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 63
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 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83
In het ted in a communication to the American Pioneer by Mr. Jeo. White, that Wheeling was ori- ginally called Hodiny, which signifies the place of a bend. The following tradition, explanatory of this. state obtained from Me. John Brittle, who was taken prisoner by the Delawares, lived with them five years and menu'red their language. " In the earliest period of the settlement of Pennsylvania, some to hite settlers descended the thin River in a boat, and stopping at the mouth of Wheeling arech, were killed by the Delawares. The savage's cut of the head of one of their victims, and placing it on a photo, with the face toy, erdy the river, called the spot Wedding. The ladies interand Mr. Brittle that the head sym pla there too good the river : i presume to guard the camp from the incursions of the white. Mr. fettle said, that if an indian were asked, after shooting a deer or a bear, where he bad Ir the au- Boat, I'sanswer-if in the head-would be, 'weeding. "
WHEELING.
The de chowy Wheeling as it appears from an eminence on the Ohio side of the river, about a mile and a half below the central part of the town. Wheeling Island is seen on the left, and above it, on the hills in the distance, the National Road.
409
CINO COUNTY.
A traveller in this region in 1802, thus describes Wheeling as it was then :-
Wheeling, situated on one of the high banks of the Ohio, was not in existence IS years ago. At present it contains about 70 houses, built of planks, which, as in all de rising towns of the United States, are separated by an interval of several toises. To Mit tomate confined by a long will, from a hundred and eighty to two hundred : i. " ; height, the base of which is not Further from the river than two hundred teises. In this interval the houses are bois : 6. y Prin only one street, having one road in the mid- die. * Here are 12 or 15 well-provided stores, from which the inhabitants for 20 miles round are supplied. This small town also participates in the exportation for carried on between Pittsburg and the western country. Several of the traders of Phil- adelphia prefer sending their marchandise here, although it is a day's journey mother ; but this stight inconvenience is amply compensated by the advantage they derive, fu avoiding the long circuit made by the Ohio on quitting Pittsburg, in which the very nu- merous shallows and the want of rapidity in the current during the summer, retard the navigation.
At Wheeling we lodged with Capt. Reymer, who keeps a tavern at the sign of the Wagon, and takes boarders for two piasters [$2] a week. The living is very good at his house for this money, for provisions are not dear here. Twelve fouls are sold for a piacon. [1] and a quinta! [100 weight] of flour was not worth more than a plaster and
The most important event in the history of Wheeling, was the siege of Furt Henry, at the mouth of Wheeling creek, in Septem- ber, 1777. The bravery and perseverance of the little band who defended it against more than thirty times their number of savages, led on by the notorious Simon Girty, was such as to rank it amons the most memorable events of border warfare. An account of this siege we abridge from the communication of Mr. George 8. 35. Kiernan, in the American Pioneer :---
Fort Henry stood immediately on the left bank of the Ohio, about a quarter of a mik above Wheeling crock. It is said to have been planned by Gen. George Rogers Clarke. and was constructed under the superintendente of Ebenezer Zane and John Caldwell. It was originally called Fort Fincastle, and was a place of refuge for the settlers in Dunmore's war. The name was afterwards changed to Fort Henry, in honor of Patrick Henry. The fort was built on open ground, and covered a space of about three-quarters of an acre. It was a parallelogram, having a block-house at each corner, with lines of stout pickets, about eight feet high, extending from one block-house to another. Within the enclosure were a storehouse. barrack-roms, garrison-well, and a number of cabin .. for the use of families. The principal entrance was through a gateway on the easter: side of the fort, next to the then struggling village of Wheeling, consisting of about 25 log-houses.
The savages, variously estimated at from 380 to 500 warriors, having been abund- antly supplied with arms and provisions by the British governor, Hamilton, at Detroit, and led on by Girty, were brought before the walls of Fort Henry before Col. Shepherd, the commandant, knew of dais real de ign Some symptoms of their propinpady bay. ing been discovered, the settlers in the vicinity had, the night previous, sought shefter within the fort.
The garrison numbered only 42 fighting men, all told, counting those advanced in years as well as those who were mere boys. A portion of them were skilled in Indian warfare, and all wore excellent marksmeu. The storehouse was amply supplied with muskets, but was sadly deficient in ammunition.
"The next morning Col Shepherd dispatched a man, accompanied by a negro, on an .errand a short distance from the fort. The white man was brought to the ground by a blow from the firelock of an Indian ; but the nigro escaped back into the tert, and gave intelligence that they had been waylaid by a party of Indians in a cornfield.
As soon as the negro related his story, the colonel dispatched Captain Samuel Mason, with fourteen men, to dislodge the Indians from the field. Captain Mason with his party marched through the field, and arrived almost of the bank of the creek with- out finding the Indians, and had already commenced a retrogrado movement when he was suddenly and furiously assailed in front, flank, and rear, by the whole of Girty's
52
410
OITO COUNTY.
army. The captain rallied his men from the confusion produced by this unexpected demonstration of the enemy, and instantly comprehending the situation in which he was placed, gallantly took the lead, and howed a passage through the savage phalanx that opposed him. In this desperate conflict more than half the little band were slain, and their leader severely wounded. Intent on retreating back to the fort, Mason pressed rapidly on with the remnant of his command, the Indians following closely in pursuit One by one these devoted soldiers fell at the crack of the enemy's rifle. An fer: prey, fired at bin from the distance of five paces ; but the shot, although it took effect, did not disable the captain, who immediately turned about, and hurling his gun at the head of his pursuer, felled him to the earth. The fearlessness with which this act was performed caused nu involuntary dispersion of the gang of lendiand why lead the pursuit ; and Mason, whose extreme exhaustion of physical powers prevented him from reaching the fort, was fortunate enough to hide himself in a pile of fallen timber, where he was compelled to remain to the end of the siege. Only two of his men survived the skir- mish, and they, like their leader, owed their safety to the heaps of logs and brush that abounded in the cornfield.
Ås soon as the critical situation of Captain Mason became known at the fort, Captain Ogle, with twelve volunteers from the garrison, sallied forth to cover his retreat. This noble, self-devoted band, in their eagerness to press forward to the relief of their suffer- ing fellow-soldiers, fell into an ambuscade, and two-thirds of their number were slain upon the spot. Sergeant Jacob Ogle, though mortale wounded, managed to escape. with two soldiers into the woods, while Captain Ogle escaped in another direction, and bio Mason, he was obliged to keep as long as the siege continued Immediately after the departure of Captain Ogle's command, three new volunteers left the garrison to overtake and rein- feree him. These men, however, did not reach the cornfield until after the Bloody scenes had been enacted, and barely found time to return to the fort before the Indian host appeared before it. The enemy advanced in two rank., in open order, their left flank reaching to the river bank, and their right extending into the woods as far as the eve could reach. As the three volunteers were about to enter the gate, a few random shots were fired at them, and instantly a loud whoop arose on the enemy's left fank, which passed as if by concert. aloor the line to the extreme right. nati the walking was filled with a chorus of the most wild and startling character. "This salute was responded to be a few well directed rige she's from the lower Wat houses, which protected a manifest confusion in the ranks of the bestegets. They discontinued their shouting and retired a few paces, probably to await the coming up of their right flank, which, it would seem, had been directed to make a general sweep of the bottom, and then approach the stockade on the eastern side.
4
At this moment the garrison of Fort Henry numbered no more than twelve men and boys. The fortunes of the day, so far, had been fearfully against them ; two of their best oficers and more then two-thirds of their original force were missing. The cart fate of their comrades was unknown to them, but they had every reason to apprehend that they had been cut to pieces. Still they were not dismayed ; their mothers, sisters, wives, and children, were assembled around them ; they had a sacred charge to protect, and they resolved to Eight to the last extremity, and confidently trusted in Heaven for the successful issue of the combat.
When the enemy's right flank came up, Girty changed his order of attack. Parties of Indians were placed in such of the village houses as commanded a view of the block- houses ; a strong body occupied the yard of Ebenezer Zane, about fifty yards from the fort, using a paling-fence as a cover, while the greater part were posted under cover in the edge of the cornfield, to act offensively or serve as a corps of reserve, as occasion right require. These dispositions having been made. (Virty, with a white flag in his hand, appeared at the window of a cabin, and demanded the surrender of the garrison in " the name of his Britannic majesty. He read the proclamation of Governor Hamilton, and promised them protection if they would lay down their arms and swear allegiance to the British crown. He wataed them to subitoit pracealdy, and admitted his inability to restrain the passions of his warriors when they once became excited with the strife of battle. Colonel Shepherd promptly told him in reply, that the garrison would never surrender to him, and that he could only obtain possession of the fort when there re. mained no longer an American soldier to defend it. Girty renewed his proposition, but. before he finished his harangue, a thoughtless youth in one of the block-houses fired a gun at the speaker, and brought the conference to an abrupt termination. Chaty dis
411
OHIO COUNTY.
appeared, and in about fifteen minutes the Indians opened the siege by a general di ... charge of rites.
it was yet quite early in the morning, the sun not having appeared above the sumaut of Wheeling hill, and the day is represented to have been one of surpassing beant .. 'i be indians, not entirely concealed from the view of the garrison, kept up a bank. " > space of six hours without much intermission. The little garrison, in spite of is vue character, was, with scarcely an exception, composed of sharp-shoo.dr. Serial of them, whose experience in Indian warfare gave them a remarkable th :" of coolness and self-possession in the face of danger, infused confidence into the me .. . and. as they never fired at random, their bullets, in most cases. took eiffel. The 5. dit. .. , on the company, gionted with their previous success, their tou chaseks rocking with the blood of Masou's and One's wien, and all of them burning with intend to ruch ii the fast and complete the work of hatchery. dis Langed their grass against the pick. i .; the gate. the loss of the block-houses, and every other object that wemed to chetter & white man. Their fire was thus thrown away. At length some of their mies daring warriors rushed up close to the block-houses, and attempted to make more sure work by fiing through the logs ; but these reckless savages received, from the well-directed rifles of the frontiersmen, the fearful reward of their temerity. About one o'clock the Indians discontinued their fire, and fell back against the base of the hill.
The stock of gunpowder in the fort having been nearly exhausted, it was determined to seize the favorable opportunity offered by the suspension of histilities to soud for a keg of powder which was known to be in the house of Ebenezer Zane, about 60 yards from the gate of the fort. The person executing this service would necessarily expose himself to the danger of being shot down by the Indians, who were yet sufficiently near to chesire every thing that transpired about the works. The colonel explained the mall- ter to his men, and, unwilling to order one of them to undertake such a desperate en- terprise, inquired whether any man would volunteer for the service. Three or four young men promptly stepped forward in obedience to the call. The colonel informed them that the weak state of the garrison would not justif, the absence of more than ope man, and that it was for themselves to decide who that person should be. The eager- ness felt by each volunteer to undertake the honorable mission, prevented them from mo !. ing the arrangement proposed by the commandant ; and so much time was con. smuel in the contention between them, that fears began to arise that the Indians would renew the attack before the powder could be procured. At this crisis, a young lady, the sister of Ebenezer and Silas Zane, came forward and desired that she might be por. mitted to execute the service. This proposition seemed so extravagant that it met with a peremptory refusal ; but she instantly reward her position in terms of redoubled ear nestness, and all the remonstrances of the colonel and her relatives failed to dissuade her from her heroic purpose. It was finally represented to her that either of the young men, on account of his superior fleetness and familiarity with scenes of danger, would be more likely than herself to do the work successfully. She replied, that the danger which would attend the enterprise was the identical reason that induced her to offer her services, for, as the garrison was very weak, no soldier's life should be placed in need- less jeopardy, and that if she were to fall her loss would not be felt. Her petition was ultimately granted, and the gate opened for her to pass out. The opening of the gate arrested the attention of several Indians who were straggling through the village. It was noticed that their eyes were upon her as she crossed the open space to reach her brother's house ; but seized, porhace, with a sudden freak of clemoney, or believing that a woman's life was not worth a load of gunpowder, or intheated by some other unex .. plained motive, they permitted her to pass without molestation. When she reappeared with the powder in her arms, the Indians, suspecting, no doubt, the character of Her burden, elevated their firelocks and discharged a volley at her as she swiftly glided to- wards the gate ; but the balls ali flew wide of the mark, and the fearless girl reached the fort in safety with her prize. The pages of history may furnish a parallel to the noble exploit of Elizabeth Zane, but an instance of greater self-devotion and moral intre- pidity is not to be found anywhere .*
About half past 2 o'clock, the Indimus put themselves again in motom, and advanced to renew the siege. As in the first attack, a portion of their warriors took possession of the cabins contiguous to the fort, while others availed themselves of the cover a held by Zane's paling-fonce. A large number posted themselves in and bewind a blacksmith-
* This heroine (says Withers) had but recently returned from Philadelphia, where she had received her education, and was tosally unused to such scenes as were daily exhibited on the frontier. She naar- ried twice, and is, or was a few years since, living in Ohio with her husband, a Mr. Clarke.
412
OTTO COUNTY.
shop and stable that stood opposite the northern line of pickets ; and another part;", probably the strongest of all, stationed themselves neder cover of a worm & new and av. eral large piles of fallen timber on the south side of the fort. The siege was now re- opened from the latter quarter-a strong gang of Indians advancing under cover of some large stumps that stood on the side of the declivity below the fort, and renewing the combat with loud yells and a brisk five. 'The impetuosity of the attack on the south, side brought the whole garrison to the two lower block-houses, from which they your enabled to pour out a destructive fire upon the enemy in that quarter. While the ger rison was thus employed, a party of 18 or 20 Indians, armed with rails and wikis of wood, rushed out of Zane's yard and made an attempt to force open the gate of the fort. Their design was discovered in time to defeat it ; but they only abandoned i: after five of six of their tuning had been shot down. Upon the failure of this scheme. the Indiaus opened a fire upon the fort from all sides, except from that next to the river. which afforded no shelter to a besieging host. On the north and the east the battle E ged most forcely : for, notwithstanding the strength of the awadants on the south; the unfavorableness of the gromad prevented them from prosecuting with much vigor the attack which they had commenced with such fury.
The rifles used by the garrison, towards evening became so much heated by continued firing. that they were rendered measurably useless ; and recourse was then had to mus- kets, a full supply of which was found in the storehouse. As darkness set in, the fire of the savages grew weaker, though it was not entirely discontinued until next morning. Shortly after nightfall, a considerable party of Indians advanced within 60 yards of the fort, bringing with them a hollow mayde log, which they had converted zato a fold-piece. by plugging up one of its ends with a block of wood. To give it additional strength. a quantity of chains, taken from the blacksmith-shop, encompassed it from one end to the other. It washeavily charged with powder, and then filled to the muzzle with pieces of stone, slays of iron, and such other band substances as could be trand. The cannon was graduated carefully to discharge its contents against the gate of the fort. When the match was applied it buret indo inany fraguiens ; and although it made no Aflirt upon the fort, it killed and wounded several of the Indians who stood by to witness he discharge. A loud you succeed & the calare of this experiment, and the ground dis. persed. By this time the Indians generally had withdrawn from the siege. and fallen back against the hill to take rest and food. Numbers of stragglers, however, lurked about the village all night. keeping up an irregular fire on the foot, and destroying what- ever articles of furniture and household comfort they chanced to find in the cabins.
Late in the evening, Francis Duke, a son-in-law of. Col. Shepherd, arrived from the Forks of Wheeling, and was shot down by the Indians before he could reach the gate os the fort. About 4 o'clock next morning, (September 23th, ) Col. Swearingen, with 1+ Inen, arrived in a periogue from Cross creek, and was fortunate enough to fight his way into the fort without the loss of a man.
About daybreak, Major Samuel McColloch, with 40 mounted men from Short creek, came to the relief of the little garrison. The gate was thrown open, and McColloch's men, though closely beset by the Indians, estered in safety ; but McColloch himself was not permitted to pass the gateway : the Indians crowded around him and separated him from his party. After several ineffectual attempts to force his way to the gate, he wheeled about aud galloped with the swiftness of a deer in the direction of Wberling pill.
The Indians might easily have killed him. But they cherished towards him an shnost phrensied hatred ; for he had participated in so many encounters thet almost every warrior personally knew him. To take him alive, and glut their full revenge by the most fiendish tortures, was their object ; and they made alnost superhuman exer- tions to capture him. He put spurs to his horse, but soon becaine completely hemmed in on three sides, and the fourth was an almost perpendicular precipice of lad wee. de- scent, with Wheeling creek at its base. "Supporting his rifle in his left hand, and care- fully adjusting his reins with the other, he urged bis horse to the brink of the bloff; and then made the leap which decided his fate. In the next moment the noble steed, still bearing huis intrepid rider in safety, was at the foot of the precipice. McColloch imme- diately dashed across the creek, and was soon beyond the reach of the Indians.
After the escape of Major MeColloch, the Indians concentrated at the foot of the hill, and soon after vot fire to all the houses and fences outside the fort, and killed about 300 head of cattle belonging to the settlers. They then raised the siege, and took up their line of march to some other theatre of action.
During the investiture, not a man within the fort was killed, and only one wounded.
413
OHIO COUNTY
and that wound was a slight one. But the loss sustained by the whites during the enemy's inroad was remarkably severe. Of the 42 men who were in the fort on the morning of the 27th, no less than 23 were killed in the cornfield before the siege com. menced. The two men who had been sent down the river the previous night in a canoc. were intercepted by the Indians and killed also ; and, if we include Mr. Duke in the list, the loss sustained by the settlement amounted to 26 killed, besides four or tive wounded. The enemy's loss was from 60 to 100. Agreeably to their ancient custom, they removed their dead from the feld before the siege was raised ; the extent of their loss is therefore merely conjectura !.
The defence of Fort Henry, when we consider the extreme weakness of the garrison and the forty-fold superiority of the besieging host, was admirably conducted. Foremost on the list of these brave frontier soldiers was Col. Shepherd, the commandant of the fort, whose goed conduct on this occasion gained for him the appointment of candy. lieutenant from Gov. Patrick Ilenry. The brothers Silas and Ebenezer Zane, and John Caldwell, men of influence in the community, and the first settlers at Wheeling, are spoken of as having contributed much to the success of the battle. Besides the natues already mentioned, those of Abraham Rogers, John Ling, Joseph Biges, and Robust Lannion must not be omitted, as they were among the best indian lighters on the koll. tier, and aided much in achieving the victory of the day. The lady of Ebenezer Zan', together with several other females in the fat, undimayed by the sanguinary strife thet was going on, employed themselves in running bullets and preparing patches for the use of the men ; and, by their presence at every point where they could make themsly a useful, and by their cheering words of encouragement, infused new life into the soldiers, and spurred them on in the performance of their duty. The noble act of Elizabeth Zane, which has already been related, inspired the men with an enthusiasin which con- tributed not a little to turn the fortunes of the day. The affair at Fort llenry was em- phatically one at the battles of the revolution. The northwestern Indians were as much the mercenary troops of Great Britain as were the Hessians and the Welkeken, who fought at Bennington, Saratoga, and in New Jersey. If the price received by the Indians for the sealpr of American cbizons did not always amount to the daily pay of the European minions of England, it was, nevertheless, sufficient to prove that The American ravages and the German hirelings were precisely on the same footing as part and parcel of the British army.
A full description of the many feats of bravery displayed by the carly settlers of western Virginia in their wars with the Indians, would fill volumes. The preceding account of the siege of Fort Henry, shows how much was effected by a combination of a few individuals against a vastly superior force of savages ; the following extracts from Doddridge, show how much was accom- plished by the bravery, skill, and activity of single individual ... some of whom were mere children -- in the desperate warfare car- ried on against the Indians on the western frontier :
Lewis Wetzel .-- Lewis Wetzel was the son of John Wetzel, a German, who settled off Big Wheeling, about fourteen miles from the river. He was among the first adven- turers into 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.
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.