USA > Virginia > A history of the valley of Virginia, 1st ed > Part 8
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# William L. Clark, Esq. is now the owner of the land including this ancient fortification, and has converted a part of it into a beautiful pleasure garden.
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CHAPTER VII.
Indian incursions and massacres.
After the defeat of Braddock, the whole western fron. tier was left exposed to the incursions of the Indians and French. In the spring of the year 1756, a party of about 50 Indians, with a French captain at their head, crossed the Allegany mountains, committing on the white settlers every act of barbarous war. Capt. Jeremiah Smith raised a party of twenty brave men, marched to meet this savage foc, and fell in with thein at the head of Capon river, when a fierce and bloody battle was fought. Smith killed the captain with his own hand ; five other Indians having fallen, and a number wound- ed, they gave way and fled. Smith lost two of his men. On searching the body of the Frenchman, he was found in possession of his commission and written instructions to meet another party of about 50 Indians at Fort Frederick,+ to attack the fort, destroy it, and blow up the magazinc.
The other party of Indians were encountered pretty low down the North branch of the Capon river, by Capt. Joshua Lewis, at the head of eighteen men; one Indian was killed, when the others broke and ran off. Pre- vious to the defeat of this party they had committed considerable destruction of the property of the white settlers, and took: a Mrs. Horner and a girl about 13 years of age prisoners, Mrs. Horner was the mother of 7 or S children ; she never got back to her family, The
* Fort Frederick was commenced in the year 1755, under the direction of governor Sharp, of Maryland, and was probably finished in HT6: 1: 14 etist standing on the Maryland side of the Cobragoraton. Its walls are en- tively of stoun, 45 foot thich at the base, and thece at the top; they are at lari twenty feet high, and have undergone but little dilapidation. Dr. John Hedges, and his son Capt. John C. Hedges, auled the author in the exam :- rayon of this place, au lingasaring its area, hight and thickness of the wal's. Its location is not more than about 12 miles from Martinsburg, in Virginia; and about the same distance from Williamsport, in Maryland. It encloses an area of about one and a half acres, exclusive of the bastions or redoubts. It is a did the erection of this fort cost about Go thousand pounds sterling.
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girl, whose name was Sarah Gibbons, the sister of my informant,* was a prisoner about S or 9 years before she returned home. The intention of attacking Fort Fred- erick was of course abandoned.
These Indians dispersed into small parties, and carried the work of death and desolation into several neighbor- hoods, in the counties now Berkeley, Frederick and She- nandoah. About 18 or 20 of them crossed the North mountain at Mills's gap, which is in the county of Berkeley, killed a mau by the name of Kelly, and sev- eral of his family, within a few steps of the present dwelling-house of the late Mr. Wm. Wilson, not more than half a mile from Gerardstown, and from thence passed on to the neighborhood of the present site of Martinsburg, the neighboring people generally taking shelter in John Evans's fort.t A small party of the Indians attacked the dwelling-house of a Mr. Evans, brother to the owner of the fort; but being beaten off, they went in pursuit of a reinforcement. In their ab- sence, Mr. Evans and his family got safe to the fort. The Indians returned, and set fire to the house, the ruins of which are now to be seen from the great road leading to Winchester, three miles south of Martins- burg, at the head of what is called the Big Spring.
The same Indians took a female prisoner on the same day at John Strode's house. A boy by the name of Hackney, who was on his way to the fort, saw her pre- viously, and advised her not to go to the house, saying that Strode's family were all gone to the fort, and that he suspected the Indians were then in the house. She however seeing a smoke at the house. disregarded the advice of the little boy, went to it, was seized by the Indians, taken off, and was about three years a prison- er, but finally got home. Theboy went tothe fort, and told what had happened ; but the wire had all turned out to bury Kelly and go in pursuit of the Indians, leav-
" Mr. Jacob Gibbons was born 10th Sept. 17 15. Since the author saw him, he has departed this file-an honest good old man.
Evan's fort was erected within about " mdes of Martinsburg, a stockade. The land is now ownedby -~ Fratt, E4.
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ing nobody to defend the fort but the women and child- ren. Mrs. Evans armed herself, and called on all the women, who had firmness enough to arm, to join her ; and such as were too timed she ordered to run bullets. She then made a boy beat to arms on a drum; on hear- ing which, the Indians became alarmed, set fire to Strode's house, + and moved off. 'They discovered the party of white men just mentioned, and fired upon them, but did no injury. The latter finding the Indians too strong for them, retreated into the fort.t
From thence the Indians passed on to Opequon, and the next morning attacked Neally's fort, massacred most of the people, and took off several prisoners ; among them George Stockton and Isabella his sister. Charles Porterfield, a youth about 20 years of age, heard the firing from his father's residence, about one mile from the fort, armed himself and set off with all speed to the fort, but on his way was killed .;
Among the prisoners were a man by the name of Co- loon, his wife, and some of his children. Mrs. Cohoon was in a state of pregnancy, and not being able to tra- vol fast enough to please her savage captors, they forced her husband forward, while crossing the North moun- tain, and cruelly murdered her : her husband distantly heard her screams. Cohoon, however, that night made his escape, and got safely back to his friends. George Stockton and his sister Isabella, who were also among the prisoners, were taken to the Indian towns. Isabella was S or 9 years of age, and her story is as remarkable as it is interesting. She was detained and grew up among the savages. Being a beautiful and interesting girl, they sold her to a Canadian in Canada, where a young Frenchman, named Plata, soon became ac-
"The present residence of the widow Showalter, three miles from Mar-
: Mr. Joseph Hackney, Frederick county, stated these facts to the author. The little boy, mentioned above, grew up, married, was a Quaker by pro- fession, and the father of my informant.
; George Porterfield, Esq. now residing in the county of Berkeley, is a brother to the youth who was killed, and stated to the author the particulare of this unhappy occurrence. Capt. Glenn also stated several of the circum- ctances to the author.
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quainted with her, and made her a tender of his hand in matrimony .* This she declined unless her parents' consent could be obtained,-a strong proof of her filial affection and good sense. The Frenchman immediate- ly proposed to conduct her home, readily believing that his gonerous devotion and great attention to the daugh- ter would lay the parents under such high obligations to him, that they would willingly consent to the union. But such were the strong prejudices existing at the time against every thing French, that her parents and friends peremptorily objected. The Frenchman then prevailed on Isabella to elope with him ; to effect which they se- cured two of her father's horses and pushed off. They were, however, pursued by two of her brothers, overta- ken at Hunterstown, Pennsylvania, and Isabella forci. bly torn from her protector and devoted lover, and brought back to her parents, while the poor Frenchman was warned that if he ever made any farther attempts to take her off, his life should pay the forfeit. This sto- ry is familiar to several aged and respectable individuals in the neighborhood of Martinsburg. Isabella after- wards married a man by the name of McClary, removed and settled in the neighborhood of Morgantown, and grew wealthy. George, after an absence of about three years, got home also.
A party of 14 Indians, believed to be part of those defeated by Capt. Smith, on their return to the west killed a young woman, and took a Mrs. Neff prisoner. This was on the South fork of the river Wappatomaka. They cut off Mrs. Neff's petticoat up to her knees. and gave her a pair of moccasona to wear on her feet. This was done to facilitate her traveling; but they proceeded no further than the vicinity of Fort Pleasant,t where, on the second night, they left Mrs. Neff in the custody of an old Indian, and divided themselves into two par-
* Mr. Mayers, of Berkeley county, gave the author the name of this young Frenchunan.
t Fort Pleasant was a strong stockade with block. houses, erected on the Yards now owned by Isaac Vanmeter, Esq. on the South branch of Potomac, a Short distance above what is called The Prough.
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ties, in order to watch the fort. At a late hour in the night, Mrs. Neff discovering that her guard was pretty . soundly asleep, ran off. The old fellow very soon awoke, fred off his gun, and raised a yell. Mrs. N. ran between the two parties of Indians, got safe into Fort Pleasant, and gave notice where the Indians were encamped. A small party of men the same evening came from ano- ther small fort a few miles above, and joined their friends in Fort Pleasant. The Indians, after the escape of Mrs. Neff. had collected into one body in a deep glen, near the fort. Early the next morning, sixteen men; well mounted and armed, left the fort with a view to attack the Indians. They soon discovered their encampment by the smoke of their fire. The whites divided them- selves into two parties, intending to inclose the Indians between two fires; but unfortunately a small dog which had followed them, starting a rabbit, his yelling alarm- ed the Indians; upon which they cautiously moved off, passed between the two parties of white men unobser- ved, took a position between them and their horses, and opened a most destructive fire. The whites returned the fire with great firmness and bravery, and a desperate and bloody conflict ensued. Seven of the whites fell dead, and four were wounded. The little remnant re- treated to the fort, whither the wounded also arrived. Three Indians fell in this battle, and several were wounded. The victors secured the white men's horses, and took them off .*
Just before the above action commenced, Mr. Van- meter, an old man, mounted his horse, rode upon a high ridge, and witnessed the battle. He returned with all speed to the fort, and gave notice of the defeat. The old man was killed by the Indians in 1757.
After committing to writing the foregoing account, the author received from his friend Dr. Charles A. Tur-
* This battle is called the " Battle of The Trough." Messra, Vanmeter, McNeill and Heath, detailed the particulars to the author. A block-house, with port holes, is now standing in Me. D. McNeill's yard, -- part of an old fort erected at the time of Braddock's war, the logs of which are principally sound.
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ley, of Fort Pleasant, a more particular narrative of the battle, which the author will subjoin, in the doctor's own words:
"'The memorable battle of The Trough (says Dr. Turley) was preceded by the following circumstances. On the day previous, two Indian strollers, from a large party of 60 or 70 warriors, under the well known and ferocious chief Kill-buck, made an attack upon the dwelling of a Mra. Brake, on the South fork of the South branch of Potomar, about fifteen miles above Moorefield, and took Mrs. Brake and a Mrs. Neff prison- ers. 'The former not being able to travel from her situa- tion, was tomahawked and scalped, and the latter brought down to the vicinity of Town fort, about 13 miles below Moorefield. There one of the Indians, un- der the pretence of hunting, retired, and the other laid himself down and pretended to fall asleep, with a view, as was believed, to let Mrs. Neff escape to the fort, and give the alarm. Every thing turned out agreeably to their expectations; for as soon as she reached the fort and related the circumstances of her escape, 18 men from that and Buttermilk fort, 5 miles above, went in pur- suit. They were men notorious for their valor, and who had been well tried on many such occasions.
" As soon as they came to the place indicated by Mrs. Noff, they found a plain trace left by the Indian, by oc- casionally breaking a bush. Mr. John Harness, who was well acquainted with the manners and mode of warfare of the Indians, pronounced that the hunter In- dian had not returned to his comrade, or that they were in great force somewhere near and in ambush. They however pursued the trace, without discovering any signs of a larger party, until they arrived between two mountains, forming what from its resemblance is call- ed The Trough. Here, directly above a fine spring a- bout 200 paces from the river, which at that time was filled to an impassable stage by a heavy fall of rain, these grim monsters of blood were encamped, to the number above stated. The western face of the ridge
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was very precipitous and rough, and on the north of the spring was a deep ravine, cutting directly up into the ridge above. Our little band of heroes, nothing daunted by the superior number of the enemy, dismounted un- observed, and prepared for battle, leaving their horses on the ridge. But by one of those unforeseen and almost unaccountable accidents which often thwart the seem- ingly best planned enterprises, a small dog which had followed them, just at this juncture started a rabbit, and went yelping down the ridge, giving the Indians timely notice of their approach. They immediately flew to arms, and filing off' up the ravine before described. pass- ed directly into the rear of our little band, placing them in the very situation they had hoped to find their ene- mies, between the mountain and the swollen river. Now came the "tug of war," and both parties rushed to the onset, dealing death and slaughter at cvery fire. Af- ter an hour or two hard fighting, during which each of our little band had numbered his man, and more than half of their number had fallen to rise no more, those that remained were compelled to retreat, which could only be effected by swimming the river. Some who had been wounded, not being able to do this, determined to sell their lives as dearly as possible ; and deliberately. loading their rifles, and placing themselves behind somc cover on the river bank, dealt certain death to the first adversary who made his appearance, and then calmly yielded to the tomahawk.
" We cannot here pass over without mentioning one of the many desporic acts exercised by the then colonial government and its officers towards the unoffending co- lonists. At the time of which we are speaking, there were quartered in Fort Pleasant, about 13 miles above the battle ground, and within hearing of every gun. a company of regulars, commanded by a British officer named Wagner, who not only refused to march a mon out of the fort, but, when the inhabitants seized their rifles and determined to rush to the aid of their brothers, ordered the gates to be closed, and suffered none to pass
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in or out. By marching to the western bank of the river, he might have effectually protected those who were wounded, without any danger of an attack from the enemy. And when the few who had escaped the slaughter, hailed and demanded admission into the fort, it was denied them, For this act of Capt. Wagner's, the survivors of our Spartan band called him a coward; for which insult he thought it his duty to hunt them down like wolves, and when caught, to inflict corporal punishment by stripes.
"The Indian chief, Kill-buck, afterwards admitted, that although he had witnessed many sanguinary con- tests, this was the most so that he had ever experienced for the number of his enemies. Kill-buck was a Shaw- nee, a savage of strong mental powers, and well ac- quainted with all the families in the settlement before the war broke out. Col. Vincent Williams, whose father was inhumanly murdered, by Kill-buck and his party, on Patterson's creek, became personally acquaint- ed with him many years afterwards, and took the trou- ble, when once in the state of Ohio, to visit him. He was far advanced in years, and had become blind. The colonel informed me that as soon as he told Kill-buck his name, the only answer he made was, " Your father was a brave warrior." The half brother of Col. Wil- liams, Mr. Benjamin Casey, was with him. Mr. Peter Casey had once hired Kill-buck to catch and bring home a runaway negro, and was to have given him four- teen shillings. He paid him six shillings, and the war breaking out, he never paid him the other eight .. At the visit spoken of, Kill-buck inquired the name of his other visitor, and when the colonel told him it was Benjamin Casey,-" What, Peter Casey's son ?" " Yes." "Your father owes me eight shillings; will you pay it ?" said the old chief .. "The colonel at that time got all the par- ticulars of the tragical death of his father, as well as the great heroism manifested by our little band at the bat- tle of "The Trough."
Dr. Turley refers in the foregoing narrative to the
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murder of Mr. Williams, on Patterson's creek. This melancholy tragedy the author is enabled to give, as it was related to him by Mr. James S. Miles, of Hardy.
Mr. Williams lived on Patterson's creek, on the farm now occupied by his grandson, Mr. James Williams, Hearing of the approach of the Indians, he repaired with his neighbors to Fort Pleasant (9 miles) for secu- rity. After remaining here a few days, supposing their houses might be revisited with safety, Mr. W. with se- ven others crossed the mountain for that purpose. They separated on reaching the creek, and Mr. W. went alone to his farm. Having tied his horse to a bush, he com- menced salting his cattle, when seven Indians* (as was afterwards said by Kill-buck) got between him and bis horse, and demanded his surrender. Mr. W. answered by a ball from his rifle, which killed one of the Indians, then retreated to his house, barricaded the door, and put his enemy at defiance. They fired at him at ran- dom through the door and windows, until the latter were filled with shot-holes. For greater security, Mr. W. got behind a hommony block in a corner, from which he would fire at his assailants through the cracks of the building, as opportunity offered. In this way ho killed five out of the seven. The remaining two, re- solved not to give up their prey, found it necessary to proceed more cautiously ; and going to the least expo- sed side of the house, one was raised upon the shoul- ders of the other to an opening in the logs some distance above the level of Mr. W., who did not, consequently, observe the maneuver, from which he fired, and shot Mr. W. dead. The body was instantly quartered, and bung to the four corners of the building, and the head stuck upon a fence stake in front of the door. This brave man was the father of the venerable Edward Wit- liama, the clerk of Hardy county court until the elec- tions in 1830 under the new constitution, when his ad- vanced age compelled him to declino being a candidate.
Sometime after the battle of The Trough, at a fort
" Another tradition makes the number of Indians eleven.
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seven miles above Romney, two Indian boys made their appearance, when some of the men went out with an intention of taking them. A grown Indian also made his appearance ; but he was instantly shot down by Shadrach Wright. A numerous party then showed themselves, which the garrison sallied out and attacked; but they were defeated with the loss of several of their men, and compelled to retreat to the fort."
Kill-buck, the chief before mentioned, used frequently to command these marauding parties. Previous to the breaking out of the war, he was. well acquainted with many of the white settlers on the Wappatomaka, and lived a good part of his time among them. His inti- mate acquaintance with the country enabled him to lead his band of murderers from place to place, and to commit many outrages on the persons and property of the white inhabitants. In the progress of this work, some further notice will be taken of this distinguished warrior. There was another great Indian warrior call- ed " Crane ;" but the author has not been able to col- lect any particular traditionary accounts of the feats per- formed by him.
In the year 1757, a numerous body of Indians cross- ed the Allegany, and, as usual, divided themselves into small parties; and hovering about the different forts, committed many acts of murder and destruction of pro- perty. About 30 or 40 approached Edwards's fort, t on Capon river, killed two men at a small mill, took off' a parcel of corn meal, and retreating along a path that led between a stream of water and a steep high moun- tain, they strewed the meal in several places on their route. Immediately between this path and the stream is an abrupt bank, 7 or 8 feet high, and of considerable length, under which the Indians concealed themselves, and awaited the approach of the garrison. Forty meu, under the command of Capt. Mercer, sallied out, with
ยท Mr. James Parsons, near Romney, Hampshire county, gave the author this information.
t Edwards's fort was located on the west side of Capon river, not more than three quarters of a mile above where the stage road from Winchester to Romney crosses the river.
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the intention of pursuing and attacking the enemy. Butt oh ! fatal day ! Mercer's party, discovering the trait of meal, supposed the Indians were making a speedy retreat, and, unapprised of their strength, moved on at a brisk step, until the whole line was drawn immedi- ately over the line of Indians under the bank, when the latter discharged a most destructive fire upon them, sixteen falling dead at the first fire. The others attempt- ing to save themselves by flight, were pursued and slaughtered in every direction, until, out of the forty. but six got back to the fort. One poor fellow, who ran up the side of the mountain, was fired at by an Indian : the ball penetrated just above his heel, ranged up his leg, shivering the bonos, and lodged a little below his knee : he slipped under the lap of a fallen tree. there hid himself, and lay in that deplorable situation for two day's and nights before he was found by his friends, it being that length of time before the people at the fort would venture out to collect and bury the dead. This wounded man recovered, and lived many years after, though he was always a cripple from his wound. Capt. George Smith, who now resides on Back creek, informu- ed the author that he was well acquainted with him.
Sometime afterwards, the Indians, in much greater force, and aided, it was believed, by several Frenchmen in person, determined to carry this fort by storm. The garrison had been considerably reinforced ; among oth- ers, by the late Gen. Daniel Morgan, then a young man. The Indians made the assault with great boldness; but on this occasion they met with a sad reverse of fortune. The garrison sallied out, and a desperate battle ensued. The assailants were defeated with great slaughter, while the whites lost comparatively but few men.
The remains of a gun of high finish, ornameritod with silver mounting and gold touch-hole, were plowed up near the battle ground about forty years ago. It was supposed to have belonged to a French officer. Part of a bomb shell was also found. Morgan in this action
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performed his part with his usual intrepidity, caution and firmness, and doubtless did much execution .*
Other parties of Indians penetrated into the neigh- borhood of Winchester, and killed several people about the Round hill; among others a man by the name of Flaugherty, with his wife. Several inmates of a family by the name of M'Cracken, on Back creek, about 12 miles from Winchester, were killed, and two of the
daughters taken off as prisoners. They, however, got back, after an absence of three or four years. Mr. Lewis Neill informed the author that he saw and conversed with these women on the subject of their captivity after their return home. Jacob Havely and several of his family were killed near the present residence of Moses Russell. Esq. at the eastern base of the North mountain, 15 or 16 miles south west of Winchester. Dispennet, and several of his family, and Vance and his wife,t were also severally killed by the same party of Indians, in the same neighborhood.
The late respectable and intelligent Mrs. Rebecca Brinker, who was born 25th March, 1745, and who of course was upwards of 10 years old when Braddock was defeated, related many interesting occurrences to the author ; among others, that a family of eighteen persons, by the name of Nicholls, who resided at the present residence of Mr. Stone, a little west of Maj. Isaac Hite's, were attacked, the greater number killed, and several taken off as prisoners: one old woman and her grandchild made their escape to a fort, a short dis- tance from Middletown. This took place about 1756
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