USA > West Virginia > Harrison County > History of Harrison County, West Virginia : from the early days of Northwestern Virginia to the present > Part 17
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The Indians at the house after killing two or three small children took Mrs. Bozart and two boys prisoners. With these they made their way to their towns in time to turn their prisoners over to General Wayne.
Letter from John Dawson to Governor Robert Brooke.
HARRISON COURT HOUSE, VA., Aug. 17, 1795.
Some time since I did myself the honor of informing your Excellency in a private letter that some murders had been committed on Buckhannon, in the County of Randolph, by Indians. On the last evening I arrived at this place and this being the Court day, I have collected information from this and Randolph Counties. There remains not a doubt but there are several parties in the settlement.
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On Buckhannon they murdered the family of one Bowzier and des- troyed the whole of his property. They have frequently been seen in that quarter since, and have committed a number of robberies.
About one-third of the inhabitants have moved off, and the rest have forted. Colonel Edward Jackson, who lives on Buckhannon, has ordered out two scouts, the payment of which will no doubt be authorized by the Executive.
On Wednesday last they destroyed the house and property of a man by the name of Carpenter on Big Elk, and were seen seven in number about its ruin. On Friday morning Capt. Tanner, with twenty volunteers, marched in pursuit of them, and it is expected will give a pretty good acount of them. Since then other trails have been seen in different parts of this and Randolph Counties, and the people are unan- imous in declaring that they apprehend more danger than for many years.
I believe their apprehensions well founded, and most heartily join Colonel Jackson and Lowther in recommending that the latter may be empowered to call out a Lieutenant and Ensign's command until the danger is over, which will be either increased or diminished by the treaty, the event of which, from what we learn is very doubtful.
On application from Colonel Lowther, I have recommended to him to continue the two scouts in Randolph and if on going into that county, which I shall do in a few days, I find an increase necessary, I shall order it, well knowing how highly the lives of our fellow-citizens are estimated by every member of the Executive.
The persons to whom money is due as rangers, are exceedingly anxious to receive it and think it very hard that the payments to them should be delayed by the negligence of the paymaster.
If he has not come down it really seems right that some other mode should be adopted for the conveyance of the money.
With much respect, I have &c.
JOHN DAWSON.
Letter from John Dawson to Governor Robert Brooke.
HARRISON COURT HOUSE, VA., Aug. 22, 1795.
In a letter which I had the honor to address to your Excellency from this place, I informed you of the situation of the County.
The return of Capt. Tanner without effecting the object of his scout has confirmed the apprehensions of danger from the Indians, he having discovered undoubted signs of many being in this and Randolph Counties. Two days since Colonel Lowther with several of his officers met at this place and resolved merely I think to call out a full company to be com- manded by Capt. Haymond. They meet here today and in the morning march for Buckhannon in the Valley; for a more full account of the proceedings and the existing danger of the country I refer you to Col. Jackson, who will do me the honor to deliver this letter, and who is perfectly informed.
On application from Col. Lowther and many citizens, I recommend to him to call out an additional spy in this County for the security of
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the people at Vienna; the payment will, I am persuaded, be really made by the Executive.
This afternoon I shall set out for Randolph Court House, where I expect to be by the morning. The inhabitants of that County are no doubt making similar exertions to this, as they are the most exposed. How I shall get from thence to Kanawha I cannot say; the path is bad, long and dangerous.
I cannot fail to mention again the great anxiety of the people to receive the money long since due to them as rangers &c. The neg- lect of the paymaster surely ought not to withhold from them what is justly due Colonel Jackson, who has their entire confidence, has offered to take on himself the care of bringing it up. No person can be more proper, and should General Tate not have received it, I presume that can be no objection to entrusting it to him.
With much respect, I have etc.
JOHN DAWSON.
As an incident of the march of Capt. Tanner's company in pursuit of the Indians who had murdered the Carpenter family referred to in the above letters of John Dawson, Thomas Haymond, who was a member of the Company told that they were four days with scarcely anything to eat, and that one day all hands turned out to hunt, and that he was the only one who met with any success, having killed a small deer. He carried it into camp and it was at once cut up into small pieces and divided among the party, his share being about half the size of his hand.
The murder of the Bozart family was the last mischief committed by the Indians in the Monongahela Valley.
For twenty long years no settler could step from his cabin door with the assurance that he would not be met by the bullet of a savage and for all that long period they had bravely endured all the horrors of savage warfare, and the woes that spring from the vindictive passions of un- curbed barbarians.
The victory of General Wayne over the combined Ohio tribes on the Miami at the battle of "Fallen Timbers" broke the power of the Indians of the North West and the treaty concluded at Greenville in August 1795 brought peace to a long suffering and distracted country.
After the defeat of General St. Clair in November 1791, and the ap- pointment of Major General Anthony Wayne (Mad Anthony) to the command of the army, and while he was actively engaged in organizing and recruiting troops for the campaign against the tribes North and West of the Ohio, President Washington spared no pains to negotiate a treaty of peace with the Indians.
Discreet commissioners were selected and frequent councils were held with their principal men, but elated by their victory over St. Clair, they demanded that the Ohio River should be the dividing line between the territory of the Indian and the white man.
The patience of the President was at last exhausted. All negotiations were declared off and General Wayne was ordered to advance into the Indian country and inflict such punishment upon them as would forever prohibit them from raiding the settlements.
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HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY
The army moved from Fort Washington in October 1793, and ad- vanced slowly and cautiously and in December had occupied the position of General St. Clair when defeated on November 4, 1791, and established a fortified camp called "Fort Recovery." In August 1794 the army ad- vanced and took up a position on the Miami of the Lakes at the mouth of the Au Glaize, right in the heart of the Indian country, whose villages and cornfields extended for miles along these rivers and named the camp "Fort Defiance."
After declining General Wayne's overtures of peace, he advanced upon the Indians' position in a thick woods near the British Military Post called Fort Miami, and on the 20th day of August, 1794, gained a complete victory over them, thus breaking the power of the Northwestern tribes, and discouraging them from remaining at war with the whites.
At this time the British had not yet withdrawn their occupancy from American Territory under the pretext that the boundary line agreed upon at the conclusion of the war of the Revolution had not been ac- curately defined.
After many tedious delays and frequent councils a treaty of peace was finally concluded with the combined Indian tribes on the 3rd of August, 1795 at the fortified camp of Greenville, the following named tribes agreeing and subscribing to the treaty:
Wyandottes
Delawares
Shawnees
Ottawas
Chippewas
Pottowotamies
Miamis
Eeel Rivers
Weas
Kicapoos
Pankeshaws
Kaskaskias
By the terms of the treaty all the prisoners in the hands of the In- dians were to be delivered up in ninety days. The Indian prisoners were to be released at once.
Numbers of persons from the frontier visited the army looking after their children and friends, who were captives in the hands of the In- dians. Many pathetic scenes occurred at the meeting of those long separat- ed under such heartrending circumstances.
Some of the white prisoners were so attached to the savage life that it was with great difficulty they were pursuaded to return to their friends and a life of civilization.
On the 9th. of September 1795, a party of Shawnees, numbering sixty or seventy, arrived at Greenville with four prisoners, three of them being of the Bozart family captured in July at the Buckhannon settle- ment, and surrendered them to General Wayne.
On the 11th of September the General gave them audience, when Puck-se-kaw (or Jumper) spoke as follows:
"My Father: I have been in the woods a long time. I was not ac- quainted with the good works which were transacting at this place by you and all our great chiefs.
Last Spring when we were hunting peaceably, our camp on the Sci- ota was robbed. We are very poor and the mischief that has since been done was in retaliation for the injuries we then sustained.
As soon as I received this belt, which you sent me by Blue Jacket, one of our great chiefs, and as soon as I was informed by him that the
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HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY
good work of peace was finished, I arose to come and see you and brought with me these four prisoners. I now surrender them to you, my father, and promise that we will do no more mischief.
I hope that for the future we shall be permitted to live and hunt in peace and quietness. We were poor and ignorant children, astray in the woods, who knew not that our nation and all other tribes of In- dians had come in and made peace with you. I thank the Great Spirit for at last opening our eyes.
Father, we beg you will forgive and receive your repentant children. These people whom I now deliver to you must plead our forgiveness and vouch our conduct for the future."
The Shawnee tribe, to which this chief belonged, had been par- particularly hostile to the whites and had committed many depredations and cruelties on the Virginia frontier.
The above speech indicates that the speaker was nervous and uncer- tain as to his reception. And while his hands were only recently imbued with the blood of innocent children, he shows the wily cunning of the savage by claiming that his raid on the frontier had been made in retali- ation for his camp being robbed, and that he did not know that a treaty of peace was being negotiated.
Neither of these statements is probably true. Certainly it must have been known to every Indian at war with the whites that efforts were be- ing made to establish peace and had been since the victory of General Wayne in August 1794, nearly twelve months before.
The entire country regarded the campaign of General Wayne with the greatest solicitude, and when the glad tidings of his great victory came, it was received with the greatest joy, but to the frontier it gave promise of a peace that secured life and liberty and was the sweetest music to the pioneer that had ever floated around their forest homes.
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HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY
Incidents Connected With Indian Wars.
It is estimated that from the French and Indian War of 1754 to General Wayne's victory at Maumee Rapids in 1794, a period of forty years, at least 5000 white people were killed or captured west of the Alleghenies.
Eleven organized military expeditions had been conducted against the western Indians prior to the war of 1812, the greater portion being unsuccessful.
The number of murders of whites by the Indians within the present limits of Harrison County was about forty.
The number carried away in captivity was less than the number killed, as frequently the Indians did not care to be burdened by prison- ers, as the possession of them was always sure to invite a vigorous pur- suit by the whites.
Colonel Boquet's Expedition.
The following account is given in Hill's History of Licking County, Ohio; of the surrender of prisoners to Colonel Henry Bouquet, who marched into the Ohio Country from Fort Pitt in 1764 with a large force and at a conference with the principal men of the hostile tribes, demand- ed that all of the white captives held by them should be surrendered to him within twelve days. Overawed and humbled by his stern manner and display of force, they at once commenced to comply with the demand, and from day to day prisoners were brought in, men, women and chil- dren, and delivered to their friends.
"Many were the touching scenes enacted during this time. The separated husband and wife met, the latter often carrying a child born in captivity. Brothers and sisters, separated in youth, met; lovers rushed into each others arms; children found their parents, mothers their sons, fathers their daughters and neighbors, those from whom they had been separated many years. Yet there were many distressing scenes. Some looked in vain for long lost relatives and friends that never would return. Others who had been captured in their infancy would not leave their sav- age friends, and when force was used some of them fled away. One mother looked in vain for a child she had lost years before. Day by day she anxiously watched, but no daughter's voice reached her ears. One clad in savage attire was brought before her. It could not be her daugh- ter, she was grown. So was the maiden before her. Cannot you remem- ber some mark, asked Colonel Bouquet, whose sympathies were aroused in this case. There is none, said the anxious and sorrowful mother. Sing a song you sang over her cradle, she may remember, suggested the com- mander. One is sung by the mother. As the song of childhood floats out
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HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY
among the trees, the maiden stops and listens, then approaches. The long lost chords of mystic memory are touched. Yes, she remembers the long unheard song of childhood. Mother and daughter are reunited and held in close embrace, and the stern soldier Bouquet drops a tear at the pathetic scene."
The following incident was told by Major William Powers, one of Harrison County's most respected citizen to Benjamin F. Shuttleworth of Clarksburg.
An Englishman during the early settlement of North West Virginia was traveling on horseback from Clarksburg to Marietta, lost his way in the woods, and after night came on saw a light in the distance and, upon approaching, found it to be from an Indian camp. A state of war exist- ing at the time, he was apprehensive of his safety, but was protected by the leader of the party, who gave him food and a blanket to sleep on, and the next morning guided him to the Marietta trail and gave directions to enable him to reach his journey's end in safety.
Many years afterwards a showman had engaged a party of North American Indians and taken them to England to exhibit them in their native costumes, to the people of that country.
One evening while the party was entertaining a large audience in a London Theatre with their dances, war songs and other customs of their people, a gentleman present raised a great outcry, attracting the atten- tion of the house. Upon investigating it was discovered that he had recognized in one of the Indians performing on the stage, the very one who years before in the Virginia forest had rescued him from his perilous condition and acted towards him the part of a good Samaritan.
Billy Dragoo.
In the fall of 1786 while Mrs. Dragoo and her son Billy, a lad of ten or twelve years of age, were engaged in gathering beans in a corn field on Buffalo Creek, Monongalia County, they were captured by a party of Indians and started in the direction of the Ohio River. On the third day and before reaching the river, Mrs. Dragoo, having fallen from the horse upon which her captors had placed her, and severely injured herself, she was murdered so as not to delay the journey.
Young Dragoo was adopted into the Ottawa tribe, married one of them, had four children born to him and became a thorough Indian in habits, customs and inclinations, and was renowned for his skill as a hunter.
About the year 1808 one of his brothers who had moved to the Ohio Country having heard of him, paid him a visit and induced him to go to see his father, who still lived in Monongalia County.
More than twenty years had elapsed since his captivity and though there was but a little remnant of civilization about him, and he had sus- pended from his nose a half moon silver ornament, wore large rings in his ears, and his dress was largely after the Indian custom, yet the meet- ing between the father and his long lost son was extremely pathetic and affecting.
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HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY
Two years after his visit to his father, "Billy" resolved to abandon his Indian life and spend the remainder of his days with civilized people. Taking two of his half Indian children with him he returned to West Virginia and lived five years with his father and brothers. These two children subsequently returned to their mother.
Dragoo married again in 1815 and raised another family of children, and moved to Licking County, Ohio, where he died about 1850.
He never wholly abandoned his Indian habits and mode of life, but spent most of his time hunting and fishing. He was a quiet peaceable man and was esteemed for his excellent qualities.
Governor Hamilton, "The Hair Buyer."
George Rogers Clark in his expedition to Vincennes captured Henry Hamilton, the commander of Detroit in 1779, and sent him a prisoner to Virginia where he was confined in Chesterfield County.
He was accused of sending out parties of Indians to murder the settlers on the Virginia and Kentucky frontiers, and offering a reward for scalps, and was known throughout the frontier as the hair buyer and was bitterly hated by the frontier people.
While a prisoner he was carefully guarded for fear some one would take his life.
The following instructions from the British War Office, and letter of Governor Thomas Jefferson are of great interest in this connection :
Instructions From Lord George Germain to Guy Carleton Commanding at Quebec.
SIR :- In the consideration of the measures proper to be pursued in the next campaign, the making of a diversion on the frontiers of Vir- ginia and Pennsylvania by parties of Indians conducted by proper lead- ers as proposed by Lieut. Governor Hamilton has been maturely weighed.
That officer, in his letter to the Earl of Dartmouth, dated at Detroit the 2nd of September last, that he had with him Deputies from the Ottawas, Chippewas, Wyandottes, Shawnees, Senecas, Delawares, Chero- kees and Powattomies.
That their inclination was for war, and that it was with much difficulty he had restrained them from hostilities, which he thought it was his duty to do.
"It is the King's command that you should direct Lieut. Governor Hamilton to assemble as many of the Indians of his district as he con- veniently can, and place proper persons at their head to conduct their parties and restrain them from committing violence on the well affected and inoffensive inhabitants, employ them in making a diversion and ex- citing an alarm upon the frontiers of Virginia and Pennsylvania."
Governor Jefferson in his letter to the Governor of Detroit dated July 22, 1779, then Sir Guy Carleton, in reply to one from him com- plaining of the treatment of Governor Henry Hamilton then a prisoner (at Chesterfield) speaks of his conduct while Governor of Detroit in se- vere terms :
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HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY
"He who employs another to do a deed makes the deed his own. If he calls in the assassin or murderer himself becomes the assassin or mur- derer. The known rule of warfare with the Indian savages is an indis- criminate butchery of men, women and children. These savages under this well known character are employed by the British Nation as allies in the war against the Americans. Governor Hamilton undertakes to be the conductor of the war.
Governor Hamilton then is himself the butcher of men, women and children."
It appears from the calendar of Virginia State papers that Lieuten- ant Governor Henry Hamilton commanding the British forces at De- troit, acknowledged himself a prisoner of war, and signed a parole that he would do nothing to the prejudice of the United States until "I shall be enlarged from my captivity." Dated at Chesterfield, Virginia, Oct. 10, 1780.
Waddell's History of Augusta County states that a company of Militia from the County commanded by Captain William Kincaid and Lieutenant James Steele, marched from Staunton in March 1777 to a Block House on the West Fork of the Monongahela River.
By the same authority a Company of Militia from the same County in April 1779 commanded by Captain James Trimble, marched to Ty- gart's Valley and remained in service three months.
Alexander Hamilton, one of the privates, states in his declaration that he was in several scouts but did not participate in any battles.
Elias Hickman, who lived to a great age, said that the last depreda- tion committed by the Indians in the present limits of Harrison County was the capture of a girl by the name of Runyon on Davisson's Run. She went to the Spring for water and was never heard of afterwards. From signs it was discovered that a party of Indians had been in the neighbor- hood, and it was supposed she was taken prisoner by them.
He also said that he had never seen a notice of this affair in any book or history.
Indian Nomenclature.
The fact that the pioneer settlers of Harrison County were nearly always at war with the Indians who frequented this region, and had little or no friendly intercourse with them, prevented their learning the names the aboriginees had bestowed on the mountains, streams and other natural objects, which is very much to be regretted.
The word Monongahela is said to signify "the river of sliding banks," which comes from the peculiarity of the river in washing under its banks and causing them to slide into the water.
The word Pinnickinnick, which is given to the high hill near Clarks- burg, is presumed to be of Indian origin but its meaning is not known.
There is a tradition that the West Fork was called "Muddy River" by the Indians.
The June number 1892, of the Southern Historical Magazine, in a sketch of Adam O'Brien states:
"Clarksburg was a small village much exposed, and the children
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HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY
were kept within very narrow limits, lest the savages should chance to fall upon them. The little urchins, however, then as now, sometimes broke their bounds.
One evening, when a squad of them had wandered too far, they dis- covered an Indian, who was creeping up to surprise them. They set off for home at full speed and the Indian, finding himself discovered, pur- sued them fiercely with his tomahawk.
The larger children were ahead, but one little fellow, though he ran his best, fell into the rear, and the savage was gaining on him. At last the boy got so far that his pursuer stopped, poised his tomahawk and threw it at him, but missed, on which the child, looking back, exclaimed : "Aha, you missed me though, you Red Devil."
CLARKSBURG, Sept. 20, 1909.
COL. HENRY HAYMOND,
DEAR SIR :- At your request I will give you the tradition of my grandfather, Barnes Allen's adventure with the Indians as I heard it from my father, Stephen C. Allen.
Joshua Allen and his son, Barnes Allen, came from Scotland to Vir- ginia, from there to Fort Pitt, thence up the river to what is now known as Hepzibah, or the Allen farm, five miles from Clarksburg.
Joshua Allen entered a large tract of land, and his son, Barnes, planted and matured four (4) hills of corn, which gave him a settlement right to 400 acres, built a log cabin on his land and went to Fort Pitt, and was married to a German woman named Eve Swiger, and returned to his cabin in the wilderness, and started to establish a home and clear out a farm.
To this union six children were born, four boys, John. Joshua, Israel and Stephen and two girls, Catherine and Rebecca. Rebecca was born in 1784, married Starling Bartlett, lived ninety-six years, died and was buried in Hepzibah church yard, all on or in the close vicinity of the original Allen farm.
Sometime in the early 80's while Barnes Allen was away from home watching a deer lick, his wife, who was alone became alarmed at the con- tinual barking of their dog, and, going to the door to see what was the matter, discovered a small party of Indians approaching the cabin. She hurried out the back door and through the thick underbrush until she reached a large beech tree with low spreading branches which stood near the Spring. She climbed this tree and hid herself in the heavy folage.
As a boy, I well remember seeing this tree. It was known as Grand- mother's tree. My father never allowed it to be disturbed and it was left standing until it wasted away.
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