a gallant youth made love to his blue- eyed sweetheart, or to the smiling lass whose raven locks floated carelessly on the winds of the wildwood. These " stirs off" were far more romantic and enchanting than the artificial " candy-pullings" of more modern times. The first marriage celebrated in Davidson County, or west of the Cum- berland Mountains, was that of Capt. Leiper. This was in 1780, before there was a clergyman in the settlement. Col. James Robertson, as head of the government of the " nota- bles, " performed the ceremony. An early historian says, " There was pretty much of a feast at this wedding, and a most cheerful company. They had no wine or ardent spirits ; they had no wheat or corn-bread, no cakes, no con- fectioneries ; but they had any quantity of fresh and dried meat-buffalo tongue, bear meat, venison saddle and veni- son ham-broiled, stewed, fried and jerked, and, as a great delicacy for the ladies, some roasting ears, or ears of green corn roasted, or boiled, or made into succotash."

The people of those days were plain and full of hospital- ity. There was no extravagance, but all seemed deter- mined to make their adopted country a delightful land. The women spun and wove and made bed-quilts, nursed their own children, and thought a houseful of rosy boys and girls a great treasure. The men lived on wholesome, strong food and wore homespun. Public men in those days were expected to be men of integrity, and when a man was found competent and faithful in office he was kept at his post. One of the acts passed by the first court was in these words :

" Whereas, In all well-regulated governments effectual care is always taken that the day set apart for public wor- ship be observed and kept holy, all persons are enjoined carefully to apply themselves to the duties of religion and piety, to abstain from labor in ordinary callings. All viola- tions to be punished by fine of ten shillings proclamation money."

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HISTORY OF DAVIDSON COUNTY, TENNESSEE.

Profane swearing, intemperance, lewdness, and other like vices and improprieties were also to be punished. Another act provided :

" Whereas, Wicked men, too lazy to get their living by honest labor, make it their business to ride in the woods and steal cattle and hogs, and alter and deface marks and brands, when convicted shall be

" Fined and confined, And scorched with a brand In the left hand, As you may see, With a big letter T."

Dr. McFerrin thus describes the first schools and school- houses :

" At the appointed day the whole community met to- gether, with axes, frow, wagons, and teams. A site was selected, trees felled, the logs hauled, the house raised, the roof put on, the benches made, the writing-desk fixed at one side, a log being cut out to admit the light, and procla- mation was made that. John Smith would open a three months' school next Monday morning. Mr. Smith was represented as a fit model to take care of his institution. He could read, write a fair hand, set a good copy, and ci- pher to the double rule of three. And besides, his terms were reasonable. He could teach five days in the week, and twelve hours cach day, or at least the children must leave bome by sunrise in the morning, and would be let out just time enough to return before dark. Those who lived a great distance off might be let out a little sooner, so as not to be out in the night. And then he would charge at the rate of eight dollars a year ; he would make up all the time he missed, and deduct from the price of tuition every day the child was absent by the will of the parent. He would ' board round' among the scholars, and take his pay one-half in money and the remainder in trade, corn and pork especially, they being the staple commodities of the country.

" Monday morning bright and early you might see the boys and girls, from twenty-one years old down to five, pouring in from every quarter. Mr. Smith was there in time. He had secured a chair with a raw- hide seat, which was very comfortable. He had no other fixtures, save a large flat ruler, with a half-dozen long switches hung upon a peg in the wall immediately on his right hand. These were the signs of his authority, and naturally made the backs of the boys cringe and the hands of the girls feel

. blue. Each pupil was examined not as to his progress in knowledge, but in reference to the books he brought. All went to work, and then, each vying with the other as to the noise he could produce, the whole school went into an up- roar, and could be heard for half a mile, like so many frogs in a pond, some sounding a low, heavy bass, while others, keyed to the highest pitch, would carry the treble, tenor, or counter. The music of these noisy schools can only be appreciated by those who have heard them in their highest state of excitement."

The Presbyterians, Baptists, and Methodists were the principal sects represented in the earliest religious meetings. The Presbyterian ministers were men of most learning, and usually taught schools of a higher grade, as they could be

introduced and supported in the more populous centres, such as Nashville. The Baptists were generally very plain men, who made no pretensions to learning, but were full of zeal. In the early times they were nearly all " old-side Baptists," and held to the doctrine of particular election. Many of their preachers were men of natural gifts, but they nearly all had a sing-song mode of preaching which was very solemn and affecting. The Methodist preachers were gen- erally termed " circuit-riders." They were usually single men, and devoted all their time to traveling and preaching on circuits which were hundreds of miles around, and in school-houses, private dwellings, in the woods, under brush arbors, or in the shade of the forest-trees. The Methodist " circuit-rider" might generally be known from his dress and equipage. He usually rode a good horse, kept in fine condition. His saddle was covered with a dressed bear- skin or buffalo-robe. His saddle-bags were large and well filled. IIe carried his clothing and books along. The idea of a boarding-house was not conceived of in those days. He kept house in his saddle-bags. He wore a broad- brimmed white hat, made of beaver; his coat was round- breasted, and usually made of jeans; his vest was full and long, and forked at the corners, and had broad pocket-flaps. They had loud voices and sang well. They were a terror to sinners,-persecuted, and yet beloved. A grander race of men never blessed any country.

As the country grew older the people began to build meeting-houses. Some of the earliest of these were rude in the extreme, being built of hewed or round logs, and seated with plain benches. " A heavy piece of plank or puncheon had holes bored through it with a large auger, and four pegs or legs inserted, and these were placed in front of the pulpit and occupied by men and women, who all sat apart. No backs, no cushions, no kneeling-stools, no carpets,-the naked floor and hard seats ! and here the con- gregation would often remain patiently while two long ser- mons were delivered. Long journeys were taken in those days to attend religious services, and the people always attended dressed in their best Sunday-clothes. Mothers would carry their children for miles to enjoy a gospel feast. Many of the poorer classes of young ladies went on foot and carried their shoes and stockings in their hands, rolled up in cotton handkerchiefs, till they came near the meeting- house, when they would turn aside, array their feet, and appear in the congregation as neat as a new pin."

The pioneer preachers never saw an organ or heard a church choir. The Presbyterians generally had a leader whom they called a clerk, whose business it was to line the hymn and lead the music. He was always a layman and a person of great consequence. The Baptists usually lined the hymn, reading only one line at a time, and this was done in a very solemn, sing-song manner. The Methodists were noted for their fine singing. The preachers always read their own hymns, two lines at a time, and the congre- gations joined in singing. "Singing-masters," or teachers of vocal music, were early in the country.

A very common costume in Tennessee among the hunters and pioneers and the later volunteer soldiery was the hunt- ing-shirt and its appendages, which have now gone entirely out of use. It was a picturesque and convenient costume,

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MOVEMENTS AGAINST THE INDIANS.

admirably adapted to the comeliness and comfort of the farmer, hunter, and pedestrian. The mountain-men in the Revolution, the volunteer soldiery in all the campaigns of the West and in the war of 1812, uniformly wore it. Many of them did so in the war with Mexico and in Texas, but the volunteer's hunting-shirt is evidently gone out of use. Speaking of this costume, Mr. Custis says,-

"The hunting-shirt, the emblem of the Revolution, is now banished from the national military, but still lingers among the hunters and pioneers of the far West. This national costume was adopted in the outset of the Revolu- tion, and was recommended by Washington to the army in the most eventful period of the war of independence. It was a favorite garb with many of the officers of the line. The British beheld these sons of the mountain and the for- est, thus attired, with wonder and admiration. Their hardy looks, their tall, athletic forms, their marching in Indian file with the light and noiseless step peculiar to their pur- suit of woodland game, but above all, to European eyes, their singular and picturesque costume,-the hunting-shirt, with its fringes, wampum-belts, leggins and moccasins, the tomahawk and knife,-these, with the well-known death- dealing aim of these matchless marksmen, created in the European military a degree of awe and respect for the hunting-shirt which lasted with the war of the Revolution. And should not Americans feel proud of the garb, and hail it as national, in which their fathers endured such toil and privation in the mighty struggle for independence,-the march across the wilderness, the triumphs of Saratoga and King's Mountain ? But a little while, and, of a truth, the hunting-shirt, the venerable emblem of the Revolution, will have disappeared from among the Americans, and will be found only in museums, like ancient armor, exposed to the gaze of the curious."

CHAPTER VII.

MOVEMENTS AGAINST THE INDIANS.

First Military Companies formed-Attack of Indians on Freeland's Station-Battle at the Bluff-Heroic Conduct of Mrs. James Rob- ertson-The Enemy Discomfited-The Killed and Wounded.

THE first determined pursuit of the Indians was in the summer of 1780. The details of this affair are very mea- gre, but it is worthy of mention as the first instance of an offensive policy on the part of the settlers, the vigorous practice of which later on led to the most beneficial results, especially when directed against the enemy in his own home. At this time the depredations of the Indians had become particularly grievous. Aside from the murders committed, the loss of live-stock was very heavy, and hard to be borne on account of the great difficulties in replacing it, the source of supply being several hundred miles distant Putnam remarks that the death of a milk-cow was a sore affliction to the women, next to that of a member of the family. The capture of a horse was equally so to the men. After a raid by a large party of Cherokees in the vicinity of Freeland's Station, in which a number of cattle were killed

and gashed with knives and some horses carried off, prompt pursuit and punishment of the marauders were determined on. For this purpose Col. James Robertson, Alexander Buchanan, and eighteen others quickly embodied and gave chase. The Indians were overtaken at some point on Duck River not now known, but about forty miles south of the settlement, where Robertson's party charged and fired upon them. Several of the Indians were killed and wounded, when the rest fled, abandoning the stolen property to the possession of the whites, who returned in safety without the loss of a man. The result was very creditable, and thereafter Col. Robertson had frequently to restrain the ardor of the settlers in their eagerness to pursue large parties of the enemy with an inadequate force. However, it was an established rule to pursue on the instant when an outrage was committed. In this it was frequently possible to inflict some punishment on the depredators, who some- times dallied too long to secure the scalp and arms of their victims. As a rule, when the Indians fired upon the whites in the vicinity of the forts they ran off at once and easily made their escape in the thickets of cane which covered over the face of the country. It may be stated in this connection that the Indians exercised the greatest economy in the use of powder, putting in a very small charge, other- wise their warfare would have been much more destructive. They rarely trusted themselves to fire beyond fifty yards, while the average backwoodsman could use his rifle with deadly precision at twice or thrice that distance. They frequently lost their lives, or were placed at disadvantage, by attempting to use the tomahawk as a substitute for a few grains of powder.

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History of Davidson County, Tennessee, with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 6

Author: Clayton, W. W. (W. Woodford) Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Philadelphia, J.W. Lewis & Co. Number of Pages: 1013

Author: Clayton, W. W. (W. Woodford)
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Philadelphia, J.W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1013