USA > Virginia > A history of the valley of Virginia, 3rd ed > Part 25
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41
About ten o'clock next morning, sixty men collected at Rice's Fort for the relief of the place. They pursued the Indians, who kept in a body for about two miles. The Indians had then divided
230
ATTACK ON RICE'S FORT.
into small parties and took over the hills in different directions, so that they could be tracked no farther. The pursuit was of course given up.
A small division of the Indians had not proceeded far after their separation, before they discovered four men coming from a neigh- boring Fort in the direction of that which they had left. The In- dians waylaid the path, and shot two of them on the spot ; the others fled. One of them being swift on foot, soon made his escape ; the other being a poor runner, was pursued by an Indian, who after a smart chase came close to him. The man then wheeled round and snapped his gun at the Indian. This he repeated several times. The Indian then threw his tomahawk at his head, but missed him. He then caught hold of the ends of his belt which was tied behind in a bow knot. In this again the Indian was disappointed, for the knot came loose, so that he got the belt, but not the man, who wheeled round and tried his gun again, which happened to go off and laid the Indian dead at his feet.
-
23I
EXPECTED ATTACK ON
CHAPTER X.
EXPECTED ATTACK ON DODDRIDGE'S FORT.
When we received advice, at my father's Fort, of the attack on Rice's block-house, which was but a few iniles distant, we sent word to all those families who were out on their farms, to come immedi- atery to the Fort. It became nearly dark before the two runners had time to give the alarm to the family of a Mr. Charles Stuart, who lived about three quarters of a mile off from the Fort.
They returned in great haste, saying that Stuart's house was burned down, and that they had seen two fires between that and the Fort, at which the Indians were encamped. There was therefore no doubt that an attack would be made on our Fort early in the morning.
In order to give the reader a correct idea of the military tactics of our early times, I will give, in detail, the whole progress of the preparation which were made for the expected attack, and, as nearly as I can, I will give the commands of Capt. Teter, our officer, in his own words.
In the first place he collected all our men together, and related the battles and skirmishes he had been in, and really they were not few in number. He was in Braddock's defeat, Grant's defeat, the taking of Fort Pitt, and nearly all the battles which took place be- tween the English, and the French and Indians, from Braddock's defeat until the capture of that place by Gen. Forbes. He reminded us, "that in case the Indians should succeed, we need expect no mercy ; that every man, woman and child would be killed on the spot. They have been defeated at one Fort, and now they are mnad enough. If they should succeed in taking ours, all their vengeance will fall on our heads. Wemust fight for ourselves and one another, for our wives and children, brothers and sisters. We must make the best preparations we can ; a little after daylight we shall hear the crack of their guns."
He then made a requisition of all the powder and lead in the Fort. The ammunition was accurately divided amongst all the mien, and the amount supposed to be fully sufficient, When this was done, "Now," says the Captain, "when you run you bullets cut off the necks pretty close, and scrape them, so as to make them a little less, and get patches, one hundred, finer than those you commonly use, and have them well oiled, for if a rifle happens to be choked
232
DODDRIDGE'S FORT.
in the time of battle, there is one gun and one man lost for the rest of the battle. You will have no time to unbritch a gun and get a plug to drive out a bullet. Have the locks well oiled and your flints sharp, so as not to miss fire."
Such were his orders to his men. He then said to the women, "These yellow fellows are very handy setting fire to houses, and water is a very good thing to put out fire. You must fill every vessel with water. Our Fort, is not well stockaded, and these ugly fellows may rush into the middle of it, and attempt to set fire to our cabins in twenty places at once." They fell to work and did as he had ordered.
The men having put their rifles to order, "Now," says he, "let every man gather in his axes, mattocks and hoes, and place them inside of his door ; for the Indians may make a dash at them with their tomahawks to cut them down, and an axe in that case might hit, when a gun would miss fire."
Like a good commander, our captain, not content with giving orders, went from house to house to see that every thing was right. -
The ladies of the present day will suppose that our women were frightened half to death with the near prospect of such an at- tack of the Indians. On the contrary, I do not know that I ever saw a merrier set of women in my life. They went on with their work of carrying water and cutting bullet patches for the men, ap- parently without the least emotion of fear ; and I have every reason to believe that they would have been pleased with the crack of the guns in the morning.
During all this time we had no sentinels placed around the Fort, so confident was our captain that an attack would not be made before daybreak.
I was at that time thirteen or fourteen years of age, but ranked as a Fort soldier. After getting my gun and all things else in order, I went up into the garret loft of my father's house, and laid down about the middle of the floor, with my shot pouch on and my gun by my side, expecting to be waked up by the report of the guns at daybreak, to take my station at the port-hole assigned me, which was in the second story of the house.
I not did wake until about sunrise, when the alarm was all over. The family which we supposed had been killed, had come into the Fort about daybreak. Instead of the house being burnt, it was only a large old log on fire, near the house, which had been seen by our expresses. If they had seen anything like fire between that and the Fort, it must have been fox fire. Such is the creative power of im- agination, when under the influence of fear.
233
COSHOCTON CAMPAIGN.
CHAPTER XI.
COSHOCTON CAMPAIGN.
This campaign took place in the summer of 1780, and was dir- ected against the Indian villages on the Forks of the Muskingum.
The place of rendezvous was Wheeling ; the number of regulars and militia about eight hundred. From Wheeling they made a . rapid march, by the nearest route, to their place of destination. When the army reached the River a little below Salem, the lower Moravian town, Col. Broadhead sent an express to the missionary of that place, the Rev. John Heckewelder, informing him of his arrival in his neighborhood, with his army, requesting a small supply of provisions, and a visit from him in his camp. When the mission- ary arrived at the camp, the general informed him of the object of the expedition he was engaged in, and inquired of him whether any of the Christian Indians were hunting, or engaged in business in the direction of his march. On being answered in the negative, he stated that nothing would give him greater pain than to hear that any of the Moravian Indians had been molested by the troops, as these Indians had always, from the commencement of the war, con- ducted themselves in a manner that did them honor.
A part of the militia had resolved on going up the River to des- troy the Moravian villages, but were prevented from executing their project by Gen. Broadhead and Col. Shepherd, of Wheeling.
At White-eye Plains, a few miles from Coshocton, an Indian prisoner was taken. Soon afterwards two more Indians were dis- covered, one of whom was wounded, both made their escape.
The commander, knowing that these two indians would make the utmost despatch in going to the town, to give notice of the approach of the army, ordered a rapid march, in the midst of a heavy fall of rain, to reach the town before them, and take it by surprise. The plan succeeded. The army reached the place in three divisions. The right and left wings approached the River a little above and below the town, while the centre marched directly upon it. The whole number of Indians in the village, on the east side of the River, together with ten or twelve from a little village some distance above, were made prisoners without firing a single shot. The River having risen to a great height, owing to the recent fall of rain, the army could not cross it. Owing to this, the villages with their inhabi- tants on the west side of the River escaped destruction.
30
234
COSHOCTON CAMPAIGN.
Among the prisoners, sixteen warriors were pointed out by Pekillon, a friendly Delaware chief, who was with the army of Broadhead.
A little after dark, a council of war was held to determine on the fate of the warriors in custody. They were doomed to death, and by the order of the commander were bound, taken a little dis- tance below the town, and dispatched with tomahawks and spears, and scalped.
Early the next morning, an Indian presented himself on the opposite bank of the River and asked for the Big Captain. Broad- head presented himself, and asked the Indian what he wanted. To which he replied, "I want peace." "Send over some of your chiefs," said Broadhead. "May be you kill," said the Indian. He was answered, "They shall not be killed." One of the chiefs, a well-looking man, came over the River and engaged into conversation with the commander in the street ; but while engaged in conversa- tion, a man of the name of Wetzel came up behind him, with a tomahawk concealed in the bosom of his hunting shirt, and struck him on the back of his head. He fell and instantly expired.
About eleven or twelve o'clock, the army commenced its re- treat from Coshocton. Gen. Broadhead committed the care of the prisoners to the militia. They were about twenty in number. After marching about half a mile, the men commenced killing them. In a short time they were all dispatched, except a few women and children, who were spared and taken to Fort Pitt, and after some- time exchanged for an equal number of their prisoners.
235
CAPTIVITY OF MRS. BROWN.
CHAPTER XII.
CAPTIVITY OF MRS. BROWN.
On the 27th day of March, 1789, about ten o'clock in the fore- noon, as Mrs. Brown was spinning in her house, her black woman, who had stepped out to gather sugar water, screamed out, " Here are Indians." She jumped up, ran to the window, and then to the door, where she was met by one of the Indians presenting his gun. She caught hold of the muzzle, and turning it aside, begged him not to kill her, but to take her prisoner. The other Indian in the mean time caught the negro woman and her boy, about four years old, and brought them into the house. They then opened a chest and took out a small box and some articles of clothing, and without doing any further damage, or setting fire to the house, set off with herself and son, about two and-a-half years old, the black woman and her two children, the oldest four years old and the youngest one year old. After going about one and-a-half miles they halted and held a consultation, as she supposed, about killing the chil- dren. This she understood to be the subject of their gestures and frequently pointing at the children. To one of the Indians who could speak English, she held out her little boy and beg- ged him not to kill him, as he would make a fine little Indian after awhile. The Indian made a motion to her to walk on with her child. The other Indian then struck the negro boy with the pipe end of his tomahawk, which knocked him down, and then dis- patched him by a blow with the edge across the back of the neck and scalped him.
About four o'clock in the evening, they reached the River, about a mile above Wellsburg, and carried a canoe, which had been thrown up in some driftwood, into the river. They got into this canoe, and worked it down to the mouth of Brush Run, a dis- tance of about five miles. They pulled up the canoe into the mouth of the Run, as far as they could, then then went up the Run about a mile, and encamped for the night. The Indians gave the prisoners all their own clothes for covering, and added one of their own blankets. Awhile before daylight, the Indians got up and put another blanket over them.
About sunrise they began their march up a very steep hill, and about two o'clock halted on Short Creek, about twenty miles from the place whence they had set out in the morning. The place
236
CAPTIVITY OF MRS. BROWN.
where they had halted had been an encampment shortly before, as well as a place of deposit for the plunder which they had recently taken from the house of a Mr. Vanmeter, whose family had been killed. The plunder was deposited in a sycamore tree. Here they kindled a fire and put on a brass kettle, with a turkey which they had killed on the way, to boil in sugar water.
Mr. Glass, the first husband of Mrs. Brown, was working with a hired man in a field, about a quarter of a mile from the house, when his wife and family were taken, but knew nothing of the event until two o'clock. After searching about the place, and going to several houses in quest of his family, he went to Mr. Well's Fort, collected ten men beside himself, and the same night lodged in a cabin on the bottom on which the town now stands.
Next morning they discovered the place from which the In- dians had taken the canoe from the drift, and their tracks at the place of their embarkation. Mr. Glass could distinguish the track of his wife by the print of the high heel of her shoe. They crossed over the River and went down on the other side until they came near the mouth of Rush Run ; but discovered no tracks of the In- dians, most of the men concluded that they would go to the mouth of the Muskingum River, by water, and therefore wished to turn back. Mr. Glass begged of them to go to the mouth of Short Creek, which was only two or three miles farther. To this they agreed. When they got to the mouth of Rush Run, they found the canoe of the Indians. This was identified by a proof, which goes to show the presence of mind of Mrs. Brown. While going down the River, one of the Indians threw into the water several papers, which he had taken out of Mr. Glass' trunk, some of which she picked out of the water, and under pretence of giving them to the child, dropped them into the bottom of the canoe. These left no doubt. The trail of the Indians and their prisoners up the Run to their camp, and then up to the River hill, was soon discovered. The trail, at the time, owing to the softness of the ground and the height of the weeds, was easily followed.
About an hour after the Indians had halted, Mr. Glass and his men came within sight of the smoke of their camp. The object then was to save the lives of the prisoners, by attacking the Indians so unexpectedly, as not to allow them time to kill them. With this view they crept as slyly as they could, till they got within some- thing more than one hundred yards from the camp. Fortunately, Mrs. Brown's little son had gone to a sugar tree to get some water; but not being able to get it out of the bark trough, his mother had stepped out of the camp to get it for him. The negro woman was sitting some distance from the Indians, who were looking attentive- ly at a scarlet jacket which they had taken some time before. On a sudden they dropped the jacket, and turned their eyes toward the men, who supposing they were discovered, immediately discharged several guns, and rushed upon them, at full speed, with an Indian
237
CAPTIVITY OF MRS. BROWN.
yell. One of the Indians, it was supposed, was wounded the first fire, as he fell and dropped his gun and shot pouch. After running about one hundred yards a second shot was fired at him by Major McGuire, which brought him to his hands and knees; but there was no time for pursuit, as the Indians had informed Mrs. Brown that there was another encampment close by. They therefore returned home with all speed, and reached the Beach Bottom Fort that night.
The other Indian at the first fire, ran a little distance beyond Mrs. Brown, so that she was in a right line between him and the white men. Here he halted for a little to put on his shot pouch, which Mr. Glass, for the moment, mistook for an attempt to kill his wife with a tomahawk.
This artful manœuver no doubt saved the life of the savage, as his pursuers dare not shoot at him without risking the life of Mrs. Brown.
238
LEWIS WETZEL.
CHAPTER XIII.
LEWIS WETZEL.
The following narrative goes to show how much may be effect- ed by the skill, bravery, and physical activity of a single individual, in the partizan warfare carried on against the Indians, on the west- ern frontier.
Lewis Wetzel was the son of John Wetzel, a German, who settled on Big Wheeling, about fourteen miles from the River. He was amongst the first adventurers in that part of the country. His education, like that of his cotemporaries, was that of the hunter and warrior. When a boy he adopted the practice of loading and firing his rifle as he ran. This was a means of making him so destructive to the Indians afterwards.
When about thirteen years old, he was taken prisoner by the Indians, together with his brother, Jacob, about eleven years old. Before he was taken he received a slight wound in the breast from a bullet, which carried off a small piece of his breast bone. The second night after they were taken, the Indians encamped at the Big Lick, twenty miles from the River, on the waters of McMahan's Creek. The boys were not confined. After the Indians had fallen asleep, Lewis whispered to his brother, Jacob, that he must get up and go back home with him. Jacob, at first objected, but after- wards got up and went along with him. When they had got about one hundred yards from the camp, they sat on a log. " Well," said Lewis, " We can't go home barefooted ; I will go back and get a pair of moccasins for each of us ;" and accordingly did so, and returned. After sitting a little longer, "Now," says he, "I will go back and get father's gun, and then we'll start." This he ef- fected. They had not traveled far on the trail by which they came, before they heard the Indians coming after them. It was a moon- light night. When the Indians came pretty nigh to them, they stepped aside into the bushes, let them pass, then fell into their rear and traveled on. On the return of the Indians they did the same. They were then pursued by two Indians on horseback, whom they dodged the same way. The next day they reached Wheeling in safety, crossing from the Indian shore to Wheeling Island, on a raft of their own making. By this time Lewis had become almost spent from his wound.
In the year 1782, after Crawford's defeat, Lewis went with a
239
LEWIS WETZEL.
Thomas Mills, who had been in the campaign, to get a horse, which he had left near the place where St. Clairsville now stands. At the Indian Springs, two miles from St. Clairsville, on the Wheeling Road, they were met by about forty Indians, who were in pursuit of the strugglers from the campaign. The Indians and white men discov- ered each other about the same moment. Lewis fired first and killed an Indian, while the Indians wounded Mills in the heel, who was soon overtaken and killed. Four of the Indians then singled out, dropped their guns, and pursued Wetzel. Wetzel loaded his rifle as he ran. After running about half a mile, one of the Indians having got within eight or ten steps of him, Wetzel wheeled round and shot him down, ran, and loaded his gun as before. After going about three-quarters of a mile farther, a second Indian who came so close to him, that when he turned to fire the Indian caught the muzzle of the gun, and as he expressed it, "he and the Indian had a severe wring." He however succeeded in bringing the muzzle to the Indians breast, and killed him on the spot. By this time, he as well as the Indians were pretty well tired ; yet the pursuit was con- tinued by the two remaining Indians. Wetzel, as before, loaded his gun, and stopped several times during the latter chase ; but when he did so, the Indians treed themselves. After going something more than a mile, Wetzel took advantage of a little open piece of ground over which the Indians were passing, a short distance behind him, to make a sudden stop for the purpose of shooting the foremost, who got behind a little sapling, which was too small to cover his body. Wetzel shot and broke his thigh. The wound, in the issue, proved fatal. The last of the Indians gave a little yell, and said, "No catch dat man, gun always loaded," and gave up the chase, glad 110 doubt to get off with his life.
It is said that Lewis Wetzel, in the course of the Indian wars in this part of the country, killed twenty-seven Indians besides a number more along the frontier settlements of Kentucky.
240
ADAM POE.
CHAPTER IX.
ADAM POE.
In the summer of 1782, a party of seven Wyandottes made an incursion into the settlement some distance below Fort Pitt, and several miles from the Ohio River. Here, finding an old man alone, in a cabin, they killed him, packed up what plunder they could find, and commenced their retreat. Among the party was a celebrated Wyandotte chief, who, in addition to his fame as a warrior and counsellor, was, as to his size and strength, a real giant.
The news of the visit of the Indians soon spread through the neighborhood, and a party of eight good riflemen was collected in a few hours for the purpose of pursuing the Indians. In this party were two brothers of the name of Adam and Andrew Poe. They were both famous for courage, size and activity.
This little party commenced the pursuit of the Indians, with a determination if possible, not to suffer them to escape, as they usually did on such occasions, by making a speedy flight to the River, cross- ing it, and then dividing into small parties, to meet at a distant point in a given time.
The pursuit was continued the greater part of the night after the Indians had done the mischief. In the morning the party found themselves on the trail of the Indians, which led to the River. When arrived within a short distance of the River, Adam Poe, fearing an ambuscade, left the party, who followed directly on the trail, to creep along the brink of the River bank, under cover of the weeds and bushes, to fall on the rear of the Indians, should he find them in ambuscade. He had not gone far before he saw the Indian rafts at the water's edge. Not seeing any Indians he stepped softly down the bank with his rifle cocked. When about half way down, he discovered the large Wyandotte chief and a small Indian within a few steps of him. They were standing with their guns cocked, and looking in the direction of our party, who by this time had gone some distance lower down the bottom. Poe took aim at the large chief, but his rifle missed fire. The Indians hearing the snap of the gun lock, instantly turned round and discovered Poe, who being too near them to retreat, dropped his gun and sprang from the bank upon them, and seizing the large Indian by the clothes on his breast, and at the same time embracing the neck of the smaller one, threw them both down on the ground, himself being uppermost. The
24I
ADAM POE.
small Indian soon extricated himself, ran to the raft, got his toma- hawk, and attempted to dispatch Poe, the large Indian holding him fast in his arm with all his might, the better to enable his fellow to effect his purpose. Poe, however, so well watched the motions of his assailant, that, when in the act of aiming his blow at his head, by a vigorous and well directed kick with one of his feet, he stag- gered the savage, and knocked the tomahawk out of his hand. This failure on the part of the small Indian, was reproved by an exclama- tion of contempt from the large one.
In a moment the Indian caught up his tomahawk again, ap- proached more cautiously, brandishing his tomahawk, and making a number of feigned blows in defiance and derision. Poe, however, still on his guard, averted the real blow from his head, by throwing up his arm, and receiving it on his wrist in which he was severely wounded ; but not so as to lose entirely the use of his hand.
In this perilous moment, Poe, by a violent effort. broke loose from the Indian, snatched up one of the Indian's guns, and shot the small Indian through the breast, as he ran up the third time to tomahawk him.
The large Indian was now on his feet, and grasping Poe by a shoulder and leg, threw him down on the bank. Poe instantly dis- engaged himself and got on his feet. The Indian thien seized him again, and a new struggle ensued, which, owing to the slippery state of the bank, ended in the fall of both combatants into the water.
In this situation, it was the object of each to drown the other. Their efforts to effect their purpose was continued for some time with alternate success, sometimes one being under the water and sometimes the other. Poe at length seized the tuft of hair on the scalp of the Indian, with which he held his head under water, until he supposed him drowned.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.