USA > Virginia > Historical collections of Virginia : containing a collection of the most interesting facts, traditions, biographical sketches, anecdotes, &c. relating to its history and antiquities ; together with geographical and statistical descriptions ; to which is appended, an historical and descriptive sketch of the District of Columbia. > Part 56
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* Such were Redhawk, a Delaware chief,-Scoppathus, a Mingo .-- Elinipsico, a Sbawanee, and son to Cornstalk,-Chiyawee, a Wyandotte, and Logan, a Cayuga.
t The following gentlemen, with others of high reputation in private life, were officers in th Vite a; Point Pleasant. Gen. Isaac Shelby, the first governor of Kentucky, and afterwards secretary of war ; Gen. William Campbell, and Col. John Comptant heroes of King's Mountain and Long Island ; Gen. Evan staphy, one of the most favore irkings of Tennessee, often honored with the confidence of that sorte: CSA. William Fleming, an active cover of Virginia during the revolutionary war ; tien. And if Moore, of Rockbridge, the only man ever oseted by Virginia from the country west feld the White. to the senate of the United States; Cul. John Smart, of Greenbrier : Geo. Tate, of Washingim roongs Virgian : Col. William Sicher, of fattola county, Kentucky ; Col. John Steele, Since & wartung of The Mississippi Territory: Fol. Charles Cameron. of Bath ; Gen. Bazileof Wells. of Ohio : pod Gen, George Matthow's, a distinguished officer in the war of the revolution, the hero of Bramlywine, Cepnanemin. und of theilford, a governor of forga, and a senator from that state in the Lengress of the United States. The salvator of the American army at Germantown is ascribed, in Juliastone's life of Gen. Groene, to the bravery and good conduct uf iwo regiments, one of which was commanded by Ger, then Col. Matthews.
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these orders, and continued to advance till he was inet (at Kilkenny Creck, and f sight of an Indian village, which it's inhabitants had just fied and deserted) by UM perother, (accompanied by to pite kresy who informed him that he was negotiate treaty of peace, which would suporsede the necessity of the further movement of this southern division, and repeating the order for its retreat.
The army under Gen. Lewis had endured many privations and suffered many hard- ships. They had encountered a savage enemy in great force, and purchases every with the blood of their friends. When arrived near to the goal of their anxious wicz, and with nothing to prevent the accomplishment of the object of the campaign, they irecived these ervery with evit et chagrin, and did not they them without Mental Having, at his own request, been introduced severally to the officers of that division, complimenting them for their gallantry and good conduct in the late engagement, and assuring them of his high esteem, Lord Danmore returned to his camp ; and Gen. Lewis commenced his retreat.
This butde rains Col Stuart. in his historical memor) was, in fact. the beginning of the revolutionary war, that obtained for our country the liberty and independence enjoyed by the United States -- and a good presage of future success; for it is well known that the Indians were influenced by the British to commence the war to terrify and confound the people, before they commenced hostilities themselves the following year at Lexing ton. It was thought by British politicians, that to excite an " Indian war would pre- vent a combination of the colonies for opposing pathalmentary measures to tak the Americans." The blood, therefore, spilt upon this memorable battle, will long be re- membered by the good people of Virginia and the United States with gratitude.
The brave and noble Shawanee chief, Cornstalk, was atrociously murdered at Point Pleasant, in the summer of 1777. The gover- nor of Virginia offered a reward for the apprehension of the mur- derers, but without effect. Point Pleasant, which was first settled in 1774, did not flourish for many years. It had no church, the state of society was bad, and it was the popular superstition that the place was cursed for this fiend-like act. The particulars here detailed of this event, are from the modest, unostentatious memoir of Col. John Stuart :-
In the year 1777, the Indians, being urged by British agents, became very trouble- come to frontier settlements, manifesting much appearance of hostilities, when the Cornstalk warrior, with the Redhawk, paid a visit to the garrison at Point Pleasant. He made no secret of the disposition of the Indians ; declaring that, on his own part, he was opposed to joining in the war on the side of the British, but that all the nation, except himself and his own tribe, were determined to engage in it ; and that, of course, be and his tribe would have to run with the stream, (as he expressed it.) On this Cap- tain Arbuckle thought proper to detain hiin, the Redhawk, and another fellow, as hos- tages, to prevent the nation from joining the British.
In the course of that summer our government had ordered an army to be raised, of. volunteers, to serve under the command of General Hand ; who was to have collected a number of troops at Fort Pitt, with them to descend the river to Point Pleasant, there to meet a reinforcement of volunteers expected to be aused in Angusta and Bot tourt. counties, and then proceed to the Shawance towns and chastise them so as to compel them to a neutrality. Hand did not succeed in the collection of troops at Fort Pitt ; and but three or four companies were raised in Augusta and Botetourt, which were under the command of Colonel George Skillern, who ordered me to use my endeavors to raise all the volunteers I could get in Greenbrier, for that service. The people had begun to see the difficulties attendant on a state of war and long campaigns carried through wil- dernesses, and but a few were willing to engage in such service. But as the settlements which we covered, though less exposed to the depredations of the Indians, had showed their willingness to aid in the proposed plan to chastise the Indians, and had reised three companies, I was very desirous of doing all I could to promote the business and aid tho service. I used the utmost endeavors, and proposed to the militia officers to volunteer ourselves, which would be an encouragement to others, and by such means to raise all the men who could be got. The chief of the officers in Greenbrier agreed to the proposal, and we cast lots who should command the company. The lot fell on An
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drew Hamilton for captain, and William Renick lieutenant. We collected in all, about forty, and joined Colonel Skillern's party, on their way to Point Pleasant.
When we arrived, there was no account of General Hand or his army, and little or no provision made to support our troops, other than what we had taken with us down the Kanawha. We found, too. that the garrison was unable to spare us any supplies, having Really Annuaire, when we go there. what had been provided for them selves But we concluded to wait there as long as we could for the sunal of General fland, or some account from him. During the time of our stay two young men, of the names of Hamilton and Gilmore, went over the Kanawha one day to hunt for deer; on their re- turn to camp, some Indians had concealed themselves on the bank among the weeds, to view our encampment ; and as Gilmore came along past them, they fired on him and killed him on the bank.
Captain Arbuckle and myself were standing on the opposite bank when the guy fired ; and while we were wondering who it could be shooting, contrary to orders, or what they were doing over the river, we saw Hamilton run down the bank, who called out that Gil- more was killed. Gilmore was one of the company of Captain John Hall, of that part of the country now Rockbridge county. The captain was a relation of Gilmore's, whose family and friends were chiefly cut off by the Indians in the year 1763, when Greenbrier was cut off. Hall's men instantly jumped into a canoe and went to the re- lief of Hamilton, who was standing in momentary expectation of being put to death. They brought the corpse of Gilmore down the bink, covered with blood and scalped, and put him into the canoe. As they were passing the river, I observed to Captain Ar- buckle that the people would be for killing the hostages, as soon as the canoe would land. He supposed that they would not offer to commit so great a violence mon the innocent. who were in nowise accessary to the mauder of Gilmore. But the canor had scarcely touched the shore until the cry was raised, Let us kill the Indians in the fort ; and every man, with his gun in his hand, came up the bank pale with rage. Captain Hall was at their head, and leader. Captain Arbuckle and I met them, and endeavored to dissuade them from so unjustifiable an action ; but they cocked their guns, threatened us with instant death if we did not desist, rushed by os into the fort, and put the Indians to death.
On the preceding day, the Cornstalk's son, Elinipsico, had come from the nation to sce his father, and to know if he was well, or alive. When he came to the river oppo- site the fort, he hallooed. His father was at that instant in the act of delincating a map of the country and the waters between the Shawanee towns and the Mississippi, at our request, with chalk upon the floor. He immediately recognised the voice of his soa, got up, went out, and answered him. The young fellow crossed over, and they entbraced each other in the most tender and affectionate manner. The interpreter's wife, who hed been a prisoner among the Indians, and had recently left them, on hearing the uproar the next day, and hearing the men threatening that they would kill the Indians, for whom she retained much affection, ran to their cabin and informed thema that the people were just coming to kill them ; and that, because the Indians who killed Gilmore had come with Elinipsico the day before. He uttedy dewird it ; declared that he knew nothing of them. and trembled exceedingly. His father encouraged him not to be afraid, for that the Great Man above had sent him there to be killed and die with him. As the men advanced to the door, the Cornstalk rose up and met them; they fired upon him, and seven or eight bullets went through him. So fell the great Cornstalk warrior,-whose name was bestowed upon him by the consent of the nation, as their great strength and support. His son was shot dead as he sat upon a stool. The Redhawk made an at- tempt to go up the chimney, but was shot down. The other Indian was shamefully mangled, and I grieved to see him so long in the agonies of death.
The Cornstalk, from personal appearance and many brave acts, was undoubtedly a bero. Had he been spared to live, I believe he would have been friendly to the Ameri- can cause ; for nothing could induce him to make the visit to the garrison at the critical time he did, but to communicate to them the temper and disposition of the Indians, and their design of taking part with the British. On the day he was killed we held a coun- cil, at which he was present. His countenance was dejected ; and he made a speech, all of which seemed to indicate an honest and manly disposition. He asks actedand that he expected that be and his party would have to run with the stream, for that all the Indians on the lakes and northwardly, were joining the British. He said that when he returned to the Shawanee towns after the battle at the Point, be called a council of , the nation to consult what was to be done, and upbraided them for their folly in not suf- fring bin to make peter on de woning before the Day When he, we you do now ? The Big Knife. is coming on us, and we shall all be killed. Now you
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must fight, or we are undone." But no one made an answer. He said, " then let us kill all our women and children, and go and fight till we die." But none would answer. At length he rose and struck his tomahawk in the post in the centre of the town-house : " I'll go," said he, " and make peace ;" and then the warriors all grunted out, "ough, ough, ough," and runners were instantly dispatched to the governor's army to solicit a peace, and the interposition of the governor on their behalf.
When he made his speech in council with us, he seemed to be impressed with an aw. fol premonition of his approaching fite; for be repeatedly said, " When I was a young man and went to war, I thought that might be the last time, and I would return no more. Nix I am here among you ; you may kill me if you please ; I can die but once ; and it is all one to me, now or another time." "This declaration concluded every sentence of his speech. He was killed about one hour after our council.
There is living upon Thirteen Mile creek, Mr. Jesse Van Bebber, an aged pioneer in this county. His life, like his own mountain- stream, was rough and turbulent at its commencement ; but as it nears its close, calm and peaceful, beautifully reflecting the Chris- tian virtues. From conversation with him, we gathered many in- teresting anecdotes and incidents. illustrating the liacory of this region, some of which here follow :
Battle of Point Pleasant .- During the action, those troops from the more eastern part of the stato, unaccustomed tofighting with the Indians, were all the day engaged in making a breastwork at the junction of the Kanawha with the Ohio, so that the army, if defeated. should have a secure retreat. Ignorant of how the action would terminate, they worked as if for their lives, and before the day was finished had a stions fortificu- tion Greeted. When the alarm was given that the Indians were near, Gen. I wis delle crately lighed his pipe, and they coolly gave the orders to his brother, Col. Chas. Lewis, to advance upon them. The soldiers in Col. Fleming's regiment used a stratagem that proved very efectual. They congrated themselves behind trees, and then held out their hats, which the Indians mistakingly shot at. The hat being at once dropped, the In- dian would run out from his covert to scalp his victim, and thus met a sure death from the tomahawk of his adversary, The whites in this action being all backwoodsmen, were more successful marksmen than the savages ; a fact in part owing to the want of the mechanical skill in the ludians, requisite to keeping their rifles in order. At the close of the action, the Indians went off hallooing, as if coming on to renew the attack. This stratagem deceived the whites, and enabled them to retreat in more safety. They recrossed the Ohio on rafts, three miles above, near the old Shawanee town,
Fort at Point Pleasant .- A fort was erected at Point Pleasant just after the battle, 2$ the mouth of the Kanawha. It was a rectangular stockade, about eighty yards long, with blockhouses at two of its corners. It was finally destroyed, and a smaller ona erected about fifty rods further up the Ohio, on the site of the store of James Capehart. It was composed of a circle of cabins, in which the settlers lived.
Euten's Grup-In the spring of 'Es or '89, Ben Laden, who was then insane, was out hunting in the woods below Point Pleasant, when he was discovered and pursued by an Indian. He threw away his rifle, an elegant silver."painted piece, to arrest the atten- tion of the Indian, and gain time. The Indian stoppa to pick it up, Euton unexpect- edly came to a precipice, and fell head foremost through a buckeye, struck a branch, which turned ban over, and he carte upon his feet. The fall was fifty-three feet perpen- dicular. Hle then leaped another precipice of twelve feet in height, and escaped.
Anecdotes of the Van Bebbers .- A few years after the close of the revolution, a daughter of Capt. John Van Bebber, named Rhoda, aged 17, and Joseph Van Bebber, a young lad of 13, a brother of our informant, had crossed over in a canoe one morning, to the west side of the Ohio, opposite Point Pleasant, on an errand to Rhoda's father, then living temporarily in a house that side of the stream, when a party of Indians sud- denly made their appearance. Dave, a black man belonging to C'apt. Van Bebber, gave the alarm, and rushed into the house. The Indians attacked the house, but were driven off by Dave and Capt. Van Bebber, with the loss of two or three of their number. Jo seph and Rhoda, in their terror, hastened to the canoe, whither the Indian's pursued them, killed and scalped the young lady, and took Joseph a prisoner to Detroit. Rhoda's scalp the Indians divided into two, and sold there to the Indian traders at Detroit for $30
MARSHALL COUNTY.
cach ; their object in purchasing then was to checurage the savages in their jagaidons, so as to prevent a settlement of the country by the whites, and thus monopol'ze the In- dian trade. Joseph afterwards stated that the barrel in which the scalps were put was nearly full of the horrid trophies. He remained with the Indians two years, during which he learned their language, and acted as interpreter between them and the tradere. he returned home. While at Detroit, be became acquainted with the notorious Simon Girty, then a British pensioner for services in the revolution. He said Girty was an of. fable man, but extremely intemperate. Girty denied to him that he was the instigator of the death of Col. Crawford; but that he went so far to save him that his own life was in danger.
In the fall of '88 or '89, Matthias Van Bebber, aged 18, and Jacob, and 12 years, were out a short distance from Point Pleasant, with a horse, when they were wapaid by four Indians. Jaech was leading the horse, and Matthias was a short distance alain, with a rifle across his shoulder, when the Indians fired two guns at Matthias. One of the balls struck bim over the eyes, and rendered him momentarily blind ; he sprang one side, and fell into a gully. The boy Jacob, on hearing the report of the guns, fled, and three of the Indians went in pursuit. Matthias, in the mean time, sprang up and took to a tree. The remaining Indian did the same. Matthias brought up his gun to an aim, the Indian dodged, and the former took the opportunity and escaped into the fort. The Indians, after a tight chase of half a mile, caught the lad, who, being very active, would have escaped had bis moccasins not bech too large. The Indians retreated across the Ohio with their prisoner. He was a sprightly little fellow, small of bis age, and the Indians, pleased with han, treated him kindly. On the first niga of their encampment, they took him on their knees, and sang to him. He turned away his head to contrai his tears. On arriving at their town, while running the gauntlet between the children of the place, one Indian boy, much larger than himself, threw a bone, which struck him on the head. Enraged by the pain, Jicol drew back, and running with all his Force, bored him over, much to the amusement of the Indian warriors. He was adopted inte au Indian family, when he was used with kindness. On one occasion his adopted father whipped him, though slightly, which affected his Indian mother and sister to tears. Af- ter remaining with the Indians about a year, he escaped, and for five days travelled through the wilderness to his home. When he had arrived at maturity, he was remark- able for his flectness. None of the Indians who visited the Point could ever equal him in that respect.
Indian incursion .-- In May, 1791, a party of eighteen whites were attacked by about thirty Indiens, about one mile north of the fort at Point Pleasant, near the field now be- longing to David Long The whites were de fated. MicharI See and Robert Sinclair were killed. Hampton and Thomas Northrop, and a block boy, belonging to See, were token prisoners. "This boy was a son of Fick Pointer, who acted so bravely a few years before at the attack on Doanally's fort, in Greenbrier. He became an Indian chief. and in the late war with Great Britain took part with the friendly Indians against the enemy.
MARSHALL.
MARSHALL was formed in 1835, from Ohio county, and named from Chief-Justice Marshall: it is about 20 miles long and 18 wide. The surface is uneven and mountainous ; the mountains rise, in many places, 300 and 400 feet above the level of the Ohio, and are cultivated frequently on their summits and part way down their slopes-the soil there being often nearly as rich as the river bottoms. . The wild lands of the county are valued from $3 to $8 per acre; the cultivated mountain, from $15 to $20; and the river bottom, on the Ohio and the streams generally, from 529 to $10. Pop., whites 0,851, slaves 10, free colored 37 ; total, 6981
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ยท Grave Creek is situated upon a plain on the Ohio, 12 miles be- low Wheeling, at the mouth of Grave Creek. It is divided into two distinct villages Elizabethtown, the upper village, is the county-seat ; the lower village is called Moundsville. Unitedly they contain I newspaper printing office, 2 mercantile stores, a. classical academy. an extensive steam touring-mill, and a popula- tion of about 1,200. West Union, IG miles Nr. of the C. II., near the Pennsylvania line, contains a few dwellings.
The Grave of Capt. Foreman.
Grave Creek was first settled in 1770. by Joseph Tomlinson, an emigrant from Maryland. In 1772, he discovered the mammoth mound at this place ; and about this time several other families from Maryland emigrated here. During the succeeding years, the inhabitants suffered considerably from the Indians, and erected forts for their security.
About four miles above the village of Grave Creek, on the bank of the Ohio, is a monument bearing the following inscrip- tion :
This humble stone is erected to the memory of Capt. Foreman and twenty-one of his men, who were alain by a band of ruthless savages-the allies of a civilized nation of Europe-on the 25th of Sept., 1777.
So sleep the bryr who sink to rest, By all their country's wishes blest.
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The account of the massacre which the monument is designed to commemorate, is thus given in a communication to the Ameri- can Pioneer :
About the time of the attack at Wheeling, which occurred in September, (1777,) Cant Foreman and his men were surprised at the head of Grave creek narrows : the account of which event, es given in the Border Warfyo, differi somewhat from the very Robin Harkness, my und, related is, who was with Capt. Forever at the time. 18th therefore, give it ay related by him. A store was discovered down the river in the di rection of the fort at thave creek, which induced those at Wheeling to believe that the Indians had not yet left the country, and that the fort at Grave creek had been set on fire. In order to make discoveries, on the 25th of September Capt. Foreman, with 45 men, set out for Grave creek. Baving arrived there, and seeing the fort standing, and discovering no signs of the Indians, they returned. On arriving at the foot of the Ner. rows, a contention arose between Capt. Foreman and e nem by the name of byun, who had been sent with him as a spy, about which road they should take, the river or ridge. Lynn urged the probability of the Indians having been on the opposite shore, and had more than likely seen them pass down : and the most likely place for waylaying them was in the narrows, and therefore urged the necessity of going the ridge road. Foreman, being indisposed to take the counsel of Lynn, proceeded along the base of the hill. During the contention, Robin Harkness sat upon a log, having very sore eyes at the time, and took no part in the dispute ; but when Capt. Foreman started, he followed him. Lynn, however, with seven or eight other frontiers-men, went the ridge road. While passing along a narrow bottom at the head of the narrows, the foremost of Cant. Foreman's men picked up some Indian trinkets, which immediately excited a suspicion that Indians were near, which caused a halt. Before them some five or six Indians stepped into the path, and behind them about the same number ; and at the same mo- ment a fire was pomed in upon them fronte a line of Indians under cover of the river bank, and not over fifteen steps from the white men. Those that escaped the first fire fled up the hill ; but it being steep and difficult to climb, they were exposed for some time to the fire of the Indians. Lynn and his comrades, hearing the fire when they were below them on the ridge, ran along until opposite. They then proceeded to the brink of the hill, where they saw a man ascending near them, who had got nearly to the top when he received a shot in his thigh, which broke it. Lynn and his comrades ran down and lifted him up, carried him over the hill, and hid him under a cleft of rocks. and then proceeded to Wheeling. As Robin Harkness was climbing the hill near the top, and pulling himself up by a bush, a ball struck it and knocked the bark off' against him, which alarmed him, as he supposed it to be the ball ; he however proceeded on and escaped unhurt. In this fatal ambuscade, twenty-one of Capt. Foreman's party were killed, and several much wounded : among the slain were Capt. Foreman and his two sons. The Indian force was never ascertained ; but it was supposed to have been the same party that attacked Fort Henry, at' Wheeling, which was supposed to have been upwards of 300 strong. On the ensuing day, the inhabitants of the neighborhood of Wheeling, under the direction of Col. Zane, proceeded to the fatal spot to bury those who had fallen, and at the same time to get the man who was wounded and hid under the rocks, who was still alive and finally recovered.
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