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HISTORY 


O  V      T  U   E 


VALLEY  OF  VIRGINIA. 


Bv  SaHiiiel  KerclieYai. 


SECOND    EDITION: 


JlE VISED    AND    EXTENDED    BY    THE    AttHOR. 


■W'OODSTOCkV  VA. 

JOHN  GATEUOoJ,    fII;Mr.S, 


Entered  according  to  act  of  Cong-ress,  in  the  year  1853,  in  ike  Clerk'i 
Omce  of  ibe  Western  District  of  Virginia. 


«  c   •      '    «■  ', 


I>EDICAT10^\ 

TO     GE>ERAL    JOH>'     SMITS. 

Like  IVcstor  of  old,  you  have  lived  to  see  "Hwo  generations 
pass  away,  and  now  remain  the  example  of  the  third."  You 
saw  Diinniore's  war  with  the  Indians  in  1774;  you  witness- 
ed the  war  of  the  Revolution  and  the  war  of  1812,  with  the 
haughty  Briton.  In  ail  these  great  struggles  of  our  country, 
you  have  given  tlie  most  conclusive  evidence  of  unbending 
virtue  and  uncompromising  patriotism.  The  author  has  had 
the  graiihcation  of  knowing  you  for  a  Tail  half  century. — 
When  a  small  boy  ho  frequently  saw  you,  though  he  was 
then  too  young  to  attract  your  notice,  and  it  was  not  imtil  he 
entered  upon  the  active  duties  of  life  that  he  had  the  high 
satisfaction  of  a  personal  acquaintance. 

The  author  disclaims  every  thing  like  insiiicere  flattery, 
and  feels  assured  that  your  candor  will  readily  pardon  him 
for  the  freedom  he  uses  in  his  dedication  of  his  Flistory  of 
the  Valley  to  you.  To  you,  sir,  is  he  indebted  for  much  of 
the  valuable  information  detailed  in  the  following  pages. — 
In  vou.  sir,  lie  has  witnessed  the  calm,  dignined  statesman 
and  philosopher,  the  uniform  and  consistent  republican,  the 
active  and  zealous  oScer,  whether  in  the  field  or  councils  of 
the  country.  He  has  witnessed  more:  he  has  seen  you  in 
high  pecuniary  prosperty  ;  he  has  seen  you  in  later  years 
struggling  witii  adverse  fortune ;  and  in  all,  has  discovered 
\\\G  calm,  dignified  resignation  to  misfortune,  which  always 
characterises  the  great  and  the  good  man.  Yes,  sir,  you 
have  spent  at  least  lifty  years  of  your  valuable  life  in  the 
service  of  vour  countrv ;  and  when  vou  co  hence,  that  vou 
may  enter  into  thejov  of  vour  Lord,  is  the  fervent  praver  ol 


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I  r^  T  M  e*  S>  I"  €  T  1  O  ^ 


ORIGIN  OF  THE    INDIANS  IN  AMERICA. 

From  what  particular  part  of  the  old  world  the  aljorigmals  {oiind  ihclv 
way  to  this  continent,  is  a  question  which  has  given  rise  to  much  pldlo- 
sophical  and  learned  disquisition  among  historians.  It  however  appears 
now  to  be  the  settled  opinion  that  America  hrst  received  its  inhabitants 
irom  Asia.  JNIr.  Siiov/den,  in  his  History  of  America,  advances  m;u\y 
able  and  ingenious  arguments  in  support  of  this  opinion.  After  citing 
many  great  revolutions  which  have  from  time  to  time  taken  place  in  -\ari- 
ous  parts  of  our  globe,  Mr.  Snowden  states : 

"In  the  strait  which  separates  America  from  Asia,  many  islands  are 
found,  which  are  supposed  to  be  the  mountainous  parts  of  land,  fbmierly 
swallowed  u])  by  earthquakes :  which  appears  the  more  probable,  by  the 
multitude  of  volcanoes,  now  known  in  the  peninsula  of  Kamtschatka. — 
It  is  imagined,  however,  that  the  sinking  of  that  land  and  the  separation 
of  the  new  continents,  has  been  occasioned  by  those  great  earthquakes, 
mentioned  in  the  history  of  the  Americans ;  v.hich  formed  an  era  almost 
as  memorable  as  that  of  the  deluge.  We  can  form  no  conjecture  of  the 
time  mentioned  in  the  histories  of  the  Taltecas,  or  of  the  year  1,  (Tecpatl,) 
when  that  great  calamity  happened. 

"If  a  great  earthquake  should  overwhelm  the  isthmus  of  Suez,  and 
there  should  be  at  the  same  time  as  great  a  scarcity  of  historians  as  there 
was  in  the  first  age  of  the  deluge,  it  would  be  doubted  in  three  or  four  hun- 
dred years  after,  vdiether  Asia  had  ever  been  united  by  that  part  of  Africa; 
and  many  Vv'ould  finally  deny  it. 

"Whether  that  great  event,  the  separation  of  the  continents,  took  place 
before  or  after  the  population  of  America,  it  is  impossible  to  determine ; 
but  we  are  indebted  to  the  above-mentioned  navigatois,  [Cook  and  others,] 
for  settling  the  long  dispute  about  the  point  from  which  it  v/as  effected. 
Their  observations  prove,  that  in  one  place  the  distance  between  conti- 
nent and  continent  is  only  thirty-nine  miles ;  and  in  the  middle  of  this 
narrow  strait,  there  are  two  islands,  which  would  greatly  fcicilitate  the  pas- 
sage of  the  Asiatics  into  the  new  world,  supposing  it  took  place  in  ca- 
noes, after  the  convulsion  which  rent  the  tAvo  continents  asunder, 

"It  may  also  be  added,  that  these  straits  are,  even  in  the  summer, 
often  filled  with  ice;  in  winter  frozen  over,  so  as  to  admit  a  passage  for 
mankind,  and  by  which  quadrupeds  might  easily  cross,  and  stock  the 
continent.  But  where,  from  the  vast  expanse  of  the  north-eastern  world, 
1o  fix  on  the  first  tribes  who  contributed  to  people  the  new  continent, 
now  inhabited  from  end  to  end,  is  a  matter  that  has  baffled  hum^n  reason. 
The  Icarnerd  mav  make  bold  and  inar-nious  conjecture^,  but  plain  ^^ood 
$-^i>.c  cannot  alwavs  accede  1©  then. 


vi  iNrPvODUCrlON. 

"As  mankirrJ  i;iCi'eiseJ  in  numbers,  ihej  naturally  protruded  one  an#' 
ther  forward.  Wars  might  be  another  cause  of  migrations.  No  reason 
a  jpears  why  the  Asiatic  north  might  not  be  an  qffiiina  vivorum  as  well  as 
the  Europcrin.  The  ovcitecming  country  to  ttie  east  of  the  Riphean 
laountains.  must  have  found  it  necessary  to  discharge  its  inhabitants : 
the  first  great  increase  of  people  were  forced  forwards  by  tlie  next  to  it ; 
at  length  reaching  the  utmost  limits  of  the  old  world,  found  a  new,  with 
ample  space  to  occvipy  unmolested  for  ages;  till  Columbus,  in  an  evil 
hour  for  tiiem,  discovered  their  country  ;  which  brought  again  new  sins 
and  new  deaths  to  both  Avorlds.  It  is  impossible,  with  the  lights  which 
we  have  so  recently  received,  to  admit  that  America  could  have  received 
its  inhabitants  (that  is,  the  bulk  of  them,)  from  any  other  place  than  Eas- 
tern Asia.  A  few  proofs  may  be  added,  taken  from  the  customs  or  dres- 
ses, common  to  the  inhabitanis  of  boih  worlds.  Some  have  been  long 
extinct  in  the  old,  olhers  remain  in  full  force  in  both. 

"  The  custom  of  scalping  was  a  barbarism  in  use  among  the  Scythians, 
who  carried  about  them  at  all  limes  this  savage  mark  of  triumph.  A  little 
imao-e  found  anions;  the  Kaimucs,*  of  a  Tartarian  deitv,  mounted  on  a 
horse,  and  sitting  on  a  human  skin,  with  scalps  pendant  from  the  breast, 
fully  illustrates  the  custom  of  the  ancient  Scythians,  as  described  by  the 
Greek  historian.  '  This  usage,  we  v.-ell  know  by  horrid  experience,  is 
continued  to  this  day  in  America.  The  ferocity  of  the  Scythians  to  their 
prisoners,  extended  to  the  remotest  part  of  Asia.  The  Karatskatkans, 
even  at  the  time  of  their  discovery  by  the  Russians,  put  their  prisoners  to 
death  by  the  most  lingering  and  excruciating  torments;  a  practice  nov^r 
in  full  force  among  the  aboriginal  Americans.  A  race  of  the  Scythians 
were  named  Anthrooophagi,  from  their  feeding  on  human  flesh  :  the  peo- 
ple of  Nootka  sound  still  make  a  repast  on  their  iellow  creatures. 

"The  savages  of  North  America  have  been  known  to  throAV  the  man- 
gled limbs  of  their  prisoners  into  the  horrible  cauldron,  and  devour  them 
with  the  same  relish  as  those  of  a  quadrupid.  The  Kamtskatkans  in  tJieir 
marches  never  went  abreast,  but  followed  one  another  in  the  same  track: 
the  same  custom  is  still  observed  by  the  uncultivated  natives  of  North 
America.  The  Tungusi,  the  most  numerous  nation  resident  in  Siberia, 
prick  their  skins  witli  small  punctures,  in  various  shapes,  with  a  needle; 
then  rub  them  with  charcoal,  so  that  the  marks  become  indelllble :  this 
custom  is  still  observed  in  several  parts  of  South  America.  The  Tungusi 
use  canoes  made  of  birch  bark,  distended  over  ribs  of  wood,  and  nicely 
put  together:  the  Canadian,  and  many  other  primitive  American  nations, 
use  no  other  sort  ofboats.  In  fine,  the  conjectures  of  th"  learned,  respec- 
ting the  vicinity  of  the  old  and  new  world,  are  now,  by  the  discoveries  of 
late  navigators,  lost  in  conviction  ;  and  in  the  place  of  an  imaginary  hy- 
pothesis, th::  place  of  migration  is  almost  incontrovertibly  pointed  out." 


The  Kilinuc  Tartars  ;ire  n-jw  siibjpcts  (if  Rin.jia. 


INTRODVCTION.  vii 

SKETCH  OF  THE  FIRST  SETTLEMENT  OF  VIRGINIA. 

Having  given  the  foregoing  brief  sketch  of  the  probable  origin  of  the 
Indians  in  Arcerica,  the  author  v;ill  now  turn  his  attention  to  the  first  set- 
tlement of  Virginia,  a  brief  history  of  which  he  considers  will  not  be  un- 
acceptable to  the  general  reader,  and  as  a  preliminary  introduction  to  his 
main  object,  i.  e.,  the  history  of  the  early  settlement  of  the  Valley  of 
Shenandoah  in  Virginia. 

On  the  10th  of  A.pril,  1606,  James  I.  King  of  England,  granted  char- 
ters to  two  separate  companies,  called  the  "  London  and  Plymouth  com- 
panies," for  settling  colonies  in  Virginia.*  The  London  company  sent 
Capt.  Christopher  Newport  to  Virginia,  December  20,  1606,  with  a  colo- 
ny of  one  hundred  and  five  persons,  to  commence  a  settlement  on  the 
island  of  Roanoke,  now  in  North  Carolina.  By  stress  of  weather,  how- 
ever, they  were  driven  north  of  their  place  of  destination,  and  entered 
the  Chesapeake  Bay.  Here,  \lp  a  river  which  the  called  James  river,  on  a 
beautiful  peninsula,  they  commenced,  in  May,  1607,  the  settlement  of 
Jamestown.     This  was  the  first  permanent  settlement  in  the  country. 

Several  subsequent  charters  were  granted  by  King  James  to  the  com- 
pany for  the  better  ordering  and  government  of  the  colony,  for  the  parti- 
culars of  which  the  reader  is  referred  to  Hening's  Statutes  at  Large. — 
And  in  the  year  1619,  the  first  legislative  council  was  convened  at  James- 
town, then  called  'James  citty.'  "     This  council  w^as  called  the  General 
Assembly.     "It  was  to  assist  the  Governor  in  the  adm.inistration  of  jus- 
tice, to    advance  Christianity  among  Indians,  to  erect  the  colony  in  obe- 
dience to  his  majesty,  and  in  m.aintaining  the  people  in  justice  and  chris- 
tian conversation,  and  strengthening  them  against  enemies.      The    said 
governor,  council,  and  two  burgesses  out  of  every  town,  hundred  or  plan- 
tation, to  be  chosen  by  the  inhabitants  to  make  up  a  General  Assembly, 
who  are  to  decide  all  matters  by  the  greatest  number  of  voices ;  but  the 
governor  is  to  have  a  negative  voice,  to  haA'e  power  to  make  orders  and 
acts  necessary,  wherein  they  are  to  inaitate  the  policy  of  the  form  of  gov- 
ernment, lav.^s,  customs,  manner  of  tryal,  and  other   administration  of 
justice  used  in  England,  as  the  company  are  required  by  their  letters 
patents.     No  law  to  continue  or  to  be  of  force  till  ratified  by  a  quarter 
ftourt  to  be  held  in  England,  and  returned  under  seal.     After  the  colony 
is  well  framed  and  settled,  no  order  of  quarter  court  in  England  shall  bind 
till  ratified  by  the  General  Assembly."  *— Dated  24th  July,  1621. 

"  INSTRUCTIONS  TO  GOVERNOR  WYATT. 

"To  keep  up  religion  of  the  church  of  England  as  near  as  may  be; — 
to  be  obedient  to  the  king  and  to  do  justice  after  the  form  of  the  laws  of 
England;  and  not  to  injure  the  natives;  and  to  forget  old  quarrels  novr 
buried -.f 


*Hening's  Statutes  at  Larpe,  toI.  i.,  p.  ]  13,  114. 

fit  appears  that  at  a  verv  early  period  of  the  colon}-,  tliev  wprc  dpsirous  of  cultivating 
aTriendly  ursdertanclinsf  with  tlie  natives  of  Uie  countiv.  IJnfurliinaiely,  however,  fur 
vur  ancestors,  and  for  the  Indians  themselves,  this  friendly  disposition  was  never  of  lonjj 

fiuraticn. 


vlii  TXTRODrrTTON. 

"  To  be  industrious,  ar.d  suppress  drunkenness,  L,^^minf(,  and  excess 
in  eloaths;  not  to  permit  any  but  the  council  and  heads  of  hundreds  to 
wear  gold  in  their  eloaths,  or  to  wear  silk  till  they  make  it  themselves: 

"  iS'ot  to  offend  any  foreign  princes;  to  punish  piracies  ;  to  build  for- 
tresses and  block-houses  at  the  mouths  of  the  rivers : 

"To  use  means  to  convert  the  heathens,  viz. :  to  converse  with  some  ; 
each  town  to  teach  som  children  fit  for  the  college  intended  to  be  built : 

"After  Sir  George  Yeardly  has  gathered  the  present  year's  crop,  he  is 
to  deliver  to  Sir  Francis  Wyatt,  the  hundred  tenants  belongino;  to  the 
governor's  place:  Ycardley's  government  to  expire  the  18th  November 
next,  and  then  Wyatt  to  be  published  governor;  to  swear  the  council : 

"George  Sandis  appointed  treasurer,  and  he  is  to  put  in  execution  all 
orders  of  court  about  staple  commodities;  to  whom  is  allotted  fifteen 
hundred  acres  and  fifty  tenants.  To  the  marshall,  sir  William  Newce, 
the  same.  To  the  physician  five  hundred  acres  and  twenty  tenants  ; 
and  the  same  to  the  secretary : 

"To  review  the  commissions  to  Sir  George  Yeardley,  governor,  and 
the  council,  dated  iSth  November,  1618,  for  dividing  the  colony  into  ci- 
ties, boroughs,  &c.,  and  to  observe  all  former  instructions  (a  copy  where- 
of was  sent)  if  they  did  not  contradict  the  present;  and  all  orders  of  court 
(made  in  England)  : 

"  To  make  a  catalogue  of  the  people  in  ever,-  plantation,  and  their  con- 
ditions; and  of  deaths,  marriages  and  christenings: 

"To  take  care  of  dead  persons'  estates  for  the  right  owners;  to  keep  a 
list  of  all  cattle  and  cause  the  secretary  to  return  copies  of  the  premises 
once  a  year : 

"To  take  care  of  every  plantation  upon  the  denlli  of  their  chief;  not  to 
plant  above  one  hundred  pounds  of  tobacco  per  head  ;*  to  sow  great 
(juantities  of  corn  for  their  own  use,  and  to  support  the  multitudes  to  be 
sent  yearly;  to  inclose  lands;  to  keep  cows,  swine,  poultr}-,  &,c.,  and 
particularly  kyne,  which  are  not  to  be  killed  3"Ci: 

"Next  to  corn,  plant  mulbury  trees,  and  make  silk,  and  take  care  of 
the  French  men  and  others  sent  about  that  work;  to  try  silk  grass;  to 
plant  abundance  of  vines,  and  take  care  of  tlic  vignerors  sent: 

"To  put  prentices  to  trades,  and  not  let  them  Ibrsake  their  trades  fi)r 
planting  tobacco  or  any  such  useless  commodity: 

"To  take  care  of  the  Dutch  sent  to  build  saw-mllis,  and  scat  them  at 
the  falls,  that  they  may  bring  their  timber  by  the  curmit  of  the  water: 

"To  build  water-mills  and  block-houses  in  every  plantation: 

"That  all  contracts  in  l^ngland  or  Virginia  be  performed,  and  the 
breaches  punished  according  to  justice: 

"The  tenants  not  to  be  enticed  away;  to  take  care  of  those  sent  about 
an  iron  work,  and  especially  Mr.  John  JJerkcley,  that  they  dont  miscarry 
again,  this  being  the  greatest  hope  and  expectation  of  the  coloiiies: 

"To  make  salt,  pitch,  tar,  soap,  ashes,  &,c.,  so  often  recommended. 


"This  nrdrr  slrikos  tlio  :\ntl)or  nt;  one  nf  a  sincnlnr  r!);\raolor.  I:  rrrlninlv  rpqnircf 
fjreat.  jiidrrnioiil  and  PxpRriet:Oi»  of  tlin  |)lanl(^r  to  docidn  what  iiiiiid)er  nf  pLint"^  Wduk! 
make  his  KlO  lbs.  of  loliacc",  considering  the  casualiips  td  which  liis  crop  was  liable. 


INTRODUCTION.  ly 

ithd  for  ^vhich  materials  had  been  sent;  to  make  oyl  of  walnuts,  and  em- 
ploy apothecaries  in  distilling  lees  of  beer,  and  searching  after  minerals, 
dyes,  gums,  and  drugs,  &c.,  and  send  small  quantities  home:* 

"  To  make  small  quantity  of  tobacco,  and  that  very  good;  that  the  hou- 
ses appointed  for  the  reception  of  new  comers  and  public  storehouses  be 
built,  kept  clean,  &c.;  to  send  the  state  of  affairs  quarterly,  and  a  duplicate 
next  shipping : 

"To  take  care  of  Captain  William.  Norton,  and  certain  Italians  sent  to 
set  up  a  glass  house : 

"A  copy  of  a  treatise  of  the  plantation  business  and  excellent  observan- 
ces made  by  a  gentleman  of  capacity  is  sent  to  lie  among  the  records, 
and  recommended  to  the  councillors  to  study  : 

"Mr.  William  Clayborne,  a  surveyor,  sent  to  survey  the  planters-lands, 
and  make  a,  map  of  the  country: 

"  To  make  discoveries  along  the  coast,  and  find  a  fishery  between 
James  river  and  Cape  Cod: 

"As  to  raising  staple  commodities^  the  chief  officers  ought  to  set  ex- 
amples, and  to  aim  at  the  establishment  of  the  colony: 

"  Chief  officers  that  have  tenants  reprimanded  for  taking  fees;  but  re- 
quire that  the  clerks  have  fees  set  for  passes,  warrants,  copies  of  orders,  &c.: 

"Governor  and  council  to  appoint  proper  times  for  administration  of  jus- 
tice, and  provide  for  the  entertainment  of  the  council  during  their  session; 
to  be  together  one  whole  month  about  state  affairs,  and  law  suits  ;  to  re- 
cord plaints  of  consequence ;  to  keep  a  register  of  the  acts  of  quarter  ses- 
sions, and  send  home  copies  : 

"If  a  governor  dies,  the  major  part  of  the  council  to  choose  one  of 
themselves  within  fourteen  days ;  but  if  voices  be  divided,  the  lieutenant 
governor  shall  have  the  place  ;  and  next  the  marshall ;  next  the  treasurer; 
and  one  of  the  two  deputies  next : 

"  Governor  and  chief  officers  not  to  let  out  their  tenants  as  usual : 

"The  governor  only  to  summon  the  council,  and  sign  warrants,  and 
execute  or  give  authority  to  execute  council  orders,  except  in  cases  that 
do  belong  to  the  marshall,  treasurer,  deputies,  &c. :  _  . 

"  The  governor  to  have  absolute  authority  to  determine  and  punisli  all 
neglects,  and  contempts  of  authority,  except  the  councils,  v^^ho  are  to  be 
tried  at  the  quarter  sessions  and  censured.  Governor  to  have  but  the 
casting  voice  in  council  or  court,  but  in  the  assembly  a  negative  voice: 

"  That  care  be  taken  that  there  be  no  engrossing  commodity,  or  fore- 
stalling of  the  market : 

"  All  servants  to  fare  alike  in  the  colony,  and  their  punishment  for  any 
offences  is  to  serve  the  colony,  in  public  works: 

"  To  see  that  the  earl  of  Pembroke's  thirty  thousand  acres  be  very  good  : 

"And  lastly,  not  to  let  ships  stay  long, "and  to  fVeight  them  with  wal- 
nut and  any  leas  valuable  commodity: 

"  The  jTovernor  administered  the  following  oath  to  the  council: 


*Sendin^  things  to  England,  was,  in  the  phrase  of  ihe  times,  termed  sendinjr  tliuinra 
home,  'j'ius  mode  ofexirrtssiun.  "ijfoinfx  huiiie  or  sending  home,'"  was  in  use  wiihin  ilif 
recollection  of  t!ie  author.  In  inUh,  the  term  "going  or  sending  home,"'  was  never 
abandoned  till  al'te- ilie  war  of  the  revolution. 


X  INTRODUCTION. 

"  You  shall  swear  to  be  a  true  and  faithful  servant  unto  the  king's  ma- 
"  jesty,  as  one  of  his  council  for  Virginia :  You  shall  in  all  things  to  be 
"  moved,  treated,  and  debated  in  that  council  concerning  Virginia  or  any 
"  the  territories  of  America,  between  the  degrees  of  thirty-four  and  forty- 
"  five  from  the  equinoctial  line  northward,  or  the  trade  thereof,  faithfully 
"  and  truly  declare  your  mind  and  opinion,  according  to  your  heart  and 
"  conscience;  and  shall  keep  secret  all  matters  committed  and  revealed 
"  to  you  concerning  the  same,  and  that  shall  be  treated  secretly  in  that 
"  council,  or  this  council  of  Virginia,  or  the  more  part  of  them,  publication 
"  shall  not  be  made  thereof;  And  of  ail  matters  of  great  importance,  'or 
"  dilficulty,  before  you  resolve  thereupon,  you  shall  make  his  majesty's 
"  priA^  council  acquainted  therewith,  and  follow  their  directions  therein  : 
"  You  shall  to  your  uttermost  bear  faith  and  allegiance  to  the  king's  ma- 
"  jesty,  his  heirs,  and  la\vful  successors,  and  shall  assist  and  deliend  all 
"jurisdictions,  preheminences,  and  authorities,  granted  unto  his  majesty 
"  and  annextunto  the  crown,  against  all  foreign  princes,  persons,  prelates 
"  or  potentates  whatsoever,  be  it  by  act  of  parliament  or  otherwise :  and 
"  generally,  in  all  things,  you  shall  do  as  a  faithful  and  true  servant  and 
"  subject  ought  to  do.  So  help  you  God  and  the  holy  contents  of  this 
"  book."— Hening's  Stat,  at  Large,  vol.  i.  p.  114-118. 

It  appears  the  loregoing  instructions  were  drawn  up  by  the  council, 
and  intended  as  the  general  principles  for  the  government  of  the  colony. 

The  recommendation  "not  to  injure  the  natives  and  forget  old  quarrels 
now  buried,"  goes  far  to  prove  that  hopes  were  entertained  that  the  Indi- 
ans were  disposed  to  be  at  peace.  "  To  use  means  to  convert  the  heath- 
en," is  another  evidence  of  this  amicable  state  of  feeling  towards  the  na- 
tives. But  lo !  this  state  of  peace  and  tranquility,  in  less  than  one  year 
after,  was  changed  into  one  of  devastation,  blood  and  mourning.  On  the 
22d  of  March,  1622,  the  Indians  committed  the  most  bloody  massacre 
on  the  colonists,  recorded  in  the  annals  of  our  country.* 

In  the  following  year,  to  wit,  March,  1623,  the  colonial  general  assem- 
bly, by  statute,  directed,  "'that  the  22d  March  be  yearly  solemnized  as 
holiiday."!  This  was  done  to  commemorate  the  escape  of  the  colony 
from  entire  extii'pation.  This  bloody  massacre  produced,  on  the  part  of 
the  whites,  a  most  deadly  and  irreconcilable  hatred  towards  the  natives. 
Accordingly,  we  find  that  a  long  continued  and  unabating  state  of  hostil- 
ity was  kept  up,  and  in  f\bout  one  hundred  years  the  Indians  were  driven 
from  the  country  east  of  the  Blue  Ridge.  At  the  same  session,  to  wit, 
1623,  the  legislature  enacted  several  laws  in  relation  to  defending  them- 
selves against  the  savages.     In  the  series  are  the  following : 

"  That  every  dwelling  house  shall  be  pallizaded  in  for  defence  against 
the  Indians : 

"  That  no  man  go  or  send  abroad  without  a  snflififiil  partie  well  armed  : 

'•This  ypar.  (lO-jJ),  snys  Mr.  (iorrloii  in  liis  history  of  tli?,  Amfrii'aii  revolution,  (vol. 
i.  p.  43,)  ''was  rcMiiurkablt!  lor  n  massacrooi  iho  colonists  by  liic  Indians,  wliicli  was  ex- 
ecuted with  the  iil'uost  snbtilty,  and  wiihoiitany  regard  to  age,  sect,  or  dignity.  A  well 
civicorted  attack  on  all  tlie  seitU-nienls  destroyed  in  uiic  hour,  and  almost  at  the  same  iu- 
8t3nt.347  persons  who  were  defeneclegs  and  ineajiable  of  iinkin;;  resistance." 

+Heuini>*s  Statutes  at  Large,  vol.  i.  p.  I'j:!. 


INTRODUCTION.  xi 

'^'^That  people  go  not  to  work  in  the  ground  without  their  arms    (and  a 
<:entinell  upon  them  :) 

"  That  the  inhabitants  go  not  aboard  ships  or  upon  any  other  occasions, 
in  such  numbers  as  thereby  to  weaken  and  endanger  the  plantations  : 

"  That  the  commander  of  every  plantation  take  care  that  there  be  suffi- 
cient of  powder  and  ammunition  within  the  plantation  under  his  com- 
mand and  their  pieces  fixt  and  their  arms  compleate  : 
"  That  there  be  dew  watch  kept  by  night : 

"  That  no  commander  of  any  plantation  do  either  himselfe  or  suffer 
others  to  spend  pounder  unnecessarily,  in  drinking  or  entertainment,  &c.: 

"  That  at  the  beginning  of  July  next  the  inhabitants  of  every  corpora- 
lion  shall  go  upon  their  adjoining  salvages,  as  we  did  the  last  year." — 
Hen.  Stat,  at  Large,  vol.  i.  p.  127,  128. 

In  the  year  1629,  the  legislature  again  "ordered  that  every  commander 
of  the  several  plantations  appointed  by  commission  from  the  governor, 
shall  have  power  and  authoritie  to  levy  a  partie  of  men  out  of  the  inhabi- 
tants of  that  place  soe  many  as  may  well  be  spared  without  too  much  wea- 
kening of  the  plantations,  and  to  employ  those  men  against  the  Indians," 
&c. — Idein,  p.  140. 

"  It  was  the  opinion  of  the  whole  bodie  of  the  assembly  that  we  should 
go  three  several  marches  upon  the  Indians,  at  three  several  times  of  the 
year,  viz  :  first  in  November,  secondly  in  March,  thirdly  in  July,"  &c. — 
Idem,  p.  141. 

In  1631-32,  "it  is  ordered  that  no  person  or  persons  shall  dare  to  speak 
or  to  parlie  with  any  Indians,  either  in  the  woods  or  in  any  plantation,  yf 
he  can  possibly  avoid  it  by  any  means,"  &c. — Idem,  p.  167. 

The  author  considers  the  foregoing  extracts  sufficient  to  enable  the 
reader  to  form  some  opinion  of  the  spirit  and  character  of  the  early  set- 
tlers of  our  state,  particularly  as  it  relates  to  their  sufferings  and  difficulties 
with  the  Indian  tribes.  It  is  not  deemed  expedient  or  necessary  to  go 
into  a  detailed  history  of  the  first  settlement  of  cur  country,  as  there  are 
several  general  histories  of  Virginia  now  to  be  obtained,  written  by 
authors,  whose  abilities  and  means  of  information  the  author  could  not 
expect  to  equal. 

The  author  will  close  this  brief  sketch  of  the  first  settlement  of  Virginia, 
with  a  few  general  remarks  in  relation  to  the  first  introduction  of  slavery. 
It  appears  from  our  early  historians,  that  negroes  were  first  introduced  in- 
to our  state  from  "a  Dutch  ship  in  the  year  1620."  0  woful  day  for  our 
country  !  To  use  4ie  language  of  Mr.  Snowden,  this  was  "an  evil  hour" 
for  our  country — It  truly  brought  ^^new  sins  and  new  deaths''^  to  the  new 
w^orld.  The  present  generation  have  abundant  cause  to  deplore  the  un- 
hallowed cupidity  and  want  of  all  the  finer  feelings  of  our  nature,  mani- 
fested in  this  baleful  and  unrighteous  traffic.  It  has  entailed  upon  us  a 
heavy  calamity,  which  will  perhaps  require  the  wisdom  of  ages  yet  to 
come  to  remove.  That  it  must  and  will  be  removed,  there  can  be  but  lit- 
tle doubt.  History  furnishes  no  example  of  any  part  of  the  human  race 
being  kept  in  perpetual  slavery.  Whether  the  scheme  of  sending  them 
to  Africa  will  ultimately  produce  the  desired  effect,  can  only  be  tested  by 
time  :  it  is  liowever  most  "devoutlv"  to  be  desired. 


3^1,  INTRODUCTION. 

BACON'S  REBELLION  IN  VIRGINIA  IN  16T:>-16. 

The  document  Avliich  follows  relaiesto  one  of  the  most  slnfrular  events: 
Avhich  ever  occurred  in  Virginia,  and  its  interest  is  a  sufficient  induce- 
ment for  its  insertion  in  this  work.  It  was  published  in  the  Richmond 
Evangelical  Magazine  many  years  ago,  but  is  now  out  of  print.  The 
editor  of  that  work,  (the  late  revered  and  highly  esteemed  Dr.  Rice,)  in 
introducing  it  into  Ins  pages,  says  :  "  It  was  taken  verbatim  from  a  copy 
in  the  library  now  belonging  to  congress,  but  formerly  the  property  of  Mr. 
Jefferson.  Who  the  author  is  we  cannot  discover.  He  was  certainly  a 
man  of  much  cleverness,  and  wrote  well.  But  our  readers  will  judge  for 
themselves.  The  name  of  Bacon  is  very  little  known  to  our  citizens  in 
general:  and  this  part  of  our  history  has  been  veiled  in  great  obscurity. — 
There  are  two  remembrances  of  this  extraordinary  man  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Richmond.  A  brook  on  the  north-west  of  the  city,  wdiich  bears 
the  name  of  "  Bacon-quarter  branch,"  is  said  to  have  received  its  name 
from  the  fact,  that  on  that  brook  Bacon  had  his  quarter.  Buck 
says  that  he  owned  a  plantation  on  Shockoe  creek,  of  Avhich  the  stream 
just  mentioned  is  a  branch.  One  of  the  finest  springs  in  Richmond,  or  its 
vicinity,  is  on  the  east  of  the  city,  and  is  called  Bloody-run  spring.  Its 
name  is  said  to  be  derived  from  a  sanguinary  conflict  which  Bacon  had 
with  the  Indians,  on  the  margin  of  the  streamlet  which  flows  from  this 
spring." 

The  following  account  of  the  original  from  which  this  document  was 
taken,  is  given  by  Mr,  Jefferson,  in  his  own  words  : 

"  The  original  manuscript,  of  which  the  following  is  a  copy,  was  com- 
municated to  me  by  Mr.  King,  our  late  minister  plenipotentiary  at  the 
court  of  London,  in  a  letter  of  Dec.  20, 1803.  The  transaction  which  it 
records,  although  of  little  extent  or  consequence,  is  yet  marked  on  the 
history  ofVa.  as  having  been  the  only  rebellion  or  insurrection  which  took 
place  in  the  colony  during  the  168  years  of  its  existence  preceding  the  Am- 
erican revolution,  and  one  lumdred  years  exactly  before  that  event :  in  the 
contest  with  the  house  of  Stuart,  it  only  accompanied  the  steps  of  the  mo- 
ther country.  The  rebellion  of  Bacon  has  been  little  understood,  its 
cause  and  course  being  imperfectly  explained  by  any  authentic  materials 
hitherto  possessed;  this  renders  the  present  narrative  of  real  value.  It 
appear^  to  have  been  written  by  a  person  intimately  acquainted  with  its 
origin,  progress  and  conclusion,  thirty  years  after  it  took  place,  and  when 
the  passions  of  the  day  had  subsided,  and  reason  might  take  a  coo]  and 
deliberate  review  of  the  transaction.  It  was  written,  too,  not  for  tlie  pub- 
Jic  eye,  but  to  satisfy  the  desire  of  minister  Lord  Oxford  ;  and  the  candor 
and  "siinplifitv  of  the  narration  cannot  fiii I  to  command  belief.  On  the 
outside  of  the  cover  of  the  manuscript  is  the  No.  3947  in  one  place,  and 
5781  in  another.  Very  possibly  the  one  may  indicate  the  place  it  held  in 
Lord  Oxford's  library,  anil  the  other  its  number  in  the  catalogue  of  the 
bookseller  to  whose  hands  it  came  afterwards  ;  for  it  was  at  the  sale  of  the 
stock  of  a  bookseller  that  Mr.  King  purchased  it. 

"  To  bring  the  autiientie.ity  of  this  copy  as  nenr  to  that  of  the  original  ;is 
J  could,  1  have  laost  carefully  copied  if  with  my  own  hand.     The  pages 


INTRODUCTION.  xlii 

and  lines  of  the  copy  correspond  exactly  with  those  of  the  original ;  the 
orthography,  abbreviations,  punctuations,  interlineations  and  incorrect- 
nesses, are  preserved,  so  that  it  is  ?ifac  simile  except  as  to  the  form  of  the 
letter.  The  orthography  and  abbreviations  are  evidences  of  the  age  of 
the  writing. 

"The  author  says  of  himself  that  he  was  z  planter;  that  he  lived  in  North- 
umberland, but  was  elected  a  member  of  the  assembly  of  1676  for  the 
county  of  Stafford,  Colonel  Mason  being  his  colleague,  of  which  assembly 
Col.  Warner  was  speaker  ;  that  it  was  the  first  and  should  be  the  last  time 
of  his  meddling  with  public  affairs ;  and  he  subscrbes  the  initials  of 
his  name  T.  M.  Whether  the  records  of  the  time  (if  they  still  exist,) 
with  the  aid  of  these  circumstances,  will  shew  v.'hat  his  name  was,  re- 
mains for  farther  inquiry." 

THE   MANUSCRIPT. 

To  the  right  hono''ble  Robert  Harlcy  csq''r.  her  .Mns;''ti.es   Principal 
Secretary  oj"  State,  and  one  of  her  most  IIono''ble  Privy  Council. 
S'r. 

The  great  honor  of  your  command  obliging  my  pen  to  step  aside  from 
its  habitual  element  of  ffigures  into  this  httle  treatise  of  hlslory;  which 
having  never  before  experienced,  I  am  like  Sutor  ultra  crepidam,  and 
therefore  dare  pretend  no  more  than  (nakedly)  recount  matters  of  ffact. 

Beseeching  yo'r  hono'r  will  vouch  safe  to  allow,  that  in  30  years, 
divers  occurrences  are  laps'd  out  of  mind,  and  others  imperfectly  retain- 
ed. 

So  as  the  most  solemn  obedience  can  be  now  paid,  is  to  pursue  the 
track  of  barefac'd  truths,  as  close  as  my  memory  can  recollect,  to  have 
seen,  or  believed,  from  credible  ffricnds  with  concurring  circumstances  : 

And  whatsoever  yo'r  celebrated  wisdom  shall  finde  amise  in  the  com- 
}->esure,  my  entire  dependence  is  upon  yo'r  candor  favorably  to  accept 
these  most  sincere  endeavors  of         Yo'r  Hon'rs 

Most  devoted  humble  serv't. 

The  13th  July,  1705.  T.  M. 

The  beginning  progress  and  conclusion  of  Bacons  rebellion  in  Virginia  in 

the  year    1675  ^'  1G76. 

About  the  year  1675,  appear'd  three  prodigies  in  that  country,  which 
from  th'  attending  disasters  were  look'd  upon  as  ominous  presages. 

The  one  was  a  large  comet  every  evening  for  a  week,  or  more  at  South- 
west ;  thirty  five  degrees  high  streaming  like  a  horse  taile  westwards, 
untillit  reach'd  (almost)  the  horison,  and  setting  towards  the  North- west. 

Another  was,  fflic-hts  of  pigieons  in  breadth  nigh  a  quarter  of  the  mid- 
hemisphere,  and  of  their  length  was  no  visible  end;  whose  weights  brake 
down  the  limbs  of  large  trees  whereon  these  rested  at  nights,  of  which 
the  ffowlers  shot  abundance  and  eat  'em;  this  sight  put  the  old  planters  un- 
der the  more  portentous  apprehensions,  because  the  like  was  seen  (as  they 
said,)in  the  year  1640  when  th'  Indians  committed  the  last  massacre,  but 
PfOt  after,  until  that  present  year  1675. 


xiv  INTRODUCTION. 

The  third  strange  appearance  was  swarms  of  iilycs  about  an  inch  long, 
and  big  as  the  top  of  a  man's  little  finger,  rising  oat  of  spigot  holes  in 
the  earth,  which  eat  the  new  sprouted  leaves  from  the  tops  of  the  trees 
without  doing  other  harm,  and  in  a  month  left  us. 

My  dwelling  was  in  Nortliumberland,  the  lowest  county  on  Potomack 
river,  Stafford  being  the  upmost,  where  having  also  a  plantation,  ser- 
vants, cattle  &,c.  ray  overseer  had  agreed  with  one  Rob't.  Hen  to  come 
thither,  and  be  my  herdsman,  who  then  lived  ten  miles  above  it ;  but  on 
a  sabbath  day  morning  in  the  sumer  anno  1675,  people  in  their  way  to  ■ 
church,  saw  this  Hen  lying  thwart  his  threshold,  and  an  Indian  without 
the  door,  both  chopt  on  their  heads,  arms  &  other  parts,  as  if  done  with 
Indian  hatchetts,  th'  Indian  Avas  dead,  but  Hen  when  asked  who  did  that? 
answered  Doegs  Doegs,  and  soon  died,  then  a  boy  came  out  from  under 
a  bed  where  he  had  hid  himself,  and  told  them,  Indians  had  come  at 
break  of  day  &  done  those  murders. 

ffrora  this  Englishman's  bloud  did  (by  decrees)  arise  Bacons  rebellion 
with  the  following  mischiefs  which  overspread  all  Virginia  &  twice  endan- 
gered Maryland,  as  by  the  ensueing  account  is  evident. 

Of  this  horrid  action  Coll:  Mason  who  commanded  the  militia  remment 
of  ffoot  &.  Capt.  Brent  the  troop  of  horse  in  that  county,    (both  dwelling 
six  or  eight  miles  downwards)  having  speedy  notice  raised  30,  or  more 
men,  &  and  pursu'd  those  Indians  20  miles  up  &  4  miles  over  that  river 
into  Maryland,  where  landing  at  dawn  of  day,  they  found  two  small  paths 
each  leader  with  his  party  took  a  separate  path  and  in  less  than  a  furlong 
either  found  a  cabin,  which  they  (silently)  surrounded.     Capt.    Brent 
went  to  the  Doegs  cabin  (as  it  proved  to  be)  v.'ho  speaking  the    Indian 
tonffue  called  to  have  a  "  Machacomicha  wcewhio"  i.  e.  a  council  called 
])resently  such  being  the  usuall  manner   with    Indians  (the  king  came 
trembling  forth,  and  Vv'ou'd  have  fled,  when  Capt.  Brent,  catciiing  hold  of 
his  twisted  lock  (which  was  all  the  hair  he  wore)  told  him  he  was  come 
for  the  murderer  of  Rob't  Hen,  the  king  pleaded  ignorance  and    slipt 
loos,  whom  l^rent  shot  dead  with  his  pistoll,  th'  Indians  shot  two  or  three 
guns  out  of  the  cabin,  th'  English  shot  into  it,  th'  Indians  throng'd  out  at 
the  door  and  iletl,  the  English  shot  as  many  as  they  cou'd,  so  that  they 
killed  ten,  as  Capt.  Brent  told  me,  and  brought  away  the  kings  son  of 
about  8  years  old,  concerning  whom  is  an  observable  passage,  at  the  end 
of  this  expedition  ;  the  noise  of  this  shooting  awaken'd  the  Indians   in 
the  cabin,  whicli  Coll:  Mason  had  encompassed,  who  likewise  vush'd  out 
&,  (led,  of  whom  his  company  (supposing   from  that  noise  of  shooting 
Brent's  party  to  be  engaged)  shot   (as  the  Coll:  informed  me)  flburteen 
before  an  Indian  came,  who  with  both  hands  shook  him  (friendly)  by  one 
arm  saying  Susquehanoughs  netoughs  i.  e.  Susquehanaugh  friends  and  fled, 
whereupon  he    ran    amongst   his  men,  crying  out  "(for  tlie  Lords  sake 
shoot  no  more,  these  are  our  friends  the  Susquehanoughs. 

This  unhappy  scene  ended  ; — Collo.  Mason  took  the  king  of  the  Doegs 
son  home  with  him,  who  lay  ten  dayes  in  bed,  as  one  dead,  with  eyes 
and  mouth  siuilt,  no  breath  disccrn'd,  but  his  body  continuing  warm, 
they  behcved  him  yett  alive;  th'  albrcnamcd  Capt.  Brent  (a  papist) 
coming  tliithor  on  a  visit,  and  scehig  his  little  prisencr  thus   languishing 


INTRODUCTION.  xv 

said  "perhaps  he  is  pawewawd  i.  e.  bewitch'd,  and  that  he  had  hoanl 
baptism  was  an  effectual  remedy  against  witchcral't  wherefore  ad^  is'tl  to 
baptise  him  Collo.  Mason  answered,  no  minister  cou'd  be  had  in  many 
miles  ;  Brent  replied  yo'r  clerk  Mr.  Dobson  may  do  that  office,  which 
was  done  by  the  church  of  England  liturgy  ;  Col:  Mason  with  Capt. 
Brent  godfathers  and  Mrs.  Mason  godmother,  m.y  overseer  Mr.  Pimet 
being  present,  from  whom  I  first  heard  it,  and  which  all  th'  other  persons 
(afterwards)  affirm' d  tome  ;  the  hour  men  returned  to  drinking  punch, 
but  Mrs.  Mason  stayed  &  looking  on  the  child,  it  open'd  the  eyes,  and 
breath'd  whereat  she  ran  for  a  cordial,  which  he  took  from  a  spoon,  gap- 
ing for  more  and  so  (by  degrees)  recovered,  tho'  before  his  baptism, 
they  had  often  tryed  the  same  meanes  but  cou'd  not  by  no  endeavours 
wrench  open  his  teeth. 

This  was  taken  for  a  convincing  proofe  against  infidelity. 
But  to  return  from  this  digression,  the  Susquehanoughs  were  newly 
driven  from  their  habitations,  at  the  head  of  Chesepiack  bay,  by  the  Cine- 
la-Indians,  down  to  the  head  of  Potomack,  where  they  sought  protection 
under  the  Pascataway  Indians,  who  had  a  fort  near  the  head  of  that 
river,  and  also  were  our  ffriends. 

After  this  unfortunate  exploit  of  Mason  &  Brent,  one  or  two  being 
kill'd  in  Stafford,  boats  of  war  were  equipt  to  prevent  excursions  over  the 
river,  and  at  the  same  time  murders  being  likev.'ise  committed  in  Mary- 
land, by  whom  not  known,  on  either  side  the  river,  both  countrys  raised 
their  quota's  of  a  thousand  men,  upon  whose  coming  before  the  ffort,  the 
Indians  sent  out  4  of  their  great  men,  who  ask'd  the  reason  of  that  hos- 
tile appearance,  what  they  said  more  or  offered  I  do  not  remember  to  have 
heard  ;  but  our  two  commanders  caused  them  to  be  (instantly)  slaine, 
after  which  the  Indians  made  an  obstinate  resistance  shooting  many  of  our 
men,  and  making  frequent,  fierce  and  bloody  sallyes ;  and  when  they 
were  call'd  to,  or  offered  parley,  gave  no  other  answer,  than  "where  are 
our  four  Cockarouses,  i.  e.  great  men  ? 

At  the  end  of  six  weeks,  march'd  out  seventy  five  Indians  with  their 
women  children  &c.  who  by  moon  light  passed  our  guards  hollowing  & 
firing  att  them  without  opposition  having  3  or  4  decrepits  in  the  ffort. 

The  next  morning  th'  English  followed,  but  could  not,  or  (for  fear  of 
ambuscades)  would  not  overtake  these  desperate  fugitives  the  number  we 
lost  in  that  siege  I  did  not  hear  was  published. 

The  walls  of  this  fort  were  high  banks  of  earth,  with  flankers  having 
many  loop-holes,  and  a  ditch  round  all,  and  without  this  a  row  of  tall 
trees  fastened  3.  feet  deep  in  the  earth,  their  bodies  from  5.  to  8.  inches 
diameter,  watled  6.  inches  apart  to  shoot  through  with  the  tops  twisted 
together,  and  also  artificially  wrought,  as  our  men  could  make  no  breach 
to  storm  it,  nor  (being  low  land)  could  they  undermine  it  by  reason  of 
water  neither  had  they  cannon  to  batter  itt,  so  that  'twas  not  taken,  untill 
ffamine  drove  the  Indians  out  of  it. 

These  escap'd  Indians  (forsaking  Maryland(  took  their  rout  over  the 
head  of  that  river,  and  thence  over  the  heads  of  Rappahonnock  &  York 
rivers,  killing  whom  they  found  of  the  upmost  plantations  untill  they 
came  to  the  head  of  .James  river,  vrherc  (with  Bacon  and  others)  they 


Xvi  LNTROIJUCTION; 

slew  Mr.  Baron's  overseer  whom  he  much  loved,  mid  one  of  his  servants^ 
whose  bloud  hee  vowed  to  revenge  if  possible. 

In  these  frightful  times  the  most  exposed  small  f^imilies  withdrew  into 
our  houses  of  better  numbers,  which  we  fortified  with  })alisadoes  and 
redoubts,  neighbours  in  bodys  joined  their  labours  from  each  plantation 
to  others  alternately,  taking  their  arms  into  the  ffields,  and  setting  centi- 
nels  ;  no  man  stirrd  out  of  door  unaim'd,  Indians  were  (ever  &  anon) 
espied,  three  4.  5.  or  6.  in  a  party  lurking  throughout  tlie  whole  land,  yet 
[what  was  remarkable]  I  rarely  heard  of  any  houses  burnt,  tho'  abundance 
was  forsaken,  nor  ever,  of  any  corn  or  tobacco  cut  up,  or  other  injury 
done,  besides  murders,  except  the  killing  of  a  very  few  cattle  and  swine. 

Frequent  complaints  of  bloudsheds  were  sent  to  Sr.  Wm.  Berkeley 
(then  (jovern'r)  from  the  heads  of  the  rivers,  which  were  as  often  answer- 
ed Avith  promises  of  assistance. 

These  at  the  heads  of  James  and  York  rivers  (having  now  most  people 
destoyedby  the  Indians  flight  thither  from  Potomack)  grew  impatient  at 
the  many  slaughters  of  their  neighbours  and  rose  for  their  own  defence, 
who  chusing  Mr.  Bacon  for  their  leader,  sent  oftentimes  to  the  Govern'r, 
humbly  beseeching  a  commission  to  go  against  those  Indians  at  their 
own  charge  which  his  hono'r  as  often  promised  but  did  not  send  ;  the 
niisteryes  of  these  delays,  were  wondered  at  and  v.hich  I  ne'er 
heard  coud  penetrate  into,  other  than  the  effects  of  his  })assion,  and  a 
new  (not  to  be  mentioned)  occasion  of  avarice,  to  both  which  he  was 
(by  the  common  vogue)  more  than  a  little  addicted;  whatever  were  the 
po})ular  surmizes  &  murmurins  viz't. 

"that  no  bullets  would  pierce  bever  skins. 

"rebells  forfeitures  would  be  loyall  inheritances  &,c. 

During  these  protractions  and  people  often  slaine,  most  or  all  of  the 
officers,  civil  &  military  with  as  many  dwellers  next  the  lieads  of 
the  rivers  as  made  u})  300.  men  taking  Mr.  Bacoii  for  their  command'r 
met,  and  concerted  together,  the  danger  of  going  without  a  commiss'n  on 
the  one  part,  and  the  continuall  murders  of  their  neighboi-s  on  the  other 
part  (not  knowing  whose  or  how  many  of  their  own  turns  might  be  next) 
and  came  to  this  resolution  viz't  to  prepare  themselves  with  necessaries 
for  a  maich,  but  interim  to  send  again  for  a  commission,  which  if  could 
or  could  not  be  obtayned  by  a  certainc  day,  they  would  ju-oceod  com- 
mission or  ])o  commission. 

'J'his  day  lapsing  c^  no  com'n  come,  they  marched  into  the  wilderness 
in  quest  ol' these  Indians  after  whom  tlie  Govern'r  sent  his  proclamation, 
denouncing  all  rebells,  who  should  not  return  within  a  limited  day, 
whereupon  those  of  estates  obey'd  ;  but  Mr.  Bacon  with  67.  men  pro- 
ceeded until  their  provisions  weif  near  spent,  without  finding  enemy's 
when  coming  nigh  a  fibrt  of  ffriend  Indians,  on  th'  other  side  a  branch  of 
James  river,  they  desired  reliefe  offering  paym't.  which  these  Indians  kind- 
ly promised  to  help  them  with  on  the  morrow,  but  put  them  offwith  prom- 
ises untill  the  third  day,  so  as  then  having  eaten  their  last  morsells  they 
could  not  return,  but  must  have  starved  in  the  way  homeward  and  now 
'twas  suspected,  these  Jndians  had  received  private  messages  from  the 
Govern'r  ic  tliosc    to  be  the  causes  of  these  delusive   procrastinations  ; 


J^'TRODUCTION.  xvii 

whereupon  ihc  English  waded  shoulder  deep  thro'  Ihut  branch  ol'  tlu; 
ffort  palisade's  still  intreating  and  tendering  pay,  lor  victuals ;  but  that 
evening  a  shot  from  the  place  they  left  on  th'  other  side  of  that  branch 
kill'd  one  of  Mr.  Bacon's  men,  which  made  them  believe,  those  in  tho. 
tfort  had  sent  for  other  Indians  to  come  behind  'em  &  cut  'em  off. 

Hereupon  they  fired  the  polisado's,  storm'd  &  burnt  the  ffort  and  cabr 
ins,  and  (with  the  losse  of  three  English)  slew  150  Indians.  The  circum- 
stances of  this  expedic'ij  Mr.  liacon  entertain'd  me  with,  at  his  own  cham- 
ber, on  a  visit  I  made  him,  the  occasion  whereof  is  hereafter  mentioned. 

ffrom  hence  they  returned  home  where  writts  were  come  up  to  elect 
members  for  an  assembly,  when  Mr.  Bacon  was  unanimously  chosen  lor 
one,  who  coming  down  the  river  was  cornmanded  by  a  ship  vyith  guns  to 
come  on  board,  where  waited  Major  Houe  the  high  sheriff  of  James  town 
^■eady  to  seize  him,  by  whom  he  was  carrjed  down  to  the  Govern'r  &  by 
him  receiv'd  with  a  surprizing  pivility  in  the  following  words  "Mr.  Jja- 
,eon  you  had  for  got  to  be  a  gentleman."  No,  may  it  please  yo'r  hono'r 
answer'd  Mr.  Bacon;  then  replyed  the  Qovern'r  I'll  take  yo'r  parol,  and 
gave  him  his  liberty:  in  March  1675-6  writts  came  up  to  Stafford  to 
<;hoose  their  two  memhers  for  an  assembly  to  meet  in  May;  when  CoUo. 
Mason  Capt.  Brent  and  other  gentlemen  of  that  county,  invited  me  to 
stand  a  candidate;  a  matter  I  little  dreamt  of,  having  never  had  inclina- 
p^ons  to  tamper  in  the  precarious  intrigues  of  Govern't.  and  my  hands 
being  full  of  my  own  business:  they  press't  severall  cogent  argum'ts.  an<l 
I  having  considerable  debts  in  that  county,  besides  my  plantation  con- 
perns,  wdiere  (in  one  &  th'  other,  I  had  much  more  severely  suffered,  than 
any  of  themselves  by  th'  Indian  disturbances  in  the  summer  and  winter 
foregoing.  I  held  it  not  [then]  discreet  to  disoblige  the  rulers  of  it,  so 
Collo:  Afason  with  myself  \j'ere  electsd  without  objection,  he  at  time 
convenient  went  on  horse  back;  I  took  my  sloop  8>^  the  morping  I  arriv'd 
to  James  to-jvn  after  a  weeks  voyage,  was  welcom'd  with  t|ie  strangp  ac- 
iclamations  of  AWs  Over  Bacon  is  take.'j,  having  not  heard  at  home  of 
these  Soutl^ern  com'otions,  pther  than  rumours  like  idle  tales,  of  one 
Bacon  risen  up  in  rebellion,  no  body  knew  for  what,  concerning  the 
Jndians. 

The  next  forenoon,  th'  Assembly  being  met  in  a  chamber  over  the 
Generah  court  &  our  Speaker  chosen,  the  Govern'r  sent  for  us  down, 
where  his  hono'r  with  a  pathetic  emphasis  made  a  short  abrupt  f^peeclj 
wherein  were  these  wojds. 

"  If  they  had  killed  my  grandfather  and  my  grandmother,  my  father 
^'  and  mother  and  all  my  friends,  yet  if  they  had  come  to  treat  of  peace, 
'"  they  ouglit  to  have  gone  in  peace,  ap,d  sat  down. 

The  two  chief  commanders  qi  the  fprementioned  seige,  who  slev,"  the 
ffour  Indiaii  great  men,  being  present  and  part  of  our  assembly. 

The  Governor  stood  up  againe  and  said  "if  there  be  joy  in  the  presence 
"  of  the  Angels  over  one  sinner  that  repententh,  there  is  joy  now,  for  we 
"  have  a  penitent  sinner  come  before  us,  call  Mr.  Bacon;  then  did  Mr. 
Bacon  upoa  one  knee  at  tlic  bar  deliver  a  sheet  of  paper  confessing  his 
/crimes,  and   beo-o-jno-  pardon  of  n-od  the  kitic   <nid  the  Govern'r  \\}i.:'reto 

C 


xviii  INTRODUCTION. 

[after  a  short  pause]  he  answered  "God  forgive  you,  I  forgive  you, 
tiirice  repeating"  the  same  words;  when  CoUo.  Cole  [one  of  council]  said, 
"and  all  that  were  with  him,  Yea,  said  the  Governor  &i  all  that  were  with 
him,  twenty  or  more  persons  being  then  in  irons  who  were  taken  coming 
down  in  the  same  &,  other  vessels  with  Mr.  Bacon. 

About  a  minute  after  this  the  Govern'r  starting  up  from  his  chair  a 
third  time  said  "Mr.  Bacon!  if  you  will  live  civilly  but  till  next  Quarter 
court  [doubling  the  words]  but  till  next  Quarter  court,  He  promise  to 
restore  you  againe  to  yo'r  place,  there  pointing  with  his  hand  to  Mr. 
Bacons  seat,  he  having  been  of  the  Councill  before  these  troubles,  tho' 
he  had  been  a  very  short  time  in  Virginia  but  was  deposed  by  the  fore- 
said proclamoc'on,  and  in  the  allernoon  passing  by  the  court  door,  in  my 
way  up  to  our  chamber,  I  saw  Mr.  Bacon  on  his  quondam  seat  the  Gov- 
ern'r &,  councill  which  seemed  a  marvellous  indulgence  to  one  whom  he 
had  so  lately  proscribed  as  a  rebell. 

The  Govern'r  had  directed  us  to  consider  of  means  for  security  from 
th'  Indian  insults  and  to  deiray  the  charge  &c.  advising  us  to  beware  of 
two  rogues  amongst  us,  naming  Laurence  and  Drummond  both  dwelling 
at  James  town  and  who  were  not  at  the  Pascataway  siege. 

But  at  our  entrance  upon  businesse,  some  gentlemen  took  this  oppor- 
tunity to  endeavour  the  redressing  severall  grievances  the  country  then 
labor'd  under,  motions  were  made  for  inspecting  the  publick  revenues, 
the  Collectors  accompts  &c.  and  so  far  was  proceeded  as  to  name  part  of 
a  committee  whereof  Mr.  Bristol  [now  in  London]  was  and  myself  anoth- 
er, Avhen  we  were  interrupted  by  piessing  messages  from  the  Govern'r  to 
to  meddle  with  nothing  until  tlie  Indian  business  was  dispatch't. 

This  debate  rose  high,  but  was  overruled  and  I  have  not  heard  that 
these  ins])ections  have  since  then  been  insisted  upon,  tho  such  of  that  in- 
digent people  as  had  no  benefits  from  the  taxes  groaned  undr  our  being 
thus  oveiborn. 

The  next  thing  was  a  Co'mittee  for  the  Indian  affaires,  whereof  in  ap- 
pointing members,  myself  was  unwillingly  nominated  having  no  knowl- 
edge in  martiall  preparations,  and  after  our  nanu'S  were  taken,  some  of 
the  house  moved  for  sending  2.  of  our  members  to  inlreat  the  Govern'r 
wou'd  please  to  assign  two  of  his  councill  to  sit  with,  and  assist  us  in 
our  debates,  as  had  been  usuall. 

When  seeino^  all  silent  looking:  at  each  other  with  many  discontented 
faces,  I  advenlur'd  to  offer  my  humble  opinion  to  the  Speaker  "for  the 
"  co'mittee  to  ibrm  methods  as  agreeable  to  the  sense  of  the  house  as  we 
"  could,  and  report  'em  whereby  they  would  more  clearly  see,  on  what 
"  })oints  to  give  the  Govern'r  and  Coinuill  that  trouble  il' perhaps  it  niiglit 
"  be  needfuil." 

These  few  words  raised  an  upioar ;  one  party  urging  hard  "it  had  been 
customary  and  ought  not  to  be  omitted;"  whereto  Mr.  Presley  my  neigh- 
bor an  old  assembly  man,  sitting  next  me,  rose  up,  and  [in  a  bluiulering 
manner  re]>lied]  "tis  true,  it  has  been  custonuuy,  but  if  we  have  any  bad 
"custoiries  amonst  us,  we  are  come  here  to  mend  'em"  which  set  the 
liouse  ill  ;i  laughter. 

'I'his   w;ls  liiuldi'd   off  willioiit   eoniiuj,^  to  a  \(ite,  and  so  lliv  co'mittee 


INTRODLCTION.  xix 

must  submit  to  be  overaw'd,  and  have  every  carpt  at  expression  carried 
streio'ht  to  the  Govern'r. 

Our  co'mittes  beinjj  sat,  the  Queen  of  Pakunky  [descended  from  Op- 
pechankeiiough  a  former  Emperor  of  Virginia]  was  introduced,  who  en- 
tered the  chamber  with  a  comportment  graceful  to  admiration,  bringing 
on  her  right  had  an  Enghshman  interpreter  and  on  the  left  her  son  a  strip- 
ling twenty  years  of  age,  she  having  round  her  head  a  plat  of  black  & 
white  wampara  peague  three  inches  broad  in  imitation  of  a  crown,  and 
was  cloathedin  a  mantle  of  dress't  deerskins  with  the  hair  outwards  &.the 
edge  cut  round  6  inches  deep  which  made  strings  resembling  twisted 
fringe  from  the  shoulders  to  the  feet ;  thus  with  grave  courtlike  gestures 
and  a  majestick  air  in  her  face,  she  walk'd  up  our  long  room  to  the  low- 
er end  of  the  table,  where  after  a  few  intrealies  she  sat  down;  th'  inter- 
preter and  her  son  standing  by  her  on  either  side  as  they  had  walk'd  up, 
our  chairman  asked  her  what  men  she  would  lend  us   for  oruides  in  the 

o 

wilderness  and  to  assist  us  against  our  enemy  Indians,  she  spake  to  th' 
interpreter  to  inform  her  what  the  chairman  said,  [tho  we  believe  she  un- 
derstood him]  he  told  us  she  bid  him  ask  her  son  to  whom  the  English 
tongue  was  familiar,  &  who  was  reputed  the  son  oi'  an  English  colonel, 
yet  neither  wou'd  he  speak  to  or  seem  to  understand  the  Chairmain  but 
th'  interpreter  tokl  us  he  referred  all  to  his  mother,  who  being  againe 
urged  she  after  a  little  musing  Vvdth  an  earnest  passionate  countenance  as 
if  tears  were  ready  to  gush  out  and  a  fervent  sort  of  expression  made  a 
harangue  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  often  interlacing  [with  a  high  shrill 
voice  and  vehement  passion]  these  words  "Tatapatomoi  Chepiack,  i.  e. 
Tatapatomoi  dead:  Coll:  Hill  being  next  me,  shook  his  head,  I  ask'd 
wliat  was  the  matter,  he  told  me  all  she  said  was  too  true  to  our  shame, 
and  that  his  father  was  generall  in  that  battle,  where  diverse  years  before 
Tatapatamoi  her  husband  had  led  a  hundred  of  his  Indians  in  help  to  th' 
English  against  our  former  enemy  Indians,  and  was  there  slaine  with  most 
of  his  men;  for  vrhich  no  compensation  [at  all]  had  been  to  that  day  ren- 
dered to  her  wherewith  she  now  upbraided  us. 

Her  discourse  ending  and  oui-  morose  Chairman  not  advancing  one  cold 
word  towards  asswaging  the  anger  and  grief  of  her  speech  and  demean- 
our manifested  under  her  oppression,  nor  taking  any  notice  of  all  she  had 
said,  neither  considering  that  we  (then)  were  in  our  great  exigency,  sup- 
plicants to  her  for  a  favour  of  the  same  kind  as  the  former,  for  which  we 
did  not  deny  the  having  been  so  ingrate  he  rudely  push'd  againe  the 
same  question  "what  Indians  will  you  now  contribute  &c?  of  this  disre- 
gard she  signified  her  resentment  by  a  disdainful  aspect,  and  turning  her 
head  half  aside,  sate  mute  till  that  same  question  hein^  press't  a  third 
time,  she  not  returning  her  face  to  the  board,  answered  with  a  low  slight- 
ing voice  in  her  own  language  "six,  but  being  further  importun'd  she 
sitting  alittle  while  sullen,  without  uttering  a  word  between  said  "twelve, 
tho  she  then  had  a  hundred  and  fifty  Indian  men,  in  her  town,  and  so 
rose  up  and  gravely  walked  away,  as  not  pleased  witli  her  treatment. 

Whilst  some  dais  past  in  settling  the  Quota's  of  men  arms  and  ammu- 
nic'on  provisions  &c.  each  county  was  to  furnish  oik-  morning  early  a 
i)ruit  ran   about    the  town  Bacon  is  fled  Bacon  is  iled,  wh^ivujxui  \  went 


3tk  INTRODUCTION. 

;  Insight  to  Mr.  Laurence,  who  (formerly)  was  of  Oxford  university,  and 
for  wit  learning  and  sobriety  was  equall'd  tliei-e  by  few,  r.nd  who  some; 
years  before  [as  Col:  Lee  tho  one  of  the  councill  and  a  friend  of  the  Gov- 
ern'i's  informed  me]  had  been  partially  treated  at  law,  for  a  considerable 
estate  on  behalf  of  a  corrupt  favourite ;  wliich  Laurence  complaining 
loudly  of,  the  Gorern'r  bore  him  a  grudge  and  now^  shaking  his  head^ 
said  "old  treacherous  villain,  and  that  his  house  was  seartht  that  morn- 
"  ing,  at  day  break,  but  Bacon  was  escaped  into  the  country,  having  in- 
*'  timation  tliat  the  Govern'rs  generosity  in  pardoning  him  and  his  foUov.^- 
*'  ers  and  restoring  him  to  his  seat  in  the  councill,  were  no  other  than 
"  previous  wheadles  to  amuse  him  &  his  adherents  &.  to  circumvent  them 
"  by  stratagem,  forasmuch  as  the  takiiig  Mr.  Bacon  again  into  the  councill 
"  was  first  to  keep  him  out  of  the  assembly,  and  in  the  next  place  the 
"  Govern'r  knew^  the  country  })cople  were  hastning  down  with  dreadful 
"  threatnings  to  double  revenge  all  wrongs  shcu'd  be  done  to  JMr. 
'^^  Bacon  or  his  men?  or  whoever  shou'd  have  nad  the  lehst  hand  in  'em.' 
And  so  much  was  true  that  this  Mr.  young  Nathaniel  Bacon  [not  yet 
arrived  to  30  years]  had  a  nigh  relation  namely  Colo.  Nathaniel  Bacon  of 
long  standing  in  the  council  a  very  rich  politick  man,  and  childless,  de- 
signing this  kinsman  for  his  heir,  who  [not  v.dthout  much  paines]  had 
prevailed  with  his  uneasy  cousin  to  deliver  the  forem.entioned  written  recan- 
tation at  the  bar,  having  compiled  it  leady  to  his  hand  &,  by  whose  meanes 
'twas  su))posed  that  timely  intimation  was  convey'd  to  the  young  gentle- 
man to  flee  for  his  lift,  and  also  in  3.  or  four  dais  after  Mr.  Bacon  was 
first  seiz'd  I  saw  abundance  of  men  in  town  come  thithfer  from  the  heads 
bf  the  rivers,  who  fii'.dlng  him  restored  «Sc  his  men  at  libert.y,  return'd  home 
s;:->i:\(iM;  a  few  dair,  after  which,  the  Govern'r  seeing  all  quiet,  gave  out 
])rivaic  warrants  to  take  him  againe,  iiitending  as  was  thought  to  raisti 
the  militia  and  so  to  dispose  things  as  to  prevent  his  friends  from  gather- 
ing any  more  into  a  like  numei'ous  body  and  coming  down  a  second  timb 
io  save  him. 

In  three  or  fToilr  dais  after  tliis  escape,  upon  news  that  Jilr.  Bacon  was 
30  miles  up  the  river,  at  the  ht'ad  of  four  hundred  men,  the  Govern'r  seilt 
to  the  parts  adjacent,  on  both  sides  James  river  for  the  ihilitia  and  all  the 
men  that  roukl  be  gotten  to  come  and  defend  the  town,  expres's  came  al- 
hiost  hourly  of  th'  army's  apjh'oaches,  whom  in  less  than  four  dais  after 
the  first  account  of 'em  att  2.  of  the  clock  entered  the  town,  without  be- 
ihg  withstood,  and  formed  a  body  upon  a  green,  not  a  flight  >shot  from  the 
v^nH  of  the  State  house  bf  horse  and  fioot,  as  well  regular  as  veteraii  troops, 
whb  forthwith  possesst  themselves  of  all  the  avehues,  disarming  all  in  thd 
towii  and  coming  Ihith'er  in  boats  or  by  land. 

In  half  an  hour  after  this  the  rh-um  bent  for  the  house  to  meet,  and  id 
le'js  than  an  hoiir  more  Mr.  Bacon  came  with  a  file  of  fTusilecrs  on  either 
liand  near  the  corner  of  the  State-house  where  the  Govern'r.  nnd  councill 
v.-ent  forth  to  him  ;  we  saw  from  the  window  the  Govern'r.  open  his 
brenst,  and  Hacon  strutting  betwixt  his  two  files  of  men  with  his  left  arm 
'on  Keiibow  fiigning  his  riuht.  arm  every  way  both  like  men  distracted; 
and  if  in  this  moment  of  fury^  that  enrnged  midtitude  had  fain  upon  the 
?>nvernT  &  ••otmcilJ  wc  of  thi?  assembly  expected  the  -'Hmc  iinediatc  tate  j 


Introduction.  xxi 

i  slept  ddwn  and  amoiigst  the  crown  of  Spectators  foaad  the  seaineu  of 
my  sloop,  who  pray'd  rne  not  to  stir  from  tht'in,  when  in  tv/o  minutes^ 
the  Govern'r  walk'd  towards  his  private  apartni't.  a  Coits  cast  distant  at 
the  other  end  of  the  Statehouse,  the  sendemen  of  the  councill  followin<r 
lim,  and  after  them  walked  Mr.  Bacon  with  outragious  postures  of  his 
head  arms  body  &,  legs,  often  tossing  his  hands  from  his  sword  to  hi.;  hat 
and  after  him  came  a  detachment  of  ffusileers  (musketts  not  being  then  in 
use)  who  with  their  cocks  bent  presented  their  ffusib  at  a  window  of  the 
assembly  chamber  filled  with  faces,  repeating  with  menacing  voices  "wa 
will  have  it,  we  will  have  it,"  half  a  minute  when  as  one  of  our  house  a 
person  kndwn  to  many  of  them,  shook  his  handkercher  out  at  the  v.dn- 
dow,  "saying you  shall  have  it,  you  shall  have  it,"  3  or  4  time.;;  at  these 
words  they  jate  down  their  fusils  unbent  their  locks  and  stood  still  untill 
Bacon  coming  back,  they  followed  him  to  their  main  body;  in  this  hubub 
a  servant  of  mine  got  so  nigh  as  to  hear  the  Govern'rs  words,  and  also 
Followed  Mr;  Bacon,  and  heard  what  he  said,  who  came  fctold  me,  that 
when  the  Govern'r  opened  his  breast  he  said,  "here!  shoot  me,  foregod 
fair  mark,  shoot;  often  rehearsing  the  same,  without  any  other  wonls; 
whereto  Mr.  Bacon  ansvrcred  "No  may  it  please  yo'r  hono'r  we  will  not 
"  hurt  a  hair  of  yo'r  hetd,  nor  of  any  other  mans,  we  are  come  foV  a 
"  Co'mission  to  save  our  lives  from  th'  Indians,  which  you  have  so  often 
"  promised,  and  now  we  will  hav(^  it  before  we  go." 

But  when  Mv.  Bacon  followed  the  Govern'r  &,  Councill  with  the  fore- 
mentioned  impetuous  (like  delirious)  actions  whil'st  that  party  presented 
llisir  fFasils  at  the  window  full  of  ffaces,  he  said  "  Dam  my  bloud  I'le  kill 
"  Govern'r  Councill  assembly  &  all,  and  then  I'le  sheath  my  sword  in  my 
^'  own  hearts  bloud;"  and  afterwards  'twas  said  Bacon  had  given  a  sig- 
nal to  his  nien  v.diO  presented  their  fusils  at  thost^  gasing  out  at  the  win- 
dow that  if  he  should  draw  his  sword,  they  were  on  sight  of  it  to  fire,  and 
slay  us,  so  near  was  the  massacre  of  Us  all  that  veiry  minute,  had  Bacon  in 
that  paroxism  of  phrCntiek  fury  but  drawn  his  sword,  before  the  pacifick 
handkercher  was  shaken  out  at  window. 

In  an  hour  or  more  after  these  violent  concussions  Mr.  Bacon  came  up 
to  our  chamber  and  desired  a  co'mission  from  us  to  go  against  the  Indians; 
bur  Speaker  sat  silent,  when  one  Mr.  Blayton  a  neighbor  to  Mr.  Bacon 
Selected  with  him  a  m-embe'i-  of  assembly  for  the  same  county  (w'ao  there- 
fore durst  speak  to  him)  made  answer,  " 't\vas  not  in  our  province,  or 
"power,  nor  of  any  other,  save  the  king's  viceregent  our  Govern'r,  he 
jiress'd  hard  nigh  half  aii  hours  harangue  on  the  preserving  our  lives  from 
the  Indians,  inspecting  the  publick  revenues,  th'  exorbitant  taxes  and  re- 
pressing the  grievances  and  calasnitici  of  that  deplorable  country,  wliercto 
having  no  other  answer  he  went  away  dissatisfied. 

Next  day  there  was  a  rumour  the  Govern'r  &cauncill  had  agreed  Mr. 
Bacon  shou'd  have  a  co'mission  to  go  Generall  of  the  iTorccs,  we  then 
were  raising,  whereupon  I  being  a  number  of  St.iTord,  the  most  northern 
frontier,  and  where  the  war  begun,  considering  that  Mr.  Bacon  dwelling 
in  the  most  Southern  (Frontier,  county,  might  the  less  regard  the  parts  I 
represented,  I  v/ent  to  Coll:  Cole  (an  active  member  of  the  councill)  desi- 
ring his  advice,  if  appUcic'oni  to   M;.  D.ieon  on  tint  subject  v/jre  then 


xxii  INTRUDLCTluN. 

ifeasonabU;  auJ  sail',  which  he  approving  and  earnestly  advising,  I  went 
lo  Mr.  Laurence  who  was  esteemed  Mr.  Bacon's  principal  consuhant,  to 
whom  he  took  me  with  him,  and  there  left  me  where  I  was  entertained 
2  or  3  hours  with  the  particular  relac'ons  of  diverse  before  recited  trans- 
actions ;  and  as  to  the  matter  I  spake  of,  he  told  me,  the  Govern'r  had 
indeed  promised  him  the  command  of  the  forces,  and  if  his  hono'r  shou'd 
keep  his  word  (which  he  doubted)  he  assured  me  "the  like  car«  should  be 
"  taken  of  the  remotest  corners  in  the  land,  as  of  his  own  dwelling-house, 
"  and  pray'd  me  to  advise  him  what  persons  in  those  parts  were  most  fit  to 
"  bear  commands."  I  frankly  gave  him  ray  opinion  that  the  most  satis- 
factory gentlemen  to  govern'r  &  people,  wou'd  be  co'manders  of  the  militia, 
wherewith  he  was  w  ell  pleased,  and  himself  v/rote  a  list  of  those  nomina- 
ted. 

That  evening  I  made  known  what  had  passed  with  Mr.  Bacon  to  my 
colleague  Coll:  Mason  [whose  bottle  attendance  doubted  my  task]  the 
matter  he  liked  well,  but  questioned  the  Govern'rs  approbation  of  it. 

I  confess'd  the  case  required  sedate  thoughts,  reasoning,  that  he  and 
such  like  gentlemen  must  either  co'mand  or  be  co'raanded,  and  if  on  their 
denials  Mr.  Bacon  should  take  distaste,  and  be  constrained  to  ap- 
point co'manders  out  of  the  raljble,  the  Govern'r  himself  v.'ith  the  persons 
it  estates  ol'  all  in  the  land  woud  be  at  their  dispose,  whereby  their  own 
ruine  might  be  owing  to  themselves;  in  this  he  agreed  &  said  "If 
"  the  Govern'r  woud  give  his  ovrn  co'mission  he  would  be  content 
"  to  serve  under  General  Bacon  [as  now  he  began  to  be  intituled]  but 
"  first  would  consult  other  gentlemen  in  the  same  circumstances  ;  who  all 
concurr'd  'twas  the  most  safe  barrier  in  view  against  pernicious  designes, 
if  such  should  be  put  in  practice;  with  this  I  acquainted  Mr.  Laurence 
•who  went  [rejoicing]  to  Mr.  Bacon  with  the  good  tidings,  that  the  militia 
co'manders  were  inclined  to  serve  vmder  him,  as  their  Generall,  in  case 
the  Governor  would  please  to  give  them  his  own  co'missions. 

Wee  of  the  house  proceeded  to  finish  the  bill  for  the  war,  which  by  the 
assent  of  the  Govern'r  and  councill  being  past  into  an  act,  the  Govern'r 
sent  us  a  letter  directed  to  his  majesty,  wlierein  were  these  words  "  I  have 
"  above  30  years  governed  the  most  ilourishing  country  the  sun  ever  shone 
"  over,  but  am  now  encompassed  with  rebellion  like  waters  in  every  re- 
"  spect  like  to  that  of  Massanello  except  their  leader,  and  of  like  import 
was  the  substance  of  that  letter.  But  v:v  diil  not  believe  his  hono'r  sent 
us  all  he  wrote  his  majesty. 

Some  judi(^ious  gentlemen  of  our  house  likewise  penii'd  a  letter  or  re- 
monstrance to  be  sent  his  Maj'tie,  setting  forth  the  gradations  of  those 
erupc'ons,  and  two  or  three  of  them  with  Mr.  Minge  our  clerk  brought  it 
me  to  compile  a  few  lines  for  the  conclusion  of  it,  which  I  did  [tho  not 
without  regr(!t  in  those  watchfull  times,  when  every  man  iiad  eyes  on  him, 
but  what  I  wrote  was  with  all  possible  deferrence  to  the  Govern'r  and  in 
the  most  soft  terms  my  pen  cou'd  find  the  case  to  admit. 

Col.  Spencer  being  my  neighbor  &  intimate  friend,  and  a  prevalent 
member  in  the  council  1  pray'd  him  to  intreat  the  Govern'r  we  might  be 
dissolved,  for  that  was  my  fnst  and  shoidd  be  my  Inst  going  astray  from 
my  wonted  ^■•phcrc  of  merchandize  i^  other  my  [private  concernments  into 


INTRODUCTION.  xxiil 

the  dark  and  slippery  meanders  of  court  embarrasmcnts,  he  told  mc  the 
Govern'rhad  not  [then]  determined  his  intention,  but  he  \vou'd  move  his 
houo'r  about  itt,  and  in  2  or  3  days  we  were  dissolved,  which  I  was  most 
heartily  glad  of,  because  of  my  getting  loose  againe  from  being  hampered 
amongst  those  pernicious  entanglem'ts  in  the  labyrinths  (&,  snares  of  state 
ambiguities,  &  which  untill  then  I  had  not  seen  the  practice  nor  the  dan- 
gers of,  for  it  w'as  observ'dthat  severall  of  the  members  had  secret  badges 
of  distinction  fixt  upon  'em,  as  not  docill  enough  to  gallo})  the  future  races, 
that  court  seem'd  disposed  to  lead  'em,  whose  maxims  I  had  oft  times 
lieard  whisper'd  before,  and  then  found  confirm'd  by  diverse  considerate 
gentlem'n  viz't.  "that  the  wise  and  the  rich  were  prone  to  ffaction  &.  se- 
"  dition  but  the  fools  &poor  were  easy  to  be  governed." 

Many  members  being  met  one  evening  nigh  sunsett,  to  take  our  leave 
of  each  other,  in  order  next  day  to  return  iiomewards,  cams  Gen'll.  Bacon 
w'ith  his  handfuU  of  unfolded  papers  &  overlooking  us  round,  walking  in 
the  room  said  "which  of  these  Gentlem'n  shall  I  mterest  to  write  a  few 
words  for  me,  where  every  one  looking  aside  as  not  willing  to  meddle ; 
Mr.  Lawrence  pointed  at  me  saying  "that  gentleman  writes  very  well 
which  I  endeavoring  to  excuse  Mr.  Bacon  came  stooping  to  the  ground 
and  said  "pray  S'rDo  me  the  ho'r  to  write  a  line  for  me." 

This  surprising  accostm't  shockt  me  into  a  melancholy  consternation, 
dreading  upon  one  hand,  that  Staffbrd  county  would  feel  the  smart  of  his 
resentment,  if  I  should  refuse  him  whose  favour  I  had  so  lately  sought  and 
been  generously  promis'd  on  their  behalf;  and  on  th'  other  iiand  fearing 
the  Govern'rs  displeasure  who  I  knew  would  soon  hear  of  it  ;  what 
seem'd  most  prudent  at  this  hazardous  dilemma  was  to  obviate  the  pre- 
sent impending  peril ;  So  Mr.  Bacon  made  me  sit  the  whole  night  by  him 
fdling  up  those  papers,  which  I  then  sav\'  were  blank  co'missions  sign'd 
by  the  Govern'r  incerting  such  names  &  writing  other  matters  as  he  dic- 
tated, which  I  took  to  be  the  happy  effects  of  the  consult  before  men- 
tioned, with  the  com'anders  of  the  militia  because  he  gave  me  the  names 
of  very  few  others  to  put  into  these  cojn'issions,  ami  ni  the  morning  he 
left  me  with  an  hours  worke  or  more  to  finish,  when  came  to  me  Capl. 
Carver,  and  said  he  had  been  to  wait  on  the  Generall  for  a  com'ission, 
and  that  he  was  resolved  to  adventure  his  old  bones  against  the  Indian 
rogues  with  other  the  like  discourse,  and  at  lengdi  told  me  that  I  was  in 

mighty  favour and  he  was  bid  to  tell  me,  that  whatever  I  desired 

in  the  Generals  power,  was  at  my  service,  I  pray'd  him  humbly  to  thank 
his  hon'r  and  to  acquaint  him  I  had  no  other  boon  to  crave,  than  his  pro- 
mis'd kindness  to  Stafford  county,  for  beside  the  not  being  worthy,  I  never 
had  been  conversant  in  military  matters,  and  also  having  lived  tenderly, 
my  service  cou'd  be  of  no  benefit  because  the  hardships  and  fatigues  of  a 
wilderness  campaigne  would  put  a  speedy  period  to  my  dais:  little  ex- 
pecting to  hear  of  more  intestine  broiles,  I  went  home  to  Potomack,  where 
reports  w^ere  afterwards  various;  we  had  account  that  Generall  Bacon  was 
march'd  with  a  thousand  men  into  the  fForest  to  seek  the  enemy  Indians, 
and  in  a  few  dais  after  our  next  news  was,  that  the  Govern'r  had  sum'on- 
ed  together  the  militia  of  Gloucester  &  Middlesex  counties  to  the  number 
of  twelve  hundred  men,  and  pi'oposed  to  them  to  follow  k  and  suppr.-ss 


jcxiv  IMKODUCTION. 

that  rebell  Bacon,  wlitreupon  arose  a  murmuring  before  his  face  '•'Bacoq 
Bacon  Bocon,  and  all  walked  out  of  the  field,  muttering;  as  they  went 
^'Bacon  liacon  Bacon,  leaving  the  Governor  and  those  that  came  with 
him  to  themselves,  who  being  thus  abandon'd  wafted  over  Chesepiacko 
bay  30  miles  to  Accomack  where  are  two  counties  of  Virginia. 

Mr.  Bacon  hearing  of  this  canie  back  part  of  the  vray,  and  sent  out  par- 
tics  of  horse  patrolling  through  pvery  county,  carrying  away  prisoners  all 
whom  he  distrusted  might  any  more  molest  his  Indian  prosecuc'on  ye^ 
giving  liberty  to  such  as  pledg'd  him  their  oaths  to  return  home  and  live 
quiet ;  the  copies  or  contents  of  which  oaths  I  never  saw,  but  lieard  wer§ 
very  strict,  tho'  little  observed. 

About  this  time  was  a  spie  detected  pretendijig  himself  a  deserter  who 
had  twice  or  thrice  come  and  gone  frojn  party  tp  party  and  was  by  council^ 
of  war  sentenced  to  death,  after  which  Bacon  declared  openly  to  him, 
"that  if  any  one  in  the  army  wou'd  speak  a  word  to  save  him,  he  shou'd 
."  not  suffer,"  which  no  man  appearing  to  do,  he  was  executed,  upon  this, 
jnanifestation  of  clemency  Bacon  was  applauded  for  a  mercifull  man,  not 
willing  to  spill  Christian  bloud,  nor  indeed  was  it  said,  that  he  put  any 
other  man  to  death  in  cold  bloud,  or  plunder  any  house  ;  ^ligh  the  same 
time  came  Maj'r  Langston  with  his  troop  of  horse  and  quartered  two 
nights  at  my  house  who  [after  high  compliments  from  the  (jcnerall]  told 
me  I  was  desired  "to  accept  the  Lieutenancy  for  preserving  the  peace  iri 
the  5  Northern  counties  betwixt  Potomack  and  Rappahannock  rivers,  I 
humbly  thank'd  his  hon'r  excusing  myself,  as  I  had  done  before  on  that  in- 
vitation of  the  like  nature  at  James  town,  but  did  hear  lie  was  mightily 
offended  at  my  evasions  and  threatened  to  remember  me. 

The  Govern'r  made  2d.  attempt  coming  over  from  Accomapk  with  w^hat 
men  he  could  procure  in  sloops  and  bpats,  forty  jniles  up  the  river  to  James 
town,  which  Bacoji  hearing  of,  came  againe  do^vnfrom  his  fforest  pursuit, 
and  finding  a  bank  not  a  liight  shot  long,  cast  up  thwart  thp  neck  of  the 
ptniiisula  llierc  in  James  town,  he  stormed  it,  and  took  thp  town,  in  which 
attack  were  12,  men  slaine  &  wounded  but  the  Govern'r  witii  most  of  his 
followers  fled  back,  down  the  river  in  their  vessells. 

Here  resting  a  few  dais  they  concerted  the  burning  of  the  town,  whercii] 
Mr.  Lawrence  and  Mr.  Drumond  owning  the  two  best  houses  save  one, 
;sat  fire  each  to  his  own  house,  which  examplp  the  souldiers  following  laid 
the  whole  town  with  church  and  St-ite  house  in  ashes,  saying,  the  rogue? 
should  liaibour  no  more  there. 

On  these  reiterated  molestac'ons  Bacon  calls  a  convention  at  Midlo 
plantation  15.  miles  from  James  town  in  the  month  of  August  1676, 
where  an  oath  with  one  or  more  proclamations  were  formed,  and  wiitta 
by  him  issued  for  an  Assembly  ;  the  oaths  or  writls  1  never  saw,  but  one 
proclamation  com'anded  all  men  in  the  land  on  ])ain  of  death  to  joine  him, 
and  retire  into  the  wildernesse  upon  arrival  f)f  the  forces  expected  from 
England,  and  oppose  them  untill  they  should  propose  to  accept  to  treat  ( f 
an  accoin'odntion,  which  we  who  lived  comfortably  coud  not  have  under- 
gone, so  as  tlie  whole  land  must  li;ive  become  an  Aceldama  if  gods  ex? 
feeding  mercy  had  not  timely  removed  liim. 

Pi  ]ring  tiiese  tunndts   in  \  irginia  a  2d.  danger    menaced   Mniyland  bv 


INTRODUCTION.  xxv 

cm  luRurrcction  in  thai  province,  complaining  of  their  heavy  taxes  &c.  where 
2  or  3  of  the  leading  jnalcontents  [men  otherwise  ol' laudable  characters] 
were  put  to  death,  which  stifled  the  farther  spreading  of  that  flame.  Mr. 
Bacon,  [at  this  time]  press't  the  best  ship  in  James  river,  carrying  20 
guns  and  putting  into  her  his  Lieutenant  Generall  Mr.  Bland  [a  gentle- 
man newly  come  thither  from  England  to  possesse  the  estate  of  his  de- 
ceased uncle  late  of  the  council]  and  under  him  the  forementioned  Capt. 
Carver,  formerly  a  com'ander  of  Merch'ts  ships  with  men  &  all  necessa- 
ries, he  sent  her  to  ride  before  Accomack  to  curb  and  intercept  all  small 
vessels  of  war  com'ission'd  by  the  Govern'rcom'ing  often  over  and  mak- 
ing depredations  on  the  Western  shoar,  as  if  we  had  been  fforeign  enemies, 
which  gives  occasion  in  this  place  to  digress  a  few  words. 

Att  first  assembly  after  the  peace  came  a  message  to  them  from  the 
Govern'r  for  some  marks  of  distinction  to  be  set  on  his  loyal  friends  of 
Accomack,  who  received  him  in  his  adversity  which  when  came  to  be 
consider'd  Col:  Warner  [then  Speaker]  told  the  house  "  Ye  know  that 
"  what  mark  of  distinction  his  hono'r  coud  have  sett  on  those  of  Acco- 
"  mack  unlesse  to  jjive  them  ear  marks  or  burnt  marks  for  robbing;  and 
"ravaging  honest  people,  who  stay'd  at  home  and  preserv'd  the  estates 
"of  those  who  ran  away,  when  none  intended  to  hurt  'em."- 

Now  returning  to  Capt  Carver  the  Govern'r  sent  for  him  to  come  on 
shoar,  promising  his  peaceable  return,  who  answer'd,  he  could  not  trust 
his  word,  but  if  he  wou'd  send  his  hand  &.  seal,  he  wou'd  adventure  to 
Avait  upon  his  hono'r  which  was  done,  and  Carver  went  in  his  sloop  w^ell 
arm'd  &  man'd  with  the  most  trusty  of  his  men  where  he  was  caress'd 
w'ith  wine  &c.  and  large  promises,  if  he  would  forsake  Bacon,  resigne  his 
ship  or  joine  w^ith  him,  to  all  which  he  ansvcer'd  that  "if  he  served  the 
"  Devill  he  would  be  true  to  his  trust,  but  that  lie  was  r-csolved  to  go 
"  home  and  live  quiet. 

In  the  mean  time  of  this  recepc'on  and  parley,  an  armed  boat  was  })re- 
pared  with  many  oars  in  a  creek  not  far  off,  but  out  of  sight,  which  Avhen 
Carver  sail'd,  row^d  out  of  the  creek,  and  it  being  almost  calm  the  boat 
out  went  the  sloop  whilst  all  on  board  the  ship  were  upon  tiic  deck  star- 
ing at  both,  thinking  the  boats  company  coming  on  board  by  Carvers 
invitation  to  be  civilly  entertained  in  requitall  for  the  kindness  they  sui)- 
posed  he  had  received  on  slioar,  untill  coming  under  the  stern,  those  in 
the  boat  slipt  nimbly  in  at  the  gun  room  ports  with  pistoils  &,c.  when 
one  courageous  gentleman  ran  up  to  the  deck,  &.  clapt  a  pistoll  to  Elands 
breast,  saying  you  are  !uy  prisorner,  the  boats  company  suddainly  follow- 
ing with  pistoils  swords  &c.  and  after  Capt.  Larimore  (the  com'ander  of 
the  ship  before  she  w-as  press!)  having  from  the  highest  and  hindmost 
part  of  the  stern  interchangM  a  signal  from  the  shoar,  by  flirting  his  hand- 
kercher  about  his  nose,  his  ov/n  former  crew  had  laid  handspikes  ready, 
which  1hey  [at  that  instant]  caught  up  &c.  so  as  Bland  &  Cai'vers  men 
were  amazed  and  yielded. 

Carver  seeing  a  hurly  burly  on  th.e  ships  deck,  w-oud  have  gone  away 
V/itli  his  sloop,  but  having  little  wind  &.  the  shi))  threat 'ning  to  sink  him,  he 
tamely  came  on  board,  wIuto  P)lan(!  &  lic  wilh  llieir  pnr1v  were  l:;;d  in  ii-o!)s, 

D 


xxvi  IKTRODUCTION. 

and  in  3.  or  4  dais  Carver  was  hang'd  on  shoar,  which  S'r  Henry  Chi- 
chelly  the  first  of  the  councill  then  a  prisoner,  [with  diverse  other  gentle- 
men] to  Mr.  Bacon,  did  afterwards  exclaime  against  as  a  most  rash  and 
wicked  act  of  the  Govern'r  he  in  particular  expecting  to  have  been  treated 
by  way  of  reprizall,  as  Bacons  friend  Carver  had  been  by  the  Govern'r. 
Mr.  Bacon  now  returns  from  his  last  expedic'on  sick  of  filux ;  without 
finding  any  enemy  Indians,  having  not  gone  far  by  reason  of  the  vexations 
behind  him,  nor  had  he  one  dry  day  in  all  his  marches  to  and  fro  in  the 
Iforest  whilst  the  plantations  [not  50,  miles  distant]  had  a  sum'er  so  dry 
as  stinted  the  Indian  corn  and  tobacco  &c.  which  the  people  ascribed  to 
the  Pawawings  i.  e.  the  sorceries  of  the  Indians,  in  a  while  Bacon  dyes 
&  was  succeeded  by  his  Lieuten't  Gen'll  Ingram,  who  had  one  "VVakelet 
next  in  com'and  under  him,  whereupon  hasten'd  over  the  Govern'r  to 
York  river,  and  with  Vv'hom  they  articled  for  themselves,  and  whom  else 
they  could,  and  so  all  submitted  and  were  pardoned  exempting  those 
nominated  and  otherwise  proscribed,  in  a  proclamac'on  of  indemnity,  the 
])rincipa]l  of  whom  were  Laurence  and  Drum'ond. 

Mr.  Bland  was  then  a  prisoner  having  been  taken  with  Carver,  as  be- 
fore noted,  and  in  a  few  dais  Mr.  Drurnond  was  brought  in,  when  the 
Govern'r  iDcing  on  board  a  ship  came  immediately  on  shore  and  compli- 
mented him  Vvith  the  ironicall  sarcasm  of  a  low  bend,  saying  "  Mr. 
"  Diummond  !  you  are  very  unwelcome,  I  am  more  glad  to  see  you, 
"  than  any  man  in  Virginia,  Mr.  Drumond  you  shall  be  hang'd  in  half 
"  an  hour ;  who  answered  What  yo'r  hono'r  pleases,  and  as  soon  as  a 
council  of  war  cou'd  meet,  his  sentence  be  dispatchat  &,  a  gibbet  erected 
[which  took  up  near  two  houres]  he  was  executed. 

This  Pvlr.  Drumond  was  a  sober  Scotch  gentleman  of  good  repute  with 
whome  I  had  not  a  particular  acquaintance,  nor  do  I  know  the  cause  of 
that  rancour  his  hono'r  had  against  him  other  than  his  pretentions  in 
com'n  for  the  publick  but  meeting  him  by  accident  the  morning  I  left  the 
town,  I  advis'd  him  to  be  very  wary,  for  he  saw  the  Govern'r  had  put  a. 
brand  upon  liim,  he  [gravely  expressing  my  name]  answered  "I  am  in 
over  shoes,  I  will  be  over  boots,"  which  I  was  sorry  to  heare  &  left  him. 
The  last  account  of  Mr.  Laurence  was  ficm  an  uppermost  plantation, 
where  he  and  flour  others  desperado's  with  horses  pistolis  &c.  march'd 
away  in  a  snow  ancle  deep,  who  were  thought  to  have  cast  themselves 
into  a  branch  of  some  river,  rather  than  to  be  treated  like  Drum'ond. 

Bacons  body  was  so  made  away,  as  his  bones  were  never  found  to  be 
exposed  on  a  gibbet  as  was  purpos'd,  stones  being  laid  on  his  ccffin, 
.supi)oscd  to  be  done  by  Laurence. 

Near  this  time  arrived  a  f.rnall  flleet  with  a  regiment  from  England  S'r 
.John  Berry  admirall.  Col:  Herbert  Jefferies  com'ander  of  the  land  lorces  and 
Coljo:  Morrison  who  had  one  year  been  a  former  Govern'r  theii',  all  three 
joined  in  a  com'ission  with  or  to  S'r  Williina  Barclay,  soon  after  when  a 
generall  court,  and  also  an  assembly  were  held,  where  some  of  our  former 
assembly  [wilh  so  many  others]  were  put  to  death,  diverse  whereof  were 
jier'-ons  of  honest  reputations  and  lirndseme  estates,  as  that  the  Assembly 
pclilioiied  the  Govern'r  to  r,])']\]  no  mmc  lj!ou(i,and  Mr.  Presly  at  his  coming 
lif  ine  told  me,  he  believed    the   Govern'r  would  have  hang'd  half  the 


INTRODUCTIO.N.  Xxvii 

couutry,  if  tliey  had  let  him  alone,  the  first  was  Mr.  Bland  whose  fi'iends 
in  England  had  procured  his  pardon  to  be  sent  over  with  the  flleet,  w^hich 
lie  pleaded  at  his  tryall,  was  in  the  Govern'rs  pocket  [tho'  whether  'twas 
so,  or  how  it  came  there,  I  know  not,  yet  did  not  hear  'twas  openly  con- 
tradicted] but  he  was  answered  by  CoUo.  Morrison  that  he  pleaded  his 
pardon  at  swords  point,  which  was  look'd  upon  an  odd  sort  of  reply,  and 
he  was  executed ;  [as  was  talked]  by  private  instructions  from  England 
the  Duke  of  York  having  sworn  "by  god  Bacon  &  Bland  shoud  dye. 

The  Govern'r  v/ent  in  the  iTieet  to  London  [wdiether  by  com'and  from 
his  Majesty  or  spontaneous  I  did  not  hear]  leaving  Col.  Jciferyes  in  his 
.place,  and  by  next  shipping  came  back  a  person  who  waited  on  his  hono'r 
in  his  voyage,  and  untill  his  death,  from  whom  a  report  was  wliisper'd 
about,  that  the  king  did  say  "that  old  fool  had  hang'd  more  men  in  that 
■"  naked  country,  tiian  he  had  done  for  the  murther  of  his  father,  whereof 
the  Govern'r  hearing  dyed  soon  after  without  having  seen  his  majesty ; 
which  shuts  up  this  tragedy. 

APPENDIX. 

To  avoid  incumoering  the  body  of  the  foregoing  little  discourse,  I  have 
hot  therein  mentioned  the  received  opinion  in  Virginia,  which  very  much 
attributed  the  prom.oting  these  pertarbac'ons  to  Mr.  Laurence,  &  Mr. 
Bacon  with  his  other  adherents,  were  esteemed,  as  but  wheels  agitated 
by  the  weight  of  his  former  &  present  resentments,  after  their  choler  was 
raised  up  to  a  very  high  pitch,  at  having  been  [so  long  &  often]  trifled  with 
on  their  humble  supplications  to  the  Govern'r  for  his  im'ediate  taking  in 
hand  the  most  speedy  meanes  towards  stopping  the  continued  effusions  of 
so  much  English  bloud,  from  time  to  time  by  the  Indians  ;  which  com'on 
sentim'ts  I  have  the  more  reason  to  believe  were  not  altogether  ground- 
less, because  my  self  have  heard  him  [in  his  familiar  discourse]  insinuate 
as  if  his  fancy  gave  him  prospect  of  linding  (at  one  time  or  other)  some 
expedient  not  only  to  repair  his  great  losse^  but  therewith  to  see  those 
abuses  rectihed  that  the  country  was  oppressed  with  through  (as  he  said)  the 
forwardness  avarice  &french  despotick  methods  of  the  Govern'r  &  likewise 
I  know  him  to  be  a  thinking  man,  and  tho'  nicely  honest,  affable,  &  with- 
out blemish;  in  his  conversation  and  dealings,  yet  did  he  manifest  abund- 
ance of  uneasiness  in  the  sense  of  his  hard  usages,  v/hich  might  prompt 
him  to  improve  that  Indian  quarrel  to  the  service  of  his  animosities,  and 
for  this  the  more  fair  &  fi-equent  opportunities  offered  themselves  to  him 
"by  his  dwelling  at  James  town,  v^^here  w^s  the  concourse  from  all  parts  to 
the  Govern'r  and  besides  that  he  had  married  a  welathy  v;idow  who  kept 
a  large  house  of  public  entertainm't  unto  which  resorted  those  of  the  best 
quality  and  such  others  as  businesse  called  to  that  town,  and  his  parts  with 
his  even  temper  made  his  converse  coveted  by  persons  of  all  ranks  ;  so 
that  being  subtile,  and  having  these  advantages  he  might  with  Icsse  difli- 
cuUy  discover  mens  inclinations,  and  instill  his  notions  where  he  found 
those  woud  be  imbib'd  with  greatest  satisfaction. 

As  for  Mr.  Bacon  fame  did  lay  to  his  charge  the  having  run  out  his 
patrimony  in  Eagland  except  what  he  brouglit  to  Virginia,  and  for  that^ 
■the  mo5-t  })ivt  to  be  exhausted,  rirWicli  together  made    him  susj)(.'cting  ot 


xxwiii  INTRODUCTION. 

casting  an  eye  to  search  for  retrievment  in  the  troubled  waters   ol'populfl 
discontents,  wanting  patience  to  wait  the  death  of  his  opulent  cousin,  old 
Collo.  Bacon,  whose  estate  he  expected  to  inherit. 

But  he  was  too  young,  too  much  a  stranger  there,  and  of  a  disposition 
too  precipitate,  to  manage  things  to  that  lengtii  those  were  carried,  had 
not  thoughtfuU  Mr.  Laurence  been  at  the  bottom. 


I  S  T  O  M  ¥ 


O  F 


wmm  w Ammm'^ 


<i 


'  ^SfifffS^^  ■ 


CHAPTER  L 

INDIAN   WARS. 


From  the  best  evidence  the  author  has  been  able  to  obtain,  and  to  this 
end  he  has  devoted  much  time  and  research,  the  settlement  of  our  fine  and 
beautiful  valley  commenced  in  the  year  1732,  about  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  years  from  the  first  settlement  in  Virginia.  Before  going  into 
a  detail  of  the  first  immigration  to  and  improvement  of  the  Valley,  the 
author  believes  it  will  not  be  uninteresting  to  the  general  reader,  to  have 
a  brief  history  of  the  long  and  bloody  wars  carried  an  between  contending 
tribes  of  Indians.  Tradition  relates  that  the  Delaware  and  Catawba  tribes 
were  engaged  in  war  at  the  time  the  Valley  was  first  known  by  the  white 
people,  and  that  that  war  was  continued  for  many  years  after  our  section 
of  country  became  pretty  numerously  inhabited  by  the  white  settlers. 

I  shall  commence  with  a  narrative  of  Indian  battles  fought  on  the  Co- 
hongoruton.*     At  the  mouth  of  Antietam,  a  small  creek  on  the  Maryland 


*Cohongoruton  Is  the  ancient  Indian  name  of  the  Potomac,  from  its 
junction  with  the  Shenandoah  to  the  Allegany  mountain.  Lord  Fairfax, 
in  his  grants  for  land  on  this  water  course,  designated  it  Potomac  ;  by 
which  means  it  gradually  lost  its  ancient  name,  and  now  is  generally 
known  by  no  other  name.  Maj.  H.  Bedinger  writes  the  name  of  this 
river  Cohongoluta.  It  is,  however,  written  in  the  act  laying  off  the 
county  of  Frederick  in  173S,  Cohongoruton. 


30  INDIAN  WARS. 

side  oi  ihc  iivcr,  a  most  bloody  aflair  took  place  between  parties  of  the 
Catawba  and  Delaware  tribes.  This  was  probably  about  the  year  1736. 
The  JJehiwares  had  pejietrated  pretty  far  to  the  south,  committed  some 
acts  of  outrage  on  the  Catawbas,  and  on  their  retreat  were  overtaken  at 
the  moulh  of  this  creek,  when  a  desperate  conflict  ensured.  Every  man 
of  the  Delaware  party  was  put  to  death,  with  the  exception  of  one  who 
escaped  after  the  batile  was  over,  and  every  Catawba  held  up  a  scalp  but 
one.  This  was  a  disgrace  not  to  be  borne :  and  he  instantly  gave  chase 
to  the  fugitive,  overtook  him  at  the  Susquehanna  river,  (a  distance  little 
short  of  one  hundred  miles,)  killed  and  scalped  him,  and  returning,  show- 
ed his  scalp  to  several  white  people,  and  exulted  in  what  he  had  done.* 

Another  most  bloody  battle  was  fought  at  the  mouth  of  Conococheague,f 
on  Friend's  land,  in  which  but  one  Delaware  escaped  death,  and  he  ran  in 
to  Friend's  house,  when  the  family  shut  the  door,  and  kept  the  Catawbas 
out,  by  which  means  the  poor  fugitive  was  saved.  J 

There  is  also  a  tradition,  and  there  are  evident  signs  of  the  fact,  of 
another  furious  battle  fought  at  what  is  called  the  Slim  Bottom  on  Wap- 
patoiB''^k'^5§  (the  ancient  Indian  name  of  the  Great  South  Branch  of  the 
Potoin<it',)  about  one  and  a  half  miles  from  its  mouth.  At  this  place 
there  'ir^  several  large  Indian  gi-aves,  near  what  is  called  the  Painted 
Rock.  Onn  this  rock  is  exhibited  the  shape  of  a  man  with  a  large  blotcth, 
intended,  probably,  to  represent  a  man  bleeding  to  death.  The  stain,  it 
appeared  to  the  author,  was  made  with  human  blood.  The  top  of  the 
rock  projects  over  the  painted  part  so  as  to  protect  it  from  the  washings 
of  the  rains,  and  is  on  the  east  side  of  the  rock.  How  long  the  stain  of 
human  blood  would  remain  visible  in  a  position  like  this,  the  author  can- 
not pretend  to  express  an  opinion  ;  but  he  well  recollects  the  late  Gen. 
Isaac  Zane  informed  him  that  the  Indians  beat  out  the  brains  of  an  infant 
(near  his  old  iron  works)  against  a  rock,  and  the  stain  of  the  blood  was 
plainly  to  be  seen  about  forty  years  afterwards.  In  this  battle  it  is 
said  but  one  Delaware  escaped,  and  he  did  so  by  leaping  into  the  river, 
divinGf  under  the  water,  and  continuino-  to  swim  until  he  crossed  tlie 
Cohongorulon.|| 

A  great  battle  ])etween  these  hostile  tribes,  it  is  said,  was  fought  at 
what  is  called  the  Hanging  Rocks,  on  the  Wappatomaka,  in   the  county 

*This  tradition  was  related  to  the  author  by  Capt<  James  Glenn,  of  Jef- 
ferson county,  now  upwards  of  73  years  of  age,  and  coniirmed  by  the  ve- 
nerable John  Tornlinson,  near  Cum])er]nnd,  Alaryland,  now  92  years  old. 

|Mr.  Tomlinson  is  of  opinion  this  affair  took  place  at  the  moulh  of  the 
Opequon. 

:j:Cai)t.  James  Glenn,  confirmed  by  INIr.  Tomlinson,  except  as  to  the 
place  of  battle, 

§The  name  of  this  water  course  in  Lord  Fairfax's  ancient  grants  is 
written  Wappatoinac  ;  but  Mr.  Heath  and  Mr.  IMue  both  stated  that  the 
proper  name  was  VVajipatomaka. 

||Capt.  James  Glenn,  confirmed  by  Mr.  Garret  Bhu',  of  llaiiq);  hire. — 
Indeed,  this  tradition  is  familiar  to  most  of  the  elderly  citizens  on  the 
South  Branch,  as  also  the  battle  of  the  Hanging  Rocks. 


INDIAN  WARS.  31 

of  Hampshire,  where  the  river  passes  throiig-h  the  mountain.*  A  pretty 
large  party  of  the  Delawares  had  invaded  the  territory  of  the  Catawbas, 
taken  several  prisoners,  and  commenced  their  retreat  homewards.  When 
they  reached  this  place,  they  made  a  halt,  and  a  number  of  them  com- 
menced fishing.  Their  Catawba  enemies,  close  in  pursuit,  discovered 
them,  and  threw  a  party  of  men  across  the  river,  willi  another  in 
their  front.  Thus  enclosed,  with  the  rock  on  one  side,  a  party  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  river,  another  in  their  front,  and  another  in  their  rear, 
a  most  furious  and  bloody  onset  was  made,  and  it  is  believed  that  several 
hundred  of  the  Delawares  were  slaughtered.  Indeed,  the  signs  now  to 
be  seen  at  this  place  exhibit  striking  evidences  of  the  fact.  There  is  a 
row  of  Indian  graves  between  the  rock  and  public  road,  along  the  margin 
of  the  river,  from  sixty  to  seventy  yards  in  length.  It  is  believed  that 
but  very  few  of  the  Delawares  escaped. 

There  are  also  signs  of  a  bloody  battle  having  been  fought  at  the  forks 
of  the  Wappatomaka;  but  of  this  battle,  if  it  ever  occurred,  the  author 
could  obtain  no  traditional  account. 

Tradition  also  relates  that  the  Southern  Indians  exterminated  a  tribe, 
called  the  Senedos,  on  the  North  fork  of  the  Shenandoah  river,  at  present 
the  residence  of  William  Steenbergen,  Esq.,  in  the  county  of  Shenandoah. 
About  the  year  1734,  Benjamin  Allen,  Riley  Moore,  and  William  White, 
settled  in  this  neighborhood.  Benjamin  Allen  settled  on  the  beautil'ul 
estate  called  Allen's  bottom.  An  aged  Indian  frequently  visited  him, 
and  on  one  occasion  informed  him  that  the  "  Southern  Indians  killed  his 
whole  nadon  with  the  exception  of  himself  and  one  other  youth  ;  that  this 
bloody  slaughter  took  place  when  he,  the  Indian,  \x:i^  a  small  boy."* — 
From  this  tradition,  it  is  probable  this  horrid  affair  took  place  some  time 
shortly  after  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century.  Mnj.  Andrew  Keyser 
also  informed  the  author  that  an  Indian  once  called  at  his  grandfather's, 
in  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  appeared  to  be  much  agitated,  and 
asked  for  something  to  eat.  After  refreshing  himself,  he  was  asked  what 
disturbed  him.  He  replied,  "  The  Southern  Indians  have  killed  my 
whole  nation." 

There  are  also  evident  signs  of  the  truth  of  this  tradition  yet  to  be  seen. 
On  Mr.  Steenbergen's  land  are  the  remains  of  an  Indian  mound,  though 
it  is  now  plowed  down.  The  ancient  settlers  in  the  neighborhood  differ 
in  their  opinion  as  to  its  original  height.  When  they  first  saw  it,  some 
say  it  was  eighteen  or  twenty  feet  high,  others  that  it  did  not  exceed 
twelve  or  fourteen,  and  that  it  was  from  fifty  to  sixty  yards  in  circumfer- 
ence at  the  base.  This  mound  was  literally  filled  vath  human  skeletons  ; 
and  it  is  highly  probably  that  this  was  the  depository  of  the  dead  after  the 
great  massacre  which  took  plaJle  as  just  related. 

This  brief  account  of  Indian  battles  contains  all  the  traditionary  infor- 


*As  the  author  expects  to  give  a  detailed  description  of  this  extraordi- 
nary place,  in  his  chapter  of  natural  curiostties,  he  will  barely  mention 
the  fact,  tliat  this  rock,  on  one  side  of  the  river,  is  a  perpendicular  wall 
of  several  hundred  feet  high,  and  several  hundred  yards  in  lengtli. 

fMr.  Israel  Allen  related  this  tradition  to  the  author. 


0-2  INDIAN  WARS; 

raationthe  author  has  been  able  to  collect,  with  one  exception,  which  will 
be  noticed  in  the  next  chapter.  There  is,  however,  a  tradition,  that  on 
one  particular  occasion,  a  parly  oflhirty  Delaware  Indians,  having  pene- 
trated far  to  the  south,  surprised  a  party  of  Catawbas,  killed  several,  and 
took  a  prisoner.  'J'he  party  of  Delawares,  on  their  return,  called  at  Mr. 
Josc])h  Perrill's  near  Winchester,  and  exulted  much  at  their  success. — 
The  next  day  a  party  often  Catawbas  called  at  Mr.  Perrill's  in  pursuit. — 
They  enquired  when  their  enemy  had  passed.  Being  informed,  they 
])ushed  otF  at  a  brisk  step,  overtook  the  thirty  Delawares  at  the  Cohongo- 
ruton,  (Potomac,)  killed  every  man,  recovered  their  prisoner,  called  at 
Mr.  Perrill's  on  their  return,  and  told  what  they  had  done.*  But  it  is 
probable  this  is  the  same  affair  which  took  place  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Antietam,  though  it  is  possible  that  it  may  be  a  different  one.  Mr.  Tom- 
linson  is  under  the  impression  that  there  was  an  Indian  battle  fought  at 
the  mouth  of  Opequon. 

The  author  has  seen  and  conversed  \\\\h.  several  aged  and  respectable 
individuals,  who  well  recollect  seeing  numerous  war  parties  of  the  Noith- 
ern  and  Southern  Indians  passing  and  repassing  through  the  Valley. — 
Several  warrior  paths  have  been  pointed  out  to  him.  One  of  them  led 
from  the  C'nliongoruton,  (Potomac,)  and  passed  a  little  west  of  Winches- 
ter southwardly.  This  path  forked  a  few  miles  north  of  Vv'inchester,  and 
one  branch  of  it  diverged  }riore  to  the  east,  crossed  the  Opequon,  verj' 
near  Mr.  Carter's  paper  mill,  on  the  creek,  and  led  on  toward  the  forks 
of  the  Shenandoah  river.  Anotlier  crossed  the  North  mountain  and  the 
Valley  a  fevr  miles  above  the  Narrow  Passage,  thence  over  the  Fort 
mountain  to  the  South  river  valley.  Another  crossed  from  Cumberland, 
in  Maryland,  and  proceeded  up  the  Wappatomaka  or  Great  South  Branch 
valley,  in  the  counties  of  Hampshire  and  Hardy. 

An  aged  and  respectalile  old  lady,  on  Apple-pie  ridge,  informed  the 
author  that  she  had  IVequenlly  lioard  her  motlier  speak  of  a  party  of  Dela- 
ware Indians  once  stopping  at  her  father's,  where  they  stayed  all  niglit. — 
'f hey  had  in  custody  a  young  female  Catawba  prisoner,  v.lin  was  one  of 
the  most  beautiful  females  she  had  ever  seen.  Maj.  R.  D.  (Ijass  also 
informed  the* author  that  his  fithcr,  who  resided  at  the  head  of  the  Ope- 
quon, stated  the  same  fact.  It  was  remarkable  to  sec  with  what  resigna- 
tion this  liiiforluniUc  young  jTisoncr  submitted  lo  licr  f;ile.  li'er  unfeel- 
ing tornienlors  would  tie  her,  and  compel  her  at  night  to  jay  on  her  hack, 
with  the  cords  distended  from  her  hands  and  [cct,  and  tied  to  branches 
cr  what  else  ihev  could  get  at  to  make  her  secure,  while  a  m;in  laid  on 
each  side  ofh-^r  with  the  cords  passing  under  their  bodies. 

Mr.  .John  ■"I'omlinson  also  informed  the  author,  that  when  about  seven 
or  eight  years  of  ;;ge,  he  saw  a  pjuMy  of  Delawares  pa;;s  his  father's  hf)use, 
with  a  female  Cataw1>n  prisoner,  wiio  lr,ifl  an  infant  child  in  lirr  arms; — 
j:nd  that  it  was  said  ihey  intended  to  sacrifice  lur  wiien  tli-.-y  reached 
llieir  t owns. I 

*(!en.  .lohn  Sniiili  rommnnicaif.l  lids  IrP'iitinn  io  the  anther. 
^.Mr.  Tomlinson's  father  then  resided  about  7  miles  bolow  the  n;oulli  of 
Coiiccoclu-aguc  on  or  near  the  Polemic,  en  llie  .Maryland  side. 


INDIAN   WARS.  33 

Tradition  also  relates  a  very  remarkable  instanee  of  the  sacrifice  of  a 
female  Catawba  prisoner  by  the  DeJawares.  A  party  of  Delawares 
crossed  the  Potomac,  near  Okhown,  in  Marylanil,  a  short  distance  from 
which  they  cruelly  murdered  their  prisoner  :  they  then  moved  on.  The 
next  day  several  of  them  returned,  and  cut  off  the  soles  of  her  feet,  in 
order  to  prevent  her  from  pursuing  and  haunting  them  in  their  march.*' 

Capt.  Glenn  informed  the  author  that  a  Mrs.  5lary  Friend,  who  resided 
on  or  near  the  Potomac,  stated  to  him  that  she  once  sa^v  a  body  of  four  or 
five  hundred  Catawba  Indians  on  their  march  to  invade  the  Delawares  ; 
hut  from  some  cause  they  became  alaimed,  and  returned  without  success, 
The  same  gentleman  stated  to  the  author  that  a  Mr.  James  Hendricks 
informed  him  that  the  last  sacrifice  made  by  the  Delawares,  of  their 
Catawba  prisoners,  was  at  the  first  run  or  stream  of  ^vater  on  the 
pouth  side  of  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania.  Here  several  prisoners  were 
tortured  to  death  with  all  the  wonted  barbarity  and  cruelty  peculiar  to 
the  savage  character.  Mr.  Hendricks  was  an  eye  witness  to  this  scene 
oi'  horror.  During  the  protracted  and  cruel  sufferings  of  these  unhappy 
victim's,  tliey  tantalized  and  used  the  most  insulting;  lanuHiaire  to  their 
tormentors,  threatenins;  them  with  the  terrible  vensjeance  of  their  jiation 
as  long  as  they  could  speak. 

This  bloody  tragedy  soon  reached  the  ears  of  the  Governor  of  PennsvU 
vania,  and  he  forthwith  issued  his  prochimation,  commanding  and  requi- 
ring all  the  authorities,  both  civil  and  military,  to  interpose,  and  prohibit 
a  repetition  of  such  acts  of  barbarity  and  cruelty. 

The  author  will  now  conclude  this  narrative  of  Indian  wars,  with  a 
few  general  rellections. 

It  is  the  opinion  of  some  philosophers,  that  it  is  inherent  in  the  nature 
of  man  to  fight.  The  correctness  of  this  opinion  Mr.  Jefterson  seems  to 
doubt,  and  suo-gests  that  "it  gro\vs  out  of  the  abusive  and  not  the  natural 
state  of  man."  But  it  really  appears  there  are  strong  reasons  to  believe 
tliat  there  does  exist  "a  natural  state  of  hostility  of  man  against  man." — 
Upon  what  other  principle  cao  we  account  for  the  long  and  furious  wars 
which  have  been  carried  on,  at  ililTerent  pei'iods,  among  the  aboriginals  of 
our  country  ? 

At  an  immenre  distance  apart, f  probably  little  less  than  six  or  seven 
hundred  miles,  without  trade,  commerce,  or  clashing  of  interests — with- 
out those  causes  of  irritation  common  among  civilized  states, — we  find 
these  two  nations  for  a  Ions:  series  of  years  eniiaoed  in  the  most  imuhica- 
ble  and  destructive  wars.  Upon  what  other  principle  to  account  lor  this 
state  of  things,  than  that  laid  down,  is  a  subject  which  the  author  cannot 
pretend  to  explain.       It,  however,  affords  matter  of  curious  specidation 


*Mr.  G.  Blue,  of  Hampshire,  stated  this  tradition  to  the  author. 

fThe  Catawba  tribes  reside  on  the  river  of  that  nanie  in  South  Caroh- 
na.  Thev  were  a  ])owerlul  and  warlike  nation,  but  arc  now  reduced  to 
less  than  iwo  lunubed  souls.  Tiie  Delawares  resided  at  that  peiiod  (mi 
tlu^  Susqurhanna  river,  in  Pennsylvania,  and  are  now  far  \ve>t  of  the 
AUeganv  mountains. 

!•: 


34  INDIAN  SETTLEMENTS, 

and  intereslinpj  reflection  to  the  inquirinir  mind.  That  nations  are  fre- 
quently urged  to  war  and  devastation  by  the  restless  and  turbulent  dis- 
position so  common  to  mankind,  particularly  among  their  leaders,  is  a 
question  of  little  doubt.  The  giory  and  renown  (falsely  so  termed)  of 
great  achievements  in  war,  is  probably  one  principal  cause  of  the  wars 
frequently  carried  oo  hy  people  in  a  state  of  nature. 


-:0: 


CHAPTER  II. 

INDIAN  SETTLEMENTS. 


The  author  deems  it  unnecessary  to  give  a  detailed  account  of  all  the 
particular  places  which  exhibit  signs  of  the  ancient  residences  of  Indians, 
but  considers  it  sufficient  to  say  that  on  all  our  water  courses,  evidences 
of  their  dwellings  are  yet  to  be  seen.  The  two  great  branches  of  the 
Shenandoah,  and  the  south  branch  of  the  Potomac,  appear  to  have  been 
their  favorite  places  of  residence.  There  are  more  numerous  signs  of 
their  villages  to  be  seen  on  these  water  courses,  than  in  any  other  part  of 
our  Valley. 

On  the  banks  of  the  Cohongoruton,  (Potomac,)  there  has  doubtless 
been  a  pretty  considerable  settlement.  The  late  Col.  Joseph  Swearen- 
gen's  dwelling  house  stands  within  a  circular  wall  or  moat.*  When  first 
known  by  the  white  inhabitants,  the  wall  was  about  eighteen  inches 
high,  and  the  ditch  about  two  feet  deep.  This  circular  wall  was  made 
of  earth — is  now  considerably  reduced,  but  yet  plainly  to  be  seen.  It  is 
not  more  than  half  a  mile  from  Shepherdstown. 

For  what  particular  purpose  this  wall  was  thrown  up,  whether  for  or- 
namoit  or  defense,  the  author  cannot  pretend  to  form  an  oj)inion.  If  it 
was  intended  for  defense,  it  appears  to  have  been  too  low  to  answer  any 
valuable  purpose  in  that  way. 

On  the  Wappatomaka,  a  few  miles  below  the  forks,  tradition  relates 
that  tliere  was  a  very  considerable  Indian  settlement.  On  the  farm  of 
Isaac  Vanmeter,  Es(|.,  on  this  water  course,  in  the  county  of  Hardy, 
when  the  country  was  first  discovered,  there  were  considerable  openings 
of  the  lam),  or  natural  prairies,  which  are  called  "the  Indian  old  fields" 
to  this  day.     Numerous  Indian    graves  arc  to  be  seen  in  the  neighbor- 

*Miij.  Henry  jjedingcr  mformetl  the  author  tiiat  at  his  first  recollection 
of  this  pl;ice,  the  wall  or  moat  was  about  eighteen  inches  high,  and  the 
ditch  an)und  it  about  two  feet   deep.     Th^  wall  was  raised  on  the  out 
side  of  the  diirh.  and  carefully  thrown  up. 


INDIAN  SETTLEMENTS.  35 

hoodv  A  little  above  the  forks  of  this  river  a  very  large  Indian  grave  is 
now  to  be  seen.*  In  the  bank  of  the  river,  a  little  below  the  forks,  nu- 
merous human  skeletons  have  been  discovered,  and  several  articles  of  cu- 
rious workmanship.  A  highly  finished  pipe,  representing  a  snake  coiled 
round  the  bowl,  with  its  head  projected  above  the  bowL  was  among  them. 
There  was  the  under  jaw  bone  of  a  human  being  of  great  size  found  at 
the  same  place,  which  contained  eight  jaw  teeth  in  each  side  of  errormous 
size  ;  and  what  is  more  remarkable,  the  teeth  stood  transversely  in  the 
jaw  bone.     It  would  pass  over  any  common  man's  face  with  entire  ease.f 

There  are  many  other  signs  of  Indian  settlements  all  along  this  river, 
both  above  and  below  the  one  just  described.  Mr.  Garret  Blue,  of  the 
county  of  Hampshire,  informed  the  authoK,  that  about  two  miles  below 
the  Hanging  Rocks,  in  the  bank  of  the  river,  a  stratum  of  ashes,  about 
one  rod  in  length,  was  some  years  ago  discovered.  At  this  place  are  signs 
of  an  Indian  village,  and  their  old  fields.  The  Rev.  John  J.  Jacobs,  of 
Hampshire,  informed  the  author  that  on  Mr.  Daniel  Cresap's  land,  on 
the  North  branch  of  the  Potomac,  a  few  miles  above  Cumberland,  a  hu- 
man skeleton  was  discovered,  which  had  been  covered  with  a  coat  of 
wood  ashes,  about  two  feet  below  the  surface  of  the  ground.  An  entire 
tlecomposition  of  the  skeleton  had  taken  place,  with  the  exception  of  the 
teeth  :  they  were  in  a  perfect  state  of  preservation. 

On  the  tvv'o  great  branches  of  the  Shenandoah  there  are  now  to  be 
seen  numerous  sites  of  their  ancient  villages,  several  of  vrhich  are  so  re- 
markable that  they  deserve  a  passing  notice.  It  has  been  noticed,  in  my 
jireceding  chapter,  that  on  Mr.  Steenbergen's  land,  on  the  North  fork  of 
ihe  Shenandoah,  the  remains  of  a  large  Indian  mountl  are  plainly  to  be 
seen.  It  is  also  su^jfrested  that  this  was  once  the  residence  of  the  Sene- 
do  tribe,  and  that  that  tribe  had  been  exterminated  by  the  Southern  In- 
dians. Exclusive  of  this  large  mound, j  there  are  several  other  Indian 
graves.  About  this  place  many  of  their  implements  and  domestic  utensils 
have  been  found.  A  short  distance  below  the  mouth  of  Stony  Creek, 
(a  branch  of  the  Shenandoah,)  within  four  or  five  miles  of  Woodstock, 
are  the  signs  of  an  Indian  village.  At  this  place  a  gun  barrel,  with  sev- 
eral iron  tomahnwks,  were  found  long  after  the  Indians  left  the  country. § 

On  Mr.  Anthony  Kline's  farm,  within  about  three  miles  of  Stephens- 
burg,  in  the  county  of  Frederick,  in  a  glen  near  his  mdl,  a  rifle  was  found, 
which  had  laid  in  the  ground  forty  or  fifty  years.  Every  part  of  this  gun, 
(even  the  stock,  which  was  made  of  black  walnut,)    was  sound.       Mr. 


*  William  Seymour,  Esq.,  related  this  fact  to  the  author. 

j  Wniiarn  Heath,  Esq.,  in  the  county  of  Hardy,  stated  this  fact  to  the 
author,  and  that  he  had  repeatedly  seen  the  remarkable  jav,-  bone. 

:j:Mr.  Steenbergen  inibrmtid  the  author,  that  upon  looking  into  this 
mound,  it  was  discovered  that  at  the  head  of  each  skeleton  a  stone  was 
deposited:  that  these  stones  are  of"  various  sizes,  supj)0seil  to  indicate  the 
size  of  the  body  buried. 

§Mr.  George  Grandstaff  stated  this  to  the  author.  Mr.  (1.  is  an  -.un-d 
-?^n  1  respectable  citizen  ol"  Sln^nandordi  conn'}  . 


■36  INDIAN  SETTLEMENTS. 

Kline^s  fntluT  look  ilw.  barrel  from  \}w  slock,  jtlacecl  the  britch  on  the  fir^j 
anti  it  soon  dischar<rc'(i  with  a  loud  explosion. * 

In  the  county  of  Page,  on  the  South  fork  of  Shenandoah  river,  thertl 
are  several  Indian  burying*  grounds  and  signs  of  their  villages.  Thestf 
sifjns  arc  also  to  be  seen  on  the  Hawksbill  creek.  A  few  miles  above 
Luray,  on  the  west  side  of  the  river,  there  are  three  large  Indian  graves, 
ranged  nearly  side  by  side,  thirty  or  forty  feet  in  length,  twelve  or  four- 
teen feet  wide,  and  five  or  six  fel;t  high;  Around  them,  in  circular  form, 
are  a  number  of  single  graves.  The  whole  covers  an  area  of  little  less 
than  a  quarter  of  an  acre.  They  present  to  the  eye  a  very  ancient  ap- 
})earance,  and  are  covered  over  with  pine  and  other  forest  growth.  T'he 
excavation  of  the  ground  around  them  is  plainly  to  be  seen.  The  three 
fust  mentioned  graves  are  in  oblong  form,  probably  contain  many  hun- 
dred of  human  bodies,  and  were  doubtless  the  work  of  ages;f 

On  the  land  of  Mr.  Noah  Keyser,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Ilawksbill 
creek,  stand  the  remains  of  a  large  mound.  This,  like  that  at  Mr. 
Steenbergen's,  is  considerably  reduced  by  plov.-ing,  but  is  yet  some 
twelve  or  fourteen  feet  high,  and  is  upwards  of  sixty  yards  round  at  the 
base.  It  is  found  to  be  literally  filled  with  human  skeletons,  and  at  every 
fresh  plowing  ?  fresh  layer  of  bones  are  brought  to  the  surhice.  The 
bones  are  found  to  be  in  a  calcarious  state,  with  the  t^xception  of  the 
teeth,  which  are  generally  sounds  Several  unusually  large  skeletons 
have  been  discovered  in  this  gri-ave.  On  the  lands  now  tlie  t'esidence  of 
hiy  venerable  friend,  Johil  Gatewood,  Esq.  the  signs  of  an  Indian  village 
are  yet  plainly  to  be  seen.  'J'here  are  numerous  fragments  of  their  pots, 
cups,  arrow  points,  and  other  implements  for  domestic  use,  found  tron\ 
time  to  time.  Convenient  to  this  village  there  are  several  pretty  large 
graves. 

T'here  is  also  evidence  of  an  Indian  town  in  Poweirs  Fort,  on  the 
lands  now  owned  by  Mr-.  Daniel  JMunch.  From  appearances,  this  too 
was  a  pretty  considerable  village.  A  little  above  the  forks  of  the  Shen- 
andoah, on  the  east  side  of  the  South  fork,  are  the  appearances  of  anoth- 
er settlemt-rit,  exhibiting  the  remains  of  two  considerable  mounds  now  en- 
tirely reduced  by  i)lowing.  About  this  place  many  pipes,  tomahawks, 
?)xes,  hommony  ])estles,  &c.  liave  been  founcL  Some  four  or  five  miles 
below  the  forks  of  the  river,  on  the  south-east  side,  On  the  lands  now 
nwned  by  Ca])!.  Daniel  Oliver,  is  the  site  of  another  Indian  village.  At 
this  place  a  considerable  variety  of  articles  have  been  plowed  up.  Among 
Ihr  number  were  several  whole  ])ots,  cups,  pipes,  axes,  tomahawks, 
I'.ommony  j^estles,  &,c;  A  beautifill  pipe  of  high  finish,  made  of  white 
Hint   stone,  .and  several  cither  articles  of  Curious  workmanship,  idl  of  very 


*Arr.  Anthony  Uine  n  latcd  tills  ot'currence  to  the  author.  No  man 
'who  is  acquainted  wilh  Mr.  Kline,  vn'iII  for  nnc  moau-ut  doubt  i)is 
iisserlions,  'i'his  vil]f  was  of  a  very  birg<' calibi-c,  and  was  covered  sev- 
*'ra]  feel  below  ilic  suri'ace  of  the  grouti'.l,  am!  doubtless  left  there  by  an 
hUlian. 

i'rhesr  graves  arc  on  the  land^  now  the  rc'^iileni.e  of  the  witloAv  l^ong. 
'•»k*<\  apj'c.ir  iicNcr  to  have  lieen  disturbed. 


INDIAN  SETTLEMENTS.  37 

hard  stone,   have  been   found.      Their  cups  and  pots   -Irere  made    of  a 
hiixture  of  clay  and  shells,  of  rude  workmanship,  but  of  firm  texture. 

There  are  many  other  places  on  all  our  water  courses,  to  wit,  Stony- 
Creek,  Cedar  Creek,  and  Opequon,  as  well  as  the  larger  water  courses, 
which  exhibit  evidences  of  ancient  Indian  settlements.  The  Shawnee 
tribe,  it  is  well  known,  were  settled  about  the  neighborhood  of  Winches- 
ter. What  are  called  the  "  Shawrtee  cabins,"  and  "  Shawnee  springs," 
immediately  adjoinirigth^  town,  are  well  known.  It  is  also  equally  "cer- 
tain, that  this  tribe  had  a  f,onsid^rable  village  orl  Babb's  marsh,  some 
three  or  four  miles  north-West  of  Winchester.* 

The  Tuscarora  Indians  resided  in  the  neiMiborliood  of  Martinsburn-,  in 
the  county  of  Berkeley,!  on  the  Tusdarora  creek.  Ort  the  fine  tarm,  now 
owned  by  and  the  residerice  of  Matthew  Ranson,  Esq,  (the  former  resi- 
dence of  Mr.  Benjanlin  Beesort,)  are  the  remains  of  several  Indian  graves. 
These,  like  several  others,  are  now  plowed  down;  but  numerous  fragments 
of  human  bones  ard  to  be  found  mixed  with  the  clay  on  the  surface.  Mr. 
Ranson  informed  the  author,  that  at  this  place  the  Under  jaw  bone  of  a 
human  being  was  plowed  up,  of  enormous  size;  the  teeth  were  found  in 
a  perfect  state  of  preservation^ 

Near  the  Shannondale  springs,  on  the  lands  of  Mr;  Fairfax,  an  Indian 
grave  some  years  sirtce  was  opened,  in  which  a  skeleton  of  unusual  size 
was  discovered;:}: 

Mr.  E.  Paget  informed  the  author,  that  on  Flint  run,  a  small  rivulet  of 
the  South  river,  in  the  county  of  Shenandoah,  a  skeleton  was  found  by 
his  father,  the  thigh  bone  of  which  measured  three  feet  in  length,  and 
theunder  jaw  bone  of  which  would  pass  over  anj^  common  man's  face 
with  ease. 

Near  the  Indian  village  described  on  a  preceding  page,  on  Capt.  Oli- 
ver's land,  a  few  years  ago,  some  hands  in  removing  the  stone  covering 
an  Indian  grave,  discovered  a  skeleton,  whose  great  size  attracted  their 
attention.  The  stones  were  carefully  taken  off  witliout  flisturhing  the 
frame,  when  it  was  discovered,  that  the  l)ody  had  been  laid  at  full  length 
on  the  ground,  and  broad  fiat  stones  set  round  the  corpse  in  the  shape  of 
a  cofiin.  Capt,  Oliver  measured  the  skeleton  as  it  lay,  which  was  nearly 
seven  feet  long.|| 

In  the  further  progress  of  this  work  the  author  v/ill  occasionally  advert 


*Mr.  Thomas  Barrett,  who  was  born  in  1705,  stated  to  the  author,  that 
within  his  recollection  the  signs  of  the  Indian  wigwams  were  to  be  seen 
On  Babb's  marsh. 

fMr.  .John  Shobe,  a  very  respectable  old  citizen  of  Maitinsburg,  statec 
to  tke  author,  that  Mr.  Benjamin  Beeson,  a  highly  respectal)le  (Quaker 
informed  him,  that  the  Tuscarora  Indians  wese  living  on  the  Tuscarori 
creek  when  he  (Beeson)  first  knew  the  county. 

iMr.  George  W.  Fairfax  gave  the  author  this  information. 

||Maximus,  a  Roman  Emperor  in  the  third  centuiT,  "was  the  son  of  ii 
Thracian  shepherd,  and  is  represented  by  ]ii?torians  as  a  man  of  gigantic 
stature  and  Herculean  strength.  He  was  fully  eight  feet  in  height,  ant 
iberfectly  symmetrical  in  form.     Abridged  U.  History,   vol.  ii    p.  'ib. 


3S  INDIAN   SETTLEMENTS. 

to  the  subject  of  Indian  anliquiti«s  anil  traits  of  the  Indian  character. — 
This  chapter  will  now  be  concluded  with  some  i^eneral  reflections  on  tlic 
seemingly  hard  late  of  this  unCortumite  race  of  people.  It  appears  to  the 
author  that  no  reflecting  man  can  view  so  many  burying  places  broken  up 
— their  bones  torn  up  with  the  plow — reduced  to  dust,  and  scattered  to 
the  winds — without  feeling  some  degree  of  melancholy  regret.  It  is  to 
be  lamented  for  another  reason.  If  those  mounds  and  places  of  burial 
had  been  permittte  I  to  remain  undisturbed,  they  would  have  stood  as 
lasting  monuments  in  the  history  of  our  country.  Many  of  them  were 
doubtless  the  work  of  ages,  and  future  generations  would  have  contem- 
plated them  with  great  interest  and  curiosity.  But  these  memorials  are 
rapidly  disappearing,  and  the  time  perha})S  will  come,  when  not  a  trace  of 
them  will  remain.  The  author  has  had  the  curiosity  to  open  several  In- 
dian graves,  in  one  of  which  he  found  a  pipe,  of  different  form  from  any 
he  has  ever  seen.  It  is  made  of  a  hard  black  stone,  and  glazed  or  rather 
painted  with  a  substance  of  a  reddish  cast.  In  all  the  graves  he  has  ex- 
amined, the  bones  are  found  in  a  great  state  of  decay  except  the  teeth, 
which  are  generally  in  a  perfect  state  (jf  preservation. 

It  is  no  way  wonderful  that  this  unfortunate  race  of  people  reluctantly 
yielded  their  rightful  and  just  possession  of  this  fine  country.  It  is  no 
way  wonderful  that  they  resisted  with  all  their  force  the  intrusion  of  the 
white  people  (who  were  strangers  to  them,  from  a  foreign  country,)  upon 
their  rightful  inheritance.  But  perhaps  this  was  the  fiat  of  Heaven.— 
When  God  created  this  globe,  he  probably  intended  it  should  sustain  the 
greatest  possible  number  of  his  creatures.  And  as  the  human  family,  in  a 
state  of  civil  life,  increases  with  vastly  more  rapidity  than  a  people  in  a 
state  of  nature  or  savage  life,  the  law  of  force  has  been  generally  resorterl 
to,  and  the  weaker  compelled  to  give  way  to  the  stronger.  That  a  part 
of  our  country  has  been  acquired  by  this  law  of  force,  is  undeniable.  It 
is,  however,  matter  of  consoling  reflection,  that  there  are  some  honorable 
exceptions  to  this  arbitrary  rule.  The  great  and  wise  William  Penn  set 
the  example  of  ])urchasing  the  Indian  lands.  Several  respectable  indi- 
viduals of  the  (Quaker  society  thought  it  unjust  to  take  ])Ossession  of  this 
valley  without  making  tiie  Indians  some  compensation  for  their  right. — 
Measures  were  adopted  to  e.'fec^t  this  great  object.  But  upon  inquiry,  no 
particular  tribe  could  be  found  who  pretended  to  have  any  prior  claim  to 
the  soil.  It  was  considered  the  common  huiiting  ground  of  various  tribes, 
and  not  claimed  by  any  particular  nation  who  bad  authority  to  sell. 

'J'his  information  was  communicated  to  the  author  by  two  aged  and  high- 
ly resj)ectable  nun  of  the  Friends'  society,  Isaac  Brown  and  Lewis  Neill, 
each  of  them  upwards  of  eighty  years  of  age,  and  both  residents  of  the 
coimty  of  Frederick. 

In  confirmation  of  this  statement,  a  letter  written  by  Thomas  Chaukley 
to  the  monthly  meeting  on  Ojxquon,  on  the  21st of  5th  month,  1738,  is 
strong  circumstantial  evidence;  of  wliich  letter  the  following  is  a  copy: 

"Virginia,  at  .John  Cheagle's,  21st  5th  month,  1738. 
'^'Tn  the  fri/iiuh  of  the  monthl\j  meet'wfr  at  Oppquon: 

"Dea-- friends  who  iuhnbil  Shenandoah  and  Opcijuon: — Having  a  con- 


INDIAN  SETTLEAFENTS.  39 

ccrn  for  your  welfare  and  prosperity,  both  now  and  lierfafter,  and  also 
the  prosperity  of  your  chikh-en,  I  had  a  desire  to  see  you;  but  bfin<r  in 
years,  and  heavy,  and  much  spent  and  fatigued  wdth  my  long  journeyings 
in  Virginia  and  Carolina,  makes  it  seem  too  hard  for  me  to  perform  a  visit 
in  person  to  you,  wherefore  I  take  this  way  of  writmg  to  discharge  my 
rnihd  of  what  lies  weighty  thereon;  and 

"First.  I  desire  that  you  be  very  careful  (being  far  and  back  inhabi- 
tants) to  keep  a  friendly  correspondence  with  tlie  native  Indians,  giving 
them  no  occasion  of  offense;  they  being  a  cruel  and  merciless  enemy, 
where  they  think  they  are  wronged  or  defrauded  of  their  rights;  as  woful 
experience  hath  taught  in  Carolina,  Virginia  and  Maryland,  and  especial- 
ly in  New  England,  &c.;  and 

"Secondly.  As  nature  hath  given  them  and  their  forefathers  the  posses- 
sion of  this  continent  of  America  (or  this  wilderness),  they  had  a  natural 
ri^'ht  thereto  in  justice  and  equity;  and  no  people,  according  to  the  law 
of  nature  and  justice  and  our  own  principle,  which  is  according  to  the 
glorious  gospel  of  our  dear  and  holy  Jesus  Christ,  ought  to  take  away  or 
settle  on  other  men's  lands  or  rights  without  consent,  or  purchasing  the 
same  by  agreement  of  parties  concerned;  which  I  suppose  in  your  case- 
is  not  yet  done. 

"Thirdly.  Therefore  my  counsel  and  christian  advice  to  you  is,  my 
dear  friends,  that  the  most  reputable  among  you  do  with  speed  enck-avor 
to  agree  with  and  purchase  your  lands  of  the  native  Indians  or  inhabi- 
tants. Take  example  of  our  worthy  and  honorable  late  proprietor  Wil- 
liam Penn;  w^ho  by  the  wise  and  religious  care  in  that  relation,  hath  set- 
tled a  lasting  peace  and  commerce  with  the  natives,  and  through  his  pru- 
dent management  therein  hath  been  instrumental  to  plant  in  peace  one  o^ 
the  most  flourishing  provinces  in  the  world. 

"Fourthly.  Who  would  run  the  risk  of  the  lives  of  their  wives  and 
children  for  the  sparing  a  little  cost  and  pains?  I  am  concerned  to  lay 
these  things  before  you,  under  an  uncommon  exercise  of  mind,  that  your 
new  and  flourishing  little  settlement  may  not  be  laid  waste,  and  (if  the 
providence  of  the  Almighty  doth  not  intervene,)  some  of  the  blood  of 
yourselves,  wives  or  children,  be  shed  or  spilt  on  the  ground. 

"Fifthly.  Consider  you  are  in  the  province  of  V^irginia,  holding  what 
rights  you  have  under  that  government;  and  the  Virginians  have  made  an 
agreement  with  the  natives  to  go  as  far  as  the  mountains  and  no  farther; 
and  you  are  over  and  beyond  the  mountains,  therefore  out  of  that  agree- 
ment; by  which  you  lie  open  to  the  insults  and  incursions  of  the  Southern 
Indians,  who  have  destroyed  many  of  the  inhabitants  of  Carolina  and 
Virginia,  and  even  now  destroyed  more  on  the  like  occasion.  The  En- 
glish going  beyond  the  bounds  of  their  agreement,  eleven  of  them  were 
killed  by  the  Indians  while  we  were  travelling  in  Virginia. 

"Sixthly.  If  you  believe  yourselves  to  be  within  the  bounds  of  William 
Penn's  patent  from  King  Charles  the  second,  which  will  be  hard  for  you 
to  prove,  you  being  far  southward  of  his  line,  yet  if  done,  that  will  be  no 
consideration  with  the  Indians  without  a  ])urchase  from  them,  except  you 
will  go  about  to  convince  them  by  fire  and  sword,  contrary  to  our    princi- 


40  INDIAN  SETTLEMENTS. 

jiU's;  aiid  it'  that  wcix'  tlone,  they  would  over  be  implacable  enemies,  ami 
t'.ie  hiiiil  cciiKl  never  be  pnjoyed  iii   ne&ce. 

"Seventhly.  Please  to  note  that  in  Pennsylvania  no  new  settlements 
are  made  without  an  agreement  with  the  natives;  as  witness  Lancaster 
county,  lately  settled,  though  that  is  i'ar  within  the  grant  of  William  Penn's 
])atent  from'king  Charles  the  second;  wherefore  you  lie  open  to  the  insur- 
rections of  the  Northern  as  well  as  Southern  Indians;  and 

"Lastly.  Thus  having  shewn  my  good  will  to  you  and  to  your  new  ViU 
tie  settlement,  that  you  might  sit  every  one  under  your  av;n  shady  tree, 
where  none  might  make  you  afraid,  and  that  you  might  prosper  naturally 
and  spiritually,  you  and  your  children;  and  having  a  little  eased  my  mind 
of  that  weight  and  concern  (in  some  measure)  that  la)  upon  me,  I  at  present 
desist,  and  subscribe  myself,  in  tho  love  of  our  holy  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
your  real  friend,  T.   C." 

This  excellent  letter  from  this  good  man  proves  that  the  Quakers  weiie 
among  our  earliest  settlers,  and  that  this  class  of  people  were  earl^  dispo-. 
sed  to  do  justice  to  the  natives  of  the  country, 

Had  this  humane  and  just  policy  of  pm-chasing  the  Indian  lands  been 
first  adopted  and  adhered  to,  it  is  highly  piobable  the  white  people  might 
have  gradually  obtained  possession  without  the  loss  of  so  much  blood  and 
treasure. 

The  ancestors  of  the  Neills, Walkers, Bransons, McKays,  Hackneys,  Bee-. 
aons,  Luptons,  J3arretts,  Dillons,  &c.  were  air^ong  the  earliest  Quaker  im- 
migrants to  our  valley.  Three  Quakers  by  the  name  of  Fawcett  settled 
at  an  early  period  about  8  or  9  miles  south  of  Winchester,  near  Zane's 
old  iron  works,  from  whom  a  pretty  numerous  progeny  has  descended. — 
They  have,  however,  chiefly  migrated  to  the  west. 

Air.  JefTerson,  in  his  notes  on  Virginia,  says,  "That  the  lands  of  this 
country  were  taken  from  them  (the  Indians,)  by  conquest,  is  not  so  gene- 
ral a  truth  as  is  supposed.  I  find  in  our  historians  and  re^-ords,  repeat-, 
ed  proofs  of  purchase,  which  cover  a  considerable  part  of  the  lower  coun- 
try; and  many  more  would  doubtless  be  found  on  further  search.  The  up- 
per country  we  know  has  been  acquired  altogether  by  purchase  in  the 
most  unexceptionable  form." 

Tradition  lelates,  that  several  tracts  of  land  were  purchased  by  Qua-, 
kers  from  the  Indians  on  Apple-pie  ridge,  and  that  the  Indians  never  wero 
Jinown  to  disturb  the  people  residing  on  the  land  so  purchased, 


FIRST  SETTLEMENT  OF  THE  VALLEY  41 

CHAPTER   III. 

FIRST  SETTLEMENT  OF  THE  VALLEY. 


In  the  year  1732,  Joist  Hite,  with  his  family,  and  his  sons-in-law,  vit:. 
George  liowman,  Jacoh  Chrisman  and  Paul  Froman,  wilh  their  families, 
Robert  McKay,  Robert  Green,  William  Duff,  Peter  Stephens,  and  several 
others,  amounting  in  the  whole  to  sixteen  families,  removed  from  Penn- 
sylvania, cutting  their  road  from  York,  and  crossing  the  Cohongoruton 
about  tv.'o  miles  above  Harpers-Ferry,  Hite  settled  on  Opequon,  about 
live  miles  south  of  Winchester,  on  the  great  highway  from  Winchester  to 
Staunton,  now  the  rcvsidence  of  the  highly  respectable  widow  of  the  late 
Richard  Peters  Barton,  Esq.  and  also  the  residence  of  Richard  W.  Bar- 
Ion,  Esq.  Peter  Stephens  and  several  others  settled  at  Stcphensburg, 
and  founded  the  town;  Jacob  Chrisman  at  what  is  now  called  Chrisman's 
spring,  about  two  miles  south  of  Stephensburg;  Bowman  on  Cedar  creek 
about  six  miles  farther  south;  and  Froman  on  the  same  creek,  8  or  9  miles 
north  west  of  Bowman.  Robert  McKay  settled  on  Crooked  run,  8  or  9 
miles  south  east  of  vStephensburg.  The  several  other  families  settled  in 
the  same  neighborhood,  wherever  they  could  find  wood  and  water  most 
convenient.  From  the  most  authentic  information  which  the  author  has 
been  able  to  obtain,  Hite  and  his  party  were  the  first  immigrants  who  set- 
tled west  of  the  Blue  ridge.  They  were,  however,  very  soon  followed  by 
numerous  others. 

In  1734,*  Benjamin  Allen,  Riley  Moore,  and  Wilham  Wliite,  removed 
from  Monoccacy,  in  Maryland,  and  settled  on  the  North  branch  of  the 
Shenandoah,  now  in  the  county  of  Shenandoah,  about  12  miles  south  of 
Woodstock. 

In  1733,  Jacob  Stover,  an  enterprising  German,  obtained  from  tlu* 
then  governor  of  Virginia,  a  grant  for  five  thousand  acres  of  land  on  the 
South  fork  of  the  Gerandoj  river,  on  what  was  called  Mesinetto  creek.:}: 

Ti-adition  relates  a  singular  and  amusing  account    of  Stover   and    hid 


*Mr.  Steenbergen  informed  the  author  that  Hie  traditionary  account  of 
the  first  settlement  of  his  farm,  together  with  Allen's  and  Moore's,  made 
it  about  106  years;  butP*Ir.  Aaron  Moore,  grandson  of  Riley  Moore,  by 
referring  to  the  family  records,  fixes  the  period  pretty  correctly.  Accor- 
ding to  Mr.  Moore's  account,  Moore,  Allen  and  White,  removed  from 
Maryland  in  1734. 

fThis  water  course  was  first  written  Gerando,  then  Sherandoah,  now 
Shenandoah. 

^Mesinetto  is  nov^-  called  Masinutton.  There  is  a  considerable  settle- 
ment of  highly  improved  farms,  now  called  "the  Masinutton  setUement," 
in  the  new  county  of  Page,  on  the  west  side  of  the  South  river,  on  Sto- 
ver's ancient  grant,  G 


42  FIRST  SETTLEMENT  OF  THE  VALLEY. 

grant.*  On  his  application  to  the  executive  for  his  grant,  he  was  refused 
unless  he  could  give  satisfactory  assurance  that  he  would  have  the  land 
settled  with  the  requisite  number  of  families  within  a  given  time.  Be- 
ing unable  to  do  this,  he  forthwith  passed  over  to  England,  petitioned  the 
king  to  direct  his  grant  to  issue,  and  in  order  to  insure  success,  had  giv- 
en human  names  to  every  horse,  cow*,  hog  and  dog  he  o\vned,  and  which 
he  represented  as  heads  of  families,  ready  to  migrate  and  settle  the  land. 
By  this  disingenuous  trick  he  succeeded  in  obtaining  directions  from  the 
kins:  and  council  for  securins;  his  s^rant:  on  obtainino;  which  he  immediate- 
ly  sold  out  his  land  in  small  divisions,  at  three  pounds  (equal  to  ten  dol- 
lars) per  hundred,  and  went  off  w'ith  the  money. 

Two  men,  John  and  Isaac  Vanmeter,  obtained  a  w^arrant  from  gover- 
nor Gooch  for  locating  forty  thousand  acres  of  land.  This  warrant  was 
obtained  in  the  year  1730.  They  sold  or  transferred  part  of  their  warrant 
to  Joist  liite;  and  from  this  warrant  emanated  several  of  Hite's  grants, 
which  the  author  has  seen.  Of  the  titles  to  the  land  on  which  Hite  set- 
tled, with  several  other  tracts  in  the  neighborhood  of  Stephensburg,  the 
originals  are  founded  on  this  warrant. 

In  the  year  1734,  Richard  Morgan  obtained  a  grant  for  a  tract  of  land 
in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  Shepherdstow^n,  on  or  near  the  Cohon- 
goruton.  Among  the  first  settlers  on  this  water  course  and  its  vicinity, 
were  Robert  Harper  (Harpers-Ferry),  William  Stroop,  Thomas  and  Wil- 
liam Forester,  Israel  Friend,  Thomas  Shephard,  Thomas  Swearengen, 
Van  Swearengen,  James  Forman,  Edward  Lucas,  Jacob  Hite,t  John  Le- 
mon, Richard  Mercer,  Edward  Mercer,  Jacob  Vanmeter  and  brothers, 
Robert  Stockton,  Robert  Buckles,  John  Taylor,  Samuel  Taylor,  Richard 
Morgan,  John  Wright,  and  others. 

The  first  settlers  on  the  Wappatomaka  (South  Branch)  were  Coburn, 
Howard,  Vv'^alker  and  Rutledge.  This  settlement  commenced  about  the 
year  1734  or  1735.  It  does  not  appear  that  the  first  immigrants  to  this 
fine  section  of  country  had  the  precaution  to  secure  titles  to  their  lands, 
until  Lord  Fairfax  migrated  to  Virginia,  and  opened  his  office  for  granting 
w^irrants  in  the  Northern  Neck.  The  earliest  grant  which  the  author  could 
find  in  this  settlement  bears  date  in  1747.  The  most  of  the  grants  are 
dated  in  1749.  This  was  a  most  unfortunate  omission  on  the  part  of 
these  people.  It  left  Fairfax  at  the  discretion  of  exercising  his  insatiable 
disposition  for  the  monopoly  of  wealth.;  and  instead  of  granting  these 
lands  upon  the  usual  terras  allowed  to  other  settlers,  he  availed  himself  of 
the  opportunity  of  laying  off  in  manors,  fifly-five  thousand  acres,  in  what 
he  called  his  South  Branch  manor,  and  nine  thousand  acres  on  Patter- 
son's creek. 

This  was  considered  by  the  settlers  an  odious  and  oppressive  act  on  the 
part  of  his  lordship,  and  many  of  them  left  the  country.]:  These  two  gre;it 

*I>tover's  grant  is  described  as  being  in  Ihe  counly  of  Spottsylvania, 
St.  Mark's  Parish.  Of  course,  Spottsylvania  at  that  period,  i.  e.  1733, 
crossed  the  Blue  Ridge, 

fOnc  of  Joist  llitc's  sons. 

ijiVVilliam  Heath,  Esq.   of  Hardy,  gave  the  autiior  tiiis  information. 


FIRST  SETTLEMENT  OF  THE  VALLEY.  43 

surveys  were  made  in  the  year  1747.  To  such  tenants  as  remained,  his 
lordship  granted  leases  for  ninety-nine  years,  reserving  an  annual  rent  of 
twenty  shillings  sterling  per  hundred  acres  ;  whereas  to  all  other  immi- 
grants only  two  shillings  sterling  rent  per  hundred  was  reserved,  with  a 
fee  simple  title  to  the  tenant.  Some  further  notice  of  Lord  Fairfax  and 
his  immense  grant  will  be  taken  in  a  future  chapter. 

Tradition  relates  that  a  man  by  the  name  of  John  Howard,  and  his* 
son,  previous  to  the  first  settlement  of  our  valley,  explored  the  country, 
and  discovered  the  charming  valley  of  the  South  Branch,  crossed  the  Al- 
legany mountains,  and  on  the  Ohio  killed  a  very  large  buffalo  bull,  skin- 
ned him,  stretched  his  hide  over  ribs  of  wood,  made  a  kind  of 
boat,  and  in  this  frail  bark  descended  the  Ohio  and  P.'Iississippi  to  New 
Orleans,  where  they  were  apprehended  by  the  French  as  suspicious  char- 
acters, and  sent  to  France;  but  nothing  criminal  appearing  against  them, 
they  were  discharged.  From  hence  they  crossed  over  to  England,  wheie 
Fairfax  by  some  means  got  to  hear  of  Mr.  Howard,  sought  an  interview^ 
with  him,  and  obtained  from  him  a  description  of  the  fertility  and  im- 
mense value  of  the  South  Branch,  which  determined  his  lordship  at  once 
to  secure  it  in  manors.*  Notwithstanding  this  sehish  monopoly  on  the 
part  of  Fairfax,  the  great  fertility  and  value  of  the  country  induced  nu- 
merous tenants  to  take  leases,  settle,  and  improve  the  lands. 

At  an  early  period  many  immigrants  settled  on  Capon,  (anciently  call- 
ed Cacaphon,  which  is  said  to  be  the  Indian  name,)  also  on  Lost  river. — 
Along  Back  creek.  Cedar  creek,  and  Opequon,  pretty  numerous  settle- 
ments were  m/ade.  The  two  great  branches  of  the  Shenandoah,  from  its 
forks  upwards,  were  among  our  earliest  settlements. 

An  enterprising  Quaker,  by  the  name  of  Ross,  obtained  a  warrant  for 
surveying  forty  thousand  acres  of  land.  The  surveys  on  this  warrant 
were  made  along  Opequon,  north  of  ¥/inchester,  and  up  to  Apple-pie 
ridge.  Pretty  numerous  immigrants  of  the  Quaker  profession  rem-ovcd 
from  Pennsylvania,  and  settled  on  Ross's  sm'veys.  The  reader  will  have 
observed  in  my  preceding  chapter,  that  as  early  as  1738,  this  people  had 
regular  mo.nthly  meetings  established  on  Opequon. f 

The  lands  on  the  west  side  of  the  Shenandoah,  trom  a  little  below  the 
forks,  were  first  settled  by  overseers  and  slaves,  nearly  down  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Bullskin.  A  Col.  Carter,^  of  the  lower  country,  _  had  obtained 
grants  for  about  sixty-three  thousand  acres  of  land  on  this  river.  His 
surveys  commenced  a  short  distance  below  the  forks  of  the  river,  and  ran 
down  a  little  below  Snicker's  ferry,  upwards  of  20  miles.  This  fine  body 
of  land  is  now  subdivided  into  a  great  m.any  most  valuable  farms,  a  con- 
siderable part  of  which  are  now  owned  by  the  highly  respectable  families 
of  Burwells  and  Pages.  But  little  of  it  now  remains  in  the  hands  of 
Carter's  heirs. 


*Also  related  by  Mr.  Heath. 

fSec  Chaukley's  letter  to  the  monthly  mee'dng  on  Opequon,  21st  I\Iay, 
1738,  page  39. 

jCol.  Robert  Carter  obtained  grants  in  September,  1730,  for  sixty-throe 

thousand  acres. 


44  riRST  si:ttlement  of  Tin:  valley. 

Another  survey  of  thirteen  thousand  acres  was  granted  to  another  per- 
son, and  lies  immediately  below  and  adjoinin<^  Carter's  line,  runnini^  a 
considerable  distance  into  the  county  of  JefTerson.  This  tine  tract  of 
land,  it  is  said,  was  sold  under  the  hammer  at  Williamsburg,  some  time 
previous  to  the  war  of  the  revolution.  The  owner  had  been  sporting,  lost 
money,  and  sold  the  land  to  pay  his  debt  of  honor.  General  Washington 
happened  to  be  present,  knew  the  land,  and  advised  the  late  Ralph  Worm- 
ley,  Esq.*  to  purchase  it.  Wormley  bid  five  hundred  guineas  for  it,  and 
it  was  struck  off  to  him.  It  is  also  said  that  Mr.  Wormley,  just  before  or 
at  the  time  of  the  sale,  had  been  regaling  himself  with  a  social  glass,  and 
that  when  he  cooled  off,  he  became  extremely  dissatisfied  with  his  pur- 
chase, considering  it  as  money  thrown  away,  Washington  hearing  of 
his  uneasiness,  immediately  waited  on  him,  and  told  him  he  would  take 
the  purchase  offhis  hands,  and  pay  him  his  money  again,  but  advised  him 
by  all  means  to  hold  it,  assuring  him  that  it  would  one  day  or  other  be 
the  foundation  of  an  independent  fortune  tor  his  children;  upon  which 
Wci/inley  became  better  reconciled,  and  consented  to  hold  on.  And  truly, 
as  Washington  predicted,  it  would  have  become  a  splendid  estate  in  the 
hands  oi  two  orthree  of  his  children,  had  they  known  how  to  preserve 
it.  But  it  passed  into  other  hands,  and  now  constitutes  the  splendid  farms 
of  the  late  firm  of  Castleman  &.  .McCormick,  HieromeL.  Opie,  Esq.  the 
'honorable  judge  Richard  E.  Parker,  and  several  others.  In  truth,  all  the 
country  about  the  larger  water  courses  and  mountains  was  settled  before 
the  fine   country  about  Bullskin,  Long  marsh.  Spot  run,  &c. 

Much  the  greater  part  of  the  country  between  what  is  called  the  Little  ■ 
North  mountain  and  the  Shenandoah  river,  at  the  first  settling  of  the  val- 
ley was  one  vast  prairie, f  and  like  the  rich  praiiies  of  the  west,  afforded 
the  finest  possible  pasturage  for  wild  animals.  The  country  abounded  in 
the  larger  kinds  of  game.  The  buffalo,  elk,  deer,  bear,  panther,  wild-cat, 
wolf,  fox,  beaver,  otter,  and  all  other  kinds  of  animals,  wild  fowl,  &,c., 
common  to  forest  countries,  were  abundantly  plenty.  The  country  jiow 
the  county  of  Shenandoah,  between  the  Fort  mountain  and  North  moun- 
tain, was  also  settled  at  an  early  period.  The  counties  of  Rockingham 
and  Augusta  also  were  settled  at  an  early  time.  The  settlement  of  the 
tipper  part  of  our  valley  will  be  more  particularly  noticed,  and  form  the 
fcubject  of  a  second  volume  hereafter,  should  the  public  demand  it. 

From  the  best  evidence  the  author  has  been  able  to  collect,  and  for  this 
purpose  he  has  examined  many  ancient  grants  of  lands,  family  records, 
&,c.,  as  well  as  the  oral  tradition  of  our  ancient  citizens,  the  settlement 
of  our  valley  progressed  without  interruption  from  the  native  Indians  for 
a  periofl  of  about  twenty-three  years.  In  the  year  1754,  the  Indians 
suddenly  disap])eared,  and  crossed  the   Allegan^-.      The  year   preceding, 

*.Mr.  Wormly,  it  is  believed,  reside  1  at  the  time  in  the  county  of  Mid- 
dh'scv. 

fThci't'  ar.''  severjd  nged  inflividuaU  now  livi^L,^  who  recollect  when 
there  were  large  borlics  of  land  in  the  counties  of  IJorkeh^y,  JpfFerson  and 
Frederick,  barren  of  Uiribc;.  The  b.inen  land  is  iiov\-  coverel  with  the 
best  of  furest  tree.*. 


FIRST  sp:ttlement  OFTHEVALLEV.  45 

^Rilssaries  from  the  west  of  the  Allegany  came  among  the  Valley  Indians 
and  invited  them  to  move  off.*  This  occurrence  excitad  suspicion  amojif 
the  white  people  that  a  storm  was  brewing  in  the  west,  which  it  was  es- 
sential to  prepare  to  meet. 

Tradition  relates,  that  the  Indians  did  not  object  to  the  PennsyU-anians 
settling  the  country.  From  the  high  character  of  William  Penn,  (the 
founder  of  Pennsylvania,)  the  poor  simple  natives  believed  that  all  Penn':^ 
men  were  honest,  virtuous,  humane  and  benevolent,  and  partook  of  the 
qualities  of  the  illustrious  founder  of  their  government.  But  fatal  expe- 
rience soon  taught  them  a  very  different  lesson.  They  soon  found  to  their 
cost  that  Pennsylvanians  were  not  much  better  than  others. 

Tradition  also  informs  us  that  the  natives  held  in  utter  abhorence  the 
Virginians,  whom  they  designated  "Long  Knife,"  and  were  warmly  op- 
posed to  their  settling  in  the  valley. 

The  author  will  conclude  this  chapter  with  some  general  remarks  i;i  re- 
lation to  the  circumstances  under  which  the  first  settlement  of  the  valley 
commenced.  Tradition  informs  us,  and  the  oral  statements  of  several 
aged  individuals  of  respectable  character  confirm  the  fact  that  the  Indian  > 
and  white  people  resided  in  the  same  neighborhood  for  several  years  after 
the  first  settlement  commenced,  and  that  the  Indians  were  entirely  peace- 
able and  friendly.  This  statement  must  in  the  nature  of  things  be  true; 
because  if  it  hadbden  othervv^ise,  the  white  people  could  not  have  succeed- 
ed in  effecting  the  settlement.  Had  the  natives  resisted  the  first  attempts 
to  settle,  the  whites  could  not  have  succeeded  without  the  aid  of  a  pretty 
considerable  army  to  avre  the  Indians  into  submission.  It  was  truly  for- 
tunate for  our  ancestors  that  this  quiescent  spirit  of  the  Indians  affordeil 
them  the  opportunity  of  acquiring  considerable  strength  as  to  numbers, 
and  the  accumulation  of  considerable  property  and  improvemants,  before 
Indian  hostilities  commenced. 

It  has  already  been  stated  that  it  was  twenty-three  years  from  the  first 
settlement,  before  the  Indians  committed  any  acts  of  outrage  on  the  whhe 
people.  During  this  period  many  pretty  good  dwelling  houses  were  c- 
rocted.  Joist  Hite  had  built  a  stone  house  on  Opequon,  which  house  is 
now  standing,  and  has  a  very  ancient  appearance;!  but  there  are  no  mai-ks 
upon  it  by  which  to  ascertain  the  time,  la  1751,  James  Wilson  erected 
a  stone  house  which  is  still  standini'",  and  now  the  residence  of  Mr.  Adam 
Kern,  adjoining  or  near  the  village  of  Kernstown. 

Jacob  Chrisman  also  built  a  pretty  large  stone  house  in  the  year  1751, 
now  the  residence  of  Mr.  x\braham  Stickley,  about  two  miles  south  of 
Stephensburg.  Geo.  Bowman  and  Paul  Froman  each  of  them  built  stone 
houses,  about  the  same  period.  The  late  Col.  John  Hite,  in  the  year 
1753,built  a  stone  house  now  the  dwelling  house  of  Mrs.  Barton.  This 
building  was  considered  by  far  the  finest  dwelling  house  west  of  the  Blue 

*Mr.  Thomas  Barrett,  an  aged  and  respectable  citizen  of  Frederick 
county,  related  this  tradition  to  the  author. 

fOn  the  wall  plate  of  a  framed  barn  bnilt  by  }]]:r^  the  figure>  1717  are 
plainly  marked,  and  now  to  be  seen. 


46  FIRST  SETTLEMENT  OF  THE  VALLEY. 

ridge*  Lewis  Stephens,  in  the  year  175G,  built  a  stone  house,  the  ruins 
of  which  are  now  to  be  seen  at  the  old  iron  works  of  the  late  Gen.  Isaac 
Zane.  It  v/iil  hereafter  be  seen  that  these  several  stone  buildings  became 
of  great  importance  to  the  people  of  the  several  neighborhoods,  as  places 
of  protection  and  security  against  the  attacks  of  the  Indians. 

The  subject  of  the  early  settlement  of  the  valley  will  be  resumed  in  ray 
next  chapter. 


-:o: 


CHAPTER  iV. 

FIRST  SETTLExMENT  OF  THE  VALLEY— Continued. 


Tradition  relates  that  a  man  by  the  name  of  John  Vanmeter,  from  New 
York,  some  years  previous  to  the  fu'st  settlemeat  of  the  valley,  discovered 
the  fine  country  on  the  Wappatoniaka.  This  man  w'as  akindof  wander- 
ing Indian  trader,  became  well  acquainted  with  the  Delawares,  and  once 
accompanied  a  W'ar  party  Avho  marched  to  the  south  for  the  purpose  of  in- 
vading the  Catawbas.  The  Catawbas,  however,  anticipated  them,  met 
them  very  near  the  spot  where  Pendleton  courthouse  now  stands,  and  en- 
countered and  defeated  them  with  immense  slaughter.  Vanmeter  was 
engaged  on  the  side  of  the  Delewares  in  this  battle.  When  Vaimieter 
returned  to  New  York,  he  advised  his  sons,  that  if  they  ever  migrated  to 
Virginia,  by  all  means  to  secure  a  part  of  the  South  Branch  bottom,  and 
described  the  lands  im.mediately  above  what  is  called  "The  Trough,"  as 
the  finest  body  of  land  which  he  had  ever  discovered  in  all  his  travels. — 
One  of  his  sons,  Isaac  Vanmeter,  in  conformity  with  his  father's  advice 
came  to  Virginia  about  the  year  1736  or  1737,  and  made  what  was  called 
a  toinahawk  improvement  on  the  lands  now  owned  by  Isaac  Vanmeter, 
Esq.  immediately  above  the  trough,  where  Fort  Pleasant  was  afterwards 
erected.  After  tliis  improvement.  Air.  Vanmeter  returned  to  New  Jersey, 
came  out  again  in  1740,  and  found  a  man  by  the  name  of  Coburn  settled 
on  his  land.  Mr.  Vanmeter  bought  out  Coburn,  and  again  returned  to 
New  Jersey,  and  in  the  year  1744  removed  with  his  family  and  settled  on 
the  land.f  Previous  to  Vanmetcr's  final  removal  to  Virginia,  several  im- 
migrants from  Pennsylvania,  chie/ly  Irish,  had  settled  on  the  South  branch. 

*'l'here  is  a  tradition  in  this  neighborhood  that  Col.  Kite  quarried  every 
Rtotu!  in  this  buihling  with  his  own  hands. 

ifvri.ir  Vynmoter,  F^-q.,  of  Ilurdy,  detailed  this  tradition  to  Hie  author. 


FIRST  SETTLEMENT  OF  THE  VALLEY.  47 

Howard,  Coburn,  Walker  and  Rutlcdge,  were    the    first   settlera  on   the 
Wappatomaka.* 

William  Miller  and  Abraham  Hite  were  also  among  the  early  settlers.  . 
When  the  Indian  wars  broke  out,  Miller  sold  out  his  right  to  500  acres  ot^ 
land,  and  all  his  stock  of  horses  and  cattle  in  the  woods,  for  twenty-ilve 
pounds,!  and  removed  to  the  South  fork  of  the  Shenandoah,  a  few  miles 
above  Front  Royal.  The  500  acres  of  land  sold  by  Miller  lie  within  a- 
bout  two  miles  of  Moorefield,  and  one  acre  of  it  would  now  command 
more  money  than  the  whole  tract,  including  his  stock,  was  sold  for. 

Casey,  Pancake,  Forman,  and  a  number  of  others,  had  settled  on  the 
Wappatomaka  previous  to  Yanmeter's  final  removal. 

In  the  year  1740,  the  late  Isaac  Hite,  Esq.  one  of  the  sons  of  Joist 
Hite,  settled  on  the  North  Branch  of  the  Shenandoah,  in  the  county  of 
Frederick,^  on  the  beautiful  farm  called  "Long  meadows."  This  fine 
estate  is  nov/  owned  by  Maj.  Isaac  Hite,  the  only  son  of  Isaac  Hite  d-e- 
ceased. t 

About  the  same  year,  John  Lindsey  and  James  Lindsey,  brothers,  re- 
moved and  settled  on  the  Long  marsh,  between  Ballskin  and  Berryville, 
in  the  county  of  Frederick;  Isaac  Larue  removed  from  New-Jersey  in 
1743,  and  settled  on  the  same  marsh.  About  the  same  period,  Christo- 
pher Beeler  removed  and  settled  within  two  or  three  m.iles  from  Larue; 
and  about  the  year  1744,  Joseph  Hampton  and  two  sons  came  from  the  • 
eastern  sliore  of  Maryland,  settled  on  Buck  marsh,  near  Berryville,  and 
lived  the  greater  part  of  the  year  in  a  hollow  sycamore  tree.  They  en- 
closed a  piece  of  land  and  made  a  crop  preparatory  to  the  removal  of  the 
family.  § 

In  1743  Joseph  Carter  removed  from  Bucks  county,  Pennsylvania,  and 
settled  on  Opequon,  about  five  miles  east  of  Winchester.  Yery  near  Mr. 
Carter's  residence,  on  the'  west  side  of  the  creek,  was  a  beautiful  grove 
of  forest  timber,  immediately  opposite  which  a  fine  limestone  spring  is- 
sued from  the  east  bank  of  the  creek.  This  grove  was,  at  the  time  of 
Mr.  Carter's  first  settlement,  a  favorite  camping  ground  of  the  Indians, 
where  rmmero us  collections,  sornetim-es  two  or  three  hundred  at  a  time, 
would  assemble,  and  remain  for  several  weeks  together.  J\Ir.  Carter  was 
a  shoemaker,  and  on  one  occasion  two  Indians  called  at  his  shop  just  as 
he  had  finished  and  hung  up  a  pair  of  shoes,  which  one  of  the  Indians 
seeino-  secretly  slipped  under  his  blanket,  and  attempted  to  make  off.  Car- 
ter detected  him,  and  took  the  shoes  from  him.  His  companion  manifest- 
ed the  utmost  indignation  at  the  theft,  and  gave  Carter  to  understand  that 
the  culprit  would  be  severely  dealt  with.  As  soon  as  the  Indians  return- 
ed to  the  encampment,  information  was  given  to  the  chiefs,  and  the  un- 
fortunate thief  was  so  severely  chastised,  that  Mr.   Carter,    from   )notives 


*Communicated  by  William  Heath,  Esq. 

flsaac  Yanmetcr,  Esq.  stated  this  fact  to  the  author. 

f.Maj.  Isaac  Hite,  of  Frederick  county,  communicated  tlii.s  information  • 
to  the  author. 

§Col.  John  B.  Larue  and  William  Castlemen,  Esq.  gave  the  author  this^. 
information. 


4S  riKS  r  SETTLExMENT  OF  THE  VALLEY. 

of  humanity,  interposed,  and  begcred  that  the  punishment  might  cease.* 
Waj.  Isaac  liite  ini'onned  the  author  that  numerous  parties  of  Indians, 
in  passing  and  repassing,  frequently  called  at  his  grandfalher's  house,  on 
Opequon,  and  that  hut  one  instance  of  theft  was  ever  committed.  On  that 
occasion  a  pretty  considerable  party  had  called,  and  on  their  leaving 
the  house  some  article  of  inconsiderable  value  \vas  missing.  A  messen- 
ger was  sent  after  them,  and  information  of  the  theft  given  to  the  chiefs. 
Search  was  immediately  made,  the  article  found  in  the  possession  of  one 
of  them,  and  restored  to  its  owner.  These  facts  go  far  to  show  their  high 
sense  of  honesty  and  summary  justice.  It  has  indeed  been  stated  to  the 
author,  that  their  travelling  parties  would,  if  they  needed  provisions  and 
could  not  otherwise  procure  them,  kill  fat  hogs  or  fat  cattle  in  the  woods, 
in  order  to  supply  themselves  with  food.  This  they  did  not  consider  steal- 
ing.    Every  animal  running  at  large  they  considered  lawful  game. 

The  Indians  charge  the  white  people  with  teaching  them  the  knowledge 
of  theft  and  several  other  vices.  In  the  winter  of  1815-10,  the  author 
.spent  some  weeks  in  the  state  of  Georgia,  where  he  fell  in  with  Col.  Bar- 
nett,  one  of  the  commissioners  for  running  the  boundary  line  of  Indian 
lands  which  had  shortly  before  been  ceded  to  the  United  States.  Some 
conversation  took  place  on  the  subject  of  the  Indians  and  Indian  charac- 
ter, in  which  Col.  B.  remarked,  that  in  one  of  his  excursions  through  the 
Indian  country,  he  met  with  a  veiy  aged  Cherokee  chief,  who  spoke  and 
understood  the  English  language  pretty  well.  'Vhe  colonel  had  several 
conversations  with  this  aged  man,  in  one  of  v/hicli  he  congratulated  him 
npon  the  prospect  of  his  people  having  their  condition  greatly  improved, 
there  being  every  reason  to  believe  that  in  the  course  of  a  few  years  they 
would  become  acquainted  with  the  arts  of  civil  life — would  be  bettei- 
clothed,  better  fed,  and  erect  better  and  more  comfortable  habitations — 
and  what  was  of  still  greater  importance,  they  would  become  acquainted 
with  the  doctrines  and  principles  of  the  Christian  religion.  'J'his  venera- 
ble old  man  listened  with  the  most  profound  and  respectful  attention  until 
tlie  colonel  had  concluded,  and  then  with  a  significant  shake  of  his  head 
and  much  emphasis  replied, — That  he  doubted  the  benefits  to  the  red  peo- 
ple pointed  out  by  the  colonel;  that  before  their  fathers  were  acquainted 
with  the  whites,  the  red  people  needed  but  little,  and  that  little  the  Great 
Spirit  gave  them,  the  forest  supj-tlying  them  with  food  and  raiment:  that 
before  their  fathers  were  acquainted  with  the  white  peojile,  the  red  people 
never  got  di'unk,  because  they  had  nothing  to  make  them  drunk,  and  ne- 
ver committed  theft,  because  they  had  no  temptation  to  do  so.  It  was 
true,  that  when  parties  were  out  Inniting,  and  one  parly  was  unsuccessful 
and  found  the  game  of  the  more  successful  pai'ty  hung  up,  if  they  needed 
])rovision  they  look  it;  and  this  was  not  stealing — it  was  the  law  and  cus- 
tom of  the  tribes.  If  they  went  to  war  they  destroyed  each  other's  pro- 
perty :  this  was  done  to  weaken  their  enemy.     Red  people  never   swoi-e, 


*The  late  Mr.  .James  Carter  gave  the  author  this  tradition,  whirli  he  re- 
ceived from  his  father,  who  was  a  boy  of  12  or  IS  years  old  at  the  time, 
and  an  eye-witness  of  the  fact.  Opposite  to  this  camping  ground,  on  a 
high  hill  east  of  tlif>  creek,  is  a  large  Indian  grave. 


FIRST  SETTLEMENT  OF  THE  VALLEY.  49 

because  thoy  had  no  words  to  express  an  oath.  Red  people  \Vfy{dd  not 
cheat,  because  they  had  no  temptation  to  commit  fraud  :  they  never  told 
falsehoods,  because  they  had  no  temptation  to  tell  lies.  And  as  to  reli- 
gion, you  go  to  your  churches,  sing  loud,  pray  loud,  and  make  great  noise. 
The  red  people  meet  once  a  year,  at  the  feast  of  new  corn,  extinguish  all 
their  fires,  and  kindle  up  a  new  one,  the  smoke  of  which  ascends  to  the 
Great  Spirit  as  a  grateful  sacrifice.  Now  what  better  is  your  religion 
than  ours?  The  white  people  have  taught  us  to  get  drunk,  to  steal,  to 
lie,  to  cheat,  and  to  swear;  and  if  the  knowledge  of  these  vices,  as  you 
profess  to  hold  them,  and  punish  by  your  laws,  is  beneficial  to  the  red  peo- 
ple, we  are  benefitted  by  our  acquaintance  with  you;  if  not,  we  are  greatly 
injured  by  that  acquaintance. 

To  say  the  least  of  this  untutored  old  man,  his  opinions,  religion  ex- 
cepted, were  but  too  well  founded,  and  convey  a  severe  rebuke  upon  the 
character  of  those  who  boast  of  the  superior  advantages  of  the  lights  of 
education  and  a  knowledge  of  the  religion  of  the  Holy  Redeemer. 

From  this  diirression  the  author  will  ao^ain  turn  his  attention  to  the  ear- 
ly  history  of  our  country. 

About  the  year  17G3,  the  first  settlements  \vere  made  at  or  near  the 
head  of  Bullskin.  Two  families,  by  the  name  of  Riley  and  Allemong, 
first  commenced  the  settlement  of  this  immediate  neighborhood.  At  this 
period  timber  was  so  scarce  that  the  settlers  v\^ere  compelled  to  cut  small 
saplings  to  enclose  their  fields.*  The  prairie  produced  grass  five  or  six 
feet  high;j  and  even  our  mountains  and  hills  were  covert-d  with  the  suste- 
nance of  quadrupeds  of  every  species.  The  pea  vine  grew  abundantly 
on  the  hilly  and  mountainous  lands,  than  which  no  species  of  vegetable 
production  afforded  finer  a,nd  richer  pasturage. 

From  this  state  of  the  country,  many  of  our  first  settlers  turned  their 
attention  to  rearing  large  herds  of  horses,  cattle,  hogs,  &c.  Many  of 
them  became  expert,  hardy  and  adventurous  hunters,  and  spent  much  of 
their  time  and  depended  chiefly  for  support  and  money-making  on  the 
sale. of  skins  and  furs. J  Moses  Russell,  Esq.  informed  the  author  that 
the  hilly  lands  about  his  residence,  near  the  base  of  the  North  mountain, 
in  the  south  west  corner  of  Frederick,  and  which  now  present  to  the  eye 
the  appearance  of  great  poverty  of  soil,  within  his  recollection   were  cov- 

*Messrs.  Christian  Allemong  and  George  Riley  both  stated  (liis  fact  to 
the  author. 

jMr.  George  Riley,  an  aged  and  respectable  citizen,  stated  to  the  author 
that  the  grass  on  the  Bullskin  barrens  grew  so  tall,  that  he  had  frequently 
drawn  it  before  him  when  on  horseback,  and  tied  it  before  him. 

:j:The  late  Henry  Fry,  one  of  the  early  settlers  on  Capon  river,  upwards 
of  forty  years  ago  informed  the  author,  that  he  purchased  the  tract  of  laiul 
on  which  he  first  setth>d,  on  Capon  river,  for  which  lie  engaged  to  pay 
either  -£200  or  ,£250,  the  author  does  not  recollect  which  sum,  ?.iu\  tliat 
he  made  every  dollar  of  the  money  by  the  sale  of  skins  and  furs,  the  game 
beinjr  killed  or  caup-!ii  with  his  own  hands. 

H 


5Q  RELIGION,  HABITS  AND  CUSTOMS, 

ered  with  a  fine  r^rowth  of  pea  vine,  and  that  stock  of  every    description! 
grew  abundantly  fut  in  the  summer  season. 

Isaac  Larue,  wlio  settled  on  the  Long  marsh  ia  174i^,  as  has  been  sta- 
ted, soon  became  celebrated  for  his  nmncfous  herds  of  horses  and  cattle. 
The  author  was  told  by  Col.  J.  B.  Larue,  who  is  the  owner  of  part  of  his 
grandfather's  fine  landed  estate,  that  his  grandfather  frequently  owned  be- 
tv/een  ninety  and  one'  hundred  head  of  horses,  but  it  so  happened  that  he- 
never  could  get  his  stock  to  count  a  hundred. 

The  Hites,  Frys,  Vanmeters,  and  many  others,  raised  va^t  stocks  of 
horses,  cattle,  hogs,  &c.  Tradition  relates  that  Lord  Fairfax,  happening 
one  day  in  Winchester  to  see  a  large  tlrove  of  unusually  fine  hogs  passing 
through  the  town,  inquired  from  whence  they  came.  Being  inibrmed  that 
they  were  from  the  mountains  west  of  Winchester,  he  remarked  that  wlien 
a  new  county  should  be  laid  off  in  that  direction  it  ouglit  to  be  called 
Hampshire,  after  a  county  in  England  celebrated  for  its  production  of  fine 
hogs;  and  this,  it  is  said,  gave  name  to  the  })resent  county  of  Hampshire. 

The  author  will  only  add  to  this  chapter,  that,  from  the  first  settlement 
of  the  valley,  to  the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  on  the  part  of  the  French 
and  Indians,  against  our  ancestors,  in  the  year  1754,  our  country  rapidly 
increased  in  nvunbers  and  in  the  acquisition  of  property,  without  interru])- 
tion  from  the  natives,  a  j)eriod  of  twenty-two  years. 

In  rny  next  chapter  I  shall  give  a  brief  account  &f  the  religion,  habits 
and  customs,  of  the- primitive  settlers. 


-:o: 


CHAPTER  V. 

KELICION,  HABITS  AND  CUSTOMS,  OF  THE  PRIAIITIVE 

SETTLERS. 


A  large  majority  of  our  first  immigrants  were  from  Pennsylvania,  com- 
posed of  native  Germans  or  Gennan  extraction.  There  were,  however,  a 
number  directly  from  Germany,  several  I'rom  Maryland  and  Nev/  Jersey, 
and  a  few  frouj  New  York.  These  immigrants  brought  with  them  the  re- 
li2fion,  habits  and  customs,  of  their  ancestors.  They  were  composed 
generally  of  three  religious  sects,  viz:  Lutherans,  Menonisls*  and!  Cahi- 
nists,  wiih  a  few  Tunkers.  They  generally  settled  in  neighborhoods  pret- 
ty much  together. 


"'Simon  Menov.-::.'j  one  of  the  earliest  German  reformers,  and  the  foun- 
der of  this  '.ect. 


OF  THE  "PRIMITIVE  SETTLERS.        ,  .5! 

Tlie  Icrriiory  now  composing  tho  county  of  Page,  Powri'i's  fori,  and 
the  Woodstock  valley,  between  the  West  l"'ort  mountain  and  North  moun- 
tain, extending  from  the  neighborhood  of  Stephcnsburg  for  a  considera- 
ble distance  into  the  county  of  Rocicingham,  was  almost  exclusively  set- 
tled by  Germans.  They  were  very  tenacious  in  the  preseivation  of  their 
language,  religion,  customs  and  habits.  In  what  is  nov/  Page  county  they 
were  almost  exclusively  of  the  Menonist  persuasion  :  biit  few  Lutherans 
or  Caivinists  settled  among  them.  In  other  sections  of  the  territory  above 
described,  there  was  a  mixture  of  Lutherans  and  Caivinists.  The  Meno- 
nists  were  remarkable  for  their  strict  adherence  to  all  the  moral  and  reli- 
.gious  observances  required  by  their  sect.  Their  children  were  early  in- 
structed in  the  principles  and  ceremonies  of  their  religion,  habits  and  cus- 
toms. They  were  generally  farmers,  and  took  great  care  of  their  stock  of 
different  kinds.  With  few  exceptions,  they  strictly  inhibited  their  child- 
ren from  joining  in  the  dance  or  other  juvenile  amusements  common  to 
other  relifjious  sects  of  the  Germans. 

In  their  marriages  much  ceremony  was  observed  and  great  preparation 
-made.  Fatted  calves,  lambs,  poultry,  the  fmest  of  bread,  butter,  milk, 
•honey,  domestic  sugar,  wine,  if  it  could  be  had;  with  cvciy  article  neces- 
sary for  a  sumptuous  feast  in  their  plain  Avay,  were  prepared  in  abundance. 
■Previous  to  the  performance  of  the  ceremony,  (the  clergyman  attending 
"at  the  place  appointed  for  the  marriage,)  four  of  the  most  respectable 
young  females  and  four  of  the  most  respectable  young  men  were  selected 
as  waiters  upon  the  bride  and  groom.  The  several  waiters  were  decorated 
\vith  ])adges,  to  indicate  their  offices.  The  groomsmen,  as  they  were  termed, 
Were  invariably  furnished  with  fine  white  aprons  beautifully  embroidered.  It 
was  deemed  a  high  honor  to  wear  the  apron.  The  duty  of  the  waiters 
consisted  in  not  only  waiting  on  the  bride  and  groom,  but  they  v/cre  re- 
quired, after  the  marriage  ceremony  was  performed,  to  serve  up  the  wed- 
tling  dinner,  and  to  guard  and  protect  ihe  bride  while  at  dinner  from  hav- 
ing her  shoe  stolen  from  her  foot.  This  custom  of  stealing  the  bride's 
vshoe,  it  is  said,  afforded  the  most  heartfelt  amusement  to  the  wedding  guest. 
To  succeed  in  it,  the  greatest  dexterity  was  used  bv  the  younger  part  of 
the  company,  while  equal  vigilance  was  manifested  by  the  waiters  to  de- 
fend her  against  the  theft;  and  if  they  failed,  they  were  in  lioaor  l)ound 
to  pay  a  penalty  for  the  redemption  of  the  shoe.  This  penalty  was  a 
bottle  of  wine  or 'one  dollar,  which  was  commonly  the  price  of  a  bottle  of 
wine:  and  as  a  punishment  to  the  bride,  she  was  not  })ermitted  to  dance 
until  the  shoe  was  restored.  The  successful  thief,  on  getting  hold  of  the 
shoe,  held  it  up  in  great  trium})h  to  t'he  view  of  the  wlrole  assemblage, 
which  was  generally  pretty  numerous.  This  custom  v.'as  continued  areiong 
the  Germans  from  generation  to  generation,  until  since  the  war  of  tlK»  re- 
volution. The  author  has  conversed  with  many  individuals,  still  living, 
who  were  eye-witnesses  of  it. 

Throwin':' the  stockin*]:  was  another  custom    ainonir  the    Germans.*— 


*Throwlng  the  stocking  was  not  exclusively  a  Germaii  'custom.  It  ib 
celebrated  by  an  Irish  poet,  in  his  "Irish  Wedding.^'  It  is  not  improba- 
h\e  but  it  was  common  to  the  Celtic  nations  also. 


52  RELIGION,  HABITS  AND  CUSTOMS, 

When  the  bridge  and  groom  were  bedded,  the  young  people  were  rrdniit- 
ted  into  the  room.  A  stocking,  rolled  into  a  ball,  was  given  to  the  young 
females,  who,  one  after  the  other,  would  go  to  the  foot  of  the  bed,  stand 
with  their  backs  towards  it,  and  throw  the  slocking  over  their  shoulders 
at  the  bride's  head;  and  the  first  that  succeeded  in  touching  her  cap  or 
head  was  the  next  to  be  married.  The  young  men  then  threw  the  stock- 
ing at  the  groom's  head,  in  like  maimer,  with  the  like  motive.  Hence  the 
utmost  eagerness  and  dexterity  were  used  in  throwing  the  stocking. — 
This  practice,  as  well  as  that  of  stealing  the  bride's  shoe,  was  common 
to  all  the  Germans. 

Among  the  Lutherans  and  Calvinists,  dancing  with  other  amusements 
was  common,  at  their  wedding  parties  particularly.  Dancing  and  rejoic- 
ings were  sometimes  kept  up  for  weeks  together.* 

The  peaceable  and  orderly  deportment  of  this  hardy  and  industrious 
race  of  people,  together  v.'ith  their  perfect  submission  to  the  restraints  of 
the  civil  authority,  has  always  been  proverbial.  They  form  at  this  day  a 
most  valuable  part  of  our  community. 

A.mong  our  early  settlers,  a  number  of  Irish  Presbyterians  removed  from 
Pennsylvania,  and  settled  along  I3ack  cieek,  the  North  mountain  and  Opc- 
quon.     A  fev,'  Scotch  and  English  families  were  among  them. 

The  ancestors  of  the  Glasses,  Aliens,  Vances.  Kerfotts,  &c.v.'ere  among 
the  earliest  settlers  on  the  upper  waters  of  the  Opequon.  The  ancestors 
of  tlie  Whites,  Russells,  &c.  settled  near  the  North  mountain.  There 
Avere  a  mixture  of  Irish  and  Germans  on  Cedar  creek  and  its  vicinity;  the 
Frys,  Newells,  Blackburns,f  Wilsons,  &c.  were  among  the  number.  The 
Irish,  like  the  Germans,  brought  with  them  the  religion,  customs  and  ha- 
bits, of  their  ancestors.  The  Irish  wedding  was  always  an  occasion  of 
great  hilarity,  jollity  and  mirth.  Among  other  scenes  attending  it,  running 
for  the  bottle  was  much  practicerl.  It  was  usual  for  the  wedding  parties 
to  ride  to  the  residence  of  the  clergyman  to  have  the  ceremony  performed. 
In  their  absence,  the  father  or  the  next  friend  prepared,  at  the  bride's  res- 
idence, a  bottle  of  the  best  spirits  that  could  be  obtained,  around  the  neck 
of  which  a  white  ribbon  was  tied.  Returning  from  the  clergyman's, 
when  within  one  or  two  miles  of  the;  home  of  the  bride,  some  three  or  four 
young  men  prepared  to  run  for  the  bottle.  Taking  an  even  start,  their 
horses  were  put  at  full  speed,  dashing  over  mud,  rocks,  stumps,  and  disre- 
garding all  impediments.  The  race,  in  fact,  was  ran  with  as  much  eager- 
ness and  desire  to  win,  as  is  ever  manifested  on  the  turf  by  oar  sj)orting 
characters.  The  father  or  n(;xt  IVientl  of  the  bride,  expecting  tlie  racers, 
stood  with  the  bottle  in  his  hand,  ready  to  deliver  to  the  successful  com- 
petitor. On  receiving  it,  he  forthwith  returned  to  meet  the  bride  and  groom. 
Wlien  met,  the  bottle  was  first  presented  to  tlie  'bride,  who  must  taste  it  at 
least,  next  to  the  groom,  and  then  hyiided  round  to  the  company,  every 
one  of  wliom  was  recpiired  to  swig  it. 

Tlie  Quakers  difTen-d  from  all  other  sects  in  their  man'iage  ceremony. — 


*Cbristi;in  Miller,  :in  aged  and  resnerUiL'le  uumi  lie:::  Woodstock,    rela- 
ted this  riisioiii  to  llic  author. 

jGcn.  S.iiiiucl  IJI.icKljuni,  itis  said,d('sc;'ndi\l  from  this  family. 


OF  THE  PRIMITIVE  SETTLERS.  bS 

The  parties  having  agreed  ui)on  the  match,  notice  was  giren  to  the  elders 
or  overseers  of  the  meeting,  and  a  strict  enquiry  followed  whether  there 
had  been  any  previous  engagements  by  either  of  the  parties  to  other  indi- 
viduals. If  nothing  of  the  kind  appeared,  the  intended  marriage  was 
made  known  publicly;  and  if  approved  by  all  parties,  the  couple  passed 
meeting.  This  ceremony  was  repeated  three  several  times;  vvhen,  if  no 
lawful  impediment  appeared,  a  day  was  appointed  for  the  marringe,  which 
took  place  at  the  meeting-house  in  presence  of  the  congregation.  A  wri- 
ting, drawn  up  between  the  parties,  purporting  to  be  the  marriage  agree- 
ment, witnessed  by  as  many  of  the  bystanders  as  thought  proper  to  sub- 
scribe their  names,  concluded  the  ceremony.  They  had  no  priest  or  cler- 
gyman to  perform  the  rite  of  matrimony,  and  the  whole  proceeding  was 
conducted  with  the  utmost  solemnity  and  decorum-  This  mode  of  mar- 
riage is  still  kept  up,  with  but  litlle  variation. 

Previous  to  the  war  of  the  revolution,  it  v/as  the  practice  to  publish  the 
bans  of  matrimony,  betv.'een  the  parties  intending  to  marry,  three  succes- 
sive Sabbath  days  in  the  church  or  meeting-house;  after  which,  if  no  law- 
ful impediment  appeared,  it  was  lawful  for  a  licensed  minister  of  the  par- 
ish or  county  to  join  the  parties  in  wedlock".  It  is  probable  that  this  prac- 
tice, which  was  anciently  used  in  the  English  churches,  gave  rise  to  the 
custom,  in  the  Quaker  society,  of  passing  meeting.  The  peaceable  und 
general  moral  deportment  of  the  Q^i^kers  is  too  generally  known  to  require 
particular  notice  in  this  work. 

The  Baptists  were  not  among  our  earliest  immigrants.  About  fourteen 
or  fifteen  families  of  that  persuasion  migrated  from  the  state  of  New  Jer- 
sey, and  settled  probably  in  1742  or  1743  in  the  vicinity  of  what  is  now 
called  Gerardstown,  in  the  county  of  Berkeley.* 

Mr.  Sem])le,  in  his  history  of  the  Virginia  Baptists,  states,  that  in  the 
year  1754,  Mr.  Stearns,  a  preacher  of  this  sect,  with  several  others,  re- 
moved from  New  England.  "They  halted  first  at  Opcquon,  in  Berkeley 
county,  Virginia,  where  he  formed  a  Baptist  church  u^iicler  the  care  of  tlie 
Rev.  John  Gerard."  This  was  probably  the  first  Baptist  church  foundecf 
west  of  the  Blue  Ridge  in  our  State. 

It  is  said  that  the  spot  where  Tuscarora  meeting  house  now  stands,  iu 
the  county  of  Berkeley,  is  the  first  place  where  the  gos'pel  was  i)ublicly 
preached  and  divine  service  performed  west  of  the  Blue  ridge. f  This  was- 
and  still  remains  a  Presbyterian  edifice. 

*Mr.  M' Cowan,  an  aged  and  respectable  citizen  of  the  neighborhoodj. 
communicated  this  fact  to  the  author. 

fThis  information  was  communicated  to  the  author  by  a  highly  respec- 
table old  lady,  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  in  the  county  of  Ik'rkcley.  She 
also  stated  that  in  adtlition  to  the  general  tradition,  she  had  lately  heard 
the  venerable  and  reverend  Dr.  Matthews  assert  the  fact.  Mr.  Mayers^ 
now  in  his  87th  year,  born  and  raised  on  the  Potonuic,  in  Berkeley,  statecf 
his  opinion  to  lhe  author,  that  there  was  a  house  erected  for  public  woiship 
at  the  Falling  Water  about  the  same  time  that  Mic  Tuscarora  meeting-house 
was  bud:.  Both  these  churches  arc  now  under  the  pastoral  care  of  the 
Rrv.  Jiiiucs  M.  Firown. 


54  RLvLIGrON,  llABlTS  AND  CUSTOxMS, 

It  is  not  Avilhlii  the  plan  of  this  work  to  give  a  general  liisloiy  of  tlif 
rise  and  progress  of  the  various  religious  societies  of  our  country.  Il 
may  not,  hf)\vever,  be  uninteresting  to  the  general  reader  to  have  a  brief 
sketch  of  the  diflicultiesand  persecutions  which  the  Quakers  and  Baptists 
hod  to  encounter  in  their  fust  attempts  to  propagate  their  doctrines  and 
principles  in  Virginia. 

In  ilening's  Statutes  at  Large,  vol.  i.  pp.  032-33,  the  fcdlowing  most 
extraordinary  law,  if  indeed  it  deserves  the  name,  was  enacted  by  the 
then  legislature  of  Virginia,  March,  IGGO: 

"^^/i  act  for  the  suppressing  tlic  Qunkrrs. 

"Whereas  there  is  an  vnreasonable  and  turbulent  sort  of  people,  corn- 
only  called  (Quakers,  wjio  contrary  to  the  law  do  dayly  gather  together 
vnto  them  vnlaw'U  assemblies  and  congregrations  of  people,  teaching  and 
publishing  lies,  miracles,  false  vision^;,  prophecies  and  doctrines,  which 
have  influence  vj)on  the  coniunities  of  men,  both  ccelesiasticall  and  civil, 
endeavouring  and  attempting  thereby  to  destroy  religion,  lawes,  coniuni- 
ties, and  all  bonds  of  civil  societic,  leaveing  it  arbitrairie  to  everie  vainc 
and  vitious  j)erson  whether  men  shall  lie  safe,  lawes  established,  oflenders 
punished,  and  governours  rule,  hereby  disturbing  the  pui)lique  ])eace  and 
just  interest :  to  prevent  and  restraine  which  mischiefe,  It  n  ojiacted,  'J'hat 
no  master  or  commander  of  any  shipp  or  other  vessell  do  bring  into  this 
i-ollonie  any  person  or  persons  called  Quakers,  Vnder  the  penalty  of  one 
liundrcd  pounds  sterling,  to  be  leavied  vj:)on  him  and  his  estate  by  order 
from  the  governour  and_  council,  or  the  comissioners  in  the  severall  coun- 
ties where  such  ships  shall  arrive:  That  all  such  Quakers  as  have  been 
qucstiouffi,  or  sli;ill  hereafter  ;irrive,  slinll  be  apprehended  whercsoevei' 
1heysh;ill  be  ibund,  and  they  be  iinjirisoned  without  bade  or  malnpri/e, 
till  Ihey  do  adjure  this  country,  or  {)utt  in  security  with  all  speed  to  depart 
the  collonie  and  not  to  return  again:  And  if  any  should  dare  to  presume 
to  returne  hither  after  such  departure,  to  be  proceeded  against  as  contem- 
ners of  the  lawes  and  magistracy,  and  puni?^hcd  accordingly,  and  caused 
again  to  depart  the  cf)uii'iT,  and  if  they  should  the  third  time  be  so  auda- 
cious and  impuflent  as  1o  returne  hither,  to  be  jiroceeded  against  as  ffelons: 
'j'liit  noe  jierson  shall  ent(Mtain  any  of  the  Quakers  that  liave  heretofore 
been  questioned  by  the  governour  and  council,  or  which  shall  hereafter  be 
questioned,  nor  permit  in  or  near  his  house  any  assemblies  of  Quakers,  in 
the  like  penally  of  one  hundred  pounds  sterling:  'That  comissioners  and 
officers  arc  iiereby  required  and  authorized,  as  they  will  answer  the  con- 
trary at  tlu'ir  perill,  to  take  nolie(>  of  thisa<t,  to  see  it  fully  edected  and 
executed:  And  that  no  jierson  do  j)iesume  on  their  prnW  to  dis|K)se  or  pub- 
lish their  bookes,  jianiphlets  or  libells,  bearing  the  title  of  their  tenets  and 
opinions." 

This  highhanded  and  cruel  proceeding  toolc  'place  in  ilii'timr'  of  Oliver 
CVornwell's  usurpation  in  Kngianil,  and  at  a  lime  when  so?ne  glinunering 
of  rational,  civil,  and  religious  liberty,  manifested  itself  in  the  mother 
country.  The  jtre  unble  to  Ihi'^  act  is  contradicted  by  the  wlioh^  history 
of  Quakerism,  from  its  foundation  to  the  present  jieriod.  In  all  the  writ- 
ten and  traditional  accounts  handed  down  to  u>,  the  Quakers    are    repre- 


OF  ']"HE  PRIMITIVE  SETTLER.*^.  55 

sertted  as  a  most  inofTonsive,  orderly,  and  strictly  moral  people,  in  all  their 
deportment  and  habits. 

This  unreasonable  and  unwise  legislation,  it  is  presumed,  was  suffered 
to  die  a  natural  death,  as,  in  the  progress  ot  the  peopling  of  our  country, 
we  fmd  that  many  Quakers,  at  a  pretty  early  perioel,  migrated  and  formed 
considerable  settlements  in  different  parts  of  the  State. 

It  has  already  been  noticed  that  the  Baptists  were  not  among  the  num- 
ber of  our  earliest  immigrants.  Mr.  Semple  says:  "The  Baptists  in  Vir- 
nia  orio-inated  from  three  sources.  The  first  were  immit'rants  from  En<2-- 
land,  who  about  the  year  1714  settled  in  the  south  east  part  of  the  State. 
About  1^43  another  party  came  from  Maryland  and  founded  a  settlement  in 
the  north  west.*     A  third  party  from  New  England,  1754." 

This  last  was  Mr.  Stearns  and  his  party.  They  settled  for  a  short  time 
on  Capon  river,  in  the  county  of  Hampshire,  but  soon  removed  to  North 
Carolina.  Mr.  Stearns  and  his  followers  manifested  great  zeal  and  in- 
dustry in  the  propagation  of  their  doctrines  and  principles.  Their  religion 
soon  took  a  wide  range  in  the  Carolinas  and  Virginia.  They  met  with 
violent  opposition  from  the  established  Episco])al  clergy,  and  nuich  perse- 
cution followed.  To  the  credit  of  the  people  of  our  valley,  but  few  if  any 
acts  of  violence  were  committed  on  the  persons  of  the  preachers  west  of 
the  Blue  ridge.  This  is  to  be  accounted  for  from  the  fact  that  a  great  ma- 
jority of  the  inhabitants  were  dissenters  from  the  Episcopal  church.  East 
of  the  Blue  ridge,  however,  the  case  was  widely  different.  It  was  (piite- 
common  to  imprison  the  preachers,  insult  the  congregations,  and  treat 
them  with  every  possible  indignity  and  outrage.  Every  foul  means  was 
resorted  to,  which  malice  and  hatred  could  devise,  to  suppress  their  doc- 
trines and  religion.  But  instead  of  success  this  persecution  produced  di- 
rectly the  contrary  effect.  "The  first  instance,"  says  Mr.  Semple,  "of 
actual  imprisonment,  we  believe,  that  ever  took  place  in  Virginia,  was  in 
the  county  of  Spottsylvania.  On  the  4th  June,  1768,  John  Vv^allcr,  Le- 
wis Craig,  James  Childs,  ifcc,  were  seized  by  the  sheriff,  and  hauled  be- 
fore three  magistrates,  who  stood  in  the  meeting-house  yard,  and  who 
bound  them  in  the  penalty  of  $1000  to  appear  at  court  two  days  after.  At 
court  they  were  arraigned  as  disturbers  of  the  peace,  and  committed  to 
close  jail."  And  in^December,  1770,  Messrs.  William  Webber  and  Jo- 
seph Anthony  were  imprisoned  in  Chesterfield  jail. 

The  author  deems  it  unnecessary  to  detail  all  the  cases  of  persecution 
and  imprisonment  of  the  Baptist  preachers.  He  will  therefore  conclude 
this  narrative  with  the  account  of  the  violent  persecution  and  cruel  treat- 
ment of  the  late  Rev.  James  Ireland,  a  distinguished  Baptist  preacher  of 
our  valley. 

Mr.  Ireland  was  on   one    occasion   committed   to  the  jail  of  Culpeper 


Tt  is  probable  this  is  the  party  who  settled  in  the  neighborhood  of  Ge- 
rardstown.  If  so,  Mr.  S.  is  doubtless  misinformed  as  to  the  place  of  their 
origin.  The  first  Baptist  immigrants  who  settled  in  Berkeley  county  were 
certainly  from  New  Jersey. 


56  RELIGION,  HABITS  AND  CUSTOMS, 

rniinty,"  when  scvoral  attempts  were  made  to  destroy  him.     Of  these  at- 
tempts he  gives  the  following  narrative: 

"A  number  of  my  persecutors  resorted  to  the  tavern  of  Mr.  Steward^ 
at  the  court-house,  where  they  plotted  to  blow  me  up  with  powder  that 
night,  as  I  was  informed;  but  all  they  could  collect  was  half  a  pound. — 
'I'hey  fixed  it  for  explosion,  expecting  I  was  sitting  directly  over  it^ 
hut  in  this  they  were  mistak'en.  Fire  was  put  to  it,  and  it  went 
off  with  considerable  noise,  forcing  up  a  small  plank,  from  which  I 
received  no  damage.  The  next  scheme  they  devised  was  to  smoke  me 
with  brimstone  and  Indian  pepper.  They  had  to  wait  certain  opportuni- 
ties to  accomplish  the  same.  The  lower  part  of  the  jail  door  was  a  few 
inches  above  its  sill.  When  the  wind  v.'as  favorable,  they  would  get  |X)ds 
of  Indian  pepper,  empty  them  of  their  contents,  and  fill  them  with  brim- 
stone, and  set  them  burning,  so  that  the  whole  jail  would  be  filled  \\atlTthe 
killing  smoke,  and  oblige  me  to  go  to  cracks,  and  put  my  mouth  to  them 
in  order  to  prevent  suffocation.  At  length  a  certain  doctor  and  the  jailor 
formed  a  scheme  to  poison  me,  which  they  actually  effected." 

From  this  more  than  savage  cruelty  Mr.  Ireland  became  extremely  ill, 
was  attended  by  several  physicians,  and  in  some  degree  restored  to  health 
and  activity,  but  he  never  entirely  recovered  from  the  great  injury  which 
his  constitution  received. 

The  author  had  the  satisfaction  of  an  intimate  personal  acquaintance 
with  Mr.  Ireland,  and  lived  a  near  neighbor  to  him  for  several  years  be- 
fore his  death.  He  was  a  native  Scotsman;  of  course  his  })r()imnciatiori 
was  a  little  broad.  He  had  a  fine  commanding  voice,  easy  delivery,  with 
a  beautiful  natural  elocution  iir  his  sermonizing.  His  language,  perhaps, 
was  not  as  purely  classical  as  some  of  his  cotemporaries;  but  such  was 
his  powerful  elocution,  i)articularly  on  the  subject  of  the  crucifixion  and 
.sufferings  of  our  Savior,  that  he  never  failed  to  cause  a  flood  of  tears  to 
/low  tVom  the  eyes  of  his  audience,  whenever  he  touched  that  theme.  In 
his  younger  years  he  was  industrious,  zealous,  sparing  no  pains  to  propa- 
gate his  religious  opinions  and  principles,  and  was  very  successful  in  gain- 
ing proselytes:  hence  he  became  an  object  of  great  resentment  to  the  es- 
tabhshed  clergy,  and  they  resorted  to  every  means  within  their  reach,  to 
.silence  and  put  him  down.  But  in  this  they  fiiilcd.  He  at  length  tri- 
umphed over  his  persecutors,  was  instrumental  in  founding  several  church- 

ORIGIN  OF  THE  METHODIS'l'  RELIGION  IN  OUR  VALLEY. 

About  the  year  iTTof  two  travelling  strangers  called  at  the  residence  of 
the  late  Maj.  Lewis  Stephens,   the   proprietor  and  founder    of  the    town^ 


*In  the  life  of  Ireland,  no  dates  are  given.  The  time  of  liis  com- 
mitnient  was  prol)abIy  about  the  year  1771  or  1772. 

jThe  author  is  not  positive  that  he  is  correct  as  to  the  time  (his  occur- 
rence took  place,  l)ut  has  been  informed  it  was  just  before  the  commence- 
ment of  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  The  late  Dr.  Tilden  communicated 
this  information  to  the  writer — whicii  he  slated  he  learneil  from  Mrs.  Ste- 
phens. 


OF  Till':  PRIMTTIVE  SETtLERS.  57 

iM.n\  cll.i,riii<>uislit''cl  ill  tlio  mail  establishment  as  "Newtown  StephehsburtT," 
aiui  fMcjuircd  it'  they  could  obtain  quarters  for  the  night.  Maj.  Stephens 
haj)prii('d  [o  be  absent;  but  Mrs.  Stephens,  who  was  remarkable  for  hospi- 
ialii\-  and  leligious  impressions,  informs  them  they  could  be  accomodated. 
One  of  them  observed  to  her,  "We  are  preachers;  and  the  next  day  being 
Sabbatli,  we  will  have  to  remain  with  you  until  Monday  morning,  as  we 
(h»  not  travel  on  the  Sabbath."  To  which  the  old  lady  replied,  "if  youare 
pieacli<^rs,  you  are  the  more  welcome." 

John  llagerly  and  Richard  Owens  were  the  names  of  the  preachers,' — 
The  next  morning  notice  was  sent  through  the  t'!)wn,  and  the  strangers  deli- 
N  ered  sermons.  This  was  doubtless  the  first  JNIethodist  preaching  ever  heard 
in  our  valley.  It  is  said  they  travelled  East  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  (before 
ihey  reached  Stephensburg,)  on  a  preaching  tour,  and  probably  crossed 
the  Ridge  at  some  place  south  of  Stephensburg. 

A  number  of  the  people  were  much  pleased  with  them,  and  they  soon 
got  up  a  small  church  at  this  place.  The  late  John  Hite,  Jr.,  his  sister,. 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Hughes,  (then  a  widow,)  John  Taylor  and  wii'e,  Lewis 
Stephens,  Sr.  and  wife,  Lewis  Stephens,  Jr.  and  wife,  and  several  Others 
joined  the  church,  and  in  a  few  years  k  began  to  flourish,  'i'he  rapid 
spread  of  this  sect  throughout  our  country,  need's  no  remarks  from  tiie 
authoT. 

The  first  Camp  Meeting  held  in  our  Valley,  within  the  author's  recol- 
lection, took  place' at  what  is  called  Chrisman'^  Spring,  about  tw3  miles 
south  of  Stephensburg,  on  the  great  highway  from  Winchester  to  Staun- 
ton. This  was  probably  in  the  month  of  August,  1806.  It  has  been 
stated  to  the  author,  that  the  })ractice  of  Camp  Meetings  originated  with 
a  Baptist  preacher  somevrhere  about  James  River.  It  is  sfiid  he  was  a 
man  of  great  abilities  and  transcendant  elocution;  he  however  became  too 
much  of  an  Armenian  in  his  doctiine  to  please  the  generality  of  his  bre- 
thren, and  they  excommunicated  him  from  their  church,  an-d  attempted  to 
.silence  him,  but  he  would  not  C''?nsent  to  be  silenced  by  them,  and  they 
refused  him  permission  to  preach  in  their  meeting  houses,  and  he  adopted 
the  plan  of  appointing  meetings  in  the  forest,  where  vast  crowds  of  peo- 
ple attended  his  preaching,  and  they  soon  got  up  the  practice  of  forming 
■encampments.  The  author  cannot  vouch  for  the  truth  of  this  statement, 
but  recollects  it  was  communicated  to  him  by  a  highly  respectable  mem- 
ber of  the  Baptist  church. 

In  the  year  183G,  the  audior  traveled  through  the  South  west  counties 
on  a  tour  of  observation — he  frequently  passed  places  where  Camp  Meet- 
ings had  been  held;  they  are  sometimes  seen  in  dense  forests,  and  some 
of  them  had  the  appearance  of  having  been  abandoned  or  (Hsused  for  a 
considerable  time.  The  author,  however,  passed  on  ■  in  (liles  county 
which  was  the  best  fixed  for  the  juu'pose  he  has  ever  seen.  There  is  a 
large  framed  building  erected  probably  s|)acious  enough  to  shelter  2000 
people  or  upwards,  with  a  strong  shingled  roof,  and  some  twelve  or  fifteen 
log  houses,  covered  also  with  shingles,  for  the  accommodation  of  visitors. 
A  meeting  had  just  been  held  at  this  place  some  two  or  three  days  before 
he  passed  it,  at  which,  he  was  informed,  several  thousand  people  had    at- 


58  BREAKING  OUT  OF 

tended.  It  is  situated  very  convenient  to  a  mostcbniming  spvin";  o(  ('c- 
liohtlul  water,  and  stands  on  hi  oh  frround.  Its  location  is  certainlv  vcrv 
judicially  selected  for  the  purpose. 


:0:- 


CHAPTER  VI. 

BREAKING  OUT  OF  THE  INDIAN  WAR. 


It  has  been  noticed  in  a  preceding^  chapter,  that  in  the  year  1753,  emis- 
saries from  the  Western  Indians  came  amoni^the  Valley  Indians,  invitin;:; 
them  to  cross  the  Alleoany  mountains,  and  that  in  the  spring  of  the  year 
1754,  the  Indians  suddenly  and  unexpectedly  moved  olT,  and  entirely  lel't 
the  valley. 

That  this  movement  of  the  Indians  was  made  under  the   influence  of 
the  French,  there  is  but  little  doubt.     In  the  year  1753,  Maj.  Geo.  Wash- 
ington (since  the  illustrious  Gen.  Washington,)    was    sent   l)y   governor 
\    Dinwiddle,  the  then   colonial   governor  of  Virginia,  with  a  letter  to  the 
French  commander   on    the  western   waters,  remonstrating   against   his 
encroachments   upon    the    territory   of    Virginia.       This   letter   of    re- 
monstrance was    disregarded  by  the  Frenchman,  and   very   soon  after- 
wards the  war,  commonly  called  "Braddock's  war,"  between  the  British 
government  and  France,  commenced.     In  the  year  1754,  the  government 
of  Virginia  raised  an  armed  force  with    the    intention   of  dislodging   the 
French  from  their  fortified  places  within  the    limits   of  the  colony.     Th(> 
command  of  this  army  was  given  to  Col.  Fry,  and    George   Washington 
was  appointed  lieutenant-colonel  under  him.     Their  little  army  amounted 
to  three  hundred  men.     "Washington  advanced  at  the  head  of  two  com- 
panies of  this  regiment,  early  in  April,  to  ihe  Great  JMeatlows,   v>here  he 
was  informed  by  some  Iriendly  Iniliaiis,  that  the  French  were  erecting  for- 
tifications in  the  forks  between  the  Allegany  and  Monongahela  rivers,  and 
also  that  a  detachment  was  on  its  march  from  that  place  towards  the  Great 
Meadows.     War  had  not  been    formally   declared    between    Franc*'  and 
Fngland,  but  as  neither  were  disposed  to  recede  from  their   claim    to  the 
.  lands  on  the  Ohio,  it  was  deemed  inevitable,  and  on   the   point  of  com- 
mencing.    Several  circumstances  were  supposed  to  indicate  a  hostile  in- 
tention on  the  part  of  the  French  detachment.     Washington,    under    the 
guidance  of  some  friendly  Indians,  on  a  dark  rainy  night  suqirised   their 
encampment,  and  firing  once,  rushfd  in  anil  surrounded  tlu  in.     'I'he  com- 
mander, Dnmonville,  was  killed,  with  eight  ornine  others;  one  escaped,  and 
all  the  rest  immediately  surrendered.     Soon  after  this  aflair,  Col.  Fiydicd, 
and  the  command  of  the  rcfiment  devolved  on  Washinffton.  who  speedi- 


THE  INDIAN  WAR.  59 

iy  collected  liie  whole  at  the  Great  Meadows,  Two  independent  compa- 
nies of  regulars,  one  from  South  Carolina,  soon  after  arrived  at  the  same 
})lace.  Col.  Washington  was  now  at  the  head  of  nearly  lour  hundred 
men.  A  stockade,  afterwards  called  Fort  Necessity,  was  erected  at  the- 
Great  Meadows,  in  which  a  small  force  was  left,  and  the  main  body  ad- 
vanced widi  a  vie^y  to  dislodging  the  French  from  Fort  Duquesne,*  which 
they  had  recently  erected  at  the  confluence  of  Allegany  and  Monongahe- 
la  rivers.  They  had  not  proceeded  more  than  thirteen  miles,  when  they 
were  informed  by  friendly  Indians  that  the  French,  as  numerous  as  pigeons 
in  the  woods,  were  advancing  in  an  hostile  manner  towards  the  English 
settlements,  and  also  that  Fort  Duquesne  had  been  strongly  reinforced. — 
In  this  critical  situation  a  council  of  war  unanimously  recommended  a  re- 
treat to  the  Great  Meadows,  which  was  effected  without  delay,  and  every 
exertion  made  to  render  Fort  Necessity  tenable,  before  the  works  intend- 
ed for  that  purpose  were  completed.  Mons.  de  Villier,  with  a  conside- 
rable force,  attacked  the  fort.  The  assailants  were  covered  by  trees  and 
high  grass. t  The  Americans  received  them  with  great  resolution,  and 
fought  some  within  the  stockade,  and  others  in  the  surrounding  ditch. — 
Washington  continued  the  whole  day  on  the  outside  of  the  fort,  and  con- 
ducted the  defence  with  the  greatest  coolness  and  intrepidity.  The  en- 
gagement lasted  from  10  o'clock  in  the  morning  till  night,  when  the  French 
commander  demanded  a  parley,  and  offered  terms  of  capitulation.  His 
first  and  second  proposals  were  rejected,  and  Washington  would  accept  of 
none  but  the  following  honorable  ones,  which  were  mutually  agreed  upon 
in  the  course  of  the  night:  The  fort  to  be  surrendered  on  condition  that 
the  garrison  should  march  out  with  the  honors  of  war,  and  be  permitted  to 
retain  their  arms  and  bai'' o-ao-e,  and  to  march  unmolested  into  the  inhal^i- 
ted  parts  of  Virginia."^ 

In  1755  the  British  government  sent  Gen.  Braddock,  at  the  head  of 
two  regiments,  to  this  country.  Col.  Washington  had  previously  resign- 
ed the  command  of  the  Virginia  troops.  Braddock  invited  him  to  join 
the  service  as  one  of  his  volunteer  aids,  which  invitation  he  readily  ac- 
cepted, and  joined  Braddock  near  Alexandria. §  The  army  moved  on  for 
the  west,  and  in  their  march  out  erected    Fort    Cumberland.  ||     The  cir- 


*Fort  Duquesne,  so  called  in  honor  of  the  French  commander,  was,  af- 
ter it  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  English,  called  Fort  Pitt,  and  is  now  Pitts- 
burgh. 

fit  is  presumable  that  the  grass  here  spoken  of  by  Dr.  Ramsey  was  of 
the  growth  of  the  preceding  year.  It  is  not  probable  that  the  grass,  the 
growth  of  the  year  1754,  so  early  in  the  season,  had  grown  of  sufficient 
height  to  conceal  a  man. 

tRamsey's  Life  of  Washmgton. 

§Then  called  Bellhaven. 

II Fort  Cumberland  was  built  in  the  year  1755,  in  the  fork  between  Wills 
creek  and  Nordi  branch  of  the  Potomac,  the  remains  of  which  are  yet  to 
be  seen.  It  is  about  55  miles  north  west  of  Winchester,  on  the  Mary- 
land side  of  the  Potomac.  There  is  now  a  consideral)le  towji  at  this 
place.     The  garrisoii  lefi  at  ii  was  connnanded  by  Maj.  Livingston.    Mr. 


.^0  BREAKING  OUl'  OF 

.cumstantes  alleiiding  the  unfortunate  defeat  of  liradiluck,  and  tlic  drcat(« 
ful  slaughter  of  his  army  near  Pittsburgh,  are  too  generally  known  to  re- 
quire a  detailed  account  in  this  work:  suliice  it  to  say  that  the  defeat  was 
■attended  with  the  most  disastrous  consequences  to  our  country.  The 
whole  western  frontier  was  left  exposed  to  the  ravages  of  the  forct.'s  of  the 
French  and  Indians  combined. 

After  the  defeat  and  fall  of  Braddock,  Col.  Dunbar,  the  next  in  com- 
mand of  the  British  army,  retreated  to  Philadelphia,  and  the  defence  of 
the  country  fell  upon  Washington,  with  the  few  troops  tlj.e  colonies  wcri> 
able  to  raise.  The  people  foithwith  erected  stockade  forts  in  every  pajt 
of  the  valley,  ami  took  shelter  in  them.  Many  families  Avere  driven  of!', 
.some  east  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  and  others  into  Maryland  and  Pennsylvania, 

Immediately  after  the  defeat  of  Braddock,  Washington  retreated  \i> 
Winchester,  in  the  county  of  Frederick,  and  in  the  autumn  of  1755  built 
Fort  Loudoun.  The  venerable  and  highly  respectable  Lev.'is  Neijl,  who 
Avas  born  on  Opoquon,  about  five  miles  east  of  Winchester,  in  1747,  sta- 
ted to  the  author,  that  when  he  was  about  eight  years  of  age,  his  father 
had  business  at  the  fort,  and  that  he  went  with  him  into  it.  Mr.  Thomas 
Barrett,  another  aged  and  resj^octable  citizen,  states  that  he  has  often 
lieard  his  father  say,  that  Fort  Loudoun  was  built  the  same  year  and  imme- 
diately after  Braddock's  defeat.  Our  highly  respectable  and  venerable 
general,  John  Smith,  who  settled  in  Winchester  in  1773,  informed  the  au- 
thor that  lie  had  seen  and  conversed  with  some  of  Washington's  oiHcers 
soon  after  he  settled  in  W^inchestjer,  and  they  stated  to  him  that  Washing-- 
ton  marked  out  the  site  of  the  fort,  and  superintended  the  work;  that  he 
bought  a  lot  in  Winchester,  erected  a  smith's  shop  on  it,  and  brought  from 
Mount  Vernon  his  own  blacksmith  to  make  the  necessary  iron  work  for 
the  fort.  'J'hese  officers  pointed  out  to  Gen.  Smith  the  s])ot  wheic  Gen. 
Washington's  huts  or  cabins  were  ^erected  for  his  residence  while  in  the 
fort.  The  great  highway  leading  A om  Winchester  to  the  north  passes 
through  the  fort  precisely  where  Washington's  quarters  were  erected.  J1 
stands  at  the  north  end  of  Loudoun  street,  and  a  considerable  part  ol' 
the  walls  are  now  remaining.  It  covered  an  area  of  about  half  an  acre; 
Avithin  which  area,  a  well,  one  hundred  and  three  Icet  deep,  chieily  thro' 
a  solid  limestone  rock,  was  sunk  for  the  convenience  of  the  garrison.* — 
The  labor  of  throwing  u))  this  fort  was  performed  1)y  Washington's  regi- 
inent;  so  says  Cien.  Smith.  It  mounted  six  eighteen  })ounders,  six  twel\(^ 
pounders,  six  six-pounders,  ibur  swivels,  and  two  howitzers,  and  contained 


John  Tomlinson  gave  the  author  this  information.  On  the  ancient  site 
•of  the  fort,  there  are  several  dwelling  houses,  aiul  a  new  brick  Kpiscoj)al 
church. 

*The  wairr  in  Ihisudl  iIm'S   nearllu'    sniface,  -And  in    great    floods    of 
rain  has  been  known  lo  r)\ciflo\v  anrl    discharge  a  considerable   stream  cf 
water.      The  site  of  the  tort  is  upon  more;  elevated  ground  than  ihe    head 
^'>f  any  .springs  in    >ls    ncigiiborliood.      {'\'t*in    what    |irincij)le    the    water 
•r-houJd  here  rise  abwe  the  siurfacG  the  aMth<i»r  cannot  protend  to  cxplaii>., 


INDIAN  IXCLRSIONS  m 

'i\  filroiig  garrison.*  No  ibrinidablo  aitcmpts  were  evtr  iiiadu  liv  the  en- 
<iinv  at^'tiiiist  it.  A  Freiieli  officer  once  came  to  reconnoiter,  and  found  il 
loo  strong  to  be  attacked  \vith  any  probai)ility  of  success. f 

For  three  years  after  the  defeat  of  ]h-addork,  th^^  French  and  Indians 
ronibined  carried  on  a  most  destructirc  and  ^"ruel  war  upon  the  wt-stern 
people.  The  Fi'enchj,  however,  in  about  three  years  after  Braddock's  de- 
i'eat,  abandoned  Fort  Duquesnc,  and  it  was  immediately  taken  possession 
of  by  the  British  and  colonial  troops  uiider  the  command  of  Gen.  Forbes. 
Washington  soon  after  resigned  tlie  command  of  the  Virginia  forces,  and 
reti'-ed  to  jirivate  life.  .A  predatory  warfare  was  nevertheless  continued 
on  the  jieople  of  the  valley  by  hostile  Indian  tribes  for  several  years  after 
the  French  harl  been  driven  from  their  strong  holds  in  the  west;  the  parli- 
t'wlars  of  U'hich  will  form  the  subject  of  my  next  chapter. 


:o:- 

CHAPTER  VIL 

INJ31AX  IN'CURSIONS  AND  MASSACRES. 


After  the  defeat  of  Braddock,  the  whole  western  frontier  was  left  expo- 
l^ed  to  the  incursio)is  of  the  Indians  and  French*  In  the  spring  of  the  year 
175G,  a  party  of  about  fifty  Indians,  with  a  French  captain  at  their  head, 
I'rossod  the  Allf ""any  mountains,  committino;  on  the  white  settlers  every 
act  of  barbarous  war.  Capt.  Jeremiah  Smith,  raised  a  party  of  twenty 
brave  men,  marched  to  meet  this  savage  ibe,  and  fell  in  with  them^  at  the 
'head  of  Capon  river,  when  a  fierce  and  bloody  battle  was  foug!)t.  Smitli 
killed  the  captain  with  his  own  hand;  five  other  Indians  having  fallen,  and 
a  nund)er  \younded,  they  gave  way  and  fled.  Smith  lost  tv^'o  of  his  men. 
On  searching  the  body  of  the  Frenchman,  he  was  found  in  possession  of 
liis  commission  and  written  instructions  to  meet  another  party  of  about  fif- 
ty Indians  at  Fort  Frederick,!  to  attack  the  fort,  destroy  it,  and  blow  up 
the  magazine. 


*Gen.  .John  Smith  stated  this  fact  to  the  author.  The  caimon  were  re- 
moved from  Winchester  early  in  the  war  of  the  revolution.  Some  further 
■account  of  this  artillery  will  be  given  in  a  future  chapter.  Mr.  Henry 
W.  Baker,  of  Winchester,  gave  the  author  an  account  of  the  number  of 
:-caimon  mounted  on  the  fort. 

fWillinm  L.  Clark,  Esq.,  is  now  the  owner  of  the  land  including  this 
ancient  fortification,  and  has  converted  a  part  of  it  into  a  beautiful  plea- 
sure garden. 

iF'tj-t  Fjedcri--,k  \v;i.«:  connnvaiccd  in  the  xear  1755,  undry  the   direction 


G-2  AND  MASSACRES, 

Tlici  other  party  of  Indians  were  cnconnlered])retty  low  down  the Norlb 
liranch  of  the  Capon  river,  by  Ca))t.  Joshua  Lewis,  at  the  head  of  eigh- 
teen juen;  one  Indian  was  kUled  when  the  otiiers  broke  anil  ran  olT.  Pre- 
vious to  the  defeat  of  this  party  they  had  committed  considerable  destruc- 
tion of  the  pioperty  of  the  white  settlers,  and  took  a  Mrs,  Horner  and  a 
g-irl  about  thincen  years  of  age  prisoners.  Mrs.  Horner  was  the  inoUier 
of  seven  or  ciglit  children;  she  never  got  back  to  her  family.  The  girl, 
whose  name  was  Sarah  Gibbons,  the  sister  of  my  informant,*  was  a  ])ri- 
.soner  about  eight  or  nine  years  before  she  returned  home.  The  iutentioa 
of  attacking  I'ort  Frederick  was  of  course  abandoned. 

Those  Indians  dispersed  into  small  parties,  and  carried  the  work  of 
death  and  (hjsolation  into  several  neighborhoods,  in  the  counties  now 
Berkeley,  Frederick  aiul  Shenandoah.  About  eighteen  or  twenty  of  tliem 
crossed  the  North  mountain  at  Mills's  gap,  which  is  in  the  county  of 
Berkeley,  killed  a  man  by  the  name  of  Keliy,  and  several  of  Ids  family, 
svithin  a  lew  steps  of  the  present  dwelling  house  of  the  late  Mr.  William 
Wilson,  not  more  than  half  a  nnle  Irom  Gerardstown,  and  from  thence 
passed  on  to  l!ie  neighborhood  of"  the  present  site  of  Martinsburg,  the 
neighboring  ]>eople  generally  taking  shelter  in  John  Evans'  fort.f  A 
tsmali  [laity  of  tlie  Indians  attack(;d  the  dwelling  house  of  a  Mr.  Evans, 
brother  to  the  owner  of  the  fort;  but  being  beaten  off,  they  went  in  pur- 
siiil  of  a.  reinforcement.  In  their  absence  Mr.  Evans  and  his  family  got 
.^afe  to  the  J'ort.  The  Indians  returned,  and  set  fire  to  the  house,  the 
nuns  of  v.'hich  are  now  to  be  seen  from  the  great  road  leading  to  Win- 
chester, three  miles  south  of  Martinsbuig,  at  the  head  of  what  is  called 
the  ]3ig  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  hov/ever  seeing  a  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  llnally 


of  (Jov.  Sharp,  of  Maryland,  and  was  probably  finished  in  1776.  It  is 
still  standing  on  tlie  Maryland  side  of  the  Cohongoruton.  Its  walls  are 
entirely  of  sKnie,  four  antl  a  half  I'eet  thick  at  the  base,  and  three  at  the 
top;  they  are  at  least  twenty  I'ect  high,  antl  have  undergone  but  little  di- 
lapidation. Dr.  John  Hedges,  and  his  son  Capl.  John  C.  Hedges,  aided 
the  author  in  the  examination  of  thisjilace,  and  measuring  its  area,  height 
and  thickness  of  the  walls.  Us  location  is  not  more  than  about  twelve 
miles  from  Martinsburg,  in  Virginia,  and  about  the  same  distance  from 
Williamsporl,  in  Maryland.  It  encloses  an  area  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  (iibbons  was  born  lOth  Sejit.  1715.     Since  the  author   saw 
him,  he  has  (.lep.irled  this  lite — an  honest,  good  old  man. 

fEvaus'  fort  was  erected  within   about    two   miles  of  Martinsburg,  a 
blockade.     The  laud,  is  now  owned  by Eryatt,  Esq. 


INDIAN  INCURSIONS  G3 

o^ot  home.  The  bov  went  to  the  fort,  and  loid  what  had  hairvriO.I;  hul 
the  men  had  ail  turned  out  to  bury  Kelly  and  tj^o  in  pursuit  oC  Uie  lutliaus-, 
k^avinf?;  nobody  to  defend  the  fort  but  the  women  and  chiflren.  Mrs.  K- 
vans  armed  herseh",  and  ealled  on  all  the  women,  Avho  had  firmness  e- 
nouo'h  to  arm,  to  join  her,  and  sueh  as  were  too  timed  slie  ordered  lo  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  ibr 
them,  retreated  into  the  fort.f 

From  thence  the  Indians  passed  onto  Opequon,  and  the  next  morning 
attacked  Neally's  fort,  massacred  most  of  the  people,  and  took  off  seve- 
ral prisoners;  among  them  George  Stockton  and  Isabella  his  sister. — 
Charles  Porterfield,  a  youth  about  20  years  of  age,  heard  the  firing  from 
his  lather's  residence,  about  one  mile  from  the  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,  wliile  crossing  the  North  mountain,  and  cruelly 
murdered  her:  her  husband  distantly  heard  her  screams.  Cohoon,  how- 
ever, that  night  made  his  escape,  and  got  safely  back  to  his  friends.— 
George  Stockton  and  his  sister  Isabella,  who  were  also  among  the  priso- 
ners, were  taken  to  the  Indian  towns.  Isabella  was  eight  or  nine  years 
of  age,  and  her  story  is  as  remarkable  as  it  is  interesting.  She  was  de- 
tained and  grew  up  among  the  savages.  Being  a  beautiful  and  interesting 
firl,  they  sold  her  to  a  Canadian  in  Canada,  where  a  young  Frenchman, 
named  Plata,  soon  became  acquainted  with  her,  and  made  her  a  tender  of 
his  hand  in  matrimony.§  This  she  declined  unless  her  parents'  consent 
could  be  obtained, — a  strong  proof  of  her  filial  affection  and  good  sense. 
The  Frenchman  immediately  proposed  to  conduct  her  home,  readily  be- 
lieving 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  ex- 
isting 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  wdiich  they  secured  two  of  her   father's   horses 


*The  present  residence  of  the  widow  Showalter,  three  miles  from  Alar- 
tinsburg. 

fMr.  Joseph  Hackney,  Frederick  county,  stated  these  facts  to  tlie  au- 
thor. The  little  boy,  mentioned  above,  grew  up,  married,  was  a  Quaker 
by  profesjnon,  and  the  father  of  my  informant. 

^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 
circumstances  to  the  author. 

§Mr.  Makers,  of  Berkeley  counly,  gave  the  author  the  name  of  this 
young  Frenchman. 


tj.}  AM)  .\l.vS,S,V.(.'Ui:s. 

;iii(l  ))ii.-lic.l  (tiT.  Thcv  werr,  liowcvcr,  piirsut'd  l.'V  i\V(>'  of  liri'  bi'dliiorSy 
(]V(  rlakfii,  ;il  J  Iiiii1<-'r.sl()vvii,  l^•lm,^yl\  ;iiiiii,  and  Isabellii  i;<)iril)ly  loin  iiom 
licr  piotrctor  and  (Icvotf'd  lo\cr,  and  In'onj^-lit  bark  1o  iicr  parents,  wliilr 
ilic  pool-  h'rrnclinian  was  warned  tliat.  it'  he  ever  made;  any  tartlicr  altt-nipt: 
to  talvi-  her  off,  his  lil'e  should  pay  the  forfcil.  'I'liis  story  is  fainili'ffr  lo 
several  aged  and  respectal)l('  individuals  in  llic  nci^liljoiliond  ot'  .Marlin>- 
bnrfj^.  Isabclhi  aCtcrwards  niaiiied  a  man  by  th<;  name  ot  McClary,  re- 
moved andsetth'd  in  liie  neighljorliood  of  Mor<^anlown,  and  li^rew  weahhv. 
(ieorge,  alter  an  absenee  ot"  three  years,  fi;ot  hcniie  also. 

A  party  ot"  I'ourteen  Indians,  believed  lo  be  |)art  ot"  those  (b'Tcat'-d  b-, 
C'apt.  Smith,  on  their  return  to  the  west  killed  a  youn<^  \v6inan,  and  took 
a  Airs.  Neft"  prisoner.  This  was  on  the  South  t'oik  ot"  the  river  Wappato- 
maka.  They  cut  ofl'  Mrs.  Nen"'s  j)e(ti(:oat  u[)  lo  her  knees,  and  LlJive  iier 
a  pair  of  moccasins  to  wear  on  her  feet.  'I'his  was  done  to  t"acilitate  her 
travelling;  but  they  j)roceeded  no  further  than  the  vicinity  of  Tort  Plea- 
sant,* where,  on  the  second  night,  they  let"t  AFrs.  Neli' in  the  custodv  ot"  an 
old  Indian,  and  divided  themselves  into  two  parties,  in  ortler  to  watch  the 
fort.  At  a  late  hour  in  the  night,  Mrs.  Ne/T  discovering  that  her  guaid 
was  pretty  soundly  asleep,  ran  oflT.  The  old  fellow  very  soon  awoke,  fi- 
red ofT  liis  gun,  and  raised  a  yell.  Mrs.  N.  ran  between  the  two  parties 
of  Inflians,  got  safe  into  Fort  Pleasant,  and  gave  notice  where  the  Indians 
were  encanijx'd.  A  small  party  of  men,  the;  same  evening  came  from 
another  small  t"ort  a  few  miles  above,  and  joined  their  friends  in  Fort 
Pleasant.  Th<>  Indians,  after  the  escape  of  Mrs.  Net!",  had  collected  into- 
one  body  in  a  dee))  glen,  near  the  fort.  FOarly  the  next  morning,  sixteen 
men,  well  mounted  and  armed, left  the  fort  with  a  view  to  attack  the  Indians. 
Th(;y  soon  discovered  their  encampment.  The  whites  divided  them- 
selves into  two  parties,  intending  to  inclose  the  Indians  between  two  tires; 
but  unfortunately  a  small  dog  which  had  followed  them,  starting  a  ral)bit, 
his  yelling  alarmed  the  Indians;  upon  which  they  cautimisly  moved  ofl", 
passed  between  the  two  parties  of  white  men  unobserved,  took  a  position 
between  tiicm  and  their  horses,  and  opened  a  most  destructive  lire.  The 
whites  returned  the  fire  with  great  firmness  a?Kl  bravery,  and  a  desperate 
and  bloody  contlict  ensued.  Seven  of  the  whites  fell  dead,  and  tour  were- 
wounded.  Th(!  little  renmant  retreated  to  the  fort,  whither  the  wounded 
also  arrived.  Three  Indians  fell  in  this  battle,  and  several  were  wounded. 
The  victors  secured  the  white  men's  horses,  and  took  them  ofl/f 

Just  before  the  above  action  commenced,  Mr.  Vanmet(>r,  an    old    man, 
mounted  his  horse,  rode  upon  a  high  ridge,  and  witnessed  the  battle.     He 


*Fort  Pleasant  was  a  strong  stockade  with  block  houses,  erected  on  the 
lands  now  owned  by  Isaac  Vanmeter,  Es(|.  on  the  South  Branch  of  Poto- 
mac, a  short  distance  above  what  is  called  tlie  Trough. 

jThis  battle,  is  called  the  "Battle  of  The  Trough."  Messrs.  Vanme- 
ter, McNeill  and  Heath,  detailed  the  particulars  to  the  author.  A  block 
house,  witli  jjort  holes,  is  now  standing  in  Mr.  D.  McNeill's  yard, — part 
of  an  old  fort  erected  at  the  ti'nie  of  Brnddork's  war,  the  logs  of  which 
are  principally  sf»und. 


INDIAN  rN{'^,l^sl()Ns,  r/i'c,  &:, 

relumed  svhli  all  speed  to  the  fort,  and   gave  notice  of  the    defoal.     The 
old  man  \v;:s  killed  by  the  indinns  in   1757, 

Aitvr  eonimitting  to  writing  the  foregonig  account,  the  author  received 
I'loni  his  I'riend  Dr.  Charles  A.  Turley,  of  ii-ort  Pleasant,  a  more  particu- 
lar narrative  of  the  battle,  -which  the  auUior  will  subjoin,  in  tin-  doctor's 
own  words: 

"The  memorable  battle  of  The  'i't(mgh  (sa)s  Dr.  Turiey)  was  preced(;d 
by  the  following  circumstances.  On  the  day  previous,  two  Indim  stroll- 
ers, fiojii  a  large  party  of  sixty  or  seventy  warriors,  under  the  well  known 
and  ferocious  chief  Kill-buck,  made  an  attack  upon  tlie  dwelling  of  a 
Mrs.  Brake,  on  the  South  fork  of  the  South  brancli  oi'  the  Potomac,  about 
fifteen  miles  above  Mooreileld,  and  took  Mrs.  i3iake  and  a  Mrs.  Ne/F pri- 
soners. 'I'he  ibrmer  not  being  able  to  travel  iiom  Ikt  situation,  was  tom- 
ahawked and  scalped,  and  the  latter  brought  down  to  Uie  vicinity  of  Town 
Ibrt,  about  one  and  a  half  miles  below  Moorefield.  Ther«  one  of  llie  Ir>- 
dians,  under  the  ju-etence  of  Imnting,  retired,  and  the  other  laid  liimself 
down  and  pretended  to  fall  asleep,  with  a  view,  as  was  believed,  to  let 
Mrs.  Neff  escape  to  the  fort,  and  give  the  alarm.  Every  thing  turned  out 
agreeably  to  their  expectations;  for  as  soon  as  she  reached  the  ibrt,  and 
related  the  circumstances  of  her  escape,  18  men  from  thataixd  i^uttermili: 
fort,  five  miles  alx)ve,  went  in  pursuit.  They  w-ere  men  notorious  lor 
their  valor,  and  who  had  been  Avell  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  biish.  x\lr. 
John  Harness,  who  was  well  acquainted  with  the  manners  and  mode  of 
warfare  of  the  Indians,  pronounced  that  the  hunter  Indian  had  not  return- 
ed to  his  comrade,  or  that  they  were  in  great  force  somewhere  near  anrl  in 
ambush.  They  however  pursued  the  trace,  without  discovering  any  signs 
of  a  larger  party,  until  they  arrived  between  two  mountains,  forming  what 
from  its  resen),blance  is  called  The  Trough.  Here,  directly  alxv/e  a  line 
spring  about  200  paces  from  the  river,  which  at  that  time  was  filled  to  an 
impassable  stage  by  a  heavy  fall  of  rain,  these  grim  monsters  of  blood  were 
encam])ed,  to  the  number  above  staled.  The  western  face  of  J'u;  ridge 
was  very  precipitous  and  rough,  and  on  i\i(:  north  of  the  s[)ring  was  a 
deep  ravine,  cutting  directly  up  into  the  ridge  above.  Our  little  band  of 
heroes,  nothing  daunted  by  the  superior  numlx-r  of  the  enemy,  dismount- 
ed unobserved,  and  prepared  for  battle,  leaving  their  horses  on  the  ridgr'. 
But  by  one  of  those  unlbreseen  and  almost  unaccountable  accidents  whif.h 
often  thwart  the  seemingly  best  planned  enterprises,  a  small  dog  which 
had  followed  them  just  at  this  juncture  started  a  rabbit,  and  went  yelping 
down  the  ridge,  giving  the  Indians  timely  notice  of  their  approach.  They 
immediat.e!y  flew  to  arms,  ar^i  fding  off  up  the  ravine  befoie  described, 
passed  directly  into  the  r<;ar  of  our  litde  band,  placing  thorn  in  the  very 
situation  they  had  Jioj)ed  to  find  their  enemies,  between  ihc  mountain  and 
the  sv/ollen  river.  Now  came  the  "tug  of  war,"  and  both  parties  rushed 
to  tlie  onset,  dealing  death  and  slaughter  at  every  fire.  Afier  an  lif)ur  or 
two  hard  iif{htiui;,  d-arinLT  which  each  of  our  litth;  band  had  numbered  hi^- 
man,  ajid  more  than  half  their  rnmd>er  had  iaik-n   to  rise  no    nuwe,    \.lu)i^ 

J 
I 


tC  INJ)I AN  1N(  IKSKAS 

that  ivmuinccT  wcrr  coiupflli'tl  to  rctn'ul,  whirh  cduUt  ciiiU  be  efiocied  'm 
swimmintr  tlie  livc!'.  .Some  who  IkkI  liccii  wounded,  not  bein.f  able  lo 
do  this,  determined  to  sell  their  lives  as  deaily  as  possible;  iind  delibe- 
rately leading"  their  rifles,  and  pla<i'iiig  themselves  behind  som<?  cover  om 
the  river  bank,  dealt  certaiu  death  to  ihe  first  adversary  who  made  his  ap- 
pearance, and  then  calmly  yielded  to  the  tomahawk. 

"We  cannot  here  pass  over  without  mentioning  one  of  the  many  des- 
potic acts  exercised  by  the  then  eolonwil  provernmcnt  and  its  oificers  to- 
\Tards  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  companv  of  regu- 
lars, cotnmanded  by  a  British  officer  naaied  Wagner,  who  not  only  refused 
to  march  a  man  out  of  the  fort,  but,  when  the  inhabitants  seized  their  ri- 
fles and  determined  to  rush  to  the  aid  of  their  brothers,  ordered  the  gates 
to  be  closed,  and  suffered  none  to  pass  in  or  out.  ]^y  marching  to  the 
western  bank  of  the  river,  he  might  have  eflectually  protected  those  who 
were  wounded,  without  any  danger  of  an  a1t;;ck  from  the  enemy.  And 
when  the  few  who  had  escaped  the  slaughtei',  hailetl  and  demanded  ad- 
mission into  the  ibrt,  it  was  denied  them,  i^'or  this  act  of  Capt.  W^ag- 
ner's  the  survivors  of  our  Spartan  band  called  him  a  coward;  ibr  which 
insult  he  thought  it  his  duly  to  hunt  them  down  like  wolves,  and  when 
cauglit,  to  inflict  corporal  punishment  by  stripes. 

"The  Indian  chiel,  Kill-buck,  afterwards  admitted,  tliat  although  he 
had  witnessed  luany  sanguinary  contests,  this  was  the  most  so  that  he 
had  ever  experienced  for  the  number  of  his  enemies.  Kill-bui'k  was  a 
ShawneCj  a  savage  of  strong  meiital  powers,  and  well  acquainted  with  all 
the  families  in  the  settlement  before  tlie  war  broke  out.  Ool.  V  incent 
Williams,  whose  father  was  inhumanly  uundt  red  by  ]{ill-buck  and  his 
party  on  Patterson's  creek,  became  pei-sonally  acquainted  with  him  many 
years  afterwards,  and  took  the  trouble,  wlien  once  in  the  state  of  Ohio,  to 
visit  him.  He  was  far  advanced  in  years,  and  had  become  blind.  The 
colonel  informed  ine  that  as  soon  as  he  told  Kill-buck  his  name,  the  c>nly 
answer  he  made  was,  ""^onn"  father  w'as  a  brave  warrior."  'I'he  half  bro- 
ther of  Col,  Williams,  Mr.  Benjamin  Casey,  was  with  him.  Mr.  Petei' 
Casey  had  once  hired  Kill-buck  to  catch  and  brin"'  ho)ue  a  runaway  nefjro, 
and  \v?-s  to  have  given  liim  fourteen  shillings.  Me  paid  him  six  sliillings, 
and  the  war  breaking  out,  he  never  paid  him  the  other  eight.  At  the  \\- 
vist  spoken  of,  Kill-buck  inquired  the  nam.e  of  his  other  visitor,  and  when 
the  colonel  told  hirn  it  was  lienjamin  Casey, — 'What,  Peter  C^asey's  sonr' 
"Yes."  "Your  father  owes  me  eight  shillings;  will  you  pay  it?"  said  the 
old  chief.  The  colonel  at  that  time  got  all  Ihe  particulars  of  tin-  tragical 
death  of  his  father,  as  well  as  the  great  heroism  numifestrd  by  our  little 
band  at  the  battle  of  The  Trough.'' 

Dr.  Turlev  reliers  In  the  ibregoing  narrative  to  the  murder  of  Mj'.  Wil- 
liams, on  Patterson's  creek.  I'his  melancholy  tragtcly  the  author  is  ena- 
bled to  give,  as  it  was  related  to  him  by  Mr.  James  8.    Miles,  of  Hardy. 

Mr.  Williams  lived  on  Patterson's  creek,  on  the  farm  now  occupied  by 
his  grandson,  Mr.  Jarnes  Williams.  Heanng  of  tin*  apjjroach  of  the  In- 
(Jians,  hi  repaired  v.iih  his  neighbuni  to  Fort  Pkisani  (nine  miles)  for  it- 


AM)  MA.SSACIUvS. 


•"Ciirilv.  Al'icr  reiihiui.11'4-  lu^rc  u  few  diiys.  sujijxisin;;-  iIk-'ii  houses  irii'^'lit 
be  revisited  witli  salely,  Mr.  VV„  with  seven  olhers  crossed  the  jxioujilain 
lor  that  purpose.  They  separated  on  reaeiiiiiir  the  creek;  and  i\ir.  VV. 
went  aloue  to  his  farm.  liaviHg  lied  his  horse  to  a  i)iish,  he  eommei)<;ed 
Salting  bis  cattle,  when  seven  Jndians  (as  vv'as  aiierv\-ards  said  by  Kill- 
i)uck)  got  between  him  and  his  horse,  and  demanded  las  surrender.  Mr, 
W.  answered  by  a  ball  troni  his  rifle,  which  killed  one  of  the  Indians, then 
retreated  to  his  house,  barricaded  the  door,  and  put  his  enemy  at  defiance. 
They  iired  at  him  at  j'andoni  through  the  door  and  v.'inrlows,  until  the  lat- 
ter were  hlled  with  shot-lioies.  For  greatej-  security,  Mr.  W.  got  behind 
a  homniony  block  in  a  corner,  from  which  he  v/ould  fire  at  Jiis  assailants; 
throuLih  the  cracks  of  the  building,  as  opportunity  offered.  In  this  way 
lie  killed  five  out  of  the  scnxn.  The  remaining  two,  resolved  iiotto  give  up 
their  prey,  found  it  necessary  to  proceed  more  cautiously;  and  going  to  the 
least  exposed  side  of  the  house,  one  was  raised  upf)n  the  shoulders  of  the 
other  to  an  opening  in  thekgs  some  distance  above  the  level  of  Mr.  V/., 
who  did  not,  consequently,  observe  the  maiionivre,  from  whicli  he  fired, 
and  shot  Mr.  W.  de;id.  Tiiebody  was  instantly  quartered,  aud  hung  to 
the  four  corners  of  the  building,  antl  tiie  head  sluck  npi^n  a  fence  stake  in 
jiont  of  the  door.  This  brave  man  was  the  father  of  tlie  venerable  Ed- 
ward Williams,  the  clerk  of  Hardy  county  couri-<iutil  the  election  in  1830 
under  the  new  constitution,  v.'hen  his  advanced  a.ge  corapeiled  him  to  de- 
<;iine  being  a  candidate. 

Sometime  after  the  battle  of  The  Trough,  a;t  :i  iorl  se\en  miles  above 
Romney,  tAvo  Indian  boys  made  their  ap[)earance,  when  some  of  tiieineu 
went  out  with  the  intention  of  taking  them.  A  grown  Indian  made  h,:s 
■iippearance;  but  he  was  instantly  shot  down  by  Shadrach  W'light.  A  nu- 
merous party  then  showed  themselves,  \vhleh  the  garrison  sallied  out  and 
.attacked;  but  they  were  tlefeated  with  the  loss  of  several  of  thoir  uicn, 
/and  compelled  to  retreat  to  the  fori.'' 

Kill-buck,  the  chief  before  mentioned,  used  iVe<jiu'!iiiv  to  command 
these  marauding  parties.  Previous  to  tin'  breaking  out  of  the  war,  he 
was  well  acquainted  with  m:niv  of  the  white  settlers  on  Wappatomaka, 
a,nd  lived  a  good  part  of  his  lime  among  them,  Ifis  iiilimate  acquain- 
tance with  the  country  euiibled  him  to  lead  his  band  oi'  murderers  iVom 
place  to  place,  and  to  commit  many  outrages  on  the  ()ersons  and  j)roperiy 
of  the  white  inhabitants.  In  the  jjrogress  of  this  W()rk,  scnne  fiuihei-  no- 
tice will  be  taken  of  this  distinguislied  wan-ior.  The}'e  was  anothergieat 
Indian  warrior  called  "Crane;"  but  the;  author  iias  not  been  able  to  collect 
any  particular  traditionary  accounts  of  the  i'eals  perl'orined  by  him. 

In  the  year  1757,  a  numerous  body  of  Iiidiaiis  ciosst'd  the  Alleganv, 
mu\,  as  usual,  divided  themselve-  into  small  [)ariies,  and  hovering  about 
the  dilTerent  forts,  committed  many  acts  of  nuu'der  and  desi  ruction  of  ])ro- 
jit'rty.     ..Vbout  thii'ty  or  Ibrty  aj)proachcd  JvKvanPs  frii-i,|  nw  Ciipou  ri\if, 


*.Mr.  James  Parsons,  ii;.':i.r  Uoiiuu'v,  1  ,'aiiq)shirc  roun!_\ ,  i:;i\  c  die  iiulhi c 
this  information. 

TFj<lward's  fort  wa>  jocalfd  on  i1,h^  west  side  ol    C'a.p'Ui    ii\ir.  m'!     luc:' 
<:haK  tkrce  (piarte-rs  <>[  a  mih'  above  v.  here  the  sta^'e  I'oad  troui    W'iucjic-;!!  r 


eS  INDIAN   INCURSIONS 

killed  two  men  at  a  Mn:ill  miJl,  took  off  a  parcel  ol'  corn  nical,  and  re- 
treating- 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.  Irn- 
niediateiy  between  this  path  and  the  stream  is  an  abrupt  bank,  seven  or 
eight  feet  high,  ami  of  considerable  length,  under  which  the  Indians  con- 
cealed themselves,  and  awailet]  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!  Piercer's  partv, 
discovering  the  trail  of  meal,  supposed  the  Indians  were  making  a  speedv 
retreat,  and,  unapprised  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,  six- 
teen falliny;  dead  at  the  first  fire.  The  others  attempting  to  save  them- 
selves  bv  night,  were  pursued  and  slaughtered  in  eveiy  direction,  until, 
out  of  the  Ibrty,  but  six  got  ba(;k  to  the  fort.  One  poor  fellow,  who  ran 
up  the  side  of  the  mountain,  was  fired  at  by  an  Indian:  the  ball  penetra- 
ted just  above  his  heel,  ranged  up  his  leg,  shivering  the  bones,  and  lodg- 
ed  a  little  below  his  knee:  he  slipped  under  the  lap  of  a  fallen  tree,  there 
hid  hiinse]f,and  la}"  in  that  deplorable  situation  for  tv;o  days  and  nights  belbrc 
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  recovered,  and  lived  many  years  after,  though  he  was  always  a  crip- 
l)]e  from  his  Vv'ound.  Capt.  George  Smith,  who  now  resides  on  Back 
creek,  informed  the  author  that  he  was  well  acquainted  with  him. 

Sometime  afterwards,  the  Indians,  in  much  greater  force,  and  aided,  it 
Avas  beli-eved,  by  several  Frenchmen  in  person,  determined  to  carry  this 
■fort  by  storm.  The  garrison  had  been  considerably  reinforced;  among  oth- 
ers, bv  the  late  Gen.  Daniel  i\Iorgan,  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.  Tlie  assailants  were  defeated  v/ith  grejit  slaughter,  while  the 
whites  lost  comnaratively  but  few  men. 

■*  * 

The  remains  of  a  ""un  of  hiixh  finish,  ornamented  with  silver  mounting: 
and  gold  toiK'h-hole,  were  plowed  up  near  the  battle  ground  about  forty 
years  ago.  It  was  suj)posed  to  have  belonged  to  a  French  ollicer.  Part 
■of  a  bomb  shell  was  also  found.  Morgan  in  this  action  pcrlbrmed  his 
{)art  with  his  usual  intrepidity,  caution  and  firmness,  and  doubtless  did 
much  execution.* 

Other  parties  of  Indians  penetrated  into  the  neighborhood  of  VVinches- 
ter,  and  killed  several  people  about  the  Round  hill;  among  others  a  man  by 
the  name  of  FlauLfhertv,  with  his  wife.      Several  inmates   of  a  familv    bv 


to  Homney  crosses  the  river. 

*Mr.  VVilliam  Carlile,  now  ninety-fiv<!  years  of  age,  and  who  resides 
near  the  bntile  ground,  informed  th<'  author  that  he  removed  and  settled  on 
(.'apon  soon  after  the  battle  was  fought.  He  also  stated  that  hi;  had  fre- 
fjuently  heard  it  asserted  that  Morgan  was  in  the  battle,  and  acted  with 
great  braver^■,  &c.  Mr.  CTiarles  Carlile,  son  of  this  veneral)h'  man,  sta- 
J/-d  ihf  fact  of  the  gun  :>r)(\  ]'«arf  oj'  ;i  bomb  '-hell  being  Icund. 


AND  MASSACRES.  69 

'the  nsme  of  M'Crackan,  c-n  Back  creek,  about  twelve  miles  from  Win- 
chester, were  killed,  and  two  of  the  daughters  taken  OiT  as  prisoners. — 
They,  however,  got  back,  after  an  absence  of  three  or  lour  years.  Mr 
Lewis  Neill  informed  the  author  that  he  saw^  and  conversed  v.'ilh  these 
women  on  the  subject  of  their  captivity  after  their  return  home.  Jacob 
Havely  and  several  of  his  family  were  killed  near  the  presoit  residence  of 
Moses  Russell,  Esq.  at  the  eastern  base  of  the  North  mountain,  fifteen  or 
sixteen  miles  south  west  of  Winchester.  Dispennet,  and  several  of  his 
family,  and  Vance  and  his  wdfe,*  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  25th  March,  1745,  and  who  of  course  was  upwards  of  ten  years  old 
w'hen  Braddock  was  defeated,  related  many  interesting  occurrences  to  the 
author  ;  among  others,  that  a  family  of  eighteen  persons,  by  the  name  of 
NichoUs,  who  resided  at  the  present  residence  of  Mr.  Stone,  a  little  west 
of  Maj.  Isaac  Kite's,  were  attacked,  the  greater  number  killed,  and  seve- 
ral taken  off  as  prisoners:  one  old  woman  and  her  grandchild  made  their 
escape  to  a  fort,  a  short  distance  from  Middletown.  This  took  place  a- 
bout  1756  or  1757,  and  it  is  probable  by  the  samepirty  who  killed  Have- 
ly and  others. 

In  the  year  1758,  a  party  of  about  fifty  Indians  and  four  Frenchmen 
penetrated  into  the  neighborhood  of  Mill  creek,  now  in  the  county  of  She- 
nandoah, about  9  miles  south  of  Woodstock.  This  was  a  pretty  thickly 
settled  neighborhood;  and  among  other  houses,  George  Painter  had  erec- 
ted a  large  log  one,  with  a  good  sized  cellar.  On  the  alarm  being  given, 
the  Reighboring  people  took  refuge  in  this  house.  Late  in  the  afternoon 
they  were  attacked.  Mr.  Painter,  attempting  to  fly,  had  three  balls  shot 
through  his  body,  and  fell  dead,  when  the  others  surrendered.  The  In- 
dians dragged  the  dead  body  back  to  the  house,  threw  it  in,  plundered  the 
house  of  what  they  chose,  and  then  set  fire  to  it.  While  the  house  was 
in  flames,  consuming  the  body  of  Mr.  Painter,  they  forced  from  the  arms 
of  their  mothers  four  infant  children,  hung  them  up  in  trees,  shot  them  in 
savage  sport,  and  left  them  hanging.  They  then  set  fire  to  a  stable  in 
which  were  enclosed  a  parcel  of  sheep  and  calves,  thus  cruelly  and  wan- 
tonly torturing  to  death  the  inoffensive  dumb  animals.  After  these  atro- 
cities they  moved  off  with  forty-eight  prisoners;  among  whom  were  Mrs. 
Painter,  five  of  her  daughters,  and  one  of  her  sons;  a  Mrs.  Smith  and 
several  of  her  children;  a  Mr.  Fisher  and  several  of  his  children,  among 
them  a  lad  of  twelve  or  thirteen  years  old,  a  fine  well  grown  boy,  and  re- 
markably fleshy.  This  little  fellow,  it  will  presently  be  seen,  was  destin- 
ed to  be  the  victim  of  savage  cruelty. 

Two  of  Painter's  sons,  and  a  young  man  by  the  name  of  Jacob   Myers 


*Moses  Russell,  Esq.  is  under  the  impression  that  these  people  were 
killed  in  the  summer  or  fall  of  the  year  1756.  The  author  i\m\s  it  im- 
possible to  fix  the  dates  of  the  various  acts  of  war  committed  by  the  sava- 
ges. After  the  most  diligent  inquiry,  he  has  not  been  able  to  finfl  any  per- 
j^on  who  mmmittedto  writing  anything  upon  the  subji-jct  Ji*  the  time  the 
.•scvcM'a!  ocfMinrivcs  tonk  j?-lace. 


TO  1M)3AN  INCURSIUNS 

-escaped  Ht-iiig  CEpturcd  by  conccidinciil.  One  ul"  the  Paiiilcis,  \\i;ii  I\ly- 
<TS,  ran  over  iJsat  iiiij,htto  Powell's  toil,  a  distaneeof  at  least  lii'teen  miles, 
and  to  Keller's  ibrt,  in  (paest  of  aid.  I'liey  had  neither  hat  nor  shoes, 
noi-  any  olher  clothing;  tlum  a  shirt  and  trowscrs  eacli.  A  small  party  of 
jnen  set  oat  early  the  next  morning,  well  mounted  and  armed,  to  avenge 
tlie  outrage.  They  reached  Mr.  l^ainter's  early  in  the  day;  but  on  learn- 
ing their  strength,  (from  the  other  young  Painter,  who  had  remained  con- 
cealed all  th;it  evening  and  ».»iglit,  and  by  that  means  was  enabled  to  count 
lhe  number  of  the  enemy,)  '.hey  declined  j)ursuit,  being  too  weak  in  num- 
bers to  venture  furliierv  Thus  this  savage  band  got  ojf  with  their  prison- 
■ers  and  booty,  without  pursuit  or  interruption. 

After  six  days'  tiavcl  they  reached  their  villages  west  of  the  Allegany 
mountains,  where  they  held  a  council,  apid  determined  to  sacrilice  their 
helpless  prisoner  Jacob  Fishei'.  They  fir.>i  ordered  him  to  collect  a  quan- 
tity of  dry  wood,  'i'he  poor  little  fellow  shuddered,  burst  into  tears,  and 
told  his  father  they  intended  to  Ijurn  him.  His  lather  rrj)lied,  "I  hope 
not;"  and  advised  him  to  obey.  When  h.c  had  collected  a  sulHcienl  rpaan- 
'ii.\-  of  wood  to  ans\f;'r  their  purpose,  they  cleared  and  smoothed  a  ring  a- 
round  a  snpling,  to  \chich  they  tied  him  by  one  hand,  then  formed  a  trail 
of  wood  around  the  tree  and  set  it  on  fire.  The  poor  boy  was  then  com- 
jx^lled  to  run  round  in  this  ring  of  fire  until  his  rope  wound  him  up  to  the 
■sapling,  and  then  back  until  he  came  in  contact  with  the  flame,  whilst  hi.s 
internal  tormentors  were  drinking,  sing^in^- and  dancing  around  him.  with 
"horrid  joy."  This  was  contiRuedfor  several  hours;  during  which  time 
the  savagi^  men  became  beastly  drunk,  and  as  they  fell  prostrate  to  \\w. 
ground,  the  squjiws  would  Icvep  up  the  fire.  With  long  sharp  poles,  pre- 
pared lor  the  purpose,  they  would  pierce  the  bodv  of  their  victim  whenev- 
er he  flagged,  until  the  poor  and  helpless  boy  fell  and  expired  with  the 
most  excruciating  torments,  whilst  his  father  and  brothers  were  compelled 
to  be  witnesses  of  the  heart-rending  tragedv. 

After  an  absence  of  about  three  years,  Mrs.  Painter,  with  her  son  and 
'two  of  her  flaughtcrs;  Mrs.  Smith,  wdio  had  the  honor,  if  it  could  be  so 
deemed,  of  presenting  her  liusband  with  an  Indian  son,*  by  a  distinguish- 
x'd  war  chief;  Fishei'  and  lii^  remaining  sons;  and  several  other  prisoners, 
returned  home.  Tliree  ol'  Mrs.  Painter's  daughters  remaitied  with  the  In- 
dians. Mnrv,  the  vounfxesl.  was  about  nine  years  old  wlu'n  taken,  and 
Tvas  I'ighteen  years  a  prisoner:  two  of  the  daughters  never  returned.  A 
mm  by  the  name  of  Michael  Copple,  who  had  hiinsclf  been  a  pri.>oner  a- 
bout  two  vf-ars  with  thi:' Indians,  had  learnofl  their  Inniiupge,  become  an 
Indian  trader,  and  Iravoled  much  among  them,  at  length  found  Mary 
Pf'inter  with  a  wandering  party  of  Chcrokees.  In  conversing"  with  her^ 
lie  discovered  who  she  was — that  he  was  acquainted  with  her  iiuiiily  con- 
nections, and  proposed  to  her  to  accompnny  lum  homo,  to  which  she    re- 


'Siriith  received  his  wife,  ;infl  never  maltreated  her  0:1  this  accomit;  but 
he  had  a  most  bitter  aversion  to  the  young  chief.  The  boy  grew  up  to 
ni:m!iood,  and  exhibited  ihc  appearance  and  dispositi'^'n  c>f  hi'>  .^^ire.  At- 
tempts Were  mnde  to  educate  hini,  but  without  'uci'e^s.  He  eulisterl  in- 
♦^  the  army  of  tli?  revolution  as  a  common  soldier,  nnd  never  rplarned. 


ASD  MA,SSA('K[:S.  71 

tused  her  assent.  He  then  said  that  he?  brothers-  had  romovfd  to  Point 
Pleasant,  and  were  desirous  ol'  seeing  her;  npon  which  she  conse'nted  to 
accompany  him  that  fai'  to  see  lier  brothers;  but  findinii-,  on  arriving- at  the 
Point,  that  lie  had  deceived  her,  she  maniiestcd  much  dissatisfaction,  and 
attempted  to  go  back  to  the  Indians.  Copple,  however,  after  much  en- 
treaty, and  promising  to  make  her  his  wife,  prevailed  upon  her  to  return 
home.  He  performed  his  promise  of  marriage,  lived  several  years  on 
Painter's  land,  and  raised  a  family  of  children.  Mary  had  lost  her  moth- 
er tung,  learned  a  little  English  afterwards,  but  always  conversed  with 
her  husband  in  the  Indian  language.*     They  finally  removed  to  the  west. 

The  garrison  at  Fort  Cumberland  was  frequently  annoyed  by  the  Indi- 
ans. There  are  two  high  knobs  of  the  mouiitain,  one  on  the  Virginia  side 
of  the  Cohongoruton  on  the  South,  the  other  on  the  Alaryland  side  on  the- 
north  east  within  a  short  distance  of  the  fort.  The  Indians  frequently 
took  possession  of  these  hights,  and  fired  into  the  fort.  Although  they 
seldom  did  any  injury  in  this  way,  yet  it  was  disagreeable  and  attended 
with  some  danger.  On  a  particular  occasion  a  large  party  of  Indians  had^ 
taken  possession  of  the  knob  on  the  Marylaud  side,  and  iired  into  the  fort. 
A  captain  (the  author  regrets  that  he  was  not  able  to  learn  his  name)  and 
seventy-five  brave  fellows  on  a  veiy  dark  night,  volunteered  to  dislodge 
the  enemy.  They  sallied  out  from  the  fort,  surrounded  tlie  knob,  and 
cautiously  ascending  until  they  wcie  within  reach  of  the  foe,  waited  for 
tlaybreak  to  make  the  attack.  Light  appearing,  they  opened  a  tremen- 
dous fire,  which  threw  the  Indians  into  utter  confusion,  rendering  them 
powerless  for  defence,  while  the  whites  continued  from  all  sides  to  pour 
in  volley  after  volley,  spreading  death  and  carnage.  But  few  of  the  In- 
dians escaped.  The  knob  is  called  "Bloody  Hill"  to  this  day.  This  tra- 
dition the  author  received  from  several  individuals  in  Cumberland:  indeed, 
the  story  appears  to  be  familiar  with  every  aged  individual  in  the  neigh- 
borhood. 

Shortly  after  this  occurrence,  Kill-buck  attempted  to  take  Fort  Ckun- 
berland  by  stratagem.  He  approached  it  at  the  head  of  a  largr,  force  of 
warriors;  and  under  the  guise  of  friendship,  pretending  to  wish  an  ami- 
cable  intercourse  with  the  garrison,  proposed  to  Maj.  Livingston  to  admit, 
himself  and  warriors.  Some  hints  having  been  given  to  the  commaniler 
to  be  upon  his  guard,  Livingston  seemingly  consented  to  the  proposal; 
but  no  sooner  had  Kill-buck  and  liis  chief  officers  enfeicd  Ihan  the  gates 
were  closed  upon  them.  The  wiley  chief  l)eing  tlius  entrajjped,  was 
roimdly  charged  with  his  intended  treachery,  of  which  the  circumstances 
were  too  self  evident  to  be  denied.  Livingston,  however,  iiillicled  no 
other  punisnraent  upon  his  captives  than  a  mark  <>i'  humiUafini;  diso-race, 


*The  author  deems  a  particular  history  of  tliis  worn^n  uecc-jsary,  be- 
cause it  is  one  among  mnny  instances  of  young  white  childreji,  when  ta- 
ken prisoners,  becoming  attaclied  to  a  savage  life,  and  leaving  it  with  great 
reluctance.  -Mr.  George  Pain!cr,  nu  aged  and  rcspeclabic  citizen  of 
Shenandoah  county,  who  resides  on  the  spot  where  lids  blooriy  tragedy 
vvas  acted,  and  is  a  grandson  of  the  man  who  was  nvurdrrcd  :ind  burnt, 
detailed  these  particulars  to  the  author. 


«  ^ 


2  INDIAN  INCI:RSI0>'S 


uhich  lo  nn  Indian  warrior  was  more  mortifying  than  dcatl).  This  stro- 
ma was,  it  is  supposed,  dressing  them  in  petticoats,  and  driving  thiem 
out  of  the  fort.* 

It  has  nh-eady  been  statpd,  that,  previous  to  the  breaking  out  of  the 
war,  Kiil-buck  lived  a  good  part  of  his  time  among  the  white  settlers-  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Fort  Pleasant.  An  Irish  servant,  belonging  to  Peter 
Casey,  absconded,  and  Casey  offered  a  pistolef  reward  fur  his  reco-very. 
Kill-buck  apprehended  the  servant,  and  delivered  him  to  his  master;  but 
from  some  cause  or  other,  Casey  refused  to  pay  the  reward.  A  quarrel 
ensued,  and  Casey  knocked  Kill-buck  down  with  his  cane.  When  the 
war  broke  out.  Kill-buck  sought  every  opportunity  to  kill  Casey,  but  ne- 
ver could  succeed.  Many  years  afterwards,  Casey's  son  obtained  a  lieu- 
tenancy, and  was  ordered  to  Wheeling,  where  Kill-buck  then  being,  young 
Casey  requested  some  of  his  friends  to  introduce  him  to  hini.  When 
Kill-buck'  heard  his  name,  he  paused  for  a  moment,  and  repeating, 
*'Casey!  Casey!"  inquired  of  the  young  man  whether  he  knew  Peter  Ca- 
sey. The  lieutenant  replied,  "Yes,  he  is  my  father."  Kill-buck  imme- 
diately exclaimed,  "Bad  man,  bad  man,  he  once  knocked  me  down  with 
his  cane."  On  the  young  man's  proposing  to  make  up  the  breach,  the 
old  chief  replied,  "Will  you  pay  me  the  pistole?"  Young  Casey  refused 
to  do  this,  but  proposed  to  treat  with  a  quart  of  rum,  to  which  the  eld 
warrior  assented,  saying,  "Peter  Casey  old  man — Kill-buck  old  man:" 
and  then  stated  that  he  liad  frcqiiently  watched  for  an  opportunity  to  kill 
him,  "but  he  was  too  lazy — would  not  come  out  of  the  fort:  Kdl-buck 
now  friends  with  him,  and  bury  the  tomahawk.''^  This  Indian  chief,  it 
is  said  was  living  about  fourteen  years  ago,  but  had  become  blind 
from  his  great  age,  being  little  under,  and  probably  over,  one  hundred 
years. 


"The  venerable  John  Tomlinson  related  this  affair  to  the  author.  Mr. 
T.  does  not  recollect  the  particular  mark  of  disgrace  inflicted  on  these 
Indians.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Jacobs,  of  Hampshire,  suggested  this  as  the 
most  probable. 

jThe  pistole  is  a  piece  of  gold,  equ;il  to  three  dollars  and  seventy-five 
cents  in  value. 

tThis  anecdote  is  related,  somewhat  differently,  by  Dr.  Turley,  page  66 
of  this  work. 


AND  ArASSACKES.  73 

CHAPTER    ¥iIL 

INDIAN  INCURSIONS  AND  },[ASSACRES— Con-tixued. 


In'  a  preceding'  chapter  the  erection  of  several  stone  dwelluig-houses  is 
noticed.  These  houses  generally  had  small  stockade  forts  about  them; 
and  whenever  an  alarm  took  place,  the  neighboring  people  took  shel'er  in 
them,  as  places  of  security  against  their  savage  foe.'' 

The  men  never  went  cut  of  the  forts  without  their  guns.  The  enemy 
were  frequently  lurking  about  them,  and  at  every  opportunity  would  kill 
som.e  of  the  people.  At  the  residence  of  Maj.  Robert  D.  Glass,  on  Ope- 
quon,  live  miles,  south  v.*est  of  "Winchester,  part  of  his  dweiling-house 
was  erected  in  the  time  of  the  Indian  war:  the  port-holes  were  plainly  to 
be  seen  before  the  body  was  covered  with  weather-boarding.  The  people 
w^ere  closely  "forted"  lor  about  three  years.  After  '  the  termination  of 
hostilities  betvreen  England  and  France,  the  incursions  of  the  Indians 
were  less  frequent,  and  never  in  large  parties;  but  they  were  continued  at 
intervals  until  the  year  1766  or  1767. 

About  the  year  1758,  a  man  by  the  name  of  John  Stone,  near  v.-hat  is 
called  the  White  House,  in  the  Hawksbill  settlement,  v/as  killed  by  In- 
dians. Stone's  wife,  with  her  infant  child  and  a  son  about  seven  or  eight 
years  old,  and  George  GrandstafF,  a  youth  of  sixteen  years  old,  were  ta- 
ken off  as  prisoners.  On  the  vSouth  Branch  mountain,  the  Indians  mur- 
dered Mrs.  Stone  and  her  infant,  and  toolc  the  boy  and  GrandstafF  to 
their  towns.  Grandstaff  was  about  three  years  a  prisoner,  and  then  got 
home.  The  little  boy.  Stone,  grew  up  wdththc  Indians,  came  home,  and 
after  obtaining  possession  of  his  father's  property,  sold  it,  got  the  money, 
returned  to  the  Indians,  and  was  never  heard  of  JDy  his  friends  afterwards. 

The  sam.e  Indians  killed  Jacob  Holtiraan's  wife  and  her  children,  Ilolti- 
man  escaping.  They  plundered  old  Brewbecker's  house,  piled  up  the 
chairs  and  spinninc:  wheels,  and  set  them  on  fire.  A  young  woman  who 
lived  with  Brewbecker  had  concealed  herself  in  the  garret;  and  after  the 
Indians  left  the  house,  extinguished  the  fire,  and  saved  the  house  from 
burning.  Brewbecker's  wile  got  information  that  th.e  Indians  were  com- 
ing, and  ran  ofi'  with  her  children  to  where  several  men  were  at  work,  who 
conveyed  her  across  the  river  to  a  neighboring  house.  Mr.  John  Brew- 
becker no vr  resides  on  the  farm  where  this  occurrence  took  place. f 


*The  late  Mrs.  Rebecca  Briiiker,  one  o[  the  daugh.ters  of  George  Bow- 
man, on  Cedar  Creek,  informed  the  author  that  she  recollected  when  six- 
teen families  took  shelter  in  her  lather's  house. 

t?»Ir.- Brewbecker  resides  on  the  west  side  of  the  South  fork  of  the 
Shenanrlonh  river,  on  Masinntton  creek,  in  tJie  new  county  of  Page,  and 
has  erected  a  large  and  elegant  brick  house  on  the  snot  where  the  Indiaai 
jilundered  hisfath!^r^s  dweJiing.. 


74  INDIAN  INCURSIONS 

The  follo-^ing  singular  tradition,  as  connected  wirli  this  occurrence,  has 
been  related  to  the  author: 

About  dusk  on  the  evening  previous,  Mrs.  Brcwbecker  told  her  hus- 
band and  tamily  that  the  Indians  would  attack  them  next  morning,  saying 
that  she  could  "see  a  party  of  them  on  the  side  of  JNIasinutton  mountain,  in 
the  act  of  cooking  their  supper.  She  also  declared  that  she  saw  their 
tire,  and  could  count  the  number  of  Indians.  She  pointed  to  the  spot ; 
but  no  other  part  of  the  family  saw  it;  and  it  was  therefore  thought  that 
she  must  be  mistaken.  Persisting  in  her  declarations,  she  begged  her 
liusband  to  remove  her  and  her  children  to  a  place  of  safety:  but  she  was 
laughed  at,  told  that  it  was  mere  superstition,  and  that  she  was  in  no  dan- 
ger. It  was  however  afterwards  ascertained  that  the  savages  liad  en- 
camped that  night  at  the  place  on  the  mountain  pointed  out  by  Mrs.  E. 
It  was  about  two  miles  off.* 

These  outrages  of  the  Indians  drove  many  of  the  white  settlers  below 
tlie  Blue  ridge. 

Probably  the  same  year,  several  Indians  attacked  the  house  of  a  mart 
named  Birrgaman,  near  the  present  site  of  New  Market.  Bingaman,  wha 
was  remarkably  stout  and  active,  defended  his  family  with  great  resolution 
and  firmness,  and  laid  tvvo  of  the  assailants  dead  at  his  feet:  they  suc- 
ceeded, however,  in  killing  his  wife  and  children,  Bingaman  eseaping  with 
several  wounds,  from  which  he  fmally  recovered.  The  same  party  took 
Lewis  Bingarnan,  (a  nephew  of  the  one  spoken  of,)  a  prisoner.  He  was 
a  boy  about  thirteen  or  fourteen  years  old,  grew  up  with  the  Indians,  and 
became  a  man  of  distinction  among  them. 

About  the  same  time  the  Indians  forcibly  entered  the  house  of  Mr. 
Young,  who  resided  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  William  Smith,  Esq.  not 
more  than  a  mile  from  Zanc^s  old  iron  works,  and  killed  several  of  his 
family.  They  took  an  infant,  dashed  its  head  against  a  rock,  beat  out  its 
brains,  and  left  it  lying  on  the  ground.  Two  of  Young's  daughters,  pret- 
ty well  grown,  were  carried  off  prisoners.  Lieutenant  Samuel  Fry  raised 
a  force  of  between  thiity  and  forty  men,  pursued,  and  came  in  sight  of 
them,  unobserved,  at  the  Short  mountain,  near  the  Allegany.  Fry's  par- 
ty prepared  to  fire;  but  unfortunately  one  of  the  white  girls  stepping  ac- 
cidentally bdbre  their  guns,  the  intention  was  frustrated,  and  Fry  being- 
discovered  the  next  moment,  he  ordered  his  men  to  charge..  This  was 
no  soor.tr  done  than  the  Ipdians  broke  and  ran  off,  leaving  their  guns, 
prisoners  and  plunder:  the  two  young  females  were  tlius  rescued  and 
brought  safely  home. 

.•Inother  family  in  the  same  lu-iirhborhood,  by  the  name  of  Day,  were 
attacked,  several  killed,  and  two  of  the  daughters  taken  oflf.  A  party  of 
eighteen  or  twenty  w'hitcs  pursued  them.  Yhe  girls,  as  Ihcy  travelled 
through  the  mountains,  exj)ecting  pursuit,  took  the  precaution  (unobserv- 
ed by  their  captors)  to  tear  off  and  frequently  drop  small  scraps  of  white 
linen,  as  well  as  pluck  ofl"  branches  of  bushes,  and  drop  them  as  a  trail, 
by  which  means  their  friends  could  readily  discover  their  route.     A  bro- 


•This  tradition  was  given  the  author  by  Mr.  Andrew  Keyser,  jr.    who 
married  a  grand  daughter  of  the  woman  who  saw  the  Indians. 


:4ND  MASSACRES. 


ia 


ihcr  lo  llie  girls,  a  young  man,  was  one  of  the  pursuing  parly.  Tho  In- 
dians Avere  overtaken  on  the  South  Branch  mountain;  and  as  soon  as  seen 
preparations  were  made  to  give  them  a  deadly  fire.  But  the  youncr  Day 
in  his  eagerness  to  avenge  the  death  of  his  father  and  family,  prematurely 
fired,  killing  the  object  of  his  aim,  when  the  others  precipitately  fled,  lea- 
ving every  tiling  behind  them.  They  had  cut  off  the  girls'  petticoats  at 
the  knees,  in  order  that  they  should  be  able  to  make  more  speed  in  travel- 
ing.    The  girls  were  brought  safe  home. 

There  were  several  instances  of  the  Indians  committing  murders  on 
the  whites  about  the  Potomac  and  South  Branch  several  years  before 
Braddock's  defeat.  About  the  year  1752,  a  man  by  the  name  of  James 
Davis  was  killed,  pretty  high  up  the  Potomac;  and  in  the  succeeding  year, 
William  Zane  and  several  of  his  family  were  taken  prisoners  on  the  South 
Branch,  in  the  now  county  of  Hardy.  Isaac  Zane,  one  of  his  sons,  re- 
mained during  his  life  with  the  Indians.  The  author  saw  this  man  at 
Chillicothe  in  the  autumn  of  1797,  and  had  some  conversation  with  him 
upon  the  subject  of  his  captivity.  He  stated  that  he  was  captured  when 
^!)out  nine  years  old;  was  four  years  without  seeing  a  white  person;  had 
learned  the  Indian  tung  quite  well,  but  never  lost  a  knowledge  of  Eng- 
lish, having  learned  to  spell  in  two  syllables,  which  he  could  still  do,  al- 
diough  pretty  well  advaaeed  in  years.  He  also  said  that  a  trader  came  to 
the  Indian  village  four  years  after  his  captivity,  and  spoke  to  him  in  Eng- 
lish, of  which  he  understood  every  word;  that  when  he  grew  up  to  man- 
hood, he  married  a  sister  of  the  Wyandott  king,  and  raised  a  family  of 
seven  or  eight  children.  His  sons  were  all  Indians  in  their  habits  and  dis- 
positions; his  daughters,  four  of  them,  all  married  white  men,  became 
civilized,  and  were  remarkably  fine  women,  considering  the  opportunities 
they  had  had  for  improvement. 

This  man  possessed  great  influence  with  the  tribes  he  was  acquainted 
with;  and  as  he  retained  a  regard  for  his  native  countrymen,  was  several 
times  instrumental  in  bringing  about  treaties  of  peace.  The  government 
of  the  United  States  granted  him  a  patent  for  ten  thousand  acres  of  land, 
which  he  claimed  as  his  private  property;  and  when  the  author  saw  him 
.he  was  on  his  way  to  Philadelphia  to  apply  for  a  confirmation  of  his  title. 
He  was  a  near  relation  to  the  late  Gen.  Isaac  Zane,  of  Frederick  county, 
Virginia. 

About  the  same  time  that  ^Ir.  Zane's  family  were  taken  prisoners,  as 
just  related,  an  Indian  killed  a  white  man  near  Oldtown,  in  Jjaryland,  but 
was,  in  return,  killed  by  the  late  Capt.  Michael  Cresap,  then  a  boy,  with 
a  pistol,  while  he  was  in  the  act  of  scalping  the  white  man.* 

About  the  year  1758  there  were  two  white  men  who  di'-guised  them- 
selves in  the  habit  of  Indians,  and  appeared  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
present  site  of  ^rlartinsburg.  They  were  pursued  aufl  kiHed,  supposing 
t'uMn  to  be  Indians. f  It  was  no  inicommon  thing  for  unprincipled  scoun- 
drels to  act  in  this  manner.  Tlieir  object  was  to  frii^hten  people  to  leave 
their  homc->,  in  order  tliat  they  might  rob  and  ])lunder  them  of  lht,'ir  must 

'.)ai'(">b's  Life  "^r  fn-Niip. 

ill'-lated  by  f."  ipi  dn  Jauv-  (ili'un. 


76  INDIAN  INCTRSIONS 

valuable  article?."'     The  Indians  were  ircquenily  charged  witiiout  outrages 
they  never  committed. 

A  luan  by  the  name  of  Edcs,  wiili  liis  family,  resided  in  a  cave  for  se- 
veral years,  abont  three  "hiiles  above  tiie  mouth  of  Capon.  This  cave  is 
in  a  larjTe  rock,  and  when  oilier  people  would  lake  sheiier  at  a  ibrt  in  the 
neighborhood,  Kdcs  would  remain  in  his  cave.  At  length  the  Indians 
found  them,  by  trailing  the  children  when  driving;  up  tiieircows,  and  took 
Edes  and  his  faiuily  jjrisoners.f 

A  Mr.  Smilh,  a  bachelor,  resided  on  ihc  vresl  siae  oi  Capon  river,  in 
a  small  cabin.  'I'hree  Indians  one  morning  entered  his  house,  split  up  his 
wooden  bowls  and  trenchers  (plates  made  of  wood,)  destroyed  his  house- 
hold goods  generally,  and  took  him  otf  as  a  prisoner.  They  crossed  the 
Cohongoruton,  and  halted  at  a  place  called  Grass  liclc,  on  the  Marvland 
side,  with  the  intention  of  stealing  horses.  Two  of  them  went  into  a 
meadow  for  this  jturpose,  while  the  third  remained  to  guard  Smith,  The 
two  men  soon  lialtercd  a  young  unbroken  horse,  delivered  him  to  the 
guard,  and  went  in  pursuit  of  more.  The  fellow-  who  held  tlie  horse  dis- 
coverino-  the  animal  was  easily  frightened,  several  times  scared  him  for  his 
amusement,  till  at  length  he  became  so  much  alarmed  that  lie  made  a  sud- 
den wheel,  and  ran  olf  with  the  Indian  hanging  to  the  halter,  dragging 
him  a  considerable  distance.  Smith  took  this  opportunity  to  escape,  and 
succeeded  in  getting  olf.  The  next  morning  a  party  of  white  men  col- 
lected vfith  the  intention  of  giving  pursuit.  They  went  to  Smith's  cabin 
and  found  him  mending  his  bowis  and  trenchers  by  sewing  them  up  with 
wax-ends.:|: 

At  Hedges'  fort,  on  the  present  road  from  Aiariinsburg  to  iJath,  west  of 
Back  creek,  a  man  was  killed  while  watching  the  spiing.§ 

On  Lo.sl  river  there  v%-ere  two  forts,  one  on  the  land  now  the  residence 
of  Jeremiah  Inskeep,  Esq.  callerl  Riddle's  fort,  wiiere  a  man  nameti  Ches- 
mer  WH'^  killed;  the  other  called  Warden's  fort, ||  where  William  Warden 
and  a  Mi-.  Tali'  v/ere  kilied,  and  the  fort  I)urnt  down. 

Just  before  (he  massacre  on  Looney's  creek,  (lelated  on  the  succeeding 
page,)  seven  Indians  surrounded  the  cabin  of  Samuel  Bingaraan,  not  far 
distant  from  the  present  village  of  Petersburg,  in  the  county  of  Harcly. — 
It  was  just  before  daybreak,  that  being  the  time  when  the  Indians  gene- 
rally made  their  surprises.  ?;Ir.  Wf^  fsmiiy  consisted  of  himself  anrl  wife, 
his  father  and  mother,  and  a  hired  man.  The  first  four  were  asleep  in  the 
room  below,  and  the  hired  man  in  (he  loft  a')ove.  A  shot  was  lired  into 
the  cabin,  the  ball  passing  through  the  fleshy  part  of  the  younger  Mrs. ' 
Binganiati's  loft  breast.  The  family  sprung  to  their  feet,  Bingaman  seiz- 
ing his  rille,  and  ih-  Indians  at  the  same  moment  rushing  in  at  the  door. 
Bing'inian  told  his  wile  and  lather  and  mother  to  get  out  of  the  way,  un- 
der the  bed,  and  called  to  the  j.ian  in  llie  loft  to  come  down,  who,    how- 


•Hela'.ed  by  Lewis  Ncill.  fCapt.   CJIenn. 

I  Related  by  (^apt.  Glenn.  §  I  ''C  s:iiTie. 

1} Warden's  fort  was  at  the  present  residciic*'  ol'  Mr.  Benjamin  War- 
den,  a  pnndson  of  the  mr'ii  tli:-;t  was  kil'ed,  about  lhi;ty-!ivc  miles  south 
vest  of  \N  iiif  !ir-ter. 


AND  MASSACRES. 


t  i 


ie"»Tr,  never  rAovccl.  li  was  si-ill  dark,  and  the  Indians  were  prevented 
from  firing,  by  a  fear  of  injuring  one  of  their  number.  Bingaman,  unre- 
strained by  any  fears  of  this  kind,  laid  about  him  with  (h?s];)fration.  At 
the  first  blow,  his  rifle  broke  at  the  breech,  shivering  the  stock  to  pieces; 
but  with  the  barrel  he  continued  his  blows  until  he  cleared  tlie  room. — ■ 
Daylight  now  appearing,  he  discovered  that  he  had  killed  five,  and  that 
the  remaining  two  were  retreating  across  the  field.  He  stepped  out,  and 
seizin"- a  ride  Vvhich  had  been  left  by  the  partv,  fired  at  one  of  the  l"ua;}- 
tives,  wounded,  and  tomahawked  hun.  Tradition  relates  that  the  other 
tied  to  the  Indian  camp,  and  told  his  comrades  that  they  had  had  a  fight 
wdtli  a  man  who  was  a  devil — that  he  had  killed  six  of  them,  antl  if  they 
vv'cnt  again,  would  kill  them  all.  When  Bingaman,  after  the  battle,  dis- 
covered that  his  v/ife  was  wounded,  he  became  frantic  with  rage  at  the 
cowardice  o(  the  hired  man,  and  would  have  dispatched  him  but  for  the 
entreaties  of  Mrs.  B,  to  spare  his  life.  She  recovered  from  her  wound  in 
a  short  time.* 

It  was  the  practice  of  the  settlers  on  the  AYappatomaka,  in  times  of 
danger,  to  leave  the  forts  in  numbers,  and  assist  eacii  other  in  harvest. — 
About  the  year  1756,  a  party  of  nine  whites  left  the  fort  opposite  the  pre- 
sent village  of  Petersburg,  to  assist  Mr.  Job  Vvelton  to  cut  his  father's 
meadow  and  hunt  his  cattle.  They  took  their  rilles  with  them,  as  w^as  in- 
variably the  practice  whenever  they  left  the  fort.  After  collecting  the  cat- 
tle, they  turned  in  and  cut  a  portion  of  the  meaiiow.  As  night  approach- 
ed, a  proposition  was  made  by  Mr.  Welton  to  return  to  the  fort,  which 
was  rather  opposed  by  the  rest  of  the  p^irty,  who,  not  having  been  molest- 
ed during  the  day,  were  disposed  to  believe  in  their  perfect  security. — 
Thev  repaired  to  the  house  of  the  elder  Mr.  Welton,  fronting  the 
meadow,  and  within  two  hundred  yards  of  the  present  residence  of  Aaron 
Welton,  Esq.  Here  they  wished  to  remain,  but  the  determination  was 
resisted  by  Job  Welton,  who  again  advised  a  return  to  the  fort.  After 
some  consultation  it  was  agreed  on  to  repair  to  the  shelter  of  a  large  elm 
tree  in  tiie  meadow^  where  thev  had  been  mowing,  and  where  they  con- 
■cealed  themselves  in  a  winnow  of  the  grass,  and  soon  fell  into  a  sound 
sleep;  from  wmich  they  were  sometime  afterwards  roused  by  the  crack  of 
a  riiie.  Mr.  Welton  was  Iving  with  his  brother  Jonathan  under  the  same 
blanket,  and  the  latter  was  shot  through  the  heart.  The  party  sprang  to 
their  feet  and  attempted  to  escape.  In  his  alarm,  Mr.  W.  forgot  his  rifle, 
and  fled  in  company  with  a  Mr.  Delay.  They  had  proceedeb  about  200 
yards,  pursued  Ly  an  Indian,  when  Delay  wheeled  and  discharged  his  ride, 
"which  brought  his  pursuer  down.  At  the  same  instant  that  Delay  vrheel- 
ed,  the  Indian  threw  his  tomahawk,  wdiich  sunk  into  the  back  of  xMr.  Wel- 
ton, severing  two  of  his  ribs.     He  fell  to  the  ground,  supposing   himself 


*The  author  received  the  particulars  of  this  surprising  adventure  from 
Job  Welton  a.nd  Aaron  Welton,  Esqrs.  of  Petersburg.  Mrs.  Blue,  wife 
r)f  Mr.  Garret  l^lue,  also  told  the  author,  that  when  she  was  a  small  girl 
Bingani;m  fi-equcnt'y  stopped  at  h.cr  father's  residence  on  Cii^at  river,  and 
she  more  than  once  heard  him  relate  the  circumstances  of  thi.j  affair,  and 
vav  ihorc  wri'c  .'.'■veil  Indians. 


78  INDIAN  INCURSIONS 

innrlallv  wounded  by  a  rifle  ball,  while  Delay  continued  onward  pursued 
by  another  Indian.  JNIr.  VVelton  soon  recovered  from  his  surprise,  and 
proceeded  cautiously  in  a  direction  towards  tlie  fort,  very  weak  from  the 
loss  of  blood.  He  soon  heard  Delay  and  the  Indian  in  a  parley;  the  for- 
mer bein"*  exhausted  by  running  and  disposed  to  yield,  and  the  latter  de- 
manding iiis  surrender.  Delay  agreed  to  give  up  on  condition  that  his 
enemy  would  spare  his  life,  which  being  solemnly  agreed  to,  he  was  re- 
conducted to  the  elm  tree.  Here  a  council  was  held,  and  Delay,  with 
three  others  who  had  been  taken,  were  inhumanly  scalped,  from  which 
they  died  in  two  or  three  days  afterwards.  Mr.  Welton  was  able  to  reach 
the  fort,  v.here  he  laid  three  months  before  his  wound  healed.  Of  the 
whole  party,  but  three  escaped;  four  were  scalped  and  died,  and  two  were 
killed  at  the  first  surprise.  The  escape  of  Mr.  Kuykendall  was  remarka- 
ble. It  was  a  bright  moonlight  night,  while  the  shade  of  the  elm  rcnch-r- 
cd  it  quite  dark  under  the  tree.  Mr.  K.  being  an  old  man,  was  unable  to 
fly  with  speed,  and  therefore  remained  still,  while  his  companions  fled 
across  the  meadow.  The  Indians  passed  over  him,  leaving  the  rear  clear, 
when  Mr.  K.  retreated  at  his  leisure,  and  reached  the  fort  in  safety,  one 
and  a  half  miles>* 

On  tlie  day  following,  the  whites  left  the  fort  in  pursuit,  and  overtook 
their  enemy  late  at  night  on  Dunkard  bottom,  Cheat  river,  where  they  had 
encamped.  The  pursuers  dismounted,  and  the  captain  ordered  Binga- 
inan  (the  same  whose  prowess  is  related  in  a  preceding  pnge)  to  guard  the 
horses.  He  however  disobeyed,  and  loitered  in  the  rear  of  the  party. — 
To  make  the  desti-uction  of  the  enemy  more  certain,  it  was  deemed  advi- 
sable to  wait  for  daylight  before  they  began  an  attack:  but  a  young  man, 
whose  zeal  overcame  his  discretion,  fired  into  the  group,  upon  which  the 
Indians  si)rung  to  their  feet  and  fled.  Bingaman  singled  out  a  fellow  of 
.giant-like  size,  whom  he  pursued,  throwing  aside  his  rifle  that  his  speed 
might  not  be  retarded — passed  several  smaller  Indians  in  the  chase — 
•oamc  up  wit'i  him — and  with  a  single  blow  of  his  hatchet,  cleft  his  skull. 
When  Hingaman  returned  to  the  battle  ground,  the  captain  sternly  observ- 
Td,  "I  or(k'red  you  to  stay  and  guard  the  horses.*'  Bingaman  as  sternly 
replied,  '<you  are  a  rascal,  sir:  you  intended  to  disgrace  me;  and  one  more 
insolent  word,  and  you  shall  share  the  fate  of  that  Indian,"  pointing  to- 
wards the  body  he  bad  just  slain.  The  captain  quailed  under  the  stern 
menace,  and  held  his  peace.  He  and  Bingaman  had,  a  few  days  before, 
had  a  falling  out.  Several  Indians  fell  in  this  affair,  while  the  whites  lost 
none  of  their  paity. 

Dr.  Turley  staled  to  the  author  thai  he  had  ofien  heard  Mr.  .John  Har- 
ness, who  was  onn  of  the  party  that  followed  the  Indians,  relate  that  De- 
lay was  taken  to  Dunkard  bottom,  and  when  the  Indians  were  then  sur- 
prised, he  was  shot,  but  whether  by  his  captors  or  accidentally,  was  not 
known.  Delay  himself  not  being  able  to  tell.     He  was  conveyed  home  on 


"Messrs.  Aaron  mid  .Job  VVelton  related  this  tradition  to  the  author.  If 
•was  thought  that  Delay  would  have  recovered  bAit  f^r  the  unskillfulnrss 
of  the  surgeon  (if  he  deserved  the  name)  wh'">  r^Kend'-d  him.  The  bite 
Gon.  Wilb.mi  D.nkf  imrri'^d  Iir~  widow. 


AND  MAS\SACRES.  79 

a  litter,  and  died  directly  afterwards.     There  were,  however,  two  JJehnvs^. 
and  the  fast  rehitiun  may  be  true. 

INIrs.  Shobe,  an  aged  and  respectable  lady,  living  on  Mill  creek,  in 
Hardy  county,  informed  the  author  that  Delay  was  buried  on  the  bankst 
of  the  South  Branch,  and  some  years  afterwards  his  skeleton  was  washed 
out  by  a  rising  of  the  river.  She  then  heard  Job  Welton  say  that  Delay 
had  saved  his  life,  and  he  would  take  care  of  his  bones. 

To  show  the  spirit  of  the  times,  the  following  anecdote  is  related.  Va- 
lentine Powers  and  his  brother,  with  two  or  three  others,  left  the  fort  near 
Petersburg,*  on  a  visit  to  their  farms,  when  they  were  fired  upon  by  In- 
dians from  a  thicket,  and  the  brother  of  Powers  killed.  Valentine  ran, 
but  soon  calling  to  mind  the  saying,  current  among  them,  that  "it  was  u 
bad  man  who  took  bad  news  home,"  he  turned  about  and  gave  himself  up 
and  remained  a  prisoner  live  or  six  3'ears.f 

jNIartin  Peterson  was  taken  a  prisoner  on  the  South  ]3ranch,  and  carried 
to  the  Sandusky  towns.  He  used  to  accompany  the  Indians  in  their 
hunting  excursions,  and  was  permitted  to  have  one  load  of  powder  and 
ball  each  day,  which  he  always  discharged  at  the  game  they  met  with. — 
As  he  gained  on  the  confidence  of  his  captors,  they  increased  his  allow- 
ance to  two  loads,  and  subsequently  to  three.  The  same  allowance  was 
made  to  two  other  white  prisoners.  These  three,  one  day,  after  receiving 
their  allowance,  determined  to  attempt  an  escape;  and  left  the  towns  ac- 
cordingly. As  they  ventured  to  travel  only  at  night,  guided  bv  the  north 
star,  their  progress  was  exceedingly  slow  and  difficult.  On  the  second 
day  one  of  their  number  died  from  fatigue,  and  Peterson  took  his  ammu- 
nition. A  day  or  two  afterwards,  his  remaining  companion  also  gave  out, 
and  Peterson  taking  his  ammunition,  left  him  to  perish.  He  then  pur- 
sued his  way  alone,  and  after  a  succession  of  hardships,  came  iit  length 
in  sight  of  the  fort.  But  here,  when  within  reach  of  his  deliverance,  his 
hopes  were  well-nigh  blasted;  for  the  sentry,  mistaking  him  for  an  Indian, 
fired!  Happily  the  ball  missed  its  aim,  and  he  was  able  to  make  himself 
known  before  the  fire  was  repeated.  This  fort  was  on  the  farm  now  the 
residence  of  Mr.  John  Welton,  near  Petersburg,  Hardy  county. J 

Seybert's  fort,§  was  erected  on  the  South  fork  of  the  South   branch  of 

*Called  Fort  George.     The  land  is  now  owned  by  Job  Welton,  Esq. 

f Related  by  Aaron  Welton,  Esq. 

|Relatedby  Aaron  Welton,  Esq. 

§The  author,  on  a  visit  to  Franklin,  obtained  some  additional  particu- 
lars in  relation  to  the  attack  on  Seybert's  fort: — The  party  of  Indians  was 
commanded  by  the  blood-thirsty  and  treacherous  chief.  Kill-buck.  Sey- 
bert's son,  a  lad  about  fifteen  years  of  age,  exhibited  great  firmness  and 
bravery  in  the  defence  of  ihe  post.  He  had  with  his  rifle  brought  down 
two  of  his  assailants,  when  Kill-buck  called  out  to  old  Seybert,  in  Eng- 
lish, to  surrender,  and  their  lives  should  be  spared.  At  that  instant  young- 
Seybert,  having  charged  his  rifle,  v.-as  in  the  act  of  presenting  it  at  Kill- 
buck,  when  his  father  seized  the  gun,  and  took  it  from  him,  observing: — 
"We  cannot  defend  the  fort:  we  must  surrender  in  order  to  save  our 
lives,"  confiding  in  the  assurances  of  the  faithless    Kdl-biick.     The   first 


so  INDIAN   JNCCR.SIONS. 

ilic  Pc'oma;',  on  the  land  now  owned  bv  Mr.  Fordm;Hid  Liiir,  twelve  niilei; 
norlli  enst  oi"  Franklin,  ihc  prevent  county  seat  oi"  Pendlevon.  In  the 
year  I7i>8,  n.  party  of  Indians  surprised  the  tort,  in  which  were  thirty  per- 
sons. They  bound  ten,  \vhorn  they  conveyed  without  the  I'ort,  and  then 
jirocecded  to  massacre  the  others  in  the  loUowing  manner:  They  seated 
them  in  a  row  upon  a  log,  with  an  Indian  standing  behind  each;  and  at  a 
given  signal,  each  Indian  sunk  his  tomahawk  into  the  head  of  his  victim: 
an  additional  blow  or  two  dispatched  them.  The  scene  was  v;-itnessed 
bv  James  Dver,  a  lad  fourteen  years  old,  who,  not  liavinn:  been  removed 
v.ithout  the  fort,  supposed  that  he  was  to  be  massacred.  Ke  was  how- 
ever spared,  and  taken  to  Log  town,  sixteen  miles  below  Fort  Pitt,  thence 
to  the  mouth  oi'  the  Muskingum  river,  and  thence  to  the  spot  where  Cliil- 
icothe  now  stands,  where  he  remained  a  prisoner  one  year  and  ten  months. 
lie  had  by  this  lime  gained  the  entire  confidence  of  his  captors,  and  was 
j)ermitted  to  accompany,  them  to  Fort  Pitt  on  a  trading  expedition. — 
When  there  he  planned  his  escape,  and  happily  succeeded..  Being  sent 
out  for  some  bread  with  an  Indian  lad,  he  slipped  into  a  hovel,  unobserv- 
ed by  his  companion,  and  implored  the  protection  of  the  poor  woman  who 
occupied  it.  She  told  him  to  get  behind  a  chest,  the  only  furniture  in  the 
room,  and  threw  upon  him  a  bed.  The  Indians,  on  missing  him,  spent 
the  afternoon  i)i  search,  during  which  thev  looked  into  the  very  hovel 
where  he  was,  and  left  the  place  the  next  morning  on  their  return.  Fort 
Pitt  being  then  in  possession  of  the  English,  a  trooper  very  kindly  con- 
veyed him  six  or  seven  miles  behind  him,  whence  he  jnade  his  way  to  his 
friends  in  Pennsylvania,  where  he  remained  two  years  longer,  and  then 
returned  to  South  Fork.* 

Another  tradition  says  that  Seybert's  fort  was  not  surprised.  It  had 
been  invested  for  two  or  three  days,  and  at'ter  two  Indians  had  becm  killed, 
the  garrison  agreed  to  surrender  on  condition  that  their  lives  should  be 
spared,  which  was  solemnly  pledged.  The  gate  vv'as  then-  opened,  and 
the  Indians  rushed  in  with  demoniac  yelis.  The  whites  fled  with  pre- 
cipitation, but  were  retaken,  with  the  exception  of  one  man.     The    mas- 


salutation  he  received,  after  surrendering  ihe  fort,  wjis  a  stroke  on  his 
mouth  from  the  monster,  Kill-buci:,  with  the  pipe-end  of  his  tomahawk, 
dislocating  several  of  the  old  man's  V(?th;  and  immediately  after  he  was 
massacred  with  the  other  viclims.  Younfr  Sevbeit  was  taken  off  amonc; 
the  prisoners.  He  told  Killbuck /tc  had  minrd  his  gun  in  Icill  him;  but 
thnt  hi^  fiitlivr  hiid  wrcatcd  it  frovi  him  The  savage  laughed,  and  re- 
plied, "You' little  rascal,  if  you  harl  killed  me  vou  would  have  saved  the 
ibrt:  lor  harl  I  ia1!en  my  warriors  would  have  immediately  lied,  and  given 
up  the  siege  in  despair." 

It  is  said  there  were  three  men  in  the  fort,  not  one  of  whom  manifested 
a  disposition  to  aid  its  defence.  Had  they  joined  young  Seybert,  and 
acterl  with  the  snme  intrepidity  and  coolnc.'s,  the  plare  might  have  been 
sa\ed,and  the  awful  siirrificf'  rif  the  inmates  avoided. 

^Related  by  Zf>!)ulon  Dyer,  Fsq.  clerk  of  Pendleton  county,  and  son  of 
the  Jamis  Dver  mentioned. 


And  massacres.  si 

sari'P  then  took  place,  ns  brlorc  related,  and  ten  were  taken  ofl'as  pris- 
oners. 

Another  tradition  says,  that,  on  the  fort's  being  given  up,  tlie  Indian-^ 
seated  twenty  ot  the  garrison  in  two  rows,  all  of  whom  they  killed  ex- 
cept the  wife  of  Jacob  Peterson.  When  they  reached  her,  an  Indian  in- 
terposed to  save  her  life,  and  some  altercation  ensued.  The  friendly  In- 
dian at  length  prevailed  ;  and  thiowing  her  a  pair  of  nrorcasons,  told  her 
to  march  oif  with  the  prisoners.  How  long  she  remained  in  captivity  is 
not  remembered.* 

The  f  ndians  killed  John  Crake';3  wife  on  the  South  fork  of  the  Wapp,  - 
tomaka.  John  Brake  became  conspicuous  in  the  war  of  the  revohuion, 
which  will  be  noticed  hereaftei-.  Fredrick  J  ice  had  his  wliole  family  kill- 
ed, with  the  exception  of  himself  and  one  son.  A  ma!i  named  Williams 
and  his  wife  were  also  killed.  Richard  Williams  and  his  wife  were  ta- 
ken prisoners  :  the  latter  w^as  only  eighteen  months  old  when  taken,  re- 
mained with  the  Indians;  until  she  was  Ihrirteen,  and  was  then  brought 
home.  She  had  learned  the  Indian  language  perfectly;  afterwards  learned 
to  speak  English,  but  there  were  some  words  she  never  could  pronounce 
})laiidy.~    She  married  Uriah  Ijlue,  on  the  South  J3ranch. 

About  eight  miles  below  Romney  stood  a  tort.  In  time  of  harvest  a 
Mrs.  Hogeland  went  out  about  three  hundred  yards  to  gather  beans,  two 
men  accompanying  her  as  a  guard.  While  gathering  the  beans,  8  or  ten 
Indians  made  their  appearace.  One  of  the  guarde  instantly  Hed  ;  the  oth- 
er, whose  name  was  Hogeland,  called  to  the  woman  to  I'un  to  the  fort ; 
and  placing  himself  betw^een  her  and  the  enemy,  with  his  rille  cocked  and 
presented,  retreated  from  tree  to  tree  until  both  entered  it.  Some  old 
men  in  the  fort  fired  off  their  guns  to  alarm  the  harvest  hands,  who  ran 
into  it,  the  Indians  from  the  side  of  the  mountain  firing  upon  them,  but 
doing  no  ijljury.  The  same  day  the  harvest  hands  were  w^aylaid  as  they 
returned  to  their  work,  fired  upon,  and  Henry  Newkirk  wounded  in  the 
hip.  The  whites  returned  the  fire,  and  w^ounded  an  Indian,  who  dropped 
his  gun  and  tied.  The  others  also  made  oif,  and  the  harvest  hands  pro- 
ceeded to  their  work. 

In  1756,  while  the  Indians  were  lurking  about  Fort  Pleasant,  and  con- 
stantly on  the  w^atch  to  cut  off  all  communication  therewith,  a  lad  named 
Pliggins,  aged  about  twelve  years,  was  directed  by  his  mother  to  go  to 
the  spring,  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  without  the  fort,  and  bring  a  bucket 
of  water.  He  complied  with  much  trepidation,  and  persuaded  a  compa*- 
nion  of  his,  of  about  the  same  age,  to  accom.pany  him.  They  repaired 
to  the  spring  as  cautiously  as  possible,  and  after  filling  their  buckets,  ran 
w^ith  speed  towards  the  fort,  Higgins  taking  the  lead.  When  about  half 
way  to  the  fort,  and  Higgins  had  got  about  thirty  yards  before  his  com- 
panion,  he  heard  a  scream  from  the  latter,  which  caused  him  to  increase 
his  speed  to  the  utmost.  He  reached  the  fort  in  safety,  while  his  coui- 
panion  was  ca})tured  by  the  Indians,  and  taken  to  their  settlements,  where 


*Mrs.  Shobe  informed  tlie  aut'iov  that  slie  had  lienrd  Vnc    wife  of  Jacob 
Peterson  frequently  relate  this, 

L 


b'2  INDIAN    fNCLliSlUNS 

he  remained  until  the  peace,  and  was  then  restored.  The  young  Hig-- 
gins  subsequently  because  the  active  Capt.  Robert  Hiu'^ins  in  our  revolu- 
tionarv  army,  and  aJtor  raising  a  numerous  i'amily  in  Virginia,  remo\ed 
Avith  them  to  the  west." 

In  the  neighborhood  of  Moorefield  a  paity  of  men  were  mowing  for 
Peter  Casey.  They  had  placed  their  guns  under  a  large  tree  in  the  edge 
of  the  meadow,  and  old  Peter  stood  sentinel  to  watch  and  give  the  alarm 
should  the  enemy  make  their  appearance.  In  a  short  time  a  party  of  In- 
dians discovered  the  hands  at  work;  and  cautiously  crept  through  the 
brambles  and  slirubbery  in  order  to  get  a  position  to  make  a  deadly  fire. 
One  of  them  was  in  front  of  the  others,  aiul  had  approached  very  near 
old  Peter  before  the  latter  saw  him,  ^vheu  the  old  man  Hew  at  him  with 
his  cane  raised,  crying  out,  "By  the  Lord,  boys,  here  they  come!"  The 
Indian,  desperately  frightened,  took  to  his  heels,'  the  men  flew  to  their 
guns;  and  the  skulking  savages  retreated  precipitately,  without  llring  a 
single  shot.  It  is  not  improbable  that  Casey  still  used  the  same  stick 
with  which  he  '-knocked  Kill-buck  down."! 

The  author  finding  this  chapter  running  to  a  tedious  and  perhaps  tire- 
some length  to  the  reader,  will  give  his  pen  a  short  respite,  and  rosuui-o 
his  narrative  of  Indian  outracfes  in  the  next  chapter. 


-:0:- 


CHAPTER  IX. 

INDIAN  INCLUSIONS  AND  .MASSACRES— Continued. 


On  Stony  ('.'-eek,  five  or  six  rnilcs  s()ulli-wcst  of  Woodstock,  tlicre  was  a 
a  fort  called  "Wolfe's  tori,"  where  the  people  took  shelter  from  the  In- 
dians for  several  years,  Mr.  Wolfe  would  sometimes  venture  out  lor  llie 
purpose  of  killing  game,  and  was  always  accompanied  by  a  favorite  dog. 
On  one  particular  occasion,  this  faithful  animal  saved  his  master's  life. — 
Mr.  W.  walked  out  with  his  gun  and  dog,  but  had  not  jn'oceed*^!  far  be- 
fore the  latter  manifested  great  alarm,  and  used  all  his  ingenuity  to  imluce 
his  master  to  return.  He  repeatedly  crossed  his  path,  endeavoring  to  ob- 
struct his  walk;  would  raise  himself  uj),  and  place  his  feet  against  his 
master's  breast,  and  strive  to  push  him  back;  would  run  a  few  steps  to- 
wards the  foit,  and  then  return  whining.  From  the  extraordinary  mani- 
festation of  uneasiness  on  the  part  of  the  dog,  Mr.  Wolfe  began  to  sus- 
pect there  was  some  lurking  danger,  of  course  kept  a  sharp  look  out,  and 
soon  discovered  an  Indian  at  some  distance  behind  a  tree,  watching   and 

•Relate*!  by  Col.  Isaac  \'atimeler.  t  The  same. 


AND  MASSACRES.  S3 

Avaitinn;  until  he  should  come  near  eiiouofh  to  be  a  sure  mark.  Mr.  W. 
STiade  a  safe  retreat  into  the  fort,  and  ever  after  felt  the  highest  gratitude 
to  his  honest  and  faithful  dog.  The  dog  lived  to  be  twenty-one  years  of 
age,  and  probably  more,*  Ulysses's  dog  "Argus"  is  much  celebrated  iu 
history;  but  it  is  very  questionable  whether  Argus  ever  rendered  more  im- 
portant services  to  his  lord  and  master.  Ulysses  was  one  of  the  command- 
ing generals  of  the  Greeks  in  the  Trojan  war,  and  was  absent  twenty 
years,  it  is  said,  from  his  home.  The  story  of  his  dog  is  related  by  Ho- 
raer  in  the  following  beautiful  poetical  eiTusionif 

Thus  near  the  gates  conferring  as  they  drew, 
Argus,  the  dog,  his  iincient  master  knew; 
He,  not  unconscious  of  the  voice  and  tread. 
Lifts  to  the  sound  his  cur,  and  rears  his  head; 
Bred  by  Ulysses,  nourish'd  at  his  board, 
But  ah!  not  fated  long  to  please  his  lord! 
To  him,  his  swiftness  and  his  strength  were  vain; 
The  voice  of  glory  callM  him  o'er  the  main: 
Till  then  in  every  sylvan  chase  renown'd, 
With  Argus,  Argus,  rung  the  woods  around: 
With  him  the  youth  pursu'd  the  goat  or  fawn, 
Or  trac'd  the  mazy  leveret  o'er  the  lawn. 
Now  left  to  man's  ingratitude  he  lay, 
Unhous'd,  neglected  in  the  public  way; 
And  where  on  heaps  the  rich  manure  was  spread, 
Obscene  with  reptiles,  took  his  sordid  bed. 

He  knew  his  lord;  he  knew,  and  strove  to  meet; 
In  vain  he  strove  to  crawl,  and  kiss  his  feet. 
Yet  (all  he  could)  his  tail,  his  ears,  his  eyes, 
Salute  his  master,  and  conless  his  joys. 
Soft  pity  touch'd  the.  mighty  master's  soul; 
Adown  his  cheek  a  tear  unbidden  stole. 
Stole  unperceiv'd:  he  turn'd  his  head,  and  dried 
The  drop  humane:  then  thus  impassion'd  cried: 

"What  noble  beast  in  this  abandon'd  state, 
Lies  here  all  helpless  at  Ulysses'  gate." 
His  bulk  and  beauty  speak  no  vulgar  praise; 


*Moses  Russell,  Esq.  of  the  county  of  Frederick,  gave  (he  author  n 
detail  of  the  particulars  of  this  extraordinary  story,  and  stated,  that  when 
he  was  a  young  man  he  once  called  at  Mr.  Wolfe's  house  and  saw  the  dog. 
He  appeared  to  be  decrepit  and  suffering  pain,  and  he  asked  Mr.  VVolle 
if  he  had  not  better  kill  the  dog,  and  put  him  out  of  misery.  Mr.  Wolfe 
with  much  empliasis  replied,  "No,  T  would  as  readily  consent  to  be  killed 
myself  as  to  kill  that  dog,  or  sutler  him  to  be  killed;  he  once  saved  my 
lite;"  and  Mr.  \V.  then  related  t]K  above  story.  .  The  dog  was  then  twen- 
ly-onr  years  olti. 

fit  is  siiid  thu  Argus  v.-;is  llip  oniv  crrHlure  that  iminedi;)lt'lv  rfcnguix' d 
bis  )^»>^l(■:■  nil  h]^  icturii  to  his  palace  from  his  twenty  years'   jib-^nice. 


S4  INDIAX  LNCL'RSIONS 

Jl',  Hs  he  bccins,  he  was  in  bcUer  diiys, 

Some  care  his  age  deserves:  or  was  he  priz'if 

For  worthless  beauty,  therefore  now  despised? 

Sudi  dogs,  and  men  there  arc,  mere  things  of  stato. 

And  always  chcrish'd  by  their  tVicnds,  the  great." 

"Not  Argus  so,  (Erama^us  thus  rejoiuM) 
But  scrv'd  a  master  of  a  nobler  kind, 
Who  never,  never,  shall  behold  him  more! 
Long,  long  since  perish'd  on  a  distant  shore! 
O  had  you  seen  him,  vigorous,  bold  and  young, 
Swift  as  a  stag,  and  as  a  lion  strong; 
llim  no  fell  savage  on  the  plain  withstood. 
None  scap'd  him,  bosom'd  in  the  gloomy  wood: 
His  eye  how  piercing,  and  his  scent  how  true, 
To  wiiul  the  vapor  in  the  tainted  dew? 
Such,  when  Ulysses  left  his  natal  toast, 
Now  years  unnerve  him,  and  his  lord  is  lost, 
'I'he  women  keep  the  generous  creature  bare, 
A  sleek  and  idle  race  is  all  iheir  care: 
'I'he  nuister  gone,  the  servants  what  restrains? 
Or  dwells  humanity  where  riot  reigns? 
Jove  lix'd  it  certain,  tliat  whatever  day 
Makes  man  a  slave,  takes  half  his  worth  away.'' 

This  said,  the  honest  herdsman  strode  before: 
The  musing  monarch  pauses  at  the  door. 
The  dog  whom  fate  had  granted  to  behold 
His  lortl  wlien  twenty  tedious  years  had  roM'd, 
Takes  a  last  look,  ami  having  seen  him,  dies; 
So  clos'd  forever  f;ii;hful  Argus'  eyes! 

There  was  no  poet  at  the  time  to  transmit  tiu-  name  and  fame  of  Mr. 
Wolfe's  dog  to  ])ostcrity.  European  authors,  in  their  picjudices,  have  on 
various  occasions  endeavored  to  disparage  every  thing  of  American  pio- 
ductioii.  'I'he  Count  de  liufTon  is  among  the  number.  Englishmen  de- 
light in  the  disj>aragement  of  American  quadrujieds.  In  the  Family  En- 
cyclopedia, an  English  work,  under  the  article  "dogs,"  it  is  asserted  that 
"when  Engii.ih  dogs  are  transpoited  lo  other  countries,  they  degoneralc, 
and  become  comparatively  worthless!"  It  is  believed  the  annals  of  tlio 
world  may  be  safely  challenged  to  produce  an  instance  of  greater  mani- 
festation of  sagacity  and  faithful  affection  towards  a  master,  than  was  ex- 
hibited by  Mr.  Wolfe's  dog  on  the  occasion  spoken  of.     But  to  return. 

At  the  Forks  of  Capon  stockade.  The  men  who  occupied  it  liad  to 
go  about  four  miles  to  cultivate  a  fine  fertile  field  of  low  ground,  to  pro- 
(hice  bread  for  their  support.  In  the  year  1757  or  1758,  two  men,  one 
named  Bow«ms,  lln-  other  York,  walked  to  the  field  to  see  how  things 
were  going  on.  On  their  return  in  lln'  eNcniii'j:  llicy  were  waylaid  by  se- 
ven Indians.  Iiowers  was  sliol  and  fi.-ll  dciid;  Vmk  r;in,  was  pin'.Micd  by 
tlu'ce  lndian>,  and  took  across  a  hijih  ridge.  One  of  his  pursuers  tired 
liefor''  li<'  pMclicd  tlie  lf)n;  the  otheis  <'(uilinued  ihccliaM.      Ai'lc:' innniii "" 


AND  MASSACRES.  85 

a  considerable  distance,  a  second  gave  out.  The  third  got  so  near  that  he 
several  times  extended,  his  arm  to  seize  York,  but  failed,  and  York  got 
safe  into  the  fort.* 

On  Patterson's  creek,  at  the  present  site  of  Frankfort,  Ashby's  fort  was 
erected.  It  was  at  this  pLice  that  the  celebrated  race  took  })lace  between 
the  late  Capt.  John  Ashby  and  three  Indians.  Capt.  Ashby  had  walked 
out  from  the  fort  with  his  gun,  and  after  proceeding  some  distance  dis- 
covered three  Indians,  who  knew  him,  but  a  little  way  off.  He  turned 
and  ran:  two  of  the  Indians  iired,  but  missed  him:  they  all  three  then  gave 
chase,  but  Ashby  was  too  swift  for  them;  and  when  they  saw  they  could 
not  overhaul  hirn,  one  of  them  called  out,  "Run,  Jack  Ashby,  run!"  He 
replied,  looking  over  his  shoulder,  "You  fools,  do  you  think  I  run  booty.'"' 
— [with  boots.] 

Near  the  fort,  Charles  Keller  was  killed,  the  grandfather  of  ^Ir.  Charles 
Keller,  the  present  proprietor  of  the  Frankfort  flotel.j 

About  the  year  175G,  Daniel  Sullivan,  at  nine  years  of  age,  vv-as  taken 
prisoner  by  the  Indians,  with  whom  he  remained  nine  years,  when  he  was 
brouofht  home.  For  some  time  he  manifested  a  desire  to  return  to  the 
Indians,. but  at  leno-th  became  reconciled,  and  was  afiewards  their  deter- 
mined  enemy.  In  his  last  battle  with  them,  becoming  desperately  wound- 
ed, and  his  entrails  falling  out  and  in  his  way,  he  tore  them  off,  and  con- 
tinued to  fight  until  he  fell  and  expired.  The  Indians  after  this  consider- 
ed him  something  more  than  man.j 

At  the  Rev.  Mr.  Jacob's  present  residence,  on  North  Branch,  a  man  by 
the  name  of  Wade  was  killed. 

Logan,  the  celebrated  Indian,  killed  Benjamin  Bowman,  and  tool: 
Humphrey  Worstead  prisoner.  He  compelled  the  latter  to  halter  several 
of  his  own  and  Bowman's  horses,  and  took  them  off.§ 

At  a  battle  at  Oldtown,  John  Walker  killed  an  Indian  and  wounded 
another.  Walker  cutout  a  part  of  the  dead  Indian's  flesh  from  the  thick 
part  of  his  thigh,  and  threw  it  to  his  dog,  who  ate  it.  He  otherwise  mu- 
tilated his  body;  and  thrust  parts  of  it  into  his  mouth. 

Thomas  Higgins  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  on  the  Cohongf)ruton. 
He  lived  about  four  miles  from  Bath,  but  was  driven  thence,  and  removed 
to  the  neighborhood  of  Gerardstown,  in  the  county  of  Bei'keley.  After 
his  re-noval,  three  of  his  sons  were  taken  off  as  prisoners,  and  never  re- 
turned. At  the  close  of  Dunmore's  war,  one  of  them  was  seen  at  Wheel- 
ing by  a  man  who  was  acquainted  with  his  family,  and  asked  why  he  did 
not  come  home,  since  his  father  had  left  him  a  good  tract  of  land,  lie 
rcj)lied  that  he  did  not  wish  to  live  with  white  people;  they  v.'ould  always 
cidlhim  Indian;  and  he  had  land  enough. || 

The  Wife  of  the  late  Walter  Denny,  of  Frederick  county,  was  taken  by 


*  Related  by  Mr.  John  Largent. 
f  Mr.  Keller  stated  this  fact  to  the  author. 

|Isaac  Kuykendall,  Esq.  of  the  South  Branch,  near  Romiiey,  staled  dii^ 
fact  to  the  author,  and  added  that  Sullivan  was  his  near  relation. 
^Related  by-\[r.  (ierrit  Blue,  of  tht^-  North  Branch. 
lUvehiicd  !)■>•  Mr.  James  Higgiui.,  of  the  North  Branch. 


86  INDIAN  1NCI;HS10NS 

the  Indians  whni  a  small  child,  and  grow  up  among  lliem.  IK-r  mai- 
den name  was  FlaughcrU .  After  returning  from  her  captivity,  she  mar- 
ried Walter  Denny,  who  resided  some  time  after  his  marriage  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Pittsburgh.  In  1774  the  Indians  advised  him  to  move  oir,as 
thev  intended  to  go  to  war  with  the  whites.  Mi:  Denny  removed  and 
settled  in  the  eountv  oi'  Frederick'.  The  author  recollects  frequently  seeing 
this  man.  A  Miss  Williams  was  also  taken  about  the  same  time:  she,  too, 
grew  up  with  the  Indians.  These  two  female  children  were  taken  on 
Patterson's  i"reek. 

There  is  a  tradition  of  a  battle  fnu2.-ht  on  Patterson's  creek,  lictween  the 
whites  and  Indians,  the  sj)ring  before  Braddock's  defeat;  but  the  author 
was  not  able  to  obtain  the  particulars,  except  that  the  Indians  were  de- 
feated. 

The  Indians  killed  Oliver  Kvemcr,  in  Short  (lap,  and  took  his  wife  pri- 
soner. 

In  the  year  1764,  a  parly  of  eighteen  Delawares  crossed  the  moun- 
tains. Furman's  fort  was  about  one  mile  above  the  Hanging  Rock,  on 
the  South  Branch.  William  Furman  and  Niinrod  Ashby  had  gone  out 
from  the  fort  to  watch  a  deer  lick  in  the  Jersev  mountain.*  The  Indians 
discovered  and  killed  them  both,  and  passed  on  into  the  county  of  Frede- 
rick, where  they  di viewed  into  two  parties.  One  party  of  eight  moved  on 
to  the  Cedar  creek  settlement;  the  other  of  ten  attacked  the  peoj)le  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  present  residence  of  Maj.  John  White.  On  this 
place  Dr.  White,  the  ancestor  of  the  White  family,  had  settled,  and  on 
his  land  a  stockade  was  erected.  The  people  in  the  neighborhood  had  ta- 
ken the  alarm,  and  were  on  iheir  way  to  the  fort,  when  they  were  assault- 
ed by  these  ten  Indians.  They  killed  David  Jones  and  his  wife,  two  old 
people.  Some  of  Mrs.  Thomas'  family  were  killed,  and  siie  and  one 
daughter  taken  off.  An  old  man  by  the  name  of  Llyod,  and  his  wife, 
and  several  of  his  children,  were  killed.  Esther  Lloyd,  their  daughter, 
about  tliirteen  \ ears  old,  received  three  tomahawk  wounds  in  the  head, 
was  scalped,  and  left  lying,  supposed  to  be  dead.  Henry  Clouser  and 
two  of  his  sons  were  killed,  and  his  wife  and  four  of  his  daughters  taken. 
The  youngest  daun^hter  was  about  two  vears  old;  and  as  she  impeded  'he 
mother's  travelling,  when  they  reached  the  North  mountain,  the  poor  little 
innocent  babe  was  taken  l>v  its  heels,  its  head  dashed  again^i  a  tree,  and 
the  brains  lie.iien  out,  and  left  lying  on  th»^  ground.  .Mrs.  Thomas  was 
taken  to  the  \N'appatomaka;  but  the  river  being  pretty  full,  and  deep  ford- 
ing, they  encamped  near  Furman's  fort  for  the  ni^xh'-  l'h(i  next  morning 
a  partv  of  white  men  fired  off  their  guns  at  the  fort,  which  alarmed  tin; 
Indians,  anrl  thev  hurrierl  across  the  river,  assisting  all  their  female  pri- 
soners except  Mrs.  Thomas,  who  being  quite  stout  and  strong,  was  left  to 
shift  for  hersell".  'Che  current,  however,  pro\ed  loo  stron!];  for  her,  and 
<he  Hoatcfl  flown  the  river — but  lodged  against  a  rock,  upon  wiiich  she 
crawled,  and  s.iveil  herself  from  drowning.  Before  her  capture  she  had 
concealed  half  a  lopf  of  bread  in  her  bosom,  which,  during  her  strugeles 
in  the  w.Tler  w.i^lieil  out,  and,  on  her    rrachiu'T    'h''    rock,    Mo;ifed  to  lier 


'S<»  r;d!ei|  limn  lis  lii'iii',;-  t'list  '■cltled  b\   immi'ii"'*!'-''^  fron»    New    .fersev. 


AND  MASSACHKS.  S7 

again.  In  this  instance,  the  text  ot"  scriplure,  "Ca.st  thy  bread  upon  the 
waters,  lor  thou  shalt  hud  it  al'ier  niujiy  days,"*  might  luive  souic  apjilica- 
tion.  It  was  not  "many  days,"  bui  there  appears  to  have  been  some- 
thing providential  in  it,  tor  ii  saved  iiei  Irom  extreme  suffering.  'I"he  next 
morning  Mrs.  Thomas  made  her  way  to  Williani's  fort,  iibout  two  miles 
below  the  Hanging  Rock,  on  the  South  Branch. f 

The  author  has  received  from  Maj.  John  White,  of  Frederick,  another 
account  of  the  foregoing  outrages,  which  he  will  give  in  Maj.  VV'.'s  own 
words: 

"In  July,  1763,  information  was  i-eceived  by  the  late  Maj.  Robeit 
White,  (wJio  had  a  small  fort  around  iiis  house  as  an  asylum  tor  the  peo- 
ple in  the  neighborhood,)  that  Indians  had  been  seen  on  that  or  the  prece- 
ding day  on  Capon.  He  immediately  went  to  the  several  families  living 
near  the  base  of  the  North  mountain,  as  far  as  to  Owen  Thomas',  live  or 
six  miles  from  the  fort,  told  them  of  the  report,  and  advised  them  to  go 
into  the  fort  until  the  (huiger  should  be  over.  It  being  harvest  time, 
Owen  Thomas  was  unwilling  1o  leave  home,  and  mounted  a  horse  to  go 
to  his  neighborjJacob  Kackley's,  who  had  several  sons  grown,  to  propose 
to  arm  themselves  and  work  together  in  their  respective  grain  fields;  but 
on  his  wav  to  Mr.  Kackley's  he  was  shot  dead  and  scalped,  the  Indians 
liaving  concealed  themselves  behind  two  logs  that  lay  one  across  the  other 
near  the  road. 

"In  June,  17^4,  similar  information  of  Indians  being  seen  was  receiv- 
ed at  the  fort.  Maj.  White,  as  on  the  former  occasion,  went  in  the  after- 
noon to  warn  the  people  of  their  danger;  when  the  widow  Thomas,  Mr. 
Jones  and  Mr.  Clouser,  set  off  with  their  families  for  the  fb'-t;  but  night 
cominsr  on  when  they  reached  Mr.  Lloyd's,  (about  two  miles  from  the 
fort,)  they  (loncluded  to  stay  there  all  night.  In  the  morning,  as  soon  as 
day  appeared,  they  resumed  their  journey;  but  before  they  were  out  of 
sight  of  the  house,  the  Indians  attacked  them,  and  killed,  wounded,  or 
took  prisoners  twenty-two  or  twenty-three  persons.  Evan  Thomas,  a 
son  of  the  man  killed  the  preceding  summer,  a  boy  of  seven  years  old,  ran 
back  into  the  house,  and  hid  himself  behind  some  puncheons  that  he  pla- 
ced across  a  corner  of  the  room,  and  remained  concealed,  notwithst-anding 
the  Indians  brought  the  prisoners  into  the  house,  among  whom  were  his 
mother  and  sister,  both  tied,  and  kept  them  there  till  they  fried  bacon  and 
ate  their  breakfast;  they  then  set  fire  to  the  house  in  two  places,  and  went 
awav.  Evan  said  he  continued  in  the  house  as  long  as  he  coidd  on  ac- 
count of  the  lire;  that  he  saw  through  a  chink  in  the  wall  tiie  direction 
the  Indians  went;  and  not  knowing  which  way  to  go,  he  concluded  to 
take  the  contrary  course  from  the  one  taken  by  them.  He  rambled  about 
all  that  day  and  the  most  of  the  next  before  he  found  any  person,  the  hou- 
ses which  he  passed  having  been  abandoned  by  their  owners  goinjj  to  the 
fort.  The  Indians  encamped  the  first  night  at  a  spring:  on  the  Roraney 
road,  between  the  North  river  and  Little    Capon;   and    on    the   next    da)- 


*  Ecclesiastics,  11th  chap.  1st  verse. 

|Mr.  Gerrit  Blue  stated  to  the  author  that  he  was  then  a  small  !>ny,  but 
well  recollects  seeing  Mrs.  'l'hon\as  when  she  got  into  the  lort. 


88  INDIAN  INCURSIONS 

thoy  stnppod  on  the  bnnk  of  \ho  Sniilh  l^ranch,  near  wliore  ^omn^y  r\t)\v 
stands,  lo  cat  \hv\v  dinner.  AVliile  thus  enoa^od,  a  party  avIio  were  sta- 
tioned in  a  fort  a  mile  or  two  lower  down  the  river,  ajid  wlioliad  just  re- 
turned from  a  scout,  discharged  their  guns  in  order  to  clean  them,  which 
pJarmed  the  Indians,  and  they  hurried  across  the  river,  assisting  all  their 
J'emale  prisoners  excejiting  Mrs.  Thomas,  who  being  a  large  fat  woman, 
it  was  supi)osed  would  perish,  as  the  water  was  rapid  and  deep.  She 
floated  down  the  stream,  however,  until  almost  exhausted,  wlien  she  had 
the  o^ood  loi'luneto  "-et  on  a  rock,  and  save  herself  iVom  di'owninii^  She 
had  put  a  piece  of  bread  in  her  bosom  the  morning  she  was  taken,  and 
lost  it  in  the  water;  but  it  happened  to  float  so  near  her  wliile  on  the  rock- 
that  she  caught  it  and  ate  it;  Avhich,  as  she  said,  so  revived  and  strength- 
ened her  that  she  plunged  into  the  water  again,  and  providentially  got  out 
on  the  east  side  of  the  river.  She  reached  Williams'  fort,  two  miles  be- 
low the  Hanging  Rock,  on  the  same  day.  It  was  often  remarked  by 
Mrs.  Thomas'  acquaintances,  that  after  fier  return  she  would  minutely  re- 
late the  circumstances  attending  the  murder  of  her  husband  viud  children, 
and  her  own  sufl'crings,  without  shedding  a  tear.  Either  five  or  seven  of 
the  persons  wounded  by  the  Indians,  were  taken  to  the  fort  at  A[nj.  Rob- 
ert White's,  and  attended  by  I3r.  M'Doiuild,  though  but  one  recovered, 
Hester  Lloyd,  who  had  two  scalps  taken  from  hei-." 

Mrs.  Thomas'  daughter,  and  Mrs.  Clouser  and  her  tlircc  small  daugh- 
ters, were  taken  to  the  Indian  towns,  and  after  an  absence  of  about  six 
months,  were  released  from  ca})tivity,  and  all  returned  home  safely. 

There  is  something  remarkable  in  the  history  of  the  three  Miss  Clou- 
scrs,  who  were  all  prisoners  at  the  same  time.  The  eldest  was  about  t(>n 
years  old,  the  next  eldest  about  seven,  and  the  youngest  between  five  and 
six.  Thev  all  returned  home  from  their  captivity,  grew  up,  were  married, 
raisetl  families  of  children,  and  are  now  widows,  living  in  the  rame  neigh- 
borhood, not  more  than  five  or  six  miles  apart.  Two  of  them,  Mrs. 
Shidt/  and  Mrs.  Snapp,  reside  about  one  and  a  half  miles  from  the  resi- 
dence of  the  author,  and  the  third,  Mrs.  Fry,  not  exceeding  six  miles. 

Miss  Lloyd,  who  was  "tomahawked  aiid  scalped,"  was  soon  discover- 
ed not  to  be  dead.  The  laic  Dr.  M'Donald  was  sent  for,  who  ticpaiiiu'd 
licr  ill  llie  several  fractures  in  her  head.  She  recovered  and  lived  many 
years  after.  There  are  several  respectable  indi\i(!nals  now  li\iiig  who 
knew  this  woman.* 

'I'he  other  party  of  ciglit  Indians  committed  several  murders  on  Cedar 
rreek.  It  is  probable  this  party  killed  a  Mr.  Lyle,  a  Mr.  Rutler,  and 
some  others.  Mr.  Ellis  Thomas,  the  liusband  of  the  woman  whose  sto- 
ry has  j\ist  beeen  given,  was  killed  the  harvest  jireccding.  This  party  of 
eiglit  Indians  tof)k  ofT  two  female  prisoners,  were  pursued  by  a  party  of 
white  men,  overtaken  in  the  South  Rrancli  mountain,  and  Cncd  upon, 
when  one  of  the  lndla?is  was  killed.     Tlu'  others  (led,  leaving  their  guns, 


*(reneral  Smith,  Maj.  K.  I),  (llass,  Miss  Susan  fJlass,  Mrs.  Shultz,. 
and  Mrs.  Snapp,  severally  stated  to  the  author  that  they  frequently  saw 
this  woman  after  she  recovered  from  h»r  wounds.  Mrs.  Shultz  states  that 
it  was  on  the  first  day  of  .June  the  fniiraixe  was  romndltcd. 


AND  MASSACRES*.  S9 

prisoners,  and  plunJei'.*  'i'he  prisoners  ami  properly  ivere  bi'ouo'ht  home, 
'i'wo  ol'  the  fugitives  overtook  tlie  j^arly  in  the  Aheganv  mountain  who 
had  Mrs.  Clouser,  her  daughters,  and  other  prisoners,  in  eustody.  'I'he 
fugitives  appeared  in  desperate  ill  humor,  and  proposed  lo  nuiidertlie  pri- 
soners; but  the  others  peremptorily  objected,  and  would  no!  suff-r  their 
prisoners  to  be  injured. f 

'I'he  same  year,  1764,  a  party  of  eight  Indians,  with  a  while  man  by 
the  name  of  Abraham  Mitchell,  killed  George  Miller,  his  vnfe  and  two 
children,  within  about  two  miles  of  Strasburg.  They  also  the  same  day 
killed  John  Dellinger  on  the  land  now  the  residence  of  Capt.  Anthony 
Spengler,  adjoining  the  town,  and  took  Rachel  Dellinger,  with  her  inlant 
child,  prisoners.  It  was  a  male  child,  very  stout,  and  heavy  of  iis  ao-e. 
In  crossing  Sandy  ridge,  west  of  Capon  river,  this  child  had  its  brams 
beaten  out  against  a  tree.  A  party  of  white  men  pursued  tliem,  over- 
took them  in  the  South  Branch  mountain,  fired  upon  them,  and  killed  one, 
when  the  others  fled,  leaving  every  thing  behind,  Rachel  Dellinger  was 
brought  home,  and  stated  that  the  unprincipled  scoundrel  Mitchell  was 
with  the  Indians.  About  twelve  months  before,  IMitchell  had  been  pun- 
ished for  a  petty  act  of  theft,  while  the  ]-)eople  were  at  Bowman's  fort. — 
Miller  and  Dellinger  inflicted  the  punishmcnt.:|: 

At  the  massacre  of  the  people  near  White's  fort,  one  of  Mrs.  Thomas' 
daughters,  when  the  people  were  ])reparing  lo  go  to  the  foil,  Avas  request- 
ed by  Mrs.  Clouser  to  take  a  bottle  of  milk  in  her  liand,  and  carry  it  to 
the  fort.  When  the  Indians  assailed  them,  this  young  woman  concealed 
herself  behind  a  tree,  and  linally  escaped.  As  soon  as  she  could  run  ofi* 
without  being  discovered,  she  started  and  ran  eight  or  nine  miles  with  the 
bottle  of  milk  in  her  hand.  She  was  met  by  two  of  the  Fawcetts,  near 
their  residence,  informed  them  of  what  had  liappencd,  and  tliey  forthwith 
removed  their  families  to  Stephens'  fort.§ 

A  little  son  of  Mrs.  Thomas  concealed  liimself  under  a  pile  of  tlav, 
which  the  Indians  set  on  hre.  As  the  fire  progressed,  the  little  fellow 
Icept  in  a  direction  to  avoid  it,  while  the  smoke  concealed  liim  from  the 
sight  of  the  enemy,  and  he  got  safe  to  the  foi-|. 

'I'homas  Pugh  resided  at  the  tim.e  on  liic  farm,  late  tlic  residence  of  Mr, 
John  M'Cool,  eight  or  nine  miles  north  west  of  Winchester.  The  same 
party  of  Indians  wd)0  cemraitted  the  outi'age  near  White's  fore,  on  the 
night  after  were  lurking  about  Mr,  Pugh's  house.  His  dog  gave  the  alarm; 
and  from  his  singular  behavior,  and  n-ianifest.itions  of  rage,  (as  if  he  were 


*Moses  Russell,  Esq, 

I  Mrs.  Siuiltz  and  Mrs.  Snap  p. 

i'Yhc  late  Mrs,  Brinker  related  the  particulars  of  tiiese  occurrences  lo 
the  author.  Major  Isaac  I  lite  recojlefis  when  Miller  and  Dellinger  were 
killed. 

§Stepiien's  fort  was  at  ti)?  spot  where  Zane's  iron  works  were  after- 
wards erected  on  Cedar  creek.  Mr.  Elisha  Fawcetl,  a  near  neighbor  oi' 
the  author,  a  highly  respectable  and  intelligent  man,  stattnl  to  the  author 
that  he  had  frequently  heard  his  father  and  unclf^  speak  of  this  occorrence. 

M 


90  INDIAN  LNCI'RSIONS 

tngoged  in  a  i'uinou.'^  battle,)  Mr.  Fugh  raviliously  looked  out  at  a  -wintlow 
und  akliougli  it  was  rather  a  dark  night,  he  discovered  several  Indians 
looking  ovi;r  a  rl'.ister  of  briars  but  a  short  distance  from  his  house.  He 
and  his  wife  and  chikh-en  imincdiatcly  retreated  through  aback  door  and 
pushed  off.  They  had  not  gone  far,  before  Pugh  recollected  his  money; 
he  turned  back,  got  into  the  house,  secured  his  money,  took  it  with  him, 
and  saved  himself  and  family  from  injury.  During  the  whole  time  Pugh 
and  his  family  were  making  their  escape,  the  dog  continued  his  uproar, 
and  as  soon  as  they  were  out  of  danger,  followed  them.*  The  Indians 
broke  into  the  house,  robbed  it  of  what  they  chose,  and  destroyed  the 
furniture;  but  they  did  not  burn  the  building.  It  is  said  they  burnt 
comparatively  but  a  few  houses,  because  they  expected  to  reconquer  the 
country,  and  return  to  inhabit  it ;  in  which  event  they  would  have  comfor- 
table houses  ready  built  to  their  hands  ;  hence  they  generally  spared  the 
buildings. 

About  the  year  1765,  the  Indians  made  their  appearance  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Woodstock,  in  the  county  of  Shenandoah.  On  Narrow  Pas- 
sagecreek,  eighteen  or  twenty  women  and  children  had  collected  together, 
in  order  to  go  to  the  fort  at  VVoodstock.  An  old  man  by  the  name  of 
George  Sigler  was  with  them.  Five  Indians  allacked  them.  Sigler,  af- 
ter firing,  and  wounding  one  in  the  leg,  clubbetl  his  gun  and  fought  to 
desperation.  While  he  was  thus  engaged,  the  women  and  children  made 
their  escape,  and  got  safe  from  the  fort.  Sigler  broke  his  gun  over  the 
Ireads  of  the  enemy,  wounded  several  of  them  pretty  severely,  and  re- 
ceived himself  several  wounds,  but  continued  the  fight  until  he  fell  from 
the  loss  of  blood,  when  his  merciless  enemies  mangled  his  body  ina  man- 
ner shocking  to  behold. f 

In  1760  the  Indians  made  another  visit  to  the  neighborhood  of  Wood- 
stock. Two  men,  by  the  nanie  of  Sheetz  and  Taylor,  had  taken  their 
wives  and  children  into  a  wagon,  and  were  on  their  way  to  the  fort.  At 
the  Narrow  Passage,  three  miles  south  of  Woodstock,  five  Indians  attack- 
ed them.  The  two  men  were  killed  at  the  first  onset,  and  the  Indians 
rushed  t(»  seize  the  women  and  children.  The  women,  instead  of  swoon- 
ing at  the  sight  of  their  bleedirrg,  exjiiring  husbands,  seized  their  ax(>s, 
anil  with  Amazonian  firmness,  and  strcngdi  :ilmost  superhuman,  defend- 
ed themselves  and  children.  One  of  the  Indians  had  succeeded  in  getting 
hohl  of  one  of  iMrs.  Shcclz's  children,  and  altemjilcd  to  drag  it  o\it  of 
the  wagon  ;  but  with  the  (piickness  of  lightning  she  caught  her  child  in 
one  hand,  and  witii  the  other  made  a  blow  at  the  head  of  the  fellow,  which 
caused  him  1<>  ([lilt  his  licdd  to  save  his  life.  Several  ol'  the  Indians  re- 
ceived jjretty  sore  wounds  in  this  desperate  conflict,  und  all  at  last  ran  ofl^, 
leaving  the  two  women  willi  their  childr*  n  1o  pursue  their  way  to  the  tort 


•Mr.  Joseph  Hackney  informed  the  author  that  he  had  frequently  heard 
Mr.  Putrh  relate  this  occurrence.  This  is  another  instance  of  the  extra- 
ordinary evidence  of  the  sagacity  and  affection  of  thedoff,  and  is  little  ir- 
ferior  to  the  story  of  Mr.  Wolfe's  do"'. 

fMr.  Christian  Miller,  a  very  aged  and  intelligent  man,  gave  the  author 
this  nurritive. 


AND  MAS.SACRF^S.  91 

Ih  tlie  hiUcrpart  of  August,  Ihc  same  year,  a  party  of  cii^ht  Indians 
■aud  a  worthless  villian  ol'  a  white  man  crossed  Powell's  Fort  luoautaii], 
to  the  South  fork  of  the  Shenantloah,  at  the  late  residence  of  John  Gate- 
Avood,  Esq.  where  the  Rev.  John  Roads,  h  Menonist  preaclier  of  the  Gos- 
pel, then  lived.  Mr.  R.,  his  wife,  and  three  of  his  sons,  were  murdered. 
Mr.  Roads  was  standing  in  his  door,  when  he  w^as  shot  and  fell  dead. — 
Mrs.  Roads  and  one  of  her  sons  were  killed  in  the  yard.  One  of  the 
young  men  was  at  the  distance  of  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  from 
the  house,  in  a  corn  field.  Hearing  the  report  of  the  guns  at  the  house, 
he  ascended  a  pear  tree  to  see  what  it  meant,  where  he  was  discovered  by 
an  Indian  and  instantly  killed.  The  third  poor  young  lad  attempted  to 
save  himself  by  flight,  and  to  cross  the  river,  but  was  pursued  anrl  killed 
in  the  river.  The, place  is  called  the  Bloody  ford  to  tliis  day.  The  ene- 
my demanded  of  the  youth  who  was  killed  in  the  yard,  where  his  lather 
kepthis  money  ;  and  was  told'fhat  if  he  did  not  immediately  point  out 
tie  place,  Ihey  would  kill  him  ;  but  if  he  vrould  show  them  the  money, 
his  life  should  be  spared.  On  his  declaring  he  could  not  tell  them,  he 
was  instantly  shot  and  fell  dead.  Mr.  Roads'  eldest  daughter  Elizabeth 
caught  up  her  little  sister,  a  child  about  sixteen  or  eighteen  months  old, 
ran  into  the  barn,  and  secured  the  door.  An  IiKlian  discovered  and  pur- 
sued her,  and  attempted  to  force  open  the  door ;  'but  not  succeeding,  he 
with  many  oaths  and  threats  ordered  her  to  open  it.  Cn  her  refusing,  the 
fellow  ran  back  to  the  house  to  get  fire  ;  and  v.'hile  he  was  gone,  Eliza- 
beth crept  out  a  hole  on  tho  opposite  side  of  the  barn,  with  her  little  sis- 
ter in  her  arms,  ran  through  a  field  of  tall  hemp,  crossed  the  river,  and 
■got  safe  to  a  neighboring  house,  and  thus  saved  herself  and  sister. 

After  j)lu)idering  the  house  of  such  articles  as  tkey  chose  to  take,  the 
Indians  set  fire  to  all  the  buildinss,  and  left  the  dead  bodv  of  Mr.  Roads 
to  be  consumed  in  the  tlames.*  They  then  moved  off,  taking  with  iheiTi 
two  of  the  sons  and  two  of  the  daughters  ])risoners.  The  youngest  pri- 
soner was  a  weak,  sickly  little  boy,  eight  or  nine  ye  ro  of  age :  he  of 
course  was  not  able  to  stand  the  fatigue  of  traveling  ;  and  crossing  the 
head  of  Powell's  fort,  they  killed  him.  His  two  sisters  then  refusing  to 
go  any  farther  with  them,  were  barbarously  murdered,  and  their  bodies 
■L'ft  a  prey  to  wolves  and  other  wild  beasts.  The  other  boy  was  taken 
off  and  remained  about  three  years  in  captivity  before  he  returned  lionie. 
It  was  generally  believed  at  the  time,  that  the  white  scoundrel  who  was 
with  the  Indians,  induced  them,  to  commit  this  horrid  murder,  in  order  to 
rob  .Mr.  Roads  of  his  money  ;  but  he  missed  his  object.  Mr.  Roads  kept 
hiti  money  and  title  papers  in  a  niche  in  the  cellar  wall,  the  dampness  and 
coolness  of  which  preserved  them  from  injury.     They  were  all  found  safe. 

It  was  quite  a  common  thing  with  the  Germans  to  have    garners    fixed 


*Mrs.  Stover,  the  mother  of  Daniel  Stover,  Esq.,  nov>'of  Page  county, 
stated  to  the  author  that  she  was  then  about  fifteen  years  old,  and  dis- 
tinctly saw  the  houses  in  flames  from  lier  father's  residence,  about  two 
miles  off,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river:  and  the  next  day  lh<'  neigh- 
boring people  collecliim-  to  bury  the  dead,  found  "Mr.  R'oads'  knly  about 
half  consumed. 


92  INDIAN  JNCl  USIUNS 

in  ihcir  garrt-ls  to  pn'isrrve  their  i^;i;iin.  'I'Irtc  aviis  a  quanlity  of  rye  aloft 
in  the  dwelling"  house,  which  was  huriu  to  eoal ;  and  as  the  iioors  gave 
way  to  the  llames,  the  rye  fell  in  a  eonsidenible  body  into  the  eellur.  At 
any  time  upon  digging  into  the' ruins  of  the  eellur,  the  grains  of  rye,  or 
rather  coal,  caji  be  found — the  shape  of  the  grain  being  as  perfect  as 
when  in  its  natural  state. 

Willi  this  bloody  tragedy  ended  the  irruptions  of  the  savages  upon  the 
people  of  the  valley.  This  was  the  last  great  outrage  of  savage  warf;ire 
eonmiittcd  east  of  the  North  mountain. 

There  are  several  other  interesting  occurrences  which  the  author  over- 
looked and  omitted  to  record  in  due  order  of  time.  They  are  of  a  char- 
acter too  interestini'- lo  be  lost  in  the  history  of  our  countr\ .  He  will 
therefore  proceed  to  I'elate  them. 

About  the  year  1760,  two  Indians  v.-eie  discovered  lurking  in  the 
neighborhood  of  .Mill  creek.  JMatthias  Painter,  John  Painter  and  William 
Moore,  armed  themselves  and  went  in  pursuit.  They  had  not  proceeded 
far,  before  thev  approached  a  large  fallen  pine,  with  a  very  bushy  top. — 
As  they  neared  the  tree,  ^latthias  Painter  observed,  "We  had  better  look 
sharp  ;  it  is  quite  likely  the  Indians  are  concealed  under  the  tops  of  this 
tree."  He  had  scarcely  uttered  the  words  before  one  of  the  Indians  rost! 
vip  and  lirt.'d.  The  ball  grazed  the  temple  of  John  Painter.  .Moore  and 
Painter  iired  at  the  same  in.stanl ;  one  of  their  balls  passed  through  the 
Indian's  body,  and  he  i'ell,  they  su[)posed  dead  enough.  'I'he  other  I'ellow 
iled,  leaving  his  gun  and  ever}-  thing  else  behind.  The  white  men  pur- 
sued him  s  )me  distance,  but  the  fugitive  was  too  (leet  for  them.  Finding 
they  could  not  overhaid  him,  tluy  gave  up  the  chase  and  returned  to  the 
pine  tree:  but  to  their  astonishment,  the  supposed  dead  Indi.in  had  mo- 
ved ofi"  will)  both  guns  and  a  large  pack  ol'  skins,  cNc.  They  pursued  his 
trad,  nmi  when  he  found  they  v/erc  gaining  upon  him,  he  got  into  a  sink 
hole,  and  as  soon  as  they  apj)roached  pretty  near,  commenced  hring  at 
them.  He  had  pouretl  out  a  quantity  of  jiowder  on  dry  leaves,  iilled  his 
mouth  with  bullets,  and  using  a  nuisket  which  was  a  self-primer,  he  was 
rnablefl  to  load  with  astonishing  quickness.  He  thus  fiicd  at  least  thirty 
times  before  they  could  get  a  chance  to  dispalch  him.  At  last  Mr.  IMocre 
got  an  opportunity,  and  shot  him  through  the  head.  iMoctre  and  Painter 
had  many  disj)utes  which  give  the  fellow  the  liist  wound.  Painter,  at 
length,  yielded,  v.iid  Moore  got  the  ])remiu:n  ;dlowid  b\-  law  fci'  Indian 
scalps.* 

The  fulfil ivc  who  niach'  his  escaix',  unfortuiialely  niel  with  a  \oun<'- wo- 
man  on  hcrstback,  named  Seehon,  whom  he  tore  from  her  horse,  and  for- 
cerl  off  with  liiiii.  This  occurred  near  the  |)ic>int  site  oi"  \cwuiarket,  in 
the  co'iiitv  of  Shenandoah.  Alter  traveling  about  twenty  miles,  chiefly 
in  llie  I'iglil,  and  getting  iieaily  ojtposite  Kei^-leiown,  in  the  county  ot' 
Kockiiighan!,  it  i.>  sup[)0sfd  the  pof>r  girl  broke  (iown  fmm  fiiticTue,  and 
the  «in\a«re  tnonster  beat  her  to  ilea'h  wiih  a  hcavv  uine  Knot.  Her 
screams  were  hf;'r(i  In  sonv  people  that  li\(^d  upwards  <'l   a  mile  from  the 

*  M  ■.  ri'M'-'^'c  Painle;  fo'iiinunienlrd  litis  luk,  eiituic  lo  liie  r-uilinr. 


AND  .AIASSACRES.  93 

scene  of  horror,  and  who  next  day  on  going  to  the  place  to  iisccrtain  the 
cause,  found  her  stripped  naked,  and  weltering  in  lier  blood.* 

At  the  attack  on  George  Miller's  family,  the  persons  killed  were  a  short 
distance  from  the  house,  spreadhig  Hax  in  a  meadow.  One  oi  Miller's 
little  daughters  was  sick  in  bed.  Hearing  the  firing,  she  jumped  up,  and 
looking  through  a  window  and  seeing  what  was  done,  immediately  pass- 
ed out  at  a  back  w'indow,  and  ran  about  two  or  three  miles,  down  to  the 
present  residence  of  David  Stickley,  Esq.  and  from  thence  to  Geo.  How- 
man's  on  Cedar  creek,  giving  iiotiee  at  each  place.  Col.  Abraham  Bow- 
man, of  Kentucky,  then  a  lad  of  sixteen  or  seventeen,  had  !)ut  a  few  nii- 
nutes  before  passed  close  by  Miller's  door,  and  at  first  doubted  the  little 
girl's  statement.  He  however  armed  himself,  mounted  his  horse,  nnd  in 
riding  to  the  scene  of  action,  Y.-as  joined  by  several  others  who  had  turn- 
ed out  for  the  same  purpose,  and  soon  found  the  information  of  tlie  little 
girl  too  fatally  true. 

The  late  Mr.  Thomas  Newell,  of  Shenandoah  county,  informed  the  au- 
thor that  he  was  then  a  young  man.  His  father's  residence  was  ai)out  one 
n^le  from  ^liller's  house  ;  and  hearing  the  firing,  he  instantly  took  his  ri- 
fle, and  ran  to  see  what  it  meant.  When  he  arrived  at  the  spot,  ln'  found 
Aliller,  his  wile,  and  two  children,  weltering  in  their  blood,  and  still  ))l('ed- 
ing.  He  was  the  first  person  who  arrived  ;  and  in  a  very  few  minutes 
Bowman  and  several  others  joined  him.  From  the  scene  of  murder  they 
went  to  the  house,  and  on  the  sill  of  the  door  lay  a  large  folio  German  Bi- 
ble, on  which  a  fresh  killed  cat  was  thrown.  On  taking  up  the  indole  it 
was  discovered  that  fire  had  been  placed  in  it;  but  after  burning  through 
a  few  leaves,  the  weight  of  that  part  of  the  book  Avhich  lay  uppermost, 
together  with  the  weight  of  the  cat,  had  so  compressed  the  leaves  as  to 
smother  ;ukI  extinguish  the  fire.f 

In  the  year  1768,  Capt.  William  White,  a  brave  and  active  Indian 
fighter,  made  a  visit  to  Col.  Wm.  Crav/ibrtl,  vrho  had  removed  and  siettled 
at  the  Meadows  in  the  Allegany  mountains.  White  lived  on  Cedar  creek, 
and  Crawford  had  lived  on  Bull-skin.  They  had  been  out  togeth«n-  »n 
[ndian  expeditions  ;  of  course  vrere  well  acquainted.  Crawfonl  had  an 
Irish  servant,  a  pretty  stout  and  active  man,  who  was  permitted  to  ac- 
company White  on  a  hunting  excursion.  They  had  not  hevn  out  long 
before  they  discovered  two  Indians  in  the  glades.  The  latter,  the  mo- 
ment they  discovered  the  two  white  men,  flew  behind  trees,  and  prej)ared 
for  battle.  W'hite  and  his  Irishman,  however,  soon  out- generaled  tliem, 
and  killed  them  both.  They  were  soon  after  apprehended,  and  commit- 
ted to  Winchester  jail  on  a  charge  of  murder.     But  White  had  rendered 


*Mrs.  Branaman,  an  aged  and  respectable  old  lady  near  Pennybackcrr, 
iron  works,  gave  the  author  this  information. 

fThis  Bible  is  now  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  George  Miller,  of  She- 
nandoah county,  about  one  a  half  miles  south  of  Zane's  old  iron  works. 
The  author  saw  and  examined  it.  The  fire  had  been  placed  about  the 
cemre  of  lUe  2d  book  of  Samuel,  burnt  throurrh  fourtf^en  leaves,  and  en- 
I'rely  out  a1  one  end.  It  is  preserved  in  the  .Miliar  fantiiy,  ns  a  sacred  re- 
iic  or  iiTcinento  of  the  sacrifice  of  their  ajicestors. 


•94  INDIAN  INL'l  USIONS 

hi >  iifighbors  loo  lUiuiy  important  sc'ivices,  and  was  too  popular,  to  lie 
p"riuitled  to  languish  loadocl  with  irons  in  a  dungeon  lor  killing  Indians. 
Although  tiie  Indian  hostilities  had  entirely  eeased,  too  many  individuals 
were  smarting  under  a  reeolleetion  of  the  outrages  tliey  had  but  reeenlly 
experienecd  at  the  hands  of  their  merciless,  savage,  and  implacable  foe. 
Soon  aficr  White  and  his  partner  in  the  charge  were  committed  to  jail, 
Capi.  .\t)ialuun  Fry  raised  a  party  of  iitty-five  or  sixty  volunteers,  well 
armed  and  mounted,  to  eiTert  their  i-escue.  They  dismounted  n€ir  the 
present  site  of  .Mr.  Isaac  Hollingsworth's  dwelling  house,  where  they  leit 
tlieir  horses  under  a  guard  of  a  Jew  men,  and  marched  into  Winchester 
about  daybreak  next  morning.  They  repaired  directly  to  the  jail  door, 
knocked  up  the  jailer,  and  demanded  the  keys.  The  jailer  hesitated, 
and  aliempted  to  remonstrate.  Fry  presented  his  riile,  cocked  it,  and 
peremptorily  demanded  the  keys,  telling  the  jailer  he  would  be  a  dead 
man  in  one  minute  if  he  did  not  deliver  them.  The  jailer  quailed  under 
the  fiery  countenance  and  stern  menaces  of  Fry,  and  complied.  Fry  pla- 
'Ced  a  guard  at  the  door,  went  in,  knocked  off  their  irons,  and  took  the 
prisoners  out.  The  late  Robeit  Rutlierford  attempted  to  harangue  the 
mob  upon  the  impropriety  and  danger  of  their  proceedings  ;  but  he  might 
as  well  have  addressed  himself  to  so  many  lions  or  tigers.  As  Fry's  par- 
ity mirched  into  the  (own,  it  created  considerable  alarm  and  excitement. — 
'I'he  women,  liall"  tlressed,  were  seen  running  from  house  to  house  and 
calling  out,  "Well  done,  brave  fellows,  good  luck  to  you  brave  boys,"" — 
This  clie'-ring  of  Fry's  party  at  once  convinced  them  that  the  public  sym- 
giithy  and  good  fueling  were  on  their  side.  The  prisoners  were  taken  off 
-and  set  at  liberty.  Capt.  White  afterwards  distinguished  himself  at  the 
bloody  battle  of  the  Point,  under  Col.  Sevier. 

The  author  had  heard  something  of  this  story  mare  than  fcity  years 
ago.  The  late  Capt.  .James  Wilson,  of  the  neighborhood  of  Stephens- 
burg,  had  stateil  some  of  tlu-  particulars,  but  not  sulliciently  connected  to 
give  to  the  world.  'J'he  author  was  therefore  apprelK?nsive  that  he  would 
not  be  able  at  this  late  period  to  collect  the  facts.  Whilst  engaged  in  ob- 
taining materials  for  this  work,  he  called  on  1\k  late  Thomas  Newell,  of 
■vShenandoali,  and  among  other  things  in(niii'ed  of  him  whether  he  liad  any 
knowledge  or  recollection  of  the  afTair,  This  venerable  man,  then  ninet}- 
three  years  of  age,  in  his  second  childhood,  and  h.is  recollection  of  recenl 
events  entirely  gone,  the  moment  the  inquiry  was  made,  with  much  ani- 
mation and  a  cheerful  countenance,  rej)licd,  "Yes,  my  friend,  J  reckon  I 
can  tell  you,  when  I  was  one  of  the  wvy  boys."  The  author  then  asked 
the  old  gentleman  whether  he  would  have  any  objection  to  his  name  be- 
ing given  as  authority,  and  as  one  of  Fry's  party.  He  replied  with  (-(pial 
arinnati'm  and  emphasis,  "No,  my  friend,  I  always  gloried  in  what  1  diil." 
Moses  Uu^se  I,  Ksq.  informed  the  author  that  his  two  elder  brothers 
were  of  Fry's  ])arly,  and  that  il"  he  had  been  old  enough,  he  would  doubt- 
less liave  been  among  them.  J^ul  he  had  more  than  once  heard  oik;  oC 
his  brother's  speak  of  this  occurrence  with  great  regret,  inid  lanunl  lln' 
pari  he  had  taken  in  it.  Oen.  Smilh  rcedjleets  hearing  much  said  on  ihis 
siibjeel  soon  altei-  Ik  eiiine  to  Winrh(.;4er  to  li\e.  Ti' sty  the  least  of  it, 
it  was  a  dau'j'erou.'i  preeedent  in  a  eivilizejij  soeiely.     There  is  another  in- 


AND  AIASSAC'RES:.  95' 

tUviLlual,  now  liviiig  ill  the  neighborhood  of  the  aiitlior"'?  residence,  who 
was  ot"  Fry's  party,  und  is  now  about  eighty  years  of  age,  who  w^.s  an 
active  and  useful  character  in  the  war  of  the  revoUition,  and  from  hirn  t])e 
author  obtained  many  particulars  of  this  occurrence  ;  but  as  he  never  for- 
mally authorized  the  use  of  his  name  publicly,  it  is  withheld.  ]t  was 
from  the  information  of  this  individual  that  the  author  was  enabled  to  find 
the  year  when  this  important  occurrence  took  place. 

After  the  most  diligent  inquiry,  the  author  could  not  ascertain  whether 
the  murder  of  these  two  Indians  was  followed  by  any  acts  of  retaliation 
on  the  part  of  the  savages. 

The  same  5'ear  (1768)  a  worthless  character  by  the  name  of  John  Price 
committed  a  most  vvanton  and  unprovoked  murder  on  the  body  of  a  pop- 
ular young  Indian  chief.  Price  had  resided  several  years  in  the  Hawks- 
bill  settlement.  He  went  out  to  the  Indian  country  under  the  character  of 
an  Indian  trader,  and  soon  formed  an  acquaintance  with  this  young  war 
chief.  Price  was  an  expert  marksman  and  experienced  hunter,  and  soon 
acquired  the  confidence  and  attachment  of  the  young  warrior.  They  fre- 
quently took  hunting  excursions  ;  in  the  last  of  wdiich,  having  wandered 
a  considerable  distance  from  the  Indian  habitations,  Price  shot  the  young 
man  dead,  robbed  him  of  his  rifle,  a  few^  silver  ornaments  and  hunting- 
dress,  and  left  him  lying  in  the  wilderness  ;  then  pushed  home,  boasting 
of  what  he  had  done,  and  showed  his  ill-gotten  booty. 

A  few  days  after  Price's  return  home,  Lewis  Bingaman,  who  was  taken 
prisoner  when  a  boy,  and  who  grew  up  and  became  a  distinguished  man, 
(which  has  been  heretofore  noticed,)  came  in  at  the  head  of  thirty  war- 
riors in  pursuit  of  Price.  He  made  himself  knowm  to  Frederick  Offen- 
berger,  and  told  what  Price  had  done  ;  said  that  he  would  go  to  Price,  and 
propose  to  take  a  hunt ;  that  his  warriors  were  concealed  in  the  Masinut- 
ton  mountain  ;  and  if  he  succeeded  in  decoying  Price  into  their  hands, 
they  would  be  perfectly  satisfied,  and  do  no  injury  to  any  other  person  ; 
but  if  they  did  not  succeed  in  getting  Price,  they  would  revenge  the  death 
of  their  young  chief  upon  the  first  white  persons  they  could  find,  and 
the  lives  of  many  innocent  women  and  children  would  be  sacrificed  to  ap- 
pease their  vengeance.  OfTenberger  kept  Bingaman's  communication  to 
himself,  believing  that  Price  deservtd  punishment.  He  was  accordingly 
decoyed  into  the  hands  of  the  thirty  -warriors,  and  never  heard  from  after- 
wards ;  of  course  he  expiated  his  base  and  treacherous  murder  of  the 
young  Indian,  by  the  most  lingering  an'l  painful  death  whic'ii  savage  in- 
genuity could  devise. 

Tradition  relates  a  story  of  a  Mr.  Hogeland,  wlio  on  n  certain  occasion 
killed  an  Indian  in  the  following  manner.  Hogeland  went  out  in  t!ie  eve- 
ning from  Furman's  fort,  in  pursuit  of  the  milch  cows.  He  heard  the 
bell  in  a  deep  glen,  and  from  its  peculiar  sound,  suspecled  some  strata- 
gem. Instead  of  pursuing  the  hollow  therefore,  he  took  up  a  high  ridge, 
and  passed  the  spot  wdiere  the  bell  \vas  ringing  :  then  cautiously  desccnd- 
ino"  the  hollow,  he  discovered  an  Indian  w-ith  the  bell  (which  lie  had  ta- 
ken from  the  cow,)  suspended  to  a  small  sapling,  wriich  he  shook  gently 
to  keep  the  bell  in  motion.  Whilst  the  savage  was  thus  engagefi  with  a 
view  to  decoy  the  owner  within  the  reach  of  his  rifle,  Hogeland  took  de- 


W,  INDIAN'  INCURSIONS. 

liboiiito  -alia  :ii  hlin,  and  sliot  him  ilirough  the  body;  upon  which  another. 
Indian  started  uj),  ran,  and  g-ot  off.  Thus  tliis  wiley  savage  foil  into  the 
snare  lie  bflievcd  lie  had  adroilly  prepared  for  killing  the  owner  of  the 
cattle.* 

The  author  has  heard  another  version  of  this  story.  It  is  said  there 
was  a  youuiT  man  with  Hoticland  ;  and  when  the  Indian  was  seen 
with  the  bell,  Hogeland  at  the  same  instant  discovered  the  other 
standing  at  a  tree,  with  his  gun  raised  ready  to  fire  at  whoever  shoulfl 
come  for  the  cows.  Hogeland  pointed  him  out  to  the  young  man,  and  ob- 
served, "Now  take  deliberate  aim,  whilst  I  take  the  fellow  witli  the  bell." 
They  bnth  tiretl  and  both  Indians  fell  dead. f 

Thus  ends  the  author's  narrative  of  the  many  important  occurrences 
and  great  events  from  the  commencement  of  Indian  hostilities,  in  the  year 
1754,  until  their  final  termination  in  1166,  a  period  of  twelve  years. 

From  the  termination  of  liostilities  in  1766,  until  tlie  commencpinent 
of  Dunmore's  war  in  1774,  the  people  of  the  valley  enjoyed  unintenuj)t- 
ed  peace  and  tranquility,  and  the  country  settled  and  increased  with  great 
rapidity.  Several  families  of  distinction  removed  from  the  lower  country 
and  settled  in  the  valley.  The  ancestors  of  the  Waslungtons,  Willeses, 
Throckmortons,  and  Wdiitings,  severally  settled  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Long  marsh  and  Bull-skin. 

The  author  did  not  find  it  convenient  to  ohtain  theseverallreaties  made 
with  the  Indian  tribes  during  the  period  from  the  commencement  of  Brad- 
dock's  war  until  the  final  termination  of  hostilities.  Nor  does  he  consi- 
der it  very  material,  as  those  treaties  were  no  sooner  made  than  broken. 
Should  this  be  deemed  a  material  defect,  he  will  endeavor  to  supply  it  in 
another  edition. 

The  commencement  and  termination  of  Dunmore's  war  will  form  the 
subject  of  the  next  chapter. 


*Samuel  ICerchcval,  jr.  of  Romney,  related  this  tradition  to  the  author. 
fWilliara  Nay.'or,  Ksq.  gave  the  author  this  version  of  the  story. 


DVNMoilK'ii   WAR..  «;7 


ij.  I 


CHAPTER    X 

DUNMORE'S  WAR  WITH  THE  INDIAX>i. 


In  the  year  1773,  llie  Indians  killed  two  Vvhite  men  on  the  Hockhock-' 
ing  river,  to--\vit,  John  Iviartin  and  Guy  Meeks,  (Indian  traders,)  and  rob>- 
bed  them  of  about  .£200  worth  of  goods.  About  the  1st  of  May,  1774, 
they  killed  two  other  men  in  a  canoe  on  the  Ohio,  and  robbed  the  cance 
of  its  contents.*  There  -were  other  similar  occurrences,  which  left  r.o 
doubt  upon  the  minds  of  the  western  people,  that  the  savages  had  deter- 
mined to  make  w^ar  upon  them  ;  and  of  course  acts  of  retaliation  weie 
resorted  to  on  the  part  of  the  whites. 

Tlie  late  Col.  Angus  M'Donald,  near  Winchester,  and  several  other  in- 
dividuals, went  out  in  the  spring  of  1774,  to  survey  the  military  bounty 
lands,  lying  on  the  Ohio  and  Kanawha  rivers,  allowed  by  the  king's  pro- 
clamation to  the  ofiicers  and  soldiers  of  the  army,  for  their  services  in  a 
preceding  war  with  the  Indians,  but  were  driven  off. 

Col.  M'Donald  forthwith  w^aited  on  Gov.  Duuraore  in  person,  and  irave 
him  an  account  of  ihe  hostile  disposition  of  the  Indians,  'i'he  governor 
authorized  hira  to  raise  a  regiment  of  four  hundred  men,  and  immediately 
proceed  to  punish  the  enemy.  Ke  soon  succeeded  in  raising  his  little  ar- 
ray, and  in  the  month  of  June  marched  into  the  Indian  country,  destroyed 
several  of  their  viJlac-es,  cut  off  their  corn,  and  returned.  He  h.adiWo  cr 
three  runnnig  fights  with  the  Indians,  bat  there  was  little  blond  sht-d  on 
either  side. 

This  act  of  war  produced  a  general  combination  of  the  various  nations 
north-west  of  the  Ohio  ;  and  hence  arose  the  necessity  of  speedily  raising 
a  powerful  army  to  save  the  western  people  from  being  entirely  cutoff,  or 
driven  from  their  habitations. 

Lord  Dunmore  issued  his  orders  to  Col.  A.  Lewis,  of  Augusta  county, 
to  raise  a  body  of  one  thousand  men,  and  immediately  proceed  to  (he 
Ohio  river,  where  he  (Dunmore)  would  join  him  with  an  equal  number, 
to  be  raised  in  the  iiorthern  counties  of  Virginia.  Dunmore  very  S'lon  raised 
the  requisite  numbei*  of  raen,piiucipally  volunteers  frcra  the  counticj  of  Bsi- 
keley,  Hampshire,  Frederick  and  Shenandoah. f  Capt.  Daniel  Cresap 
w'ent  to  South  Carolina,  and  brought  in  one  hundred  and  twenty  Cata%\'1)a 
Indian  warriors  at  his  own  expense  and  responsibility,  which  he  intended 
employing  against  the  western  enemy.  He  soon  after  marched  at  the 
head  of  this  band  of  warriors,  with  the  addition  of  sixteen  white  volun- 
teers,- with  the  design  of  breaking  up  and  destroying  the  Moravian  Li- 
dian  towns  on  Cheat  river.     Tliese  people  professed  chrii'ti;!niH"  svA  neu- 

*Mr.  Jacob's  Life  of  Cresap. 
^General  John  Smith- 

N 


9sr  [)LNMu]a:'s  war. 

nalitv  ill  ilie  WLir  then  going  on  between  the  red  and  while  people.  But 
they  were  charged  by  tlie  white  people  with  secretly  aiding  and  abetting 
the  hostile  Indians  ;  hence  Cresap's  determination  to  break  up  their  set- 
tlements and  drive  thera  off.  In  crossing  the  vMlegany,  7  Indians  under 
the  guisj  of  friendship,  t^^ll  in  with  Cresap's  parly  and  inthemost  treach( - 
rous  manner  contrived  to  kill  seven  of  the  white  volunteers,  and  then  iled. 
They  were  instantly  pursued  by  the  Catawbas,  and  two  of  them  taken 
prisoners  and  delivered  up  to  Cresap,  who,  after  reproaching  them  with 
their  base  treachery,  discharged  them,  and  retreated  into  the  settlement 
with  his  Indians  and  remaining  white  volunteers.  The  Catawba  Indians 
soon  after  left  Cresap  and  returned  lo  their  nation.  The  late  generals, 
Daniel  Alorgan  and  James  Wood,  were  captains  in  Uunrnore's  campaign, 
each  of  whom  had  served  under  M'Donald  as  captains  the  preceding 
spring.* 

For  further  particulars  of  this  war,  the  author  will  give  copious  extracts 
from  Mr.  Doddridge's  "Notes  on  the  v\'ars  west  of  the  Allegany,"  and 
from  Mr.  Jacob's  "Life  oi'  Cresap."  These  two  authors  have  detailed 
the  causes  which  led  to  this  disastrous  and  destruclive  war,  and  are  di- 
rectly at  issue  on  some  of  the  most  important  particulars.  In  this  con- 
troversy the  author  of  this  work  will  not  partake  so  far  as  to  express  an 
opinion  which  of  these  two  divines  have  truth  on  their  side  ;  but  he  con- 
siders it  is  his  duty,  as  an  impartial  and  faithful  historian,  to  give  both 
tliese  reverend  gentlemen's  accounts,  at  full  lengtl;.  of  the  original  causes 
and  consequences  of  this  war. 

It  appears  however  evident,  that  the  late  Capt.  Michael  Cresap  has  had 
injustice  done  lo  liis  charncter,  both  by  Mr.  Jefferson  and  Mr.  Doddridge. 
Mr.  Jefferson,  in  his  "Notes  on  Virginia,"  charges  Cresap  with  being  "in- 
famous for  his  many  Indian  murders,  and  murdering  Logan's  family  in 
cold  blood."  Mr.  Doddridge  repeats  the  charge  of  the  murder  of  Lo- 
gan's family,  and  adds  the  further  charge  "that  Cresap  was  the  cause  of 
Dunmore's  war."  How  far  these  charges  arc  refuted  by  Mr.  Jacob,  an 
impartial  world  will  determine. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  Mr.  Jacob's  vindication  of  the  character  of  his 
friend  Cresap  cannot  Juive  a  circulation  co-extensive  with  Mr.  Jeflerson's 
charges  against  liim.  The  ci.'lebrity  of  Mr.  Jefferson's  character,  togeth- 
er with  the  beautiful  specimen  of  Indian  oratory  in  the  Logan  speech,  has 
probably  caused  his  work  to  be  circulated  and  read  all  over  the  civili:ied 
world. 

The  liuthor  will  only  add  that  he  has  obtained  j)ermission,  from  the  pro- 
prietor.-, of  those  works,  to  use  them  as  lie  diu-ms  proper.  The  Hon. 
Philip  Doddridge,  shortly  before  his  death,  in  a  letter  to  the  author,  slated 
that  he  considered  there  would  be  no  impropriety  in  ajipending  any  part 
of  his  brother's  book  to  this  publication;  anil  Mr.  Jacob,  in  the  most  li- 
beral and  uiicjualilied  terms,  permits  him  to  append  the  whole  or  anv  pail 
of  liis  "Lite  of  Cresa[). 


■>y 


*Mr.  John  'I'omlinson  related  the  particulars  of  these  occurrences  to  the 
author,  and  added  that  he  himself  was  one  of  Cresap's  party,  and  that  he 
■u'as  then  a\outh  of  seventeen  or  eighteen  vears  of  i;re. 


T)ODDTllDG£\S  ACCOUNT.  ^ 

REV.  MR.    DODDRIDGE'S  ACCOUN']'  OF  Dl;NMORE\S    WAR. 

Aflrr  the  conclusion  of  the  Indian  wars,  by  tli(;  treaty  made  with  the 
chiefs  by  Sir  William  Johnson  at  the  German  flats,  in  the  latter  part  of 
1764,  the  western  settlements  enjoyed  peace  until  the  sprin;^  of  1774. 

During  this  period  of  time,  the  settlements  increased  with  great  rapidi- 
ty along  the  whole  extent  of  the  western  frontier.  Even  the  shores  of  the 
Ohio,  on  the  Virginia  side,  had  a  considerable  population  as  early  as  the 
year  1774. 

Devoutly  might  humanity  wish  that  the  record  of  the  causes  v.hich  led 
to  the  destructive  war  of  1774,  might  be  blotted  from  the  annals  of  our 
■<:ountry.  But  it  is  now  too  late  to  elTace  it ;  the  "black-lettered  list"  must 
remain,  a  dishonorable  blot  in  our  national  history.  Good  however  may 
spring  out  of  evil.  The  injuries  inflicted  upon  the  Inciians,  in  early  times 
by  our  forefathers,  may  induce  their  descendants  to  shew  justUe  and  m?r^ 
cy  to  the  diminished  posterity  of  those  children  of  the  wilderness,  whose 
ancestors  perished,  in  cold  blood,  under  tlio  tomahawk  and  scalping  knife 
of  the  white  savages. 

In  the  month  of  April,  1774,  a  rumor  v,-as  circulated  that  tiic  Indians 
had  stolen  several  horses  from  some  land  jobbers  on  the  Ohio  and  Kana- 
wha rivers^  No  endences  of  the  fact  having  been  adduced,  led  to  the 
conclusion  that  the  report  was  false.  This  report,  however,  induced  a 
pretty  general  belief  that  the  Indians  were  about  to  make  war  upon  th<5 
frontier  settlem.ents  ,  but  for  this  apprehension  there  does  not  appear  t{> 
have  been  the  slightest  foundation-, 

In  consequence  of  this  apprehension  of  being  attacked  by  the  Indians, 
the  land  iobbers  ascended  the  river,  and  collected  at  Wheelin.g.  On  the 
27th  cf  April,  it  was  reported  in.  VVijeeling  that  a  canoe,  ^containing  two 
Indians  and  some  traders,  v,-as  coming  down  the  river,  and  then  mot  far 
from  the  place.  On  hearing  this,  the -commandant  of  the  station,  Capt, 
Cresap,  proposed  to  go  up  the  river  and  kill  the  Indians,  This  project 
was  vehemently  opposed  by  Col,  Zane,  the  proprietor  of  the  place,  lie 
stated  to  the  captain  that  the  killing  of  those  Indians  would  inevitably 
bring  on  a  war,  in  which  ranch  innocent  blood  would  be  shed,  and  that 
the  fict  in  itself  would  be  an  atrocious  murder,  and  a  disgrace  to  his  name 
forever.  His  good  counsel  was  lost.  The  party  went  up  the  river.  On 
being  asked,  at  their  return,  what  had  become  of  the  Indians  ?  they  coolly 
answered  that  "they  had  fallen  overboard  into  the  river!"  Their  canoe, 
on  being  examined,  was  found  bloody,  and  pierced  with  bullets.  Tlii.s 
was  the  first  blood  which  was  sh'-d  in  thii  war,  and  terrible  v.-as  the  ven- 
geance which  followed. 

In  the  evening  of  the  same  day,  the  party,  henring  that  there  Avas  an 
encampment  of  Indians  at  the  mouth  of  Captina,  went  down  the  river  to 
the  place,  attacked  the  Indians,  and  killed  several  of  them.  In  this  atTair 
one  of  Gresap's  porfv  was  severely  wounded. 

The  massacre  at 'Captina,  and  that  which  tocV  pbc^-  -1  Baker''-,  riboMf 
fnrtv  miles  above  Wheeling,  after  that  at  Captina,  were  unqncstinnably 
the  sole  causes  of  the  war  of  177-1.  Thn  Inst  wan  prrpeUnlfd  hy  thirtv- 
two  m'-'n,  under  ihe  command  of  D.niirl  ( irral'iousc-.      The    uhnh-"    uuia- 


ICO  DODDRIDGE'S  ACT'OUXT 

bfr  killod  at  this  place,  and  on  the  river  opposite  to  it,  \vr.ft  twelve,  be- 
sides several  wounded.  'J'his  horrid  massacre  was  ofTected  by  an  hypo- 
critical stratagem,  which  reflects  the  deepest  dishonor  on  the  r»emory 
of  those  who  were  agents  in  it. 

The  report  of  the  murders  committed  on  the  huiians  near  AVheeling, 
induced  a  belief  that  thev  would  immediately  commence  hostilities:  and 
this  apprehension  furnislicd  the  pretext  for  the  mmxler  above  related.  The 
ostensible  object  for  raising  the  party  under  Greathouse,  was  that  of  de- 
fending the  family  of  Baker,  whose  house  was  opposite  to  a  large  encamp- 
ment of  Indians,  at  the  mouth  of  Big  Yellow  creek.  The  party  were 
concealed  in  ambuscade,  v.'hile  their  commander  went  over  the  river,  under 
the  mask  of  friendship,  to  the  Indian  camp,  to  ascertain  their  number. — 
While  there,  an  Indian  woman  advised  him  to  return  home  speedily,  say- 
iiic:  that  the  Indians  were  drinking  and  angry  on  account  of  the  murder  of 
t'leir  people  down  the  river,  and  migiit  do  him  some  misciiief.  On  his  re- 
turn to  his  party,  he  reported  that  the  Indians  were  too  strong  for  an  open 
attack.  He  returned  to  Baker's,  and  requested  him  to  give  any  Indians 
who  rniglit  come  over,  in  the  course  of  the  day,  as  much  rum  as  they 
might  call  for,  and  get  as  many  of  them  drunk  as  he  possibly  could.  The 
plan  succeeded.  Several  Indian  mefi  and  women  came  over  the  river  to 
Baker's,  who  had  previously  been  in  the  habit  of  selling  rum  to  the  In- 
dians. Tlie  men  drank  freely,  and  became  intoxicated.  In  this  state 
they  wer .'  all  killed  bv  Greathouse  and  a  few  of  his  partv.  I  say  a  few  of 
hi;  party;  for  it  is  but  justice  to  stale,  ihat  not  more  than  live  or  six  of 
the  whole  number  had  any  participation  in  the  slaughter  at  the  house. — 
The  rest  protested  against  it  as  an  atrocious  murder.  From  their  number, 
being  by  far  the  majority,  they  miyht  have  prevented  the  deed ;  but  alas  ! 
they  did  not.  A  Hide  Indian  girl  alone  was  saved  from  the  slaughter,  by 
the  humanity  of  some  of  tl'.e  party,  whose  name  is  not  now  known. 

The  Indians  in  the  camp,  hearing  the  firing  at  the  bouse,  sent  a  canoe 
with  tAvo  men  in  it  to  inquire  wdiat  had  liappened.  These  two  Indians  were 
both  shot  down  as  soon  as  they  landed  on  the  beach.  A  second  and  lar- 
g3r  canoe  wa«^  then  manned  with  a  number  of  Indians  in  arms  ;  but  ia 
attempting  to  reach  the  shore,  some  distance  hciow  the  house,  they  were 
received  by  a  well  directed  fire  from  the  party,  which  killed  the  greater 
number  of  them,  and  compelled  the  survivors  to  return.  A  great  number 
of  shots  were  exchanged  across  the  river,  but  with.out  damage  to  the 
white  party,  not  one  of  whom  was  even  wounded.  The  Indian  men  who 
were  murdered  were  all  scaincd. 

The  wom'rin  who  gave  the  friendly  advice  to  liie  corainandc-  of  the  par- 
ty when  in  the  Indian  camp,  was  amongst  the  shin  at  Baker's  house. 

The  rnns'acres  of  the  Indians  at  Capiina  nnri  Yellow  creek,  compre- 
lionderl  the  whole  of  the  lamiiv  of  the  famous  biit  unforlunate  Logan, 
who  before  tliese  events  had  been  a  lover  of  the  Avhifes,  a  ctrcnuous  ad- 
vocate for  jieace ;  but  In  the  conflict  wliieh  foilov;ed  them,  by  way  of  re- 
venge for  the  death  of  his  people,  he  bcc.ime  a  brave  and  sanguinary  chief 
among  the  warrior?. 

The  «;ettlers  along  the  frontiers,  knowing  that  the  Indian'^  would  make. 
yvn\  up'm  llirm  for  \\;r  nnirHpr  rif  tln-ir  people,  rillier  !Tin\  "r|  off  to  tlir  iii- 


or  DT'XMORE'S  WAR,  lOT 

terioi,  or  took  up  iheir  residence  in  forts.  The  apprehen'Sion  of  war  was 
soon  realized,  in  a  short  time  the  Indians  commenced  hostiiiiies  along- 
the  whole  extent  of  our  frontier. 

Express  was  speedily,  sent  to  Williamsburg,  the  then  seat  of  govern- 
ment of  the  colony  of  Virginia,  communicating  intelligence  of  the  cer- 
tainty of  the  commencement  of  an  Indian  war..  The  assemhly  was  then 
in  session. 

A  plan  for  a  campaign,  for  the  purpose  of  putting  a  speedy  conclu- 
sion to  the  Indian  hostilities,  w-as  adopted  between  the  earl  of  Dunmore, 
governor  of  the  colony,  and  Gen.  Lewis,  of  Botetourt  county.  General 
I^ewis  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  the  southern  division  of  the  for- 
ces to  be  employed  on  this  occasion,  with  orders  to  raise  a  large  body  of 
volunteers  and  drafts  from  the  south-eastern  counties  of  the  colony  with 
all  dispatch.  These  forces  were  to  rendezvous  at  Camp  Union,  in  the 
Greenbrier  country.  The  earl  of  Dunraore  was  to  raise  another  army  in 
the  northern  counties  of  the  colony,  and  in  the  settlements  wt-st  of  the 
mountains,  and  assemble  them  at  Fort  Pitt,  and  from  thence  descend  the 
river  to  Point  Pleasant,  at  the  mouth  of  the  great  Kanawha,  the  place  ap- 
pointed for  the  junction  of  the  two  armies,  for  the  purpose  of  invading- 
the  Indian  country  and  destroying  as  manv  of  their  villa£:es  as  thev  could 
reach  m  the  course  of  the  season. 

On  the  11th  of  September,  the  forces  under  Gen.  Lewis,  amounting  to 
eleven  hundred  men,  commenced  their  march  from  Camp  Union  to  Point 
Pleasant,  a  distance  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  miles.  The  space  of  coun- 
try between  these  two  points  was  at  that  tim.e  a  trackless  desert.  Capt. 
Matthew-  Arbuckle,  the  pilot,  conducted  the  army  by  the  nearest  and  best 
route  to  their  place  of  destination.  The  flour  and  ammunition  were  whol- 
ly transported  on  pack  horses,  as  the  route  was  impassable  for  wheel  car- 
riages. After  a  painful  march  of  nineLeen  days,  the  army  arrived,  on  the 
1st  of  October,  at  Point  Pleasant,*  where  an  encampment  was  made. 

*0f  the  battle  of  the  Point,  the  author  has  obtained  some  further  par- 
ticulars, which  may  not  be  uninteresting  to  the  reader.  He  saw  and  con- 
versed w^ith  three  individuals  who  participated  in  that  desperate  struggle, 
viz  : — Joseph  Mays,  Andrew  Reed,  and  James  Ellison. 

The  two  first  named  informed  the  author  that  Col.  Lewis  ordered  out 
a  body  of  three  hundred  men  to  meet  and  disperse  the  Indians  as  they 
were  approaching  his  encampment.  The  detachment  v%-as  overpowered 
by  the  numerical  force  of  the  Indians,  not  less  than  a  thousand  strong  ;; 
the  wliites,  contending,  however,  for  every-  inch  of  ground  in  their  re- 
treat. They  w-ere  driven  back  several  hundred  yards,  when  Col.  Lewis 
ordered  forward  a  second  detachment  of  three  hundred  men,  who  rushed 
forward  with  impetuosity  to  the  relief  of  the  first,  which  movement  at  once 
checked  the  savages,  and  partially  changed  the  aspect  of  the  fight.  Col. 
Chas.  Lewis,  who  had  arrayed  himself  in  a  gorgeous  scarlet  w-aistcoat, 
against  the  advice  of  his  friends,  thus  rendering  himself  a  conspicuous 
mark  for  the  Indians,  was  mortailv  wounded  early  in  the  action  :  yet  was 
able  to  walk  back  after  rf:^cpiving  the  wound,  into  his  own  lent,  wh<?ro  he 
f.xpired.        He    wa*-    r\^o{    nn    hi^    wnv    !>v    thr    (>o)Timandrr-in-r hief,   his 


10-:  DODDRlDCirs  ACCOUNT 

(jfii.  Lcu'is  ^\'as  cxcecdint^Iy  disappointed  at  hearing  no  ti<jlngs  of  thf* 
carl  ot  JJurunorc,  who,  accoriling  to  previous  arrangements,  was  to  form 
a  junction  with  him  at  this  place,  lie  immediately  dispatched  some 
scouts,  to  go  by  land  in  the  direction  of  Fort  Pitt,  to  obtain  intelligence 
of  the  route  which  the  earl  had  taken,  and  then  return  with  the  utmost; 
dispatch.  On  the  9th,  three  men,  who  had  formerly  been  Indian  traders, 
arrived  in  the  camp,  on  express  from  the  earl,  to  inform  Lewis  that  he  had 
<:hanged  his  plan  of  operations,  and  intended  to  march  to  the  Indian  towns 
by  the  way  of  Hoclchocking,  and  directing  Gen.  Lewis  to  commence  his 
march  immediately  tor  the  old  Chilicothe  towns. 

Verv  early  in  the  raorninsf  of  the  10th,  two  vounjx  mfn  s^et  out  from  the 
camp  to  hunt  up  the  river.  Having  gone  about  three  miles,  they  fell  up- 
•on  a  camp  of  the  Indians,  who  were  then  in  the  act  cf  preparing  to  march 
to  attack  the  camp  ot  Gen.  Lewis.  The  Indians  fired  on  them  and  killed 
■one  of  them  ;  the  oiher  ran  back  to  the  camp  with  the  intelligence  that 
the  Indians,  in  great  force,  would  immediately  give  battle. 

Gen.  Lewis  immediately  ordered  out  a  detachment  of  the  Botetouit 
troops  under  Col.  Fleming,  and  another  of  the  Augusta  troops  under  Col. 
Charles  Lewis,  remaining  himself  with  the  reserve  for  the  defence  of  the 
■camp.  The  detachment  marclied  out  in  two  lines,  and  met  the  Indians 
in  the  same  order  about  400  yards  from  the  camp.  The  battle  commenc- 
ed a  little  after  sunrise,  bv  a  heavy  firino-  from  the  Indians.  At  the  onset 
Dur  troops  gave  back  some  distance;  until  met  by  a  reinforcement,  on  the 
arrival  of  which  the  Indians  retreated  a  little  way  and  formed  aline  be- 
hind logs  and  trees,  reaching  from  the  bank  of  the  Ohio  to  that  of  the 
Kanawh-cT,  By  this  maneuver,  our  army  and  camp  were  completely  in- 
vested, being  inclosed  between  two  rivers,  with  the  Indian  line  of  battle 
in  front,  so  that  no  chance  of  retreat  was  left.  An  incessant  fire  was  kept 
up  on  both  sides,  with  but  little  change  of  position  until  sundown,  when 
the  Indians  retrea^efl,  and  in  the  night  recrossed  the  Ohio,  and  the  next 
<lay  commenced  their  march  to  their  towns  on  tlie  Scioto. 


brother,  Col.  Andrew  Lewis,  who  remarkerl  1o  him,  "[  rxpected  some- 
thing fital  would  befall  you,"  .'o  wliirh  ihc  wnuiuli'd  oilicor  calmly  re- 
plied, "It  is  the  fate  of  war."  About  two  o'l-lock,  (.'ol.  (.'hristie  arrived  in 
the  field  at  the  head  of  five  hundrerl  men- — llie  britlh^.  still  racking — a  re- 
inforcement which  decided  the  issue  almost  immediately.  The  Indians 
fell  back  about  two  miles,  obstinately  fighting  the  whole  distance;  and 
such  was  the  persevering  spirit  of  the  savages,  thou<;h  they  were  fairly 
beaten,  that  the  contest  was  not  entirnly  closed  till  th'^  setting  ot"  the  sun, 
when  they  relinquished  the  field.  Shortly  after  the  battle,  several  tradf^r*; 
with  the  Inflians,  regarded  as  neutral  in  war,  called  at  the  Point,  and  in- 
formed Captain  Arbuckle,  commandant  of  the  station,  that  there  were  not 
less  than  twnlve  hundred  Indians  in  this  memorable  nction.  Cornstalk, 
ronfirlent  of  success,  had  placed  a  body  of  some  two  hundred  Indians  on 
the  opposite  bank  of  the  Kan'iwha,  to  cut  off  the  retreat  rX  ihr  whites  ; 
and  that  the  loss  of  iIt^  Indians  \\\  killerl  and  wounded  ^va-  not,  short  of 
♦  hre.r  hunrlf^'d  mm. 


OF  DUNMORE'S  \VAR.  103 

Oirr  loss  in  this  destructive  battle  was  seventy-five  kilUjJ,  and  one  hun- 
dred and  forty  wounded.  Among  the  killed  were  Col.  Chas,  Lewis,  Co!. 
Fields,  Captains  Buford,  Murray,  Ward,  Wilson  and  iM'Clenachan;  lieu- 
tenants Allen,  Goldsby  and  Dillon,  and  several  subaltern  officers. 

Col.  Lewis,  a  distinguished  and  meritorious  ofiicer,  was  mortally  woun- 
ded by  the  first  fire  of  the  Lidians,  but  walked  into  the  camp  and  expired 
in  his  own  tent. 

The  number  of  Indians  engaged  in  the  battle  of  the  Point  was  never 
ascertained,  nor  yet  the  amount  of  their  loss.  On  the  morning  after  the 
engagement,  twenty-one  were  found  on  the  battle  ground,  and  twelve 
more  were  afterwards  found  in  the  different  places  where  they  had  been 
concealed.  A  great  number  of  their  dead  w^ere  said  to  have  been  thrown 
into  the  river  during  the  engagement.  Considering  that  the  whole  num- 
ber of  our  men  engaged  in  the  contli(;t  were  riflemen,  and' from  habit  sharp 
shooters  of  the  first  order,  it  is  presumable  that  the  loss  on  the  side  of  the 
Indians  was  at  least  equal  to  ours. 

The  Lidians  during  the  battle  were  commanded  by  the  Cornstalk  w^ar- 
rior,  the  king  of  the  Shawnees.  This  son  of  the  forest,  in  his  plans  of 
attack  and  retreat,  and  in  all  his  maneuvers  throughout  the  engagement, 
displayed  the  skill  and  bravery  of  the  consummate  general.  Duiing  the 
whole  of  the  day,  he  w^as  heard  from  our  lines,  vociferating,  with  the 
voice  of  a  Stentor,  "Be  strong  !  be  strong  !"  It  is  even  said  that  he  kill- 
ed one  of  his  men  with  his  own  hand  for  cowardice. 

The  day  following  the  battle,  after  burying  the  dead,  entrenchments 
were  thrown  up  round  the  camp,  and  a  competent  guard  were  appointed 
for  the  care  and  protection  of  the  sick  and  wounded.  On  the  succeeding 
day  Gen.  Lewis  commenced  his  march  for  the  Shawnee  towns  on  the  Scio- 
to. This  march  was  made  through  a  trackless  desert,  and  attended  with 
almost  insuperable  difficulties  and  privations. 

In  the  meantime  the  earl  of  Dunrnore,  having  collected  a  force  and  pro- 
vided boats  at  Fort  Pitt,  descended  the  river  to  Wheeling,  wliere  the  ar- 
my halted  for  a  few  days,  and  then  proceeded  down  the  river  in  about  one 
hundred  canoes,  a  few  keel  boats  and  perouges,  to  the  mouth  of  Hock- 
hooking,  and  from  thence  over  land  until  the  array  had  got  within  eight 
miles  of  the  ShaAvnee  town  Chilicothe,  on  the  Scioto.  Here  the  army 
halted,  and  made  a  breastwork  of  fallen  trees  and  intrenchments  of  such 
extent  as  to  include  about  twelve  acres  of  ground,  \vith  an  inclosure  in 
the  center  containing  about  one  acre,  surrounded  by  intrenchments.  This 
was  the  citidal  which  contained  the  raarkees  of  the  earl  and  his  superior 
officers. 

Before  the  army  had  reached  that  place,  the  Indian  chiefs  had  sent  sev- 
eral messengers  to  the  earl  asking  peace.  With  this  request  he  soon  de- 
termined to  comply,  and  therefore  sent  an  express  to  Gen  Lewis  with  an 
order  for  his  immediate  retreat.  This  order  Gen.  Lewis  disregarded,  and 
continued  his  march  until  his  lordship  in  person  visited  his  carnp,  was 
formally  introduced  to  his  officers,  and  gave  the  order  in  person.  The 
array  of  Gen.  Lewis  then  commenced  their  retreat. 

It  was  with  the  greatest  reluctance  and  chagrin  that  the  troops  of  Gon. 
Lewis  returned  from  the  enterprise  in  wiilch    they  were    engaged.     The 


104  DODDlll DUE'S  ACCOUNT 

massacres  of  iheir  relatives  and  friends  at  tiie  Big  Levels  aiid  .Muddj' 
creek,  and  above  all  their  recent  loss  at  the  battle  of  the  Point,  had  inspi- 
red these  "Big-knives,"  as  the  Indians  called  the  Virginians,  with  an  in- 
veterate thirst  for  revenge,  the  gratification  of  which  they  supposed  was 
shortly  to  take  place,  in  the  total  destruction  of  the  Indians  and  their 
towns  along  the  Scioto  and  Sandusky  rivers.  The  order  of  Dunniore 
was  obeyed,  but  with  every  expression  of  regret  and  disap})ointment. 

The  earl  with  his  officers  having  returned  tO  his  camp,  a  treaty  with  the 
Indians  was  opened  the  following  day. 

In  tills  treaty,  every  precaution  was  used  on  the  part  of  our  people  to 
prevent  the  Indians  from  ending  a  treaty  in  the  tragedy  of  a  massacre. — 
Only  eighteen  Indians,  with  their  chiefs,  were  permitted  to  pass  the  outer 
gate  of  their  fortified  encampment,  after  having  deposited  their  arms  with 
the  guard  at  the  gate. 

The  treaty  was  opened  by  Cornstalk,  the  war  chief  of  the  Shawnees, 
in  a  lengthy  speech,  in  which  he  boldly  charged  the  white  people  with 
having  been  the  authors  of  the  commencement  of  the  w^ar,  in  the  massa- 
cres of  the  Indians  at  Captina  and  Yellow  creek.  This  speech  he  deliv- 
ered in  so  loud  a  tone  of  voice,  that  he  was  heard  all  over  the  camp. — 
The  terms  of  the  treaty  were  soon  settled  and  the  prisoners  delivered  up. 

Logan,  the  Cayuga  chief,  assented  to  the  treaty ;  but  still  indignant  at 
the  murder  of  his  family,  he  refused  to  attend  with  the  other  chiefs  at  the 
camp  of  Dunmore.  According  to  the  Indian  mode  in  such  cases,  he  sent 
his  speech  in  a  belt  of  wampum  by  an  interpreter,  to  be  read  at  the  treaty. 

Supposing  that  this  work  may  fall  into  the  hands  of  some  readers  who 
have  not  seen  the  speech  of  Logan,  the  author  thinks  it  not  amiss  to  in- 
sert the  celebrated  morsel  of  Indian  eloquence  in  this  place,  with  the  ob- 
servation that  the  authenticity  of  the  speech  is  no  longer  a  subject  of 
doubt.     The  speech  is  as  follows  ; 

"I  appeal  to  any  white  man  to  say,  if  he  over  entered  Logan's  cabin 
hungry,  and  he  gave  hirn  not  meat:  if  ever  he  came  cold  and  naked,  and 
he  clothed  him  not.  During  the  course  ol  the  last  long  and  bloody  war, 
Logan  remained  idle  in  his  cabin,  an  advocate  for  peace.  Such  was  my 
love  for  the  whites,  that  my  countrymen  pointed  as  tliey  passed,  and  said, 
'Logan  is  the  friend  of  the  white  men.'  I  had  even  thought  to  have  liv- 
ed with  you,  but  for  the  injuries  of  one  man.  Col.  Cresap,  the  last  spring 
in  cold  blood,  and  unprovoked,  murdered  all  the  relations  of  Logan,  not 
even  sparing  rny  women  and  children.  There  runs  not  a  drop  of  my  blood 
in  the  veins  of  anv  living  creature.  This  called  on  me  for  revenge.  I 
have  sought  it:  I  have  killed  many  :  I  have  fully  glutted  my  verifjeancc; 
for  my  country  f  rejoice  at  the  beams  of  peace.  J'Jut  do  not  harbor  a 
thought  that  mine  is  the  joy  of  fear.  Logan  never  felt  fear.  He  will  not 
turn  on  his  heel  to  save  his  life.  Who  is  there  to  mourn  for  Logan  ? — 
Not  one.^' 

Thus  ended,  at  the  treaty  of  Camp  Charlotte,  in  the  month  of  Novem- 
ber, 1774,  the  disastrous  war  of  Dunmore.  Ii  bntjan  in  tJie  wanton  and 
iinprovokwl  murders  of  the  Indians  at  Captina  and  Yellow  creek,  and  end- 
«d  with  an  awful  sacrifice  of  life  and  property  to   the  dcaion   of  revenge. 


OF  DUNMORE'S  WAR.  lO.j 

On  our  part  we  obtained  at  the  treaty  a  cessation  of  liostllitici  and  a  .sur- 
render of  prisoners,  and  nothing'  more. 

The  phm  of  operations  adopted  by  the  Indians  in  the  war  of  Dunmore, 
sliews  very  clearly  thut  tlieir  chiefs  were  by  no  means  deficient  in  the  fore- 
t;ight  and  skill  necessary  for  makino-  the  most  prudent  military  arran"-e- 
ments  for  obtaining  success  and  victory  in  their  mode  of  warfare.  At  an 
f  irly  period  they  obtahied  intelligence  of  the  plan  of  the  campaign  against 
ihem,  concerted  between  the  earl  of  ])uumore  and  Gen.  Lewis.  With  a 
view  therefore,  to  attack  the  forces  of  these  commanders  seperately,  they 
speedily  collected  their  warriors,  and  by  forced  marches  reached  the  Point 
before  the  expected  ;irrival  of  the  troo})s  under  Dunmore.  Such  was 
the  privacy  with  which  they  conducted  their  nrsarch  to  Point  Pleasant,  that 
Gen.  Lewis  knew  nothing  of  the  approach  of  the  Lidian  army  until  a  ft?w 
nunutes  before  the  commencement  of  the  battle,  and  it  is  very  i>robable, 
that  if  Cornstalk,  the  Lidian  commander,  had  had  a  little  larger  force  at 
the  battle  of  the  Point,  the  whole  army  of  Gen.  Lewis  would  have  been 
cut  off,  as  the  wary  savage  had  left  them  no  chance  of  retreat.  Had  the 
army  of  Lewis  been  defeated,  the  army  of  Dunmore,  consisting  of  little 
more  than  one  thousand  men,  M'ould  have  shared  the  fate  of  those  armies 
which  at  different  periods  have  suffered  defeats  in  consequence  of  ventur- 
ing too  far  into  the  Indian  country,  in  numbers  too  small,  and  with  muni- 
tions of  war  inadequate  to  sustain  a  contest  with  the  united  forces  of  a 
number  of  Indian  nations. 

It  was  the  general  belief  among  the  officers  of  our  army,  at  the  time, 
that  the  earl  of  Dunmore,  while  at  W^heeling,  received  advice  from  his 
government  of  the  probability  of  the  approaching  war  between  England 
and  the  colonies,  and  that  afterw^ards,  all  his  measures,  with  regiird  to  the 
Indians,  had  foilheir  ultimate  object  an  alliance  with  those  ferocious  war- 
riors tor  the  aid  of  the  mother  country  in  their  contest  with  us.  This  sup- 
position accounts  for  his  not  forming  a  junction  with  the  army  of  Lewis 
at  Point  Pleasant.  This  deviation  from  the  origiiial  j)lan  of  the  campaign 
jeopardized  the  arniy  of  Lev.ds,  and  well  rdgh  occasioned  its  total  destmc- 
tion.  The  conduct  of  the  earl  at  the  treaty,  shews  a  good  understanding 
between  him  and  the  Indian  chiefs.  lie  did  not  suffer  the  army  of  Lewis 
to  form  a  junction  v.dtli  his  own,  but  sent  them  back  before  the  treaty 
was  concluded,  thus  risking  the  safety  of  his  own  forces;  for  at  the  time 
of  the  treaty,  the  Indian  warriors  were  about  his  cnrnp  m  foicc  sufficient 
to  have  intercepted  his  retreat  and  dcsti'oyed  his  whole  army. 

REV.  MPv.  JACOB'S  ACCOUNT  OF  DUN.MORE'S  WAR. 

At  this  period,  to  wit,  in  the  commencement  of  the  year  1774,  there 
existed  between  our  p.eople  and  the  Indians,  a  kind  of  doubtful,  ])recari- 
ous  and  suspicious  peace.  In  the  ^ear  ]7'i3,  lliey  killed  a  certain  John 
Martin  and  Guy  Meeks,  (Indian  traders,)  on  the  Hockhocking,  hiid  rc-h- 
bed  them  of  about  iJ200  worlh  of  goods. 

They  were  much  irritated  with  our  people,  who  were  about  this  time 
begT.ninr  to  settle  Iventurkv,  ;;,'d  with  llicm    ihev    wa'.'-cd    nn  wll(■l■•.l^.inl•• 

O 


105  .i.U'OirS    A(  (Ul  Nl 

and  (leiilnuiivf  prt'iUduir  w;ii- ;  wnd  whot-ver  baw  an  Indian  in  Kf-ntiicky, 
>-a\v  an  t'ueniy  ;   no  (incstioMs  were  asked  dii  ciiln-r  sicl«;  but  from  the  nui/.- 
y.les  of  llioir  rifles.      Maiiv  otlier  firtMimsianccs  al  this  pciriod  rombined  U) 
show  that  our  peace  widi  tiie  Indians  rested  upon  such    (hibious    and  un- 
certain ground,  thai  it  must  soon  be  dispersed  by  a  whirlwind  of  carnaj^e 
and  war..     Ami  as  I  consider  this  an  a.ll-impoilant    )u)inl  in  the  thread. of 
our  liistorv,  and  an  interestlno-  ludv  in  the  cliain  of  causes    combining'  to 
produce  iJunmore's  war,  I  will  jiresent  the  reader  with    ar<other  fact   di- 
rectly in  j)olnt.      It  is  extractctl  from  the  jourjial  of  a  'squire    M'Connel, 
in  my  possession.     Tlie  writer  says  that  about  the  3d  day  of  March,  1774, 
while  himself  and  six  other  men,  who  were  in  company  with    him,  were 
asleep  in  theii  c.unp  in  the  night,  they  were  awakened  by  the  fierce  bark- 
ing of  their  dogs,  and  thought  they  saw  sometliinglike  men  creeping  to- 
wards them.     Alarmed  at  this,  they  sprang  up,    seizt^d   their   rifles,    and 
flew  to  trees.     By  this  time  one  Jndiaii  had  reached  tlieir  fire;  but    hear- 
ing tiiem  cock  their  guns,  lie  drew  back,  stum!)led  and  fell.     'J'he    whole 
j)arty  now  came  up,  and  appearing  friendly,  lie  ordt.'red    his  men    not   to 
fire,  and  shook  hands  with  his  new- guests.     They    tarried   all  niglit,  and 
appearing  so  friendly,  prevailed  with  him  and  one  of  his  men  to  go   Nvitli 
them  to  tlieir  town,  at  no  great  distance  from  their  camji ;  but  when   they 
arrived  he  was  taken  with  his  conijKinlon  to  tlieir  council,  or  war   house', 
a  war  dance  performed  around  them,  the  war  club- shook  at  or  over  them, 
and  thev  detained  close-prisoners  ami   nairowlv    guarded  ibr  two  oi'  three 
(lavs.     A  council  was  then  held  over  them,  and  it  was  decreed  that    tht^' 
iihould  be  threatened  severely  and  discharged,  provided    they  would  giv(> 
their  women  some  Hour  and  salt.      !-yeing  dismissed,  they  set  out  on  their 
journey  to  the  cam[j,  but  met  on  their  way  about  twenty-five  w'arriors  and 
some  boys.     A  second  council  was  held   over   th<;m,  and  it  was   decreed 
that  they  should  not  be  killed,  bnt  robbed,  which  was  accordingly    done  ; 
and  all  their  flour,  salt,  powder  and    lead,    and  all    their    rilles  that    were 
good,  weretakcn  from  tliei-.i  ;   and  being  further  threatened,    the   Indians 
left  then.,  as  already  noticed.     This  p;;rlv    consisted  of  seven    men,   vi/. 
'squire  M'Connel,  Andrew  M'Connel,  Lawrence   Darnel,  William  (Janet, 
Matthew  Riddle,  John  l^aferly,  and  Thos.  Canady. 

We  have  also  in  reserve  some  more  material  facts,  th:it  go  to  sliow  the 
aspect  of  aflaiis  at  ibis  period,  iiWil  that  may  be  considered  as  evident  pre- 
cursors to  an  inijiending  war.  And  it  is  certiiiuK  not  a  trilling  item  in 
tlie  catalogue  of  these  events,  that  early  in  the  s|<ring  of  1774,  whether 
precedent  oi  subsequent  to  C'onnoly's  llimous  circular  letter  I  am  not  ])re- 
pared  to  say,  Iraving  no  ))osilf\<-  data  r  but  it  was,  however,  about  this 
time  that  the  Indians  killed  two  men  in  a  r;i;it)e  belonging  to  a  Mr.  But- 
ler, of  Pittsburgh,  nnd  ifibbed  the  caiit)e  ol'  the  jjrojierty  therein.  This 
was  about  tiie  first  of  .May,  1774,  and!  took  place  iit'ar  the  moulli  of  Lit- 
tle lii-aver,  a  small  creek  thai  empties  into  the  Ol'no  between  Pittsburgh 
and  Wheeling;  and  this  l;icl  is  so  certain  and  well  established,  that  Henj. 
Touilinson,  Ivsq.  who  is  now  living  (1.S2G,)  and  who  assisted  in  burying 
tlie  daai,  can  and  will  bear  testimony  to  its  truth.  And  it  is  presumed  it 
Vf-as  ihu;  clreum.stance  whii'h  pioducetl  that  proMq)t  ami  terrible  \  engeance 
tkikcii  wU  :ho  liidians  aL  Vellum*  crecL  iiunu'diatelv    afterwards,  to  wit,   ovu 


nV  DI;NM0UK\^  war  1Q7 

ihe  .j'J  day  o(  :Mhv,  \\ii!('li  j^hyi'  rist^  to,  and  furnishfid  niallertbr,  llic  pre- 
tended lying  speech  of  J^ogao,  which  1  shall  hereafter  [)rovo  a  c(mnlcrfeil, 
and  if  it  was  genuine,  yet  a  genuine  fabrication  of  lies. 

I'luis  we  find  from  an  (examination  into  the  state  of  affairs  in  the  west, 
that  there  was  a  predispf)sition  to  war,  at  least  on  the  part  of  the  Indian?-. 
But  may  we  not  suspect  that  other  latent  causes,  working  behind  tlic 
SOCrtes  and  in  the  dark,  wore  silently  marching  to  the  same  result? 

Be  it  remembered,  then,  that  tins  Indian  war  was  but  as  a  portico  to 
oiJT  revolut-ionary  war,  the;  fuel  for  which  was  ih-on  preparing,  and  which 
burst  into  a  flame  the  ensuing  year. 

Neither  let  us  forget  that  the  earl  of  Dunmore  was  at  this  time  gover- 
nor of  Virginia;  and  that  he  was  acquainted  with  the  views  and  designs 
of  the  British  cabinet,  can  scarcely  be  doukted.  What  then,  suppose  ye, 
Would  be  the  conduct  of  a  man  possessing  his  n.ieaiis,  iiiling  a  high  offi- 
cial station,  attached  to  the  British  government,  and  juaster  of  consum- 
mate diplomatic  skill  ? 

Dunrnore's  penetrating  eye  could  not  but  see,  and  lie  no  dou!)t  did  see, 
Iv.-o  all-important  objects,  that,  if  accomplished,  would  go  to  subserve  and 
promote  the  grand  object  of  the  British  cabinet,  namely,  the  establishment 
of  an  unbounded  and  unrestrained  authority  over  our  North  American  con- 
tinent. 

'i'hese  two  objects  were,  hrst,  seltiKg  liie  new  settlers  on  the  West  side 
of  the  Allegany  by  the  ears';  and  secondly,  embroiling  the  western  people 
iii  a  war  with  the  Indian;-?.  These  two  objects  accomplished,  would  put 
it  in  bis  po\\er  to  direct  the  storm  to  any  anti  evtrv  point  conducive  to  the 
grand  object  he  liad  in  view.  IJut  as  in  the  nnture  ef  the  thing  he  could 
not,  and  policy  forbidding  that  ho  siiould,  always  api'/car  personally  in  pi o- 
moting  and  effectuating  these  oi>jects,  it  was  necessary  he  should  obtain  a 
confidential  agent  attached  to  his  person  and  to  the  British  go\  ernment, 
and  one  that  would  promolo  his  views  eiliier  publicly  or  covertly,  as  cir'- 
cumslances  required. 

The  materials  ibr  his  hrst  object  v»erc  abundan!,  i.hi}  alieady  prepared, 
I'he  emioTants  to  the  v.esteiii  countr\'  VNX^re  almost  all  from  the  three 
states  of  Virginia,  Maryland  and  Pennsylvania.  The  line  between  the 
two  states  of  Vir.crinia  and  Pennsvlvania  was  unsettled,  and  botli  tliese 
States  claimed  the  vdioie  of  the  western  country.  This  motley  mixtun^ 
of  men  from  different  States  did  not  harmonize.  The  Virginians  and  Ma- 
lylanders  disliked  the  Pennsylvania  laws,  nor  did  the  P>;nnsvlv:inian  ;  re- 
lish those  of  Virginia.  Thus  many  tii'-putes,  much  warm  blood,  broils, 
anil  sometimes  battles,  called  fisllcujf;:^  followed. 

The  earl  of  Du'nmore,  with  becoming  zeal  for  the  honor  of  the  "ancient 
tlominion,"  seized  upon  this  sta'e  of  things  so  propiiious  to  his  views  ; 
and  having  found  Dr.  .John  Connoly,  a  Pennsylvanian,  with  whom  I  think 
he  could  not  have  had  much  previous  acquaintance,  by  the  art  of  hocus- 
pocus  or  some  other  art,  converted  him  into  a  staiicii  V  irgiiiian,  and  ap- 
pointed him  vice  governor  and  commandant  (.f  Pittsburgh  and  its  defXMi- 
ilencies,  that  is  to  say,  ''•f  all  tlir  western  country.  Affair:;  on  that  -ide 
M  lite  mountain  begati  to  wear  '\  serious  aspect ;  at(emj)ts  weic  made  by 
both  States  to  ^Piifore.- ilieir  b.'.ws  ;    -.■nA  li,;'  -  Ir.uig  ai'Ui  of  poWer  ;.:jd  eoe^* 


lOS  JACOB\S    ACCOUNT 

cion  was  h.-t  ioose  by  Virginia.     Some  magistrates  acting   under  the  au- 
thority of  Pennsylvania  were  arrested,  sent  to  Virginia,   and    imprisoned. 

]3ut  tliat  the  reader  may  be  well  assured  that  the  hand  of  Dunmore  was 
in  all  this,  I  present  him  with  a  copy  of  his  proclamation.  It  is  howev- 
er deficient  as  to  date  : 

"Whereas,  I  have  reason  to  apprehend  that  the  government  of  Penn- 
sylvania, in  prosecution  of  their  claims  to  Pittsburgh  and  its  dependen- 
cies, will  endeavor  to  obstruct  his  m:^jesty's  government  thereof,  under  my 
administrution,  by  illegal  and  unwarrantable  commitment  of  the  ofhcers  1 
have  appointed  for  that  purpose,  and  that  seitlement  is  in  some  danger  of 
annoyance  from  the  Indians  also  ;  and  it  being  necessary  to  support  the 
dignity  of  his  majesty's  government  and  protect  his  subjects  in  the  quiet 
and  peaceable  enjoyment  of  their  rights  ;  I  have  therefore  thought  proper, 
by  and  with  the  consent  and  advice  of  his  majesty's  council,  by  ■ihis 
proclamation  in  his  majesty's  name,  to  order  and  require  tire  otTicers  of 
the  militia  in  that  ciislrict  to  embody  a  sufficient  number  of  men  to  re- 
pel any  insult  whatsoever ;  and  all  his  majesty's  liege  subjects  within  this 
colony  are  hereby  strictly  required  to  be  aiding  and  assisting  therein,  or 
they  shall  answer  the  contrary  at  their  peril ;  and  I  further  enjoin  and  re- 
quire the  seveial  inhabitants  of  the  territories  aforesaid  to  pay  his  majesty's 
quitrents  and  public  dues  to  such  officers  as  are  or  shall  be  appointed  to 
collect  the  same  v/ithin  this  dominion,  tmtil  his  majesty's  pleasure  therein 
shall  be  known." 

It  is  much  to  be  regretted  that  my  copy  of  this  proclamation  is  without 
date.  There  can,  however,  be  no  doubt  it  was  issued  either  in  1774  or 
early  in  1775,  and  I  am  inclined  to  think  it  was  issued  in  1774  ;  but 
it  would  be  satisfactor)'  to  know  precisely  the  day,  because  chronology  is 
the  soul  of  history 

Eut  this  state  of  things  in  the  west,  it  seems  from  subsequent  events, 
was  not  the  mere  efFervescence  of  a  transient  or  momentary  ex'cilemcnt, 
but  continu(-'d  a  long  season.  The  seeds  of  discord  had  fallen  unhapj-iily 
on  ground  too  naturally  productive,  and  weie  also  too  well  cultivated  by 
the  earl  of  Dunm.ore,  Connoly,  and  the  Pennsylvania  officers,  to  evapo- 
rate in  an  instant. 

We  find  by  recurring  to  the  history  of  our  revolutionary  war,  that  that 
awful  Ifjrnado,  if  it  luul  not  the  elfect  to  sweep  away  disputes  about  state 
rights  anfl  local  interests,  yet  it  had  the  eiTecl  to  silence  and  suspend  eve- 
ry thing  of  that  nature  pending  our  dubious  and  arduous  struggle  for  na- 
lionid  existence:  but  yet  we  find,  in  fact,  that  whatever  conciliatory  erTcrt 
this  statf.'  of  things  had  uj)on  other  sections  of  the  country,  and  upon  the 
nation  a(  largo,  it  was  not  sufficient  to  cxtingursh  this  fire  in  the  west. — 
For  in  the  latter  end  of  the  year  1770,  or  in  the  year  1777,  we  find  these 
])eop!(;  petitioning  Congress  to  interpose  their  authority,  and  redress  their 
grievances.  I  have  this  petition  bel'orc  me,  but  it  is  too  long  to  copy:  I 
therefore  only  giv(;  a  short  abstrart. 

It  begins  with  stating  that  whereas  Virginia  and  Pennsylvania  both  set 
up  claims  to  the  western  country,  it  was  j)rodu(;tive  of  the  most  serious 
and  distressing  conficfjuences  :  that  as  each  State  pertinaciously  support- 


OF  DUNAIORK'S  WAR,  1C9 

€d  their  respective  pretensions,  the  result  was,  as  described  by  themselves, 
"frauds,  impositions,  violences,  depredations,  animosities,"  &e.   &.c. 

These  evils  they  ascribe  (as  indeed  the  fact  was)  to  the  conflicting  claims 
of  the  two  States  ;  and  so  warm  were  the  partisans  on  each  side,  as  in 
some  cases  to  produce  battles  and  sheddinoof  blood.  i5ut  they  superadd 
another  reason  for  this  ill-humor,  namely,  the  proccedino's  of  Dunniore's 
warrant  officers,  in  laying;;  land  warrants  on  land  claimed  by  others,  and 
many  other  claims  for  land  granted  by  the  crown  of  England  to  individu- 
als, companies,  &c.,  covering  a  vast  extent  of  country,  and  including  most 
of  the  lands  already  settled  and  occupied  by  the  greatest  part  of  the  in- 
habitants of  the  western  country  ;  and  they  Anally  pray  Congress  to  erect 
them  into  a  seperate  State  and  admit  them  into  the  Union  as  a  fourteenth 
State. 

As  the  petition  recites  the  treaty  of  Pitt;l?urgh,  in  October  1775,  it  is 
probable  we  may  fix  its  date  (for  it  has  none,)  to  the  latter  part  of  1 T76  or 
1777.  I  rather  think  the  latter,  not  only  from  my  own  recollection  of  the 
circumstances  of  that  period,  but  especially  from  the  request  in  the  peti- 
tion to  be  erected  into  a  new  State,  which  certainly  would  not  have  been 
thought  of  before  the  Declaration  of  Independence- 

But  the  unhappy  state  of  the  western  country  will  aj^^icar  still  more  ev- 
ident, when  we  advert  to  another  important  document  whi'-h  I  have  also 
before  me.  It  is  a  proclamation  issued  by  tlie  delegates  in  (Jongi-ess  fron^ 
the  States  of  Pennsylvania  arid  Virginia,  and  bears  date  Philadelphia,  Ju- 
ly 25,  1775. 

But  the  heat  of  fire,  and  inflejtible  obstinan'  of  the  parties  engaged  in 
this  controversy,  will  appear  in  colors  still  stronger,  wlicn  we  see  tiie  un- 
availing efforts  made  by  the  delegates  in  Congress  from  the  two  Slates  oiT 
Virginia  and  Pennsylvania  in  the  year  1775,  These  gentlemen,  it  war^ 
obvious,  under  the  influence  of  the  best  of  motives,  and  certainly  wilh  ;? 
view  to  the  best  interests,  peace,  and  liappiness  of  the  westirn  people,, 
.sent  them  a  proclamation,  couciied  in  terras  diieetly  calculated  to  restore 
tranquillity  and  harmony  among  tbem  :  but  the  little  effect  produced  by' 
this  proclamation,  their  subsequent  petition  just  recited,  and  sent  the  next 
year  or  year  after  to  Congress-,  fully  demonstrates. 

But  as  I  consider  this  proclamation  an  important  document,  and  as  it  is 
nowhere  recorded,  I  give  it  to-  the  reader  entu'e  : 

"To  the  Inhobitanfs  nf  Penn.tj/li^ania  and  Virgiuin^ 

mi  the  rnesf  side  f>f  tlie  I^urrl  llill. 
"FrieN'OS  and  Countrymen  : — It  gives  us  much  concern  to  find  that 
disturbances  have  arisen,  and  still  continue  among  you,  concerning  the 
l)oundaries  of  our  colonies.  In  the  character  in  which  we  now  address 
you,  it  is  unnecessary  to  inquire  into  the  origin  of  those  unhappy  dis- 
putes, and  it  woukl  be  improper  for  us  to  express  our  approbation  or  cen- 
sure on  either  side ;  but  as  representatives  of  two  of  the  colonies,  united 
among  many  others  for  the  defence  of  the  liberties^  of  America,  we  think 
it  our  duty  to  remove,  as  far  as  lies  in  our  power,-  every  obstacle  that  may 
prevent  her  snm^  from  co-operating  as  vigorously  as  they  would  wish  to  do 
towards  tlie  attainment  cvf  this  great  and  importaii't  end.      Influenced  sole- 


no  .jAroi]\s  Accoi  Nr 

Ir  by  tills  motive,  our  joint  and  earnest  request  to  you  is,  tlial  all  ammns* 
iiies,  which  have  iierelotbre  sulj.si.sted  among  you,  as  iiiliabitants  of  dis- 
tinct colonies,  may  now  j^'ive  plae*'  to  jtjenerous  and  concurrinpj  ofl'orl.s  for 
t!ie  preservation  oi'  every  tiiinothat  can  make  our  common  country  dear 
lo  lis. 

"We  arc  i'allv  jiersiuidcd  that  ynvi,  a«  woU  as  we,  wish  to  see  your  dif- 
feiCMces  terminate  in  this  happy  issue.  For  tiiis  desirable  purpose  we  re- 
conimend  it  to  you  that  ail  bodies  of  nnned  meii,  Icppt  under  either  pro- 
V'lKf,  he  dismissed  ;  that  ;dl  iIk^sc  on  cither  side,  vho  are  in  conjinenieut^ 
i,r  iin-lrrLhiil  tortakini^  a  part  in  the  contest,  be  discharged;  and  that  un- 
til the  dis;)ule  bt;  dcciticd,  every  }>ersoii  be  permitted  to  retain  his  posses- 
sions unmolested. 

"Bv  observinii;  tliesc  directions,  the  j)ublic  tranquillity  will  be  secured 
without  injury  to  thi;  titles  on  eitjicr  side.  The  period,  we  Hatter  our- 
selves, will  soon  r.rrixi,  wlicn  this  unrortunate  dispute,  which  has  produ- 
ceil  much  mischiel',  and  a::  I'ar  as  we  can  learn  no  good,  v.ill  he  peaceably 
and  constiltitionally  determined. 

"W'c  are  your  tVirwuls  and  countrymen, 

••y^   U  nrjj,  IVuknrd  Henri/  Lte,  Bevjan  in  Harrison,    Th. 
Jpjferxon,  John  Dickinson,  (tea.  Ross,  B.  Franklin,  Jus. 
]\  ii'xnh,  Chivrlea  lluinphreya, 

"riii!:ulelp!ii:i,  July  -lb,  1775." 

l)iit  ir)  conclude  this  jinrt  of  our  subject,  I  think  the  reader  cannot  but. 
sc(!  iVohi  Diimnorc's  prnelriiaation,  the  violent  measures  of  his  lieutciianl 
Connolv  and  the  Virginia  oIHc(ts,  and  from  the  com])le\ion  of  the  tiuics, 
iiud  the  subsequ(>nt  conduct  of  both  Dumiiore  and  Comioly,  as  we  siiall 
see  liereaflcr ;  that  this  unhap})y  state  of  things,  it"  not  actually  jiroducetl, 
was  certainly  impioved  by  Dunmorc  lo  subserve  tiie  views  of  the  Hiitish 
court. 

We  now  proc(  el  to  examine  the  ([uos'iion,  how  far  iV.cts  and  circun - 
stances  jiislil'v  us  in  supposing  the  eail  of  Dunmore  himself  iuslrumental 
III  producing  the  Indian  war  of  MIA. 

it  has  been  already  remarked  th;U  this  Indian  war  was  but  the  precur- 
sor lo  our  revolutionary  war  of  \~i'ib — that  Dunmorc,  the  then  governor  of 
\'irginia,  w.is  one  of  the  most  iuvclerale  and  determined  enemies  to  llie 
revolution — that  \\v  wns  a  man  of  higli  talents,  especially  for  intrigue  and 
diplomatic  skill — tliat  occup'.ing  tlie  station  of  commander-in-chief  of  the 
large  and  respectable  State  of  \  irginia,  lie  possessed  maauo  and  power  to 
do  mu(di  to  serve  the  views  of  Clrc^nt  iiritain.  And  we  have  seen,  froiii 
the  preceding  pages,  how  e/Tectually  lie  })Iayed  his  part  among  the  inhab- 
itants of  the  western  country.  1  was  present  myself  when  a  Pennsylvanii 
mai;istratp,  of  the  name  of  Scott,  w.ns  taken  into  custody,  and  brought 
before  iJunmore,  at  Freslone  old  fort  ;  he  was  severely  threatened  and  dis- 
missed, perhaps  on  bail,  hut  I  do  not  recollect  how  ;  another  Pennsylva- 
nia magistrate  was  sent  to  Staunton  jail.  And  f  have  already  shewn  in 
the  preceding  pag«^s,  th:^t  there  wa.'i  a  tulricient  preparation  o{  materials 
lor  this  war  in  the  predisposition  ami  ho.ti'e  attitudj  of  our  affairr,  with 
thi-  lii.liau*:   ili:it  ii  wnv  conseqaen^K-  m  niiticuit  mittrr   vath  a  Vjrguiii 


OF  Dl'NMOliK'S  WAK.  Ill 

governor  to  direct  the  incipient  state  of  t}iiii<2;;-;  lo  r,n\  point  nior-i  condii- 
cive  to  the  grand  end  he  had  in  view,  ri'imi\iy,  ^vc;d^'eninf;'  our  naMoii;:! 
strength  in  some  of  its  best  and  iao.sL  ciricient  parts.  Jf,  ihen,  a  war 
with  the  Indians  might  have  a  tendency  to  produce  ihis  result,  it  appears 
perfectly  natural  and  reasonable  to  suppose  that  Dunmore  v.'ould  liiake 
use  of  all  his  jjower  and  influence  to  promote  it ;  and  altliough  llie  whv  of 
1774  was  brought  to  a  conclusion  before  the  year  was  out,  yet  we  know 
that  this  fire  was  scarcely  extinguished  before  it  burst  out  into  a  ilanK^  with 
tenfold  fury,  and  two  or  three  armies  of  tlie  vrhites  were  sacrificed  before 
we  could  get  the  Indians  subdued  ;  and  this  unhappy  state  of  our  affairs 
with  the  Indians  happening  during  the  severe  conllicl  of  our  revolulionary 
war,  had  the  very  effect,  I  suppose,  Dunmore  had  invievr,  namely,  divid- 
ing our  forces  and  enfeebling  our  aggregate  strength  ;  nwl  that  the  seeds 
of  these  subsequent  wars  with  the  indians  were  sown  in  1774  and  1775, 
appears  almost  certain. 

Yet  still,  however,  we  admit  that  W(>  are  not  in  possession  of  materials 
to  substantiate  this  charge  against  the  earl ;  and  all  we  can  do  is  to  i:iro- 
duce  some  facts  and  circumstances  that  deserve  notice,  and  have  a  strong 
bearing  on  the  case. 

And  the  first  we  shall  mention*  is  a  circular  letter  sent  by  Maj.  Conno- 
]y,  his  proxy,  early  in  the  spring  of  the  year  1774,  warning  the  inhal/i- 
itants  to  be  on  their  guard — that  the  Indians  were  very  angry,  and  mani- 
fested so  much  hostility,  that  he  was  apprehensive  they  would  strike 
somewhere  as  soon  as  the  season  irould  perinit,  and  enjoining  the  inhabi- 
tants to  prepare  and  retire  into  forts,  &,c.  It  might  be  useful  to  collate 
and  compare  this  letter  with  one  he  wrote  to  Capt.  Cresap  on  the  14th 
July  following  ;  see  hereafter.  In  this  letter  he  declares  there  is  war  (ir 
danger  of  war,  before  the  war  is  properly  begun  ;  in  that  to  Capt.  Cre- 
sap he  says  the  Indians  deport  themselves  peaceably,  when  Dunracu-e  and 
Lewis  and  Cornstalk  are  all  on  their  march  for  battle. 

This  letter  was  sent  by  express  in  every  direction  of  the  country.  Un- 
happily we  have  lost  or  mislaid  it,  and  consequently  are  deficient  in  a 
most  material  ]^;oint  in  its  date.  But  from  one  expression  in  the  letter, 
namely,  that  the  Indians  will  strike  when  the  season  permits,  and  this 
season  is  generallv  understood  to  merui  when  the  leaves  are  out,  we  may 
fix  it  in  the  month  of  ^lay.  We  find,  from  a  su1)scquent  letter  from  Pente- 
cost and  Connoly  lo  Capt.  Reece,  that  this  assumed  fact  is  proved  :  see 
liereafter. 

Thereibre  this  letter  cannot  be  of  a  later  date  than  sometime  in  lltr' 
month  of  April  ;  and  if  so,  before  Ijutler's  men  were  killed  on  Little  Den- 
ver ;  and  before  Logan's  family  were  killed  on  Yellow  creek,  and  was  in' 
fac'  the  fiery  red-cross  and  harbinger  of  Avar,  as  in  days  of  yore  among 
the  Scottish  clans.  That  this  was  the  fact  is  I  think  absolutely  certain, 
because  no  mention  is  made  in  Connoly's  letter  of  this  aflair,  wlilcli  cei-- 
tainlv  would  not  have  been  omitted,  if  precedent  to  his  letter. 


*The  remark,  as  it  should  seem  incidentally  made,  in  T/unm'»iv's  ]-):n- 
clamation,  as  to  the  Indian  war,  (see  page  108,)  deser\es  uMtl^-e,  ui  it 
iuis  no  connoct'oiij  with  the  subirct  of  that  i>;'Oclam:ition. 


112  JACO irs  AcroiNT 

Tills  letler produced  its  natural  result.  The  jK'opk'  fled  into  forts,  arul 
put  iheiuselves  into  a  posture  of  defence,  and  tlu*  tocsin  of  war  resound- 
ed from  Laurel  hill  to  the  banks  of  the  Ohio.  Capt.  Cresap,  who  was 
j)eaceahly  at  this  time  eujployed  in  buildinj^  houses  and  in>j)rovin<>-  lands 
on  the  Oliio,  received  tiiis  letter,  accompanied,  it  is  i)eli;!\i-d,  with  a  con- 
finnatorv  messajre  lioin  Col.  Cro<rhan  and  Mai-AI'Gee^  Indian  a<rents  and 
interpreters  ;*  and  he  thereupon  imnu'diately  broke  up  his  camp,  and  as- 
cended the  I'iver  to  VViieelinn^fort,  i  he  nearest  place  of  safety,  from  whence 
it  is  ijelieved  he  intended  speedily  to  return  home  ;  but  during,  his  stay  at 
this  i)lace,  a  repoit  was  brought  into  the  fort  that  two  Indians  were  com- 
ing dov.ii  tin-  river.  Capt.  Cresap,  supposing  iVom  every  crircumstanct, 
and  tlie  general  aspect  of  affairs,  that  war  was  inevitable,  and  in  fad  al- 
ready begun,  went  up  the  river  wiih  his  party  ;  and  two  of  his  men,  of 
the  name  of  Chenoweth  and  Brothers,  killed  these  two  Indians,  Jk'yond 
controversy  this  is  the  only  circumstance  in  the  history  of  this  Indian 
Avar,  in  which  his  name  can  in  the  remotest  degree  be  identified  with  luiy 
measure  tending  to  ]iroduce  this  war  ;  and  it  is  certain  that  the  guilt  or 
innocence  of  this  afHiir  will  a[)pear  iVom  its  (Late-.  It  is  notorious,  then, 
that  those  Indians  weie  killed  not  only  after  Capt.  Cresap  had  received 
Connoly's  letter,  and  after  Butler's  men  were  killed  in  the  canoe,  but  al- 
so after  the  afVair  at  Yellow  creek,  and  after  'die  peoi)le  had  fled  into  forts, 
lint  more  of  this  hereafter,  when  we  take  up  Mr.  Doddrige  and  his  book; 
simply,  however,  remarking  here,  that  this  alTair  of  killing  these  two  In- 
dians has  the  same  aspect  and  relation  to  Dunmore^s  war  that  the  battle 
of  Lexington  has  to  the  v/ar  of  the  revolutsion, 

jiut  to  ])roceed.  Permit  us  to  remark,  that  it  is  very  diflicult  at  this  late 
prriod  to  form  a  correct  idea  of  these  times,  unless  we  can  bring  distinct- 
ly into  view  the  real  state  of  our  frontier.  The  inhabilants  of  the  wes- 
tern country  were  at  this  time  thinly  scattered  from  the  Allegany  moun- 
tain to  tlie  eastern  banks  of  the  Ohio,  and  most  thinly  near  that  river. — 
In  this  state  of  things,  it  was  natural  to  sujvpose  that  the  few  settlers  in 
the  vicinity  of  WheeHng,  who  had  colhicted  into  that  Ibrt,  would  feel  ex- 
tremely solicitous  to  detain  captain  Cresap  and  his  iiicn  as  long  as  j)ossi- 
l)le,  especially  until  they  could  see  on  what  })oint  the  storm  would  fall. — ■ 
Capt.  Cresap,  the  son  of  a  hero,  and  a  hero  himself,  felt  for  their  situa- 
ation  ;  and  getting  together  a  few  more  men  in  addition  to  his  own,  and 
Jiot  rejisliing  the  limits  of  a  little  fort,  nor  a  life  of  inactivity,  set  out  on 
what  was  called  a  s(;outing  party,  that  is,  to  reconnoiter  and  scour  the 
frontier  border ;  and  while  out  and  engaged  in  this  business,  fell  in  with 
and  had  a  running  liglit  with  a  jiarty  of  Indians,  nearly  about  his  equal  in 
numbers,  when  one  Indian  was  killed,  and  Cresap  had  oneman  wounded. 
'I'his  affair  look  j)lace  somewhere  on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio.  Doddridge' 
says  it  was  at  the  mouth  of  Captina:  be  it  so — it  matters  not  ;  but  he  adds, 
it  was  on  the  same  day  the  Jiidians  were  killed  in  the  canoe.  In  this  the 
doctor  is  most  egregif)usly  mistaken,  as  I  shall  j)rove  liereafter. 

But  mav  we  not  ask,  what  were  these  Indians  doing  here  at  this  time, 
on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio?     Tliev  had  no  town    near  this  pi. 


'1  iiad  tlii-;  from  C.\p' .  Cre^aji  him-iclf,  a  short  tliue  after  it  oceiincd. 


OF  DUNMORE'S  WAR.  113 

it  theii-  hunting  season,  as  it  was  about  the  8lh  or  10th  of  May.  Is  it 
not  then  probable,  nay  ahnost  certain,  that  this  straggling  banditti  -svere 
prepared  and  ready  to  fall  on  some  parts  of  our  exposed  frontier,  and  that 
their  dispersion  saved  the  lives  of  many  helpless  women  and  children.'' 

But  the  old  proverb,  cry  mad-dog  and.  kill  him  !  is,  I  suppose,  equally 
as  applicable  to  heroes  as  to  dogs. 

Capt.  Cresap  soon  after  this-  returned  to  his  family  in  Maryland  ;  but 
feeling  most  sensibly  for  the  inhabitants  on  the  frontier  in  their  perilous  si- 
tuation, immediately  raised  a  company  of  volunteers,  and  raarclied  back 
to  their  assistance;  and  having  advanced  as  far  as  Catfish  camp, the  place 
where  Washington,  Pa.,  now  stands,  he  was  arrested  in  his  progress  by  a 
peremptory  and  insulting  order  from  Connoly,  commanding  him  to  dis- 
niiss  his  men  and  to  return  home. 

This  order,  couched  iu  offensive  and  insulting  language,  it  may  be  well 
supposed,  was  not  very  grateful  to  a  man  of  Captain  Cresap's  high 
sense  of  honor  and  peculiar  sensibility,  especially  conscious  as  he  was 
of  the  purity  of  his  motives,  and  the  laudable  end  he  had  in  view.  He 
nevertheless  obeyed,  returned  home  and  dismissed  his  men,  and  with  the 
determination,  I  well  know  from  what  he  said  after  his  return,  never  again 
to  take  any  part  in  the  present  Indian  war,  but  to  leave  Mr.  Commandant 
at  Pittsburgh  to  fight  it  out  as  he  could.  This  hasty  resolution  was  how- 
ever of  short  duration.  For  however  strange,  contradictory,  and  irrecon- 
cilable the  conduct  of  the  earl  of  Dunmore  and  his  vice-governor  of  Pitts- 
burgh, &c.  may  appear,  yet  it  is  a  fact,  that  on  the  lOth  of  June,  the  earl 
of  Dunmore,  unsolicited,  and  to  Capt.  Cresap  certainly  unexpected.  Sent 
him  a  captain's  commission  of  the  militia  of  Hampshire  county,  Virginia^ 
notwithstanding  his  residence  was  in  Maryland.  This  commission  reach- 
ed Capt.  C.  a  few  days  after  his  return  from  the  expedition  to  Catfish 
camp,  just  above  mentioned;  and  inasmuch  as  this  commission,  coming 
to  him  in  the  way  it  did,  cairied  with  it  a  tacit  expression  of  the  gover- 
ner's  approbation  of  his  conduct — add  to  which,  that  about  the  same  time 
his  feelings  were  daily  assailed  by  j)etItion  after  petition,  from  almost  eve- 
ry section  of  the  western  country,  praying,  begging,  and  beseeching  him 
to  come  over  to  their  assistance — it  is  not  surprising  that  his-  resolution 
should  be  changed.  Several  of  these  petitions  and  Dunmore's  commis- 
sion have  escaped  the  wreck  of  time  and  are  in  my  possession. 

This  commission  coming  at  the  time  it  did,  and  in  the  way  and  under 
the  circumstances  above  recited,  aided  and  strengthened  as  it  was  by  the 
numberless  petitioners  aforesaid,  broke  down  and  so  far  extinguished  all 
Capt.  Cresap's  personal  resentment  against  Connoly  Jiat  he  once  more 
detemiined  to  exert  all  his  power  and  influence  in  assisting  the  distressed 
inhabitants  of  the  western  frontier,  and  accordingly  immediately  raised  a 
company,  placed  himself  under  the  command  of  Maj.  Angus  IVI'Donrdd, 
and  marched  with  him  to  attack  the  Indians,  at  their  town  of  Wappato- 
machie,  on  the  Muskingum.  His  popularity,  at  this  time,  was  su'ch,  and 
so  many  men  flocked  to  his  standard,  that  he  could  not  consistently  wirh 
the  rules  of  an  army,  retain  them  in  his  company,  but  was  obliged  to 
transfer  them,  ijiuch  against  their  wills,  to  other  captains,  and    the    result 

P 


114  JACOB'S    ACCOUNT 

was,  that  after  retaining  in  his  own  company  as  many  men  as  he  could 
consifitenlly,  lie  filled  completely  the  company  ol  his  ne])hew  Capt.  Mi- 
chael Cresap,  and  also  partly  the  company  of  Capt.  Hancock  Lee.  'i'liis 
little  army  of  about  four  liundred  men,  under  Maj.  M'Donald,  penetrated 
the  Indian  country  as  far  as  the  Muskin<Tum  ;  near  which  they  had  a  skir- 
mish with  a  party  of  Indians  under  Capt.  Snake,  in  which  M'Donald  lost 
six  men,  and  killed  the  Indian  chief  Snake. 

A  little  anecdote  here  will  cfo  to  show  what  expert  and  close  shooters 
Ave  had  in  those  days  among  our  riflemen.  When  M'Donald's  little  array 
arrived  on  the  near  bank  of  the  Muskingum,  and  while  lying  there,  an 
Indian  on  the  opposite  shore  got  behind  a  log  or  old  tree,  and  was  lifting- 
lip  his  head  occasionally  to  view  the  white  men's  army.  One  of  Ca})t. 
Cresap's  men,  of  the  name  of  John  Harness,  seeing  this,  loaded  his  ritio 
with  two  balls,  and  placing  himself  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  watched  the 
opportunity  when  the  Indian  raised  his  head,  and  firing  at  the  same  in- 
stant, put  both  balls  through  the  Indian's  neck,  and  laid  him  dead  ;*  which 
circumstance  no  doubt  had  great  influence  in  intimidating  the  Indians. 

M'Donald  after  this  had  another  running  fight  with  the  Indians,  drove 
them  from  their  towns,  burnt  them,  destroyed  their  provisions,  and,  re- 
turning to  the  settlement,  discharged  his  men. 

]jut  this  affair  at  Wappatomachie  and  expedition  of  McDonald  were  on- 
ly the  prelude  to  more  important  and  efficient  measures.  It  was  well  un- 
derstood that  the  Indir.ns  were  far  from  being  subdued,  and  tliat  they  would 
now  certainly  collect  all  their  force,  and  to  the  utmost  of  power  return  the 
compliment  of  our  visit  to  their  territories. 

'J'lie  governor  of  Virginia,  whatever  might  liave  been  his  views  as  to 
the  ulterior  measures,  lost  no  time  in  })re|)aring  to  meet  this  storm.  He 
sent  orders  imn\ediat(.'ly  to  Col.  Andrew  Lewis,  of  Augusta  county,  to 
raise  an  army  of  about  one  thousand  men,  and  to  march  with  all  expedi- 
tion to  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Kanawha,  on  the  Ohio  river,  where,  or  nt 
some  other  point,  he  would  join  liiin,  after  he  had  got  together  another 
army,  which  he  intended  to  raise  in  the  northwestern  covmties,  and  com- 
mand in  person.  Lewis  lost  no  time,  but  collected  the  number  of  men 
required,  and  marched  without  delay  to  the  appointed  place  of  rendez- 
vous. 

iiut  the  carl  was  not  fpiite  so  rapid  in  his  movements,  which  circum- 
stance the  eagle  eye  of  old  Cornstalic,  the  general  of  the  Indian  army, 
saw,  and  was  determined  to  avnil  himself  of,  foreseeing  that  it  would  be 
much  (tasier  to  destroy  two  separate  columns  of  an  mvading  array  before 
than  after  their  jimclion  and  consolidntlon.  With  this  tIcw  he  mnrched 
with  all  (•xj>edition  lo  attack  Lewis,  before  he  was  joined  by  the  carPs  ar- 
my from  the  north  calculating,  confidently  no  doubt,  that  if  he  could  de- 
stroy Lewis,  he  would  be  able  to  give  a  good  account  of  the  army  of  the 
earl. 

'I'he  |»lans  of  Cornst;dk  ajipcar  to  have  been  those  of  a  consummntc 
and  skillful  general,  and  the  prompt  and  rapid  execution  of  them  display- 
ed the  energy  of  a   warrior.     He  therefore,  without  loss  of  time,    attack- 


*  The  Muskingum  at  this  jdace  is  said  to  be  about  200  yards  wide. 


OF  DUNMORC'S  WAR,  115 

ed  Lewis  at  liis  post.  The  attack  was  sudden,  viole]it,  and  I  believe  un- 
expected. It  was  neverthelesss  well  fought,  very  obstinate,  and  of  lon<'- 
continuance  :  and  as  both  parties  fought  with  rifles,  the  conliict  was  dread- 
ful ;  many  were  killed  on  both  sides,  and  the  contest  was  only  finished 
with  the  approach  of  night.  The  Virginians,  however,  kept  the  field,  but 
lost  many  valuable  officers  and  men,  and  among  the  rest.  Col.  Charlci 
L«wis,  brother  to  the  commander-in-chief. 

Cornstalk  and  due  Jacket,  the  two  Indian  captains,  it  is  said,  perform- 
ed prodigies  of  valor ;  but  finding  at  length  all  their  elTorts  unavailing, 
drew  off  their  men  in  good  order,  and  with  the  determination  to  fight  no 
more,  if  peace  could  be  obtained  upon  reasonable  terras. 

This  battle  of  Lewis'  opened  an  easy  and  unmolested  passage  for  Dun- 
more  through  the  Indian  country  ;*  but  it  is  proper  to  remark  here,  how- 
ever, that  when  Dunmore  arrived  v\-ith  his  wing  of  the  army  at  the  mouth 
of  Hockhocking,  he  sent  Capt.  White-eyes,  a  Delaware  chief,  to  invite 
ihii  Indians  to  a  treaty,  and  he  remained  staticnaiy  at  that  place  until 
White-eyes  returned,  who  reported  that  the  Indians  would  not  treat  about 
peace.  I  presume,  in  order  of  time,  this  must  have  been  just  before  Le- 
wis' battle ;  because  it  wdll  appear  in  the  setjuel  of  this  story,  that  a  great 
revolution  took  place  in  the  minds  of  the  Indians  after  the  battle. 

Duiimore,  immediately  upon  the  report  of  White-eyes  that  the  Indians 
were  not  disposed  for  peace,  sent  an  express  to  Col.  Lewis  to  move  on 
and  meet  him  near  Chilicothe,  on  the  Scioto,  and  both  wings  of  tlie  ar- 
my were  put  in  motion.  But  as  Dunmore  aj)proached  the  Indian  towns, 
he  was  met  by  flags  from  the  Indians,  demanding  peace,  to  Vvdiich  he  ac- 
ceded, halted  his  army,  and  runners  were  sent  to  invite  the  Indian  chiefs., 
who  cheerfully  obeyed  the  summons,  and  came  to  the  treaty — save  only 
Logan,  the  great  orator,  who  refused  to  come.  It  seems,  however,  that 
neidier  Dunmore  nor  the  Indian  chiefs  considered  his  presence  of  much 
importance,  for  they  went  to  work  and  hnished  the  treaty  without  him — 
referring,  I  believe,  some  unsettled  points  for  future  discussion,  at  a  treaty 
to  be  held  the  ensuing  summer  or  fall  at  Pittsburgh.  'I'his  treaty,  the  ar- 
ticles of  which  I  never  saw,  nor  do  I  know  that  they  were  ever  recorded, 
concluded  Dunmore's  war,  in  September  or  October,  1774.  After  the 
treaty  w^as  over,  old  Cornstalk,  the  Shawnee  chief,  accom})anied  Dun- 
more's army  until  they  reached  the  mouth  of  Hockhocking,  on  the  Ohio  ; 
and  what  was  most  singular,  rather  made  his  home  in  Capt.  Cresjip's  tent. 
With  whom  he  continued  on  terms  of  the  most  friendly  funiliarity.  I  con- 
sider  this  circumstance  as  positive  proof  that  the  Indians  themselves  nei- 

*A  little  anecdote  will  pro\e  that  Dunmore  was  a  gener.d,  and  also  the 
high  estimation  in  w'hich  he  held  Capt.  C'-esap.  While  the  army  was 
marcliing  through  the  Indian  country,  Dunmore  ordered  Capt.  Cresap 
with  his  company  and  some  more  of  his  best  troops  in  tlie  rear,  'fhis 
displeased  Cresap,  and  he  expoatulated  witli  the  eai!,  w};o  re[)!!t'(l,  that 
the  reason  of  this  arrangement  was,  because  lie  Lnew  thi;1  it'  l;e.  was  at- 
tacked in  front,  all  those  men  would  soon  rush  forward  ifito  the  engage- 
ment. This  reason,  which  was  by  the  by  a  handsome  com[.'l:ment,  v'--.ius- 
iied  Cresap,  aud  all  the  rear  guard. 


116  JArOB\S   ACCOUNT 

ther  considered  Capt.  Cresap  the  murderer  of  Loi^-.urs  fainilr,  nor  the 
cause  of  the  war.  It  appears,  also,  that  at  this  place  the  earl  of  Dun- 
raore  received  dispatches  from  England.  Doddridge  says  he  received 
these  on  his  inarch  out. 

But  \ve  ought  to  have  mentioned  in  its  proper  place,  that  aflerthe  trea- 
ty between  J3unmore  and  the  Indians  commenced  near  Chilicothe,  Lewis 
arrived  with  his  army,  and  encamped  two  or  three  miles  from  Dunmore, 
which  greatly  alarmed  the  ladians,  as  they  thought  he  was  so  much  irri- 
tated at  losing  so  many  men  in  the  late  battle  that  he  would  not  easily  be 
pacified  ;  nor  would  they  be  satisfied  until  Dunmore  and  old  Cornstalk 
went  into  Lewis'  camp  to  converse  with  him. 

Doct.  Doddridge  represents  this  affair  iu  different  shades  ©f  light  from 
this  statement,  I  can  only  say  I  had  my  information  from  an  oHicer  who 
was  present  at  the  time. 

Jiut  it  is  time  to  remind  the  reader,  that,  although  I  have  wandered  into 
such  a  minute  detail  of  the  various  occurrences,  facts  and  circumstances 
of  Dunmore's  war  ;  and  all  of  which  as  a  history  mav  be  interesting  to 
the  present  and  especially  to  the  rising  generation  ;  yet  it  is  proper  to  re- 
mark that  I  have  two  leading  objects  chiefly  in  view — first,  to  convince 
the  world,  ihat  whoever  and  whatever  might  be  the  cause  of  the  Indian 
war  of  1774,  it  was  not  Capt.  Cresap;  secondly,  that  from  the  aspect  of 
our  political  affairs  at  that  period,  and  from  the  known  hostility  of  Dun- 
more to  the  American  revolution,  and  withal  from  the  subsequent  conduct 
of  Dunmore,  and  the  dreadfid  Indian  war  that  commenced  soon  after  the 
beginning  of  our  war  with  Great  Britain — [  say,  froni  all  these  circum- 
stances, we  have  infinitely  stronger  reasons  to  suspect  Dumnore  than  Cre- 
saj);  and  I  may  say  that  the  dispatches  above  mentioned  that  were  re- 
ceived by  Dunmore  at  Hockhocking,  ahhough  alter  the  treaty,  were  yet 
calculated  to  create  suspicion. 

J^ut  il',  as  we  suppose,  Dunmore  was  secretly  at  the  bottom  of  this  In- 
dian war,  it  is  evident  that  he  could  not  with  projiriety  appear  personally 
in  a  biisiness  of  tliis  kind  ;  and  we  have  seen  and  shall  see,  how  effectu- 
ally his  sub-governor  played  his  part  between  the  Virginians  and  Penn- 
sylvanians;  and  it  now  renniiis  for  us  to  examine  how  far  the  conduct  of 
tjiis  man  ((,'onnoly)  will  bear  us  out  in  the  supposition  that  there  was  also 
some  foul  i)lav,  some  dark  intritruintr  work  to  embroil  the  western  coun- 
try  in  an  Jndian  war. 

And  r  think  it  best  now, as  we  have  introduced  this  man  Connoly  again, 
to  give  the  reader  a  short  condensed  history  of  his  whole  proceedings, 
that  we  may  jiave  him  in  full  view  at  once.  We  hav(>  already  ])resented 
the  reader  with  his  circular  letter,  and  its  natural  result  and  consequences 
anfl  aJs/i  witli  his  insulting  letter  imd  mandatorv  order  to  Capt.  Cresap,  at 
Catfish  camp,  to  dismiss  his  men  and  i,')  hf)iu<'  ;  and  that  the  reader  may 
now  see  a  little  nl'  the  cli;ir;icter  of  this  man,  and  tniderstand  him,  if  it  is 
|)ossiblp  to  understand  liim,  I  present  him  with  the  copy  of  a  letter  to 
Capt.   Recce. 

"As  I  have  received  intelligence  tli:i1  Logan,  n  Mingo  Indian,  with 
jibout  twenty  Shawnee?*  and  others,  were  to  .^et  off  for  war  last  Monday, 
t'.iul  I  haverc.ison  to  believ/r  that  thev  may  c<tine  uporj  the    inhabitants  n- 


OF  DU-NMOUE'S  WAR.  117 

bout  Wheeling,  I  hereby  order,  require  anti  commajid  you,  \vitli  all  the 
men  you  can  raise,  immediately  to  march  and  join  any  of  the  mmpiinif's 
already  out  and  under  the  pay  of  government,  and  upon  joining  your  j)ar- 
ties  together,  scour  the  frontier  and  become  a  barrier  to  our  settlements, 
and  endeavor  to  fall  in  with  their  tracks,  and  pursue  them,  using  your  ut- 
most endeavors  to  chastise  them  as  open  and  avowed  enemies. 

"I  am,  sir,  your  most  humble  servant, 
"DoRSEY  Pentecost,  for 

"JOHN  CONNOLY. 

"To  Capt.  Joel  Reece,  use  all  expedition.  May  27,  1774." 

Now  here  is  a  fellow  for  you.  A  very  short  time  before  this,  pcrhapr. 
two  or  three  days  before  the  date  of  this  letter,  Cajit.  Cresap,  who  had  a 
fine  conipany  of  volunteers,  is  insulted,  ordered  to  dismiss  his  men  and 
go  home  ;  and  indeed  it  appears  from  one  expression  m  this  letter,  name- 
ly, "the  companies  who  are  already  out,"  that  these  companies  must  have 
been  actually  out  at  the  very  time  Cresap  is  ordered  home. 

Now  if  any  man  is  skilled  in  the  art  of  legerdemain,  let  him  unriddle 
this  enigma  if  he  can. 

But  as  so  many  important  facts  crowd  together  at  thi?  eventful  period, 
it  may  be  satisfactory  to  the  reader,  and  have  a  tendency  more  clearly  to 
illustrate  the  various  scenes  interwoven  in  the  thread  of  this  history,  to 
present  to  his  view  a  chronological  list  of  these  facts  ;  and  I  think  the  first 
that  deserves  notice  is  Connoly's  circular  letter,  wdiich  we  date  the  25th 
day  of  April;  secondly,  the  two  men  killed  in  Butler's  canoe  we  know 
was  the  first  or  second  day  of  May  ;  thirdly,  the  affair  at  Yellow  creek 
was  on  the  third  or  fourth  day  of  May  ;  fourthly,  the  Indians  killed  in 
the  canoe  above  Wheeling  the  fifth  or  sixth  day  of  May ;  fifthly,  the 
skirmish  with  the  Indians  on  the  river  Ohio,  about  the  eighth  or  Icuth  day 
of  May;  after  which,  Capt.  Cresap  returned  1o  Catfish  camp  about  the 
twenty-fifth  of  May.  Indeed  this  fact  speaks  for  itself;  it  could  not  bo 
earlier,  when  it  is  considered  that  he  rode  home  from  the  Ohio,  a  distance 
of  about  one  hundred  and  forty  miles,  raised  a  company  and  marched 
back  as  far  as  Catfish,  through  bad  roads,  near  one  hundi'cd  and  twenty 
miles  ;  and  all,  agreeably  to  my  statement,  in  seventeen  days  :  then  it  is 
BAddent  that  he  was  not  at  Catfish  camp  sooner  than  the  25lh  of  May  ; 
and  if  so,  he  was  ordered  home  at  the  very  time  when  scouts  were  out, 
and  the  settlement  threatened  with  an  attack  from  the  Indians,  as  is  man- 
ifest from  Connoly's  own  letter  to  Capt.  Reece,  dated  May  27,   1774. 

But  the  hostility  of  Connoly  to  Capt.  Cresap  was  unremitting  and 
without  measure  or  decency ;  for  on  the  14th  of  July,  of  the  same 
year,  we  find  one  of  the  most  extraordinary,  crooked,  malignant,  Cruh- 
street  epistles,  that  ever  appeai'ed  ui)on  paper:   but  let  uk  see  it. 

'■'■Fort  Dnmnor p.'-'  July  14,  177'j. 

"Your  whole  proceedings,  so  far  as  relate  to  our  disturbances  willi  the 
Indians,  iiave  been  of  a  nature  so  extraordinary,  that  I  am  much  at  a  loss 


*During  the  government  of  Connoly  in  this  place,  he  chnngcd  the  name 
from  Pitt  to  Dunmore  ;  but  subsequent  events  have  blotted  outDunmnre's 
•i^iarae. 


118  JACOB'S    ACCOUNT 

t )  account  for  the  cause;  but  when  I  CDu.siiler  your  late  steps,  lend- 
ing (.lircciiy  to  ruii  the  service  here,  by  inveigling  away  the  mihtia  of  this 
garrisou  by  _>'our  preposterou:^  proposals,  and  causing  them  thereby  to 
embe/zle  the  anus  ot'  government,  purchased  at  an  enormous  expense, 
and  at  du'  same  time  to  rellect  intinite  disgrace  upon  the  honor  of  this 
colony,  by  attaciving  .1  set  of  people,  which,  notwithstanding  the  injury 
they  have  sustained  by  you  in  the  loss  of  their  people,  yet  continue  to  re- 
ly upon  the  professions  of  friendship  which  I  have  made,  and  deport 
themselves  accordingly;  I  say  when  I  consider  these  matters,  I  must  con- 
clude you  are  actuated  by  a  spirit  of  discord,  so  prejudicial  to  the  peace 
and  good  order  of  society,  that  the  conduct  calls  i'or  justice,  and  due  ex- 
t:eution  thereof  can  only  check.  I  must  once  again  order  you  to  desist 
iiom  your  periiicious  designs,  and  require  of  you,  if  you  are  an  officer  of 
iniliti;),  to  send  the  deserters  from  this  place  back  with  all  expedition,  that 
;they  may  be  dealt  with  as  their  crimes  merit. 

"I  am,  sir,  your  servant, 

"JOHN  CONNOLY." 

This  letter,  allauugh  short,  contains  so  nianj  things  for  remark  and  an- 
imadversion, that  we  scarcely  know^  where  to  begin.  It  exhibits,  howAv- 
er,  a  real  picture  of  the  man,  and  a  mere  superficial  glance  at  its  phrase- 
ology will  prove  that  he  is  angry,  and  his  nerves  in  a  tremor.  It  is,  in 
fact^,  an  incoherent  jumble  of  words  and  sentences,  all  in  the  disjunctive. 

I3;ii  it  is  a  perfect  original  ajid  anomaly  in  the  epistolary  line  ;  and  con- 
tains in  itself  internal  marks  of  genuine  authenticity. 

The  Hrst  thing  in  this  letter  tliat  calls  for  our  attention  is  the  language 
lie  uses  towards  the  people  he  calls  ^hnililia  dene  iter  a.''''  That  they  may 
be  dealt  with,  he  says,  as  their  crimes  merit.  Now  I  pray  you  who  were 
those  people?  Doubtless  the  respectable  farmers  and  others  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  Pittsburgh.  And  what  does  this  .Mogul  of  the  west  intend  to  do 
v.'ith  them  ?  VVhy  hang  them,  to  be  sure  ;  Un'  this  is  military  law.  But 
t'.ie  true  state  of  this  case  dou!)tless  is,  that  tliese  militia  considered  them- 
selves free  men  ;  that  tliey  wore  not  well  pleiised  either  with  Connoly  or 
g;:rrison  duty;  that  viewing  theircountry  in  danger,  and  their  wives  and 
•children  exposed  to  savage  barbarity,  they  preferred  more  active  service, 
and  joined  the  standard  of  Capt.  Cresnp.  And  is  this  a  new  thing,  or 
rej)rehensible  ?  How  often  do  our  militia  enter  into  the  regular  army, 
and  whoever  dreamed  of  hanging  theru  for  so  doing? 

iJut,  secondly,  we  say  it  is  possible  Capt.   Cresap  did  not   know   from 

whence  the'e  men  came ;  and  if  he  did,  he   deserves   no  censure  for  re- 

<-eiving  them;  and  as  to  the  charge  of  inveigliig   away  the   militia    from 

•the  g:irrison,  we  know  this  must  be  positively  lalse,    because  he  was    not 

•in  Pittsburgli  in  the  year  1774,  either  personnlly  or  by  proxy. 

As  to  the  genenil  charge  agiinst  C.ipt.  Cresap,  of  atlncking  the  fn- 
tliaiis,  and  the  great  injiny  he  had  done  them,  I  \wo\\  only  say  that  this 
«cli;irgt;  is  reiiiteil  ;ig:iin  iuid  ag:iiii  in  the  course  of  this  history,  audits  un- 
pai'aileled  impuilence  especially,  or  llie  date  of  this  letter,  merits  the  deep- 
<*st  contempt,  lint  tin;  most  extraordinary  feature  in  this  most  extraor- 
dii>arv  letter  is  cmucIk-I  in  these  word.T,  nnm-h  :   "Thnt   t!ie    Indians    re- 


OF  DUNMORE'S  WAR.  lj& 

lied  upon  the  expressions  of  friendship  lie  made  them  and  deported  them- 
selves accordingly." 

Be  astonished,  0  ye  nations  of  the  e?ir;h,  and  all  ye  kindreds  of  pet;})Je 
at  this  !  For  be  it  remembered  this  is  the  ]4th  day  of  July  J774,  v.hcn 
Connoly  has  the  unblushing  impudence  to  assert  that  the  Indians  relied 
upon  liis  expressions  of  friendsliip,  and  deported  themselves  accordinclv, 
when  at  this  very  time  we  were  engaged  in  the  hottest  part  of  Dunmoie's 
war;  when  Dunmore  himself  was  raising  an  army  and  personally  on  Ins 
way  to  take  the  command  ;  when  Lewis  was  on  his  march  from  Augusta 
county,  Virginia,  to  the  Ohio  ;  when  Cornstalk,  with  his  Indian  army, 
was  in  motion  to  meet  Lewis  ;  and  when  Capt.  Cresap  was  actually  rais- 
ing a  company  to  join  Dunmore  when  he  arrived.  And  it  was  while  en- 
gaged in  this  business,  that  he  received  this  letter  from  Connoly. 

Now  if  any  man  can  account  for  this  strange  and  extraordinary  letter 
upon  rational  principles,  let  him  do  so  if  he  can  :  he  has  more  ingenuity 
and  a  more  acute  discernment  than  I  have. 

Soon  after  receiving  this  letter,  Capt.  Cresap  left  his  company  on  the 
west  side  of  the  mountain  and  rode  home,  where  he  met  the  earl  of  Dun- 
more  at  his  house,  and  where  he  (the  esrl)  remained  a  few  days  in  habits 
of  friendship  and  cordiality  with  the  family.  One  day  while  the  earl  was 
at  his  house,  Capt.  Cresap,  finding  him  alone,  introduced  the  subject  of 
Connoly's  ill  treatment,  with  a  view,  I  suppose,  of  obtaining  redress,  or 
of  exposing  the  character  of  a  man  he  knew  to  be  high  in  the  estimation 
and  confidence  of  the  earl.  But  what  effect,  suppose  ye,  had  this  remor- 
strance  on  the  earl  ?  I'll  tell  you  ;  it  lulled  him  into  a  profound  sleep.  Ave, 
aye,  thinks  I  to  myself  (young  as  I  then  was,)  this  will  not  do,  captain  ; 
there  ai-e  wheels  within  wheels,  dark  things  behind  the  curtain  between 
this  noble  earl  and  his  sub-satellite. 

Capt.  Cresap  was  himself  open,  candid  and  unsuspicious,  and  I  do  not 
know  Vvhathe  thought,  but  I  weh  remember  ray  own  thoughts  upon  this 
occasion. 

But  let  us,  as  nearly  as  possible,  finish  our  business  with  Connoly,  al- 
though we  must  thereby  get  a  little  ahead  of  our  history  :  yet,  as  already 
remarked,  we  think  it  less  perplexing  to  the  reader,  than  to  give  him  here 
a  little  and  there  a  little  of  this  extraordinary  character. 

We  find,  then,  that  in  the  year  1775,  Connoly,  discovering  that  his 
sheep-skin  could  not  cover  him  much  longer,  threw  off  the  mask  and  fled 
to  his  friend  Dunmore,  who  also,  about  the  same  time,  was  obliged  to 
take  sanctuary  on  board  a  British  ship  of  war  in  the  Chesapeake  bay. — ■ 
From  this  place,  i.  e.  Portsmouth  in  Virginia,  Connoly  wrote  the  follow- 
ing letter  to  Col.  John  Gibson,  who,  no  doubt,  he  supposed  possessed 
sentiments  congenial  to  his  own.  It  happened,  liowever,  that  he  was  mis- 
taken in  his  man  ,  for  Gibson  exposed  him,  and  put  his  letter  into  tlie 
hands  of  the  commissioners  who  were  holding  a  treaty  with  the  Indians. 
But  let  us  see  this  letter :  it  is  dated  Portsmouth,  August  9,  1775. 

"Dear  Sir :  I  have  safely  arrived  here,  and  am  happy  in  the  greatest 
degree  at  having  so  fortunately  escaped  tlie  narrow  inspection  of  my  ene- 
mies, the  enemies  to  their  countrj-'s  good  order  and  goveTnme«it.  I  shf)rild 


120  JACOB'S    ACCOUNT 

cuteom  mysolf  tU'rect-ive  in  point  of  fiicndship  towards  you,  ghould  I  ne^ 
•j^lcct  to  caution  you  to  avoid  an  over  zealous  exertion  of  what  is  now  ri- 
diculously called  jiatriotic  spirit,  but  on  the  contrary  to  deport  yourself 
with  that  moderation  for  which  you  have  always  been  so  remarkable,  and 
which  must  in  this  instance  tend  to  your  honor  and  advantage.  You  may 
rest  assured  from  me,  sir,  that  the  greatest  unanimity  now  prevails  at  home, 
and  the  innovating  spirit  among  us  here  is  looked  upon  as  ungenerous 
and  undutiful,  and  that  the  utmost  exertions  of  the  powers  in  government 
(if  necessary)  will  be  used  to  convince  the  infatuated  people  of  their 
folly. 

"•i  v/ould,  I  assure  you,  sir,  give  you  such  convincing  proofs  of  what  I 
assert,  and  Irom  which  every  reasonable  person  may  conclude  the  effects, 
that  nothing  but  madness  could  operate  upon  a  man  so  far  as  to  overlook 
his  duty  to  the  present  constitution,  and  to  form  unwarrantable  associa- 
tions witli  eiithiisiosls,  whose  ill-timed  folly  must  draw  down  upon  them 
inevitable  destruction.  His  lortlshi})  desires  ynu  to  present  his  hand  to 
Captain  White-eyes,  [a  Delaware  Iiulian  chief,]  and  to  assure  him  he  is 
sorry  he  had  not  the  pleasure  of  seeing  him  at  the  treaty,  [a  treaty  held 
by  Connoly  in  his  name,]  or  that  the  situation  of  affairs  j)revented  him 
from  coming  down. 

"Believe  me,  dear  sir,  that  I  have  no  motive  in  writing  my  sentiments 
thus  to  you,  i'urllier  than  to  endeavor  to  steer  you  clear  of  the  misfortunes 
wliich  I  am  confident  must  involve  but  unhappily  too  many.  I  have  sent 
you  an  address  from  the  jieople  of  Great  jiritain  to  the  ])eo{)le  of  Ameri- 
ca, and  desire  you  to  consider  it  attentively,  which  will  I  Ihitter  myself 
convince  you  of  the  idleness  of  many  determinations  and  the  absurdity  of 
an  intended  slavery. 

"Give  my  love  to  George,  [his  brother,  afterwards  a  colonel  in  the  re- 
volutionary war,]  and  tell  him  he  shall  hear  from  me,  and  I  hope  to  his 
advantage.  Interpret  the  inclosed  speech  to  Capt.  White-eyes  from  his 
lordshi|).  Be  prevailed  upon  to  shun  the  popular  error,  and  judge  for 
yourself,  as  a  good  subject,  and  expect  the  rewards  due  to  vour    services. 

"I  am,  cV.  JOHN  CONNOLY." 


') 


The  inclosed  speech  to  White-eyes  "we  shall  see  in  its  proper  place,  af- 
ter we  have  finished  our  business  with  Connoly.  It  seems,  then,  that  ei- 
ther a  mistaken  notion  of  his  inlluence,  or  greatly  deceived  by  his  calcu- 
lations on  the  su|)|)ort  of  ('ol.  (libson,  his  brother  and  friends,  or  in  obe- 
dience to  the  solicitations  o|"  his  friciid  Duinnore,  he  undertakes  (incoff.) 
a  liMzardous  journey  from  the  Chesajieake  bay  to  Pittsburgh,  in  com])any, 
if  1  recollect  right,  with  a  certain  Doct.  Smith  ;  but  our  Dutch  re|)ubli- 
cans  of  l''redericl<to\vn,  Maryland,  smelt  a  rat,  seized,  and  imprisoned 
him,  from  whence  he  was  removed  to  the  Philadelpliia  jail,  where  we  will 
leave  him  awhile  to  cool. 

But  let  us  now  look  at  these  two  characters  ;  Connoly  uses  every  effort 
to  destroy  us  and  subvert  our  liberties,  and  Cresap  marclies  to  JJoston  with 
a  com{)any  of  riflemen  to  defend  his  country.  If  then  men's  actions  af- 
ford us  the  true  and  best  criterion  to  judge  of  their  merit  or  demerit,  we 
can  be  at  no  loss  to  decide  on  this  occasion.     Nor  can  there  be  laiv  doubt 


OF  DUNMatlE'S  WAR.  121 

that  this  mrin,  so  full  of  tender  sensibility  and  sympathy  for  the  suffei'ings 
of  the  Indians,  when  arrested  with  his  colleague  (Smith)  in  Frederick, 
liad  a  Pandora's  box  full  of  fire-brands,  arrows  and  death,  to  scatter  among 
the  inhabitants  of  the  vv'est. 

But  it  is  probable  the  reader,  as  well  as  the  writer,  is  weary  of  such 
company  :  we  therefore  bid  him  adieu,  and  once  more  attend  his  e?tcel- 
lency  the  governor  of  Virginia,  whom  we  left,  I  think,  on  board  a  British 
sloop  of  war,  in  the  Chesapeake  bay* 

The  reader  has  not  forgotten,  that  we  long  since  stated  it  as  our  opin- 
ion, that  it  was  probable,  and  that  we  had  strong  reg-sons  to  believe,  that 
Dunmore  himself,  from  political  motives,  though  acting  behind  th*  scenes^ 
was  in  reality  at  the  bottom  of  the  Indian  war  of  1774. 

We  have  already  alluded  to  several  circumstances  previous  to  and  du- 
ring that  war ;  but  we  have  in  reserve  several  more  evincive  of  tlie  same 
fact  subsequent  to  the  war. 

It  may  be  remembered,  that  at  the  treaty  of  Chilicothe,  il  was  remark- 
ed that  some  points  were  referred  for  future  discussion  at  Pittsburgh,  in 
the  ensuing  fall ;  and  it  appears  that  a  treaty  w^as  actually  held  by  Con- 
noly,  in'  Dunmor6's  name,  vrith  the  chiefs  of  the  Delaware,  and  some 
Mingo'  tribes  in  the  summer  ensuing.  This  is  historically  a  fact,  and  mat- 
ter of  record,  which  I  extract  from  the  minutes  of  a  treaty,  held  in  the' 
autumn  of  the  same  year,  with  several  tribes  of  Indians,  by  coriimissidn- 
ers  frdrA  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  and  from  Virginia.* 

But  to  understand  this  perfectly,  the  reader  must  be  informed,  that,  pre- 
viou's'to  this  treaty,  Capt.  Jas.  Wood,  afterwards  governor  of  Virginia, 
was  sent  by  that  State  as  the  herald  of  peace,  with  the  olive  branch  in 
his  hand,  to  invite  all  the  Indian  tribes  bordering  on  tlie  Ohio  and  its  wa- 
ters, to  a  treaty  at  Pittsburgh,  on  the  10th  day  of  September  following. 
Capt.  Wood  kept  a  journal,  which  is  incorporated  in  the  proceedings  of 
the  treaty,  from  which  journal  I  copy  as  follows  :  "July  the  9th,  I  arri- 
ved (says' he)  at  Fort  Pitt,  where  I  received  information  that  the  chiefs  of 
the  Delawafes  and  a  few  of  the  Mingos  had  lately  been'  treating  with 
Maj.  Connoly  agreeably  to  instructions  from  lord  Dunmore,  and  that  the' 
Shawnees  had  not  come  to  the  treaty,"  &c. 

Capt.  Wood  however  acknowledges,  in  a  letter  he  wrote  to  the  conven- 
tion of  Virginia  from  this  place,  that  this  treaty  held  by  Connoly  was  m 
the  most  6pen  and  candid  manner^  that  it  vjaa  held  in  the  presence  of  ihe 
committee,  and  that  he  laid  the  governor'' s  instructions  hefore  them.  Very 
good.  But  why  these' remarks  respecting  Connoly  and  Dunmore  ?  Does 
not  this  language  imply  jealousy  and  suspicion,  which- Capt.  W^ond,who 
certainly  was  deceived,  was  anxious  to  remove  ?  But  to  proceed.  He' 
says : 

"July  10.     White-eyes  came  with  an  interpreter  to  my   lodging.     He 


*The  original  minutes  of  ihis  treaty  are  In  my  own  possession.  They 
were  presented  to  me  by  my  friend  John  Madison,  secretary  to  the  com* 
missioners,  with  I  think  this  rer>iark,  that  they  were  of  no  use  tf;'  ihf m* 
but  might  be  of  some  to  me.- 


f212  JACOB'S   ACCOUNT 

informed  m«.'  lie  was  desirous  of  going  to  Williamsburg  witli  JSIr.  Conno- 
ly  to  see  lord  Dunmoro,  wlio  had  promised  him  his  interest  in  procuring 
a  grant  from  the  king  for  the  lands  claimed  by  the  Delawares ; 
that  they  were  all  desirous  of  living  as  the  wiiilc  people  do,  and  under 
their  laws  and  protection  ;  that  lord  Dunmore  had  engaged  to  make  him 
some  satisfaction  for  his  trouble  in  going  several  times  to  the  Shawnee- 
towns,  and  serving  with  him  on  the  campaign,  &c.  &c.  He  told  me  he 
Hoped  I  would  advise  him  whether  it  was  projier  for  him  to  go  or  not.  I 
was  then  under  the  necessity  of  acquainting  him  with  the  disputes  sub- 
sisting between  lord  Dunmore  and  the  people  of  Virginia,  and  engaged, 
whenever  the  assembly  met,  that  I  would  go  with  him  to  Williamsburg, 
&c.  &c.     He  was  very  thankful,  and  appeared  satisfied." 

The  reader  mus't  observe  this  is  July  the  10th,  1775,  and  he  will  please 
to  refer  to  pages  119  and  120,  where  he  wil  see  from  Connoly's  letter  of 
Aug.  9th,  how  much  reliance  was  to  be  pliaced  on  his  candor  and  sinceri- 
ty, as  stated  by  Capt.  W^ood  to  the  convention  on  the  9th  day  of  July. 
Thus  we  find  that  about  thirty  days  after  Capt.  Wood's  testimony  in  his 
favor,  Connoly  threw  away  the  mask,  and  presented  himself  in  his  true 
character ;  and  from  his  own  confession  and  the  tenor  of  his  letter  to 
Gibson,  it  is  plain  that  the  current  of  suspicion  ran  so  strongly  against 
him  that  he  declared  himself  "most  happy  in  escaping  the  vigilance  of 
his  enemies." 

We  owe  the  reader  an  apology  for  introducing  this  man  agaiii ;  but 
the  fact  is,  that  Dunmore  and  Connoly  are  so  identified  in  all  the  political 
movements  of  this  period,  that  we  can  seldom  see  one  without  the  other ; 
and  Connoly  is  the  more  prominent  character,  especially  in  the  affairs  of 
the  west. 

But  v:c  now  proceed  with  Capt.  Wood's  journal.  He  tells  us  that  on 
the  20th  July,  he  met  Gerrit  Pfendei^grass  about  9  o'clock  ;  that  he  had 
just  left  the  Delaware  towns  ;  that  two  days  before,  the  Delawares  had 
just  returned  from  the  W^yandott  towns,  where  ihcy  had  been  at  a  grand 
council  with  a  French  and  English  officer,  and  the  Wyandotts  ;  that  Yion- 
sieur  Baubec  and  the  English  officer  told  them  to  be  on  their  guard,  tliat 
the  white  people  intendcdto  strike  them  very  soon,  &c.  &c. 

July  21.  At  1  o'clock,  arriving  at  the  Moravian  Indian  town,  exami- 
ned the  minister  (a  Dutchman),  concerning  tlie  council  lately  held  with 
the  Indians,  &c.  who  confirmed  the  account  before  stated. 

July  22.  About  10  o'clock,  arrived  at  Coshocton,  (a  chief  town  of 
the  Delawares,)  nnff  delivered  to  their  council  a  speech',  wliich  they  an- 
swered on  the  23d.  Alter  expressing  their  thankfulness  for  the  sjieech 
and  wi]lingne«;s  to  attend  the  proposed  treaty  at  Pittsburgh,  they  deliver- 
ed toCapt.  Wood  n  l)clt  and  string  they  said  was  sent  Ui  them  by  an  En- 
glishman and  Frenchman  from  Detroit,  accompanied  with  a  message  that 
the  people  of  Virginia  were  determined  to  strike  them  ;  that  they  would 
come  upon  them  two  different  ways,  the  one  by  the  way  of  the  lakes,  and 
the  other  by  the  way  of  the  Oliio,  :uid  to  take  llieir  lands,  that  they  must 
be  constantly  on  their  guard,  and  not  to  give  any  credit  to  whatever  you 
said,  as  you  were  a  people  not  to  be  depended  upon  ;  that  the  Virginians 
Tcould  uivite  thenj  to  a  treaty,  but  that  they  m'.i'rt  not  go  at  any    rate,  aiU' 


OF  DUNMORE'S   WAll.  IJS 

to  take  particular  notice  of  the  advice  they  gave,  \vhicli   proceeded  from 
.molive.s  of  real  friendship, 

^.'ow  by  comparing-  and  collating  this  with  the  speech  sent  by])unmore, 
K^nclosed  in  Connoly's  letter,  it  will  furnish  us  with  a  squinting  at  the 
game  that  was  playing  with  the  Indians  by  the  earl  of  Dunmore  and  other 
Jiritish  officers ;  to  be  convinceel  of  which,  read  the  following  speech 
.from  Dunmore,  which  was  enclosed  in  a  letter  to  Gibson  : 

"Brother  CapL  White-eyes, -I  am  glad  to  hear  your  good  speeches  as 
sent  to  me  by  Maj.  Connoly,  and  you  may  be  assured  J  shall  jmt  one  end 
of  the  belt  you  have  sent  me  into  the  Jiands  of  our  great  king,  who  will 
be  glad  to  hear  from  his  brothers  the  Delawar<?s,  and  will  take  stronghold 
of  it.  You  may  rest  satisfied  that  our  ibolish  young  men  shall  never  be 
permitted  to  have  your  lands  ;  but  on  the  contrary  the  great  king  will  pro- 
tect you,  and  preserve  you  in  the  possession  of  them. 

"Our  young  people  in  tkis  country  liave  been  very  foolish,,  and  done 
many  imprudent  things,  for  v.'hich  they  must  soon  be  sorry,  and  of  which 
1  make  no  doubt  they  have  acquainted  you;  but  must  desire  you  not  to 
listen  to  them,  as  they  would  be  willing  you  should  act  foolishly  with 
themselves  ;  but  rather  let  what  you  hear  pass  in  at  one  ear  and  out  of 
the  other,  so  that  it  may  make  no  impression  on  your  lieart,  tivHl  you  hear 
J'rom  ruefully,  which  shall  be  as  soon  as  I  can  give    lurlher    information. 

"Capt.  Waite-eyes  will  please  acquaint  the  Cornstalk    with    these   my 
iscntiments,  as  well  as  the  chiefs  of  the  Mingos.  and^other  six  nations. 
(Signed)  '  "DUNMORE." 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  remark  here,  that  the  flight  of  Dunmore  from 
Williamsburg,  of  Connoly  from  Pittsburgh,  thus  speech  of  Dunmore's, 
.and  the  speech  of  the  Delawares  to  Capt.  Wood,  are  all  nearly -cotenipo- 
raneous,  and  point  the  reader  pretty  clearly  to  the  aspect  of  our  affairs 
with  the  Indians  at  this  period.  Dunmore's  speech,  as  you  have  it  above, 
idih&ugh  pretty  explicit,  is  yet  guarded,  as  it  had  to  pass  through  an  equi- 
vocal medium  ;  but  he  tells  Capt.  White-eyes  he  shall  hear  from  him  kere- 
cfter,  and  this  hereafter  speech  was  no  doubt  in  Connoly's  portmanteau 
v.dien  he  was  arrei^^ted  in  Frederick. 

But  to  conclude  this  tedious  chapter,  nothing  more  now  seems  iTcces- 
j^ary  tlian  to  call  the  attention  of  the  reader  to  those  inferences  that  the 
facts  and  circumstances  detailed  in  the  foregoing  pages  seem   to  warrant. 

The  first  circumstance  in  the  order  of  events  seems  to  be  the  extraor- 
\linary  and  contradictory  conduct  of  Dunmore  and  Connoly  respecting 
Captain  Cresap.  They  certamly  understood  each  other,  and  had  one  iii- 
tiniate  end  in  view;  yet  we  find  on  all  occasions  Dunmore  treats 'Cresaj) 
with  the  utmost  confidence  and  cordiality,  and  that  Connoly's  ronducL 
was  contijiually  the  reverse,  even  (uitrageously  itisulfing  him,  v>'hiIo  un- 
der the  immediate  orders  of  Dunmore  himself. 

Secondly,  we  find  Dunmore  acting  witli  duplicity  and  (lecej)ti^•vfl  witli 
'Col.  Lewis  and  his  brigad-e,  from  Augusta  county.      So  says  Doddridge. 

'!"*";■ 'Mv,  wr  fi;v'  r'-.--^  r;-;.. ..•;;),'-;  >i,u;ie  foistod  int(t    T,o"-;m'.-'   pvelendc;! 


124  RKV.OLLTIONARY    WAR. 

speech,  wlion  it  is  evident,  as  wc  shall  hereafter  prov.o,  that  no  names 
at  all  were  mentioned  in  the  original  speech  made  I'or  Logan. 

Fourthly,  it  appears  ])retty  plainly  that  much  pains  were  taken  by  Dun- 
more,  at  the  ti'eaty  of  Chilicothe,  to  attach  the  Indian  chiefs  to  his  person, 
as  appears  from  facts  that  afterwards  appeared. 

Fifthly,  the  last  speech  from  Dunmore  to  Capt.  White-eyes  and  other 
Indian  chiefs,  sent  in  Connoly's  letter  to  Gibson ;  to  all  which  we  may 
add,  his  lordship's  nap  of  sleep  while  Cresap  was  stating  his  complainis 
against  Connoly,  and  all  Connoly's  strange  and  unaccountable  letters  to 
jUresap. 

I  say,  from  all  which  it  will  aripear  that  Dunmoie  had  his  views,  and 
those  views  hostile  to  the  liberties  of  America,in  his  proceedings  with  the  In- 
^dians  in  the  war  of  1774,  the  circumstances  of  the  times,  in  connection  wilh 
his  equivocal  conduct,  lead  us  almost  naturally  to  iiifer  that  he  kricw  pret- 
ty well  what  he  was  about,  and  among  otkcr  things,  that  he  knew  a  war 
.with  the  Indians  at  this  time  would  materially  subserve  the  views  and  in- 
terest of  Great  Britain,  and  consequently  he  perhaps  might  fee!  it  a  duly 
to  promote  said  war,  and  if  not,  why  betray  such  extreme  solicitude  to 
single  out  some  consjiiruous  character,  and  make  him  the  scape-goat,  tq 
bear  all  the  blame  of  this  war,  tiiat  he  and  his  friend  Connply  might  es- 
cape? 


:0: 


CHAPTER  XL 


WAR  uF  tul:  revolltiun. 


ii  ;is  not  vvithui  thr  phm  of  this  )vork,  to  go  iuto  a  ge/ieral  dilai^  of  lliG 
•war  of  the  revolution.  The  author  will  only  give  an  account  of  it  so  far 
as  it  is  connected  with  the  immediate  history  of  the  valley. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  war  the  late  Daniel  Morgan  was  appointed  a 
captain,  and  very  soon  raised  a  company  of  brave  and  active  young  men, 
willi  wluim  he  niarchf.  (I  to  join  Gen.  Washington  at  Roston.  John  Hum- 
phreys was  3.lorgan'.s  fust  lieutenaiit.  Morgan  was  sooji  promoted  to  tl;e 
jrank  of  major,  and  Kumphjeys  was  made  his  captain.  It  is  believed  this 
wa,s  one, of  tlic  fust  regular  companies  raised  in  Virginia,  which  marched 
iX)  t^ie  uvrlh.  -Morgan  with  his  company  was  ordi'red  to  join  (ii-n.  Mont- 
Ifomery,  and  march  to  tlie  attack  on  (Quebec;  in  which  attack  Montgome- 
ry was  killed,  and  .Morgan,  after  i)erff)rniing  prodigies  of  valor,  compelk-d 
Jo  surrender  himself  and  his  brave  lrooj)s  prisoners  of  war.  (';i|)i.  Ilum- 
^ilueys  was  killed  in  t^he  ass;i(i;lt.     'J'lic .revercnr!  Mr.  Pet/'r  .Muhlenburg,  a 


K£VOLU'riONARY  WAR.  125 

^•lergyman  of  the  Lutheran*  profession,  in  the  county  04' Shenandoah,  laid 
off  his  gown  and  took  up  the  sword.  He  was  appointed  a  eolouel,  and 
soon  raised  a  regiment,  called  the  8th,  consisting  chiefly  of  young  men  of 
German  extraction.  Abraham  Bowman  was  appointed  to  a  majoialty  in 
jt,  as  was  also  Peter  Helphinstine,  of  Winchester.  It  was  frequently  cal- 
led the  "German  regiment."  JNluhlenburg  was  ordered  to  the  south  in 
1776,  and  the  unhealthiness  of  the  climate  proved  fatal  to  many  of  his 
men. 

James  Wood,  of  Winchester,  was  also  appointed  a  colonel.  He  soon 
raised  another  regiment,  marched  to  the  north,  and  joined  Gen.  AYushing- 
ton's  main  army. 

Maj.  Morgan,  after  several  months'  captivity,  was  exchanged  together 
with  his  troops,  promoted  to  the  rank  of  colonel,  and  again  joined  his 
.country's  standard  in  the  northern  army.  Muhlenburg  returned  from  his 
southern  campaign,  and  in  1777  also  joined  the  northern  army.  He  was 
promoted  to  the  rank  of  brigadier-general,  and  Abraham  Bowman  to  the 
rank  of  colonel.  Helphinstine  contracted  a  lingering  disease  in  the  south, 
returned  home  on  furlow,  and  died  in  Winchester  in  the  autumn  of  1776. 
Col.  ^lorgan,  with  a  picked  regiment  of  riflemen,  was  ordered  to  join 
Gen.  Gates,  to  meet  and  oppose  Gen.  Burgoyne.  It  is  universally  ad- 
mitted that  Morgan,  with  his  brave  and  expert  rifle  regiment,  contributed 
much  towards  achieving  the  victorywhich  Ibllowed. 

After  the  capture  of  Burgoyne  and  his  army,  (17th  Oct.  1777,)  ^^lor- 
gan,  lor  his  great  personal  bravery,  and  superior  military  talents  displayed 
on  all  occasions,  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  brigadier-general.  He 
joined  the  standard  of  Washington,  and  soon  distinguished  himself  in 
harassing  the  British  army  in  the  neighborhood  of  Pliiladelphia. 

Numerous  calls  for  the  aid  of  the  militia  were  made  from  time  to  time 
to  assist  our  country  in  the  defence  of  its  rights  and  liberties  ;  which  calls 
were  generally  promptly  obeyed.  The  spirit  of  patriotism  and  love  ol 
country  was  the  prevailing  passion  of  a  vast  majority  of  the  people  ot 
the  valley  ;  and  with  one  exception,  which  will  be  noticed  hereafter,  our 
character  was  not  tarnished  by  any  thing  like  a  tory  insurrection.  The 
author  most  devoutly  wishes,  for  the  honor  of  his  native  country,  that  this 
exception  could  be  blotted  out  of  our  history,  and  consigned  to  eternal 
oblivion. 

Our  valley,  at  the  commencement  of  the  war,  was  comparatively  thinly 
jiopulated.  The  first  official  return,  for  the  county  of  Frederick,  of  the 
effective  militia,  to  the  executive  of  Virginia,  amounted  only  to  923  ;  the 
whole  number  of  people  in  Winchester  was  SOO,  probably  a  small  frac- 
tion over.     This  return  and  enumeration  was  made  in  the  year  1777. 

In  1777  Gen.  Sullivan  "gained  possession  of  some  records  and  i)apers 
belonging  to  the  Quakers,  which,  with  a  letter,  were  forwarded  to  Con- 
gress, and  referred  to  a  committee."  On  the  28th  of  August,  the  com- 
mittee reported,  "That  the  several  testimonies  which  have  been  published 
since  the  commencement  of  the  present  contest  betwixt  Great  Brilaui  and 
America,  and  the  uniform  tenor  of  the  conduct  and  conversation  of  a  rmm- 


"Tlic  author  is  mistaken;  lie  was  an  Episcopalian. 


1-2G  REVOLUTIONARY  WAR. 

Ijcr  of  persons  ol"  (.onsiderable  Avealth,  avIio  profess  themselves  to  belong 
lo  the  society  of  people  commonly  called  Quakers,  render  it  certain  and 
notorious  that  those  })ersons  are  with  much  rancor  and  bitterness  disafTect- 
ed  lo  tie  American  cause  ;  that  as  those  persons  will  have  it  in  their  jinw- 
ei,  so  there  is  no  doubt  it  will  be  their  inclination,  to  communicate  intelli- 
gence to  the  enemy,  and  in  various  other  ways  to  injure  the  councils  and 
arms  ol"  America  ;  that  when  the  enemy,  in  the  month  of  December, 
1776,  were  bonding  their  progress  towards  tiie  city  of  Philadelphia,  a  cer- 
tain sediiious  })ublication,  addressed 'To  our  friends  and  brethren  in  reli- 
gious profession,  in  these  and  the  adjacent  provinces,'  signed  John  Pem- 
berlon,  'in  and  on  behalf  of  the  meeting  of  sufferers,  held  at  Philadelphia, 
for  Pennsylvania  and  New  Jersey,  the  26th  of  the  12th  month,  1776,' 
Avas  pub'islicd,  and  as  your  committee  is  credibly  informed,  circulated 
amongst  m;uiy  members  of  the  society  called  Quakers,  throughout  the 
ilirlcrent  States  ;  that  the  seditious  paper  aforesaid  originated  in  Philadel- 
lihia,  and  as  the  persons'  names  who  are  under-mentioned,  have  uniform- 
ly miuiifested  a  disposition  highly  inimical  to  the  cause  of  America  ; 
thereiore.  Unsolved.  That  it  be  earnestly  recommended  to  the  supreme  ex- 
ecutive council  oJ"  the  iitatc  of  Pennslvania,  forthwith  to  ajiprehend  anil 
secure  t'lc  persons  of  Joshua  Fisher,  Abel  James,  James  Pemberton,  Ilen- 
ly  Drinker,  Israel  Pemberton,  John  Pemberton,  John  James,  Samel  Plea- 
.sants,  Thomas  Wharton,  sen.,  Thomas  Fisher  son  of  Joshua,  anc]  Samuel 
Fisher  son  of  Joshua,  together  with  all  such  papers  in  their  possession  as 
may  be  of  a  politic;d  nature. 

'^Vud  whereas  there  is  strong  reason  to  apprehend  that  these  persons 
maintain  a  correspondence  and  connection  highly  jirejudicial  to  the  pub- 
Ji<-  safety,  not  only  in  this  State,  but  in  the  sevei-al  States  of  America  ; 
Ri'soloidj  That  it  be  recommended  to  the  executive  powers  of  the  respec- 
tive States,  forthwith  to  apprehend  and  secure  all  persons,  as  well  among 
the  Quakers  as  others,  who  have  in  their  general  conduct  and  conversa- 
tion evinced  a  disposition  inimical  to  the  cause  of  America ;  and  that  the 
persons  so  seized  be  confined  in  such  places,  and  treated  in  such  manner, 
as  shall  l)e  consistent  with  their  respective  characters  and  security  of  ilieir 
persons:  tliatthc  records  and  papers  of  the  meetings  of  sufferings  in  the 
respective  Slati  :^,  be  forthwith  secured  and  carefully  examined,  and  that 
such  parts  ol'  them  as  may  be  ot'  a  political  jmture,  be  forthwith  transmit- 
ted lo   ( "ongi'ess." 

The  saiil  report  being  read,  and  several  the  paragraphs  consideicd  and 
ilebatcd,  and  ibe  question  put  severally  thereon,  tlie  same  was  agreed  lo. 
OiiJcrcd,  'J'hat  the  board  of  war  reuiove  under  guard  lo  a  place  of  securi- 
ty out  of  tjie  State  of  Pennsylvania,  the  Hon.  John  Penn,  Esq.  ^and  Ben- 
jamiii  Chew,  ICscp;  and  tbat  ihey  give  orders  for  having  them  safely  secu- 
icd  and  I'ntertainid  agreeal)lt;  to  their  rank  and  station  in  life."  A  nunr- 
Iht  of  (imikcrs  besitles  those  mentioned,  and  several  persons  of  a  differ- 
<'nt  denomination,  were  taken  up  by  the  supreme  executive  council  of 
Pennsylvania,  conixMiiing  whom  Congress  resolved,  on  the  Slh  of  Scp- 
Ifmbcr,  "'J'hat  it  be  recommended  to  the  said  council  to  order  the  imrne- 
liialG  de])aitu:c  ol'  such  of  said  pristncrb  as  refuse  to  t>wear  o;  alhrm  alio- 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR.  127 

glance  to  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,   to    Staunton,   in   Au!T;usta    county, 
Virginia."* 

In  conformity  with  the  recommendation  of  Congress,  a  numl^er  of  Qua- 
kers, together  with  one  druggist  and  a  dancing  master,  were  sent  to  Win- 
chester under  guard,  with  a  request  from  the  executive  of  Pennsylvania, 
directed  to  the  county  lieutenant  of  Frederick,  to  secure  them..  General 
John  Smith  was  then  the  county  lieutenant.  When  the  prisoners  were 
delivered  into  his  custody,  he  proposed  to  them,  that  if  they  would  pledgt^ 
their  honors  not  to  abscond,  they  should  not  be  placed  in  confinement.— 
Among  the  prisoners  were  three  of  the  Perabertons,  two  of  the  Fishers, 
an  old  Quaker  preacher  named  Hunt,  and  several  others,  amounting  in  all 
to  tw^elve,  and,  with  the  druggist  and  dancing  master,  fourteen.  One  of 
the  Fishers  was  a  lawyer  by  profession.  He  protested  in  his  own  name, 
and  on  behalf  of  his  fellow  prisoners,  against  being  taken  into  custody  by 
Col.  Smith  :  stated  that  they^  had  protested  against  being  sent  from  Phila- 
delphia; that  they  had  again  protested  at  the  Pennsylvania  line,  against 
being  taken  out  of  the  State  ;  had  repeated  their  protest  at  the  Maryland 
line,  against  being  taken  into  Virginia  ;  that  there  was  no  existl«ng  law 
which  justified  their  being  deprived  of  their  liberty,  and  exiled  from  their 
native  homes  and  families,  and  treated  as  criminals.  To  which  Colonel 
Smith  replied,  "It  is  true  that  I  know  of  no  existing  law  which  will  jus- 
tify your  detention  ;  but  as  you  are  sent  to  my  care  by  the  supreme  exe- 
cutive authority  of  your  native  State,  and  represented  as  dangerous  char- 
acters and  as  havmg  been  engaged  in  treasonable  practices  with  the  ene- 
my, I  consider  it  my  duty  to  detain  you,  at  least  until  I  can  send  an  ex- 
press to  the  governor  of  Virginia  for  his  advice  and  direction  what  to  do 
in  the  premises."  He  accordingly  dispatched  an  express  to  W^illiams- 
burg,  with  a  letter  to  the  governor,  who  soon  returned  with  the  orders  of 
the  executive  to  secure  the  prisoners.  Col.  Smith  again  repeated  that  "ff 
they  would  pledge  themselves  not  to  abscond,  he  would  not  cause  thein; 
to  be  confined."  Upon  which  one  of  the  Pembertons  spoke  and  observ- 
ed to  Fisher,  "that  his  protpst  was  unavailing,  and  that  they  must  patient- 
ly submit  to  their  fate."  Then  addressing  himself  to  Col.  Smith,  he  ob- 
served, "they  would  not  enter  into  any  pledges,  and  he  must  dispose  of 
them  as  he  thought  proper."  The  colonel  then  ordered  them  to  be  plac- 
ed under  sfuard. 

Shortly  before  this,  three  hundred  Hessian  prisoners  had  been  sent  to 
Winchester ;  there  was  consequently  a  guard  ready  prepared  to  receive 
these  exiles,  and  they  remained  in  custody  about  eight  or  nine  months  ; 
during  which  time  two  of  them  died,  and  the  whole  of  them  became  much 
dejected ;  and  it  is  probable  more  of  them  would  have  died  of  broken 
hearts,  had  they  not  been  permitted  to  return. 

Some  time  after  the  British  left  Philadelphia,  these  exiles  employed  the 

*See  Gordon's  History  of  the  American  Revolution,  vol.  11.  pp.  22-2, 
223. 

It  was  at  the  instance  of  the  late  General  Isaac  Zane,  of  Frederick 
county,  Virginia,  that  the  place  of  exile  was  changed  from  Staunton  to- 
"Winchester- 


12S  REVOLUTIONARY  WAR. 

late  Alexander  White,  Esq.  a  lawyer  near  Winchester,  for  which  they 
])ai(l  him  one  hundred  ])Ounds  Virirlnia  currency  in  gold  coin,  to  go  to 
Philadelphia,  and  negotiate  with  the  executive  authority  of  the  State  to' 
]nTmit  thcui  to  return  to  their  families  and  friends  ;  in  which  negotiation 
White  succeeded  ;  and  to  the  great  joy  and  heartfelt  satisfaction' of  these" 
c'apti\  es,  they  returned  to  their  native  honl'es. 

In  the  abserpce  of  the  exiles,  Sir  William  Howe,  the  British  general^ 
had  taken  up  Hs  head  quarters  in" John  Pcmbcrlon's  dwelling  house.  It 
was  a  splendid  buikling,  and  had  been  much  abused  by  the  British,  who" 
also  occupied  several  other  houses  belonging  to  Pemberton,  which  were 
nnich  injured.  Pemberton  ownbd  an  elegant  carriage,  which  Sir  William 
had  taken  the  liberty  of  using  in  his  parties  of  pleasure.  When  Pem- 
berton saw  the  situation  of  his  property,- he  obtained  permission  from' the 
pr0[)er  authority,  and  waited  on  Sir  William  Howe,  and  demantlcd  in- 
demnification for  the  injury  done  to  his  buildings  and  carriage.  The 
plain  nnd  independent  language  he  used  to  the  British  general  on  this 
subject,  \vas  as  remarkable  for  its  bluntness,  as  it  was  for  its  f(>arless  cha- 
racter. "Thee  has  (said  he)  done  great  damage  to  my  buildings,  and 
thee  suffered  thy  w****s-to  ride  in  my  carriage,  and  my  wife  will  not  use' 
it  since  :  thee  must  pay  me  for  the  injury,  or  I  will  go  to  thy  master  (mean- 
in'gthe  king  of  England,)  and  lay  my  c'^mplaint  before  him."  Sir  Wil- 
liam could  l)ut  smile  at  the  honest  bluntness  of  the  in-in,  and  thought  it 
best  to  compromise,  and  pay  him  a  sum  of  money,  v>-itii  which  the  old' 
(junker  was  satisfied.* 

In  1779  there  was  a  considerable  increase  of  British  prisoners  at  Win- 
che!^tcr,  and  in  1780  btirracks  were  erected  al)out  four  miles  west  of  the 
town,  to  which  the  {)risoners  were  removed,  and  a  regular  guard  kept 
over  them.     In  1781  the  number  of  jirisoners  increased  to  about  1600. 

It  was  this  year,  in  the  month  of  January,  that  (>en.  Morgim,  ;it  the 
l)altlc'of  the  Cowpens,  in  South  Carolina,  gave  the  British  Col.  'i'arltou' 
a  most  sigiud  dei'eal.  In  this  action  Morgan  displayed  the  most  con- 
summate military  skill  and  bravery.  Whilst  the  two  armies  were  closely 
en""aged,  Morgan,  discovering  the  enemy  were  thrown  into  some  confu- 
sion, (ailed  out  iu  his  usiral  stentorian  voice,  "Hurra,  my  brave  boys  ! 
another  close  fire,  and  the  day  is  ours.  Remembp7\  .Morton  has  never 
been  hr all' nV^  The  auliior  cannot  now  recollect  his  authority  for  this 
stateineiii,  but  has  repeatedly  heard  itassertedby  different  individuals  Avho 
were  acquainted  with  the  fact. 

In  the  year  181'}  the  author  travelled  tludugh  South  Carolina,  and  railed 
to  see  Mr.  William  Caluu'S,  with  whom  he  had  an  intimate  acquaintance 
when  quite  a  youth,  having  been  school-fellows  in  this  county  (Frederick.) 
Mr.  Calmes  was  well  accpiainted  with  Gen.  Morgan,  and  related  the  fol- 
lowing anecdote,  in  relation  to  Morgan  and  Tarlton: 

Tiiere  were  two  brothers,    by  the    name  of ,  citizens    of  South 

Carolina,  men  of  considerable  wealth  and  respectability,  who  joined  the 
British  standnril,  and  both  obtainerl  colonel's  commissions.  One  of  them 
was  at  Cornwallis'  he;i(l-(|ii;irlers  thc(I;iy  Tarlton  set  out   determined    to 


*(,ien.  .John  Smitli  detailed  the  foregoing  j^.'irliculars  to  the  author. 


REVOI.UTTOXARY  WAR.  120> 

take  Morn-an  nl  nil  li.iznrd.^.     Meeluu'  v.iili  Cal.  ,  lie {icrosisd hi'.75, 

to  the  following  cfFeot :  "Well,  colonei,  if  you  will  be  at  his  lordship's 
head-quarters  (naming  the  day,)  you  shall  have  the    pleasure    of  dining 

Avith  the  old  wagoner."     To  which   Col. —   replied,   "1    wish   you 

success,  Col.  Tarllon,  hut  })ennit  me  lo  caution  you:  you  will  find  Mor- 
gan hard  to  take."  On  wliich  Tarlton  flew  iiiloa  passion,  and  thre'dten-- 
ed  to  arrest  the  colonel  for  using  such  language  in  hearing  of  his  officers.- 
The  latter  calndy  replied,  "Col.  Tavlton,  I  liave  staked  every  thing  dear 
to  me  in  this  life  upon  the  issue  of  the  present  contest.  J  own  a  fine  es- 
tate. My  family  and  my  personal  liberty  are  in  danger.  If  America 
succeeds  in  establishing  her  independence,  my  estate  v.dll  be  forfeited,  my 
family  reduced  to  beggary  and  the  least  I  can  expect,  (if  I  escape  Avitii 
my  life,)  will  be  perpetual  exile.  Hence,  sir,  I  ino'st  ardently  Vvdsh  you 
success.  But  permit  me  again  to  caution  }'ou.  ATorgan  is  a  cunning, 
artful  officer,  and  you  will  find  him  hard  to  tak(\"  Tarlton,  however, 
pushed  off  in  high  glee,  determined  at  every  risk  to  capture  Morgan  and 
his  little  band  of  warriors.     The  result  was  soon  known  at  his  lordship's- 

head-quarters;  and  it  so  happened,  when  Tarlton    returned,  Col. 

was  present.     The  moment  Tarlton  saw  him  he   apologized  to    him   for 

the  harsli  language  he  had  used  towards  him,  and  e:lclaimed,   "By ! 

Morgan  is  truly  a  great  man  !"  This  extorted  praise  from  this  haughty 
Britisli  officer  speaks  volumes  for  the  high  military  talents  of  General 
JMorgan. 

At  the  close  of  the  Avar  this  refugee  colonel  tonk  shelter  for  himself 
and  family  in  the  British  dominions  of  Canada,  and  liis  fine  estate  was 
confiscated.  He  hoAvever  petitioned  the' government  of  South  Carolina; 
and  from  his  general  good  character  in  private  life,  an  act  of  pardon,  to- 
gether Avith  the  restoration  of  his  estate,  Avas  passed,  and  he  returned  to 
its  enjoyment  Avith  all  the  privileges  of  a  free  citiz:en.  After  his  return- 
Mr.  Calmes  became  acquainted  Avitli  him,  and  leceived  the  above  state- 
ment of  facts  from  him.- 

The  brother  of  this  officer,  from  some  acts  of  ferocious  cruelty  practic- 
ed upon  the  friends  of  the  American  cause,  had  his  estate  also  confiscated,- 
The  goverment  refused  to  restore  it,  and  passed  an- act  of  perpetual  ban- 
ishment against  him. 

In  1781  CornAvallis  cnte'-ed  Virginia  at  the  head  o[  a  large  army,  and 
m  the  month  of  June  a  party  of  tories  raised  the  British  standard'on  Lost 
river,  then  in  the  county  of  l'iarapsh:re'(no\v  Hardy.)  John  Claypole,  n 
vScotsman  by  birth,  and  his  tAVo  sons,  ATere  at  the  head  of  the  insurrection.-* 
Claypole  had  the  address  to  draAv  over  to  his  party  a  considerable' majori- 
ty of  the  people  on  Lost  river,  and  a  number  on  the  South  fork  of  the 
Wappatomaka.     They  first  manifested  symptoms  of  rebellion  by  refusing: 

*Moses  Russell,  Esq.,  informed  the  author,    that  it  Avas    reported    and' 
believed  at  the  time  that  Claypole's  t\ro  sons  wi-ni  to  North  Carolina,  and 
had  an  intervicAv  Avith  Lord  Cornwallis,  Avho  appointed  and  commission-' 
cd  them  both  captain*  in  th^  British  srrvice,  and  sent  the  commi.ssinn   oC 
colonel  tx)  their  father. 

R 


120  REVO!.l"rJONAHY  WAR. 

to  pay  their  taxe^  and  refusing  to  furnish  their  quota  of  men  to  serve  in 
the  militia.  The  sheriffs,  or  collectors  of  the  revenue,  complained  to  Coi. 
Vanmeter,  of  the  county  of  Hampshire,  that  tliey  Avcre  resisted  in  their 
attempts  to  discharge  their  ollicial  duties,  ^vhen  the  colonc!  ordered  a 
captain  and  thirty  nien  to  their  aid.  The  insurgents  armed  themselves, 
and  determined  to  resist.  Anioiig  them  was  John  Brake,  a  German  of 
considerable  wealth,  wdio  resided  about  fd'teen  miles  above  Moorelield,  on 
the  South  fork  of  the  river,  and  whose  house  became  the  place  of  ren- 
dezvous for  the  insurgents.  When  the  sheriff  went  up  with  the  militia 
posse,  fifty  men  appeared  in  arm?.  The  posse  and  tories  unexpectedly 
met  in  the  public  road.  Thirty -five  of  the  latter  broke  and  ran  about 
one  liundred  yards,  and  then  formed,  while  fifteen  stood  firm.  The  cap- 
tain of  the  guard  called  out  for  a  parley,  when  a  free  conversation  took 
place,  in  which  this  dangerous  proceeding  on  the  part  of  the  tories  was 
pointed  out,  with  the  terrible  consequences  which  must  inevitably  follow. 
It  is  said  that  had  a  pistol  been  fired,  a  dreadful  scene  of  carnage  would 
have  ensued.*  The  tv.'o  parties,  however,  parted  without  bloodshed. — 
But  instead  of  the  tory  party  retiring  to  their  respective  homes  and  at- 
tending to  their  domestic  duties,  the  spirit  of  insurrection  increased. — 
They  began  to  organize,  appointed  officers,  and  made  John  Claypole 
their  commander-in-chief,  v/ith  the  intention  of  raarchin!i;off  in  a  bodv  to 
Cornwallis,  in  the  event  of  his  advancing  into  the  valley  or  near  it. 

Several  expresses  were  sent  to  Col.  Smith,  requesting  the  aid  of  the 
militia,  in  the  counties  immediately  adjoining,  to  quell  this  rebellion.  He 
addressed  letters  to  the  commanding  officers  of  Berkeley  and  Shenandoah, 
beat  up  for  volunteers  in  Frederick,  and  in  a  few  days  an  army  of  four  hun- 
dred rank  and  file  were  well  mounted  and  equipped.  Gen.  Morgan, 
who,  after  the  defeat  of  Tarlton  and  some  other  military  services,  had  ob- 
tained leave  of  absence  from  the  army,  and  was  now  reposing  on  his 
farm  (Saratoga)  in  Frerlerick,  and  whose  name  was  a  host  in  itself,  was 
solicited  to  take  th(;  command,  with  wiiich  he  readily  complied.  About 
the  18th  or  SOth  of  .June  the  army  marched  fiom  Winchester,  and  in  two 
days  arrived  in  the  neighborhood  of  this  tory  section  of  Hardy  county. — 
They  halted  al  Clavpole's  house,!  and  took  him  prisoner.  Several  young 
men  fled  ;  among  them  William  Baker.  As  he  ran  across  Clay[)ole's 
meadow  he  was  hailed  and  ordered  to  surrender ;  but  disregarding  the 
command,  Capt.  Abraham  Byrd,  of  Shenandoah  county,  an  excellent 
marksman,  rais(?d  his  rille,  fired,  and  wounded  him  in  the  leg.:}:  He  fell, 
and  several  of  Morgan's  party  went  to  him  to  see  the  result.  The  ball 
had  penetrated  just  above  the  heel,  ranged  up  the  leg,  and    shivered  the 

•Isaac  Vanmeter,  Esq.,  then  about  eighteen  years  of  age,  was    one  of 
the  posvf,  and  related  these  iiiets  to  the  author. 

|('laypole's  I'orrncr  residence  is  now  owned  by  Mr.  Miller,  and  is  about 
forty-five  or  iifty  miles  south-west  of  Winchester,  on  Lost  river  in  Hardy 
coimtv. 

jThc  spot  was  poinfi^l  out  to  the  aulhor,  by  Mr.  Miller,  where  Byrd 
stood  when  he  h.^'d  at  Baker,  anl  where  Ba!:.'r  fell.  The  diataruie  is 
-.Lout  four  hundred  vards. 


RE'N'ULL'l'KJXARY  WAK.  131 

bones.  As  the  poor  fellow  begged  for  mercy,  he  was  taken  lo  the  house, 
and  his  wound  dressed  by  the  surgeon  ol"  the  regiment.  He  recovered, 
and  is  still  living.  They  took  from  Claypole  provisions  for  themselves 
and  horses,  Col.  Smith  (who  was  second  in  command,)  giving liim  a  cer- 
tificate for  their  value. 

From  Claypole's  the  army  moved  up  Lost  river,  and  some  young  men 
in  the  advance  took  a  man  named  Matthias  ^Vilkins  prisoner,  placed  a 
rope  round  his  neck,  and  threatened  to  hang  him..  CoJ.  Smith  rode  u}), 
saw  what  was  going  on,  and  ordered  them  instantly  to  desist.  They  al- 
so caught  a  man  named  John  Payne,  and  branded  him  on  the  posteriors 
wnth  a  red  hot  spade,  telling  him  they  would  make  him  a  freemason. — 
Claypole  solemnly  promised  to  be  of  good  behavior,  gave  bail  and  was 
;set  at  liberty. 

The  army  thence  crossed  the  South  Branch  mountain.  On  or  near  the 
summit  they  saw  a  small  cabin,  which  had  probably  been  erected  by  some 
hunters.  Gen.  Morgan  ordered  it  to  be  surrounded,  observing,  "It  is 
probable  some  of  the  tories  are  now  in  it."  As  the  men  approached  the 
(Cabin,  ten  or  a  dozen  fellows  ran  out  and  fled.  An  elderly  man,  named 
Mace,  and  two  of  his  sons,  Vv'ere  among  them.  Old  Mace,  finding  him- 
self pretty  closely  pursued,  surrendered.  One  of  the  pursuers  was  Capt, 
William  Snickers,  an  aid-de-camp  of  Morgan,  who  being  mounted  on  a 
fme  horse,  was  soon  alongside  of  him.  One  of  Mace's  sons  looking 
round  at  this  instant,  and  seeing  Snickers  aiming  a  blow  with  a  drav>-;i 
sword  at  his  father,  drew  up  his  ritie  and  fired  at  him.  The  ball  passed 
through  the  crest  of  his  horse's  neck;  he  fell,  and  threw  the  rider  over  his 
Jiead.  Snickers  was  at  first  thought  by  his  friends  to  be  killed  ;  and  in 
the  excitement  of  the  moment,  an  Irishman,  half  drunk,  who  had  been 
with  Morgan  for  some  tim.e  as  a  waiter,  and  had  seen  much  tory  blood 
shed  in  the  Carolinas,  ran  up  to  the  prisoner  (Mace)  with  a  cocked  pis- 
tol in  his  hand,  and  shot  the  poor  man,  who  fell,  and  instantly  expired. 
Capt.  Snickers  soon  recovered  fron»  the  bruises  received  in  his  fall,  as  did 
his  horse  also  from  the  VvOund  in  his  neck. 

The  army  proceeded  on  to  pay  their  respects  to  Mr.  John  Brake,  an 
old  German,  who  had  a  fine  farm  with  extensive  meadov.'S,  a  mill,  large 
distillery,  and  many  fat  hogs  and  cattle.  He  was  an  exception,  in  his  po- 
litical course,  to  his  countrymen,  as  they  were  almost  to  a  man,  true 
whigs,  and  friends  to  their  country.  Brake,  as  before  observed,  had  join- 
"^d  the  tory  band,  and  liis  house  was  their  place  of  rendezvous,  where 
they  feasted  on  the  best  he  had.  All  this  appearing  unquestionable,  Mor- 
gan marched  his  army  to  his  residence,  ihere  halted,  and  spent  two  days 
and  nio;hts  with  his  reluctant  host.  His  troops  lived  on  the  best  his  fine 
farm,  mill  and  distillery  afforded,  feasting  on  his  pigs,  fatted  calves,  young 
beeves,  lambs,  poultry,  &c.,  vrhile  their  horses,  fared  no  less  luxuriously 
upon  his  fine  unmown  meadows,  oat  fields,  &,c.  As  Brake  had  enter- 
tained and  feasted  the  tories,  Morgan  concluded  that  he  should  feast  them 
MX  turn. 

'.ri'e  third  day,  in  1he  morning,  tiic  army  moved  on  down  Ihc  livcr,. 
passed  by  Moorefiekl,  and  returned  to  Winchester,  where  it  was  disbsnid- 
edj  after  a  service  of  only  about  eight  or  ten  days.     Thus   was   this  tory 


TS'i  llCVOLLTiOXARY  WAii. 

iiisunociiou  1 1111.11641  in  tjiu  bud.  The  puity  ihcmselvcs  became  asliained 
.of  their  conduct,  and  in  some  de;:^ree  to  ulone  for  it,  and  wipe  off  the  stain, 
several  of  the  young  men  volunteered  tlieir  services  and  rnniched  to  aid 
in  the  capture  of  Cornwall  is. 

Within  three  or  four  days  after  these  men  were  disbanded,  two  expres- 
ses in  one  day  arrived  at  Winchester,  and  informed  Col.  Smith  thatTarl- 
ton  was  on  his  way  to  rescue  the  British  prisoners  at  the  Winchester  bar- 
racks. Col.  Smith  had  again  to  call  out  the  militia;  and  ordering  four 
hundred  men  as  a  guard,  removed  the  prisoners  to  Fort  Frederick,  in  Ma- 
ryland, at  which  jilace  they  remained  to  the  end  of  the  war.* 

The  summer  of  1781  v/as  emphaticaliy  the  summer  of  militia  cam- 
paigns. There  were  frequent  alarms  that  Tarlton  and  his  legion  (of  de- 
vils, some  people  termed  them,)  were  on  tjieiv  v\-ay  to  visit  our  valley  ; 
and  sometimes  it  was  reported  that  Cornwallis  and  his  whole  army  would 
be  upon  us.  The  militia  was  almost  constantly  marching  and  counter- 
marching. 

It  however  pleased  Heaven  so  to  order  things,  tjiat  Cornwallis  and  his 
large  army  should  be  entrapped  and  captured  at  Yorktown,  in  Virginia. — 
This  put  an  end  to  the  scourge  of  the  war ;  and  our  people  being  permit- 
ted to  enjoy  the  blessings  of  peace  and  agriculture,  commerce  and  the 
mechanical  arts  improved  in  a  most  astonishing  degree.  The  French  and 
British  armies  circulated  immense  sums  of  money  in  gold  and  silver  coin, 
which  had  the  effect  of  driving  out  of  circulation  the  wretched  paper 
currency  which  had  till  then  prevailed.  Immense  quantities  of  British 
and  French  goods  were  soon  imported:  our  people  imbibed  a  taste  for 
foreiy^n  fashions  and  luxurv  ;  and  in  the  course  of  two  or  three  ^  ears,  from 
the  close  of  the  war,  such  an  entire  change  had  taken  place  in  the  habits 
and  manners  of  our  inhabitants,  that  it  almost  appeared  as  if  we  had  sud- 
denly become  a  different  nation.  The  staid  and  sober  habits  of  our  an- 
cestors, with  their  plain  home-manufactured  clo'.hing,  were  suddenly  laid 
aside,  and  European  goods  of  fme  quality  adopted  in  their  stead.  Fine 
ruiHes,  powdered  heads,  silks  and  scarlets,  decorated  the  men;  while  the 
most  costly  silks,  satins,  chintzes,  calicoes,  muslins,  iLc,  8iA\,  decorated 
our  females.  Nor  v.as  their  diet  less  expensive  ;  for  su})eib  plate,  for- 
eign spiiits,  wines,  &,{*.,  &,<:.,  sparkled  on  the  sideboards  of  many  farmers. 
The  natural  result  of  this  change  of  the  habits  andcustomsof  the  people 
— this  aping  of  European  manners  and  morals, — was  to  suddenly  drain 
our  country  of  its  ciifulating  specie  ;  and  as  a  necessary  cnnsequeiu^e, 
th<'  })eople  ran  in  debt,  times  became  dilHrult,  and  money  hard  to  raise. 

'f'he  sufferiiijcs  and  hard  dealings  witli  the  Quakers  deserve  some  notice 
in  this  place.  Tlie  unftutunate  proceedings  of  the  Philadelphia  Quakers 
drew  down  upon  tlu-  v.holr-  order  the  strong  prejudices  and  even  hatred 
o\'  the  friiTuls  to  the  .•.Vmerican  cause.  The  treasonable  prcjceedings  of  a 
few  individuals  ought  not  to  have  been  visited  upon  the  wlu^le  order  of 
(^uaki  I-.     it  must  be  admitted,  hf)\ve\er,  that  this  proceeding  was  a  great 

*(jtii,  .Jolm  Smitli  CMiiiiiiiiiiicatrd  all   the  jiartinilars   of  the   tbregoing 
narratiw  to  the  author,  wiiii  the  exception  of  br;dmding    Fayne   with   the 
rsjjade;  this  f.:ct  was  .stated  by  .Mr.  Chrisrnwion  Lost  River, 


REVOLUTIONARY  WAR.  133 

Llot  U})oii  Quaker  cliaracter,  and  stamped  tlie  individuals  concerned  iu  it, 
with  base  hypocrisy,  and  gave  the  lie  to  their  reUgious  professions. — 
Whilst  they  professed  to  hold  it  unlawful  to  shed  human  blood  ;  whilst 
they  disclaimed  all  concern  with  the  war  ;  they  were  secretly  giving  in- 
telligence to  the  enemy,  and  aiding  and  abetting  them  in  every  way  they 
could,  except  resorting  to  arms.  But  it  is  again  repeated  that  it  was  un- 
just with  one  fell  sweep  to  condemn  the  whole  order,  for  the  malconduct 
of  a  lev/  individuals.  The  Quakers  in  the  valley,  notwithstanding  their 
entire  neutrality,  were  unquestionably  the  greatest  sufi'erers  by  the  war. — 
They  refused  to  bear  arms,  they  refused  to  pay  war  taxes,  and  hence  the 
sheriffs  or  collectors  were  compelled  to  destrain  and  sell  their  property  to 
raise  their  respective  proportion  of  the  public  burthens. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  war,  attempts  were  made  to  compel  them  to 
bear  arms,  and  serve  in  the  militia  ;  but  it  was  soon  found  unavailing. — 
They  would  not  perform  any  military  duty  required  of  them  :  not  even  the 
scourge  would  compel  them  to  submit  to  discipline.  The  practice  of  co- 
ercion was  therefore  abandoned,  and  the  Legislature  enacted  a  law  to  levy 
a  tax  upon  their  property  to  hire  substitutes  to  perform  militia  duty  in  then' 
stead.  This,  with  other  taxes,  bore  peculiarly  heavy  upon  them.  Their 
personal  property  was  sold  under  the  hammer  to  raise  these  public  de- 
mands ;  and  before  the  war  was  over,  many  of  them  were  reduced  to 
great  distress  in  their  pecuniary  circumstances. 

There  is  an  amusing  story  told  of  James  Gotharp,  who  resided  on 
Apple-pie. ridge.  He  was  forced  to  march  with  a  militia  company,  and 
on  one  particular  occasion  was  placed  as  sentry  at  a  baggage  wagon, 
with  oiders  to  suffer  no  man  to  go  into  the  wagon  without  a  written  order 
from  the  commanding  officer.  One  of  the  oiiicers  walking  to  the  wagon 
to  go  in,  Gotharp  demanded  his  written  authority  :  the  officer  cursed  him 
and  stepped  upon  the  houns  of  the  wagon.  Gotharp  seized  him  by  his 
legs  and  pulled  his  feet  off  the  houns.  The  officer  fell  with  his  face  upon 
the  houns  and  had  his  nose  and  mouth  sorely  bruised. 

This  selling  of  Quakers'  property  afforded  gieat  opportunity  for  design- 
ing individuals  to  make  protitable  speculations.  They  continued  to  re- 
fuse to  pay  taxes  for  several  years  after  the  war,  holding  it  unlawful  to 
contribute  their  money  towards  discharging  the  v/ar  debt.  This  being 
at  length  adjusted,  no  part  of  our  citizens  pay  their  public  demands  with 
more  punctuality,  (except  their  muster  fines  which  the}'  still  refuse  to  pay.) 
Owning  to  their  industrious  and  sober  habits,  they  soon  recovered  from 
their  pecuniary  distress  produced  by  the  war,  and  are  generally  speaking 
the  most  independent  part  of  our  community.  Vast  numbers  of  them 
have  migrated  to  the  western  country,  and  several  of  their  meetings  are 
entirely  broken  up.  There  is  however,  still  a  considerable  number  of 
them  in  the  counties  of  Frederick  and  Berkeley.  They  continued  then- 
ancient  practice  of  depending  upon  their  household  manufactures  for  their 
clothing;  and  it  was  a  long  time  before  they  gave  into  the  practice  of 
purchasing  European  goods.  A  few  of  them  entered  into  the  mercantile 
business ;  several  others  erected  fine  merchant  mills  ;  others  engaged  in 
mechanical  pursuits;  hut  the  great  body  of  them  arc  farmers,  and  are  ge- 
nerally most  exccllcnl  cultivators  of  the  soil. 


134  MODK  OF  LIVING  OF 

The  greater  p.irt  of  llie  Germans,  also,  were  a  long  time  dependent  up- 
on their  domestic  manufaetures  for  their  elothirig;  but  they,  too,  have 
imbibed  a  taste  for  foreign  finery.  They  however  manage  to  effect  their 
purchases  by  liartering,  in  a  considerable  degree,  their  own  household 
manufactures  in  exchange. 

Some  three  or  four  years  ago  the  author  called  at  the  house  of  a  farmer 
in  the  southwest  part  of  Shenandoah  county,  where  he  saw  five  spinning 
wheels  at  work.  The  old  lady,  three  of  her  daughters,  and  a  hired  girl, 
were  busily  engaged  in  spinning  finely  prepared  hemp.  The  author  en- 
quired of  the  old  lady,  whether  she  sold  any  part  of  her  domestic  goods. 
To  which  she  replied,  "-Yes  ;  when  de  gals  wants  to  puy  some  fine  dings 
in  de  sthore,  dey  bay  for  it  in  linen  und  linsey ;  und  I  puy  sugar  and  gof- 
fee,  und  salt,  u;ul  any  dings  we  wants,  und  I  bay  for  it  all  in  our  own 
coods." 

The  author  stopped  at  a  neighboring  house,  and  inquired  of  the  in- 
mates how  their  neighbor  I got  along.     "0,"  replied  the  man,  "Mr. 

J.  l)uys  a  plantation  every  four  or  five  years,  and  always  pays  the  money 
down." 


:o:- 


CHAPTER  XII. 

MODE  Oi    ]>1V1XG  OF  TIIF  PRIMITIVE  SETTLERS. 


Tmt.  first  houses  erected  by  the  primitive  settlers  were  log  cabuis,  Vvith 
rovers  of  split  cla[)boards,  and  weight  poles  to  keep  them  in  place.  They 
were  frequently  seen  with  earthen  floors;  or  if  wood  floors  were  used, 
they  were  made  of  split  puncheons,  a  little  smoothed  with  the  broad-axe. 
These  houses  were  jiretly  generally  in  use  since  the  author's  recollection. 
There  were,  however,  a  few  framed  and  stone  buildings  erected  previous 
to  the  war  of  the  revolution.  As  the  country  improved  in  population  and 
wealth,  there  was  a  corresponding  improvement  in  the  erection  of  build- 
injTs. 

VVhrn  this  improvement  commenced,  the  most  general  mode  of  build- 
inc:  was  with  hfwn  logs,  a  shingle  roof  and  plank  floor,  the  plank  cutout 
with  a  whip  saw.  As  it  is  jirobablc  some  of  my  young  readers  have  ne- 
ver seen  a  whip  saw,  a  short  description  of  it  may  not  be  uninteresting. 
It  was  aliout  the  length  of  the  common  mill  saw,  with  a  handle  at  each 
f-nd  transversely  fixed  to  it.  The  timlier  intended  to  be  sawed  was  first 
squared  with  the  broad-axe,  and  then  raised  on  a  scaffold  six  or  seven  feet 
high.  Two  able-bodied  men  then  took  hold  of  the  saw,  one  standing  on 
the  lop  ol'  the  log  and  tlie  other  under  it,  and  commenced    sawing.     The 


THE  PRi:>IITl\E  .SETTLERS.  135 

labor  was  excessively  fatiguing,  and  about  one  hundred  feet  of  plank  or 
scantling  was  considered  a  good  day's  work  for  tlie  two  hands.  The  in- 
troduction of  saw  mills,  however,  soon  superseded  the  use  of  the  whio- 
saw,  but  they  were  not  entirely  laid  aside  until  several  years  alter  the  war 
of  the  revolution. 

The  dress  of  the  early  settlers  was  of  the  plainest  materials — general- 
ly of  their  own  manufacture;  and  if  a  modern  "-belle"  or  "beau"  were 
now  to  witness  the  extreme  plainness  and  simplicity  of  their  fashions,  the 
one  would  be  almost  thrown  into  a  ht  of  hysterics,  and  the  other  light- 
ened at  the  odd  and  grotesque  appearance  of  their  progenitors. 

Previous  to  the  war  of  the  revolution,  the  married  men  generally  sha- 
ved their  heads,  and  either  wore  wigs  or  white  linen  caps.  When  the 
war  commenced,  this  fashion  was  laid  aside,  partly  from  patriotic  consid- 
erations, and  partly  from  necessity.  Owing  to  the  entire  interruption  of 
the  intercourse  wdth  England,  wigs  could  not  easily  be  oblained,  nor  white 
linen  for  caps. 

The  men's  coats  were  generally  made  with  broad  backs,  and  straiglit 
short  skirts,  with  pockets  on  the  outside  having  large  flaps.  The  waist- 
coats had  skirts  nearly  half  w^ay  down  to  the  knees,  and  vei-}"  broad  pock- 
et flaps.  The  breeches  w^ere  so  short  as  barely  to  reach  the  knee,  with  it 
band  surrounding  the  knee,  fastened  with  either  brass  or  silver  buckles. — 
The  stocking  was  drawn  up  under  the  knee-band,  and  tied  with  a  garter 
(generally  red  or  blue)  below  the  knee,  so  as  to  be  seen.  The  shoes  were- 
of  coarse  leather,  with  straps  to  the  quarters,  and  fastened  with  either 
brass  or  silver  buckles.  The  hat  was  either  wool  or  fur,  with  a  round 
crown  not  exceeding  three  or  four  inches  high,  with  a  broad  brim.*  The' 
dress  for  the  neck  w^as  usually  a  narrow  collar  to  the  shirt,  with  a  white- 
linen  stock  drawn  together  at  the  ends,  on  the  back  of  the  neck,  with  a- 
broad  metal  buckle.  The  more  wealthy  and  fashionable  were  sonietimess- 
seen  with  their  stock,  knee  and  shoe  buckles,  set  either  in  gold  or  silver 
with  brilliant  stones.  The  author  can  recollect,  when  a  child,  if  he  hap- 
pened to  see  any  of  those  finely  dressed  "great  folk,"  as  they  were  then 
termed,  he  felt  awed  in  their  presence,  and  viewed  them  as  something 
more  than  man. 

The  female  dress  was  generally  the  short  gown  and  petticoat  made  of 
the  plainest  materials.  The  German  women  mostly  wore  tight  calico 
caps  on  their  heads,  and  in  the  summer  season  they  were  generally  seeii 
with  no  other  clothing  than  a  linen  shift  and  petticoat — the  feet,  hands, 
and  arms  bare.  In  hay  and  harvest  time,  they  joined  the  men  in  the  la- 
bor of  the  meadow  and  grain  fields.  This  custom,  of  the  females  labor- 
ing in  the  time  of  harvest,  was  not  exclusively  a  German  practice,  but 
was  common  to  all  the  northern  people.  Many  females  were  most  expert 
mowers  and  reapers.  Within  the  author's  recollection,  he  has  seen  sev- 
eral female  reapers  who  were  equal  to  the  stoutest  males  in  the  harvest 
field.     It  was  no  uncommon  thing  to  see  the  female  part  of  the  family  at 


*The  Quakers  were  remarkable  for  their  broad  brim  hats.  They  were 
sometimes  called  "Broadbrims,"  by  u-ay  of  distinguishing  thcin  from  oth'- 
er  people. 


136  MODE  OF  LIVING   QF 

the  hoc  or  plow  ;  and  some  oi"  our  now  wealthiest  citiz'ens  frequently 
boast  of  their  grandmothers,  aye  mothers  too,  performing  this  kind  of 
heavy  labor. 

The  natural  result  of  this  kind  of  rural  life  was,  to  produce  a  hardy 
and  vigorous  race  of  poo|.)le.  It  was  this  race  of  })eople  who  had  to 
meet  and  breast  the  various  Indian  wars  and  the  storms  of  the  revolu- 
tion. 

The  Dutchman's  barn  was  usually  the  best  building  on  liis  farm.  He 
was  sure  to  erect  a  fine  large  barn,  before  he  built  any  other  dwt.'lling- 
house  than  his  rude  log  cabin.  There  were  none  of  our  primitive  immi- 
grants more  uniform  in  the  form  of  their  buildir>gs  than  the  Germans. — 
Their  dwcllinix-houses  were  seldom  raised  more  than  a  siriHe  sloiy  in 
height,  with  a  large  cellar  beneath  ;  the  chnnney  in  the  middle,  v/ith  a 
very  wide  fire-place  in  one  end  for  the  kitchen,  in  the  other  end  a  stove 
room.  Their  furniture  was  of  the  simplest  and  plainest  kind;  and  there 
was  always  a  long  pine  table  fixed  in  one  corner  of  the  stove  room,  with 
permanent  benches  on  one  side.  On  the  upper  floor,  garners  for  holding 
grain  were  very  common.  Their  beds  were  generally  filled  with  straw  or 
chaff,  with  a  fine  fi-ather  bed  for  covering  in  the  winter.  The  author  has 
several  times  slept  in  this  kind  of  a  bed  ;  and  to  a  ))erson  unaccustomed 
to  it,  it  is  attended  not  unfrequcntly  with  danger  to  the  health.  The  thick 
covering  of  the  feathers  is  pretty  certain  to  })roduce  a  profuse  perspira- 
tion, which  an  exposure  to  cold,  on  rising  in  the  morning,  is  apt  to  check 
suddenly,  causing  chillness  and  obstinate  cough.  The  atithor,  a  few 
years  ago,  caught  in  this  way  the  most  severe  cold,  which  \ras  followed 
by  a  long  and  distressing  cough,  he  was  ever  aillicted  with. 

Many  of  the  Germans  have  what  they  call  a  drum,  through  which  the 
stove  pipe  passes  in  their  upper  rooms.  It  is  made  of  sheet  iron,  some- 
thing in  the  shape  of  the  military  drum.  It  soon  fills  with  heat  from  the 
pipe,  by  which  the  rooms  become  agreeably  warm  in  the  coldest  weather. 
A  piaz/a  is  a  very  common  appendage  to  a  Dutchman's  dwelling-house, 
in  which  his  saddles,  bridles,  and  very  frequently  his  wagon  or  plow  har- 
ness are  hung  up. 

The  Germans  erect  stables  for  their  domestic  animals  of  every  species  : 
even  their  swine  are  housed  in  the  winter  season.  Their  barns  and  sta- 
bles are  well  storcid  with  provender,  particularly  fine  hay  :  hence  their 
quadrupeds  of  all  kinds  are  kept  throughout  the  year  in  the  finest  possi- 
ble order.  This  practice  of  housing  slock  in  the  winter  season  is  un- 
questionably great  economy  in  husbandry.  Much  less  food  is  required  to 
sustain  them,  and  the  animals  come  out  in  the  spring  in  fine  health  and 
condition.  It  is  a  rare  occurrence  to  hear  of  a  Dutchman's  losing  any 
part  of  his  stock  with  poverty.  The  practice  of  housing  stork  in  the 
winter  is  not  exclusively  a  Cierman  custom,  but  it  Is  common  to  most  of 
the  nf)rth('rn  people,  and  those  descended  from  immigrants  from  the  north. 
The  author  recollects  once  seeing  the  cow  stalls  adjoining  a  farmer's 
dwelling. 

The  (lerman  women,  many  of  them,  are  remarkably    neat   housekeep- 
ers.    Th*^re  arc  some  of  them,   however,    extremely   slovenly,  and   their 
dwellings  are  kept  in  the  worst  possible  condition.     The    effiiivla    arising 


niE  FRnilTIVE  SETTLERS.  I3T 

ffon  this  want  of  cleanlines  is  in  the  highest  degree  disgusting  and  offen- 
sive to  persons  nnaccustoined  to  such  fare.  The  same  remarks  are  appli- 
eable  to  the  Irish  ;  r^ay  to  some  native  Virginians,  The  Germans  are 
remarkable  for  their  tine  bread,  milk  and  butter.  They  consume  in  their 
diet  less  animal  flesh,  and  of  course  more  vegetables,  than  most  other  peo- 
ple. Their  "sour  krout"*  in  the  winter  constitutes  a  considerable  part  of 
their  living.  They  generally  consume  less,  and  sell  more  of  the  product 
of  their  labor,  than  any  other  class  of  our  citizens.  A  Dutchman  is  pro- 
verbial for  his  patient  perseverance  in  his  domestic  labors.  Their  farms- 
are  generally  small  and  nicely  cultivated.  In  his  agri."ultural  pursuits, 
his  meadows  demand  his  greatest  care  and  attention.  His  littie  farm  is 
laid  off  in  fields  not  exceeding  ten  or  twelve  acres  each.  It  is  rarely  seen 
that  a  Dutchman  will  cultivate  more  than  about  ten  or  twelve  acres  in  In- 
dian corn  any  one  year.  They  are  of  opinion  that  the  corn  crop  is  a  great 
exhauster  of  the  soil,  and  they  make  but  little  irsc  of  corn  for  any  other' 
purpose  than  feeding  and  fattening  their  swine. 

Previous  to  the  war  of  the  revolution,  and  tor  f^veral  years  after,  con- 
siderable quar?tities  of  tobacco  were  raised  in  the  lower  counties  of  the 
valley.  The  cultivation  of  this  cro'p  was  first  introduced  and  pursued  by 
immigrants  from  the  eastern  counties-  of  Virginia.  From  the  newly 
cleared  lands,  two  crops  of  tobacco  in  succession  were  g(;iierally  taken, 
and  it  was  then  appropriated  to  the  culture  of  other  crops.  The  crop  of 
tobacco  left  the  soil  in  the  finest  possible  state  for  the  production  of  other 
crops.  Cor«,  wheat,  rye,  flax,  oats,  pota'toes,  and  every  thing  elsp,  were 
alraost  certain  to  produce  abundant  crops,  after  the  crop  of  tobacco. 

In  the  year  1794  the  Fj-encli  revolution  broke  out,  when  bread  stuffs  of 
every  kind  suddeiTly  became  enonnously  higli ;  in  consequence  of  v.-hich 
the  farmers  in  the  valley  abandoned  the  cultivation  of  tobacco,  and  turned 
their  attention  to  wheat,  which  1hey  raised  in  vast  quaiitiii<:'s  for  several 
years.  It  was  no  uncommon  thing  for  the  farmer,  for  several  years  after 
the  commencement  of  the  French  revolution,  to  sell  his  crop'-^  of  wheat 
from  one  to^  two,  and  sometimes  at  tvro  and  a  half  dollars  per  bushel,  and 
his  flour  from  ten  to  fourteen  dollars  per  barrel  in  our  seaport  towns. 

In  the  year  1796,  the  Hessian  fly  first  made  its  appearance  in  Virginia. 


*"Sour  krout''  is  made  oT  the  best  of  cabbagp.  A  box  about  three 
feet  in  length,  and  six  or  seven  inches  wide,  with  a  sharp  bladp  fixed 
across  the  bottom,  something  on  the  principle  of  the  jack  plane,  is  used 
for  cutting  the  cabbage.  The  head  bein,T  separated  from  the  stalk,  and 
stripped  of  its  outer  leaves,  is  placed  in  this  box,  and  run  back  and  forth. 
The  cabbage  thus  cut  up  is  placed  in  a  barrel,  a  little  salt  sprinkled  on 
from  time  to  time,  then  pressed  down  very  closely,  and  covered  over  at 
the  open  hend.  in  the  course  of  three  or  four  weeks  it  acquires  a  sour- 
ish taste,  and  to  persons  accustomed  to  the  use  of  it,  is  a  A-erv  agreeable 
and  wholesome  food.  It  is  said  that  the  u.h-.  of  it,  within  ihe  last  few 
years,  onboard  of  ships,  has  proved  it  to  be  the  best  preven;i\-e  known 
for  the  scurvy.  The  use  of  it  is  liccomin'j,-  pretty  general  nmnn'/ nil  rks- 
*?s  of  people  in  the  vailcv.  ■-- 

.  s      •  •  •    ■  ■      • 


13S  NORTHERN'  NECK 

Us  ravagos  that  year  were  liinlte<l,  and  IhU  liiile  (hmiage  was  sust:i.me(i  iir 
the  crops  of  wheat.  The  crop  of  1797,  m  the  counties  contiguous  to  the 
Potomac,  was  generally  destroyed,  and  the  same  year  partial  injury  was 
discovered  in  Frederick  county.  The  crop  of  1798,  throughout  the  coun- 
ty of  Frederick,  was  nearly  destroyed.  Isver  since  which  time  the  far- 
mers have  annually  suffered  more  or  less  from  tiie  ravages  of  this  destruc- 
tive destroyer.  This  insect  had  prevailed  in  some  of  the  northern  States 
for  several  years  before  it  reached  Virginia.  It  is  said  it  first  appeared  on 
Long  Island,  and  was  believed  to  have  been  imported  by  the  Hessian 
troops  in  their  straw  bedding  in  the  time  of  the  war  of  the  revolution. — 
If  this  be  true,  it  was  a  w^oful  curse  upon  our  country — of  which  it  pro- 
bably will  never  be  relieved.  The  present  generation  have  abundant 
cause  to  execrate  the  inhuman  policy  of  our  parent  vState  in  bringing  up- 
on us  this  heavy  calamity,  and  all  future  generations  Avill  probably  join  in 
condemning  thf  British  ministry  who  forced  upon  our  ancestors  that  un- 
righteeus  and  disastrous  war. 


-:0:- 


CHAPTER   Xlil. 

Ni^RTHERN  NECK  OF  VllUaNIA. 


Charles  IT.,  king  of  England,  granted  to  the  ancestors  of  the  late  lord 
Fairfax  all  the  lands  lying  between  the  hearl  waters  of  the  Rappahannock 
and  Potomac  to  the  Chesapeake  bay.  This  immense  grant  included  tlic 
territory  now  comprising  the  counties  of  Lancaster,  Northumheiland, 
Richmond,  Westmoreland,  Stafford,  King  George,  Prince  William,  Fair- 
fax, Loudon,  Fauquier,  Culpeper,  Madison,  Page,  Shenamloah,  Hardy, 
Hampshire,  Morgan,  Berkeley,  .Jefferson  and  Fretlerick.  It  is  said  thai 
the  fir.it  grant  to  the  ancestors  of  Fairfax  was  only  intended  to  include 
the  territory  in  the  Northern  Neck  east  of  the  Blue  ridge;  but  after  Fair- 
fax discovered  that  the  Potomac  river  headed  in  the  Allegany  mountains, 
he  returned  to  England,  .ind  instituted  hi^  petition  in  the  court  of 
kmg's  bench  for  extending  his  grant  into  li\e  Allegany  mountains,  so  as 
to  inclutie  the  territory  composing  the  present  counties  of  Page,  Shenan- 
doah, Hardy,  Hampsliire,  Morgan,  Berkeley,  .Jefferson  and  Frederick. — 
A  compromise  took  place  between  Fairfax  and  the  crown  :  but  ])revious 
to  the  institution  of  Fairfax's  suit,  several  individuals  had  obtained  grants 
ibr  large  bodies  of  land  west  of  the  Blue  rid^re,  from  the  colonial  govern- 
ment  of  Virginia.  In  the  compromise  it  was  expressly  stipulated  that 
the  holders  o(  lands,  under  what  were  then  called  the  king's  grants,  wera 
xa  be  quiet€<]  in  th*!!!  right  of  possessicr. 


*     OF   VIRGINIA.. 


139 


Joist  .Hite  and  his  partners  had  obtained  grafts  for  a  large  body.  Fair- 
tax,  under  tlie  pretext  that  Hite,  &c.,  had  not  complied  with  the  terms  of 
their  grants,  took  it  upon  himself  to  grant  away  large  quantities  of  these 
lands  to  other  individuals.  This  arbitrary  aji(J  high-lianded  proceeding 
on  the  part  of  his  lordship,  produced  a  lawsuit,  which  Hite  and  his  part- 
ners instituted  in  the  year  1736,  and  in  the  year  1786  it  was  decided. — 
Hite  and  partners  recovered  a  large  amount  of  money  for  the  rents  and 
profits,  and  a  considerable  quantity  of  land.* 

The  immense  Fairfax  estate  has  passed  out  of  the  hands  of  Fairfax's 
heirs.  The  lands  (as  observed  in  a  preceding  chapter)  were  granted  liy 
Fairfax  in  fee  simple  to  his  tenants,  subject  to  an  annual  rent  of  two  shil- 
lings sterling  per  hundred  acres..  This  small  rent  amounted  in  the  aggre- 
gate to  a  very  large  sum  ;  added  to  which,  i-'airfax  required  the  payment 
of  ten  shillings  sterling  on  each  hfty  acres,  (what  he  termed  composition 
money,)  which  was  paid  on  issuing  the  grant. 

About  the  year  1742,  his  lordship  opened  his  office  in  the  county  of 
Fairfax  for  granting  out  the  land.  A  few  years  after,  he  removed  to  the 
county  of  Frederick,  and  settled  at  what  he  called  "iJreenway-Court," 
about  12  or  14  miles  south-east  of  VVincheeter,  where  he  kept  his  land 
office  during  his  life.  He  died  in  the  autumn  of  17'8l,  very  soon  after 
the  surrender  of  Cornwallis.  It  is  said  that  as  soon  as  he  heard  of  the 
<:^pture  of  Cornwallis  and  his  army,  he  called  to  his  servant  to  assist  hiiu 
to  bed,  observing,  "It  is  time  for  me  to  die  ;"  and  truly  the  old  mini  m;- 
ver  again  left  his  bed  until  he  was  consigned  to  the  tomb.  His  body  was 
deposited  under  the  communion  table  in  the  then  lipiscopai  church  in 
Winchester,! 


*Tn  the  year  1736,  Fairfax  entered  a  caveat  against  Hite,  &.c.,  aUedg- 
ing  that  the  lands  claimed  by  them  were  withm  the  bounds  of  the  North- 
•era  Neck,  and  consequently  his  property.  'J  nis  was  the  beginning  ot 
the  controversy,  and  led  to  the  suit  instituted  by  Hite  and  partners  against 
him.  All  the  })arttes  died  before  the  suit  was  decided.  Hite  in  1731 
purchased  from  John  and  Isaac  Vanmeter  their  right  or  warrant  for  lo(;a~ 
ting  40,000  acres  :  Hite  and  McKay  obtained  a  w^arrant  for  locating  100,- 
00(3  acies  more  in  their  own  names  :  and  in  order  to  obtain  settlers,  look 
in  Robert  Green  and  William  Duff  as  partners.  Hence  tiie  firm  of  .Joisi 
Hite,  Robert  McKay,  Robert  Green,  and  William  DuiT.  i.iieen  and  Dulf 
settled  in  Culpeper  county,  and  are  the  ancestors  of  the  families  of  tlior,e 
names  in  that'county,  and  of  Gen.  Duff  Green,  of  W^^shington  City. 

fLord  Fairfax  made  a  donation  to  the  Episcopal  society,  of  a  lot  of 
land,  upon  which  a  large  stone  building  v/as  erected  as  a  place  of  worslii]). 
The  lot  is  in  the  center  of  the  town :  and,  attached  to  the  church,  was  a 
large  burial  ground,  in  which  a  great  number  of  bodies  were  de])0sited. 
The  Episcopal  society  lately  sold  at  auction  this  ancient  building  and  lot 
for  twelve  thousand  dollars.  The  purchasers  caused  the  skeh^tons  to  be 
removed,  and  there  are  now  three  elegant  brick  houses  erected  on  the  lot. 
WTth  the  money  arising  from  the  sale  the  Ej)iscopal  society  ])urcl!ased  a 
lot  on  Boscowenajid  Washington  streets,  and  have  built  a  splendid  nevv' 
church.     Itii.  to  be  recrrctlcd  that  no  ucco'.;iit  was    taken  of  the   number 


140  XORTIIEIIN  NECK 

In  the  year  1785  the  Le^n^^l-jim-cof  Virjrinia  pa.'^secl  :iii  act  wliicli  among 
other  provisions  (in  rehitiou  to  the  Nortliera  Neck,)  is  the  I'ollowinir  : 

"And  be  it  further  enacted,  that  the  hmdhohler.s  witliin  the  said  dis- 
trict of  llie  Northern  Neck  shall  be  forever  hereafter  exonerated  and  dis- 
charged from  comi)osition  and  quiti-ents,  any  law,  custom  or  usage,  to  tiie 
contrary  notwithstanding."*  This  act  of  the  iitate  lieed  the  peoj)le  from 
a  vexatious  and  troublesome  kind  of  taxation.  Fairfax's  re])resentatives 
.soon  sold  out  their  interest  in  his  private  estate  in  this  country,  and  it  is 
■  believed  there  is  no  ])art  oi'  this  vast  landed  estate  remaining  in  the  hands 
of  any  branch  of  the  Fairfax  family.  Chief  Justice  iMarshaJl,  the  late  Ra- 
leigh Colston,  Esq.,  and  the  late  Gen,  Henry  Lee,  purchased  the  right  of 
Fan-fax's  legatees  (in  England)  to  what  is  cailed  the  iManor  of  Leeds,! 
South  Branch  Manor,  Patterson's  Creek  Manor,  and  various  other  tracts 
of  land  of  immense  valuc^ — the  most  of  which  had  been  leased  out  for 
long  terms  or  lives.  This  estate  has  been  the  cause  of  more  litigation 
probably  than  any  other  estate  in  Virginia.  Suits  growing  out  of  the  case 
of  Hite,  &.C.,  against  Fairfax,  are  yet  depending  in  our  courts — and  some 
of  the  tenants  in  the  iManor  of  Leeds  have  lately  taken  it  in  their  heads 
that  the  Fairfax  title  is  defective,  and  lefuse  to  pay  rents  to  the  jiresent 
<'laimants.  This  refusal  has  produced  a  lawsuit,  whit^h  will  doubtless  be 
along  time  pending. 

This  profligate  manner  of  granting  aw;iy  lands  in  immense  bodies  wns 
un(|uesiioiiably  foundted  in  the  most  unwise  and  unjust  poli<-v.  Instead  of 
promoting  the  speedy  s-'ttlement  and  in)pi'ovement  ot'  the  country — in- 
stead of  holding  out  to  the  bulk  of  society  every  possible  encouragement 
lonjake  the  most  speedy  settlement  and  improvement  of  the  new  counliy 
— monopolies  in  several  instances  were  given,  or  pretended  to  be  sold  to 
a  few  favorites  of  the  governing  powers,  whereby  these  favorites  were 
e'nabled  to  amass  vast  estates,  and  to  lord  it  over  the  great  majority  of 
their  I'ellow  men.  Such  are  the  blessings  of  kingly  gmermnents.  Hut 
the  jieople  of  this  I'vitc  and  happy  re])ul)lic  have  abundant  cause  to  rejoice 
and  bless  their  God  that  lliis  wretched  kind  of  jiolicy  and  bigh-haiuk'd 
injustice  is  done  away,  in  the  freedom  and  wisdom  of  our  institutions, 
and  that  we  have  no  longer  our  ears  assailed,  noroni-  understandings  out- 
rigeil,  with  the  disgusting,  high  sounding  title  of  "My  lord  !"  applied  to 
])oorirail  human  beings. 

Lord  Fairiax  was  the  coiiiity  lioutenant  for  Frederick  for  several  years. 


of  skeletons  removed.  The  author  inquired  of  several  persons,  who  wore 
t'oncorned  in  the  removal,  no  one  of  whom  could  give  aiiv  account  of  the 
number.  It  is  probable  there  weiv:  not  less  than  1,0UU — the  .skeleton  of 
Jvord  Fairfax  among  thmi. 

*See  Revised  Code  of  tiic  I>aws  oi'  \  irginia,  \(>l.  i.  |).  3.")]. 

t'i'he  Manor  of  Leeds  is  hji-ated  in  the  counties  of  ('ulpcper,  Fanqn'cr 
and  Frederick,  and  contains  about  >15U,()00  acres;  the  South  P>ranrh  Ma- 
nor in  Hardy,  f).'), 000  ;  l-*atterson'sr(,-ri'ek  in  Hampshire,  L>,CCO  acres. — 
(Joony-liun  .Manor,  whicli  adjoins  The  .Manor  of  Leed''^  contains  about 
JO. 000  acres,  and  her-  chic^^  m  Slrnnndocdi  count\. 


or  \"IR(;]N!A.  J41 

<J\.\  looking  into  {hi',  record  ol'  the    jJroccetUngs   ui"  the   coaii-iiuiniiil,  the 
author  found  the  following  entry  : 

"At  a  council  of  war,  held  for  regulatijigthe  isiiliiiii  of  Frederick  <'oun- 
fy,  in  order  to  take  such  steps  as  shall  be  thought  most  exj,cdient  in  the 
present  critical  conjuncture,  the  14th  day  of  Apiil,  1'75G  ;  present,  tlie  111, 
Hon.  the  lord  Fairfax,  county  lieutenant;  John  Hite,  major  ;  John  Lind- 
•s€y,  Isaac  Parkins,  Richard  .Aloigan,  Sanil.  Odell,  Fdward  Rodgers,  Je- 
remiah Smith,*  Thoinas  Caton,  Paul  Long,  captains. 

"Proposals  having  been  sent  to  the  several  captains  o['  ilic  militia,  sign- 
«d  by  the  commanding  officer  of  the  said  militia,  and  (kn^'d  the  7th  day 
of  April,  175b,  to  get  what  volunteers  they  could  encouraf-e  to  go  in 
search  of  the  Indian  enemy  who  are  daily  ravaging  fuir  iVoiitiers  and  com- 
mitting their  accustomed  cruelties  on  the  inhabitants^ ;  and  the  aforesaid 
officers  beinsr  met  to^'tther,  and  fmding  the  imniber  oj'  men  insufficient  to 
g;o  against  the  enemy,  it  is  considered  that  the  uicn  be  discharged,  being 
onlv  fifteen.  FAIRFAX," 

From  this  it  appeals  tliat  lord  Fairfax,  among  others,  was  an  attentive 
officer  in  the  time  of  the  Indian  wars.  In  trull;  it  behooved  liis  lordship 
to  be  active.  He  had  more  at  stake,  and  the  command  of  greater  funds, 
than  anv  other  individual  member  of  society,  'j'he  Indian  hoslilities  re- 
tarded the  settlement  of  his  large  domain,  and  of  course  lessened  liis  rev- 
enue. It  is  said  that  his  lordship  was  remarkable  for  his  eccentricities 
and  singularity  of  disposition  and  character,  and  iha.t  he  Imd  an  insatiable 
passion  for  hoarding  up  English  gold.f  He  never  married  ;  of  course 
lefi  no  child  to  inheiit  his  vast  estate  ;  but  devised  his  })ro[rcrty,  or  a  large 
portion  of  it,  to  the  Rev.  Denny  Martin,  his  nephev/  in  Fngland,  on  con- 
dition that  he  would  apply  to  the  parliament  of  Great  ]]rit;tin  for  an  art 
to  authorize  him  to  take  the  name  oi  lord  Fairfax.  Tliis  was  done  ;  and 
Dennv  Lord  Fairfax,  like  his  uncle,  never  marrying,  he  devised  the  es- 
tate to  Gen.  Philip  Martin,  v/ho,  never  marrying,  and  dying  without  is- 
sue, devised  the  estate  to  tvso  old  maiden  sisters,  who  sold  it  to  Messrs. 
Alarshall,  Colston  and  Lee. 

He  devised  that  part  of  his  estate  on  which  he  resided,  and  which  he 
•<:alled  "Greenway-Court  Manor,"  (containing  ten  thousand  acres,  with  a 
large  part  of  his  slaves,  &,c.,)  to  another  nephew,  the  late  Col.  Thomas 
Bryan  Martin,  who  had  resided  with  him  for  many  yeai's  jjrcA  ious  to  his 
death.  Col,  Martin,  like  the  others,  never  married.  ]5ul  he  con1ri\cd  to 
make  a  daughter  by  a  Mrs.  Crawford,  who  Lord  Fairfax  had  employed  as 
a  liousekeeper.  Al'tei-  Fairfax's  death,  Martin  kept  this  woman  as  a  mis- 
tress for  several  years  :   she  died,  and  the  daughter  grew  up   and   married 


*Capl.  Jeremiah  Smith,  llie  same  v>ho  defeated  tiic  j)arty  of  fifty  In- 
dians, and  killed  the  French  ca])tain,  noticed  in  a  preceding  chapter. 

fSome  four  or  five  years  ago  the  slaves  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Kennerly,  the 
present  proprietor  of  "Greenway-Court,"  in  ([unrrying  slone,  not  far  from 
Fairfax's  ancient  dwellinL''-house,  found  about  !^250  w(3rth  of  gold  coin, 
supposed  to  have  been  hidden  there  by  his  lord'  hi2K 


142  X-OilTiiEi?N  \ECK. 

Ihc  irile  i-'rancis  (iokrart,  vvlio  was  a  captain  in  ihe  Brilibh  service  m  the 
war  <){"  the  revohilioa.  She  died  soon  ai'ter  her  marriage  without  issue. 
Martin  gave  Gekiart  about  one  thousand  acres  of  land,  part  ol"  "Green- 
Avay-Court  Alanor,"  wiih  a  niimber  of  slaves,  &c.  CoL  Martin,  after  the 
•  ieathof  his  dau^^htcr,  employed  a  white  housekeeper,  a  Miss  Powers,  to 
whom  he  devised  Greenway-Court,  with  one  thousand  acres  of  land,  a 
number  of  slaves,  and  all  the  residue  of  his  personal  estate  of  every  de- 
-•scription,  (with  the  exception  of  part  of  his  stock,  slaves,  and  money.) 
Miss  Powers,  after  the  death  of  Martin,  married  the  late  Air.  W.  Carna- 
gy,  by  wiiom  she  had  an  only  (kiughter,  who  is  now  the  wife  of  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Thomas  Kennerly.  Col.  Martin  dir-ected  by  his  will  the  sale  of  all 
the  residue  of  his  estate,  and  the  money  arising  from  the  sale  to  be  remit- 
ted and  paid  to  his  two  maiden  sisters  in  Enghmd.*  Shortly  after  his 
death  an  attempt  was  made  to  escheat  the  landed  estate,  and  the  suit  Avas 
depending  some  sixteen  or  eighteen  years  before  its  final  decision.  The 
Court  of  Ajipcals  at  length  decided  the  question  in  favor  of  Martin's  leg- 
atees. 

It  is  proper,  before  the  subject  of  lord  Fairfax's  immense  grant  is  dis- 
irassed,  to  intbrjn  the  reader,  that  a  few  years  after  the  war  of  the  revolu- 
tion an  attempt  was  made  to  confiscate  ail  that  part  of  his  landed  estate 
devised  Id  his  iie[)hew  Denny  Martin  (afterwards  Denny  Lord  Fairfax.) 
But  Messrs,  Marshall,  Colston  and  Lee,  having  purchased  the  estate,  a 
compromise  took  place  between  them  and  the  state  govei'nment,  for  the 
])articuiars  of  which  the  reader  is  referred  to  the  first  volume  of  the  Re- 
vised Code  of  the  Lav^-s  of  Virginia,  pp.  352,  353. 

The  sale  of  the  estate  of  lord  Fairfax  by  his  legatees  in  England,  and 
the  devise  and  sale  of  the  estate  of  the  late  Col.  T.  B.  Martin,  is  the  last 
c  lajjter  in  die  history  of  the  Fairfax  interest  in  the  Northern  Neck,  a 
territory  comprising  about  one  fourth  of  the  whole  of  the  present  limits  of 
Virginia. 

The  State  of  iMaryland  has  lately  set  up  a  claim  to  a  considerable  tract 
-of  territory  on  tiie  north-west  border  of  Virginia,  including  a  part  of  the 
Northern  Neck.  As  the  claim  was  pushed  with  much  earnestness,  the 
•executive  of  our  State  appointed  Charles  James  Faulkner,  Esq.,  oi'  Mar- 
tinsburg,  a  commissioner  to  collect  and  embody  the  necessary  testimony, 
on  belialf  of  Virginia,  on  this  interesting  question.  Mr.  Faulkner's  able 
report  the  author  deems  of  sulficient  interest  to  his  readers  generally  to 
insert  in  this  work.     It  follows  : 

HEPOHT  OF  CIIAKLES  .JAMES  FAULKNEH,  RELATIVE  TO 
THE  I301NIJARY  LINE  BETWEEN  VIRGINIA  AND  MARY- 
LAND. 

MAirriNSBUUf;,  Nov.  6,  1S32. 
Sir:   In  execution  of  a  commission  addressed  to  me  by  your  excellen- 
•cy,  and  mach*  out  in  pursuance  of  a  joint   resolution  of  the    General    As- 
sembly of  this  State,  of  the  2Cth  of  March  last,  I  have   directed    my  at- 


'Tiie  estate  sold  lor  about  one  hundretl  thousantl  dollars. 


FAULKNEirS  REPOrvT.  113 

tcntion  tO'  the  collection  of  such  testiraonev  as  the   hipso  oi  lime    aiul  the 
nature  of  the  inquiry  have  enabled  nie  to  procure  touchinj:^  "the  settlement 
and  adjustment  of  the  western   boundary  of  Maryland."     The   division 
line  which  now  separates  the  two  States  on  the  west,  and  which  has  here- 
tofore been  considered  as  fixed  by  positive  adjudication  and  long  acquics-- 
cence,  commences  at  a  point  where   the  Fairfax  stonp.   is   planted,    at  the- 
head  spring  of  the  Potomac  river,  and  runs  thence  due  north  to  the  Penn- 
sylvania line.     This  is  the  boundary  by  which  Virginia  has  held   for  near 
a  century;  it  is  the  hne  by  Avhich  she  held  in  1786,    when    the    compact 
made  by  the  Virginia  and  Maryland  commissioners  was  salemnly  ratified 
by  the  legislative  authorities  of  the  two  States. 

An  effort  is  now  maide  by  the  General  Assembly  of  Marykmd,  to  enlarge  • 
her  territory  by  the  establishment  of  a  different  division    line.     We  have- 
not  been  informed  which  fork  of  the  South  Branch  she  Avill   elect    as  the 
new  boundary,  but  the  proposed  line  is  to  ran  from  one  ol"  the  forks  of  tlie 
South  Branch,  thence    due   north  to    the    Pennsylvania    terminus.     It  is 
needless  to  say  that  the  substitution  of  the  latter,  no  matter  at  which  fork 
it  may  commence,  would  cause  an  important    diminution  in    the    ah"eady 
diminished  territorial  area  of  this  State.     It   vrould   deprive    us   of  large 
portions  of  the  counties  of  Hampshire,  Hardy,  Pendleton,  Randolph  and 
Preston,  amounting  in  all  to  almost  half  a  million  of  acres — a    section  of 
the  conrmonwealth  which,  from  the  quality  of  its  soil,  artd   the   character 
of  its  population,  might  well  excite  the   cupidity  of  a  government  resting 
her  claims  upon  a  less  substantial  basis  than  a  stale  and  groundless    pre- 
tension of  more  than  a  century's    antiquity.     Although    my   instructions 
have  directed  my  attention  more  particularly  to  the  collection  and    preser- 
vation of  the  evidence  of  sucii  living  witnesses  "as  might  be  able  to  testi- 
fy to  any  facts  or  circumstances  in  relation  to  the  settlement   and    ailjust- 
raent  of  the  western  boundary,"  I  have  consumed  Init  a  very  inconsidera- 
ble portion  of  my  tune  in  any  labor  or  inquiry  of  that  sort,    fdr    who  in- 
deed, now  living,  could  testify  to  any  "facts  or  circumstances"  which  oc- 
curred nearly  a  century  since?     And  if  suchindividii'ds  were  i\ow  living, 
why  waste  time  in  taking  depositions  as  to    those    "facts,"    in    proof  of 
Avhich  the  most  ample  and   authentic   testimony   was    taken   in   1736,  as 
the  basis  of  a  royal  adjudication  i*     I  havcconsequenlly  dcemefl  it  of  more 
importance  to  procure  the  original  docuuT-ents  where  possible,  if  not,  au- 
thentic copies, of  such  papers  as  would  serve  to  exhibit  a  connected    view 
of  the  origin,  progress    and   termination'   of  that   controversy   with    the 
crown,  which  resulted,  after  the  most  accurate  and  laborious    surveys,  in 
the  ascertainment  of  those  very  "lacts  and  circumstances"  which  are  now 
sought  to  be  made  again  the  subjects  of  discussion  and  inquiry.     In  tliis 
pursuit  I  have  succeeded  far  beyand  what  I  had  any  ground  for  anticipa- 
tion ;  and  from  the  almost  forgotten  rubbish  of  past  years,  have  been  ena- 
bled to  draw  forth  documents  and  papers  whose  interest  may  survive    the 
occasion  which  redeemed  them  from  destruction. 

To  enable  your  excellency  to  form  a  just  conception  of  the  weight  and 
importance  of  the  evidence  herewith  accompanying  this  report,  I  beg 
leave  to  submit  with  it  a  succinct  statement  of  the  question  ni  issue  be- 
+^ween  the  governments  of  Virginia  and  ^Myryland,  v,-\^h.  .-onnn  libiprvationS- 


l-U  FAULKNER'S  REPORT. 

sliewlni;-  tiie  P.-Io;  iiiicv  of  uio  evidence  to  tlie  ([ueslion  lliu.s  prcsrnteJ- 
Th(.'  territory  of  MarylniKi  granted  by  Charles  I.  to  lord  Bailiinore  m 
June  H)'i2,  \v;is  described  in  the  grant  as  "that  region  bounded  by  a  Hne 
drawn  from  Watkias'  point  on  Che.s;ipeake  bay  to  the  ocean  on  the  east ; 
thericu  1o  that  part  of  the  estu;Tir\' of  Dehiware  on  the  north  which  hetli 
under  the  iOth  ilci^ree,  where  New  lilnglatid  is  tenninated  ;  thence  in  a 
ri^it  line  bv  the  de^i^ref  aforesaid,  lo  the.  inpridiaa  of  the  fountain  of  the 
Piilomar ;  thicncc  following  its  course  by  its  farther  liank  to  its  conflu- 
p'nce."  {.MaraliiiU'h-  Life  of  Washington,  vol.  ],chup.  ii,  p/>.78  — Si,  1st 
edition  ) 

It  is  plain  thai  the  western  boundary  of  this  grant  was  the  meridian  of 
tihc  fountaii>  of  tlie  Potomac,  from  the  point  where  it  cut  tlie  40th  degree 
of  north  latitude  to  the  fountain  of  the  river;  and  that  the  extent  of  the 
grant  deiiended  upon  the  question,  what  strean«  was  the  Potomac?  So 
That  the  questi<Mi  now  in  controversy  grows  immediately  out  of  the  grant. 
The  territory  granted  to  lord  Baltimore  was  undoubtedly  within  the  char- 
tered limits  of  Virgln-ia  :  (See  1>-^  chnrter  of  Jlpril  1606,  sfc.  4,  and  the 
2d  ch'irter  of  May  ICO'J,  sec.  6,  1.^/  Hen.  Slat.' at  Large,  pp.  58  — 88  ) — 
And  Mar^'lniil  savs  that  the  grant  "was  the  first  example  of  the  dismem- 
bcrmMit  of  a  cflonv,  an-d  the  creation  of  a  new  o-ne  within  its  limits,  by 
the  mere  act  of  the  crown;"  and  that  the  planters  of  Virginia  presented  a. 
petitif)n  a.gainst  it,  "which  was  heard  before  the  privy  council  (of  Eng- 
faud)  in  Jidy  lG3o,  whon  it  was  declared  that  lord  Baltimore  should  re- 
tain his  patent,  and  the- petitioners  their  remedy  at  law.  'Co  this  n.Mned}' 
thev  ne\er  thniight  propter  to  resort." 

\\'hrther  there  be  any  record  of  this  proceeding  extant,  T  have  never 
h(^cn  able  to  learn.  Tlie- civil  war  irs-  England  broke  out  about  ten  years 
after,  a.'id  [)erha[»s  the  join-nals  of  the  proceedings  of  the  privy  council 
were-d'estroycfl.  Suiisequentlv  to  this,  wo  are  informed  by  Graham,  the 
planters,  "fortified  by  the  opinion  of  eminent  Inwyers  whom  they  consult- 
ed, arxl  who- scrupled  not  to  assure  them  that  the  ancient  patents  of  Vir- 
C^Inia  siill  remaiie^d  in  force,  and  \]r,tt  the  grant  of  .Mnri/land,  as  derngafo- 
ry  to  them,  wan  ufferly  void,\\\c.y  presented  an  application  to  the  parliament 
complaining:  of  tiiC  unjust  invasion  which  their  privileges  had  undergone." 
(Graham's  IHsfury,  vol.  2.  p.  12.)  But  as  the  parliaments  of  those  days 
were  but  the  obsequious  ministers  of  the  crown,  that  apj)lication,  it  is 
prcjwmicd,  likewise  sharv\'i  the  fate  of  their  former    petition  ^to  the    privy 

council. 

The  present  claim  of  ^Faryland,  then,  raust  be  founded  on  the  sup|)osi- 
tion  that  the  stream  which  ?/'.?  call  the  Potomac  was  not ,-  and  that  the 
stream  now  called  the  South  Brancdi  of  the  Potomac,  wan  in  fact  the  Po- 
tomac intended  i;>  iho  grant  to  lord  Baltimore.  I  have  never  been  inform- 
ed which  fork  of  the  South  Branch  she  claims  as  the  Potom-iic  (for  there;  is 
a  North  and  a  South  Ibrk  of  the  South  Branch) ;  neither  have  T  been  able 
to  learri  what  is  the  evidence,  or  kind  of  evidence,  on  which  she  relies  to 
aRCcrtain  that  t.hr  si  ream  which  is  now  called  tin;  South  Branch  of  the 
Potomac,  but  whic'i  nf  the  date  (if  the  grant  to  lord  Baltimore  was  not 
known  at  all,  ami  ^vhen  known,  known  for  many  years  only  as  the  JVap- 
pncmnn,  was  f'ic  P'-^'omac  int<'n  h'd  by  lord    Baliimore's  gr;:u<.     For    tlu-s- 


FAULKNER'S  REPORT.  145 

important  geographical  fact,  I  refer  to  tlie  numerous  early  maps  of  the 
chartered  limits  of  Virginia  and  Maryland,  some  of  which  are  to  be  seen 
in  the  public  libraries  of  Washington  and  Richmond. 

The  question,  which  stream  was  the  Potomac?  is  simply  a  question 
which  of  them,  if  either,  bore  the  name.  The  name  is  matter  of  general 
reputation.  If  there  be  any  thing  which  depends  wholly  upon  general 
acceptation,  which  ought  and  must  be  settled  by  prescription,  it  is  this 
question,  which  of  these  rivers  was  and  is  tlip.  Potomac?  The  accompa- 
nying papers,  it  is  believed,  will  ascertain  this  fact  to  the  satisfaction  of 
every  impartial  inquirer. 

In  the  twenty-first  year  of  Charles  II.  a  grant  was  made  to  lord  Hop- 
ton  and  other's,  of  what  is  called  the  Mart  kern  A^edc  of  Vir-ginia,  which 
was  sold  by  the  other  patentees  to  lord  Culpeper,  and  confirmed  to  him 
by  letters  patent  in  the  fourth  year  of  James  II.  This  gi'ant  carried  with 
it  nothing  but  the  right  of  soil  and  the  incidents  of  ownership;  for  it 
was  expressly  subjected  to  the  juiisdiction  of  Ihe  gover-nment  of  Virginia. 
Of  this  earlier  patent  1  believe  there  is  no  copy  in  Vii'ginia.  The  original 
charter  from  James  II.  to  lord  Culpeper  accompanies  this  report,  mai-ked 
No.  1.  They  are  both  recited  in  the  colonial  statute  of  1736.  (1  Rev. 
Code,  di.  89.)  The  tract  of  country  ther-eby  granted,  w^as  "all  that  entire 
tract,  territory  and  parcel  of  land,  lying  and  being  in  America,  and  boun- 
ded by  and  v\-ithin  the  heads  of  the  rivers  Tappahannock  ulins  Rappa- 
hanrrock,  and  Quiriough  alias  Potomac  r'iveis,  the  course  of  said  rivers  as 
they  ai'e  commonly  called  and  known  by  the  inhabitants,  and  description 
■of  their  parts  and  Chesapeake  bay." 

As  early  as  1729,  in  consequence  of  the  eagerness  with  which  lands 
wer-e  sought  on  the  Potomac  and  its  tributary  streams,  and  IVom  the  difh- 
culties  growing  out  of  conflicting  gr-ants  from  lord  Fairfax  and  iheci-own, 
the  boundaries  of  the  Northern  Neck  propr-ietary  became  a  subject  which 
attracted  deep  and  earnest  attention.  At  this  time  the  Potonrac  had  been 
but  little  explored;  and  although  the  stream  itself  above  its  confluence 
Avith  the  Shenandoah  was  knowir  as  the  Cohongoioota,  or  U]i)per  Poto- 
mac, it  had  never  been  m^de  the  subject  of  any  very  accru-at(!  surveys  and 
examinations,  nor  had  it  yet  been  settled,  by  any  competent  authority, 
which  of  its  several  tributaries  was  entitled  to  be  regarded  as  the  rnaiir 
or  principal  branch  of  the  river.  It  became  important,  therefore,  to  re-. 
move  all  furtlier  doubt  upon  that  question. 

In  June,  1729,  the  lieutenant-governor  of  Virginia  addressed  a  com- 
munication to  the  lords  commissioners  of  trade  arrd  plaiitatrotr  affaiis, 
in  which  he  solicits  their  attention  to  the  ambiguity  of  the  lo'-d  })ropi-ie- 
tor's  charter,  growing  out  of  the  fact  that  there  were  sevei'al  streams 
which  might  be  claimed  as  the  head  springs  of  Potomai;  river,  among 
which  he  enumerates  the  Shenandoah,  and  expi-esses  his  deteirnination 
*'to  refuse  the  suspension  of  granting  of  patents,  until  the  case  should  be 
fairly  stated  and  determined  according  to  the  gerruine  consti'uction  of  the 
proprietor's  charier."  This  was  followed  by  a  petition  to  the  king  in 
council,  agreed  to  by  tup  house  of  burgesses  of  Virginia,  in  .June,  1730, 
in  which  itis  set  forth,  among  othci'  matters  of  (•f)mn!aint,    "tlial  the  head 

I 


ne  FAULKNKR'S  RflPORT. 

springs  of  tlic-  Rappahannock  and  Potomac  are  not  yet  known  to  any  of 
your  majesty's  subjects  ;  lliat  much  iiiconvenience  hlid  resulted  to  gran- 
tees therelVorn,  and  prayhig  tlie  adoption  of  such  measiires  as  might  lead 
to  its  ascertainment  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  interested.        Lord  Fairfax, 
who,  by  his  marriage    with  the  only   daughter  of  lord  Culpeper,  had  now 
succeeded  to  the  proprietorship  oi"  ihe  Northern  Neck,  feeling  it  likewise 
due  to  //is  grantees   to   have  the  question  lelieved  from  all  further  diffi- 
culty, prct'eired  liLs  petition  to  the  king  in  1733,  praying  that  his  majesty 
would  be  pleased  to  order  a  commission  to  issue,  ibr  running  out,  mark- 
ing, and  ascertaining  the  bounds  of  his  patent,  according  to  the   true  in- 
tent and  meaning  of  his  charter.     An  order  to  ilns  effect  was  accordingly 
directed  by  the  king ;  ami  three  commissioners  were  appointed  on  behalf 
of  the  crovv-n,  and  the  same  num.ber  on  behalf  of  lord  Fairfax-      The  du- 
ty which    devolyed  upon  them  was  to  a>;cert:ain,   by   actual  examination 
and  survey,  the  true  fountains  of  the  Rappahannock  and  Potomac  rivers. 
To  enable  them  more  perfectly  to  discharge  the  important  trust  confided 
to  them,  they  were  authorised  to    summon  j'^ersons  before  them,   to  take 
depositions  and  affidavits,  to  search  papers,  and  employ  surveyors,  chain- 
carriers,  markers,    and  other  necessary  attendants.       The  com.missioners 
convened  in  Fredericksburg,   on  the  2Gt}i  of  .September,  173G,  and  pro- 
ceeded  to  discharge  their  duties,  by  taking  depositions,  appointing  sur- 
veyors,  and  making  every  needful  and  requisiio  preparation  for  the  sur- 
vey.      They  commenced  th.eir  journey  of  observation  and  survey  on  the 
r2th  day  of  Odober,  1736,   and  finished  ir.  on  the  i4th  of  December,  of 
the   same    year ;      on  which    day    they    discovered  vrhat   they    marked 
and  reported  to  be  lli^.'  first  fountain  of  the  Potomac  river.       Separate  re- 
ports were  made  by  the  conanissioners,  whicl)  reports,  v.'ith   all    the  ac- 
companying documents,  papers,  surveys,   plans,   &.C.,   were,  on   the  21st 
of  Dec-ember,  3  738,  referred  to  tlie  council  for  plantation  afToirs.     That 
boani,  after  hearing  counsel,  made  a  report  on  the  Gth  day  of  April,  1745, 
in  which    they  stale,  "ihat  having  examined  into  the  several  rejiorts,  re- 
turirs,  plans,  and  other  papers  transmitted   to  them  by  the  commissioners 
appointed  on  behalf  of  the  crown,  as  likewise  of  lor^l  Fairfax,  and  having 
been  attended  by  council   on  behalf  of  your  laajt'sty,  as  likewise  of  lord 
Fairfax,  and  havingheard'  all  that  lliev  had  1o  ofler  thereupon,  and  the  que.s- 
tic-n  being  concerning  that  boundary  which  cught  to  be  drawn  from  the  first 
h(rtid  or  sj)ring  of  t)ie  iiv(>r  Rappahannock  to  ihe  first  head  or  spring  ot"  the 
river  Potomac,  the  cornmitlee  do  agree  liumbly  to  report  to  your  ma jesty  as 
their  opinion,  that  wiihin  the  \vords  and  meaning  of  the  letters  jialent,  gran- 
tod  l>y  kingJamc-^  I!,  bearing  date  the  '27th  day  of  Sf;ptember,  in  the  ionrth 
year  of  his  leign,  the  said  boundary  onoht  to  lu-n-in  at  the  first  spring  of 
the  Soutii  branch  of  the  liver  Rappahannock,    and  that  the  said  boundary 
be  from  thence  (hav.n  in  a  straight  line  north-west  io  the  pJacp.  in  ihe  Al- 
leghcinj  mountains  rchrre  l/iat   pin-f,  of'  the  Potomac  rivei\,   ivliich  is  voio 
called   Cohnncrnrorfn^  first  riVcv."       The  Cohongoroota  is   knov»'n    to  be 
the   stream  which  the  .Maryland   writers  term  the    .Xcrth  branch   of  the 
Potomac,  but  which  is   recognised   in  Virc';inia,  and  described  on  all  the 
maps  and  surveys  v.-hich  I    liave  ever   vet  seen,    aa    tJie    Potomac  river y 
froui  its  first  fQ.virt;iin,  wL^'^tLe  FaL-liX  stone  is  Icjated;  to  it£  confluence 


FALLKXEIl'S  RF.PORT.  TAl 

A\Hii  the  Siicniindoah  ;  thfic  Ijciug,  jjioperly  spcakinn-^  no  f,uch  stream  as 
tiie  North  branch  of  the  Potomac.  This  report  of  the  council  tor  phuita- 
tion  affairs  was  submitted  to  the  king  in  council  on  the  11th  of  April, 
1745,  and  fully  confirmed  by  him,  and  a  further  order  made,  directing  the 
appointment  of  commissioners  to  run  and  m^^rk  the  dividing  line  agreea- 
bly to  his  decision  thus  made.  Commissioners  were  accordingly  appoin- 
ted, who,  having  provided  themselves  with  surveyors,  chain-carriers, 
markers,  Lc,  commenced  their  journey  on  the  iSth  of  September,  1746. 
On  the  17th  of  October  they  planted  the  Fairfax  stone  at  the  spot  which 
had  been  described  and  marked  by  the  preceding  commissioners  as  the 
true  head  spring  of  the  Potomac  liver,  an-d  which  has  continued  to  be  re- 
garded, from  that  }>eriod  to  the  present  time,  as  the  southern  point  of  the 
western  boundary  between  Maryland  -and  Virginia.  A  joint  report  of 
these  proceedings  was  made  by  the  commissioners  to  the  king, 
accompanied  with  their  field  notes ;  wliicfi  report  was  received  and 
ordered  to  be  filed  away  among  the  records  of  his  majesty's  privy 
council.  Thus  terminated,  after  a  lapse  of  sixteen  years,  a  ])roceeding,, 
which  had  for  its  object,  among  other  mailers,  the  ascertainment  of  the 
Jirat  J'liinitiiin  of  the  Potomac  river,  and  which  result-od  in  the  establish- 
ment of  that  "fact""  by  a  tribunal  of  cnnipeterat  jurisdicticDn.  This  de- 
cision has  DOW  been  ac<3uiesced  in  for  noar  a  cciitury,  and  all  topo- 
graphical description  and  sketches  oi'tlif  coiintrv  liavc  been  made  to  con- 
form to  it.  1  say  acquiesced  ?'»,  for  it  is  iiniiossib'e  1c  regard  llie  varv- 
ing,  fluctuating  legishitiun -of  Aiarylaiid  upi):i  [\\v  subject,  at  one  scssicm 
of  her  genenii  assembly  recognizing;  Ilie  itnc  as  now  estabftfrhed,  (see 
compact  of  1785,  Session  Acts  of  lSO-"j,  IS]  8,  and  others,)  at  ,uiollier 
authorizing  the  appointjiient  of  commi5.sioners  xo  adjust  the  boundary,  as 
a  grave  resistance  of  its  cojiclHsivcness,.  or  sucii  a  f.c/iliynial  tliritn,  as  un- 
der the  usages  of  interuation;?]  law,  would  h.ii-  an  application  oi  ino  prin- 
cipU's  (){' usucapfinn  m\d  i)resciif)li.(')i.  (Sec  \'ai:t':i,  p.  251.  (.irolius,  lib. 
2,  cap.  4.     WoltiusJus.  Nat.  par.  3.) 

Jurisdiction  in  all  cases  relalinji  to  bouudarit'S  beiwoen  piovincps,  tlie 
dominion  and  proprietaiy  govtrnnienl,  is  by  the  couirnon  lavv  of  Kngland 
exclusively  vested  in  the  /cint^  (iml.  tuartfU.  (I  \  <"<.  stii.  p.  117.)  Awil 
notwithstanding  it  uiav  b<;  a  (jaestion  of  boundary  biMween  the  crown  and 
the  lord  proprietor  of  a  pro\inc(',  (such  as  tlpit  beUveon  lord  Fan'fax  a.n'l 
the  crown,)  the  king  is  the  only  jmlge,  and  is  presumed  to  act  with  cntir*' 
impartiality  and  justice  in  rcfert^nce  to  all  persons  concerned,  as  Nxell 
those  Avho  are  parties  to  the  proccfdin.o'  b.'lore  him,  as  others  not  parti(r> 
who  may  yet  be  interested  in  tli'>  adjusUnent.  (Vescy,  ib.)  Such  is  tire 
theory  nnd  practice  of  the  English  constitution;  and  although  it  may  n«M 
accord  precisely  v.'ith  our  improved  conceptions  of  juridical  practice,  it  is 
nevertheless  the  law  whieh  ruust  now  L'^overn  and  control  the  legal  aspeirt 
ofthe  territoriol  disinite  between  Viro-iula  aud  Maryland. 

T  ^  "^  ,  '  111' 

It  docs  not  appear  bv  the  accompanying  papers,  that  Ohanes  !or<i 
Baltimore,  the  then  proprietor  of  Maryland,  deputed  an  agent  to  aticnd 
upon  /lis  part  in  the  exmninntion  rtnd  survey  of  llip  Potorivic  rivr.  Il  i- 
possiblc  he  co,iceivcd  hit-  iater^^ts  sulTicicn;ly  protected  in  tlic  n.-pict 
\^h:ch  the  <;oRtrovcr"iv  had  tli-'u   assaaie  1  befwe-ni    loi.]    r,i:rr,'\  and  lie. 


14S  FAULKNER'S  REPORT. 

crown.  Certain  it  is,  that  it  nowhere  appears  that  he  e\'er  coRsicIered 
himself  aggrieved  by  the  result  of  that  adjustment.  That  his  government 
was  fully  apprised  of  what  was  in  progress,  can  scarcely  admit  of  a  ra- 
tional doubt.  For  it  is  impossible  to  conceive  that  a  controversy  so 
deeply  afl'octing  not  only  tlie  interests  of  lord  Baltimore,  but  all  who  were 
concerneil  in  the  purchase  of  land  in  that  section  of  the  country,  and  con- 
ducted with  so  much  solemnity  and  notoriety,  could  have  extended  through 
a  period  of  sixteen  years  without  attracting  the  attention  of  the  govern- 
ment of  Maryland — a  government  ever  jealous,  because  ever  <!oubtful  of 
the  original  tenure  by  which  her  ehaj'ter  was  held,  i3ut  had  lord  Balti- 
more even  considered  himself  aggrieved  by  the  result  of  that  settlement, 
it  is  difficult  now  to  conceive  upon  what  ground  he  would  have  excepted 
to  its  justice,  or  question  its  validity.  Could  he  have  said  that  the 
infonmition  upon  which  the  decision  was  founded  was  imperfect.'*  Or 
that  the  proceedings  of  the  commissioners  Avere  cliaracterized  by  haste, 
favoritism  or  Jiaiul  ?  This,  the  proceedings  of  that  board,  still  preserved, 
would  contrridict.  For  never  was  there  an  examination  conductetl  witJi 
more  deliberation,  prosecuted  with  more  labor,  or  sci'utanised  witli  a 
more  jealous  or  anxious  vigilance.  Could  he  have  .shewn  that  some  oth- 
er stream  ourrht  to  have  beeen  fixed  upon  as  the  true  head  spring  of  the 
Potomac?  'J'his,  it  is  believed,  is  impossible;  ibr  although  it  raay  be 
true  tliAt  the  South  branch  is  a  longer  stream,  it  neveithclcss  wants  those 
more  important  characteristics  which  were  then  considered  by  the  com- 
missioners, and  have  been  subsequently  regarded  by  esteemed  geogra- 
phers as  essential  in  distinguishing  a  tributary  from  the  main  branch  of  a 
river.  (See  Flint's  Geography,  voL  2,  p.  88.)  Lastly,  would  ha  have 
questioned  the  authority  of  the  crowu  to  settle  the  boundaries  of  lord 
Fairf  ix's  charier,  without  having  j)reviously  made  him  a  party  to  the 
proceeding. -^  1  have  before  shewn  the  futility  ol" such  an  idea.  ]3esides, 
this  would  have  been  at  once  to  question  the  authority  under  which  he 
held  his  own  grant ;  for  jialtimore  held  by  virtue  of  an  arbitrary  act  of 
the  second  Charles.  His  grant  was  manilestly  made  in  violation  of  the 
chartered  rights  of  Virginia,  and  carried  into  efl'cct  not  only  without  the 
accpiiescencc,  but  against  the  solemn  jmhI  repeated  renionstrances  of  her 
goverunuMil.  Was  Virginia  (consulted  in  the  |"dismeniberu>ent"  of  her 
territory.'  \V;>s  she  mar'e  a  party  to  that  proceeding,  by  which,  "for  the 
first  lime  iti  colonial  Jiistory,  one  new  province  was  created  within  the 
chartered  limits  of  another  i)v  the  mere  act  of  the  crown.'"'  Jkit  the  fact 
is,  that  Charles  lord  Jialtimorc,  lohn  lived  for  six  yenrs  after  tiie  adjust- 
ment of  this  (prcstion,  never  did  contest  the  propriety  of  the  i)oundary  as 
settled  by  the  c()nMnissioners,  but  from  all  that  remains  of  his  views  and 
proceeding-^,  fully  acj|uiesced  in  ils  accurary  and  jusiice,  (See  the 
trealv  with  the  Six  Nali(ms  of  fiulians,  ;it  Fiafu-aster,  in  .June,  1744.) 

'I'hc  first  cvideiu'c  of  dissa'isfaciiou  with  the  boundarv  as  established, 
which  the  researches  ot'  the  iMaryland  writers  have  enabled  tliem  to  ex- 
hibit, arc*  certain  instructions  from  Frederick  lord  Baltimore  (successor 
of  (y'hailes)  to  (Governor  Sharp,  which  were  ju'csented  i)y  tlic  latter  to  his 
I'ouncil  in  August,  175.1,  I  have  not  been  able  ti>  procure  a 'copy  of 
those  inst.-uclions,  but  a   r.  cr)>)  hislorian  of  ,Mar}r|;ind,  and  an  ingenious 


FAULKNER^S  REPORT.  UQ 

advocate  of  lier  present  claim,  referring  to  tlicm,  says,  '•  His  Instructions 
were  predicated  upon  the  supposition  that  the  survey  might  possibly  have 
heen  made  with  (he  knowledge  and  concurrence  of  /us  predrressor^  and 
hence  lie  denies  the  poiver  of  the  latter  to  enter  into  cniy  arr(in<remefit.  as- 
to  the  boundarie.<i,  which  could  extend  beyond  his  llfi'  estaU,  or  conclude 
those   in  remainder."       (See  M'Mahon's  History  of  Maryland,    p.  53.) 

What  were  the  precise  limitations  of  those  conveyances  made  by  the 
proprietors  of  Maryland,  and  under  which  Frederick  lord  l^altimore  de- 
nies the  power  of  his  predecessor  to  enter  into  any  arrangement  as  to  the 
"boundaries,  which  could  extend  beyond  his  life  estate,  I  am  unable  to 
say— my  utmost  researches  have  failed  to  furnish  me  with  a  copy  of  them, 
—but  they  were  so  far  satisfactory  to  his  lordship'^;  legal  conceptions,  a& 
to  induce  him  to  resist  even  the  execution  of  a  decree  pronounced  by 
■lord  Hardwicke,  in  1750,  (1  Ves.  sen.  pp.  444-46)  upon  a  written  com- 
pact as  to  boundaries,  which  had  been  executed  by  his  ])redeeessor  and 
the  Penns,  in  1732.  To  enforce  submission  to  that  decree,  the  Penns 
filed  a  bill  of  reviver  in  1754,  and  after  an  ineffectual  struggle  of  six: 
years,  lord  Baltimore  was  compelled  with  a  bad  grace  to  submit,  and 
abide  by  the  nrranoemevf.  as  to  the  boundaries  which  had  been  made  by 
his  predecessor.  To  this  circumstance,  in  all  probability,  was  hml  Fair- 
f^ix  indebted  for  his  exemption  from  the  further  demands  of  the  i>roprietoF 
of  Maryland.  For  lord  Frederick,  no  ways  averse  to  litigation,  had  by 
this  time  doubtless  become  satisfied  that  the  power  of  his  }nedccessor 
<lid  extend  beyond  his  life  estate,  and  might  even  conrlnde  those  in 
remainder.  Be  that  as  it  may,  however,  certain  it  is  that  the  records 
of  Maryland  are  silent  upon  the  subject  of  this  pretension,  from  Septem- 
ber, 1753,  until  ten  years  subsequent  to  the  compact  between  Virginia 
and  Mary-land  in  1785, 

An  opinion  prevails  among  our  most  disting^iished  jurists,  resting- 
solely  upon  traditionary  information,  that  about  1761,  Frederick  lord 
]3alt!more  presented  a  i)etition  to  the  king  and  council,  praying  a  revis- 
ion of  the  adjustment  made  in  1745,  which  petition  was  rejected,  or  after 
a  short  time  abandoned  as  hopeless.  If  there  ever  was  such  a  i)r()ceed- 
ing,  I  can  find  nothing  of  it  in  the  archives  of  Virginia. 

Be  that  as  it  may,  it  is  certain  that  ever  since  1745  lord  Fairfax  claimed 
and  held,  and  the  commonwealth  of  Virginia  constantly  to  this  day  has 
claimed  and  held  by  the  Cohongoroota,  that  is  by  the  northern  branch,  as 
the  Potomac  ,  and  whatever  lord  Baltimore  or  his  heirs,  and  the  State  of 
Maryland  may  have  claimed,  she  has  held  by  the  same  boundary.  There 
was  no  reason  why  lord  Fairfax,  being  in  actual  possession,  should  have 
controverted  the  claim  of  lord  Baltimore,  or  Maiyland.  If  lord  Balti- 
more, or  Maryland,  ever  controverted  the  boundary,  ihe  questifui  must, 
and  either  has  been  decided  against  them,  or  it  must  have  been  aban(h)n- 
ed  as  hopeless.  If  they  never  controverted  it,  the  omission  to  do  so,  carr 
only  be  accounted  for,  upon  the  supposition  that  they  knew  it  to  be  hope- 
less. If  Maryland  ever  asserted  the  claim — seriously  asserted  it  [mean — 
it  must  have  been  before  the  revolution,  or  at  least  during  it,  when  we  all 
know,  she  was  jealous  enough  of  the  extended  teri'itory  of  Virg-niji.  The 
tlaim  must  hace  hod  its  origin  h^Jore.  the  roinprtcl  beficeenthe  two  states,  oy 


150  rAlLKNKirS  UKPORT. 

Mini,  17^5,  (I  Rev.  CoJe,  ch.  18.)  We  then  held  by  the  same  boun- 
dary by  which  we  nnv  hold  ;  we  held  l.o  what  vp.  called  and  now  call  the 
Potomac  :  she  tlien  held  to  what  we  call  the  Potomac.  Ls  it  possiole  to 
doubt  that  this  is  the  Potomac  recognised  by  the  compact')  That  com- 
pact is  now  f.)rty-i;evea  years  old. 

I  have  dilit^-onl'y  inquired  whether,  as  the  Potomac  above  the  conflu- 
ence ot"  the  Slienanrloah  was  called  the  Cohongoroota,  the  stream  nov,- 
calleJ  the  South  bf.uicli  of  the  Potomac  ever  had  any  peculiar  name, 
known  to  a!\d  established  among  the  English  settlers — for  it  is  well  knowi\ 
it  bore  the  Lulian  name  of  Wappacomo.  1  never  could  learn  that  it  was 
known  by  any  other  name,  but  that  which  it  yet  bears,  the  Soutii  brant^h 
of  the  Potomac.  Now  that  very  name  of  itself  sufficiently  evinces,  that 
it  was  regariled  as  a  tribuf.iirj/  stream  of  another  river,  and  that  river  the 
Potomac  ;  and  that  the  river  of  which  the  South  branch  was  the  tributary, 
was  regar'Jetl  as  the  main  stream. 

But  let  us  for  a  moment  concede  that  the  decision  of  the  king  in  coun- 
cil was  not  absolutely  conclusive  of  tJie  present  question  ;  let  us  concede 
that  the  long  acquiescence  of  Maryland  in  that  adjustment  has  not  pre- 
clude! a  further  discussion  of  its  merits;  let  us  even  suppose  the  com- 
pact of  17S5  thrown  out  of  view,  with  all  the  subsequent  recognitions  of 
the  present  boundary  by  the  legislative  acts  of  that  state,  and  the  question 
between  the  two  streams  now  for  the  first  time  presented  as  an  original 
question  of  preference  ; — what  are  the  facts  ui)on  v^-hich  Maryland  would 
rely  to  sliow  that  any  other  stream,  than  the  one  bearing  the  name,  is 
entitled  to  be  regtrded  as  the  main  branch  of  the  Potomac?  It  were  idle 
to  say  that  the  Soutli  branch  is  the  Potomac,  because  the  South  branch 
is  a  lon""(>r  or  even  Iircrer  stream  than  tlu-  Xorlli  branch  which  Virginia 
claims  to  hold  by.  According  to  that  sort  of  reasoni)ig,  the  Missouri, 
above  its  confluence  M-ith  the  Mississippi,  is  the  Mississippi,  being 
beyond  comparison  the  longer  asid  larger  streani.  The  claim  ot  the 
South  brancli,  tiicn,  would  rest  s  )li'Iy  upon  its  great  length  \n  opposi- 
tion to  this  it  iiii'^-ht  be  s;iid  th;it  the  (-ohongoroota  is  more  frequently 
navigable — that  it  has  a  larger  vohnne  of  water — that  the  valley  of  the 
South  branrh  is,  in  the  Q;rni\d  scale  of  con/orni'i.lion,  secondary  to  that 
of  th--  Potoni'ir. — that  th"  South  branch  has  not  the  general  direction  ot' 
that  rioer,  lohlch  it  joins  nenrlij  ot  rifi^ht  anglrs — th^'t  th':  rnllci/  of  the 
Pof.OiWic  is  wider  than  that  of  th"  South  branch,  as  is  also  the  river 
hco'i-lrr  tlinv  the  other.  And  lastly  that  the  course  of  th;-  river  and  (he 
direction  of  the  valley  are  the  same  above  and  below  the  junction  of  the 
South  branch.  (See  letters  accompanyidg  this  report,  \o.  2{).)  These 
considerations  have  beeti  deemed  sufficient  to  establish  the  title  to  the 
"father  of  waters,"  to  t!ie  name  which  he  has  so  long  borne.  (See  His- 
tory and  fieogiaphy  of  Western  States,  vol.  L>,  Missouri.)  And  as  they 
exist  in  an  equal  extent,  so  should  they  equally  confirm  the  pre-eminence 
v.'hicli  the  Cohongoroota  has  now  for  near  a  century  so  i)roudly  andpeace- 
fullv  enjf>yed. 

The  claim  of  Maryland  to  tlie  territory  in  question,  is  by  no  means  so 
reasonable  as  the  claim  of  the  great  Frederick  of  Pnjvsia  to  Silesia.whieh 
that  pr::ij2  assortci  airl  niiintainedj  but  which  he  tells  us  him^.elf  he  ne- 


FAULKNER'S  REPORT.  151 

rev  would  have  thought  of  asserting,  il"  his   lather  had  not  Icfi  hhn  an  o- 
verflowing  treasury  and  a  powerful  arrny. 

With  this  brief  historical  retrospect,  presented  as  explanatory  of  ihe  ac- 
companying testimony,  I  will  now  lay  before  your  excellency,  in  chrono- 
logical order,  a  list  of  the  documents  and  papers  referred  to  in  my  prece- 
ding observations. 

No.  1.  Is  the  original  grant  from  king  James  II.  to  Thomas  lord  Cul- 
peper,  made  on  the  27th  September,  in  the  fourth  year  of  his  reign. 

No.  2.  Copy  of  a  letter  from  Major  Gooch,  lieutenant  governor  of  Vir- 
ginia, to  the  lords  commissioners  for  trade  and  plantations,  dated  at  Wil- 
liamsburg, June  29,  1729. 

No.  3.  Petition  to  the  king  in  Council,  in  relation  to  the  Northern 
Neck  crrants  and  their  boundaries,  aj^reed  to  by  the  house  of  burQcsses. 
June  30th,  1730. 

No.  4.  The  petition  of  Thomas  lord  Fairfax,  to  his  majesty  in  council^ 
preferred  in  1733,  setting  forth  his  grants  from  the  crown,  asid  that  there 
had  been  divers  disputes  between  the  governor  and  council  in  Virginia 
and  the  petitioner,  and  his  agent  Robert  (.'artcr,  Esq.,  touching  the  boim- 
daries  of  the  petitioner's  said  tract  of  land,  and  praying  that  his  majesty 
would  be  pleased  to  order  a  commission  to  issue  for  running  out,  marking 
and  ascertaining  the  bounds  of  the  petitioner's  said  tract  of  hind. 

No.  5.  A  copy  of  an  order  of  his  majesty  in  his  privy  council,  bearing 
date  29th  of  November,  1733,  directing  William  Gooch,  Esq.  lieutenant- 
governor  of  Virginia,  to  appoint  three  or  more  comnussioners,  (not  ex- 
ceeding five)  wdio  in  conjunction  with  a  like  number  to  be  named  and 
deputed  by  the  said  lord  Fairfax,  are  to  survey  and  settle  the  marks  and 
boundaries  of  the  said  district  of  land,  agreeably  to  the  terms  of  the  pat^ 
ent  under  which  the  lord  Fairfax  claims. 

No.  G.  Copy  of  the  commission  from  lieutenant-governor  Gooch  to 
William  Byrd  of  Westover,  John  Robinson  of  l^Iscataway,  and  ,/o///i 
Gryriies  of  Brandon,  appointing  them  commi:>sioners  on  behalf  of  his  ma- 
jesty, with  full  power,  authority,  &c. 

[I  have  not  been  able  to  meet  with  a  copy  of  the  commission  o^  lord 
Fairfax  to  his  commissioners — they  were  \Vi!li(irii  Beverh;^  WiUinin  Fnir- 
fax  and  Char/cs  Carter.  It  appears  by  the  accompanying  report  of  their 
proceedings,  that  "his  lordship's  commissioners  delivered  to  the  king's 
commissioners  an  attested  copy  of  their  commission,"  which  having  been 
found  upon  examination  more  restricted  in  its  autliority  than  that  of  the 
commissioners  of  the  crown,  gave  rise  to  some  little  difficulty  which  w'as 
subsequently  adjusted.] 

No.  7.  Copy  of  the  instructions  on  behalf  of  the  right  honoroble  lord 
Fairfax,  to  his  commissioners. 

No.  S.  Minutes  of  the  proceedings  of  the  commissioners  apppointcd  on 
the  part  of  his  ?najesty  and  the  right  honorable  Thomas  lord  Fairfax,  from 
their  first  meetin£:  at  Fredericksburg,  September  '25th,  1736. 

No.  9.  Original  correspondence  between  the  coiBmissoners  during  the 
years  1736  and  17*'7,  in  reference  to  the  examinatiou  nnd  survey  of  the 
Potomac  river. 

No-  10.   The  original  field  notes  of  the  survey  of  the  Polomi^c    river^ 


152  FAULKNER^S  REPORT. 

the  mouth  of  the  Slieiiandoah  to  the  head  spring  of  said  Potomac  river,  by 
j\lr,  Renjamiii  Winslow. 

No.  11.  The  oriu'inal  plat  oftlie  survey  of  the  Potomac  river. 
No.  1-2.  Original  letter  from  John  .Savage,  one  of  the  surveyors,  dated 
January  17,  1737,  stating  tJie  grounds  upon  which  the  commissioners  had 
decided  in  favor  of  the  Coiiongoroota  over  the  Wappacomo,  as  the  main 
S)raneh  of  the  Potomac.  The  former,  lie  says,  is  both  wider  and  deeper 
than  the  latter. 

No.  13.  I.etter  from  Chailes  Carter,  Esq.  dated  January  20,  17.37,  ex- 
hibiting the  result  of  a  comparative  examination  of  the  North  and  South 
branches  of  the  Potomac.  The  North  Branch  at  its  mouth,  he  says,  is 
Iwcnty-thiXM'  poles  wide,  the  South  branch  sixteen,  &c. 

No.  14.  A  printed  iu;ip  of  (he  fvorlhern  Neck  of  Virginia,  situate  be- 
twixt the  rivers  Potomac  and  Rappahannock,  drawn  in  the  year  1737, 
by  William  Mayo,  on<!'  of  the  king's  surveyors,  according  to  his  actual 
survey  in  tiic  jirecedini^  year. 

No.  15.  A  printed  map  of  the  course  of  the  rivers  Rappahannock  and 
Potomac,  in  Virginia,  as  surveyed  according  to  order  in  1736  and  1737, 
(■supposed  to  \)v  by  lord  Fairfax's  surveyors.) 

No.  16.  A  ropy  of  the  separate  report  of  the  commissioners  appointed 
on  the  jiart  of  the  crowu,  [I  have  met  with  no  copv  of  the  separate  re- 
|iort«f  lord  Faii-fax's  commissioners.] 

No.  17.  (.'n[)y  n['  lord  Fairfax's  observations  upon  and  exceptions  to 
the  report  of  tlie  commissioners  of  the  crown. 

No.  18.  A  copy  of  the  report  and  opinion  of  the  right  honorable  the 
lords  of  the  committee  of  council  lor  platation  alfairs,  dated  6th  Ajiril, 
1745. 

No.  19.  The  decision  of  his  majesty  in  council,  made  on  the  11th  of 
April,  1745,  conlirmiug  the  report  of  the  council  for  })lantalion  afliiirs, 
and  further  ordering  the  lieutenant-governor  of  Virginia  to  nominate  three 
or  more  persons,  (not  exceeding  live,)  wdro,  in  conjunction  willi  a  like 
»iund)er  to  be  named  and  deputed  by  lord  Fairfax,  are  to  run  and  mark 
out  the  boundary  and  dividing  line,  a<cording  to  liis  decision  lluis 
made. 

No.  20.  'J'lie  original  commissioners  from  Tliomas  li)r<l  Fairfax  to 
the  lionoraHIe  VVm.  Fairfax,  Charles  Carter  and  William  Beverly,  Fsqrs.^ 
dated  11  th  June,  1745. 

[Col.  Joshua  Fry,  C-ol.  Lunsford  Lomax,  and  \l;\].  Peter  Iledgeman, 
were  appointed  commissioners  on  tlu.' part  ot'  the  ciown.] 

No.  21.  Original  agreement  entered  into  by  the  commissioners,  j)re- 
paratorv  to  their  examination  of  the  Potom.io  river. 

No.  '22.  The  original  journal  of  the  journey  of  the  commis.sioiiers, 
surveyors,  .ifcr.,  from  the  head  sj)iing  ol  the  R.ipjiahannocdc  to  the  head 
spring  of  the  Potomac,  in  1746.  [This  is  a  curious  and  valuable  docu- 
ment, and  gives  the  onl}  authentic  narrative  now  extant  of  llie  planting 
of  the  Fairfax  stone.  ] 

No.  23.  The  joint  report  of  the  commissioners  ajipointed  as  well  on 
the  part  of  the  crown  as  of  lord  Fairfax,  in  obedience  to  liis  majesty's 
order  ol   11th  April,  1735. 


PAUr.KNER'S  RRPORT.  ir,2 

No.  24.  A  manuscript  mnp  of  thr  head  spring  of  ihc  Polomae  riv*  r, 
executed  by  Col.  George  Mercer  of  the  regiment  commanded  in  1756  by 
General  Washington. 

No.  25.  Copy  of  an  act  of  the  general  assemhly  of  Maryland,  passed 
February  19,  1819,  authorizing  the  appointment  of  commissioners  on  the 
part  of  that  state,  to  meet  such  commissioners  as  may  be  appointed  fcr 
the  same  purpose  by  the  commonwealth  of  Virginia,  to  settle  and  adjust, 
by  mutual  compact  between  the  two  governments,  the  western  limits  of 
that  state  and  the  cominonwerJth  of  Virginia,  to  conunence  at  the  most 
western  source  of  the  Korth  branch  of  the  Potomac  river,  and  to  run  a 
due  north  course  thence  to  the  Pennsylvania  line. 

No.  26.  Letters  from  intelligent  and  well  informed  individuals,  resi- 
ding in  the  country  watered  by  the  Potomac  and  its  branches,  addressed 
to  the  undersigned,  stating  important  geographical  facts  bearing  upon 
the  present  confroversy. 

There  are  other  papers  in  rny  possession,  not  listed  nor  referable  to 
any  particular  head,  yet  growing  out  of  and  illustrating  the  controversy 
between  lord  Fairfax  and  the  crown  ;  these  are  also  heiewilh  transmit- 
ted. 

There  are' other  documents,  again  not  at  all  connected  with  my  present 
duties,  whicn  chance  has  thrown  in  my  way,  worthy  of  preservation  in 
the  archives  of  the  state.  Such,  for  example,  as  the  original  '■■plan  of  the 
line  between  Virsinia  and  JYorth  Carolina,  tvhich  was  run  in  the  year 
1728,  in  the  sprins  and  fall,  from  the  sea  to  Peler\^  creek,  bij  the  Hon. 
William  Byrd,  Wni.  Dandridgc  and  Richard  Fitzwilliams,  Esqrs.  com- 
missioners,  and  J\lr.  jHex'r  Irvine  and  Mr.  Wni.  Mayo,  S'irveyors — and 
from  Peter^s  creek  to  Steep  rock  creek,  was  continued  in  ths  fill  of  the 
year  1749,  by  Joshua  Fry,  and  Peter  Jefferson.^''  Such  documents, 
should  it  accord  with  the  views  of  your  excellency,  might  be  deposited 
with  '-the  Virginia  Historical  and  Philosophical  Society,"  an  institution 
of  recent  origin,  yet  founded  upon  the  most  expanded  views  of  })ublic 
utility,  and  which  is  seeking  by  its  ])atriotic  appeals  to  indivickial 
liberality,  to  wrest  from  the  ravages  of  time  the  fast  perishing  r-cords 
and  memorials  of  our  early  history  and  institutions. 

With  sentiments  of  regard,  I  am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient 
servant, 

CHARLES  JAS,  FAULKNER. 
To  John  Floyd,  Esq.  Governor  of  Virginia. 


controversy  is  stiil  pending,  and,  in  addition  to  i\ir.  rauiKuei,  i^oi.  jonu 
B.  I).  Sm"ith,  of  Frederick,  and  John  S.  Gallaher,  Esq.  of  .JcfhTM  n^ 
have  been  a])pointed  commissioners  on  tlic  narl  ol'  \  iruinia. 

U 


1?53  EAYTXG  OFF  THE  CO  I  NTIES 


CHAPTER   XIV.. 


'l^ViE  two  couiitit's   of  Frederick  and   Aiigaista  were  laid  off  at  the  saiae' 
i;^ssiori  of  the  eoloiiial  h^^islatiire,  in  the   year  1738,  and  included  all  the' 
vastreri-ion  of  conntrv  west  of  the  Blue  Uidj^e.       Previous  to  that  time- 
the  Cduntf-  of  Orange  included  all  the  territory  west  of  the  mountams. — 
Orange  was  taken  from   Spoltsylvania  in  the  year    1734,  Spotlsylvania 
having    previousl v  crossed  the  Blue  Ridge,  and  took  in  a  considerahle 
part  of  wliat  is  now  the    county  of  Page,       Previous  to  laying  of!"  the 
county  of  Orange,  the  territory,  west  of  the  Blue  Hidge,  ex^^iept  the  small 
part  which  lay  in  Spottsylvania,  dbes  not  appear  to  have  been' included  in 
auv  county.        »SpoUsylvania  vras  laid  ofT  in  the  year  1720;  the  acl  for 
"vdiich  is  worded  as  follows  : 

"  Preamble.     That  the  frontiers  tovrards  the    high   mountains  are  ex- 
posed to  danger  from  the  Indians,  and  the  late  sertleraents  of  the  French 
10  the  v,-estward  of  the  said  mountains  :  Enacted,    Spotsylvania   county 
Loarids  upon  Snow  creek  up  to    the  mill  ;  thence  by  a  southwest  line  to; 
the  River  Xortli  Aiinii  ;  thence  up  the  said  river  as  far  as  convenient,  and' 
thence  by  a  line  to  be  run   over  tiu  high    mountains    to  the   river  on  the.' 
north    west  side  thereof,*    so  as  to  include- the  northern  passage  through 
the  said  mountains  ;  thence  down  the  said  river  until  it  comes  against  the 
liead  of  the  Rappahannock  ;  thence  by  a  line    tu  the  head  oi'  Rappahan- 
/lock  river  ;  and  down   that  river   to   the  n)outh    of  Snow    creek;  which 
tract  of  land,  from  the  first  of  May,    2721,  shall  become  a  county,  .by  the 
/lArne  of  Spatsylvaiiia  county." 

Thus  it  appejrs  that  a  little  more  than  one  hundred  years  ago  Spotsyl- 
vania was  a  frontier  coanly,  and  th.it  the  viist  region  v%'est  of  the  Blue 
rillge,  with  its  millions  of  people,  has  been  settled  and  improved  from  an 
entire  wilderness.  The  country  for  more  than  a  thousand  miles  to  the 
we^t  has  been  within  this  short  period  rescued  from  a  state  of  natur.il  bar- 
C^irism,  and  is  now  tiie  seat  of  the  fine  arts  and  sciences,  of  countless  mil- 
lions of  wealth,  and  the  abode  of  freedom,  both  religious  and  politi- 
cal. Judging  from  tlie  past,  what  an  immense  prospect  opens  itself  to 
our  view  lur  the  future.  Within  the  last  half  century,  our  valley  has  pf«u- 
red  oat  thousands  of  emigrants,  who  have  contributed  towarils  peo|)ling 
the  Carolinas,  Georgia,  Tennessee,  Kentucky,  Ohio,  and  titlu-r  regions 
south  and  west,  and  niigrations  still  continue. 

It  has  alreadv  been  stated  that  h'lederick  cnimty  was  laid  off  in  the 
vear  1738.  The  flrit  court  of  justice  held  in  the  county  was  in  the  year 
1743.     This  delay,   itMr.  pre^u-nable,  arose,  hum  the   war>t  of  a  sunicient. 


^Sou'.h  fork  of  the  Shenan'iv.-^ah. 


LAYING  OFF  THE  €0 UNTIES.  154 

.■number  of  Magistrates  to  form  a  quorum  for  the  legal  transaction  of  busi- 
ness. The  first  court  was  composed  of  the  following  justices,  to  wit  : 
Morgan  Morgan,  David  Vance,  Marquis  Calmes,  Thomas  Rutherford, 
William  M'Mahon,  Meredith  Plelm,  George  Hoge  and  John  White. — 
James  Wood,  clerk.  Thi.s  court  sat  the  first  time,  on  Friday  11th  day  of 
November,  1743.  At  this  term  of  the  court  is  to  be  found  on  record  "the 
following  entry  :  'Ordered,  that  the  sheriff , of  this  county  build  a  twelve 
foot  square  log  house,  logged  above  a^id  below,  to  secure  his  prisoners, 
he, agreeing  to  be  satisfied  with  what  shall  be  allowed  him  for  such  build- 
ing by  two  of  the.court,  and  he  not  to  be  answerable  for  escapes.'  This 
was  the  first  jail  erected  in  the  county  of  Frederick. 

The  county  of  Hampshire  was  the  next  laid  off,  and  was  taken  fmm 
Frederick  and  Augusta.  This  was  done  'm  the  year  1753.  The.first 
court  held  in  tliis  -county  was  in  December,  17  57.  Thomas  B.  Martin, 
James  Simpson,  William  Miller,  Solomon  Hedges  and  Nathaniel  Kuy- 
kendall,  justices,  composed  the  court,  and  Gabriel  Jones  the  clerk. 

Berkeley  and  Dunmore  were  taken  from  Frederick  in  the  year  1772. — - 
In  October,  J777,  the  legislature  altered  the  name. of  Dunmore  county  (o 
Shenandoab'  It  floes  not  appear,  from  the  language  of  the  law,  for  what 
particular  reasons  this  aheration  was  made.  It  had  been  >nafmed  after  and 
in  honor  of  lord  Dunmore,  the  then  governor.under  the  royal  government. 
But  his  lordship  took  a  most  decidedly  active  part  in  opposition  to  the  A- 
merican  revolution  ;  and  in  order  to  have  the  liberty  of  <WT?aring  his  head, 
took  shelter  op  board  of  a  British  armed  ve>;sel.  His  conduct  is  pretty 
fully  related  in  Mr.  Jacob's  account  of  Dunmore's  war,  given  in  the  pre- 
ceding pages  ;  and  it  was  doubtless  owing  to  this  cause  that  the  name  yf 
Dunmore  county  was  altered  to  that  of  Shenandoah. 

In  the  yeai  1769,  Botetourt  county  was  taken  from  Augusta.  In  the 
act  is  to  be  found  the  following  clause  :  "And  whereas  the-pe^'ple  situat- 
ed on  the  Mississippi,  in  the  said  county  of  Botetourt,  will  be  very  remote 
from  the  court  house,  and  must  necessarily  become  a  separate  county,  igs 
soon  as  their  numbers  are  sufficient,  which  prntbably  will  hap})cn  in:,ia 
short  time  ;  He  it  therefore  enacted,  by  the  authority  aforesaid,  that  the 
inhabitants  of  that  part  of  the  said  county  of  Botetoiirt,  whic;h  lies  op  tV; 
said  waters.,  shall  be  exempted  from  the  ^layment.of  any  levies  \o  \m'  lakl 
by  the  said  ceunty  court  for  tlie  purpose  of  building  a, court  house  aivd  pri- 
son for  the  said  county."  Thus  it  appears  that  Virginia,  at  that  period, 
claimed  the  jurisdiction  and  territory  of  that  vast  rtgion  of -country  west- 
ward to  the  Mississippi. 

In  1772  the  county  t-f  Fineastle  was  taken  from  Botetoui-t  ;  and  in 
1776  Finca^tie  was  divided  iato  the  •counties  of  Kentucky,  Washington 
and  Montgomery,  and  the  name  of  Fiucaslle  became  extinct. 

In  the  year  1777  Rockbridge  county  was  taken  from  Augusta  and  Bo- 
tetourt. Rockingham  county,  the  same  year,  was  taken  IVom  Augusta, 
and  Greenbrier  from  Augusta  and  ]ioteti»urt.  'I'he  years  1776  and  17'77 
were  remaikable  for  the  manv  divisions  of  the  western  coutuies.  West 
Augu.sta,  in  the  year  17f75,  by  the /janvfcntion  asscnihlcd  lor  ilic  jiurpuse 
of  dcvi'vinof  a  plan  for  resi'^tiiiLf  iHc  oppivssinns  oftlic  tuoili'T  ccuiilry,  a- 
jMiong  other  [.i(M;eo(ii!igs,dclt'nrii}.(;vi,-til{;il   'MIm    hiMdhoiiici'  ciil.t   t!ivt.-:i,:t 


15j  .LAYL\(.  OFi-    TiiE  C0U1ST:1ES< 

of  West  AufTusla  shall  be  considered  as  a  distinct  county,  and  have  the 
liberty  of  sending  two  delegates  to  represent  them  in  a-eneral  convention 
as  aforesaid." 

This  is  the  first  account  which  the  author  has  been  able  to  find  in  out 
ancient  statutes  in  relation  to  West  Augusta  as  a  separate  district  or 
county.  In  fact,  it  does  not  appear  that  we  ever  had  a  county  legally  es- 
.tablished  by  this  name.  It  is  presumable  that  it  acquired  the  name  by 
general  usage,  from  its  remote  and  western  locality  from  the  seat  of  jus- 
.tice.  Be  this  as  it  may,  it  appears  that  the  district  of  West  Augusta  ne- 
ver had  its  bounds  laid  ofT  and  defined  until  the  month  of  October  1776, 
when  it  was  divided  into  three  distinct  counties,  viz  :  Ohio,  Yoliogania, 
and  Monongalia.  15y  the  extension  of  the  western  boundary  between 
Pennsylvania  and  Virginia,  the  greater  part  of  the  county  Yohogania  fall- 
ing within  the  limits  of  Pennsylvania,  "the  residue  was,  by  an  act  of  as- 
,sembly  of  1785,  added  to  Ohio,  and  Yohogania  became  extinct. 

Harrison  county  was  established  in  1784,  tafen  from  Monongalia.  In 
-1785  Hardy  county  was  laid  off,  taken  from  Hampshire.  In  1786  Ran- 
dolph county  was  laid  off,  taken  from  Harrison.  In  1785  Russell  county 
was  taken  from  Washington.  In  1787  Pendleton  county  was  taken  from 
Augusta,  Hardy  and  Rockingham.  In  1788  Knawha  was  taken  from 
'Greenbrier  and  Montgomery.  '  In  1789  Wythe  county  was  taken  from 
Montgomery,  and  a  part  of  Botetourt  added  to  Montgomery.  Jn  1790 
Bath  county  was  t^iken  from  Augusta,  Botetourt  <\nd  Greenbrier.  In  1792 
Lee  county  was  tak"n  fioin  Russell;  and  in  tlie  same  year,  Grayson  coun- 
ty was  taken  from  W'ythc. 

The  author  has  deemed  it  an  interesting  part  of  his  work  to  give  a  par- 
ticular history  of  the  establishment  of  our  counties,  because  it  goes  to  shew 
the  rapifl  Increase  of  our  populalion,  and  improvement  of  our  country, 
since  the  termination  of  tiie  war  of  the  revolution.  To  an  individual  born 
and  raised  in  ihe  valley,  and  who  is  old  enough  to  recollect  the  passing 
events  for  thf  last  half  century — wlio  was  acquainted  with  the  state  of  our 
country  fifty  years  ago,  its  sparse  population,  rude  log  ^i^iiblings,  and  un- 
cultivated manners  and  customs  of  our  ancestors- —the  great  im})rovement 
"of  every  thing  calculated  to  better  the  condition  of  hinnan  Hit — the  aston- 
ishing change  in  the  appearance  of  our  country — its  elegant  buildings, 
finely  cultivated  farms,  improved  stale  of  society,  Ik-c. — are  calculated  al- 
most to  rai'c  doubts  in  his  mind  whether  these  vast  changes  could  possi- 
'bly  have  taken  j)lace  within  his  little  span  of  e;t.istence.  The  autiior's 
destiny,  when  a  youth,  thcw  him  into  a  business  which  gave  him  an  op- 
])ortunily  of  exploring  a  considerable  p^irt  otilie  lower  counties  of  the  val- 
ley, and  he  lias  lately  made  it  his  business  again  to  explore  the  same 
■counties  ;  and  if  he  had  been  for  the  last  forty  years  shut  uj)  in  a  dun- 
geon, and  recently  set  at  libeitv,  he  would  almost  doubt  his  own  senses 
and  l)elieve  himsell"  in  another  eoimtry.  A  great  part  of  our  vrdley  may 
be  said  to  be  elegantly  imj)rovcd* 

*(yajit.  .James  Russ('!l,  of  Berkeley,  sonic   years  ago  built  a    brick  baiu 
150  t'ci't  lorrjf  and  55  v/ide. 

The  late  Mr.  John  Hile,  in  the  vcar  1785,  built  'he  iirst  brick  houi^e  e- 


=ESTAJUJSH.MENT  OF  THE  TOWNS.  J56 


CHAPTER  XV. 


^0^ 


About  the  year  1738,  there  \vere  two  cabins  crcctedncur  liic  run  in  Wiii- 
Chester. t  I'lie  author  regrets  that  he  has  not  been  able  to  aj-certain  ilic 
names  of  the  first  settlers  in  this  town.  Tradition  hoAvever  relates  thai 
they  were  German  families. 

In  the  year  1752  the  legislature  passed   "an   act  for  the  establishing  of 
the  town  of  Winchester."     In  the  preamble  are  the  I'ollowini;'  words  : 

"Whereas  it  has  been  represented  to  this  general  assembly,  that  James 
Wood,  gentleman,  did  survey  and  lay  out  a  parcel  of  land  at  the  couit 
housej  in  Frederick  county,  in  twenty-six  lots,  of  half  an  acre  each,  wilh 
streets  for  a  town,  by  the  name  of  Winchester,  and  made  sale  of  the  said 
lots  to  divers  persons  who  have  since  settled  and  built  and  continue  build- 
ing and  settling  thereon  ;  but  because  the  same  was  not  laid  ofTand  erec- 
ted into  a  town  by  act  of  assembly,  the  I'reeholders  and  inhabitants  thereof 
will  not  be  entitled  to  the  like  privileges  enjoyed  by  the  freeholders  and 
inhabitants  of  other  towns  in  this  colony,  Be  it  enacted,  &.c.  that  the  saic! 
parcel  of  land  lately  claimed  by  the  said  James  Wood,  lying  and  being  in 
the  county  of  Frederick  aforesaid,  together  wuth  hfty-four  other  lots  of 
half  an  acre  each,  twenty-four  thereof  in  one  or  two  streets  on  the  east 
side  of  the  former  lots,  the  stieet  or  streets  to  run  parallel  with  the  street 
already  laid  off,  and  the  remaining  thirty  lots  to  be  laid  off'  at  the  north 
end  of  the  aforesaid  twenty->^lx,  with  a  commodious  street  or  street ,s  in 
such  manner  as  the  ])roprietor  thereof,  the  right  honorable  Thojuas  U»rd 
Fairfax,  shall  see  fit,  be  and  is  hereby  constituted,  enacted,  and  establish- 
ed a  town,  in  the  naanner  already  laid  out,  to  be  called  by  and  retain  tlie 

ver  erected  west  of  the  j31ue  ride.  This  is  but  a  small  f)ne  story  building, 
and  is  now  owned  by  the  heirs  of  the  late  Mr.  A.  Neill,  at  the  north  end 
of  Stephensburg,  in  the  county  of  Frederick.  In  1787  Mr,  Hite  built  a 
merchant  mill,  which  was  at  that  time  considered  the  finest  mill  in  the 
valley.      It  is  now  hardly  considered  a  second  late  mill. 

jA  very  aged  w^oman,  by  the  name  of  S})errv,  informed  the  author  that 
when  she  first  saw  the  place  where  Winchester  now  stands,  she  was  22 
years  of  age,  and  from  her  age  at  the  time  the  author  conversed  wllh  her, 
(which  was  in  1S09,)  he  found  the  year  in  which  she  first  saw  Winclies- 
ter  to  be  in  1758,  at  which  time  she  stated  there  were  but  two  small  log 
cabins,  and  those  near  the  run. 

IMr.  Jacob  Gibbon  informed  the  author  that  lie  was  in  Winchester  in 
1755,  and  that  the  court  hou.se  was  a  small  cabin,  and  tliat  he  saw  (he 
court  iiltinirin  this  cabin. 


107  ESl'AIU.ISlLMlLXT  O'F  Till:  TO\T?nS. 

name  ol'  Wiuchcsler,  and  ihnt  tlic  iVctlioldors  of  the  said  town  .^liall  foitv 
VLT  hereafter  enjoy  the  snnie  j)rivileges  which  the  ireeiioklers  of  other 
towds  erected  by  act  of  assembly  enjoy."  This  act  further  provides  that 
fairs  may  be  lichl  in  the  town  twice  in  each  year. 

Thus  it  ajipears  that  the  late  Col.  .James  Wood  was  tlie  founder  of 
Winchester,  and  not  lord  Fairfax  as  has  jrencrally  been  believed.  The, 
latter  made  an  addition  to  the  town.  Tradition  relates  that  Fairfax  was 
nuich  moie  partial  to  StephensburL!; than  he  was  to  Winchester,  and  used 
all  his  iunuence  to  make  Stephensburg  the  seat  of  justice,  but  that  W'ood 
()ut-!j^eneraled  his  lordship,  and  by  treatin^^  one  of  tlie  justices  with  a 
bowl  of  toddy  secured  his  vote  in  favor  of  VVinchester,  which  settled  the. 
(piestion,  and  that  Fairl'ax  was  so  offended  at  the  magistrate  who  thus 
sold  his  vote,  that  he  never  after  spoke  to  inm.* 

The  late  Robert  Rutheribrd,  Escp  opened  the  first  store  ever  establish- 
ed in  Winchester.  There  was  soon  a  niixetl  population  of  Germans,  1- 
risli,  and  :i  few  Fnglish  and  Scotch.  The  national  prejudices  which  ex- 
isted between  the  Dutch  antl  Irish  produciwl  much  disorder  and  many  ri- 
ots. It  was  customary  for  the  Dutch,  on  St.  Patrick's  day,  to  exhibit  the 
eihgy  of  die  saint,  with  a  stringof  Irish  potatoes  around  his  neck,  and  his 
wife  Sheeley,  with  her  apron  loaded  also  with  potatoes.  This  was  al- 
ways followed  by  a  riot.  The  Irish  resented  the  indignity  offered  to  their 
saint  and  his  holy  spouse,  and  a  battle  followed.  On  St.  Michael's  day 
the  Irish  wouid  retort,  and  exhibit  tlie  saint  with  a  rojic  of  '*.vo»/?-  /ivo;//" 
about  Ids  ne(-k.  Then  the  Dutch,  like  the  Yankee,  '■'felt  chock  full  of 
Ji.nfif,^  and  at  it  they  went,  {)ell  mell,  and  many  a  l)lack  eye,  bloody  nose, 
and  broken  head,  Avas  the  result. f  The  author  recollects  one  of  these  ri- 
ots since  the  war  of  the  revolution.  The  practice  was  at  last  put  down 
by  tlie  rigor  with  which  our  courts  ofjustice  punished  the  rioters. 

In  the  month  of  Sej){ember,  1758,  the  town  of  Stepiiensburg,  in  the 
county  of  l-'rederick,  was  established.  This  town  was  first  foimded  by 
Peter  St<  p'  en^,  who  came  to  Virginia  wiih  Joist  Hite,  in  tlie  year  1732. 
The  ruins  of  Stephens's  first  cabin  are  yet  to  be  seen.  Lewis  Stei>hens, 
the  late  proprietor  of  the  town,  was  the  .<:on  of  Petfr  Stephens.  He  laid 
out  the  town  in  form,  and  applied  to  the  general  assembly  to  have  it  vsU\- 
blished  by  law,  which  was  done  in  the  year  1758. 

This  town  was  first  settled  almost  exclusively  by  (icrmans  ;  and  the 
religion,  habits  and  customs,  of  their  ancestors,  were  jireserved  with  great 
tenacity  for  manv  vcars.  'I'he  (lerman  languac^c  was  generally  used  in 
this  village  since  the  author's  acquaintance  wiih  it,  which  ac{|iiaintancc 
commenced  in  the  vear  178}. 

In  the  nionth  of  Nf)vember,  17G1,  Strasbnrg,  (c(unm(Hdy  calh'd  Sto- 
ver's town,)  was  established  by  law.     Thi^i  town  was  settled  entirely    by 

*  The  late. John  S.  Wooflcork,  ]:>Sf|.  communicatrd  this  fart  to  the  au- 
thor, ati'l  s  ated  that  lie  had  the  information  from  the  late  C'ol.  Martin. 

fCron.  Smith  infornT^d  the  author  that  this  practir-.e  was  kept  up  for  se- 
veral years  lifter  he  setil^d  in  \\  in^ ltcsl<  r,  nnd  that  sever. d  \eiy  dangerous 
riots  took  place,  in  nhich  ho  with  other  ningistrales  U.mI  to  inlerposc,  to 
prCicrve  the  pc:i(  e. 


KSTABLISllArKNT  OF  TilF.  TOWNS.  158 

fxonnans,  and  to  lliis  day  the  (Icrman  langunf^e  is  in  g'cueral  use,  tliotiL;-h 
the  English  language  is  now  generally  understood,  and  also  spoken  by 
the  inhabitants.     It  was  laid  ofi'by  Peter  Stover. 

Staunton,  in  the  eounty  of  Augusta,  was  laid  off  by  William  Beverly, 
Esq.  and  established  by  aet  of  the  general  assembly  in  Novcndjer,  1761. 
'i'he  lirsit  settlers  were  princi})ally  Irish. 

In  March,  1761,  Woodstock,  then  in  the  county  of  Fredeiick,  was  es- 
tablished by  law.  Jacob  Miller  laid  off  twelve  hundred  acres  oi'  land, 
Mnety-six  of  which  were  divided  into  half  acr3  lots,  making  one  humlred 
and  ninety-two  building  lots — the  remainder  into  stieets  and  live  acre 
lots,  commonly  called  out  lots.  This  town  appears  to  h^ive  been  origi- 
nally laid  out  upon  a  larger  scale  than  any  of  our  ancient  villages.  Like 
fhe  most  of  our  towns  it  was  settled  exclusively  by  Germans,  and  their  re- 
ligion', customs,  habits,  manners  and  language,  were  for  a  long  time  pre- 
servedV  «^rrd  to  this  day  the  German  language  is  generally  in  use  by  the 
inhabitants. 

Mecklenburg  (vShepherdstown,)  tlien  in  the  county  of  Fredei'ick,  now 
m  .Jefferson,  v\'as  established  by  law  in  the  month  of  November,  17(32, — 
This  village  is  situated  immediately  on  the  bank  of  the  Cohongoroota 
f. Potomac)  about  twelve  miles  above  Harpers-Ferry.  It  was  laiti  olf  by 
the  late  Capt.  'I'homas  Shepherd,  and  was  first  settled  chiefly  by  German 
rnechanics.  It  is  I'eaiarkable  for  its  being  the  place  where  (he  Jlrst  sleom 
bniit  was  ever  coiifitrucled  in.  iheicorld.  Mr.  James  Ramsey,  in  the  y(;ar 
17SS,  built  a  boat,  which  was  propelled  by  steam  ag-iinsl  a  brisk  curi-ent. 
There  are  some  of  the  reinnants  of  the  machinery  now  to  l)e  seen,  in  the 
possession  of  Capl.  Haines,  in  that  pla(-e. 

Romney,  i]i  the  county  of  llampshiie,  was  laid  off  i>y  the  V\\v  lord 
Fairfax,  and  established  by  law  in  the  month  of  November,  17(r2.  His 
1-ordship  laid  off  fifty  acres  into  streets  and  half  acre  lots  ;  but  the  town 
improved  but  slowly.  It  does  jvot  contain  more  than  fifty  families  at  this 
firne.  It  is  nevertheless  a  place  of  considerable  business  ;  has  a  bank, 
iSrintinf'-  office,  several  stores  and  taverns.     'J'he  new    l\irkersburfr  turn- 

^  ...  . 

]nke  road  passes  through  it,  which  will  doubtless,  when  completed,   give 
it  many  great  advantages. 

In  February,  1772,  Fincastle,  in  the  county  of  Retetourt,  was  estab- 
lished. Israel  Christian  mule  a  present  of  forty  acres  of  land  to  the  jus- 
tices of  Botetourt  court,  for  the  use  of  the  county,  '("he  court  laid  olf  the 
said  forty  acres  of  land  into  lots,  and  applied  to  the  legisLiturc  to  have 
the  town  established  by  law,  which  was  done  accordingly. 

In  October,  1776,  first  year  of  the  cniTimonwedth,  the  town  of  fiath, 
at  the  warm  springs,  in  the  cmtnty  of  F^erkeley,  (now  the  seat  of  justice 
for  Morgan  county,)  was  established,  and  I.'ud  off  by  act  of  asseml)ly. 

Preamble.  ""Whereas  it  hath  been  represented  to  this  general  assem- 
bly, that  the  laying  off  fifty  acres  of  land  in  lots  and  streets  for  a  town  at 
the  warm  springs,  in  the  county  of  Berkc'py,  will  be  o^  great  utility,  by 
encouraging  the  purchasers  thereofto  hinld  convenient  houses  for  accom- 
modating numbers  of  infirra  persons,  who  frequent  those  springs  yearly 
for  the  recovery  oi  their  he  lUh  ;  Be  it  enacted,  &^.  th.it  fifty  acres  of 
land  adjoining  the  said  sprluirs..  being  pun  of  ;;  l,)rt;-p:-   tri;c!  of  I;'.iid,  the 


130  ESTABLISILMEXT  OF  THE  TOWNS. 

prnperty  of  iho  rij^ht  honorable  Thnmns  lord  Fairfax,  or  other  person  or 
persons  lioiiiing-  the  same  by  a  grant  or  conveyance  Irom  him,  be  and  the 
sam;»  i-i  here;)y  vested  in  Jiryiin  Fairfax,  'Thomas  Bryan  Martin,  Warner 
Washinjjton,  the  lleverend  Charles  Mynn  Thruston,  Robert  Rutherford, 
Thomas  Rutiierford,  Alexander  White,  Philip  Pendleton,  Samuel  Wash- 
ington, William  Ellzey,  Van  Swearino-cn,  Thomas  Hite,  James  EdmuncN- 
son,  atid  James  Nourse,  gentlemen,  Iriistees,  to  be  by  them,  o^  any  seven 
of  them,  laid  out  into  lots  oi' one  quarter  of  an  acre  each,  ^vith  convenient 
streets,  which  shall  be  and  the  same  is  hereby  established  a  town,  by  the 
name  of  Bath." 

The  author  has  been  the  more  ])articular  in  makinix  the  foretroinfr  ex- 
tract  from  the  act  of  the  legislature,  because  this  appears  to  be  the  first 
instance  under  our  republican  government  in  which  the  legislature  took 
the  authority  of  establishing  and  laying  out  a  town  upon  the  land,  of  pri- 
vate individuals,  without  the  consent  of  the  owner  of  tlie  land.  It  is  pos-' 
sible  lord  Fairfax  assented  to  the  laying  off  of  this  town  ;  but  if  he  did, 
there  is  nothiuLT  in  the  lanfjuafre  of  the  act  wlaich  cfoes  to  show  it. 

In  the  month  of  October,  1777,  Lexington,  in  the  county  of  Rock- 
bridge, was  establis/ied.  Extract  from  the  law  :  "And  be  ii  lurther  en- 
acted, that  at  the  place  which  shnll  be  appointed  for  holding  courts  in  the 
said  county  of  Rockbridge,  there  shall  be  laiil  olT  a  town,  to  be  called 
Lexington,  thirteen  hundred  feet  in  length  and  nine  hundred  in  width.* — 
And  in  order  to  make  satisfaction  to  the  jiroprietors  of  the  said  land,  the 
clerk  of  the  said  county  shall,  by  order  of  the  justices,  issue  a  writ  direc- 
ted to  the  sherilT,  commanding  him  to  summon  twelve  able  and  disinter- 
ested t"re('hf>idcrs,  to  meet  fur  the  said  land  on  a  certain  day,  not  under 
five  nor  over  ten  davs  from  the  date,  who  shall  upon  oath  value  the  said 
lantl,  in  so  many  parcels  as  there  shall  be  separate  owners,  wliich  valua- 
tion the  sheriflf  shall  return,  uii  ler  the  hands  and  seals  of  the  said  Jurors, 
to  the  clerk's  oliice  ;  and  the  justices,  at  laying  their  first  county  levy, 
shall  make  provision  for  paying  the  said  proprietors  their  respective  pro- 
portions thereof;  ami  llic  property  of  the  said  land,  on  the  return  of  the 
sai<l  valuation,  shall  be  vested  in  the  justices  and  their  successors,  one 
acre  thereof  to  be  reserved  for  the  use  of  the  said  county,  and  the  residue 
to  he  sold  and  convayed  by  the  said  justices  to  any  persons,  and  the 
money  arising  fiom  such  sale  to  be  appHed  towards  lessening  the  county 
levy:  and  the  public  bulldinu-s  tor  the  said  county  shall  be  erected  on 
the  land  reserved  as  aforesaid."  From  this  it  appears  that  tlie  name  of 
the  town  was  fixed  by  law  befon-  the  site  is  marked  out. 

Moorefield  was  also  established  in  ihc  inontii  nf  ()(:tob(  r,  1777,  in  the 
county  of  II  impshire,  now  the  seat  of  justice  for  the  county  ol  Ilaidy. — 
Extract  from  the  act  of  as-.<'mblv  :  "  W' liereas  it  hath  been  re|irt'scnle(l  to 
this  pH'sent  gein-ral  assembly,  that  the  establishing  a  town  on  tlu;  lands 
of  Conrad  Moore  in  the  county  of  Hampshire,  would  be  (>!'  great  advan- 
1'i|;e  to  the  inhabitants,  by  encourat^in'.;-  tradesmen  to  settle  amongst 
them;  He  it  therefore  enhcted,  &,c.  that  sixty-two  acres  of  land  belong- 
ing to  the  said  Conrad   Moore,  in  the  most  convenient  place  for  a  town. 


*This  was  truly  upon  a  small  scale. 


ESTABLISHMENT  OF  THE  TOWNS.  IGO 

Be,  and  the  same  is  lieroby  vested  in  Garret  Vannieter,  Abel  Uandall, 
Moses  Hutton,  Jacob  Read,  Jonathan  Weath,  Daniel  M'Neil,  and 
George  Rennock,  gentlemen,  trustees,  to  be  by  them,  or  any  ibur  of 
them,  laid  out  into  lots  of  half  an  acre  each,  with  convenient  streets, 
which  shall  be  and  the  same  is  hereby  established  a  town,  by  the  name 
of  iMoorefield." 

Martinsburg  was  established  in  the  month  of  October,  1778.  Extract 
fl'om  the  law  :  "  Whweas  it  hath' been  represented  to  this  present  general 
assembly,  that  Adam  Stephen,  Esq.  hath  lately  laid  off'  one  hundred 
and  thirty  acres  of  land  in  the  county  of  Berkeley,  where  the  court 
house  now  stands,  in  lots  and  streets  for  a  towii,  &.C.;  Be  it  enacted,  &.c. 
that  the  said  one  hundred  and  thirty  acres  of  land  laid  out  into  lots  and 
streets,  agreeable  to  a  plan  and  survey  thereof  made,  containing  the  num- 
ber of  two  hundred  and  sixty-nine  lots,  as,  by  the  said  plan  and  survey, 
relation  thereunto  being  had,  may  more  fully  appear,  be  and  the  same  is 
hereby  vested  in  James  M'Alister,  Joseph  Mitchell,  Anthony  Noble,  Jas. 
Strode,  Robert  Carter  Willis,  William'  Patterson  arid  Philip  Pendleton, 
gentlemen,  trustees,  and  shall  be  established  a  town' by  the  name  of  Mar- 
tinsburg."    This  towirwas  named  after  the  late  Col.T.  Ji.' Martin. 

Tradition  relates  that  an  animated  contest  took  place  between  the  late 
Gen.  Adam  Stephen  and  Jacob  Kite,  Esq.,  in  relation  to  fixing  the  seat 
of  justice  for  this  county;  Hite  contending  for  the  location  thereof  on  his 
own  land,  at  what  is  now  called  Leetowh,  in  the  county  of  Jefierson,  Ste- 
phen advocatin,!^  Martinsburg.  Stephen  prevailed,  and  Hite  became  so 
disgusted  and  dissatisfied,  that  he  sold  out  his  fine  estate,  and  removed  to 
the  frontier  of  South  Carolina.  Fatal  remove!  ,  He  hatl  not  been  long 
settled  in  that  state,  before  the  Indian??  murdered'him  and  several  of  his 
family  in  the  most  shocking  and  barba!ou?5  manner.*  It  is  said  that  the 
evening  before  this  Ltoody  massacre  took  place,  an  Indian  sqUaw,  whrt 
was  much  attached  to  Mrs.  IIite,t  caRed  on  her  g;nd  warned  her  of  the 
intended  massacre,  and  advised  her  to  remove  with  her  little  children  to  a 
})lace  of  safety.  Mrs.  Hite  immediately  communicated  this  intelligence 
to  her  husband,  who  disbelieved  the  infcJrmation,  observing^  "the  Indians 
wui-e  too  much  attached  to  him  to  do  him' any  injury."  The  next  morn- 
ing, however,  when', it  was  fatally  too  kite  to  esca})e,  a  party  of  Indians, 
armed  and  painted  in  their  usual  war  dress,  called  on  Hite,  and  told  him 
they  had  determined  to  kill  him;'  It  was  in  vain  that  he  pfeiufed  his 
friendsjiip  for  thtnn,  and  the  many  services  he.  had  rendered  thfeir  na.tion  :' 
their  fell  purpose  was  fixed,  and  nothing  covdd  a})pease  them  but  his  bhiod, 
and  that  of  his  innocent,  unoffencHirg  and  helpless  wife  and  children.' 
They  commenced  their  operations  by  the  most  cruel  tortures  u{)On  Mr. 
Hite,  cutting  him  to  pieces,  a  joint  at  atime  ;  ajid  whilst  he  was  thus  in" 
tlie  most  violent  agonies,  they  barb;m>u.dymardered  his  wile  and  several' 

*Col.  James  Hite',  of  JefTcrson '  county,  ri'lated  this  tradition' to' tlie 
a'utlior. 

..jMrs.  Hltewiistlie  sisicr  of  tlie  late  Col.  J.  Madison,  of  Oi'an^'e  county, 
\irgii)i;i,  p.ii,'l  of  coiirsf  :u;iit  td  cv-DiT-.idcii!  Madison. 

V 


IGl  ESTABLISHMENT  OF  THE  TOWNS. 

of  her  little  offspring.  After  Mr.  Hite,  his  wife,  and  several  of  the  chif- 
dren  were  dispatolicd,  they  took  two  of  his  iluughters,  not  quite  grown, 
and  all  his  slaves  as  prisoners.  They  also  earried  ofT  what  })lunder  they 
chose,  and  their  booty  was  considerable. 

Mr.  Hite  kept  a  large  retail  store,  and  dealt  largely  with  the  Creek  and 
Cherokee  tribes.  It  is  said  a  man  by  the  name  of  Parish,  who  went 
to  (Carolina  with  Hite,  and  to  whom  Hite  had  been  very  friendly,  growi'ng 
ietdous  of'  Hite's  popularity  with  the  Indians,  instigated  the  savages  to 
commit  the  murder.  About  the  year  178-4  or  1785,  the  author  saw  the 
late  Capt:  George  Hite,  (who  had  been  an  olficer  in  the  revolutionary 
armv,)  and  who  had  just  returned  from  an  unsuccessful  search  after  his 
two  young  sisters,  who  were  taken  captives  at  the  time  of  the  murder  o[" 
his  father.  He  had  traversed  a  great  part  of  the  southern  country,  among 
the  various  tribes  of  Indians,  but  never  could  hear  any  thing  of  them, 
Capt.  Hite,  some  short  time  after  the  war  of  the  revolution,  recovered  a 
part  of  his  father's  slaves,  who  had  been  taken  off  by  the  Indians,  one  of 
whom  is  now  owned  by  Maj.-  Isaac  Hite,  of  Frederick  county.  This; 
woman  brought  home  an  Indian  son,  whom  the  author  has  frequentliy 
seen,  and  who  had  all  the  featwes  of  an  Iiwlian.  A  part  of  Hite's  slaves 
are  to  this  day  remaining  with  the  Indians,  and  are  kept  in  rigorous 
slavery.  In  the  winter  of  1815-16,  the  author  fell  in  with  Col.  Williant 
Triplett,  of  Wilkes  county,  (Georgia,  wiio  informed  him,  that  in  the 
autuuni  of  the  year  1800  he  was  traveling,  through  the  Creek  country, 
and  saw  an  old  negro  mar.- who  told  hint  he  was  one  of  .lacob  Hite's 
slaves,  taken  when  his  master  and  fiunily  v/ere  murdered  in  South  Caro-^ 
lina.  He  further  irdbiined'  Col.  Triplett,  that  there  were  then  sixty 
negroes  in  possession  of  the  Indians,  descended  fronn  slaves  taken  froni 
Hite,  the  greater  inuulHr  of  whom  were  claimed  by  the  little  Tallapoosa 

In  October,  1778,  the  town  of  Abingdon' was  established  in  Washing- 
ton county. 

In  the  month  of  May,  1780,  the  town  of  Harrisonburg,  in  the  county 
of  Kockiiigham,  was  established.  It  apj)ears  that  Mr.  Tluunas  Hiu'rison 
had  laid  od'lirty  acres  of  his  land  iiit(j  lots  uiid  streets,  and  the  legislature 
simply  condrmed  what  Mr.  Harrison  had  don*;,  without  apj)ointing  trus- 
tees for  the  town,  as  was  the  usu.il  practice.  The  privileges,  however,, 
granted  by  law  to  the  cili/cens  of  otliei'  incorporated  towns,  weic  given  to 
llic'  irdiabitants  of  llarrisoidfurt^-. 

In  the  month  of  Orlober,  17S-2,  the  town  of  Lewisburg,  iu  the  county 
of  ( Ii'eeiihiiei-,  was  cslabhshed.  The  act  of  asseiably  aj)pr()pri;ites  iWrty 
acres  of  land  at  the  c-oupt  hcuise,  to  he  laid  nil'  into  half  acre  lots  and  streets. 
Samuel  Lewis,  .James'  Keid,  Samuel  l»rown,  Andiew  Donnelly,  .John 
Stuart,  Aicher  .Matthews,  William  Ward,  and  Tlujinas  Edgar,  gentlemen, 
were  appointed  trustees. 

hi  October,  1785,  Clarksburg,  in  the  eounly  df  Harrison,  was  estab* 
li-;he:l.  Wui.  Ha>uion(l,  Nicholas  Carpinert,  .John  Myers,  .John  M'Ally, 
and  Jolin  Davison,  gentlemen,  were  appointed  In  stees. 

In  the  same  month  an  J  year,  Morgantowii,  in  the  county  of  Monon- 
galia, was   eslab!i:ihed.     Tiie  act.  appropriaWs  -'Itty   acres  of  land,   thf? 


ESj^iABLISHMEM   OF  THE  TOWNS.  162 

Ypropert}v  of  Zackquell  Morgan,  to  be  laid  off  into,  lots  and  streets  for  a 
town:  Samuel  Hanway,  John  Evans,  David  Scott,  Michael  Kearnes,  and 
James  Daugherty,  trustees. 

In  October,  1786,  Charlestown,  in  the  county  of  Berkeley,  (now  the 
seat  of  justice  for  the  county^of  Jefferson,)  was  established.  This  town 
was  laid  off  by  the  late  Col.  Charles  Washington,  a  brother  to  the  illustri- 
.ous  Gen.  George  Washingtot.,  on  his  own  land.  Eighty  acres  were 
•  divided  into  lots  and  streets;  and  John  Augustine  Washington,  William 
Drake,  Robert  Rptherford,  James  Crane,  Cato  Moore,  MagKus  Tale, 
Benjamin  Rankin,  Thornton  Washington,  Wm.  Little,  Alexand<"r  White, 
and  Richard  Ranson,  were  .appointed  trustees.  This  town  bears  the 
christian  Rame  of  its  proprietor. 

In  the  year  1787,  Franktbrt,  in  Hampshire  county,  was  established. 
One  hundred  and  thirty-nine  acres  of  land  was  laid  off  into  lots  and  streets, 
with  out-lots,  by  John  Sellers.  John  Mitchell,  Andrew  Cooper,  Ralph 
Humphreys,  John  Williams,  sen.,  James  Clark,  Richard  Stafford,  Heze- 
kiah  VVhiteman,  and  Jacob  Brookhart,  trustees. 

In  the  month  of  October,  1787,  the  town  of  West- Liberty.,  in  the 
county  of  Ohio,  was  established.  Sixty  acres  of  land  was  laid  off  into 
lots  and  streets  by  Reuben  Foreman  and  Providence  Mounts.  Moses 
Chaplinc,  George  M'Cullough,  Charles  Willis,  Van  Swearingen,  Zach- 
ariah  Sprigg,  James  Mitchell,  and  Benjamin  liriggs,  were  appointed 
trustees. 

In  the  same  month  and  year,  Middletown,  in  the  county  of  Berkeley, 
(commonly  called  Gerrardstown,)  was  established.  This  town  was  laid 
off  by  the  late  Rev.  Mr.  David  Gerrard,  and  contained  one  hundred  lots. 
William  Henshaw,  James  Haw,  John  Gray,  Gilbert  M'Kewan,  and  Robt. 
Allen,  were  appointed  trustees. 

The  same  year  and  month,  the  town  of  Watson,  (commonly  called 
Capon  Springs,)  in  the  coanty  of  Hampshire,  was  established — twenty 
acres  of  land  to  be  laid  off  in  lots  and  streets.  Elias  Poston,  Henry  Fry, 
Isaac  Hawk,  Jacob  Hoover,  John  Winterton,  Valentine  Swisher,  Rudolph 
Bumgarner,  Paul  M'lvor,  John  Sherman  Woodcock,  and  Lsaac  Zane, 
gentlemen,  trustees. 

In  1788,  Front  Roya.1  was  established,  in  the  county  ■fif  Frederick. 
Fifty  fK;res  of  land,  the  property  of  Solomon  Vanmeter,  Jiunes  Moore, 
Robert  Haines,  William  Cunningham,  Peter  Halley,  John  Smith,  Allen 
Wiley,  Original  Wroe,  George  Chick,  William  Morris,  and  Henry  MVout, 
was  laid  out  into  lots  and  streets;  and  Thomas  Allen,  Robert  Russell, 
William  Headly,  William  Jennings,  John  Hickman,  Thomas  Hand,  a;id 
Thomas  Buck,  gentlemen,  trustees. 

The  same  year  and  month,  Pattonsburg,  in  the  county  of  Botetoiu't,  on 
James  river,  was  established.  Crowsville,  in  Botetourt,  was  established 
at  the  same  time. 

In  1790,  lieverly  was  laid  off  and  established  a  town  at  Randolph 
court-house. 

Frontville,  at  the  Sweet  Springs,  and  Springfield,  in  ihe  coimty  of 
Hampshire,  were  severally  laid  off  and  established  iu  October,  17*J0. 

In  October,  1791,  Darksvtlle  iu  Berkeley,  Kcisldcnvn  in  Kockintrhaju, 


163  ■ESTAJ3LlSllAIK\'r  OK    rill-:    TOWNS. 

and  Cliarlcstowii  in  Ohio,  wt-rc  severally  cstahlisiicd.  This  toncludc? 
the  author's  account  of  the  establishment  of  the  various  towns  west  of 
the  Blue  ridge,  within  the  present  western  hmils  of  Vircrinia,  tVoiu  the 
earliest  settlement  of  the  country  to  the  year  1792  inclusive. 

This  history  of  the  establishment  of  the  towns  in  Western  \'irginia, 
from  the  earliest  settlement  of  the  country,  to  the  year  1792  inclusive,  is 
gathered  Irom  Hening's  Statutes  at  Large,  yv'hich  brings  the  acts  of  tlu- 
legislature  no  further  than  that  period.  To  continue  the  list  to  the  ])re- 
sent  time,  would  require  an  examination  of  the  various  session  acts  since 
.1792,  which  it  would  be  difficult  to  obtain,  perhaps,  except  in  Richmoiul, 
,to  which  place  it  would  not  suit  the  author's  present  convenience  to  make 
a  journey.  As  he  confidently  anticipates  a  demand  for  a  second  edition 
of  this  work,  he  will  in  the  mean  time  make  perfect  this  portion  of  the 
history  of  our  country  for  futu'x  insertion. 


i^^j^  A.  Mii^ 


OX  TilF>  r>ICiTLKMENT  AND  IXDFAN  WARS 

or    THE 

WESTERN  PARTS  OF  VIRGINIA  AND  PENNSYLVANIA, 

From  the  year  1763  until  the  year  1783  inclusive. 

TOGKTMER    niTH 

A  VIKW  OKTilP:  STATE  OF  SOCIKTY  ^ni.  ^lANNEllS  OF  TMF  FIUST 
bCTFLERS  OF  TilAT  COL':STRV. 


BY    THP:     rev.     DK.     .I'JSKri!     DODDUlUOt;. 


-:o: 


CHAPTER  I 


PRELIMINARY  OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE  CHARACTER  OF 
'I'HE  INDIAN  MODE  OF  WARFARE,  AND  ITS  ADOPTION 
BY  THE  WHITE  PEOPLE. 

Tins  is  a  .subject  which  presents  human  nature  in  its  most  revohing  fea- 
tures, as  subject  to  a  vindictive  spirit  of  revenge,  and  a  thirst  of  human 
blood,  leading  to  an  indiscriminate  slaug'hler  of  an  ranks,  ages  and  sexes, 
by  the  weapons  of  war,  or  by  torture. 

The  history  of  man  is,  for  the  most  part,  one  continued  detail  of  bloot!- 
shed,  battles  and  devastations.  War  lias  been,  from  the  earliest  periods 
of  history,  the  almost  constant  employment  of  individuals,  elans,  tribes 
and  nations.  Fame,  one  of  the  most  potent  obiects  of  Inunan  rnnl)ition, 
has  at  all  times  been  the  delusive,  but  costly  rewartl  of  militarv  achieve- 
ment. The  triumph  of  conquest,  the  epithet  of  grc.itness,  the  throiu'  and 
the  sceptre,  have  uniformly  been  })urc]iased  by  the  eonilirt  of  battle  wnd 
garments  rolled  in  blood. 

If  the  modern  European  laws  ol'  warfare  have  softened  in  some  degree 
the  horrid  features  of  national  conflicts,  by  respecting  the  rights  of  j)ri- 
vate  pro])erty,  and  extending  humanity  to  the  sick,  wouwded  ',uu\  prison- 
ers;  we  ought  to  reflect  that  this  amelioration  is  the  efTect  of  civili/atiorj 
only.  The  natural  state  of  war  knows  no  such  mlxlufc  of  mercy  with 
cruelty.  In  his  primitive  state,  njan  knows  no  object  in  his  wars,  but 
that  of  the  extermination  of  his  eneroies,  either  by  (h-alli  or  captivity. 

The  wars  of  the  Jews  iwere  exterminatory  in  their  object.  The  de- 
struction of  a  whole  nation  was  often  the  result  of  a  single  cnrniiaign. 
Even  the  beaS'ts  themselves  were  sometimes  included  in  the  general 
mass?  ere. 

The  present  war  between  the  Greeks  and  Turks-  is  a  w.ir  upon  the 
ancient  model— -a  war  of  utter  cxterirrination. 

It  is,  to  be  sure,  much  to  be  regretted,  that  our  people  so  often  fol- 
lov>-ed  the  cruel  examples  of  the  L"i';.!(ia:ii>,  in  the  shughicr  of  prisoners, 


167  INDIAN  WARFARf:. 

and  soraetimcj  women  and  <'lii!ili-('n  :   vet  lot  them  receive  a  randiil  lu  ar-' 
in^  at  the  har  of  reason  and  jusliec,   Ijeloie  they  are  condemned  as  bar- 
haiiaiiii,  equally  with  the  Indians  themselves. 

llistoi'v  scaieelv  presents  an  ex,ini]>le  ot"  a  civilized  nation  carrvinij;  ort' 
a  war  with  barliaiians  without  adopting  the  n!6de  of  warfare  of  the  bar- 
barous uatioii.      The  ferocious  Suwari'ow,  when  at  war  w'ith  the  Turks, 
was  a>;  murh  of  a  savage  as  llie  'I'urhs  themselves.'     His  sliiughters  were 
as  indif^i  rinnnate  as  tlieirs  ;    but   (hiri-r)]^  his  wars  ai^ainst  the   French,  in  ' 
Italy,  he  failhtidly  observed  the  laws  of  civilizetl  \varf'are. 

Were  the  Greeks  now  at  war  with  a  civilized  nation,  ^v'e  shoidd  hear 
notiiing'  n/'  the  harbarities  whi(  li  tliwy  have  committed  on  ihe  Turks;  l)ut 
being  at  war  with  barbarians,  tlip  ji'^inl'iple  of  self  defence  compels  them 
to  retaliate  on  the  'I'urks  the  barbarities  which  they  commit  on  them. 

la  liie  l^ist  rebellion  in  Ireland,  that  of  the  I'nitcd  Irishmen,  the  gov- 
ernment party  were  not  much  behind  the  rebels  in  acts  of  ISNvless  cruelty. 
It  was  not  by  tlie  hamls  of  the  executioner  alone  they  perished.  Sum- 
mary justice,  as  it  was  called,  was  sometimes  inllicted.  How  many 
perished  untier  tlie  toiluring  scourge' of  the  drummer  lor  the  [jurpose  of 
extorting  confessions !  Tliese  extia-judic  ial  executions  •were  attempted 
to  be  juhtilied  on  the  ground  of  the  necessity  of  the  case. 

Our  revolwlicuiary  war  has  a  double  aspect  :  on  the  onv  hand  we  car- 
ried on  a  war  witli  Ihe  English,  in  which  we  observed  the  maxims  of 
civilized  warfare  with  tlie  utfuost  slrictiu'ss;  but  the  brave,  the  potent, 
the  magnanimous  nation  ol'  our  tort^fathers  iiad  associated  witli  them- 
selves, as  aiixiliaiies,  the  murdeious  tomahawk  and  scalping  knife  of  the 
Indian  nations  around  our  defenseless  frontiers,  leaving  those  barbarous 
sons  ol'ihe  fijjTst  to  their  (can  savage  mode  of  warfare,  to  the  full  indul- 
gence of  all  their  native  thirst  loi'  human  iilood. 

On  them,  tiicn,  be  the  blaiMC  ol'  all  lli<'  horrid  features  of  tliis  wai'  be- 
tween civilized  and  savage  men,  in  wliii  h  tlu'  lormer  was  conii)ellcd,  by 
everv  |)rinciple  of  self  dei"eii'>e,  to  adopt  th'e  Indian  mode  of  warl'aic,  in 
.dl  its  revolting;  and  destructisc  l'eatur(\s. 

Were  those  who  were  engaged  in  the  war  agninsi  the  Indians,  less 
humane  than  those  who  cari'led  on  the  war  against  their  lOnglish  idbu'S.- 
No,  they  W(*4('  not.  H'llh  parlies  c.irrled  on  the  war  on  the  s  ime  prlnci- 
j»lc  of  rrciprocilN  ol  advantages  and  disadvantages.  l-'or  example,  the 
Knglish  and  Ann'iicans  take  eacii  one  tliousiind  prisoners:  thc\  are  ex- 
changed:  neitli  T  arms  is  wcake'ie:!  !)V  this  airaiigenieiit.  A  sacrifice  is 
indee  I  in-idc  to  liinn  iiiilv,  in  liie  expense  of  taking  care  of  the  sick, 
wounded  and  prisoii'jrs;  but  this  cvpense  is  mutual.  No  disadvantagi-s 
result  from  all  the  cleai  "ncy  of  m  >  le;ii  wai'farc,  excepting  an  augmenta- 
tion of  the  evp/n-ics  of  war.  in  this  in  »de  i»f  warfare,  those  oi"  tlu;  nation, 
n  »t  in  arm-;,  are  safe'  from  deidi  hv  the  hinds  of  soldiers.  No  civilized 
AV.irrior  dis!r)n  MN  hi-;  sword  widi  th'  bloo  1  ol'  helpless  infancy,  old  age,  ■ 
or  that  ill  til"  f.iir  s'\.  II.'  aiin>  his  blows  only  al  tho>e  wh  )m  he  {\in\:i 
m  arm  ■;  ag  linst  him.  'I"he  Inlian  kills  iiKHscriiiviiiaieK .  His  object  is 
the,  total  extermin  ition  of  hi^  e-i  -mie-:.  Children  are  victiin>  of  his  veil-  , 
giMMCi',  h.'cmse,  it'  III  lie-;,  they  in  ly  here.iber  bee  )m.'  waniors,  or  if 
le.nih'>,  t!i.'v   111  i\  h  •.■.!. 11  •   in  »th 'i'-:.      i^^'en  tl;>'  lel.vl  sta!i'  i>   crimlii.il  in 


]NJ)IA\   WARFAUJ^/  16S 

his  vit'W.  1 1  is  nal  enough  tliiit  tin-  ictus  should  perish  with  thr  laur- 
tlered  mother;  it  is  lorn  from  her  pregnant  womb,  and  elevated  on  a  stick 
or  pole,  as  a  trophy  of  victory  and  an  object  of  horror  to  the  survivois  of 
ihe  slain. 

If  the  Indian  takes  prisoners,  mercy  has  but  little  contsern  in  t'ae  trans- 
saction.  He  spares  the  lives  of  those  who  lall  into  jiis  hands,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  feasting  the  feelings  of  ferocious  vengeance  of  himself  and  his 
comrades,  by  the  torture  of  his  captive;  or  to  increase  the  strength  of  his 
nation  by  his  adoption  into  an' Indian  family;  or  for  the  purj)ose  of  gain, 
by  selling  liim  for  an  higher  price,  than  his  scalp  would  fetch,  to  his 
christian  allies  of,  Canada;  for  be  it  known  that  those  allies  were  in  the 
constant  practice  of  making  prcserits  for  scalj)s  and  prisoners,  as  well  as 
finiiishing  the  means  for  carrying  on  the  Indian  war,  which  for  so  many 
years  desolated  our  (.lefcnseless  frontiers.  No  lustration  can  ever  wash 
out  this  national  stain.  The  foul  blot  must  remain,  as  long  as  the  page 
of  history  shall  convey  the  record  of  the  foul  transaction  to  future  gejiera- 
tions. 

The  author  would  not  open  wounds  which  liave,  alas!  already  bled  so 
long,  but  for  the  purpose  of  doing  justice  to.. thw  meinoiy  of  his  forefathers 
and  relatives,,  many  of  whom  perished  in  the  defense  ot'  their  country,  by 
the  hands  of  the  merciless  Indians, 

llow  is  a  war  of  extermiuration,  an'd  accompanied  with  such  acts  of 
atrocious  cruelty,  to  be  met  by  those  pn  wliom  it  is  inflicted.^  Must  it  be 
met  by  the  lenient  maxims  of  civilized  warfare .^  •, Must  the  Indian  caj)- 
tive  be  spared  his  life?  What  advantage  would  be  gainecl  by  this.course? 
The  young  white  prisoners,  adopted  into  Indian  families,  often  become 
complete  Indians;  but  in  how  few  instances  did  ever  an  Indian  become 
civilized.  Send  a  cartel  for  an  exchange  of  prisoners;  the  Indians  know 
nothing  of  this  measure  of  clemency  in  war;  the  bearer  of  the  white  flag 
for  the  purpose  of  effecting  the  exchange  would  have  exerted  his  humanity 
at  the  forfeit  of  his  life. 

Should  my  countrymen  be  still  charged  with  barbarism,  in  t^e  prosecu- 
tion of  the  Indian  war.,  let  him  who  harbors  this  unfavorable  impression, 
concerning  them,  portray  in  imagination  the  horrid  scenes  of  slaughter 
which  freq^uently  met  their  vievv  m  the  course  of  the  Indian  war.  ,  Let 
him,  if  he  can  bear  the  reflection,  look  at  helpless  infancy,  virgin  beauty 
and  hoary  age,  dishonored  by  the  ghastly  wounds  of  the  tomahawk  and 
scalping  knife  of  the  savage.  Let  him  hear  the  shrieks  of  the  victims  ot^ 
the  Indian  torture  by  fire,  and  srnell  the  surrounding  air,  rendered  sicken- 
ing by  the  effluvia  of  their  burning  flesh  and  blood.  Let  him  hear  the 
yells,  and  view  the  hellish  features  of  the  surrounding  circle  of  savage 
warriors,  rioting  in  all  the  luxuriance  of  vengeance,  while  applying  the 
flaming  torches  to  the  parched  limbs  of  the  sufferers,  and  then  suppose 
those  murdered  infants,  matrons,  virgins  and  victims  of  torture,  were  his 
friends  and  relations,  the  wife,  sister,  child  or  brother ;  what  woidd  be 
his  feelings!  After  a  short  season  of  grief,  he  woidd  .say,  "I  will  now 
think  only  of  revenue." 

Philosophy  shudders  at  the  destructive  aspect  of  war  in   any  shape  v 

W 


169  INDIAN  WAR  tare:. 

Christianity,  by  teaching^  the  religion  ot'  the  good  Samaritan,  altogether" 
forbids  it:  but  the  original  settlers  of  the  western  regions,  like  the  greater 
part  of  the  world,  were  neither  philosophers  nor  saints.  They  were 
"men  of  like  passions  with  others  ;'^  and  therefore  adopted  the  Indian- 
mode  of  warfare  from  necessity  and  a  motive  of  revenge;  with  the  excep- 
tion of  burning  their  captives  alive,  v^'hieh  they  never  did.  If  the  bodies 
of  savage  enemies  were  sometimes  burned,  it  was  not  until  after  they 
were  dead. 

Let  the  voice  of  nature  and  the  law  of  nations  plead  in  favor  of  the 
veteran  ■  pioneers  af  the  desert  regions  of  the  west.  War  has  hitherto 
been  a  prominent  trait  in  the  moral  system  of  human  nature,  and  will 
continue  such,  until  a  radical  change  shall  be  effected  in  favor  of  science, 
morals  and  piety,  on  a  general  scale. 

In  the  conflicts  of  nations,  as  well  as  those  of  individuals,  no  advanta- 
ges are  to  be  conceded.  If  mercy  may  be  associated  with  the  carnage 
and  devastations  of  war,  that  mercy  must  be  reciprocal ;  but  a  war  of  utter 
extermination  must  be  met  by  a  war  of  the  same  character,  or  by  an 
overwhelming  force  which  may  put  on  end  to  it,  without  a  sacrifice  of 
the  helpless  and  unoffending  part  of  the  hostile  nation.  Such  a  force 
was  not  at  the  command  of  the  first  inhabitants  of  this  country.  The 
sequel  of  the  Indian  war  goes  to  show  that  in  a  war  with  savages  the 
choice  lies  between  extermination  and  subjugation.  Our  government 
has  wisely  and  humanely  pursued  the  latter  course. 

Tho  author  begs  to  be  understood  that  the  foregoing  observations  are 
not  intended  as  a  justification  of  the  whole  of  the  transactions  of  our 
people  with  regard  to  the  Indians  during  the  course  of  the  war.  Some 
instances  of  acts  of  wanton  barbarity  occurred  on  our  side,  which  have 
received  and  must  continue  to  receive  the  unequivocal  reprobration  ot 
all  the  civilised  world.  In  the  course  of  this  history,  it  will  appear  that 
more  deeds  of  wanton  barbarity  took  place  on  our  side  than  the  world 
is  now  acquainted  with. 


*WAll  (?F  1763.  170 


CHAPTER  II. 


-:0: 


'The  treaty  of  peace  between  his  British  majesty  and  the  kings  of  France, 
^pain  and  Portugal,  conchided  at  Paris  on  the  10th  of  February,  1763, 
<iid  not  put  an  end  to  the  Indian  war  against  the  frontier  parts  and  back 
settlements  of  the  colonies  of  Great  Britain. 

The  spring  and  summer  of  1763,  as  well  as  those  of  1764,  deserve 
to  be  memorable  in  history,  for  the  great  extent  and  destructive  results 
<of  a  war  of  extermination,  carried  on  by  the  united  force  of  all  the 
Indian  nations  of  the  western  country,  along  the  shore  of  the  northern 
Jakes,  and  throughout  the  whole  extent  of  the  frontier  settlements  of 
PennsyLyania,  Viiiginia  and  North  Carolina. 

The  events  of  this  war,  as  ^Ihey  relate  to  the  frontier  of  Pennsylvania 
and  the  shores  of  the  lakes,  are  matt^ers  of  history  already,  and  therefore 
shall  be  no  farther  related  here  than  is  necessary  to  give  a  connected  view 
-of  the  militarj^  events  of  those  disastrous  seasons.  The  massacres  by  the 
Indians  in  the  southwestern  part  of  Virginia,  so  far  as  they  have  come  to 
the  knowlenge  of  the  author,  shall  be  related  m-ore  in  detail. 

The  English  historians  (Hist,  of  England,  vol.  x.  p.  399,)  attribute 
this  terrible  war  to  the  influen^ce  of  the  French  Jesuits  over  the  Indians; 
-but  whether  with  much  truth  and  candor,  is,  to  say  the  least  of  it,  ex- 
Iremely  doubtful. 

The  peace  of  1763,  by  w-hich  the  provinces  of  Canada  were  ceded  to 
Britain,  was  offensive  to  the  Indians,  especially  as  they  very  well  knew 
that  the  English  government,  on  the  ground  of  this  treaty,  claimed  the 
juiisdiction  of  the  western  country  generally;  and  as  an  Indian  sees  no 
4i(rerence  between  the  right  of  jurisdiction  and  that  of  possession,  they 
considered  themselves  as  about  to  be  dispossessed  of  the  whole  of  tlieir 
country,  as  rapidly  as  the  English  might  find  it  convenient  to  take  jios- 
session  of  it.  In  this  opinion  lliey  were  confirmed  by  the  building  of 
forts  on  the  Susquehanna,  on  lands  to  which  the  India'ns  laid  claim. 
The  forts  and  posts  of  Pittsburg,  Bedford,  Ligonier,  Niagara,  Detroit, 
Presque  Isle,  St.  Joseph  and  Michilimackinac,  were  either  built,  or  im- 
proved and  strengthened,  with  additions  to  their  garrisons.  Thus  the 
Indians  saw  themselves  surrounded  on  the  north  and  east  by  a  strong  line 
of  forts,  while  those  of  Bedford,  Ligonier  and  Pittsburg,  tlireatened  an 
extension  of  them  into  the  heart  of  their  country.  Thus  circumstanced, 
the  aboriginals  of  the  country  had  to  choose  between  the  pros]K'Ct  of 
being  driven  to  the  inhospitable  regions  of  the  north  and  west,  of  negoti- 
ating with  the  British  government  for  continuimce  of  the  possession  of 
th.eir  ov»-n  land,  or -of  taking  up  arm"^'  for  its  defense.     They  chose  iIm-  la! 


ni  .:»VAR  OF  1703. 

ter  course,  in  wlilcli  a  view  of  the  sinallness  of  their  niimhers,  and  tiic 
scantiness  of  their  resources,  ought  to  have  taught  them,  that  ahhough 
lliey  might  do  much  mischief,  they  coukl  iiot  ijltilj'iately  succeed;  hut  tii'e 
Indians,  as  well  as  their  brethren  of  the  white  skin,  are  often  driven  by 
their  impetuous  passions  to  rash  and  destructive  enterprises,  wliich  rea- 
son, -were  it  permitted  to  give  it  coimsels,  wouhi  disapprove. 

The  plan  resolved  on  l)y  the  Indiiuis  ihr  the  prosecution  of  tlie  \var, 
Avas  that  of  a  general'massacre  of  allihe  inhabitants  of  the  English  set- 
llemOhts  in  the  western  country,  as  well  as  of  those  on  the  lands  on  tiie 
Susquehanna,  to  which  they  laid  clain''. 

Never  did  mililary  commanders  of  any  nation  display  more  skill,  or 
their  troops  more  steady  and  determined  bravery,  than  did  those  red  men 
'of  the  wilderness  in  the  prosecution  of  their  gigantic  plan  for  the  ref^overy 
of  their  country  from  the  possession  of  the  English.  It  was  indeed  a  war 
of  utter  extennination  on  an  extensive  scale,— a  conflict  whioh  exhibited 
human  nature  in  its  native  state,  in  which  the  cunning  of  the  fox  is  asso- 
ciated  with  the  ^hielly  of  the  tii^er.  We  read  the  history  oi'this  war  with 
feelings  of  the  deepest  horror;  but  why?  On  the  part  v)f  the  savages, 
theirs  was  the  ancient  mode  of  warfare,  in  whi/h  there  was  nothing  of 
mercy.  If  science,  associated  with  the  benign  influence  oY  .the  christian 
system,  has  limited  tlie  carnage  of  war  to  those  ir.  arm's,  so  as  to  give  the 
right  of  life  and  hospitality  to  women,  infancy,  olcl  age,  the  sick,  wounded 
and  prisoners,  m'ay  not  a  farther  extension  of  the  influence  of  those  pow- 
erfid  but  salutary  agents  put  an  end  to  war  altogether?  J\ lay  not  fiiture 
gener&ti.oii:.s  read  ^he  history  of  our  civilized  warl'are  witli  equal  horror  and 
wonder,  fhat  with  our  science  and  piety  we  had  wars  at  all  ! 

The  ICnglish  traders  among  the  Indians  were  the  Hrst  victims  in  tliis 
contest.  Out  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  of  them,  among  the  flifferent 
nations,  only  two  or  three  esoai)ed  being  murdered.  The  forts  ot'  Prcsfpie 
Isle,  St.  Joseph  and  Michilimackinac  were  taken,  with  a  general  slaugh- 
ter of  their  garrisons. 

The  fortresses  of  Bedford,  .Ligonier,  Niagara,  Detroit  and  Pitt,  were 
with  diiriculty  preserved  from  i)eing  taken. 

Jt  was  a  priru'i|)al  objeet  with  the  Indians  to  get  possession  of  Dctrnit 
anri  Fort  Pilt,  either. by  assault  or  f-uninc.  The  former  was  atteniplctl 
with  regard  to  Detroit.  Fort  Pitt,  being  at  a  considerable  distance  froui 
the  settlements,  v/liere  alone  supplies  c6\dd  be  obtained,  determined  the 
savages  to  aitempt  its  reduction  by  famine. 

In  their  first 'attempt  on  Fort  Detroit,  the  TndianF  ralculatcd  on  taking 
possession  of  jt  by  stratagem.  A  large  riUiiibcr  of  I'lidians  appeared  bf- 
fore  the  place  under  pretci.ee  ot'  holding  a  congress  with  ]\Jaj.  rilladwiii, 
'the  eDminand-uit.  He  was  on  his  guarrl  and  irfused  tlien\  admittance. 
On  the  next  day,  about  fivcliundred  mor(  fil'thc  ludiiuis  ;uTi\fd  in  arms, 
and  demanded  leave  lo  go  into  the  fmt,  1(.  Imld  a  lieat\ .  'I. he  command- 
ant tefiiscd  to  admit  a  greater  lunnlxr  tlian  forty  The  Indians  tirider- 
'jitoofl  bis  design  of  detaining  them  as  lu.'stages,  for  the  good  conduet  nf 
their  eomr.ulc^  on  the  nulsidf  nf  ihc  t'lrt,  and  thcrffore  did  not  send  them 
>nto  \\\f  |)l,!(-r.  The  whnic  iiumbf  r  of  men  in  the  ti>rl  and  <in  luinrd  \\\a 
.".cssels  of  wnr  in  tliP  I'ivrr,  flid  not  exceed  cnr  Lundre'.i  ••md  ten  crlurlvej 


WAR  OF  17(i.^.  17-2 

flwl'bv  mcuns  of  ijio  riumon  ilirv  yiossrsscd,  llicv  ni;u!o  shi.'i  \a  kocM  tlie 
Indians  at  a  distance,  ajitl  C()n\inr-e  them  that  ;hey  couid  not  take  the 
place.  Wlien  the  Indians  were  about  to  retire,  Capt.  Dalyel  arviveil  at 
'ihe  fort  Nvidi  a  considerable  reinforcement  for  the  relief  of  di(>  place.  He 
made  a  sortie  against  the  breaslworjvs  which  the  Iii(li;ii)s  li;i<!  ihicwn  up, 
with  two  hundred  and  forty-five  men.  This  detachmeiit  was  driven  h;u:k 
yvith  the  loss  of  seventy  men  killed  and  (brty-two  wounded.  Capt. 
liialyel  was  among  the  slain.  Of  one  liundied  men  who  were  escorting 
a  large  quantity  of  provisions  to  J)etroit,  sixty-seven  were  massacred. 

Fort  Pitt  had  been  invested  for  some  time,  belbre  Capt  Fcayer  had  the 
.Jcast  prospect  of  reJief.  In  this  situation  he  and  his  garrison  liad  resolved 
\o  stand  a  out  to  tJie  Inst  extremity,  and  even  perish  of  famin<',  rather 
than  fall  into  the  hands  ot'tlie  savages,  notwithstanding  the  fort  was  a  bad 
one,  tiie  garrison  weak,  anil  the  country  between  the  fort  and  Ligonier  in 
possession  of  tlie  savaifcs,  and  his  messengers  killed  or  compelled  to 
jeturn  buck.  In  this  sjkiation.  Col,  Jjouquet  w,is  sent  liy  CJicn  Amhur.st 
^to  the  relief  of  the  place,  \\idi  a  large  quantity  of  provisions  under  a  strong 
escort.  This  escort  was  attackt-d  by  a  large  body  df  Indians,  in  a  nar- 
row defile  on  Turtle  creek,  and  would  have  been  entirely  defeated,  had  it 
not  been  for  a  successful  stratagem  employed  by  the  commander  for  ex- 
tricating thcjiaselves  from  tlie  savage  army.  After  sustaining  a  furious 
contest  from  one  o'clock  till  night,  and  for  several  hours  the  next  morn- 
ing, a  retreat  was  pretended,  widi  a  view  to  draw  the  Indians  into  a  close 
engagement.  Previous  to  this  nio\ement,  four  companies  of  inCiintiy  and 
grenadiers  were  placed  in  aiabusc.a(K\  'J'hc  plan  succeedetl.  When  the 
retreat  commenced,  the  Indians  thought  themselves  secure  ot"  victory,  and 
pressing  forv.'ard  with  great  vigor,  fell  into  the  ambuscade,  and  were  dis- 
persed Avith  great  slaughter.  The  loss  on  the  side  of  the  English  was 
above  one  Inmdred  killed  and  wounded;  that  of  the  Indians  coidd  not 
have  been  less.  'J'he  loss  was  severely  felt  by  the  Indians,  as  in  addition 
to  the  number  of  warriors  who  fell  in  the  enfrasement,  several  of  the  most 
distinguished  chiefs  were  amonof  the  slain.  Fort  Pitt,  the  reduction  of 
v/hich  they  had  much  at  heart,  was  now  placed  out  of  their  reach,  by 
being  effectually  relieved  and  supplied  with  the  munitions  of  war. 

The  historian  of  the  Avestern  region  of  our  country  cannot  help  regard- 
ing Pittsburg,  the  present  flourishing  emporium  of  the  nordiern  pnrt  of 
■that  region,  and  its  immediate  neicrhborhood,  as  classic  ground,  on  ac- 
count of  the  memorable  battles  which  took  ))lace  for  its  possession  in  the 
infancy  of  our  settlements.  Braddock's  defeat,  Maj.  (irant's  defeat,  its 
conquest  by  Gen.  Forbes,  the  victory  over  tlie  Indians  above  related  by 
iMaj.  Houquet,  serve  to  show  the  imi)ortance  in  whicli  this  jiost  was  held 
■io  car-y  times,  and  that  it  was  obtiiiacd  and  supported  by  the  Knglish 
government,  at  the  p.rice  of  no  sm.all  amount  of  blood  and  treasure.  In 
the  neighborhood  of  tjiis  place,  as  well  as  in  the  war-worn  regions  of  the 
old  world,  the  plowshare  of  the  farmer  turns  up  from  beneath  the  surface 
of  the  eaith,  tlie  broken  and  luslv  implements  of  wnr,  and  the  bones  of 
the  shin  in  battle. 

li  vwi!-  i'l  the  course  ol'luls  war  'hat  lac  dreadful  massacre  at  Wyoming 


i'/3  ^^A^  oi*  ncpj. 

Icok  jjliici',  ,-111,1  dt;:-(>l:tl cd  the  fine  scUlemcjils  o.l'  the  Xew-England  jteo 
pie  al',)u<(  the  Sus(jii«li;iiiii:i. 

'Die  exleiisi\e  and  indi.s('iiiiiiu;ile  slawghler  of  l)olh  sexes  and  all  ages 
by  the  Indians,  at  Wyoming  and  other  places,  so  exasperated  a  large 
jiumbfM- f)!'  men,  denominated  the  "PaKton  boys,"  that  they  rivalled  the 
most  ferocious  of  ihe  Indians  themselves  in  deeds  of  cruelty,  wliich  have 
•lishonored  the  history  of  our  country,  by  the  record  of  tlic  shedding  of 
innocent  i)lood  without  the  slightest  provocation — deeds  of  tlie  most  atro 
cious  barbarity. 

The  Conestoga  Indians  had  lived  in  peace  for  more  than  a  century  in 
the  neigliborhood  ol' Lancaster,  Pa.  Their  number  did  n^'^t  exceeil  forty. 
Against  diese  unotTending  descendants  of  the  first  friends  of  the  famous 
William  Penn,  the  Paxton  boys  first  directed  their  more  than  savage  ven^ 
geance.  Fifiy-seven  of  them,  in  military  array,  poured  into  their  little 
\illagc,  and  instantly  murdered  all  whom  they  found  at  home,  to  the 
nuiiil)cr  of  fourteen  men,  women  and  children.  Those  of  them  who  did 
not  lia})i)en  to  be  at  home  at  tiie  massacre,  were  lodged  in  the  jail  of 
LancasU'i'  for  safety.  But  alas!  this  precaution  was  unavailing.  The 
i'axton  boys  broke  open  tlie  jail  door,  and  murdered  the  whole  of  them, 
in  number  about  fifteen  to  twenty.  It  was  in  vain  that  these  poor  d<'.- 
ffnseless  people  jirotested  their  innocence  and  begged  for  mercy  on  their 
knees.  I51ood  was  the  order  of  the  day  with  those  ferocious  Paxton 
boys.  The  deiilh  of  tlu!  victims  of  their  cruelties  did  not  satisfy  their 
i"a<re  for  slauLihter;  they  mangled  the  dead  bodicis  of  the  Indians  witli 
their  scalpini;  knives  ami  tomahawks  m  the  most  shocking  and  brutal 
manner,  sca][)ing  even  the  children  and  chopping  off  tlie  hands  and  feet 
of  most  of  them. 

The  next  object  of  those  Paxton  boys  was  the  murder  of  the  christian 
Indians  of  the  villages  of  We()uetank  and  Nain.  From  the  execution 
of  this  infernal  design  they  were  prevented  by  the  humane  interference  of 
the  government  of  Pennsylvania,  which  removed  the  inhabitants  of  bolh 
places  under  a  strong  guard  to  Philadel})liia  for  protection.  They  re- 
Muiined  under  <i-uard  from  November,  1763,  until  the  close  of  the  war  in 
l)cce!iib('r,  17()4  :  the  greater  })art  of  this  time  they  occupied  the  barracks 
of  that  city.  I'hc  I^ixton  boys  twice  assembled  in  great  force,  at  no 
great  distance  from  the  city,  wilh  a  \i(!\v  to  assauh  tlie  barracks  and  iiini- 
der  the  Indians;  but  owing  to  the  military  preparations  made  for  their  re- 
r('j)tion,  they  at  last  reluctantly  di-sisteil  from  the  enter})rise. 

While  we  read,  with  fi-elings  of  the  deepest  horror,  the  record  of  l!ie 
murders  which  have  at  difrercnt  ))eriods  been  inflicted  on  the  unoffending 
christian  Indians  of  the  Moravian  prMtession,  it  is  some  consolation  to 
reflect,  tliat  our  government  has  liad  no  jiarlicijiation  in  those  murders  ; 
but  on  the  contrary,  has  at  all  times  afforded  them  all  the  jirolection  which 
circunistanres  aIlow(?d. 

The  principal  setllemenls  in  Cireenbricr  were  those  of  Muddy  Creek 
aiul  the  I}i^  L(.'vels,  distant  about  fifteen  or  twenty  miles  from  each  other. 
Befi)rc  these  settlers  were  aware  of  the  existence  of  the  war,  and  suppo- 
sing that  the  peace  made  with  the  French  comprehended  their  Inriian 
allies  also,  ;iboul  sixty  Indians  visited  the  scltleincnt  on  Muddy  Creek. 


WAR  OK  r/G.I,  .  IT! 

Tliey  made  tlic  visit  under  the  mask  of  iVieiulsliip.  They  were  cor(]iall\- 
received  and  treated  witli  all  the  hospitality  which  it  was  in  the  power  of 
these  new  settlers  to  bestow  u])on  them;  but  on  a  sudden,  and  withfuit 
any  previous  intimation  of  any  thing  like  an  hostile  intention,  th^  Indians 
murdered,  in  cold  blood,  all  llie  men  belonging  to  the  settlement,  and 
made  prisoners  of  the  women  and  children. 

Leaving  a  guard  with  their  prisoners,  they  then  marched  to  tln^  settle- 
ments in  the  Levels,  before  the  fate  of  the  Muddy  Creek  settlement  was 
known.  Here,  as  at  Muddy  Creek,  they  were  treated  with  the  most 
kind  and  attentive  hospitality,  at  the  liouse  of  Archibald  Glendennin,  who 
gave  the  Indians  a  sumptuous  feast  of  three  fat  elks,  which  he  luu!  re- 
cently killed.  Here  a  scene  of  slaughter,  similar  to  that  wliich  had  re- 
cently taken  place  at  Muddy  Creek,  occurred  at  the  conclusion  of  the 
feast.  It  commenced  with  an  old  woman,  who  having  a  very  sore  letr, 
showed  it  to  an  Indian,  desiring  his  advice  how  she  might  cure  it,  'J'his 
request  he  answered  with  a  blow  of  the  tomahawk,  which  instantly  killed 
her.  In  a  fe^v  minutes  all  the  men  belonging  to  the  place  shared  the 
same  fate.     The  women  and  children  were  made  prisoners. 

In  the  time  of  the  slaughter,  a  negro  woman  at  the  spring  near  the 
liouse  where  it  happened,  killed  her  own  child  for  fear  it  should  fall  into 
the  hands  of  the  Indians,  or  hinder  her  from  making  her  escape. 

Mrs.  Glendennin,  whose  husband  was  among  the  slain,  and  herself 
with  her  children  prisoners,  boldly  charged  the  Indians  with  perfitly  and 
cowardice,  in  taking  advantage  of  the  mask  of  friendship  to  comrmt  mur- 
der. One  of  the  Indians  exasperated  at  her  boldness,  and  stung,  no 
doubt,  at  the  justice  of  her  charge  against  thern,  brandished  his  toma- 
hawk over  her  head,  and  dashed  her  husband's  scalp  in  her  face.  In 
defiance  of  all  his  threats,  the  heroine  still  reiterated  the  charges  of  per- 
fidy and  cowardice  against  the  Indians. 

On  the  next  day,  after  marching  about  ten  miles,  while  passing  through 
a  thicket,  the  Indians  forming  a  front  and  rear  guard,  Mrs,  Glendennin 
gave  her  infant  to  a  neighbor  woman,  stepped  into  the  bushes  without 
being  perceived  by  the  Indians,  and  made  her  escape.  The  cries  of  tlio 
child  made  the  Indi.ans  inquire  for  the  mother.  She  was  not  to  be  found. 
•i'Well,"  says  one  of  them,  "I  will  soon  bring  the  cow  to  her  calf;"  and 
taking  the  rliild  by  the  feet,  beat  its  brains  out  against  a  tree.  Mrs. 
Glendennin  returned  home  in  the  course  of  the  succeeding  night,  and 
covered  the  corpse  of  her  husband  with  fence  rails.  Having  performed 
this  pious  office  for  her  murdered  husband,  she  chose,  as  a  place  of  safety, 
a  cornfield,  where,  as  she  related,  her  heroic  resolution  was  succeeded  by 
cl  paroxysm  of  grief  and  despondency,  during  which  she  imagined  she 
saw  a  man  with  tlie  aspect  of  a  murderer  standing  within  a  few  steps  of 
her.  The  reader  of  this  narrative,  instead  of  regarding  this  fit  of  despon- 
dency as  a  feminine  weakness  on  the  part  of  this  daughter  of  affliction, 
■will  commissorate  her  situation  of  unparalleled  destitution  and  distress. 
Alone,  in  the  dead  of  night,  the  survivor  of  all  the  infant  settlements  of 
that  district,  while  all  her  relatives  and  neighbors  of  both  settlements  were 
either  prisoners  or  Ivlng  dead,  dishonored  by  ghastly  wounds  of  the  toma- 


175  DEATH  OF  CORN^TrALK. 

hawk  Hill  I  scalping  knitc  of  the  savages,    lif^r  luisl):ih({  an;l  her  i*hlhh-eh 
amongst  the  shiin. 

It  was  some  days  bofore  a  Ibrce  could  he  collected  in  tiic  eastern  part 
of  Botetourt  and  the  adjoining  country  i'v:  the  {)urpose  of  burying  the 
dead. 

Of  the  events  of  this  war,  on  tlie  southwestern  iiontier  ot  Virginia,  and' 
in  the  country  of  llolstein,  tlie  then  western  part  of  North  Carolina,  tlit; 
iiuUior  has  not  been  inrt^Vmed,  farther  than  that,  on  the  jiart  of  the  In- 
dians, it  was  carried  on  with  tlie  greatest  activity,  and  its  course  marked 
with  many  deeds  of  the  most  atiocious  cruelty,  until  late  in  the  year  ITG-^,' 
when  a  period  was  put  to  this  sanguinary  contest,  by  a  treatyniade  with 
the  Indian  nations  by  Sir  William  Johnston,  at  the  German  I'lats. 

The  perfidy  and  cruelties  practiced  by  the  Indians  during  the  war  of 
1763  and  17C4,  occasioned  the  revolting  and  sanguinary  character  of  the 
Indian  wars  which  took  jilace  afterwards.  'I'lie  Indians  liad  resolved  on 
tlie  total  extermination  of  all  the  settlers  of  our  north  and  southwestern 
frontiers,  and  being  no  longer  under  the  control  of  their  former  allies,  the 
French,  they  weix;  at  lull  liberty  to  exercise  all  their  native  ferocity,  and 
riot  in  the  iudula-ence  of  their  innate  thirst  for  blood. 

[Next  follows,  in  Dr.  Doddrige's  work,  liis  account  of  Dunmore's  war, 
wliich  the  author  of  this  liistory  has  transferred  to  the  chapter  under  that 
liead  in  the  preceding  pages.     The   chapter  which  follows  lelates  to  an' 
event  which  occurretl  during  that  war.] 


-:o: 


CHAPTER  III. 


TIIC  DKATII  OF  CORNSTALK.- 

Tins  was  one  of  the  most  atrocious  murders  committed  by  the  wiiites 
during  the  whole  course  of  the  w.ir.      [Dunmore's  war.] 

In  the  summer  of  1777,  when  the  confederacy  of  the  Indian  nations, 
under  the  inlluence  of  the  IJritish  government,  was  formed,  and  began  to 
commit  hostilities  along  our  frontier  settlements,  (Cornstalk,  and  a  young 
chief  of  the  iiame  of  Retl-hawk,  with  anotluu-  Indian,  made  a  visit  to  the 
garrison  at  the  Point,  commanded  a)  that  time  by  Capt.  Arbuckle.  Corn- 
stalk stated  to  the  captain,  that,  with  the  exception  of  himself  and  the 
tribe  to  which  he  belonged,  all  the  nations  liad  joined  the  Fnglisli,  and 
that  unless  protected  by  the  whites,  "they  would  have  to  run  with  tlie 
stream." 

Capt.  Arbuckle  thought  proper  to  detain  the  Cornstalk  chief  and  his 
two  i  onipanions  as  hostages  for  the  gooil  conduct  of  the  tribe  to  which 


BMtH  OF  COi^NSTALK.-  17G 

they  belonged.'  They  had  not  been  long-  in  thi;i  situation  bcforr  i»  mmi  of 
Cornstalk,  concerned  for  the  safety  of  his  father,  came  to  the  opposite 
side  of  the  river  and  hallooed;  his  father  knowing  his  voice,  answered 
him.  He  was  brought  over  the  river.  The  fatlier  and  sou  mutually 
embraced  each  other  with  the  greatest  tenderness. 

On  the  day  following,  two  Indians,  who  had  concealed  themselves  in 
tlie  weeds  on  the  bank  of  the  Kanawha  opposite  the  fort,  killed  a  man 
of  the  name  of  Gduiore,  as  he  w<is  returiiiug  I'rom  hunting.  As  soon  as 
tire  dead  body  was  broujibt  over  the  river^  there  was  a  "'eneral  cry  ainon'>-st 
the  men  who  were  present,  "Let  us  kill  the  Indians  in  the  fort."  They 
immediately  ascended  the  bank  of  the  river  with  Capt.  Hall  at  their  head, 
to  execute  their  hasty  resolution.  Ou  their  way  they  were  met  by  ('apt. 
Stuart  and  Ca})t.  Arbuckle,  wJio  endeavored  to  dissuade  them  from  kill- 
ing the  Indian  hostages,  sayingthat  they,  certainly  had  no  concern  in  the 
murder  of  Gilmore;  but  remonstrance  was  in  vain.  P.dc  as  death  with 
r\ge,  they  cocked  their  guns  and  threatened  the  captains  wi'Ji  instant 
death,  if  they  should  atteiiipt  to  hinder  theai  from  executing  their  pur- 
Y>oHe.  ..  ,  . 

.  When  the  murderers  arrived  at  the  house  where  the  hostages  were  con- 
fined, Cornstalk  rose  up  to  meet  them  at  the  tloor,  but  instantly  received 
seven  bullets  through  his  body;  his  son  and  hi.-,  other  two  fellow-hostiiges 
'were  instantly  despatdied  with  bullets  ami  tomahawks. 

Thus  fell  the  Shawnee  war  chief  Cornstalk,  who,  like  Logati,  his  com- 
panion in  arms,  was  conspicuous  tor  intellectual  talent,  brav(>ry  and  mis- 
iortune. 

The  biography  of  Cornstalk,  as  far  as  it  is  now  known,  goes  to  show 
that  he,  was  no  way  deficient  in  those  mental  endow'ments  which  consti- 
f^ate  true  greatness.  On  the  evening  preceding  the  battle  of  Point  Plea- 
sant, he  proposed  going  over  the  river  to  the  camp  of  Gen.  Lewis,  for  the 
l^urpose  of  making  pcare.  The  majority  in  the  council  ot"  warriors  votedi 
against  the  measure.  "Well,"  said  Cornstalk,  "  since  you  liave  resol- 
ved on  fightiug,  you  shall  fight,  although  it  is  likely  we  shall  have  hard 
work  to-morrow  ;  but  if  any  man  shall  attempt  to  run  away  from-  the  bat- 
de,  I  will  kill  him  with  my  own  hand,"  ami  ar-cordingly  iulfdled  his 
direat  with  regard  to  one  cowardly  fellow. 

After  the  Indians  had  returned  trom  the  battle.  Cornstalk  callecl  a 
council  at  the  Chillicothe  tov/n,  to  consult  what  was  to  !;<<  clone  next. 
In  this  council  h'^,  reminded  the  Vv'ar  chiefs  of  tlie.ir  folly  in  preventing  him 
from  making  peace,  betbrc  the  fatal  battle  of  Point  Pleasant,,  ajid  asked, 
"What  shall  we  do  no\v  ?  The  Long-knives  are  coming  upon-  us  by  two 
routes.  Shall  we  turn' out  and  fight  them?"  All  were  silenl.  He  then 
asked,  "  Shall  we.  kill  our  squaws  and  children,  and,  then' figl>t  until  we 
shall  all  be  killed  ourselves?"  To  this  no  reply  was  made.  He  then 
rose  up  and  struck  his. tomahawk  in  the  war  ])o.st  in  the  middle  of  the 
council  house,  saying,  "  Since  you  are  not  inclined  to  fight,  I  will  go 
and  make  peace  ;"  and  acsordingly  did  so. 

On  the  morning  of  the  day  of  his  death,  a  council  was  held  in  the  fort 
at  the  Point,  in  which  he  was  prcictit.     During  the  sitting  of  <!i'i  r.vjry.- 

X 


177  WAPP.\TO.Mi(  A   CAMPAIGN'. 

ci),  il  is  snld  1]in1  lie  .^ocincd  lo  liiivc  n.  ]iicscntli!iciit  of  liis  .'ijjjrroacliin^'' 
fate.  In  one  of  his  speeches,  he  remarked  to  ihe  council,  "AVhcn  I  ^vas  ' 
vouiif^,  evory  liint  I  \venl,  to  war  1  thought  itlikely  that  1  might  return  no 
more;  hull  >slil!  lived.  I  am  now  in\your  hands,  and  you  may  kill  me 
if  you  choose.  I  can  die  l.mt,  once,  and  it  is  alike"  to  me  Avhether  I  die 
now  or  at  another  time."  When  the'  men  presentf^d  themsclve?;  hefoic 
the  door,  for  the  purpose  of  killing  the  Indians,  Cornstalk's  son  mani- 
fested signs  of  fear,  on  ohserving  which,  liis  father  said,  "Don't  I)e  afraid, 
my  son;  the  Great- Spirit  sent  you  hereto  die  Avilh  mt,  and  ^ve  must  sub- 
mit to  his  will.      It  is  all  fyr  the  best. '^ 


:ii: 


CHAPTER IW 


WAI'PA'I'OMICA  CA.MPAKiN., 

1  NUKR  t!ie  command  of  Col.  Angus  W'Donald,  four  hahdred  n-.en  were 
collected  from  the  western  part  of  Virginia  by  the  order  of  the  earl  of 
Diinrnore,  the  then  governor  of  Virginia.     The  place  of  rendezvous  was 
AVheelinii;,  some  time  in  the  month  of  June,  1774.     Thev  went  down  the 
ri\  er  in  l.ioats  and  canoes  to  the  rnouth  of  Ca{>tina,  from  thence  by  the 
shortest  route  to  Wappatomica  town,  about  sixteen  miles  belo'^'  the  pre- 
sent (-oshocton.     The  pilots  were  Jonathan  Zane,  Thomas  Nicholson 
and  Tady  Kelly.     About  six  miles  frorti  the  town,  the  army  were  met  by 
a  party  of  Indians,  to  the  number  of  forty  or  fifty,  who  gave  a  skirniish 
by  the  way  of  ambuscade,  in  which  two  of  otir  men  were  killed  and  eight 
or  nine  wounded.     One  Indian  was  killed  and  several  wounded.     It  was 
supposed  that  several  more  of  them  were  killed,  but  they  were  carried  off. 
When  the  army  came  to  the  town,  it  was  found  evacuated.     The  Indi- 
ans had  retreated  to  the  of)posite   shore  of  the  river,  where  they  had 
i'ormed  an  ambuscade,  supposing  the  j)arly  would  cross  the  river  from  the 
town.     This  was  imirediately  discovered.     The  commanding  officer  then 
sent  sentinels  up  and  down  the  river,  to  give  lujtice,  in  case  the  Indians 
.sliould  attempt  to  cross  above  or  below  the  town.     A  pnvate  in  the  com- 
pany of  Capt.  Cresap,  of  the  nAm"^  of  John  Harnes^,  one  of  the  sentinels 
below  the  town,  displayed  the  skill  of  a  backwoods  sharpshooter.     See- 
ing an   Indian   behind  a  blind   across  the  river,   raising  up  his  head,  at 
lime-;,  to  look  over  the  river.  Harness  charged  his  rille  with  a  second  ball, 
and  taking  deliberate  aim,  passed  both  balls  through  the  neck  of  the  In- 
diin.     'I'lie  Indians  dra?!jed  ofT  the  body  and  buried  it  with  the  honors 
cf  w.ir.     It  was  found  the  next  morning  and  scalped  by  Harness. 

SoMi  ufitir  the  town  woi  ".aken,  the-  Indian*  from  the  opposite  shore 


^#EX    MCINTOSH  S^ CAMPAIGN.  176 

..sued  for  peace.  The  comiaunder  oO'cit'd  them  peace  on  coiidilioii  or' 
then*  sendias^  over  their  chiefs  as  hostafres.  Five  of  them  came  over  th(i 
river  and  were  put  iiuder  guard  as  liostages.  lu  the  morning  they  were 
marched  in  front  of  the  army  over  the  river.  When  the  party  liad  reached 
'';he  western  bank  of  the  Muskingum,  the  Indians  represented  that  th.-y 
could  not  make  peace  without  the  presence  of  the  chiefs  of  the  other 
towns:  on  which  one  of  the  chiefs  was  released  to  bring  in  the  others. 
He  did  not  return  in  the  appointed  time.  Another  chief  was  perfiiittcd  to 
go  on  the  same  errand,  who  in  like  mq,nner  did  not  return.  The  ])arty 
then  moved  up  the  riv«r  to  the  next  tow^u,  which  was  aLout  a  mile  above 
the  first,  and  on  the  oppositf.  shore.  Here  we  iiad  a  slight  skirmish  v>ith 
the  Indians,  in  which  one  of  them  was  killed  and  one  of  our  men  wound- 
ed. It  was  then  discovered,  that  during  all  the  time  spent  in  the  nego- 
tiation, the  Indians  were  employed  in  removing  their  women  and  chil- 
,dren,  old  people  and  effects,  i'rom  the  upper  towns.  Tiie  towns  were 
•burned  and  the  corn  cut  up.  The  \mri^-  then  returned  t(^  the  place  from 
which  tliey  sat  out,  bringing  with  them  the  three  remaining  chiefs,  who 
were  sent  to  Williamsburg.  They  were  released  at  the  peace  the  suc- 
^.■ceeding  fall. 

Tlie  army  were  out  of  })rovislt)ns  before  ttiey  lei'i  the  towns,  and  hiid 
to  subsist  on  weeds,  one  efu'  of  corn  e;icii  day^   v.ith  a  \ery  scanty  supply 
^of  jram.e.     The  corn  was  obljiined  at  oni  cf  the  ludian  tc-wns. 


■CHAPTER  V... 


GEN.  .MTNTOSirs.CAMl^AKiN. 

iN-the  spring  of  the  year -1773,  govcrnmejit  having  sent  a  small  force  oi' 
regular  troo})S,  under  the  comniarid  of  (S-cn.  iM'Intosh,  for  tht:  defcnst-  of 
the  western  frontier,  the  general,  with  the  regulars  and  miJilia  front  Fori 
Pitt,  descended  the  Ohio  about  thirty  miles,  and  built  I'ort'jVI'[ntosh,  on 
the  site  of  the  present  Be;iver  town.  'Ihe  fort  was  ma(i<;  with  strong 
stockades,  furnished  >vith  bastions,  and  mounted  with  one  G-pounder. 
This  statioii  was  weil  selected  as  a  point  for  a  small  rnihtary  force,  al- 
\vvvys  in  rcadiiUess  to  ij-ursuc  or  intercept  the  war  parties  of  Indiana,  who 
frequently  r^ade  hicursions  into  the  settlements  on  the  opposite  si(h'  o( 
the  river  in  its  immediate  neighborhood  The  fort  was  well  giuiisoned 
and  supplied  with  provisions  during  the  summer. 

Sometime  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year,  Gen.  M'lntosli  received  an  or- 
,der  from  goveinment  to  make  a  campaign  against  the  Sanchisky  towns. 
This  order  he  attempted  to  obe\  with  one  ihousaiid  men;  hut  owni'/ to 
jJio  delay  in  m:!kiiig   mcess;irv  t-iiliits  I'or  the   cxoi'diiiun,   tlu    olhct  i>.,   on 


J79.  GEN.    AriM'USirS  CAMPAIGN. 

rc.-itiiiinr  Tuscarawa,  lliduoht  it  l)csl  to  hall  at  that  plac:c,  build  and  nar- 
rison  a  ioit,  ajid  delay  the  farther  prosecution  ol'  the  campaiL!;n  until  llic 
next  spring.  Accordingly  they  erected  Fort  Laurens  on  the  bank  ol'  the 
Tuscarawa.  Some  time  after  the  completion  ol'  the  fort,  the  general  re- 
turned with  the  army  to  Fort  Pitt,  leaving  ,Col.  John  (Jlibson  with  a  com- 
mand of  one  luuuhed  and  fifty  men  to  j)rolect  tlie  fort  until  spring.  The 
Indians  were  soon  acquainted  with  the  existence  of  the  fort,  and  soon 
convinced  our  })eo})lc,  by  sad  expeiience,  of  the -bad  })olicy  of  building 
and  attempting  to  hold  a  fort  so  far  in  advance  of  our  settlements  aiul 
other  Ibrts. 

Tlie  lirst  annoyance  the  gajrison  rtjceived  from  th*,'  Indians  was  some 
lime  in  the  month  of  January.  In  the  night  time  they  caught  most  of 
the  horses  belonging  to  the  fort,  and  taking  them  ofT  some  distance  into 
the  woods,  they  took  off  their  bells,  and  formed  an  andyu.scade  by  the 
side  of  a  ])ath  leading  through  the  high  grass  of  a  prairi*;  at  a  little  dis- 
tance fi'om  the  fort.  In  the  morning  the  Indians  rattled  the  liorse  bells 
afthe  fui'tlier  end  of  the  line  ol'  the  ambuscade.  '^I'he  plan  succeeded;  a 
I'atigufe  o.f  sixteen  men  woj.it  out  for  th4'  horses  aiid  iill  into  the  snarci. 
Fourteen  were  killed  on  the  spot,  two  were  take;i  prisoner,';,  one  of  whom 
was  given  up  at  the  cloi;e  of  the  war,  the  other  was  never  afterwards 
lieard  of. 

Gen.  Ijerjjaanin  Biggf^,  t^hen  a  cajulaln  in  tlie  fort,  ^being  officer  of  the 
day,  requested  leave  of  the  colonel  to  go  out  with  the  fatigue  party, which 
fell  into  tlie  ambuscade.  "No,"  said  the  colonel,  "this  fatigue  party 
does  not  belong  to  a  captain's  command.  When  I  shall  have  occa.siou 
to  employ  oiie  of  that  ni^mber,  I  shall  be  thankful  for  }()ur  service;  at  pre- 
sent you  miist  atterul  td  your  duty  in  the  foit.'"  On  what  trivial  circum- 
stances (!o  life  aiuf  death  sometimes  depeiul! 

In  l!:e  exeninj:  of  the  dav  of  the  ambuscade,  the  wh'^le  Indian  army, 
in  fidl  vyar  dress  and  p;iiiited,  mhrclied  in  single  file  through  a  j)rairie  in 
view  of  die  I'oi't.  Theii-  iiiiiid)er,  as  counted  from  oiu'  oi"  the  bastioiisj 
>\as  ciglit  hundred  aiul  lorly-seven..  They  then  took  Uj)  their  encamp- 
inent  on  an  elevated  piece  of  groiuid  at  a'sinalj  d'istaiu,-e  Irom  the  fori,  on 
the  opp(!sitc  sifle  of  tiie  river.  From  this  (."imp  they  I'requcntly  lu'ld  con- 
'versatio'ua  .v.'illi  die  [x  ojile  of  our  garrison.  In  these  conversations,  they 
seiMued  'to  deplore  die  long  continuance  of  the  war  and  hoped  for  peace; 
but  were  iiiUcli  e\asp(  rated  at  the  Anu'ricans  for  alteiuptinn"  to  )>ei)elra{(; 
so  far  int(>' their  couudv.  This  great  body  of  Indians  continued  the  in- 
vestment (;f  the  fort,  iiS  long  as  they  could  obtain  subsistence,  which  v\as 
alxiiM  six  wct'ks. 

Au  rild  Indian  i)y  tiic  name  of  John  Thomjison,  -who  was  with  the 
Airierieiii  army  in  the  fort,  frequently  went  (Mil  among  the  Jndians  dur- 
ing their  stay'  at  then  eiicamjtuu^nl,  with  the  mutual  consent  of  both  )iar- 
lies.  A  short  liine  befoi*  tin'  Indians  Ini  llir  place,  they  sent  word  to 
Col.  Gibson,  bv  the  old  Indian,  that  they  were  desirous  of  jieaee,  and 
that  if  he  would  send  theni  a  barrel  f)f  (lour  they  would  send  in  their  pro- 
posals the  next  day;  t)iit  altt)oiiL:h  the  colonel  complied  with  their  request, 
,lJie\'  iiv,ii-clie(|  oil'  widioMi  Inirilliiiu'  their  engagenienl. 

riiL  c'tjunjander,  f5iij»po.>iiig  d.e  whole  iiumbei  ol  the  Indians,  had  gone 


^E\.  ^riNTUSirs   CAAlPAiCN.  m) 

,..eff, -gave  jicnaissioii  to  Col.  Clark,  of  the  Pennsylvania  lino,  io  escort  liie 
invalids,  to  the  number  ©i'  elesen  or  twelve,  to  Fort  M'liilosli.  'J'lip 
whole  number  of  this  de'tachment  was  fifteen.  The  wars  Inilians  had 
left  a  party  behind,  for  the  purpose  of  doing  mischief,  'i'lu'si-  attacked 
this  party  of  invalids  and  the  escort,  about  tvro  miles  from  their  iort,  and 
killed  the  whole  of  them  with  the  exception  of  four,  amongst  whom  was 
the  captain,  who  ran  back  to  the  fort.  On  the  same  d.iy  a  detachment 
went  out  from  the  fort,  brought  in  the  dead,  and  buried  llicm  with  the 
honors  of  war,  in  front  of  the  fort  gate. 

In  three  or  four  days  after  this  disaster,  a  relief  of  seven  iiundrt-d  men, 
under  Gen.  M'Intosh,  arrived  at  the  fort  with  a  sup})!y  of  provisions,  a 
great  part  of  which  was  lost  by  an  untoward  accident.  WJien  the  relief 
had  reached  within  about  one  hundred  yards  of  the  fort,  the  irarrison  "mvc 
them  a  salute  of  a  general  discharge  of  musketry,  at  (!;e  re[)ort  of  which 
the  pack  horses  took  fright,  broke  loose  and  scattered  the  jirovisions  in 
every  direction  through  the  woods,  so  that  the  greater  jiart  of  them  could 
never  be  recovered  again. 

Among  other  transactions  which  took  place  about  this  time,  was  that 
of  gathering  up  the  remains  of  the  fourteen  men  for  interment,  who  had 
fallen  in  the  ambuscade  daring  the  winter,  and  which  could  not  be  done 
during  the  investment  of  the  place  by  the  Indians.  They  were  found 
inostly  devoured  by  the  wolves.  The  fatigue  party  dug  a  pit  large 
enough  to  contain  the  remains  of  all  of  them,  and  after  depositing  them  in 
the  pit,  merely  covering  them  witli  a  little  earth,  with  a  view  to  have  re- 
venge on  the  wolves  for  devouring  their  companions,  they  covered  the 
pit  with  slender  sticks,  rotten  wood  antl  bits  of  bark,  not  of  sufficient 
strength  to  bear  the  Aveight  of  a  wolf.  On  the  top  of  this  covering  they 
placed  a  piece  of  meat,  as  a  bait  for  the  Avolves,  The  next  morning  seven 
of  them  weie  found  in  the  pit.      They  were  shot  and  the  pit  filled  up. 

For  about  two  weeks  before  the  relief  arrived,  the  gairisou  liati  been 
put  on  short  allow^ance  of  half  a  pound  of  sour  flour  and  an  e(iual  weiglit 
of  stinking  rrieat  for  every  two  days.  Tiie  greater  part  of  the  last  week, 
they  had  nolliing  to  subsist  on  but  such  roots  as  they  could  find  \n  tjie 
woods  and  prairies,  and  raw  hides.  Two  men  lost  their  lives  by  eating 
wild  parsnip  roots  by  mistake.  Four  more  nearly  shared  the  same  fate, 
but  were  saved  by  medical  aid. 

On  the  evening  of  the  arrival  of  the  relief,  two  days'  raticms  were  issued 
to  each  man  in  the  fort.  Theses  rations  were  intejxled  as  their  allowance 
during  their  march  to  Fort  M'Intosh;  but  many  of  the  men,  suj)})0sing 
them  to  have  been  back  rations,  ate  up  the  whole  of  their  allowance  be- 
fore the  next  morning.  In  consequence  of  this  im[)rudence,  in  eating 
immoderately  after  such  extreme  starvation  from  tlie  waiit  of  provisions, 
about  forty  of  the  men  became  faint  and  r;ick  during  the  first  day's  inarch. 
On  the  second  day,  liowever,  lh(^  suiTerers  were  met  by  a  great  number 
of  their  friends  from  the  seltlcnicnts  Io  which  they  belonged,  by  whom 
they  were  amply  supplied  Avlth  provisions,  and  thus  saved  from  purish- 
ing. 

.Nfaj.  A  enion,  wlio  siiccceded  Col.  Cibsou  in  the  cninmnnd  of  Fort 
Laurens,  contiibueij  iis  possession  un'il  ilic  ivxl  fdl,  when  the  garrison, 


1 S I  ^MOIU  \  i  A \  .X"'A.MPAiG.S . 

aflcr  !ji'in;jj,'Ukt:  llicir  predecessors,  reduced  almost  to  starvation,  evacu-g 
ted  tlie  })!aee. 

Thus  ended  tlic  disastrous  business  of  Fort  Laurens,  in  whieli  muck 
fatigue  an-1  suiTeting  were  endured  and  many  lives  lost,  but  without  any 
beuelieial  result  to  ihe  country. 


-:o:- 


CHAPTER  ¥1. 


THE  MORAVIAN  CAMPAIGN. 

This  ever  nu-niorable  rampaign  took  phice  in  the  month  of  March, 
1782.  The  weather,  chiring'  the  greater  part  of  the  month  of  February, 
h.ul  been  uncommonly  fine,  so  that  the  war  parties  from  Sandusky  visited 
the  set'dements,  and  committed,  ch'predations  earlier  than  usual.  The 
f.iinily  ol'  a  William  Wallace,  consisting  of  his  wife  and  live  or  six  chil- 
'Iren,  were  killed,  and  John  ('arpenter  taken  prisoner.  These  events 
look  j)lace  in  the  latter  part  of  February.  The  early  period  at  which 
those  fatal  visitations  of  the  Indians  toc>k  |»lace,  led  to  the  conclusion  that 
the  murderers  were  either  Moravians,  or  that  the  warriors  had  had  their 
winter  ((uarters  at  their  towns  on  the  Muskingum.  In  either  case,  the 
M(^ravi;ins  l)cing  in  fault,  the  safety  of  the  frontier  settlements  required 
the  destruction  of  their  establishments  at  that  place. 

Accordinfily,  between  eighty  and  ninety  men  were  hastily  collected  to- 
gether for  ihf  fatal  enterprise.  They  rendezvoused  and  encamped  the 
lirst  night  on  the  Mingo  bottom,  on  the  west  side  of  the  Ohio  river. 
Each  man  furnished  hiiAself  with  his  ov.'n  arms,  ammunition  and  provi- 
sion. Many  of  tlicni  had  horses.  The  second  days  march  brought  thenr 
witliin  one  mile  of  the  middle  Moravian  town,  where  they  encamped  tor 
ill'.'  niglit.  In  ihi^  mornin;-';  \\\r  nien  wrw  divided  into  two  ef(nal  [)arties, 
c)ne  ot'  whieh  was  to  cross  the  river  ahout  a  mile  above  the  town,  their 
videttes  h  ivinjj;  rej);)rfed  that  there  were  Indians  on  both  sides  of  the  river. 
The  other  party  was  dividerl  into  three  divisions,  one  of  which  was  to 
take  a  circuit  in  the  woods,  and  reach  the  v'wcv  a  little  distance  below  the 
town,  on  the  east  side.  Another  division  was  to  tall  into  t!ie  middle  of 
ihe  town,  and  the  third  at  its  upper  end. 

WluMi  th('  party  which  designed  to  make  tho  attack  on  the  west  side 
had  reached  the  river,  they  foimd  no  craft  tr)  inkc  them  over,  but  some- 
thing likf  a  canoe  was  sr-en  on  thf  opposite  bank.  The  river  was  high 
with  some  llfKiting  ice.  A  young  man  of  the  name  of  Slaughter  swam  the 
river  and  brought  over,  not  a  canor,  but  a  trough  designed  for  liolding 
sugar  water.  This  trough  could  carry  but  two  men  at  a  time.  In  order 
to  cxnc;'.ile  their  passi^^'j  '^  number  of  men  stripped  off  their  clothes,  put 


MOR^tVI.-VN  CAMPAIGN/  1^2 

'iicm  into  the  Irdugli,  togeOier  v.'ltli  llieir  guns,  ;;r.J  s\v.;ivi  Iv,  ii>  suies,' 
holding  its  edges  with  tlieir  liruuls.  When  about  sixteen  IkkI  crossed 
the  river,  their  two  sentinels,  who  had  l)een  posted  in  advance,  discovered 
an  Indian  whose  name  was  Shabosh.  One  ot"  them  broke  one  of  his 
nrms  by  a  shot.  A  shot  from  the  other  sentinel  killed  lii'm.  These  heroes 
then  scalped  and  tomahawked  him. 

By  this  time  about  sixteen  men  had  got  over  the  river,  and  suppr?Ving_ 
that  the  firino:  of  the  smns  whicdi  killed  Sliabosh  woukl  lead  1o  an  instant' 
discovery,  they  sent  word  to  the  party" designed  to  attacn  the  (own  on  the 
east  side  of  the  river  to  move  on  instantly,  which  they  did. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  small  party  Vfhich  had  crossed  the  river,  marched 
with  all  speed  to  the  main  town  on  tire  west  side  of  the  river.  Here  they 
found  a  large  company  of  Indians  gathering  the  coin  which  they  had  left 
in  their  fiekls  the  preceding  fall  when  they  removed  to  Sandusky.  On 
the  arrival  of  the  men  at  the  town,  they  professed  peace  and  good  will  to 
the  Moravians,  and  informed  them  that  they  had  come  to  take  them  to ' 
Fort  Pitt  for  their  safety.  The  Indians  surrendered,  delivered  up  their 
arms,  and  appeared  highly  delighted  with  the  prospect  of  their  removal, 
ajui  began  whh  all  speed  to  prepdre  victuals  for  the  white  men  and  for 
themselves  on  their  journey. 

A  party  of  white  men  and  Indians  \vas  immediately  dispatched  to  Sa^ 
lein,  a  short  distance  from  Gnadenhutten,  where  the  Indians  were  iruthcr- 
ing  in  their  corn,  to  bring  them  into  GnadenhQtten.  The  party  soon  arri- 
ved with  the  whole  number  of  the  Indians  from  Salem. 

In  the  mean  time  the  Indians  from  Gnadenhutten  were  confined  in  two  ' 
iiouses  some  distance  apart,  and  placed  under  guard;   and  when  those 
from  Salem  arrived,  they  were  divided,  and  placed  in  the  same  houses 
with  their  brethren  of  Gnadenhutten, 

The  prisoners  being  thus  secured,  a  council  of  war  w^as  held  to  decide 
on  their  fate.  The  officers,  uhwilling  to  take  on  themselves  the  whole 
responsibility  of  the  decision,  agreed  to  refer  the  question  to  the  whole 
number  of  the  men.  The  men  were  accordingly  drawn  up  in  a  line, 
'j'he  commandant  of  the  party,  Col.  David  Williamson,  then  put  the  ques- 
tion to  them  in  form,  "Whether  the  Moravian  Indiaris  should  be  taken 
prisoners  to  Pittsburg,  or  put  to  death,  and  requested  that  all  those  who 
were  in  favor  of  saving  their  lives  should  step  out  of  the  line  and  form  a 
second  rank."  On  this  sixteen,  some  say  eighteen,  stepped  out  of  the 
rank,  and  formed  themselves  into  a  second  line;  but  alas!  this  line  o[ 
mercy  was  far  too  short  for  that  of  vengeance. 

The  fate  of  the  Moravians  was  then  decided  on,  and  tiuw  were  told  to 
prepare  for  death. 

The  prisoners,  from  the  time  they  were  placed  in  the  guard-l)Ouse,  fore- 
saw their  fate,  and  began  their  devotions  by  singing  hymns,  praying,  and 
exhorting  each  other  to  place  a  hrm  reliance  in  the  mercy  of  tiie  Savior  of 
men.  When  their  fate  was  announced  to  them,  these  devoted  ])eople 
embraced,  kissed,  and  bedewing  each  others'  faces  and  bosoms  with 
their  mutual  tears,  asked  pardon  of  the  brothers  and  sisters  for  any  ofTense 
they  might  have  given  them  tlirough  life.  Thus,  at  peace  with  their  God 
and   each   other,    on  bein<->-  a'-Tred"  bv  those  wh'o  were  iinpatif^nt   for  tiic 


slaunliler.-'' Whelliicr  they  were  rcafJy  to  die?"  thev  answcreil  "tliat  thev^ 
had  cominftidrd  their  souls  to  God,  and  were  ready  to  die." 

The  parlicidjrs  of  this  dreadful  catastrophe  are  too  horrid  to  relate. ' 
SuUice  it  to  say,  that  in  a  few  minutes  these  two  slaujrhter-houses,  as 
they  wereUlKMi- called,  exhibited  in  their  ghastly  interior,  the  mantrled, 
bleeding  remain^,  of  th(?se  poor  an fortuftnte  people,  of  all  ages  and  sexes, 
fi-oui  the  aged  uraylieaded  ])aront,  down  to  the  hrlpless  infant  at  the  moth-- 
er\s  breast,  dishonored  by  the  iaial  wounds  of  the  tonraliawk,  n.'.ullel,  war 
club,  spear  and  scalping-knife. 

Inus,  (>'  Bvaiuard  and  Zeisberger!  fditlifnl  missionaries,  v.'hn  deyoted 
your  whole  lives  to  incessant  toil  and  sufierings  in  your  endeavors  to  make 
the  wilderness  of  paganism  "rejoice  and  blossom  as  the  rose,"  in  faith 
and  piely  to  f'bd!  thus  perished  your  faitlil'ul  followers,  l)y  the  murder- 
ous hands  of  ih"  more  than  savage  white  men.  Faithful  pastors!  Your 
spirits  are  again  associated  with  those  of  your  flock,  "  v^here  the  Avicked' 
cease  from  troubling  and  the  weary  are  at  rest !" 

The  number  of  the  slain,  as  reported  by  the  men  on  their  return  from' 
the  campaign,  was  eighty-seven  or  eighty-nine;  but  the  Moravian  account, 
which  no  doubt  is  correct,  makes  the  number  ninety-six.     Of  these,  sixty- 
two  were  grown  persons,  one-third  of  whom  •^vere  women;  the  remaining 
thirty-four  v/ert.-  childreli.      All  these,  with  a- few  exceptions,  were  killed 
in  tiie  liOusfS.-     Shabosh  was  killed  about  a  mile  above  the  town,  on  the  . 
west  side' of  the' riv<M-.     His  wife  was  killed  wliile  entleavorinof  to  conceal 
herself  in  a  bunch  of  bushes  at  the  water's  edire^  on  the  arrival  of  the 
men  at  ti^e  town,  on  the  east  side  of  the  river.-    A  man  at  the  same  time 
was  shot  ill'  a  can^c,   while  attemj)ting  to  make  his  escape  from  ihe  east 
to  the  west  sirleof  the  river.     Two  others  were'shot  while  attempting  to 
esca|>e  by  swimming  the  river.     A  few  men,  who  were  supposed  to  be 
warriors,  were  lied  and  takeii  some  distance  from  the  slaughter  houses, 
to  be  tomuha'A'ked.     One  of  these  liad  like  to  have  made  liis  escape  at 
the  expense  of  the  life  of  one  of  the  murderers.     The  rope  by  which  he 
was  led  was  of  some  length.     The  two  men  who  were  conducting  him  to 
death  fell  into  a  dispute  who  sliould  have  the  scalp.     The  Indian,  while 
marc'iing  with  a  kind  of  dancing  motion,   and  singing  his  death  sonoT, 
drew  a  knife  front  a  scabbard   suspended  round  his  neck,  cut  the  rope, 
and  aimed  at  stabbing  one  oi'the  men;  but  the  jerk  of  the  rope  occasion- 
ed the  men  to  look  round.      The  Indian  then  lied  towards  the  woods,  and 
wliile  running,  dexterouf^ly  untied  the  rope  from  his  wrists.     He  was  in- 
stantly pursued  by  several  men  who  fired  at  him,  one  of  wliom  wounded 
liim  in  the  arm.     After  a  few  shots  the  firing  was  forbidden,  for  fear  the 
men  might  kill  eaidi  othi  r  as  tlu^y  W(,'n'  running  iu  a  straggling  manner. 
A  young  rnan  then   mounted   on  a  liorse  and   jiursued   the   Indian,   who 
when  overtaken    struck  the  horse  on  the  he.'ul  with  a  clu!).     'I'he  rider 
sprang  from  the  horse,  on  which  the  Intlian  seized,  threw  him  down  and 
drew  his  tomahawk  to  kill  him.-    At  that  instant,  one  of  the  party  got 
near  enough  to  shoot  the  Indian,  wliich  he  did  merely  in  time  to  save  the 
life  of  his  com[)anion. 

Of  the  whole  niimber  of  the  Indians  at  Gnidenhutten  an'l  Salem,  only 
tw  1  m  uir:  their  c.?cape.     These  w?re  two  lads  of  fourteen  or  fifteen  years 


MORAVIAN   CA.MPAiaX.  184 

61  age.  Ojie  of  them,  'al'lcr  being  knoe.keJ  clown  and  ftealped,  i)iit  not 
killed,  had  the  presence  of  muid  to  lie  still  among  the  dead,  until  the  dusk 
ot"  the  evening,  when  he  silently  crept  out  of  the  door  and  iniule  his  es- 
cape. The  other  lad  slipped  throutrh  a  trap  door  into  the  cellar  of  one 
of  the  slaughter  houses,  from' which  life  made  his  escape  through  a  small 
cellar  window. 

These  two  lads  were  fortur'iate  in  getting  together  in  the  woods  the 
same  night.  Another  lad,  somewhat  largei",  in  attcm])tingto  pass  throu<'li 
the  same  window,  it  is  supposed  stuck  fast  and  \"/as  burnt  alive. 

The  Indians  of  the  upper  town  were  apprised  of  their  danger  in  due 
time' to  make  their  escape,  two  of  them  having  found  the  mangled  boilv 
of  Shabosh.  Providentially  they  all  made  their  escape,  ahhough  thcv 
niight  have  been  easily  overtaken  by  the  party,  if  they  had  undeilaken 
their  pursuit.  A  division  of  the'men  were  ordered  to  go  to  Shonbrun; 
biit  finding'  the  place  deserted,  they  took  what  plunder  they  could  find, 
and  returned  to  their  companions  without  looking  farther  after  the  In- 
dians, 

,  After  the  wxnk  of  death  wnas  finished,  and  tlie  plunde'r  secured,  all  the 
buildings  in  the  town  were  set  on  fire  and  the  slauirhter  houses  amonf 
the  rest.  The  dead  bodies  were  thus  consumed  to  ashes.  A  rapid  re- 
treat to  the  settlements  finished  the  campaign. 

Such  were  tlm  principal  events  of  this  horrid  affair.'  A  massacre  of 
innocent,  unoffending  people,  dishonorable  not  only  to  our  country,  but 
human  nature  itself. 

Before  making  any  reinarks  on  the  causes  which  led  to  the  disgraceful 
events  under  consideration,  it  may  be  proper  to  notice  the  manner  in 
which  the  enterprise  was  conducted,  as  furnishing  evidence  that  the  mur- 
der of  the  Moravians  was  intended,  and  that  no  resistance  from  them  was 
anticipated. 

In  a  mditary  point  of  view,  the  Moravian  campaign  was  conducted  in 
the  very  worst  manner  imaginable.  It  was  undertaken  at  so  early  a 
period,  that  a  deep  fall  of  snow,  a  thing  very  common  in  the  early  part  of 
Alarcli  in  former  times,  would  have  defeated  the  enterprise.  When  the 
army  came  to  the  river,  instead  of  const'"ucting  a  sutlicient  number  of 
rafts  to  transport  the  requisite  number  over  the  river  at  once,  they  com- 
menced crossing  in  a  sugar  trough,  which  could  carry  only  two  men  ;it  a 
timfe,  thus  jeopardizing  the  safety  of  those  who  first  went  over.  'I'he 
two  sentinels  who  shot  Shabosh,  according  to  mililary  law  ought  lo  have 
been  executed  on  the  spot  for  having  fired  without  orch^rs,  tiierchy  giving 
preinature  notice  of  the  approach  of  our  men.  The  truth  is,  nearly  the 
whole  number  of  the  army  ought  to  have  been  transported  over  the  river; 
ibr  after  all  their  forces  employed,  and  prcciiution Used  in  getting  posses- 
sion of  the  town  on  the  east  side  of  the  river,  there  were  but  one  mun  ;ind 
one  squaw  found  in  it,  all.  the  others  being  on  the  other  side.  This  cir- 
cumstance they  ought  to  have  known  beforehand,  and  acted  nfrnrflingly. 
The  Indians  on  the  west  side  of  the  rive:  amounted  to  about  nighly, 
and  among  them  above;  thirty  men,  l)esides  a  number  of  young  lads,  all 
possessed  of  guns  and  well  accustomed  to  the  use  of  them;  vet  this  lai'ge 

\ 


1 S5  Ai OiiA  \  1  AN  CA'MPA'IGK.' 

number  was  attacked  by  about  sixteen  men.  If  they  had  really  anticipa-' 
ted  resistance,  they  deserved  to  lose  their  lives  for  their  rashness.  It  is 
presumable,  however,  that  having  full  confidence  in  the  pacific  principles 
of  the  Moravians,  they  did  not  expect  resistance;  but  calculated  on  blood 
and  plunder  v/ithout  having  a  shot  fired  at  them.  If  this  was  really  the 
case,  the  author  leaves  it  to  justice  to  find,  if  it  can,  a  name  for  the  trans- 
action. 

One  can  hardly  h^lp  reflecting  with  regret,  that  these  Moravians  did 
not  I'or  the  moment  lay  aside  tlnnr  pacific  principles  and  do  themselves 
justice.  With  a  mere  show  of  defense,  or  at  most  a  few  shots,  they  might 
have  captured  and  disarmed  those  few  men,  and  held  them  as  hostages 
for  the  safety  of  theirpeople  and  prr)perty  until  they  could  have  removed 
them  out  of  their  way.  This  they  might  have  done  on  the  easiest  terms, 
as  the  remainder  of  the  army  could  not  have  crossed  the  river  without  their 
permission,  as  there  was  but  one  canoe  at  the  place,  and  the  river  too  high 
to  be  forded.  But  alas  !  these  truly  christian  people  suffered  themselves 
to  be  betrayed  by  hypocritical  ju'ofessions  of  friendship,  until  "they  were 
led  as  sheep  to  the  slaughter."  Over  this  horrid  deed  humanity  must 
shed  tears  of  commisseration,  as  long  as  the  record  of  it  shall  remain. 

Let  not  the  reader  suppose  that  I  have  presented  him  with  a  mere  im- 
aginary possibility  of  defense  on  the  part  of  the  Moravians.  This  defense 
would  hiive  been  an  easy  task.  Our  people  did  not  go  on  that  campaign 
with  a  viev*'  of  fighting.  There  may  have  been  some  brave  men  among 
ihem;  but  they  were  far  from  being  all  such.  For  rn^  part,  I  cannot  sup- 
po.se  for  a  moment  that  any  white  man,  M'ho  can  harbor  a  thought  of 
using  his  arms  for  the  killing  of  women  and  children  in  any  case,  can  be 
a  brave  man.     No,  he  is  a  murderer. 

Tlie  history  of  the  Moravian  settleraents  on  the  Muskingum,  and  the 
peculiar  circumstances  of  their  inhabitants  during  the  revolutionary  con- 
test between  Great  Britain  and  America,  deserve  a  place  here. 

In  the  year  1772,  the  IMoravian  villages  were  commenced  by  emigra- 
tions from  Friedensludten  on  the  Big  Beaver,  and  from  Wyalusing  and 
Sheshequon  on  the  Susquehanna,  In  a  short  time  they  rose  to  consider- 
able extent  and  prosperity,  containing  uj)wards  of  four  hundred  people. 
During  the  summer  of  Dunmorc's  war,  they  were  much  annoyed  by  war 
])arties  olthe  Indians,  and  disturbed  by  perpetual  rumors  of  the  ill  inten- 
tions of  the  white  peoj)le  of  the  frontier  settlements  towards  them ;  yet 
their  labors,  schools  aiul  religious  exercises,  went  on  without  inleirup- 
tion. 

In  the  revolutionary  war,  which  began  in  1775,  the  situation  of  the 
Moravian  selllcnKiits  was  truly  deplorable.  The  English  had  associated 
with  their  own  means  of  warfare  against  the  Americans,  the  scalping 
knife  and  tomahawk  of  the  merciless  Indians.  These  allies  of  England 
(•(•mraiited  the  most  horrid  depredations  along  the  whole  extent  of  our 
defenseless  frontier.  From  cnrly  in  the  spring  until  late  in  the  fill!,  the 
early  settlers  of  the  western  ])art:-  of  Virginia  and  Pennsylvania  liad  to 
submit  to  the  severest  liardshijjs  and  privations.  Cooped  up  in  little 
stockade  forts,  they  worked  their  littl^^  fields  in  parties  under  arms  guard- 
ed bv  sentinels,  and  vv*re  doomed  from  d:jy  to  i!ay  to  wiluw-^  or  lienr  i;e- 


MQ-RAVIAN  CAMiMlGX.  186 

•ports  of  the  murders  or  captivity  of  their  people,  the  burning  of  tlieir 
houses,  and  the  plunder  of  their  property. 

The  war  with  the  English  lleets  and  armies,  on  the  other  side  of  the 
mountains,  was  of  such  a  character  as  to  engage  the  whole  attention  and 
resources  of  our  government,  so  that,  poor  as  the  first  settlers  of  this  coun- 
try were,  they  had  to  bear  almost  the  whole  burden  of  the  war  during  the 
revolutionary  contest.  They  chose  their  own  officers,  furnished  their 
own  means,  and  conducted  the  war  in  their  own  way.  Thus  circumstan- 
ced, "they  became  a  law  unto  themselves,"  and  on  certain  occasions 
perpetrated  acts  which  government  was  compelled  to  disapprove.  This 
lawless  temper  of  our  people  was  never  fully  dissipated  until  the  conclu- 
sion of  the  whiskey  rebellion  in  1794. 

The  Moravian  villages  were  situated  between  the  settlements  of  the 
whites  and  the  towns  of  the  warriors,  about  sixty  miles  from,  the  foiiner, 
and  not  much  farther  from  the  latter.  On  this  accoimt  they  were  deno- 
minated "the  half-way  houses  of  the  warriors.*?  Thus  placed  between 
two  rival  powers  engaged  in  furious  vvarfare,  the  preservation  of  their 
neutrality  was  no  easy  task,  perhaps  impossible.  If  it  requires  the  same 
physical  force  to  preserve  a  neutral  station  among  belligerent  nations  that 
it  does  to  prosecute  a  war,  as  is  unquestionably  the,-case,  this  pacific  peo- 
ple had  no  chance  for  the  preservation  of  theirs.  The  very  goodness  of 
their  hearts,  their  aversion  to  the  shedding  of  human  blood,  brought  them 
into  difficulties  with  both  parties.  When  they  sent  their  runners  to  Fort 
Pitt,  to  inform  us  of  the  approach  of  the  war  parties,  or  received,  fed,  se- 
creted and  sent  home  prisoners,  who  had  made  their  escape  from  the  sava- 
ges, they  made  breaches  of  their  neutrality  as  to  the  belligerent  Indians. 
Their  furnishing  the  warriors  with  a  resting  place  and  provisions  was 
contrary  to  their  neutral  engagements  to  us ;  but  their  local  situation  ren- 
dered those  accommodations  to  the  warriors  unavoidable  on  their  part,  as 
the  vvarnors  possessed  both  the  will  and  the  means  to  compel  them  to 
.give  whatever  they  wanted  from  thenn. 

The  peaceable  Indians  first  fell  under  suspicion  with  the  Indian  war- 
riors and  the  EngKsh  commandant  at  Detroit,  to  whom  it  was  reported 
that  their  teachers  were  in  close  confederacy  v,'ith  the  American  congress, 
fcxr  preventing  not  only  their  own  people,  but  also  the  Delawares  ancl 
some  other  nations,  from  associating  their  arras  with  those  of  the  British 
for  .carrying  on  the  war  against  the  American  colonies. 

The  frequent  failures  of  the  war  expeditions  of  the  Indians  was  attribu- 
ted to  thf:  Moravians,  who  often  sent  runners  to  Fort  Pitt  to  give  notice 
of  their  approach.  This  charge  against  them  was  certainly  not  without 
foundation.  In  the  spring  of  the  year  1781  the  war  chiefs  of  the  Dela- 
wares fully  apprised  the  missionaries  and  their  followers  of  their  danger 
both  from  the  whites  and  Indians,  and  requested  them  to  remove  to  a 
])lace  of  safety  from  both.  This  request  was  not  complied  with,  and  the 
almost  prophetic  predictions  of  the  chiefs  were  literally  fidnlied. 

In  the  fall  of  ^he  year  17S1,  the  settlements  of  the  Moravians  wei'e 
broken  up  by  upwarcls  of  three  himdred  warriors,  and  the  missionaries 
taken  prisoners,  after  being  robbed  of  almost  every  thing.  The  In^hans 
were  left  to  shift  for  theniKcIves  in  th(-  !)anr:i  j)!:iins  o['  S;iri(luskv,  where 


187  MOhAVIAX   CAM-PAIGX. 

most  ot'  tliL'ir  horses  -.md  c:\i\\v  ])('rislied  Iroin  liiminc  diuirig  the  \viiitiJ(" 
'The  missionaries  were  taken  prisoners  to  Detroit ;  but  after  an  examina- 
tion bv  the  governor,  were  permitted  to  return  to  their  beloved  people 
again. 

In  the  latter  [)art  of  February,  a  party, of  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  of 
the  Moiavi;in  Indians  returned  to  their  deserted  villages  on  the  Muskin- 
gum, to  procure  corn  to  keep  their  families  and  cattle  from  starving.  Of 
these,  ninety-six  fell  into  the  hands  of  Williamson  and  his  party,  and  were 
murdered. 

The  causes  which  led  to  the  murder  of  the  Moravians  are  now  to  be 
detailed. 

The  pressure  of  the  Indinn  war  along  the  whole  of  tlie  western  frontier, 
for  several  years  {)receding  the  event  imder  consideration,  had  been  dread- 
fully severe.  From  early  in  the  spring,  until  the  commencement  of  win- 
ter, from  day  to  day  murdcis  were  committed  in  eveiy  direetjon  by  the 
Indians.  The  people  lived  in  forts  which  were  in  the  higliest  degree 
uncomfort;ri)le.  '  The  men  were  harrassed  continually  with  tiie  duties  of 
going  on  scouts  and  campaigns.  There  was  scarcely  a  family  of  the  hrst 
settlers  who  did  not,  at  some  time  or  oilier,  lose  more  or  less  of  their 
<iumber  by  tliP  merciless  Indians.  Their  cattle  w;ere  killed,  t^eir  cabins 
burned,  and  their  horses  carried  off.  These  losses  jwere  severely  felt  by 
a  people  so  poor  as  we  were  at  that  time.  Thus  circumstanced,  our  peo- 
])le  were  exas])erated  to  madness  by  the  extent  and  s<-'verity  of  the  war. 
The  unavailing  endeavors  of  the  American  congress  to  prevent  the  Indi- 
ans from  taking  u])  the  hatchet  against  .either  side  in  "the  rcyolutionaiy 
contest,  contributed  mueh  to  increase  the  general  indignation  against 
them,  at  the  same  time  those  pacific  enrleavors  of  our  government  divided 
the  Indians  amongst  themselves  on  the  question  of  war  or  peace  with 
ihe, whites.  The  Moravians,  part  of  the  Delawares,  and  some  otheis, 
iaithfuiiv  endeavored  to  preserve  peace,  but  in  vain.  The  Indian  maxim 
was,  "he  that  is  not  for  us  is  against  us.'-'  Hence  the  Moravian  missicui- 
aries  and  their  followers  were  several  tinies  on  t4ie  point  of  being  mur- 
dered by  the  warriors.  This  would  have  bc^n  done  had  it  not  been  for 
the  })nidciit  cnndurt  of  some  of  the  war  chiefs. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  local  situation  of  the  Moravian  villages  excited 
•the  jealousy  of  tlie  M'hite  ])eoj,le.  W  they  took  no  direct  agency  in  the 
war,  yet  thev  were,  ?i?<  they  were  llien  called,  "half-way  houses"  between 
.us  and  tlje 'warrior.i,  at  which  the  latter  cniild  slop,  rest,  refresh  *them- 
.i^elvcs,  and  tralTick  off  tlieir  i)luiidrr.  Whether  these  aids,  thus, given  to 
our  enemies,  were  contrary  to  tlie  l-iws  of  neutrality  between  .iK-Hlgerenls, 
is  a  question  which  I  willingly  leave  to  the  decision  of  ciytliaiis.  On  the 
part  of  the  Moravians  they  Avere  unavoidable.  If  they  did  not  give  or 
sell  prrtvisions  to  the  warriors,  lliey  would  take  them  ;by  force.  'I'hc-  laiilt 
was  ill  ttieir  situation,  not  in  themselves. 

The  longer  the  war  continnerl,  the  more  our  people  comjilained  of  the 
,«;itualion  of  the.'^e  Moravian  villnges.  It  was  said  that  it  was  owing  to 
■their  being  sf)  near  us,  that  the  warriors  commenced  their  depredations 
jjo  farlv  in  itie  spring,  and  roniinncd  thejn  nnlil  so  late  in  the  tall. 

in  liic  latter  end  of  i)ir  year  ]7Ki,  tJLr  nrJitia  ol"  the  frontier  came  to  d 


•MORAVIAN  CAMPA'K.X.  ISS 

, determination  to  break  up  the  IMoravian  villages  on  the  MusL-ingum. 
For  this  purpose  a  detachment  of  our  UiCn  went  out  under  the  conjmand 
.01  Col.  David  Williamson,  lor  the  purpose  of  inducing  the  Indians  \vii.h 
their  teachers  to  move  farther  off,  or  bring  them  prisoners  to  Fort  Pitt. 
When  ihey  arrived  at  the  villages  they  found  but  few  Indians,  the  greater 
number  of  them  having  removed  to  Sandusky.  These  few  were  well 
treated,  taken  to  Fort  Pitt,  and  delivered  to  the  commandant  i^'  that  sta- 
tion, who  after  a  short  detention  sent  them  home  again. 

This  procedure  gave  great  offense  to  the  people  of  the  country,  who 
.thought  the  Indians  ought  to  jiave  been  killed.  Col.  Williamson,  who, 
before  this  little  campaign,  had  been  a  very  popular  raan,  on  account  of 
his  activity  and  bravery  in  war,  now  became  the  subject  of  severe  ani- 
madversion on  account  of  his  lenity  to  the  Moravian  Indians.  In  justicu 
^to  his  memory  J  have  to  say,  that  although  at  that  time  very  young,  I  was 
personally  acquainted  with  him,  and  from  my  recollection  of  his  conver- 
sation, I  say  with  confidence  that  he  was  a  brave  man,  but  not  cwiel. 
He  wpuld  meet  an  enemy  in  battle,  and  fight  like  a  soldier,  but  not  mur- 
,der  £  prisoiier.  Had  he  possessed  the  authority  of  n  superior  oflicer  in  a. 
regular  army,  I  do  not  believe  that  a  single  Moravian  Indian  would  have 
lost  his  life;  but  he  possessed  no  such  authority.  He  was  only  a  militia 
officer,  who  could  advise,  but  not  command.  His  only  fault  w  a.s  that  of 
too  easy  a  compliance  with  popular  ojiinion  and  popular  prejudice.  On 
;lhis  account  his  memory  has  been  loaded  with  unmerited  reproach. 

Several  reports  unfavorable  to  the  Moravians  had  been  in  circulation 
•for  some  time  before  the  campaign  against  them.  One  v,-as,  that  the 
night  after  they  were  liberated  at  Fort  Pitt,  they  crossed  the  river  ami 
killed  or  made  prisoners  a  family  of  the  name  of  Monteur.  A  family  on 
Buffalo  creek  had  been  mostly  killed  in  the  summer  or  fall  of  1781  ;  and 
it  was  said  by  one  of  them,  who,  after  being  made  a  prisoner,  made  his 
escape,  that  the  leader  of  the  parly  of  Indians  who  did  the  mischief  was 
a  Moravian.  These,  with  other  reports  of  similar  import,  h^rverl  as  a 
pi-etext  for  their  destruction,  although  no  doubt  they  were  utterly  false. 

Should  it  be  asked  what  sort  of  people  composed  tJie  bami  of  murder- 
ers of  these  unfortunate  people?  1  answer,  they  were  not  miscieants  or 
vagabonds;  many  of  theni  were  men  of  the  first  standing  in  the  country  : 
many  of  them  vrere  men  who  had  recently  lost  relations  by  the  hands  of 
the  savages.  Several  of  the  latter  class  found  articles  which  ]•...(]  been 
plundereil  from  their  own  houses,  or  those  of  their  relations,  inth-  houses 
of  the  Moravians.  One  man,  it  is  said,  found  the  clothes  of  his  v.ifc  and 
><r1tiildren,  who  had  been  murdered  by  the  Indians  a  few  days  belbre  :  they 
were  still  bloody ;  yet  there  was  no  unequivocal  evidence  that  these  peo- 
ple had  any  direct"  agency  in  the  war.  Whatever  of  our  property  was 
found  with"thcm  had  been  left  by  the  warriors  in  exchange  for  the  provi- 
sions which  th<'y  took  from  them.  When  attacked  by  cur  f>eo])le,  al- 
though they  might  have  defended  themselves,  they  did  not :  thc^  never 
■fired  a  single  shot.  They  were  prisoners,  and  had  been  promised  pro- 
tection. Every  dictate  of  justice  and  humanity  required  that  their  lives 
should  be  spared.  The  complaint  of  their  villages  being  "half-way  hou- 
ses for  the  warrior-^,"'  was  at  an  end,  ai  they  had  been  re^no^cd  to  Sa»- 


ISO  INDIAN  SI;MMER. 

dusky  Ihc  full  bclore.  It  was  therefore  an  atrocious  and  unqualified  mut-- 
der.  But  by  whom  committed — by  a  majority  of  the  campaign?  For 
the  honor  of  my  country,  I  hope  I  may  safely  answer  this  question  in  the 
negative-  It  was, one  of  those  convulsions  of  the  moral  state  of  society, 
in  which  the  voice  of  the  justice  and  humanity  of  a  majority  is  silenced 
by  the  clamor  and  violence  of  a  lawless  minority.  Very  few  of  our  men 
imbrued  their  hands  in  the  blood  of  the  Moravians.  Even  those  who 
had  not  voted  for  saving  their  lives,  retired  from  the  scene  of  slaughter 
with  horror  and  disgust.  Why  then  did  they  not  give  their  votes  in  their 
lavor?  The  fear  of  public  indignation  restrained  them  from  doing  so. 
They  thought  well,  but  had  not  heroism  enough  to  express  their  opinion. 
Those  who  did  so,  deserve  honorable  mention  for  their  intrepidity.  So 
far  as  it  may  hereafter  be  in  my  power,  this  honor  shall  be  done  them^ 
while  the  n;anes  of  the  murderers  shaH  not  stain  the  pages  of  history,, 
fi'oin  jny  pen  at  least. 


-:o:- 


CHAPTER  Vli. 


THE  INDIAN  SUiMMER. 

As  connected  wilh  tlu;  history  of  the  Indian  wars  of  the  western  country, 
it  may  not  be  amiss  to  give  an  explanation  of  the  term  "Indian  summer." 

This  expression,  like  many  others,  has  continued  in  general  use,  not- 
withstanding its  original  imi)ort  has  been  forgotten.  .  A  backwoodsman 
seldom  hears  this  expression  without  feeling  a  chill  of  horror,  because  it 
brings  to  his  mind  the  painful  recollection  of  its  original  application. 
Such  is  the  force  of  the  faculty  of  association  in  haman  nature. 

The  reader  must  here  be  reminded,  that,  ckning  the  long  continued  In- 
dian wars  sustained  by  the  first  settlers  of  the  west,  they  enjoyexl  no  peace 
excepting  in  the  winter  season,  when,  owing  to  the  seventy  of  the  weath- 
er, the  Inflians  were  unable  to  make  their  excursions  into  tlie  settlements. 
The  onset  of  winter  was  therefore  hailed  as  a  jubilee  by  the  early  inhab- 
itants of  the  country,  who,  throughout  the  sjjring  and  early  part  of  tlie 
fall,  had  been  coope(l  up  in  their  little  uncomtbrtable  forts,  and  subjected 
to  ail  the  distresses  of  the  Indian  war. 

At  the  approach  of  win1(^r,  therefore,  all  tlie  fiirmers,  excepting  the 
owner  of  the  lort,  removed  to  tlieir  cabins  on  tlieir  farms,  with  the  joyful 
feelings  of  a  tenant  of  a  prison,  recovering  his  release  from  confinement. 
All  was  bustle  and  hilarity  in  preparing  for  winter,  by  g.ithering  in  the 
corn,  digging  potatoes,  fattening  hogs,  and  repairing  the  cabins.  To  our 
forefdlhers  the  gloomy  months  of  winter  w<  re  I'.uirc.  ])!e.isaMt  than  the 
zephyrs  and  the  Howers  of  .May. 


IXDIAN   SCMMEIL  IDC/ 

It  llo\ve^el•  somelirnes  happened,  after  tlie  apparent  onstl  ni'  winter, 
the  weather  became  warm;  the  smoky  time  commenced,  ami  lasted  for  a 
Considerable  number  of  days.  This  was  the  Inchan  summer,  because  it 
atforded  the  Indians  another  opportunitj-  of  visiting  the  settlements  with 
their  destructive  warfare.  The  melting  of  the  snow  saddened  every 
countenance,  and  the  genial  warmth  of  the  sun  chilled  every  heart  with 
horror.  The  apprehension  of  another  visit  from  the  Indians,  and  of  being 
driven  back  to  the  detested  fort,  was  painful  in  the  highest  degree,  and 
the  distressing  apprehension  was  frequently  realized. 

Toward  the  latter  part  of  February  we  commonly  had  a  line  spell  of 
open  warm  Aveather,  during  which  the  snow  melted  away.  This  was  dc 
nominated  the  "pawwawing  days,"  from  the  supposition  that  the  Indians 
were  then  holding  their  war  councils,  for  planning  off  their  spring  cam- 
paigns into  the  settlements.  Sad  experience  taught  us  that  in  this  con- 
jecture we  were  not  often  mistaken. 

Sometimes  it  happened  that  the  Indians  ventured  to  make  their  excur- 
sions too  late  in  the  fall  or  too  early  in  the  spring  for  their  own  conve- 
nience. 

A  man  of  the  name  of  John  Carpenter  v/as  taken  early  in  the  month  of 
March,  in  the  neighborhood  of  what  is  now  Wellsburg.  There  had  been 
several  warm  days,  but  on  the  night  preceding  his  capture  there  was  a 
heavy  fall  of  snow.  His  two  horses,  which  they  took  with  him,  nearly 
perished  in  swimming  the  Ohio.  The  Indians  as  well  as  himself  suffered 
severely  with  the  cold  before  they  reached  the  Moravian  towns  on  the 
Muskingum.  In  the  morning  after  the  first  day's  journey  beyond  the 
Moravian  towns,  the  Indians  sent  out  Carpenter  to  bring  in  the  horses, 
which  had  been  turned  out  in  the  evening,  after  being  hobbled.  The 
horses  had  made  a  circuit,  and  fallen  into  the  trail  by  which  they  came, 
and  were  making  their  way  homewards. 

When  Carpenter  overtook  them,  and  had  taken  off  their  fetters,  he  had, 
as  he  said,  to  make  a  most  awful  decision.  He  had  a  ciiance  and  barely 
a  chance  to  make  his  escape,  with  a  certainty  of  death  should  he  attempt 
it  without  success;  while  on  the  other  hand,  the  horrible  prospect  of  be- 
ing tortured  to  death  by  lire  presented  itself.  As  he  was  the  first  pris- 
oner taken  that  spring,  of  course  the  general  custom  of  the  Indians,  of 
burning  the  first  prisoner  every  spring,  doomed  him  to  the  flames. 

After  spending  a  few  minutes  in  making  his  decision,  he  resolved  on 
attempting  an  escape,  and  effected  it  by  way  of  forts  Laurens,  M'lntosh 
and  Pittsburg.  If  I  recollect  rightly,  he  brought  both  his  horses  home 
with  him.  This  happened  in  the  year  1782.  The  capture  of  Mr.  Car- 
penter, and  the  murder  of  two  families  about  the  same  time,  that  is  to 
say,  in  the  two  or  three  first  days  of  March,  contributed  materially  to  the 
Moravian  campaign,  and  the  murder  oi  that  unfortunate  people. 


l'-»l-  GEN.  CRAWFORD'S'  CAMPAIGX 


-0- 


CHAPTER  ¥IIL 


Tims,  in  one  point  ol"  view  at  least,  is  to  ha  considered  as  a  second  .Afu-' 
ravlan  campai<;n,  as  one  of  its  objects  was  that  of  finishinL^  tiie  work  of 
murder  and  plunder  with  the  christian  Indians  at  their  now  establislunenl 
on  the  Sandnsky.     The  next  object  was  that  of  destroyintr  i}i(>  Wvandot 
towns  on  tiie  same  river.     It  was  tlie  resolution  of  all  those  concerntnl  in' 
this  expedition,  not  to  spare  the  life  of  any  Inilians  that  nii^-ht  fall  into 
their  hands,  whether  friends  or  foes.     It  will  be  seen  in  the  sequel  that 
the  result  of  this  campaign  was  widely  different  from  tiiat  of  the  IMora 
vian  canipnii^ii  the  preceding  March. 

It  should  seem  that  the  long  continuance  of  the  Indian  war  had  deba- 
sed a  considerable  portion  of  our  population  to  the  savage  state  of  our 
nature.  Having  lost  so  many  relatives  by  the  Indians,  and  witnessed 
their  horrid  murders  and  other  depredations  on  so  extensive  a  scale,  they 
bccnrne  subj.'cts  of  that  indiscriminate  thirst  for  revenge,  which  is  such  a 
prominent  feature  in  the  savage  character;  and  having  had  a  taste  of 
blood  and  plunder,  without  risk  or  loss  on  their  part,  they  resolved  to  go 
on  anfl  kill  every  Indian  they  could  find,  whether  friend  or  foe. 

Prrp;irations  for  this  campaign  commenced  soon  after  the  close  of  tlic 
Moravian  campaign,  in  the  month  of  March;  and  as  it  was  intended  to 
make  what  was  called  at  that  time  "a  dash  ,"  that  is,  an  enterprise  con- 
ducted with  secrecy  and  despatch,  the  men  were  all  mounted  on  the  best 
horsrs  they  couM  procure.  They  furnlsheil  themselves  witli  all  their  out- 
fits, exci'pt  some  ammunition,  which  was  fuinished  by  the  lieutenant 
colonel  of  Wa.shington  county. 

On  the  25th  of  May  1782,  four  liLindred  and  eighty  men  nuistered  at 
the  old  Mingo  towns,  on  the  western  side  of  the  Ohic  river.  Tiiey  were 
all  volunteers  froiri  the  immediate  neighborhood  ol' the  (Jlilo,  with  tin' ex- 
ception of  one  company  from  Ten  Mile,  in  Washington  county.  Here' 
an  clfM'tion  was  held  Un-  the  ollice  of  coinraander-in-cliief  for  the  expedi- 
tion. The  candidates  were  Col.  Williamson  and  Col.  Crawlonl.  The 
latter  was  the  successful  candidate.  When  notifietl  of  his  ap]K)intment, 
it  is  said  that  he  acce[)ted  it  with  apparent  rehuMance. 

The  army  marched  along  "Williamson's  trail,"  as  it  was  then  called, 
until  they  arrived  at  the  u[>per  Moravian  towii,  in  the  ilelds  belonging  to 
v,-l)ifh  there  was  still  pU-aty  of  corn  on  the  stalks,  with  which  their  horses 
wrie  plentifully  fed  during  the  night  of  their  encampment  there. 

Shortly  after  the  army  halted  at  this  place,  two  Indians  were  discov- 
ered by  three  men,  who  had  wallvcd  some  distance  o\it  of  the  camp, 
Thvc'.-  shots  were,  fired  at  one  of  them,  but  without  hurting  him.  As 
3'jon  u"  tlic  nev.'^  of  tlie  di'-coverv  of  lndi:ui>^  hud  rearhed  the  caui[),  more 


(han  one' half  of  the  men  rusheci  out,  wilhout  coiniiiand,  and  in  the  most 
lumultuous  maunor,  to  see  what  h.ippened.-  l-'ioia  that  time,  CoL  Craw- 
ford fell  ci  presentiment  of  the  defeat  w  hieh  followed.- 

'I'lie  truth  is,  that  notwithstanding  tlie  secrecy  and  dispatch  of  the  en- 
terprise, the  Indians  weie  beforehand  with  our  people^  'J'iiev  saw  the 
retidezvous  on  th'e  Mingo  bott6ni,  and  knew  tlioir  mimher  and  destina- 
tion. They  visited  e\er\  cncatV.pment  iinm«dial-elv  Ofi  their  leavinsr  it, 
and  saw  from  th'eir  writing  on  the  trees  an^  sei'aps  of  paper,  that  "no 
quarter  was  to  be' givei^  to  any  Indian,  whether  man,  woman,  or  child.'" 

Nothing  material  haj)pened  during  their  march  until  the  6th  of  June, 
when  their  guides^  conducted  them  to  the  site  of  the  Moravian  villaoes,  on 
■one  of  the  upper  branches  of  the  Sandusky  rivei- ;  bnl  here,  instead  of 
meeting  with  indi'ans  and  plunder,  they  me^t  with  nothing  but  vestiges  of 
desolation.  The  place  was  covered  with  high  grass;  and  the  remains  of 
a  few  huts  alone  announced  tlial  the  placf!^  had  b^en  thi'  I'esidence  of  the 
people  whom  they  intended  tCi  destroy,  but  who  had  moved  off  fo  Scioto 
some  time  before. 

la  this  dilemma,  what  was  to  be'done?  The  officcVs  held  a  council,  in 
which  it  was  determined  to  inarch  one  day  longer  in  the  direction  of  Up- 
iDer  Sandusky,  and  if  they  should  not.  reac^h  thf^  totvn  iti  the  course  of  the 
day,  to  make  a  retreat  with  all  spesd. 

The  march  was  commenced  on  the  next  morning  through'  the  plains  of 
Sandusky,  and  continued  until  about  two  o'clock,  when  the  ad"\ancc 
guard  was  attacketl  and  driven  in  by  the  Indians',  who  wCre  (lisco\ered 
ki  larsre  numbers  in  the  Jiip'h  ^-rass  with  Avhi<^di  tlie  place  was  covered. 
'l"he  Indian  army  was  at  that  moment  about  entering  a  piece  of  woods, 
almost  eiitirelv  s'Hrrounded  by  plains;  but  in  this  they  wci'e  di'sapjiointeil 
by  a  rapid  movement  of  out  men.  The  battle  tlien  cdmrnenCed  by  a  heavy 
fire  from  both  sides.  Frorti  a  paitial  possession  of  the  woAds  which  thev 
had  gained  at  the  onset  of  the  Ijattle,  tllfe'  Indian's  were  socui  dislodgtHl. 
They  then  attempted  to  gain  a  small  skirt  of  v/ood  on  oui-  right  ilank,  birt 
were  prevented  I'rom  doing  so  by  the  vigi-rance  aYid  bra\cry  of  Maj.  Leet, 
who  commanded  the  right  wing  of  theariYiy  at  that  time.  The  firiilg  was 
incessant  and  heavv  until  dark.  When  it  ceased.-  Both  armies  ?ay  on  theii- 
arms  during  the  rtight.  i^iith  adot)ted  the  policy  of  kindlinj-;  la;'g>  fires 
along  the  line  of  ijattlc,  and  fhen  retiring  sOme  distance  in  the  leai-of  them, 
to  prevent  being  sur[)rised  by  a  night  attack.-  During  the  contlic.1  of  the 
ai'ternoon  three  of  our  men  weie  kiHed  and  several  AV^oailded.- 

In  the  morning  our  army  Sccupivd  the  battle  ground  of  the  preceding 
day.  The'  India:1s  made  no  attack  during  the  (hiy,  until  late  i'n  the  even- 
ing, but  were  seen  in  lar*e  liodies  tiavcMsing  the  plains  in  various  direc- 
tions. Some  of  them  appeared  to  be  employed  in  Carrying  off  their  dead 
and  wounded. 

In  the  morrunG:  of  tins  day  'i  council  of  the  ofiicers  was  Ixeld,  in  whicli 
a  retreat  was  resolved  on,  as  the  only  means  of  saving  their  army,  the  In- 
v*fians  appearing  to  increase  in  n\imbers  every  hour.      During  the  sitting  of 
Liiis  council,  f'oi.  Williamson  proposed  taking  one  hunoKd  '.^nd  fifty  vo'-- 
•Miteers,   an<}  ma->chi«u-  directly  to  I  pper  NaRdusky       '(-'his   ^rDDCsHioK' 


193-'  CRAWFORD'S  CWlPMGS. 

the  comiuaiider-ia-chief  prudently  rejected,  saving,  "I  have  no  do.'Lt  buv 
that  you  wouUl  reach  the  town,  but  yon  woukl  find  nothing  there  hut 
empty  xvigwains;  and  lia-hig  taken  off  so  many  of  our  best  men,  you 
would  leave  the  rest  to  be  destroyeti  by  the  liost  of  Indians  with  whiclr 
we  are  now  surrounded,  and  on  your  return  tliey  would  attack  and  de- 
stroy you.  They  care  nothing  about  defending-  their  towns — they  are 
worth  nothin-g.  Their  sqyaws,  children  and  property,  have  been  removed 
from  them  long  since.  Our  lives  and  baggagt  are  whaf'they  want,  and 
if  they  can  get  us  divided  they  will  soon  have  them.  We  must  stav  to- 
gether and  do  the  best  we  can." 

During  this  day  preparations  were  made  for  a  retreat  by  burying  the 
dead  and  burning  iires  over  their  graves  to  prevent  discovery,  and  prepa- 
ring means  for  carrying  off  the  wounded.  The  retreat  was  to  commence 
in  the  course  of  the  lught.  The  Indians,  however,  became  apprised  of 
the  intended  retreat,  and  about  sundov/n  attadced  the  army  with  great 
force  and  fury,  in  every  direction  excepting  that  of  Sandusky. 

When  the  line  of  march  was  formed  by  the  commander-in-chief.^  and 
the  retreat  commenced,  our  guides  prudently  took  the  direction  of  San- 
dusky, which  afforded  the  only  0[)eniiig  in  the  ludiarr'lines  and  the  only 
chance  of  concealment.  After  marching  about  a  mile  in  this  direction, 
the  army  wheeled  about  to  the  left,  and  by  a  circuitous  route  gained  the 
trail  by  which  they  came,  before  day.  They  continued  their  march  the 
whole  ol"  the  next  day,  with  a  trilling  anjioyanco  from  the  Indians,  who 
fired  a  few  distant  shots  at  the  rear  guard,  which  slightly  wounded  two 
or  three  men.  At  night  they  built  fires,  took  their  suppers,  secured  the 
horses  and  resigned  themselves  to  repose,  without  placing  a  single  senti- 
nel or  vidette  for  safety.  In  this  caieless  situation,  they  might  haveb^en 
surprised  and  cut  off  by  the  Indians,  who,  however,  gave  them  no  ilistur- 
bance  during  the  night,  nor  afterwards  during  the  whole  of  their  retreat. 
The  number  of  those  composing  the  main  body  in  the  reti^eat  was  suppo- 
sed to  be  about  three  hundred. 

Most  unfortunately,  when  a  retreat  was  resolvetl  on,  a  dilTcrence  of 
opinion  prevailed  concerning  the  best  mode  of  effecting  it.  The  greater 
number  thought  it  best  to  keep  iu  a  liody  and  u'treat  as  fast  as  possible, 
while  a  considerable  number  thoutrht  it  sai'est  to  break  off  in  small  par- 
ties, and  make  their  way  home  in  different  directions,  avoiding  the  route  by 
which  they  came.  Accordingly  many  attem])ted  to  do  so,  calculating  that 
t'le  whole  brjdy  uf  the  Indians  would  foll(Avlhc  main  army.  In  this  they 
were  entirely  mistaken.  Tht*  Indians  paid  but  litile  atlenlion  to  the  main 
body  of  the  army,  but  j)ursued  the  small  ));irties  with  suc-h  activity,  that 
but  very  few  of  those  who  composetl  thern  maile  their  escape. 

The  only  successful  parly  wlio  Avere  detached  from  the  main  army,  was 
that  of  about  forty  men  under  the  command  of  a  Capt.  Williamson,  who, 
pictty  late  in  the  night  of  the  retreat,  broke  through  the  Indian  lines  under 
.1  fevere  fire  and  with  some  l(;ss,  an<l  overtook  ihe  main  army  on  the 
morning  of  the  second  day  of  tlie  retreat. 

For  several  days  after  the  retreat  of  our  army,  tlie  Indians  were  spread 
o^er  the  whole  countiy,  from  Samiusky  to  the  Muskingum,  in  pursuit  of 
the  atrngglir.g  puitie<,  u.ost  uf  whc  :n  wet>.'- killed  i/n  the  spot,      'i'h'i'y  evenT) 


<€K'A\VFORlJ'S  C'AMPaRI.N.  194 

rjMarsued  ihcMi,  almost  to  the  bunks  of  the  Ohio.  A  man  oT  the  name  of 
Mills  was  killed,  two  miles  to  the  eastward  o(  tlie  site  of  St.  Clairsvilii;, 
in  the  direction  of  Wheeling-  from  that  place.  The  number  killed  in  this 
way  must  have  been  very  great:  the  precise  amount,  however,  was  never 

.  fairly  ascertained. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  retreat,  Col.  Ci-awford  placed  himself  at 
the  head  of  the  army,  and  continued  there  until  they  had  gone  about  a 

r-quarter  of  a  mile,  when  missing  his  son  John  Crawford,  his  son-in-law 
IMaj.  Harrison,  and  his  nephews  iVIaj.  Rose  and  William  Crawford,  he 
halted  and  called  for  them  as  the  line  passed,  but  withoxit  findir.g  them. 
After  the  army  had  passed  him,  he  was  unable  to  overtake  it,  owiirg  to 
the  weariness  of  his  horse.  Falling  in  company  with  Dr.  Knight  and 
two  others,  they  traveled  all  the  night,  first  nortli,  and  then  to  the  east,  to 
avoid  the  pursuit  of  the  Indiaiis.  They  directed  th^eir  coures  during  tlie 
night  by  the  north  star. 

On  the  next  day  they  fell  in  with  Capi.  John  Biggs  and 'Lieut.  Ashley, 
the  latter  of  whom  was  severely  wounded.     There  were  two  others  in 

.company  with  Biggs  and  Ashley.  They  encamped  together  th-e  succeed- 
ing night.  On  the  next  day,  while  on  their  march,  they  were  attacked 
by  a  party  of  Indians,   who  made  Col.  Crawford  and  J)r.  Knight  prison- 

:-ers.  The  other  four  nia^fie  their  escape;  hut  Capt. .Biggs  and  Lieutenant 
Ashley  were  killed  the  next  day. 

Col.  Crav\-ford  and  Dr.  Knight  were  immedlat<;]y  taken  to  an  Indian 
iT-ncarnpment,  at  a  short  distance  from  the  place  whc-re  they  were  captured. 
Here  they  faund  nine  fellow  priso'^icrs  and  sevent-een  Indians.  On  the 
iiext  day  they  were  marched  to  the  old  W^yandot  town,  and  on  the  next 
rrxornin^  were  paraded,  to  set  off,  as  tliey  were  told,  to  go  to  the  new 
town.  But  alas!  a  very  different  destination  awaited  the-se  captives! 
Nine  of  the  prisoners  were  marcht;d  oft"  sonie  distance  before  the  colonel 
find  the  doctor,  who  were  conducterl  by  Pipe  and  Wiagemond,  two  Dela- 
ware chiefs.  Four  of  the  prisoners  were  tomahawked  and  scalped  on  the 
y.ay,  at  different  places. 

Preparations  had  been  made  for  the  ^oxecution  of  Col.  Crawford,  by 
setting  a  post  about  Lfteen  feet  hwgh  in  the  ground,  and  making  a  large 
fire  of  hickory  poles  About  six  yards  from  it.  About  half  a  mile  from  the 
f)lacc  of  execution,  the  remaining  five  of  the  nine  prisoners  weie  toma- 
hawked and  scalped  by  a  number  of  squaws  and  boys. 

W^hen  arrived  at  the  fire,  the  colonel  was  stripped  and  ordered  to  sit 
down.  He  was  then  severely  beaten  with  sticks,  and  afterwards  tied  to 
the  p.ost,  by  a  rope  of  such  length  as  to  allow  him  to  walk  two  or  three 
times  round  it,  and  then  back  again.  Tills  done,  they  began  the  torture 
by  discharging  a  great  number  of  loafls  of  powder  upon  'him,  from  head 
to  foot;  after  which  they  begun  to  apply  the  burning  cmds  of  trie  iuckory 
poles,  the  squaws  in  the  mean  tijne  throwing  coals  and  hot  ashes  on  his 
body,  so  that  in  a.  little  time  he  hfid  nothing  but  coals  to  walk  on.  In  the 
mid>>t  of  his  surTerino's,  he  bc'-'^n-ftd  o\'  the  noted  Simon  Girtv  to  take  pity 
■on  him  and  shoot  him.  Girty  triuntinily  answered,  "You  see  I  ho^e  n"^ 
j^un,  I  cannot  shoot;"  and  huiglied  hcnrtilv  nt  the  scene.  After sufTi'Tinj: 
aboiit  three  Louis  he  became  faint  and  fell  down  on  his  f;ice.     An  Indiav. 


<))c;t  .«;c5ilt>f-u  Inm,  iind  ap,  old  squaw  threw  a  yuantitv  nrijuriirfiii"  rn:il$.  oi*- 
the  place  from  wliich  the  scalp  was  taken.  M'iev  l!ii»  he  rose  and  walkofi 
rnuiifl  tlie  post  a  little,  but  did  not  live  murh  longer.  After  he  expired, 
liis  body  .was  llirowii  into  the  fne  and  coiisuuicd  lo  ashes.  Col.  (,'rawr 
ford's  son  and  son-in-law  yi'ere  exec'uted  at  tlie  Shawnee  towns. 

Or.  Knight  was  doonjed  to  be  burned  at  a  town  about  forty  miles  di?-- 
tant  from  Sandusky,  and  committed  to  tlie  care  of  a  young  Indian  to  be 
taken  there.  'I'he  first  day  they  traveled  about  twenty-five  miles,  and  en- 
cainpcd  lor  tlic  niglit.  jn  the  morning,  the  gn<sts  being  very  tronblesoine, 
the  doctor  requested  the  Indian  to  untie  him,  that  he  might  help  him  to 
ni-dcc  a  fire  ilo  keep  .Ihejii  off.  iVilh  this  rc(jiiest  the  Indian  complied, 
N\  hile  the  Indian  was  on  his  knees  and  elbows,  blowing  the  fir*:,  the  doo 
tor  caught  \ip  a  pieee  of  a  lent  })ole  which  hari  ;heen  burned  in  ;two,  about 
«"!ghlcon  inches  ioug,  with  whick  he  struck  thf  Indian  on  the  head  with 
all  his  might,  so  as  to  knock  hi;,-n  forward  into  the  lire..  The  stick  hov\-- 
evcr  brok<',  so  thi^i  tlu^  JncUan,  although  severelv  hurt,  was  not  killed,  but 
niiuiediately  sprajig  lip.  T^n  tnis  the  (hicior  ^-aught  up  the  Indian's  gun 
to  shoot  hin.),  but  drew  back  the  rock  witli  so  much  viok'nec  that  he 
broke  the  main  spriuir.  The  Iiuiian  ran  ofr'wiih  a  hideous  velliii"-.  Dr. 
Ivnighl  then  made  the  best  of  his  -way  home,  which  he  reac-hed  in  tw.cnty- 
one  days,  almnsi  famislied  to  death.  'I'iie  gun  being  of  no  use,  after 
rarrvinjx  i<  a  dav  or  two  he  left  it  behind.  On  his  iournev  he  subsisted 
on  roots,  a  few  youKg  birds  and  l*<-rries. 

A  Mr.  Slover,  who  had  been  a  j)risoner  auK!!-.g  the  Indians,  and  was 
one  of  the  pilots  of  the  armv,  was  also  taken  prisoner  to  oi^eof  the  Shaw^ 
iicc  towns  on  the  Scioto.  After  bt-iug  there  a  lew  days,  and  as  h**  thouglit, 
in  favor  \vi,th  tlu;  Indians,  a. council  of  the  ^-htefs  was  hdd,  in  v.hich  it 
was  resolved  that  he  should 'be  burned.  The  lircs  were  kindled,  and  lip 
was  blackencfl  and^ied  to  a  stake,  in  an  unef>Aered  end  of  the  council- 
hoijse,  .Just  as  they  were  K'bout  C6»fcwmencing  the  lorlurf<,  llierr  came  n\\ 
.■suddenly  'i  hea\y  tlttinrler  gust,  with  a  great  taJI  of  raii>,  which  put  out 
the  fires.  Aficr  the  rain  was  o'.er  the  Indians  conchided  that  it  was  then 
too  late  to  commence^  and  fiwish  the  ^ortnr<.  that  day,  and  thereloi-e  jTost- 
poned  it  till  tlu  next  day.  S[o^■er  was  then  loosed  frou)  the  stake,  oon- 
^lucted  to  ;iri  empty  lu>usc,  tn  ;i  ln'.r  of  which  lie  was  I'astened  with  a  buf- 
falo tug  »;ound  his  nerk,  wiiil-r  his  arms  v.'ere  pinioned  behind  him  with  a 
.corfl.  I  ntil  lal(^  in  Ihe  ni^ht  the  Ji^dians  sat  up  sm(^kin":  ''nd  talkiiiji. 
'l\\p\  frei.pientlv  asked  8lo\er  how  hr-  would  like  to  eaf  lire  the  oevt  dav. 
At  length  one  of  thcni  fiid  flov\ii  and  went  to  sici^p;  ific  f)dicr  .'nntiniii'.t 
'•j'noking  iHv'i  talking  with  Sjic,  rr.  S.^u7)elim'>  afl^'r  midi-iglit,  h<'  also  laid 
f^lown  and  w<"nl  t<i  slr-»-n.  She, cr  th(?n  rc^olvcrl  to  inaKv  ;;n  cfTojt  to  oe-f 
^oose  if  po-cibtc,  ap()  soon  cxMri^'atcrl  one  of  his  Iianris  frnvj  the  corrl,  and 
ihfu  fell  lo  wnrk  wilh  the  'u-^  round  his  nc.r\^.  h\\\  wit'iont  eflVct.  II<- 
had  4iot  h"'^n  long  pugagcri  ip  these  efforts,  before  one  ol  the  Indians  got 
•yp  nn(\  '^moked  his  pip'-  nwhile.  Pu'itig  this  li:iie  Sho.er  kept  '  erv  stilt 
for  fear  of  nn  evaniination.  The  Indian  layin:;  down,  the  prisoner  re,. 
fiCWfd  his  efforts,  but  for  some  time  without  effect,  and  he  resirriicd  hipi" 
sejl  to  bi<:  fate.  After  r'^sfin;^  fu  nwld'c,  he  ies:)j\ed  tn  make  another  and 
i".  laM  rfi(i;i,    niid  ;c-.  he  related,    |it;i  hr*  linnd  I'l  the  iMj;.    :^nd  without  diL 


.tTvAWFORirS  r^vMPATGX.  1^6 

ifiCjillly  slippeil  il  over  his  licud.  The  dny  was  ju:>l  then  brcakiii.^'.  lie 
sprang  over  a  fence  into  a  cornlicki,  but  !i;id  proceeded  but  a  little  diitnucc 
iH  the  field,  before  he  caiac  acros:*  a  h-.f]ua\v  and  several  childrci),  Ivihs; 
asleep  under  a  mulberry  tree.  He  then  changed  his  course  i'or  part  of 
the  commons  of  the  town,  on  vvliicli  he  sav.'  some  horses  leeding,  Pa.«s- 
•'ing  over  the  fence  from  the  field,  he  found  ;i  piece  of  an  old  quilt.  Thiii 
he  took  -willi  him,  and  v,-as  Ithe  only  covering  he  had.  He  then  untied 
ihe  cord  from  the  other  aim,  --.vliicl!  bv  this  time  was  a  cry  much  swelled. 
JIavinrr  selectefl,  as  he  thought,  the  best  horse  on  the  commons,  he  tied 
the  cord  to  his  lower  jaw,  uioutited  him  and  rode  off  at  full  speed.  The 
Jiorse  gave  out  v^oout  10  o'cloelv,  so  that  he  had  to  leave  him.  lie  theM 
•traveled  on  foot  "with  a  stick  in  one  haiul,  v."ith  whicii  he  put  the  Vv'eeds 
ibehmd  him,  for  fear  c^  being  tracked  by  the  Indian^,  In  the  other  he 
earned  a  bunch  of  bushes  to  bi'ush  the  jjnats  and  musketoes  frowi  h'vn 
naked  body.  .Being  perfectly  ac(pKiin1od  with  the  route,  he  i cached  the 
river  Ohio  in  a  sfe«rt  time,  almost  famished  v.iili  hu);gcr  «nd  exliaust'ed 
swith  fatigue. 

Thus  ended  thiis  disastrous  canipaign.  It  was  the  last  one  which  loalc 
place  in  this  sectioft  of  the  cou.ntry  durin;.;  the  revolutionarv  contest;  of  the 
Americans  with  th-c  mother  country,  it  was  ynder  taken  with  the  very 
worst  of  views,  those  of  murder  and  nJunder.  it  was  conducted  without 
STiiticicnt  means  to  encounter,  with  amy  prosper-t  of  success,  the  large 
force  of  Indians  ojiposed  to  ours  in  the  plains  of  Sandusky.  It  was  con- 
<jucted  without  that  subordination  and  discipline,  so  requisite  to  insure 
-%^ucc8ss  in  any  hazardous  enlernrisc,  and  it  oided  in  a  total  discomfiture. 
Never  did  aK  enterprise  more  >jompletely  fail  of  ;;l.taintng  its  objeef. 
Xcvcr,  on  any  occasion,  had  the  ferocions  savage's  more  ample  reveng? 
for  tl)e  murder  ni'  tlieir  pacific  friends,  than  that  v/hich  they  obtained  on 
this  occasion. 

Should  I  be  asked  v.drat  cnrisiderations  led  so  great  a  number  of  p'^niilc 
into  this  desperate  enterpi'isc? — why  with  so  small  a  ibi-ce  and  such  slen- 
der means  thev  pushed  oji  so  far  as  the  plains  of  Sandusky?  -  I  reply, 
that  many  believed  that  tlig  Moravian  Indians,  taking  no  part  in  the  war, 
.Tud  having  given  oflense  to  the  warriors  on  several  occasjrns,  their  bel- 
ligerent friends  would  not  take  up  arms  in  their  behalf.  In  this  cnnjrr- 
tuie  thev  were  sadiv  mistaken.  They  flid  defend  them  with  all  the  force 
at  theii' command,  and.  no  wonder,  for  notwithstanding  their  christian  and 
pacific  priiwij)Ies,  the  wari'ioi-s  '.;tili  regarfletl  the  Moravians  as  thrir  rela- 
tioRs,  whom  it  was  thrir  i\;\\.v  to  dcfeiid. 

The  refltclions  which  naturally  arise  out  of  the  jilslory  of  the  Inriinn 
vrar  in  tjie  western  covjntrv,  during  our  revolutionary  contest  with  Crr«-at 
Britain,  are  not  calculated  to  do  honor  to  human  nature,  ovc-n  in  its  eiv- 
ilized  sta-tc.  On  our  side,  indeed,  as  to  our  infant  go\ernment,  the  casp 
is  not  so  bad.  Our  con^Tess  fai-'tfullv  endeavored  to  prevent  the  Indian^ 
iVoni  takinc^  part  in  the  war  on  cither  side.  The  English  government,  on 
the  other  band,  made  allies  of  as  many  of  the  Indian  nations  as  they  rould, 
and  they  imposer!  no  restraint,  on  their  savage  morle  of  ^varf,;^'".  On  the 
'■onfrarr,  the  eommandants  at  their  posts  along  our  wr-stern  frontier  re- 
Q€-.ivff!.;'.nd  paid  the  ,Jnf!ia!,i5  tor  sc.sslps  aj^d  ])risoncrs.      Thus  the  skin  oi  a 


rl^l  -Vi  rACK.-UN    RICE  S  -i'Oltr. 

■iwliilc  ia.ia\>  or  ctca  ;i  woman's  liead  served  in  the  handsx.of -llie  InduiR 
;w  current  coin,  which  he  exchjiif^ed  lor  arms  and  arnmuiiition,  tor  the 
•jarthor  prosJecution  of  his  barjjarous  warlare,  and  clothing  to  cover  his 
half  irdc^d  body.  Were  not  ^hese  rewards  the  price  of  blood? — of  blood, 
^hcd  in  a  cruel  m  inner,  on  an  extensive  scale;  but  without  advantage  to 
that  government  whicli  employed  the  savages  in  their  warfare  against  their 
relatives  and  fello^v-christians,  and  paid  for  their  murders  by  the  piece! 

The  enlightened,  historian  must  view  the  whole  of  the  Indian  war,  froni 
.the  coninicncenienl  of  the  revolutionary  contest,  in  no  other  light  than  a 
.succession  of  the  most  wanton  murders  of  all  ages,  frora  helpless  infancy 
10  decrepit  old  age,  and  of  both  sexes,  without  object  and  without  effect. 

On  our  side,  it  is  tr^e,  the  pressure  of  the  war  along  our  Atlantic  bor- 
der was  such  that  our  2"overnment  coidd^not  furnish  the  means  for  raakintr 
a  conquest  of  the  Indian  jiatiojiS  at  war  against  us.     The  people  of  tjie 
w'estern    cguntry,  poor  as  thev  were    at    that  time,    and    unaided    by 
government,  could  not  subdue  them.     Our  c«nipaigns,  hastily  ijinderta- 
l:en,  v.-ithoiit  suttlcient  Ibrce  Jjnd  means,  and  illy  executed,  residted  ici 
iiothing  benellcial.      Ojt  the  other  hand,  the  Indians,  with  the  aids  thetr 
allies  could  give  them  in  tiie  -vvestcrn  country,  were  not  able  to  make  a 
.vonquest  of  the  settlement  on  this  side  of  the  mountains.     On  the  con 
trary,  our  settlements  and  thg  .forts  belonging  to  tjiem  became  stronger 
and  stronger  from  year  to  year  during  the  whole  continuance  of  the  wars. 
It   was  therefore  a  \v?.r  of  mutual,  but  uaavailing  slaughter,  devastat'wn 
,Hnd  revenge,  f)vc)  v/hose  rcccrd  humanity  stil:  dropi,  a  tear  of  regret,  fcul 
fihat  tear  ca.unot  CiTace  its  disiiraceful  hislorv. 


-:o: 


CHAPTER  IX. 


AT  r.\cs:  OS  n'cr.'s  voirr. 


This  fort  coniistcd  of  some  crd)ins  and  a  small  block-huusc,  and -was,  iri 
Jlangerftus  limes,  the  residrncc  anrl  place  of  refuge  for  twelve  families  of 
■its  immediate  neighborhood,  ll  was  situated  on  ijutfalo  creek,  about 
twelve  or  tifleeri  suiies  from  its  junction  with  the  river  Ohio, 

Previously  to  the  attack  on  this  tort,  which  took  place  in  the  month  of 
Sf-piL-mber,  ilH'2,  several  of  the  lew  men  belonging  to  the  fort  had  ^^one 
io  llagcrstowrt,  to  exchange  their  peltry  and  furs  for  salt,  iron  and  arnmti- 
nition,  as  was  tlic  usual  custom  of  those  times.  'J'hey  had  gone  on  this 
journev  somewhat  cirlier  that  .seuson  than  usual,  because  there  had  been 
"a  still  time,"  tlini  h,  no  recent  alarms  of  the  Indians. 

A  few  (la\s  bclbre  the  attack  on  this  fori,  about  thrcf?  hundred  Indians 
)ind  made  their  las'.  ;ittack  on  \V'hcclieg  fort.      On  the  third  night  cf  ithe 


ATTACK  0\   iaCE%  it'OHT.  1^15' 

inVt*<jtm?'iit  of  Whcelinn-,  the  Indian  chiefs  held  a  council,  in  '.vhloh  it  ^\•[is 
(ietennined  that  the  siege  of  Wheeling  should  be  raised,  two  hundred  of 
the  warriors  return  home,  and  the  reniainlng  hundred  of  picked  men  make 
a  dash  into  the  country  and  strike  a  heavy  blow  somewhere  before  their 
return.  It  was  their  deteVmination  to  take  a  fort  somewhere  and  massa- 
cre all  its  people,  in  revenge  for  fheir  defeat  at  Wheeling. 

News  of  the  plan  adopted  by  the  Indians,  was  given  by  two  white  men, 
who  had  been  made  prisoners  ^vhen  lads,  raised  among  the  Indians  and 
taken  to  war  with  them.  These  men  deserted  from  them  soon  after  their 
(Council  at  the  close  of  the  siege  of  Wheeling.  The  notice  Vv'as  indeed  but 
short,  but  it  reached  Rice's  fort  about  half  an  h-'Jur  before  the  commence- 
ment of  the  attack.  The  intelli^-ence  was  brought  by  Mr.  Jacob  iMiller, 
who  received  it  at  Dr.  Moore's  in  the  neighborhood  of  Washino-ton. 
AFaking  all  speed  home,  he  fortunately  arrived  in  time  to  assist  in  the  de- 
fense of  the  place.  On'receiving  this  news,  the  people  of  the  fort  ielt  as- 
sured that  the  blow  was  intended  for  them,  and  in  this  conjecture  they 
were  not  mistaken.     But  little  time'"\^'as  allov«'ed  thein  for  preparation. 

Tl*e  Indians  had  surrounded  the  place  before  they  v%-ere  discovered; 
but  they  were  sti!i  at  sotne  distance.-  W^hcn  disco^-ered,  the  ahirm  was 
given,  on  which  every  man  ran  to  his  cabin  for  his  gun,  and  took  refuge 
in  the  block-hous?.  The  Indians,  answering  the  alarm  with  a  war  whoop- 
from  their  whole  line,  commentced  firing  and  running  t':Jwards  the  fort 
from  every  direction.  It  was  evidently  their  intention  to  take  the  place 
by  assault;  but  the  fire  of  the  In<lians  was  answered  by  that  of  six  brave 
and  skillful  sharpshooters.  This  unexpected  reception  prevented  (he  in- 
tended assault,  and  made  the  Indians  take  ret'tge  behind  logs,  stumps 
and  trees.  The  firinor  Continued  with  little  intermission  for  about  four 
hours. 

In  the  intervals  of  '.he  firing,  the  Indians  frequently  called  out  lo  the" 
people  of  the  fort,  "Give  up,  give  up,  too  many  Indian;  Indian  too  big;' 
no  kill."  They  were  answertid  with  defiance,  "Come  on,  you  cowartis  ;- 
Ave  are  ready  for  you; — shew  us  your  yel!o^^*  hides,- and  we  will  make' 
holes  in  them  for  you. 

Durinir  the  eveninfr,  many  of  the  Indians,  at  sorne  distance  from  the' 
fort,  amused  themselves'  by  shooting  the  hois-rs,  catf!^,  hogs  and  sheep" 
until  the  bottom  was  st:"<('wcd  wifh'tlipir  dead  bodies. 

About  ten  o'clock  at  night  the  Tnriians  set  fire  to  a  barn  'ji)'^ut  thiifv' 
yards  from  the  fort.  It  was  targe  and  full  of  grain  and  hay.  The  (laric 
was  frightful,  and  at  first  it  seemed  to  endanger  the  hdrning  of  the  fort, 
but  the  iDarn  stood  on  low^r  ground  than  the  fort.  The  night  was  calm, 
with  the  exception  of  a  slight  breeze  up  the  creek.  'V\\h  cairied  the 
flame  and  burning  splinters  in  a  diflerent  direction,  so  that  the  burning  of 
the  barn,  which  at  first  was  regarded  as  a  dangerous,  if  not  tVital  oc(uir- 
rence,  proved  in  the  issue  the  means  of  throwing  a  strong  light  to  a  great 
distance  in  every  direction,  so  that  tlie  Indians  durst  not  approach  the 
fort  to  set  fire  to  the  cftbins,  which  they  might  have  done  at  little  risk,  ur>- 
der  the  cover  of  darkness. 

After  the  barn  was  set  on  fire,  the  Indians  collected  on  the  ?,i(le  of  the 
fore  opipositc'the  bai*^,  so  i.'S  to  hn--e  the 'advantage  of- the  light, -and  k^'pt 


I'D.t  A^TTACK  D\   RICE'S  FORT- 

^p  a  protly  constant  tire,  v.hlt'h  was  as  steadily  answered  In  ilinl  of  the? 
fori,  until  iibciit  two  u'elock,  when  the  Indian^  left  the  place  and  made  a' 
hasty  retreat. 

'Thus  v\is  thi';  little  ])l;iee  defended  l/v  a  Spartan  band  of  six  rnen;-i 
Against  one  hundred  oiioscn  wan-iors,  exaspveratCvl  to  iriadness  by  their 
faiiuie  at  \Viieelin[^  fort.  Their  names  shall  be  inscribed  in  the  list  oi-' 
heroes  of  our  early  times.  'J'hey  were  Jacob  Miller,  (ieorge  LeHtr,  Peter 
Fullenw-clder,  Daniel  llice,  George  Felebaum  and  Jacob  Leller,  junr. 
Gjorge  Felebaum  Was  shot  in  the  forehead,  through  a  port-hole,  at  tiie 
second  fire  of  the  Indians,  and  instantly  expired;  so  that  in  reality  the  de- 
fense of  the  place  was  made  by  only  five  men. 

The  loss  of  the  Indlhiis  was  fcur,  three  of  whc^in  were  killed  at  the  tirst' 
fire,  from  the  fort,  the  other  was  killed  about  sundown.  'I'here  can  be  ikv 
doubt  but  that  a  number  more  were  killed  and"  wounded  in  the  engage-' 
ment,  but  were  conceided  or  carried  off. 

A  large  division  of  these  Indians,  on  their  rtitreat,  passed  within  a  little 
distance  of  my  father's  fort.  In  following  their  trail,  a  few  days  after-' 
-A'ards,  I  Ibund  a  large  poultice  of  chewed  sassafras  leaves.-  'i'his  is  the 
dressing  wli-'ich  the  Indians  usually  apply  to  recent  gunshot  Avounds.  'I'lie 
poultice  which  I  found  liaving  bec^oiae  too  cid  and  drv,  was- removed  and 
replaced  with  a  new  one. 

Examples  of  personal  bravery  and  hair  breadth  escapes  arealways  ac- 
reptable  to  readers  of  history.-  A-?!  instanceof  both  of  these  happened 
durin*!'  the  attack  on'thi>fort,  which  may  be  worth  recording, 

Abraham'  Rice,  one  of  the  principal  men  belonging  to  the  fort  of  that 
name,  on  hearing  the  report  of  the  deserters  from  the  Indians,  mounted  a 
very  strong  active  mare  a.nd  rode  inniU  haste  to  another  lort,  about  tiiree 
and  a  half  rndes  distant  iVotn  ins  own,  for  further  news,  if  any  coivhl  b(; 
had,  concerning  the  presence  of  a  body  of  Indians  in  the  neighborhood. 
Just  as  he  readied  the  ])'ace  he  heard  the  report  of  the  guns  at  his  own' 
tf)rt.      lie   instantly   rdu  rued  as- fast  as- possible,   until   lie  arrived    within 
sight  ol' the  Ibrt.      Finding  that  it  still  held  out. .he  d'eterii>ined  to  reach  if 
and  as.>ist  In  its  defense,  or  pensh  in  the  attempt.     In  dorng  this,  he  had 
tij  cross  the  creek,  the  fort  being  some  distance  from  it  on  die  opposite; 
bank.-     lie  saw  no  Indians  until  his  inare  sprang  down  the  bank  of  the 
creeii,  at  wITudi  instant  ab:)ut  fourteen  oi'  them   jumped   up  from  among' 
the  weeds  and  bnshe's  and  discharged  th^ir  guiis  at  Inni.      One  bullet' 
wounded  him  in  the  lleshy  jiart  of  ihv,  rigJit  ai'm  above  the  elbow.     Ry 
this  lime  several  more  of  the  Itidians  came  up  and  shot  at  him.      .V  sec-- 
ond  ball  wounfled  liiin  in  the  thigh  a  little  aln.Vc,  ihe  kn('e,   but  without 
breaking  the  bone,  and  th€  ball  passed  tr<u»sverse!v  through  iln-  neck  oi' 
the  inure.      She  however  sprang  up  the  bank  of  the  creek,   lell  to  licf 
knees,   and   sluniblrd   aloiig  about  a  rod   before   slu;   recovered.      During 
this  lime  scvieral    Indians  caine  running  up  to  tomahawk   him.      Vet  he 
made  ids  escape,  after  having  about  thirty  shots  fired  at  him  from  a  very 
short  distance.      ,\ft(!r  ridinf^  about  four  iniles,  he  reached    f^aiub's  fort, 
much  exhausted  with  the  loss  of  blood.     After  getting  his  wounds  dressed- 
and  resting  awhile,  he  sat  off  late  in  the  evening  with  twelve  men,  deter- 
mined if  possible,  to  reach  *i\e  fort  under  cover  r  f^lh'»  ni[;ht.      When-the]/; 


EXPECl'ED  ATTACK,  ETC.  200 

^o't  wiiiiin  about  two  hundred  yanis  ot'it,  thoy  lialtcd  :  the  firuig  still  cou- 
tinueil.  Ten  of  the  mci"*;  thinking  the  enterprise  too  hazardous,  refused 
to  go  any  further,  and  ri^treafed.  Rice  and  two  other  men  crept  silently 
along  towards  the  fort;  but  had  not  proceeded  far  before  they  came  close 
Upon  an  Indian  in  his  concealment.  He  gave  the  alarm  yell,  wdiich  was 
instantly  ptissed  round  the  lines  with  the  utmost  regularity.  Tiiis  occa- 
sioned the"  Indians  to  make  their  last  effort  to  take  the  place  and  make 
tlieir  retreat  under  covei-  of  the  night.  Rice  and  his  two  companions  re- 
turned in  safety  to  Lamb's  fort.- 

About  ten  o'clock  next  morning,  sixty  merv' collected  at  Rice's  fort  for 
the  relief  of  the  place.  They  pursued  the  Indians,  who  kept  in  a  body 
for  about  two  miles.  The  Indians  had  then  divided  into  small  parties 
and  took  over  the  hills  in  different  directions,  so  that  they  could  be  tracked 
no  farther.     The  pursuit  was  of  course  given  up. 

A  small  division  of  the  Indians  had  not  proceeded  far  after  their  sepa- 
ration, before  they  discovered  four  men  coming  from  a  neighboring  fort 
in  the'  direction  of  that  which  the)'  had  left.  The  Indians  waylaid  the 
path,  and  shot  two  of  them  dead  on  the  spot:  the  others  fled.  One  of 
them  being  swift  on  fool',  soon  made  his  escipe:  the  other  being  a  poor 
runner,  wa;-;  pursued  by  an  Indian^  who  after  a  smart  chase  came  close  to 
him.  The  man  then  wlieeled  roiind  and  snapped  his  gun  at  the  Indian. 
This  he  repeated  several  times.  The  Indian  then  threv/  his  tomahawk  at 
his  head,  biif  missed  him.  He  then  caught  hold  6f  the  ends  of  his  belt 
Avhich  was  tied  behind  in  a  bow  knot.  In  this  again  the"  Indian  was  dis- 
appointed, for  the  knot  came  loose,  so  that  he'  got  the  belt,  but  not  the 
man,  who  Vv%eeled  round  and  tried  his  gun'  agfiin,  ^>diich  hijlpc.'ucd  to  go 
iff  and  laid  the  Indian  dead  at  his  foot.- 


:o:- 


CHAPTER  X, 


EXPECTED  ATTACK  ON  DODDRIDGE'S  FOllf. 

When  we  recpived  advice,  at  my  father's  fort,  of  the  atfaclc  on  Rice's 
block-house,  which  was  but  a  few  m.ilcs  distant,  we  sent  word  to  all  thosf- 
families  who' were' out  on  their  farms,  to  Come  immediately  to  the  fort. 
It  became  nearly  dark  before  the  two  runners  had  time  forgive  the  alann 
to  the  family  of  *a  Mr.  Charles  Stuart,  who  lived  abou't  three  quarters  o|' 
a  mile  off  from  the  fort. 
.  They  returned  in  great  hasie,  saying  that  Stuart's  house  was  burnc V; 
down,  and  that  they  had  seen  two  fires  between  that  and  the  fort,  at 
vvhich  the  Indians  were  encamped.  There  was  therefore  no  floubt  that 
tti  attack  would  be  made  on  our  fort  early  in  the  morning. 


*A 


201  b^XPECTED  ATTACK,   ETCT. 

In>ov(lor  lo  oive  the  reader  a  corrct-t  idoa  of  the  military  tactics  of  oiit 
oariy  times,  1  will  p;ivp,  m  detail,  the  whole  progress  of  tl^c  preparations 
^vhich■  were  made  lor  the  expected  attack,  and,  as  nearly  as  1  can,  I  will 
give  tlw  commands  of  Capt.  Teter,  our  ollicer,  in  his  own  words. 

In  the  first  place  he  collected  all  our  men  together,  and  related  the  bat- 
tles and  skirmishes  he  had  been  in,  and  really  they  were  not  few  in  num- 
l)er.  lie  was  in  Braddock's  defeat,  Grant's  defeat,  the  taking  of  Fort 
Pitt,  and  nearly  all  the  battles  which  took  place  between  the  English,  and 
the  French  and  Indians,  from  Braddock's  defeat  until  the  capture  of  that 
place  by  Gen.  Forbes.  He  reminded  us,  "that  in  case  the  Indians 
should  succeed,  we  need  expect  no  mercy:  that  every  man,  woman  and 
child,  would  be  killed  on  the  spot.  They  have  lieen  defeated  at  one  fort, 
and  now  they  are  mad  enough.  If  they  should  succeed  in  taking  ours, 
all  their  vengeace  will  fall  on  our  heads.  We  must  fight  for  ourselves 
and  one  another,  and  for  our  wives  and  children,  brothers  and  sisters. 
We  must  make  the  best  preparations  we  can;  a  little  after  daybreak  we 
shall  hear  the  crack  of  their  truns." 

He  Ihon  made  a  requisition  of  all  the  powder  and  lead  in  the  fort. 
The  aramunition  was  accurately  divided  amongst  all  the  men,  and  the 
amount  supposed  to  be  fully  suiricicnt.  When  this  was  done,  "Now," 
says  the  captain,  "when  you  run  your  bullets,  cutoff  the  necks  very  close, 
and  scrape  them,  so  as  to  make  them  a  little  less,  and  get  patches  One 
hundred  finer  tluni  those  you  commonly  use,  and  have  them  v,-ell  oiled, 
for  if  a  rifle  happens  to  be  choked  in  the  time  of  battle,  there  is  one  gun 
and  one  man  lost  for  the  rest  of  the  battle.  You  will  have  no  time  to  un- 
britch  a  gun  and  get  a  plug  to  drive  out  a  bullet.  Have  the  locks  well 
oiled  and  your  flints  sharp,  so  as  not  to  miss  fire." 

Such  were  his  orders  to  his  men.  He  then  said  to  the  women,  "These 
yellow  fellows  are  very  handy  at  setting  fire  to  houses,  anrl  water  is  a  very 
good  thing  to  put  out  fire.  You  must  fill  every  vessel  with  water.  Our 
fort  is  not  well  stockaded,  and  these  ugly  fellows  may  rush  into  the  mid- 
dle of  it,  and  attempt  to  set  fire  to  our  cabins  in  twenty  places  at  once." 
They  foil  to  work,  and  did  as  ho  had  ordered.- 

The  men  having  put  their  rifies  in  order,  "Now,"  says  he,  "let  every 
man  gather  in  his  axes,  mattocks  and  hoes,  and  place  them  inside  of  his 
door;  for  the  Indians  may  make  a  dash  at  them  with  their  tomahawks  to 
cut  theiTi  down,  and  an  axe  in  that  case  might  hit,  wdien  a  gun  would 
miss  fire." 

Like  a  good  commander,  our  captain,  not  content  with  giving  orders, 
went  from  house  to  house  to  see  that  every  thing  was  right. 

The  ladies  of  the  ])resent  day  will  suppose  that  our  w^omen  were  fright- 
'•ncd  half  to  death  with  the  near  prospect  of  such  an  attack  of  the  Indians. 
On  the  contrary,  I  do  not  know  that  I  ever  saw  a  merrier  set  of  women 
in  my  life.  Tliey  went  on  with  their  work  of  carrying  water  and  cutiing 
bullet  patches  for  the  men,  apparently  without  the  least  emotion  of  fear; 
and  I  have  every  reason  to  l)elieve  that  Ihey  Avould  have  been  pleased 
with  the  crack  of  the  guns  in  the  morning. 

During  all  this  time  we  had  no  sentinels  placed  around  the  fort,  so 


•€OSH0CT0N  CAMPAIGN.  202 

•  confident  whs  our  captain  that  the  attack  would  not  be  made  betbie  day- 
break. 

I  was  at  that  thne  thirteen  or  fourteen  years  of  age,  but  ranked  as  a 
fort  soldier.  After  getting  my  gun  and  all  things  else  in  orile'-,  I  went 
up  into  the  garret  lott  of  my  father's  house,  and  laid  down  about  the  mid- 
dle of  the  floor,  with  my  shot  pouch  on  and  ray  gun  by  my  side,  expect- 
ing to  be  waked  up  by  the  report  of  the  guns  at  daybreak,  to  take  my 
station  at  the  port-hoje  assigned  me,  which  was  in  the  second  story  of 
the  house. 

I  did  not  awake  till  about  sunrise,  when  the  alarm  was  all  over.  The 
family  which  we  supposed  had  been  killed,  had  come  into  the  fort  about 
daybreak.  Instead  of  the  house  being  burnt,  it  ^vas  only  a  large  old  log, 
on  fire,  near  the  house,  whiih  had  been  seen  by  our  expresses.  If  they 
had  seen  any  thing  like  fire  between  that  and  the  fort,  it  must  have  been 
fox  fire.  vSucJi  is  the  creative  power  of  imagination,  when  under  tlie  in 
Jluence  of  fear* 


-.0. 


'CHAPTER  XI 


COSHOCTON  CAMPAIGN. 

'This  campaign  took  place  in  the  summer  of  1780,  and  Vvas  directed 
against  the  Indian  villages  at  the  forks  of  the  Muskingum. 

The  place  of  rendezvous  was  Wheeling;  the  number  of  regulars  and 
militia  about  eight  hundred.  From  Wheeling  they  made  a  rapid  march, 
by  the  nearest  route  to  the  place  of  their  destination.  Wlien  the  army 
reached  the  river  a  little  below  Salem,  the  lower  Moravian  town.  Col. 
Broadhead  sent  an  express  to  the  mlssic-nary  of  that  place,  the  Rev.  John 
Heckewelder,  informing  him  of  his  arrival  in  his  neighborhood,  with  his 
army,  requesting  a  small  supply  of  provisions,  and  a  visit  fnnu  him,  ir. 
his  camp.  When  the  missionary  arrived  at  the  camp,  the  general  in- 
formed him  of  the  object  of  the  expedition  he  was  engaged  in,  and  incpii- 
red  of  him  whether  any  of  the  christian  Indians  vrere  hunting,  or  engaged 
in  business  m  the  direction  of  his  march.  On  being  answered  \n  tht 
negative,  he  stated  that  nothing  v/ould  give  him  greater  pain  than  to  hear 
that  any  of  the  Moravian  Indians  had  been  niolested  by  the  troops,  as 
these  Indians  had  always,  from  the  commencement  of  the  war,  con- 
ducted themselves  in  a  manner  that  did  them  honor. 

A  part  of  the  militia  had  resolved  on  going  up  the  river  1o  dcslrrw  ih' 
Moravian  villages,  but  were  prevented  IVom  extcutin^-  iheir  prnjcrt  l)\ 
^.Gen.  Broadhead  and  Col.  Sheplierd  of  Wheeling. 

At  While-eye's  plain,  d.  few  miles  from  Coshoeton,  an  lnd>;t!i  prisoupi 


203  eOSHOCTON   CAMPAIGN. 

Avas  taken.     Scjon  afierwards  two  more  Indians  were  discovered,  (me  oi 
whom  was  wounded,  but  both  made  their  escape. 

The  commander,  knowing  tiiat  these  two  Indians  would  make  the  ut- 
most dispatch  in  going  to  the  town,  to  give  notice  of  the  appi'oach  of  the 
army,  ordered  a  rapid  march,  in  the  midst  of  a  heavy  fall  of  rai]i,  to  reach 
the  tov\-n  before  therp,  and  take  it  by  surprise,  The  plan  succeeded. 
The  army  reached  the  place  in  three  divisions.  The  right  and  lelt  wings 
approached  ihe  river  a  little  above  and  below  the  town,  while  the  centie 
marched  directly  upon  it.  The  whole  number  of  the  Indians  in  the  \il- 
lafje,  on  the  east  side  of  the  river,  tojrether  with  ten  or  twelve  from  a  lit- 
lie  village  some  djstance  above,  were  made  prisoners  without  firing  a  sin- 
gle shot.  The  river  having  riseia  to  a  gteat  height,  owing  to  the  recent 
fall  of  rain,  the  army  could  not  cross  it.  Owing  to  this,  the  villages  with 
their  inhabitants  ,on  the  west  side  of  the  river  escaped  destruction. 

Among  t]ie  prisoners,  sixteen  warriors  were  pointed  out  by  Pekiilpn,  a 
friendly  Delawan;, chief,  who  was  with  the  army  of  Eroadhead. 

A  little  after  dark,  a  council  of  war  was  held  to  determine  on  the  fate 
,of  the  warriors  in  custody.  They  were  doomed  to  death,  and  by  the  or- 
der of  the  commander  were  bound,  taken  a  little  distance  bel.ow  the  town, 
and  dispatched  with  tomahawks  and  spenrs,  and  scalped. 

Early  the  next  morning,  an  Indian  i)resentcd  himself  on  ,ihe  opposite 
bank  of  the  river  and  asked  for  the  big  captain.  Broadhead  pvesented 
himself,  and  asked  the  Indian  what  he  wanted.  To  Avhich  he  replied, 
"I  want  peace."  "Sevid  over  some  .of  your  chiel's,"  said  Hroadhead. 
".May  be  you  kill,"  said  the  Indian.  Me  was  ans,,A'ered,  '-'They  shall 
not  be  killed."  One  of  the  chiefs,  a  well  looking  man,  canie  over  the 
•river  and  entered  into  conversation  with  the  comnjander  in  the  slreel; 
but  while  en^-noed  in  conversation,  a  man  of  the  name  of  Welzel  came 
up  behuid  h'nn,  with  a  tpm.ahawk  concealed  \\\  the  bosom  /pf  his  liunting 
shirt,  and  struck  him  on  tho  back  of  his  head.  He  fell  and  instanlly  ex- 
.pircci. 

A  bout  eleven  ox  twelve  o'clock,  the  army  Gommenced  ilf>  retrc^K  from 
■Coshocton.  Gen.  Broadhend  committed  the  care  of  the  j)ris()ners  lo  ihe 
jnilitia.  'i'hey  were  about  twnty  ii.i  nundjcr.  Alter  marching  about  half 
a  mile,  the  men  commenced  killipg  them.  In  a  short  time  they  were  all 
(iis|)atclied,  excel)!  a  few  womcu  and  children,  who  were  spared  and  taken 
to  Fori  I^itf,  and  aft/;r  ^onieUmc  exchanged  for  an  eijual  manbcr  of  tin  li 
prisoneis. 


^^PTivrry  of  Mm.  erowjv,  20^ 


-:o: 1- 


CHAPTER  XIL 


CAPTIVITY  OF  MRS.  BROWN. 

<<i)N  thu  •2'7Ui  (Igy  of  M9.reh,  17S9,  about  ten  o'clock  in  the  torciioon,  as 
Mrs.  Brown  was  spinning'  in  her, house,  her  black  woman,  wlio  li;ic!  step- 
,pcd  out  to  gather  sugar -^vater,  screamed  out,  "Here  are  Indians." — 
She  juniped  up,  ran  to  the  window,  ai:d  tiien  to  the  door,  wliere  she  was 
met  by  one  of  the  Jndia&s  presenting  his  gua.  She  caught  hokl  of  the 
muzzle,  and  turning  it  aside,  begged  liim  not  to  kill  lier,  but  t?ke  her  pri- 
soner. The  other  Irjdiaa.in  the  mean  time  cajUght  the  negro  woman  and 
her  boy  about  four  years  ,old,  and  brought  them  into  the  house.  They 
then  opened  a  chest  and  took  out  a  small  hox  and  some  articles  of 
clothing,  and  without  doing  any  fu;:t.her  dannage,  or  setting  hre  to  the 
house,  set  off  with  herself  and  son,  iibout  tw.o  years  and  a  half  old,  the 
black  woman  and  her  tw'^  children,  '.the  oldest  four  years  and  the  young- 
est one  year  old.  After  goinu"  about  one  and  a  half  miles  they  halted  and 
l|eld  a  coysultariou,  as  she  supposed,  about  killing  the  children.  This 
she  understood  to  be  the  subject  by  their  gestures  and  frequently  pointing 
at  the  children.  To  one  of  die  Indians  who  could  speak  English,  she 
|?eld  out  h^i^r  little  boy  afcd  begged  him  not  to  kill  him,  as  he  would  make 
a  fine  little  Indian  after  awhile^  The  Indian  made  a  motion  to  her  to 
-walk  on  with  her  child,,  The  oUier  Indian  then  struck  the  negro  boy 
-\yith  the  pipe  cud  of  his  tomahawk,  which  knocked  bim  down,  and  then 
.dispatched  him  b\-  a  blov-'  with  the  edge  across  the  back  of  the  neck  an;l 
scalped  him,. 

About  four  o'clock  in  the  evening,  they  reached  the  river,  about  a  mile 
above  Wellsburg,  and  carried  ?i  canoe,  which  had  been  thrown  up  in 
some  drift  wood,  into  the  river.  They  got  into  this  canoe,  and  vv'orkcd 
it  down  to  the  mouUi  of  Brush  run,  a  distance  of  about  live  miles.  'I'liey 
pulled  'up  the  canoe  into  the  mouth  of  the  run,  as  far  as  they  could,  then 
V.eiit  up  the  run  about  a  mile,  and  c-itcampcd  for  the  uight.  The  Indians 
gave  till  ])risoners  all  their  own  clothes  for  covering,  and  a<l(led  one  of 
their  owii  blnukels.  Awhile  before  daylight,  the  Indians  got  up  and  [)ut 
itiiother  blankel  o\er  diem. 

About  siiniise  ihey  beg.ui  their  march  up  a  very  steep  hill,  and  about 

■two  ()~'clock   hailed  on  Short  creek,  about  twenty  miles  from  the  place 

whence  thev  hat!  I'l  out  in  die  morning.      The  place  where  they  halted 

had  been  an  ••ncampmcnt  shortly  bel'ore,  as  well  as  a  place  of  deposit  for 

-lie  plunder  which  Uiey  Ijad  recently  taken  from  the  house  of  a  Mr.  Van- 


-^05  CAPTIVITY  OF  MRS.  lillOWN. 

meter,  whose  llunily  had  been  killed.  The  plunder  was  depo.siled  in  v\ 
sycamore  tree.  Here  they  kindled  a  fire  and  put  on  a  brass  kettle,  with 
a  turkey  which  they  had  killed  on  the  way,  to  boil  in  sugar  water. 

Mr.  Glass,  the  first  husband  of  Mrs.  Brown,  v'^-s  working  with  a  hired 
man  in  a  field,  ubout  a  quarter  of  a  inile  from  the  house,  when  his  wile 
and  family  were  taken,  but  knew  nothing  of  the  event  until  two  o'elqck. 
After  searching  about  the  place,  and  going  to  several  houses  in  ([uest  of 
his  family,  he  w.ent  to  Mr.  Wells's  fort,  collected  ten  men  besides  himselij 
and  the  same  ijiy'ht  lodged  i:i  a  cabin  on  the  bottom  on  which  the  town 
now  stands. 

Next  morning  they  <liscovy3red  the  place  from  which  the  Indians  had 
taken  the  canoe /rom  the  drift,  and  their  tracks  at  the  place  of  their, em- 
barkation. Mr.  Glass.could  distinguish  the  track  of  his  wife  by  the  print 
<3f  the  high  heel, of  her  shoe.  They  crossed  over  the  river  and  went  down 
on  the  other  side  until  they  came  near  the  mouth  of  Rush  Run;  but  dis- 
<covering  no  tracks  of  ythe  Indians,  most  of  the  men  concluded  that  they 
would  go  to  the  mouth  of  Muskingunj.,  by  water,  and  therefore  wished  to 
turn  back,  Mr.  Glas;.s  begged  of  theiyi  to  go  as  far  as  the  mouth  of  Short 
-creek,  which  was  oply  two  or  three  ijiiles  fiirther.  To  this  they  agreed. 
When  they  got  to  i\ie  mouth  of  Rush  run,  they  found  the  canoe  of  the  In- 
dians. This  was  identified  by  a  proof,  which  goes  to  shew  the  presence 
of  mind  of  Mrs.  Brown.  WliLie  going  down  the  river,  one  of  the  Indi- 
ans threw  into  the  water  several  papers,  which  he  had  taken  out  of  Mr. 
Glass's  trunk,  iiome  of  .v.'hich  sh-  picked  up  out  of  the  v.ater,  and  unilet 
pretence  of  giving  them  to  the  child,  dropped  them  into  the  bottom  of  the 
jcanoc.  These  left  no  doubt.  The  trail  of  the  Indians  and  their  prison- 
ers up  the  run  to  their  camp,  and  then  up  the  river  hill,  was  soon  discov- 
ered. The  trail  at  the  time,  owisig  to  tlie  softness  of  the  ground  and  the 
height  of  the  weeds,  was  easily  iollowcd. 

About  au  hour  alter  the  Indians  had  halted,  Mr.  Glass  and  his  men 
came  williin  sight  of  the  smoke  of  their  camp.  The  object  then  was  to 
save  the  lives  of  the  prisoners,  by  attacking  the  Indians  so  unexpectedly, 
as  not  to  allow  them  time  to  kill  them.  With  this  view  they  crept  as 
slyly  as  they  could,  till  they  got»  within  something  more  than  one  hundred 
yards  I'rom  the  camp.  Fortunately,  Mrs.  Brown's  little  son  had  gone  to  a 
sugar  tree  to  get  some  water*  but  not  beiiig  able  to  get  it  out  of  the  bark 
trough,  his  mother  had  stepped  out  of  the  camp  to  get  it  lor  idm.  The 
net^ro  woman  was  siHin^j  some  distance  from  the  two  Indians,  who  were 
looking  allentfvflv  at  a  scarlet  jacket  which  ihey  hud  taken  some  ti:ne 
before.  On  a  sudden  they  dropped  the  jacket,  and  turned  their  eyes 
towards  the  men,  who  sujiposing  they  were  discovered,  immediately  dis- 
charged several  guns,  and  rusluid  upon  them,  at  full  speed,  with  an 
Indian  yell.  One  of  the  Indians,  it  was  supposed,  was  wounded  the 
first  fire,  as  he  fell  and  dropped  his  gun  and  shot  pouch.  After  running 
about  one  hundred  yards,  a  second  shot  wa^  fired  after  hiin,  by  Major 
M'(iuire,  which  brought  him  to  his  hands  and  knees;  but  there  was  no 
time  for  pinsnit,  as  the  Indians  had  informed  Mrs.  Brown  that  there 
WH^  another  encampment  close  by.  They  therefore  returned  home  widi 
all  speed,  and  reached  the  Beach  bnt'.om  fort  that  niglH. 


LEWIS  tVETZEL.  2W 

The  other  Indian,  at  the' first,  fire,  ran  a  liltlo  distanrc  beyond  Mrs. 
Brown,  so  that  she  Avas  in  a  right  line  between  him  and  the  while  men. 
Here  he  baked  for  a  little  to  put  on  hiNS  shot  pouch,  which  Mr,  Glass,  for 
the  moment,  mistook  for  an  attempt  to  kill  his  wife  with  a  tomaluiwk. 

This  artful  maneuver  no  doubt  saved  the  life  of  the  savage,  as  his  pur- 
suers durst  not  shoot  at  him/  without  risking  tfee  life  of  Mrs.  Urown. 


-:o:- 


CHAPTER  XI 


LEWIS  WETZEL. 

TifE  following  narrative  goes-  to  shew  how  njueh  may  be  cfTeeted  hy  the' 
skill,  bravery,  and  physical  activity  of  a  single  individual,  in  the  partisan' 
■\Varfare  carrietl  on  against  the  Idians,  on  the  western  frontier. 

Lewis  Wet/el  was  the  son  of  John  Wet^^el^  a  German,  who  settled  on' 
Bisf  Wheeling,  about  fourteen  miles  from  the  river.  He  was  amoirjjstthe 
first  adventnrers  into  that  part  of  the  country^  His  ediicati<on,  like  that 
of  his  cotemporaries,  was  that  of  the  himter  and  A^arrior.  When  a  boy 
be  adopted  the  practice  of  loading  and  firing  his  rifle  as  he  ran.  This 
was  a  means  of  making  hira  so  destructive  to  the  Indians  afterwai'ds. 

When  about  thirteen  years  old,  he  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  Indians, 
together  with  his  brother  Jacob,  about  eleven  years  old.  Before  he  was 
taken  he  received  a  slight  wound  in  the  breast  from  a  bullet,  which  car- 
ried off  a  snrall  pieQp  of  hi's  breast  bone.  The  second  night  after  they 
were  taken,  the  Indians  encamped  at  the  Big  Lick,  twenty  miles  froiP;  the 
river,  on  the  waters  of  M'Mahan's  creek.  The  boys  were  not  confined.' 
After  the  Indians  had  fallen  asleep,  Lewis  whispered  to  his  brother  Jacob 
that  he  must  get  up  and  go  back  home  with  him.  Jacob  at  first  objected, 
but  aftervv'ards  got  up  and  went  along  with  him.  When  they  had  got 
about  one  hundred  yards  from  the  camp,  they  sat  down  on  a  log.  "  Well,"' 
said  Lewis,  "we  can't  go  home  baretooted;  I  will  go  back  and  get  a  pair 
of  moccasons  for  each  of  us;"  and  accordingly  did  so,  and  returned. 
After  sitting  a  little  longer,  "Now,"  says  he,  "I  will  go  back  and  get 
father's  gun,  and  then  we'll  start."  This  he  effected.  They  had  not. 
traveled  far  on  the  trail  by  which  they  came,  before  they  heard  the  In- 
dians coming  after  them.  It  was  a  moonlight  night.  When  the  Indians 
eame  pretty  nigh  them,  they  stepped  aside  into  the  bushes,  let  them  pass, 
then  fell  into  their  rear  and  traveled  on.  On  the  return  of  tlie  Indians 
they  did  the  same.  They  were  then  pursued  by  two  Indians  on  horse- 
Back,  whom  they  dodged  in  the  same  way.  The  next  day  they  reached 
Wheeling  in  safety,  crossing  from  the  Indian  shore  to  Wheeling  island, 


on  a  rnft  (if  thck"  own'making.     By  this  lime  J  cwis  lual  become  almost* 
spent  from  liis  ^vouiul. 

In  the  year  l'lS'2,  after  Cra'.vforcrs  defeat,  L^fwis  Aveiit  with  a  'I'homas" 
Mills,  who  had  been  in  the  campaig-itr,  to  get  his  horse,  which  he  liad  left 
near  the  place  where  St.-  Clairsville  no'.v  stands.-  At  the  Indian  springs, 
two  miles  from  St.  Clairsville^  on  the  Wheeling  road,  they  wdre  met  by 
about  forty  Indians,  who  were' in  pursuit  of  the  stragglers  iVom  the  cam- 
paign.- The  Indians  and  white  men  discovered  each  otherabout  the  same 
momeiit.  Lewis  llred  first  and  killed  an  Irvdian,  while  tlie  Indians 
wounded  Mills  in  the  heel,  who  v\'as  sodfh  ovo'taken  dnd  killed.  Four  of 
the  Indian's  then  singled  out,  dropped  their  guns,  and  pursued  Wetzel. 
Wetzel  loaded  his  rifle  as  he  ran.  After  running  about  half  a  rrile,  one 
of  thelndians  liaving  got  within-eight  or  ten  steps  of  him,  VVctzel- Avheel- 
ed  round  art'd  shot  him  dWn,  ran,  and  loaded  his  gun  as  before.-  After 
going  abovit  three  quarters  of  a  mile  farther,  a  second  Intlian  came  .so' 
close  to  him',  that  when  he  turned  to  fire,  the  Indian  caught  the  muzzle' 
of  the  guil',  and  as  he  expressed  it,  ''he  and  the  Indian  had  a  severe 
wrinfT."  He  however  succeeded  in  brinii'ino;  the  nuizzle  to  the  Indians 
breast,  and  killed  him  on  the  spot.  ]>y  this  time,  he  as  well  as  the  In- 
dians were  pretty  well  tired;'  yet  the  pursuit  was  continued  by  the  two 
remaining  Indians.-  Wetzel,  as  before,  loaded  his  gun,  and  stopped  sev- 
eral times  during  this  latter  chase:  when  he  did  so,  the  Indians  treed' 
themselves.-  After  going  something  more  than  a  mile,  Wetzel  took  ad- 
vantage of  a  little' open  piece  of  ground  over  ivlii(  h  the  Indians  were' 
passing,  a  short  distance  behind  him,  to  make  a  suddc-u  st(vp  for  ihc  pur- 
pose of  shooting  the  ibremost,  who  got  behind  a  little  sajjling,  which  was 
too  small  to  covef  his  body.  Wct/el  shot  an(f  broke  his  tliigh.  The 
wound,  in  the  issue,  proved  fatal.  The  last  of  the  Indians  then  gave  a 
little  yell,  and  said,  "No  catch  dat  man,  gun  always  loaded,"  and  gave 
up  the  chase,  glad  no  dou]:)t  to  get  off  with  his  life. 

It  is  said  that  Lewis  Wetz(.'l,  in  tiie  course  of  the  Indian  wais  in  tjjis 
part  of  ihc  coutilry,  killed  twenty-seven  Indians,  besides  a  nundtrr  nu^re 
along  <he  frontier  scttleinenls  of  Kentucky. 


A-DAAr  poi:.  '^oi 


:o:- 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


ADAM   POE, 

Ix  the  summer  of  \1S2,  a  ])ariy  oC  sr'Vf>n  Wyandols  Hiacle  nii  incuisi(;n 
into  a  settlement  s;ome  distance  beknv  Fort  Pitt,  arul  sev«»ral  miles  from 
ihe  Ohio  river.  Here  i^nding'  an  old  man  alone,  in  a  (•••ihin,  they  killed 
him,  packed  up  what  jvlunder  they  could  find,  and  commenced  ih<'ir  re- 
treat. A-m-on'ti-st  their  uartv  \va:«  a  eelehralod  VVvandot  chief,  who,  iii-  ad- 
dition  to  his  iarne  as  a  warrior  and  rounsellor,  was,  at-  to  his  .size  and 
strength-,  a  real  giant. 

The  Kews  of  the  visit  of  the  In'diares  soon  spread  through  the  neighbor- 
hood, and  a  }?arty  of  eight  good  rhlemen  was  collecteil  in  a  iew  hours  for 
the  purpose  of  pursuing  the  Indians.  In  this  party  were  two  brothers  of 
the  names  of  Adam  and  Andrew  Pbe.  Tiwy  were  feoth  famous  for  coin- 
age, si:i^e  and  activity. 

This  little  ])arty  commenced  the  pursuit  of  the  Indians,  witli  a  deler- 
mination^,  if  p-ossible,  not  to  suffer  them  to  escape^  as-  they  usually  tlid  on 
such  occasion's,  by  making  a  speedy  ftight  to  the  river,  crossing  it,  ami 
then  divkHng  into  small  parties,  to  a  meet  at  a  distant  point  in  a  giv(m 
time. 

The  pursuit  was  continued  the  greater  paiH  of  flie  Jiight  after  the  In 
dians  had  done  the  mischief.  In  the  m'orning,  the  party  found  themselves 
on  the  trail  of  the  Indians,  which  led  to  the  river.  When  arrived  within 
a  little  distance  of  the  river,  Adam  Poe,  fearing  an  ambuscade,  left  the 
party,  who  followed  directly  on  the  trail,  to  creep  along  the  brink  of  the 
river  bank,  under  cover  of  the  weeds  and  bushes,  to  fall  on  the  rear  of 
the  Indians,  should  he  find  them  in  ambuscade.  He  had  not  gone  far 
before  he  s&\7  the  In'dian:  rafts  at  the  water's  edge.  Not  seeing  any  In- 
dians, he  stepped  noftly  down  the  bank  Avith  his  rifle  cocked.  When 
about  halfway  down,  he  discovered  the  large  Wyandot  chief  and  a  small 
Indian  within  a  few  steps  of  him.  They  were  stamling  with  their  guns 
cocked,  and  looking  in  the  direction  of  our  party,  who  by  this  time  had 
gone  some  distance  lower  down  the  bottom..  Poe  took  aim  at  the  large 
chief,  but  his  rifle  m.isscd  fire.  The  Indians  hearing  the  snap  of  the  gun- 
lock,  instantly  turned  round  and  discovered  Poe,  who  being  too  near 
them  to  retreat,  dropped  his  gtin  ami  sprang  from  the  bank  upon  them, 
and  seizing  the  large  Indian  by  the  clothes  on  his  breast,  and  at  the  same 
time  embracing  the  neck  of  the  small  one,  threw  them  both  down  on  tlic 
ground,  himself  being  uppermost.  The  small  Indian  soon  extricated 
iiimself,    ran  to  the   rafh   got  his  tomahawk,   and   attempted  io  dispatch 


209  ADAM  POE 

Poc,  the  lar'4'e  Indian  lioUlinr;  him  fast  in  his  aims  wltli  all  Wis  mio;hf,  trie- 
better  to  enable  liis  ieliow  to  effect  his  purpose.  Poe,  however,  so  well 
watched  the  motions  of  his  assailant,  that,  when  in  the  act  of  aiming  his- 
blow  at  his  head,  by  a  vigorous  and  well-directed  kick  with  one  of  his 
feet,  he  staggered  the  savage,  and  knocked  the  tomahawk  out  of  his 
liand.  This  failure,  on  the  part  of  the  small  Indian,  was  reproved  by  an 
exclamation  of  contempt  from  the  large  one. 

In  a  moment  the  Indian  caught  up  his  tomahawk  again,  approached 
more  cautiously,  brandishing  his  tomahawk,  and  making  a  number  of 
feigned  blows  in  defiance  and  derision.  Poe,  however,  still  on  his  guard, 
averted  the  real  blow  from  his  head,  by  throwing  up  his  arm,  and  receiv- 
ing it  on  his  wrist  in  wliich  he  was  severely  wounded;  but  not  so  as  to 
lose  entirely  the  use  of  his  hand. 

In  this  perilous  moment,  Poe,  by  a  violent  effort,  broke  loose  from  the 
Indian,  snatched  up  one  of  the  Indian's  guns,  and  shot  the  small  Indian 
through  the  breast,  as  he  ran  up  the  third  time  to  tomahawk  him. 

The  large  Indian  was  now"  on  his  feet,  and  gi'asping  Poe  by  a  shoulder 
and  leg,  threw  him  down  on  the  bank.  Poe  instantly  disengaged  himself 
and  got  on  his  feet..  The  Indian  then  seized  him  again,  and  anew^  strug- 
gle ensued,  which,  owing  to  the  slippery  stats  of  the  bank,  ended  in  the 
iali  of  both  combatants  into  the  water. 

In  this  situation,  it  was  the  object  of  each  to  drown  the  other.  Their 
efforts  to  effect  their  purpose  were  continiu'd  for  some  time  with  alternate 
success,  sometimes  one  being  under  the  water  and  sometimes  the  other.. 
Pea  at  length  seized  the  tuft  of  hair  on  the  scalp  of  the  Indian,  with  which 
he  held  his  head  under  water,  until  he  supposed  him  drowned. 

Relaxing  his  hold  too  soon,  Poe  instantly  ibund  his  gigantic  antagonist 
on  his  feet  ag^ain,  and  ready  for  another  combat-  In  this  they  were  car- 
ried into  the  water  beyond  their  depth.  In  this  situation  they  were  com- 
pelled to  loose  their  hold  on  each  other  and  swim  for  mutual  safety.  Both 
sought  the  shore,  to  seize  a  gun  and  end  the  contest  with  bullets.  The 
Indian  being  the  best  swimmer,  reached  the  land  first.  Poc  seeijig  this, 
immediately  turned  back  into  the  water,  to  escape,  il' possible,  being  shot, 
by  diving.  Fortunately  the  Indian  caught  up  the  rille  with  which  Poe 
had  killed  the  other  warrior. 

At  this  juncture,  Andrew  Poe,  missing  his  brother  f)cm  the  party,  rnd 
supposing  iVom  the  report  of  the  gun  which  he  slut,  that  he  was  (i'her 
killed  or  engaged  in  conflict  with  the  Indians,  hastened  to  the  spot.  On 
seeing  him,  Adam  called  out  to  hira  to  "kill  tlie  big  Indian  on  shore." 
But  Andrew's  gun,  like  that  of  the  Indian's,  was  empty.  The  contest 
was  now  between  the  wliite  man  and  the  Indian,  who  should  load  and 
fire  first.  Very  l<utunately  for  Poe,  the  Indian,  in  loadijig,  drew  the  ram- 
rod from  the  thimbles  of  the  stock  of  the  gun  with  so  mu(;h  violence,  that 
it  slipped  out  of  his  hand  and  fell  a  little  distance  from  him.  He  quickly 
caught  it  up,  and  rammed  down  his  bullet.  Tiiis  little  delay  gave  Poe 
the  advantage.  He  shot  the  Indian  as  he  was  raising  his  gun  to  take 
aim  at  him. 

As  soon  as  Andrew  had  shot  the  Indian,  he  jumped  into  tiio  river  to 
ussist  his  wounded  brother  to  shore;   but  Adaiu,  thinking  more  of  the 


-ADAM  PGE.  210 

feonor  of  carrying  the  scalp  of  the  big  Indian  home  as  a  trophy  of  victory 
tlian  of  his  own  safety,  urged  Andrew  to  go  back  and  prevent  the  strng- 
ghng  savage  from  rolling  himself  into  the  river  and  esca])ing.  Aridrcw's 
solicitude  for  the  life  ©f  his  brother  prevented  him  from  comi)lying  wiih 
this  request,. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  Indian,  .jealous  of  the  honer  of  his  scalp  even  in 
the  agonies  of  death,  succeeded  in  reaching  the  river  and  getting  into  the 
•current,  so  that  his  body  was  never  obtained. 

An  unfortunate  occurrence  teok  place  during  this  conflict.  Just  as 
Andrew  arrived  at  the  top  of  the  bank  for  the  relief  of  his  brother,  one  of 
the  party  who  had  follovred  close  behind  him,  seeing  Adam  in  the  river, 
and  mistaking  him  for  a  wounded  Indian,  shot  at  him  and  wounded  him 
in  the  shoulder.     He  however  recovered  from  his  wounds. 

During  the  contest  between  Adam  Poe  and  the  Indians,  the  party  had 
overtaken  the  remaining  six  of  them.  A  desperate  conflict  ensued,  in 
which  Jive  of  the  Indians  were  killed.  Our  loss  was  three  men  killed  and 
Adam  Poe  severely  wounded. 

Thus  ended  this  Spartan  conflict,  with  the  loss  of  three  valiant  men  (^n 
our  part,  and  with  that  of  the  v.'hoie  Indian  party  excepting  one  warrior. 
Never  on  any  occasion  was  there  a  greater  display  o!l  desperate  braveiy, 
and  seldom  did  a  conflict  talce  place,  which,  in  the  issue,  proved  fatal  to 
■so  great  a  proportion  of  those  engaged  in  it. 

The  fatal  result  of  this  little  campaign,  on  the  side  of  the  Indians,  occa- 
sioned a  universal  mourning  among  the  Wyandot  nation.  The  big  In- 
dian and  his  four  brothers,  all  of  whom  were  kiUed  at  the  same  place, 
were  amongst  the  most  distinguished  chiefs  and  warriors  of  their  nation. 

The  big  Indian  was  magnanimous  as  vcell  as  brave.  He,  more  than 
any  other  individual,  contributed,  by  his  example  ami  inlluence,  to  the 
good  character  of  the  Wyandots  for  lenity  towards  tiieir  piisoners.  He 
"would  not  suffer  them  to  be  killed  or  ill  treated.  This  mai'cy  to  captives 
was  an  honorable  distinction  in  the  chai'acter  of  the  V%';yandots,  and  was 
well  understood  by  our  first  settlers,  who,  in  .case  of  captivity,  thought  il 
a  fortunate  circumstance  to  fall  into  their  hands. 

It  is  consoling  to  the  historian  to  find  instances  of  those  endowments 
•of  mind  which  constitute  human  ijreatness  even  amoncr  savao;es.  The 
-original  stamina  of  those  enciowments,  or  what  is  called  genius,  are  but 
thinly  scattered  over  the  earth,  and  there  can  be  little  doubt  but  that  the 
dower  grades  of  society  possess  their  equal  proportion  of  the  bases  of 
moral  greatness,  or  in  other  words,  that  there  is  as  much  of  native  geyiiiis, 
m  proportion  to  numbers,  amongst  savages,  as  there  is  amongst  civilized 
people.  The  difference  between  these  two  extremes  of  society  is  merely 
the  difference  of  education.  This  view  of  human  nature,  philosophically 
correct,  is  well  calculated  to  increase  the  benevolence  of  even  the  good 
Samaritan  himself,  and  encourage  his  endeavors  for  thr  instruction  of  the 
most  ignorant,  and  the  reformation  of  tlie  most  baibarojis. 

Had  the  aboriginals  of  our  country  been  possessed  ol  scicnrc  lo  onal>lc. 
them  to  commit  to  the  faithful  page  of  history  the  events  of  thcii'  iiilci- 
<;ourse  with  us  since  the  discovery  and  settlement  of  ihcir  native  land  by 
nhe  Europeans,  what  would  be  the  contents  of  this  histo)-y!      Not  such  as 


2U  THE  joriNso-Ns. 

it  is  li'uiH  i1h-'  hands  ul  our  iiisluiiaiis,  who  havt;  prcsenlcd  iiunglit  'bul  liie 
woisi  I't'iitures  oi' tlie  Indian  character,  as  exhibited  in  the  course  ot'  their 
^viu•s  against  the  invaders  of  their  country,  while  the  wrongs  inflicted  on 
ihem  by  civilized  men  have  occupied  but  a  very  small  portion  of  the  re- 
cord. Their  suil'erings,  their  private  virtues,  their  bravery  and  magnan- 
imity in  war,  together  with  their  individual  iiistances  of  greatness  of  mind, 
heroism,  and  clemency  to  captives  in  the  midst  of  the  cruelties  of  their 
barbarous  warfare,  must  soon  be  buried  with  themselves  iu  the  tomb  oj' 
Uieir  national  cyisteucc. 


-:o:- 


CHAPTER  XV. 


'J'lli:  JOilNSONS. 


TtiF.  foliowing  hnrrativt;  goes  to  show  that  the  long  continuance  of  the 
'liiflian  war  had  ins})!red  even  thv  young  lads  of  our  country  not  only  with 
all  ihebi-avery  but  all  the  subtilty  of" the  Indians  themselves. 

In  the  fall  of  the  year  1793,  two  boys  of  the  name  of  John  and  Henry 
Johnson,  the  first  thirteen  aiul  the  latter  eleven  years  old,  whose  p/arents 
lived  in  Carpenter's  station,  a  little  distance  above  tl>€  mouth  of  Shoi-t 
creek,  on  the  east  side  of  the  Ohio  river,  were  sent  out  in  the  evening  to 
hunt  the  cows}  At  tlu'  loot  ol"  a  hill,  at  the  back  of  the  bottom,  tliev  sat 
down  under  a  hickory  tree  to  crack  some  nuts.  They  soon  saw  two  men 
coming  towards  them,  one  of  whom  IukI  a  bridle  in  his  Jiand.  Jk-ing 
•dressed  like  white  men,  they  mistook  them  ibr  llieir  father  and  an  unclfc 
in  search  of  horses.  When  they  discovered  Ihelr  mistake  and  attempted 
lo  run  of^",  the  Indians,  pointiKg  their  gvins  ai  them,  told  them  to  stop  or 
tliey  woidd  kill  them.     'I'hey  halted  ;md  were  taken  prisoners. 

The  Indians,  benig  in  jiin-'-'uit  of  horses,  conducted  the  boys  by  a  cir- 
cuitous route  over  the  Short  creek  hills  in  starch  of  them,  until  laie  in 
tlie  (MCning,  v/hen  Ihey  lialicd  a!  a  spring  iu  a  h.ollow  plact,  about  three 
Auiles  from  the  fori.  Here  llie\  kindled  a  small  fire,  cooked  and  ate  some 
■■victuals,  and  prepared  to  icpose  for  tlu'  night. 

Ijeni'v,  the  voungest  of  the  lio\s,  during  the  i-amble  had  affected  the 
•gieatest  satisfaction  at  ha\  ing  !)(■(  ii  taken  iirisouei-.  1  le  said  his  fath(>r 
was  a  hard  Uiasfcr,  who  ki'pt  him  al\va\s  al  hard  work,  and  allowed  him 
no  [)hi\  ;  but  that  for  his  part  he  wished  to  li\f  in  the  woods  and  be  a  huti- 
icr.  This  de[)ortmcnt  sofui  brought  him  into  iniimncy  with  on(>  of  the 
Indians,  w!io  could  speak  ver\  good  Kn'^lish.  The  Indians  frerpiciilly 
.ii^lscd  l!ic  bi)\'-  if  llic\  knew  of  au\  l;iio(|  hoisc-  riitiiiiii'_^'  m  the  woods. 
3*^w.Ii;cUiJ3i'  bcloic  ♦|ic\    h;dtcd.    one  of  the    Indi.iu^  ^';mi-  I  lie  laiMCsl  ,oi"  th*: 


'THE  JOHxNisONS.  2^» 

■boji  a  little  ba<^,   Avhirh  lie  supposed  contained  raoney,  and  nuide  liini 
carry  it. 

When  night  came  on,  the  tire  was  covered  up,  the  boys  pinioned, 
and  made  to  lie  down  together.  The  Indians  then  placed  their  hojrp.is 
straps  over  them,  and  laid  down, -one  on  each  side  of  them,  on  the  ends 
•of  the  straps. 

Pretty  late  in  the  night  .the  Indians  fell  asleep,  and  one  of  them  becom- 
ing cold,  -caught  hold  of  John  in  hie;  arms,  and  turned  him  over  on  the 
'Outside.  In  this  situation,  the  boy,  who  had  kept  awake,  found  i^neans 
to  get  his  hands  loose.  He  then  whispered  to  his  brother,  made  him  get 
up,  and  untied  his  arms.  This  done,  Heery  thought  of  nothing  but  rui>- 
ning  off  as  fast  as  possible;  but  when  about  to  start,  John  caught  hold  of 
■him,  saying,  "  We  must  kill  these  Indians  befoce  w-e  go."'"  After  some 
hesitation,  Henry  agreed  to  make  the  attempt.  John  then  took  one  of  the 
rifles  of  the  Indians,  and  placed  it  on  a  log  with  the  muzde  close  to  the 
head  of  one  of  th«m.  Hei  then  cocked  the  gun,  and  placed  his  little 
brother  at  the  britch,  with  Kis  finger  on  the  trigger,  -with  instructions  to 
pull  it  as  soon  as  he  should  strike  the  oth-er  Indian. 

He  then  took  one  of  the  Indian's  tomaha\<^ks,  and  standintr  astraddle 
of  the  other  Indian,  struck  him  with  it.  The  blow,  however,  fell  on  th(? 
'back  of  the  neck  and  to  one  side,  s©  as  not  to  be  fatal.  The  Indian  then 
attempted  to  spring  up;  but  theplittle  fellow  repeated  h-is  blows  with  such 
force  and  rapidity  on  the  skull,  that,  as  he  expressed  it,  "the  Indian  laid 
■still  and  began  to  quiver." 

At  the  ittoraent  of  the  first  stroke  given  by  the  elder  brother  with  the 
tomahawk,  the  younger  one  pulled  the  trigger,  and  shot  away  a  consider- 
able portion  of  the  Indian's  lower  jaw.  This  Indian,  a  moment  after  re- 
ceiving the  shot,  'began  to  flounce  about  and  yell  in  t'he  most  frightful 
manner.  The  boys  then  made  the  best  of  their  way  to  the  fort,  and 
reached  it  a  little  before  daybrealc  On  getting  near  the  fort  they  found 
the  people  all  up  and  in  great  agitation  on  their  account.  On  hearing  a 
v.-onian  exclaim,  "Poor  little  fellows,,  they  are  killed  or  taken  prisoners  !" 
the  oldest  one  answered,  "  No  mother,  we  are  here  yet.'" 

Having  brought  nothing  away  with  them  from  the  Indian  camp,  their 
relation  of  what  had  taken  place  between  them  and  the  Indians  was  )iot 
fully  creditecL  A  small  party  was  soon  made  up  to  go  and  ascertain  the 
truth  or  falsehood  of  their  report.  This  party  the  boys  conducted  to  thf^ 
spot  by  the  shortest  route.  On  arriving  at  the  place,  they  found  the  In- 
dian whom  the  oldest  brother  had  toruhawked,  lying  dead  in  the  camp  ; 
the  other  had  crawled  away,  and  taken  'his  gun  and  shot-pouch  with  him. 
After  sf:alping  the  Indian,  the  party  returned  to  the  fort,  and  the  same 
day  a  larger  party  went  out  to  look  after  the  wounded  Indian,  who  had 
crawled  some  distance  from  the  camp  and  concealed  himself  m  the  top  of 
a  fallen  tree,  where,  notwithstanding  the  severity  of  his  wound,  with  a 
Spartan  bravery  he  determined  to  sell  his  life  as  dearly  as  possible. 
Having  fixed  his  gun  for  the  purpose,  on  the  approach  of  the  men  to  a 
proper  distance,  he  took  aim  at  one  of  them,  and  pulled  the  trigger,  lint 
his  gun  missed  fire.  On  hearing  the  snap  of  the  lock,  one  of  the  men 
exclaimed,  "I   ^^houId   not   like  to  be   killed  bv  a  dead  Indian!"     The 


.-> 


13  •SETTLEMKNT  OF 


pvirty  concluding  thai  the  ludiiui  would  die  ill  auy  rale,  ihought  best  to 
retreat,  and  return  and  look  for  him  after  some  time.  On  returning,  how- 
'Cver,  he  could  not  be  found,  having  crawled  away  and  concealed  himself 
in  some  other  place.  His  skeleton  and  guu  were  found  sometime  after- 
Avards. 

The  Indians  who  were  killed  were  great  warriors  and  very  wealthy. 
The  bag,  which  was  supposed  to  contain  money,  it  was  conjectured  was 
got  by  one  of  the  party,  who  went  out  iirst  in  the  morning.  On  hearing 
the  report  of  the  boys,  he  slipped  off  by  himself,  and  reached  the  place 
before  the  party  arrived.  For  some  tinie  afterwards  he  appeared  to  have 
■a  greater  plenty  ol'nioney  than  his  neighbors. 

The  Indians  themselves  did  honor  to  the  bravery  of  tliese  two  boys. 
After  their  treaty  with  Gen.  Wayne,  a  friend  of  the  Indians  who  were 
killed  made  inquiry  of  a  man  from  Short  creek,  what  had  become  of  the 
boys  who  killed  the  Indians?  He  was  answered  that  they  lived  at  the 
■same  place  with  their  parents.  The  Indian  replied,  "You  have  not  done 
Tiglit:  yoK  should  make  kings  of  those  boys." 


,.,.    55 


-:o:- 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


SETTLKMENT  OF  THE  COUNTRY. 

'Having  thus  given  to  the  reader,  in  the  preceding  pages,  a  ronnecled 
history  of  the  wars  with  the  Indians,  from  the  earliest  settlement  of  the 
'countiy  until  the  treaty  of  peace  made  by  Gen.  Wayne  in  1794,  I  will  go 
back  to  the  year  1772,  and  trace  the  various  steps  by  which  our  settie- 
.ments  advanced  to  their  present  vigorous  state  of  existence. 

The  settlements  on  this  side  of  the  mountains  commenced  along  the 
Moiiongahela,  and  between  that  river  and  the  Laurel  ridge,  in  the  year 
1772.  In  the  succeeding  year  they  reached  the  Ohio  river.  The  greater 
number  of  the  first  settlers  came  from  the  upper  parts  of  the  then  colonics 
of  Maryland  and  Virginia.  Braddock's  trail,  as  it  was  called,  was  the 
route  by  which  the  greater  number  of  them  crossed  the  mountains.  A 
less  number  of  them  came  by  the  way  of  Bedford  and  Fort  Ligonier,  the 
military  road  from  Eastern  Pennsylvania  to  j^ittsburg.  They  effected 
their  removals  on  horses  furnished  with  pack-saddles.  This  was  the 
more  easily  done,  as  but  few  of  these  early  adventurers  into  the  wilder- 
ness were  encumbered  witli  much  baggage. 

Land  was  the  object  which  invited  ihe  greater  number  of  these  people 
to  cross  the  mountain;  for  as  the  saying  then  w;is,  "  it  was  to  be  had  here 
for  taking  up."  That  is,  building  a  cabin  and  raisin^r  a  f'op  of  grain, 
however  sm;ill,  of  any  kind,  eutltlet!  the  occupant  to  four  bundled  acres 


THE  COUNT-RY.  214 

of  land,  and  a  pre-emption  right  to  one  thousand  acres  more  adjoining', 
to  be  secured  by  a  land  oifice  warrant.  This  right  was  to  take  oiTect  if 
there  happened  to  be  so  much  vacant  land,  or  any  part  thereof,  adjoining 
the  tract  .secured  by  the  settlement  right, - 

At  an  early  period  the  government  of  Virginia  appointed  three  com- 
missioners to  give  certificates  of  settlement  rio:hts.     These  certificates,  to-- 
gether  with  the  surveyor's  plat,  were  sent  to  the  land  office  of  the  state, 
where  they  laid  six  months,  to  await  any  caveat  which  might  be  offered., 
If  none  was  offered  the  patent  then  issued. 

There  was,  at  are  early  period  of  our  settlements,  an  inferior  kind  of 
land  title,  denominated  a  "tomahawk  right,"  which  was  made  by  dead- 
ening a  few  trees  near  the  head  of  a  spring,  and  marking  the  bark  of 
some  one  or  more  of  them  with  the  initials  of  the  name  of  the  person  who 
made  the  improvement.  I  remember  having  seen  a  number  of  those 
"tornahawdi:  rights"  when  a  boy.  For  a  long  time  many  of  them  bore 
the  names  of  those  who  made  them.  I  have  no  knowledge  of  the  efficacy 
of  the  tomahawk  improvement,  or  whether  it  conferred  any  right  what- 
ever, unless  followed  by  an  actual  settlement.  These  rights,  however, 
were  often  bought  and  sold.  Those  who  wished  to  make  settlements  on 
their  favorite  tracks  of  land,  bought  up  the  tomahawk  improvements,, 
rather  than  enter  into  quarrels  with  those  who  made  them.  Other  im- 
provers of  the  land  with  a  view  to  actual  settlement,  and  who  happened 
to  be  stout  veteran  fellows,  took  a  very  different  course  from  that  ot'  pur- 
chasing the  tomahawk  rights.  When  annoyed  by  the  claimants  under 
those  rights,,  they  deliberately  cut  a  few  good  hickories,  and  gave  them 
what  was  called  in  those  days  "a  laced  jacket,"  that  is,  a  sound  whip- 
ping. 

Some  of  the  early  settlers  took  the  precaution  to  come  over  the  moun- 
tains in  the  spring  (leaving  their  families  behind),  to  raise  a  crop  of  corn, 
and  then  return  and  bring  them  out  in  the  fall.-  This  I  should  think  was 
the  better  way.  Others,  especially  those  whose  families  were  small,, 
brought  them  with  them  in  the  spring.  My  father  took  the  latter  coui-sc. 
His  family  was  biit  small,  and  he  brought  them^  all  with  him.  The  In- 
dian meal  which  he  brought  over  the  mountain  was  expended  six  weeks 
too  soon,  so  that  for  that  length  of  time  we  had  to  live  without  bread. 
The  lean  venison  and  the  breast  of  the  wild  turkeys  we  were  taught  to 
call  bread,  and  the  flesh  of  the  bear  was  denominated  meat.  Tins  arti- 
fice did  not  succeed  very  well;  for  after  living  in  this  way  some  time  we 
became  sickly,  the  stomach  seeming'  to  be  always  empty  and  tormented 
with  a  sense  of  hunger.  I  remember  how  narrowly  the  children  watched 
the  growth  of  the  potatoe  tops,  pumpkin  and  squash  vines,  hoping  from 
day  to  day  to  get  something  to  answer  in  the  place  of  bread.  How  de- 
licious was  the  taste  of  the  young  potatoes  when  we  got  them !  What  a 
jubilee  when  vfe  were  permitted  to  pull  the  young  corn  for  roasting  ears! 
still  more  so  when  it  had  acquired  sufficient  hardness  to  be  made  into 
jonny-cakes  by  the  aid  of  a  tin  grater!  We  then  became  healthy,  vi  ^'or- 
ous,  and  contented  with  our  situation,  poor  as  it  was. 

My  father,  with  a  small  number  of  his  neighbors,  made   their  settle- 
ments in  the  spring  of  1773..     Though  they  were  in  a  poor  and  destitute 


2io  sr.r'rLi:ME%'i  of 

Kifuation,  they  ncvenheless  lived  in  peace;   but  ilieir  tranquil  it  v  was  nW' 
of  long  continuance.     Those  most  atrocious  murders  of  the  peaceable  in-- 
offensive  Indians  at  CaptLna  and  Yellow  creek,   brought  on  the  war  of 
lord  Dunmore  in  the  spring  of  the  year  1774.     Our  little  settlement  then' 
broke  up.     The  women  and  children  were  removed  to  Morris's  fort,   in 
Sandy  creek  glade,  some  distance  1o  the  east  of  Uniontown.     Tlie  fort- 
consisted  of  an  assemblage  of  small  hovels,  situated  on  the  margin  of  a 
large  and  noxious  marsh,   the  etllu-via  of  which  gave  most  of  the  women' 
and  children  the  fever  and  ague.     The  men  w^ere  compelled  by  necessitv 
to  return  home,  risking- the  tomahawk  and  scalping  knife  of  the  Indians, 
to  raise  corn  to  keep  their  families  from,  starvation  the  succeeding  winter. 
Those  sufferings,  dangers  and  losses,  were  the  tribute  we  had  to  pay  to 
t-hat  thirst  for  blood  which  actuated  those  veteran- murderers  who  brought 
the  war  upon  us  !     The  memory  c/f  th€  sufferers  in  this  war,  as  well  as 
that  of  their  descendants,  still  looks  back  upon  them  with  regret  and  ab- 
horrence, an-d  the  page'  of  history  will  consign  their  names  to  posterity 
with  the  fuil  weight  of  infamy  they  deserve. 

A  correct  and  detailed  view  of  the  origin  of  so-'ietics,  and  their  pro- 
gress from-  one  condition  or  point  of  wealth,  science  anrl  civilization,  to 
another,  is  always  highly  interesting,  even  when*  received  througli  the 
dusky  medium- of  history,  oftentinws  but  poorly  and  partially  written  ;  but 
when  this  retrospect  of  things  past  and  gone  is  drawn  from  the  recollec- 
tions of  experience,  the  impressions  which  it  makes  on  the  bx'art  are  of 
the  most  vivid,  deep  and  lasting  kind. 

The  following,  history  of  the  state  of  society,  manners  and  customs  of 
our  forefathers,  is  to  be  drawn' from*  the  latter-  source:  and  it  is  «iven  to 
the  world  with  the'  recollection  that  many  of  my  cotemporaries,  still  liv- 
ing, have;  as  well  as  myself,  witnessed  all  the  scenes  and  events  herein' 
described,  and  whose  memories  woidd  speedily  detect  and  expose  any 
errors  the  work  may  contain. 

The  municipal,  as  well  as  ecclesiastical  ins^titu^ions  of  society,  Avhether 
good  or  bad,  in  consequence  of  their  long  continued  use,  give  a  corres- 
ponding cast  to  the  public  character  of  society  whose  conduct  they  direct,, 
and  the  more  so  because  in  the  lapse  of  lime  the  observance  of  them  be- 
comes a  matter  of  conscience. 

This  observation  ap[)lies  in  full  force  to  that  influence  of  our  carlv  land 
laws  which  allowed  foiu"  hundred  acres  and  no  more  to  a  settlement  right. 
Many  of  our  first  settlers  seemed  to  regard  this  amount  of  the  surface  of 
the  earth  as  the  allotment  of  Divine  Providence  for  one  family,  and  be- 
lieved that  any  attempt  to  get  more  would  be  sinful.  Most  of  lliem,- 
therefore,  contentcfl  tliernsclves  witji  that  araoufit,  although  they  might 
have  evaded  the  law,  which  allowed  but  one  settlement  right  to  any  one 
individual,  by  taking  out  the  title  papers  in  the  names  of  others,  to  be 
afterwards  transferred  to  them,  as  if  by  purchase.  Some  few  indeed  pur- 
sued this  practice,  but  it  was  held  in  detestation. 

My  father,  like  many  others,  believed,  that  having  secured  his  legal 
allotment,  the  resl  «f  tJie  country  belonged  of  right  to  thc^se  who  chose  to 
settle  in  it.  'I'here  was  a  piece  of  vacant  land  adjoining  his  tract,  amotmt- 
itig  to  ai)out  tv.o  hundred  acres.      !'<•  (his  tract  of  land  he  had  the  pre- 


fiTE  country'.  2iG 

f'liVptibri  riglit,  and  acrordingly  srfiireu  it  by  wairant;  but  iiis  conscience 
would  not  permit  liiin  1o  retain  it  in  his  family:  he  therefore  gave  it  fo  an 
apprentice  lad  whom  he  had  rai^^ed  in  his  house,  'j'his  lad  sohl  it  to  an 
uncle  M"  mine  lor  a  cow  and  calf,  and  a  wo6l  hat. 

Owing  to  the  equal  distribution'  of  real  property  directed  by  our  land 
laws,  an'd  the  sterliifg  inlegrity  of  our  forefathers  in  their  observance  of 
them,  we  have  no  districts  of  "sold  land,"  as  it  is  called,  that  is,  large 
tracts  of  land  in  the  hands  of  in'dividuals  or  comp'anies  who  neither  sell 
lior  improve  thorn,  as  is  the  case'  in  Lower  Canada  and  the'  northwestern 
wart  of  Pennsylvania,-  These  unsettled  tracts  m-ake  huo-e  blanks  in  the 
population  of  the  country  wherever  they  exist. 

The  division  lines  between  those  whose  lands  adjoined,  were  generally 
made  in  an  an^icable  manner  by  the  parties  concerned,  before  any  survey 
of  them  was  m.ade.  In  doing  this  they  were  guided  mainly  by  the  tops 
t)t'  ridges  and  water  courses,  but  particularly  the  former.  Hence  the 
greater  nunitfer  of  farnts  in  the  western  parts  of  Pennsylvania  and  Vir- 
ginia b'ear  a  striking  resenYblante  to  ari  amphitheater.  The  buildings 
6ccupy  a  low  situation,  and  the  tops  of  the  surrounding  hills  are  the 
bountlaries  of  the  trart  to  \thich  the  family  mansion  belonw-s. 

Our  forefathers  were  fond  of  farms  of  this  description,  because,  as  they 
^aid,  they  are  attended  with  this  convenience,  "that  everything  comes  to 
t'he  house  down  hill."'  In  the  hilly  parts  of  the  state  of  Ohio,  the  land 
?iaving  been  laid  off  in  an  arbitrary  manner,'  by  straight  parallel  lines, 
"X'ithout  regard  to  hill  or  dale,  the'  farms  present  a  different  aspect  from 
those  on  the  east  side  of  the  river  opposite.  There  the  buildings  as  fre- 
■ijuently  occupy  the  tops  of  the  hills  as  any  other  situation. 

Our  people  had  becom'c'  so  accustomed  to  the  mode  of  "getting  land 
for  taking  it  up,  '  that  for  a  long  time  it  was  generally  believed  that  the  land 
On  the  west  side  of  the  Ohio  Would  ultimately  b'e  disposed  of  in  that  way. 

Hence  almost  the  wholfe  tract  of  Country  between  the  Ohio  and  Mus- 
kingum was  ]^arceled  oitt  in  tomahawk  improvements;  but  these  latter 
improvers  did  hot  content  themselves  with  a  single  fotir  hundred  acre 
tract  apiece.  Many  of  them  owned  a  great  number  of  tracts  of  the  best 
land,  and  thus,  in  imagination,  were  as  "wealthy  as  a  South  Sea  dream.'* 
Many  of  the  larid-jolj'be'rs  of  this  class  did  not  content  themselves  with 
marking  the  trees,  at  the  usual  height,  with  the  initials  of  their  names; 
but  climbed  tvp  the  large  beech  trees,  and  cut  the  letters  in  their  bark, 
from  twenty  to  forty  feet  from  the  ground.  To  enable  them  to  identify 
those  trees,  at  a  future  period,  they  rftade  marks  on  other  frees  around 
them  as  references. 

Most  of  the  early  settlers  considered  their  land  of  little  value,  from  an 
apprehension  that  after  a  few^  years'  cultivation  it  would  lose  its  fertility, 
at  least  for  a  long  time.  I  have  often  heard  them  say  that  such  a  field 
would  bear  so  many  crops,  and  another  so  many  more  or  less  than  that. 
'I'he  ground  of  this  belief  concerning  the  short-lived  fertility  of  the  land 
in  this  country,  was,  the  poverty  of  a  great  proportion  of  the  land  in  the 
lower  parts  of  Maryland  and  Virginia,  which,  after  producing  a  i'cw  crops, 
became  unfit  for  use,  and  was  thrown  nut  into  common^. 


'211  HOUSE  FURNnURt:  AN-D  DIET. 

In  their  unfavorable  opinion  of  the  nature  ol'tlie  soil  of  our  country  our 
forefathers  were  utterly  niislaken.  'I'he  native  weeds  were  scarcely  de- 
stroyed before  the  white  clover  and  dilferent  kinds  of  grass  made  their  ap- 
pearance. These  soon  covered  the  ground,  so  as  to  afford  pasture  for  the 
cattle  by  the  time  the  wood  range  was  eaten  out,  as  well  as  pi'otect  the 
soil  from  being  washed  away  by  drenching  rains,  so  often  injurious  in 
hilly  coxmtries. 

Judging  from  Virgil's*  test  of  fmitful  and  barren  soils,,  the  g.reater  part 
of  this  country  must  possess  every  requisite  for  fertility..  The  test  is  this.. 
Dig  a  hole  of  any  reasonable  dimensions  and  depth:  if  the  earth  which 
was  taken  out,  when  thrown  lightly  back  into  it  does  not  fill  up  the  hole, 
the  soil  is  fruitful;   but  if  it  more  than  (ill  it  up,  the  soil  is  barren. 

Whoever  chooses  to  try  this  experiment  will  find  the  result  indicative 
of  the  richness  of  o\ir  soil.      Even,  our  graves,  notwithstanding  the  size 
of  the  vault,  are  seldom,  finished  with  the  earth  ihrowii  out  uf  them,  and. 
ihey  soon  siivkbt-low  the  surrounding  surface.. 


CHAPTER  XVIL 


HOUSE  FURNITERE  AND  DIET. 

The  settlement  of  a  new  country,  in  tho  immediate  neighborhood  of  art 
(lid  one,  is  not  attended  with  much  ditiioulty,  because  supplies  can  be 
readilv  obtained  from  the  latter;  bvit  the  settlement  of  a'  country  very  I'e- 
mote  "from  any  cultivated  region,  is  a  very  dlffei-ent  tliin^g;  because  at  the 
outset,  food,  raiment,  and  the  implements  of  husbandry,  are  obtained  only 
in  small  supplies  and  with  great  difliculty.  The  task  of  niaking  new  es- 
tablishments in  a  remote  wilderness,  in  time  of  proibuntl  peace,  is  suffi- 
ciently difficult ;  but  when,  in  addition, to  all  the  unavoidable  hardships 
attendant  on  this  business,  those  resulting  from  an  extensive  and  furious 
warfare  with  savages  are  superadded;  toil,  privations  and  sufferings,  are 
then  carried  to  the  full  extent  of  the  capacity  of  men  to  endure  du>m. 


*Antc  locun^  capies  oculis,  alteque  jubebis 
In  solido  piiteum  demitti,  oninemtjue  repones 
Rursus  humuin,  et  ptulibus  summas  a!(|uabis  arenas. 
Si  deerunt:  rarum,  pccorique  et  vitibus  almis 
Aptius  uDer  erit.     Sin  in  sua  posse  ncgabunt 
Ire  loca,  et  scrobibus  superablt  terra  repletis, 
Spissus  ager:   glebas  cunctantes  crassaque  terga 
Expecta,  et  vulidis  terram  proiciude  juvencis. 

■  r.u:  Geo.  lib.  2,  /.  >230, 


nOb'S£  FURNITURE  AND  DIET.  SI'S 


Sacli  was  the  wretched  coiulilion  ot"our  foretatbers  in  making  their  scl- 
'4lements  here.  To  all  llu'ir  ditViculties  and  privations,  the  Indian  war 
Avas  a  weighty  addition.     This  destructive  warfare  they  were  compelled 

'to  sustain  almost  sinf^e-handcd,  because  the  revohitionaiy  contest  with 

o  ...  • 

England  gave  full  employment  for  the  military  strength  and  resources  on 
the  east  side  of  the  mountains. 

The  following  history  of  the  .poverty,  labors,  sufferings,  manners  and 
r.ustoins,  of  our  forefathers,  will  appear  like  a  collection  of  "tales  of  olden 
times,"  without  auy  garnish  of  language  to  spoil  the  original  portraits, 
'by  giving  them  shades  of  coloring  whicli  they  did  not  possess. 

1  shall  follow  the  order  of  things  as  they  occurred  during  the  period  fif 
lime  embraced  in  these  narratives,  beginning  with  those  rude  accommo- 
ilations  with  which  our  first  adventurers  into  this 'country  furnished  them- 
selves at  the  commencement  of  their  establishineRts.  It  will  be  a  homely 
narrative,  yet  valuable  on  the  ground  of  its  being  real  history. 

If  my  readei',  when  viewing,  through  the  medium  whicli  1  hcit?  present, 
the  sufferings  of  human  nature  in  one  of  its  most  depressed  and  danger- 
ous conditions,  should  drop  an  involuntary  tear,  let  him  not  blame  me  lor 
the  sentiment  of  sympathy  which  he  feels.  On  the  contrary,  if  he  should 
sometimes  meet  with  a  recital  calculated  to  excite  a  smile  or  a  laugh,  fJ. 
claim  no  credit  for  his  enjoyment.  It  is  the  subject  matter  of  th-e  history, 
and  not  the  historian,  which  makes  those  widely  different  improssiorrson 
the  mind  of  the  reader. 

In  this  chapter  it  is  my  design  to  give  a  l^rief  account  of  the  household 
furniture  and  articles  of  diet  w'hich  were  used  by  the  first  inha"bitants  of 
'oar  country.  A  description  of  their  cabins  and  half-faced  camps,  and 
their  manrier  of  buiMing  them,  will  be  found  elsewhere. 

The  furniture  for  the  table,  for  several  years  after  the  settleme'nt  of  this 
country,  consisted  ©f  a  few  pew'tcr  dishes,  .plates  and  spoons,  but  mostly 
of  wooden  bowls,  trenchers  and  noggins.  If  these  last  were  scarce, 
gourds  and  hard-shelled  squashes  made  up  the  dGficiency, 

The  iron  pots,  knives  and  forks,  were  brought  from  the  east  side  of  the 
mountains,  along  with  the  salt  and  iron,  on  pack-horses. 

These  articles  of  furniture  correspond  very  well  with  the  articles  of  did 
on  which  they  were  em]:)}oyed.  "Hog  and  hoir^mony"  were  proverbial 
for  the  dish  of  which  they  were  the  component  parts.  J-ourneycake  and 
pone  were,  at  the  outset  of  the  settlements  of  the  country,  the  only  forms 
of  bread  in  use  for  breakfast  and  dinner.  At  supper,  m.ilk  and  mush  were 
the  standard  dish.  When  milk  was  not  plenty,  which  was  often  the  case, 
owinf  to  the  scarcity  of  cattle  or  the  want  of  proper  pasture  for  them,  the 
substantial  dish  oi"  hommony  had  to  supply  the  place  of  tliem.  iMiisli 
was  frequently  eaten  with  sweetened  water,  molasses,  bear\s'oil,  or  the 
gravy  of  fried  meat. 

Everv  family,  besides  a  little  garden  for  the  few  vegetables  which  they 
cultivated,  had  another  small  inclosure  containing  from  half  an  acrf  to  an 
acre,  which  they  called  a  "truck-patch,"  in  which  Ihey  raised  corn  for 
roasting-cars,  pumpkins,  squashes,  beans  and  potatoes.  These,  in  lli^ 
latter  part  of  the  summer  and  fall,  Avere  cooked  with  their  pork,  veiiis( 
and  bear  meat,  for  dinner,   -^nd  made  very  wholesome  and  well  taste 


)ii 


21ii  liULSE  FLRiNlTUKK  A.NJ)  DJET. 

(lislic'S.  'I'hc  slaiiilanl  tlitiner  dish  lor  every  log-rolling,  house'-niismg 
ami  harvest-day,  was  u  pot-pie,  or  ^vhat  in  other  countries  it;  called  "  sea- 
])ie."  This,  beside;?  answering  for  dinner,  served  l.v?r  a  part  of  the  sup- 
])er  also,— T-the  remainder  of  it  from  dinner  hcing  eaten  with  milk  in  the 
evening,  fitter  the  GOi\cl.usion  of  the  labor  ol'the  day. 

In  our  whole  display  of  furniture,  tjie  delf,  china,  ^nd  silver  were  un- 
known. It  did  not  then,  as  now,  require  contributions  from  the  four 
(juarters  of  the  globe  to  furnish  the  breakfast  table,  viz;  the  silver  ironi 
Mexico,  the  cofl'ee  fiom  the  W.est  Indies,  the  tea  from  China,  and  the 
de'f  and  porccLiin  from  Europe  or  ^,>^'\i\.  Yet  our  honicly  {'are,  and  un- 
iiightly  cabins  and  furniture,  produ(!ed  a  hardy,  veteran  race,  who  planted 
the  first  footsteps  of  society  and  civihzation  in  the  injmense  regiojis  of 
the  west.  Inured  to  hajdihood,  bravery  and  labor,  from  their  early 
youth,  they  sustained  witi^  manly  ibriitude  th.e  fatigue  of  the  chase,  the 
campaign  and  s^out,  and  with  strong  arms  "iurned  the  wilderness  into 
iVuitfu]  helds,'''  and  have  left  to  tijeir  descendants  the  ri,c-h  inheritance  of 
an  immense  empire  blessed  with  peace  and  wealth. 

I  well  recollCjCt  the  first  time  I  ever  saw  a  tea-cup  and  saucer,  and 
tasted  coffee.  My  mother  died  wh^en  I  was  ahout  six  pv  v^even  years  old, 
and  my  father  then  sent  m^  to  Maryland  with  a  brothc^r  of  my  grandfatlier, 
Mr.  Alexander  Wells,  to  school. 

At  Col.  lirown's,  in  the  mountains,  (at  Stony  creek  glades,)  I  fivr  the 
first  time  saw  tame  geese ;  and  by  l:)antering  a  ])et  gander,  I  got  a  severe 
biting  by  his  bill,  and  beaten  by  his  wings.  I  wondered  very  much  that 
birds  so  large  and  strong  should  be  so  much  tamer  than  the  wild  turki-ys, 
At  this  phice,  however,  all  was  right,  excepting  the  large  bii'ds  which  they 
citlled  geese.  'J'he  cabin  and  its  fumituie  were  such  as  I  had  beejj  ac- 
cuslomed  to  sec  in  the  backwoods,  as  my  country  was  Ihj&n  called. 

At  ]3edford  every  thing  was  changed.  Tim  tavern  at  whicli  my  ancle 
put  up  was  a  stone  Imuse,  and  to  make  the  change  more  ,?omj)lete,  it  was 
plastered  in  the  inside  both  as  to  the  walls  and  ceiling.  On  going  inlo 
ihe  dining  room,  I  was  struck  with  astonishrat'ul  at  the  appearance  of  the 
housf.  I  had  no  idea  that  thert;  Avas  any  house  in  the  world  which  was 
not  built  of  logs;  but  here  I  louked  round  the  house  and  could  see  no 
logs,  and  above  l  could  HCsi  iio  joists;  whether  such  a  thing  had  been 
made  by  the  hands  of  man,  or  had  growii  so  of  itself,  I  could  not  cojijec- 
Uire.     I  hail  not  the  courage;  to  inquire  any  thing  about  it. 

When  supper  came  on,  "my  confusion  was  worse  confouiKlcHl."  A 
little  cup  stood  in  a  bigger  j)ne,  with  som.e  brownish  looking  stulf  in  it, 
whioh  was  neither  inilk,  honnnony  nor  broth.  What  to  do  with  these 
little  c.u\i9.  and  lUe  little  spo«.m  belonging  to  them,  I  could  x»ot  tell 5  and  1 
»vas  afraid  to  ask  any  thing  concerning  the  use  ot'lheni. 

It  was  in  llie  lime  of  the  war,  and  the  comjiany  were  giving  aticounts 
ji)f  catching,  wiiip|)ing,  and  lianging  the  tories.  The  wovd  jail  frequently 
occurred.  This  word]  had  never  heard  ])efore;  but  I  so(^n  discovered  its 
irieaning,  was  much  terrili^'d,  and  supposed  thai  we  were  in  danger  of 
I  he  fate  of  the  tories;  for  1  ihruiglit,  as  we  had  come  from  the  backwoods, 
if  was  altogetlier  likely  that  we  must  i;e  lories  loo.  For  I'car  ol' being  dis- 
(i'o.\.\er,e.<l  I  durst  iiol  ultci'  a  single  v.ord.      I  tlicjcfoicf  watched  allcntivciy 


DaESS.  '220 

io  see  what  llie  big  {'oiks  would  do  with  llicir  liiile  cups  iind  .s|toons.  I 
imitated  them,  and  I'ound  the  laste  of  the  coffee  nauseous  l)eyo!id  any 
thing  1  ever  had  tasted  in  my  life;  I  continued  to  drink,  as  the  rest  of  the 
company  did,  with  the  tears  streaming  from  my  eyes,  but  when  it  was 
to  end  I  was  at  a  loss  to  know,  as  tlie  little  cups  were  filled  inimedialely 
after  being  emptied.  This  circun>stance  distressed  me  very  much,  as  1 
jdurst  not  say  I  Ijad  enough.  Looking  attentively  at  the  grown  persons, 
1  saw  one  nian  turn  his  little  cup  bottom  upwards  and  put  his  little  spoon 
across  it;  I  observed  that  after  this  his  cup  was  not  filled  again;  I  follow- 
ed his  example,  and  to  my  great  satisfa.ction,  the  result  as  to  my  cup  was 
the  same. 

The  introductioij  of  delf  -v^fare  was  considered  by  many  of  the  back- 
woods people  as  a  culpable  innovation.  It  Vv'as  too  easily  broken,  and 
the  plates  of  that  ware  dulled  their  scalping  and  clasp  knives;  tea  ware 
was  too  sniall  for  7?it;?i,  but  m.ight  do  for  wonjeu  and  children.  Tea  and 
cojffee  were  only  slops,  which  in  the  adage  of  the  day,  ''did  not  stick  by 
die  ribs."  The  idea  was,  they  were  designed  only  for  peojile  of  (juality, 
who  do  not  labor,  or  the  sick-  A  genuine  backwoodsman  would  have 
ihought  himself  disgraced  by  showing  a  fondness  for  those  slops.  Indeed, 
ify^fiy  of  thgm  have  to  this  day  very  litti^  respect  ibr  them, 


:0:- 


CHAPTER  XVIIL 


DRESS. 

On  the  frontiers,  and  particularly  amongst  those  who  were  much  ui  the 
habit  of  hunting,  and  going  on  scouts  and  campaigns,  the  dress  of  the 
men  was  partly  Indian  and  partly  that  of  civili>jetl  nations. 

The  hunting  shirt  was  universally  worn.  This  was  a  kind  of  loose 
i'rock,  reaching  half  way  down  the  thighs,  with  large  sleeves,  oj)en  be- 
fore, and  so  wide  as  to  lap  over  a  loot  or  more  when  belted.  The  cape 
was  large,  and  sometimes  handsomely  fringed  with  a  ravelled  ])iece  of 
cloth  of  a  (lifTerent  color  from  that  of  the  hunting  sliirt  itself.  The  bo- 
som of  this  dress  served  as  a  wallet  to  hold  a  chunk  of  bread,  cakes,  jerk, 
tow  for  wiping  the  barrel  of  the  rifle,  or  any  other  necessary  fi>r  the  hun- 
ter or  wariior,  The  bait,  which  wms  always  tied  behind,  answered  for 
several  purposes  besides  that  of  holding  the  dress  together.  In  cold 
weather  the  mittens,  and  sometimes  the  bullet-bag,  occu})ied  tlie  front 
part  of  it;  to  the  right  side  was  suspended  the  tomahawk,  and  to  the  left 
the  scalping  knife  in  its  leathern  shealh.  The  hunting  shirt  was  generally 
made  of  linsey,  sometimes  of  coarse  hnen,  and  a  few  of  dressed  deer 
ilvins,      These  last  were  veiy  cold   and   ujiconilbrlablc  iii  Met  v;eathcr. 


2>1  DRESS. 

^riie  shirt  iiiid  jacket  were  ot"  ilie  common  fa!?i)Ioii.  A  pair  of  ilrawers  trr 
'breeches,  atid  leggins,  were  (he  dress  of  the  thighs  and  legs,  A  pair  of 
moccasons  answered  for  the  feet  much  better  than  shoes.  These  were 
made  of  dressed  deer  skiii.  Tbey  were  mostly  made  of  a  single  piece, 
with  a  gathering  seam  along  the  top  of  the  foot,  and  another  from  the 
bottom  of  the  heel,  with  gaiters  as  high  as  the  ankle  joint  or  a  little  higher. 
Flaps  were  left  on  each  side  to  reach  some  distance  up  the  legs.  Tliese 
were  nicely  adaj)ted  to  the  ankles  and  lower  part  of  the  leg  by  thongs  of 
deer  skin,  so  that  no  dust,  gravel  or  snow,  could  get  within  the  moccason. 

The  moccasons  in  ordinary  use  cost  but  a  few  hours  labor  to  make 
them.  'J'his  was  done  by  an  instrument  denominated  a  moccason  awl, 
which  was  made  of  the  back  spring  of  an  old  clasp  knife.  This  awl,  with 
its  buckhorn  handle,  was  an  appendage  of  every  shot  pouch  straj),  to- 
gether with  a  roll  of  buckskin  tor  mending  the  moccasons.  'i'his  was 
the  labor  of  almost  every  evening.  They  were  sewed  together  and 
pat:;hed  with  deer  skin  thongs,  or  whangs  as  they  were  commonly  called. 

In  cold  weather  the  moccasons  were  well  stuffed  with  deer^'s  hair  or 
dry  leaves,  so  as  to  keep  the  feet  comfortably  -Avarm  ;  but  in  wet  weather 
it  was  usually  said  that  wearing  them  was  "a  decent  way  of  going  bare- 
footed;" and  such  was  the  fact,  owing  to  the  spongy  texture  of  tne  leather 
of  which  ihey  were  made. 

Owing  to  this  defective  covering  of  the  feet,  more  than  to  any  other 
circumstance,  the  greater  number  of  our  hunters  and  warriors  were  afllict- 
cd  with  the  rheumatism  in  their  limbs.  Of  this  disease  they  were  all  a])- 
})rehensive  in  wet  or  cold  weatlier,  and  therefore  always  slept  with  their 
feet  to  the  fire  to  prevent  or  cure  it  as  well  as  they  could.  This  practice 
unquestionably  had  a  very  salutary  effect,  and  prevented  many  of  them 
from  bei  oming  confirmed  cripples  in  early  life. 

In  the  latter  years  of  the  Indian  war  our  young  men  became  more  en- 
amored of  the  Indian  dress  throughout,  Avith  the  exception  of  the  match 
•coat.  'J'he  drawers  were  laid  aside  and  the  leggins  made  longer,  so  as 
to  reach  the  upper  jiart  of  the  thigh.  The  Indian  breech  clout  was 
arlopted.  This  was  a  piece  of  linen  or  cloth  nearly  a  yard  long,  and 
eight  or  nine  inches  broad.  This  passed  under  the  belt  before  and  be- 
hind, leaving  the  ends  for  flaps,  hanging  before  and  behind  over  the  belt. 
These  belts  were  sometimes  ornamented  with  some  coarse  kind  of  em- 
broidery work.  'I'o  the  same  belts  wliich  secureil  the  bi-eech  clout,  strings 
whi'jh  supported  the  long  leggins  were  attached.  When  this  belt,  as 
was  often  the  ease,  passed  over  the  hunting  shirt,  the  upper  part  ol'  the 
thighs  and  jiart  of  the  hips  were  naked. 

The  young  warrior,  instead  of  being  abashed  by  this  nudity,  was  jiroiid 
of  his  Indi.m-like  dress.  In  some  few  instances  I  have  seen  tlicm  go  in- 
to places  of  public  worship  in  this  dress.  Their  appearance  however  did 
not  arid  much  to  the  devotion  of  the  young  ladies. 

The  linspv  petticoat  and  bed  gown,  which  were  the  universal  dress  of 
our  women  in  early  times,  would  make  a  strange  figure  in  our  days.  A 
small  hfuiK'-madc  handkerchief,  in  point  of  elegance,  would  illy  supply 
the  place  of  that  profusif»u  of  ludle^  with  v.hich  the  necks  of  our  ladies 
iire  riow  oninrnejiird. 


THE   FORT.  ^^ 

Thf-y  went  barefooteil  in  warm  weather,  and  in  cold  iluir  feet  woyh 
aoveieii  with  moccasons,  coarse  shoes  or  shoe  packs,  which  would  make 
but  a  sorry  figure  beside  the  elegaut  morocco  slippers  often  embossed  with 
bullion,  which  at  present  ornament  tlie  feet  ol'  their  daughters  and  grand- 
da  ut>-hters. 

The  coats  antl  bed  gowns  of  the  vv'omen,  as  well  as  the  liuntino;  shirts 
of  the  men,  were  hung,  in  full  display  on  wooden  pegs  around  the  walls  of 
their  cabins, so  that  while  they  answered  in  some  degree  the  place  of  paper- 
hangings  or  tapestry,  they  announced  to  the  stranger  as  well  as  neighbor 
the  wealth  or  poverty  of  the  family  in  the  articles  of  clothing.  This  prac- 
tice has  not  yet  been  wholly  laid  aside  amongst  tlie  backwoods  families. 

The  historian  would  say  to  the  ladies  of  the  present  time,  Our  ances- 
tors of  your  sexknew  nothing  of  the  ruffles,  leghorns,  curls,  combs,  rings, 
and  other  jewels  with  which  their  fair  daughters  now  decorate  themselves. 
Such  things  v/ere  not  then  to  be  had,  j\Iany  of  the  younger  part  of  them 
were  pretty  well  grown  up  before  they  ever  saw  the  inside  of  a  store 
room,  or  even  knew  there  was  such  a  thing  in  the  world,  unless  by  hear- 
say, and  indeed  scarcely  that. 

Instead  of  the  toilet,  they  had  to  handle  the  distaff  or  shuttle,  the  sickle 
or  weeding  hoe,  contented  if  they  could  obtain  their  linsey  clothing  and 
i!Over  their  heads  with  a  sun  bonnet  niade  of  six  or  seven   hundred  linen, . 


-^o:- 


CHAPTER  XiX 


THE  FORT.. 

My  render  will  understand  by  this  term,  not  only  a  place  of  defense,  Buf 
the  residence  of  a  small  number  of  familicvs^  belonti'ing'  to  the  same  nemh- 
borhood.  As  the  Indian  mode  of  warfare  Avas  an  indiscriminate  slaugh- 
ter of  all  ages  and  both  sexes,  it  was  as  requisite  to  provide  for  the  safety 
of  the  women  and  children  as  for  that  of  the  men. 

The  fort  consisted  of  cabins,  block-houses  and  stockades.  A  range  of 
cabins  commonly  formed  one  side  at  least  of  the  fort.  Divisions,  or  par- 
titions of  logs,  separated  the  cabins  from  each  other.  The  walls  on  the 
outside  were  ten  or  twelve  feet  high,  the  slope  of  the  roof  being  tu^-ned 
wholly  inward.  A  very  few  of  these  ca}>ins  had  puncheon  floors:  the 
greater  part  were  earthen. 

The  block-houses  were  built  at  the  angh^s  ot  the  fort.-  They- [jrojected 
about  two  feet  beyond  the  outer  walls  of  the  cabins  and  stockades. 
Their  upper  stories  were  about  eighteen  inches  every  way  larger  in  di- 
mension than  the  under  one,  leaving  an  opening  at  the  cornrnenc-iement  ol' 
the  second  story,  to  prevent  the  enemy  from  making  a- lodguunt   und«M. 


223  The  FORt.- 

iluMr  walls.  In  some  forts,  instead  of  block-houses,  (he  angles  of  the 
fort  were  i'tu'iiished  with  bastions.  A  large  folding  gate  made  of  thick 
slabs,  nearest  the  spring,  closed  the  fort.  The  stockades,  bastions,  cab-' 
ins  and  bloclc-house  walls,  were  furnished  with  port-holes  at:  proper 
heights  and  distances.  The  whole  of  the  outside  was  niade  completely 
bullet-praof. 

It  may  be  truly  said  tkit  necessity  is  the  mother  of  iiiVenticli,  for  the 
whole  of  this  work  was  made  without  the  aid  of  a  single  nail  or  spike  of 
iron,  and  for  this  reason,  such  things  were  not  to  be  had.- 

In  som^'  places  less  o'^posed',  a  single  blo'ik-house  with  a  cabin  or  two- 
constituted  the  \yhole  fort. 

Such  places  of  refuge  may  appear  very  trifling  to  those  who  have  hVcn 
in  the  habit  of  seeing  the  formidable  military  garrisons  of  Europe  ai:d 
America;  but  they  answered  the  purpose,  as  the  Indians  had  no  artillery.- 
Tliey  seldom  attacked,  and  scarcely  ever  took  one  of  them. 

The  tV.niilies  belonging  to  these  forts  were  so  attached  to  their  own 
t-abins  on  their  farms,  that  they  seldom  moved  into  the  fort  in  the  spriti'g 
tmtd  compelled  by  sonre  alarm-,  as  they  called  it;  that  is,  when  it  was  an- 
nounced by  some  mm-der  that  the  Indians  were  in  the' settlement* 

The  tbrt  to  which  my  father  belonged,  was,  during  the  iirst  years  of  the' 
war,  three  quarters  of  a  mile  from  his  farm;  but  when  this  fort  went  to 
flecay,  and  became  unfit  for  defense,  a  new  one  was  built  at  his  o\vu' 
house.  I  well  renx'mber  that  when  a  little  b'oy  the  family  were  sometin\^s 
waked  up  in  the  dead  of  night  by  an  express  with  a  report  that  the  In- 
dians were  at  hand.  The  express  came  softly  to  the  door  or  back  win- 
fiow,  and  by  a  ge"ntle  tapping  waked  thei^imily  ;  this  was  easily  clone,  as 
?vn  habitual  fear  made  us  ever  watchful  and  sensible  to  the  slifrhtest  alarm, 
'Ihc  whole  famny  were  m^tantly  in  motion:  my  father  seized  his  gun  and 
other  implements  of  war  ;  my  step  mother  vtaked  up  ami  dressed  the  chil- 
dren as  .veil  as  she  could  ;  and  being  myself  the  oldest  of  the  children,  1 
had  to  take  my  share  of  the  burthens  to  Ije  carried  to  the  tort.  TImu'C!' 
was  no  possibility  of  gcttiirg  a  horse  in  the  night  to  aid  i?s  in  removing  to" 
the  fort ;  be.vide.s  the  little  cliildren,  we  (*aught  up  what  articles  of  cloth- 
ing and  provision  we  could  get  hold  of  in  the  dark,  for  -%Ve  dursc  not  light 
a  candle  or  even  stir  the  fire".  All  this  was  done  with  the  utmost  dispatch 
and  the  silence  of  death;  the  greatest  care  Was  taken  not  to  awaken  the 
youngest  child  :  to  the  rest  it  was  enough  to  say  Indian,  and  iibt  a  whim-' 
per  was  he?rd  afterwards.  Thus  it  often  happened  that  the  whole  luim- 
ber  of  families  belonging  to  a  fort,  who  were  in  the  evening  at  their 
homes,  were  all  in  their  little  fortress  before  th(>  dawn  oi'  the  next  morn- 
ing. In  the  course  of  the' succeeding  day,  their  household  furniture  was 
brought  in  by  f)arties  of  the  men  under  arms. 

Some  families  belonging  to  each  fort,  were  much  less  under  the  in- 
fluence of  fear  than  others,  and  who'  after  an  alarm  had  subsided,  in  si)ite 
of  every  remonstrance  would  remove  home,  while  their  more  ])ru(lent 
neighbors  remained  in  the  foit.  Such  families  were  denominated  "fool- 
liardy,"  and  gave  no  small  amount  of  trouble  by  creating  such  fre(]uent 
necessities  of  sending  ruiuuu's  to  warn  them  of  ihcir  danger,  and  some- 
times parties  nl'our  nu'u  In  nrotcet  them  during  llieir  removal. 


CAllAVAN;;*-  Q?- 


-m:- 


CHAPTER  XX. 


CARAVANS. 

Tnic  acquisition  of  the  indispensable  articles  of  salt,  iron,  steel  and  cast- 
insTS,  presented  oreat  diiiiculties  to  the  first  settlers  of  the  vrestern  coun* 
try.  They  had  no  stores  oi  any  kind,  no  salt,  iron,  nor  iron  works  ;  nor 
had  they  money  to  make  purchases  where  those  articles  were  to  be  ob- 
tained. Peltry  and  furs  were  their  only  resources,  before  they  had  time 
to  raise  cattle  and  horses  for  sale  in  the  Atlantic  states. 

Every  family  collected  what  peltry  and  fur  they  could  obtain  through- 
out the  year  for  the  purpose  of  sending  thera  over  the  mountains  for  barter. 

In  the  fall  of  the  year,  after  seeding  time,  every  family  formed  an  asso- 
ciation with  some  of  their  neighbors  for  starting  the  little  caravan.  A 
master  driver  was  selected  from  among  them,  who  was  to  be  assisted  by 
one  or  more  young  men,  and  sometimes  a  boy  or  two.  The  horses  were 
fitted  out  w'lih.  pack-saddles,  to  the  hinder  part  of  whirh  was  fastened  a 
pair  of  hobbles  made  of  hickory  withs:  a  bell  and  collar  ornamenterl  his 
neck.  The  bags  provided  for  the  conveyance  of  the  salt  were  filled  with 
feed  for  the  horses:  on  the  journey  a  part  of  this  feed  was  left  at  conve- 
nient stages  on  the  way  down,  to  supjiort  the  return  of  the  caravan. 
Large  wallets,  well  filled  with  bread,  jerk,  boiled  ham  and  clieesc,  fur- 
nished provision  for  the  drivers.  At  night,  after  feeding,  the  horses, 
whether  put  in  pasture  or  turned  out  into  the  woods,  -were  hobbled,  and 
the  bells  were  opened.  The  barter  for  salt  and  iron  was  made  first  at 
Baltimore.  Frederick,  Hagerstown,  Oldtown  and  Cumberland,  in  suc- 
cession, became  the  place  of  exchange.  Each  horse  carried  two  bushels 
of  alumn  salt,  weighing  eighty-four  pounds  the  bushel.  Tiiis,  to  be  sure, 
was  not  a  heavy  load  for  the  horses,  but  it  was  enough  considering  the 
scanty  subsistence  allowed  them  on  the  journey. 

The  common  price  of  a  bushel  of  alumn  salt  at  an  early  period  was  a 
good  cow  and  calf;  and  untu  weights  were  introduced,  the  salt  was  raea- 
s'ured  into  the  half  bushel  by  hand  as  lightly  as  possible.  No  one  was 
permitted  to  walk  heavily  over  the  floor  while  the  operation  was  going  on. 

The  following  anecdote  will  serve  to  shew  how  little  the  native  sons  of 
the  forest  knew  of  the  ctiqiiet  of  the  Atlantic  cities. 

A  neighbor  of  my  father,  some  years  after  the  settlement  of  the  coun- 
try, had  collected  a  small  drove  of  cattle  for  the  Baltimore  market. 
Amongst  the  hands  employed  to  drive  them  wa*;  onp  who  had  never  sce^u 
any  condition  of  society  but  that  of  wondsrnen. 


225  Ili;N'nN(.. 

At  one  of  tlieir  lo(li>-ing  places  iii  the  mountain,  the  Innillord  and  iiisi' 
hired  man,  in  tlio  course  of  the  night,  stole  two  of  the  bells  belonging  to 
the  flrove,  and  liid  them  in  a  piece  of  woods. 

The  drove  had  not  gone  far  in  the  morning  before  the  bells  were  missed, 
and  a  detachment  went  back  to  recover  the  stolen  bells.  The  njen  were 
found  reaping  in  the  field  of  the  landlord;  they  were  accused  of  the  theft, 
but  they  denied  the  charge.  The  torture  of  sweating,  according  to  the 
custom  of  that  time,  that  is,  of  suspension  by  the  arms  pinioned  behind 
their  backs,  brought  a  confession.  The  bells  were  procured  and  hung 
around  the  necks  of  the  thieves:  in  this  condition  they  w^ere  driven  ort 
foot  before  the  detachment  until  they  overtook  the  drove,  which  by  this 
time  had  gone  nine  miles.  A  halt  was  called  and  a  jury  selected  to  try 
the  culprits.  They  were  condemned  to  receive  a  certain  number  of  lashes 
on  the  bare  back  from  the  hand  of  each  drover.  The  man  above  alluded 
to  was  the  owner  ol"  one  of  the  bells.  When  it  came  to  his  turn  to  use 
the  hickory,  "Now,"  says  he  to  the  thief,  "you  infernal  scoundrel,  I'll 
work  your  jacket  nineteen  to  the  dozen.  Oidy  think  what  a  rascally 
figure  I  should  make  in  the  streets  of  Baltimore  without  a  bell  on  my 
horse."  The  man  was  in  earnest:  having  seen  no  horse  used  witliout 
bells,  he  thought  they  were  requisite  in  every  situation. 


;o:- 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


HINTING. 

Tills  was  an  important  part  of  the  employment  of  the  early  settlers  of 
this  country.  For  some  years  thr  woods  supplied  them  with  the  greater 
amount  of  tlieir  sulisistenee,  and  with  re<r:u(l  to  some  families  in  certain 
times,  the  whole  of  it;  for  it  was  no  uiu-onimon  thing  fiir  families  to  live 
several  monllis  without  a  mouthful  of  bread.  It  frequently  happened  that 
there  was  no  breakfast  until  it  was  obtained  from  the  woods.  Fur  and 
])(ltry  were  the  ])eopIe's  nioriey  ;  they  had  nothing  else  to  give  in  exchange 
for  rides,  salt  and  iron,  on  the  other  side  of  the  mountains. 

The  fall  aiid  early  part  of  the  winter  was  the  season  for  hunting  the 
deer,  and  the  whole  of  the  winter,  including  part  of  the  spring,  for  bears 
and  fur  skitmed  animals.  Tt  was  u  eiistoiuary  saying  that  fur  is  good 
(hiring  every  month  in  the  name  of  which  the  letter  u  occurs. 

The  class  of  hunters  with  whom  I  was  best  acquainted  were  those 
whose  hunting  ranges  were  on  the  western  sidi'  of  \]\r  liver  and  at  the 
tlistance  of  eight  or  idne  miles  from  it.  As  soon  as  the  leaves  were 
pretty  well  down,  and  the  weather  became  rainy  accompanied  with  light 
snows,  these  men,  after  acting  the  part  of  liuiikindmen,  so  far  as  the  state 


llU^sTING.  226 

^>1  ^^al'lare  ])ennitlt!J  them  to  do  so,  soon  bt,'g-an  l9  feel  Uiat  tlicy  were 

luiulers.     They  became  uneasy  at  home  ;  every  thin<^  about  them  became 

'disagreeable  ;  the  house  was  too  warm,  the  feather  bed  loo  soft,  and  even 

the  good  wile  was  not  thought  for  the  time  being  a  proper  companion  ; 

rthe  mind  of  the  hunter  was  wholly  occupied  with  the  camp  and  chase. 

I  have  often  seen  them  get  up  early  in  the  morning-  at  this  season,  walk- 
hastily  out  and  look  anxiously  to  the  woods,  and  snuff  the  autumnal 
winds  with  the  highest  rapture,  then  return  into  the  house  and  cast  a 
-quick  and  attentive  look  at  the  rille,  iwhich  was  always  suspended  to  a 
joist  by  a  couj)le  of  buck's  horns  or  little  forks  ;  his  hunting  dog  under- 
standing the  intentions  of  his  master,  would  wag  -his  tall,  and  by  every 
blandisiiment  in  his  power  express  Ins  readiness  to  accompany  him  to  the 
■woods. 

A  day  was  soon  appointed  for  the  maich  of  the  little  cavalcade  to  the 
camp.  Two  or  three  horses  furnished  with  pack-saddles  were  loaded 
with  tlour,  Indian  meal,  blankets,  and  every  thing  else  requisite  for  the 
use  of  the  hunter. 

A  hunting  camp,  or  what  was  called  a  half-faced  cabin,  was  of  the  fol- 
lowing form:  the  back  part  of  it  was  sometimes  a  large  log:  at  the  dis- 
tance of  eight  or  ten  feet  from  this  two  stakes  were  set  in  the  ground  a 
■few  inches  apart,  and  at  the  distance  of  eight  or  ten  feet  from  these  two 
more  to  receive  the  ends  of  the  poles  for  the  sides  of  the  camp  ;  the  whole 
slope  of  the  roof  was  from  the  front  to  the  back ;  the  covering  was  made 
-of  slabs,  skins  or  blankets,  or,  if  in  the  spj'ing  of  the  year,  the  bark  of 
hickory  or  ash  trees  ;  the  front  was  left  entirely  open  ;  the  fii'e  was  built 
directly  before  this  opening;  the  cracks  between  the  logs  were  filled  with 
moss,  and  dry  leaves  served  for  a  bed.     It  is  thus  that  ti  couple  of  men 
in  a  few  hours  will  construct  for  themselves  a  temporary  but  tolerably 
comfortable  defense  from  Ihe  inclemencies  of  the  weather;  the  beaver, 
■otter,  muskrat  and  squirrel  are  .scarcely  their  equals  in  dispatch  in  ftibrica- 
ting  for  themselves  a  covert  from  the  tempest ! 

A  little  more  pains  would  have  made  a  hunting  camp  a  defense  against 
the  Indians.  A  cabin  ten  feet  square,  bullet  proof  and  I'uriiished  with  port 
holes,  would  have  enabled  two  or  three  hunters  to  hold  twenty  Indians  ui 
bay  for  any  length  of  time  ;  bat  this  precaution  I  believe  was  never  at- 
tended to;  hence  the  hunters  were  oilen  surprised  and  killed  in  their 
camps. 

The  site  for  the  ca'np  was  selected  with  all  the  sagaciiy  of  the  woods- 
men, so  as  to  have  it  sheltered  by  the  suri'ounding  hilis  from  every  wind, 
but  more  especially  from  those  of  the  north  and  west. 

An  uncle  of  mine,  of  the  name  of  Samuel  Teter,  occupied  the  same 
camp  for  several  years  in  succession.  It  was  situated  on  one  of  the  south- 
ern branches  of  Cross  creek.  Although  I 'had  lived  many  years  not  more 
than  fifteen  miles  from  the  place,  it  v,;is  not  till  within  a  very  few  years 
that  I  discovered  its  situation,  when  it  was  shewn  to  me  by  a  gentleman 
living;  in  the  neighborhood.  Viewing  the  hills  round  about  it,  I  soon 
perceived  the  sagacity  of  the  hunter  in  tlie  site  for  his  camp.  Not  a  wind 
.-could  touch  him,  and  Imlc-is  liv  'lie  renort  of  his  gun  or  the  soumi  oi'  his 


227  MLNTlNCi. 

7\XP.,  It  Vvould  liiive  beeu  by  lucrc  acclclt'.'jt  if  an  luuian  iiad  discovered  li'o 
concpalaicnt. 

Hunting  was  not  a  mere  ranibie  in  pursuit  of  game,  in  whicdi  there  wTis 
nothincr  of  skill  and  calculation;  on  the  contrary,  the  iiunter  before  he  f?et 
out  in  the  morning-  was  informed  by  the  state  of  the  weather  in  what  situ- 
ation he  might  reasonably  expect  to  meet  with  his  game,  whether  on  the 
bottoms,  sides  or  tops  of  the  hills.  In  stormy  weather  the  deer  always 
seek  the  most  sheltered  places  and  the  leeward  sides  of  the  hills.  In 
rainy  weather  in  which  there  is  not  much  wind,  they  keep  in  the  open 
woods  on  the  higliest  ground. 

In  every  situation  it  was  requisite  for  the  hunter  to  ascertain  the  course 
of  the  wind,  so  as  to  get  to  the  leward  of  the  game.  This  he  effected  by 
putting^  his  lir.ger  in  his  mouth  and  holding  it  thereuntil  it  became  warm; 
then  holding  it  above  his  head,  the  side  which  first  becomes  cold  sliews 
wiiich  way  the  wind  blows. 

As  it  was  requisite  too  for  the  hunter  to  know  the  cardinal  points,  he 
had  only  to  olbserve  the  trees  to  ascertain  them.  The  bark  of  an  aged 
tree  is  thicker  and  much  rougher  on  the  north  thaii  on  the  south  side. 
The  same  thing  niay  be  said  of  i!ie  moss,  it  is  thicker  and  strvmger  on  the 
north  than  on  the  south  side  of  the  trees, 

'I'he  whole  business  of  the  hunter  consists  of  a  succession  of  mtrigues. 
From  morniniz  to  ni^ht  he  was  on  the  alert  to  i^nin  the  wind  of  his  'fame, 
and  approach  thern  without  being  discovered.  If  he  succeeded  in  killing 
a  deer,  he  skinned  it  and  hung  it  up  out  of  the  reach  «f  the  wolves,  and 
immediately  resumed  the  chase  till  the  close  of  the  evening,  when  he  bent 
liis  course  towards  his  camp;  when  arrived  llur^*,  he  kindled  up  his  fire, 
and  together  with  his  iellow  hunter  cooked  his  supper.  The  supper  fin- 
ished, the  adventures  of  the  day  furnished  the  tales  i'or  the  evening;  the 
s})lke  buck,  the  two  and  three  proniicd  buck,  the  doe  and  the  barren  doe, 
fmured  through  their  anecdotes  witli  CTcat  advantas^e.  It  should  seem 
that  after  hunting  awhile  on  the  same  ground,  thi'  hunters  became  ac- 
(piainted  with  nearly  all  the  gangs  of  deer  within  their  range,  so  as  to 
know  each  flock  of  them  when  they  saw  them.  Often  some  old  buck,  by 
the  means  of  Ins  superior  sagacity  and  v*-atchfulness,  saved  his  little  gang 
from  the  liunter^'s  skill,  bv  giving  timely  notice  of  his  ajiproach.  The 
<"unning  of  the  hunter  and  that  of  the  old  bu(;k  were  staked  against  each 
other,  and  it  frequently  happened  that  at  tiie  conclusion  of  the  hunting 
season,  the  old  fVllow  was  left  the  tvee  uninjured  tenant  of  his  forest ;  l^it 
if  his  rival  succeeded  in  bringing  him  down,  the  victory  was  followed  by 
no  small  amount  of  [)oasling  on  the  part  of  the  concpieror. 

When  the  weather  was  not  suitable  for  iiunting,  the  skins  and  carcasses 
of  the  game  v.crc  brought  in  and  dispos"d  f<f. 

-Mans  of  the  huntris  rested  from  their  labors  on  the  Sabbath  day,  some 
'f  om  a  motive  of  piety,  others  saifl  that  wh"ncvcr  iIk  v  Inintcrl  on  Sun- 
.<!;iv,  l|i>  V  vric  «.iire  tn'h.'i\c  b.id  hn-u  ;ill  llv  rc-sl  o*"  llv  week- 


TI1F>  WEDDING.  ;228 


•o*- 


CHAPTER  XXII 


THE  WEDDING.. 

For  a  long  time  after  the  first  settlement  of  this  country  the  iiili;il)ltnnts 
m  general  married  young.  There  was  no  distinction  of  rank,  and  very 
little  of  fortune.  On  these  accounts  the  first  impression  of  love  resulted 
m  marriage,  and  a  family  establishraent  cost  but  a  little  labor  and  noth- 
ing elf^c. 

A  description  of  a  wedding,  from  the  beginning  to  the  end,  will  serve 
to  shew  the  manners  of  our  forefathers,  and  mark  the  grade  of  civilization 
which  has  succeeded  to  their  rude  state  of  society  in  the  course  of  a  few 
years. 

At  an  early  period  the  practice  of  celebrating  tbe  marriage  at  the  house 
nf  the  bride  began,  and  it  should  seem  with  great  propriety.  She  also 
Las  the  choice  of  the  priest  to  perform  the  ceremony. 

In  the  first  years  of  the  settlement  of  this  coimtry,  a  wedding  engaged 
the  attention  of  a  whole  neighborhood,  and  the  frolick  was  anticipated  by 
•old  and  young  with  eager  anticipation.  This  is  not  to  be  wondered  at, 
when  it  is  told  that  a  wedding  was  almost  the  only  gathering  which  was 
not  accompanied  vrlth  the  labor  of  reaping,  log-rolling,  building  a  cabin, 
■or  planning  some  scout  or  campaign. 

In  the  morning  of  the  wedding  day,  the  groom  and  his  attendants  as- 
sembled at  the  house  of  his  father,  for  the  purpose  of  reaching  the  man- 
sion of  his  bride  by  noon,  which  was  the  usual  time  for  celebrating  the 
■nuptials,  which  for  certain  must  take  place  before  diimer. 

Let  the  reader  imagine  an  assemblage  of  people,  without  a  store,  tailor 
or  raantuamaker,  within  an  hundred  miles,  and  an  assemblage  of  horses, 
without  a  blacksmith  or  saddler  within  an  equal  distance.  The  gentle- 
men dressed  in  shoe-packs,  moccasons,  leather  breeches,  leggins,  and 
linsey  hunting  shirts,  all  home-made.  The  ladies  dressed  in  linsey  petti- 
coats and  linsey  or  linen  bed  gowns,  coarse  shoes,  stockings,  handker- 
chiefs, and  buckskin  gloves,  if  any;  if  there  were  any  buckles,  rings,  but- 
tons or  raffles,  they  were  the  relics  of  old  times,  family  pieces  from  pn- 
rents  or  p^rand-parents.  The  horses  were  caparisoned  with  old  saddles, 
■old  bridles  or  halters,  and  pack-saddles,  with  a  bag  or  blanket  thrown 
over  them:  a  rope  or  string  as  often  constituted  the  girth  as  a  piece  of 
leather. 

The  march,  in  double  file,  was  often  interrupted  by  the  narrowness  and 
obstructions  of  our  horse-paths,  as  they  were  called,  for  we  had  no  road*:; 
?.nd  these  HiffiriiUips  vrm^  often  increased,  sornetimes  by  (he  gnor!,  .-ind 
•^.ometimf^'-   li\  ihf  ill  '.viil  of  n<'-ighbnrs,   liv  f;iIlinL'.   Uvf-  ''ncl  iyiii;T  grape 


.22D  TilK  AVEDDLNG. 

vines  across  the  way.  Sometimes  an  ambuscade  was  formed  by  the  way 
side,  and  an  unexpected  discharge  of  several  guns  took  place,  so  as  to 
cover  the  wedding  company  with  srnoke.  Let  the  reader  imagine  the 
scene  which  followed  this  discharge,  the  sudden  spring  of  the  horses,  the 
shrieks  of  the  girls,  and  the  chivalric  bustle  of  their  partners  to  save  them 
from  fcdiing.  Sometimes,  in  spite  of  all  that  could  be  done  to  prevent  it, 
some  were  thrown  to  the  ground  ;  if  a  wrist,  elbow  or  ankle  happened  to 
be  sprained,  it  was  tied  with  a  handkerchief,  and  little  more  was  thought 
or  said  about  it. 

Anodier  ceremony  took  place  before  the  party  reached  the  house  of  the 
bride,  after  the  practice  of  making  whiskey  began,  which  was  at  an  early 
period.  When  the  party  were  about  a  mile  from  the  place  of  their  desti- 
nation, two  young  men  would  single  out  to  run  for  the  bottle :  the  worse 
the  path,  the  more  logs,  brush  end  deep  hollows,  the  better,  as  these  ob- 
stacles afforded  an  opportunity  for  the  greater  display  of  intrepidity  and 
horsemanship-  The  English  lox  chase,  in  point  of  danger  to  the  riders 
and  their  liorses,  was  nothing  to  this  race  for  the  bottle.  The  start  was 
announced  by  an  Indian  yell,  when  logs,  brush,  mud  holes,  hill  and  glen, 
were  speedily  passed  by  the  rival  ponies.  The  bottle  was  always  hlled 
for  the  occasion,  so  t!hat  there  was  no  use  for  judges;  for  the  first  who 
reached  the  door  was  presented  with  the  prize,  with  which  he  returned 
in  tr'umph  to  the  company.  On  approacliing  them  he  announced  his 
victory  over  his  lival  by  a  shrill  whoop.  At  th€  head  of  the  troop  he 
rgave  the  bottle  to  the  groom  and  his  attendants,  and^then  to  each  pair  in 
succession,  to  the  rear  of  the  line,  giving  each  a  (h-ai:j ;  and  then  putting 
the  bottle  in  the  bosom  of  his  hunting  shiit,  took  his  station  in  the  com- 
pany. 

The  ceremony  of  the  marriage  preceded  the  dinner,  which  was  a  sub- 
stantial backwoods  feast  of  boef,  pork,  fowls,  and  sometimes  venison  nnd 
bear  meat,  roasted  and  boiled,  with  plenty  of  potatoes,  cabbage  and  other 
vegetables.  During  the  dinner  the  greatest  hilarity  always  prevailed,  al- 
though the  table  might  be  a  large  slab  of  timber,  hewed  out  with  a  broad- 
axe,  supported  by  four  sticks  set  in  auger  holes,  and  the  furniture  some 
old  pewter  dislies  and  plates,  the  rest  wooden  bowls  and  trenchers.  A 
few  pewter  spoons,  much  battered  about  the  edges,  were  to  be  seen  at 
some  tables;  the  rest  were  made  of  horns.  If  knives  were  scaree,  the  de- 
ficiency was  made  up  by  the  scalifing  knives,  which  were  -carried  in 
shenths  suspended  to  the  belt  of  the  hunting  shirt. 

After  dinner  the  dancing  commencdd,  and  generally  lasted  until  llie 
next  morning.  The  figures  of  the  dances  were  three  and  four  handed 
recli,  or  square  sets  and  jigs.  The  commencement  was  always  a  square 
four,  whicii  was  foHowed  by  what  was  calletl  jiguing  it  off,  that  is,  two 
of  the  four  would  single  out  for  a  jig,  and  were  followed  by  the  remain- 
ing couple.  The  jigs  were  often  accompanied  with  what  was  called 
cutting  out,  that  is,  when  any  of  the  parties  became  tired  of  the  dance,  on 
intimation,  tlit;  ))lace  was  supplied  by  some  of  the  company,  without  any 
interruption  of  the  dance;  in  this  way  a  dance  w;is  often  c(uitin\icd  till 
ilie  musician  was  heartily  tired  of  ids  situation.  'I'owm-d  the  latter  part  of 
the  nighl,  if  any  of  the  comp:uiy  through  weakness  ademptrd  to  cojiccul 


THE  WEDDIKG:  030 

themselves  for  the  purpose  of  sleeping,  they  were  hunted  up,  paraded  on 
the  iloor,  and  the  fiddler  ordered  to  play  "hang  out  till  morning." 

About  nine  or  ten  o'clock  a  deputation  of  young  ladies  stole  off  the 
hride  and  put  her  to  bed.  In  doing  this  it  frequently  happened  that  they 
had  to  ascend  a  ladder  instead  of  a  pair  of  stairs,  leading  from  the  dining 
and  ball  room  to  the  loft,  the  floor  of  which  was  made  of  clapboards  \yuvx 
loose  and  vrithout  nads.  This  ascent  one  might  think  woukl  put  the 
bride  and  her  attendants  to  the  blush ;  but  as  the  foot  of  the  ladder  was 
commonly  behind  the  door,  which  was  purposely  open  for  the  occasion, 
and  its  rounds  at  the  inner  ends  were  well  hung  with  hunting  shirts,  pet- 
ticoats and  other  articles  of  clothing,  the  candles  being  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  house,  the  exit  of  the  bride  was  noticed  but  by  a  fev^.  This 
done,  a  deputation  of  young  men  in  like  manner  stole  off  the  groom  and' 
placed  him  snugly  by  the  side  of  his  bride.-  The  dance  still  continued, 
and  if  seats  happened  to  be  scarce,  which  was  often  the  case,  every  young 
man  when  not  engaged  in  the  dance  was  obliged  to  offer  his  lap  as  a  seat 
for  one  of  the  girls,  and  the  offer  was  sure  to  be  accepted.  In  the  midst 
of  this  Inlarity  the  bride  and  groom  were  not  forgotten.  Pretty  late  in 
the  night  some  one  would  remind  the  company  that  the  new  couple  must 
stand  in  need  of  some  refreshment ;  Black  Betty,  which  was  tlie  name  of 
the  bottle,  was  called  for  and  sent  up  the  ladder.  But  sometimes.  ]]iack 
Betty  did  not  go  alone.  I  have  many  times  seen  as  much  bread,  beef, 
pork  and  cabbage,  sent  along  with  her,  as  would  afford  a  good  meal  for' 
half  a  dozen  of  hungry  n_ien.  The  young  couple  were  compelled  to  eat 
more  or  less  of  whatever  was  offered  them. 

In  the  course  of  the  festivity,  if  any  wanted  to  help  himself  to  a  dram 
and  the  young  couple  to  a  toast,  he  would  call  out,  "Where  iyy  Black 
Betty?  I  v/ant  to  kiss  her  sweet  lips."  Black  Betty  was  soon  handed  to 
him,  when,  holding  her  up  in  his  right  hand,  he  would  say,  '"Here's 
liealth  to  the  groom,  not  forgetting  myself,  and  here's  to  the  bride,  thump- 
ing, luck  and  big  chddren!"  This,  so  far  from  being  taken  amiss,  was 
considered  as  an  expression  of  a  very  proper  and  friendly  wish  ;  for  big- 
children,  especially  sons,  were  of  great  importance,  as  we  were  few  in 
number  and  engaged  m  perpetual  hostility  with  the  Indians,  the  end  of 
which  no  one  could  foresee.  Indeed  many  of  them  seemed  to  suppose 
that  war  was  the  natural  state  of  man,  and  therefore  did  not  ;uiticipate 
any  conclusion  of  it;  every  big  son  was  thei'efore  consideicd  as  a  young' 
soldier. 

But  to  return.  It  often  happened  that  sora-e  neighbors  or  relations,  not 
being  asked  to  the  wedding,  took  offense  ;  and  the  mode  of  revenge 
adopted  by  them  on  such  occasions,  was  tliat  of  cutting  off  the  manes, 
foretons,  and  tails  of  the  horses  of  the  wedding  company. 

Another  method  of  revenge  which  was  adopted  when  the  ciiaslily  of 
the  bride  was  a  little  suspected,  w'as  that  of  setting  up  a  pair  of  horns  on 
poles  or  trees,  on  the  route  of  the  wedding  company.  This  was  a  hint  to 
the  groom  that  he  might  expect  to  be  complimented  with  a  pair  of  horns 
himself 

On  returning  to  the  infare,  the  order  of  procession  and  tJie  race  for 
Black  Betty  was  the  same  as  before.     The  least irif:  <\nd  dancing  oficri 


'->3f  \1\L  HO  USE  WAUMI.'f(J'. 

lasted  sevenil  d-iys,  at  the  end  of  which  the  whole  company  were  so  ex- 
hausted with  loss  of  sleep,  that  several  days'  rest  were  requisite  to  lit 
ihem  to  return  to  their  ordinary-  labors. 

Should  I  be  asked  why  I  have  presented  this  unpleasant  portrait  ol'the- 
rude  manners  of  our  forefathers?  I  in  ray  turn  would  ask  niv  rea(ier,  why 
are  you  pleased  with  the  histories  of  the  blood  and  carnage  of  batth.'S  ? 
Why  are  you  delighted  with  the  fictions  of  poetry,  the  novel  and  romance?" 
I  have  related  trutia,  and  only  truth,  strange  as  it  may  seem.  I  have  de- 
picted a  state  of  society  and  manners  which  are  fast  vanishing  frnia  the- 
memory  of  man,  witli  a  view  to  give  the  vouth  of  our  countrv  a  knowl- 
edge  of  the  advantage  of  civilization,  and  to  give  contentment  to  the  aged 
by  preventing  ^hem  iVota  saying,  "that  former  times  were  better  than  the- 
present." 


■:o:- 


CHAPTER  XXIII 


THE  HOUSE  WARxMING. 

I  will  proceed  to- state  the  usual  manner  of  settling  a  young  couple  in  tli-e' 
world. 

A  spot  was  selected  on  a  piece  of  land  of  one  of  the  parents  for  their 
habitation.  A  day  was  appointed  shortly  after  their  marriage  for  com- 
mencing the  work  of  building  their  cabin.  The  fatigue  party  consisted 
■of  choppers,  wliose  business  it  was  to  fall  the  trees  and  cut  them  off  at 
proj)cr  lengths — a  man  with  his  team  for  hauling  them  to  the  place,  and 
arranging  them,  properly  assorted,  at  the  sides  and  ends  of  the  building 
— and  a  carpenter,  if  su<;h  he  might  be  calle(!,  whose  business  it  was  to 
search  the  woods  for  a  proper  tree  for  making  clapboards  for  the  roof. 
T'he  tree  for  this  purpose  must  be  straight-grained,  and  from  three  to  four 
feet  in  diameter.  The  hoards  were  split  four  i'eet  long,  with  a  large  Irow, 
and  as  wide  as  the  timber  would  allow.  They  were  used  without  planing 
or  shaving.  Another  division  were  employed  in  getting  puncheons  for 
the  floor  of  the  cabin;  this  was  done  by  splitting  trees  about  eight(>en 
inches  in  diameter,  and  hewing  the  faces  of  them  with  a  broad-axe. 
They  were  half  the  length  of  the  floor  fiiey  were  intended  to  make. 

The  materials  for  the  cabin  were  mostly  prepared  on  the  first  day,  and 
soraeJimes  the  foundation  laid  in  the  evening;  the  second  day  was  allot- 
ted for  the  raising. 

In  the  moriiing  of  \hc  nfit^  day  tJie  neighbors  collected  for  the  raising. 
Thr:  first  thing  to  b«'.  done  was  the  election  of  four  corner-men,  whose 
business  it  was  to  notch  and  place  the  logs,  the  rest  of  the  company  fur- 
l)i^hing  them  Nvilh   the  timbers.      In   Ihc  mean  lime   the  boards  and   pun- 


Till':  HOLS  I::  vvAiiMiNa.  232 

cheons  were  collecting  for  the  floor  and  roof,  so  that  hy  iho.  time  the 
cabhi  was  a  few  rounds  high,  the  sleepers  and  floor  began  to  be  laid. 
The  door  was  made  bv  cuttinir  or  sawino;  the  lo£(s  in  one  side  so  as  to 
make  an  opening  about  three  feet  wide;  this  opening  was  secured  by  up- 
right pieces  of  timber  about  three  inches  thick,  through  which  holes  were 
bored  into  the  ends  of  the  logs  for  the  purpose  of  pinning  them  fiist.  A 
similar  opening,  but  wider,  was  made  at  the  end  for  the  chimney.  This 
was  built  of  logs,  and  made  large,  to  admit  of  a  back  rtnd  jambs  of  stone. 
At  the  square  two  end  logs  projected  a  foot  or  eighteen  iiic-hes  beyond 
the  wall,  to  receive  the  butting  poles  as  they  were  called,  against  which 
the  ends  of  the  first  row  of  clapboards  was  supported.  The  roof  was 
formed  by  making  the  end  logs  shorter  until  a  single  log  form.ed  the  comb 
of  the  roof.  On  these  legs  the  clapboards  v;ere  placed,  the  ranges  of 
them  lapping  some  distance  over  those  next  below  them,  and  kept  in 
their  places  by  logs  placed  at  proper  distances  upon  them. 

The  roof  and  sometimes  the  floor  WfM'e  finished  on  the  same  day  of  the 
raising;  a  third  day  was  commonly  spent  by  a  few  caipenters  in  leveling 
off  the  floor,  making  a  clapboard  door,  and  a  table.  This  last  was  made 
of  a  split  slab,  and  supported  by  four  round  legs  set  in  auger  holes;  some 
three-legged  stools  were  made  in  the  same  manner.  Some  pins,  stuck  in 
the  logs  at  the  back  of  the  house,  supported  some  clapboards  which  ser- 
ved for  shelves  for  the  table  furniture.  A  single  foik,  placed  with  its 
lower  end  in  a  hole  in  the  floor,  and  the  upper  end  fastened  to  a  joist,  ser- 
ved for  a  bedstead,  by  placing  a  pole  in  the  fork  with  one  end  through  a 
crack  between  the  logs  in  the  wall.  This  front  pole  was  crossed  by  a 
shorter  one  within  the  fork,  with  its  outer  end  through  anoth^n-  crack. 
From  the  front  pole,  through  a  crack  between  the  logs  of  the  end  of  the 
house,  the  boards  were  put  on  which  formed  the  bottom  of  the  bed. 
Sometimes  other  poles  were  pinned  to  the  fork  a  little  distance  between 
these,  for  the  purpose  of  supporting  the  front  and  foot  of  the  bed,  while 
the  walls  were  the  support  of  its  back  and  head.  A  few  pegs  around  the 
walls,  for  the  display  of  the  coats  of  the  women  and  hunting  shirts  of  the 
men,  and  two  small  forks  or  buck's  horns  to  a  joist  for  the  rifle  and  shot 
])Ouch,  completed  the  carpenter  work. 

In  the  mean  time  masons  were  at  work.  With  the  heart  pieces  of  the 
timber  of  which  the  clapboards  were  made,  they  made  billets  for  chunk- 
ing up  the  cracks  between  the  logs  of  the  cabin  and  chimney.  A  large 
])ed  of  mortnr  was  made  for  daubing  up  these  cracks  ;  and  a  few  stones 
formed  the  back  and  jambs  of  the  chimney. 

The  cabin  being  finished.,  the  ceremony  of  iiousc  warming  took  place, 
before  the  young  couple  were  pcrmilted  to  move  into  it.     This  was  a 
dance  of  the  whole  night's  conlinuance,  made  up  of  tlie  relauons  of  the 
bride  and  groom  and  their  neighbors.     On  the  day  folhjwing,  the  yuuug;^ 
couple  took  possession  of  their  new  mansion. 


S: 


2S3  WuKklNC\ 


-:0: 


CHAPTER  KXIV, 


WORKING. 

The  iiccessarj'  labors  of  the  farms  along  the  frontiers  wore  performed 
with  every  danger  and  difficulty  imaginable.  The  whole  population  of 
the  frontiers,  huddled  together  in  their  little  forts,  left  the  country  with 
every  appearance  of  a  deserted  region;  and  such  would  have  been  the 
opinion  of  a  traveler  concerning  it,  if  he  had  not  seen  here  and  there  some 
small  fields  of  corn  or  other  grain  in  a  grov/ing  state. 

It  is  easy  to  imagine  what  losses  must  have  been  sustained  by  our  first 
settlers  owing  to  this  deserted  state  of  their  farn^is.  It  was  not  the  full 
measure  of  their  tn^uble  that  they  risked  their  lives,  and  ot"ten  lost  them, 
in  subduing  the  forest  and  turning  it  into  fruitful  fields  ;  but  compelled  to 
leave  them  in  a  deserted  state  during  the  summer  season,  a  great  part  of 
the  fruits  of  their  labors  was  lost  by  this  untoward  circumstance.  The- 
sheep  and  hogs  were  devoured  by  the  wolves,  panthers  and  bears.  Hor- 
ses and  cattle  were  often  let  into  their  fields,  through  breaches  made  in 
their  fences  by  the  falling  of  trees,  and  frequently  almost  the  whole  of  a 
little  crop  of  corn  was  destroyed  by  sqtdrrels  and>  raccoons,  so  that  many 
families,  even  after  an  hazardous  and  laborious  spring  and  sunniicr,  had 
but  little  left  for  the  comfort  of  the  dreary  winter. 

The  early  settlers  on  the  frontiers  of  this  country  were  like  Arabs  of 
tljic  desert  of  Africa,, in  at  least  two  respects,.  Every  man  was  a  soldier, 
and  from  early  in  the  spring  till  late  in  the  fall  was  almost  continually  in- 
arms. Their  work  was  often  carried  on  by  parties,  each  one  oi"  whom 
had  iiis  ride  and  every  thing  else  belonging  to  his  war  dress.  These 
were  deposited  in  some  central  place  in  the  field.  A  sentinel  was  sta- 
tioned on  the  outside  of  the  fence,  so  that  on  the  least  alarm  the  whole 
company  repaired  to  their  arms,  and  were  ready  for  combat  in  a  moment. 

Here  again  the  rashness  ol"  some  laiuilies  proved  a  soun.-e  of  difilculty. 
instead  of  joining  the  v/orking  parties,  they  went  out  and  attended  their" 
farms  by  themselves,  and  in  case  of  alarm,  an  express  was  sent  for  them, 
and  sometimes  a  piirty  of  men  to  guai-<l  them  to  the  fort.  These  lamilies,. 
in  some  instances,  could  boast  that  they  had  better  crops,  and  wert-  every 
way  better  provided  for  in  the  winter  than  then'  neighbcrs:  in  other  in- 
stances their  temerity  cost  them  their  lives. 

In  military  affairs,  when  every  one  concerned  is  left  to  his  own  will, 
matters  were  sure  to  be  badly  managed.     The  whole  frontiers  of  Penn- 
sylvania and  Virginia  presented  a  succession  of  military  camps  or  forts.,. 
We  had  military  officers,  that  is  to  say,  captains  and  colonels;  but  they  in 
many  respeclswere  orJy  nominally  such.     They  could  advise,  bat  not 


?^lECli:VXJC  ARTS.  53'4 

*f!ommaiK],  Those  who  chose  to  follow  their  advice  did  so,  lo  such  rin 
^extent  as  suited  their  fancy  or  interest.  Others  were  refractory  and  Ihere- 
■'by  gave  much  trouble.  These  officers  would  leave  a  scout  or  campaign, 
Avhile  those  who  thought  proper  to  accompany  them  did  so,  and  those  who 
did  not  remained  at  home.  Public  odium,  was  the  only  punishment  for 
their  laziness  or  cowardice.  There  was  no  compulsion  to  the  perfor- 
mance of  military  duties,  and  no  pecuniary  reward  when  they  were  per- 
formed. 

It  is  but  doing  justice  to  the  first  settlers  of  this  country  to  say,  that  in- 
stances of  disobedience  of  families  and  individuals  to  the  advice  of  our 
'sfficers,  were  by  no  means  numerous.     The  greater  number  cheerfully 
submitted -to  their  directions  with  a  prompt  and  faithful  obedience. 


-:o: 


€H  AFTER  XXV. 

MECHANIC  ARTS. 

In  giving  a  history  of  the  slate  cf  the  mechanic  arts,  as  (hey  were  exerci- 
sed at  an  early  period  of  the  settlement  of  this  countrv,  I  shall  present  a 
people,  driven  by  necessity  to  perform  works  of  mechanical  skill,  far 
'beyond  what  a  person  enjoying  all  the  advantages  of  civilization,  would 
■expect  from  a  population  placed  in  such  destitute  circumstances. 

My  reader  will  naturall}'  ask  where  were  their  mills  lor  grinding  grain 
— -where  their  tanners  for  making  leather — where  their  smith  shops  for 
making  and  repairing  their  farming  utensils?  Who  were  their  carpenters, 
tailors,  cabinet  w^orkmen,  shoemakers  and  weavers  .*'  The  answer  is, 
those  manufacturers  did  not  exist,  nor  had  they  any  tradesmen  who  were 
iprof-issedly  such.  Every  family  were  under  the  necessity  of  doing  every 
thing  for  themselves  as  well  as  they  could. 

The  hommony  blocks  and  hand  mills  were  in  use  in  most  of  our  bou- 
rses. The  first  was  made  of  a  large  block  of  wood  about  three  feet  long, 
with  an  excavation  burned  in  one  end,  wide  at  tlie  top  and  narrow  at  the 
"bottom,  so  that  the  action  of  the  pestle  on  the  bottom  threw  the  corn  up 
to  the  sides  towards  the  top  of  it,  from  whence  it  continually  fell  down 
into  the  centre.  In  consequence  of  this  movement,  tlreAvhole  mass  of  the 
■grain  was  pretty  e(|ually  subjected  to  the  strokes  of  the  pestle.  In  the 
■fall  of  the  vcar,  Avhilst  the  Indian  corn  was  soft,  the  block  and  pestle  did 
very  well  for  making  meal  for  journeycakc  and  mush,  but  were  rather 
■Tslow  when  the  corn  became  hard. 

The  sweep  was  sometimes  used  to  lessen  the  toil  of  pounding  grain 
^nlc  meal      This  v.ns  a  pole  ol  :;om.c  springy  clastic  wood,  thirty  feet  long 


3-Jo  MECHANIC   ARTS. 

or  more,  tlip  bul.  cu.l  of  which  was  ploced  under  ihe  sitle  of  a  liouse.  or  a 
large  stump.  TliLs  pole  was  supported  by  two  forks,  placed  about  one 
third  of  its  lena;Sh  from  its  but  end,  so  as  to  elevate  the  small  end  about 
fifteen  feet  from  ihe  ground.  'J'o  this  Avas  attached,  by  a  large  mortise,  a 
piece  of  sapling'  about  five  or  six  inches  in  diameter,  and  eight  or  ten  feet 
long,  the  lower  end  of  which  was  shaped  so  as  to  answer  for  a  pestle,  and 
a  pin  of  wood  was  put  through  it  at  a  proper  height,  so  that  two  persons 
ould  work  at  the  sweep  at  onre.  'I'his  siiiiple  miichljie  very  much  les- 
sened the  labor  and  exj)edited  tiie  v^'ork. 

I  remember  that  when  a  boy  I  put  up  an  excellent  sweep  at  my  father's. 
It  was  made  of  a  sugar  tree  sapling,  and  was  kept  going  almost  const.anly 
from  laoniing  till  night  bv  our  neighbors  for  several  weeks. 

In  the  Greenbrier  country,  where  they  had  a  number  of  saltpetre  caves, 
the  first  settlers  made  plenty  of  excellent  gunpov/iier  by  means  of  these 
sweeps  and  mortars. 

A  machine  still  more  simple  than  the  mortar  and  pestle  was  used  for 
making  meal  when  the  corn  was  too  soft  to  be  beaten.  It  was  called  a 
grater.  This  was  a  half  circular  piece  of  tin,  perforated  with  a  punch 
iVom  the  concave  side,  and  nailed  by  its  edges  to  a  block  of  wood.  The 
ears  of  corn  were  rubbed  on  the  rough  edges  of  the  holes,  while  the  meal 
fell  throurjh  Ihem  on  the  board  or  block  to  which  the  grater  was  nailed, 
which  belnc;  in  a  slanting  direction,  discharged  the  meal  into  a  cloth  or 
bowl  placed  fi)r  its  reception.  This,  to  be  sure,  was  a  slow  way  of 
making  meal,  but  necessity  has  no  law. 

The  hand  mill  was  better  than  the  mortar  and  grater.  It  was  madp  of 
two  circular  stones,  the  lowest  of  which  was  called  the  bed  stone,  the  up- 
per one  the  runner.  These  were  placed  in  a  hoop,  with  a  spout  for  dis- 
charging the  meal.  A  staff  was  let  into  a  hole  in  the  upper  siuface  of  the 
runner,  near  the  outer  edge,  and  its  upper  end  through  a  hole  in  a  board 
fastened  to  a  joist  above,  so  that  \\vo  persons  could  be  employed  in  turn- 
ing the  mill  at  the  same  time.  'I'he  grain  was  put  into  the  opening  in 
the  runner  by  h:md.  These  mills  are  still  in  use  in  Palestine,  the  ancient 
country  of  iIh'  Jews.  To  a  mill  of  this'sort  our  Saxirir  nlbided,  when, 
with  rcfer-Ticc!  to  the  riestruction  of  .lerusah-.n,  he  said,  "'I'wo  women 
shall  be  grinding  at  a  mill,  the  one  shall  be  taken  and  other  left." 

This  mill  is  much  preferable  to  that  used  at  present  in  upper  Egypt  for 
making  the  dlmnrra  brea.l.  Fr  is  a  smooth  stone,  |)lace(l  on  an  inclined 
plane,  upon  which  the  irr-iin  is  spread,  wiii;h  is  made  into  me.il  by  rub- 
binrj  anotiier  stone;  up  and  down  upon  it. 

Our  i'lrsl  water  mills  were  of  that  description  denominated  tub  mills. 
It  consists  of  a  perpendicular  shaft,  to  the  lo'.vrr  rnd  oj"  which  a  horizon- 
tal wheel  of  about  four  or  five  fi^et  m  diameter  is  aUnchefl:  the  upper  end 
passes  through  the  bed  stone  and  carries  the  runner,  after  the  manner  of  a 
trundlehead.'  These  mills  were  built  with  very  lirile  expense,  and  many 
of  them  an^we■.•ed  lb"  purpose  very  wril.  Ii>'»cid  of  bolting  cloths,  sift- 
ers were  in  general  ust*.  '["h^-se  were  made  of  deer  skins  in  the  state  of 
parchment,  stretched  ovf;r  a  lioop  and  perforated  with  a  hot  wire. 

Our  clothing  was  all  of  domfstir  manufacture.  We  hat!  no  other  tp- 
soui'fo  lor  clothing,  and  this  indeed  was  a  poor  one.      The  crops  of  flax 


5 


MtiCIlAMC  ARTS.  *:W 

often  firiiled,  and  the  sheep  were  destroyed  by  the  wolves.  Linsey,  \vhi<'h 
is  made  of  ri;ix  and  wool,  the  former  the  chain,  and  the  latter  the  fillhig, 
was  the  wannest  and  most  substantial  cloth  we  could  make.  Almost 
every  house  contained  a  loom  and  almost  every  woman  was  a  weaver. 

Every  farailv  tanned  their  own  leather.  The  tan  vat  was  a  larcre 
trough  sunk  to  the  upper  end  in  the  ground.  A  quantity  of  hark  was 
easily  obtained  everv  sprintj  in  clearinfjc  and  fencinfr  land.  This,  after 
drvinsr,  was  brouorht  in,  and  in  wet  days  was  shaved  and  pounded  on  a 
block  of  wood  with  an  axe  or  mallet.  Ashes  was  used  in  place  of  lime 
for  taking  off  the  hair.  Bear's  oil,  hog's  lard  and  tallow,  answered  the 
jdace  of  fish  oiL  The  leather,  to  be  ^ure,  was  coarse;  but  it  was  sub- 
stantially good.  The  operation  of  currying  was  performed  by  a  drawing 
knife  with  its  edge  turned  after  the  manner  of  a  currying  knife.  The 
blacking  for  the  leather  was  made  of  soot  and  hog's  lard. 

Almost  every  family  contained  its  OAvn  tailors  and  slioemakers.  Those 
who  could  not  make  shoes  could  make  shoe-packs.  These,  like  mocca- 
sons,  were  made  of  a  single  piece  of  leather,  with  the  exception  of  a 
tongue  piece  on  the  top  of  the  foot,  which  was  about  two  inches  broad 
and  circular  at  the  lower  end,  and  to  which  the  main  piece  of  leather  was 
sewed  with  a  gathering  stitch.  The  seam  behind  was  like  that  of  a  moc- 
cason,  and  a  sole  was  sometimes  added.  The  women  did  the  tailor 
work.  They  could  all  cut  out  and  make  hunting  shirts,  leggins  and 
drawers. 

The  state  of  society  which  existed  in  our  country-  at  an  early  period  of 
its  settlement,  was  well  calculated  to  call  into  action  every  native  me- 
chanical genius.  There  was  in  almost  every  neighborhood,  some  one 
whose  natural  ingenuity  enabled  him  to  do  man}-  things  for  himself  and 
his  neighbors,  far  above  what  could  have  been  reasonably  expected. 
With  the  very  few'  tools  which  they  brought  with  them  into  the  country, 
they  certainly  performed  wonders.  Their  plow's,  harrows  with  their 
wooden  teeth,  anrl  sleds,  Avere  in  many  instances  well  made.  Their 
cooper-ware,  which  comprehended  every  thing  for  holding  milk  and 
water,  was  generally  pretty  well  executed.  The  cedar- ware,  by  having 
alternatelv  a  white  and  red  stave,  was  then  thought  beautitul.  Many  of 
their  puncheon  floors  were  very  neat,  their  joints  close,  and  the  top  even 
and  smooth.  Their  looms,  although  heavy,  did  very  well.  Those  who 
rould  not  exercise  these  mechanic  arts  were  under  the  necessity  of  giving 
labor  or  barter  to  their  neighbors  in  exchange  for  the  use  of  them,  so  far 
as  their  necessities  required. 

An  old  man  in  rnv  father's  neighborhood  had  the  art  of  turning  bowls, 
from  the  knots  of  t.-ees,  particularly  those  of  the  ash.  In  what  way  he 
•did  it  I  do  not  know,  or  whetlier  there  was  much  mystery  in  his  art.  Be 
that  as  It  may,  the  old  man's  skill  was  in  great  request,  as  well-turned 
wooden  bowls  w-ere  amongst  our  first-rate  articles  of  household  furniture. 

My  brothers  and  myself  once  undertook  to  procure  a  fine  suit  of  these 
howls  nipde  of  the  best  wood,  the  ash.  We  gathered  rdl  we  could  find 
■on  our  father's  land,  and  took  them  to  ihe  artist,  who  was  to  give,  as  the 
saying  was,  one  half  for  the  other.  He  put  the  knots  in  a  branch  before 
;tltc  door,  when  a  freshet  cDnif  nnd  swrpf  thrm  al!  ;nvny,  not  mif  r\^  them 


r:j;  :\;)r:(n.\M(  arts. 


"beini;-  e\ci  i'ounQ.  Tills  was  ii  (!rc:uiful  luislbrtunc'.  Our  aniiclpalion  of 
an  eleii^^nt  (lisi)lay  of  new  bowls  was  utterly  blasted  in  a  moment,  as  the 
poor  old  Mjan  was  not  aljle  to  rfjiair  our  loss  or  any  part  of  it. 

My  I'alhfM-  [)ossessed  a  mechanical  genius  of  the  highest  order,  and  ne- 
'Cessity,  wliidi  is  llic  mother  of  invention,  occasioned  the  full  exercise  of 
liis  talents.  His  farming  utensils  were  the  best  in  the  neighborhood. 
After  malving  his  loom  lie  often  used  it  as  a  weaver.  All  the  shoes  be- 
longing to  the  family  were  made  by  himself.  He  always  spun  his  own 
shoe-thread,  saying  that  no  woman  could  spin  shoe-thread  as  well  as  he 
•could.  His  cooper-w^are  was  made  by  himself.  I  have  seen  him  make 
a  small,  neat  kind  of  wooden  ware,  called  set  work,  in  which  the  staves 
^vere  all  attached  to  the  bottom  of  the  vessel,  by  means  of  a  groove  cut  in 
them  by  a  strong  clasp  k'nife  and  a  small  chisel,  before  a  single -hoop  was 
put  on.  He  was  suificiently  the  carpenter  to  build  the  best  kind  of 
houses  then  in  use,  that  is  to  say,  first  a  cabin,  and  afterwards  the  hewed 
log  house,  with  a  shingled  root^  In  his  latter  years  he  became  sickly, 
and  not  being  able  to  labor,  he  amused  himself  with  tolerably  good  imi- 
tations of  cabinet  work. 

Not  possessing  sulllcient  health  for  service  on  the  scouts  and  cam- 
paigns, his  drjy  was  that  of  repairing  the  rifles  of  his  neighbors  when 
they  needed  it.  In  this  business  he  manifested  a  high  degree  of  inge- 
.nuity.  A  small  depression  on  the  surface  of  a  slump  or  log,  and  a  wooden 
mallet,  were  his  instruments  for  straightening  the  gun  barrel  when  crook- 
•cd.  Without  the  aid  of  a  bow  string  he  could  discover  the  smallest  liend 
in  a  barrel,  and  with  a  bit  of  steel  he  could  make  a  saw  for  deepening  the 
.furrows  wdien  requisite.  A  few  shots  determined  whether  the  gun  might 
be  trustcfl. 

Althou'^h  he  never  had  been  more  than  six  weeks  at  school,  he  was 
^nevertheless  a  first  rate  penman  and  a  good  arithmetician.  His  penman- 
ship was  of  great  service  to  his  neighbors  in  writing  letters,  bonds,  deeds 
<of  conveyance,  &.c. 

Young  as  I  was,  I  was  possessed  of  an  art  which  was  of  great  use, 
x'lz:  that  of  weaving  shot  pouch  straps.,  belts  and  garters.  I  could  make 
mv  loom  anri  weav(,'  a  belt  in  less  than  one  day.  Having  a  piece  of 
'board  about  ioui-  fcrt  long,  an  inch  auger,  sjiike  glinlel,  and  a  drawing 
knife,  I  needed  iif)  ollif-  tools  or  materials  for  making  my  loom. 

It  freciueiitlv  happen(>d  that  my  weaving  proved  serviceable  1o  the 
family,  as  I  oftMi  sold  a  belt  for  a  day''s  work,  or  making  an  hundred 
rails;  so  that  although  a  Sov,  I  ef)uld  evchange  my  labor  for  tlaat  oT  a  full 
grown  j)erson  ("or  an  eijual  length  of  time. 


MFJMfTNf:.  '2-SS- 


•o: 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 


MEDICINE. 

Tins  amongst  a  ruda  and  illiterate  people  csnsisted  mostly  of  3pe.?iii3s,.. 
As  i'ar  as  1  can  recollect  them,  they  shall  be  enumerated,  together  ^vith  the 
diseases  for  which  they  were  used.- 

The  diseases  of  children  were  mostly  ascribed  to  worms ;  for  the  expul- 
sion of  which  a  solution  of  Gommon  salt  was  given,  and  the  dose  was  al- 
ways large.  I  well  remember  having  been  compelled  to  take  half  a  table 
spoonful  when  quite  small.  To  the  best  of  my  recollaction  it  generally 
answered  the  purpose. 

Scrapings- of  pewter  spoons  was  another  remedy  for  the  worms.  This 
dose  was  also  large,  amounting,  I  should  think,  from  twenty  to  Ibrty 
grains.     It  was  commonly  given  in  sugar. 

Sulphate  of  iron,  or  green  copperas,  v\ras  a  third  remedy  for  the  worms,.. 
The  dose  of  this  was  also  larger  than  we  should  venture  to  give  at  this 
time. 

For  burns,  a  poultice  of  Indian  meal  was  a  common  remedy-    A  poul- 
tice of  scraped  potatoes  Avas  also  a  favorite  remedy  with  some  people. — 
Roasted  turnips,  made  into  a  poultice,  was  used  by  others..      Slippery 
elm  bark  was  often  used  in  the  same  way.-     I  do  not  recollect  ihat  any 
internal  remedy  or  bleeding  was  ever  used  for  burns. 

The  croup,  or  what  was  then  called  the  "  bold  hives,"  was  a  common* 
disease  among  the  children,  many  of  w?hom  died  of  it.  For  the  cure  of 
this,  the  juice  of  roasted  onions  or  garlic-  was  given  in  large  doses. — - 
Wall  ink  was  also  a  favorite  remedy  with  many  of  the  old  ladies.  For 
fevers,  sweating  was  the  general  remedy.  This  was  generally  })orformed' 
by  means  of  a  strong  decoction  of  Virginia  snake  root.  The  dose  was 
always  very  large.  If  a  purge  w\as  used,  it  was  about  half  a  pint  of  a 
strong  decoction  of  walnut  bark.  This,  when  intended  for  a  purge,  was 
peeled  downwards;  if  for  a  vomit,  it  was  peeled  upwards.  Indian  phy- 
sic, or  bowman  root,  a  species  of  ipecacuanha,  was  frequently  used  for  a 
Tomit,  and  sometimes  the  pocoon  or  blood  root- 

For  the  bite  of  a  rattle  or  copper-snake,  a  great  variety  of  specifics 
were  used.  I  remember  when  a  small  boy  to  have  seen  a  man,  bitten  by 
a  rattle-snake,  brought  into  the  fort  on  a  man's  back.  One  of  the  com- 
pany dragged  the  snake  after  him  by  a  forked  stick  fiistenerl  in  its  head. 
The  body  of  the  snake  was  cut  into  pieces  of  about  two  inches  in  length, 
split  open  In  succession,  and  laid  on  the  wound  to  draw  out  the  poison, 
as  they  expressed  it.  When  this  was  over,  a  fire  was  kindled  in  the  fort 
aiuL  the  whole  of  the  serpent  burnt  to  3i:h€5,  hj  w?5y  of  rev.?ng<5  for  the* 


2;J9  MElJiCIN'fJS'. 

injury  he  had  done.  After  Uii?  process  wai  over,  n  Inr^e  qiianlitv  of 
chestnut  leaves  was  collected  and  boiled  in  a  pot.  The  whole  of" the 
wounded  man's  leg  and  part  of  his  thigh  were  placed  in  a  piece  of  chest- 
nut bark,  fresh  from  the  tree,  and  the  decoction  was  poured  on  the  leg  so 
as  to  run  down  into  the  pot  a<^ain.  After  continuing  this  process  for  some 
time,  a  quantity  of  the  boiled  lenves  were  bound  to  the  leg.  This  was 
repeated  several  times  a  day.  The  man  got  well ;  but  whether  owing  to 
the  treatment  bestowed  on  his  wound,  is  not  so  certain, 

A  number  of  native  plants  v/ere  used  for  the  cure  of  snake  bites, — 
Among  them  the  white  plantain  held  a  high  rank.  This  was  boiled  in 
milk,  and  the  decoction  given  the  patient  in  large  quantities.  A  kind  of 
fern,  which,  from  its  resemblance  to  the  leaves  of  the  walnut,  was  called 
walnut  fern,  was  another  remedy.  A  plant  with  fibrous  roots,  resemblino- 
tiie  seneca  snake  root,  of  a  black  color,  and  a  strong  but  not  disagreeable 
smell,  was  considered  and  relied  on  as  the  Indian  specific  for  the  cure  of 
the  sting  of  a  snake.  A  decoction  of  this  root  was  also  used  for  the  cure 
for  colds.  Another  plant,  which  very  much  resembles  the  one  above 
mentioned,  but  which  is  violently  poisonous,  was  sometimes  mistaken 
for  it  and  used  in  its  place.  I  knew  two  young  women,  who,  in  con- 
sequence of  being  bitten  by  rattle-snakes,  used  the  poisonous  plant  in- 
stead of  the  other,  and  nearly  lost  their  lives  by  the  mistake.  The  roots 
were  applied  to  their  legs  in  the  form  of  a  poultice.  The  violent  burning 
and  swelling  occasioned  by  the  inflammation  discovered  the  mistake  in 
time  to  prevent  them  from  taking  any  of  the  decoction,  which,  had  they 
clone,  would  have  been  instantly  fatal.  It  was  with  difficulty  that  the 
part  to  which  the  poultice  was  applied  was  saved  from  mortification,  so 
that  the  retnedy  was  worse  than  the  disease. 

Cupping,  sucking  the  wound,  and  making  deep  incisions  which  were 
filled  with  salt  ami  gun-power,  were  also  amongst  the  remedies  for  snake 
bites. 

It  does  not  appear  to  me  that  any  of  the  internal  remedies,  used  bv  the 
Indians  and  the  first  settlers  of  this  country,  were  well  adapted  for  the 
cure  of  the  disease  occasioned  by  the  bite  of  a  snake.  The  poison  of  a 
snake,  like  that  of  a  bee  or  a  wasp,  must  consist  of  a  highly  concentrated 
and  very  poisonous  acifl,  which  instantly  inilaraes  the  part  to  which  it  is 
applied.  That  any  substance  whatever  can  act  as  a  spernfic  for  the  de- 
composition of  this  polsfjn,  seems  altogether  doiil)iiul.  The  cure  of  the 
fever  occasioned  by  this  animal  poison,  must  be  elTected  with  reference 
to  those  general  indications  which  are  regarded  in  the  cure  of  other  fevers 
of  equal  force.  The  internal  remedies  alluded  to,  so  far  as  I  am  acquain- 
ted with  thcin,  are  possessed  of  little  or  no  medical  elacacy.  They  are 
not  emetics,  cathartics,  or  sudorifica.  What  then.*  They  are  harmless 
Biibstances,  which  do  wonders  La  all  those  cases  in  which  there  is  noth- 
ing to  be  done. 

The  truth  is,  the  bite  of  a  rattle  or  roppcr-snake,  in  a  llcshy  or  tendin- 
ous part,  where  the  blood  vessels  are  neither  niimorous  or  largo,  soon 
healed  under  any  kind  of  treatment.  But  when  the  fangs  of  the  serpent, 
which  are  hollow,  and  eject  the  poison  through  an  orifice  near  the  points, 
ijenelrate  a  blood  vessel  of  any  cousidwrLtble  i;ize,  a  malii^nunl  tun.!  inca- 


faille  fever  was  g'enerally  the  immediate  consequence,    and  the  patient 
often  expired  in  tlie  first  j)arox}"sm. 

'Die  Stiine  observations  apply  to  the  effects  of  the  hite  of  serpents  when 
inHicted  on  beasts.  Horses  were  frequently  killed  1)V  them,  as;  they  were 
commonly  bitten  somewhere  about  the  nose,  in  which  the  blood  vessels 
are  numerous  and  larire.  I  once  saw  a  horse  die  of  tlie  bite  of  a  rattle- 
snake  :  the  blood  for  some  time  before  he  expired  exuded  in  great  quan- 
tity through  the  pores  of  the  skin* 

Cattle  were  less  frequently  killed,  because  their  noses  are  of  a  grislv 
texture,  and  less  furnished  with  blood  vessels  than  those  of  a  horse. — 
Dogs  were  sometimes  bitten,  and  being  naturally  {ihysicians,  they  com- 
monly scratched  a  hole  in  some  damp  place,  and  held  the  wounded  part 
in  the  ground  till  the  inflammation  abated.  Hogs,  when  in  tolerable  ortler, 
were  never  htirt  by  them,  owing  to  the  thifk  substratum  of  fat  between  the 
skin,  muscular  flesh,  and  blood  vessels.  The  hog  generally  took  imme- 
diate revenge  ibr  the  injury  done  him,  by  instantly  tearing  to  pieces  and 
devouring  the  serpent  which  inOicted  it. 

The  itch,  which  was  a  very  comriion  disease  in  early  times,  was  com- 
monly ciu'ed  by  an  ointment  made  of  brimstone  and  hog's  lard. 

Gun-shot  and  other  wounds  \vere  treated  with  slippery  elm  bark,  flax- 
seed, and  other  such  like  poultices.  Many  lost  their  lives  from  wounds 
which  would  noAv  be  considered  tiifling  and  easily  cured.  The  use  ot' 
the  lancet,  and  otlier  means  of  depletion,  in  the  treatment  of  wounds, 
constituted  no  part  of  their  cure  in  this  country,  in  early  times. 

My  mother  died  in  early  life  of  a  wound  from  the  tread  of  a  horse, 
which  any  person  in  the  habit  of  letting  blood  miglit  have  cwred  by  two 
or  three  bleedino;s,  without  anv  other  remedy.  The  wound  was  dou1« 
ticed  with  spiken^rtrd  root,  ami  soon  terminated  in  an  extensive  mor- 
tification. 

Most  of  the  men  of  ihe  earlv  settlers  of  this  country  were  aff'ected  M-ith 
the  rheumatism.  For  relief  from  this  disease,  the  hunters  generally  slept 
with  their  feet  to  the  fire.  From  this  practice  they  certainly  derived 
much  advantage.  The  oil  of  rattle-snakes,  geese,  wolves,  bears,  rac- 
coons, ground-hogs  and  pole-cats,  was  applied  to  the  swelled  joints,  and 
bathed  in  before  the  fire. 

The  pleurisy  was  the  only  disease  whicli  was  supposed  to  require  blood 
letting;  but  in  many  cases  a  bleeder  was  not  to  be  had. 

Coughs  and  pulmonary  consumptions  were  treated  with  a  great  variety 
of  syrups,  the  principal  ingredients  of  which  were  spikenard  and  elecam- 
pane.    These  syrups  certainly  gave  but  little  relief. 

Charms  and  incantations  vrere  in  use  for  the  cure  of  many  diseases. — 
I  learned,  when  young,  the  incantation,  in  German,  for  the  cure  of  burns, 
Slopping  blood,  tooth-ache,  and  the  charm  against  bullets  in  battle; 
but  for  the  want  of  faith  in  their  efficacy,  I  never  used  any  of  them. 

The  eiysipelas,  or  St.  Anthony's  fire,  was  eircuinscribed  by  the  blood 
of  a  black  cat.  Hence  there  was  scarcely  a  black  cat  to  be  seen,  whose 
ears  and  tail  had  not  been  frequently  cropped  off  ibr  a  ronlribution  »)l' 
blood. 


Ul  M£DICINE. 

Whether  the  medical  profession  is  productive  of  most  good  or  harni>- 
mzy  still  be  a  matter  of  dispute  with  some  philosophers,  who  never  saw 
■  any  condition  of  society  in  which  there  were  no  physicians,  and  therefore 
could  not  be  furnished  with  a  propei  test  tor  deciding  the  question. — 
Had  an  unbeliever  in  the  healing  art  been  amongst  the  early  inhabitants 
of  tfiis  country,  he  would  have  been- in  a^ proper  situation  to  witness  the 
consequences  of  the  want  of  the  exercise  of  this  art.  For  many  years  in 
succession  there  was  no  person  who  bore  even  the  name  of  a  doctor  with- 
in a  considerable  distance  of  the  residence  of  my  father. 

For  the  honor  of  the  medical  profession,  I  must  give  it  as  my  opinion- 
that  many  of  our  people  perished  for  want  of  medical  skill  and  attention. 

The  pleurisy  was  the  only  disease  which  was,  in  any  considerable  de- 
gree, understood  by  our  people..  A  pain  in  the  side  called  tor  the  use  of 
the  lanoet,  if  there  was  any  to  be  had ;  but  owing  to  its  sparing  use,  the 
patient  was  apt  to  be  left  witli  a  spitting  of  blood,  which  sometimes  ended 
m  consumption.  A  great  number  of  children  died  of  the  croup.  Re- 
mittent and  intermittent  fevers  were  treated  with  warm  drinks  for  the 
purpose  of  sweating,  and  the  patients  were  denied  the  use  of  cold  water 
and  fresh  air;  consequently  many  of  them  died.  Of  those  who  escaped, 
not  a  few  died  afterwards  of  the  dropsy  or  consumption,  or  were  left  with 
paralytic  limbs.  Deaths  in  childbed  were  not  uniiequent.  Many,  no 
doubt,  died  of  the  bite  of  serpents,  in  consequence  of  an  improper  reli- 
ance on  specifics  possessed  of  no  medical  virtue. 

My  father  died  of  an  hepatic  complaint,  at  the  age  of  about  forty-six. — 
He  had  labored  under  it  for  thirteen  years.  The  fever  which  accompa- 
nied it  was  called  "the  dumb  ague,"  and  the  swelling  in  the  region  of 
the  liver,  "the  ague  cake."  The  abscess  burst,  and  discharged  a  large 
quantity  of  matter,  which  put  a  period  to  his  life  in  about  thirty  hours 
after  the  discharge. 

Thus  I  for  one  may  say,  tliat  in  all  human  probability  I  lost  both  my. 
parents  for  want  of  medical  aid. 


^STORTS  §42 


CHAPTER  XXFIl 


SPORTS. 

These  were  such  as  might  be  expected  among  a  people,  who,  owing  to 
their  circumstances  as  well  as  education,  set    a  higher  value  on  physical 

■  than  on  mental  endowments,  and  on  skill  in  hunting  and  bravery  in  war, 
Jihan  on  any  polite  accomplishments  or  fine  arts. 

Amusements    are,  in  many  instances,  either  imitations  of  the  business 

■  of  life,  or  at  least  of  some  of  its  particular  objects  of  pursuit.  On  the 
part  of  young  men  belonging  to  nations  in  a  state  of  warfare,  many 
amusements  are  regarded  as  preparations  for  the  military  character  which 
they  are  expected  to  sustain  in  future  life.  Thus  the  war-dance  of  sava- 
ges is  a  pantomime  of  their  stratagems  and  horrid  deeds  of  cruelty  in  war, 
and  the  exhibition  prepares  the  minds  of  their  young  men  for  a  participa- 
tion in  the  bloody  tragedies  which  they  represent.  Dancing,  among  ci\'-- 
ilised  people,  is  regarded,  not  only  as  an  amusement  suited  to  the  youth- 
ful period  of  human  life,  but  as  a  means  of  inducing  urbanity  of  manners 
and  a  good  personal  deportment  in  public.  Horse  racing  is  regarded  Isy 
the  statesman  as  a  preparation,  in  various  ways,  for  the  equestrian  de- 
partment of  warfare:  it  is  said  that  the  English  government  never  posses- 
sed a  good  cavalry,  until,  by  the  encouragement  given  to  public  races, 
their  breed  of  horses  was  improved.  Games,  in  which  there  is  a  mixture 
of  chance  and  skill,  are  said  to  improve  the  understanding  in  mathemati- 
cal and  other  calculations. 

Many  of  the  sports  of  the  crn-ly  settlers  of  this  country  were  imitative 
of  the  exercises  and  stratagems  of  hunting  and  war.  Boys  are  taught  the 
use  of  thebow  and  arrow  at  an  early  age ",  but  although  they  acquired 
considerable  adroitness  in  the  use  of  them,  so  as  to  kill  n  bird  or  squirrel 
■^-sometimes,  yet  it  appears  that  in  the  hands  of  the  white  people,  the  bow 
and  arrow  could  never  be  depended  upon  for  v.-arfare  or  hunting,  unless 
made  and  managed  in  a  different  manner  from  any  specimens  of  them 
which  Tever  saw. 

In  ancient  times,  tjie  bow  and  arrow  must  have  bf^en  deadly  instru- 
ments in  the  hand<;  of  the  barbarians  of  our  country;  but  I  much  doubt 
whether  any  of  the  present  tribes  of  Indians  could  make  much  use  of  the 
•flint  arrow  heads,  which  must  have  been  so  generally  used  "by  their 
forefathers. 

Fire  arms,  wherever  they  can  be  obtained,  soon  put  an  f-nd  to  the  use 
-ot  the  bow  and  arrow ;  but  independently  of  this  circumstance,  military, 
■^s  well  as  other  arts,  sometime?    grow  out  of  date  and  vanish  from  th« 


243  SPORTS. 

Avorld,  Many  cculurifs  have  elapsed  since  the  \vo:hl  has  witnessed  the 
destructive  accuracy  of  the  Benjaniinites  in  tiieir  use  oi'  the  sling  and 
stone ;  nor  does  it  appear  to  nie  that  a  diminution,  in  the  size  and 
slren2:th  of  the  ahorijrinals  of  this  country,  has  occasioned  a  decrease  oi" 
accuracy  and  effect  m  their  use  of  the  bow  and  arrow.  From  all  the 
ancient  skeletons  which  have  come  untie i  my  notice,  it  does  not  appear 
that  this  section  of  the  globe  Avas  ever  inhabited  by  a  larger  race  of  hu- 
man beings  than  that  which  possessed  it  at  the  time  of  its  discovery  by 
the  Europeans. 

One  im[)ortant  pastime  of  our  boys  was  that  of  imitating  the  noise  of 
«very  bird  and  beast  in  the  woods.  This  faculty  w;is  not  merely  a  pas-- 
time,  but  a  very  necessary  part  of  education,  on  account  of  its  utility  in 
certain  circumstances.  The  imitations  of  the  o-obblino;  and  other  sounds 
of  wild  turkeys,  often  brought  those  keen  eyed  and  ever  watchful  tenants 
of  the  forest  within  reach  of  tlie  rifie.  The  bleatinc;  of  the  fawn  brouo;ht 
its  dam  to  her  death  in  the  same  way.  The  hunter  often  collected  a  com- 
pany of  mopish  owls  to  the  trees  about  his  caujp;  and  while  he  atnused  him- 
self w'ith  their  hoarse  screaming,  his  howl  would  raise  and  obtain  respon- 
ses from  a  pack  of  wolves,  so  as  to  inform  him  of  their  neighborhood,  as 
well  as  guard  him  against  their  depredations. 

This  imitative  faculty  was  sometimes  recpiisite  as  a  measure  of  precau- 
tion in  war.  The  Indians,  when  scattered  about  in  a  neighborhood, 
often  collect  together,  by  imitating  turkeys  by  day,  and  wolves  or  owls 
by  night.  In  similar  situations  our  people  did  the  same.  I  have  often 
witnessed  the  consternation  of  a  whole  neighborhood  in  consequence  of 
a  few  screeches  of  owls.  An  early  ami  correct  use  of  this  imitative 
faculty  was  considered  as  an  indication  that  its  jiossessor  would  become 
in  due  time  a  good  hunter  and  a  valiant  warrior. 

Throwing  the  tomahawk  was  another  boyish  sport,  in  Aviiich  many 
acquired  considerable  skill.  'J'he  '.omihawk,  with  its  handle  of  a  (-(.'rtain 
lenLjth,  will  make  a  given  number  of  turns  in  a  given  distance.  Say  at 
live  stops,  it  will  strike  with  the  edgt,  the  handle  downwards;  at  the 
<iistancc  of  seven  and  a  half,  it  will  strike  w  ith  the  vdu;^.,  the  handle  up- 
wards ;  ared  so  on.  A  little  experience  enabled  the  boy  to  measure  the 
distancf;  with  his  e\e,  when  walking  through  the  woods,  and  strike  a  tree 
Avith  lik->  tomahawk  in  anyway  he  chose. 

The  athletic  sports  of  running,  jumping  and  wrestling,  were  tlie  pastime 
of  boys,  in  common  with  the  men. 

A  w'vW  frown  bnv,  id  the  aoe  of  twelve  or  thirteen  years,  was  fiurtislied 
with  a  small  rifle  and  shot  pouch.  lie  then  became  a  fort  soldier,  and 
liad  his  po!t  hole  assiinied  him.  lluntiny;  squirrels,  turkeys  and  raccoons, 
.soon  made  him  expert  in  the  use  oihi^  gun. 

Dancing  was  the  principal  amusr-ment  o!"  our  yoiuig  people  of  both 
spyes.  Their  dances,  to  be  s\ire,  were  of  the  simplest  forms — three  and 
four  handed  rp'ds  and  jigs.  Country  dances,  rotilions  and  minuets,  were 
•nlll^•n^^vll.  I  remember  tn  have  seen,  oriee  or  twice,  a  dance  which  was 
<a]]''.c\  ^'thr  frish  trot:"   but  1  ha\e  l^ng  since  forgo;tc-;n  its  figure. 

Sh?o'incr  ?'  marks  was  a  common  diversion  among  the  men,  when 
!*hrir  st'^ck  ^r  ammunition   avouM  all-'-w  it,  which,  however,  wa?  Jar  from 


SPORTS.  2U 

l^fiiu,"  always  the  case.  The  presctil.  mode  oi  shooting'  ofT-liaiui  \v;\s  iiol 
then  in  ptactice  :  it  was  not  considered  as  any  trial  of  the  viduc  of  a  gviii, 
nor  indeed  as  much  of  a  test  ol' the  skill  of  a  n\ark>inan.  Their  shooting- 
Avas  from  a  rest,  an.d  at  as  o-real  a  (iisiance  as  the  UaiLith  and  woisdil  '>[' 
the  barrel  of  the  gun  would  throw  a  ball  on  a  horizontal  Icveh  Sucii  was 
their  regard  to  accuracy,  iu  those  sportive  trials  of  their  rillcs,  and  of 
their  own  skill  in  the  use  of  them,  ihat  they  often  put  moss,  or  some 
other  soft  substance  on  the  log  or  sturiqi  from  which  they  shot,  for  fear 
•of  having  the  bullet  thrown  from  the  mark,  by  the  spring  of  the  barrel. — 
When  the  rifle  was  held  to  the  side  of  a  tree  for  a  rest,  it  was  }»ressed 
against  it  as  lightly  as  possible  for  the  same  reason. 

Rifles  of  former  times  were  different  from  those  of  modcin  <late  ;  few 
•of  them  carried  more  than  forty-five  bullets  to  the  pound,  and  bullets  of  a 
less  size  were  not  thought  sulficiently  heavy  for  hunting  or  war. 

Dramatic  narrations,  chieily  concerning  Jack  and  the  Giant,  funsished 
"Our  young  people  with  another  source  of  amusement  during  their  leisure 
hours.  Many  of  those  tales  were  lengthy,  and  embraced  a  considerable 
range  of  incident,  o^ack,  always  the  hero  of  the  slory,  after  encountering 
many  difficulties,  and  performing  many  great  achievements,  came  o,'] 
conqueror  of  the  Giant.  Many  of  these  stories  were  tales  of  knight- 
errantry,  in  which  case  some  captive  virgin  was  released  from  captivity 
and  restored  to  her  lover. 

These  dramatic  narrations  concerning  .lack  and  the  Giant  bore  a  strong 
resemblance  to  the  poems  of  Ossian,  the  storv  of  the  Cyclops  and  Ulysses  iii 
the  Odyssey  of  Homer,  and  the  talc  of  the  Giant  and  Great-heart  in  the 
Pilgrim's  Progress,  and  were  so  arranged  as  to  the  different  incidents  of 
the  narration,  that  they  were  easily  committed  to  memory,  'i'hey  cer- 
tainly have  been  handed  down  from  generation  to  generation  Irom  time 
immemorial.  Civilization  has  indeed  banished  the  use  of  those  ancient 
tales  of  romantic  hei-oism  ;  but  vohat  then  ?  It  has  substituted  in  their 
})lace  the  novel  and  romance. 

It  is  thus  that  in  every  state  of  society  the  im;ig:natlon  of  man  is  eter- 
nally at  war  with  reason  and  truth.  That  fiction  should  i)e  acceptable  to 
nn  unenlightened  people  is  not  to  be  wondered  at,  asthr  treas'ares  cf  truth 
have  never  been  unfolded  to  their  mind;  but  that  a  civilised  peo[)le  them- 
selves should,  in  so  many  instances,  like  barbarians,  prefer  the  iairy  re- 
gions of  ficti(m  to  the  august  treasures  of  truth,  developed  in  the  sciences 
of  theology,  history,  natural  and  moral  phKosophy,  is  truly  a  sar<-asm  on 
human  nature.  It  is  as  rauclr  as  to  say,  that  it  is  essential  to  our  amuse- 
ment, that,  for  the  time  being,  we  must  suspend  the  exercise  of  reason, 
and  submit  to  a  voluntary  deception. 

Singing  was  another  but  not  verv  common  amusement  ainoMg  o!ir  fir-1 
settlers.  The'r  tunes  were  rude  enough,  to  be  sure.  R(>l)in  Hood  fur- 
nished a  number  of  our  songs;  tlie  balance  wiae  mostly  tragical,  and 
were  denominatC'l  "love  songs  about  murder."  As  !o  cards,  dice,  back- 
gammon, aj'id  other  g^mes  of  chance,  wc  knew  nnihiuj:  about  'htni. — 
Tkese  are  amongst  tht:  blessed  gifts  of  civili/a'.ion. 


54;>  AMirHCRATT 


-.f): 


CHAPTER  XXVIJI. 


\vi  rcucRAF:.!'. 


1  SH\LL  not  hv.  Iriinihy  oji  tliis  subject.  The  belief  in  witchcrafl,  wat 
.prevalent  ;imon|Tst  the  early  .settlers  of  the  western  country.  To  the 
witch  was  ascribed  the  tr'-mcnflous  power  el'  inflicting  strange  and  in- 
■c.urablc  diseases,  particularly  on  children— of  destroying  cattle  by  shoot- 
ing them  with  hair  balls,  and  a  great  varictv  of  other  means  of  destruction 
— oi'  intlicting  spells  and  curses  on  guns  and  other  things — and  lastly,  of 
•changing  men  into  horses,  and  after  bridling  and  saddling  them,  riding 
them  in  full  speed  over  hill  and  dale  to  their  frolics  and  other  places  of 
reiuiezvous.  More  ample  powers  of  mischief  than  these  cannot  be  im- 
agined. 

Wizards  were  men  supposed  to  be  possessed  of  the  same  mischievous 
power  as  the  witches  ;  but  it  was  seldom  exercised  for  bad  purposes, — 
The  power  of  the  wizards  was  exercised  almost  exclusively  for  the  pur- 
jiose  of  counteracting  the  malevolent  influence  of  the  witches  of  the  other 
•sex.  f  have  known  several  of  those  witch-masters,  as  they  were  called, 
who  made  a  public  profession  of  curing  the  diseases  inflicted  by  the  in- 
ilucnce  of  witches ;  anrl  I  have  known  respectable  ph^^sicians,  who  had 
no  greater  portion  of  businnss  in  the  line  n\  tb.t'ir  profession,  than  many 
nj  those  wiich-masteis  bad  in  theirs. 

The  means  by  which  the  witch  was  supposed  to  inflict  diseases, 
•ru 'se"-',  and  spells,  I  never  cotdd  learn.  They  were  occult  sciences, 
which  no  one  was  supposed  to  unrlerstand  excepting  the  witch  herself, 
and  no  wonrler,  as  no  surh  arts  ever  existed  in  any  country. 

The  diseases  of  children,  supposed  to  br-  inflicted  by  witchcraft,  were 
lho«:e  of  the  internal  dropsy  of  the  brain,  and  the  rickts.  The  symptom's 
and  cure  of  these  destructive  diseases  wct  utterly  unknown  in  former 
limes  in  this  country.  Diseases  which  couli*!  neither  "be  accounted  for 
nor  curefl,  were  usually  ascribed  to  som^^  svipernatural  agency  of  a  ma- 
lignant kind. 

For  the  cure  of  diseas«^s  infticted  bv  v.-itrbrraft,  the  picture  of  th'- 
'•upposed  witch  was  drawn  on  a  stump  or  pieoe  of  board,  and  shot  at  with 
a  bullet  containing-  a  littlr  bit  of  silver.  This  bullet  transferred  a  painful 
and  sometimes  a  mortal  sp^^ll  on  that  p.irt  of  the  witch  corresponding 
with  the  part  of  the  portrait  fjtruck  by  the  btillel.  Another  method  of 
cure  was  that  of  g^'tting  some  of  tlv  rhilfP'^  water,  which  was  closely 
corked  up  in  a  vial  aiul  hun::  up  in  a  chimney.  This  complimf'nted  the 
M  itrh  with  .':  5.tfanc:uarv.  whi'-h  laj^tfd  as  long  as  the  vinl  rrmainc!  in  the 


WI'l*CHCRAF'r:  ^6^ 

C'himuev.  The  vriich  hud  but  one  wuv  til'  reheviiii'  licraeh  huui  any  sneil. 
inflicted  on  her  in  any  way,  which  was  that  of  borrowing'  s'lmething-,  no 
matter  w"hat,  of  the  family  lo  which  the  subject  of  the  exercise  of  hei- 
witchcraft  belonged- 

I  haye  kno%yn  several  poor  old  women  much  .surprised  at  being  relused 
requests  which  had  usually  been  grant^sil  williout  liesitation,  and  almost 
heart  broken  when  informed  of  the  cause  of  the  refusal. 

When  cattle  or  dogs  were  supposed  to  be  under  the  influence  of  w^itch' 
craft,  they  were  burnt  in  the  forehead  by  a  branding  iron,  or  when  dead, 
burned  wholly  to  ashes.  This  inflicted  a  spell  upon  the  witch  which 
could  only  be  removed  by  borrowing,  as  above  stated. 

Witches  were  often  said  to  milk  the  cows  of  their  neighbors.  This 
they  did  by  fixing  a  new  pin  in  a  new  towel  for  each  cow  intended  to  be 
milked.  This  towel  was  hung  over  her  own  docvr,.  and  by  ujcans  of  cer- 
tain incantations,  the  milk  was  extracted  i'rorn  the  fringes  of  the  towel 
after  the  roanner  of  milking  a  cow.  This  happened  when  the  cows  wei^ 
too  poor  to  give  much  milk. 

The  first  German  glass-blowers  in  this  country  drove  tlur  witches  out 
of  their  furnaces  by  throwing  living  puppies  into  them. 

The  greater  or  less  amount  of  belief  in  witchcraft,  necromancy  ami- 
astrology,  serves  to  show  the  relative  amount  of  philosophical  scien<ve  in 
any  country.  Ignorance  is  always  associated  with  superstition,  which, 
presenting'  an  endless  variety  of  sources  of  hope  and  fear,  with  regard  to 
the  good  or  bad  fortunes  of  life,  keep  the  benighted  mintl  continually  ha- 
rassed with  groundless-  and  delusive,  but  strong  and  often  deeply  dis- 
tressing impressions  of  a  false  faith.  For  this  dis^s-ase  of  the  mind  there 
is  no  cure  but  that  of  }Dliilosophy,.  This  scienee  shows  to  the  enlightened 
reason  of  man,  that  no  effect  whatever  can  be  produced  in  the  physittat 
world  without  a  corresponding  cause,.  This  science  announces  that  the 
death  bell  is  but  a  momentary  morbid  motion  of  the  nerves  of  the  aar, 
and  the  death  watch  the  noise  of  a  bug  in  the  w'all,  and  that  the  howling 
of  tlie  dog,  and  the  croaking  of  the  raven,  are  but  the  natural  languages 
of  the  beast  and  fowl,  and  no  w^ay  prophetic  of  the  death  of  the  sick. — 
The  comet,  which  used  to  shake  pestilence  and  war  from  its  fiery  train, 
is  now  viewer]  with  as  little  emotion  as  the  movements  of  Jupiter  and 
Saturn  in  their  respective  orbits. 

An  eclipse  of  tlie  sun,  and  an  unusual  freshet  of  the  Tiber,  shortly 
after  the  assassination  of  Julius  Ctesar  by  Cassius  and  Brutus,  threw  the 
whole  of  the  Roman  empire  into  consternation.  It  was  supj)0sed  that  all 
the  gods  of  heaven  and  earth  wore  enraged,  and  about  to  take  reveng-e 
for  the  murder  of  the  emperor ;  but  since  the  science  of  astronomy  fore- 
tells ia  the  calendar  the  time  and  the  extent  of  tlie  eclipse,  the  phenome- 
non is  not  viewed  as  a  miraculous  and  portentous,  but  as  a  common  and 
natural  event. 

That  the  pythoness  and  wizard  oi'  the  Hebrews,  the  monthly  sooth- 
sayers, astrologers  and  prognosticators  of  the  Chaldeans,  and  the  sybils 
of  the  Greeks  and  Romans,  were  mercenary  impostors,  there  can  be 
no  doubt. 

To   say  that  tb.e  pythoness,  and  all  others  of  hfir  class,  were  aided  'm. 


247  ^Vr'lTHCiiAF'i'. 

tlicir  fupcratiMi^:?  by  tlio  eutcrventioii  of  larailiar  spirits,  does  iijt  luenJ  tlic 
)nattcr ;  for  spirits,  whether  L(oud  or  bad,  possess  not  the  power  of  lile 
and  death,  liealth  and  disease,  Avith  regard  to  man  and  beast.  Prescience 
is  an  inrnunnunicable  attribute  of  God,  and  therefore  spirits  caimot 
ib  ret  ell  future  events. 

The  afflictions  of  .Job,  thronp-h  t!ic  intervention  of  SatniT,  were  miracu-- 
I'oiis.  The  possessions  mentioned  ir;  the  New  Testameirt,  in  all  hnmait 
probabilty,  were  maniacal  dise-ases,  ami  if,  at  their  cures,  the  supposed 
evil  spirit  spoke  with  an  audiljle  voice,  these  events  were  als'o  miraculous, 
and  effected  lor  a  sj)ecial  purpose.  i3ut  from  miracles,  no  general  con- 
clusion can  be  draTyn  with  regard  to  the  divine  jjovernment  of  the  world. 

The  conclusion  is,  that  the  powers  professed  to  be  exercised  bv  the 
occult  science  of  necromancy  and  other  arts  of  divination,  were  neithei' 
more  nor  less  than  impostures. 

Amongst  the  He-brews,  the  profession  of  arts  of  divination  was  thought 
deserving  of  capital  punishment,  because  the  profession  was  of  Pagan 
origin,  and  of  course  incompatiWe  with  the  jirofession  of  theism,  and  a 
theocratic  form  of  government.  These  jugglers  perjK'trated  a  debasing 
su])erstition  among  the  people.  They  were  also  swindlers,  who  divesteci 
their  neighbors  of  large  sums  of  money  and  valuable  presen'ts  without  ai> 
ecjuivalent. 

On  the  ground  then  of  frau(^  alone,  according  to  the  genius  of  the 
criminal  codes  of  tfre  ancient  governments,  the  ofll^nsc  deserved  ca})ital 
j)unishment. 

Hut  is  the  present  time  better  than'the  past  with  regard  to  a  supersti- 
tious belief  in  occult  rnfluences.-*  Do  no  traces  of  the  jvilytheism  of  our 
forefathers  remain  among  their  christian  descendants  ?  This  inquiry  must 
be  answered  in  the  alBrmative.  vShould  an  alrnanac-maker  venture  to  srivc 
out  the  christian  calendar  without  the  column  containing  the  signs  of  the 
zodiac,  the  calendar  would  be  condemned  as  totally  deficient,  and  the 
wiiole  impression  would  remain  on  his  hands. 

But  what  arc  those  signs?  They  arc  the  constellations  of  the  zodiac,, 
that  is,  clusters  of  stars,  twelve  in  number,  within  and  including  the 
tropics  cA'  Cancer  ami  Capricorn.  These  constellations  resemble  the 
animals  after  which  they  are  named.  But  what  influence  do  these  clus- 
ters of  stars  exert  on  tire  animal  and  the  plant?  Certaiidy  none  at  all; 
and  yet  wc  have  been  taught  that  the  northern  constellations  govern  tlie 
divisions  oi'  living  bodies  alternately  from  the  head  to  the  reins,  and  in 
like  mann-er  the  southern  from  the  reins  to  the  feet.  'I'he  sign  then  makes 
a  skip  from  the  feet  to  Aries,  who  again  assumes  the  government  of  the 
})cad,  and  so  on. 

About  half  these  constellations  are  friendly  divinities,  and  exert  a  sal- 
utary influence  on  the  animal  and  the  plant.  The  others  are  malignant 
in  their  temper,  anfl  govern  only  for  evil  purposes.  They  blast  during 
their  reifrn  the  seed  sown  in  the  earth,  and  render  medicine  and  the 
operations  of  surgery  unsuccessful. 

Wc  have  read  of  the  Hebrews  worshipping  the  liosts  of  heaven  when- 
ever lliey  relapsed  into  idolatry  ;  anrl  these  same  constellations  were  the 
hosts  of  heaven  which  they  worshipped.      We,  it  is  true,  makr  no  offering 


.\rORALS.  24S 

fo  Xhc^e-  hosts  of  lieaven,  but  we  c^ive  them  our  laith  and  ronfiih^uce. — 
We  hope  lor  ])hysica!  benellts  IVoiu  tliose  of  iheni  whoso  doiuinioa  is 
Jrieii-dJy  to  our  uilerests,  wliile  the  reign  of  the  malignant  ones  is  an  object 
of  dread  and  painful  apprehension. 

Let  us  not  boast  very  much  of  our  science,  civilization,  or  even  Chris- 
tianity, while  this  coUunn  of  the  relies  of  paganism  still  disgraces  the 
christian  calendar. 

I  have  made  these  observations  with  a  view  to  discredit  the  remnants 
of  superstition  still  existing  among  us.  While  dreams,  the  howling  of 
the  dog,  and  the  croaking  of  the  raven,  are  prophetic  of  future  events, 
we  are  not  good  christians.  While  we  are  dismayed  at  the  signs  of 
keaven,  we  are  for  the  time  being  pagaHS.  Life  lias  real  evils  enough 
to  eontemi  with,  ^vithout  imaginary  ones. 


■:o: 


CHAPTER  XXIX, 


MORALS, 

In  the  S'?ction  of  the  country  where  my  fatlier  lived,  there  was,  for  many 
years  after  the  settlement  of  the  country,  "neither  law  nor  gospel."  Our 
want  of  legal  government  was  owing  to  the  uncertainty  whether  we  be- 
longed to  the  state  of  Virginia  or  Pennsylvania.  The  line  wdiich  at  pre- 
sent divides  the  two  states,  was  not  run  until  some  time  after  the  con- 
clusion of  the  revolutionary  war.  Thus  it  happened,  that  d\n-ing  a  long 
period  of  time  we  knew  nothing  of  courts,  lawyers,  magistrates,  sheriffs 
or  constables.  Every  one  was  therefore  at  liberty  "to  do  whatsoever 
was  right  in  his  own  eyes." 

As  this  is  a  stale  of  society  which  few  of  my  readers  iiave  ever  WMt- 
nessed,  I  shall  describe  it  as  minutely  as  I  can,  and  give  in   detail  those 
moral  maxims  which  in  a  great  degree  answered  the  important  j)urposes 
of  municipal  jurisprudence. 

In  the  first  place,  let  it  be  observed  that  in  a  sparse  population,  where 
all  the  members  of  the  community  are  well  known  to  each  other,  and 
especially  in  a  time  of  war,  where  every  man  capable  of  bearing  arms  is 
considered  highly  valuable  as  a  defender  of  his  country,  public  opinion 
has  its  full  effect,  and  answers  the  purposes  of  legal  government  better 
than  it  would  in  a  dense  population  in  time  of  peace. 

Such  was  the  situation  of  our  people  along  the  frontiers  of  our  set- 
tlements. They  had  rm  civil,  military  or  ecclesiastical  laws,  at  least 
none  that  were  enforced  ;  and  yet  "thev  were  a  law  nnio  themselves,"  as 


249  MORALS. 

to  all  tire  leading  obligations  ol"  our  nature  in  all  tiie  relations  in  whirh. 
they  stood  to  each  other.  The  turpitude  of  vice  and  the  majesty  of  mor- 
al virtue  were  then  as  apparent  as  they  are  now,  and  they  were  then  re- 
gardeil  wi:h  the  same  sentiments  of  aversion  or  respect  which  they  in- 
spire at  the  present  time.  Industry  in  working  and  hunting,  bravery  in 
war,  candor,  honesty,  hospitality,  and  steadiness  of  deportment,  received 
their  full  reward  of  public  honor  and  public  confidence  among  our  rude 
forefathers,  as  well  as  among  their  bi'tter  instructed  and  more  polished 
descendants.  The  punishments  wh.ich  they  inllictcd  upon  offenders  by 
the  imperiiil  court  of  public  opinion,  were  well  adapted  for  tlie  reforma- 
tion of  the  culprit,  or  Ids  expulsion  from  the  community. 

The  punishment  for  idleness,  lying,  dishonesty,  and  ill  fame  generally,, 
was  that  of  "hating  the  offender  out,"  as  they  expressed  it.  This  mode 
of  chastisf>ment  was  like  the  athnm  of  the  Greeks.  It  was  a  public  ex- 
t>ression,  in  various  ways,  of  a  general  sentiment  of  indignation  against 
such  as  transgressed  the  moral  maxims  of  the  community  to  which  they 
belonged,  and  commonly  resulted  either  in  the  reformation  or  banishment 
of  the  person  against  whom  it  was  directed. 

At  house-raisings,  log-rollings,  and  harvest-parties,  every  one  was  ex- 
pected to  do  his  duty  faithfully.     A  person  who  did  not  perform  his  share- 
of  labor  on  these  occasions,  was  designated  by  the  epitliet  of  "Lawrence," 
or  some  other  title  still  more  opprobrious  ;  and  wh?;n   it  came  to  his  turn 
to  require  the  like  aid  from    his  neighbors,  the  idler  felt  his  punishment 
in  their  refusal  to  attend  to  his  calls. 

Although  there  was  no  legal  compulsion  to  the  performance  of  military 
duly;  yet  every  man  of  full  age  and  size  was  expected  to  do  his  full 
share  of  public  service.  If  he  did  not  do  so,  he  was  "hated  out  as  a 
coward."  Even  the  want  of  any  article  of  war  equipments,  such  as  am- 
munition, a  sharp  flint,  a  priming  wire,  a  scalping  knife,  or  tomahawk, 
was  thought  highly  disgraceful.  A  man,  who  without  a  reasonable  ex- 
cuse failed  to  go  on  a  scout  or  campaign  when  it  came  to  his  turn,  met 
with  an  expression  of  indignation  in  the  countenances  of  all  his  neighbors,. 
and  epithets  of  hishonor  were  fastened  upon  him  without  mercy. 

Debts,  which  make  such  an  uproar  in  civilised  life,  were  but  little 
known  among  our  forefathers  at  an  early  settlement  of  this  country. — 
After  the  depreciation  of  the  continental  paper,  they  had  no  money  of 
any  kind  ;  every  thing  purchased  was  paid  for  in  produce  or  labor.  A 
good  cow  and  calf  was  often  the  price  of  a  bushel  of  alum  salt.  If  a 
contract  was  not  faithfully  fulfilled,  the  credit  (•!'  the  delinquent  was  at  an 
end. 

Any  petty  theft  was  punished  with  all  the  infamy  that  could  be  heaped 
on  the  offender.  A  man  on  a  campaign  stole  from  his  comrade  a  cake 
out  of  the  ashes  in  which  it  was  baking.  He  was  immediately  named  'ihe 
Bread  rounds.'  This  epithet  of  reproach  was  bandietl  about  in  this  way. 
When  he  came  in  sight  of  a  group  of  men,  one  of  them  would  call,  'Who 
coincs  there  ?'  Another  would  answer,  'The  Bread-rounds.'  If  any 
one  meant  to  be  more  serious  about  the  nratter,  he  w'ould  call  out,  'Wha 
stole  a  cake  out  of  tlu;  ashes  ?'  Another  rej)lio(l  by  giving  the  name  f/f 
tjif  u'uivln  Cull.     'I'd  this  a   tlurd  wduh'  <riv.,'  cnnfu-iualion.by  exclaiminir^ 


MO  HALS  2bO 

"'Tliat  is  true  and  no  lie.'  This  kind  of  'tong-ue-lashine'  he  was  doomed 
to  bear  for  the  rest  of  the  campaign,  as  well  as  for  years  after  his  return 
home. 

If  a  theft  was  detected  in  any  of  the  frontier  settlements,  a  summary 
mode  of  punishment  was  always  resorted  to.  The  first  settlers,  as  far  as 
I  knew  of  them,  had  a  kind  of  innate  or  hereditary  detestation  of  the 
crime  of  theft,  in  any  shape  or  degree,  and  their  maxim  was  that  'a  thief 
must  be  whipped,'  If  the  theft  was  something  of  some  value,  a  kind  of 
jury  of  the  neighborhood,  after  hearing  the  testimony,  would  condemn  the 
■culprit  to  Moses's  law,  that  is,  to  forty  stripes  save  one.  If  the  theft  was 
of  some  small  article,  the  offender  was  doomed  to  carry  on  his  back  the 
flag  of  the  United  States,  which  then  consisted  of  thirteen  stripes.  In  ei- 
ther case,  some  able  hands  were  selected  to  execute  the  sentence,  so  that 
the  stripes  were  sure  to  be  well  laid  on. 

This  punishment  was  followed  by  a  sentence  of  exile.  He  then  was 
infoimed  that  he  must  decamp  in  so  many  days  and  be  seen  there  no  more 
on  penalty  of  having  the  number  of  his  stripes  doubled. 

Formally  years  after  the  law  was  put  in  operation  in  the  western  part  of 
\irginia,  the  magistrates  themselves  were  in  the  habit  of  giving  those 
who  were  brought  before  them  on  charges  of  small  thefts,  the  liberty  of 
being  sent  to  jail  or  taking  a  whipping.  The  latter  was  commonly  cho- 
sen, i.nd  was  immediately  inflicted,  after  which  the  thief  was  ordered  to 
■clear  out. 

In  some  instances  stripes  were  inflicted  ;  not  for  the  punishment  of  an 
offense,  but  for  the  purpose  of  extorting  a  confession  from  suspected  per- 
sons. This  was  the  torture  of  our  early  times,  and  no  doubt  sometimes 
very  unjustly  inflicted. 

If  a  woman  was  given  to  tattling  and  slandering  her  neighbors,  she 
was  furnished  by  common  consent  with  a  kind  of  patent  right  to  say 
whatever  she  pleased,  without  being  believed.  Her  tongue  was  then 
said  to  be  harmless,  or  to  be  no  scandal. 

With  all  their  rudeness,  these  people  were  given  to  hospitality,  and 
freely  divided  their  rough  fare  with  a  neighbor  or  stranger,  and  would 
liave  been  offended  at  the  v^lfer  of  pay.  In  their  settlements  and  forts, 
they  lived,  they  worked,  they  fought  and  feasted,  or  suffered  together, 
in  cordial  harmony.  They  were  warm  and  constant  in  their  friendships. 
On  the  other  hand  they  were  revengeful  in  their  resentments ;  and  the 
point  of  lionor  sometimes  led  to  personal  combats.  If  one  man  called 
another  a  liar,  he  was  considered  as  having  given  a  challenge  which  the 
person  who  received  it  must  accept,  or  be  deemed  a  cowtird,  and  the 
charge  was  generally  answered  on  the  spot  with  a  blow.  If  the  injured 
person  was  decidedly  unable  to  fight  the  aggressor,  he  might  get  a  friend 
to  do  it  for  him.  The  same  thing  took  place  on  a  cliarge  of  cowardice, 
or  any  other  dishonorable  action.  A  battle  must  follow,  and  the  person 
who  made  the  charge  must  fight  either  the  person  against  whom  he  made 
it,  or  any  champion  who  chose  to  espouse  his  cause.  Thus  circum- 
stanced, our  peo))le  in  early  times  were  much  more  cautious  of  sjicaking 
-evil  of  their  neighbors  than  they  are  at  present. 

.iJometimes  pitched  battles  occurred,  in  which  lime,  place,,  and  seconds 


25«I  MORALS,, 

Avere  appointed  bcforcliiiiid.  T  rciueraber  liavinijj  set'u  nn?  of  t'liesp 
]iitclied  battles  in  my  lallici's  Tort,  when  a  l)()y.  One  of  the  youn<jj  niei* 
knew  very  well  belbreiiand  that  he  shonld  get  the  worst  of  the  battle^ 
and  no  doubt  repented  the  engagement  to  fight ;  but  there  was  no  getting 
over  it.  The  point  of  honor  demanded  tlie  risk  of  battle.  He  got  his 
whipping  ;  they  then  shook  hands,  and  were  good  friends  afterwards. 

'I'lie  mode  of  single  combat  in  those  days  was  dangerous  in  the  ex- 
treme. Altliough  no  weapons  were  used,  fists,  teeth  and  feet  were  em- 
ployed at  will;  but  above  all,  the  detestable  practice  of  gouging,  by 
which  eyes  were  sometimes  put  out,  rendered  this  mode  of  fighting 
frightful  indeed.  It  was  not,  however,  so  destructive  as  the  stiletto  of 
an  Jtalian,  the  knife  of  a  Spaniard,  the  small  sword  oi"  tlie  Frenchman, 
or  the  pistol  of  the  American  or  English  duelist. 

Instances  of  seduction  and  bastardy  did  not  frequ€nt]y  happen  in  our 
•early  times.  I  remember  one  instance  of  the  former,  in  which  the  lifi; 
of  the  man  was  put  in  jeopardy  by  the  resentment  of  the  family  to  which 
the  girl  belonged.  Indeed,  considering  the  chivalrous  temper  of  our  peo- 
ple, this  crime  could  not  then  take  place  without  great  jiersonal  danger  from 
the  brothers  or  other  relations  of  the  victims  of  seduction,  family  honor 
being  then  estimated  at  a  high  rate. 

1  tlo  Hot  recollect  that  profane  language  was  much  more  prevalent  m 
our  early  times  than  at  ])reseiit. 

Among  the  people  with  whom  I  was  conversant,  there  was  no  ather 
vestige  ot  the  christian  religion  than  a  faint  observance  «f  Sunday,  and 
that  merely  as  a  day  of  rest  tor  the  aged  and  play-ilay  for  the  young. 

The  first  christian  service  I  ever  heard  was  in  th*  Garrison  church  i« 
Baltimore  county,  in  Maryland,  where  my  fatkf  i-  had  sent  me  to  school. 
1  was  then  ol)out  ten  years  old.  The  appearance  of  the  church,  the 
windows  of  which  were  Gothic,  the  white  surplice  of  the  nunister,  and 
the  responses  in  the  service,  overwh<dnied  me  with  surprise.  Among  my 
school-fellows  ill  that  place,  it  was  a  matter  of  rejiroach  to  nic  that  I  was 
not  baplizefl,  -dud  why?  iJecause,  as  they  said,  I  had  no  jianic.  Such 
*va.s  their  notion  of  ihc  rn')(  ;irv  of  b;i})tism. 


TFiT.  •KE\Ol.rTi0X.  TjI 


.0: 


s 


CHAPTER  XX 


THE  REVOLUTION. 

The  Ainerlt  fill  re\oIuik)?i  w<is  llie  coininrncrmrnt  of  ii  nr \v  cia  m  1'lie 
Jiistory  of  the  world.  Tlie  issue  ol'  llial  eveattlil  coiiifst  siiiitclicd  the 
sceptre  from  the  hands  of  the  monarch,  and  placed  it,  where  it  ought  to 
be,  in  the  hands  of  the  people. 

On  the  sacred  altar  of  liberty  it  consecrated  the  ri^^hls  of  man,  surren- 
dered to  him  the  right  and  power  of  gv^verning  himself,  and  placed  in  his 
hands  the  resources  of  his  country,  as  munitions  of  war  for  his  defense. — 
The  egcperiment  was  indeed  bold  and  hazardous;  but  success  has  hither- 
to more  than  justified  the  most  sanguine  anticipations  of  those  who  made 
it.  The  world  has  witnessed,  with  astonishment,  the  rajiid  growth  and 
-confirmation  of  our  noble  fabric  of  freedom.  From  our  distant  jiorizon, 
we  ha\^  reflected  a  strong  and  steady  blaze  of  light  on  ill  fated  i^urope, 
from  tune  immemorial  involv-ed  in  the  fetters  and  gloom  of  slavery. — 
Our  history  has  excited  a  generad  and  ardent  spirit  of  inquiry  into  the 
nature  of  our  civil  institutions,  and  a  strong  wish  on  the  part  of  the 
PEOPLE  in  distant  countries,  to  participate  in  our  blessings. 

But  will  an  example,  so  portentous  of  evil  to  the  chiefs  of  despotic 
institutions.,  Ije  viewed  with  indifPjrence  by  those  who  now  sway  the 
sceptre  with  unlimited  power,  over  the  many  millions  of  their  vassals  ? — 
Will  they  adopt  no  measures  of  defense  against  the  inlluence  of  that 
freedom,  so  widely  diffused  and  so  rapidly  gaining  strength  throughout 
■their  empires  ?  Will  they  make  no  effort  to  remove  from  the  worjrl  those 
iree  governments,  whose  example  gives  them  such  annoyance:'  The 
m^aS'Ui^es  of  defense  will  be  adopted,  the  effort  will  be  made;  for  power 
is  Rever  surrendered  wdthout  a  struggle. 

Already  nations,  which,  from  the  the  earliest  period  of  fhfir  history, 
have  constantly  crimsoned  the  earth  with  each  other's  blood,  have 
become  a  band  of  brothers  for  the  destruction  of  every  germ  of 
human  libcrly.  Every  year  witnesses  an  association  of  the  monarch? 
of  those  nations,  in  unhallowed  conclave,  for  the  purpose  of  concertmg 
measures  for  effecting  their  dark  designs.  Hitherto  the  execution  of 
'hose  measures  has  been,  alas!  too  fatally  successful. 

It  wftuld  be  impolitic  and  unwise  in  us  to  calculate  on  escaping  the 
hostile  notice  of  the  despots  of  continental  Europe.  Already  we  hear, 
like  distant  thunder,  their  expressions  of  indignation  and  threats  of  ven- 
geance. We  ought  to  anticipate  the  gathering  storm  without  dismay, 
"but  not  with  indifference.  In  viewing  the  dark  side  of  the  ])rospcct  he- 
/Are  us-,  nnr  source  of  con'rolation,  of  mubh  magnitud«,  presents  itself. — 


253  nv]  Li  z:\riux 

It  is  conlideiitly  expected,  that  the  brave  and  potent  nation,  with  wliom 
M'e  have  common  origin,  will  not  risk  the  loss  of  that  portion  of  liberty, 
which  at  the  ex})cnse  oi'  so  much  blood  and  treasure,  they  have  secured 
Ibr  theinselves,  by  an  unnatural  association  witli  despots,  for  the  unholy 
purpose  ©f  making  war  on  the  few  nations  of  the  earth,  which  possess 
any  considerable  portion  of  that  invaluable  blessing ;  on  the  contrary,  it 
is  lioped  by  us  tliat  they  will,  if  necessity  should  require,  employ  the 
bravery  of  their  people,  their  immense  resources,  and  the  trident  of  the 
ocean,  in  defense  of  their  own  liberties,  and  by  consequence  those  of 
others. 

Legislators,  fathers  of  our  coutitry !  lose  no  time,  spare  no  cx})ense  in 
liastening  on  the  requisite  means  of  defense,  for  meeting  with  safety  and 
with  victory  the  impending  storm,  which  sooner  or  later  jnust  fall  upon  us. 


•o" 


CHAPTER  XXXL 


CIVILIZATION. 

The  causes  which  led  to  the  present  state  of  civilization  hi  the  western 
•coimtry,  are  subjects  which  deserve  some  consideration. 

The  state  of  society  and  manners  of  the  early  settlers,  as  presented  in 
these  notes,  shews  very  clearly  that  their  grade  of  civilization  was  indeed 
low  enough.  The  descendants  of  the  English  cavaliers  from  Maryland 
and  Virginia,  who  settled  mostly  along  the  rivers,  and  the  descendants  of 
the  Irish,  who  settled  in  the  interior  parts  of  the  country,  were  neither 
romarkal)le  for  science  or  urbanity  of  manners.  The  former  were  mostly 
illiterate,  rough  in  their  manners,  and  addicted  to  the  rude  diversions  of 
horse  racing,  wrestling,  shooting,  dancing,  &c.  These  diversions  were 
often  accompanied  with  personal  combats,  which  consisted  of  blows, 
kicks,  biting,  and  gouging.  This  mode  of  fighting  was  what  they  called 
rouph  and  lumhle.  Sometimes  a  previous  stipulation  was  made  to  use 
the  fists  only.  Yet  these  people  were  industrious,  enterprising,  generous 
in  their  hospitality,  and  brave  in  the  defense  of  their  countiy. 

These  people,  for  the  most  part,  formed  the  cordon  along  the  Ohio  riv- 
er, on  the  frontiers  of  Pennsylvania,  Virginia  and  Kentucky,  Avhich  de- 
fended the  country  against  the  attacks  of  the  Indians  during  the  revolu- 
tionary war.  They  were  the  janizaries  of  the  country,  that  is,  they  were 
soldiers  when  they  chose  to  lie  so,  and  when  they  chose  laid  down  their 
arms.  Tiuir  military  service  was  voluntary,  and  of  course  received  no 
pay. 

With    the  descendants   of  the    Irish    I  had   but   )iltl<*'' acquaintance, 


eiVILIZATION.  2M 

nkhough  r  lived  near  tliern.  At  an  early  period  they  wor?  comprehended 
in  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  were  more  reserved  in  tlien*  deportment 
than  their  frontier  neighbors,  and  from  their  situation  being  less  exposexl 
to  the  Indian  warfare,  took  less  part  in  that  war. 

The  patriot  of  the  western  region  fnids  his  love  of  country  and  nr^tional 
pride  augmented  to  th-e  highest  grade,  when  h*;  compares  the  j)olitical,, 
moral,  and  religious  character  of  his  people,  with  that  of  the  inhabitants 
of  many  large  divisions  of  the  old  world.  In  Asia  and  Africa,  genf-ration 
after  generation  passes  without  any  change  in  the  moral  and  religious 
character  or  physical  condition  of  the  people. 

On  th-e  Barbary  coast,  the  •traveler,  if  a  river  lies  in  his  way  and  hap- 
pens to  be  too  high,  must  either  swin  it  or  wait  until  it  subsides.  If  the 
traveler  is  a  christian,  he  must  have  a  firman  and  a  guard.  Yet  this  was 
once  the  country  of  the  famous  Cathagenians. 

In- Upper  Egypt,  the  people  grind  meal  for  their  dhoura  bread,  by  rub- 
bing it  between  two  flat  stones.     This  is  done  by  women. 

In  Palestine,  the  grinding  of  grain  is  still  performed  by  an  ill-constiiic- 
ted  hand  mill,  as  in  the  days  of  our  Savior.  The  roacb  to  the  famous 
eity  of  Jerusalem  are  still  almost  in  the  rude  state  of  nature. 

In  Asiatic  Turkey,  merchandise  is  still  carried  on  by  caravans,  which 
are  attended  with  a  military  guard ;  and  the  naked  walls  of  the  caravan- 
sera  is  their  fortress  and  place  of  repose  at  night,  instead  of  a  place  of" 
entertainment.     The  streets  of  Constantinople,  instead  of  being  paved,, 
are  in  many  places  almost  impassable  from  mud,  fdth,  and  the  carcasses 
of  dead  beasts.     Yet  this  is  the  metropolis  of  a  great  empire. 

Throughout  the  whole  of  the  extensive  regions  of  Asia  and  Africa,, 
roan,  from  his  cradle  to  his  grave,  sees  no  change  in  the  aspect  of  any 
thing  around  him,  unless  from  the  desolations  of  war.  His  dress,  his 
ordinary  salutations  of  his  neighbors,  his  diet  and  his  mode  of  eating  it,, 
are  prescribed  by  his  religious  institutions  ;  and  his  rank  in  society,  as 
well  as  his  occupation,  are  determined  by  liis  birth.  Steady  and  unva- 
ryhig  as  the  lapse  of  time  in  every  department  of  life,  generation  after 
generation  beats  the  dull  monotonous  round.  The  Hindoo  would  sooner 
die  a  martyr  at  the  stake,  than  sit  on  a  chair  or  eat  with  a  knife  and  fork.. 

The  descendant  of  Ishmacl  is  still  "a  wild  m?n'."  '  Hungry,  thirsty 
and  half  naked,  beneath  a  burning  sun,  he  traverses  the  immense  and' 
inhospitable  desert  of  Zahara,  apparently  without  any  object,  because  his 
forefathers  did  so  bafore  him.  Throvighnut  life  he  subsists  on  camel's 
milk  and  flesh,  while  his  only  covering  from  the  inclemency  of  the  wea- 
ther is  a  flimsy  tent  of  camel's  hair.  His  single,  solitary  virtue,  is  that 
of  hospitality  to  strangers:  in  every  other  respect  he  is  a  thief  and  a 
robber. 

The  Chinese  still  retain  their  alphabet  of  thirty-six  thousand  Hiero- 
glyphics. They  must  never  exchange  it  for  one  of  twenty  letters,  whicb 
would  answer  an  infinitely  better  purpose. 

Had  we  pursued  the  course  of  the  greater  number  of  the  nations  of  the 
earth,  we  should  have  been  this  day  treading  in  the  footsteps  oi"our  fore- 
fathers,  from  whose  example  in  any  respect  we  should  have  thought  it 
srirainal  to- depart  in  the  .'^lightert  degree.- 


25r;  'JlVJLIZATrON. 

Instead  of  a  blind  .ir  supei-.-titious  imitation  of  tlie  manners  and  ciif;* 
toms  of  our  forelathers,  we  have  tliought  and  acted  for  ourselves,  and  we 
have  (^.hanged  ourselves  and  everything  around  us. 

The  linscy  and  coarse  linen  of  the  first  settlers  of  the  country,  have 
been  exchanged  for  the  suhstantial  and  fine  fabrics  of  Europe  and  Asia — 
the  hunting  shirt  for  die  fashionable  coat  of  broad  cloth — and  the  mocca- 
son  for  boots  and  shoes  of  tanned  leather.  The  dresses  of  our  ladies 
are  equal  in  beauty,  fineness  and  fashion,  to  those  of  the  cities  and 
countries  of  Europe  ai>d  Atlantic  America. 

It  is  not  e-nough  that  persevering  industry  has  enabled  us  io  ])urchase 
t-he  "purple  and  fine  linen"  from  foreigner,  and  to  use  their  porcelain 
and  glass-ware,  whether  ])lain,  engravetl  or  gilt ;  we  have  nobly  dared' 
to  fabricate  those  elegant,  comfortable,  and  valuable  pmdiiclions  of 
art  for  ourselves. 

A  well  f<^unded  prospect  of  large  gains  from  useful  arts  and  honest 
labor  has  ilrawn  to  our  country  a  large  number  of  tlie  best  artisans  of 
flther  countries.  Their  mechanic  arts,  immensely  improved  by  American 
genius,  have-  hitherto  realised  the  hopeful  prospect  which  imlured  their 
emigration  to  our  infant  country. 

The  horse  paths,  along  which  our  forefathers  made  their  laborious 
journeys  over  the  mountains  ior  salt  and  iron,  were  soon' succeeded  by- 
wagon  roads,  and  those  again  by  substantia!  turnpikes,  which,  as  if  by 
magic  enchantment,  have  brought  the  distant  region,  not  many  years  ago 
denominated  ''Me  backwoods,'^  into  a  close  and  lucrative  connection  with' 
our  great  Atlantic  (-ities.  The  journey  over  the  mountains,  formerly  con- 
sidered so  long,  so  expensive,  and  even  perilous,  is  iu)\v  made  in  a  very 
few  days,  and  witli  accommodations  not  displeasing  to  the  ej)icure  himself.. 
Those  giants  of  North  America,  the  different  mountains  composing  the 
great  chain  of  the  Allegany,  formerly  so  frightful  in  their  aspect,  and 
presenting  so  many  difficidties  in  their  passage,  are  now  scarcely  noticed 
by  the  traveler,  in  li;s  jotiriu-y  along  the  gradurated  highways  by  which 
they  are  crossed. 

'I'he  rude  sports  of  fonuer  times  have  been  discontinued.  Athletic  trials 
of  mus("ular  strength  ar»tl  activity,  in  which  there  certainly  is  not  much  of 
nierit,  haye  given  way  to  the  more  noble  ambition  for  nuiital  endowments 
and  >klll  in  uset'id  arts.  To  tin;  rude  and  ol'ten  indecent  songs,  but 
roughly  anrl  unskilifully  sung,  have  succeeded  the  psalm,  the  hymn,  and 
swelling  anlhem.  To  the  clamorous  boast,  the  provoking"  banter,  the- 
biting  sarcasm,  the  horrid  oath  and  imprecation,  have  succeeded  urbanity 
ot  )nariners,  and  a  course  of  conversation  enlightened  by  science  and 
fchastenetl  by  inental  attention  and  respect. 

Above  all,  the  direful  spirit  of  revenge,  the  exercise  of  which  so  mmh 
approximated  the  character  of  many  of  the  first  settlers  of  our  country  to 
that  of  the  worst  of  savages,  is  now  unknown.  The  Indian  might  |)ass 
in  safety  among  those,  whose  reinembran(  e  still  bleeds  at  the  recollcctioii 
of  the  loss  of  their  relatives,  who  have  perished  under  the  tomahawk  and 
scalping  knilV  of  the  savages. 

The  Moravian  lirethren  may  dwell  in  safety  on  the  sites  of  the  villages 
dcsoL^.ted,  and  over  the  bone';  of  their  brethren  and  forefathers  murdered, 


en  fhl/A  1  iu\.  256 

by  ihe  more  than  savage  ferocity  ol"  the  whites.  Nor  let  it  he  supposed 
that  the  return  of  peace  produced  this  sakitary  change  of  ffollng  towards 
the  tawney  sons  of  the  forest.  The  thirst  for  revenge  was  not  vvliolly  a!- 
hiyed  by  the  bahn  of  peace:  several  Indians  fell  vii^tinis  to  the  private 
vengeance  of  tliose  who  had  recently  lost  their  relations  in  the  war,  for 
some  years  after  it  had  ceased.  , 

If  the  stale  of  socieiy  and  manners,  from  the  conimenrement  of  the  set- 
tlements in  this  country,  during  the  lapse  of  many  years,  owing  to  the 
sanguinary  character  of  the  India?!  mode  of  warfare  and  other  circum- 
stances, was  in  a  state  of  retrogression,  as  was  evidently  the  case — if 
ignorance  is  more  easily  induced  than  science — if  society  more  speedily 
deteriorates  than  improves-— if  it  be  much  easier  for  the  civilised  man  to 
become  Avild,  than  for  the  wild  maji  to  become  civilised; — J  ask,  what 
means  have  arrested  the  progress  of  the  early  inhabitants  of  the  western 
region  toward  barbarism  ? — What  agents  have  directed  their  influence  in 
favor  of  science,  morals,  and  piety? 

The  early  introduction  of  commerce  was  among  the  first  means  of 
changing,  in  some  degree,  the  existing  aspec*^  of  the  population  of  the 
country,  and  giving  a  new  current  to  publle  feeling  and  individual  pur- 
suit. 

The  huntsman  and  warrior,  when  he  had  exchanged  his  hunter's  dress 
for  that  of  civilised  man,  soon  lost  sight  of  his  former  occuj)ation,  and 
assumed  a  new  character  and  a  new  line  of  life, — -like  the  soldier,  who,, 
when  he  receives  his  discharge  and  lays  aside  his  regimentals,  soon 
loses  the  feeling  of  a  soldier,  and  even  forgets  in  some  degree  his  maima! 
exercise  < 

Had  not  commerce' furnished  the  means  of  changing  the  dresses  of  our 
people  and  the  furniture  of  their  house — had  the  hunting  shirt,  niocca^on, 
and  leggins,  contijuied  to  be  the  dress  of  our  men — had  the  three-legged 
stool,  the  noggin,  the  trencher  and  wooden  bowl,  continuetl  to  be  the 
furniture  of  our  houses, — our  progress  towards  scieme  and  civilization 
would  have  been  much  slower. 

It  may  seem  strange  that  so  much  importance  is  attached  to  the  influ- 
ence of  dress  in  giving  the  moral  and  intellectual  character  of  society. 

In  all  tiie  inslilulions  of  despotic  governments  we  discover  evident 
traces  of  the  highest  grade  of  human  sagacity  and  foresight.  It  must 
have  been  the  object  of  the  founders  pf  those  governments  to  repress  the 
genius  of  man,  divest  the  mind  of  every  sentiment  of  ambition,  and  pre- 
vent the  cognizance  of  any  rule  of  life,  exce])ting  that  of  a  bhnd  obedience 
to  the  despot  and  his  established  institutions  of  religion  and  government : 
hence  the  canonical  laws  of  religion,  m  all  governments  despotic  in  prin- 
ciple, have  prescril)«l  ihe  costume  of  each  class  of  society,  their  diet  and' 
their  manner  ci  eating  )t;  and  even  their  household  furniture  h  in  like 
i:\anner  presoribed  \x\  \?..\y.  In  all  these  departments,  no  deviation  frora 
t'.:ie  hiw  or  custom  is  permitted  o!r  even  thought  of.  'J'he  whole  science 
zi  ku'uz.xi  nature,  under  \\xr:h  governments,  is  that  of  a  knowledsje  of  th^ 
dalie>j  of  the  ^tiiiicv.  of  Are  prescribed  i)y  parentage,  and  the  whole  fluty 
t.'  rrtan  that  of  a  /igld  performance  af  thfin  :  while  renson,  having  nothing 

n 


•25T  ClVirj/A'CrONT. 

to    do    with    eltlier    the    one     or     the     ctlier,     is     never    cultivatetT. 

Even  among  christians,  those  I'ounders  of  religious  societies  have 
succeeded  hest  who  have  prescribed  a  professional  costiune  for  their 
followers,  because  every  tiroc  the  disciple  looks  at  his  diess  he  is  put 
in  mind  of  his  obligations  to  the  society  to  which  he  belongs,  and  he 
is  therefore  the  less  liable  to  wander  into  skange  pastures. 

The  English  government  conld  never  subdue  the  esprit  <lu  cour  of  the 
north  of  .Scotland,  until,  after  the  rebellion  of  '45,  the  prohibition  of 
wearing  the  tartan  plaid,  the  kilt  and  the  bonnet  amongst  the  Highlan- 
ders, broke  down  the  spirit  of  the  clans. 

I  have  seen  several  of  the  Moravian  Indians,  and  wondered  that  they 
were  permitted  to  wear  the  Indian  dress.  Their  conduct,  when  among 
the  white  people,  soon  convinced  me  that  the  conversion  of  those  wliom 
I  saw  was  far  from  being  complete. 

There  can  be  little  doubt  but  that,  if  permission  should  be  given  by 
the  supreme  power  of  the  Mussulman  faith,  h^r  a  change,  at  the  will  of 
each  individual,  in  dress,  household  furniture,  and  in  eating  and  drink- 
ing, the  whole  Mohammedan  system  would  be  overthrown  in.  a  few 
years.  With  a  similar  permission,  the  Hindoo  superstition  w^ould 
share  the  same  fate. 

We  have  yet  some  districts  of  country  where  the  costume,  cabins,  anti 
in  some  measure  the  household  furniture  of  their  aiicestor.s,  are  still  in 
use.  The  people  of  these  districts  are  far  behind  their  neighbors  in  every 
valuable  endowment  of  human  nature.  Among  them  the  viitues  of  chas- 
tity, temperance,  anrl  industry,  bear  no  great  value,  arul  schools  and 
places  of  worship  are  but  little  regarded,  in.  general,  every  one  "does 
what  is  right  in  his  own  eyes.." 

In  short,  why  have  w^e  so  soon  forgotten  oin*  forefathers,  and  every- 
thing belonging  to  our  former  state?  'i'he  reason  is,  evervthino-  belonsi'- 
ing  to  our  former  state  lias  vanished  from  our  view,  and  we  meet  with 
nothing  in  remembrance  of  them.  The  recent  date  of  the  settlement  of 
our  country  is  no  longer  a  subject  of  reflection.  Its  imnu-nse  imj)rove- 
ments  present  to  the  imagination  the  results  of  the  lalx)rs  of  several  cen- 
turies, instead  of  the  Work  of  a  few  years  ;  and  we  do  not  oi'ten  take  the 
trouble  to  correct  tiie  false  impression. 

The  introduction  of  the  mechanic  arts  Ikis  certainly  contributed  not  a 
little  to  the  morals  and  scientific  improvement  of  the  country. 

The  carpenter,  the  joiner  and  mason,  have  displaced  the  rude,  unsight- 
ly and  uncomfortable  cabins  of  our  forefathers,  by  comfortable,  and  in 
many  instances  elegant  mansions  of  stone,  brick,  hewn  and  sawn  timbers. 

The  ultiniate  objects  of  civilization  are  the  moral  and  physical  hap])i- 
r.css  of  man.  To  the  latter,  the  commodious  manj^ion  liouse,  with  its 
lurniturc,  contri])utes  essentially.  '.I'he  f;imily  mansions  of  the  nations 
of  the  earth  furnish  the  criteria  of  the  different  grades  of  their  moral  and 
mental  condition.  The  savavages  universally  live  in  tents,  wigwams, 
or  lodges  covered  with  earth.  Barbarians,  next  to  these,  may  indeed 
have  habitations  something  better,  but  of  nn  value  and  indifferently  fur- 
nished. Such  are  the  h:tbitations  of  the  Rassuiu  Taitar  :ind  Turkiiih 
pg-saTitry 


TTVlUZAliON.  258. 

'Sudi  IS  the  effect  of  a  large,  elegaiil,  and  well  funiUhcd  house,  on  the 
feehngs  and  deportment  of  a  lamiiy,  that  if  you  were  to  build  one  for  a 
family  of  savages,  by  Ihe  occupancy  of  it  they  would  lose  their  savage 
■character ;  or  if  they  did  not  choose  to  make  the  exchange  of  that  char- 
acter for  that  of  civilization,  they  would  Ibrsake  it  foi-  the  wifwam  and 
-the  "woods. 

This  was  done  by  many  of  the  early  stock  of  backwoodsmen,  even 
after  they  built  comfortable  houses  for  themselves.  They  no  lon^-er  had 
the  chance  of  "a  fall  hunt;"  the  woods  pasture  was  eaten  up;  they 
wanted  "elbow  room."  They  therefore  sold  out,  and  fled  to  the  forest 
of  the  frontier  settlements,  choosinL""  rather  to  encounter  the  toll  of  tuni-- 
.ing  the  wilderness  into  fruitful  helds  a  second  time,  and  even  risk  an 
Indian  war,,  than  endure  the  inconveniences  of  a  crowded  settlement. 
Kentucky  first  offered  a  resting  place  for  those  pioneers,  then  Indiana, 
and  now  the  Missouri ;  and  it  cannot  be  long  before  the  Pacific  ocean 
will  put  a  hnal  stop  to  the  westward  march  of  those  lovers  of  .the  wil- 
derness. 

Substantial  buildings  have  the  effect  of  giving  value  to  the  soil  and 
creating  an  attachment  for  the  family  resiaence.  Those  who  have  been 
accustomed  to  poetry,  ancient  or  modern,  need  not  be  told  how  hnely 
and  how  impressively  the  household  gods,  the  bla7:ing  hearth,  the  plen- 
tiful boartl,  and  the  social  fireside  hgure  in  poetical  imagery.  And  this 
IS  not  "tying  up  nonsense  for  a  song."  They  are  realities  of  life  in  its 
•most  polished  states  :  they  are  among  its  best  and  most  rational  enjoy- 
ments :  they  associate  the  little  family  community  in  parental  and  filial 
alTectiou  and  duty,  in  which  even  the  well  clothed  child  feels  its  impor- 
tance, claims  and  duties. 

The  amount  of  attachment  to  the  family  mansion  furnishes  the  critc- 
:rion  of  the  relative  amount  of  virtue  in  the  members  of  a  family.  If  the 
head  of  a  family  shoidd  wander  fiom  the  path  of  paternal  duty,  and  bc- 
•coine  addicted  to  vicious  habits,  in  proportion  as  his  virtue  sulTcrs  a  de- 
clension, his  love  of  his  home  and  family  abates,  until,  any  place,  how- 
ever base  and  corrupting  it  may  be,  is  more  agreeable  to  him  than  the 
once  duke  domuhi..  If  a  similar  declension  in  \  irluc  iiappens  on  the 
part  of  the  maternal  chief  of  the  family  mansion,  the  first  effect  of  her 
deviation  from  the  path  of  maternal  virtue  is,  that  "her  feet  abideth  not 
in  her  own  house."  The  same  observations  apply  to  children.  When 
the  young  man  or  woman,  instead  of  manifesting  a  stroiig  attacliment  to 
the  family  mansion,  is  "given  to  outgoing,"  to  places  of  licentious  resort, 
their  moial  ruin  may  be  said  to  be  at  no  great  dis1aii(  e. 

Architecture  is  of  use  even  in  the  important  province  of  veiiglon. — 
Those  who  build  no  houses  for  themselves,  Vjuild  no  temples  Cor  the  ser- 
vice of  God,  and  of  course  derive  the  less  beiiefit  from  tiie  institutions 
of  religion.  While  our  people  lived  in  cabins,  their  places  of  worship 
Avere  tents,  as  they  were  called,  their  seals  logs,  their  communion  tables 
rough  slabs  of  hewn  timber,  and  the  covering  cf  the  worshippers  the 
leaves  of  the  forest  trees. 

Churches  have  succeeded  to  tents  with  tlicu  rude  accoinnii)dati(jn>  for 
^■)ublic  v/orship.     The  very  aspect  of  those  sacred  edifices  fills  llie  mlufj 


2515  xu  lMz,\•tlOi^^ 

x*f  (he  belioldi  r  will,-  a  religious  awe,  and  as  to  the  laost  lielicvincj  ;md 
sincere,  it  servi-s  to  inerease  the  I'ervor  of  devotion,  i'atriolisni  is  nug- 
m?nte  1  by  the  sight  of  the  niajestic  Ibrum  ol'  justice,  the  subslanliHl 
pubhc  highway,  and  the  bridge  with  its  long  succession  ol'  ponderous 
arches. 

llouie  and  Greece  would  no  doubt  have  fallen  much  sooner,  had  it  not 
been  for  tiie  patriotism  inspired  by  their  magnificent  public  edifices. — 
But  lor  these,  their  histories  would  have  been  less  complete  and  lasting 
than  they  have  been. 

Kraigration  has  l)roug}it  to  tjie  western  regions  the  wealth,  sciejice 
and  a  ts  of  our  eastern  brethren,  and  even  of  Europe.  Th.ese  we  hope 
Jiave  suffered  no  tleterioration  in  the  western  country.  They  have  con- 
tributed much  to  the  cha/ige  which  has  been  effected  in  the  moral  and 
5cienti:ic  character  of  our  country. 

The  ministry  of  the  gospel  has  contri!)uted  no  doubt  i'av.nensely  to  the 
happy  change  which  has  been  eftectcd  in  the  state  of  our  western  society. 
At  an  early  period  of  our  settlements  three  Presbyterian  clergymen  com- 
jneiiced  their  clerical  labors  in  our  iiilant  settlements, — the  Rev.  Joscjih 
Smith,  the  Rev.  John  M'Millan,  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Jiowers,  the  two 
latter  of  whom  are  still  living.  Tliev  were  jjious,  j)aticnt,  laborious  men, 
who  collected  their  jieapie  into  regular  congregations,  and  tlid  all  tor 
them  w'hich  their  circumstances  would  allow.  It  was  no  disparagement 
to  tlicm  that  their  first  churches  were  the  shady  grove,  and  their  first 
}iu!pits  a  kind  of  lent,  cotistructed  of  a  few  rough  slabs,  and  covered  Avitli 
■eiapboar  is.  "  He  who  dwelleth  not  exclusively  in  temples  matle  with 
lui?ids,"  w.is  propitious  to  their  devotions. 

From  the  outset  thev  jirudently  resolved  to  ci-eale  a  ministry  in  the 
.country,  and  accordingly  established  little  grammar  schools  at  tlioir  own 
houses  or  in  their  immediate  neighboi hoods.  'J'he  course  of  education 
wiiich  they  gave  their  })up!ls,  was  indeed  not  (>\'tcnsive;  but  the  piety 
of  those  who  entered  into  tlie  ministry  more  than  made  up  tlie  di^ficiency. 
They  formed  societies,  most  of  wliich  are  now  large  and  it^spectable,  aud 
in  })oint  of  educniion  their  ministry  has  much  iinjiroyed. 

About  the  year  1792,  an  academy  was  established  at  (Janonsburg,  in 
VVaf;hington  county,  in  the  western  ])7iv{  of  Pennsylvania,  which  was 
afterwards  incorporated  under  tiu;  name  of  JefF'erson  (^illege. 

The  meafis  possessed  l)v  the  society  i'or  the  imdertakint;'  ^vere  indeed 
b;it  small ;  but  thev  not  only  erected  a  tolerable  editioc  for  the  academy, 
but  created  a  \'nn(\  for  the  e'hicaiion  of  such  ])ious  young  jnen  as  wpre 
flesirous  of  entering  inio  tlie  ministry,  but  were  unable  to  defray  the 
expenses  of  their  educaticui.  'i'liis  iiistituiiou  has  been  remarkably  suc- 
ffssfal  in  its  operation-;.  It  has  jjroducefl  a  large  number  of  goorl 
scholars  in  all  the  literar\'  ])rori"^Nl'itis,  and  added  immiMi^elr  1o  the  sci- 
ence of  the  country. 

Nevt  to  this,  Washinjrlou  (-'olle-re,  sitiintetl  in  the  cnuntN  town  of  the 
'•onnty  of  that  niuT'^,  has  been  the  mpan>  of  diffusiug  much  nf  the  light 
'^f  sci.»nce  through  the  wesfern  country. 

Trio  much  pr.'ii.sf  cannni  be  brstowed  on  lIio<;r  good  inf^n  whn  opener] 
thesr   frui'TuI  source-  of  insirudion  for  our  iidajit  country,  at    so   parly  3 


CIVILIZATIOX.  !£€0 

perit)d  of  its   seUlenieut.     They    have  immensely  improved  ihe  depart- 
jnents  of  theology,  law,  medicine  and  legislation,  in  the  western  I'cgions. 

At  a  later  period  the  Methodist  societ}-  began  their  labors  in  the  west- 
ern parts  of  Virginia  and  Pennsylvania.  Tiieii'  jirogress  at  first  was 
slow,  but  their  zeal  and  perseverance  at  length  overcame  every  obstacle, 
so  that  they  are  now  one  of  the  most  numerous  and  respectable  societies 
in  this  country.  The  itinerant  plan  of  their  ministry  is  well  calculated  to 
convev  the  gospel  throughout  a  thinly  scattered  poi)ulation.  Accordingly 
their  ministry  has  kept  pace  with  the  extension  of  our  settlen^e nts.  The 
little  cabin  was  scarcely  built,  and  the  little  held  fenced  in,  before  these 
'evangelical  teachers  made  their  appearance  amongst  them,  collected 
tliem  into  societies,  and  taught  them  the  worship  of  God. 

Had  it  not  been  for  the  labors  of  these  indefatigable  men,  our  country, 
as  to  a  great  extent  of  its  settlements,  would  have  been  at  this  day  a 
■semi-barbaric  region.  How  many  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  of 
the  most  ignorant  and  licentious  of  our  population  have  they  instructed 
and  reclaimed  from  the  error  of  their  ways  !  They  have  restored  to  so- 
.<-iety  even  the  most  worthless,  and  made  them  valuable  and  respectable 
as  citizens,  and  useful  in  all  the  relations  of  life.  'I'hcir  numerous  and 
zealous  ministry  bids  fair  to  carry  on  the  good  work  to  any  extent  which 
our  settlemenls  and  population  may  require. 

Wi*h  the  Catholics  1  have  but  little  acquaintance,  but  have  every  rea- 
son to  believe,  that  in  proportion  lo  the  extent  of  their  flocks,  they  have 
done  well.  in  this  country  they  have  received  the  episcopal  visitations 
of  their  bishops.  In  Kentucky  they  have  a  cathedral,  a  college  and  a 
bishop.  In  Indiana  thev  have  a  monastery  of  the  order  of  St.  Trap, 
which  is  also  a  college,  and  a  bishop. 

Their  clergy,  with  apostolic  zeal,  but  in  an  unostentatious  manner, 
have  soujjht  out  and  ministered  to  their  scattered  flocks  throughout  the 
country,  and  as  far  as  I  know,  with  good  success. 

The  societies  of  P'riends  in  the  western  country  a'-e  numerous,  and 
their  estabhshments  in  good  order.  Although  they  are  not  much  in  fa- 
vor of  a  classical  education,  they  are  nevertheless  in  the  habit  of  giving 
their  peoj>le  a  substantial  English  education.  Their  habits  of  industiy 
and  attention  to  useful  arts  and  improvments  are  highly  honorable  to 
themselves  and  worthy  of  imitation, 

M'he  Baptists  in  the  state  of  Kentucky  took  the  lead  in  the  ministry, 
h.nd  with  s:reat  success.  Their  establishments  are,  as  1  have  been  in- 
formed, at  present  numerous  and  respectable  in  that  state.  A  great  and 
salutary  revolution  has  taken  jilacc  in  this  comn^.unity  of  people.  Their 
ministry  was  formerly  <|uite  illiterate  ;  but  they  have  turned  their  attention 
to  science,  and  have  already  erected  some  xcry  respectable  literary  es- 
tablishments in  different  parts  of  America. 

The  German  Reformed  and  Lutheran  churches  in  our  country,  as  far 
as  ]  know  of  tbem,  are  doins:  well.  The  number  of  the  Fjitheran  con- 
gregations  is  said  to  be  at  least  one  hundred;  that  of  the  Reformed,  it  is 
presumed,  is  about  the  same  amounu 

It  is  remarkable  that  throughout  the  whole  extent  nf  the  IJnited  States, 
*rb€  Germans,  in  proportion  t^  their  wealth,  have  the  best  ciiurche.s,  or- 


261  CniLlZATlOX 

gans  and  grave-yards.  It  is  a  forluiiale  circumstance  thai  those  of  oirr 
citizen:!  wlio  labor  under  the  disadvantage  of  speaking  a  ibreign  language, 
are  blessed  with  a  minislry  so  evangelical  as  that  ol  these  very  nuinerou:. 
and  resj;ectable  couHnuuiiies. 

The  Episcopalian  church,  which  ought  to  liave  been  foremost  in  gath-^ 
enng  tiieir  scattered  flocks,  have  been  the  last,  and  done  the  least  ot  any 
christian  cnmnumity  in  the  evangelical  work.  'i'aking  the  western 
country  in  its  whole  (^xtejat,  at  least  one  half  of  its  population  was  ori- 
ginally of  Episcopalian  parentage  ;  but  thr  want  of  a  ministry  of  their 
own  they  have  associated  with  other  communities.  They  had  no  alter- 
native but  that  of  c'langing  their  profession  or  living  and  dying  without 
the  ordinancLti  of  religion.  It  can  be  lao  subject  of  regret  that  tliose  or- 
dinances were  placed  within  their  reach  by  other  hands,  whilst  they  were 
withheld  by  those,  by  whom,  as  a  matter  of  right  and  duty,  they  ought 
to  have  been  given.  One  single  chorea  eplscopu.-s,  or  sufiragan  bisho]), 
o'  a  faithful  spirit,  who,  twenty  years  ago,  should  have  "ordaiiuid  them 
elders  in  every  place"  where  they  were  needed,  would  have  been  the 
instrument  of  forming  Ejiiscopal  congregations  over  a  great  extent  of 
country,  and  wliich  by  this  time  would  have  become  large,  numerous 
and  resj)cctable  ;  but  the  opportunity  was  neglected,  and  the  consequeKl 
loss  to  this  church  is  irreparable. 

ISo  total  a  neglect  of  the  spiritual  ijitercsts  of  so  many  valuable  ])eo])Ie, 
for  so  great  a  iength  of  time,  by  a  ministry  so  near  at  hand,  is  a  singular 
.'Mid  unprecedented  fact  in  ecclesiastical  histoiy,  the  like  of  which  never 
o(c  tried  before. 

It  seems  to  me,  that  if  the  twentieth  part  <,)f  their  number  of  christian 
people,  of  any  other  community,  had  been  placed  in  Siberia,  and  depen- 
dent on  anv  other  ecclesiastical  authority  in  this  countiy,  that  that  au- 
thority would  have  reached  them  many  years  ago  with  the  ministration 
ol  the  gospel.  With  the  earliest  and  most  numerous  Episcoi)acy  in 
America,  not  one  of  the  eastern  bishops  has  yet  crossed  the  Allegany 
mountains,  althougli  the  dioceses  of  two  (.f  them  comprehended  large 
tracts  of  country  on  the  western  side  of  the  mountains.  It  is  l)oped  that 
the  future  diligence  of  this  community  will  make  up,  in  some  degree,  foi 
the  negligence  of  the  past. 

There  is  still  an  immense  ^■oid  in  \\\\>  eountiy  which  it  is  their  duty  to 
fdl  up.  From  their  respectability,  on  the  ground  of  antiquity  among  the 
reformed  churches,  the  science  of  their  jiatriarchs,  who  have  been  the 
lights  of  the  world — from  their  number  and  great  resources,  even  in 
America — she  ought  to  hasten  to  fulfd  the  just  expectations  of  her  own 
people,  as  well  as  those  of  other  communities,  in  contributing  her  full 
share  to  the  science,  piety,  and  civilization  of  our  country. 

From  the  whole  of  our  ecclesiastical  history,  it  appears,  that,  with  the 
exception  of  the  Episcopal  church,  all  our  religious  communities  have 
done  well  for  their  country. 

The  author  beers  that  it  mnv  be  understood,  thai  with  ilie  di^tinguish- 
in'r  tenet;;  of  our  rrli^iou'-  societies  he  has  nothing  to  do,  nur  yet  v.itli 
the  ex'.olleiicics  nor  defects  of  their  ccclesiajtieal  ln^UtutlOJl^.      They  are 


CIVILIZATION.  262 

noticed  on  no  other  ground  than  that  of  their  respect ivp  contilbiitions  to 
the  science  ami  civilization  of  the  country. 

The  last,  but  not  the  least  of  the  means  of  our  present  civilization,  arc 
our  excellent  forms  of  government  and  the  administratit)n  of  the  laws. 

In  vain,  as  means  of  general  information,  are  schools,  colleges,  and 
a  ministry  of  the  gospel  of  the  best  order.  A  land  oi'  liber'.y  is  a  land 
of  crime,  as  well  as  of  virtue. 

It  is  often  mentioned,  as  a  matter  of  reproai-h  to  K-ngland,  that,  in 
proportion  to  her  population,  they  have  more  convictions,  ex-ecutions,. 
and  transportations,  than  any  other  country  in  Europe,-  Should  it  be 
asked,  what  is  the  reason  of  the  prevalence  of  crime  in  England  ?  Is  it, 
that  human  nature  is  worse  there  than  elsewhere  ?  We  answer,  no.. — 
There  is  more  liberty  there  than  elsewhere  in  Europe,  and  that  is  the 
tnie  and  only  solution  of  the  matter  in  question.  Where  a  people  are  at 
liberty  to  learn  what  they  choose,  to  think  and  act  as  they  please,  and 
adopt  any  profession  for  a  living  or  a  fortune,  they  arc  much  more  liable 
to  fall  into  the  commission  of  crimes,  than  a  people  who  from  their  infan- 
cy have  been  accustomed  to  the  dull,  monotonous  march  of  despotism, 
which  chains  each  individual  to  the  rank  and  profession  of  his  forefathers, 
and  does  not  permit  him  to  wander  into  strange  and  devious  paths  of 
hazardous  experiments. 

In  America,  should  a  stranger  read  awhile  our  numerous  publications 
of  a  religious  nature,  the  reports  of  missionary  and  Bible  societies,  at 
first  blush  he  would  look  upon  the  Americans  as  a  nation  of  saints  ;  let 
him  lay  these  aside,  and  read  the  daily  newspapers,  he  will  change  his 
opinion,  and  for  the  time  being  consider  them  as  a  nation  abounding  in 
crimes  of  the  most  atrocious  dye.     Both  portraits  are  true. 

The  greater  the  amount  of  freedom,  the  gi'eater  the  necessity  of  a 
steady  and  faithful  administration  of  justice,  but  more  especially  of  crimi- 
nal justice;  because  a  general  difTusion  of  science,  while  it  produces  the 
most  salutary  efTects,  on  a  general  scale,  produces  also  the  worst  of 
crimes,  by  creating  the  greater  capacity  for  their  commission.  There  is 
.scarcely  any  art  or  science,  which  is  not  in  some  hands  and  under  cer- 
tain circumstances  made  an  instrument  of  the  most  atrocious  vices. — 
The  arts  of  navigation  and  gunnery,  so  nccessiir)-  for  the  wealth  and  de- 
fense of  a  nation,  have  often  degenerated  into  the  crime  of  piracy.  The 
beautiful  art  of  engraving,  and  the  more  useful  art  of  writing,  have  bee:i 
used  by  the  fraudulent  for  counterfeiting  all  kinds  of  public  iiiid  private 
documents  of  credit.  Were  It  not  for  science  and  freedom,  the  impor- 
tant professions  of  theology  and  physic  would  not  be  so  t'requently  as- 
sumed by  the  pseudo  priest  and  the  quack  without  previous  acqiurements, 
without  right,  and  for  purposes  wholly  base  and  tnnvarrantable. 

The  trath  is,  the  western  country  is  the  region  of  adventure.  If  wp 
liave  derived  some  advantage  from  the  importation  of  science,  ^^rts  and 
v^-eahh  ;  we  have  on  the  other  hand  been  much  annoyed  and  endangered, 
as  to  our  moral  and  political  state,  by  an  immense  importation  of  vice, 
associated  with  a  high  grade  of  science  and  the  most  consummate  art  in 
the  pursuit  of  wealth  by  every  description  of  imlawfid  means.  The 
steady  adimnl--;traiion.  of  justice  has  been  our  only  safety  from  destruction,. 


i2G3  (•f\  irJZATlO.V. 

iy  the  pestilential  influence  of  t-o  great  an  amount  of  moral  depratlty  iri^ 
our  infant  country. 

Still  it  may  he  asked  whether  facts  warrant  the  belcif  that  the  scale  is 
fairly  turned  h\  favor  of  science,  piety  and  civilization — whether  in  re- 
gard to  these  important  endowments  of  our  nature,  the  present  time  is 
better  than  the  past — whether  we  may  safely  consider  our  poUtical  insti- 
tutions so  matured  and  settled  that  our  personal  liberty,  property  and 
sacred  honor,  arc  not  only  secured  to  us  for  the  present,  but  likely  to  re- 
main the  inheritance  of  our  children  for  generations  yet  to  come.  Socie- 
ty, in  its  best  state,  lesembles  the  sleepping  volcano,  as  to  the  amount  of 
latent  moral  evil  which  it  always  contains.  It  is  enough  for  public  safety, 
and  all  tiiat  can  reasonably  be  expected,  that  the  good  predominate  over 
the  evil.  The  moral  and  political  means,' which  have  been  so  successfully 
employed  for  preventing  a  revolutionary  explosion,  have,  as  we  trust, 
procrastinated  the  danger  of  such  an  event  for  a  long  time  to  come.  If 
we  have  criminaJs,  they  are  speedily  pursued  and  brought  to  justice. 

The  places  of  our  country,  which  still  remain  in  their  native  state  of 
wilderness,  do  not,  as  in  many  other  countries,  afford  notorious  lodg- 
raents  for  thieves.  Our  hills  are  not,  as  in  the  wilderness  of  Judea, 
"hills  of  robbers."  The  ministry  of  the  holy  gospel  is  enlightening  the 
minds  of  our  people  wdth  the  best  of  all  sciences,  that  of  God  himself,  his 
divine  government  anil  man's  future  state. 

Let  it  not  be  thought  hard  that  our  forums  of  justice  are  so  numerous, 
the  style  of  their  architecture  so  imposing,  and  the  business  which  occu- 
pies them  so  multifarious  ;  they  are  the  price  which  tVeedom  nnist  pay  for 
Its  protection.  Commerce,  circulating  through  its  million  channels,  will 
create  an  endless  variety  of  litigated  claims.  Crimes  of  the  deepest  dye, 
springing  from  science  and  liberty  themselves,  require  constantly  the  vi- 
gilance and  coercion  of  criminal  justice.  Even  the  poorest  of  our  people 
aie  solicitous  for  the  education  of  their  children.  Thus  the  great  sup- 
(.(vrts  of  our  moral  and  political  state,  resting  on  their  fimest  bases,  public 
opinion  and  attachment  to  our  government  and  laws,  promise  stability  for 
^•.  nciations  yet  to  come. 


APPENDIX 


.^FFl^.lPIX. 


:o:- 


"Thk  author  of  the   History  of  the  Valley  had  intended  lo  posipouc  ih?. 

subject  of  the  following  pages,  and  give  the  subject  matter  tliereof  in  a 

■second  edition  ;  but  at  the  request  of  a  highly  respectable  subscriber,  and 

•on  consulting  the  printer,  it  is  found  that"  this  addition  to  his  work  will 

not  greatly  increase  the  'expense  of  the  present  volume.      It  is  therefore 

-deemed  expedient  to  gratriy  publit;    curiosity   by   giving   the   following 

sketches.     If  any  one -Should  be  found  incredulous   enough  to  doubt  the 

-correctness  of  his  statements,  he  can  only  say  to   such  individuals,  that 

•they  can  have  occular  proof  of  the  iruth  ef  each  by  taking  the  trouble  tc 

<<;xamine  for  themselves. 


FACE  OF  TIIF  COUNTRY. 

Tint  portion  of  the  Valley  lying  between  the  Blue  Ridge  and  J^ittlft 
Korth  Mountain,  is  generally  about  an  average  of  twenty-five  miles  wide, 
commencing  at  tlie  Cohongorutou  (Potomac,)  and  running  from  thence 
a  southerly  course  to  the  commencement  of  the  northern  termination  of 
Powell's  Fort  mountains,  a  distance  of  about  forty-five  miles. 

This  region,  it  has  already  been  stated  in  a  preceding  chapt-^r,  when 
the  country  was  first  known  to  the  white  people,  was  one  entire  and 
beautiful  prairie,  with  the  exception  of  narrow  fringes  of  timber  irnme- 
tliately  bordering  on  tiie  water  courses.  The  Opeipmn,  (pronounced 
Opeckon)  heads  at  the  eastern  base  of  the  Little  North  Mountain,  and 
thence  passing  through  a  fine  tract  of  limestone  country  seven  or  eight 
miles,  enters  into  a  region  of  slate.  This  tract  oi'  slate  country  com- 
mences at  the  northern  termination  of  Powell's  Fort  mountains,  and  is 
six  or  eight  miles  In  width  east  and  west,  and  continues  to  the  Potomac 
a  distance  of  about  forty-five  miles.  'I'he  Opeq^ion  continues  its  •serpen- 
tine course  through  the  slate  region,  and  empties. into  the  Potomac  about 
fifteen  or  sixteen  miles  above  tlarjieis-Ferry.  It  is  thought  by  sonic  in- 
iiulividuflls  that  this  water  course  is  susceptible  of  navigation  for  small 
•  craft,  twenty-four  or  twenty-five  miles  from  its  moulli.  'J'his  slate  region 
of  country  is  comparatively  poor,  unproductive  land  ;  y'l  in  ihe  hands  o( 
infhistrious  anrl  skilful  farmers,  many  very  valuable  and  iKiiutif'ul  f'wrms 
are  to  be  seen  in  it.  Abi-Mit  Iwmfv  vears  ago  a  ^cicntifif  I'lcnchinan 
-^•u^crestcd  to  the  liuilior   .l-lic   H^'/minn   "7Jiat  this   leQ-ion  of   shiit  cninHtv 


-2C7  APPKMJiX. 

was,  at  some  rcinole  period  of  the  world,  covered  with  a  niounlain,  nn 
abrasion  of  whicli  had  taken  place  by  some  great  convulsion  of  natuie. — 
Tiiis  he  inferred  from  an  examination  of  the  base  of  the  Fort  Mountain — 
the  stratum  of  the  slate  at  the  foot  of  which  being-  precisely  similar  to  that 
of  the  slate  at  the  edges  of  the  region  of  this  slate  country."  The  author 
will  not  venture  an  opinion  of  his  own  on  this  subject,  but  has  given  that 
of  an  individuui  who  it  was  said  iit  the  tune  was  a  man  of  considerable 
philosophical  and  scientific  acquirements. 

East  of  lliis  slate  countrv  comniences  another  reii'ion  of  fine  limestone 
land,  averaging  ten  or  twelve  miles  in  width,  and  for  its  extent  certainly 
unsurpassed  in  point  of  natural  beauty,  fertility  and  value,  by  any  section 
of  country  in  Virginia. 

Powe'l's  Fort  presents  to  the  eye  much  gradeur  and  sublimity.  Tra- 
dition informs  us  that  an  Englishman  by  the  name  of  Powell,  at  the  early 
settlement  of  our  country,  discovered  silver  ore  in  the  West  Fort  Moun- 
tain, and  comm.enced  the  busmess  of  money  coining;  and  when  any  at- 
tempts were  made  to  arrest  him,  he  would  escape  into  the  mountain  and 
concenl  himself.  From  this  circumstance  it  acquired  the  name  of  Pow- 
ell's Fort.  The  late  Capt.  Isaac  Ijowman,  about  thirty  years  ago,  pointed 
out  to  the  author  the  site  of  Powell's  shop,  where  it  was  said  he  wrought 
his  metal,  the  ruins  of  which  were  then  to  be  seen.  Capt.  Bowman  also 
informed  the  author  that  several  crucibles  and  other  instruments,  which  he 
liad  frequently  seen,  had  bexin  foimd  about  the  ruins  of  this  shop,  so  that 
there  is  no  doubt  of  the  truth  of  the  tradition  that  this  man  Powell  was  in 
the  practice  ol'  melting  down  some  sort  of  meUd,  if  he  did  not  actually 
counterfeit  money. 

The  jrrandeur  and  sublimity  ol^  this  extraordinarv  work  of  nature  consist 
iir  its  tremen(h)us  height  and  singular  formation.  On  enternig  the  mouth 
of  t!ie  Fort,  we  are  struck  with  tlie  awful  height  of  the  mountains  on  eacli 
side,  probably  not  less  than  a  thousand  feet.  Through  a  very  narrow 
passage,  a  bold  and  beautiful  str-i^ani  of  water  rushes,  called  Passage 
creek,  which  a  short,  distance  bidow  works  sevei'al  fine  merchant  mills, — 
AiVr  travelling  two  or  three  miles,  the  valley  gradually  widens,  and  for 
^upwards  of  twenty  miles  furnishes  arable  hu'd,  and  atTords  settlements  for 
eighty  or  ninety  families,  several  of  whoui  own  very  valuable  farms. — 
The  two  mountains  run  paralhd  about  twenty-four  av  twenty-fi\c  miU'S, 
and  are  cahcd  the  East  and  West  Fort  mountains,  and  then  are  merged 
into  one,  anciently  called  Masinetto,  now  Masinutton  mountain.  'I'lio 
Masinutton  mountain  continues  its  ^-ourse  a'bcmt  thirty-five  or  thirty-six 
jniles  soatherly,  and  a'bruptly  terminates  nearly  ojoposite  Keisletown,  in 
the  countv  of  Rockingham,  'i'his  r<inge  of  mountains  divides  the  two 
'■'•roat  branches  of  the  Shenandoah  river,  called  the  S(nith  and  North  lorks. 
This  mountam,  upon  the  whole,  prt'sents  to  the  ■^^ye  s«imelhing  ot'  the 
■fihape  (tfthe  k«tter  Y,  or  pfrhaiis  more  the  slia[)c  ol  the  houas  and  tongue 
r)f  a  WHgom 

■Phe  turnpike  road  from  New-Market,  crossing  Masinutton  and  Rlue 
Ridge  into  the  comity  of  Culpeper,  is  held  as  private  property.  'i'he 
'■Iwf'IliiK^-liousc  where  the  toll  is  received  stannds  on  thp  summit  n)'  Mjisi  ■ 
i;uii'i|i,  frnin   uhicji   ca<]j   of  the  vyfiJeNS  -^i  "hf    Ntath  and  J>outh  ii\ers 


APPENDIX.  26S 

presents  to  the  delighted  vision  of  the  trnveler  a  most  enehanling  view  of 
the  country  for  a  vast  distance.  The  little  thrilty  villajje  cf  New-Market, 
with  a  great  number  of  farms  and  their  various  improvements,  are  seen 
in  full  relief.  On  the  east  side  of  the  mountain,  on  the  South  river  and 
Ilawksbill  creek,  are  to  be  seen  a  number  fine  farms,  many  of  them  stud- 
den  with  handsome  brick  buildings.  Upon  the  wliole,  tlie  traveler  is  am- 
ply rewarded,  by  this  gratifying  sight,  for  his  labor  and  fatigue  in  ascen- 
ding the  mountain,  which  is  said  to  be  two  miles  from  its  base  to  its 
summit.  There  is  a  considerable  depression  where  the  road  crosses  at 
this  place,  called  Masinutton  gap. 

From  the  East  Fort  mountain,  at  a  point  nearly  op])osite  Woodstock, 
the  South  ri\er  presents  to  the  eye  precisely  the  a})pearance  of  three  dis- 
tinct streams  of  water  crossinii;  the  valley  from  the  western  base  of  the  Blue 
Ridge  to  the  foot  of  the  Fort  mountain.  At  the  northern  end  of  the  West 
Fort  mountain,  from  an  eminence,  Winchester  can  be  distinctly  seen,  at  a 
distance  of  not  less  than  sixteen  miles,  air  measure,  and  a  great  portion 
of  the  county  of  Frederick  can  be  overlooked  from  this  elevated  point. — 
There  is  also  an  elevated  point  about  five  miles  south  of  Front  Royal, 
on  the  road  leading  from  thence  to  Luray,  from  which  there  is  a  most 
ravishino"  view  of  the  eastern  section  of  the  county  of  Frederick,  and  the 
tops  of  the  mountains  bordering  on  the  north  side  of  the  Cohongoruton. 

Alter  leaving  this  eminence,  and  proceeding  southerly  towards  Luray, 
from  the  undulating  form  of  the  country  between  the  South  river  and 
Blue  Ridge,  for  a  distance  of  fourteen  or  Hfteen  miles,  it  appears  constant- 
ly to  the  traveler  as  if  he  wei'e  nearly  approaching  the  foot  of  a  consider- 
able mountain,  and  yet  there  is  none  to  cross  his  way.  The  South  river, 
for  seventy  or  eighty  miles  on  each  side,  affords  large  propoi'tions  of  fine 
alluvial  lands — in  manv  parts  of  it  fu'st-iate  high  lands,  which  are  gener- 
ally finely  improved,  and  owned  by  many  wealthy  and  highly  respectable 
}Hoprietors.  The  new  county  of  Page,  for  its  extent,  contains  as  much 
intrinsic  wealth  as  any  county  west  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  with  the  excepticnx 
of  Jefferson. 

The  valley  of  the  North  river,  from  the  West  Fort  mountain  to  tlie 
eastern  base  of  the  Little  North  mountain,  is  generally  fine  limestone 
land,  v;ndulating,  and  fin-dy  watered.  It  is*  also  higlil_\  nnpioxcd,  with  a 
density  of  population  perhaps  unecpuded  by  any  section  of  Virginia  ;  and 
it  is  believed  there  is  more  cash  in  the  hands  of  its  citizens  than  in  any 
part  of  the  state  for  the  same  extent. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  state  that  the  three  counties  of  .JefT'erson, 
Berkeley  and  Frederick,  contain  a  greater  proportion  of  fertile  lands  than 
any  other  section  of  the  state  ;  but  unfortunately,  it  may  with  truth  be 
affirmed  that  it  is  a  badly  watered  country.  There  are  many  jieighbnr- 
hoods  in  which  nothing  like  a  spring  of  water  is  to  be  seen,  it  is  hnw- 
evertrue,  that  there  are  many  fine  large  limestone  springs,  remarkable  Ibr 
the  great  quantity  of  water  which  is  discharged  iVom  them.  Hut  natuie 
appears  to  have  distributed  her  favors  in  this  resjiect  unefiually. 

The  counties  of  Morgan,    Hampshire  and  Hardy,  are   remarkable  frir 

their  mountains  and  fine  freestone  water.      From  the  mountainous  charae- 

^cter  of  this  section,  it  is  but  sparsely  inhabited  in  many  jiarts  of  it.    The 


i6>  ArrLMn:\. 

SoutJi  ;ii)il    \(.>ini  Ijiaiiclio  ul'  the  (.'ohuiigoiuiou    (Potomac)  nlTonl  ropt 
sidcriible  (juanlitie.s  of  us  iinc  terlilc  Hlluvial  land  us  any  pail  ol' the  Ij.  S- 
Puttorson's  cvcvV  also  fiirnishes-a  considetabte  body  of  fine  land.      ()a])ow 
river.   Lost  river,  and   Ikick  creek,  furnish  much   line  land,  and  are  all 
thickly  populated. 

The  western  })arl  of  Frederick,  Berkeley  and  Shenandoah,  include 
considerable  portions  of  raouatainous  couiury.  The  Little  North  moun- 
tain commences  near  the  Cohom^'oruton,  having  jiack  creek  valley  on  the 
west,  which  extends  about  thirty-live  miles  into  the  interior,  to  the  head 
waters  of  the  creek.  This  mountain  runs  a  southerly  course,  parallel 
with  the  Great  North  mountain,  passing  through  the  three  counties  just 
mt-ntioned.  This  tract  of  mountain  land  is  comparatively  poor  and  un- 
productive. It  is,  however,  pretty  thickly  populated,  by  a  hardy  race 
of  people.  Li  our  mountains  generally,  wherever  spots  of  arable  land 
are  to  be  found,  (which  are  chiefly  in  the  glens,)  there  scattered  settlers 
are  to  be  found  also. 

East  of  the  Shenandoah  river  the  Blue  Ridge  is  thickly  popukited,  and 
many  fine  protluctive  farms  are  to  be  seen.  The  vast  ([uantity  of  loose 
stone  thickly  scattered  over  the  s'.irfaee  of  this  mountain,  one  wf)uld  be 
ready  to  believe,  would  deter  individuals  from  attempting  its  cultivation; 
but  it  is  a  coinmon  saying  among  those  people,  that  if  they  can  only  ob- 
tain as  much  eaith  as  will  cover  their  seed  grain,  they  are  always  sure 
of  good  crops. 

The  public  road  crosses  tlie  Blue  Ridge,  from  the  South  river  valley 
into  the  county  of  Madison.  From  the  western  base  of  the  u^ounlain  to 
io  the  summit,  it  is  said  to  be  five  miles.  On  the  top  of  the  nKnintain,  at 
this  place,  there  is  a  large  body  oi"  level  land,  covered  almost  exclusively 
with  large  chestnut  timber,  having  the  appearance  of  an  extensive 
swamp,  and  i)roducing  great  quantities  of  the  skunk  cabbage.  But  little 
of  it  has  been  reclaimed  and  brought  into  cultivation.  It  produces  fine 
crops  of  grass,  rye,  oats,  potatoes  and  tui-nips;  but  it  is  said  to  be  entire- 
Iv  too  moist  for  the  production  of  wheat,  and  too  cool  for  the  growth  of 
Indian  i:orn.  Tiie  people  in  its  neighborhood  say  that  there  is  not  a 
week  throughout  the  spring,  summer  and  autumn,  without  jik-ntiful  falls 
of  rain,  and  abundant  snows  in  the  winter.  In  the  time  of  long  dioughts 
on  each  side  of  the  mountain,  this  elevated  tract  of  country  is  abundantly 
supplied  with  rains.  It  is  also  said,  that  from  this  great  height  nearly 
the  whole  county  of  Madison  can  be  seen,  presenting  to  the  eye  a  most 
fascinating  and  delightful  view. 

On  the  summit  of  the  West  Fort  mountain,  about  fifteen  miles  south 
of  Woodstock,  there  is  also  a  small  tract  of^and,  remarkable  for  its  depth 
of  line  rich  soil,  but  inaccessible  to  the  approach  of  man  with  injplements 
of  husbundiv.  'Ibis  traet  produces  immensf-  quantities  of  the  fuK-st  chp^t- 
nut,  though  from  the  great  dilHcully  of  asceialing  the  mountain,  but  little 
benefit  is  derived  I'rora  it  to  the  neighboring  people. 

fn  our  western  mountains  small  bodies  <5»f  limestone  lands  are  to  lie 
mt't  with,  one  of  the  most  remarkable  of  which  iv  what  i'^'  callerl  the 
'<  Sugar  flillv,''  j.retty  high  up  the  C-cdar  creek  valh-y.  This  tract  is 
fcaid  )u  C'uUain   fonr  or  five  hundred  acres,  and  lies  at  the  e-astcrw  bast 


^f  PaJdy's  inounlaln.  It  derives  its  name  iVoin  uvo  causes:  tir>t,  \vhen 
discovered  it  was  covered  chieriy  with  the  sugar  maple ;  and  .secondly, 
several  of  its  knobs  resemble  in  shape  the  sugar  loaf.  Its  soil  is  pecu- 
liarly  adapted  to  the  production  of  wheat  of  the  finest  quality,  of  which, 
let  the  seasons  he  as  they  may,  the  land  never  fails  to  produce  great 
crops,  which  generally  commands  seven  or  eight  cents  per  bushel  more 
ihan  any  other  wheat  grown  in  its  neighborhood.  The  Hessian  fly  has 
Jiot  yet  been  known  to  injure  the  crops  while  growing. 

Paddy's  mountain  is  a  branch  of  the  Great  North  mountain,  and  is 
about  eighteen  or  twenty  miles  long.  It  takes  its  name  from  an  Irish- 
(uan,  whose  name  was  Patrick  Black,  who  first  settled  at  Avhat  is  now 
called  Paddy's  gap  in  this  mountain.  This  fat-t  vvas  couimunicmed  to- 
the  author  bv  .Closes  Russell,  fusq. 


XA  T I  K  A  ] .  r  ( ;  R 1 C:)  S I  Tl  E  S , 

1 1  would  require  perhaps  several  volumes  to  give  a  minute  descrlption- 
of  all  the  natural  and  interesting  curiosities  of  our  country.  The  inquisi- 
tive individual  can  scarcely  travel  more  than  a  mile  or  two  in  any  direc- 
tion among  our  mountains,  but  some  sublime  and  grand  work  of  nature 
presents  itself  to  the  eye,  which  excites  his  wonder  and  admiration. — 
The  author  must  Iheretbre  content  himself  with  a  brief  description  of 
comparatively  a  few  of  the  most  remarkable.  He  will  commence  his 
narrative  with  Harpers-Ferry.  'ITris  wonderful  work  of  nature  has  been 
so  accurately  described  by  Mr.  Jefferson,  that  it  is  deemed  unnecessary 
to  give  a  detailed  description  of  it.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that  no  stranger 
can  look  at  the  passage  of  the  waters  of  the  Potomac  and  Shenandoah, 
rushing  through  the  yawning  gap  of  the  mountain,  without  feeling  awe  at 
the  grandeur  and  sublimity  of  the  scene,  and  ready  to  prostrate  himself 
in  adoration  before  that  onmipotent  God  whose  almighty  arm  halh  nuide 
all  things  according  to  his  own  wisdom  and  power. 

It  is  much  to  be  regretted  that  a  Captain  Henry,  during  the  administra- 
tion of  the  elder  Adams  in  1799,  when  what  was  called  the  provisional 
iirmy  was  raising,  and  a  ])art  of  which  was  stationed  at  Harpers-Ferry, 
greatly  injured  one  of  the  most  interesting  curiosities  of  this  place.  A 
rock  of  extraordinary  shape  and  of  considerable  size  stands  on  the  brink 
of  a  high  hill,  on  the  south  side  of  the  tung  or  point  of  land  immediately 
in  the  fork  of  the  river.  The  apex  of  this  rock  was  a  broad  (lat  table, 
supported  on  a  pivot,  on  which  Mr.  Jefferson,  during  his  visit  to  this 
place,  inscribed  his  name,  from  which  it  took  the  name  of  Jefferson's 
rock. 

The  years  179S  and  1799  were  a  period  of  extraordinary  political  ex- 
citement. The  two  great  political  parties,  federal  and  democratic,  of  our 
country,  were  at  this  period  completely  organised,  and  an  intt^resttng 
struggle  for  which  party  should  have  the  ascejidancy  was  carried  on. — 
This  same  Capt.  Henry,  whether  actuated  by  the  same  motive  which  im- 
pelled the  Macedonian   youth  to  murtler  Philip  his   king-,   or  whether  he 


271  APPENDIX. 

liopcd  to  ar(jiilrc'  populiirilv  with  his  purty,  (ho  calling  liimsolf  a  rrdoiTilist,)* 
or  whether  from  motives  purely  hostile  towards  Mr.  Jefli-rson  ami  all  the 
democratic  party,  placed  himself  at  the  head  of  a  band  of  soldiers,  and 
■with  the  aid  of  his  myrmidons,  hurled  off  the  apex  of  this  rock,  tlius 
wantonly,  and  to  say  the  least,  unwisely  destroying  the  greatest  beauty 
of  this  extraordinary  work  of  nature.  By  this  illiberal  and  unwise  act,- 
<Japt.  Henry  has  "condemned  his  name  to  everlasting  i^inie.'" 

CAVES  IN  THE  COUNTY  OV    JEFKURSON. 

About  seven  or  eight  miles  above  Harj)crs-Ferry,  on  the  wi-st  side  of 
the  Shenandoah,  nearly  opposite  the  Shannondale  springs,  from  a  quarter 
to  a  half  mile  from  the  river,  a  limestone  cave  has  been  discovered,  whielh 
contains  several  beautiful  incrustations  or  stalactites  ibrmed  froni  the  fil- 
tration of  the  water. 

Near  Mecklenburg,  (Shepherd^tewn,)  another  cave  has  been  found, 
out  of  which  considerable  quantities  of  hydraulic  limestone  is  taken,  and 
when  calcined  or  reduced  to  lime,  is  found  to  make  a  cement  little  if  any 
inferior  to  plaster  of  paris.  Out  of  this  cave  a  concreted  limestone  was 
taken,  which  the  author  saw  in  the  possession  of  Dr.  Boteler  of  Shep- 
herdstown,  which  at  first  view  presents  to  the  eye,  in  shape,  a  striking' 
resemblance  to  that  of  a  fish  of  considerable  size.  A  smaller  one  was 
found  at  the  some  time,  which  has  a  strong  resemblance  to  a  mink. — 
Several  intelligent  individuals  were  induced  to  believe  they  were  gen  nine 
petrifactions. 

CAVES    IN    THE    COUNTY    OF    FHEDERKK. 

In  the  county  of  Frederick  are  to  be  seen  five  or  six  of  those  caves. — < 
Zane's  cave,  now  on  the  lands  owned  by  the  heirs  of  the  late  Maj.  .Ja.naes 
Bean,  is  the  one  described  by  the  late  Mr.  Jefiferson,  in  his  "  Notes  on 
Virginia."  This  cave  the  author  partially  explored  about  eighteen 
montiis  ago,  but  found  it  too  fatiguing  to  pursue  hi.^  examination  to  any 
extent.  The  natural  beauty  f)f  this  ])lace  has  of  late  years  been  greatly 
injured  froni  the  smoke  of  the  numerous  pine  torches  used  to  light  it. — 
All  the  incrustations  and  spars  are  greatly  darkened,  giving  the  cnve  a 
somber  and  dull  ai)pearance.  The  author  was  intbrmed,  on  his  visit  to 
this  place,  that  Maj.  JJean,  shortly  before  his  death,  cut  out  several  of 
the  spars,  reduced  tliern  to  lime,  sprinkled  it  over  some  of  his  gi-owing 
crops,  and  found  that  it  produced  all  the  effects  of  g>-psum. 

On  the  lands  late  the  residence  of  Captain  Edward  MrGuire,  dec'd, 
is  another  cave  of  some  considerable  ext(;nt ;    but  its  incrustations    and 
spars  are  of  a  muddy  yellowish  color,  and  not  considered  a  very  interes-     V 
ting  curiosity. 

Adjoining  the  lands  of  Mr.  James  Way,  the  former  residence  of  the 
late  Col.  C.  M.  Thruston,  an  extensive  cave  of  very  singular  and  curious 
formation  was  discovered  many  years  ago.  On  exploring  it  with  the  aid 
of  a  pocket  compass,  the  needle  was  found  running  to  every  part  of  it. 

On  the  east  side  of  the  Shenandoah  Fiver,  some  two  or  three  miles 
below  Berry's  Ferry,  at  die  base  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  a  cave  of  considera- 
te extent  has  been  discovered,  containing  several  c  itiositics.     About  two 


APPENDIX.  '212 

miles  below  thl:s  cave  on  the  same  side  of  ihe  nver,  is  to  be  seen  what 
was  anciently  called  Redman's  tishery.  At  the  base  of"  a  rock  a  large 
sublcrianeous  stream  ot"  water  is  discharged  into  the  river.  At  the  ap- 
proach of  winter  myriads  of  hsh  make  their  way  into  this  subterraiu'ous 
stream,  and  take  up  their  winter  quarters.  In  the  sprijig  they  return  into 
the  river.  By  placing  a  fish-basket  in  the  moutli  of  the  cavern,  great 
quantities  of  tine  fresh-water  fish  are  taken,  both  in  the  autiunn  and  sprimr 
of  the  year.  The  author  recollects  being  at  this  place  upwards  of  titty 
years  ago,  just  after  iVIr.  Redman  had  taken  up  his  fish-basket,  and  can 
safely  affirm,  that  he  drew  out  of  the  v>fater  from  two  to  three  bushels  of 
fish  at  a  sincj^le  haul. 

On  Crooked  run,  near  Bethel  meeting  house,  on  the  lands  now  owned 
by  Mr.  Stephen  Grubb,  is  a  limestone  cave,  which  the  author  has  more 
than  once  been  in.  It  does  not  exceed  one  hundred  yards  in  length,  and 
is  remarkable  only  for  its  production  of  saltpetre,  and  preserving  fresh 
meats  in  hot  weather. 

The  Panther  cave,  on  the  north  bank  of  Cedar  creek,  owned  by  Major 
Isaac  Hite,  about  a  half  or  three-fourths  of  a  mile  west  of  the  great  high- 
way from  Winchester  to  Staunton,  is  a  remarkable  curiosity.  Nature 
has  here  formed  a  most  beautiful  and  solid  upright  wall  of  gray  limestone 
rock,  of  about  one  hundred  yards  in  length,  near  the  west  end  of  which 
is  to  be  seen  an  elegant  arch,  of  about  sixty  feet  in  front,  ten  or  twelve 
feet  high  in  the  center,  and  extending  twenty-five  or  thirty  feet  under  the 
body  of  the  wall.  There  are  two  circular  apertures  running  into  the  body 
of  the  rock  from  the  arch,  one  about  twelve  inches  in  diameter,  the  other 
somewhat  smaller.  Whether  these  openings  do  or  do  not  lead  into  large 
apartments  or  caverns  in  the  body  of  the  rock,  is  not  and  probably  never 
will  be  known.  Tradition  relates  that  at  the  early  settlement  of  the 
country  this  place  was  known  to  be  the  haunt  and  habitation  of  the  pan- 
ther, from  which  it  derives  its  name. 

We  have  two  natural  wells  in  this  county  ;  one  at  what  is  called  the 
Dry  marsh,  a  drain  of  the  Opequon,  about  two  miles  east  of  the  creek, 
not  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  north  of  the  road  leading  from  Winches- 
ter to  Berryville.  This  natural  well  in  dry  seasons  furnishes  several  con- 
tiguous families  with  water.  It  is  formed  by  a  natural  circular  opening 
in  an  apparently  solid  Hmestone  rock.  Its  walls  are  undulating,  and  m 
times  of  dry  seasons  the  water  sinks  some  sixteen  or  eighteen  feet  below 
the  surface,  but  at  all  times  furnishes  abundant  supplies.  In  the  winter, 
no  matter  how  great  the  degree  of  cold,  small  lish  are  frequently  drawn 
up  with  the  water  from  the  well.  In  times  of  freshets,  the  water  rises 
above  the  surface,  and  discharges  a  most  beautiful  current  for  several 
weeks  at  a  time.  Tradition  relates  that  this  well  was  discovered  at  the 
first  settlement  of  the  neighborhood. 

The  other  natural  well  is  the  one  described  by  Mr.  Jeflferson.  This 
natural  curiosity  first  made  its  appearance  on  the  breaking  u))  xii'  the  hard 
winter  of  1789-80.  All  the  old  people  of  our  country  doubtless  recollect 
the  great  falls  of  snow  and  severity  of  this  remarkable  winter.  The  au- 
thor was  born,  and  lived  with  liis  father's  family  until  htrwas  about  thir- 


273  APPENDIX. 

teen  years  of  age,  williin  one  and  a  half  miles  of  this  natural  well. — 
The  land  at  that  period  was  owned  by  the  late  Feilding  Lewis,  of 
Fredericksburg,  Va.,  but  is  now  the  property  of  the  heirs  of  the  late 
Mr.  Thomas  Castleman,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Berryville.  Nature  had 
here  formed  a  circular  sink  of  a  depth  of  some  fourteen  or  fifteen  feet, 
and  fifty  or  sixty  feet  in  diameter  at  the  surface.  In  the  spring  of  the 
year  1780,  the  earth  at  the  bottom  of  this  sink  suddenly  gave  way  and 
fell  into  the  cavity  below,  forming  a  circular  aperture  about  the  ordinary 
circumferenee  of  a  common  artificial  well.  It  was  soon  discovered  that 
a  subterraneous  stream  of  water  passed  under  the  bottom.  There  being 
no  artificial  or  natural  means  to  prevent  the  earth  immediately  about  the 
well  from  falling  in,  the  aperature  is  greatly  enlarged,  forming  a  sloping- 
bank,  by  which  a  man  on  foot  can  easily  descend  within  eight  of  ten  feet 
of  the  water.  The  current  of  water  is  quite  perceptible  to  the  eye.  The 
whole  depth  of  the  cavity  is  thirty  or  thirty-five  feet. 

CAVES    IN    THE    COUNTY     OF    SHENANDOAH. 

Within  two  or  three  miles  of  Woodstock,  on  the  lands  of  the  late 
William  Payne,  Esq.,  is  an  extensive  cavern,  which  it  is  said  has  never 
yet  been  explored  to  its  termination.  It  contains  many  curious  incrus- 
tations, stalactites,  &,c.  From  the  mouth  of  this  cave  a  constant  current 
of  cold  air  is  discharged,  and  the  cavern  is  used  by  its  owners  as  a  place 
to  presei-ve  their  fresh  meats  in  the  hottest  seasons  of  the  year. 

On  the  east  side  of  the  South  fork  of  the  Shenandoah  river,  three  or  four 
miles  south  of  Front  Royal,  there  are  two  caves  but  a  short  distance 
apart,  which,  like  all  other  caves,  contain  beautiful  curiosities.  One  of 
them  many  years  ago  was  visited  and  explored  by  the  late  celebrated 
John  Randolph  of  Roanoke  ;  but  the  author  has  never  been  able  to  learn 
whether  he  committed  to  writing  his  observations  upon  it.  One  of  its 
greatest  curiosities  is  an  excellent  representation  of  the  hatter's  kettle. 

Within  about  three  miles  north-west  of  Mt.  Jnekson,  Shaffer's  cave  is 
situated.  It  has  been  explored  about  half  a  mile.  It  is  not  very  re- 
maikable  for  its  production  of  natural  curiosities.  Tradition  relates  an 
amusing  story  in  connection  with  it.  A  very  large  human  skeleton  was 
many  years  ago  found  in  this  cavern,  the  skull  bone  of  which  a  neighbor- 
ing man  had  the  curiosity  to  take  to  his  dwelling  house.  This  aroused 
tiie  ghost  of  the  dead  man,  who,  not  being  pleasetl  with  the  removal  of 
his  head,  very  soon  appenred  to  the  depredator  and  harassed  him  until  he 
became  glad  to  return  the  skull  to  its  ibriner  habitation.  The  ghost 
then  became  appeased  and  ceased  liis  visits.  It  is  said  that  there  are 
many  persons  to  this  day  in  the  neighborhood,  who  most  religiously  bo 
lieve  that  the  gliost  did  really  and  truly  compel  the  ofiender  to  return  his 
skull.  The  author  saw  in  the  possession  of  l3r.  Wetherall,  of  Mt.  Jack- 
son, one  of  the  arm  bones  of  this  skeleton,  that  part  extending  from  the 
shoulder  to  the  elbow,  which  was  nemarkablo  fi;r  its  thickness,  but  was 
not  of  very  uncommon  length.  At  that  time  he  had  not  been  visited  by 
the  ghost  to  demand  his  arm  ;  but  perhaps  he  was  not  so  temicious  of  it 
as  he  was  of  his  head. 

In  the  county  of  Page,  within  about  three  miles  of  Luray,  a  cave,  but 


APPENDIX.  274 

lilUe  inlci'ior  to  Weyer's  cave,  was  some  years  ago  discovered,  a  graphic 
description  of  which  was  written  by  W.  A.  Harris,  Esq.,  and  published 
in  the  Woodstock  Sentinel  of  the  Valley,  and  copied  pretty  generally 
throughout  the  Union. 

EBBING    AND    FLOWING    SPRINGS. 

Pretty  high  up  Cedar  creek  there  is  a  beautiful  spring  of  clear  moun- 
tain water,  issuing  from  the  western  side  of  the  Little  North  mountain,  in 
a  glen,  which  ebbs  and  flows  twice  in  every  twenty-four  hours.  It  rises 
at  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  ebbs  at  four  in  the  evening.  It  is  in 
a  perfect  state  of  nature,  has  considerable  fall  immediately  from  its  mouth, 
so  that  it  cannot  conveniently  be  ascertained  precisely  what  is  its  greatest 
rise  and  fall.  When  the  author  saw  it  it  was  down,  and  he  could  not 
conveniently  spare  the  time  to  wait  to  see  it  rise.  But  the  author's  in- 
formant (Mr.  J.  Bond)  went  with  him  to  the  spring,  and  assured  him 
that  he  has  repeatedly  seen  it  rise.  The  author  is  also  informed  that 
theie  is  a  salt  sulphur  spring,  on  the  land  late  the  property  of  Mr.  John 
Lee,  but  a  short  distance  from  where  the  Staunton  stage  road  crosses 
Cedar  creek,  which  has  a  dairy  erected  over  it.  The  respectable  widow 
of  Mr.  Lee  informed  the  author  that  this  spring  ebbs  and  flows  twice  in 
every  twenty-four  hours,  and  that  if  care  is  not  particularly  taken  at  ev- 
ery flow,  its  current  is  so  strong  as  to  overset  the  vessels  of  milk  placed 
in  the  water. 

FALLING    RUN. 

Some  thirteen  or  fourteen  miles  south-west  of  Winchester,  and  within 
about  two  miles  of  the  residence  of  Moses  Russell,  Esq.,  in  the  county 
of  Frederick,  is  to  be  seen  what  is  called  the  Falling  run.  Between  what 
the  neighboring  people  call  Falling  ridge  (the  commencement  of  Paddy's 
mountain)  and  the  Great  North  mountain,  pretty  near  the  summit,  on 
the  east  side  of  the  mountain,  a  line  large  spring  rises,  forming  a  beauti- 
ful lively  stream  of  sufficient  force  to  work  a  gi'ist  mill.  This  stream  inir- 
sues  its  serpentine  course  thro'  a  glen  several  hundred  yards  in  width,  ni' 
gradual  descent,  between  the  mountain  and  Falling  ridge.  Pursuing  its 
course  in  a  northerlv  direction  from  its  fountain,  for  about  one  and  a  half 
miles,  it  makes  a  pretty  sudden  turn  to  the  east,  and  shoots  over  a  solid 
granite  rock  probably  not  less  than  one  hundred  feet  high,  'jfhc  first 
eighteen  or  twenty  feet  of  the  rock  over  which  the  water  passes  is  a  lilli(! 
sloping,  over  which  the  water  sjireads  and  covers  a  surface  of  fifl(M'!i  or 
sixteen  feet,  from  whence  the  fall  is  entirely  perpendicular,  and  strikes  on 
a  mass  of  solid  rock  ;  it  then  forms  an  angle  of  about  forty-five  degress, 
rushing  and  foaming  over  an  undulating  surface  of  about  ninety  or  one 
hundred  feet;  from  thence  is  a  third  fall  of  about  the  same  length,  and 
then  pitches  into  a  hole  of  considerable  depth;  from  thence  it  escapes 
down  a  more  gradual  descent,  and  suiidenly  becomes  a  gentle,  smooth, 
placid  current,  as  if  it  is  pleased  to  rest  from  tiie  violent  agitations  and  tur- 
moils throtigh  which  it  had  just  jiassed.  At  the  first  base  reached  by  the 
water,  a  perpetual  mist  arises,  which,  viewed  on  a  clear  sunr-hiny  day, 


275  APPENUJX. 

presents    1o  ihe  eye  n  most  interesting  and  beautiful  sight.       'i'lie  whole 
I'all  is  little  if  any  less  than  three  hundred  feet. 

A  short  distance  to  the  south  of  this  place,  at  the  junction  of  tlie  F.tII- 
ing  ridge  with  the  North  mouutnin,  is  to  be  seen  wha+  the  neigliboring 
people  call  "the  Pinnacle."  The  apex  of  this  pinnacle  is  a  flat,  broad 
table,  supjiorted  on  a  pivot,  and  can  be  set  in  motion  by  the  hands  of  a 
man,  and  will  continue  to  vibrate  tor  several  lainutes.  There  are  sevenil 
small  caverns  in  this  rock,  and  it  is  known  to  be  the  abode  of  the  turkey 
buzzards  in  the  winter,  where  they  remain  in  a  state  of  torpitude.  Mr. 
Russell  informed  tlie  author  tliat  he  once  took  out  a  torpid  buzzard  in  tin- 
winter,  laid  it  on  the  sunny  side  of  the  rock,  and  it  very  soon  regained 
life  and  motion. 

TROUT    POND. 

In  the  county  of  Hardy,  about  eight  or  nine  miles  south  of  the  late 
residence  of  Janifs  Sterrett,  .Ksq.  deceased,  and  a  little  east  of  Thornbot- 
tom,  is  situated  a  most  beautiful  miniature  lake,  called  the  Trout  pond. 
A  large  spring  rises  near  the  summit  of  the  Great  North  mountain,  de- 
scending on  the  west  side  into  a  deep  glen,  between  the  mountain  and  a 
very  high  ridge  immediately  east  of  Thoinbottom,  in  wdiich  glen  nature 
has  formed  a  receptacle  of  unknow-n  depth  for  diis  stream  of  water.  This 
stream  forms  an  area  of  about  one  and  a  half  acres,  nearly  an  oblong 
square.  Nature  never  presented  to  the  eye  a  more  perfectly  beautiful 
sheet  of  water.  It  is  as  transparent  as  crystal,  and  abounds  Avith  fuic 
trout  fish. 

The  late  Col.  'i'avcrner  I>cale,  ujiwards  of  lo!-ty  years  ago,  described 
this  place  to  the  author,  and  stated  that  he  could  safely  affirm  that  he  believ- 
ed he  had  seen  ten  ihousand  trout  at  a  single  view  in  this  pond.  Col.  Beale 
also  informed  the  author  that  himself  and  a  friend  of  his  orice  made  a  raft, 
and  floated  to  the  centre  of  the  pond,  where  they  let  down  a  plumb  and  line, 
(the  author  does  not  now  recollect  the  length  of  the  line,  though,  it  Avas 
certainly  not  less  than  forty  feet,)  but  did  not  succeed  in  reaching  the 
bottom.  A  Mr.  Ciochenour,  wdio  resides  near  this  place,  informed  the 
ai  tho-  tliat  he  had  hearrl  it  was  fathomed  many  years  ago,  and  Avas  found 
to  tie  sixlv  feet  dee]),  but  did  not  know"  the  certainty  or  truth  of  this 
rfpr>rt.  The  water  is  di.scluirged  at  the  ndrlh-east  comer  of  the  noiifl, 
a  1(1  allrr  descending  aliout  two  uulcs,  works  a  saw  mill,  and  thirty  or 
i.nty  yards  from  the  mill  falls  into  a  sink  and  entirely  disai)pf'ars.  This 
sink  is  in  the  edge  of  Thorrd)ottom,  a  pretty  narrow  sti'i))  of  limestone 
land,  whici)  affoids  bdween  the  mounlains  a  residence  lor  fom-  or  five 
families,  racli  (if  whom  lias  a  fine  s})ring  oi'  water,  all  which,  after  run- 
ning a  short  distance,  also  disa))|)ear.  The  stream  of  water  from  thr> 
pond,  doubtless  <-(uisiderahlv  increased  liy  the  waters  of  'J'hornboltom, 
atjain  appears  at  the  nortlnTn  terminal  ion  of  a  very  high  ridge  called 
'MJir  I}f\  iTs  ^r;^,i-,I,.||/''  It  JHiists  (lilt  ill  OIK' of  the  finest  and  largest  springs 
the  author  has  ever  seen.  It  is  said  that  this  subteri'anean  passage  of 
t.hc  water  is  fiillv  eiglil  miles  in  lentrth.  This  spring  is  within  abont  onp 
<jijarler  oi    a  mile  finirj  Mr.  Slrrrrtt's  flwcllinrr  house,  an«l  loi'ins  a  heauti- 


A1>!M::XDIX.  270 

.ful  .slrenm  of  waltT  called  Trout  miii,  -which  is  a,  \;i]uiili::  irnmlarv  ol' the 
Capon  river. 

"The  pevtt.'s  garden"  is  truly  a  Avonderful  \vork  of  nature.  ]?e- 
tween  two  lofty  ridges  of  the  Sandy  ridge  and  Noilli  mounlain  n  strip 
of  ground,  about  a  n\iie  in  width,  commences  rising  gently  from  the  head 
of  Trout  run,  and  pursues  its  regular  ascent  for  three  miles,  -when  it  ab- 
ruptly terminates,  at  its  southern  extremity,  in  a  vast  pile  of  granite  rocks, 
having  a  perpendicular  height  of  some  four  or  tive  hundred  feet.  This 
immense  pile  is  entirely  separated  from  and  itidependent  of  its  neighbor- 
ing mountains,  having  a  vast  chasm  on  its  two  sides  and  southern  ter- 
mination. At  its  south  end  it  is  covered  with  nearly  level  rocks,  torming 
a  floor  of  about  an  acre.  This  floor  is  curiously  marked  with  fissures  on 
the  surfice  of  various  distances  apart.  On  the  eastern  side  stands  a 
statue,  or  perhaps  it  may  more  appropriately  be  called  a  bust,  about  sev- 
en feet  high  :  the  head,  neck  and  shoulders  bear  a  strong  resemblance  to 
those  of  a  man,  and  from  the  breast  downwards  it  gradually  enlarges  in 
size  from  two  and  a  half  to  three  feet  in  diameter.  It  is  without  arms. — 
It  stands  on  a  level  table  of  rock,  is  of  a  dark  color,  and  presents  to  the 
eye  a  frowning,  terrific  appearance.  "When  this  singular  curiosity  was 
first  discovered,  some  superstitious  ]u;ople  concluded  it  was  tlu;  image 
of  the  Devil;  and  hence  the  name  of  "The  Devil's  garden."  Near  his 
Satanic  majesty  anciently  stood  a  four-square  stone  pillar,  of  about  two 
and  a  half  feet  diameter,  and  ten  or  twelve  feet  high.  This  pillar  is  broken 
off  at  its  base,  crosses  a  chasm,  and  reclines,  something  in  the  ibrm  of  an 
arch,  against  the  opposite  rock. 

About  one  hundred  feet  below  the  stand  of  the  statue,  a  door  lets  into 
numerous  caverns  in  the  rock,  the  first  of  which  forms  a  hanflsome  room 
of  moderate  size,  the  floors  above  and  below  being  tolerably  smooth  and 
level.  From  this  room  there  is  a  handsome  flight  of  stone  steps  ascend- 
ing into  a  room  of  larger  size,  until  twelve  different  apartments  are  pass- 
ed through,  and  then  reaches  the  top  of  the  rocks.  'J'lie  late  Mr.  Sterrett, 
in  riding^  with  the  author  to  view  this  extraordinarv  work  of  nature,  said 
that  it  was  difficult  for  an  old  man  to  get  access  to  the  inlet,  of  course  I 
did  not  attempt  it.  Mr.  Ba!)b,  who  resides  in  its  neighborhood,  informed 
the  author  that  he  had  frequently  explored  the  cavern  ;  and  tlm  yoiing 
people  of  the  neighborhood,  m.ale  and  female,  frequently,  in  parties  of 
pleasure,  visit  and  pass  through  its  various  apartments. 

LOST    RIVER. 

Here  again  the  eye  is  presented  with  another  evidence  of  the  all-pow- 
erful arm  of  (Jod  !  This  river  heads  in  several  small  springs,  on  a  high 
ridge  of  land  near  Brock's  gap,  v.diich  divides  the  waters  of  the  North 
fork  of  the  Shenandoah  fiom  the  waters  cCthe  ].,ost  river.  This  water 
course  meanders  througli  a  beautiful  valley  of  fine  alluvial  lanrl,  a  distance 
of  about  twenty-five  miles.  On  its  west  side,  some  ten  or  IavpIvc  miles 
below  its  head  springs,  is  a  cavern  at  the  eastern  base  of  "  J^ost  iivc¥ 
mountain,"  which  has  been  explored  about  ftne  hundred  yards  (some  say 
more)  from  its  month.  0\fr  the  inlet  is  a  handsomely  turned  nrch  twelve 
or  /burteen  feet  wide,   and  six  or  seven  high.       From  this  caA-ern  is  dis- 


277  APPRNDLW 

charged  a  stream  of  hcaulil'ul  water,  remarkable  for  its  degree  oi"  coldness. 
It  is  called  "the  cold  spring  cave."  The  mouth  of  this  cave  effectually 
preserves  fresh  meats  of  every  kind  from  injury  in  the  hottest  seasons. — 
This  cave  exhibits  but  few  curiosities. 

Some  ten  or  twelve  miles  further  down,  the  river  comes  in  contact 
with  Lost  river  mountain,  (which  is  of  considerable  magnitude,)  has  cut 
its  way  through  the  mountain,  and  about  two  miles  further  down  has  to 
encounter  a  second  mountain  called  Timber  ridge,  through  which  it  has 
forced  its  way,  and  one  and  a  half  or  two  miles  further  has  to  contend 
with  Sandy  ridge,  a  mountain  of  considerable  height  and  width.  Here 
the  water  and  mountain  appear  to  have  a  mighty  struggle  for  the  ascen- 
dency. In  flood  times,  Mrs.  River,  despising  all  obstructions,  forces  her 
\vay  through  a  yawning,  frowning  chasm.  But  at  times  of  low  water, 
when  her  ladyship  is  less  powerful,  his  giantship,  the  mountain,  defies  all 
her  power  to  remove  a  huge  mass  of  adamantine  rocks,  which  obstructs 
her  passage  in  the  gap;  l)ut  to  remedy  this  evil,  Mrs.  River  has  adroitly 
and  cunningly  undermined  the  mountain,  formed  for  herself  a  subterrane- 
ous j)assage,  and  generously  supplied  her  sister  Capon  with  all  the  water 
she  has  to  spare.  It  is  impossible  for  the  inquisitive  eye  to  view  this 
mighty  work  of  nature  without  being  struck  with  the  idea  of  the  great 
obstruction  and  mighty  difficulty  this  water  had  to  contend  with  in  for- 
cing a  passage  through  this  huge  mountain.  The  author  viewed  this 
place  with  intense  interest  and  curiosty.  At  the  western  base  of  the 
mountain,  the  water  has  found  various  apertures,  one  of  which  is  under 
the  point  of  a  rock,  of  seven  or  eight  feet  wide,  which  appears  to  be  the 
largest  inlet.  For  the  distance  of  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  sink, 
not  a  drop  of  water  is  to  be  seen  in  times  of  drought.  There  are  several 
large  springs  which  issue  from  the  mountain  in  the  gap,  forming  a  small 
stream,  which  always  runs  through  it.  The  water  of  the  river  has  a  sub- 
terraneous passage  of  full  three  miles,  and  is  discharged  in  several  very 
large  springs  at  the  eastern  base  of  the  mountain.  These  several  springs 
form  the  great  fountain  head  of  Capon  river. 

An  old  man  and  his  son,  (their  names  not  recollected,)  whose  dwelling 
is  very  near  the  sink,  related  a  very  singular  occurrence  which  they  rep- 
resented as  having  happened  a  few  days  before  the  author's  visit  to  this 
place.  Thev  stated  that  several  dogs  were  in  pursuit  of  a  deer  on  the 
mountain — that  the  deer  ran  to  the  brink  of  a  rock,  at  least  one  hundred 
feet  high,  which  is  very  near  the  sink,  and  the  poor  animal  being  jiretty 
closely  pursued,  leaped  from  the  rock,  and  falling  on  a  very  rough,  stony 
surface,  was  terribly  crushed  and  bruised  by  the  I'all,  and  instantly  expired. 
They  immediately  ran  to  it  and  opened  the  large  veins  in  the  neck,  but 
little  blood  was  discharged.  They  took  off  the  skin  and  cut  up  the  flesh; 
but  most  paits  of  it  were  so  much  bruised  and  mangled  as  to  be  unfit  for 
use. 

Capon  river  exhil'its  several  great  natural  curiosities.  Near  its  head 
waters  is  a  rock  called  "the  Alum  rock,"  from  which  exudes  native  alum, 
and  forms  a  beautiful  incrustation  on  its  fare,  which  the  neighboring 
people  collect  in  small  quantities,  but  often  sufficient  foi  their  domestic 
nurnoscs  ot  staining  their  cloths. 


APPENDIX.  27S 

About  two  miles  above  the  forks  of  this  river  is  situated  "Caudy's  cas- 
tle," a  most  stupendous  work  of  nature.  It  is  said  by  tradition  tliat  in 
the  time  of  the  wars  between  the  white  and  red  people,  a  man  ])y  the 
name  of  James  Caudy,  more  than  once  took  shelter  on  the  rock  from  the 
pursuit  of  the  Indians,  from  vrhence  its  name.  It  consists  of  a  fragment 
of  the  mountain,  separated  from  and  independent  of  the  neighboring- 
mountains,  forming,  as  it  were,  a  half  cone,  and  surrounded  with  a 
yawning  chasm.  Its  eastern  base,  washed  by  the  Capon  river,  rises  to 
the  majestic  height  of  four  hundred  and  fifty  or  five  hundred  feet,  while 
its  eastern  side  is  a  solid  mass  of  granite,  directly  perpendicular.  A  line 
drawn  round  its  base  probably  would  not  exceed  one  thousand  on  twelve 
hundred  yards.  From  its  western  side  it  may  be  ascended  by  a  man  on 
foot  to  within  about  ninety  or  one  hundred  feet  of  its  summit.  From 
thence  the  rock  suddenly  shoots  up  something  in  the  form  of  a  comb, 
which  is  about  ninety  or  one  hundred  feet  in  length,  eight  or  ten  feet  in 
thickness,  and  runs  about  north  and  south.  On  the  eastern  face  of  the 
rock,  from  where  the  comb  is  approached,  a  veiy  narrow  undulating  path 
is  formed,  by  pursuing  which,  active  persons  can  ascend  to  its  summit. 
The  author  called  on  Mr.  John  Largent,  (from  whoru  he  received  much 
kindness  and  attention,)  and  requested  Mr.  L.  to  be  his  pilot,  which  re- 
quest was  readily  acceded  to.  Mr.  L.'s  residence  is  less  than  half  a  mile 
from  the  spot.  In  his  company  the  author  undertook  to  ascend  this  aw- 
ful precipice.  Along  the  path  a  few  laurel  shiubs  have  grown  out  of  the 
fissures  of  the  rock.  With  the  aid  of  the  shrubbery,  the  author  succeeded 
in  following  Mr.  Largent  until  they  reached  within  twenty  or  twenty-five 
feet  of  the  summit,  where  they  found  a  flat  table,  four  or  five  feet  square, 
on  which  a  pine  tree  of  five  or  six  inches  diameter  has  grown  some  ten  or 
twelve  ieet  high.  This  afforded  a  convenient  resting  place.  By  sup- 
porting myself  with  one  arm  around  the  body  of  the  tree,  and  a  cane  ire 
the  other  hand,  I  ventured  several  times  to  look  down  +he  precipice,  but 
it  produced  a  disagreeable  giddiness  and  painful  sensation  of  the  eyes. — 
From  this  elevated  situation  an  extensive  view  of  what  is  called  the  white 
mountain  presents  itself  for  a  considerable  distance,  on  the  east  side  of 
Capon  river.  The  beautiful  whiteness  of  this  mountain  is  produced  by  a 
considerable  intermixture  of  fine  M'hite  sand  with  the  rocks,  which  almost 
exclusively  form  the  west  side  of  Capon  moimtain  for  several  miles. 

Nine  or  ten  miles  below  this  place,  in  a  deep  rugged  glen  three  or  four 
miles  east  of  Capon,  on  the  west  side  of  the  mountain,  the  "Tea  table" 
is  to  be  seen,  than  which  nature  in  her  most  sportive  mood  has  seldom 
performed  a  more  beautiful  work.  This  table  presents  the  form  of  a 
man's  hat,  with  the  crown  turned  downwards.  The  stem  (if  it  may  be 
so  termed)  is  about  four  feet  diameter  and  about  four  feet  high.  An  oval 
brim,  some  seven  or  eight  feet  in  diameter,  and  seven  or  eight  inches 
thick,  is  formed  around  the  top  of  the  stem,  through  which  a  circular 
tube  arises,  twelve  or  fourteen  inches  in  diameter.  Through  this  tube  a 
beautiful  stream  of  transparent  water  arises,  and  regularly  flows  over  the 
whole  surface  of  this  large  brim,  presenting  to  the  eye  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  fountains  in  nature's  works. 


m 


79  APPENDIX. 


ICE    MOUNTAIN. 

This  most  extraordinary  and  woiuUirlul  work  of  God's  creation  certain* 
\y  deserves  the  highest  rank  in  the  history  of  the  natural  curiosities  ot' 
our  country.  This  mountain  is  washed  at  its  western  base  by  the  North 
river,  a  branch  of  the  Capon.  It  is  not  more  than  one  quarter  of  a  mil& 
north  of  the  residence  of  Christopher  Heiskell,  Esq.,  at  North  river  mills, 
in  the  county  of  Hampshire,  twenty-six  miles  north-west  of  Winchester. 
The  west  side  of  this  mountain,  for  about  one  mile,  is  covered  with  loose 
stone  of  various  size,  many  of  which  are  of  a  diamond  shape.  It  is  pro- 
bably six  or  seven  hundred  feet  high,  very  steep,  and  presents  to  the  eye 
a  most  grand  and  sublime  spectacle. 

At  the  base  of  the  mountain,  on  the  western  side,  for  a  distance  of 
about  one  hundred  yards,  and  ascending  some  twenty-five  or  thirty  feet, 
on  reraoviiig  the  loose  stone,  which  is  easily  done  with  a  small  prise,  the 
most  ])erfectly  pure  and  crystal  looking  ice,  at  all  seasons  of  the  year,  is 
to  be  found,  in  blocks  of  from  one  or  two  pounds  to  fifteen  or  twenty  in 
weight.*  At  the  base  of  this  bed  of  ice  a  beautiful  spring  of  pure  water 
is  discharged,  which  is  by  rnanv  degrees  colder  than  any  natural  spring 
water  the  author  has  ever  seen.  It  is  believed  that  its  natural  tempera- 
ture is  not  many  degrees  above  the  freezing  point.  Very  near  this  spring 
the  owner  of  the  property  has  removed  the  stone,  and  erected  a  small  log 
dairy,  for  the  preservation  of  his  milk,  butter,  and  fresh  meats.  When 
the  author  saw  this  little  building,  which  was  late  in  the  month  of  April, 
the  openings  between  the  logs,  (on  the  side  next  the  cavity  from  which 
the  stone  had  been  taken  out,)  for  eighteen  inches  or  two  leet  from  the 
floor  was  completely  filled  with  ice,  and  above  one  half  the  iloor  was  cov- 
ered with  ice  several  inches  thick.  This  is  the  more  remarkable  from  its 
being  a  known  fact  that  the  sun  shines  with  all  its  force  from  eight  or 
nine  o'clock  in  the  morning  until  late  in  the  evening,  on  the  surface  cov- 
ering the  ice,  but  the  latter  defies  its  po\\«-'r.  Mr.  Deevers,  who  is  the 
owner  of  tlic  proj)erty,  informed  the  author  that  milk,  butter,  or  fresh 
meats  of  every  kind,  are  perfectly  safe  from  injury  for  almost  any  length  of 
time  in  the  hottest  weather.  If  a  fly  venture  in,  he  is  immediately  stif- 
fened witii  the  cold  and  becomes  torpid.  If  a  snake  in  his  randjles  hap- 
pens to  pass  over  the  rocks  covering  the  ice,  he  soon  loses  all  motion, 
and  dies,  ('hristopher  Heiskell,  Esq.  Informed  the  author  that  several 
Instanc(^s  had  occurred  of  the  snakes  belnij  found  dead  auioni^  the  rocks 
covering  the  Ice.     An  intelligent  young  lady  at  the  same  time  stated  that 


*The  neighboring  people  assert,  that  at  the  sotting  in  of  the  winter 
season,  the  ice  commences  melting,  and  soon  disappears,  not  a  particle 
of  which  is  to  be  found  while  the  winter  remains.  If  this  be  true,  it  ren- 
ders this  place  still  more  remarkable  and  extraordinary.  "^rhe  order  of 
nature,  in  this  immediate  locality,  seems  to  be  reversed  :  for,  when  it  is 
summer  all  around  this  singular  spot,  here  it  is  covered  with  the  Ice  of 
winter,  und  vux  versa.  We  cannot  account  for  this  effect,  except  the 
cause  bo  some  chemical  laboratory  under  the  surface,  opera; ing  from  the 
influence  of  the  external  atmo'^plierc  but  in  op[>osition  to  it. 


APPENDIX.  £80 

she  had  seen  instanres  of  this  character.  In  truth,  it  was  upon  her  first 
suggesting  the  tact,  that  the  author  was  led  to  make  inquiry  of  Mr.  Heis- 
kelL  Mr.  Devers  stated  that  he  had  several  times  removed  torpid  Hies 
from  his  dairy  into  a  more  temperate  atmosphere,  when  they  soon  recov- 
eied  life  and  motion  and  flew  off. 

Nature  certaiidy  never  formed  a  better  situation  for  a  fine  dairy  estab- 
lishment. But  it  will  probably  be  asked  by  some  persons,  where  is  the 
milk  to  come  from  to  furnish  it  ?  The  time  will  probably  come,  and 
perhaps  is  not  very  distant,  when  our  mountains  will  be  turned  to  good 
account.  Their  sources  of  wealth  are  not  yet  known  ;  but  the  spirit  of 
enterprise  and  industry  is  abroad,  and  the  present  generation  will  hardly 
pass  away  before  the  most  astonishing  changes  will  be  seen  in  eveiy  pait 
of  our  happy  country. 

THE    HANGING    ROCKS. 

These,  or,  as  they  are  sometimes  called,  "  Blue's  Rocks,"  are  another 
wonderful  work  of  nature.  They  are  situated  on  the  Wappatomaka, 
about  four  miles  north  of  Romney,  the  seat  of  justice  for  the  county  of 
Hampshire.  The  author  has  several  times  viewed  this  place  with  exci- 
ted feelings  and  admiration.  The  river  has  cut  its  way  through  a  moun- 
tain probably  not  less  than  five  hundred  feet  high.  By  what  extraordina- 
ry agency  it  has  been  able  to  do  this,  it  is  impossible  conceive,  unless 
we  look  to  that  almighty  power  whose  arm  effects  all  his  great  objects  at 
pleasure.  On  the  east  side  of  the  river  is  a  huge  mass  of  rocks  which 
forms  a  perpendicular  wall  several  hundred  yards  in  length,  and  not  less 
than  three  hundred  feet  high.  The  opposite  point  of  the  mountain  is  more 
sloping,  and  luay  be  ascended  by  a  man  on  foot.  On  the  top  of  the 
mountain  is  a  level  bench  of  land,  pretty  clear  of  stone,  and  fine  rich  soil,- 
upwards  of  one  hundred  yards  in  width ;  but,  from  the  difficulty  of  ap- 
proaching it,  it  remains  in  a  state  of  nature.  It  would,  if  it  could  be 
brought  into  cultivation,  doubtless  w'ell  reward  the  husbandman  for  his 
labors. 

The  public  road,  leading  from  Romney  into  the  great  western  highway, 
passes  between  the  margin  of  the  river  and  the  great  natural  wall  formed 
by  the  rocks.  The  center  of  the  rocks  for  about  eighty  or  one  hundred 
yards,  is  composed  of  fine  gray  limestone,  while  on  each  side  are  the 
common  granite  mountain  stone. 

The  reader  will  recollect  that  this  is  the  place  where  a  most  bloody 
battle  was  fought  between  contending  parties  of  the  Catawba  and  Dela- 
ware Indians,  noticed  in  a  preceding  chapter  of  this  volume. 

One  other  natural  curiosity  remains  to  be  noticed,  and  that  is,  what  is 
called  the  "Butterfly  rocks."  These  rocks  are  to  be  seen  in  Fry's  gap, 
on  Cedar  creek,  in  the  county  of  Frederick.  The  whole  mass  of  rocks 
are  intermixed  whh  petrified  flies,  of  various  sizes.  The  entire  shape  of 
the  wings,  body,  legs,  head,  and  even  the  eyes  of  the  flies,  are  distinctly 
to  be  discovered.  The  rocks  are  of  deep  brown  color,  and  of  the  slate 
species. 

Tie  author  will  conclude  this- section  with  a  brief  notice  of  an  avalaii- 


281  APPENDIX, 

the  or  moirnlani  slide,  which  he  has  oniitted  to  notice  in  its  proper  pla(  e- 
In  the  monUi  of  June,  in  the  renr\arkable  wet  spring;  and  summer  of  the 
year  1804,  during  a  most  tremendous  and  awful  llood  of  rain,  near  the 
summit  of  the  Little  North  mountain,  a  vast  column  of  water  suddenly 
gushed  from  the  eastern  side,  and  rapidly  descending;,  \vilh  its  tremen- 
<lous  current,  tore  away  every  tree,  of  whatever  size,  rocks  of  eight  or 
ten  tons  weight,  hurling  them  into  the  level  lands  below,  and  threatening 
desolation  awl  destruction  to  everything  which  was  within  the  limits  ol 
its  vortex.  In  its  passage  down  the  mountain  it  opened  a  chasm  from 
ten  to  fifty  y:\n\s.  in  width,  and  from  eight  or  ten  to  twelve  or  fifteen  feet 
in  depth.  The  farm  of  Mr.  David  Funkhouser,  which  the  flood  took  in 
ks  course,  was  greatly  injured,  and  a  beautiful  meadow  covered  over 
wuth  the  wood,  stone,  and  other  rubbish.  The  flood  ran  into  the  lower 
floor  of  his  dwelling  house,  thi'  foundation  of  w-hioh  is  elevated  at  least 
three  feet  above  the  surface  of  the  grctund.  This  rent  m  the  side  of  the 
mountain,  at  the  distance  of  five  or  six  miles,  presented  for  many  years 
the  appearance  of  u  very  wide  road.  It  is  now  grown  up  thickly  with 
young  pine  timber,  and  so  crowded  that  there  is  scarcely  room  for  a  man 
Xo  pass  between  them. 

III. 

MEDICINAL   SPRINGS—WATERING    PLACES. 

Our  country  abounds  in  medical  waters.  Numerous  sulphur  springs  ex- 
ist, particularly  in  the  slate  lands  and  mountains.  Springs,  of  various 
qualities  of  water,  arc  also  to  be  seen,  several  of  which  are  remarkable 
for  their  superior  virtues  in  the  cure  of  the  various  disorders  of  the  human 
body. 

It  is  not  within  the  plan  of  this  work  to  notice  all  the  me<lical  springs 
which  the  author  has  seen  and  heard  of.  He  will  content  himself  with  a 
brief  account  of  those  deemed  most  valuable,  beginning  with  Bath,  in 
the  county  of  Morgan. 

This  is  doubtless  the  most  ancient  watering  place  in  the  valley.  Tra- 
dition relates  that  those  springs  were  known  to  the  Indians  as  possessing 
valuable  medical  properties,  and  were  much  frequented  by  them.  They 
were  anciently  called  the  "  Berkeley  Warm  Sj)rings,"  and  have  always 
kept  their  character  for  their  medical  virtues.  They  are  much  resorted  to 
not  only  for  their  value  as  medicinal  waters,  but  as  a  place  (in  the  season) 
of  recreation  and  pleasure.  Bath  has  become  a  considerable  village,  is 
the  scat  of  justice  for  Morgan  county,  and  has  several  stores  and  boarding 
jiouscs.  It  is  too  publicly  known  to  require  further  notice  in  this  work. 

SHANNONPALE. 

It  is  not  more  than  twelve  or  fourteen  years  since  this  spring  was  first 
resorted  to  as  a  watering  place,  though  it  was  known  for  some  years  be- 
fore to  possess  some  peculiar  medicinal  qualities.  A  few  extraordinary 
eures  were  ofTected  by  the  use  of  the  water,  of  obstinate  scorbutic  com- 
T>laints.  and  !<  s-uUlenly  acquir'^d  n  high  reputation.     A  company  of  gen- 


APPENDIX.  2S2 

tlcmen  in  its  neigliborkood  joined  and  purchased  the  site,  and  torthwUh 
4^rected  a  large  brick  bnaiding  hou.'^e,  and  ten  or  twelve  small  buildinps 
for  the  accommodation  of  visitors.  For  several  years  it  held  a  high  rank 
among  our  watering  places. 

SALU8  SPRINGS,   COMMONLY    CALLED  BONd's   SPUINGS. 

Thes«i  arc  situated  between  the  Little  North  mountain  and  Paddy'.s 
mountain,  forming  the  head  fountain  of  Cedar  creek,  and  about  twenty- 
tight  or  thirty  miles  south-west  of  Winchester,  and  seven  or  eight  miles 
north-west  of  Woodstock.  These  springs  are  acquiring  a  high  character 
for  their  valuable  medical  qualities,  though  it  is  only  lour  or  five  years 
since  they  have  been  resorted  to.  It  is  well  ascertauied  that  the  water 
from  at  least  one  of  them  has  the  powerful  quality  of  expelling  the  hots 
from  the  horse. 

Another  of  the  springs  is  called  "the  Poison  spring,"  and  it  is  asserted 
by  the  people  of  the  neighborhood  that  by  drinking  the  water  freely,  and 
bathing  the  part  wounded,  it  will  immediately  cure  the  bite  of  any  poi- 
sonous snake. 

There  arc  five  or  six  beautiful  transparent  springs  within  a  circumference 
of  one  hundred  and  fifty  or  two  hundred  yards,  several  of  which  are  yet 
unimproved.  Nature  has  seldom  done  more  for  an  advantageous  water- 
ing place  than  she  has  exhibited  at  these  springs.  No  place  the  author 
has  ever  seen  presents  more  conveniences  for  the  construction  of  baths. — 
One  of  the  springs  is  discharged  from  an  elevated  point  of  a  ridge,  and 
has  fall  and  water  enough  to  construct  any  reasonable  number  ol'  sliowei 
baths.  It  is  asserted  by  those  who  attend  the  springs,  that  several  great 
cures  of  obstinate  scorbutic  complaints  have  been  made  by  the  use  of  the 
water.  One  remarkable  instance  was  related  to  the  author.  A  little 
boy,  of  eight  or  nine  years  of  age,  had  become  dreadfully  disordered  by 
eruptions  all  over  his  body,  which  formed  large  running  ulcers.  The 
complaint  baffled  all  the  efforts  of  the  most  skillful  phisicians  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, and  continued  for  about  twelve  months,  when  the  child's  life 
was  despaired  of.  An  uncle  of  the  child,  who  was  accpiainted  with  the 
valuable  quality  of  these  waters,  took  him  to  the  springs,  dnd  by  repeat- 
edly washing  his  body  with  the  water  of  the  poison  spring,  and  also  his 
freely  drinking  it,  in  ten  or  twelve  days  the  child  was  perfectly  cured,  and 
has  ever  since  remained  in  fine  health.  Within  one  and  a  (piarter  miles 
from  this  place  there  is  a  fine  white  sulphur  spring,  which  is  said  to  pos- 
sess very  active  cathartic  qualities.  It  is  also  said  thai  the  water  has  a 
sweetish  taste,  and  is  by  some  called  the  sweet  sulphur  spring.  The  wa- 
ter has  a  pure  crystal  look,  and  is  discharged  from  a  spring  at  the  l)ase 
of  Paddy's  mountain.  Plunging  baths  may  be  multiplied  at  pleasure. — 
The  waters  are  pretty  cool ;  a  handsome  bath  house  is  erected,  and  the 
visitors  use  it  freely. 

Sixteen  neat  looking  dwelling  house's  have  been  erected  by  as  many 
proprietors  within  the  last  four  or  five  years  ;  but  unfortunately  there  is 
no  regular  boarding  house  estabiishetl,  which  has  licretofore  prevented 
much  resort  to  thi^  j)lace.  In  the  hands  of  a  man  of  capital  and  entrr- 
piise,  i»  doubtless  raight  be  made  one  of  the  most  charming  rural  summer 


283  APPKNDIX. 

retreats  west  of  the  Blue  ridge.  It  has  the  advantage  of  a  most  l)Paiiti- 
ful  summer  road  much  the  greater  part  of  the  whole  route  from  Winclies- 
ter;  what  is  called  Frye's  gap,  within  twelve  miles  of  Winchester,  heing 
by  far  the  worst  part  of  it ;  and  an  excellent  road  can  be  made  at  inconsid- 
erable expense  across  the  Little  North  mountain.  Travelers  passing  up 
or  down  the  valley,  would  in  the  summer  season  fuid  this  a  delightful 
resting  place,  if  it  was  put  in  a  proper  state  of  improvement  for  their  accom- 
modation, nor  is  it  more  than  seven  or  eight  miles  out  of  the  direct  road. 
The  present  buildings  are  arranged  so  as  to  leave  in  the  center  a  beautiful 
grove  of  young  oak  and  other  timber,  wliieh  affords  a  lovely  shade  in  hot 
weather,  Near  Capt.  J.  Bond's  dwelling  house,  within  three  hundred 
}-Hrds  of  the  mineral  springs,  there  ir  a  fine  large  limestone  spring. 

ORKNEY   SPRINGS,   COMMONLY   CALLED  YELLOW   SPRINGS. 

TJiese  springs  arc  near  the  head  waters  of  Stony  creek,  about  seventeen 
or  eighteen  miles  south-west  of  Woodstock.  The  waters  are  composed 
of  several  lively  springs,  are  strong  chalybeate,  and  probably  impregnated 
with  some  other  mineral  besides  iron.  Every  thing  the  water  passes 
through  or  over  is  beautifully  lined  with  a  bright  yellow  fringe  or  moss. 
The  use  of  this  water  is  found  very  beneficial  for  the  cure  of  several 
complaints.  There  are  ten  or  twelve  small  buildings  erected  by  the 
neighboring  people  for  their  private  accommodation. 

The  iiiithor  visited  this  watering  place  about  four  years  ago.  A  Mr. 
Kaufman  had  brought  with  him,  the  day  preceding,  the  materials  for  a 
small  framed  dwelling  house.  He  reached  the  place  early  in  the  day, 
raised  his  house,  had  the  shingles  and  weatherboarding  nailed  on,  the 
floor  laid,  and  doors  hung,  and  ate  his  dinner  in  it  the  next  day  at  one 
o'clock.  The  author  had  the  pleasure  of  dining  with  the  old  gentleman 
and  lady,  when  they  both  communicated  the  foregoing  statement  of  facts 
to  him.  A  free  use  of  this  water  acts  as  a  most  powerful  cathartic,  as 
does  also  a  small  quantity  of  the  fwnge  or  moss  mixed  with  any  other 
kind  of  water. 

CAPON   SPRINGS,   MORE    PROPERLY  FRYe's    SPRINGS. 

The  late  Henry  Frye,  of  Capon,  upwards  of  forty  years  ago,  informetl 
the  author  that  lie  was  the  first  discoverer  of  the  valuable  ])roj)erties  of 
this  celebated  watcrinnr  place.  He  staled  that  he  was  huntintr,  and  killed 
a  large  bear  on  the  side  of  the  mountain  near  the  springs,  and  becoming 
dry,  lie  descended  the  glen  in  search  of  water,  where  he  found  a  large 
•spring,  but  it  was  thickly  covered  with  moss  and  other  rubbage  ;  on  re- 
moving which,  he  drank  of  the  water,  and  found  it  disagreealily  warm. 
It  at  once  occurred  to  him  that  it  possessed  some  valuable  medical  qual- 
ities. The  next  summer  his  wife  got  into  bad  liealth,  and  was  afllicted 
with  rheumatic  and  probably  other  debilitating  disorders.  He  went  and 
cleared  out  the  springs,  erected  a  small  cabin,  removed  his  wife  there, 
and  remained  four  or  five  weeks,  when  the  use  of  the  waters  had  restored 
1ii'=;  wife  to  a  state  of  fine  health.  From  this  occurrence  it  took  the  name 
<■,(■  <«  Frvp'-  .':]irings,"  .ind  wa^  called  l.ty  that  namf  for  many  year.';.  By 
vv:liat  whiiii  nr  fiq)rice   llie  name  was  changed   1e  that  of  '«  C'Rpnn,"   tlic 


APPKXDIX.  2  St 

author  cannot  explain.  It  is  situateil  four  miles  east  of  Capon  river,  .ind 
with  what  propriety  it  has  taken  the  narnc  of  that  river,  tlic  reader  can  as 
readily  determine  as  the  author.  This  place  is  too  publicly  known  to  re- 
quire a  minute  description  in  this  work ;  suffice  it  to  say,  that  it  is  located 
in  a  deep  narrow  glen,  on  the  west  side  of  the  Great  North  mountain. — 
The  road  across  the  mountain  is  rugged  arwl  disagreeable  to  travel,  but 
money  is  now  raising  by  lottery  to  improve  it.  The  trustees  for  several 
years  past  have  imposed  a  pretty  heavy  tax  upon  visitors  for  the  use  of 
the  waters.  This  tax  is  intended  to  raise  funds  for  keeping  the  baths, 
&c.  in  repair.  There  are  seventeen  or  eighteen  houses  erected  without 
much  regard  to  regularity,  and  a  boarding  establishment  capable  of  ac- 
commodating fifty  or  sixty  visitors,  which  is  kept  in  excellent  style. 

The  waters  at  this  place  are  a  few  degrees  cooler  than  the  waters  of 
Bath  ;  but  it  is  believed  by  many  that  they  possess  some  qualities  far 
more  powerful.  There  is  no  fact  better  known,  than  that  an  exclusive 
use  of  the  water  for  five  or  six  days,  (like  the  waters  at  Salus,)  will  expel 
-the  bots  from,  horses.  This  place  is  twenty-two  miles  siouth-west  of 
Winchester. 

WHITK    SULPHUR    SPRING,    IIOWARd's    LICK, 

This  fine  white  sulphu'-  spring  lies  about  four  miles  west  of  Lo«t  river, 
in  a  most  romantic  retired  glen  in  the  mountains.  It  is  almost  wholly  in  a 
state  of  nature,  the  nearest  dwelling  house  to  it  being  about  two  miles, 
and  is  but  little  known  and  resorted  to  as  a  watering  place.  The  spring 
has  been  cleaned  out,  and  a  small  circular  wall  placed  around  it,  and  a 
beautiful  lively  stream  of  water  discharged.  It  would  probably  require  a 
tube  of  one  and  a  half  or  two  inches  diameter  to  vent  the  water.  Every 
thing  the  water  passes  over  or  touches  is  pretty  thickly  incrusted  with 
pure  white  sulphur.  The  water  is  so  highly  impregnated  as  to  be  quite 
unpleasant  to  the  taste,  and  can  be  smelled  thirty  or  forty  feet  from  the 
spring.  The  use  of  the  water  is  found  very  eflricacious  in  several  com- 
plaints, particularly  in  autumnal  bilious  fevers.  The  people  in  the  neigh- 
borhood say,  that  persons  attached  with  bilious  complaints,  by  a  single 
dose  of  Epsom  salts,  worked  off  with  this  water,  in  three  or  four  days  axe 
entirely  relieved  and  restored  to  heath.  The  author  cannot  pretend  to 
express  his  own  opinion  of  the  valuable  properties  of  this  water,  merely 
liaving  seen  it  as  a  transient  passenger.  Jiut  he  has  no  hesitation  in 
saying  that  it  presents  to  the  eye  the  appearance  of  by  far  the  most  val- 
uable sulphur  water  he  has  ever  yet  seen.  There  is  level  land  enough 
around  it  for  the  erection  of  buildings  sufficient  for  the  accommodation  of 
a  great,  many  visitors.  A  fine  and  convenient  road  can  be  had  1o  it  from 
'Lost  river,  a  gap  in  the  mountain  iearlingto  it  being  generally  quilw  level, 
and  wide  enough  for  the  purpose.  It  is  probably  twenty-three  or  twen- 
four  miles  south-west  of  Capon  springs. 

paddy's  cap,  or  maurer's  white  sulphur  spring. 

This  is  a  small  pure  white  sulphur  spring,  and  i!<;  said  to  possess  some 
valuable  medicinal  qualities.  It  lief  in  Paddy's  gap,  about  halfway  bc- 
•lAvecn  Capon  ^nd  Salus  springs. 


2S5  APPENDIX. 


PEMBUOKE    SPRINGS. 


Tliosc  arc  situnted  about  one  mile  .south  ol'  the  n\si(k'iice  nt  Moses  Rus- 
soil,  Es(j.,  neventecn  miles  nortli-wcst  of  Winchester.  Tlic  waters  are 
considered  too  cold  to  bathe  in.  A  bath  house  has  been  erected,  but  it 
is  little  used.  The  waters  arc  pure  and  salubrious,  discharged  from  the 
base  of  the  North  mountain,  and  if  i^ood  accommodations  were  kept,  it 
would  doubtless  become  a  resting  place  for  travelers  in  the  season  for 
visiting  the  Capon  springs.  Mr.  George  Ritenour  has  lately  erected  a 
tajuiery  at  this  place,  and  it  will  probably  become  a  place  of  business. 

Williams's  white  sulphur  springs,  formerly  DuvAtL's. 

These  arc  situated  about  six  miles  north-east  of  Winchester,  A 
commodious  boarding  house  has  been  erected  by  Mr.  Williams,  who  is 
going  on  yearly  with  additional  improvements,  to  meet  the  increasing 
pf^l)uhirity  of  the  establishment. 

There  are  three  or  four  other  sidphur  springs  which  were  formerly  pla- 
ces of  considerable  resort,  but  the})  have  fallen  into  disrepute.  The  au- 
tliur  therefore  considers  it  unnecessary  to  give  them  any  parlicular  notice 
in  this  work.  Many  chalybeate  springs  are  to  be  met  with  in  our  moun- 
tains, but  it  is  not  deemed  necessary  to  describe  them. 

GRAY    EARTH. 

The  author  will  conclude  with  a  ])rief  notice  of  a  light  gray  earth  of 
singular  texture,  and  probably  containing  some  highly  valuable  properties. 
A  considerable  bank  of  this  earth  or  clay  is  to  be  seen  about  two  miles 
below  Salus  springs.  When  dissolved  in  water  it  makes  a  beauliful 
whitewash,  and  is  said  to  be  more  adhesive  than  lime.  It  is  remarkably 
»soft,  being  easily  cut  with  a  knife,  has  an  unatuous  or  rather  soapy  feel 
when  pressed  between  the  fingers,  and  when  mixed  with  a  small  quanti- 
ty of  water,  forms  a  tough  adhesive  consistence,  very  much  resembling 
dough  made  of  wheat  Hour. 

Tile  author,  when  he  fust  heard  of  this  bank  of  earth,  concluded  it  was 
probably  fuller's  earth,  so  highly  prized  by  the  manufacturers  of  cloth, 
&c.  in  England  ;  but  upon  an  examination  of  it,  it  does  not  appear  to 
answer  the  description  given  by  chemists  of  that  earth.  It  is  highly  pro- 
bable thai  it  would  be  i'ound  a  )uost  vidiiable  manure,  and  in  all  likeli- 
hood would  on  trial  make  a  beautiful  ware  of  the  pottery  kind  for  domes- 
tic use.  It  would,  in  the  opinion  of  the  writer,  be  well  worth  while  for 
jnauufiicturers  and  others  to  visit  this  pi, ice  and  examine  for  themselves. 
The  author  has  no  |)retensions  to  a  knowledge  of  chemistry,  and  tlu^relore 
cannot  give  anything  like  an  analytical  dcsuiption  of  this  singular  and 
curious  khid  of  earth. 


APPENDIX,  0^,3 


IV. 

l$i'$€iiptioii   of  Weyer's  Cave. 


BY  H.   L.   COOKE,    A.   M. 


Weykh's  Cave  is  situated  near  the  noTthern  extremity  of  Augusta  ronn- 
ty,  Va.,  seventeen  miles  north-east  of  Staunton,  on  the  eastern  side  oi 
the  ridcre  running  nearly  N.  and  E.  parallel  to  the  P.luc  Ridge,  and  some- 
what more  than  two  miles  distant  from  it. 

The  western  declivity  of  this  ridge  is  very  gradual,  and  the  visitor,  as 
he  approaches  from  that  direction,  little  imagines  from  its  appearance  that 
it  embowels  one  of  Nature's  masterpieces.  The  eastern  declivity,  how- 
ever, is  quite  precipitous  and  difHcult  of  ascent. 

The  Guide's  house  is  situated  on  the  northern  extremity  of  this  ridge, 
and  is  distant  eight  hundred  yards  from  the  entrance  of  the  Cave.  In- 
going from  the  house  to  the  Cave,  you  pass  the  entrance  of  Madison's 
Cave,  which  is  two  hundred  and  twenty  yards  from  the  other.  Madison's 
Cave  was  known,  and  visited  as  a  curiosity,  long  before  the  discovery  of 
Weyer's,  but  it  is  now  passed  by  and  neglected,  as  unworthy  of  notice, 
compared  with  its  more  imposing  rival,  although  it  has  had  the  pen  of  a 
Jefferson  to  describe  its  beauties. 

Let  me  remark  here,  that  the  incurious  visitor,  who  goes  because  oth- 
ers go,  and  is  but  slightly  interested  in  the  mysteries  of  Nature,  may  re- 
tain his  usual  dress  when  he  enters  the  Cave  which  I  am  attemjiting  to 
describe; — ])ut  if  he  is  desirotis  of  prying  into  every  recess, — climbing 
every  accessible  precipice, — and  seeing  all  the  beauties  of  this  sublcrni- 
ncan  wonder,  I  would  advise  him  to  provide  himself  with  siuh  habili- 
ments as  will  withstand  craggy  projections,  or  receive  no  detriment  from 
a  generous  coating  of  mi5d. 

The  ascent  from  the  bottom  of  the  hill  to  tlie  mouth  of  the  Cave  is 
steep,  but  is  rendered  less  fatiguing,  by  the  zigzag  course  of  the  ])ath, 
which  is  one  hundred  and  twenty  yards  in  length. 

Before  entering  the  Cave,  let  us  rest  ourselves  on  the  benches  before 
the  door,  that  we  may  become  jicrfectly  cool,  while  the  Guide  unlocks 
the  door,  strikes  a  light  and  tells  the  story  of  its  first  discovery. 

It  seems  that  about  the  year  1804,  one  Bernnrd  Wcyor  ranged  tliesc 
hills  as  a  hunter,  V/hile  pursuing  his  daily  vocation,  he  (iiiind  Ids  match 
in  a  lawless  Ground  Hog,  whicli  not  only  eliided  all  his  efforts,  but 
eventually  succeeded  in  carrying  off"  the  traps  which  hod  been  set  f'oi-  bis- 


287  APPENDIX. 

rapture.     Enraged  at  the  loss  of  his  traps  he  made  an  assa>dt   tipon   the 
doraicil  of  tlie  depredator,  witli  spade  and  mattock. 

A  few  moments  hibor  broufjht  him  to  the  ante-chamber  of  this  stupen- 
dous Cavern,  where  he  found  his  traps  safely  deposited. 

The  entrance  originally  was  small  and  difficult  of  access;  hut  the  enter- 
prise of  the  Proprietor  has  obviated  these  inconveniences:  it  is  now  en- 
closed hy  a  wooden  w'all,  having  a  door  in  the  centre,  which  admits  you  to 
the  Ante-Chamber. 

At  fus-t  it  is  about  eight  feet  in  height,  but  after  proceeding  a  few  yards, 
iji  a  S.  W.  direction,  it  becomes  contracted  to  the  space  of  three  or  four 
feet  square. 

At  the  distance  of  twenty-four  feet  from  the  entrance, — ^descending  at 
an  angle  of  nineteen  degrees, — you  reach  the  Dragon's  Room,  so  called 
irom  a  stalactitic  concretion,  which  the  Nomenclator  undoubtedly  suppos- 
ed to  resemble  that  nondescript  animal..  , 

Above  the  Dragon's  room  there  is  an  opening  of  considerable  beauty, 
but  of  small  size,  called  the  Devil's  Gallery. 

Leaving  this  room,  which  is  not  very  interesting,  you  proceed  in  a  more 
southerly  direction,  to  the  entrance  of  Solomon's  Temple,  through  a 
high  but  narrow  passage,  sixty-six  feet  in  length,  which  is  by  no  means 
difficult  of  access.  Here  you  make  a  perpendicular  descent  of  thirteen 
feet,  by  means  of  an  artificial  bank  of  earth  and  rock,  and  you  find  your- 
self  in  one  of  the  finest  rooms  in  the  whole  Cave.  It  is  irregular  in  shape, 
being  thirty  feet  long,  and  forty-five  broad — runing  nearly  at  right  angles 
to  the  main  course  of  the  Cave.  As  you  raise  your  eyes,  after  descend  - 
ingthe  bank  before  mentioned,  they  rest  upon  an  elevated  seat,  surround- 
ed by  sparry  incrustations,  which  sparkle  beautifully  in  the  light  of  your 
candles. 

This  is  not  unaptly  styled  Solomon's  Throne.  Every  thing  in  this 
room,  receives  its  name  from  the  Wise  Man;  immediately  to  the  left  of 
the  steps,  as  you  descend,  you  will  find  his  Meat-house;  and  at  the  east- 
ern extremity  of  the  room,  is  a  beautiful  pillar  of  white  stalactite,  some- 
what defaced  by  the  smoke  of  candles,  called  by  his  name.  With  strange 
inconsistency,  an  incrustation  resembling  falling  water,  at  the  right  of  the 
btejjs,  has  obtained  the  name  of  the  Falls  of  Niagara. 

Passing  Solomon's  Pillar,  you  enter  another  room,  more  irregular  than 
the  first,  but  still  more  beautiful.  It  would  be  impossible  adequately  to 
describe  the  magnificence  of  this  room.  I  shall  iherefore  merely  observe, 
that  it  is  thickly  studded  with  beautiful  stalactites,  resembling,  in  Ibrm 
and  color,  the  roots  f)f  radishes,  which  have  given  the  appellation  of 
Radish  Room  to  this  delightful  place. 

I  cannot  refrain  from  reprobating  here,  the  vandal  spirit  of  some  visi- 
tors, who  rcgarflless  nf  all  prohibitions,  will  persist  in  breaking  off  and 
defacing,  these  splendid  specimens  of  Nature's  workmanship,  forgetting 
that  a  single  blow  may  destroy  the  work  of  centuries. 

The  main  passage  to  the  rest  f)f  the  Cavern  is  immediutely  opposite  to 
(he  entrance  to   Solomon's  Temp|f%  and   you   reach   it  by   an   ascent   of 
twelve  feet,  to  what  is  called  Tii»!  Porter's  Lodge.     From  this  place,  pur- 
.suing   the  same  course,  yiu   pass   along  a  passage  varying  from  ten   to- 


APPENDIX.  2SS 

tliirly  feet  in  lieiglit — iVom  tea  to  fifteen  in  breadth — ^and  fifty-eight  in 
length,  until  yoii  reach  Barney's  Hall,  which  receives  its  name  from 
the  fancied  resemblance  of  a  prostate  stalactite,  at  the  base  of  one  that  is 
upright,  to  old  Com.  Barney,  and  tlie  cannon  that  he  used  at  the  "Bla* 
densburgh  races." 

Near  the  centre  of  the  room,  which  is  small  and  scai'cey  deserves  the 
name,  an  upright  board  points  ©ut  to  the  visitor  the  main  path  of  the 
Cave,  which  runs  to  the  right.  Two  passages  run  off  to  the  left — the 
first  one  to  a  large,  irregular  room,  called  the  Lawyer's  Office,  in 
which  is  a  line  spring,  or  rather  a  reservoir  where  the  droppings  from 
the  ceiling  have  collected ; — the  other,  through  a  passage  to  what  is 
called  The  Armory,  from  an  incrustation  that  has  received  the  name  of 
Ajax's  Sheild.  Between  the  Lawyer's  Office  and  the  Armory,  and  com- 
municating with  both,  is  another  large,  irregular  apartment,  which  is 
named  Weyer's  Hall,  after  the  original  discoverer  of  the  Cave,  who 
together  with  his  dog,  stands  immortalised  in  one  corner. 

Before  we  get  bewildered  and  lost  in  this  part  of  the  Cave,  which  is 
more  intricate  than  any  other,  let  us  return  to  the  guide  board  in  Bar- 
ney's Hall,  and  pursue  the  route  usually  taken  by  visitors.  Following 
the  right  hand  opening  mentioned  above,  which  is  rather  low,  being  not 
more  than  five  feet  high,  you  pass  into  the  Twin  Room,  taking  heed  lest 
you  fail  into  the  Devil's  Bake  Oven,  which  yawns  close  by  your  feet, — • 
This  room  is  small,  and  communicates  directly  with  the  Bannister 
Room,  which  is  fifty-nine  feet  from  the  guide  board.  The  arch  here  sud- 
denly expands,  and  becomes  elevated  to  the  height  of  thirty  feet,  and  by 
dint  of  hard  climbing  you  may  return  to  the  Porter's  Lodge,  through  a 
passage  directly  over  the  one  which  you  have  just  passed. 

A  descent  of  thirty-nine  feet  due  west  from  the  Twin  Room,  brings 
you  to  the  Tanyard,  which  contains  many  beauties.  The  floor  is  irre- 
gular; in  some  places  sinking  into  holes  somewhat  resembling  tan  vats, 
which  together  with  several  hanging  stalactites  resembling  hides,  have 
given  a  name  to  this  immense  apartment.  On  the  S.  E.  side  of  the 
room,  immediately  to  the  left  of  the  main  path,  is  a  large  opening,  which 
admits  you  at  once  into  the  Armory. 

It  may  be  well  to  remark  here,  that  a  notice  of  many  beautiful  appear- 
ances in  the  different  rooms  has  been  omitted,  because  they  are  noted 
upon  the  Map  of  the  Cave,  lately  published  by  the  author  of  this  sketch. 

Changing  your  course  to  the  N.  W.  you  leave  the  Tanyard  by  a  rough 
but  not  difficult  ascent  of  twenty  feet,  at  an  angle  of  eighteen  degrees, 
into  what  may  be  considered  an  elevated  continuation  of  the  same  room, 
but  which  has  been  deservedly  digiiilied  with  a  distinct  a|)pellation. 

To  your  right,  as  you  step  upon  level  ground,  you  will  observe  a  per- 
pendicular wall  of  rock,  rising  with  great  regularity ;  if  you  strike  upon 
it  with  your  hand,  it  sends  forth  a  deep,  mellow  sound,  strongly  resemb- 
ling: the  tones  of  a  Bass  Drum,  whence  the  room  has  received  the  name 
of  the  Drum  Room.  Upon  a  closer  examination,  this  apparent  wall  will 
be  found  to  be  only  a  thin  stalactitic  partition,  extending  irom  tlie  criling' 
to  the  iloor. 

*r 


^8<j  APPLNUIX. 

You  leave  the  Drum  Room  by  a  flight  of  natural  steps,  seven  feet  in 
perpendicular  height.  A  large  opening  now  presents  itself,  which  ex- 
pands to  an  extensive  apartment,  to  reach  which  it  is  necessary  to  make  a 
nearly  perpendicular  descent  of  ten  feet,  by  means  of  substantial  stone 
steps.  This  apartment  is  the  far-famed  Ball  Room.  It  is  one  hundred 
feet  long,  36  wide,  and  about  twenty-five  high,  running  at  right  angles 
to  the  path  by  which  you  entered  it.  The  general  course  of  this  room  is 
from  N.  to  S. — but  at  the  northern  extremity,  there  is  a  gradual  ascent, 
bearing  round  to  the  east,  until  you  reach  a  precipice  of  twenty  or  thirty 
feet,  from  which  you  can  look  down  into  the  Tanyard. 

Near  the  center  of  the  Ball  Room,  is  a  large  calcareous  deposit,  that 
has  received  the  name  of  Paganini's  Statue,  from  the  circumstance  that 
it  furnishes  a  good  position  for  the  music,  whenever  balls  are  given  in 
these  submundane  regions.  Tlje  floor  is  sufliciently  level  to  admit  of 
dancing  upon  it,  and  it  was  formerly  common  to  have  balls  here.  The 
ladies  are  accommodated  with  a  convenient  Dressing  Room,  the  only 
opening  to  which  communicates  directly  w^ith  the  Ball  Room. 

You  leave  this  room  by  a  gradual  ascent  of  forty-two  feel  at  the  south- 
ern extremity.  This  acclivity  is  called  The  Frenchman's  Hill,  from  the 
following  circumstance : — Some  years  since,  a  French  gentleman  visited 
the  Gave,  accompanied  only  by  the  Guide ;  they  had  safely  gone 
through,  and  returning,  had  reached  this  hill,  when  by  some  accident 
both  their  lights  were  extinguished,  and  they  were  left  in  Egyptian  dark- 
ness, without  the  means  of  relighting  them.  Fortunately,  the  Guide, 
from  his  accurate  knowledge  of  localities,  conducted  him  safely  to  the  en- 
trance— a  distance  of  more  than  five  hundred  feet. 

Another  gentleman  by  the  name  of  Patterson,  has  immortalised  his 
name  by  attempting  the  same  feat,  although  it  was  a  complete  failure. — 
Hearing  of  the  Frenchman's  adventure,  he  sent  his  company  ahead,  and 
undertook  to  find  his  way  back  without  a  light,  from  the  Ball  Room  to 
tiie  entrance.  He  succeeded  in  ascending  the  steps,  but  had  proceeded 
only  a  few  paces  farther^  when  his  feet  slipped  from' under  him,  and  he 
was  laid  prostrate  in  an  aperture,  where  he  lay  unliurt  until  his  compan- 
ions, akirmed  at  his  protracted  absence,  returned  for  him.  His  resting 
})lace  is  called  Patterson's  (jrave,  to  this  day. 

From  the  Froich  Hill,  a  long,  irregular  passage  extends,  in  a  N.  W. 
direction,  which  is  denominated  the  is  arrow  Passage.  This  passage  is 
fifty-two  feet  long — from  tliree  to  five  feet  wide — and  from  four  to  eiglit 
high.     It  leads  you  to  the  brink  of  a  precipice  twelve  feet  liigh. 

Natural  indentations  in  ihe  face  ot  this  precipice,  afford  a  convenient 
means  of  descent,  and  these  natural  steps  have  received  the  name  of  Ja- 
cob's Ladder.  To  correspond  with  this  name,  as  in  Solomon's  Temple, 
everything  is  namerl  after  the  Patriarch;  a  ll;it  rock  opposite  to  the  end  of 
the  Narrow  Passage,  is  Jacob's  Tea  Table!  ;>iu\  a  deep,  inaccessible  per- 
foration in  the  rock  by  its  side,  is  Jacob's  Ice  house!  !  Descending  the 
Ladder,  you  turn  to  the  left,  and  pass  through  a  nnrrovv  oj^ening,  still  con- 
tinuing to  descend  though  less  perpendicularly,  to  the  centre  of  a  small 
apartment  called  the  Dcjngeon. 

This  roDu;  commuiiiwittei  immediitslv    with    the    !^enate    Cha^mber, 


APPENDIX,  290 

over  nearly  half  of  which  stretches  a  thin  fldl  rock,  at  the  height  of 
six  or  eight  feet  from  the  the  floor,  forming  a  sort  of  gallery,  which  prob- 
ably suggested  the  name  which  has  been  given  to  the  room. 

The  Senate  Chamber  communicates  by  a  high,  broad  opening,  with  a 
much  larger  apartment,  called  Congress  Hall, — an  appellation  bestow- 
ed ratheE  on  account  of  its  proximity  to  the  last  mentioned  room  than 
from  any  thing  particularly  appropriate  in  the  room  itself.  It  is  long,  and 
like  the  Ball  Room  runs  at  right  angles  to  the  main  path,  which  winds  to 
the  left,  as  you  enter.  Its  course  is  nearly  N.  &  S.  and  a  wall,  perfora- 
ted in  many  places,  runs  through  its  whole  length.  Instead  of  pursuing 
the  customary  route,  w^e  will  turn  to  the  right  and  explore  the  dark  recess 
that  presents  itself. 

The  floor  of  Congress  Hall  is  very  uneven,  and  at  the  northern  extrem- 
ity rises  somew^hat  abruptly.  If  you  climb  this  j^cent,  and  pass  through 
one  of  the  perforations  in  the  wall  above  mentioned,  you  can  see  through 
the  whole  extent  of  the  other  half  of  the  room, — but  cannot  traverse  it, 
on  account  of  two  or  three  deep  pits  that  occupy  the  whole  space  be- 
tween the  western  side  of  the  room  and  the  wall. 

Turning  to  the  right  of  the  opening  through  which  you  just  passed, 
your  eye  vainly  attempts  to  penetrate  the  deep,  dark  abyss  that  is  present- 
ed to  view,  and  you  hesitate  to  descend.  Its  name — The  Infernal 
Regions! — does  not  offer  many  inducements  to  enter  it:  in  addition  to 
this,  the  suspicion  that  it  contained  fixed  air,  for  many  years  deterred  the 
curious  from  visiting  it,  and  consequently  it  has  not  until  recently,  been 
thoroughly  explored. 

In  the  spring  of  1883, 1  determined  at  all  hazards  to  explore  this  room — 
for  I  doubt  the  existence  of  any  bad  air,  as  I  had  never  detected  any  in 
the  course  of  extensive  researches  in  almost  every  part  of  the  Cave.  My 
brother  and  the  guide  accompanied  me,  each  carrying  two  candles,  and 
thus  prepared  we  descended  twenty  feet  before  we  reached  a  landing 
place.  Here  our  candles  burned  dimly,  and  great  care  w^as  necessary  to 
prevent  them  from  going  out  entirely;  yet  we  experienced  no  difheulty  ol" 
breathing,or  any  other  indication  of  the  presence  of  this  much  dreaded  gas. 
The  floor  is  not  horizontal,  but  inclined  at  an  angle  of  fifteen  or  twenty 
degrees,  and  when  we  emerged  from  the  pit  into  which  we  had  first  en- 
tered, our  candles  shone  brightly,  and  displayed  to  our  view  a  room 
more  extensive  than  any  that  1  have  yet  described.  Its  greatest  length 
was  from  W.  toE.  and  it  seemed  to  run  nearly  parallel  to  the  path  over  whic*!i 
we  have  just  travelled.  From  its  length  we  are  induced  to  believe  that  it 
approached  very  near  the  Ball  room  with  which  it  might  communicate,  by 
vsorae  yet  undiscovered  passag«e.  So  strongly  were  we  impressed  with  this 
idea,  that  wedetermincd,  if  practicable,  to  ascertain  how  far  we  were  correct. 
For  this  purpose  I  set  my  watch  exactly  with  my  brother's, and  requested  liim 
to  go  to  the  Ball  room  and  pursue  as  Gir  as  possible,  a  low  passage  that 
leads  to  the  right,  from  the  foot  of  the  Frenchman's  hill,  while  I  went  to 
the  eastern  extremity  of  this  immense  apartment.  At  an  appointed  mo- 
ment I  fired  a  pistol — but  the  owly  answer  was  the  dt^afening  reverbera- 
tions of  the  sound  rolling  like  thunder  along  the  lofty  arches.  I  sIk'h)- 
■ed — but  no  return  met  my  ear  save  the  hollow  echo  of  my  own  voico^  ancJ 


291  APPENDIX. 

1  began  to  (liink  we  had  been  hasty  in  our  opinion.  At  this  moment  a 
beautiful  stalactite  sparkled  in  the  light  of  the  candle,  and  I  forgot  my 
desire  to  discover  an  unknown  passage,  in  my  anxiety  to  secure  this  prize. 
Taking  the  butt  of  the  pistol,  I  hammered  gently  upon  it  to  disengage  it 
irom  the  rock  where  it  hung.  I  was  surprised  to  hear  the  taps  distinctly 
answered  apparently  from  the  centre  of  the  solid  rock,  and  a  repetition 
of  the  blow  brought  a  repetition  of  the  answer.  After  comparing  our  impres- 
sions,we  weresatisfied  tliere  could  l)ebut  little  space  between  thetwo  rooms. 

We  have  lingered  so  long  in  these  Infernal  Regions,*  that  we 
must  hasten  back  to  the  spot  whence  we  diverged  in  the  centre  of 
Congress  Hall.  Our  course  now  lies  to  the  S.  W.  up  a  perpendicular 
ascent  of  seventeen  feet  to  what  is  called  the  Lobby.  From  this  place, 
an  expert  climber  may  pass  through  secret  passages  and  bye  rooms  to  tiie 
end  of  the  Cave,  without  once  entering  the  main  path.  You  have  as- 
cended to  the  Lobby  only  to  descend  again  on  the  other  side,  when  you 
rqach  the  most  magnificent  apartment  in  the  whole  Cave. 

This  is'  Washingtons' Hall,  so  called  in  token  of  respect  for  the 
memory  of  our  Country's  Father,  and  is  worthy  of  bearing  the  name. — 
Its  length  is  two  hundred  and  fifcy-seven  feet — its  breadtli  from  ten  1o 
twenty — its  height  thirty-three,  and  it  is  remarkably  level  and  straight 
through  the  whole  length.  Not  far  from  the  centre  of  this  room,  is  an 
immense  deposite  of  calcareous  matter  rising  to  the  height  of  six  or  seven 
fdet,  which  strikingly  resembles  a  statue  clothed  in  draperv.  'I'his  is 
Washington's  Statue,  and  few  can  look  upon  it  as  seen  by  the  dim  light 
of  two  or  three  candles  which  rather  stimulate  than  repress  the  imagina- 
tion, without  experiencing  a  sensation  of  solemnity  and  awe,  as  if  (hey 
were  actually  in  the  presence  of  the  mighty  dead. 

Ev  ascending  a  bank,  near  the  entrance,  of  five  or  six  feet  perpendicu- 
lar height,  _you  cn'er  another  room  called  the  Theatre,  from  the  fact  that 
difTerent  parts  of  it  corr»€pDnd  to  the  stage,  gallery  and  pit.  I  notice 
this  room,  which  is  otherwise  uninteresting,  for  the  purpose  of  mention- 
ing a  circumstance,  related  to  me  by  Mr.  Bryan  a  former  guide,  which 
confirms  an  o|)inion  that  I  have  long  entertained,  that  the  whole  Cave  is 
thoroughly  ventilated  l)y  some  unknown  communication  with  the  n]-)per 
air.  About  six  years  since,  during  a  heavy  anri  protracted  rain  which 
raised  the  waters  of  the  South  River  that  flows  at  the  bottom 
of  the  cave-hill,  to  an  unprecedented  height,  Mr.  B.  conducted  a 
comnanv  throuofh  the  Cave.  As  he  ascenrled  the  stairs  that  lead  to  the 
Lobby,  he  heard  the  rush  of  water;  fearing  that  the  Cave  was  flooding, 
lie  directed  the  visitors  to  remain  in  Congress  Hall,  while  he  investigated 
the  cause  of  the  unusual  and  alarming  noise.  Cautiously  descending  in- 
to Washington's  Hall, he  f'lllowed  the  sound  until  he  arrived  opjiosite  to  the 
entrance  of  the  'J'lieatre,  in  which  he  saw  a  column  of  water  pouring  from 
the  ccilincr  into  the  pit,  and  losing  itself  in  the  numerous  crevices  that  a- 
l)oiind.  Whf'ti  the  rain  ceased,  the  floorl  was  staverl,  ruid  it  has  ne\cr 
been  repeated;   but  even  al  lh<'  present    liiru',    small    jicliliies    and  gravel, 


*For  an   aircounl  of  snnv  rrr-pn!    inlere-<fiiig  discoveries  in'   this   room. 
sec  note  'ui  jifigc  -20(5. 


APPENDIX:  292 

resembling  ilial  found  on  the  top  of  the  hill,  may  he  seen  in  the  Theatre. 
No  aperture  is  visible  from  within, neither  has  any  perforation  been  disf-over- 
ed  on  the  surface  of  the  hill — yet  beyond  a  doubt,  some  conununication 
with  the  exterior  does  exist. 

I  have  said  that  the  breadth  of  WashinQ-ton's  Hall  is  from  ten  to 
twenty  feel;  this  must  be  understood  as  applying  to  the  lower  part  of 
the  room,  for  the  arch  stretches  over  a  rock  twenty  feet  hi^h,  which 
forms  the  left  wall,  and  embraces  another  room  called  Lady  Washing- 
ton's room.  The  entrance  to  this  apartment  is  opposite  to  the  Statue, 
and  is  on  a  level  Avith  the  Hall.  The  wall  that  separates  the  two  rooms, 
is  ten  feet  thick,  and  is  named  The  Rock  of  Gibraltar.  One  or  two 
candles  placed  upon  this  rock,  produce  a  fine  effect,  particularly  if  every 
other  light  is  extinguished;  for  it  shows  you  the  arch,  spreading  out 
with  beautiful  regularitv,  until  it  is  lost  in  the  surrounding  dai'kness, 
and  imagination,  supplying  the  deficiency  oi'  vision,  peoples  the  dark 
recesses  with  hosts  of  matterless  phantoms.  You  leave  this  splendid 
apartment  at  the  S.  W.  extremity,  by  a  rough  and  narrow,  but  high 
passage,  running  at  the  foot  of  the  Pyramids  of  Egypt  and  Cleojiatra's 
Needle!  At  the  end  of  this  passage,  in  a  recess  to  the  right  is  another 
spring  or  reservoir,  similar  to  the  one  in  the  Lawyer's  Office.  A  de- 
scent of  eio-ht  or  ten  feetbrin<i:s  vou  into  the  Diamond  Room,  which  mnv 
be  considered  as  forming  a  part  of  The  Church,  a  long,  irregular 
room  more  lofty  than  any  that  we  have  yet  entered.  Its  length  is  one 
hundred  and  fif.y-two  feet — its  breadth  from  ten  to  fifteen — and  its 
lieight  fifty!  At  the  farthest  extremity,  a  beautiful  white  spire  shoots  ii]> 
to  a  considerable  height,  which  is  appropriately  styled  The  Stecjilc,  and 
has  no  doubt,  suggesteil  the  name  of  the  room.  Nearly  opposite  to  the 
centre  of  the  Church,  is  a  recess  of  considerable  extent  and  elevation, 
which  forms  a  very  good  Gallery;  in  the  rear  of  the  Gallery,  and  in  full 
view  from  below,  is  a  great  number  of  pendant  stalactites  several  ievt 
long  and  of  various  sizes,  ranged  like  the  pipes  of  an  organ,  and  bear- 
ino:  a  strikino;  resemblance  to  them.  If  these  stalactites  are  struck  bv 
any  hard  substance,  they  send  forth  sounds  of  various  })itches,  accord- 
ing to  their  sizes,  and  if  a  stick  be  rapidly  run  along  several  of  them 
at  once,  a  pleasing  variety  of  notes  is  produced.  This  formation  is  call- 
ed the  Organ. 

Passing  under  the  Steeple,  which  rests  on  an  arch  elevated  not  morp 
than  ten  feet,  you  enter  the  Dinino  Room.  This  room  is  named  from  a 
long  natural  table,  that  stands  on  the  left,  and  is  -not  quite  as  large  as  the 
Church,  though  its  heijxht  is  sixty  feet.  But  for  the  sort  of  wail  which 
the  Steeple  makes,  it  mi<2:ht  be  considered  as  a  continuation  of  the  Church. 
A  little  to  the  left  of  the  table,  you  will  see  a  small  uninviting  opening; 
if  you  are  not  deterred  by  its  unpromisingappearance,we  will  enter  and  see 
Aviiither  it  will  If;ad  us.  Proceeding  only  a  few  paces  you  wll  sufldenly 
find  yourself  in  an  immense  apartment,  ]):iral!el  to  the  Dining  room,  ex- 
lending  to  the  Gallery  in  the  Church,  with  which  it  communicates.  This 
is  .Jackson's  Room,  and  is  rather  uninteresting  on  rccou'it  of  it«;  irregu- 
larity, but  it  leads  to  one  that  deserves  notice.  Directly  opposite  (o  the 
little  pa^'sage  which  conducted    you   hither,  i*;  n.   largt;  opening;  passing 


?<>S  APPENDIX. 

this,  the  walls  contract  until  only  a  narrow  pass  a  few  feet  long,  is  Jefl, 
which  coMclucts  ytKi,  if  not  to  the  most  magnificent,  at  least  to  one  of  the 
m-ost  beautiful  and  interesting  portions  of  the  w^hole  Cavern.  There  is 
but  one  apartment,  and  that  is  small,  but  the  Garden  of  Eden,  for  so  it 
is  called,  derives  its  beauty  from  the  singular  arrangement  of  the  im- 
mense stalactites,  that  hang  from  the  roof,  and  unite  with  the  stalagmites 
which  have  ascended  from  the  floor  to  meet  them:  or  in  few  words,  it 
seems  as  if  at  some  former  period,  a  sheet  of  water  had  poured  dow-n  from 
the  roof  and  by  some  wonderful  operation  of  Nature  had  become  sudden- 
Iv  petrified.  This  sheet  is  not  continuous,  but  strongly  resembles  the 
folds  of  heavy  drapery,  and  ycni  may  pass  among  its  windings  as  through 
the  mazes  of  a  labyrinth,  and  the  light  of  a  candle  shines  distinctly 
through  any  part  of  it.  A  portion  of  the  lloor  of  this  room  is  composed 
of  beautiful  fine  yellow  sand;  the  floor  of  most,  if  not  all  other  portions  of 
the  Cave,  is  a  stiff  clay,  with  very  few  indications  of  sand. 

We  must  now  retrace  our  steps  to  the  Dining  Room,  for  there  is  no  oth- 
er place  of  egress;  but  as  we  return,  let  us  make  a  short  digression  to  the 
left,  into  a  small  passage  that  does  not  appear  to  extend  very  far.  Be 
cart  ful! — there  is  a  deep  hole  just  before  you! — now  hold  your  candle  above 
your  head  and  look  through  the  opening,  which  is  large  enough  to  admit 
the  body  of  a  man;  you  will  see  a  deep  unexplored  abyss, 
^*  Where  the  footstep  of  mortal  has  never  trod.'''' 

No  man  has  yet  ever  ventured  into  this  forbidding  place,  for  it  can  be 
entered  only  by  means  of  a  rope  ladder,  but  it  is  my  intention  if  my  courage 
does  not  fail  me,  to  attempt  at  no  distant  period,  to  explore  the  hidden 
mysteries  of  the  apartment. 

Once  more  in  the  Dining  Room,  let  us  hasten  to  the  completion  of  our 
task.  The  main  path  pursues  the  same  course  from  this  room,  that  it  has 
done  ever  since  you  entered  Washington's  Hall;  but  your  way  nowlies  up  a 
sort  of  hill,  in  the  side  of  which,  is  the  opening  through  which  you  are  to 
pass.  If  you  are  adventurous,  you  will  follow  me  above  the  opening,  up 
the  nearly  perpendicular  face  of  the  rock,  to  the  height  of  fifty  feet, 
where  a  ledge  of  rock  extends  itself,  forming  the  left  sicle  of  the  Dining 
Room.  From  this  eminence,  called  the  Giant's  Causeway,  you  can  look 
down  into  the  Dining  Room,  on  one  side,  and  Jackson's  Room  on  the 
other. 

Great  rautinn  is  necessary  in  climbing  this  height,  lest  too  much  con- 
fidence be  reposed  in  the  projecting  stalagmites,  that  offer  a  conveni- 
ent and  seemingly  a  secure  foot  hold  to  the  incautious  adventurer.  Jt 
must  be  remembered  that  they  are  formed  by  droppings  from  the  roof, 
and  are  gLMifrally  based  on  the  mud.  Ry  cautiously  desceiuling  the  ledge 
a  few  fert  on  the  opposite  side  to  that  which  we  ascenderl,  we  shall  be 
enabled  to  reach  with  ease,  the  room  which  has  already  been  attained  by 
the  rest  of  the  company,  who  have  been  less  adventurous  than  ourselves 
and  passed  through  tlie  opening  already  pointed  out,  in  ascending  the 
Causeway. 

This  room,  or  pofhajis  it  should  b?  called  passatje,  is  denominated 
Tiir.  Wir.DBRNESS,  from  the  roughness  of  the  path-way,  and  is  only 
Ten  f«pt  wirle,  but  it  rise*  to  the  iramenNc  height  of  ninety  or  one  hundred 


APPENDIX.  294 

feet!  As  we  come  along  the  Causeway,  and  look  down  upon  our  right, 
\ve  shall  see  our  company  forty  or  fifty  feet  below  us,  while  our  eyes  can 
scarcely  penetrate  through  the  darkness,  to  the  ceiling  above  our  heads. 
Upon  the  very  verge  of  the  rock  on  which  we  are  standing,  are  several 
beautiful  white  stalagmites,  or  rather  columns,  grouped  together,  among 
which  one  stands  pre-eminent.  This  is  Bonaparte  with  his  body-guard, 
crossing  the  Alps!  The  effect  is  peculiarly  fine  when  viewed  from  be- 
low. 

Without  descending  from  our  dangerous  elevation,  w-e  will  go  on  our 
way  a  little  further.  Proceeding  only  a  few  paces  from  the  Emperor, 
you  find  yourself  upon  an  arch  under  which  your  company  is  passing, 
which  is  very  appropriately  called  The  Natural  Bridg-e;  but  it  should 
be  crossed  with  great  caution — if  at  all — for  foot  hold  is  insecure,  and 
there  is  danger  of  being  precipitated  to  the  floor  beneath.  Retracing  our 
steps  nearly  to  Bonaparte's  statue,  we  will  descend  an  inclined  plane  on 
the  left,  and  by  a  jump  of  six  feet,  rejoin  our  friends  at  the  end  of  the 
Wilderness. 

You  are  now  upon  the  lowest  level  of  the  Cave,  and  at  the  entrance  of 
the  farthest  room.  This  is  Jefferson's  Hall — an  extensive  and  level 
but  not  very  elevated  apartment.  Before  1  describe  this  room,  we  must 
diverge  a  little  and  visit  one  or  two  rooms  that  branch  off  from  the  main 
path.  Directly  to  your  right,  as  you  emerge  from  the  Wilderness,  there 
rises  an  immense  mass,  apparantly  of  solid  stalagmite,  thirty-six  feet  long 
— thirty  feet  broad — and  thirty  feet  high;  this  mass  is  beautiful  beyond 
description;  very  much  resembling  successive  stories,  and  is  called  ihe 
Tower  of  Babel!  The  most  magnificent  portion  of  the  Tower  is  on  the 
back  or  northern  part,  but  it  is  difficult  of  access,  for  it  is  necessary  to 
climb  up  the  surface  of  the  rock  to  the  height  of  fifteen  or  twenty  feet ; 
the  view  however  amply  repays  you  for  the  labor.  For  a  few  moments, 
you  can  scarcely  convince  yourself  that  an  immense  body  of  water  is  not 
pouring  over  the  precipice,  in  a  foaming  torrent — so  white,  so  dazzling  is 
the  effulgence  of  the  rock,  and  when  this  impression  is  effaced,  the  words 
of  the  pious  Bard  rush  into  the  mind,  where  he  describes  the  awful  effects 
that  will  follow  the  consummation  of  all  things; 

^The  Cataract,  that  lilce  a  Giant  wroth^ 
'Rushed  dovm  impetuously,  as  seized  at  once 
^By  sudden  frost,  vjith  all  his  hoary  locks , 
'Stood  still!." 
One    might  almost  imagine  that  Pollock  had  visited  this  wonder,    and 
caught  the  idea  so  forcibly  expressed  above,  from    viewing  this    magnift- 
cent  scene. 

We  have  already  so  much  exceeded  our  intended  limits,  that  wc  can 
only  look  into  the  large  apartment  that  occupies  the  space  behind  the 
Tower,  which  is  called  Sir  Walter  Scott's  Room,  and  then  hasten 
back  to  the  main  path. 

Jefferson's  room,  that  we  left  some  time  since,  is  very  irreguJEr  in 
shape,  and  is  two  hundred  and  thirty-five  feet  long,  following  the  vari- 
ous windings.  What  is  commonly  called  the  end  of  the  Cave,  is  dii- 
tino-uished  bv  two  smirular,  thin,  lamellar  rocks,  five  or  six  feci  ni  diamc- 


295 '  APPENDIX. 

ler-,  united  at  their  bases,  but  spreadinir  out  so  that  the  outer  edges  are 
several  feet  apart;  this  'is  calU^d  the  Fly  Trap  !  To  the  left  of  tlie  Fly 
Trap,  is  a  large  recess,  where  you  will  liind  a  fine  spring  of  water,  at  which 
the  weary  visitor  is  glad  to  siake  his  thirst,  after  the  fatigues  of  his  ardu- 
ous undertaking. 

Very  many  visitors  have  thfcir  curiosity  satisfied  long  before  they  have 
gone  o\«€r  the  ground  that  we  have,  but  I  am  writing  for  those  only,  who 
like  me,  are  not  satisfied  until  everything  ii;  seen  that  is  worthy  of  no- 
tice. Such  would  not  excuse  me,  did  I  not  mention  one  more  curiosity, 
that  few  are  inclined  to  visit.  A  few  yards  beyond  the  Fly-trap,  there  is 
an  opening  in  the  solid  wall,  at  the  height  of  about  twelve  feet,  through 
whicli  you  are  admitted  by  a  temporary  ladder.  By  hard  climbing,  you 
soon  penetrate  to  the  end  of  the  recess,  where  you  fmd  the  source  of  the 
Nile!  This  is  a  beautiful,  limpid  spring,  covered  over  with  a  thin  pelli- 
cle of  stalagmite,  yet  sufliciently  strong  to  bear  your  weight; — in  this 
crust,  there  is  a  perforation  that  gives  you  access  to  the  w^ater  beneath. 

I  have  thus  very  cursorily  described,  as  far  as  it  is  practicable,  this 
wonderful  cavern,  but  I  feel  convinced*  tliat  no  pen  can  adequately  de- 
scribe an  object  so  extensive,  so  magnificent,  and  so  varied  in  tis  beau- 
ties. I  shall  only  add  a  few  remarks  in  explanation  of  the  motives  that 
induced  me  to  prepare  this  sketch,  and  some  general  tacts  that  could  not, 
with  propriety,  have  been  stated  in  the  description  of  individual  portions 
of  the  Cave.  To  settle  a  dispute  relative  to  its  depth,  I  was  induced  to 
make  a  full  and  accurat*:;  survey  of  the  whole  Cavern,  which  I  found  had 
never  been  done.  Tins  was  undertaken  solely  for  my  own  gratification, 
but  the  solicitations  of  the  Proprietor,  and  others, have  induced  me  to  con- 
struct a  sort  of  Map,  which  is  now  before  the  public.  This  Description 
therefore,  may  be  depended  upon,  as  being  as  accurate  as  posisible,  for 
the  distances,  heights,  elevations, &c.  are  given  from  actual  measurement. 
The  dotted  line  in  the  map,  represents  what  h;is  so  often  been  called  the 
"main  j)ath,"  and  if  we  measure  this  line  the  length  of  the  Cave  is  one 
thousand  six  hundred  and  fifty  feet.  By  following  its  windings,  the  dis- 
tance inavbe  more  than  doubled. 

At  alt  times,  the  air  of  the  Cave  is  damp,  but  the  damjniess  of  the  floor 
depends  much  upon  the  seasons;  if  you  except  a  moist  place  near  the 
Fly-trap,  there  is  no  standing  water  in  all  the  Cave.  The  temperature 
remains  invariably  at  lifty-six  degrees,  in  all  parts,  from  which  it  follows 
that  the  air  feels  (piite  warm,  to  a  visitor  in  winter,  and  directly  the  re- 
verst:  in  summer,  and  it  is  therefore  important  that  in  the  summe.i  he 
should  become  perfectly  cool  before  he  enters,  and  in  winter,  before  lie 
leaves  it.  The  spring  and  fall  are  the  best  seasons  fos  visiting  the  Cave, 
for  then  the  atmosphere  without,  is  nearly  of  the  same  temperature  with 
that  within,  and  it  is  more  dry  at  these  times. 

The  question  is  often  asked — which  of  the  two  great  curiosities  of  Vir- 
ginia is  the  greatest,  Weyer's  Cave  or  the  Natural  l^ridge?  This  is  not 
a  fair  question,  neither  can  it  be  easily  answered;  for  they  are  totally  dif- 
ferent in  themselves,  and  in  their  effects  upon  observers.  You  visit  the 
Natural  Bridge  in  the  full  blaze  of  noon-day,  and  when  you  reach  the  ob- 
ject of  your  curiosity,  it  bursts  at  onr^e  upon  your  view,  in  all  its  magu'dV 


APPENDIX.  29(1 

cence  an.l  granUcur,  you  comprehend  at  once  llie  mao-nltiulc  ofthe  scene, 
and  you  turn  away,  overpowered  with  a  sense  of  the  majesty  of  Him  who 
has  spanned  that  gulf,  and  thrown  His  arch  across  it.  Visit  it  as  often  as 
you  please,  this  feeling  returns  upon  you  with  unabated  force — lint  nf 
new  impressions  are  made— you  have  seen  the  whole. 

\  ou  visit  the  Cave  by  the  dim  light  of  a  few  candles;  of  course  no  impres- 
sion will  at  first  be  produced,  or  if  any,  an  unfavorable  one.  As  success- 
ive portions  of  the  Cavern  are  presented  to  view,  they  produce  success- 
ive and  varied  emotions.  Now  you  are  filled  with  delight  at  the  beauty 
ofthe  sparkling  ceilings; — again,  this  feeling  is  mingled  with  admiration, 
as  some  object  of  more  than  ordinary  beauty  presents  itself; — and  anon 
you  are  filled  with  awe  at  the  magnitude  of  the  immense  chambers,  the 
hollow  reverberations  of  the  lofty  arches,  and  the  profuse  display  of  the 
operations  of  an  omnipotent  hand,  indistinctness  of  vision,  allows  free 
scope  to  the  imagination,  and  consequently  greatly  enhances  your  pleat;- 
ure. 

Many  persons  go  away  from  the  Cave  disappointed;  they  hear  of 
rooms  and  ceilings,  and  if  they  do  not  expect  to  see  them  plaistered  and 
white  washed,  they  think  at  least  that  they  will  be  mathematically  regu- 
lar in  form,  and  that  they  will  be  able  to  walk  in  them  with  as  much  ease 
and  see  as  many  wonders  as  they  would  in  a  visit  to  Aladin's  palace!  A 
visit  to  the  Cave  is  not  unattended  with  fatigue,  but  the  pleasure  you  de- 
I'ive  from  it,  is  ample  compensation. 

[The  author  of  this  pamphlet  has  omitted  to  notice  what  I  consider  oiu' 
of  the  greatest  and  most  beau+lful  of  nature's  curiosities  in  this  grarui 
work  of  nature,  i.  e.,  what  is  called  the  rising  moon.  ]n  a  dark  recess, 
on  the  Eastern  side  ofthe  cave,  this  curiosity  aj^pears  in  full  relief.  It  is 
a  very  natural  representalion  of  the  moon  in  lu'r  last  qunrlcr,  rising  in 
the   morning.] 

(xotp:  a.) 

Since  the  publication  ofthe  first  edition  of  this  DeisCrlption,  a  discov- 
Giy  of  great  interest  has  been  made  in  the  Infernal  Regions,  whicli  de- 
serves notice,  on  account  of  its  extraordinary  richness  and  rarity.  Thv. 
floor  of  this  apartment,  \intil  recently,  has  been  supposed  to  be  solid  rock^ 
but  it  isn  ow  ascertained  to  be  a  rich  mnie  of  calccU'cous  depositcs,  .surpass- 
ing in  beauty  anvthinf  ever  yet  discovered  in  this  or  any  other  Cavern.  By 
perforating  "the  floor  with  a  crow  bar,  it  was  found  to  consist  of  successive 
layers  of  brilliant  white  crystals,  to  the  depth  of  three  -feet — the  layers 
being  often  interrupted,  and  varying  in  width. 

The  cjystals  are  usually  pendctit  from  the  lower  surfaces  of  the  layers, 
though  very  many  of  them  serve  as  pillars  to  support  the  supcincumbenl 
mass.  After  penetrating  through  the  layers,  a  large  gcode  or  hollow 
space  was  discovered,  extending  many  yards  horizontally,  but  only  three 
feet  deep,  which  was  half  full  of  very  limpid  water.  In  this  cavity  the 
crystals  assume  the  form  of  well-defined  dog-tooth  spar,and  arc  nnrivalled 
in  brilliancy  ajid  beauty.  In  the  course  of  extensive  and  minute  explora- 
tions ill  diffcrcnl  Caves  in  thi>  a?i(l   other  States,  I  have  never  met  with  :i 


297  APPENDIX. 

similar  formation,  or  "\fcith  crystals  of  such  transcendent  beaut j.     By  the" 
kindness  of  the  Proprietor,  I  have  been  enabled  to  make  a  choice  collec- 
tion   of  specimens,  embracing  almost  every  variety.     For  one  of  these  I' 
have  refused  $100. 

(NOTE  B.) 

Much  has  been  said  of  late,  of  another  Cave  that  has  been  discovered 
within  two  years,  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Weyer's.  A  few  words 
respecting  it  may  not  be  uninteresting.  You  gain  admittance  by  a  long 
flight  of  steps,  and  immediately  find  yourself  in  a  large  apartment,  the  first 
veiw  of  which,  (under  the  circumstances  in  which  I  first  saw  it — by  the 
light  of  several  hundred  candles,)  is  very  imposing. 

Pillars  and  enormous  pendent  stalactites  impart  an  air  of  wildness  and 
irregularity  to  the  scene,  that  is  not  observable  in  the  other  Cave.  There 
are  few  narrow  passages; — the  cavern  seems  to  be  comprised  in  one  im- 
mense room,  its  lloor  however  being  so  uneven  and  rugged,  and  the  view 
so  much  curtailed  by  pillars  and  stalactites  that  extend  nearly  to  the  floor, 
that  the  effect  which  otherwise  would  be  produced  by  its  vastness,  is  very 
sensibly  diminished.  I  have  not  space  to  describe  this  Cave  more  mi- 
nutely, but  will  briefly  give  my  impressions  of  the  comparative  merits  of 
these  rival  claimants  of  our  admiration.  We  are  immediately  struck  with 
astonishment  and  pleasure,  at  the  general  view  that  is  presented  to  us  in 
Weast's  Cave,  as  long  as  we  look  at  it  at  a  little  distance — but  our  emo- 
tions arc  not  very  varied;  and  when  we  examine  closely  the  objects  of 
our  admiration,  our  emotions  subside,  for  their  beauty  is  gone. 

As  we  enter  Weyer's  Cave,  we  are  not  transported  with  those  violent 
yet  agreeable  emotions,  but  as  we  proceed,  new  and  richer  beauties  rise 
successively  before  us,  and  our  feelings  rise  with  tliem,  until  they  reach  an 
almost  painful  degree  of  intenseness,  nor  is  the  eflect  lessened  by  the  most 
minute  examination  of  the  objects  of  our  admiration.  Weast's  Cave  richly 
deserves  a  visit  from  all  who  love  to  contemplate  the  works  of  Nature, 
but  in  variety, 'in  beauty,  and  in  general  effect,  it  must  yield  ihe  palm  to 
Weyer's. 


APPENDIX. 


V. 


-.O." 


ACCOUNT  OF  THE  MEDIOxVL  PROPERTIES 

OF    THE 

GREY    SULPHUR    SPRINGS. 


The  great  reputation  Avliich  the  ^lineral  Springs  of  Virginia  have  of  late 
years  acquired,  causes  them  to  be  resorted  to,  in  great  numbers,  not  only 
^y  invalids  from  every  section  of  the  U-  S.  and  foreign  parts,  but  also  by 
individuals  of  leisure  and  fashion,  whose  principal  object  is,  to  pass  the 
summer  in  an  agreeable  manner.  The  properties  of  the  Warm,  Hot,  Sweet, 
White  Sulphur,  Salt  Sulphur,  and  Red  Sulphur  Springs,  are  generally 
known.  Those  of  the  Grey  Sulphur  having  been  ascertained  only  within 
the  two  last  years,  have  yet  to  be  made  public,  and  in  order  to  do  so,  we 
are  induced  to  give,  in  this  form,  an  account  of  the  situation  and  medical 
properties,  together  with  a  statement  of  some  of  the  cases  benefited  by 
the  use  of  the  waters. 

The  Grey  Sulphur  Springs  are  situated  near  the  line,  dividing  the  coun- 
ties of  Giles  and  Monroe,  Va.,  on  the  main  road  leading  from  the  court- 
house of  the  one  to  that  of  the  other.  They  are  3-4  of  a  mile  from  Peters- 
town,  nine  miles  from  the  Red  Sulphur,  and  by  the  county  road,  twenty 
and  a  quarter  miles  from  the  Salt  Sulphur  Spring.  In  traveling  to  the 
Virginia  Springs,  by  either  the  main  Tennessee  or  Goodspur  Gap  road, 
and  crossing  the  country  from  Newbern,  by  the  stage  road  to  the  Sulphur 
Springs,  the  Grey  Sulphur  are  the  first  arrived  at.  They  are  thirty  miles 
distant  from  Newbern.  The  location  is  such  as  to  admit  of  many  and 
varied  improvements,  which  when  completed,  will  render  this  spot  an  el- 
egant and  desirable  resort  during  the  summer  months,  independent  of  the 
high  medicinal  properties  of  the  Mineral  Waters. 

The  present  improvements  consist  of  a  brick  Hotel  ninety  feet  long  and 
thirty-two  wide;  two  ranges  of  cabins  one  hundred  and  sixty-two  feet  long 
each,  which,  with  other  buildings  in  connexion,  afford  accommodation  for 
from  ninety  to  one  hundred  visitors. 

There  are  two  springs  at  this  establishment,  situated  within  five  feet  of 
each  other  and  inclosed  in  one  building.  Although  rising  so  near  to  each 
other,  yet  they  differ  most  materially  in  their  action  on  the  system.  J3oth 
appear  to  be  peculiarly  serviceable  in  dyspeptic  cases,  and  in  such  as  orig- 
inate in  a  disorderefl  state  of  the  stomach — the  one  in  those,  in  which  in- 
flammation exists,  the  other  in  such  as  proceed  from  torj)idity.  They  have 
hitherto  been  known  as  Large  and  Small  Springs;  but  having  succeeded 
towards  the  close  of  the  last  season  in  procuring  a  much  larger  sujiply  of 


•2'.}u  ai'1m:m)JX. 

Avaler  at  llic  .Small  Spring,  than  i:5  afforded  Ly  the  Large,  a  change  of 
iiamcs  became  necessary.  The  large  will  hereafter  be  l^nown  as  the  An- 
ti-Dyspeptic, and  the  Small  as  the  Aperient,  which  names  will  serve  to 
point  out  their  peculiar  characteristics. 

These  Springs  have  been  classed  by  Professor  Shepard,  as  '■'■Jilkalino 
Sulphurous^''  a  variety  so  rarely  met  with,  that  another  is  not  known  in 
the  United  States.  The  waters  arc  beautifully  clear,  and  highly  charged 
with  gas,  which  render  them  light  and  extremely  pleasant,  especially  that 
of  the  Anti-Dyspeptic  Spring,  wkich  ])roduccs  none  of  those  unpleasant 
sensations  so  frequently  felt  on  the  first  drinking  of  Mineral  Waters. 

When  first  purchased  some  of  the  water  was  submitted  to  a  chemist  for 
analysis;  the  quantity,  however,  was  too  small  for  him  to  ascertain  all  its 
ingredients.  A  more  recent  examination  has  been  made  by  Professor  C. 
\'.  Shepard,  wdio  has  iurnished  us  with  the  following  abstract  of  an  arti- 
cle which  appears  in  the  April  Number  (1836)  of  Professor  Silliman's 
Journal  of  Science  and  arts. 

"The  following  is  the    most  satisfactory   view  which  my    experiments 
■enable  me  to  present  of  the  condition  of  these  Waters, 
Specific  gravity,  1,003. 

SOLUBLE    INGREDIENTS. 

Nitrogen, 

Hydro -Sulphuric  acid, 

I'i-Carbonate   of  Soda, 

A  Super  Carbonate  of  Lime, 

(•hloride  of  Calcium, 

Chloride  of  Sodium, 

Sul])hate  of  >»oda. 

An  Alkaline  or  earthy  Crenate,  or  both, 

Silicic  acid. 

INSOLUHLE     IXGREDIKNTS. 

Sulphuret  of  Iron, 

Crenate  of  Per  Oxide  of  Iron, 

l^ilicic  acid, 

Alumina, 

Silicate  of  Iron. 
.My  experiments  do  not  permit  iny  to  point  out  the  differences  between 
the  two  Springs  with  precision.  The  new  Spring  a})pears  to  give  rise  to 
a  greater  amount  of  hydro-sulphuric  acid,  as  will  us  of  iron  and  silicic 
acid.  Proliably  it  may  differ  in  still  other  respects.  I  have  not  examin- 
ed it  for  Iodine  orj^romine." 

As  no  regular  anaUsis  was  altemptc.'d,  the  quantities  in  which  these 
.<;everal  im^^rdients  exist,  still  remain  iir)deteriiiincd.  That  thev  are  in 
diflTcnnt  proportions  in  the  two  Sj)rings,  is  evident  not  only  from  their  de- 
posii»'s,  but  also  from  their  a(;tion  on  the  system.  'J'he  action  of  the  Anli- 
Dyspcptic  Spring  is  diuretic  and  gentjy  aperient,  tending  to  restore    llic 


'5 


'Ii  '^annot  be  determined  whether  free  cdrbonir  acid  exists  in  these  wa- 
ters \vii!i«i,it  <z^<)\\vz  into  a  quaiilituti\c  analysis. —  C.  V.  6*. 


APPENDIX.  300 

healthy  performance  of  the  functions,  and  reduce  or  diffuse  the  local  irri- 
tation of  disease.  The  Aperient  Spring  while  it  possesses  all  the  alka- 
line properties  of  the  other,  has  an  aperient  and  alterative  action.  Pos- 
sessing more  iron,  (of  which  the  other  has  but  a  trace,)  it  acts  more  pow- 
erfully as  a  tonic,  whilst  its  other  ingredients  cause  it  to  act  in  some  cases 
as  a  very  powerful  aperient. 

As  these  Springs  have  been  visited  by  invalids,  only  during  the  two  last 
seasons,  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that  all  their  properties  have  not  yet 
been  discovered,  nor  all  the  cases  ascertained  in  whicli  they  can  be  bene- 
ficially used.  In  fact,  owing  to  the  small  quantity  of  water  furnished 
hitherto  by  the  Aperient  Sprmg,  its  qualities  have  been  but  little  tested, 
and  there  can  be  no  doubt,  (judging  from  its  constituents)  that  it  will  be 
found  equally  salubrious  as  the  Anti-Dyspeptic  Spring,  only  better  adap- 
ted to  another  class  of  cases.  To  give  a  general  idea  of  the  properties  of 
these  watei's,  we  might  say  that  they  are  peculiarly  serviceable  in  those 
diseases  which  originate  in  a  disordered  state  of  the  stomach  and  bowels, 
and  also  in  hepatic  affections.  It  is  proper,however,  to  enter  more  into  de- 
tails, and  we  therefore,  submit  the  following  synopsis  of  the  medical  prop 
crties   of  ihe  ^inti- Dyspeptic  Spring. 

JMedical    Properties. 

1.  It  relieves  nausia  and  headaches,  arising  from  disordered  stomachs. 

2.  Neutralizes  acidity,  and  if  taken  at  meals,  or  nnmediatcly  after,  it 
has  a  tendency  to  prevent  those  unj)leasant  sensations  so  often  experienced 
by  invalids,  from  indiscretion  in  dieting. 

3.  Is  an  excellent  tonic,  exciting  appetite  and  imparting  strength  to 
digestion. 

4.  Quiets  irritation  of  the  alimentary  canal. 

5.  Controls  and  lessens  the  force  of  the  circulation  when  unnatur.iily 
excited  by  disease,  and  often  in  this  way,  is  remedial  in  internal  inllani- 
mation  of  the  organs. 

6.  It  tranquilixes  nervous  irritability. 

7.  Is  a  mild  and  certain  expectorant,  often  eillaying  dyspno.'f,  and  })ro- 
moting  recovery  from  chronic  ailments  of  the  chest  or  wind  pipe. 

8.  It  alters  the  action  of  the  liver,  where  this  has  been  previously  de- 
ranged, in  a  manner  peculiar  to  itsslf,  and  under  circumsiances  in  which 
the  ordinary  alteratives  are  forbidden  by  reason  of  their  excitive  or  other- 
wise irrelevant  properties. 

9.  It  is  also  sudorific  or  diaphoretic;  and 

10.  When  taken  at  bedtime,  often  proves  itself  soporific;  apparently 
stilling  that  indescribable,  but  too  well  understood  inquietude  whicJi  so 
frequently  and  unhappily  interrupts  or  prevents  the  repose  of  the  invalid, 
and  especially  of  the  dyspeptic. 

Having  thus  briefly  stated  the  properties  of  this  Spring,  we  sui)mit  tlie 
following  statement  of  cases,  treated  at  the  Gray  Sulphur,  illustrative  of 
the  effect  of  the  waters,  and  in  corroboration  of  what  has  been  advanced. 
Kxrept  those  which  are  noticed  in  their  proper  places,  all  v:e  either  di- 
rectly from  the  pen  of  the  sufferers  themselves,  or  were  immediately  dic- 
tated by  them  iji  the  form  in  which  they  appear  in  tht,  notes.     The  orig- 


301  APPENDIX. 

inals  ire  in  our  possession,  signed  by  the  individuals  whose  cases  aic  re- 
ferred to. 

No.  1. 

Dear  Sir, — ■!  take  pleasure  iti  stating  that  tlie  waters  of  the  Grey  Sul- 
pliur  have  proved  quite  beneficial,  during  a  visit  of  ten  days,  both  to  Mrs. 
S.  and  myself.  We  have  both  been  suffering  with  that  distressing  mala- 
dy, Dyspepsia,  for  a  long  time,  and  in  my  case  with  a  general  nerTOUs 
debility,  a  weak  and  torpid  state  of  the  stomach  and  the  bowels,  and  at 
times  great  distress  of  the  head  and  mind,  and  nervous  excitement,  even 
to  spas/ns.  After  drinking  freely  of  the  JInti- Dyspeptic  Spring,  even  at 
meals,  the  water  produced  a  fine  glow  and  perspiration,  suspended  the 
nervous  irritation  and  distress,  and  acting  as  a  tonic  for  the  stomach,  cre- 
ated a  strong  appetite  and  enabled  me  to  partake,  with  impunity,  of  any 
or  alt  the  solid  and  delicate  dishes  with  which  your  table  abounded.  The 
water  of  the  Anti-Dyspeptic  Spring,  corrected  and  prevented  acidity  of 
the  stomach,  and  seemed  to  give  activity  and  strength  to  that  organ — but 
we  required  a  free  use  of  the  Jiperient  Spring,  in  the  mornings,  to  pre- 
vent a  constipation  of  the  bowels,  which  ihc  Anti-Dyspeptic  Spring  seem- 
ed k)  produce.*  A  glass  or  two  of  the  Anti- Dyspeptic  S])rm^^,  on  xeixx- 
ing,  produced  a  glow,  allayed  nervous  irritation,  and  induced  a  fine 
night's  sleep;  aiid  we  have,  as  well  as  our  servant  woman,  who  was  in  a 
debilitated  skite  of  health,  experienced  more  benefit  here  than  from  any  of 
the  Waters  we  have  as  yet  visited. 

Respectfully  yours,  &,c. 

No.  2. 

Dear  Sir, — It  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  inform  you  oi"the  general  ef- 
fects of  your  Anti-Dyspeptic  Spring,  in  my  case.  During  the  three  day's 
trial  of  the  waters,  I  am  convined  of  its  diuretic  and  diaphoretic  qualities, 
and  in  one  instance  it  acted  as  an  alterative  on  my  liver,  producing  a  free 
di^'charge  of  blllious  matter.  IVIy  general  health  has  improved,  the  symp- 
toms of  my  disease  (Neuralgia)  have  mitigated,  my  appetite  increased,  my 
pulse  has  become  more  tranquil  and  regular,  and  my  slee])  more  contin- 
ued and  refreshing.  I  have  also  gained  strength  and  weight,  (three 
pounds  in  three  days,)  during  my  short  sojourn  with  you. 

Yours  respectfully. 

No.  3. 

On  the  6th  of  August,  1S35,  I  arrived  at  the  Gray  Sulphur  Springs,  in 
a  state  of  mu('h  dq)ression,  accompanin^d  by  a  fever  and  a  rapid  pulse — 
both  arising  irom  a  complication  of  disorders  belonging  to  the  throat,  the 
stomach  and  bowels.  In  the  afternoon  I  drank  of  the  Anti-])yspeptic 
Spring,  and  its  immediate  effwct  was  to  produce  a  gentle  moisture  of  the 
'skin,  and  to  re(hice  the  pulse  from  an  hundred  beats  in  a  minute  to  about 


*Jn  a  few  instances  this  effect  was  cnm])lained  of,  but  we  found  it  was 
onlv  III  those  cas(*s  where  habitual  costiveness  existed,  crnd  this  was  eas- 
ily ife.'nedicd  by  making  use  of  the  Aperient    Spring  before  breakfast. 


APPENDIX.  30a 

eighty.  In  the  evening',my  system  generally  was  relieved.  On  going  to 
bed  I  drank  of  the  same  spring,  and  on  the  following  morning  felt  aconlin- 
uanee  of  the  same  agreeable  influence,  and  an  improved  appetite.  In  the 
afternoon  there  was  a  further  reduction  of  pulse,  and  my  fever  entirely 
.subsided,  but  partially  returned  in  the  night,  with  quickness  of  pulse,  but 
by  IK)  means  accelerated  as  it  was  when  I  came.  In  the  course  of  the 
second  day,  the  pulse  beat  sixly  per  minute,  but  quickened  again.  The 
first  twenty -four  or  thirty-six  hours  experience  was  followed  by  similar 
effects,  the  two  following  days,  one  of  which  I  confined  myself  to  the 
Aperient  Spring,  and  perceived  no  difference.  Neither  of  them  had  the 
effect  to  move  my  bowels,  but  on  the  contrary  to  constipate  them.  I  am 
much  inclined  to  believe,  that  a  continuance  of  these  waters  might  have 
a  salutary  influence  upon  my  very  singular,  very  troublesome,  and  vaiy 
obstinate  case,  if  I  can  judge  of  their  agreeable  effect  upon  my  skin, 
my  spirits  and  system  generally,  in  so  short  a  time  as  three  days.  There 
was  a  continued  reduction  of  the  pulse  from  an  accelerated  action,  pro- 
duced at  the Sulphur  Spring,  by  drinking  its  waters;  but  it  varied, 

being  considerably  quickened  in  the  evening  and  during  the  night.  The 
appetite  was  much  improved  and  continued  uniform.  I  regret  that  I 
could  not  remain  long  enough  at  the  Grey  Sulphur  to  test  its  effects  upon 
my  chronic  complaints. 

No.  4. 

Mr.  H had   had  frequent  hemorrhages,  accompanictl  with  a  pain 

in  the  chest — his  cough  w^as  slight,  but  he  suffered  much  from  phlegm. 
Twenty-four  hours  after  being  at  the  Grey  Sulphur,  on  examining  his 
pulse,  it  was  found  to  be  about  one  hondred.  Made  use  of  the  Anti-Dys- 
peptic Spring,  taking  about  three  tumblers  per  diem.  Threo  days  after, 
(about  the  same  hour  of  the  day,)  his  pulse  was  again  examined  and 
found  to  be  reduced  to    seventy-six  beats  per  minute,  and  he  felt  much 

better.     Having  left  home  for Spring,  he  thought  it  his  duty  to  go 

there.  About  a  month  after,  he  returned.  He  had  gradually  improved 
in  health,  and  looked  much  better,  and  was  evidently  so.  His  pulse, 
however,  was  much  too  frequent,  and  he  could  not  get  it  lowered.  After 
leaving  the  Grey  Sulphur,  it  had  risen  up,  to  from  eighty-five  to  ninety, 
and  in  the  afternoon  was  frequently  at  one  hundred.  In  the  afternoon  of 
the  ds^'  he  arrived,  his  pulse  w'as  counted,  and  found  to  be  one  hundred. 

After  remaining  five  days,  he  again  left  for   the Spring,  his  pulse 

varied,  during  his  stay  at  the  Grey,  from  seventy-five  to  ninety,  but 
never  reached  so  high  as  one  hundred.  His  complexion  became  clearer, 
his  spirits  better,  and  his  cough   entirely  left  him.     It  had  been  gradually 

lessening  at  the Spring,   but  he  could  not  get  rid   of  it  altogether, 

and  was,  moreover,  veti'y  annoying  to  him  early  in  the  mornings.  In  re- 
ply to  an  enquiry,  he  stated,  -after  a  little  reflection,  "that  he  had  not 
coughed  once,  that  he  could  recollect,  since  his  (recent)  arrival  at  the 
Grey,  and  expectorated  with  more  ease  the  })hlegm  which  collected  in  his 
throat." 

Note. — The  above  is  extracted  from  notes  we  kept  of  a  few  cases  du- 
ring last  summ.er.     Not  intending,  at  first,   to  publish  them,  we  did  not 


303  APPENDIX. 

ask  tlie  consent  of  Mr.  H.,  nnd  Ave  hope    he  will  pardon  the   liberty  we 
jiave  taken. 

The  three  following  cases,  which  occurred  in  1834,  we  give  from  hotes 
made  soon  after,  and  whilst  the  circumstances  were  fresh  in  our  meraor}', 
and  for  the  correctness  of  which  we  hold  ourselves  responsible. 

No.  5. 

Mr.  A.  W.  of  Pjaltimore,  arrived  at  the  Grey  Sulphur,  in  August,  1834- 
His  health  had  been  feeble  for  some  time,  though  in  appearance  he  looked 
but  little  like  an  invalid.  On  the  morning  of  the  second  day  after  his  ar- 
rival at  Ihe  Grey  Sulphur,  he  had,  whilst  standing  at  the  Spring  house,  a 
considerable  hemorrhage — a  half  pint  of  blood,  at  least,  was  ^)\i  up  in  a 
very  short  time.  A  little  common  salt  was  administered,  which  had  the 
effect  of  stopping  it.  It  being  deemed  improper  for  him  to  move  immedi- 
ately, he  was  induced  to  lie  down  on  one  of  the  benches.  About  half  an 
hour  after  this  occurrence,  his  pulse  was  felt  for  the  first  time.  It  then 
beat  one  hundred  and  eighteen  per  minute;  nor  did  it  vary  for  the  next 
half  hour.  He  was  persuaded  to  take  some  of  the  Water  of  the  Anti- 
Dyspeptic  Spring,  which  he  was  loth  at  first  to  do,  lest  a  recurrenr^e  of 
the  hemorrhage  shoidd  take  place.  He  took  about  a  half  pint  of  water, 
in  small  quantities  at  a  time,  with  intervals  of  from  fifteen  to  twenty  min- 
utes between  eaah.  In  about  an  hour  from  the  drinking  of  the  first  por- 
tion of  the  water,  the  pulse  was  reduced  to  ninety-eight  beats  per  minute. 
Soon  after,  he  was  assisted  up  to  his  room  and  put  to  bed.  His  pulse 
was  not  again  examined  until  about  4  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  (the  hem- 
orrhage had  occurred  about  10  o'clock,  A.  M.)  it  was  then  found  to  have 
fallen  to  eighty-six.  In  the  course  of  the  day,  he  had  taken  about  a  pint 
of  water,  in  quantities  of  about  a  half  tumbler  at  a  time.  The  next  morn- 
ing his  pulse  war;  again  examined,  and  found  to  have  fallen  to  eighty-four 
beats  per  minute.  In  the  course  of  the  day,  he  left  his  bed  and  came 
down  stairs,  and  the  day  following,  he  left  the  Grey  for  the  Red  Sulphur, 
to  obtain  Medical  advice.  His  pulse  was  not  examined  after  he  left  his 
bed. 

No.  C. 

Mr.  M.,  of  South-Carolina,  had  been  long  a  dyspeptic,  and  had  suffer- 
ed, for  many  years,  from  Chronic  Dinrrlicpa.  Early  irt  the  season  of  1834, 
iiC  visited  the  vSaraloga  vSprings — the  water  proved  injurious  1o  him. — 
From  thence  he  visited  the  White  Sulphur,  Salt  Sulphur,  and  Red  Sul- 
phur Springs,  without  experiencing  material  benefit.  When  he  arrived 
at  the  Grny  Sulphur  Springs,  he  was  exceedingly  feeble  and  had  to  be  as- 
sisted about,  and  for  several  days  scarce  ever  left  his  rhamber,  except  at 
mo  d  times.  His  passages  were  very  frequent,  from  eight  to  ten  during 
the  night,  and  about  the  same  number  during  the  day.  He  had  entirely 
lost  tlie  power  of  secreting  urine,  and  all  liquids  which  he  drank  passed 
ihrougli  his  bowels  mivfd  up  with  undigested  food.  His  passages  were 
thin  and  of  a  whitish  clay  color,  apparantly  made  up  of  water  and  undi- 
gested food,  the  latter  so  litile  changed  as  to  be  easily  recognised.  In 
three  days,  his  passages  wore  reduced  to   from  two  to  tjiree  each  night. 


APPENDIX.  304 

riiKl  about  tlie  same  number  during  the  day,  the  consistency  and  color  also 
changed.  In  a  week's  time,  this  change  was  still  greater.  The  number 
of  passages  were  about  the  same,  but  they  became  of  a  bright  yellow  col- 
or, and  similar  to  a  child's  in  consistency.  He  moreover  secreted  urine 
freely,  and  on  one  occasion  he  informed  us,  that  he  had  passed  a  large 
quantity  of  "pure  bile."  His  bowels  remained  nearly  in  this  state,  du- 
ring the  time  he  remained  at  the  Spring,  (about  a  fortnight,)  but  he  im- 
proved greatly  in  bodily  health,  walked  out,  was  cheerful,  and  in  every 
respect  appeared  better.  The  intended  stoppage  of  the  stage  hurried 
him  off  earlier  than  he  wished.  He  left  the  Gvej  Sulphur  with  the  belief 
that  he  had  derived  considerable  benefit  from  the  use  of  the  Waters.  It 
is  proper  to  remark,  that  his  appetite  was  enormous,  and  that  he  did  not 
restrict  himself  in  his  diet. 

Note. — There  were  several  other  cases  of  Diarrhoea  at  the  Grey  Sul- 
pher,  in  1834;  all  were  materially  benefited  by  the  use  of  the  Anti-Dys- 
peptic Spring. 

No.  7. 

Mr.  L arrived  at  the  Grey    Sulphur  Springs  about  4  o'clock    in 

the  afternoon.     He  had  been  for   sometime  in  a  delicate  state  of  health 
and  had  suffered   much  during   the  day.     Early  in  the  morning  he  had 
been  seized  with  nausea,  which  brought  on  vomiting.     The  irritation  in- 
creased during  the  day,  and  the  vomiting  became  frequent  and  easily  ex- 
cited— -all  food  was    immediately  rejected,   and  so  irritable  became  the 
stomach,  that  two  mouthfuls  of  water,  taken  a  short  time  before  reaching 
the  Grey  Sulphur,  were  thrown  up  before  he    could  recline  back  in  hii? 
carriage.     He  was  very  much  exhausted  when  he  arrived,  but  without  sit- 
ting down,  requested  to  be  shown  to  the  Spring.     We  accompanied  him 
down.     He  took  a  glass  of  the  Anti-Dyspeptic   Spring,  paused  for  a  few 
seconds,  then  took  another.     A  minute  or  two  elapsed,  and  he  then  drank 
several  in  quick   succession.     The  precise  properties    of  the  water  had 
not  then  been  ascertained,  and  we  felt  bound  to  caution   him  against  ma- 
king such  free  use  of  an  untried  water,  although  we  then  knew  nothing  of 
his  case.     He  laid  down  the  glass  and  walked  up  to  the  house  with  us. — 
On  the  way,  he  mentioned   the  particulars   already  given^in  continua-' 
tion,  he  stated,  that  on  drinking  the  first  tumbler  of  water,  he  experienced 
a  slight  nausea,  as  the  first  of  it  reached  the  coat  of  the  stomach,  but  that 
this  wore  off  almost  instantaneously.     Being  much    exhausted  and   ex- 
ceedingly thirsty,  he  determined  to  venture  a  second,  although  he  firmly 
believed  that  both  would  be  thrown    up.     Not  the  slightest  nausc  a   Avas 
experienced  on  drinking  the  second  tumbler  of  water.     Surprised   at  this 
effect,  he  determined  to  ascertain  what  would  be  the  effect  of  taking  it  in 
larger  quantities,  and  for  this  purpose  he  drank  about  four  tumblers  more, 
when    he  was  prevented  from  proceeding   further  by  our  remarks.     The 
great  quantity  he  had  taken,  not  only  produced  no  unpleasant  sensations, 
but  on  the  contrary,  removed    those  he  had  previously  experienced,  and 
served  to    revive   him.     In  the  course  of  the  afternoon,  he  took  two  or 
three  glasses  more  of  tlu   water.     About  7  o'clock,  suj)per  was  servi'd,  of 


3D5  APPENDrX. 

which  he  partook  iVeely,  making  choice  of  substantial  food,  such  as  boil- 
ed chicken,  bread,  rice,  &c.  Not  the  slightest  nausea  was  produced. — 
Fearing  a  recurrence  the  next  morning,  lie  was  advised  to  take  some  of 
the  water  before  he  left  his  bed.  We  were  informed,  that  a  slight  nau- 
sea was  felt,  but  it  immediately  wore  off  on  drinking  a  glass  of  water. — 
In  similar  attacks,  which  this  gentleman  had  previously  had,  each  was 
succeeded  by  such  costiveness  that  medicine  had  to  be  resorted  to.  In 
the  present  one,  there  was  no  occasion  for  medicine ;  the  evacuations  were 
large  and  the  bowels  continned  regular  during  the  time  he  remained ;  nor 
did  he  at  any  time  thereafter,  experience  any  nausea,  with  which  wc 
were  made  acquainted. 

No.  8. 

Extract  of  a  letter,  dated  JVeiw  York,  Jan,  21,  1836. 

"It  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  inform  you,  that  I  fully  realized  all  the 
benefit  I  had  been  led  to  anticipate  from  the  use  of  the  Waters  of  the 
Grey  Sulphur  (Anti-Dyspeptic)  Spring,  with  which  you  so  kindly  pro- 
vided me.  On  Monday  morning,  I  was  very  sea  sick,  so  that  I  could  not 
leave  my  berth  without  vomiting,  but  on  taking  half  a  tumbler  of  the  wa- 
ter, I  was  sensibly  relieved.  I  continued  to  use  it  agreeably  to  your  di- 
rections, taking  half  a  tumbler  at  intervals  of  fifteen  minutes,  till  the  bot- 
tle was  exhausted.  By  that  time,  I  had  so  far  recovered  as  to  be  able  to 
go  about  the  deck  with  great  comfort,  and  took  a  heartji  meal,  both  at 
dinner  and  supper.  The  next  morning,  however,  the  weather  having  be- 
come more  boisterous,  and  the  sea  running  high,  I  was  again  very  sicky 
but  my  resource  had  failed  me,  and  I  had  only  to  yield  myself  quietly  to 
the  influence  of  that  most  distressing  affection.  From  the  result  of  the 
experiment,  I  am  satisfied  that  it  is  the  best  remedy  for  sea  sick7iess  that  I 
have  ever  heard  of,  and  that,  had  not  the  supply  of  water  failed,  I  should 
not  have  lost  one  meal  during  the  voyage. 

The  following  note  which  has  been  kindly  furnished  us,  refers  to  the 
same  subject: — 

Dear  Sir, — The  following  is  an  extract  of  a  letter  received  by  me,  from 
Mr.  .J.  H.,  who  went  passenger  by  the  Steam  Boat  Wm.  Gibbons,  in. Jan- 
uary last,  showing  the  very  beneficial  effects  of  the  Grey  Sulphur  Water, 
m  relieving  him  from  sea  sickness. 

"The  effects  of  the  water  on  me,  were  most  beneficial,  and  while  the 
supply  lasted,  relieved  me  entirely  of  nausea,  so  that  I  was  enabled  to  eat 
heartily." 

Having  been  at  sea  with  Mr.  II.,  I  bear  testimony  that  he  is  a  com- 
plete victim  to  sea  sickness,  and  I  do  not  know  any  one  on  whom  the 
effects  of  that  water  could  be  better  tested. 

No.  9. 

Sir, — It  affords  me  pleasure  to  bear  testimony  to  the  efficacy  of  the  wa- 
ters of  the  Grey  Su!i)luir  Spring  in  my  case.  1  have  been  suffering  from 
Dyspepsi;),  for  at  least  fifteen  years,  during  which  time  it  has  made  fear- 
ful inroads  on  a  naturally  delicate  constitution.  Tlu;  disease  had  pro- 
gressed so  far  fa  fev.-  years  ago)  that  the  slight  stimulus  of  food,  produc- 


APPENDIX.  306 

cd  an  immediate  evacuation  after  every  meal.  This  state  of  things  coiild 
not  last,  and  a  most  violent  inflammation  of  the  bowels  ensued,  which 
brought  me  to  the  borders  of  the  grave,  and  eventuated  in  the  formalion 
of  a  fistula  in  anno.  The  sinusses  spread  so  f\ir,  and  l)ecame  so  numer- 
ous, that  I  was  forced  to  have  some  of  them  laid  open,  but  having  a  pre- 
disposition to  pulmonary  affections,  it  was  not  deemed  prudent  to  operate 
on  all  of  them.  My  digestive  organs  had  not  recovered  their  strength, 
and  the  irritation  of  undigested  food,  (though  I  had  lived  extremely  low) 
kept  up  the  inflammation,  and  this  at  last  extended  to  the  neck  of  the 
bladder,  and  became  extremely  distressing.  To  remove  the  inflamma- 
tion and  obtain  relief,  I  had  recourse  to  mustard  poultices  and  opiates,  but 
the  relief  was  very  temporary.  Whilst  suffering  much  from  this  cause,  I 
was  induced  to  set  ofTfor  the  Virginia  Springs,  At  that  time,  my  bodily 
health  was  so  much  impaired,  that  I  w^as  almost  incapable  of  transacting 
business':  all  employmennt,  (even  reading)  was  irksome  to  me.  My  di- 
gestion was  so  bad  that  I  scarce  knew  what  to  live  on;  every  thing,  liow- 
ever  plain,  appeared  to  disagree  with  me,  and  I  was  at  times  truly  w^eari- 
ed  of  life,  for  I  looked  forward  only  to  a  life  of  pain  and  suffering.  Such 
was  my  situation,  when  in  1834,  I  left  my  home  for  the  Springs.  On 
my  journey,  I  did  not  improve  in  health,  but  on  the  contrary,  had  a  slight 
attack  of  diarrhoea.  The  irritation  around  the  bladder  continued,  or  rath- 
er increased,  so  that  I  was  obliged  to  make  use  of  opiates  daily,  aiul 
sometimes,  two  or  three  times  in  the  course  of  the  day.  The  first  Spring 
I  arrived  at,  was  the  Grey  Sulphur.  This  I  consider  fortunate,  as  I  found, 
on  trial,  that  all  of  the  others  were  too  stimulating  for  me,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  Red  Sulphur,  and  from  that,  I  am  not  aware  of  experien- 
cing any  material  benefit.  Be  this  as  it  may,  it  enabled  me  satisfactorily 
to  ascertain  that  the  waters  of  the  Grey  Sulphur  Spring,  were  decidedly 
beneficial  in  my  case.  I  can  scarcely  describe  my  situation  when  I  ar- 
rived at  your  Spring.  I  was  weak,  feverish,  and  laboring  under  a  kind 
of  nervous  excitement,  whilst  the  inflammation  had  evidently  increased, 
and  I  suffered  much  from  it,  especially  towards  evening.  I  have  been 
thus  particular,  that  the  action  of  the  water  may  be  more  distinctly  under- 
stood. The  first  day  of  my  arrival,  I  drank  freely  of  tht;  Anti-J)yspep- 
tic  Spring.  I  took  no  note  of  the  quantity,  but  drank  whenever  I  felt 
thirsty,  or  had  an  inclination,  and  I  must  confess,  with  but  little  expecta- 
tion of  finding  relief,  or  at  least,  not  immediate,  for  your  Spniig  had  not 
then  obtained  that  celebrity,  which  I  am  glad  to  find  it  has  since  ac(juir- 
ed.  Judge,  then,  of  my  very  agreeable  surprise,  at  finding  in  the  eve- 
ning, (the  time  when  the  paroxisms  of  pain  were  usually  the  most  violent,) 
that  they  were  so  slight  that  I  had  no  need  of  medicine.  I  retired  to 
rest  and  slept  soundly.  The  next  day  I  was  not  at  all  annoyed,  and  at 
the  usual  time,  I  scarcely  perceived  that  there  was  any  initation  ;it  all. — 
The  third  day  I  was  entirely  relieved,  and  had  no  return  during  my  stay 
at  the  Spring,  nor  had  I  occasion  once  to  use  any  medicine. 

Other  changes  not  less  important,  also  took  place.  The  diarrhoea  ceas- 
ed on  the  second  day,  and  in  the  course  of  the  week  the  evacuations, 
from  being  thin  and  of  a  whitish  clay  colour,  became  of  an  orange  colour, 
and  acquired  considerable  firmness,  and  in  a  short  tunc  afterwards,  ac- 


307  APPENDIX. 

fiuircd  all  the  characleristics  of  healthy  passages.  It  is  needless  to  say  tliat 
jiiy  digestion  had  improved.  One  thing  is  worthy  of  remark,  and  that  is, 
that  I  found  myself  able  to  digest,  not  only  plain  food,  but  also  the  richer 
kinds,  ami  even  desserts;  and  this  without  suffering,  and  even  witlK)ut 
experiencing  any  unpleasant  feeling  after  nreals.  I  should  here  state, 
however,  that  I  invariably  took  from  one  to  two  tumblers  of  the  water  af- 
ter each  meal,  and  I  found  this  peculiarly  serviceable  after  breakfast,  when 
the  tea  (or  coffee)  became  (almost  invariably  at  first)  acid.  During  my 
sojourn  with  you,  I  improved  in  every  respect,  and  even  the  discharge 
from  the  fistulas  ceased  nearly  altogether,  and  I  retur-ned  home  in  (com- 
paratively) excellent  health,  which  I  enjoyed,  until  unfortunately  I  w^as 
attacked  with  the  inllueirza  during  the  last  winter.  Fr'om  that  time  I  be- 
gan to  retrograde,  and  when  summer  arrived,  I  was  in  almost  as  bad  con- 
d  tion  as  the  ye;  r  previous.  The  inflammation  and  irritation  were  quite  as 
violent,  and  my  digestion  had  again  become  disordered.  I  had  experi- 
enced too  much  relief  at  the  Grey  Sulphur,  to  hesitate  long  as  to  the 
course  proper  to  be  pursued,  and  I  again  had  the  pleasure  of  visiting 
them  the  last  season.  I  have  only  to  say,  that  the  same  happy  effects 
were  produced,  the  only  difference  I  observed  was,  that  these  were  not  so 
immediate  as  the  year  previous,  but  I  amply  compensated  for  this  by  their 
])ermanency.  And  I  have  now  the  i)leasure  of  stating  to  you,  that  I  have 
enjoyed,  and  am  now  enjoying  (February  12th)  better  health  than  I  have 
known  for  the  last  ten  or  twelve  years,  and  most  happy  am  I  to  state  to 
you,  that  I  have  not  had  the  slightest  indication  of  inflammation  in  those 
regions  where  I  had  suffered  so  much. 

I  remain,  Dear  Sir,  yours,  &.c. 

No.  10. 

Mr.  13.  has  had  a  bronchial  affection  for  many  years,  which  at  times, 
was  so  distressing  as  to  compel  liim  to  remain  pro])ped  up  in  a  sittins;- 
]iosture,  in  bed,  the  whole  night,  and  in  this  mode  obtain  some  sleep. -^ 
To  obtain  relief  fVom  this  affection,  he  now  travelled.  When  he  first  ar- 
rived at  the  Guey  Sulj)hur,  the  cough  was  very  troublesome.  Made  use 
of  the  Anti-Dyspeptic  Spring,  which  had  the  effect  of  producing  a  gentle 
perspiration,  es])ecially  at  night,  and  which  effect  was  continued  whenev- 
er the  water  was  taken,  during  the  whole  time  of  his  stay.  'J'he  cough 
gradually  diminished,  ujilil  it  almost  disappeared  altogether.  At  first 
there  was  considerable  tlillicultyin  getting  up  the  phlegm,  but  after  drink- 
ing the  water  a  short  time,  it  was  expectorated  with  ease.  During  the 
lime  he  was  at  the  Grey  Suljjhur,  he  slept  well — had  an  excellent  appe- 
tite, and  could  easily  digest  whatever  he  partook  of.  J3. 

The  above  statement  of  cases,  was  submilled  1o  Professors  .lames  Moul- 
trie, jun.,  and  S.  Henry  Dickson,  of /he  Medical  College  of  the  Slate  of 
Soulh-Carolina.  Tlie  following  letters  will  show  the  opinion  enter- 
tained by  these  gentlemen  relative  to  the  medic  .i!  properties  of  these  wa- 
ters. 

Charle^lon,  Ftbruari/  11 /A,  1836. 

Denr  6Vr, — T  have  overlooked  your  intended  publicalioti,  together 
<«-iih  the  accompdiiying  documents.     1  ihmk  die  statement.^    furnished  by 


APPENDIX.  308 

the  latter,  fully  authorise  you  to  put  forth  what  you  propose.  The  amount 
of  experience  with  the  waters  is  very  small,  to  be  sure,  but  such  as  it  is, 
it  is  calculated  to  excite  strong  presumption  in  their  favor.  Indeetl,  con- 
sidering tlu'ir  analysis,  jointly  with  the  facts  furnished  in  your  documents, 
I  have  confident  expectations  that  they  will  prove  among  the  most  useful 
discoveries  of  that  sort,  yet  made  in  our  country.  All  thus  early  known 
of  them,  encourages  us  to  look  for  future  corroboration  of  the  impression 
you  have  im])ibed  respecting  their  virtues.  Considering  their  elements, 
they  cannot  be  nugatory,  and  must,  therefore,  be  productive  of  benefit 
or  mischief.  Reasoning  from  W'hat  we  already  know,  the  evidence  ap- 
pears to  be  altogether  in  favor  of  a  salutary  result. 

Very  truly,  yours, 
JAMES'MOULTRIE,  Jun.  M.  D. 
J.  D.  Legare,  Esq, 


February  llM,  1S36. 

Dear  Sir, — I  have  perused  with  attention  and  interest  the  papers  sent 
me,  containing  reports  of  cases  in  which  the  Waters  of  your  Virginia 
Spring  have  been  tried  ;  and  do  not  hesitate  to  express  the  opinion,  that 
they  fully  justify  the  statements  made  in  your  proposed  publication.  Pro- 
fessor Shepard's  analysis  exhibits  a  singular  combination  oi'  ingredients, 
and  prepare  us  to  anticipate  striking  and  gratifying  results  from  the  use 
of  Waters  containing  remedies  of  such  obvious  efhciency.  I  confess,  I 
am  led  to  entertain  sanguine  expectations  of  benefit  to  a  large  class  of 
patients,  from  these  fountains,  and  shall  be  much  disappointed  if  tlie 
"Grey  Sulphur  Springs"  do  not  soon  attain  a  high  rank  among  the  sum- 
mer resorts  of  invalids,  and  of  the  fashionable  w^orld. 

With  great  regard,  I  remain,  Dear  Sir,  yours,  fiiithfully, 

S,  IIENRY;DICKSdN,  M,  D. 

J.  D,  Legare,  Esq. 

We  here  close  for  the  present,  our  account  of  the  Medical  Proi)erties  of 
the  Grey  Sul])hur  S})rings.  The  report  of  cases  might  have  been  more  ex- 
tended, had  we  ajiplied  to  all  of  the  individuals,  who  have  been  benefit- 
ed by  the  use  of  these  Waters.  It  was  not  deemed  necessary  to  do  so. 
Invalids,  with  strongly  marked  cases,  will  in  all  proljability,  visit  these 
Springs,  during  the  next  and  succeeding  seasons,  and  it  is  our  intention 
to  preserve  a  record  of  such  as  may  be  communicatcid  to  us, 

JOIIN  D.  LEGARE. 


309  APPENDIX. 


-:o:- 


WINCHESTER. 

The  reader  will  doubtless  recellect  that  this  flourishing  town  was  estab- 
lished by  law  in  the  year  1752.  In  1738,  there  were  but  two  cabins 
erected  near  the  run.  It  is  now  a  very  wealthy  corporate  town — has  its 
own  court  of  justice — is  the  seat  of  justice  for  the  county  of  Frederick — 
is  the  place  where  the  supreme  courts  of  chancery  and  law  are  held  for 
the  county — the  residence  of  many  distinguished  lawyers  and  physicians 
— has  a  flourishing  academy  and  numerous  classical  and  English  schools 
— many  mechanical  establishments  of  first  order — some  thirty  or  forty 
retail  stores — a  number  of  taverns  kept  in  best  style — several  confection- 
ary shops — several  merchant  tailors,  and  almost  every  variety  of  business 
done  in  our  seaport  cities.  Its  buildings  are  many  of  brick  of  superior 
order.  Taylor's  Hotel  is  conspicuous  for  its  great  size  and  elegance  of 
structure.  Its  front  on  Loudon  street  is  ninety  feet  and  runs  its  wings 
one  hundred  and  thirty  back — contains  seventy  rooms — is  calculated  to 
entertain  numerous  companies  of  visitors  and  boarders,  and  is  kept  in 
sujierb  style.  This  building  is  three  stories  ;  the  basement  story  is  divi- 
ded into  cellars  and  several  rooms  furnished  in  the  neatest  manner ;  the 
attic  is  divided  into  lodging  rooms,  which  are  also  furnished  in  neat  style. 
It  commands  an  immense  business. 

Within  the  last  five  or  six  years  a  rail-road  has  been  constructed  from 
Winchester  to  Harper's  Ferry,  on  the  Baltimore  highway  ;  six  or  seven 
spacious  warehouses  erected  at  the  commencement  of  the  road,  and  is 
the  place  of  deposit  of  vast  quantities  of  merchandise  and  produce  of 
every  variety.  It  now  contains  upwards  of  4,000  inhabitants,  and  is  a 
place  of  great  business.  Several  gcnllemi^n,  descended  from  German 
ancestors,  who  have  accumutated  considerable  wealth,  are  among  them. 
It  has  two  Presbyterian  edifices,  handsomely  built,  as  places  of  public 
worship;  one  Catholic  chapel;  two  Methodist  meeting  houses,  and  a 
splendid  Episcocal  church  lately  erected;  the  Baptists  have  a  meeting 
house,  as  also  the  German  Lutherans  ;  and  the  Friends  have  a  neat  brick 
building.  The  people  are  divided  into  various  religious  sects,  and  it  is 
believed  much  piety  prevails.  It  is  doubtless  one  of  the  finest  watered 
towns  in  the  valley,  and  a  place  of  general  good  health.  Fine  water  is 
conveyed  through  iron  pipes  to  almost  every  part  of  the  town  ;  there  arc 
many  hydrants  erected  in  the  streets  ;  and  many  of  the  citizens  have  the 
water  conveyed  into  their  yards.  This  water  is  taken  from  a  fine  lime- 
stone spring  about  lialf  a  mile  west  of  the  town.  There  is  a  regular  or- 
ganised Fin;  rfuiipany,  remarkable  for  their  excellent  discipline  and  ac- 
tivity. I5ut  t'cw  houses  have  ever  been  destroyed  by  fire.  'I'lie  author 
ecollects  seeing  an  old  house  on  Louflon  street  destroyed  by  fire  upwards 


APPENDIX.  310 

of  thirty  years  ago ;  the  ^Yin(l  blew  a  strong  gale  from  the  N.  W.,  and 
notwithstanding  the  opposite  side  of  the  street  was  closely  built  with 
wooden  houses,  such  was  the  activity  of  the  fire  company  and  other  citi- 
zens, that  every  building  was  saved  except  the  one  which  first  took  fire. 
Several  years  afterwards,  a  fire  broke  out  in  a  wooden  building  at  the  N. 
end  of  the  town,  and  the  flames  spread  with  great  rapidity.  It  was  said 
that  twenty-two  buildings  took  fire  at  the  same  time,  and  but  two  small 
buildings  consumed;  those  two  belonged  to  an  old  gentleman  by  the 
name  of  Benjamin  Rutherford,  and  stood  about  one  hundred  and  fifty 
yards  apart.  The  astonishing  exertions  and  activity  of  the  fire  company, 
together  with  the  aid  of  every  citizen,  and  even  ladies,  saved  twenty  out  of 
the  twenty-two  buildings  on  fire  atthe  same  time ;  and  whatwas  remarkable, 
but  little  damage  was  done  the  buildings  were  saned.  A  few  years  ago, 
there  were  three  old  wooden  buildings  on  Loudon  street  burnt  down,  but 
the  flames  were  so  kept  under,  that  no  other  dameges  were  which  done, — 
About  sixty  years  ago,  a  framed  building  on  Loudon  street,which  was  called 
the  "Long  Ordinary,"  was  destroyed  by  fire,  and  an  old  building  on  the 
west  side  of  the  town,  called  "  The  Brewery,"  was  destroyed  by  fire. — 
The  author  recollects  seeing  this  building  on  fire.  It  is  believed  that  the 
foregoing  statement  contains  a  true  account  of  all  the  houses  destroyed  by 
fire  for  the  last  sixty  or  seventy  years.  So  that  it  may  truly  be  said,  that 
Winchester  has  heretofore  been  very  fortunate. 

STAUNTON. 

This  town  may  with  truth  be  said  to  be  classical  ground.  In  the  war 
of  the  Revolution,  the  Legislature  had  assembled  at  Richmond — the  en- 
emy advanced  to  the  seat  of  government,  and  the  Assembly  adjourned 
and  met  at  Charlottesville — Tarlton  pursued  them  thither,  and  they  again 
adjourned  and  met  at  Staunton — here  they  finished  their  session.  Tarl- 
ton did  not  dare  to  interrupt  them  there,  for  the  best  of  all  reasons  :  the 
people  of  Augusta  and  adjoining  counties  were  a  brave,  hardy,  and  active 
race,  well  acquainted  with  the  use  of  the  rifle  ;  and  if  Tarlton  had  ventured 
to  pursue  them  to  Staunton,  he  would  in  all  probability  have  met  with  an- 
other "Cowpen  defeat."  The  citizens  turned  out  manfully,  well  armed, 
and  determined  to  contest  his  march  to  that  place,  and  protect  their  leg- 
islators in    their  deliberations. 

Staunton,  like  Winchester,  has  incorporated  privileges,  its  own  court  o. 
justice,  is  the  seat  of  justice  for  Augusta  county,  and  the  place  for  holding 
the  Superior  courts  of  law  and  chancery  for  the  county, — is  the  residence 
of  several  distinguished  lawyers  and  physicians,  and  is  the  site  of  a  Lu- 
natic Hospital  of  great  reputation.  It  has  several  beautiful  edifices  erec- 
ted for  public  worship,  and  fifteen  or  twenty  retail  stores,  Avith  four  or 
five  taverns  kept  in  good  style.  It  is  surrounded  by  many  valuable  farms, 
and  a  considerable  number  of  elegant  brick  dwelling  houses,  has  several 
turnpike  roads  leading  to  East  and  West,  North  and  South,  from  which 
it  derives  great  advantages,  and  of  course  is  a  place  of  extensive  busi- 
ness. In  all  human  probability,  it  is  destined  at  some  future  day  to  be- 
come the  site  of  our  State  government.  Its  central  situation — the  fine 
health  of  the  country — its  contiguity  to  the  numerous  mineral  springs — 


311  APPENDIX. 

its  safety  from  danger  of  invasion  from  a  foreign  enemy  in  time  of  war, 
present  most  cogent  arguments  in  its  favor;  and  whenever  our  western 
counties  shall  be  fdled  with  population,  we  will  have  a  considerable  ma- 
jority of  the  free  white  po})ulation  west  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  and  it  appears 
to  the  mind  of  the  author,  that  the  people  of  the  west  will  not  rest  satis- 
fied with  their  seat  of  government  in  its  present  situation. 

Staunton  has  become  conspicuous  in  the  history  of  our  State  for  other 
important  reasons.  It  is  the  place  where  two  large  conventions  of 
citizens  were  held  some  years  ago,  for  deliberating  on  the  great  ques- 
tion of  reforming  our  S:tate  Constitution.  The  last  of  which  conventions 
was  held  in  the  month  bf  July,  1S25.  In  this  convention  upwards  of  one 
hundred  members  attended.  Their  proceedings  were  characterized  by 
great  temperance,  but  much  energy.  A  most  solemn  appeal  was  made  to 
the  Legislature  on  this  vital  question,  and  at  the  ensuing  session,  an  act 
passed  submitting  this  question  to  the  lawful  voters  of  the  State,  Avhich 
resulted  in  a  majority  of  the  citizens  in  favor  of  the  necessity  of  calling  a 
convention  for  the  purpose  of  revising  and  amending  the  organic  law  of 
our  State.  This  body  was  elected  in  the  spring  of  1826,  and  assembled 
at  the  capital  in  the  city  of  Richmond,  the  ejisuing  autumn,  and  drew  up 
certain  amendments  to  the  original  constitution,  which  were  submitted 
to  the  people  for  their  final  ratification  or  rejection.  There  were  many  of 
our  ablest  statesmen  opposed  to  its  ratification,  but  a  majority  of  our  citi- 
zens voted  for  its  adoption. 

LEWISBURG. 

This  is  a  thriving  village  in  the  county  of  Greenbrier,  west  of  the  Al- 
legany mountains.  It  is  yet  but  a  small  village,  but  the  seat  of  justice 
for  the  county.  There  is  a  superior  court  of  law  and  chancery  and  a 
court  of  appeals.  It  has  become  conspicuous  in  the  history  of  the  State, 
from  the  circumstance  that  a  convention  was  lately  held  there  of  the  citi- 
zens of  the  western  part  olthc  commonwealth,  by  which  resolutions  were 
passed,  recommending  a  further  amendment  of  the  State  Constitution,  sc 
as  to  give  a  more  equal  repiesentation  of  the  two  great  divisions  of  the 
State  in  the  General  Assembly.  Neither  is  it  undeserving  of  celebrity  on 
account  of  its^'several  religious  edifices,  among  which  the  Presl^yterian 
deserves  first  to  be  named  from  its  size  and  commodious  internal  arrange- 
ment.  The  Methodists  and  Baptists  resj)ectively,  have  also  chaste  and 
convenient  houses  for  public  worship.  There  are  several  elegant  brick 
rhvclling  houses  in  the  village;  from  six  to  seven  retail  stores;  and  two 
])ublic  hotels,  under  excellent  managonient.  From  the  locality  of  the  vil- 
lage, situated  in  the  midst  of  a  jiroduclivc  country,  steadily  increasing  in 
population  and  wealth,  it  is  destined  to  become  a  place  of  considerable  bu- 
siness and  importance.  The  face  of  the  country  contiguous  to  and  sur- 
rounding the  village,  is  beautifullv  diversified  by  liills  and  vallies,  woods 
and  fertile  fields;  and  the  town,  with  the  whole  of  the  circumjacent  region, 
is  remarkable  for  the  salubrity  and  healthiness  of  its  climate. 

THE   FINE  ARTS. 

From  the  youlh  of  our  commonweaHli,  and  llic  clKii-aclii  nfuui  jicoplc. 


APPFNDIX.  312 

devoted  almost  exclusively,  as  they  have  been,  to  agiiculture  and  its  col- 
lateral pursuits,  we  cannot  as  yet,  nor  is  it  yet  expected  that  we  can,  pro- 
duce before  the  world,  any  Masters  in  the  fine  arts  comparable  with  the 
old  Masters  of  Europe.  Yet,  notwiUistanding  the  fact  that  we  have  as 
yet  no  representitive  in  sculpture  to  stand  by  the  side  of  Canova,  nor  in 
painting,  a  champion  to  compete  with  a  Titian,  a  Guido,  or  a  Stuart,  yet 
we  have  not  been  wholly  denied  the  genius  of  the  pencil.     Some  ten  years 

since,  in  the  county  of  Berkeley,  a  young  man  of  the  name  of M'Cau- 

Iry,  with  the  intuitive  perception  only  exhibited  by  true  genius,commenced, 
first  in  playful  sketches,  and  shortly  after  in  more  serious  efforts,  the  di- 
vine art  of  painting.  Encouraged  by  his  rapid  advancement,  he  subse« 
quently  took  a  trip  to  the  hallowed  ground  of  Italy,  there  to  perfect  him- 
self in  the  business  of  his  choice.  He  promised  much  from  improvement; 
but  shortly  after  his  return  to  his  native  country,  he  died,  and  with  him 
the  hopes  of  his  friends. 

Six  years  ago,  a  Mr.  Henry  Bowen,  of  Frederick  county,  a  self-taught 
artist,  commenced  the  business  of  a  portrait  painter,  and  such  was  his 
proficiency  in  the  art  that  it  may  be  almost  said  of  him  he  was  accom- 
plished in  it  from  the  outset.  He  has  since  devoted  himself  assiduously 
to  his  employment,  and  has  earned  thereby,  from  the  striking  fidelity  of 
his  sketches  to  truth  and  to  nature,  a  well-merited  reputation.  The  au- 
thor can  bear  the  safest  testimony  to  this  character,  from  the  specimens  of 
Mr.  Bowen's  work  which  he  has  seen. 

CULTURE  OF  SILK. 

The  excellent  lady  of  Mr.  Amos  Lupton,  residing  within  two  and  a 
half  miles  west  of  Winchester,  has  met  with  very  encouraging  success  in 
her  efforts  at  producing  silk  from  the  cultivation  of  the  trees  and  the  do- 
mestication of  the  worm.  She  exhibited  to  the  author  several  pair  of 
hose  she  had  manufiictured  from  this  silk,  and  stated  her  intention  of 
having  the  residue  of  the  raw  material  spun,  and  woven  into  articles  of 
wearing  apparel.  A  hired  woman,  meantime,  was  employed  in  spinning 
the  silk  from  the  cocoons  upon  the  common  flax-wheel,  and  really  made 
considerable  headway  in  her  delicate  task.  We  hope  that  Mrs.  Lupton 
will  persevere  in  the  enterprise  :  for  we  cannot  but  believe  that  our  soil 
and  climate  are  both  well  adapted  for  the  culture  of  silk.  Mr.  L.  has 
been  completely  successful  in  the  raising  of  the  Morus  Multicaulis — the 
plants  having  grown  very  thriftily. 

HYBRIDOUS. 

An  animal  was  begotten  between  the  buck  and  a  young  cow  about 
twenty  years  ago.  This  extraordinary  and  beautiful  animal  was  produc- 
ed in  the  neighborhood  of  Zane's  Old  Furnace.  The  owner  intended 
selling  it  to  a  butcher  to  make  a  veal  of  it ;  but  the  late  Maj.  Bean  pur- 
chased it,  and  intended  to  raise  it  by  hand.  He  kept  it  several  weeks, 
but  it  died,  and  with  it  the  hopes  of  Mr.  Bean  and  many  of  the  neighbors. 
Mr.  Bean  flattered  himself  with  high  ex})ectations  of  having  in  his  pos- 
session one  of  the  most  rare,  beautiful,  and  extraordinary  curiosities  in  na- 


3ia  APPENDIX. 

ture's  works.  The  author  did  not  get  the  opportunity  of  seeing  this  sin- 
gular creature,  but  several  of  his  neighbors  visited  Mr,  Bean  for  the  ex- 
press purpose  of  viewing  it,  who  reported  the  facts  to  the  writer  of  this 
narrative.  It  was  said  to  exhibit  the  head,  neck,  sholders  and  forelegs  of 
its  sire,  and  hinder  parts  that  of  the  dam,  and  promised  to  grow  to  pretty 
good  size.     It  was  a  male. 

The  author  saw  the  skin  of  a  double  calf  in  the  nighborhood  of  Luray. 
The  hide  was  carefully  taken  off  and  stuffed.  It  had  a  double  body,  two 
distinct  heads,  and  two  tails,  four  perfect  eyes,  and  but  four  legs.  This 
singular  extra  natural  production  was  in  possession  of  Capt.  John  Gate- 
wood,  jr. 

A   COW  WITH  SIX  LEGS. 

Fifteen  or  sixteen  years  ago  the  late  Samuel  G.  Sydnor  owned  a  oow 
with  six  perfectly  formed  legs,  which  the  author  frequently  saw.  It  had 
two  extra  legs  formed  on  its  shoulders,  and  when  it  w^alked  these  legs 
made  regular  motions.  They  hung  over  on  each  side,  and  were  much 
smaller  than  the  other  legs. 

SPLENDID  IMPROVED  FARM. 

Bushrod  B.  Washington,  Esq.,  a  few  years  ago  erectefJ  a  very  large 
brick  dwelling  house,  in  the  neihborhood  of  Charlestown,  Jefferson  coun- 
ty, with  all  the  necessary  offices.  This  building  with  other  improvements 
cost  upwards  of  thirty  thousand  dollars. 

The  building  was  finished  in  the  most  tasteful  style  of  modern  architec- 
ture ;  but  unfortunately,  some  two  or  three  years  ago,  it  accidentally  took 
tire;  and  all  the  interior  works  were  consumed.  But  the  writer  is  informed 
Mr.  W.  has  lately  rebuilt  it.  The  author  obtained  a  sketch  of  its  dimen- 
sions, but  has  unfortunately  mislaid  the  memorandum.  Suffice  it  to  say, 
it  is  oneof  the  largest  and  most  elegant  edifices  in  our  country. 

Judge  Henry  St.  G.  Tucker  has  erected  in  the  neighborhood  of  Lee- 
town  a  most  splendid  stone  building — rough  cast,  finished  in  beautiful 
style — three  stories  high;  but  the  writer  does  not  recollect  the  exact  size 
of  the  edifice,  but  it  is  a  very  large  building.  Jefferson  county  contains 
a  great  number  of  fine  large  dwelling  houses,  with  other  capital  improve- 
ments. Berkeley  county  has  many  fine  buildings  and  highly  improved 
farms.  In  the  county  of  Clarke,  David  II.  Allen,  Esq.,  has  lately  erec- 
ted a  brick  dwelling  on  a  beautiful  eminence,  from  which  there  is  a  most 
enchanting  view  of  the  Blue  Ridge  and  adjacent  country.  It  is  sixty-six 
feet  by  fifty,  with  a  splendid  portico,  supported  by  a  beautiful  colonade 
twenty-five  feet  high,  of  solid  ])ine  pillars. 

In  front  of  the  house  is  an  extended  lawn,  partly  covered  Avith  a  sheet 
of  transparent  water,  which  adds  greatly  to  the  novelty  and  beauty  of  the 
scenery.  Mr.  Allen  informed  the  writer,  that  some  years  ago  the  water 
course  contained  much  dark  alluvian  mud,  on  each  side,  very  miry  and 
difficult  to  cross.  He  hauled  out  six  thousand  wagon  loads  of  the  mud 
upon  the  adjoining  high  lands,  which  so  increased  the  fertility,  that,  foi 
several  years  it  was  too  rich  for  the  p'-oductiori  of  wheat. 

Mr.  Allen  is  pretty  extensively  engaged  in  the  stock  wav.     A  few  years 


APPENJDIX.  .314 

ago,  he  at  one  time  owned  one  hundred  and  twenty  head  of  hovt.es,  and 
■a  large  stock  of  improved  bh\ck  cattle,  sheep  and  hogs.  Mr.  Allen  was 
bred  to  the  law,  but  having  married  the  daughter  of  the  late  Col.  (iriflin 
Taylor,  got  this  fine  estate  by  her;  and  his  father  being  also  wealthy,  he 
soon  abandoned  the  practice,  and  lived  a  retired  and  private  life  ever 
since. 

Edward  Jaquline  Smith,  Esq.,  has  built  a  fine  brick  dwelling  house^ 
large  and  tastefully  finished,  on  an  extensive  farm  in  the  same  neighbor- 
hood.    He  is  a  most  judicious  and  successful  farmer. 

CoL  J,  W.   Ware  has   erected    a  fine  large  brick   building   near   Mr 
Smith's,  is  also  a  successful  farmer — is  remarkable  for  breeding  the  very 
finest  cattle  ;  and  his  stable  has  been  the  stand,  for  several  years,  of  the 
very  finest  horses  which  have  been  imported  into  our  country. 

Col.  Joseph  Tuly,  in  the  county  of  Clarke,  has  built  a  most  splendid 
and  expensive  mansion  on  his  beautiful  farm  in  the  neighborhood  of  Mill- 
wood, which  he  has  named  '^Tulyries."  To  give  a  detailed  account  of 
this  fine  building  would  be  tedious,  and  perhaps  tiresome  to  the  reader. 
It  is  sufficient  to  say  that  this  edifice  is  sixty  feet  by  forty.,  of  the  best  of 
brick — finished  from  the  base  to  the  attick  in  the  most  elegant  style  of 
modern  architecture,  and  is  covered  with  tin.  A  spacious  portico,  sup- 
ported underneath  with  massive  marble  slabs,  with  pillars  of  solid  pine, 
twenty-eight  feet  high,  supporting  the  roof — forming  a  most  beautiful  col- 
onade,  based  on  square  marble  blocks  ;  the  porch  floor  laid  with  white 
marble,  and  marble  steps;  a  spacious  entry ;  a  spiral  stair- way  running 
from  the  passage  to  the  summit,  on  which  there  is  a  handsome  cupola 
with  a  large  brass  ball  erected  ;  the  fire  places  decorated  with  the  finest 
marble  mantles ;  his  doors  and  windows  of  the  best  mahogany;  with  a 
g-reen  house  in  which  there  is  sheltered  a  great  varietv  of  the  richest  ex- 
otic  plants  and  flowers;  the  yard  decorated  with  a  great  variety  of  native 
and  imported  trees  and  shrubbery,  with  several  orange  trees  which  be  a: 
fruit  handsomely.  Adjoining  the  yard,  an  extensive  park  is  enclosed  in 
the  forest,  \vithin  which  enclosure  there  are  a  number  of  native  elks  and 
deer.  The  old  buck  elk  will  net  suffer  any  stranger  to  intrude  on  his 
premises.  Col.  Tuly's  father  was  born  and  raised  in  the  state  of  Jersey, 
karned  the  trade  of  a  tanner,  came  to  Virginia  a  young  man,  commenced 
business  on  a  small  capital,  and  amassed  a  very  considerable  estate,  the 
greater  part  of  which  he  devised  to  his  only  son  Joseph.  The  Col.  car- 
ries on  the  tanning  business  extensively,  and  has  added  considerably  to 
the  estate  left  him  by  his  father.  He  farms  extensively  and  successfully, 
— and  largely  in  the  stock  way. 

Mr.  John  Kerfoot,  twenty- five  or  thii-ty  years  ago,  built  a  large,  com- 
fortable brick  dwelling,  finished  in  plain  style,  with  mof^t  of  his  offices 
and  all  his  slaves'  houses  of  the  same  material.  In  approaching  his  res- 
idence it  strikes  the  eye  of  the  stranger  as  a  sprightly  village.  Mr  Ker- 
foot is  beyond  question  one  of  the  most  enterprising,  judicious,  and  su;:- 
cessful  farmers  in  our  section  of  country.  He  has  acquired  more  wealth 
by  his  agricultural  pursuit.-;,  than  any  individual  within  the  author's 
knowledge  ;  has  raised  a  large  family  of  son;;  and  daughter'?,  and  provi- 
ded handsomely  for  them  all;  has  giren  each  ofhi^.  sons  fine  fapnis  and 


315  APPENDIX. 

every  necessary  to  commence  business.  His  daugblcrs  as  they  have  mar- 
ried and  letl  him  liave  each  of  them  been  handsomely  portioned  ofl'.  Mr. 
Kerlbot  is,  and  has  been  lor  many  years  a  member  ot  the  Baptist  church — 
a  Uberal,  consistent  and  most  worthy  member.  He  is  rigidly  punctual 
in  his  pecuniary  engagements;  it  is  said  of  him  that  he  was  never  known 
to  fail  in  a  single  instance  to  pay  or  fulfill  any  engagement  he  has  enter- 
ed into.  Thus  coming  up  to  the  golden  Gospel  rule  of  "doing  to  others 
as  h'^  would  they  should  do  unto  him." 

Mr.  John  Richardson  is  now  the  owner  of  the  fine  tract  of  land  former- 
ly owned  by,  and  the  residence  of,  the  late  Col.  Warner  Washington,  call- 
ed "-Fairfield",  on  which  he  has  established  an  extensive  aistillery.  The 
still  house  is  built  of  brick,  attached  to  wdiich  a  large  yard  is  enclosed 
and  nicely  floored  with  the  same  material,  for  the  purpose  of  raising  and 
fattening  pork.  About  every  two  months  he  sends  off  to  the  Baltimore 
market  from  eighty  to  one  hundred  head  of  finely  fattened  hogs.  Mr. 
Richardson  is  a  man  of  great  industry  and  enterprise — farms  extensively, 
and  raises  a  fine  stock  of  improved  cattle.  He,  like  many  of  our  citizens, 
is  the  builder  of  his  own  fortune,  having  commenced  on  a  very  small  cap- 
ital. 

The  Rev.  Thomas  Kennedy  has  lately  erected  a  beautiful,  plain,  ex- 
tensive brick  mansion  at  "Greenway  court,"  the  ancient  residence  of  the 
late  Lord  Fairfax,  now  in  the  county  of  Clarke  near  the  White  Post  vil- 
lage. James  Madison  Hite,  Esq.,  resides  in  an  elegant  brick  mansion, 
contiguous  to  the  stone   bridge. 

Doct.  James  Hay  has  lately  built  in  the  same  neighborhood  a  truly 
splendid  edifice  of  considerable  size  and  finished  in  the  most  elegant 
manner. 

Doctor  Berkeley,  previous  to  his  death,  was  engaged  in  erecting  a  brick 
house  near  the  Shenandoah,  of  very  extensive  dimensions,  but  before  he 
had  finished  it  he  was  most  cruelly  murdered  by  his  slaves,  and  liis  body 
consumed  in  a  tremendous  fire.  He  was  robbed  of  a  large  sum  of  money 
by  them,  which  they  scattered  about  amongst  their  confederates — jiart  of 
which  was  found  ;  i)ut  it  was  said  at  the  time,  that  a  considerable  part  of 
it  was  lost.  John  Rust,  Esq.,  has  lately  purchassd  a  part  of  Doctor 
Berkeley's  estate,  including  this  fine  building,  which  he  has  had  fin- 
ished in  plain  neat  style. 

Doctor  J^erkeley  was  killed  in  1S18.  Three  of  his  slaves,  one  female 
and  two  males,  were  tried  and  convicted  for  the  murder,  in  Frederick 
court,  and  all  three  executed  at  Winchester,  in  the  month  of  July,  1818. 
The  representatives  of  the  Doctor  obtained  an  act  of  assembly,  authoris- 
ing llifin  to  sell  off  a  number  of  the  slaves  who  were  suspected  wilh  be- 
ing concerned  in  the  murder,  and  they  were  sent  to  the  South  and  sold. 
This  estate  now  lies  in  the  county  of  Warren. 

Capt.  Robert  C.  Burwell,  just  before  the  late  war,had  erected  an  elegant 
'brick  mansion  in  the  neighborhood  ol' Millwood.  At  the  comniencemeiit 
of  the  war  he  commanded  a  company  of  the  militia,  and  marched  at  the 
head  of  his  company,  and  joinrfl  the  standard  of  his  country  at  Norfolk. 
He  fell  a  sacrifice  to  that  unhealthy  cliiivitr  Hiid  dierl. 

Pr^vinu,sly  to  leaviriii  home,  he  provided  his  last  will,  in  which  he  dcvis- 


APPENDIX.  316 

edhis  fine  estate  to  Philip  Nelson,  Esq.,  who  married  his  sister,  and  now 
owns  this  elegant  property. 

The  late  Col.  Charles  Magill  commenced,  shortly  before  his  death,  on 
his  fine  farm  about  five  miles  S.  of  Winchestei,  a  very  large  brick  dwell- 
ing, but  died  before  it  was  finished.  Since  his  deatii  it  has  been  finished, 
and  now  is  the  residence  of  John  S.  Magill,  Esq.,  one  of  his  sons. 

Mr.  William  A.  Carter  is  now  erecting  a  splendid  brick  dwelling,  about 
two  miles  W.  of  Newtown  Stcphensburg,  on  a  beautiful  eminence  which 
commands  a  most  fascinating  view  of  this  village,  the  adjacent  country  and 
mountains  east  and  west,  for  a  vast  distance.  It  is  covered  w^ith  Eng- 
lish slate. 

Joseph  Neill,  Esq.,  has  erected  a  beautiful  brick  dwelling  at  the  north 
end  ofN.  T.  Stephenshurg,  plastered  and  neatly  whitened  on  the  outside. 
His  neat   little  farm  on  which  the  buildings  are  erected  adjoins  the  vil- 

Mr.  Isaac  Hollingsworth  has  erected  a  splendid  brick  dwelling  near 
Winchester,  contiguous  to  his  fine  mills — his  yard  and  curtilages  hand- 
somely enclosed  with  first  rate  stone  walls. 

There  a  number  of  other  brick  dwelling  houses  in  the  several  counties 
named,  exclusive  of  those  particularly  mentioned;  and  there  are  a  consid- 
erable number  of  fine  large  stone  buildings. 

The  residence  of  George  H.  Burwell,  Esq.,  is  most  splendidly  improv- 
ed with  stone  buildings.  It  adjoins  the  village  of  Millwood,  called  "Car- 
ter Hall."  The  main  budding  is  sixty-six  feet  by  thirty,  three  stories  , 
with  a  wing  at  each  end  twenty-one  feet  long,  two  stories  high  ;  the 
whole  building  finished  in  the  most  tasteful  style  of  modern  architecture. 
This  was  the  former  residence  of  the  late  Col.  Nathaniel  Bunvell,  a  gen- 
tleman of  great  wealth.  The  buildings  stand  on  a  beautiful  eminence, 
and  command  a  delightful  view  of  the  Blue  Ridge  and  the  adjacent 
neighborhood.  The  water  is  conveyed  by  force  pumps  from  a  fine  spring 
to  the  dwelling  house,  yards,  and  stables,  at  a  distance  of  about  three 
hundred  yards.  This  fine  farm  may  with  truth  be  said  to  be  among  the 
most  elegantly  iraj)roved  estates  west  of  the  Blue  Ridge. 

Maj.  Seth  Mason  has  lately  built  a  spacious  stone  dwelling,  stone 
barn  and  stable,  on  the  waters  of  Crooked  Run,  in  the  county  of  Frederick. 
The  buildings  are  erected  on  a  beautiful  eminence,  and  command  a  fine 
view  of  the  Blue  Ridge  a  vast  distance.  From  the  Major's  yard  about 
one  hundred  farms  are  to  be  seen  in  full  relief  on  the  west  side  of  the 
mountain. 

Capt.  Phenias  Bowcn  has  lately  erected  a  stone  dwelling,  three  stories 
high,  near  the  Opcquon,  in  Clarke  county.  The  writer  never  obtained 
the  exact  dimensions  of  this  building;  but  it  is  very  large,  and  covered 
with  tin.     It  is  not  finished. 

The  late  Maj.  Isaac  Hitc,  on  his  fine  large  farm,  about  the  year  1792, 
built  a  stone  dwelling,  near  the  great  highway  from  Winchester  to  Staunton  ; 
a  most  spacious  and  elegant  building,  in  the  county  of  Frederick.  At 
that  period  it  was  doubtless  the  most  splendid  building  west  of  the  Blue 
Hidge.     In  point  of  taste,  and    beauty  of  symmetry,   it   is  certainly  not 


317  APPENDIX. 

exceeded  by  any  country  building  the  author  has  ever  seen.     It  still  standi 
to  be  admired  by  every  beholder. 

In  the  county  of  Shenandoah,  the  late  Messrs.  Isaac  Bowman,  Joseph 
Stover  and  Anthony  Spengler,  severally  built  large  brick  dwellings,  but 
a  short  distance  from  Strasburg,  each  on  a  fine  large  farm.  It  is  hardly 
deemed  necessary  for  the  author  to  proceed  with  a  further  detail  of  par- 
ticular dwelling  houses.  It  would  require  a  large  volume  to  contain  an 
account  of  all  the  fine  buildings  in  our  valley.  It  is  presumed  that  a  suf- 
ficient number  has  been  described  to  enable  the  reader  to  form  an  estimate 
of  the  vast  improvement  of  our  country  within  the  last  forty  or  fifty  years. 
It  is  sufficient  to  say  that  many  counties  in  the  valley  are  equally  well  im- 
proved. 

The  great  number  of  first  rate  merchant  mills  and  factories  deserve 
some  particular  notice,  but  it  would  swell  this  publication  far  beyond  all 
reasonable  limits  to  attempt  a  detail.  The  author  will  therefore  content 
himself,  and  he  hopes  the  reader  will  be  content  to  have  a  brief  descrip- 
tion of  Mr.  Valentine  Rhodes'  mill  on  Cedar  creek,  the  dividing  line  be- 
tween Frederick  and  Shenandoah  counties.  The  author  is  induced  to 
give  a  passing  notice  to  this  building  from  the  extraordinary  and  unpar- 
alleled labor  performed  by  Rhodes,  with  the  assistance  of  one  of  his  sons, 
a  vouth  of  about  twelve  or  fourteen  years  of  age,  in  its  construction  and 
erection.  Mr.  Rhodes  informed  the  author,  that  when  he  had  purchased 
and  paid  for  the  site,  including  a  small  tract  of  land,  for  which  he  paid  in 
advance,  he  had  no  more  than  ten  dollars  left.  Mr.  Rhodes  is  an  inge- 
nious mechanic  and  first  rate  mill-wriglit.  He  determined  however,  on 
building  his  mill;  to  enable  himself  to  go  on  with  it,  that  he  would  under- 
take every  job  at  his  trade  that  he  could  engage,  and  if  he  earned  eighty 
or  one  hundred  dollars,  he  would  proceed  with  his  own  building  until 
his  money  gave  out ;  he  would  then  engage  in  work  as  opportunity 
afforded  until  he  could  gather  one  or  two  hundred  dollars  more,  and  so 
proceeded  on,  until  he  got  his  mill  to  running.  It  was  six  years  from  the 
time  he  commenced  until  he  got  it  to  grinding. 

But  the  most  extraordinary,  and  the  writer  may  truly  say,  wonderful 
circumstance  attending  this  building,  is  the  immense  weight  of  stone  and 
timbers  used  in  its  construction.  The  first  story  is  built  of  stone  of  enor- 
mous size  and  weight,  several  of  which  are  seven  or  eight  feet  long  and 
fifteen  or  eighteen  inhces  Ihick,  doubtless  weighing  several  tons  each — 
all  which  Mr.  Rhodes  workc^l  into  the  walls  with  his  own  j-versonal  labor. 
The  oniy  machine  he  used  was  the  mill  screw.  The  wall  on  the  west 
side  is  at  least  five  feet  thick,  and  no  part  less  than  three.  The  first  part 
of  the  mill-house  was  twenty-eight  feet  square,  or  perhajjs  thirty,  to  which 
he  added  another  building  fifty  feet  in  length  and  thirty  in  width,  stretch- 
ing across  the  entire  stream,  except  a  small  arm  of  the  water  course  form 
ing  a  small  island,  on  which  the  first  building  is  erected.  The  south  end 
of  the  building  juts  against  a  solid  perpendihir  limestone  rock  twenty-five 
or  thirty  teet  high,  which  forms  one  of  thf  walls  ;  nature  has  formed  niche> 
in  this,  which  receive  the  ends  of  timbers  fifty  feet  long  and  from  ten  to 
twelve  inches  square,  which  Mr.  Rhodes  raised  and  put  in  place  with  the 
aid  of  hiis  son  and  mill  screw — one  end  resting  on  the  wall  of  the  first 


APPENDIX.  318 

building  and  the  other  inserted  in  the  natural  nichci  in  the  stone  wall. — 
These  powerful  timbers  are  elevated  about  ten  leet  above  the  water.  He 
receives  his  customers'  grain  at  each  end  othis  mill:  so  it  may  be  said  it 
stands  in  the  two  counties.  It  is  doubtful  whether  a  similar  instance  of 
extraordinary  exertion,  enterprise  and  successful  perseverance  can  be 
found  in  our  countrv. 

Mr.  Rhodes  certainly  deserves  a  premium  for  his  wonderful  diligence 
and  successful  enterprise  and  perseverance  in  the  construction  of  this  ex- 
traordinary building.  Tliere  have  been  several  floods  in  the  creek  since 
the  mill  was  erected  ;  but  the  immense  strength  of  the  dam  and  walls  has 
heretofore  resisted  the  force  of  the  waters,  and  the  mill  sustained  no  injury. 

CHURCHES. 

The  Episcopal  society  have  within  a  few  years  past  erected  several 
beautiful  houses  of  worship  ;  one  at  Berryville,  one  at  Millwood,  one  in 
Winchester,  (the  latter  a  truly  splendid  building,  with  a  iirst  rate  organ,) 
and  another  at  Middletown,  which  is  also  a  beautiful  and  chaste  structure, 
and  is  truly  creditable  to  the  society.  The  writer  heard  a  minister  of  the 
gospel  express  the  opinion,  that  it  presented  to  the  eye  precisely  what  a 
church  edifice  ought  to  exhibit,  i.  e.,  a  ray  of  truth.  The  Roman  Catho- 
lic society  have  erected  chapels  in  several  places.  They  have  built  a 
superb  edifice  at  Harper's  Ferry,  with  a  beautiful  pulpit,  with  the  image 
of  the  Virgin  Mary  with  the  infant  Jesus  in  her  lap. 

HARPER'S  FERRY. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  inform  the  reader  that  this  is  the  location 
of  the  U.  S.  armory,  and  in  the  several  shops  are  generally  employed 
about  three  hundred  first  rate  mechanics,  engaged  in  the  manufactory  of 
arms  for  the  purposes  of  war.  There  are  annually  made  about  six  or  sev- 
en thousand  muskets,  two  or  three  thousand  rifles,  beside  an  immense 
number  of  swords,  pistols,  and  other  side  arms.  The  government  em- 
ploys at  this  establishment  a  superintendent  ganeral,  a  paymaster  and  a 
number  of  clerks.  The  quantity  of  iron,  steel,  brass  and  other  materials 
annually  wrought  up,  is  immense.  A  vast  number  of  strangers  annually 
visit  this  place  to  gratify  their  curiosity  in  seeing  and  inspecting  the  pub- 
tic  works  and  great  mechanical  operations,  so  extensively  carried  on. — 
The  machinery  of  the  musket  factory  is  wrought  by  the  waters  of  the  Po- 
tomac, and  that  of  the  rifle  factory  by  the  waters  of  the  Shenandoah. 

This  site  for  the  public  works  it  is  said  was  first  marked  out  or  recom- 
mended by  the  immortal  Washington,  and  is  certainly  evidence  of  his  su- 
perior skill  and  judgment  in  all  military  matters. 

A  rail-road  from  Winchester  to  Harper's  Ferry  has  been  lately  construc- 
ted, which  has  rendered  Winchester  a  place  of  deposit  for  the  vast  pro- 
ducts of  our  valley,  but  little  inferior  to  some  of  our  seaport  towns.  A 
turnpike  road  from  Winchester  to  Parkersburg  on  tlie  Ohio  river,  a  dis- 
tance of  about  two  hundred  and  eighty  miles,  has  lately  been  finished  ; 
and  another  McAdamized  turnpike  road  from  Winchester  to  Staunton,, 
has  just  been  put  in  operation,  and  it  is  almost  inconceivable  what  vast; 


ni9  APPENDIX. 

quantities  of  produce,    now  find  a  ready  way  to  Baltimore  from  (he  in- 
creased facilities  of  oiir  improved  roads  to  that  market. 

An  improved  road  from  Staunton  across  llie  Allegany  mountains, is  now 
going  on  to  Paikersburg,  which  will  still  add  great  facilities  to  valley 
trade  and  greatly  enhance  the  value  of  real  estate  in  Western  Virginia. — 
There  is  also  a  turnpike  from  Harrisonburg  by  way  of  the  Warm 
Springs,  Hot  Springs,  and  White  Sulphur,  across  the  Allegany  to  Guy- 
andot,  by  way  of  Kanawha.  Those  several  turnpikes  are  passable  at  all 
seasons  of  the  year,  and  greatly  expedite  the  passenger's  journey  from 
east  to  west.  These  several  turnpikes  have  been  made  at  vast  expense  to 
the  State  and  stockholders,  notwithstanding  which,  improvements  are  still 
going  on.  A  few  years  more  and  Western  Virginia  will  vie  with  our 
northern  and  sister  States  with  her  vast  improvements.  Our  valley  is 
making  great  improvement  in  every  agricultural  pursuit.  Copying  after 
our  great  and  good  countryman,  Washington,  immense  improvements 
have  already  been  made,  and  are  still  making,  in  the  rearing  of  fine  ani- 
mals of  every  variety.  Stage  coaches  travelall  our  turnpike  roads,  drawn 
by  the  most  splendid  horses;  and  most  of  our  substantial  farmers  rear  the 
finest  cattle,  sheep,  and  hogs,  and  are  greatly  improving  the  fertility  of 
their  lands.  Our  valley  furnishes  the  several  markets  with  vast  quannti- 
ties  of  superior  beef,  pork,  mutton,  butter,  and  the  finest  of  bread- 
stuffs.  The  quantities  of  oats  annually  raised  for  market  are  incalculable. 
Immense  crops  of  the  finest  timothy,  clover,  and  orchard  grass  hay,  and 
corn  fodder  are  annually  consumed  by  our  farmers'  stock  ;  and,  notwith- 
standing the  vast  quantities  raised,  once  in  a  while  there  are  seasons  of 
great  scarcity  of  provender  for  sustaining  the  vast  stock  of  animals  kept 
on  hand. 

Our  winters  are  frequently  of  great  length  and  extremely  severe.  The 
author  will  here  notice  one  winter  which  was  remarkable  for  its 
long  and  excessive  severity.  When  a  youth,  he  frequently  met  with  in- 
dividuals who  well  recollected  the  hard  winter  of  1740.  It  was  said  that 
that  remarkable  winter  produced  the  greatest  depth  of  snow  ever  known 
in  our  climate.  The  snow  fell  to  such  an  immense  depth  as  to  smother 
vast  numbers  of  horned  cattle,  sheep,  hogs,  deer,  and  many  other  wild 
animals. 

The  author  believes  it  will  not  be  uninteresting  to  the  reader  to 
have  a  brief  description  of  several  remarkable  works  of  nature  in  our  val- 
ley, to  gether  with  anotice  of  some  elegant  buildings  and  improvements  on 
the  farms  of  private  individuals.     He  will  begin  with 

JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 

Washington's  Masonic  Cave. — About  two  anrl  a  half  miles  sonfh 
east  of  Charlestown  in  this  county  is  to  be  seen  this  cavern.  Tradition 
informs  us  that  Gen.  Washington  and  a  number  of  other  gentlemen  formecf 
themselves  into  a  Masonic  Society  and  held  their  lodges  in  this  cavern. 
The  wriler  saw  and  partially  explored  it.  It  is  not  an  extensive  cavern, 
and  is  more  remarkabh;  from  the  fact  of  its  having  been  used  as  a  lodge 
room  by  Washington  and  others.  It  however  has  several  different  depart- 
ments.    Tiie  author  was  not  able  to  get  into  the  lodge  room.     The  en  - 


APPENDIX.  320 

trriTire  to  which  is  quite  low  and  narrow.  Tlie  proprietor  (Mr.  Clark) 
informed  the  author  tliat  Washington's  name,  with  the  names  oCthc  several 
members  of  the  lodge,  is  inscribed  in  the  face  of  the  rocks  in  the  lo(hj,e 
room.  A  rock  of  very  hard  stone,  which  lies  near  a  very  fine  lime  spring- 
convenient  to  the  cave,  has  several  inscriptions  on  it-  The  letters  are 
the  plain  Roman  character  ;  btit  the  author  could  not  explain  the  mean- 
ingi     They  probably  are  masonic  enigmas. 

Having  introduced  the  name  "Washington,"  though  a  digression  from 
the  general  subject,  it  will  be  well  enough  to  notice  several  important 
anecdotes  in  the  history  of  that  great,  heaven-protected  man,  which  the 
writer  has  heard  from  respectable  authority. 

The  late  Maj.  Lawrance  Lewis,  a  favorite  nephew  of  Washington's, 
and  who  resided  with  him  at  "Mount  Vernon"  for  several  years,  related 
the  following  remarkable  anecdote  of  his  uncle.  In  the  battle  fousfht  be- 
tween  Braddock  and  the  Indians,  it  is  well  known^  Washington  acted  as 
one  of  Braddock's  aids.  After  the  battle,  Daniel  Craig — then  of  Winches- 
ter, but  afterwards  settled  in  Alexandria — became  acquainted  with 
Redhawk,  a  distinguished  young  Indian  warrior.  In  a  conversation  with 
the  Doct.,  Redhawk  inquired  what  young  officer  (who  was  mounted  on  a 
very  fine  horse)  it  was,  who  rode  with  great  rapidity  from  ])ost  to  post, 
during  the  action.  The  Doct.  replied,  Col.  W^ashingtoo,  Redhawk  im- 
mediately stated,  "I  fired  eleven  deliberate  shots  at  that  man,  but  could 
not  touch  him.  I  gave  over  any  further  attempt,  believing  he  was  pro- 
tected by  the  great  Spirit,  and  could  not  be  killed  by  a  bullet."  Red- 
hawk further  added,  that  his  gun  was  never  known  to  miss  its  aim  before. 

We  have  another  tradition  in  this  neighborhood  in  relation  to  this 
great  man.  It  is  stated  that  when  he  was  retreating  before  the  British 
army  in  Jersey,  he  once  expressed  to  some  of  his  officers  his  determina- 
tion, if  he  was  still  pursued,  and  unable  to  make  a  stand,  to  continue  his 
retreat  until  he  reached  Powell's  Fort,  which  he  wovdd  fortify  and  defy 
all  their  forces.*  This  tradition  was  communicated  to  the  author  by  a 
highly  respectable  gentleman  of  this  vicinity. 

There  was  another  tradition  related  to  the  author  by  an  old  lady,  (Mrs. 
Elizabeth  Madson,)  on  Roanoke  river,  of  great  respectal)ility.  She  stated 
the  following  fact :  Several  old  Indian  chiefs  had  offered  considerable 
premiums  to  any  warrior  or  set  of  warriors,  who  would  bring  out  Wash- 
ington's scalp.  Seven  Indians  who  were  living  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Roanoke,  got  to  hear  that  Washington  was  on  his  way  out  to  inspect  the 
fort  very  near  the  Roanoke  river.  There  were  two  roads  leading  to  the  fort ; 
one  across   the  point  of  the  mountain,  and  the  other  on   level  land.     The 

*Powell's  Fort  is  in  fact  a  natural  fortress.  The  mountains  on  each 
side  are  of  immense  height, and  covered  with  loose  stone;  at  the  entrance, 
they  come  so  close  together  that  a  few  hundred  men  placed  on  the  heights 
could  destroy  ten  times  their  number,  by  hurling  stone  down  on  the  ene- 
my. If  the  enemy  had  attempted  by  a  couuler  route  to  enter  the  fort,  a 
few  hundred  active  and  brave  riflemen,  from  the  mountainous  character  ni" 
the  country,  could  have  cut  to  pieces  an  armv  of  almost  any  force. 


321  APPENDIX. 

one  ncro!^r,  the  momitain  wuf.  the  shorter  M'.iy;  t!ie  other  on  the  level  land 
the  better.  'I'he  seven  Indians  plaeeil  themselves  in  ambush  close  to  the 
side  of  the  level  road,  and  lay  concealed  two  days  and  niohts  ;  b)it  Wash- 
ington did  not  pass.  They  grew  impatient,  and  their  chief,  the  third  day, 
stated  that  he  would  go  to  the  other  road  and  ascertain  whether  Wash- 
ington had  not  taken  that  route  to  the  fort — the  two  roads  being  only  one 
mile  apart.  He  gave  his  men  positive  orders  not  to  fire  at  any  person 
that  might  pass  in  his  absence.  While  he  was  gone.  Col.  Washington, 
Col.  Lewis  and  Col.  Preston,  all  three  passed  close  by  the  enemy  with- 
out heing  molested. 

Another  tradition  informs  us  that  Lord  Fairfax  appointed  Washington 
one  of  his  surveyors.  He  boarded  with  Capt.  Charles  Smith,  within 
half  a  mile  of  Battletown.  He  kept  his  office  in  an  upper  room  in  the 
spring  house.  This  small  log  building  is  on  the  farm  owned  by  John 
li.  Taylor,  Esq., — the  only  son  of  the  late  Col.  Gritfin  Taylor,  now  in 
Clarke  county. 

THE  INDIAN  CHURCH. 

This  is  said  to  be  a  most  grand  work  of  nature.  It  is  a  spacious  and 
beautiful  cavern,  in  a  high  rock,  about  four  miles  west  of  W^atkins'  Ferry, 
on  the  Virginia  iside  of  the  Cohongoruton,  (Potomac.)  It  is  a  circular 
rlome  of  considerable  height,  with  a  most  extraordinary  spiral  opening  in 
the  arch,  resend)Hng  the  steeple  of  a  church.  Seats  are  formed  all  a- 
round  the  interior ;  the  inlet  is  by  a  large  door.  Tradition  informs  us 
that  the  Indians,  when  in  possession  of  the  country,  used  to  assemble  in 
considerable  numbers  in  this  place.  For  wdiat  particular  object  is  not 
known  ;  but  it  is  probable  they  used  it  as  a  place  of  worship,  or  for  hold- 
ing their  councils. 

PROSPECT  ROCK. 

This  s])lendid  work  of  nature  is  in  the  county  of  Morgan,  about  three 
inih's  S.  W.  (if  Bath,  immediately  on  the  bank  of  Ca]-)on  river.  It  is  cer- 
tainly not  less  than  one  tlujusand  feet  perpendicular  height.  Capon  riv- 
er viewed  from  this  immense  height  presents  to  the  eye  a  most  curious 
and  interesting  sight.  The  river  running  a  considerable  distance  to  the 
west,  makes  a  gi'adual  turn  around  a  point  of  level  land — thence  return- 
ing an  easterly  course  to  the  base  of  the  mountain,  enclosing  some  two 
f)r  three  hundred  acres  of  fine,  I'ertile,  alluvial  land,  constituting  a  most 
valuable  farm.  Tlic  river  viewed  from  this  rock  appears  to  the  eye  not  to 
exceed  fifteen  or  twenty  I'eet  in  width,  and  forms,  as  it  were,  the  shape  of 
a  horse  shoe.  It  is  at  this  plac(>,  not  less  than  fifty  or  sixty  yards  in 
width.  'J'he  two  points  of  the  water  are  but  a  few  poles  apart  at  the  base 
of  the  mountain.  'I'licre  is  an  extensive  view  of  the  valley  up  the  river  ; 
some  say  fil'teen  mile'?.  The  top  of  the  Allegany  mountain  can  be  dis- 
tinctly seen  from  it 

NEW  CREEK  GAP. 

This  is  seen  in  the  county  of  Hardy,  about  twenty  miles  S.  W.  of  Rom- 
ney,   and  is  too,  a  most  tremendous  work  of  nature.     The  author  viewed 


APPENDIX.        ,  322 

this  place  with  considerable  awe  and  trepidation.  The  passage  is  quite 
narrow,  between  two  mountains  of  stupendous  hei-^ht,  probably  from  fif- 
teen hundred  to  two  thousand  feet  high.  The  points  of  the  mountains 
are  covered  with  numerous  rocks,  and  appear  to  be  hanging  over  the 
traveller's  head.  Through  this  passage  is  a  fine,  lively  stream  of  water, 
which,  after  leaving  tlie  mountain,  forms  Patterson's  Creek.  At  the  west 
side  of  the  mountain  there  are  two  streams — one  from  the  south  and  the 
other  from  the  north — which  meet  at  the  gap  and  unite  their  waters,  and 
run  through  the  gap  directly  an  east  course.  About  midway  the  gap  is 
seen  what  is  called  "the  spouting  spring."  This  spring,  it  is  said,  is 
formed  by  a  stream  of  water  which  runs  to  tlie  northern  base  of  the 
mountain,  and  has  formed  a  subteraneous  passway  under  the  mountain, 
and  bursts  out  in  a  lage  spring  in  the  gap.  Near  the  eastern  termination 
of  the  gap,  nature  has  formed  a  natural  dam  of  solid  rock,  quite  across 
the  cavity,  tw'enty-five  or  thirty  feet  high.  By  the  aid  of  this  dam,  Messrs. 
Harness  and  Turley  convey  the  water  to  their  iron  works  on  Patterson's 
Creek. 

A  LARGE  CAVE  IN  BERKELEY  COUNTY. 

Near  the  mouth  of  the  Opequon,  in  the  county  of  Berkeley,  exists  a 
large  cave.  In  the  year  1813,  a  man  named ,  called  in  the  eve- 
ning at  old  Mrs.  Furman's,  staid  till  next  morning,  and  after  breakfast, 
told  the  old  lady  he  would  go  into  the  cave  and  examine  it,  in  order  to  as- 
certain whether  he  could  or  not  obtain  Saltpetre  clay,  for  the  making  of 
powder.  The  old  lady  furnished  him  with  candles,  and  he  left  her  house 
alone,  promising  to  return  in  the  evening.  He  entered  the  cave,  and  was 
not  seen  or  heard  of  that  day.  The  second  day  passed  over,  and  no  ti- 
dings were  heard  of  him.  The  old  lady  grew  uneasy,  apprehending  he 
had  lost  himself  in  the  cave,  and  would  perhaps  perish.  The  third  day 
his  absence  continued,  and  the  old  lady  proposed  to  two  of  her  grow^n 
sons  and  another  young  man  v/ho  happened  to  be  at  her  house,  to  go  m 
search  of  him.  They  j^t  first  objected,  suggesting  it  was  probable  he  had 
gone  dow^n  the  Potomac  in  some  of  the  trading  boats  to  Georgetown. 
She  declared  if  they  would  not  go,  she  would  herself  go  and  make  the 
search.  The  young  men  then  agreed  to  go,  furnished  themselves  with 
sufficient  lights,  and  forthwith  proceeded  to  make  search.  They  had  not 
proceeded  far  into  the  cave  before  they  found  the  poor  fellow's  hat,  which 
satisfied  them  that  he  was  in  the  cave.  They  continued  the  search,  and 
at  length  found  him  in  a  most  perilous  and  distressed  condition.  He  sta- 
ted to  them,  that  he  had  not  proceeded  far  into  the  cave  before  his  can- 
dle by  accident  became  extinguished,  and  he  was  left  in  mo.e  than 
"Egyptian  darkness."  The  second  day  he  became  distressed  with  thirst, 
but  could  find  no  water.  He  continued  scrambling  in  the  cave,  in  the 
hope  of  getting  out,  but  instead  of  finding  the  entrance,  got  farther  from 
it.  At  length  he  heard  the  dropping  of  water,  and  gr(>pii)g  liis  way,  he 
found  the  water  was  dropping  into  a  deep  cavern.  He  contrived  to  get 
into  the  cavity,  and  after  reaching  the  bottom,  the  only  chance  he  had  to 
get  the  water  into  his  mouth,  was  by  laying  himself  down  on  his  back, 
dhd  letting  the  water  drop  into  it.     But  afler  his  thirst  was  assuaged,  he 


323  APPENDIX. 

could  nut  get  out  nl  lias  sink,  and  he  had  gntii  out  all  hope  ot  rt-liel", 
and  reconciled  hiniselt"  to  liis  late — expecting  to  die  in  a  very  little  time. 

The  young  men,  in  searching  for  him,  frequently  called  aloud  ;  he  could 
hear  them,  but  was  so  exhausted  and  -weakened,  that  he  could  not  make 
himself  heard  by  them  until  they  approached  very  near  his  place  of  seclu- 
sion. They  succeeded  in  raising  him  out  of  his  confinement;  he  soon  re- 
•covered  his  strength,  and  lived  some  fifteen  or  eighteen  years  after  this 
])erilaus  experiment. 

There  is  an  amusing  tradition  related  in  connexion  with  this  cavern. — 
An  old  German,  by  the  name  of  Biilinger,  had  ascertained  that  by  building 
a  fire  in  the  mouth  of  the  cave,  the  smoke  would  ascend  and  pass  out  at 
a  small  aperture  in  the  rocks  on  the  top  of  the  hill,  about  three  hundred 
yards  from  the  entrance.  This  shrewd  old  man  persuaded  several  young 
men  that  he  could  raise  old  Nick  out  of  the  cave,  and  invited  them  in  the 
morning  to  go  with  him,  and  see  his  experimeiit.  He  directed  a  negro 
man  to  go  to  the  mouth  of  the  cave  and  raise  a  large  pine  fire.  The  old 
gentleman  had  ascertained  about  what  time  it  would  take  lor  the  smoke  to 
sliov,-  at  the  top  of  the  hill;  they  assembled  near  the  aperlnre,  and  he  en- 
gaged in  many  incantations  and  juglings;  whilst  watching  for  the  smoke 
lo  appear.  The  young  men  waited  with  trepidation  and  fear.  When  the 
smoke  burst  out,  tile  old  man  exclaimed  "See,  there  becomes!  see  hits 
smoke !"  It  was  enough  for  the  young  men  ;  they  saw  the  devil's 
smoke,  and  precijiilately  took  to  llight,  leaving  the  old  gentleman  to 
make  the  best  terms  that  he  could  with  his  satanic  majesty. 

There  is  a  most  extraordinary  cave  a  short  distance  from  Shepherds- 
lown.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Hill  informed  the  author,  that  he  once  explored 
this  cavern  about  one  mile;  it  passes  under  tlie  Potomac,  river,  and  reach- 
ing into  the  state  of  Maryland,  contains  a  great  variety  of  stalactite  forma- 
lions  and  beautiful  curiosities. 

HOUSE  CAVE. 

This  cavern  is  on  Apple  ridge  in  the  county  oi  , .  It  is  remarka- 
ble lor  its  vast  depth,  and  has  a  pretty  good  room  near  its  entrance.  It  is 
•said  this  cave  is  not  less  than  six  huiulrcd  feet  deeji.  At  its  termination 
a  most  delighlfiil  stream  of  cold  water  runs  across  its  bottom.  The  aii- 
lhor,  several  years  ago,  visited  this  place,  and  partially  exjiloied  it ; 
tlescending  about  one  hundred  feet  into  it.  Two  young  men  descemled 
about  one  hundred  feet  below  where  the  author  stopped. 

In  the  county  of  Frederick    exists  a  cave  on  the  land  now  owned  by 
Doct.  Walker    M.    Hite,  near  the   waters  of  Cedar  ('reek.      It   is  not    so 
Tcinarkalile  for  its  size  as  for  its  jiroduclion  otnatiiral  curiosities.      Sever- 
al years  ago  the  author  explored  this  cavern,  l»ul  had  abundant  cause   to 
regret  hi •>   uiiderlakiiig.      He  became  so  excessively  I. itigucti   tli;it  it     was 
Avi!h  grc.il  flifliculfy  he  was  enabled    to  get    out.      lie  was  reminded  otaii 
anecdote  f)f  a  Dutch  womui;   Two  men  in  the  county  of  Shenandoah  had 
fni.ssed  their  way  in  the  night  and  got  into  the  enclosure  of  a  farmer,  found 
l]ie  house,  and  asked  the  way  out.     The  woman  ot  the  hoiise  replied,  ''Sc. 
you  (  onie  in  so  you  got  out  acain."     'J'here  are  several  other  caves  the  au- 
•'iai  Ii.ij  licaid  -^1.  but  htC:.'  not  ^ceii.     'J'licrc  j.^  one  on  thcland  oi  Gee.  ir'. 


APPENDIX.  324 

Hupp,  E.s(j.,  the  former  residence  of  Mr.  Joseph  Stover,  near  Slrasburg. 
This  is  said  to  be  pretty  extensive,  and  contains  much  stalactite  matter. 
On  the  land  of  Mr.  Israel  Allen,  in  the  county  of  Shenandoah,  exists  a 
most  valuable  cavity,  forming  one  of  the  finest  dairies  the  author  has  ever 
seen.  At  the  early  settlement  of  the  country,  it  was  discovered  that  a 
small  cavity  in  the  rocks,  on  a  pretty  high  hill,  led  to  a  charming  stream 
of  delightful  water.  But  it  was  attended  with  some  difhculty  to  descend 
and  ascend  the  aperture  to  get  the  water.  Mr.  Allen  built  a  handsome 
brick  dwelling  near  the  mouth  of  the  cavity,  then  dug  a  well  so  as  to 
strike  the  stream  of  water.  At  the  depth  of  thirty-two  feet  below  the  sur- 
iace,  he  came  upon  a  bed  of  black  alluvian  mud,  in  removing  which  he 
found  a  very  large  human  skeleton,  which  was  greatly  above  the  common 
size  of  the  human  frame.  Mr.  Allen  himself  was  rather  upwards  of  six 
feet  high;  he  stated  that  he  placed  one  of  the  leg  bones  and  measured  it 
by  his  owH  leg.  It  was  between  two  and  three  inches  longer  than  his 
own  leg.  From  this  data,  it  is  probable  the  individual  owner  of  this  skel- 
eton was  little  under,  if  not  full  eight  feet  high.  Mr.  Allen  opened  and 
improved  the  mouth  of  the  cavern,  and  constructed  one  among  the  most 
valuable  places  for  preserving  milk,  butter  and  fresh  meats,  in  our  country. 
The  aperture  from  the  milk  house  to  the  water  is  still  open,  and  in  warm 
weather  discharges  a  constant  current  of  cool  air  into  the  dairy,  and  keeps 
it  perfectly  cool.  In  winter  the  current  of  air  is  tepid  and  protects  every 
thing  in  the  dairy  from  freezing. 

HARRISON'S  CAVE. 

In  the  county  of  Rockingham,  on  the  land  of  Mr.  Harrison,  on 

the  Turn[)ike  road  leading  from  Winchester  to  Staunton,  is  to  be  seen  a 
most  beautiful  cave,  seven  miles  north  of  Harrisonburg,  the  seat  of  jus- 
tice for  the  county.  Mr.  Harrison  has  improved  the  entrance  into  the 
cave  with  steps,  so  that  it  is  very  convenient  to  enter  it.  This  cave 
(which  the  author  explored,)  presents  several  most  interesting  works  of 
nature.  Near  the  centre,  a  splendid  column  of  about  twenty-five  feet 
high— a  stala<;tite  formation — stands  as  if  designed  to  support  the  arch. 
Pretty  near  this  (;ohimn  is  setting  the  bust  of  a  very  large  old  woman, 
covered  over  with  beautiful  white  drapery,  in  numerous  folds — the  walls 
generally  covered  with  stalactite  formations,  several  of  which  have  a 
strong  resemblance  to  the  pipes  of  an  organ.  The  whole  length  does  not 
exceed  three  hundred  yards.  The  floor  is  pretty  level,  and  convenient  to 
walk  upon.  It  is  generally  above  twenty-five  feet  high  from  the  floor 
to  the  arch,  and  thiity-five  or  forty  wide.  The  author  heard  of  several 
other  caves  in  Rockingham,  but  did  not  visit  them. 

At  the  head  of  the  Soulh  Branch  a  man  by  the  name  of  Ruthledge, 
was  shot  through  the  body  by  an  Indian  ;  the  ball  penetiated  the  left 
breast  and  passed  out  within  an  inch  of  the  spine.  This  man  recovered 
and  lived  many  years  after.  There  were  two  female  (;hildren,  daughtei-s 
of  John  Moore,  taken  by  the  Indians  and  grew  up  with  them.  The  el- 
der had  two  children  by  a  white  trader ;  the  younger  became  the  wife  oi 
the  distinguished  war  chief  Bluejacket.  She  lell  an  Indian  son  with  liis 
father,  v^-as   encciiit,  when  biought  hoiiic,  and  brought   fbrHi  a  daughter. 


325  APPENDIX. 

who  grew  up  and  married  a  man  by  the  name  of  John  Stuart.  Her  hith- 
er, Bluejacket,  secured  her  a  tract  oi'  land  on  tlie  waters  of  Lake  Erie, 
to  which  Stuart  removed  and  settled. 

Two  of  John  Cartmell's  daughters  were  taken  by  the  Indians  and  re- 
mained witii  them  several  years.  Their  brother  went  to  the  Indian 
country,  obtained  their  release  and  brought  them  home. 

James  Slu-art  was  shot  while  crossing  the  Greenbrier  river,  reached  the 
opposite  shore,  and  died  immediately.  Several  others  were  killed  the 
same  summer,  whose  names  are  not  recollected. 

A  few  years  ago,  there  was  found  on  the  banks  of  Greenbrier  river, 
in  the  cavity  of  a  rock,  a  very  large  human  skeleton,  his  bow  and  arrows, 
mat,  and  tomahawk,  and  a  deerskin  was  deposited  with  the  body  at  the 
time  of  its  burial ;  it  was  about  ten  feet  below  the  surface. 

Human  skeletons  have  been  frequently  discovered  on  the  margin  of  the 
water  courses.  About  thirty  years  ago,  Samuel  McDonald  discovered  a 
human  skull  in  the  bank  of  the  Cowpasture  river.  It  was  remarkable  for 
its  great  size  and  thickness — had  a  visible  mark  of  a  tomahawk  wound  on 
it — supposed  to  be  the  head  of  a  giant-like  warrior.  A  walnut  tree  of  im- 
mense size,  which  grew  on  the  bank  of  the  Cowpasture  river,  was  blown 
down  in  a  violent  gale  of  wind,  and  a  number  of  human  bones  were  dis- 
covered in  the  cavity.  The  author  was  informed  that  the  body  of  this 
tree  was  not  less  than  six  or  seven  feet  in  diameter.  If  so,  as  it  nmst 
have  grown  over  the  bodies  after  they  were  buried,  it  was  probably  sever- 
al hundred  years  old. 

But  to  return  from  this  digression.  Mrs.  Sarah  Erskine,  in  her  eighty- 
fourth  year,  was  first  married  to  John  Pauly — they  were  removing  to 
Kentucky,  and  on  the  23d  of  Sept.  1779,  on  the  east  branch  of  New 
river,  they  were  attacked  by  a  party  of  hve  Shawnee  Indians  and  a  while 
man  by  the  name  of  Morgan.  Mr.  Pauly  was  killed,  and  his  little  child, 
about  two  years  old,  liatl  its  brains  dashed  out  against  a  tree  and  left  a 
prey  to  wild  beasts.  This  venerable  and  highly  intelligent  lady  was  once 
while  a  prisoner  threatened  with  the  most  horrid  destruction.  x\n  old  chief 
who  had  a  I'avorite  son  killed  in  a  battle  in  Kentucky,  had  determined  to 
revensre  his  son's  tleath  on  her  little  son, who  was  born  a  few  months  after  her 
captivity,  and  two  young  prisoners,  Calway  and  Hoy.  The  old  savage 
monster  had  determined  to  enclose  them  all  in  Mrs.  Erskine's  house  and 
set  fire  to  it.  But  Col.  McKee,  the  British  agent,  successfully  interpos- 
ed ;  he  called  on  .Xfrs.  Erskine  and  told  her  not  to  be  alarmed  ;  tiiat  if  he 
found  that  lie  could  not  restrain  the  violence  of  the  old  monster,  he  would 
immediately  convey  her  ofTto  Detroit:  but  from  the  friendly  interjiosition 
of  Mr.  McK(?e,  a  majority  of  the  Indians  became  opposed  to  the  violent 
and  vindictive  revenge  of  the  old  savage.  She  was  upwards  of  three 
years  a  prisoner.  Her  son,  young  Pauly,  she  brought  home  with  her; 
he  grew  up,  went  to  the  west,  became  secretary  to  the  great  Missouri 
Fur  Company,  and  was  killi'd  while  engaged  in  that  business.  Mr. 
John  Higgins  came  out  to  tlic  Shawnee  towns  and  redeemed  and  aidetl 
her  in  gelling  home  to  her  friends. 

There  w.is  ;i  brother  of  Mr.  John  Pauly,  also  a  jnarrjed  man,  wiUi  Jiis 
wife  and  one  child,  oil  his  way  to  Kentucky.     He  wab  killed  at  the  same 


APPENDIX.  336 

limp,  his  infant  killed  and  his  wife  taken  prisoner.  She  was  taken  to  the 
Shawnee  town,  was  claimed  by  two  squaws,  and  taken  to  Detroit  and 
sold,  from  whence  she  escaped,  but  never  got  liomc  to  her  friends. 

Mrs.  Erskine  stated  to  the  author,  that  she  did  work  for  the  men,  making- 
their  garments — that  on  one  particular  occasion  a  warrior  called  on  her  to 
make  him  a  calico  shirt ;  the  fellow  informed  her  that  he  had  lately  return- 
ed from  a  trip  to  the  neighborhood  of  the  Sweet  springs,  in  quest  of  a 
box  of  red  paint.*  He  obtained  his  paint,  and  returning,  he  passed  the 
house  of  a  farmer,  who  had  left  his  shot-pouch  and  powder  horn  hangino- 
to  the  corner  of  his  corn  house.  The  Indian  took  off  the  pouch  and 
horn,  and  left  his  own  Buffalo  horn,  with  a  little  powder,  in  place  of  it. — 
He  observed  to  Mrs.  Erskine  that  "it  was  an  even  exchange,  no  robbery," 
But  if  the  owner  had  happened  to  discover  the  exchange  at  the  moment, 
it  is  highly  probable  the  fellow  might  have  paid  for  his  even  exchange 
with  his  life. 

Mrs.  Erskine  said  that  the  Shawnee  women,  from  the  number  of  white 
persons  taken  among  them,  had  greatly  improved  in  their  domestic  ar- 
rangements, and  several  of  them  had  become  pretty  good  housekeepers. 

Mrs,  Erskine  resides  in  Greenbrier  county,  near  Lewisburg.  The  au- 
thor met  with  her  at  her  son's  in  Lewisburg.  who  is  a  highly  respectable 
merchant  of  that  place. 

Tradition  relates  that  the  Sweet  Springs  were  discovered  by  a  man 
W'ho  was  passing  near  the  spring.  A  colt,  which  was  following  the 
horse  he  was  riding,  was  bitten  by  a  rattlesnake,  when  it  immediately 
ran  into  the  spring,  where  it  continued  for  some  time,  nor  could  it  be  in- 
duced to  come  out  until  it  had  been  entirely  relieved  from  the  pain  occa- 
sioned by  the  wound. f  The  man  examined  the  water  and  found  that  it 
possessed  some  valuable  medicinal  quality. 

A  man  by  the  name  of  Robert  Armstrong,  in  those  troublesome  times, 
had  removed  his  family  across  the  mountain  to  a  place  of  safety.  He  was 
on  a  visit  to  his  family,  accompanied  by  a  young  man.  Seven  Indians  ap- 
proached his  house,  and  were  in  the  yard  before  discovered.  Armstrono- 
told  the  young  man  to  jump  into  bed,  and  he  threw  a  blanket  over  him. 
The  Indians  pushed  into  the  house,  and  Armstrong  went  to  the  bed,  rais- 
ed the  blanket,  and  asked  the  man  if  he  w^as  better.  He  replied  in  the 
negative.  An  Indian  immediately  asked  "Man  very  sick?"  "Yes, 
small  pox  very  bad."  They  cried  "wough"  and  ran  off,  crying  as  they 
ran,  "small  pox!  small  pox!"  as  far  as  they  could  be  heard.  It  is  said  the 
Indians  are  dreadfully  afraid  of  this  disorder.  Armstrong,  by  this  strata- 
gem, saved  himself  and  property  from  being  touched  by  the  enemy. 

In  the  year  1774,  in  the  month  of  .June,  there  were  four  white  i'amilies 
settled  on  the  head  waters  of  Greenbrier,  and  apprehensive  of  danger,  re- 


*It  was  stated  to  the  author,  when  in  that  section  of  country,  that  there 
is  a  considerable  bank  of  beautiful  red  paint  in  Peters's  mountain,  five  or 
six  miles  from  the  spring. 

|Dr.  Lewis,  the  present  proprietor,  informed  the  author  that  he  had 
had  a  favorite  dog  bitten  by  a  rattlesnake  ;  he  immersed  him  in  the  sprin"- 
and  it  entirely  cured  hiin  of  the  bite. 


327  APPENDIX. 

moved  their  families  into  the  setrtement  wliere  tliey  were  safe.  A  mail 
by  the  name  of  John  Joimston  came  in,  and  staled  he  had  seen  fresli 
signs  of  Indians.  The  late  Col.  John  Dickinson,  a  bravp  and  active 
Indian  fighter,  raised  a  party  of  twenty-seven  men,  and  marched  out  ; 
but  it  was  too  or  three  days  before  they  found  any  traces  of  Indians. 
They  went  to  Jacob  Kitlie's  house,  found  the  beds  totally  cut  open,  and 
the  feathers  scattered  to  the  winds.  The  Indians  liad  kept  themselves  so 
completely  concealed,  that  they  could  not  be  disocvered ;  yet  they  coutrived 
to  kill  one  of  Dickinson's  men,  named  Malone,  and  wounded  Robert 
McClay.  Col.  Dickinson  was  himself  pretty  severely  wounded  at  the 
battle  of  the  Point,  in  the  year  1774,  under  CoL  Lewis.  The  Irall  penetrated 
high  up  his  shoulder  and  came  out  very  near  his  spine.  Yet  he  soon  re- 
covered, suffering  but  little  from  the  wound.  The  Indians,  after  a  few 
days  lurking  about,  and  discovering  Dickinson's  party  to  i)e  too  strong 
for  them,  fled.     It  is  said  there  were  only  three  Indians  in  ihv  party. 

The  warrant  of  Mr  Joseph  Maye's  land  was  issued  in  1743,  surveyed 
in  174G, — patent  or  grant  issued  in  1761.  Joseph  Maye,  Esq.,  at  about 
twelve  years  of  age,  was  taken  prisoner  by  a  party  of  Indians  ;  but  was 
rescued  by  his  friends  after  five  days  captivity,  and  brought  safely  home. 
This  \>enerable  and  intelligent  man  was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  the 
Point.  He  was  at  the  time  preparing  to  shoot  the  Indian  that  wounded 
him,  who  was  standing  behind  a  tree  that  was  rather  small  to  protect  him. 
It  had  a  crook  in  the  body,  below  which  Mr.  j\Iaye  attempted  to  fire  at 
him — for  which  purpose  he  bent  his  right  knee  and  stooped  a  little ; 
but  the  fellow  was  too  quick  for  him,  fired  at  him  and  struck  him  very 
near  the  cap  of  his  knee.  The  ball  ranged  down  the  bones  of  his  leg, 
shivering  them  ])retty  much.  He  was  not  able  to  walk  for  three  years  af- 
terwards. He  however  so  far  recovered  as  to  be  able  to  use  his  leg  a- 
bout  twenty  years  or  upwards;  but  it  frequently  would  inflame  and  break 
out,  and  he  was  finally  compelled  to  have  it  amputated  above  his  knee. — • 
When  the  author  saw  this  highly  respectable  old  gentleman,  he  was 
eighty-lour  years  of  age,  and  appeared  to  enjoy  fine  heatth. 

A  story  was  told  to  the  writer,  of  rather  singular  and  extraordinary 
character.  Seven  Indians  were  lurking  abo\it  one  of  the  forts.  A  young- 
woman  had  walked  out,  perhaps  in  search  of  wih?  fruit.  'I'he  seven  In- 
dians seized  her  and  took  her  oil'.  They  ]iroeeeded  a  {'v\v  miles,  and  halt- 
ed lor  the  pur[)0se  of  terrifying  and  tormenting  the  unfortunate  girl, — 
They  strijiped  her,  tied  her  hands  above  her  head  to  a  sapling,  and  threw 
their  tomahawks  at  her,  trying  how  near  they  could  pass  their  instruments 
liy  her  body  without  wounding  her.  A  bold  ami  enterprising  hunter 
hap|iened  to  be  within  hearing  of  her  screams,  and  ran  to  see  what  pro- 
duced the  poor  girl's  terrors.  As  he  approached  he  discovered  the  scene, 
and  with  his  rifle  killed  one  ofthe  party;  the  other  si\  fled,  and  the  hun- 
ter ran  to  the  relief  of  the  unfortunate  sufferer,  instantly  cut  the  bandage 
from  her  hands,  threw  his  hunting  shirt  around  her,  and  directed  her  to 
run  to  the  fort,  and  lie  instantly  reloaded  iiis  rifle  and  followed  her. — 
The  remaining  Indians,  discovering  there  was  but  one  man,  gave  chase. 
The  hunter  discoveriag  this,  slackened  his  pac,  and  as  they  approached 
pretty  ni'ir   hini,   bronglil    anotlu^r    down.      H-"-  was  master  of  tlip  art  of 


APPENDIX.  S^S 

loading  as  lie  ran.  The  remainino;  five  conllnr.cd  the  chase  until  this 
brave  and  skillful  marksman  brouijht  another  down.  The  others  contin- 
ued  the  pursuit  until  the  whole  number  was  killed.  The  author  can  not 
vouch  for  the  truth  of  this  story,  but  has  given  it  as  he  heard  it  related  by 
several  respectable  individuals  ;  the  reader  can  take  it  for  what  it  is 
worth. 

George  Keneade  was  killed,  and  his  wife  and  four  children  taken  off. 
An  old  Indian,  soon  after  her  arrival  at  the  village,  proposed  to  marry  her, 
but  she  promptly  refused  the  offer.  The  savage  monster  threateiied  to 
burn  her.  A  Frenchman  told  her  if  she  would  consent  to  marry  him,  he 
wpuld  take  her  off.  She  consented  to  his  offer,  and  he  soon  took  her  to 
Redstone,  and  married  her.  This  Frenchman  kept  a  little  store  in  the 
Indian  village.     Paul  Leash  was  the  name  of  this  Frenchman. 

There  were  a  number  of  people  killed  and  taken  prisoners  by  the  same 
Indians,  at  the  big  bend  of  Jackson  river.  But  Mr.  Byrd,  my  informant, 
could  not  recollect  the  precise  number  or  name  of  the  sufferers. 

There  is  an  Indian  grave  near  Man's  Mills,  on  Jackson  river,  thirty 
yards  or  more  in  diameter,  and  perfectly  round.*  The  author  will  here 
remark,  that  in  all  his  excursions  through  that  country,  he  never  saw  an 
Indian  grave,f  and  heard  of  but  two — the  one  just  spoken  of,  and  another 
on  Peter's  mountain.  This  is  said  to  be  in  circular  form,  and  covered 
entirely  with  stone. 

During  the  troublesome  times  with  the  Indians,  a  party  of  them  at- 
tacked the  dwelling  of  Maj.  Graham,  on  Greenbrier  river,  killed  some  of 
his  children  and  took  off  a  young  daughter.  She  remained  a  prisoner  for 
several  years,  and  grew  up  with  the  savages  ;  a  short  interval  of  peace 
took  place  with  the  tribes,  and  her  father  went  out  to  the  Indian  country 
and  found  his  daughter,  whom  he  had  for  a  long  time  believed  was  en- 
tirely lost  to  him,  and  brought  her  home.  vShe  soon  manifested  great 
uneasiness,  and  expressed  a  desire  to  return  to  the  Indians. 

A  small  party  of  Indians  came  into  the  neighborhood  of  Muddy  creek, 
and  killed  a  man  near  her  father's  residence,  and  as  soon  as  she  heard  of 
the  occurrence,  made  an  attempt  to  run  off  to  the  Indians,  but  was  pre- 
vented from  doing  so  by  the  family.  She  after  a  wdiile  became  better 
reconciled  to  remain  v.'ith  her  connections,  and  married  a  worthy  man, 
raised  a  respectable  family  of  children,  and  was  living,  in  the  year  183G, 
in  the  county  of  Monroe.  This  is  another  among  the  many  instances  of 
white  children,  taken  while  quite  young,  growing  up  with  the  savages, 
and  becoming  so  much  attached  to  the  manners  and  habits  of  the  people 
in  a  state  of  nature,  as  to  leave  them  with  the  greatest  possible  reluc- 
tance. 

In  the  autumn  of  1797,  the  author  travelled  through  the  State  of  Ohio. 
At  Chilicothe  he  saw  a  young  man  named  Williamson,  who  was  on  his 
■way  to  his  residence  at  the  three  Islands  of  the  Ohio  ;    he  was  returning 


*Now  entirely  plowed  down. 

t There  Is  a  pretty  considerable  mound  about  two  miles  south  of  Frank 
fort,  in  Pendleton  county,  noticed  in  the  first  cdiijon  nf  this  v/ork. 

Q 


2-29  APPENDIX. 

-with  two  of  his  hrotliers,  one  fourteen,  the  other  about  twelve  years  of 
age,  who  had  been  taken  about  tliree  years  before.  He  found  them  near 
the  lakes,  with  different  tribes,  about  sixty  miles  apart.  The  young  man 
stated  that  it  was  with  considerable  difficulty  he  could  prevail  on  the  little 
fellows  to  leave  the  Indians  ;  and  even  after  he  had  started  with  them, 
they  made  several  attempts  to  run  off  and  get  back  to  the  Indians.  He 
was  at  length  compelled  to  obtain  a  canoe  and  descend  the  Allegany  riv- 
er with  them,  and  by  this  means,  and  vigilant  watching,  he  prevented 
their  making  their  escape  from  him. 

It  is  remarkable,  that  those  children  should  have  so  soon  lost  their  af- 
fection for  their  parents  and  brothers  and  sisters,  as  to  prefer  remaining 
with  their  savage  captors.  The  author  has  been  informed  by  persons 
who  have  been  prisoners,  that  natives  never  apply  the  scourge  to  ciiildren, 
but  treat  them  with  the  greatest  indulgence.  It  is  probably  owing  to  this 
cause  that  white  children  become  so  much  pleased  with  them. 

The  author  .attempted  to  converse  with  the  boys,  but  immediately  dis- 
covered that  they  had  acquired  all  that  coyness  and  diffidence  so  com- 
monly manifested  by  the  native  Indians.  They  would  scarcely  answer  a 
question  ;  and  before  they  answered  yes  or  no,  they  would  look  at  their 
elder  brother,  and  at  each  other,  and  pause  before  either  would  reply  ; 
and  that  reply  was  only  Yes,  or  No. 

In  the  year  1774,  there  were  four  families, — Ash,  Bumgardner,  Croft, 
and  Hupp, — who  settled  at  a  place  called  Tea  Garden,  at  Ten  Mile 
Creek,  on  JSIonongalia  river.  They  had  entered  into  a  contract  with  the 
Indians  for  permission  to  occupy  a  certain  quantity  of  land,  and  the  privi- 
lege of  hunting  on  the  lands,  for  which  they  agreed  to  pay  a  small  annual 
rent.  When  Dunmore's  war  commenced,  a  messenger  was  sent  to  them, 
warning  them  of  their  danger,  and  advising  them  to  remove  immediately 
into  the  fort  at  Redstone.  The  messenger  stated  to  them,  that  if  they  re- 
mained they  would  all  be  killed.  Several  Indians  were  present,  and 
their  chief  replied  to  the  bearer  of  the  message  :  "  Tell  your  king  he  is  a 
d —  liar — the  Indians  will  not  kill  them."  And  the  people  remained  at 
their  residence  during  the  continuance  of  the  war,  without  being  disturbed 
by  the  enemy. 

REGURGITARY    SPRING. 

This  is  a  most  singular  aiul  curious  work  of  nature.  The  writer  did 
hot  see  it,  i>ut  it  was  described  by  several  intelligent,  respectable  gentle- 
men who  had  repeatedly  examined  it.  On  the  summit  of  a  high  moun- 
tain, in  the  county  of  Hardy,  five  or  six  miles  from  Petersburg,  a  small 
villagf  on  the  main  fork  of  the  South  branch  of  the  Wappatomaca,  this 
spring  makes  itrs  aj)pearance.  It  ebbs  and  floMS  every  two  hours.  When 
rising,  it  emits  a  gurgling  noise,  similar  to  the  gurgling  of  any  liquid  run- 
ning out  at  the  bung-hole  of  a  hogshead — runs  f^reely  two  hours,  and  then 
ebSs,  and  the  water  entirely  disappears.  At  every  flow,  sand  anil  small 
pebbles  are  forced  out  with  the  water. 

Samuel    McDtnutld    was  wounded  at  the   battle    of  the  Point,    under 

Col  Lewis.      He  belonged  to  the  company  commanded  by  Caj)!.  Dickin- 

v;Q.     The  ball  parsed  throug-fi  both  his   thie^hs,  but  neither   was  broken. 


APPENDIX.  23e 

He  recovered  from  his*  wounds,  but  continued  a  little  lame  as  long  as  he 
lived.  Mrs.  Ellen  McDonald,  his  widow,  (eighty-three  years  ol'  age, 
and  still  living,)  informed  the  author  that  she  once  had  two  sisters  taken 
by  the  Indians — one  ten  years  of  age  and  the  other  seven.  They  were 
prisoners  seven  years,  lost  their  mother  tongue,  and  spoke  the  Indian  lan- 
guage perfectly.  Two  of  Mr.  McDonald's  sisters  were  taken  by  the 
Cherokees. 

In  the  year  1764,  the  Indians  killed,  at  the  house  of  Jame^s  Clanahan, 
Edward  Sampson  and  Joseph  Mayes.  They  killed  and  took  prisoners 
all  the  families,  except  three  individuals.  A  woman  seventy  years  of 
age  had  left  the  house,  but  returned  and  took  a  small  trunk,  in  which  she 
kept  her  caps  and  money,  and  carried  it  off,  while  the  Indians  were  kill- 
ing a  number  of  persons  around  her;  and  finally  made  her  escape. — 
There  w^ere  but  two  other  persons  who  escaped. 

The  Indians  then  passing  up  the  cowpasture  river,  stopped  at  the 
house  of  William  Fitzgerald.  Thomas  Thompson  was  there  at  the  time. 
They  barricaded  the  door,  so  that  the  Indians  could  not  force  it  open. — 
The  savages  immediately  set  fire  to  the  house,  and  Fitzgerald  and  Thomp  - 
son  were  burnt  to  death.  A  little  girl  of  Fitzgerald's  was  cruelly  burnt. 
They  killed  its  mother  the  next  day,  and  look  the  child  off.  It  was  res- 
cued by  the  whites  and  brought  part  of  the  way  home;  but  died  at  Mar- 
low's  ford,  Greenbrier  river.  Mrs.  Sampson  and  her  daughters  were  ta- 
ken off  by  the  Indians,  and  wdien  they  found  they  would  be  overtaken  by 
the  whites,  a  young  warrior  shot  Mrs.  Simpson  through  the  body.  She 
was  found  in  a  languishing  condition,  and  brought  part  of  the  way  home, 
but  died  on  the  way.      Her  daughters  were  never  more  heard  of. 

In  1779  a  man  by  the  name  of  JMcKeever  was  killed,  arid  Thomas 
Grening  and  George  Smith  were  fired  at  by  the  party  who  killed  Mc- 
Keever,  but  made  their  escape..  Both  their  waives  and  children  were 
taken  off  as  prisoners.  Mrs.  Smith  made  her  escape  from  the  savages, 
and  on  her  way  homeward  was  met  by  Col.  John  Hill,  now  of  Pochahon- 
tas  county,  and  conveyed  to  her  friends  in  N..  Carolina. 

John  Day's  Fori,  now  Price^s  old  Fort,  formerly  Kexkley''s  Fort. — 
About  1772  John  McNeil  settled  in  the  Little  Levels;  at  that  period 
there  were  very  few  settlers  in  that  neighborhood.  Mrs.  Sarah  Brown, 
the  mother  of  Col.  Brown  in  this  neighljorhood,  at  the  age  of  ninety-one 
years, was  able  to  walk  about  the  neighborhood,  and  rode  by  herself  to  vis- 
it some  of  her  children,  who  lived  ten  or  fifteen  miles  oft  Col.  Brown 
stated  to  the  author  that  a  sugar  tree  of  immense  size,  (at  least  six  feet 
in  diameter,)  stood  in  one  of  his  fields,  and  that  it  yielded  him  at  least 
fifty  pounds  of  sugar  yearly.  The  Indians  did  no  mischief  after  the  war 
of  176.3,  until  the  year  1774.  There  were  some  Buffalo  and  J'Jk  to  be 
seen  in  the  country  at  this  period. 

William  Meeks,  his  wife,  six  children,  and  his  mother,  were  taken  off 
four  or  five  years  after  the  battle  of  the  Point.  Capt.  Woods  of  the 
present  county  of  Monroe,  raised  a  party  of  seventeen  men,  pursued  the 
enemy,  and  after  several  days  march,  overtook  them  late  in  the  evening- 
I'hc  Indians  had  halted  and  been  encamped  three  or  four  days.  CapL 
Woods  and  his  party  approached  within  a  short  distance  of  thcrn  without 


331  APP1-:NI)1X. 

being  dis-coveicd.  Eiirly  the  next  morning,  il  being  very  ibggy,  the  \vliiles 
mshed  in  among  the  enemy.  Capt.  Woods  and  the  Indian  Capt.  tired  at 
each  other,  the  umzzlcs  of  their  guns  almost  touching  ;  but  each  of  them 
springing  to  one  side,  neither  shot  took  effect.  Woods  knocked  the  In- 
dian down  with  his  gun,  and  pursued  the  flying  enemy.  The  fellow 
knocked  down   soon  recovered  and  ran  off. 

Not  one  of  the  Indians  was  killed,  but  the  prisoners  were  all  rescued, 
and  returned  to  their  homes  with  the  plunder  all  retaken,  and  the  Indians 
.losing  all  their  own  property. 

COOK'S  FOR  r,  INDIAN  CREEK. 

In  the  year  1774,  about  the  time  of  the  attack  on  Donnally's  fort, 
there  were  about  three  hundred  people  sheltered  in  this  fortress.  It  was 
an  oblong,  and  covered  one  and  a  half  acres  of  ground.  A  Mrs.  Brads- 
burn  was  killed. 

Shortly  before  Wm.  Meeks  was  taken.  Steel  Lafferty  was  killed  at  the 
mouth  of  Indian  Creek,  three  miles  off  from  the  fort.  Meeks  htard  the 
report  of  his  death,  immediately  mounted  his  horse,  and  rode  with  all 
speed  to  his  house,  to  the  relief  of  two  women  ;  as  he  approached  the 
house,  he  called  to  them  to  open  the  door,  which  was  immediately  done, 
when  he  rushed  into  it,  sprang  to  a  port  hole,  saw  two  Indians  running  a- 
cross  a  small  field,  near  the  house,  fired  at  them,  when  one  of  them  drop- 
ped his  blanket  and  gun,  increased  his  speed  and  got  off;  but  it  was  belie- 
ved he  was  shot  through  the  body  ;  he  never  could  be  found,  however. 

In  1771,  Mr.  James  Ellison  removed  from  the  State  of  Jersey,  with 
his  father,  at  which  time  he  was  about  fifteen  years  of  age.  On  the  19th 
of  October,  1780,  a  party  of  seven  or  eight  Indians  attacked  him,  woun- 
ded him  in  the  shoulder ;  the  ball  passing  under  his  shoulderblade  and 
out  very  near  his  spine  ;  he  was  tied  and  taken  off  a  prisoner.  The  next 
day,  when  they  had  travelled  about  fifteen  miles  v/ith  him,  while  passing 
through  a  thicket,  lie  suddenly  escaped  from  them,  and  was  pursued,  but 
outran  them  and  ^oi  off.  This  old  and  iutelliiient  man,  was  afterwards 
in  the  battle  of  the  Point,  under  Col.  Lewis.  The  author  saw  him  and 
conversed  with  him;  he  was  then  about  eighty  years  of  age. 

Mr.  Ellison  lias  been  a  great  and  successful  hunter.  There  were  but 
very  few  buffalo  and  elk  reniainiug  in  the  country,  but  abundance  of 
bears,  deers,  panthers,  wolves,  wild  cats,  and  a  vast  number  of  tur- 
kies  and  other  small  game.  Mr.  Ellison  stated  tliat  he  might  safely  affirm 
that  he  had  killed  more  than  one  thousand  deer,  three  or  four  liundred 
bears,  a  great  many  panthers  wohes,  &.r.  The  wild  game  was  the  chief 
dependence  of  the  first  settlers,  for  subsistence.  There  w'cre  a  great  ma- 
ny l)eavers,  otters,  and  other  fured  animals  taken  by  hunters. 

Mr.  John  fiviirook, — born  in  Pennsylvania,  aged  seventy-three, — v/as 
too  young  to  recollect  when  his  lather  moved  and  settled  on  New  river, 
'.it  the  mouth  i>l"  SinkiiiL'"  f!'<'i'l>-,  filiis  w;is  in  177'J,)  now  living  in  Giles 
••oiiiity. 

Jn  tin;  year  1774  the  Inrlians  commenced  their  outrages  in  this  neigh- 
boriiood.  The  first  act  of  murder  was  perpetrated  by  four  Indians  near 
Lis  f;j;!.(;r's  '•<'■...•      Mj-.  Lybrook  was  tlicji  about  ten  orcievcii  years  old. 


APPENDIX.  332 

About  the  first  of  July,  my  intbrmant  and  several  o!  his  brothers  and  sis- 
ters, and  several  of  Mr.    Snj-'dow's  children,  were  at  play  on  the   edge  of 
the  river.     They  discovered  the  Indians  approaching.     John  went  to  the 
shore  and  ran  some  distance  alon;?;  the  marp;in  of  the  water ;  but  he  dis- 
covered  that  an  Indian  on  the  bank  had  got  ahead  of  him.     The  bank  at 
that  place  was  so  precipitous  that  there  was  but  one  point  that  could  be 
ascended.     The  Indian  stooped  to  fire  at  two  lads   swimming  the   river, 
and  John  took  this  opportunity  to  ascend  the  bank  by  a  narrow  channel, 
worn  in   it  by  the  feet  of  wild  animals    when  they  used  it  as  a  passage  to 
and  from  the  water.     He  darted  by  the  Indian,  who    instantly   pursued 
him.     After  running  about  one  hundred  yards,  he  leaped  across  a  gulley 
worn  by  a  small  stream  of  water  in  the  bank  of  the  river.     It  was  at  least 
twelve  feet  wide.     At  this  place  the  Indian  halted,  but  would  not  try  the 
leap,  but  threw  a  buflldo  tug  at  the  boy,  which  he  felt  strike  his  head  and 
back;  but  the  little  fellow  made  his  escape,  and  got  safely  to  the  fort  at 
his  father's  house.     Mr.  Lybrook  stated  this  fact  to  the  author,  and  most 
solemnly  declared   it  was  true.     Three  of  the  Indians  entered  the  canoe, 
and  killed  and  scalped  five  of  the   children.     A  sister  of  my  informant,  a 
girl  about  thirteen  years  of  age,  had  the  presence  of  mind  to  turn  the  ca- 
noe  (which   she  was  in,  with    the  other  children,)  stern  foremost,  whilst 
the  Indians  w^ere  engaged  in  killing  and  scalping  their  victims,  and  jump- 
ed out  and    ran.     She  was  pursued  by  an  Indian  ;  her  screams  attracted 
the  attention  of  a  remarkably  fierce  dog,  which  immediately  ran  with  the 
utmost  speed  to  her  relief.     The  Indian  had  got  so  near  her,  that  he  ex- 
tended his  arm  to  seize  her ;  but  the  dog  had  approached  near  enough  to 
save  her.     He  ran  so  close  to  her  that  he  threw  her  down  ;  then  seized 
the  Indian  by  one  of  his   thighs  just  above  his  knee,  gave  a  violent  jerk, 
and  threw  the  fellow  to  the  ground.     The  girl  escaped  ;  the  dog  hung  on, 
tearing  at  him  for  a  little  time  ;  but  letting  go  his  hold,  he  sprang  at  the 
fellow's  throat.     The  Indian  struck  him  a  violent  blow  with  a  war  club, 
and  knocked  him  down.     The  dog  then  ran    to  the   canoe  and  guarded 
the  dead  children  until   the  people  took  them  away  for  burial.     The  dog 
refused  to  follow    them,  immediately  ran  off,  and  raised    a  most   piteous 
howl.     Some  of  the  party  went  to  sec  what  produced  the  distress  of  the 
dog,  and  found  a  little  boy  about  six  years  old,  who  had  been  violently 
struck  on  the  head  with  a  war  club,   his  skull  severely  fractured,  and  his 
brains  oozing  out  and  his  head  scalped.     He  was  brother  to  my  informant. 
The  little  fellow  breathed  about  twenty-four  hours,  and  then   expired. — 
The  author  v.dll  take  some    further  notice  of  Mrs.  Lybrook  in  his    next 
chapter. 

Mrs.  Margaret  Hall — sixty-nine  years  of  age — when  ten  years  old, 
with  a  younger  sister,  and  a  little  daughter  of  llichard  Esty,  were  taken 
by  a  party  of  Shawnee  Indians,  on  New  river.  Her  jiiother,  three  sisters 
and  brother,  were  killed  at  the  time,  and  the  prisoners  taken  to  the  Shaw- 
nee towns.  The  same  morning  Philip  Kavanah  w^as  killed,  and  a  young 
lad  fifteen  or  sixteen  years  of  age  taken,  named  Francis  Deny.  Mrs. 
Hall  was  eighteen  years  with  the  Indians,  and  never  returned  home  until 
after  Gen.  Wayne  defeated  them.  Mrs.  Hall  was  transferred  by  the 
"Sh'dwnees  to  the  Delavrare  tribe.     She  was  adopted  by  thf  Ifi.lian  chi.of 


333  APPENDIX. 

Koolliunipun,  aiiJ  her  sister  Elizabeth  into  the  family  of  Petasue,  cnm- 
monly  called  Snake.  The  Indians  had  a  few  cattle,  and  used  some  milk 
and  butter.  Their  bread  was  commonly  made  of  pounded  corn  meal. — 
The  Ent^Iish  however,  frequently  furnished  them  with  flour,  which  they 
usually  baked  in  the  ashes.  The  bread  ate  very  well  when  fresh.  They 
also  made  fritters  and  pancakes.  The  Shawnee  women  were  for  better 
housekeepers  than  the  Delawares.  The  Shawnees  lived  better  and  more 
plentifully  than  the  Delawares.  A  few  years  before  Mrs.  Hall  returned 
nome,  a  young  Indian  chief  made  love  to  her,  and  vehemently  urged  her 
to  consent  to  marry  him,  which  she  peremptorily  refused.  He  threaten- 
ed her  life  if  she  would  not  consent.  He  continued  his  visits  to  her,  and 
her  foster  mother  urged  her  to  consent  to  the  match.  The  young  squaws 
frequently  congratulated  her  on  her  fme  offer.  She  at  length,  by  contin- 
ued solicitations  of  the  young  chief,became  so  annoyed  that  she  determined 
on  taking  flight  to  another  village,  seventy  miles  ofl",  to  which  her  foster 
sister  and  brother  had  removed.  Early  one  morning  she  secured  a  very 
fine  horse,  mounted  him,  and  pushed  off.  She  travelled  briskly,  and 
reached  her  destination  about  sunset ;  traveling  the  seventy  miles  through 
a  trackless  wilderness.  She  found  her  foster  sister,  but  her  brother  was 
out  on  a  hunting  excursion.  She  complained  to  her  foster  sister  of  the 
treatment  she  had  received,  who  replied,  "I  will  defend  you  with  my  life." 
The  young  warrior  determined  not  to  be  defeated  in  this  way,  without 
another  effort  to  secure  her  to  himself,  or  take  her  life.  He  pursued  her 
immediately,  and  reached  the  village  to  which  she  had  fled,  the  next  day 
in  the  afternoon.  He  soon  found  where  she  was,  and  called  on  her  and 
told  her  if  she  did  not  immediately  consent  to  become  his  wife,  he  would 
kill  her.  (Pier  foster  sister  stood  by  her. )  She  raised  her  hands  and 
protested  that  she  never  would.  He  made  a  lunge  at  her  with  a  long 
knife,  but  her  sister  threw  herself  between  them,  and  received  a  slight 
wound  in  her  side,  the  point  of  the  knife  striking  a  rib.  The  girl  in- 
stantly seized  the  knife,  and  wrenching  it  from  his  hand,  broke  the  blade 
and  threw  it  away.  They  quickly  commenced  a  furious  fight,  whilst  she 
sat  j)etrifie(!,  as  it  were,  with  fear.  Her  sister  told  her  to  run  and  hide 
lierself,  exclaiming,  "He  will  kill  me  and  then  kill  you."  She  then  ran 
and  concealed  herself.  But  the  young  woman  proved  too  stout  for  the 
fellow,  gave  him  a  severe  drubbing,  and  drove  him  off.  Her  foster  broth- 
er returned  in  about  a  fortnight,  from  his  hunting  expedition.  She  com- 
plained to  him.  He  told  her  not  to  be  uneasy  ;  calletl  him  a  dog,  (the 
worst  epithet  they  could  apply  to  each  other,)  and  said  that  if  he  ever 
made  any  farther  attempts  upon  her,  he  would  immediately  kill  him. — ■ 
The  fellow,  how(?ver,  never  annoyed  her  again.  He  was  some  time  afler 
killed  in  Wayne's  balth;  with  the  Indians.  Mrs.  Hall's  residence  is  in 
Giles  county,  about  four  miles  from  the  Grey  Sulphur  springs. 

FIRE  HUNTING. 

Mr.  John  Ijybrook  has  been  a  most  enterprising;  and  successful  hun- 
ler.  He  staled  to  the  anther  that  he  had  probahl}  killed  three  thous- 
and deers,  five  or  six  hundred  bears,  hundreds  of  panthers,  wolves  and 
wild    n^{<\  and   an  innumerable   number  of  turkeys   and  small  game. — 


APPENDIX.  334 

When  he  was  about  thirteen  years  of  age,  his  father's  dog  treed  a  panther 
of  enormous  size.  He  came  to  the  house  and  took  down  a  rifle.  His 
mother  asked  nim  v>'hat  he  was  going  to  do  with  the  gun.  He  replied 
that  he  was  going  to  see  what  the  dog  had  treed.  She  remarked  that  it 
was  probably  a  panther,  and  charged  him,  if  it  was,  not  to  shoot  at  it,  but 
to  get  his  father  to  shoot  it ;  adding,  if  he  wounded  it  and  did  not  kill  it, 
it  would  tear  him  to  pieces.  He  soon  discoversd  that  it  was  a  huge  pan- 
ther, standing  at  full  length  on  a  large  limb  of  the  tree,  about  twenty 
feet  from  the  ground.  He  knew  himself  to  be  a  sure  marksman,  and 
would  not  forego  the  temptation  of  firing  at  so  fine  a  mark.  Disobeying 
his  mother's  injunction,  he  took  deliberate  aim  at  his  side  a  little  behind 
the  shoulder;  and  the  ball  passed  through  the  animal's  heart,  and  it  fell 
dead.  His  mother  was  near  scourging  him  for  disobeying  her  orders ; 
but  he  acquired  great  credit  from  his  father  and  the  neighborhood  gener- 
ally, for  his  bravery  and  firmness.  It  was  the  largest  animal  of  the  kind 
ever  known  to  be  killed  in  that  part  of  the  country.  It  measured  up- 
wards of  fourteen  feet  from  the  end    of  the  nose  to  the  end  of  the   tail.* 

The  author  had  frequently  heard  that  the  western  people,  in  early  times, 
practiced  what  they  called  "fire  hunting,"  but  never  knew  exactly  what 
it  meant,  until  Mr.  Lybrook  explained  it  to  him.  The  hunters  made 
stone  hearths  in  one  end  of  their  canoes,  on  which  they  would  raise  large 
pine  lights  in  the  night,  and  set  their  canoes  to  floating  down  the  stream. 
The  deers  usually  collected  in  considerable  numbers  in  the  rivers,  in  order 
to  feed  on  the  moss  which  grew  in  them.  As  the  light  approached  near 
the  deer,  it  would  would  raise  its  head,  and  stare  at  it;  and  its  eyes 
would  shine  as  bright  as  diamonds.  When  the  shining  of  the  eye  was 
seen, the  hunter  would  consider  himself  near  enough  to  shoot.  Thousands 
and  thousands  of  deer  were  killed  in  this  way. 

In  1778,  grain  grew  scarce  at  the  fort.  Old  Mr.  Lybrook  and  the 
Snydows  had  several  parcels  of  wheat  standing  in  the  stack,  at  their  respec- 
tive farms.  Ten  men  were  sent  to  thresh  out  the  wheat.  Mr.  Lybrook, 
about  fifteen  years  of  age,  was  directed  to  take  charge  of  the  pack  horses, 
to  convey  the  wheat  to  the  fort.  (Preston's  fort,  about  fifteen  miles  dis- 
tant.) Two  men  were  sent  with  him.  When  they  reached  the  wheat 
yard,  the  threshers  had  left,  and  gone  to  his  father's  house  or  fort,  and 
they  (Mr.  L.  and  the  other  two,)  went  there  also.  Mr.  L.  discovered  a 
party  of  Indians  on  a  high  hill,  who  also  discovered  Mr.  L.  and  his  com- 
panions, and  attempted  to  intercept  them.  They  had  to  use  great  inge- 
nuity and  caution  to  elude  the  enemy,  but  got  safe  to  the  fort  and  gave 
information  of  the  Indians  skulking  in  the  woods. 

A  brave  and  active  man  by  the  name  of  Scott,  went  out  and  killed  one 
of  the  Indians,  and  the  others    immediately  took   to  flight. 

In  the  year  1775,  peaceable  times  were  had  with  the  Indians.  But  in 
1776,  they  recommenced  their  warfare,   and  continued  with  unabated  fu- 

*The  author  would  not  have  ventured  to  state  this  fact,  lest  it  might 
be  suspected  that  he  is  disposed  to  deal  in  the  relation  of  marvellous  sto- 
ries. But  he  related  this  story  to  Col.  Welton,  on  the  South  branch,  in 
Hardy  county,  who  stated  that  he  had  himself  killed  one  of  enormous  size. 


335  APPENDIX. 

ry  until  1780.  The  wliitc  pooplo  had  cxleiidcd  their  settlements  consicl- 
ftrably  to  the  west  of  New  river ;  this  alTorded  some  protection  to  the  set- 
tlers in  this  section  ;  but  the  enemy  would  once  in  a  while  sculk  into  the 
neighborhood,  commit  murders  and  robberies,  and  steal  horses,  and  then 
push  off.  This  state  of  things  continued  for  several  years  after  the  year 
1780, 

Mr.  Lybrook,  after  his  well  managed  trip  for  the  conveyance  of  the 
wheat  to  the  fort,  Was  almost  every  year  appointed  *  an  Indian  spy,  and 
after  he  grew  to  manhood,  he  served  regularly  for  three  years  in  that  ca- 
pacity. His  brother  Philip  and  a  Mr.  Philips  generally  served  with  him. 
It  was  an  arduous  and  dangerous  service,  but  they  were  fortunate  enough 
never  to  get  hurt  by  the  enemy. 

The  last  time  the  hostile  Indians  were  knov.^n  to  be  in  Greenbrier  coun- 
ty, was  in  the  summer  of  1793.  Three  Indians  came  into  the  settlement, 
stole  several  horses,  and   attempted  to  make  their  escape. f 

Matthew  Farly,  an  intrepid  hunter,  raised  ten  men  and  pursued  them. 
He  came  in  sight  of  their  encampment  late  in  the  evening,  halted  and  re- 
mained until  early  next  morning.  Farly  divided  his  men  into  two  par- 
ties, and  directed  that  each  should  fire  separately  at  an  Indian.  Tv,-o  of 
them  had  risen,  and  setting  quietly;  the  third  was  lying  down.  When 
the  whites  approached  near  enough  to  fire,  each  party  singled  their  object, 
fired,  and  the  two  Indians  were  killed;  the  third  sprang  to  his  feet,  and 
ran  up  the  side  of  the  hill.  Farley  having  reserved  his  fire,  seeing  the 
fellow  endeavoring  to  make  his  escape,  fired  at  him,  and  broke  his  thigh. 
He  fell,  rolled  down  the  hill,  and  cried  out  "Enough,  I  give  up."  Ear- 
ly was  desirous  of  saving  his  life,  but  Charles  Clay  and  others,  whose 
friends  bad  been  massarred  by  the  Indians,  rushed  upon  him  and  dis- 
patched him.  I 

The  Executive  of  Virginia  rewarded  this  little  company  of  men  by  pay- 
ins:  for  their  tour  of  service. 

The  author  was  mformed  that  m  the  year  1795,  there  was  an  outrage 
committed  on  the  property  of  a  farmer  in  Greenbrier  county — charged  to 
the  Indians.  The  dwclbng  house,  (in  the  absence  of  the  family,)  and  a 
new  wagon  which  was  drawn  up  close  to  the  house,  were  both  set  on 
fire  and  consumed  togethtjr.  f)Mt  it  is  mon;  probable  that  it  was  the  work 
of  incendiaries,  who  had  first  robbed  the  house,  and  then  fired  it  with  a 
view  to  conceal  their  villainy.  Every  Indian  warrior  was  called  home  in 
the  spring  of  1794,  when  it  was  known  that  Gen.  Wayne  was  preparing 
to  invade  their  country  with  a  powerful  army.  The  Indians  concentratetl 
all  their  forces  for  their  own  defence,  and  after  their  decisive  defeat  by 
Wayne,  irnmetliately  entered  into  a  tjcaty,  which  put  a  final  end  to  liirther 
hostilities  by  the  savages  in  Western  Virginia. 

Col.  Stuart,  the  clerk  of  (Jreenbrier  court,  expressed  this  opinion  to 
the  writer. 

During  the  period  of  Indian  hostilities,  four  Indians  came  into  the  set- 
tlement on  the  head  of  the  Wappatornmaca.     They  were  said  to  belong  to 

'Near  the  mouth  of  Indian  Creek,  a  branch  of  Greenbrier. 
fTlic  Indians  were  overtaken  on  llio  nieslics  of  Cole  rivet. 


APPEr>JDIX.  336 

a  tribe  then  at  poaee  ^;t" itli  the  whites.  One  fyf  the1/}  objecteJ  fo  tratelini^ 
clown  the  South  branch  fork,  saying  tlioy  would  be  in  danger.  I'he  oth- 
er three  laughed  at  him.  He  separated  from  them,  and  took  down  tlie 
North  fork.  The  three  were  pursued  by  white  men,  and  killed  on  Mil? 
Creek  ;  the  fourth  was  seen  by  a  negro  man  belonging  to  Cunningham , 
and  pursued  seven  or  eight  miles.-  As  he  was  crossing  the  river,  the'  ne 
gro  fired  at  him.  He  fell  into  the  water,  but  immediately  sprang  up  and 
made  his  escape.  His  blanket  was  folded  up,  and  placed  on  hi??  bat^k  ; 
the  ball  struck  the  blanket,  and  penetrated  through  several  folds,  but  re- 
mained in  it.  When  the  Indian  reached  his  tribe,  he  unfolded  his  blank- 
et, and  the  bullet  was  found  ih  it. 

The  men  who  committed  the  murder  were  apprehended  and  oi^dered 
to  jail,  but  their  neighbors  raised  a  party  of  men,  and  rescued  the  prison- 
ers, and  set  them  at  liberty.  They  were  ne'ter  brought  to  trial  for  the  of- 
lense.  The  fathet  of  my  informant  was  on^"  of  the  |Jarty  who  effected  the 
rescue. 

APP'S  VALLEY. 

This  valley  is  situated  in  the  county  of  Tazewell,  mid  took  its  name 
from  Absalom  Loorley,  a  hunter^  \Vho  is  supposed  to  have  beer*  the  first 
white  man  that  explored  it.  It  is  about  ten  miles  long,  and  generally 
about  fifty  rods  wide.  There  is  no  stream  of  water  running  along  it,  nor 
across  it.  The  branches  that  come  down  the  mountain  hollows,  and  the 
springs,  all  sink  at  the  edge  of  the  flat  land  and  rise  in  a  large  s-pring  at 
the  lower  end  of  the  valley.  When  first  visited  by  the  white  man,  it  was 
overgrown  with  the  crab-apple,  plutn,  and  thctiij  and  Covered  Ivith  the 
most  luxuriant  herbage  ;  alTbrdirig  the  finest  range  for  stock,  and  aboun- 
ding with  game. 

In  the  autilmn  of  1^75,  Capt.  James  Moore  removed  with  his  family 
from  Rockbridge  cdurity  to  this  valley,  having  cleared  some  land  the  pre- 
cedmg  spring,  and  failed  a  crop  of  corft.  A  short  time  afterwards,  his 
brother-in-law,  Robert  Poage,  settled  hear  to  him  in  the  same  valley. — 
The  place  was  exceedingly  secluded,  and  these  two  families  were  ten  or 
twelve  miles  from  any  other  settlement  of  whites.-  As  this  had  been  a  fa- 
vorite hunting  ground  of  the  Indians,  they  often  Tisite'd  it.  Indeed, 
there  w^as  scarcely  a  year  in  which  these  families  were  riot  compelled  to 
leave  the  valley  and  take  shelter  in  a  fort  in  the  Bluestone  settlement; 

In  the  spririg  of  1782,  the  Indians  attacked  the  house  of  Robert  P'oage 
at  night.  They  burst  the  door  open,  but  finding  that  there  were  seveial 
men  in  the  house,  (there  happened  to  be  three  besides  Mr.  Poage,)  tlicy 
did  not  attempt  to  enter  the  house,  but  after  watching  it  for  s6me  timfl^ 
went  off;  and  the  next  morning  killed  a  young  man  by  the  name  of  Rich- 
ards, who  had  been  living  for  some  time  at  Crijit.  Moore's,  He  had  ^one 
«1ut  early  in  the  morning  to  put  some  deerskins  to  soak  in  a  pOnd  about  k 
quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  house  ;  and  whilst  engaged  at  tl>e  pond,  h( 
was  shot  and  immediately  .scalped.  At  this  time  the  familio.s  iortedagHUi 
in  the  Blueslo'iio  sCUicment;     and  .•icou  Hflcr-?'>ard'i  Mr    Poagc  removed  ('< 


Geor<jia, 


F. 


337  APPENDIX. 

In  Sept.  17S4,  the  Iiullans  again  excited  grp.^t  alarm.  The  first  that, 
was  known  of  their  being  in  that  part  of  the  country,  was  the  capture  of 
James,  one  of  Mr.  Moore's  sons.  Al'ier  breakfast,  his  father  sent  him  to 
bring  a  horse  from  a  waste  plantation  about  two  miles  from  where  he 
lived.  Accustomed  to  go  about  alone,  and  being  out  often  after  night, 
he  was  a  fearless  lad.  But  on  this  occasion,  lie  had  scarcely  got  out  of 
sitrht  of  his  father's  house,  bci'ore  a  most  distressing  panic  came  over 
him.  At  one  time  he  detei  mined  to  return,  but  feared  his  father's  dis- 
pleasure. When  he  got  near  the  field  where  the  horses  were,  three  Indi- 
ans sprang  out  from  behind  a  log  near  his  path  and  captured  him  at  once. 
They  then  endeavored  to  catch  some  of  the  horses,  but  failing  in  this, 
ihey  started  with  their  captive  to  the  Shawnee  towns,  situated  on  the 
head  waters  of  Mad  river,  in  Ohio.  This  journey  occupied  about  twenty 
days.  Soon  after  reaching  the  towns,  James  was  sold  by  the  Indians 
who  hail  captured  him,  to  his  sister,  for  an  old  horse.  By  her  he  was 
sent  with  a  party  of  the  tiibe  on  a  winter  hunt,  in  which  he  sutlered  great 
hardships  Irom  hunger  and  exposure.  In  the  following  spring,  at  a  great 
dance  held  at  a  town  near  to  the  one  in  which  he  lives,  he  was  purchased 
by  a  French  trader  for  fifty  dollars,  paid  in  goods.  The  Frenchaiiui  was 
mduced  to  purchase  him,  from  seeing  in  the  captive  lad  a  striking  like- 
ness to  one  of  his  own  sons.  By  Mr.  Ariome  and  his  wife  James  was 
treated  as  a  son.  At  the  time  when  he  was  sold  by  the  Indians,  James 
got  an  opportunity  to  communicate  to  his  tatber,  through  a  trader  from, 
Kentucky,  intelligence  of  his  release  from  the  Indians,  and  that  he  had 
gone  to  the  neighborhood  of  Detroit.  This  intelligence  gave  rise  to  hopes 
vTf  seeing  him  again — hopes  which  but  two  of  the  family  realised.  And 
when  they  met  him,  it  was  at  a  place  and  in  circumstances  very  difTerent 
from  v;hat  they  had  anticipated. 

In  1-785,  the  valley  was  again  visited,  by.  the  Indians.  On  the  morn- 
ing of  the  14th  of  July,  a  party  of  between  thirty  and  forty,  led  to  th«v 
place  by  one  of  those  who  had  captured  James,  attacked  and  destroyed. 
Mr.  Moore's  family.  At  the  time  when  it  was  broken  up,  Capt.  Moore's 
family  consisted  of  his  wife,  (who  betbre  marriage  was  a  Miss  Poajje,  of 
Rockbridi/e  county,)  seven  childrea,  an  old  English  servant  by  the  nanv" 
of  Simpson,  Martha  Evans,  who  was  assisting  Mrs.  Moore,  and.  two  men 
liircd  as  laborers.  On  that  morning  these  men  had  gone  out  to  reap 
wheat ;  and  !<Ir.  Muore  was  engagi'd  about  breakfast  lime  in  salting- 
some  horses  that  had  come  up  from  the  range,  and  was  some  tiistance 
from  the  house.  The  Indians  who  had  been  watching  in  a  grain-field 
about  two  hundred  yards  from  the  house,  raised  the  war  whoop,  and 
rushed  on.  Capt.  Moore  ran  towards  the  house,  but  seeing  that  the 
door  was  closed,  and  that  the  Indians  would  reach  it  as  soon  as  he  could, 
tie  ran  across  the  small  lot  in  which  the  house  stood,  but  when  he  got  on 
the  fence  he  stopped,  and  was  shot  with  seven  balls.  He  then  ran  about 
fifty  yards  and  fell.  The  Indians  told  one  of  the  captives  afterv/ards,  that 
he  might  have  escaped  if  he  had  not  halted  on  the  lence.  Mrs.  Moore 
and  M^irtha  Evans  barred  the  door  on.  the  first  alarm.  The  old  English- 
man, Simpson,  was  also  in  the  house,  and  there  were  five  or  six  rifles. — • 
Martha  Evans  took  three  of  them  up  stairs  to  Simpson,  and  called  tQ  hiia 


APPENDIX.  33S 

lO  shout.  He  was  in  a  bed  ;  nnd  on  lifting  the  clolhcv,  she  taw  thai  he 
had  been  shot  in  the  side  ol'  the  head,  and  was  dying.  There  were  two 
large  fierce  dogs  that  Ibught  the  Indians  at  the  door  until  they  were  shot 
down.  The  door  was  soon  cut  down  with  the  tomahawk.  Three  chil- 
dren were  killed  before  the  house  was  forced — two  at  the  place  where  Mr. 
JVloore  was  salting  the  horses,  and  one  in  the  yard  near  the  house.  The 
prisoners  were  Mrs.  Moore,  John,  Polly,  Jane  and  an  infant,  and  Martha 
Evans.  Whilst  the  Indians  were  cutting  down  the  door,  Martha  and 
Polly  lifted  a  loose  plank  in  the  floor  and  got  under  it,  taking  the  infant  with 
them.  It  however  began  to  cry,  and  Polly  unwilling  to  set  it  out  alone, 
went  out  with  it,  Martha  remained  concealed  until  after  the  house  had 
been  plundered  and  set  on  fire,  and  whilst  the  attention  of  the  Indians  was 
taken  up  in  dividing  the  spoil,  she  slipped  out  at  a  back  way  and  secreted 
herself  under  a  log  which  lay  across  a  brap.ch  not  far  from  the  house.  A 
short  time  before  they  left  the  place,  a  stragling  Indian  seated  himself  on 
the  log  and  began  to  work  with  the  lock  of  his  gun.  She  supposing  that 
he  saw  her,  and  was  going  to  shoot  her,  came  out  and  gave  herself  up. 

After  plundering  the  house  of  everything  that  they  chose  to  take,  and 
setting  all  the  buildings  on  fire,  the  Indians  started  for  their  towns,  which 
stood  near  the  place  on  which  the  tow^n  of  Oiilicothe  now  stands.  John 
w^as  sick  and  unable  to  travel,  and  was  killed  vcith  the  tomahawk  on  the 
first  day  ;  and  the  infant  becoming  fretful,  Avas  killed  on  the  second  or 
third  day. 

The  men  who  were  in  the  harvest  field  at  the  time  when  the  Indians  at- 
tacked the  house.,  immediatdly  took  to  flight  and  went  with  all  fjpeed  to  the 
Bluestone  settlement ;    and  in  the  evening  vi  party  of  seven  or  eight  men 
came  to  the  place  :  but  seeing  the  indications  of  a  large  party  of  Indians — 
•after  burvincj  the  three  children  and  makino-  a  little  search  for  the  body  of 
Capt.    Moore,  but  without    success,  they  rttv.rned,  and  an    express  was 
■sent  to  Col.  Cloyd  of  Montgomery  county,   a  distance  of  sixty  or  seventy 
•miles.     He  reached  the  place  with   a  company  of  thirty-five  or  forty  men, 
•on  the  fourth  day  after  the  disaster.     They  made  no  attempt  to  follow  the 
Indians.     After    searching  for  some  time  they  found  the  body  of  Capt. 
.Moore,  and  wrapping  it  in  a  saddle  blanket,  tliey'buried  it  at  the  spot 
where  he  felL     His  death  was   much  reiirelted.     He  was  a  christian,  a 
■patriot,  and  a  brave  man.     In  the  memorable  battle  of  Guilford,  he  com- 
manded one  of  the  companies  of  the  Virginia  riflemen  with  great  credit. 

A  short  time  after  the  Indians  reached  their  towns  with  the  captives,  a 
war  party  of  Cherokees  haUed  there  on  their  return  fiorn  an  attack  on 
some  of  the  settlem.ents  in  Pennsylvania,  in  w'hich  they  had  been  nnsuc- 
izessful,  and  had  lost  some  of  their  party.  They  laid  a  plan  to  avenge  their 
loss,  by  murdering  these  captives-  To  accomplish  this,  they  commenced 
a  drunken  frolic,  taking  care  to  get  the  Shawnees  dead  drunk,  but  to  keep 
in  some  measure  sober  themselves.  They  then  accomphshed  their  pur- 
pose, when  those  to  whom  the  captives  belonged  were  unable  to  protecct 
them.  Mrs,  Moore  and  Jane  were  massacred.  Polly  Moore  and  Martha 
Evans  escaped  through  the  timely  care  of  the  squaws  belonging  to  the 
families  into  which  they  had  been  adopted.  When  the  drinking  com 
■menced  -they  suspected   the  design ;    and  secretly  got    these  two  oft,  and 


339  ArPKNUlX 

/taiefully  sficreltd  tk*:iii  hi  a  tJiickt't,  two  or  three  miles  from  Ihc  towns, 
jjiitil  tlic  Clierokces  wc.ie  gojie.  When  they  wort;  bi-oiight  back,  Polly 
was  sliowii,  iu  a  pile  ol' aslies,  the  halt'  burnt  bones  of  her  nrother  and  sis- 
ter. Whether  they  had  been  put  to  the  torture,  or  wlielher  they  liad  been 
tomahawked,  and  then  burut,  she  never  ascertained  certainly.  The  for- 
mer is  the  more  probable.  With  an  Indian  hoe  she  dug  a  hole,  and  gath- 
ered the  bones  out  of  the  ashes  as  well  as  she  could  ;  and  havini:  covered 
them,  rolled  a  stone  over  them.  She  was  at  the  time  in  the  tenth  year  of 
her  age,  an  orphan,  and  an  orphan  amongst  savages.  Her  comforts  were 
her  fellow  captive  and  a  copy  of  the  New^  Testament  which  she  had. — 
Her  parents  were  pious.  They  had  taught  her  to  love  and  value  tiic  J5i- 
ble.  When  the  Indians  were  setting  fire  to  the  furniture  which  they  had 
taken  from  her  father's  house,  and  which  they  had  gathered  into  a  pile  in 
the  yard,  she  saw^  her  copy  of  the  New  Testament  in  it,  and  stepped  up 
to  the  pile  and  took  it,  and  put  it  under  her  arm.  This  she  carefully  pre- 
served, and  the  old  chief  into  whose  family  she  had  been  adopted,  often 
(•idled  her  to  him  to  read,  altJiough  he  could  not  understand  a  word  of 
what  he  heard.     He  was  kind  to  her. 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  following  autumn,  a  detaclimcnt  of  American 
troops  attacked  and  destroyed  the  Indian  towns  ;  and  burning  up  their 
whole  stock  of  winter  provisions,  reduced  them  to  a  state  of  extreme  want. 
As  soon  as  they  could,  the  Indians  set  off  for  Detroit.  In  the  journey 
they  encountered  great  hardshij)s.  The  country  was  an  unbroken  wilder- 
ness, the  snow  often  knee  deep,  tlie  weather  cold,  and  the  game  very 
Bcarce,  Their  principal  food  was  the  harkberry.  They  cut  the  trees 
down,  gathered  the  berries,  and  after  breaking  them  in  their  mortars, 
made  broth  of  them.  In  the  hardships  of  this  journey,  the  captives  had 
their  full  share.  Sometime  about  the  middle  of  the  winter,  they  reached 
Detroit ;  and  early  in  jMarch,  Martha  was  sold,  and  about  the  same  time 
Polly  was  sold,  in  a  drinking  spell,  for  a  keg  of  rurn,  to  a  man  by  the 
name  of  Stogwell — an  American  by  birth,  but  an  unprincipled  man — a'lory, 
and  an  unfeeling  wretch.  Whilst  living  with  him,  her  sufllerings  were 
greater  than  whilst  with  the  Indians. 

In  one  of  Mr.  Ariome's  trading  excursions,  James  who  was  with  iiim, 
met  wilii  a  Shawnee  Indian  wliom  he  had  known  wdiilst  a  captive,  who 
informed  him  of  the  ruin  of  his  fatiier's  family  ;  and  late  in  the  winter  af- 
ter Polly  had  been  purchased  by  Stogwell,  he  learned  where  she  was. — 
The  following  sjiring  Stogwell  removed  to  the  neighborjiood  in  whicli 
Mr.  At iomelived-;  and  James  and  his  sister  met.  Tiie  writer  of  (his  nar- 
rative, when  lie  was  a  lad,  has.  often  heard  Ihcm  talk  over  the  scenes  of 
that  meeting.  W^hat  their  feelings  were,  the  reader  must  coirjerlure. — 
James  iod<;ed  a  complaint  against  Stogwell  for  the  cruel  treatment  of  his 
sister,  with  Col.  M'Kee,  tlie  Indian  agci»t  at  Detroit  ;  and  endeavored  to 
ol)tain  her  release.  In  this  he  was  unsuccessful,  but  it  was  decided  that 
as  soon  as  an  opportunity  slioidd  ofTerforher  return  to  \  Irginia,  she  should 
be  given  up  witlv'iut  any  ransom;  and  Stogwell,  Irorn  motives  of  policy, 
■became  less  seveu-  in  ids  treatment.  Martha  Evans  was  also  living  iiT 
the  saine  neifihborhood,  with  a  kind,  independent  tanner.  These  three 
wvfc  ollcu  together;  and  die  ^ultjccl  of  rctunjiiig  l(»  fhcir  friends  was  of* 


APPENDIX.  340 

ten  talked  over.  Bui  serious  difficullies  were  in  the  way.  In  the  mean- 
time, the  God  whose  providence  had  protected  them  thus  f'iir,  was  pre- 
paring the  way  for  them. 

The  tather  of  Martha  Evans  lived  in  the  Walker's  creek  settlement,  in 
the  county  of  Giles.      After  the    peace  whicii  followed  Wayne's  expedi- 
tion, Thomas  Evans,  his  son,  determined  to  tind  and  release  his  sister,  or 
perish  in    the  attempt.       He  was  an  active,  athletic  young  man — a   first 
rate  woodsman,  cool,  fearless  and  generous.      He  prepared  for  his  expe- 
dition by  furnishing   himself  with  a  good  rifle,  a  full  supply  of  ammuni- 
tion, a  suit  of  buckskin,  and  a  sufficient  sum  of  money  in  specie ;  and  set 
out  to  seek  his  sister  amongst  the  savages  of  the  western  wilderness.     The 
enterprise  was  full  of  hazard,    but  nothing  daunted  him.     After  various 
perils  and  unsuccessful  attempts  to  get  any  tidings  of  her,  he  at    length 
heard  that  she  was  near  Detroit,  and  made  his  way  thither.     In  the  early 
part  of  October,   1797,  he  set  out  on  his  return  to  Virginia  with  his  sister 
and  James  and  Polly  Moore.     The  two  Moores  got  a  passage  in  a  trading 
boat  down  the  lakes,  abont  two  hundred  miles,  to  the  Moravian  towns. — 
There  Mr.  Evans  and  his  sister  met  them  with  three  horses.     Fortunate- 
ly for  them,  a  party  of  these  friendly  Indians  were  just  starting  on  a  winter 
hunt.     With  them  they  traversed  the  hunting  ground  of  several  tribes  less 
friendly,  and  were  protected  in  some  situations  which  seemed  full  of  dan- 
ger.    They  reached  the   neighborhood  of  Pittsburg  in  tbe  beginning  of 
winter,  and  remained  with  an  uncle  of  Thomas  Evans  until   spring.       In 
the  early  part   of  spring  they  reached   Rockbridge   county,    where    the 
Moores  met  with  their  younger  brother,  Joseph,  who  at  the  time  of  the 
breaking  up  of  his  father's  family  was  in  Rockbridge,  at  his  grandfather 
Poage's. 

After  some  years,  the  Evans  family  moved  to  the  west.  James  Moore 
resides  on  the  tract  of  land  owned  by  his  father,  Joseph  resides  in  the 
same  neighborhood.  Each  of  them  has  raisetl  a  large  family,  and  each 
has  been  for  many  years  a  professing  Christian.  Polly  became  a  member 
of  the  church  at  an  early  period,  and  in  1798  was  married  to  the  Rev. 
Samuel  Brown,  for  many  years  pastor  of  New  Providence  church.  Few 
have  lived  more  generally  beloveu  by  a  large  circle  of  acquaintances. — 
She  closed  her  eventful  life  in  the  month  of  April, 1824,in  the  joy  fid  triumphs 
of  christian  faith.  Her  remains  rest  beside  those  of  her  husband  in  the 
o-rave-yard  of  New  Providence  churcli.  She  became  the  mother  of  elev 
en  children  ;  of  these,  one  died  in  infancy  and  one  in  early  youth.  The 
jiine  who  survive  are  all  professors  of  religion.  Of  her  seven  sons,  five 
are  ministers  of  the  gospel  in  the  Presbyterian  church  ;  one  is  a  farmer, 
and  the  youngest  at  this  time  (1837)  is 'at  college. — [Prepared  for  Ker- 
cheval's  Hist,  of  the  Val.  by  J.  M.  Brown.] 

The  author  heard  from  Poage  of  Rockbridge  county,  a  connection  of 
the  young  prisoner,  some  additional  circumstances  in  relation  to  the  in- 
tended eruel  treatment  of  the  prisoner,  by  the  savages.  Soon  after  reach- 
ing their  villacio,  they  held  a  council,  and  determined  that  James  shouhf 
run  the  CTHunile!.  They,  as  was  their  u^ual  practice,  placed  themselves 
in  two  lines,  Avith  their  scourges,  and  ordered  the  prisoner  to  run  betweeir 
ihem.     James  started,  and  when  the  fir^t  one  struck  him,  he  wheeled  a- 


;mi  appkndlv 

•round  and  niiide  furious   baith*  on  the  fellow.     All  ol"  the  Indians  iiume- 
"tiialely  sj^atlu'red  around  hnii,  patting  and  caressing  hun,  and   pronounced 
him  a  good  warrior. 

The  Rev.  .Mr.  Brown,  the  author  ol'  the  Ibregoing  narrative,  .stated  to 
the  author  that  he  has  no  recollection  of  hearing  this  anecdote  ;  but  as 
Mr.  Poage  is  a  much  older  man  than  Mr.  Brown,  and  a  man  of  a  highly 
respectable  character,  and  could  certainly  have  no  motive  to  induce  him 
to  misrepresent  any  of  the  facts  connected  with  this  interesting  story,  the 
author  has  thought  proper  to  give  it  to  the  reader,  without  holding  himself 
re.sponsiblc  for  its  truth. 

WEYER'S  CAVE,  IN  AUGUSTA  COUNTY. 

The  reader  will  find  a  particular  description  of  this  grand  work  of  na- 
ture in  the  ap})endix,  written  by  a  gentleman  of  scientific  acquirements, 
and  is  a  most  graphic  account  of  it.  The  author  of  it  resides  in  Staun- 
ton.    The  writer  saw  and  explored  this  cave  in  the  year  1836. 

NATURAL   BRIDGE,  IN   ROCKBRIDGE  COUNTY. 

Mr.  Jefferson  has  given  a  most  graphical  and  beautiful  description  of 
this  stupendous  work  of  nature.*  The  author  deems  it  hardly  necessary 
to  attempt  any  additional  description,  except  in  one  or  two  instances.- — - 
The  author  saw  this  place  for  the  iirst  time  in  the  month  of  .June,  1819. 
He  again  called  to  see  it  in  the  month  of  August,  1836,  When  he  first 
•saw  it,  he  was  alone,  and  had  crossed  it  before  he  knew  he  was  near  it. 
He  inquired  at  a  house  very  near  to  it,  and  was  informed  by  one  of  the 
inmates  that  he  had  just  crossed  it,  who  then  directed  me  the  way  to  get 
to  it.  Descending  into  a  deep  glen,  I  had  to  dismount  my  horse  and 
walk  up  the  margin  of  a  line  stream  of  beautiful  clear  water,  until  I  ap- 
proached within  seventy  or  eighty  yards  of  the  arch,  the  view  being  ob- 
structed by  a  point  of  rocks,  until  within  that  distance.  Passing  the 
rocks,  the  most  grand,  sublime,  and  I  may  add,  awt'ul  sight  that  I  had 
ever  looked  upon,  burst  suddenly  in  lull  view.  It  was  a  very  clear  day, 
the  sun  rathor  past  meridian,  and  not  a  speck  of  cloud  or  anything  to  ob- 
struct the  sight.  The  author  was  so  struck  with  the  grandeur  and  majes- 
ty of  the  scene,  as  to  become  for  several  minutes,  terrified  and  nailed  to 
the  spot,  and  incapable  to  move  forward.  After  recovering  in  some  de- 
gree from  this,  I  may  t  ruly  say,  agonising  mental  state  of  excitenieni, 
the  author    a|)i)roached   the  arch  with  trembling  and  trepirlalion. 

Atter  sf)me  monvnts,  he  becainr  more  cninposed,  and  \vrot»'thc  follow- 


inz  lines 


f)[   thou  ptcrnal  architect  Divine, 
.Vll  beautilul  thy  works  do  shine! 

Permit  me  thus  to  sing  : 
Who  can  this  towering  arch  cxplnrr. 
And  not  thy  soverign   power  adore. 

Eternal  King? 


*Sce  Jcflcrsou's  notes  on  Virginiu,  j>ages  21  and  22,  '<f?roijd  edilion. 


APPENDIX.  ^'42 

Awed  at  first  sight,  ray  blood  was  chillM, 
My  trembling  limbs  and  nerves  all  thriilM 

Beneath  this  splendid  pile. 
My  mind,  ho\ve''er,  was  soon  on  flame 
To  adore  the  great  builder's  name, 

Viewing  the  heavenly  smile,* 

Did^st  thou,  0  God !  thi-s  arch  uprear, 
To  make  us  trembling  mortals  stare, 

And  humbly  own  thy  name  ? 
Or  did' st  thou  build  it  for  thy  pleasure, 
To  prove  thy  power  without  measure. 

And  spread  eternal  fame? 

Whate'er  the  motive  or  the  plan, 
It  far  exceeds'the  art  of  man; 

The  grandeur  of  the  scheme 
Shows  that  the  builder  lives  on  high, 
Beyond  that  blue,  ethereal  sky. 

And  wields  a  hand  supreme. 

At  the  author's  second  visit  to  this  place,  he  discovered  on  viewing  the- 
a4fch  attentively,  the  image  of  a  very  large  eagle,  as  if  it  was  in  full  flight, 
with  the  image  of  a  lion  in  chase  of  it.  This  sigrht  is  near  the  eastern 
edge  of  the  arch.  The  author,  however,  had  heard  of  those  images  be- 
fore he  saw  them. 

There  is  a  story  told  in  the  neighborhood,  in  connectian  with  this 
most  wonderful  work  of  nature,  of  a  very  estraortiinary  performance  of 
one-of  the  young  students  of  Lexington  college.  Some  years  ago,  sev- 
eral of  the  students  rode  out  to  view  the  bridge.  One  of  them  seeing  the 
name  of  Washington  inscribed  in  the  face  of  the  rock,  observed  to  his 
companions  that  he  would  place  his  name  above' Washington's.  He  as- 
cended the  rock,  and  effected  his  object;  when;  looking  at  the  yawning 
gulf  beneath,  he  was  afraid  to  attempt  the  descent,  and  requested  his 
i'riends  not  to  speak  to  him  ;  then  commenced  climbing  up  the  wall.- — 
Some  of  the  young  men  ran  round  on  the  bridge,  and  placed  themselves 
in  a  posture  to  assist  him,  if  he  should  get  within  their  reach.  The 
young  man  actually  succeeded  in  getting  so  near  them,  that  they  seized 
him  and  drew  him  up  ;t  but  the  moment  he  was  on  the  bridge,  from  the 
great  bodily  exertion,  and  extreme  mental  excitement,  he  fainted,  and  lay 
some  moments  before  he  recovered. 

This  individual,  in  the  year  183G,  was  residing  in  the  village  at  Wytlic 
court  hoarse.  The  author  intended  to  visit  him  and  converse  with  him 
on  the  subject,  but  was  told  by  a  friend  that  he  conversed  on  the  subject 
with  great  reluctance.     Of  course,  the  author  declined  his  intended  visit. 


*  The  view  through  the  arch. 
From  the  base  to  the  the  tap  of  the  arch,  is  two  hundred  feet  perpen- 


Jlcular  height. 


343  APPENDIX. 

SALT    POND,    IN    GILES    COUNTV 

This  is  .1  most  boaiitiful  work  of  iiatuip.  There  are  tli;  .  luouitlflins*  of 
consiclerabh^  inaoiiitikle,  which  meet  at  this  plane — tlie  several  mountains 
at  their  terminations  forming  a  considerable  chasm  ;  this  affords  a  recep- 
tacle for  the  water.  It  presents  to  the  beholder  the  appearance  of  a  min- 
iature lake  of  pure  transparent  water,  and  is  about  one  mile  in  length, 
and  generally  from  one  quarter  to  half  a  mile  in  width.  From  its  head  to 
its  termination,  it  lies  nearly  a  north-east  course.  It  is  obstructed  at  its 
termination  with  vast  piles  of  huge  rock,  over  w*hich  it  is  discharged. — 
When  this  place  was  first  known,  the  water  found  passage  through  the 
fissures  of  the  rocks.  In  the  year  1804,  the  remarkable  wet  spring  ami 
summer,  which  is  doubtless  recollected  by  every  elderly  person,  it  is  sup- 
posed the  vast  quantity  of  leaves  and  Other  rubbish  that  washed  into  it, 
closed  up  the  fissures  in  the  rocks  ;  immediately  after  which  it  commenced 
rising.  An  elderly  gentleman  residing,  in  1836,  on  New  river,  a  few 
miles  from  it,(Col.  Snydow,)  intormed  the  author  that  it  had  risen  fully 
twenty-five  feet  since  the  year  1804.  It  is  said  to  produce  but  few  fish, 
there  having  been  a  few  fine  trout  caught  in  it ;  but  vast  numbers  of  the 
water  lizard  exist  in  it.  Col.  Snydow  intormed  the  writer  that  when  this 
place  was  first  known  to  the  white  people,  vast  numbers  of  buffaloes,  elks 
and  deers  resorted  to  it,  and  drank  freely  of  its  waters ;  from  which  cir- 
cumstance it  acquired  the  name  of  "Salt  Pond."  The  autliOr  tasted  th^ 
water,  but  CjouUI  not  discover  that  it  had  any  saltish  flavor. 

Col,  Snydow  also  informed  the  waiter,  that  previous  to  the  risifigofthr 
water,  a  very  large  spring  raised  at  the  head,  and  supplied  the  lake  with 
water ;  but  siijce  its  rise,  that  spring  haf  disappeared,  and  it  is  now  fed 
by  numerous  small  springs  around  its  head. 

The  author  recollects  seeing,  (in  a  description  of  this  place,  publishecf 
in  a  northern  Mgazine,  some  years  ago,)  the  opinion  expressed  that 
this  wonderful  work  of  nature  had  been  Ibrmed  within  the  memory 
of  man  ;  but  this  is  doubtless  a  mistake.  Messrs.  Snydo^V  and  Lybrook 
both  stated  to  the  writer  that  it  existed  when  the  counfry  was'- first  discov- 
ered. Col.  Snydow  particularly,  stated  that  he  could  r(*coll<*r't  it  upwards' 
f)f  si'Xty  years,  and  that  it  had  not  increased  iti  length  within- that  period,' 
but  had  risen'  as  above  described. 

Near  this  |X)ol  of  water  stands  a  wild  cherry,  which  tlwsegentlemer* 
ilcscribcd  to  be  ninety  feet  high  to  the  first  limb,  pcHVctly  Stiixight,  and 
not  less  than  five  Icet  in  diameter. 

TIfE'  ROYAL  OAK. 

'I'his  '^rand  an(4  majestic  tree  is  within' about  one  inilc  of  Union,  a  very 
-prightly  village,  the  seat  of  ji^^ticc  for  iMonroe  couT>ty.  It  is  of  vast 
height,  and  is  said  to  be  eight  feet  in  diameter.  It  has  acquired  \\n:' 
name  from  its  immense  size :  toWeiing  oVer  evcfy  other  tree  in  tlie  forest, 
in  that  section  of  country. 


*Peler\s  mountain,  the  Salt  P,:nd  movitain.  imd  l^aldknol)  r^*oiuit.iin. 


APPENDIX.  344 

.SOPIS  KNOBS. 

This  is  a  part  of  the  mountain  contiguous  to  the  vilhtgc,  [j'niou;  snd  is 
the  residence  of  Alexander  Calder,  Esq.,  who  has  erected  a  splen- 
did brick  dwelling  house  near  the  summit  of  the  mountain.  It  is  two 
miles  from  the  village  to  Mr.  Calder's  house,  a  centinued' ascent  from  the 
villao-e  to  his  house,  and  considerably  steep  in  places.  Of  course  Mr. 
Calder's  house  stands  on  most  elevated  ground.  Mr.  Calder  is  a  resi- 
dent of  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  and  has  improved  this  place  for  his 
summer  residence.  The  author  rode  to  Mr.  Calder's  house  for  the  pur- 
pose of  viewing  the  splendid  works  of  nature  and  art  combined  at  this  ex- 
traordinary place. 

Col.  Andrew  Beirne,  the  representative  in  Congress,  resides  near  Un- 
ion, in  Montgomery  county,  is  said  to  be  a  man  of  great  wealth,  and  has 
erected  a  splendid  brick  dwelling  house  and  other  fine  improvements,  on 
an  extensive  farm. 

Col.  Beirne  informed  the  author  that  a  tract  of  country  for  more  than 
one  hundred  miles  between  Greenbrier  county  and  the  Kenawha,  was  in- 
liabited  ;  that  it  is  very  mountainous,  but  contains  a  large  proportion  of 
fertile  lands. 

This  gentleman  also  expressed  the  opinion  that  it  is  one  of  the  healthi- 
est reo-ious,  both  for  man  and  beast,  in  all  North  America. 

VALUABLE  MINERALS. 

Our  mountains  abound  in  valuable  minerals.  We  have  three  manga- 
nese mines  within  about  twenty  miles  of  Winchester.  The  price  of  the 
article  is,  however,  so  much  reduced  of  late  years,  that  there  is  but  little 
of  it  taken  to  market.  The  author  is  informed  that  a  rich  copper  mine 
has  lately  been  discovered,  and  a  company  formed  for  working  it.  It  is 
said  it  yields  well.  Several  lead  mines  are  said  to  have  been  discovered, 
but  as  yet,  they  have  not  been  very  productive.  There  have  been  several 
coal  mines  opened,  of  the  anthracite  kind,  one  of  which  yields  well.  It  is 
probable  that  on  further  research,  sufficient  quantities  may  be  found  to 
supply  this  section  of  country. 

The  people  of  our  Valley  have  abundant  cause  to  be  humbly  thanklul 
to  the  Great  Author  of  our  existence  for  the  blessings  he  has  in  his  wis- 
dom and  benevolence  provided  for  their  happiness. 


T  n  K    L  N  V 


INDEX 


Page, 

Attack  on  Rice's  Fort,             .             .             -             .             .  197 

Attack  on  Doddridge's  Fort,    -             -             -             .             .  200 

Adam  Poe,     -------  208 

Appendix,      --.--„-  266 

Bacon's  Rebellion,      -             -             -             -             -          .   -  12 

Breakining  out  of  the  Indian  War,       -             -             .             .  58 

Crawford's  Campaign,             _             -             .             .             _  191 

Coshocton  Campaign,               -----  202 

Captivity  of  Mrs.  Brown,         .             -             -             .             .  204 

Caravans,       -             -             -            ._             .             .             _  224 

Civilization,  -------  253 

Culture  of  Silk,           -             -             -             -      '       -             -  312 

Churches,       -------  318 

Cow  with  six  legs,      -  -  -  -  -  -316 

Cave  in  Berkeley  county,         -----  322 

Cook's  Fort,  -------  331 

Dedication,     -------  3 

Dunmore's  War,          ------  120 

Doddridge's  Notes,     ------  167 

Death  of  Cornstalk,     ---.--  175 

Dress,             ----..-  220 

Establishment  of  the  towns,     -----  160 

First  settlement  of  Virginia,     -----  7 

First  settlement  of  the  Valley,    -----  41 

Faulkner's  Report,      -             -             -             -             -             -  142 

Face  of  the  country,   ------  266 

Fine  arts,        ---.--.  311 

Fire  hunting,  -------  333 

Grey  Sulphur  Springs,             -             -             _             _             -  298 

House  furniture  and  diet,         -             -             -             -             -  217 

Hunting,        -.-.---  225 

House  warming,         ---_-,  231 
Hybridous,     -             -             -             -             -             -             -312 

Harper's  Ferry,  -  -  -  -  -  -318 

House  Cave,  --..--..  323 

Harrison's  Cave,         -._-._  324 

Indian  wars,  -             -             .---,.  29 

Indian  settlements,      -             -----  34 

Indian  incursions,       -              -----  69 

Indian  summer,           -              -             .             -             _  189 


347 


INDFA". 


Lewis  \Vot;^e!,  -  .  - 

Lewisburs^,     -  -  -  - 

Mode  of  living  of  the  primitive  settlers, 
Mcintosh's  Campaign, 
Moravian  Campaign,  -  -  - 

Mechanic  Arts,  _  -  . 

Medicine,        -  -  -  - 

Morals,  .  .  -  . 

Medicinal  Spring,        -  _  - 

Natural  Bridge,  .  _  _ 

Northern  Neck  of  Virginia, 
Natural  Curiosities,     -  -  - 

New  Creek  Gap,         .  .  - 

Origin  of  the  Indians  in  America, 
Origin  of  Methodists  in  the  Valley, 

Prospect  Rock, 

Religion  and  Cu&toms,  &€. 

Rerolution,     -  ..  -  . 

Regurgitary  Spring,    - 

Royal  Oak,     - 

Settlement  of  the  country, 

Sports,  -  _  _  . 

Staunton,        .  _  _  . 

Salt  Pond,      -  -  _  . 

Sopis  Knobs, 

Valuable  Minerals, 

War  of  the  Revolution, 

War  of  1763    . 

Wappatomaca  Campaign, 

Working, 

Witchcraft, 

Weyer's  Cave, 

Winchester, 

Washington's  Masonic  Cave, 


206 
311 
134 
178 
181 
234 
238 
248 
281 
341 
138 
270 
321 
5 

56 
321 

50 
252 
329 
343 
213 
242 
310 
343 
344 
344 
124 
170 
177 
233 
245 
286 
309 
3]*)