USA > Virginia > A history of the valley of Virginia, 1st ed > Part 12
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El book of Samuel, burnt through fourteen leavea. and entirely our at ons end. . It is preserved in the Miller family, as a sacred relic or memiento of the perrifice of their ancestors.
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AND MASSACRES.
placed a guard at the door, went in. knocked off their irons, and took the prisoners out. The late Robert Ku- therford attempted to harangue the mob upon the im- propriety and danger of their proceedings; but he might as well have addressed himself to so many lions or tigers. As Fry's party marched into the town, it cre- ated considerable alarm and excitement. The women, half dressed, were seen running from house to house and calling out, "Well done, brave fellows, good luck to you brave boys." This cheering of Fry's party at once con- vinced them that the public sympathy and good feeling were on their side. 'The prisoners were taken off' and set at liberty. Capt. White afterwards distinguished himself at the bloody battle of the Point, under Cul. Sevier.
The author had heard something of this story more than forty years ago. The late Capt. James Wilson, of the neighborhood of Stephensburg, had stated some of the particulars, but not sufficiently connected to give to the world. The author was therefore apprehensive that he would not be able at this late period to collect the facts. Whilst engaged in obtaining materials for this work, he called on the late 'Thomas Newell. of She- nandoah, and among other things inquired of him whe- ther he had any knowledge or recollection of the affair. 'This venerable man, then ninety-three years of age. in his second childhood, and his recollection of recent events entirely gone, the moment the inquiry was made, with much animation and a cheerful countenance, te- plied, " Yes, my friend, I reckon I can tell you, when I was one of the very boys." 'The author then asked the old gentleman whether he would have any objection to his name being given as authority, and as one of Fry's party. He replied with equal animation and emphasis, " No, my friend, I always gloried in what I did." Mo. ses Russell, Esq. informed the author that his two elder brothers were of Fry's party, and that if he had been old enough, he would doubtless have been among them. But he had more than once heard one of his brother's
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speak of this occurrence with great regret, and lament the part he had taken in it. Gen. Smith recollects hear- ing much said on this subject soon after he came to Winchester to live. To say the least of it, it was a dan- gerous precedent in a civilized society. There is ano- ther individual, now living in the neighborhood of the author's residence, who was of Fry's party, and is now about 80 years of age, who was an active and useful character in the war of the revolution, and from him the author obtained many particulars of this occurrence ; but as he never formally authorized the use of his name publicly, it is withheld. It was from the information of this individual that the author was enabled to find the year when this important occurrence took place.
After the most diligent inquiry, the author could not ascertain whether the murder of these two Indians was followed by any acts of retaliation on the part of the savages.
The same year (176S) a worthless character by the name of John Price committed a most wanton and un- provoked murder on the body of a popular young In- dian chief. Price had resided several years in the Hawksbill settlement. He went out to the Indian coun- try under the character of an Indian trader, and soon formed an acquaintance with this young war chief. Price was an expert marksman and experienced hunter, and soon acquired the confidence and attachment of the young warrior. They frequently took hunting ex- cursions ; in the last of which, having wandered a con- siderable distance from the Indian habitations, Price shot the young man dead, robbed him of his rifle, a few silver ornaments and hunting dress, and left him lying in the wilderness ; then pushed home, boasting of what he had done, and showed his ill-gotten booty.
A few days after Price's return home, Lewis Binga- man, who was taken prisoner when a boy, and who grew up and became a distinguished man, (which has been Heretofore noticed.) came in at the head of thirty warriors in pursuit of Price. He made himself known
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to Frederick Offenberger, and told what Price had done; said that he would go to Price, and propose to take a hunt ; that his warriors were concealed in the Masinut- ton mountain : and if he succeeded in decoying Price into their hands, they would be perfectly satisfied. and do no injury to any other person ; but if they did not succeed in getting Price, they would revenge the death of their young chief upon the first white persons they could find, and the lives of many innocent women and children would be sacrificed to appease their vengeance. Offenberger kept Bingaman's communication to him- self, believing that Price deserved punishment. He was accordingly decoyed into the hands of the thirty warri- ors, and never heard from afterwards : of course he ex- piated his base and treacherous murder of the young Indian, by the most lingering and painful death which savage ingenuity could devise.
Tradition relates a story of a Mr. Hogeland, who on a certain occasion killed an Indian in the following man- ner. Hogeland went out in the evening from Furman's fort, in pursuit of the milch cows. He heard the bell in a deep glen, and from its peculiar sound, suspected some stratagem. Instead of pursuing the hollow there- fore, he took up a high ridge, and passed the spot where the bell was ringing ; then cautiously descending the hollow. he discovered an Indian with the bell (which he had taken from the cow), suspended to a small sapling, which he shook gently to keep the bell in motion. Whilst the savage was thus engaged with a view to decoy the owner within the reach of his rifle, Hogeland took deliberate aim at him, and shot him through the body; upon which another Indian started up, rau, and got off. Thus this wily savage fell into the snare he believed he had adroitly prepared for killing the owner of the cattle .*
The author has heard another version of this story. It is sail there was a young man with Hogeland ; and when the Indian was seen with the bell, Hogeland at
. Samuel Kercheval, jr. of Romney, related this tradition to the author.
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INDIAN INCURSIONS.
the same instant discovered the other standing at a tree, with his gun raised ready to fire at whoever should come for the cows. Hogeland pointed him out to the young man, and observed, "Now take deliberate aim, whilst I take the fellow with the bell." They both fired, and both Indians fell dead."
Thus ends the author's narrative of the many impor- tant occurrences and great events from the commence- ment of Indian hostilities, in the year 1754, until their final termination in 1766. a period of twelve years.
From the termination of hostilities in 1766, until the commencement of Dunmore's war in 1774, the people of the valley enjoyed uninterrupted peace and tran- quillity, and the country settled and increased with great rapidity. Several families of distinction removed from the lower country and settled in the valley. The an- cestors of the Washingtons. Willises, Throckmortons, and Whitings, severally settled in the neighborhood of Long marsh and Bull-skin.
The author did not find it convenient to obtain the several treaties made with the Indian tribes during the period from the commencement of Braddock's war un- til the final termination of hostilities. Nor does he con- sider it very material, as those treaties were no sooner made than broken. Should this be deemed a material defect, he will endeavor to supply it in another edition ..
The commencement and termination of Dunmore's war will form the subject of the next chapter.
* William Naylor, Esq. gave the author this version of the story.
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CHAPTER X.
Dunmore's war with the Indians.
In the year 1773, the Indians killed two white men on the Hockhocking river, to wit, John Martin and Guy Meeks, (Indian traders, ) and robbed them of about £200 worth of goods. About the Ist of May, 1774, they killed two other men in a canoe on the Ohio, and robbed the canoe of its contents .* There were other similar occurrences, which left no doubt upon the minds of the western people, that the savages had de- termined to make war upon them ; and of course acts of retaliation were resorted to on the part of the whites.
The late Col. Angus M'Donald, near -Winchester, and several other individuals, went out in the spring of 1771, to survey the military bounty lands. lying on the Ohio and Kanawha rivers, allowed by the king's pro- claination to the officers and soldiers of the army, for their services in a preceding war with the Indians, but were driven off.
Col. M.Donald forthwith waited on Gov. Dunmore in person, and gave him an account of the hostile dis- position of the Indians. The governor authorized him to raise a regiment of 400 men, and immediately pro- ceed to punish the enemy. He soon succeeded in rais- ing his little army, and in the month of June marched into the Indian country, destroyed several of their villa- ges, cut off their corn, and returned. He had two or three running fights with the Indians, but there was lit- the blood shed on either side.
This act of war produced a general combination of the various nations north west of the Ohio; and hence arose the necessity of speedily raising a powerful army to save the western people from being entirely cut off. or driven from their habitations.
* Mr. Jacob's Life of Cresap.
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DUNMORE'S WAR.
Lord Dunmore issued his orders to Col. A. Lewis, of Augusta county, to raise a body of one thousand men, and immediately proceed to the Ohio river, where he (Dunmore) would join him with an equal number, to be raised in the northern counties of Virginia. Dunmore very soon raised the requisite number of men, princi- pally volunteers from the counties of Berkeley, Hamp- shire, Frederick and Shenandoah .* C'apt. Daniel Cre- sap went to South Carolina, and brought in 120 Ca- tawba Indian warriors at his own expense and respon- sibility, which he intended employing against the west- ern enemy. He soon after marched at the head of this band of warriors, with the addition of sixteen white vo- lunteers, with the design of breaking up and destroy- ing the Moravian Indian towns on Cheat river. These people professed christianity and neutrality, in the war then going on between the red and white people. But they were charged by the white people with secretly aiding and abetting the hostile Indians; hence Cresap's determination to break up their settlements and drive them off. In crossing the Allegany, seven Indians un- der the guise of friendship, fell in with Cresap's party, and in the most treacherous manner contrived to kill seven of the white volunteers, and then fied. They were instantly pursued by the Catawbas, and two of them taken prisoners and delivered up to Cresap, who, after reproaching them with their base treachery, dis- charged them, and retreated into the settlement with his Indians and remaining white volunteers. The Cataw- ba Indians soon after left Cresap and returned to their nation. The late generals Daniel Morgon and James Wood were captains in Dunmore's campaign, each of whom had served under M'Donald as captains the pre- ceding spring.t
For further particulars of this war, the author will give copious extracts from Mr. Doddridge's " Notes on
* General John Smith.
t Mr. John Tomlinson related the particulars of these occurrences to the author, and added that he himself was one of Cresap's party, and that he was then a youth of 17 or 13 years of age.
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DUNMORE'S WAR,
the wars west of the Allegany," and from Mr. Jacob's " Life of Cresap:" These two authors have detailed the causes which led to this disastrous and destructive war, and are directly at issue on some of the most im- portant particulars. In this controversy the author of this work will not partake so far as to express an opinion which of these two divines have truth on their side ; but he considers it his duty, as an impartial and faithful historian, to give both these reverend gentlemen's ac- counts, at full length, of the original causes and conse- quences of this war.
It appears however evident, that the late Capt. Michael Cresap has had injustice done to his character, both by Mr. Jefferson and Mr. Doddridge. Mr. Jefferson, in his "Notes on Virginia," charges Cresap with being " infa- mous for his many Indian murders, and murdering Lo- gan's family in cold blood." Mr. Doddridge repeats the charge of the murder of Logan's family, and adds the further charge "that Cresap was the cause of Dun- more's war."". How far these charges are refuted by Mr. Jacob an impartial world will determine.
It is to be regretted that Mr. Jacob's vindication of the character of his friend Cresap cannot have a circu- lation co-extensive with Mr. Jefferson's charges against him. The celebrity of Mr. Jefferson's character, togo- ther with the beautiful specimen of Indian oratory in the Logan speech, has probably caused his work to be circulated and read all over the civilized world.
The author will only add that he has obtained per- mission, from the proprietors of those works, to use them as he deems proper. The Ilon. Philip Doddridge, short- ly before his death, in a letter to the author, stated that he considered there would be no impropriety in append .. ing any part of his brother's book to this publication ; and Mr. Jacob, in the most liberal and unqualified terms, permits him to append the whole or any part of his ". Life of Cresap.
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DODDRIDGE'S ACCOUNT
Rev. Mr. Doddridge's account of Dunmore's war.
After the conclusion of the Indian wars, by the treaty made with the chiefs by Sir William Johnson at the German flats, in the latter part of 1764, the western settlements enjoyed peace until the spring of 1774.
During this period of time, the settlements increased with great rapidity along the whole extent of the west- ern frontier. Even the shores of the Ohio, on the Vir- ginia side, had a considerable population as early as the year 1774.
Devoutly might humanity wish that the record of the causes which led to the destructive war of 1774, might be blotted from the annals of our country. But it is now too late to efface it: the "black-lettered list" must remain, a dishonorable blot in our national history. Good however may spring out of evil. The injuries in- flicted upon the Indians, in early times by our forefa- thers, may induce their descendants to shew justice and mercy to the diminished posterity of those children of the wilderness, whose ancestors perished, in cold blood, under the tomahawk and scalping knife of the white savages.
In the month of April 1774, a rumor was circulated that the Indians had stolen several horses from some land jobbers on the Ohio and Kanawha rivers. No evidences of the fact having been adduced, led to the conclusion that the report was false. This report, how- ever, induced a pretty general belief that the Indians were about to make war upon the frontier settlements ; · but for this apprehension there does not appear to have been the slightest foundation.
Ir consequence of this apprehension of being attack -. ed by the Indians, the land jobbers ascended the river, and collected at Wheeling. . On the 27th of April, it was reported in Wheeling that a canoe, containing two Indians and some traders, was coming down the river, and then not far from the place. On hearing this, the commandant of the station, Capt. Cresap. proposed ta-
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king a party to go up the river and kill the Indians. This project was vehemently opposed by Col. Zane. the proprietor of the place. He stated to the captain that the killing of those Indians would inevitably bring on a war, in which much innocent blood would be shed. and that the act in itself would be an atrocious murder, and a disgrace to his name forever. His good counsel was lost. The party went up the river. On being ask- ed, at their return. what had become of the Indians ? they coolly answered that " they had fallen overboard into the river !" Their canoe, on being examined, was found bloody, and pierced with bullets. This was the first blood which was shed in this war, and terrible was "the vengeance which followed.
In the evening of the same day, the party, hearing that there was an encampment of Indians at the mouth of Captina, went down the river to the place, attacked the Indians, and killed several of them. In this affair one of Cresap's party was severely wounded.
The massacre at C'aptina, and that which took place at Baker's, about forty miles above Wheeling, a few days after that at ('aptina, were unquestionably the sole causes of the war of 1774. The last was perpetrated by thirty-two men, under the command of Daniel Greathouse. The whole number killed at this place, and on the river opposite to it, was twelve, besides several wounded. This horrid massacre was effected by an hypocritical stratagem, which reflects the deep- est dishonor on the memory of those who were agents in it.
The report of the murders committed on the Indians near Wheeling, induced a belief that they would imme- diately commence hostilities ; and this apprehension furnished the pretext for the murder above related. The (siet-ible object for raising the party under Greathouse, was that of defending the family of Baker, whose house was opposite to a large encampment of Indians, at the mouth of Big Yellow creek. The party were conceal- ed in ambuscade, while their commander went over the
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river, under the mask of friendship, to the Indian comp, to ascertain their number. While there, an Indian wo- man advised him to return home speedily, saying that the Indians were drinking and angry on account of the murder of their people down the river, and might do him some mischief. On his return to his party, he re- ported that the Indians were too strong for an open at- tack. He returned to Baker's, and requested him to give any Indians who might come over, in the course of the day, as much rum as they might call for, and get as ina- ny of them drunk as he possibly could. The plan suc- ceeded. Several Indian men with two womon came over the river to Baker's, who had previously been in the habit of selling rum to the Indians. 'The men drank freely, and became intoxicated. In this state they were all killed by Greathouse and a few of his party. I say a few of his party ; for it is but justice to state, that not more than five or six of the whole number had any participation in the slaughter at the house. The rest protested against it as an atrocious murder. From their number, being by far the majority, they might have prevented the deed ; but alas ! they did not. A little Indian girl alone was saved from the slaughter, by the humanity of some one of the party, whose name is not now known.
The Indians in the camp, hearing the firing at the house, sent a canoe with two men in it to inquire what had happened. 'These two Indians were both shot down as soon as they landed on the beach. A,second and larger canoe was then manned with a number of In- dians in arms; but in attempting to reach the shore, some distance below the house, they were received by a well directed fire from the party, which killed the greater number of them, and compelled the survivors to return. A great number of shots were exchanged across the ri- ver, but without damage to the white party, not one of whom was even wounded. The Indian men who were murdered were all scalped.
The woman who gave the friendly advice to the
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OF DUNMORE'S WAR.
commander of the party when in the Indian camp, was amongst the slain at Baker's house.
The massacres of the Indians at Captina and Yel- low creek, comprehended the whole of the family of the famous, but unfortunate Logan, who before these events had been a lover of the whites, and a strenuous advocate for peace ; but in the conflict which followed them, by way of revenge for the death of his people, he became a brave and sanguinary chief among the warriors.
The settlers along the frontiers, knowing that the In- dians would make war upon them for the murder of their people, either moved off to the interior, or took up their residence in forts. The apprehension of war was soon realized. In a short time the Indians commenced hostilities along the whole extent of our frontiers.
Express was speedily sent to Williamsburg, the then scat of government of the colony of Virginia, commu- nicating intelligence of the certainty of the commence- ment of an Indian war. The assembly was then in session.
A phan for a campaign, for the purpose of putting a speedy conclusion to the Indian hostilities, was adopted between the earl of Dunmore, governor of the colony, and Gen. Lewis, of Botetourt county. Gen. Lewis was appointed to the command of the southern division of the forces to be employed on this occasion, with or- ders to raise a large body of volunteers and drafts from the southeastern counties of the colony with all dispatch. These forces were to rendezvous at Camp Union, in the Greenbriar country. The earl of Dunmore was to raise another army in the northern counties of the co- lony, and in the settlements west of the mountains, and assemble them at Fort Pitt, and from thence descend the river to Point Pleasant, at the mouth of the great Kanawha,'the place appointed for the junction of the two armies, for the purpose of invading the Indian coun- try and destroying as many of their villages as they could reach in the course of the season.
On the 11th of September. the forces under Gen,
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DODDRIDGE'S ACCOUNT
Lewis, amounting to eleven hundred men, commenced their march from Camp Union to Point Pleasant, a dis- : tance of 160 miles. The space of country between these two points was at that time a trackless desert. Capt. Matthew Arbuckle, the pilot, conducted the army by the nearest and best route to their place of destina- tion. The flour and ammunition were wholly trans- ported on pack horses, as the route was impassable for wheel carriages. After a painful march of nineteen days, the army arrived, on the 1st of October, at Point Pleasant, where an encampment was made.
Gen. Lewis was exceedingly disappointed at hearing no tidings of the earl of Dunmore, who, according to previous arrangements, was to form a junction with him at this place. He immediately dispatched some scouts, to go by land in the direction of Fort Pitt, to obtain in- telligence of the route which the earl had taken, and then return with the utmost dispatch. On the 9th, three men, who had formerly been Indian traders, arri- ved in the camp, on express from the earl, to inform Lewis that he had changed his plan of operations, and intended to march to the Indian towns by the way of Hockhocking, and directing Gen. Lewis to commence his march immediately for the old Chilicothe towns.
Very early in the morning of the 10th two young men set out from the camp to hunt up the river. Hav- ing gone about three miles, they fell upon a camp of the Indians, who were then in the act of preparing to march to attack the camp of Gen. Lewis. The Indians fired on them and killed one of them ; the other ran back to the camp with the intelligence that the Indians, in great force, would immediately give battle.
Gen. Lewis immediately ordered out a detachment of the Botetourt troops under Col. Fleming, and another of the Augusta troops under Col. Charles Lewis, re- maining himself with the reserve for the defence of the camp. The detachment marched out in two lines, and met the Indians in the same order about four hundred yards from the camp. The battle commenced a little
", OF DUNMORE'S WAR. 153
after sunrise, by a heavy firing from the Indians. At - the onset our troops gave back some distance, until met by a reinforcement, on the arrival of which the Indians retreated a little way and formed a line behind logs and trees, reaching from the bank of the Ohio to that of the Kanawha. ~ By this maneuver, our army and camp were completely invested, being inclosed between the two rivers, with the Indian line of battle in front, so that no chance of retreat was left. An incessant fire was kept up on both sides, with but little change of po- sition until sundown, when the Indians retreated. and in the night recrossed the Ohio, and the next day com- ienced their march to their towns on the Seioto.
Our loss in this destructive battle was seventy-five killed, and one hundred and forty wounded. Among the killed were Col. Charles Lewis, Col. Fields, cap- tains Buford, Murray, Ward, Wilson and M'Clenachan ; lieutenants Allen, Goldsby and Dillon, and several sub- altern officers.
Col. Lewis, a distinguished and meritorious officer, was mortally wounded by the first fire of the Indians, but walked into the camp and expired in his own tent.
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