USA > Virginia > A history of the valley of Virginia, 3rd ed > Part 8
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* Fort Frederick was commenced in the year 1755, under the direction of Gov. Sharpe, of Maryland, and was probably finished in 1776. It is still standing on the Maryland side of the Cohongoruton. Its walls are entirely of stone, four and a half feet thick at the base, and three at the top ; they are at least twenty feet high, and have undergone but little dilapidation. Dr. John Hedges and his son, Capt. John C. Hedges, aided the author in the examination of this place, and measuring its area, height and thickness of the walls. Its location is not more than twelve miles from Martinsburg, in Virginia, and about the same distance from Williamsport in Maryland. It encloses an era of about one and a half acres, exclusive of the bastions or redoubts. It is said the erection of this fort cost about sixty-five thousand pounds sterling.
+ Mr. Jacob Gibbons was born the roth of September, 1745. Since the author saw him, he has departed this life-an honest, good old man.
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Those Indians dispersed into small parties, and carried the work of death and desolation into several neighborhoods, in the counties, now Berkeley, Frederick and Shenandoah. About eighteen or twenty of tnem crossed the North Mountain at Mills Gap, which is in the county of Berkeley, killed a inan by the name of Kelly, and several of his family, within a few steps of the present dwelling house of the late Mr. William 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' fort: * A small party of the Indians attacked the dwelling house of a Mr. Evans, brother of the owner of the fort ; but being beaten off, they went in pursuit of reinforce- ments. In their absence 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 Winches- ter, three miles south of Martinsburg, 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 previously, 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 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 prisoner, but finally got home. The boy went to the fort, and told what had happened; but the men had all turned out to bury Kelly and go in pursuit of the Indians, leaving nobody to defend the fort but the women and children. Mrs. Evans armed herself, and called on all the women, who had firmness enough to arm, to join her, and such as were too timid she ordered to run bullets. She then made a boy beat to arms on a drum ; on hearing 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. ±
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 Isa- bella, his sister. Charles Porterfield, a youth about 20 years of age, heard the firing from his father's residence, about one mile from the
* Evans' fort was erected within about two miles of Martinsburg, a stockade. The land is now owned by - Fryatt, Esq.
t The present residence of the widow Showalter, three miles from Mar- tinsburg.
# Mr. Joseph Hackney, Frederick county, states these facts to the au- thor. The little boy, mentioned above, grew up, married, was a Quaker by profession, and the father of my informant.
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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 Cohoon, his wife, and some of his children. Mrs. Cohoon was in a state of pregnancy, and not being able to travel fast enough to please her savage captors, they forced her husband forward, while crossing the North Mountain, and cruelly murdered her ; her husband dis- tinctly 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 eiglit or nine 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 acquainted with her, and made her a teil- der of his hand in matrimony. + This she declined unless her parents' consent could be obtained ; a strong proof of her filial affec- tion and good sense. The Frenchman immediately proposed to con- duct her home, readily believing that his generous devotion and great attention to the daughter 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 everything French, that her parents and friends peremptorily objected. The Frenchman then prevailed on Isabella to elope with him ; to effect which she secured two of her father's horses and pushed off. They were, however, pursued by two of her brothers, overtaken, at Hunterstown, Pennsylvania, and Isabella forcibly torn from her protector and devoted lover, and brought back to her par- ents, while the poor Frenchman was warned that if he ever made any further attempt to take her off, his life should pay the forfeit. This story is familiar to several aged and respectable individuals in the neighborhood of Martinsburg. Isabella afterward married a man by the name of McClary, removed and settled in the neighbor- hood of Morgantown, and grew wealthy. George, after an absence of three years, got home also.
A party of fourteen Indians, believed to be a part of those de- feated by Capt. Smith, on their return to the west killed a young women, 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 moccasins to wear on her feet. This was done to facilitate her traveling ; but they proceeded no fur-
* 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 particu- lars of this unhappy occurrence. Capt. Glenn also stated several of the cir- cumstances to the author.
+ Mr. Mayers, of Berkeley county, gave the author the name of this young Frenchman.
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ther than the vicinity of Fort Pleasant, * where on the second night, they left Mrs. Neff in the custody of an old Indian, and divided themselves into parties, 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, fired off his gun, and raised a yell. Mrs. Neff ran between the two parties of Indians, got safely into Fort Pleasant, and gave notice where the Indians were encamped. A small party of men, the same evening came from another 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 morn- ing, sixteen men, well mounted and armed, left the Fort with a view to attack the Indians. They soon discovered their encampment. The whites divided themselves into two parties, intending to inclose the Indians between two fires ; but unfortunately a small dog which had followed them, starting a rabbit, his yell alarming the Indians ; upon which they cautiously moved off, passed between the two par- ties of white men unobserved, and took a position between them and their horses, and opened a inost destructive fire. The whites re- turned 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 retreated to the Fort, whether the wounded arrived. Three Indians fell in this battle, and several were wounded. The victors secured the white men's horses, and took them off. i
Just before the above action commenced, Mr. Vanmeter, an old man, mounted his horse, rode to 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. Turley, of Fort Pleasant, a more particular narrative of the battle, which the author will sub- join, in the doctor's own words :
"The memorable battle of The Trough (says Dr. Turley ) was pre- ceded by the following circumstances. On the day previous, two In- dian strollers, from a large party of sixty or seventy warriors, under the well-known and ferocious chief, Kill-buck, made an attack upon the dwelling of a Mrs. Brake, on the South Fork of the South Branch of the Potomac, about fifteen iniles above Moorefield, and took Mrs. Brake and a Mrs. Neff prisoners. The former not being able to
* Fort Pleasant was a strong stockade with block houses, erected on the land now owned by Isaac Vanmeter, Esq., on the South Branch of the Poto- mac, a short distance above what is called The Trough.
+ This battle, is called the "Battle of The Trough." Messrs. Vanmeter, McNeill and Heath, detailed the particulars to the author. A block house, with port holes, is now standing in Mr. D. McNeill's yard, part of an old fort erected at the time of Braddock's war, the logs of which are princi- pally sound.
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travel from her situation, was tomahawked and scalped, and the latter brought down to the vicinity of Town Fort, about one and a half miles below Moorefield. There, one of the Indians, under tlie 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. Everything turned out agreebly to their expectations ; for as soon as she reached the Fort, and related the circumstances of her escape, eighteen men from that and Buttermilk Fort, five miles above, went in pursuit. They were men notorious for their valor, and had been well tried on many such occasions.
"As soon as they came to the place indicated by Mrs. Neff, they found a plain trace left by the Indian, by occasionally breaking a bush. Mr. John Harness, who was well acquainted with the man- ners and modes of warfare of the Indians, pronounced that the hun- ter Indian had not returned to his comrade, or that they were in great force somewhere near and in ambush. They, however, pur- sued the trace, without discovering any signs of a large party, until they arrived between two mountains, forming what from its resem- blance is called The Trough. Here, directly above a fine spring, about two hundred paces from the river, which that at 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 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 unobserved, and prepared for bat- tle, leaving their horses on the ridge. But by one of those unfor- seen and almost unaccountable accidents which often thwart the seemingly and best planned enterprises, a small dog whichi had followed them, just at this juncture started a rabbit, and went yelping down the ridge, giving the Indians timely notice of their ap- proach. They immediately flew to arms, and filing off up the ravine before described, passed 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 botli parties rushed to the onset, dealing death and slaughter at every fire. After an hour or two of hard fighting, during which each of our little band numbered his man, and more than half their number had fallen to rise no more, those that re- mained 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 possi- ble ; and deliberately loading their rifles, and placing themselves behind some cover on the river bank, dealt certain death to the first adversary who made his appearance, and then calmly yielded to the tomahawk.
"We can not here pass over without mentioning one of the
IO
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many despotic acts exercised by the then Colonial government and its officers towards the unoffending colonists. At the time of which we are speaking, there were quartered in Fort Pleasant, about one and a half 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 man 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 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 al- though he had witnessed many sanguinary contests this was the most so he had ever experienced for the number of his enemies. Kill-buck was a Shawnee, a savage of strong mental powers, and well acquainted 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 acquainted with him many years afterwards, and took the trouble, 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. Williams, 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 fourteen shillings. He paid him six shil- lings, 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 particulars of the tragical death of his father, as well as the great heroism manifested by our little band at the battle of The Trough."
Dr. Turley refers in the foregoing narrative to the 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 oc- cupied by his grandson, Mr. James Williams. Hearing of the approach of the Indians, he repaired with his neighbors to Fort Pleasant (nine miles) for security. After remaining here a few
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days, supposing their houses might be revisited with safety, Mr. Williams with seven others crossed the mountain for that purpose. They separated on reaching the Creek ; and Mr. Williams went alone to hiis farm. Having tied his horse to a bush, he commenced salting his cattle, when seven Indians (as afterwards said by Kill- bush) got between him and his horse, and demanded his surrender. Mr. Williams 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 random through the door and windows, until the latter were filled with shot-holes. For greater security, Mr. Williams got behind a hommony block in a corner, from which he could fire at his assailants through the cracks of the building, as opportunity offered. In this way he killed five out of the seven. The remaining two, resolved not give up their prey, found it necessary to proceed more cautiously ; and going to the least exposed side of the house, one was raised upon the shoulders of the other to an opening in the logs some distance above the level of Mr. Williams, who did not, consequently, ob- serve the manœuvre, from which he fired, and shot Mr. Williams dead. The body was instantly quartered, and hung to the four corners of the building, and the head stuck upon a fence stake ill front of the door. This brave man was the father of the venerable Edward Williams, the clerk of Hardy county court, until the elec- tion of 1830, under the new constitution, when his advanced age compelled him to decline being a candidate.
Sometime after the battle of The Trough, at a Fort seven miles above Romney, two Indian boys made their appearance, when some of the men went out with the intention of taking them. A grown Indian made his appearance, but 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 com- mand 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 intimate acquaintance with the country enabled him to lead his band of murderers from place to place, and 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 dis- tinguished warrior. There was another great Indian warrior called "Crane ;" but the author has not been able to collect any particular traditionary accounts of the feats performed by him.
In the year 1757, a numerous body of Indiaus erossed the Alle-
* Mr. James Parsons, near Romney, Hampshire county, gave the author this information.
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ghany Mountain, and, as usual, divided themselves into small parties, and hovering about the different forts, committed many acts of murder and destruction of property. About thirty or forty ap- proached Edward's Fort, * 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 mountain, they strewed the meal in several places on their route. Immediately between this path and the stream is an abrupt bank, seven or eight feet high, and of considerable length, under which the Indians con- cealed themselves, and awaited the approach of the garrison. Forty men under the command of Capt. Mercer, sallied out, with the intention of pursuing and attacking the enemy. But oh ! fatal day ! Mercer's party, discovering the trail of meal, supposed the Indians were making a speedy retreat, and, unappraised of their strength, moved on at a brisk step, until the whole line was drawn immediately 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 attempting 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 bones, and lodging a little below his knee ; he slipped under the lap of a fallen tree, there he hid himself, and lay in that deplorable situation for two days 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 re- covered, and lived many years after, though he always was a cripple from his wound. Capt. George Smith, who now resides on Back Creek, informed the author that he was well acquainted with him.
Some time 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 others, 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 compara- tively few men.
The remains of a gun of high finish, ornamented 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
* Edward'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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in this action performed his part with his, usual intripidity, caution, and firmness, and doubtless did much execution .*
Other parties of Indians penetrated into the neighborhood of Winchester, and killed several people about 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 twelve 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, fifteen or sixteen miles southwest of Winchester. Dispennet, and several of his family, and Vance and his wife, i 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 the 25th of March, 1745, and who of course was upwards of ten years old when Braddock was defeated, related many inter- esting occurrences to the author; among others, that a family of eighteen persons, by the name of Nicholls, who resided at the pres- ent residence of Mr. Stone, a little west of Maj. Isaac Hite's were attacked, the greater number killed, and several taken off as pris- oner's ; one old woman and her grandchild made their escape to a Fort, a short distance from Middletown. This took place about 1756 or 1757, and it is probably by the same party who killed Havely and others.
In the year 1758, a party of about fifty Indians and four French- man penetrated into the neighborhood of Mill Creek, now in the county of Shenandoah, about nine miles south of Woodstock. This was a pretty thickly settled neighborhood ; and among other houses, George Painter had erected a large log one, with a good sized cellar. On the aların being given, the neighboring people took refuge in this house. Late in the afternoon they were attacked. Mr. Pain- ter, attempted to fly, had three balls shot through his body, and fell dead, when the others surrendered. The Indians dragged the dead body back to the house, threw it in, plundered the house of what
* Mr. William Carlisle, now ninety-five years of age, and who resides near the battle ground, informed the author that he removed and settled on Capon soon after the battle was fought. He also said that he had frequently heard it asserted that Morgan was in the battle, and acted with great bravey, &c. Mr. Charles Carlile, son of this venerable man, stated the fact of the gun and part of a bomb shell being found.
+ Moses Russell, Esq., is under the impression that these people were killed in the summer or fall of the year, 1756. The author finds it impossi- ble to fix the dates of the various acts of war committed by the savages. After the most diligent inquiry, he has not been able to find any person who committed to writing anything upon the subject at the time the several oc- curences took place.
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