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YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

N OTES
ON THE

OP THE WESTERN PARTS OF

Virginia and Pennsylvania,
FROM 1763 TO 1783, INCLUSIVE.
TOGETHER WITH A
VIEW OP THE STATE OF SOCIETY, AND MANNERS OP THE
PIRST SETTLERS OF THE "WESTERN COUNTRY.
By .JOSEPH DODDKIDGE.

^ Mttaoiv of tJje ittttJ|otr»
BT HIS DAUGHTER.
EDITED BY ALFRED WILLIAMS.

ALBANY, N. Y. :
JOEL MUNSELL. 1876.

In compliance "with current copyright la"w, the
Etherington Conservation Center produced
this replacement volume on paper that meets
ANSI Standard Z39.48-1992R (1997) to replace
the irreparably deteriorated original.

2004

PREFACE

A new edition of the valuable Notes of Dr. Doddridge
having been long called for, his daughter, the late Narcissa
Doddridge, had, prior to her death which occurred several
years ago, written a Memoir of her father with a view
of prefixing it to a new edition of the book which she
contemplated publishing. Her design having been in
terrupted by her death, the undersigned has now, at the
request of her family, undertaken the task of supervising
the publication of a new edition of the Notes, with the
Memoir above referred to prefixed.
The Notes of Dr. Doddridge have long been recog
nized as an authentic and valuable authority as to matters
relating to the pioneer history of the west. The work
being thus acknowledged as an original authority, the
editor does not deem it advisable to encumber the pages
of the work with notes, or illustrations derived from the
investigations of later writers.
The ably written Memoir, in addition to particulars
relating to the life of the author, will be found to con
tain many facts of interest concerning the early history
of the west, and especially concerning the foundation of
the Episcopal church in Western Virginia and Ohio.

iv Preface.
I have added to the volume, by way of appendix, a
number of interesting sketches illustrative of the pioneer
history of the west, written by Miss Doddridge, and being
a selection from a number found among her papers. She
devoted many years of her life to inquiries of this cha
racter, and she exercised such good judgment in the selec
tion of incidents for record, and such thoroughness and
care in her investigations as to entitle her narrations to
entire credit as to authenticity.
The Reminiscences of Judge Scott included in the
appendix are republished as well deserving of preserva
tion in a more accessible form than in a newspaper. The
Dirge with which the volume closes is interesting as one
of the earliest specimens of western poetry now extant.
Alfred Williams.
Circleville, Ohio.

MEMOIR

REV. DR. JOSEPH DODDRIDGE.

The author of the following Notes, the Rev. Dr. Joseph Dodd
ridge, was the eldest son of John Doddridge of Maryland, of
English descent, and of Mary daughter of Richard Wells, of the
same state. He was born Oct. 14, 1769, in Friend's Cove, a
valley situated a few miles south of the town of Bedford, in Bed
ford county, Pennsylvania. His father having lost his estate in
Bedford county, by neglecting to complete his title to a settle
ment right, in the spring of 1773 removed to the western part
of Washington county, Pennsylvania, settling a short distance east
of the line which divides that state from Virginia.
Thus in the fourth year of his age, the subject of this memoir
became a resident of the western country, then an immense wilder
ness, and the greater part of it in the possession of its native inhabit
ants, the Indians. The opportunities afforded by his early and
continued association with the pioneer settlers, assisted by a habit
of close observation, a tenacious memory, and the interest he took
in gathering up incidents indicative of the times and illustrative of
the character of those among whom he lived, preeminently quali
fied him for giving an impartial and correct description of the
country at its first settlement, as well as a truthful account of the
manners, customs and wars of those who with himself labored to
transform into fruitfulness and beauty its interminable forests.
From the picture which he has presented of the society in
which he was reared we may justly conclude that his facilities for
obtaining an education were very limited, and that to his own
energy and perseverance he was mainly indebted for whatever
intellectual culture he possessed. His views of life, its purposes
and its duties, were just and liberal, drawn as they were from the
Bible, general experience and observation. Regarding man as
accountable to his creator for the due improvement and practical

6 Memoir of the Rev.
exercise of the talents committed to him, he endeavored by a life
of active usefulness and uniform Christian effort to discharge his
obligations to God and his fellow men.
Leaving his mother before he was eight years of age, his father
sent him to Maryland to school, where he remained some years.
After his return, until he attained the age of eighteen years, he
was mostly occupied in labors on the farm. His father, a strict
disciplinarian in the training and government of his family, was
a member of the Wesleyan Methodist society, then in its infancy,
and differing but little in its doctrines and public ritual from the
Church of England, to which he had been attached in his native
state. He was a man of intelligence and remarkable for firmness
and decision of character, qualities which, as they were always
exerted in favor of morality and religion, rendered his influence
in the neighborhood in which he resided decidedly healthful and
salutary. Shortly after identifying himself with the settlers in
Washington county, he erected on his own premises a house for
pubhc worship, designed also for educational purposes. This
memento of his piety and the interest he took in the moral and
intellectual improvement of those around him is yet standing,
though in a dilapidated condition, still retaining its original cog
nomen, Doddridge's Chapel.
All the children of Mr. Doddridge's first marriage, viz: Joseph,
Philip, Ann, and Ruth, were at an early day brought under the
influence of religious truth, and became members of the adopted
church of their father, Joseph, the subject of this notice, accord
ing to the reminiscences furnished the writer by the Hon. Tho
mas Scott, late of Chillicothe, Ohio, labored several years as an
itinerant in the Wesleyan Society. Mr. Scott, who was at the
period referred to a traveling preacher of the Methodist church,
says : " My acquaintance with the Rev. J. Doddridge com
menced at the house of Rev. John J. Jacob in Hampshire county,
Va., in July, 1788. He was then in company with Rev. Fran
cis Asbury by whom he was held in high esteem. At a conference
held at Uniontown, Pa., a short time previous, he had been re
ceived as a traveling preacher in the Wesleyan connection, was
then on his way to the Holston circuit, and subsequently labored
on the West River and Pittsburg circuits."
At the request of the Rev. Mr. .'^sbury he studied che German
language with a view to preaching in German settlements. His
knowledge of this language, which was thorough, he found very

Dr. Joseph Doddridge. 7
useful to him in after life. In April, 1791, he was recalled from
- his field of labor to attend the death bed of his father, who had
previously appointed him executor of his estate. The duties
thus devolving upon him. together with the unprotected situation
of his step-mother and the younger members of the family, which
required his personal supervision, rendered it necessary for him
to relinquish his duties as an itinerant preacher of the Methodist
church, which, as his subsequent history will show, were never
again resumed-
After arranging the business entrusted to him by his deceased
father, finding some available means at his disposal, he resolved
to qualify himself more thoroughly for the responsible calling
which he had chosen, by devoting a portion of time to the ac
quisition of learning, more particularly to perfecting himself in
a knowledge of languages ; his education thus far, having been
prosecuted under disadvantageous circumstances. Accordingly
he entered Jefferson Academy at Cannonsburg, Pa. His brother
Philip, who had been from childhood associated with him in
efforts to acquire knowledge, both laboring by day in field or
forest, and at night ponng over books at the family hearth stone,
became a student in the academy at the same time. Philip, who
subsequently became very eminent as a jurist and a statesman,
died in 1832 at Washington, D.C., while he was a member of
congress. The following extract from a letter written by a Presbyterian
clergyman, the Rev. Robert Patterson, late of Pittsburg, shows
the estimation in which the brotliers were held in the institution
at Cannonsburg. Green Tree P. O., near Pittsburg, June, 1850.
It affords me pleasure to comply with your request respecting my early
acquaintance with che Rev. Dr. Doddridge for whose memory I cherish the
most profound regard. From 1791 until 1794 I was a student in Jefferson
academy. During a portion of this time Dr. Doddridge was there. We
were room mates, boarding in the family of Rev. Mr. Mercer. David
Johnson, the principal, and the students generally, as is usual in literary in
stitutions, soon' determined the grade of his intellect, his moral character
and his personal worth ; and none, during my connection with the academy,
stood higher than he in the estimation of those who knew him. Being
his senior in years and science it was sometimes my privilege ro give him
explanations and help him through knotty passages in his lessons, in doing
which, I soon discovered that it was not necessary to tell him the same
thing twice, so retentive and comprehensive was his mind. His brother

8 Memoir of the Rev.
Philip was a student with him at the same time. Both of them were re
markable for original genius, intellectual strength, and close investigation
of any subject that came before them. These qualities, combined with in
genuous, amiable dispositions and uprightness of deportment, endeared them
to all who had the pleasure of knowing them.
It was probably about this time that the subject of this memoir
resolved to take orders in the Protestant Episcopal church. This
determination was not, we presume, the result of any diminution
of his regard for the society with which he had been previously
connected ; for through life, he manifested a warm attachment to
that people, treated their ministers with the greatest courtesy and
hospitality, and was ever ready to testify to their zealous and
self-denying labors in the cause of their Lord and Master. In
the absence of any direct information as to the cause of his with
drawal we have grounds to conclude that as his mind became
more matured, and his reading more extended, his confidence in
the Episcopacy of that body was lessenecL We are, furthermore,
well assured that his judgment and preferences were decidedly in
favor of a precomposed ritual of public worship. The labors
subsequently performed by Dr. Doddridge as a member of the
Episcopal church were so extensive and valuable, and his devo
tion to that church so zealous, that we consider it proper to give
our readers all the information upon the subject now attainable.
We therefore, in connection with this subject, give his views
on these points as expressed in a letter written in 1822 to the
Rev. John Waterman, a talented and highly respectable clergy
man of the Methodist church. The letter was written in reply
to one from Mr. Waterman, inviting him to attend a camp-meet
ing shordy to be held in the neighborhood of one of his parishes,
and hinting that if he did not do so, he should conclude that he
was deterred from so doing by the fear of offending a clerical
brother who was supposed to hold extreme views on the subject
of the apostolic succession of the bishops.
Dear Brother : Your letter inviting me to attend your camp-meeting
ia before me. I should be pleased to meet with you one day at least. But
even this is uncertain. You live by the altar, I do not. I must depend on
my medical profession for a support. You are aware that the time of a
physician is not at his own disposal. *****! certainly would not do
anything that would bring me into collision with a clerical brother, but not -
from a feeling of fear. I value consistency of character. ***** The

Dr. Joseph Doddridge. 9
first Christian service I ever heard was that of the Church of England in
Maryland. When I was a minister in your society a prayer book was put into my
hands with an order to use it every Sunday, Wednesday, Friday and Holy-
day ; also on baptismal and sacramental occasions, which I did. So I may
say, that in the main the forms of worship I now use have been those of
my whole life, and I think I shall end as I began. If you have left the
venerable church of your ancestors, and built an Episcopacy on the priest
hood ; if you have laid aside the prayer-book, and become presbyterial in
your forms of worship, the faults, if any, are not mine. I am truly sorry that
these events have happened. Glad should I be if we were still one people.
As to the apostolic succession of the bishops, to which you refer, it is a
subject to which I have not devoted much attention, and probably never
shall. The subjfct for reasons which I have mentioned to you is not agreea
ble to me J yet I respect the claim and feel satisfied that my ordination has
descended through so valid and respectable a channel. From this claim,
however, I will not conclude against the efficacy of the ministry in other
hands. It is enough for me to know and feel that other societies are Christ
ian too. Therefore, I will not curse whom God hath not cursed ; and I
am willing to join in worship with them, so far as I can do so consistently
with the duties which I owe to the church of which I am a member. * * *
As in the preceding letter Dr. Doddridge had adverted to the
subject of apostolic succession, we deem it not amiss to give the
reader a more extended expression of his views on this long con
troverted subject. The quotation is from a letter to a friend in
the interior of the state of Ohio, who, hearing the subject much
discussed there, desired to have his opinion. Wellsburg, Va., Feby., 1S23.
You ask my opinion on the subject of apostolic succession. A learned
discussion of the question would be too lengthy for a letter. I respect and
venerate the claim, and feel gratified that my ordination has descended
through this valid and venerated channel, but whether this succession is
essential to the efficacy of the ordinances, is an awful question and one
which my feelings Incline me to answer in the negative. If the mercies of
our God, flowing from the labors and sufferings of the Redeemer, have
been transmitted Co a succession of generations for a period of nearly two
thousand years, through limited, sometimes dubious, and often impure chan
nels, what then is the value of a system so partial in its application ? If
it be said chat none but that small portion of mankind who have any
shadow of claim to this succession are within the reach of mercy, how does
the declaration comport with the extent of the mercy of Him, who, by the
grace of God tasted death for every man. This is a point which we may
safely leave to the Divine decision. It is a case not within our control,
therefore we need not concern ourselves about it.
The annunciation of this claim on the part of our clergy, is a declaration

10 Memoir of the Rev.
of war against all other denominations. It has arrayed them all against us,
and the result may easily be foreseen.
In March, 1792, being then a resident of Pennsylvania, Dr.
Doddridge was admitted to the order of deacons, in the Epis
copal church, in Philadelphia, by the Right Rev. Bishop White
By the same prelate and in the same city, he was in March, 1800,
ordained a priest, having in the interval between his ordinations
removed to Virginia. His reasons for preferring at this time to
continue under the jurisdiction of Bishop White are thus given
in a letter to Bishop Moore of Virginia, in 1819.
When I received 'deacon's orders I lived in Pennsylvania, but previous to
being admitted Co che prieschood, I removed Co Virginia. I stated the cir
cumstance to Bishop White, at the time, urging that the residence of the
bishop of Virginia was so far from my own that I could not hold the re
quisite correspondence with him without great inconvenience, and also that
from what I had learned concerning our church in that state, I did not
think that my uniting with its convention would be in any way satisftctory
to myself, or beneficial to others ; the church in Virginia, having at that
period little more than a nominal existence. Therefore I preferred re
maining in fact, though not canonically, under his jurisdiction. The bishop
was satisfied with my reasons and accordingly all my communications have
been made to him.
To the doctrines and formularies of the Protestant Episcopal
church. Dr. Doddridge was devotedly attached, regarding them
as promodve of piety and. edification. And, although for nearly
twenty-five years he occupied the cheerless position of an ad
vanced guard in her ministry, yet he faltered not in his labors,
but untiringly exerted himself to promote the growth and pros
perity of the church, and to awaken an interest in the transmontane
dioceses by appeals to their bishops in behalf of the scattered
members of the fold, who, in the vast regions of the west were
as sheep without a shepherd, destitute of that nourishment and
fostering care essential to their spiritual growth and happiness.
The convention which organized the diocese of Ohio was held
at Columbus in 1818. For twenty years prior to that date Dr.
Doddridge had been preaching frequently at various places in
Eastern Ohio, and there formed a number of congregations which
afterwards became members of the diocese of Ohio. Of his
labors as a minister we now propose to give some details which
will show how truly apostolic were the services which he ren
dered to the church.

Dr. Joseph Doddridge. 11

Early Churches in North Western Virginia and Ohio.
We shall now give a brief notice of the congregations formed
by Dr. Doddridge during the early years of his ministry in the
Episcopal church, and our authority for the same. We do not
find among his papers any indicating that he entered into written
agreements with his parishioners to perform clerical duties previous
to the year 1800. He attended to such duties continuously from
the year 1792, but probably, prior to 1800, all his receipts were
from voluntary contributions, which we may conclude did not
amount to much, from the fact that a few years after his entrance
into the ministry he was under the necessity of combining with
his clerical profession that of medicine in order to obtain a support.
His lovely and amiable wife, when speaking of this early period
of her married life, would playfully say, that before her husband
commenced the practice of medicine, he was too poor to buy him
self a second suit of clothes, and when Saturday afternoon inter
vened, he was obliged to remain incognito, while she adjusted his
habiliments for his appearance in the pulpit on Sunday. The
labor of the laundress as well as the skill of the seamstress were
frequently called into requisition on these occasions, knee breeches
and long stockings being then in vogue.
Dr. Doddridge's subscription papers for the year 1800, and for
some years thereafter, show that in his country parishes, the re-
muneranon promised him for clerical services was to be paid in
cash, or wheat delivered in some merchant mill, or such other
produce as might be agreed upon by the parties.
In Virginia he seeras to have found many who desired to walk
in the " old paths," by worshiping God in the way of their
fathers. As a matter of interest to their descendants, we shall give
the names of the supporters of the church in several of these
parishes built up in the wilderness, as they stand in the subscrip
tion book of their pastor for the year 1 800. From these lists
may be gleaned some knowledge of the number of their descend
ants who still adhere to the faith of their forefathers. They will
also show that the number of those in the western regions who
felt a decided preference for the Episcopal church at that early
day was by no means small.
In the notes furnished the writer by Judge Scott he says :
"In the year 1793, Re.v- J. Doddridge had three parishes in

12

Memoir of the Rev.

Virginia, viz : West Liberty in Ohio eounty, St. John's and
St. Paul's in Brooke county." St. John's Church.
St. John's parish, which is still in existence, was doubtless the
first one organized by Dr. Doddridge in North Western Virginia.
As early as 1793 it was provided with a small log church, since
replaced by a handsome brick edifice. This parish continued
under the charge of its first pastor for nearly thirty years, when
declining health compelled him to sever a relation around which
clustered many endearing and fondly cherished associations of his
youthful and maturer years.
The names of subscribers in this parish in the year 1800, are
as follows :

George Atkinson,
Absalom Wells,
Archibald Ellson,
John Davis,
Charles M'Key,
Charles Elliot,
William Atkinson,
John Strong,
George Swearengen,
William Davis,
Richard Wells,
Asel Owings,
Andrew Maneally,
Thomas Nicholson,
John Myers,

John Foster,
Abel Johnson,
William Baxter,
James Whice,
George Wells,
George Mahon,
Simon Elliot jun.,
Simon Elliot,
Daniel Swearengen,
Anthony Wilcoxen,
Andrew Morehead,
Alex. Morrow,
George Elliot,
William Lowther,
William Adams,

James Britt,
John Crawford,
John Ellson,
Peter Hay,
George Richardson,
Andrew Lackey,
Hugh Lingen,
John Hendricks,
Richard T. Ellson,
Israel Swearengen,
Richard Ellson,
Thomas Crawford,
Jane Morrow.

Church at West Liberty.
In the summer of 1792, Dr. Doddridge collected a congrega
tion at West Liberty, the seat of justice for Ohio county, Va.
Hon. T. Scott says in his reminiscences of Dr. Doddridge that
in this place Episcopal services were held in the Court House.
This parish was much weakened by the removal of many of its
members to Wheeling when the county seat was removed to that
place. Dr. Doddridge, however, sull held services in West
Liberty every third Sunday in the year 1800. The supporters
of the church there in that year were :
Moses Chapline, Nathan Harding, Isaac Taylor,
Benjamin Biggs, Charles Tibergein, Thomas Beck,

Dr. Joseph Doddridge. 13
Andrew Fout, Ebzy Swearengen, Thomas Wyman,
Silas Hedges, William Griffith, Stephen G. Francis,
John Wilson, Christian Foster, William Dement,
Walter Skinner, Lyman FouCs, Zaccheus Biggs,
Abraham Roland, Ticy Cooper, Benijah Dement,
Thomas Diclcerson, James Wilson, William Cully,
John Cully, Jacob ZoU, George G. Dement,
Nicholas Rogers, John Abrams, John WiUius, sen.,
Samuel Beck, John Kirk, William WiUius.
Amount subscribed $98.
West Liberty, like many other places in the western country
in the early part of the present century, presented a fine opening
for Episcopal missionary labor, in the absence of which the field
has been successfully cultivated by others, and at the present
period there is probably not an Episcopalian in the place. It
may not be amiss in this connection to call attention to the fact
that the ritual of the Episcopal church was exceedingly popular
among the rude pioneers of the west. The book of Common
Prayer has always been found suited to all classes and conditions
of mankind. St. Paul's Church in Brooke County, Va.
We have no means of positidvely ascertaining when this pri
mitive structure was erected. We presume, however, that it
was prior to 1793, as Judge Scott in his reminiscences speaks of
it as one of the churches of which Dr. Doddridge had charge in
that year. It was located about five miles east of Charleston and
the Ohio river. The .building was of logs, and surrounded by
noble forest trees, amid which in subsequent years might be seen
the " narrow houses " of many of those who had worshiped
within its walls. The list of names in this parish for the year
1800 is small, containing only the following :
Aaron Robinson, William Hendling, James Robinson,
Israel Robinson, John Harris, Peter Mooney.
Peter Ross, Benedict Wells,
At a later period St. Paul's was principally sustained by the
late George Hammond, Esq., and some of his relatives and
friends, among whom we find the names of Gist, Hood, Craw
ford, Wells and others. In the summer of 1818, the writer was
one of a large number of sympathizers who met in this humble

14 Memoir of the Rev.
edifice to hear from the lips of its rector, words of solemn im
port on the subject of death and eternity. The occasion which
called us together was the sudden death, by accident, of an
interesting youth, William eldest son of the late Charles Ham
mond, the distinguished editor of the Cincinnati Gazette. The
sermon was preached in accordance with the request contained
in the following letter from Mr. Hammond to Dr. Doddridge :
Belmont, July, 1818.
Rev. and Dear Sir: When I saw you I mentioned that I wished you
to preach a fiineral sermon for our son William, from Matthew, 19 : 13-
14. I had then shaped in my own mind, the various views in which I
thought the subject might be proficably considered. I felt a repugnance to
mention this, lest you should think I wanted to dictate a sermon for you.
However, after mature deliberation, I have concluded, that to present you
the following view, can give no just cause of offense to you. If you think
proper to adopt it, I shall be much gratified, if you do not, there is, I crust,
to me a common saying, '* no harm done."
1. This portion of scripture may justly be regarded as important, both as
example and precept ; the transaction being very minutely detailed by three
of the Evangelists, viz : Macthew, Mark, and Luke.
2. It illustrates the extent and character of the atonement — the child
being incapable of doing anything as a means of salvation \ and, in the lan
guage of Dr. Clarke, it ** utterly ruins the whole inhuman diabolic system
of what is termed ' nonelect infant damnation ' — a doctrine which sprang
from Moloch, and can only be defended by a heart in which he dwells."
3. It may be considered as asserting literally that a great part of the
heavenly kingdom are infants.
4. It illustrates che character of the true Christian.
Like a child, he is open and generous in his feelings.
Like a child, he knows no distinctions among men.
Like a child, his wish is only to do good Co his fellow-man.
Like a child, he feels universal good will for che whole world.
Like a child, he is devoid of guile.
Like a child, his heart is not set upon worldly wealth.
Like a child, he is not bent upon worldly ambition.
In short, like that of a child, his soul is unstained with folly or crime.
Our Lord was particular in defining the true character and final destina
tion of infants, for wise and benevolent purposes ; this condition of the child
being a means of Inducing the parenCs and other relatives to seek salvation,
as the only course by which they can again rejoin the beloved object of
which they have been bereaved ; affording at the same time, a source of
unspeakable comfort and consolation to the mourners, in the well grounded
confidence that the child is in eternal rest. And here an occasion feirly
offers to confound the predestinarian, by contrasting the dark horror whicli
assails his mind upon the death of an infant, with the heavenly hope and
comfort enjoyed by che true Christian.

Dr. Joseph Doddridge. 15
In its application, the subject admits of a very strong appeal to the adult
and more aged. * *
It is my wish that the sermon should be delivered in che old church
This will be more necessary and will render che service Che more solemn.
If you join me in the idea of a direct, personal appeal from yourself to those
who, twenty-five years ago, met to hear che gospel from you. * * *
I should not have intruded these hints upon you, had you not said that it
was your intention to devote some time to preparing a sermon for the
occasion, and, as it will be the last expense I shall incur for our dear boy, I
contemplate having it printed. Yours sincerely, C. Hammond.
George Hammond, mentioned above as one of the supporters
of St. Paul's church, was the father of Charles Hammond, the edi
tor and jurist. Charles Hammond represented St. James's church,
Jefferson county, as a lay delegate in the convention which organ
ized the diocese of Ohio, at Columbus, in 1818. With the
talents, learning and reputation of Mr. Hammond as a writer
and lawyer the public are familiar ; but it may not be so gene
rally known that he was a diligent student of the Bible, as well as
a firm believer in its truths.
Church in Steubenville, Ohio.
To David Moody, one of the early settlers of Steubenville, the
writer is indebted for the following items of information respecting
the introduction of the Episcopal church in that place. He says:
"The Rev. Dr. Doddridge was the first Christian minister who
preached in our litde village. As early as 1796 he held monthly
services in it, his congregation meeting in a frame building which
stood on the south side of Market and Water streets. In 1798
the first court house for the county was built, in which an upper
room was reserved for religious purposes, free to all denomina-
doni}. In this room the Episcopalians met for worship. With
some intervals this early missionary of the church continued to
officiate in Steubenville until Dr. Moore took charge of the
parish in 1820."
Trinity Church at Charlestown, now Wellsburg.
At Charlestown, now Wellsburg, Brooke co., Va., the resi
dence of Rev. J. Doddridge, Episcopal services in 1800 were
held in Brooke Academy. This town was at an early period of

16

Memoir of the Rev.

its settlement a stopping place for immigrants from beyond the
Alleghanies, some of whom became permanent citizens. From
the number of names attached to the subscription paper of Dr.
Doddridge for the year 1800 it is inferred that the congregation
was then large. There is now a neat church edifice in the place,
and notwithstanding numerous removals, a few families remain
who are warmly attached to the church. The subscribers for
1800 were as follows:

Philip Doddridge,
NicholasP.TIUinghast, Patience Vilettle,
Elizabeth Taylor,
Silas Bent,
John Connel,
Thomas Hinds,
Wm. McConnell,
John BIy,

A. Green,
John T. Windsor,
Alex. Caldwell,
Robt. T. Moore,
James H. White,
Robt. H. Johnson,
Charles Prather,
Nicholas Murray,
Samuel Talman,

Oliver Brown,
Sebastian Derr,
Josias Reeves,
James Darrow,
William Thorp,
Henry Prather,
James Clark,
John Fling,
Thomas Oram.

William McConnell,
John Scott,
George Ritchey,
Moses Hanlon.

In December, 1800, Dr. Doddridge entered into an agreement
with a number of individuals living west of the Ohio, to perform
the duties of an Episcopal clergyman every third Saturday at the
house of the widow McGuire. The subscription book, which
is dated December i, 1800, contains the following names :
George Mahan, Benj. Doyle,
William Whitcraft, Joseph Williams,
Eli Kelly, John Long,
George Halliwell, Mary McGuire,
William McColnall, John McKnight,
John McConnell, Frederick AUbright,
The little congregation was, we conclude, the germ of the pre
sent parish of St. James on Cross creek, Jefferson co., Ohio,
as among the above names we find four of those attached td the
petition signed by that parish, on the ist of Dec, 1816, to be
sent to the general convention in 1817, asking, leave of that
body to form a diocese in the western country. These names
are George Mahan, Wm. McConnell, John McConnell and
Benj. Doyle
We are not acquainted with the gradations by which the con
gregation at the widow McGuire's expanded into the parish of
St. James, nor how long services were held at her house ; but
from the pastor's papers we find that from 1814 until his resig
nation in 1823, he remained rector of the parish of St. James,

Dr. Joseph Doddridge. 17
the Rev. Intrepid Morse then assuming charge of it in connec
tion with that of St. Paul's at Steubenville. That the services of
Dr. Doddridge were efficient at St. Jamess church is shown by
the fact that when the diocese of Ohio was organized in '.818 he
reported fifty-two communicants, and over one hundred baptisms
within two years.
At Wheeling, Grave Creek, and some other points, were many
families from Maryland and Eastern Virginia, who having been
brought up in the Church of England, now in their wilderness
homes longed to unite in prayer and praise to God in the language
of her incomparable liturgy. These people Dr. Doddridge
visited as often as his other engagements would permit, not un-
frequently holding service in the open air, the stately forest trees
being their only surroundings and shelter from sun and shower.
" Ah, why
Should we, in the world's riper, years, neglect
God's ancient sanctuaries, and adore
Only among the crowd, and under roofs
That our frail hands have raised } "
From several records before us, it appears that the few Episco
pal clergymen in the west, at an early period continued for many
years to keep up a church organization, and intimate relations
among their people and with each other. These meetings were
probably appointed for prayer, consultation and the mutual edi
fication of ministers and people, and seem to have been held
semi-annually. The secretary designates them as conventions.
We give below one of these memoranda verbatim. It is worthy
of note for its antiquity and also as indicating that if the church
in the western country was languishing it was not yet dead.
Report.
At a convention held in St. Thomas' Church in Washington county,
Pa. ; present Rev. Robt. Ayres, Rev. Joseph Doddridge, Rev. Francis
Reno. After divine service Rev. Robt. Ayres was appointed chairman,
and Stephen G. Francis, secretary.
Resolved, That applications for supplies be made to the convention in
writing with the names annexed of those persons who wish the supply, and
that they shall be responsible to che minister sent for not less Chan four dollars.
Resolved, That Rev. Francis Reno have leave of absence.
Resolved, That the next convention be held at the church near General
Nevill's old place, on Charcier's creek, Pa., Co commence the Saturday be
fore next Whitsunday and that Rev. Robt. Ayres preach the opening sermon.
Done in convention, Sept. 25, 1803. Stephen G. Francis, Secretary.

18 Memoir of the Rev.
A similar memorandum states that at a meeting of the Protest
ant Episcopal clergy held in St. Thomas's Church in Washington
county in 1810, it was resolved. That Rev. Dr. Doddridge do
open a correspondence with the Rt. Rev. Bishop White of
Philadelphia, for the purpose of obtaining through him permission
from the general convention to form a diocese in the western
country. From another source we learn that the object of the
memorialists at this time was to unite the western counties of
Pennsylvania, Western Virginia and the state of Ohio in one
diocese. Dr. Doddridge was an indefatigable laborer and while buoyed
up by the hope that his efforts for promoting the interests of the
Episcopal church in the western country would be seconded by
the zeal and ministrations of missionary brethren from beyond
the Alleghanies, he exerted himself to visit and cheer desponding
members of the same faith at widely distant points. But alas!
they were doomed to bitter disappointment. Their appeals were
vain. No missionaries came, and those who ardently desired for
themselves and families the formula of the church to which they
had been attached in earlier days and more favored localities, were
compelled to join other communions, or live and die without the
ordinances of the gospel.
After his removal to Virginia in 1800, Dr. Doddridge ex
tended his missionary operations into the north western terri
tory. His reasons for so doing are thus given in a letter to the
bishop of Virginia.
With a view to che actainment of an Episcopacy in this country as early as
possible, my clerical labors have of late years been mostly in the state of Ohio,
conceiving chat chat object would be more speedily accomplished by forming
congregacions in a state in which there was no bishop, than by doing che
same thing in the western pares of Pennsylvania and Virginia in each of
which scaces there is a diocesan.
St. Thomas's church in St. Clairsville, Belmont county, Ohio,
was brought into existence in 1813 by the removal of sorae of
Dr. Doddridge's former parishioners to that place, to whom he
made occasional visits. Some years later, however, he held
monthly services there, and also at Morristown, ten miles distant,
where he had organized a congregation. The parish of St.
Thomas was represented in the first annual convention of the
diocese of Ohio by John Carter as a lay delegate. In the same
convention St. Peter's chur<:h at Morristown was represented by

Dr. Joseph Doddridge. 19
Walter Thrall as a lay delegate. About the same period Dr.
Doddridge began preaching at Zanesville, Ohio, and soon organ
ized a parish there of which he was rector in 1818. This par
ish was represented in the first convendon by John Matthews as
lay delegate. Ten churches were represented in the first annual
convention of the diocese of Ohio, of whic;h four had been organ
ized by the missionary labors of Dr. Doddridge, and this while
he had charge of several parishes in Virginia, and was extensively
engaged in the practice of medicine.
In many of the places which he visited in his various missionary
excursions he left the nucleus of congregations which, for the want
of subsequent spiritual nurture, never expanded into active life.
If a proper supply of missionaries could have been had, there
raight now be ten Episcopal churches in Ohio, where there is one.
As a minister of the cross. Dr. Doddridge was untiring in his
exertions, his services on such occasions generally averaging two
per day and often more.
Dr. Doddridge's correspondence with his clerical brethren was
extensive, and we regret that our limits will admit of but a small
pordon of it. We select from numerous others a letter to Bishop
White, as possessing special historical interest, inasmuch as it gives
a synopsis of the religious aspect of rhe country, his reasons for
desiring an Episcopal organization, at an early period of its
settlement, and his efforts to effect that object. From it the reader
will learn the fate of the memorial sent to the general convention
in 1810; also a brief reference to the preliminary convendon
held in Worthington, Ohio, in 1816. Before giving the letter
of Dr. Doddridge, we will give an extract from the communica
tion of Bishop White to which it is an answer.
Philadelphia, Sept. 23, 18 18.
Rev. and Dear Sir : I received your letter recommending ye imme-
mediate consecration of Rev. Mr. Chase, and delivered it to our standing
committee at cheir last siccing. It has been my line of conduct not to inte
rest myself in ye preparatory measures for an occasion of'chis sort, and I knew
that doubts were pressing on y= consciences of chac body, which have issued
in their declining Co sign y= requisite testimonial.
The bishop then gives sundry reasons for not responding to calls
from the west for missionaries, which it is not necessary to insert,
adding :
I am not like ye centurion, who could say to this man go and he went,
and to another come and he came. There are many parts of ye Atlantic states

20 Memoir of the Rev.
from which calls come to ye bishops; and ye same complaints as from yc
western, of our not supplying them with ministers. In one point of view
such complaints are agreeable j as they show, that if " some things remaining
are ready to perish," it appears they are not yet dead, although requiring to be
"strengthened," as much as ye providence of God may enable. It ought
however to be considered, that we cannot outrun this Holy agency.
While I say these things in justice to myself, I do not withhold from you,
dear brother, y^ credit due to you for interesting yourself in ye good work.
And I remain. Your Aff. Brother,
Wm. White.
Answer to the Foregoing Letter.
Wellsburg, Dec. 14, 1818.
Rt. Rev. and dear Brother : Yours by the Rev. Mr. Johnson came
duly to hand. Its contents gave me no small degree of grief; but the
arrival of Rev, Mr. Chase, which took place soon after its receipt, dissipated
the uneasiness occasioned by the prospect of a failure in our endeavor to ob
tain an Episcopacy in this country — a majority of the standing committees
having signed the requisite testimonials. Thus an event which ought to
have taken place many years ago, is likely to take place at last.
The contents of your letter seem to require of me a frank and candid .
statement of my views, in doing the little I have done, for the benefit of
the Episcopal church in this country.
Considering the Christian religion as the basis of all that is good and
great among men, I ardently desired its promotion in that church whose
doctrines appeared to me truly evangelical and whose forms of worship unite
piety, morality, and edification in the most effectual manner and on the
broadest basis. Such was, and still Is, my view of the doctrines and formu
laries of the Protestant Episcopal church.
I trust that I possess all the Christian charity which is due from me to the
religious societies of this country, and I am free to say that much credit is
due to all of them for the zeal and steadiness with which they have pro
secuted their pious labors.
To the Presbyterians alone, we are indebted for almost the whole of our
literature. They began their labors at an early period of the settlement of
the country, and have extended their ecclesiastical and educational establish
ments so as to keep pace with the extension of our population ; with a
Godly care which does them' honor.
Were it not for the herculean labors of the Methodist society, many of
our remote settlements would have been at this day almost in a state of
barbarism. There is scarcely a single settlement in the whole extent of the
western country which has not been blessed with the ministry of this people.
To this ministry the public morality and piety are immensely indebted.
With the Anabaptists I am but little acquainted, but have been in
formed that their establishments are respectable. The settlements and
meeting-houses of the Friends in the state of Ohio, are numerous and in a
flourishing condition.

Dr, Joseph Doddridge, 21
The Roman Catholic clergy, without making any ostentatious parade, are
traversing every part of the country, carrying the ministry to almost every
family of their people.
All these communities, as to every thing belonging to apostolic zeal for
the salvation of men, have certainly gone far beyond ourselves. They have
not waited for a request from their people for spiritual help ; but have gone
into the " hedges and highways," or to use a more appropriate phraseology
into the " bush and woods " to seek for them ; and their labors have been
for the most part marked with a degree of disinterestedness which entitles
their clergy to highest credit. * * * * *
It is to be regretted that the Calvinists in this country are cleft into many
divisions and that they are as Jews and Samaritans towards each other.
I formerly indulged the hope that the Methodist society would, sooner or
later, in obedience to the order of their spiritual father, adopt the use of the
service book which he gavethem, and that with theincrease of their number
and wealth, they would found literary institutions, so as to associate science
with their zeal in the public ministry of the gospel. This hope may yet be
realized. One serious objection, in my opinion, applies to all the religious denomi
nations in this country — the want of established forms of public worship.
My zeal for their introduction will not be considered a zeal without know
ledge, when it Is remembered that, until the Reformation, the Christian
world knew no other, and that even the present exceptions to the practice in
this respect, are on a very limited scale. The public reading of the scriptures
and the participation of the people in the public offices of devotion, are cer
tainly matters of the highest importance to the edification, faith and piety
of all.To some extent the aspect of the religious profession in the western
country, as to its intrinsic character, is by no means such as I think it
ought to be. In many instances, it is not that of the steady exercise of
faith, hope and charity, exemplified by a constant succession of good deeds ;
but that of a certain routine of supernatural feelings in which science, faith,
and moral virtue, have little to do. Private instruction and it is ^o be
feared private devotion also, have been partially laid aside for public pro
fession and the exhibition of enthusiastic raptures, which certainly have,
for their ultimate object, the making of proselytes. In some pans, a pro
fession of supernatural feelings of a particular stamp and configuration in
conformity to the respective models furnished by different societies, con
stitute the larger amount of the claims of the applicant to church mem
bership and the ministry.
What a misfortune that a test purporting to be of so much importance,
and yet so equivocal and delusive, so favorable to hypocrisy, should have
been so extensively adopted by societies in which there is certainly much of
real piety.
As a patriot, as well as an Episcopalian, I wished for that system of
Christian doctrine, those forms of worship, and that form of ecclesiastical
government, which bear the impress of the primitive ages, and which, of
course, are best for this world as well as for the next. For the spiritual benefit

22 Memoir of the Rev.
of the many thousands of our Israel here I was most anxious for the organi
zation of che Episcopal church In chis country at an early period of its settle
ment. All my endeavors to obtain chese objecCs were unsuccessful. From year
CO year, I have witnessed the plunder of our people to increase the number
and build the churches of societies, in my view, less valuable than their
own. How often have chese people said to me in the bicterness of tiieir hearts,
" must we live and die without baptism for our children, and without che
sacrament for ourselves V
The great states of Kentucky and Tennessee have been, for che most part,
settled by the descendants of members of the Church of England. Not
one in a thousand of these people have, to this day, ever heard the voice of
a clergyman of cheir own church, but they have heard those of every other
denomination. Hence it results, that by far the greater number of these
people are lost to us forever.
The course I have pursued for the attainment of an Episcopacy in this
country is partially known Co you. The treatment of which I spoke to
the Rev. Mr. Johnson — alluded Co in your letter, shall be frankly stated,
and I trust for the last time. As I have never asked for promotion in the
church nor received any emolument from it, these subjects of complaint
are of little Importance to myself. In proportion as they bear che aspecc of
neglige'nce on che part of the fathers of the church to che spiricual inceresCs
of our people in chese immense regions, they have been subjects of deep
regret to me, and but little so on any other account.
When, in 1810, the few Episcopal clergymen In this country made ap
plication through you, to the general convention, to be associated together
in a separate diocese, we confidently expected that, as our situation so evi
dently required the arrangement, it would be made. We never received
the slightest information respecting che face of our pecition until the arrival
of a clergyman at my house from Philadelphia, whose name I do not now
recollect — In 1812, about eighteen monchs after che session of the general
convimtion In which the subject had been agitated. The issue of the busi
ness blasted our hopes. From that time our intercourse with each other
became less frequent than it ever had been before ; our ecclesiastical ai^Irs
fell into a state of languor, and one of our clergymen, wearied with disap
pointment, and seeing no prospect of any event favorable to the prosperity
of the church, relinquished the ministry.
I kept my station, cheerless as it was, without hope of doing anything
beyond keeping together a few of my parishioners during my own life time,
after which, as I supposed, chey and cheir descendants must attach them
selves CO such societies as chey might think best
Such was the gloomy and unpleasant prospect before me. How often,
during these years of hopeless despondency and discouragement, have I
said to myself. Is there not a single clergyman of my profession, of a zeal
ous and faithfiil spirit, who would accept the holy and honorable office of
a chorea episcopus for my country, and find his reward in che exalted
pleasures of an approving conscience In gathering In the lost sheep of our

Dr. Joseph Doddridge. 2.3
Israel, and planting churches in this new world ? Is there not one of
our bishops, possessed of zeal and hardihood enough Co induce him to cross
the Alleghany mountains, and engage in this laudable work .'' Year after
year answered these questions in the negative.
You may judge how strange it appeared Co me Co see the annual state
ments of the contributions of my Atlantic brethren Co Bible societies and
ocher institutions for propagating the gospel In foreign countries, while no
concern was expressed or measures adopted for the spiritual relief of their
own people, in their own country, who were perishing for lack of know
ledge. Meantime other ecclesiastical societies here were blessed with the pre
sence and ministrations of cheir Episcopal fathers, while, Co chis day, this
country has never been favored with the presence of a bishop of our
church.' We claim, and as I hope justly, the apostolic succession, but where, I
ask. Is our apostolic zeal for the salvation of mankind ^ While the Roman
Catholic missionaries for the society de propaganda, as well as those of other
denominations, are traversing the most Inhospitable climes, encountering
every difficulty, privation, and danger for che laudable purpose of making
converts Co the Christian faith, will the spiritual fathers of our church
never leave che temples erected by the piety of their fore-fathers, Co visit
and administer to the spiritual wanes of their descicute people even in their
own country }
I beseech you, my friend and brother, not to consider any thing in this
letter as dictated by a spirit of asperity, or the chagrin of disappointment.
The statements I make proceed from the anguish of my heart, and truth
compels me Co say, that fortunately for the Christian world, but to the
disgrace of our community, such an Instance of the utter neglect of the
spiritual Interests of so many people, so near at hand, and for so long a
continuance, is without a parallel in the whole history of tbe Christian
church. When, about three years ago, I heard through indirect channels, some
favorable reports concerning the prospects and the extension of the Episco
pal church in che eastern states, I determined to make one more effort,
for the purpose of ascertaining the practicability of planting churches to the
westward. Accordingly, in the autumn of 1815, I made a missionary tour
in the interior of the state of Ohio, going as far as Chillicothe, where I
held divine service twice. I also officiated both going and reCurning in
nearly all the intermediate towns between that place and my place of resi
dence. The prospect which this service presented was not discouraging.
In almost every place, I found skeletons of Episcopal congregations.
The year following, in Oct., 181 6, according to an agreement made
with the Rev. James Kilbourn, at my house a few weeks previous, 1 went
to Worthington, Ohio. During the tour I officiated eighteen times. The
proceedings of our meeting at that place are known to you. The commu-

1 In the year 1824, Bishop White made an attempt to visit the western country, but
an accident on the road prevented bi3 coming farther than Pittsbnrg.

24 Memoir of the Rev.
nications which I made to you and Bishop Hobart ae that time concerning
them, were never answered.
Last week I made a tour of six days in the southern parts of Belmont and
Monroe counties, Ohio, during which I officiated seven times and formed
one congregation — in the latter county — in which I baptized chirty child
ren, and had it not been that a mistake of one day occurred in the appoint
ment, I was Informed chat the baptisms would have exceeded one hundred.
Many of these people had been my parishioners previous to removing to
their present localities, and, together with their neighbors, had delayed the
baptism of their children, in che hope of receiving that rice from a clergy
man of their own church. This occurrence affected me deeply. * * * *
Your brother in Christ,
Jos. DoDDRWGZ.
Among the papers of Dr. Doddridge, we find the copy of a
letter of six pages, addressed "to the Rt. Rev. Bishop Hobart,
written in Wellsburg in Dec., 1816, soon after the meeting at
Worthington, above alluded to as remaining unanswered. In
this letter he gives the bishop much information respecting the
state of religion in the western country, the openings presented
for Episcopalian missionaries and che anxiety of the people for
their services, etc., etc. He also speaks of the meeting at Worth
ington, giving their proceedings in detail, and in conclusion,
" begs his Rt. Rev. brother speedily and freely to communicate
to him his remarks on the course they had taken," adding, " If
in any thing we have done amiss, or omitted to do any thing we
ought to have done, pray let us know it."
The important meeting at Worthington, Ohio, referred to in
the preceding letter has heretofore been wholly ignored in the
written history of the Protestant Episcopal church in Ohio. We
propose, therefore, from Dr. Doddridge's letters and other sources
to establish the fact of its existence, and to show that in it were
initiated the measures which finally resulted in the formation of
the diocese of Ohio, and the elevation to the episcopate of that
eminent man Philander Chase, to whose active zeal and devotion
to the cause of Clirist, and Christian education, the diocese was
indebted in a great measure for its early prosperity, and the es
tablishment of one of its noblest institutions, Kenyon college.
The time and place for holding the convention were agreed
upon between Dr. Doddridge and Rev. James Kilbourn of
Worthington, at the house of the former in Wellsburg, Va., in
the eariy part of September, 1816. Mr. Kilbourn insisted that his

Dr. Joseph Doddridge. 25
place of residence should be named as that for holding the meeting.
To this proposition Dr. Doddridge very reluctantly assented, urging
its great distance from the three clergymen in Western Pennsyl
vania, who he thought would not undertake such a long journey on
horseback, then the usual mode of traveling over clay pikes, and
corduroy bridges. As he predicted, they did not attend, but
sent by letter their acquiescence in any measures* which might be
determined upon by the meeting, two of them naming their
choice for bishop.
On his way to Worthington, Dr. Doddridge wrote to one of
his daughters as follows : Zanesville, Oct. i8, 1816.
So far, all is well. I haveattended Co all my appointments and have had
large congregacions. You know che size of the Court House here. It has
been full both evenings since I came. Yescerday the congregation met,
chose their vestry and wardens, who immediately made me the pastor of
their infant church.
I lodge with Dr. Horace Reed, who sets out with me this morning as a
delegate from this parish to che convendon at Worthington. *****
We are indebted to Gen. G. H. Griswold of Worthington,
Ohio, for the following memoranda relative to this convention.
Worthington, Ohio, June 17, 1861.
Relative to the convendon or meeting of Episcopalians in Ohio, in 1816,
for che purpose of taking measures to organize a diocese, electing a bishop,
etc., I can answer : That such a meeting was held at this place on the
2ist and 22d days of October of chat year, which was attended by Rev.
Dr. Joseph Doddridge of Virginia and Rev. James Kilbourn, at that time
I believe the only Episcopal clergymen in the west : also by a number of
lay delegates of whom I can name but the following, Ezra Griswold and
David Prince, who represented the parish at this place, a Mr. Cunningham*
from near Steubenville, and a Mr. Palmer. The two latter made their
quarters at our house.
This convention, originating ^ with the clergymen before named, was, as
I understand, the first ever held in Ohio, and from which has arisen what
ever of success and importance our church has attained. As I have no
copy of ehe proceedings of that convention, I cannot inform you what was
therein done beyond the adoption of a circular, an appeal to the church
east for help, and some order for fiirther action, or subsequent convendons.
Dr. Doddridge held services and preached three times at this place, fore
noon, afternoon and evening on Sunday, 20th Oct., and went to Columbus

1 Mr. Cunningham was a delegate from the parish of St, James in Jefferson co.,
Ohio, but may have represented the parish at Steubenville also. Ed.
3

26 Memoir of the Rev.
and preached in the evening of Tuesday 22d ; myself and a Mr. Goodrich
were in attendance, at Columbus, from this place.
Dr. Doddridge was, as I well recollect, very popular with the people,
and very generally mentioned as probably che future bishop.
The foregoing facts I get mostly from the records of this parish, some
old books of my father, and my own private diary kept at the rime. My
residence has been continuous at this place since 1803.
Miss N, Doddridge, Yours truly,
G. H, Griswold,
Extracts from St. John's Parish Record, Worthington, Ohio.
Sept, 10, 1816. Ezra Griswold and David Prince were appointed dele
gates to the convention to assemble Oct. 21, 18 16,
and a committee of three were appointed to prepare
the Academy Building for the convendon and for the
meedng of the 20ch Oct.
From Day Book i-^.page 271, of E. Griswold.
18 1 6, Oct. 22. St. John's Church, Dr.
Cash handed Col, Kilbourn for Rev. Joseph
Doddridge,  $3.00
Also for keeping Mr. Cunningham, who was a
delegate from Steubenville, two days and
nights, self and horse, . -,  2,00
18 16, Occ. 22. Thomas Palmer, Dr.
Entertainment while attending the Episcopal
convendon, self and horse,  2.00
From my Chan Diary.
Wed, 1 6th Oct., 18 16, Great ring bear hunt.
Sun. 20 Oct., " Cloudy and some rain; attended church. Rev.
Mr. Doddridge preached twice In day and once
in evening.
Tuea. 22 Oct., " Went to Columbus in afternoon with Mr. Good
rich, Rev, Dr. Doddridge preached in even
ing.
Wed, 23 Oct., " Second grand bear hunt.
This preliminary convention issued a circular addressed to the
bishops and clergy of the Protestant Episcopal church east of the
Alleghanies, setting forth in feeling terms the destitution of the
church in the west, and concluding with the very appropriate
scriptural invocation, " Come over into Macedonia and help us."
Shortly after this circular was issued, petitions, numerously
signed, from the several parishes in Ohio and Virginia, asking
leave to form a diocese in the western country were sent to
Bishops White and Hobart to be laid before tlie general ton-

Dr. Joseph Doddridge. 27

vention at its setting in New York, in the spring of the year
1817. Dr. Doddridge received no direct information of the
action of the convention upon these petitions, until August, when
a letter reached him from Rev. Roger Searle. From this letter
and a subsequent one we shall make some extracts bearing upon
the subject. Plymouth, Conn., Aug. 4, 18 17.
Riv. AND Dear Brother :
I wrote you boch from Pittsburg and New York. Your long silence
leads me to the conclusion that my lecters have not reached you.
It was a matter of extreme regret Co me that I could noe see you on my
way from the Interior of Ohio. At Zanesville I learned chat you were Co
officlaee chere the next Sunday, but my eime was limited Co be in New
York at the session of the general convention as a delegate from this
state. Ae Zanesville, Cambridge, Morriseown and St. Clairsville, I heard of
your pious and zealous exertions in behalf of our beloved Zion, and I trust
that the time is not far distant when I shall be permitted Co unite wich you
in labors for chis glorious cause in Ohio.
WIch a view Co che organization of the church in the scace of Ohio, a
convention Is duly appoinced to convene at Columbus, Sth of January next,
and you will have perceived from the journal of its proceedings, chae che
provisions of che lace general convendon are such as Co have mec your
' wishes as made known by you Co che house of bishops and Co che bishops
and others separacely.
You will also learn from the journal, that our worthy friend from Zanes
ville, Dr. Reed, was not allowed a seat in the convention. Feeling as I
did, a common interest in the welfare of the church in the west, it was
then, and srill is my opinion, that that body ought Co have dispensed with
ies general rules In reference to chat Individual. His deportment on the
occasion was that of a Chrisdan and a gentleman, and I sincerely hope he
will feel saeisfied chat che convendon had no reference Co himself personally,
buc Co che general rules of che church in ics conventional capacicy.
From tbe same. Zanesville, Dec. i, 1817.
Rev. and Dear Brother :
It is wich more Chan ordinary pleasure I acknowledge the receipt of
yours of the 24th ult., and while I most sincerely regret that you did not
receive a copy of ehe journal of ehe proceedings of ehe laee general conven
don 1 cannot for a momenC enCertain ehe idea Chat this neglecC was a
macccr of design on the part of the bishops and clergy whose immediate
duty it mighe have been Co forward ic eo you wich oeher communications
regarding the church generally in this western country.
I should indeed have sent you one myself wichout delay, had I not
choughe you would receive several copies through Bishops White, Hobart
and others. But, my dear friend, I herewith send you one per mail, and

28 Memoir of the Rev.
beg you will accept it as a small token of my very great regard and sincere
respect for your personal character, and indefatigable and usefiil labors in
the cause of our beloved Master. You will readily perceive from the
journal chat your communicadons to the convention were duly recognized,
and the measures you urged were adopCed wieh such modificaciuns as were
deemed e^sencial by that body. Very truly your BroCher
in che Gospel of Chrise,
Roger Searle.
Dr, Doddridge could not but feel deeply wounded by this
omission to make hira acquainted as early as possible with the
proceedings of a convention in which it was known that he felt
the deepest interest. He knew how pressing was the need for
the organization of a diocese in the west, and that in consequence
of the failure of the effort made in 1810 to obtain an Episcopate
in the western country, several of the clergy, though still faithful
to the church, discouraged and hopeless of ever seeing their
dearest wishes realized, made no exertions to extend her borders
by forming new congregations. Dr. Doddridge, however, had
never remitted his efforts, and although the measures recom
mended to the general convention were, with a few modifica
tions, adopted, his name was not mentioned in the convention,
no direct reference was made to the labors he had performed,
and worst of all no official or unofficial notice of its action was
ever sent to him. This discourteous treatment of him by the
ecclesiastical authorities of his church certainly justifies the severe
terms in which he refers to this subject in his Notes,
In accordance with the action of the general convention the
preliminary convention for organizing the diocese of Ohio met
at Columbus on the 5 th of January, 1818, Owing to the want
of timely notice, but one of the four parishes arganized by Dr.
Doddridge in Ohio was represented in that body. On the
evening of the second day John Matthews, from St. James's
church, Zanesville, appeared and took his seat. In the re
port on the state of the church made to the convention by
Rev. Philander Chase he stated that in Zanesville he found a
very respectable congregation of Episcopalians, duly organized
under the pious and praiseworthy exertions of the Rev. Mr.
Doddridge. The preliminary convention having organized the
diocese by the adoption of a constitution and the appointment of

Dr. Joseph Doddridge. 29
a standing committee, adjourned to meet at Worthington, Ohio,
on the jth of June, 1818.
The prospect of having, at length, a bishop for the west filled
the heart of Dr, Doddridge with great joy. He attended the
first annual convention at Worthington accompanied by delegates
from the four parishes he had organized in Ohio. The lay
delegates were admitted without question, but the right of Dr,
Doddridge to a seat was doubted, and a committee of five mem
bers appointed to examine and report whether, according to the
true interpretation of the canons, he could be admitted a member
of the convention. The committee after due deliberation made
report as follows :
It is the opinion of the committee that according Co che exiscing canons
and resoiudons of ehe lase general convendon. Dr. Doddridge, in his presene
relative sicuacion, cannoe be admitted to a seat as a member of chis con
vendon. The commiceee highly appreciace ehe labors of che reverend gentleman,
rendered Co ehe church boeh in chis sCace and ehe adjoining states, and hope
that at no distant day he may be placed in such circumstances thae chey
may recognize him as a canonical member of chis diocese. They recom
mend chae che convendon adopc the following resolutions :
Resolved, That che Rev. Dr. Doddridge cannot now be received as a
member of this convention.
Resolved, That this convention enCertain a high sense of the usefiil and
Important labors oi Dr. Doddridge in ehe cause of che church in the
western country and particularly within chis diocese ; and trust that he will
lose no time in taking such measures as, under the existing canons of the
church, are essential to constitute him a member of chis convendon, so chat
the diocese may more fully profit by his labors.
The report and resolutions having been adopted it was, on
motion. Resolved, That the Rev. Dr. Doddridge be requesCed Co take a seat in
ehis convention as an honorary member, during the remainder of the ses
sion ; and that the Rev. Mr. Searle, Mr. Webb, and Mr. Douglas, wait
upon Dr. Doddridge, and communicate this resolution.
The service under this resolution having been performed, Dr,
Doddridge appeared in convention and took his seat with the
clergy. This strict enforcement of a technical construction of
the canons did not at all please him. He thought the circum
stances of his case were such as to make it unnecessary to raise
the question. In a letter to a clerical brother written soon after
the event he says : " When at the convention at Worthington, it

30 Memoir of the Rev.
seemed to me that I was doomed to drink the last dregs of the
cup of humiliation. Almost the first thing that took place after
I entered was a lengthy discussion on the question of my right to
a seat in the convention," It must be remembered in this con
nection that there were only four clergy in the convention aside
from Dr. Doddridge, and that of the four two, viz: Rev. Phi
lander Chase and Rev. James Kilbourn, sat for St. John's church,
Worthington, while Dr. Doddridge represented four flourishing
parishes. Moreover the very existence of the convention itself
was owing to measures initiated by him.
The convention at Worthington on the 4th of June, 1818,
elected Rev. Philander Chase bishop of the diocese ol Ohio.
Dr. Doddridge not being entitled to vote, but sitting as an
honorary member in convention, expressed his entire satisfaction
and hearty concurrence in the election of a bishop which had
been made. On the next dav Dr. Doddridge, bv request, made
his report of the state of the church as follows :
Sc. James's church, in ehe counCy of Jefferson, nine miles from Steuben
ville, was formed about two years ago ; it contains about chirCy families, and
is increasing. The number of communlcancs is fifty-two j the number of
bapdsms wiehin Cwo years, has considerably exceeded one hundred. They
are a sceady, pious people, and zealously accached to che docerines and
worship of our church. Should an Episcopal congregacion be formed In
Sceubenville, which it is hoped will cake place ac no very distant period of
time, ehe cwo congregacions In thae case, would form a convenient care for
one clergyman. They are caking measures to commence the building of a
church chis season.
Sc. Thomas's church, inSc. Clairsville, has been organized sometime. The
number of bapdsms is considerable ; the holy sacramenc has never been ad;-
miniscered here. There is every prospect chat ehis congregation will be
large and respectable ; the number of families attached Co ie, ac present, is at
lease chirey.
Se. PeCer's church, in Morriseown, consisCs of abouc ewency families ; and
bids fair to become respectable. This congregacion and that of Sc. Clairs
ville, which are but ten miles from each other, would form a convenient
charge for one clergyman ; and the present rector humbly hopes that through
the blessing of Divine Providence, they will shortly have one settled among
them. He has officiaCed several times in Cambridge ; and finds that a congre
gation of aboue Cwenty-five families might be formed there. There are
also some families of Episcopalians in and about New Washington, ten miles
discanc from Cambridge. These places certainly require ehe ateendon of the
clergy of che diocese.
Se. James's church, in Zanesville, which was formed by him and of

Dr. Joseph Doddridge. 31
which he is still the rector, will be reported-through some other channel.
He indulges the hope chat this church will always hold a very respectable
rank among the churches of the diocese of Ohio.
The Rev. Dr. Doddridge Is ehankful to che great Shepherd and Bishop
for ehe evenC of an election of a bishop for this diocese ; and from the
good account which he has uniformly heard of the learning and piecy of che
bishop elecc, he expeccs every good ching and favorable to the church com
mitted to his charge. Intending, as soon as practicable, to become a member
of this diocese, he earnestly solicits the attention of the bishop and clergy
to the congregations which he has formed in the state of Ohio. His attend
ance upon them is accompanied wich great personal inconvenience ; and It
would give him the highest pleasure to feel justified in relinquishing it in
consequence of the seeelement of clergymen among them.
After the adjournment of the first annual convention of the
diocese of Ohio, Dr Doddridge continued his ministration to
his Ohio congregations with as much regularitv as possible. In
the spring of 1819, he hid the satisfaction of being relieved of
his charge of the parish at Zan';s"ille by the Rev. Intrepid Morse,
an able and zealous minister. The second annual convention
of the diocese of Ohio, met at Worthington on the second day
of June, 18 ig. Dr. Doddridge did not attend this convention,
interesting as the first one presided over by a bishop, not yet
being entitled to a seat in it.
The address of the bishop on this occasion is one of rare in
terest as containing a vivid picture of the manner of preaching
the gospel in those early times. .\i the address contains many
references to Dr. Doddridge we propose to transcribe them here
as illustrative of the character and value of the work he per
formed. The bishop says :
Tuesday, May 4, I met, accdrding to previous arrangement, che Rev.
Dr. Doddridge, at Cambridge, twency-five miles east ot Zanesville. After per
forming che service eogecher, in the Court House, congregation small, we pro
ceeded up Hill's creek to Seneca village, about twenty miles. At the
desire of the family, I read prayers at the bedside of a sick woman, exhort
ing her Co repene and Crust In God. She appeared penitent and thanked me.
I gave her the blessing.
May ^, we proceeded on our journey to fill an appointment made for me
by Dr. Doddridge to hold services aC Mr. Demene's, aboue cen or Cwelve
miles from che village. The roadi being bad and the country new, we were
somewhat delayed, the congregation had been assembled some time, and
anxiously awaiting our arrival. At the sight of us chey were greacly rejoiced ;
and being too numerous to be all accommodated with seats in the log
cabin, they removed to a convenient place in the adjoining wood. Here,

32 Memoir of the Rev.
with a small table taken from the cabin and covered with a coarse white
cloth, on which to lay the holy book, the trees and the sky for our canopy, the
doctor and myself performed the solemn services of the church and baptized
a number of children.
As soon as the services were over the congregation crowded to the cabin,
whither we had repaired. Here a most interesting scene took place. A
number of young men and women, being deeply affected at beholding the
services, particularly that of the holy sacrament of baptism, applied for
spiritual instruction. It was given them and several were baptized. Wit
nessing the good effects of our endeavors chus far, were encouraged to ap
point another service the same evening. The house was again crowded
and a number of adults and infants were baptized. Dr. Doddridge de
livered a lecture in a very impressive manner, on the subject of the Christ
ian church and Christian ordinances. During the interval of our services
this day we learned that a number of families on Little Beaver creek, be
longing to this recently organized parish, were desirous of public ministra
tions. Accordingly the next day, guided by a Mr. Bryan across the high
hills, we went thither.
The congregation were assembled, Dr. Doddridge read prayers and the
sermon was preached by myself. One adult and several children were bap
tized f the whole parish being here present, at Mr. Wendeirs on Little
Beaver, they proceeded to elect a delegate to the convention, and to take
measures for the building of a church j which, though it will not be expensive,
will be of great importance to the growing interest of our Zion in this
quarter. Dr. Doddridge manifested his zeal and ability in the cause of the
church by an appropriate address. Service having been appointed at Barnes-
ville about ten or twelve miles further on our journey, we hastened, in com
pany with Mr. Leek for our guide, to fulfill our appointment. But it beginning
to rain we were somewhat delayed on the way, and did not arrive at Barnes-
ville until the congregation had dispersed. 'At evening, however, the
people assembled ; the service of our church was performed and a sermon
preached in the Methodist meeting house.
The next day. May 7, at Morristown, the people had assembled in great
numbers at a convenient schoolhouse. Here divine service was performed
and a sermon preached j three persons desiring the rite of confirmation and
the sacrament of the Lord's Supper both these ordinances were administered
to them. The audience never having witnessed the like before, seemed
deeply affected. The impression was evidently in favor of better things to
come. On our way to St. Clairsville the same day, the sacrament was admin
istered to five or six children.
May 8. Saturday, at eleven o'clock, divine service was celebrated in the
Court House, St. Clairsville, and an impressive discourse delivered by Dr.
Doddridge. In the evening the same duty was repeated, and the sermon
was preached by myself.
Sunday, May 9. The day being uncommonly fine, the people began to
assemble at an early hourj and the house, ere the service began, was much
crowded. In the morning divine service was performed, and the rite of
confirmation was administered to thirteen persons, and the sacrament of

Dr, Joseph Doddridge. 33
the Lord's Supper to eleven. At the evening service the sacrament of
baptism was administered. This congregation is among those in which
the Rev. Dr. Doddridge regularly officiates ; yet some peculiar circumstances
had hitherto prevented him from attempting the administration of the
Lord's Supper among them. Happily those impediments are now set aside ;
the people are becoming seriously impressed with a sense of their religious
duty, and much good is expected. The word of God is quick and power
ful, and in nothing does it take more deep effect than in the solemnities of
the eucharist.
At St. Clairsville, Dr. Doddridge left me, to visit his family ; and on
Monday, May lo, at his particular request I passed over the Ohio river to
Wheeling on the Virginia side. I attempted the exercise of no Episcopal
office here, being without the diocese of Ohio. I however performed
morning prayer in public, and preached a sermon to the people ; after
which they saw fit to organize a parish, by choosing their wardens and
vestrymen. Also,' while on the Virginia side, 1 performed the visitation
office to a sick man, a Mr. Wilson j and the next day (May 12) preached
and performed divine service at West Liberty. Stayed the same evening at
Mrs. Hammond's, and was treated with great kindness.
May 13. I again joined my worthy friend and brother, Dr. Doddridge, at
his house in Charleston (alias Wellsburg) and was welcomed by himself and
excellent family, with urbanity and unfeigned good will. Twice the same
day we held divine service. In the evening the congregation was large and
very attentive. The particular excellencies of our liturgy become more and
more visible, in proportion as people, old and young, join in it j and where
they do so join, increase both of numbers and piety never fails to be the
happy effect. No church which neglects the liturgy will eventually pros
per. God honors those who will honor him j and withdraws his blessing
from those who refuse to worship him.
May 14. Attended by the doctor and some of his family I went to St.
JoiHi's parish, a small church about ten miles north-east of Charleston.
Here the morning service was performed and a sermon preached ; after
which I visited a sick woman, and the same night passed over to Steuben
ville, on the Ohio side of the river.
May 1 5. Morning and evening service were celebrated this day in Steuben
ville, the former in the Methodist meeting house, and the latter in the
Court House. The congregations in both places were numerous and
attentive. Sunday, May 16. This day having been previously appointed for the ad
ministration of the apostolic rite of confirmation, and the sacrament of the
Lord's Supper in this place, the congregation, by the kind and pressing
request of the Methodist society, met in their meeting house. The dis
course was delivered by Dr. Doddridge. I administered confirmation to
thirty-eight, and the Lord's Supper to about twenty-five. Great reverence
and devout attention appeared in the behavior of all present. In the
afternoon of this day, divine service, at the request of the minister and people
of the Presbyterian denomination was in their meeting house. Six or seven
children were baptized. At candle lighting I again performed service in the

34 Memoir of the Rev.
Methodist meeting house, and gave notice that Episcopalians would meet
me the next morning at the house of Mr. Dickinson.
Monday, May 17. I organized a parish by the name of St. Paul's church.
In Sceubenville to the great saeisfecdon of che friends of our Zion. They
appoinced cheir delegace Co che convention and eook measures for procuring
regular services ; I also chis day baptized twenty children.
Tuesday. Being joined by Dr. Doddridge, who had been on Sunday after
noon called away to attend the sick, I proceeded across the woods to St.
James's Church, a small building erected for public worship, about ten or
twelve miles from Steubenville, For public services they depend on Dr.
Doddridge, who attends a certain portion of his time. The number of
communicancs I could not exactly know ; as the holy sacrament of ehe
Lord's Supper was through mistake not provided for at this visitation. The
probable number Is, however, abouC fifty. After morning prayer and a
sermon, I administered confirmation to twenty-one persons. Here I took
leave of my worthy friend and brother and proceeded on my way cowards
Cadiz where divine service had been appointed on the morrow.
These extracts from the journal of the second annual conven
tion of the diocese of Ohio, show that the hardships under which
the early missionary work was carried on required a zeal and
faith equal to that of the apostolic age of the church. The
valuable character of the work performed by Dr. Doddridge is
shown by the fact that the churches were scattered over a terri
tory extensive enough for a modern diocese, in a region almost
entirely destitute of the gospel.
Some years after Dr. Doddridge had taken orders in the pro-
testant Episcopal church, which, within the bounds of his labors
furnished him but a meagre support, he found it necessary, in
order to meet the wants of an increasing family, to combine with
his clerical profession one that would be more lucrative in the
region in which he lived. He chose that of medicine, complet
ing his course of preparation in Philadelphia, under Dr, Benja
min Rush,
Several years previous to this time he had entered into a matri
monial connection with Jemima, orphan daughter of Capt. John
Bukey, who had at an early period of the setdement west, emi
grated from New Jersey, locating on a farm on Short creek, in
Ohio county, Virginia, Mr, Bukey died some years after his
arrival in the country, leaving a wife, three sons and four daughters ;
the youngest of whom, at the age of sixteen, became the wife of
Dr. Doddridge. Mary, the eldest, married Major John M'Col-
loch, of Short Creek, Virginia. Marcie united her destiny with

Dr. Joseph Doddridge. 35
that of Colonel Harman Greathouse, late of Kentucky. Two
of the sons, John and Hezekiah, at an early age, were employed
as spies under Captain Samuel Brady, of Indian war notoriety.
The youngest, Rudolph, while yet a youth, settled in Shelby
county, Kentucky.
In the department of medicine Dr. Doddridge was eminently
successful and deservedly popular, and to the avails of an exten
sive but laborious practice he was indebted for the means to rear
and educate a large family of children.
That he occupied a high posidon in the estimation of his
brethren of the medical fraternity, who had opportunines for
knowing him well, is unquestionable. One evidence of this fact,
is a certificate under the seal of the Medico-Surgical Society of
East Ohio — instituted in 1821 — announcing to him that " said
society, being well convinced of his abilities and scientific skill,
had made him an honorary member of their association," The
secretary of the society, in a note enclosing the document, says:
I do not know, dear brother, chat the accompanying certificace will be
accepCable to ehee, yeC ic may, ae some fuCure day, serve to remind thee of
the high esteem In which thee was held by such of chy medical brechren as
had the best opporCunity of judging of chy professional and moral worth.
Truly thy friend,
Andekson Judkins.
While Dr, Doddridge was pursuing his medical studies in
Philadelphia in the year 1800, he became acquainted with some
scientific characters, and as we learn from a printed communica
tion over the signature of Reuben Haines, corresponding secretary,
he was, "on the 1st day of izth month, 1812, duly elected a
corresponding member of the Academy of Natural Sciences," in
that city.
He was at an early day initiated into the mysteries of masonry,
regarding the institution in its fundamental principles, as impos
ing on the initiated the obligation practically to illustrate in their
lives the virtues of faith, hope, charity and fraternity, and as
being secondary to the Christian religion in its meliorating in
fluences upon the human family.
He was W. M. of the lodge at Wellsburg, Virginia, and per
haps of a pioneer lodge at Mingo Towns,' holding a warrant from
• The Mingo Towns were situated on the Ohio river, three miles below
the site of the present city of Steubenville.

36 Memoir of the Rev.
the grand lodge of Pennsylvania, which charter was recalled in
1806, having been extinct some years.
His conversanonal powers were of a high order. He was
easy of access, fond of innocent anecdotes and possessed in an
eminent degree the tact for adapting his subjects and language to
the peculiar tastes and capacities of those with whom he con
vened. Ordinarily he was fond of the society of ladies and children,
saying, that men in general were so engrossed with business mat
ters, in which he took but little interest, that they could not be
induced, for any length of time, to converse on any other subject ;
but the former, he could understand and sympathize with,
and they could mutually interest each other.
He never departed from that unaffected cordiality of manner,
simplicity of dress, style of living, and generous hospitality which
characterized the pioneer society in which he had been brought
up, and which, in these respects, he considered much superior
to the code of manners and etiquette of modern days.
In his intercourse with his neighbors he was cheerful and
social, in his habits industrious, temperate and domestic. To
the gratification of the palate, he was indifferent, discounte
nancing both by example and precept the indulgence or cultiva
tion of a fastidious appetite.
When in health, he always rose at four o'clock, devoting the
morning hours to meditation and literature. To those who
trimmed the midnight lamp and indulged the morning slumber,
he would say in the elegant phraseology of Scripture, why do
you purchase light, when the good providence of Him who said,
" Let there be light and there was light," gives you thai blessing
" without money and without price."
His benevolence was proverbial, and like that of the good
Samaritan, was exemplified in acts of kindness to the poor and
afflicted, to whose relief he liberally contributed of his limited
means ; on some occasions — known to the writer — using his
own house as a hospital for the sick, who were destitute of
friends as well as of funds — where they gratuitously received the
benefit of his medical skill together with such other appliances
as their comfort and necessities required, until restored to health.
His philanthropic feelings induced him in various ways to en
deavor to provide employment for the poorer class of laborers

Dr. Joseph Doddridge. 37
around him, in doing which, as he possessed no skill in the
management of financial matters and little discrimination in his
judgment of human character, he very nearly impoverished
himself. In horticulture and the culture of bees, he found an interesting
and agreeable relaxtion in his intervals of professional labor.
His garden and orchard, both of which were well cultivated,
added greatly to his home pleasures. The morning carols of
feathered songsters among the leafy bowers, were to him sweetest
music ; and he was often out betimes, as he said, mentally to
unite with them in offering the matin song of praise to 'the giver
of all mercies. He would not allow one of these winged tenants
to be injured on his grounds, telling his children, who sometimes
objected to the birds having the nicest cherries and other fruits,
that " the same good Being who provided food and clothing for
them, provided also for the little birds, and if He sent them to
his premises for that provision, they must not be molested. "
And they were not.
In experimenting with bees, he deviated from the mode then
prevaihng — that of destroying them in order to procure their
honey. And his success proved that his views respecting the
economy and habits of these interesting insects were not incorrect.
In 1813, he published a Treatise on the Culture of Bees, in
which he gives a minute description of his apiary, and details his
plan of treatment of the bees, which was that of colonizing them
instead of killing them to procure the fruit of their labor.
Below we give a letter written to his eldest son which will
give some idea of his appreciation of his domestic surroundings.
Wellsburg, June 4, 1822.
My Dear Son : It is now early in the morning, and I am pleasantly
situated in the bower, which has been removed from the spread apple tree
to the saloon — an oblong grass plat, studded on each side by a row of large
fruit trees — aC che requesC of your excellent moeher, who often has Cea and
sometimes dinner sec in it. She has just risen from a night's repose, looks
young and joyous as a girl of eighteen. She is engaged in calking Co the
gardener, and is feeding about fifty chickens, which are thanking her for her
munificence, in their noisy, gabbling way.
Many changes have been made here since you left us, an account of
which will no doubt be acceptable to you. The foundery lot is at present a
first rate garden, mostly planted in vegetables. The old garden is enclosed
in a close fence, six feet high, and finished with a coping, I have made a
4

38 Memoir of the Rev.
flower garden for Susan, It is tastefiiUy laid out in circular beds, and if
well taken care of, and stocked wich flowering shrubs and plants, will in a
few year3 present a fine parterre of variegated beauty. Gardener as I have
always been. Susan is the only one of my family, who manifests a taste for
ehis delighefiil employment ; in addition to which I strongly suspect she is
CO be my prettiest daughter.
The bees have all been removed to the new bee house, which stands on
the north-east corner lot below the turnpike. It is ewency feee long, and
eighc feet wide, of brick, and plastered inside and out, wirh a circular dome
above. The femily vault of the same dimensions,
I am at present, much amused with the playfiil gambols of some squirrels
which are frisking abouc, sometimes on the trees, sometimes on che ground.
About a month ago, I made a den for some of these littie animals, into
which I put two pair. They now seem well satisfied ; but will they stay,
or decamp after some dme } I am a republican, and like pets but not
prisoners. I do not like'to see a bird In a cage, or an animal tied by ehe
neck. Joseph is still at che seminary, and doing well. He is much beloved by
his ceacher and fellow students. It is my wish to make him a finished
scholar. Reeves and Charles are fine little fellows. Charles has the character of
a " good boy." Reeves has a little of the Indian in him j but I chink not
so much as you had at his age. As you are a business man, and will proba
bly become rich, I think you ought Co take one of these fine boys and teach
him, what he will never learn from his father, che art, trade, or mystery of
money-making. Little Mary has got up and come to me in the bower. Dear littie Dutch
stumpy, her aflTecdon for me is sometimes a little troublesome, as her chief
concern is Co be with me wherever she can find me. ******
God bless you and yours, my dear son,

Philip B. Doddridge,
Portsmouth, Ohio.

Jos. DoDOKIDGE.

The fatigue and exposure to which Dr. Doddridge was sub
jected in his practice of the healing-art, unavoidable in a new and
sparsely settled country, in the lapse of years, gradually under
mined his constitution — not naturally robust — and engendered a
disease which was at times attended with much acute suffering
and nervous irritability.
When laboring under its paroxysms, his distress was greatly
augmented by mental depression, despondency, and a morbid
sensitiveness ; characteristics entirely foreign to him when in
health, being then uniformly cheerful, self-reliant and hopeful.
His published writings in addition to those already mentioned.

Dr. Joseph Doddridge. 39
u ere Logan, the Last of the Race of S hike litmus, a dramatic piece,
sermons on special subjects, and orations delivered ac masonic
festivals, and other occasions. In 1825, he commenced the
Russian Spy, a series of letters containing strictures on America,
and an Indian novel, neither of which was completed.
During tiie winter of 1824, he arranged and prepared his
manuscript of the Notes, etc., etc., for the press, but owing to
ill health he could not give che necessary attention to the correc
tion of proof-sheets, consequently many errors were overlooked,
and on the whole, the issue proved to its author an unprofitable
investment of time and money.
Early in the fall he started eastward, having in view a two
fold object, chat of improving his health by travel and the dispo
sition of some of his books.
The letter which follows, contains a brief reviewof his journey :
Bedford, Sept. 24, 1824.
My Dear Wife : We are here. Our progress has been slow ; but I have
enjoyed the journey, and think my health is somewhat improved.
The mountain scenery through which we passed is varied, some beautiful,
some grand and sublime beyond description. Whilst gazing with delight
upon these displays of the Creator's power and goodness, my pleasure was
suddenly checked by the reflection that those faculties by means of which I
now hold communion with the beautiful in nature must soon be closed in
death. But thanks be to Him, who made all things, I can look forward
by faith to a world where beauty, peace and purity are eternal, where none
shall know sickness and weariness, such as I now feel.
At Brownsville, and Uniontown, I was invited to officiate, which I did,
at the latter place baptizing two children. Have preached once in this place
also. Thus without expecting it, I have become a missionary.
Before arriving here, I intended, if possible, to find the house in which I
first drank coffee,' in 1777 — and in the event of finding it, to invite a few
friends to take a cup with me in the same room. Remembering the name
of the landlord, Nagel, and being able to give a tolerable description of the
house, I found upon enquiring that Dillon's Hotel, where we put up, now
occupies the site of Nagel's house.
Yesterday I went out to see the famous Bedford springs, about cwo miles
from the town. The site, owing to the surrounding mountains, is highly
romantic. The buildings of this watering-place, consist of baths, boarding-
houses, and dormitories. The great Hail for amusements presents many

1 See index to subsequent page.

40 Memoir of the Rev.
fanciful and gorgeous decorations. On a low piece of ground, some dis
tance from the Hall, on a pedestal of rock, stands a naiad, a large, half naked
female figure, with a Grecian face and costume, holding in her left hand a
huge concha, from the top of which the water of the spring is thrown up
ward to the height of ten or twelve feet j but poor girl, her fine white
drapery is turning yellow, from the action of the sulphate of iron contained
in the water which is constantly falling on it.
The spring issues from the western side of the Cove mountain, at the height
of nearly twenty feet above the creek which runs at its base. It is large,
and rises with great force through apertures in immense rocks, which still
retain their primitive situation and aspect. A few rods higher up is another,
but a smaller spring. The water o( the principal spring, is conducted into
a large reservoir, supplying a long range of baths, which are filled at pleasure,
by raising a small flood-gate. The water in the baths is reached by a flight
of steps. I had not, however, the courage to make the descent. The side
of the mountain from which the spring issues, is cut Into serpentine walks,
for the convenience and benefit of pedestrians who wish to take exercise and
inhale the mountain air.
I have been examining the oldest records here, for names of my family,
but can only find that of my grand-father Joseph Doddridge, who is men
tioned as foreman of a grand jury in 1777,
Being within ten miles of the place of my nativity, I wished to learn
something concerning my father's title to the land on which he Ifved in
Friend's Cove, but could find nothing, as his title, whatever it was, originated
when this was a part of Cumberland county. I am informed here, that the
land is now owned by a Mr. Cissner, and that my father was unjustly de
prived of it, but by whom I have not learned.
The Court House here was built in the reign of George III. The edifice
is of stone, and is, without exception, the most misshapen, sombre-looking
building I ever saw. I do not think the Bastile itself could have presented
a more forbidding and gloomy aspect. I seated myself for a moment on
the bench of justice, and after taking a survey of the antiquated, ill-shapen
jury-boxes and council-table, gljdly made my escape from the forum of my
forefathers. Jos. Doddridge.
Soon after his return from Bedford, Dr. Doddridge received a
letter from Bishop Chase just landed in America after his first
visit to England to solicit funds to assist him in carrying out his
enlarged views relative to the missionary and educational interests
of his infant diocese — announcing his return, and appointing the
3d day of November for the meeting at Chillicothe of the dio
cesan convention
Taking with him a little son of eleven years, as traveling com
panion, he proceeded, by easy stages, to the convention, and

Dr. Joseph Duddridge. 41
while there, at the request of St. James's parish, at Zanesville, he
accepted a missionary appointment to that church.
In consequence of the impaired state of his health, he had some
time previous relinquished the charge of his parishes in Virginia
and Ohio; and, from the same cause, he had been compelled to
discontinue the practice of medicine in his vicinity, where atten
tion to its duties involved the necessity of his being on horseback
much of the time and exposure to every change of weather.
By restricting his labors to the parish at Zanesville, with proper
care, he fondly hoped to regain a portion of his former health
and vigor. But He, in whose hand are all our " times," ordered
otherwise. When winter set in, he had a severe attack of pneu
monia, which, together with his asthmatic disease, brought him to
the verge of the grave, and a tedious convalescence ensued before
he recovered suiEcient strength to again resume his parochial duties.
During the continuance of his sufferings and confinement from
debility, he acknowledged that he had much cause of gratitude to
God, the oft repeated kindnesses of friends who did all they could
to alleviate his sufferings and cheer him in his solitary confine
ment. But, notwithstanding these kind offices, how many hours
of loneliness and despondency must have intervened, known only
to God and himself After recovering some strength he thus
wrote to a friend :
My life is fast ebbing away. It has been spent for others, and now, in
stead of enjoying those accommodations and that repose which my infirmi
ties require, I am alone, in exile from my dear family. But I must not
murmur. God's will be done. In due time, rest will be mine, ehrough
ehe undeserved mercy of Him in whom I trust.
To his other afflictions this winter was added the loss of his
little son who had accompanied him to Chillicothe, and whom he
had left there at school. This sad bereavement deeplv affected
him, yet he endeavored to exercise a cheerful acquiescence in the
will of Hira who orders all things wisely. *
In a letter to his son in Bloomingburg, of Feb. Sth, he says :
The death of little Reeves has been a severe affliction to me. So far as
I have been able, I have done my duty to his excellent memory. I have
published your leteer eo me concerning his deaeh, also his elegy, both of
which I presume you have seen. A short time since I delivered a dis-

42 Memoir of the Rev.
course on immortality, with reference to the melancholy event. This ser
mon has been a subject of conversation, and I have been requested to deliver
it a second time, with which request I shall comply next Sunday evening.
My health, although not good, is on the whole better than it has been
for several winters past, owing mainly to the circumstance of my keeping
within doors in bad weather. I have been able to preach twice on every
Sunday since I have been here, and sometimes on Sunday and other even
ings. But I find that I am worn down with toil and trouble so that I
cannot promise myself a single day of life beyond the present. The pros
pect of death is now familiar to my mind. It is by no means unpleasant,
and I am faithfully, as I trust, preparing for the event, as it respects this
world and the next.
I seem to have but little to do here, in comparison with my former
labors. In the course of the week I write a sermon on some interesting
subject of theology. This I deliver in the forenoon. In the afternoon
the sermon is extempore. Thus I am accumulating a set of manuscripts
which may be read when I am no more.
The Episcopal congregation here is small,"and environed with an invete
rate prejudice on the part of all other societies against them — a prejudice
created by the injudicious announcement, at the outset, of the high claim
of the Episcopal church to the apostolic succession.
To this prejudice I have made no contribution. * * *
I find from experience that the carbonic acid gas discharged from the
burning stone coal is very hurtful to me. Before I left Chilicothe — where
wood was used for fuel — I was much better of my asthma j as soon as I
came here, it returned. We have had several long continued calms this
winter, during which I was much distracted with difficulty of breathing,
but as soon as a wind sprung up I was instantly relieved. Jos. Doddridge.
Below is another extract from the reminiscences of Hon. T.
Scott. Prior to the renewal of my intercourse with Dr. Doddrige, in 1793, he
had taken orders in the Protestant Episcopal church, and now had charge
of several parishes in Western Virginia- At West Liberty I occasionally
attended on his ministrations.
In person, he was tall but not thin, dark hair, fair complexion, blue eyes,
which were full of expression, and his whole appearance imposing.
When preaching, there was nothing in his manner that savored of pe
dantry or rusticity, yet he did not possess that graceful action and delivery
which are often met with in speakers in every other respect his inferiors.
These apparent defects were, however, amply compensated by the earnest
ness with which he addressed his hearers, the purity of his style and
language and the substance of his discourses.
After the lapse of more than thirty years I again had the pleasure of
meeting Dr. Doddridge, at the house of his sister, Mrs. Nathan Reeves, in

Dr. Joseph Doddridge. 43
chillicothe. He was now a valetudinarian traveling in search of health.
Disease and years had wrought a great change in his external appearance ;
but he was still the same cheerful, companionable man as formerly. Pos
sessing an inexhaustible fund of valuable informaeion, his conversaeion was
uniformly interesting and edifying. I could noe, however, divest myself of
ehe persuasion that this friend of my youth muse soon pass from ehe church
he had loved on eareh, Co the church criumphane in heaven. The proba
ble proximity of this greae change was adverted eo in several of our interviews,
and, though not surprised, I was rejoiced to find that, that saving faith in
Christ, which he had so long recommended to ^hers, was now his support.
He spoke calmly of deaeh, and as an evene, in his case, raeher eo be desired
than otherwise.

During the remainder of his life he was unable to labor in a
professional way ; he still, however, found some relief in travel
which, in his debilitated state, was necessarily slow.
In the course of the summer, he spent some weeks with a
sister in Chillicothe, after which he visited his son in Blooming
burg, Ohio. But finding that he gained no strength, hopeless of
any favorable change in regard to his health, preferring in the
bosom of his family to await the summons which should release
him from suffering, and from earth, he returned home, as he
emphatically said, "To die."
When in full possession of his mental powers, he spoke of
death with great composure. Relying solely on the merits of
Christ for salvation, he felt no fear, but seemed anxious to depart
and be with God.
His protracted sufferings terminated on the gth of November,
1826, in the fifty-eighth year of his age, at his home in Wells
burg, Brooke county, Virginia.
Of the twelve children of the subject of this IVIemoir, four
preceded him to the spirit-land, his wife and four others have
since joined him there. One son, Joseph, and three daughters,
Susan A-, widow of Capt. Robert Larimore, of Chillicothe,
Matilda D., wife of Mr. John Winters of New York, and the
writer, are all that remain of the cheerful group which once
surrounded his humble hearth-stone.
Two of his children died in infancy. The other two whose
deaths preceded his were Eliza M , who died in Wellsburg, in
January, 1819, aged nineteen years, and R. Reeves, who died
in Chillicothe in January, 1825, aged iz years.

44 Memoir.
Of those who have sincejoined him, his wife died in Wellsburg,
in Sept., 1829, aged 52.
Charles Hammond, died in Chillicothe, in October 1834,
aged 18.
Harriett T., wife of Maj. William Duval, of Fort Smith,
Ark., died in Jan., 1841.
Mary D., wife of B. T. Brannan, of Cincinnati, died in
April, 1857, aged 3^. .
Philip B., his elder son, died in Columbus, O., Sept. 9th, 1 860,
aged 63..

EARLY
SETTLEMENT AND INDIAN WARS.

To THE Reader.

After considerable delay, I have fulfilled my engage
ment to the public, with respect to the history of the
settlement and wars of the western parts of Virginia and
Pennsylvania. The causes of the delay of the work
were unavoidable, and a recital of them can be of no
service. Whether the Notes are well executed, or otherwise,
mast be left to the candid decision of my country, and
I am well aware the decision will speedily be made. It
will be the opinion of some readers, that I h-ave bestowed
too great a portion of the book on the primitive aspect
of the country, and the history of the state of society
-and manners of its early inhabitants. My reason for
having bestowed so much attention on these subjects is
this : these matters of our early history, which, if faith
fully preserved, will hereafter be highly interesting, are
fast hastening into oblivion, and in a few more years
would be totally lost. On the contrary, the events of
the war are much longer remembered.
Had we a similar history of the early state of any of
the European countries, to that which is here presented
to the world, of our own, with how much interest would
this record be read by all classes of people. For instance,
had we the memorials of the people who erected those rude
monuments which are scattered over our country, the re
cord would give a classic character to every section of the

46 Early Settlement and Indian Wars.
new world ; but in every region of the world, except our
own, the commencement of the period of their history
was long posterior to that of their settlement ; their early
history is therefore buried in impenetrable oblivion, and
its place is occupied by imrriense regions of fable and
conjecture. To the two first parts of this history, it is presumed,
no great additions will hereafter be necessary. Future
generations will be competent to mark any changes
which may take place in the physical condition, and in
the scientific and moral state of our country, from the
data here given, and unquestionably the changes which
are to take place in all those departments, in the progress
of time, will be great indeed.
The history of our Indian wars is, in every respect,
quite imperfect. The very limited range of the war,
which I had in view, in this work, is not fully executed.
The want of health, and in some instances, the want of
proper information, have prevented the relation of several
events which took place in this section of the country
in the course of our conflicts with the sons of the forest,
and which, although of minor importance in their final
results, would nevertheless form an interesting portion
of the history of those conflicts.
The various attacks on Wheeling fort, and the fatal
ambuscade near Grave creek, have been omitted for
want of a correct account of those occurrences. These
omissions are the less to be regretted as Noah Zane, Esq.,
has professed a determination to give the public the
biography of his father. Col. Ebenezer Zane, the first
proprietor and defender of the important station at Wheel
ing. This work will be no more than a measure of
justice to the memory of a man who held such an im
portant and perilous station, as that which fell to the lot
of Col. Zane, and who filled that station with so much
honor to himself and advantage to our infant country,
as he did. This biography will contain an accurate ac-

To the Reader. 47
count of all the attacks on Wheeling, as well as all other
events of the war which took place in its immediate
neighborhood. A well written history of the whole of our wars with
the Indians in the western regions would certainly be a
valuable acquisition to our literature. It would, how
ever, be a work of time and considerable labor, as its
materials are scattered over a large tract of country, and
in point of time, extend through half a century.
The whole amount of our present memorials of this
widely extended warfare consists merely of detached nar
rations, and these are for the most part but badly written.
In many instances they are destitute of historical pre
cision, with regard to the order of time, and the succes
sion of facts, so that they are read only as anecdotes,
and of course with but little advantage to science.
This work is desirable, on many accounts. The
bravery, victories and suff^erings of our forefathers, ought
to be correctly and indelibly recorded. Those who
have lived and died for posterity ought to be rewarded
with imperishable fame, in the grateful remembrance of
their descendants The monuments conferred on moral
worth, by the pen of the historian, are more durable than
those erected by the chisel of the sculptor.
A measure of justice is certainly due to our barbarian
enemies themselves. For whatever of system, prudent
foresight and arrangement, they observed in their wars
with us, they ought to have full credit. For the full
amount of all the patriotic motives by which these un
fortunate people were actuated in their bloody conflicts,
they deserve our sincerest commiseration.
The wars of these people are not to be regarded as
wholly the offspring of a savage thirst for blood. They
fought for their native country. They engaged in the
terrible war of 1763, with a view to recover from the
possession of the white people the whole of the western
settlements. Their continuance of the war, after the

48 Early Settlement and Indian Wars.
conclusion of our revolutionary contest, had for its ob
ject the preservation of as much of their country as they
then had in possession. On the part of the most intelli
gent of the Indian chiefs, they fought from a motive of
revenge and with a valor inspired by desperation. They
foresaw the loss of their country and the downfall of
their people, and therefore resolved on vengeance for
the past, and the future wrongs to be inflicted on them.
There is yet ant3ther reason for the work under con
sideration. The present generation are witnesses of both
the savage and civilized state of mankind. Both ex
tremes are under our inspection. To future generations
the former will exist only in history. The Indian nations
are now a subjugated people, and every feature of their
former state of society must soon pass away. They
will exist only through the medium of their admixtures
with the white people. Such has been the fate of many
nations. Where are now the Assyrians, Chaldeans, and
Romans t They no longer exist ; and yet the English,
French and Italians are, in part, descendants of the an
cient Romans. Such will be the fate of the aborigines
of our country. They will perish, or lose their national
character and existence, by admixtures with their con
querors. To posterity therefore their history will be
highly acceptable. Indeed it may be said of all history,
that like good wine it grows better by age.
In the execution of this work I have aimed at truth,
and nothing but truth. Impartiality imposes no restraint
on my pen ; for independently of the circumstance that
the contents of this history, in general; interfere with
no party, I am incumbered with but few individual ob
ligations of gratitude. To political party, religious and
other communities, I owe no obligations of any kind,
for any benefits conferred on me, so that I have felt
fully at liberty to speak the truth concerning all classes
of our people, and I trust I have done so.
If any material facts in the historical parts of this

To the Reader. 49
work have been omitted, the omission has happened
from want of information. Incorrect statements, if there
be any, have taken place in consequence of improper
information. In either case I am not blamable, as I
have done the best my circumstances allowed, in collect
ing materials for the work.
Should my humble attempts at writing the history of
my country meet with good acceptance among my fellow
citizens I shall continue to collect, from all quarters, the
materials for the work herein recommended, as a de
sideratum in the literature of our country.
As aids in this work, I earnestly invite communica
tions from all those gentlemen who possess a knowledge
of occurrences which took place during our Indian war,
and not narrated in this work. I am particularly anxious
to obtain the history of the settlements of the Dunkards,
on Dunkard creek, and the Dunkard bottom on Cheat
river.
Joseph Doddridge.
Wellsburg, June 17, 1824.

PREFACE.

For some years past, I have had it in view to write
the Notes on the Settlement and Indian Wars of the west
ern parts of Virginia, and Pennsylvania, which are now
presented to the public. At times I was deterred from
commencing the work by an apprehension of my ina
bility to execute a task of so much labor and difficulty : a
labor, not of compilation as most histories are, but con
sisting mainly of original composition from memory of
events which took place when I was quite young.
Encouraged, however, by the often repeated solicita
tions of those whose friendship I esteem, and whose
good opinion I respect, I concluded that, as with my
forefathers I had toiled amongst the pioneers of our
country in " turning the wilderness into fruitful fields,"
I would venture to act in the same character, as an his
torian of that part of the western country with which I
am best acquainted, and whose early history has never
yet, to any extent, been committed to record, in hopes
that having saved the principal materials of this history
from oblivion, some abler hand may hereafter improve
upon the work, by giving it any enlargement, different
arrangement, or embellishment of style, which it may be
thought to require.
Many considerations present themselves to the gene
rous and enlightened mind of the native of the west, to
induce him to regard a work of this kind as a sacred duty
to his country and his ancestors, on the part of him who
undertakes to execute it, rather than a trial of literary
skill, a toil for literary fame, ora means of procuring gain.

Preface. 51
Something is certainly due to the memory of our brave
forefathers, who, with but little aid from the colonial
governments before the revolutionary war, and with still
less assistance from the confederation, after the declara
tion of independence, subdued the forest by their perse
vering labor, and defended their infant country by their
voluntary and unrequited military service, against the
murderous warfare of their savage enemies.
The extensive catacombs of ancient Greece, and
Palestine, the pyramids of Egypt, and even the rude
sepulchral monuments of our own country, serve to show
the sacred regard of generations of remote antiquity for
the remains of the illustrious dead. This pious regard
for the ashes of ancestors, is not without its useful in
fluence on the morals and piety of their descendants.
The lettered stone and sculptured monument contain the
most impressive lessons of biography, because the
mournful remains of the subjects of those lessons are so
near at hand, when they are presented to us on the se
pulchres where their ashes repose.
Is the memory of our forefathers unworthy of historic
or sepulchral commemoration .'' No people on earth, in
similar circumstances, ever acted more nobly, or more
bravely than th«y did. No people of any country, or
age, ever made greater sacrifices for the benefit of pos
terity, than those which were made by the first settlers
of the western regions. What people ever left such noble
legacies to posterity, as those transmitted by our fore
fathers to their descendants \ A wilderness changed into
a fruitful country, and a government the best on earth.
They have borne the burden and heat of the day of trial.
They have removed every obstacle from our path, and
left every laudable object of ambition within our reach.
Where shall we now find the remains of the valiant
pioneers of our country, so deserving the grateful re
membrance of their descendants ? Alas ! many of them,
for want of public burying grounds, were buried on their

52 Early Settlement and Indian Wars.
own farms, which their labor had ravished from the
desert. The land has passed to other hands, and the
fragile wooden enclosures which once surrounded their
graves have fallen to decay, and never to be replaced.
The swells which once designated the precise spot of
their interment, have sunk to the common level of the
earth. In many instances the earthy covering of their
narrow houses will, if they have not already, be violated
with the plow-share, and the grain growing over them
will fill the reaper's sickle, or the grass the mower's
scythe. Ungrateful descendaiits of a brave and worthy
people to whom you owe your existence, vour country
and your liberty, is it thus you treat with utter neglect
the poor remains of your ancestors .''
In how many instances has the memory of far less
moral worth than the amount possessed by many of the
fathers of our western country, occupied the chisel of
the sculptor, the song of the poet, and the pen of the
historian ; while the gloomy shade of impenetrable ob
livion is rapidly settling over the whole history, as well
as the remains, of the fathers of our country.
Should any one say " no matter what becomes of the
names, or" remains of these people," it is answered, if
such be your insensibility to the calls of duty, with regard
to the memory of your ancestors, it is not likely that
your name will, or ought to, live beyond the grave.
You may die rich ; but wealth will be your all. Those
worthy deeds which spring from the better, the generous
feelings of our nature, can never be yours ; but must
the well earned fame of the benefactors of our country
perish as quickly as a prodigal offspring may dissipate
your ill gotten estates ? No ! This would be an' act of
injustice to the world. They lived, toiled and suffered
for others ; you, on the contrary, live for yourself alone.
Their example ought to live, because it is worthy of
imitation; yours, on the contrary, as an example of sordid
avarice, ought: to perish forever.

Preface. 53
The history of national origin has been held sacred
among all enlightened nations, and indeed has often been
pursued beyond the period of the commencement of
history far into the regions of fable. Among the Greeks
the founders of their nation and the inventors of useful
arts were ranked among the gods, and honored with
anniversary rites of a divine character. The Romans,
whose origin was more recent and better known, were
not slow in recording the illustrious deeds of the founders
of their empire, and bestowing anniversary honors upon
their memory. The benefits of the histories of those
illustrious nations were not confined to themselves alone.
They gave light to the world. Had they never existed
what an immense deduction would have been made from
the literary world. The fabulous era would have been
drawn nearer to us by at least two thousand years.
National history is all important to national patriotism,
as it places before us the best examples of our forefathers.
We see the wisdom of their councils, their perseverance
in action, their sufferings, their bravery in war, and the
great and useful results of their united wisdom and
labors. We see in succession every act of the great
drama which led us from infancy to maturity, from war
to peace, and from poverty to wealth, and in proportion
as we are interested in the results of this drama, we value
the examples which it furnishes. Even the faults which
it exhibits are not without their use.
History gives a classic character to the places to which
it relates, and confers upon them a romantic value, as
scene? of national achievements. What would be the
value of the famous city of Jerusalem, were it not for
the sacred history of the place ? It is a place of no local
importance in any respect whatever. Palestine itself, so
famous in history, is but a small tract of country, and for
the most part poor and hilly. The classic character of
Greece and Rome has given more or less importance to
almost every mountain, hill, and valley, lake and island.

54 Early Settlement and Indian Wars.
which they contain, on account of their having been the
places of some great achievements, or of their having
given birth to illustrious personages. Classic scenes, as
well as classic monuments and persons, constitute an
impressive part of national history, and they contribute
much to the patriotism of the nation to which they belong.
If the Greeks should succeed in their present contest
with the Turks, their liberty will be justly attributable,
in a great degree, to the potent efficacy of the history of
their ancestors. This history may produce another
Leonidas, Epaminondas, Lycurgus, Sophocles, Timon,
and Demosthenes, to rival the mighty deeds of their
forefathers, and establish a second time the independence
of their native country.
Thehistory of our own country ought to furnish the first
lessons of reading for our children, but unfortunately
most of them are too large for school books. The se
lections in common use for schools are mostly foreign
productions. They are good in themselves ; but better
adajKed to mature age than youth, because the historical
facts to which they allude have reference to times, places,
and persons of which they have no knowledge, and
therefore must be read by our children without an under
standing of their contents. This circumstance retards
the progress of the pupil. This practice ought to be
discontinued ; our youth ought first to be presented with
the history of their own country, and taught to believe
it to be of greater importance to their future welfare,
than that of any other nation or country whatever.
The notes now presented to the public, embrace no
very great extent of our country, nor do they detail the
events of many years, yet the labor of collecting and
arranging them was considerable, as there never existed
any printed records of the greater number of events
herein related ; or if such did exist, they never were
within the reach of the author.
The .truth is, from the commencement of the revolu-

Preface. 55
tionary war until its conclusion, this country and its
wars were little thought of by the people of the Atlantic
states, as they had their hands full of their own share of
the war, without attending to ours. Far the greater
number of our campaigns, scouts, buildings, and defenses
of forts were effected without the aid of a man, a gun, a
bullet, or charge of powder from the general government.
The greater number of our men were many years in
succession engaged in military service along our front
iers, a considerable part of their time from spring till
winter, without an enlistment by government, or a cent
of pay. Their officers were of their own election.
Their services were wholly voluntary, and their supplies
while in service were furnished by themselves. Thus
owing to our distant situation, and the heavy pressure of
the revolutionary war upon the general government, the
report of the small, but severe and destructive conflicts
which very frequently took place in this country, was
lost in the thunder of the great battles which occurred
along our Atlantic border ; campaigns begun and ended
without even a newspaper notice ; as a printing press
was then unknown in the country.
It was not until after the conclusion of the revolu
tionary war that the general government undertook to
finish the Indian war, first by placing a cordon of spies,
and rangers, and forts, along the frontiers, and afterwards
by the campaigns of Harmar, St. Clair, and Wayne.
These latter campaigns are matters of history, and need
not be repeated here.
The want of printed documents was not the only
difficulty the author had to contend with ; when he
traveled beyond the bounds of his own memory he
found it extremely difficult to procure information from
the living, concerning the events which he wished to re
late ; in personal interviews with several gentlemen
extensively concerned in the events of the war, they
promised to furnish the documents required, but they

56 Early Settlement and Indian Wars.
have not been furnished, and he soon found that he had
no chance of obtaining them but that of writing them
from their verbal narrations.
I do not intend this observation as a reflection on the
integrity of the gentlemen to whom I allude. They are
men who are not liberal scholars, and therefore not in
the habit of writing on historical subjects, so that however
vivid their remembrance of the transaction in question,
when they undertake its narration on paper, they never
can please themselves, and therefore give up the task
for fear of public exposure ; not knowing that the historian
will give the facts narrated b/ incompetent scribes his
own dress and arrangement.
In delineating the manners and customs of the early
inhabitants of our country, the author presents to his
readers a state of society with every advantage afforded
by experience to aid him in giviiig its faithful portrait, for
it was the state of society in which he himself was
raised, and passed his early years.
In this department of history every reader wishes to
be told not only the truth, but the whole truth. Let
the picture of human manners be ever so rude, barbarous,
or even savage, he wishes to see it in its full dimensions,
and in all its parts. The reader, it- is hoped, will not
complain if the author has introduced him to the interior
of the cabins, the little forts and camps with their coarse
furniture, which were tenanted by our forefathers. The
rude accommodations presented to his inspection, in the
homely visit, will form an agreeable and even a romantic
contrast to the present state of society in our country.
This contrast will show him what mighty changes may
be effected under an enlightened and free government
in the course of a few years ; while the worst states of
society in other regions of the world have remained the
same from time immemorial, owing to the influence of
that despotism which regards any change of the manners
or the condition of society as criminal, and therefore pre-

Preface. 57
vents them by the severest penalties, because ignorance
and poverty are favorable to the perpetuity of that slavery,
on the part of the common people, which is essential to
its existence.
In the whole of these Notes the author has given the
English names, alone, to our plants, birds and beasts.
Men of science may apply the Linnean names if they
choose, the mere English reader can do better without
them. Thus, reader, the author has brought his work to a
conclusion. He has faithfully endeavored to fill up the
little chasm which existed in the history of our country.
He can only answer for a good intention, and a strict
regard to truth in all his narrations ; for all its results to
his country, and himself personally, he most willingly
submits to the imperial court of public opinion, from
whose awful decisions there is no appeal; without invok
ing that justice which, whether asked or unasked, the
work will be sure to receive.

the

OF
Western Virginia and Pennsylvania.

CHAPTER I.
State of the Wilderness.
To a person who has witnessed all the changes
which have taken place in the western country, since its
first settlement, its former appearance is like a dream, .
or romance. He will find it difficult to realize the fea
tures of that wilderness which was the abode of his infant
days. The little cabin of his father no longer exists :
the little field and truck patch, which gave him a scanty
supply of coarse bread and vegetables, have been swal
lowed up in the extended meadow, orchard, or grain field.
The rude fort, in which his people had resided so many
painful summers, has vanished, and "Like the baseless
fabric of a vision left not a wreck behind." Large farms,
with splendid mansion houses and well filled barns, ham
lets, villages, and even cities, now occupy the scenes of
his youthful sports, hunting or military excursions. In
the place of forest trees or hawthorn bushes, he sees the
awful forum of justice, or the sacred temple with its
glittering spire pointing to the heavens ; and instead of
the war whoop of savages or the howling of wolves he
hears the swelling anthem, or pealing organ.

60 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
Every where surrounded by the busy hum of men,
and the splendor, arts, refinements and comforts of
civilized life, his former state and that of his country
have vanished from his memory ; or, if sometimes he
bestows a reflection on its original aspect, the mind
seems to be carried back to a period of time much more
remote than it really is. The immense changes which
have taken place in the physical and moral state of
the country have been gradual, and, therefore, scarcely-
perceived from year to year ; but the view, from one
extreme to the other, is like the prospect of the opposite
shore, over a vast expanse of water, whose hills, val
leys, mountains and forests present a confused and
romantic scenery, which loses itself in the distant
horizon. One advantage, at least, results from having lived in a
state of society ever on the change, and always for
the better, it doubles the retrospect of life. With me,
at any rate, it has had that effect. Did not the definite
• number of my years teach me the contrary, I should
think myself at least one hundred years old, instead of
fifty. The case is said to be widely different with those
who have passed their lives in cities, or ancient settle
ments, where, from year to year, the same unchanging
aspect of things presents itself. There life passes away
as an illusion, or dream, haying been presented with no
striking events, or great and important changes, to mark
its different periods, and give them an imaginary distance
from each other, and it ends with a bitter complaint of
its shortness. It must be my own fault if I shall ever
have occasion to make this complaint. I do not recol
lect to have ever heard it made by any of my cotemporary
countrymen, whose deaths I have witnessed.
A wilderness of great extent, presenting the virgin
face of nature, unchanged by human cultivation or art,
is certainly one of the most sublime terrestrial objects
which the Creator ever presented to the view of man ;

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. G I
but those portions of the earth which bear this character
derive their features of sublimity from very different
aspects. The great deserts of Africa wear an imposing
aspect, even on account of their utter barrenness of vege
tation, where no tree affords fruit, or shelter from the
burning heat of the day, no bird is heard to sing, and no
flower expands its leaves to the sun, as well as from
their immense extent.
In the steppes of Russia, the oriental plain of Tartary,
the traveler, did not his reason correct the illusion of his
serises, at the rising and setting of the sun, would imagine
himself in the midst of a boundless ocean, so vast, so
level and monotonous is the prospect around him.
What must be the awful sublimity of the immense
regions of polar solitude, where the distant sun reflects
his dazzling rays from plains of snow, and mountains of
ice, but without warming.
The valley of the Mississippi, whose eastern and
western boundaries are the Alleghany and Rocky moun
tains, the northern the chain of lakes which separate us
from Canada, and the southern, the gulf of Florida, in
addition to the imposing grandeur of its vast extent, is
an immense region of animal and vegetable life, in all
their endless varieties. In all this vast extent of coun
try, no mountain rears its towering head to vary the
scenery, and afford a resting place for the clouds, no
volcano vomits forth its smoke, flame and lava in sublime,
but destructive grandeur. Even those portions of this
valley which in ages past were the beds of lakes, but
have been drained by the sinking of the rivers, present a
rich vegetable mould.'

^ There is every evidence that those tracts of our country which consist
of beds of rounded gravel and stones have formerly been lakes, which have
been drained by the lowering of the beds of the rivers. These tracts of
country have been covered with a vegetable mould, from the decay of vege
table matters on their surface, so as to have become good land for cultiva
tion. Such are the Pickaway Jnd Sandusky plains, and indeed the greater
6

62 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
This great country seems to have been designed by
Divine Providence for the last resort of oppressed
humanity. A fruitful soil, under a variety of climates,
supplies abundantly all the wants of life, while our geo
graphical situation renders us unconquerable. From this
place of refuge we may hear, as harmless thunder, the
military convulsions of other quarters of the globe, with
out feeling their concussions. Vice and folly may con
quer us : the world never can. Happy region ! large
and fertile enough for the abode of many millions.
Here the hungry may find bread, and conscience the
full possession of its native rights.
With the geography and geology of this country I
have no concern. I leave these subjects to the ge
ographer, and natural historian. The aspect which it
bore at the time of its discovery and settlement, must
alone be presented to the reader.
One prominent feature of a wilderness is its solitude.
Those who plunged into the bosom of this forest, left
behind them, not only the busy hum of men, but domes
ticated animal life generally. The parting rays of the
setting sun did not receive the requiem of the feathered
songsters of the grove, nor was the blushing aurora
ushered in by the shrill clarion of the domestic fowls.
The solitude of the night was interrupted only by the
howl of the wolf, the melancholy moan of the ill-boding

part of the Scioto country, as well as many other tracts of land along other
rivers. The Ohio river has lowered its bed from fifty to eighty feet. Steuben
ville, Beavertown and Cincinnati stand on the first alluvion of the river ;
this alluvion is at least seventy feet above the present bed of the river.
This phenomenon of the lowering of the waters is not confined to our own
country. The former bed of the Red sea is from thirty to forty feet above
the present surface of its waters. The Black sea is sinking by the wearing
down of the canal of Constantinople ; and it seems every way probable thar
a considerable portion of the deserts of Africa, next the sea, were once
covered with the waters of the Atlantic. Large tracts of our southern sea
coasts are evidently alluvial. The causes of the sinking of che beds of
rivers, and the recession of the sea from its shores, must be left to the inves
tigation of geologists.

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 6-3
owl, or the shriek of the frightful panther. Even the
faithful dog, the only steadfast companion of man among
the brute creation, partook of the silence of the desert ;
the discipline of his master forbid him to bark, or move,
but in obedience to his command, and his native sagacity
soon taught him the propriety of obedience to this severe
government. The day was, if possible, more solitary
than the night. The noise of the wild turkey, the
croaking of the raven, or "the woodpecker tapping the
hollow beech tree," did not much enliven the dreary
scene. The various tribes of singing birds are not inhabitants of
the desert; they are not carnivorous and therefore must
be fed from the labors of man. At any rate they did not
exist in this country at its first settlement.
Let the imagination of the*reader pursue the track of
the adventurer into this solitary wilderness. Bending
his course towards the setting sun, over undulating hills,
under the shade of large forest trees, and wading through
the rank weeds and grass which then covered the earth.
Now viewing from the top of a hill the winding
course of the creek whose stream he wishes to explore,
doubtful of its course, and of his own, he ascertains the
cardinal points of north and south by the thickness of
the moss and bark on the north side of the ancient trees.
Now descending into a valley and presaging his approach
to a river, by seeing large ash, bass-wood and sugar trees,
beautifully festooned with wild grape vines. Watchful as
Argus, his restless eye catches every thing around him.
In an unknown region, and surrounded with dangers, he
is the sentinel of his own safety, and relies on himself
alone for protection. The toilsome march of the day
being ended, at the fall of night he seeks for safety some
narrow, sequestered hollow, and by the side of a large log
builds a fire, and, after eating his coarse and scanty meal,
wraps himself up in his blanket, and lays him down on
his bed of leaves, with his feet to the little fire, for re

64 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
pose, hoping for favorable dreams ominous of future
good luck, while his faithful dog and gun repose by his
side. But let not the reader suppose that the pilgrim of the
wilderness could feast his imagination with the romantic
beauties of nature, without any drawback from conflict
ing passions. His situation did not afford him much time
for contemplation. He was an exile from the warm
clothing and plentiful mansions of society. His homely
woodsman's dress soon became old and ragged ; the
cravings of hunger compelled him to sustain from day to
day the fatigues of the chase. Often had he to eat his
venison, bear meat, or wild turkey, without bread or salt.
Nor was this all, at every step the strong passions of
hope and fear were in full exercise. Eager in the pur
suit of his game, his too much excited imagination some
times presented him with the phantom of the object of
his chase, in a bush, a log, or mossy bank, and occasioned
him to waste a load of his ammunition, more precious
than gold, on a creature of his own brain, and he repaid him
self the expense by making a joke of his mistake. His
situation was not without its dangers. He did not know
at what tread his foot might be stung by a serpent, at
what moment he might meet with the formidable bear,' or,
if in the evening, he knew not on what limb of a tree, over
his head, the murderous panther might be perched, in a

* It is said, that for some time after Braddock^s defeat, the bears, having
feasted on the slain, thought that they had a right to kill and eat every
human being with whom they met. An uncle of mine, of the name of
Teter, had like to have lost his life by one of them. It was in the summer
time, when bears were poor, and not worth killing ; being in the woods,
he saw an old male bear winding along after him ; wich a view to have the
sport of seeing the bear run, he hid himself behind a tree ; when che bear
approached him, he sprang out and hallooed at him ; but cuifee, instead of
running off as he expected, jumped at him with mouth wide open ; my
uncle stopped him by applying che muzzle of his gun Co his neck, and firing
it off: chis killed him in an inscanc. If his gun had snapped, the hunter
would have been torn to pieces on the spot. After this, he says he never
undertook Co play wich a bear.

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 65
squatting attitude, to drop down upon, and tear him to
pieces in a moment. When watching a deer lick from
his blind at night, the formidable panther was often his
rival in the same business, and if, by his growl, or other
wise, the man discovered the presence of his rival, the
lord of the world always retired as speedily and secretly
as possible, leaving him the undisturbed possession of the
chance of game for the night.
The wilderness was a region of superstition. The
adventurous hunter sought for ominous presages of his
future good or bad luck in every thing about him.
Much of his success depended on the state of the weather ;
snow and rain were favorable, because in the former he
could track his gam?, and the latter prevented them from
hearing the rustling of the leaves beneath his feet. The
appearance of the sky, morning and evening, gave him
the signs of the times, with regard to the weather. So
far he was a philosopher. Perhaps he was aided in his
prognostics on this subject, by some old rheumatic pain,
which he called his weather clock. Say what you
please about this, doctors, the first settlers of this
country, were seldom mistaken in this latter indication
of the weather. The croaking of a raven, the howling
of a dog, and the screech of an owl, were as prophetic
of future niisfortunes among the first adventurers into
this country, as they were amongst the ancient pagans ;
but above all, their dreams were regarded as ominous of
good or ill success. Often when a boy I heard them re
late their dreams, and the events which fulfilled their
indications. With some of the woodsmen there were
two girls of their acquaintance, who were regarded as the
goddesses of their good or bad luck. If they dreamed
of the one, they were sure of good fortune ; if of the
other, they were equally sure of bad. How much love
or aversion might have had to do in this case I cannot
say, but such was the fact.
Let not the reader be surprised at the superst tion

66 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
which existed among the first adventurers into the west
ern wilderness. Superstition is universally associated
with ignorance, in all those who occupy perilous situa
tions in life. The comets used to be considered harbingers
of war. The sea captain nails an old horse shoe to the
foot of the mast of his ship to prevent storms. The
Germans used to nail the horse shoe on the door-sill, to
prevent the intrusion of witches. The German soldier
recites a charm, at the rising of the sun, when in the
course of the day he expects to be engaged in battle, by
the means of which he fancies that he fortifies himself
against the contact of balls of every description.' Charms,
incantations, and amulets, have constituted a part of the
superstition of all ages and nations. Philosophy alone
can banish their use.
The passion of fear excited by danger, the parent of
superstition, operated powerfully on the first adventurers
into this country. Exiled from society, and the comforts
of life, their situation was perilous in the extreme. The
bite of a serpent, a broken limb, a wound of any kind,
or a fit of sickness in the wilderness, without those ac
commodations which wounds and sickness require, was
a dreadful calamity. The bed of sickness without
medical aid, and, above all, to be destitute of the kind
attention of a mother, sister, wife, or other female friends,
those ministering angels in the wants and afflictions of
man, was a situation which could not be anticipated by
the tenant of the forest with other sentiments than those
of the deepest horror.
Many circumstances concurred to awaken in the mind
of the early adventurer into this country the most serious
and even melancholy reflections. He saw everywhere
around him indubitable evidences of the former existence

" Many years ago, I saw a manuscript of this wonderful charm, but have
so forgotten its contents, chat I cannot now undertake to give a translation
of it.

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 67
of a large population of barbarians, which had long ago
perished from the earth. Their arrow heads furnished
him with gun flints ; stone hatchets, pipes, and fragments
of earthen ware, were found in every place. The re
mains of their rude fortifications were met with in many
places, and some of them of considerable extent and
magnitude. Seated on the summit of some sepulchral
mound containing the ashes of tens of thousands of the
dead, he said to himself: "This is the grave, and this,
no doubt, the temple of worship of a long succession of
generations long since mouldered into dust ; these sur
rounding valleys were once animated by their labors,
hunting and wars, their songs and dances ; but oblivion
has drawn her impenetrable veil over their whole history ;
no lettered page, no sculptured monument informs who
they were, from whence they came, the period of their
existence, or by what dreadful catastrophe the iron hand
of death has given them so complete an overthrow, and
made the whole of this country an immense Golgotha.
Such, reader, was the aspect of this country at its first
discovery, and such the poor and hazardous lot of the
first adventurers into the bosoms of its forests. How
widely different is the aspect of things now, and how
changed for the better the condition of its inhabitants !
If such important changes have taken place in so few
years, and with such slender means, what immense im
provements may we not reasonably anticipate for the
future !

68 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of

¦ CHAPTER II.
Remains of an Extinct People.
The western country, in common with almost every
otherregion of the earth, exhibits evidences of a numerous
population which must have existed and perished long
anterior to the period of history. The evidences of the
most remote population of our country are found only in
the few and rude remains of their works which have
escaped the ravages of time. Such of these antiquities
as have come under the notice of the author shall be
described with some remarks upon them.
Arrow heads, at the first settlement of the country,
were found everywhere. These were made of flint
stone of various sizes and colors, and shaped with great
art and neatness. Their fabrication required more skill
and labor than that of making our ordinary gun flints.
From the great numbers of these arrow points, found all
over the country, it is presumable that they must have
been in general use, by a large population, and for a great
length of time. The author has never 'been informed
whether, at the discovery and settlement of America by
the Europeans, the Indians were in the habit of using
them. Some of these arrow points were of great size
and weight, so that those who used them must have been
gigantic fellows, and of great muscular strength. For a
long time after the settlement of the country the Indian
arrow heads furnished the main supply of gun-flints for
our hunters and warriors, many of whom preferred them
to the imported flints. The arrow points have nearly

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 69
vanished from the country. I have not seen one for
many years.
Stone pipes and hatchets were frequently found here
in early times. The pipes were rudely made, but many
of them of very fanciful shapes. The existence of these
pipes shows very clearly that the practice of smoking
acrid substances is of great antiquity. Before the use of
tobacco, the Indians smoked the inner bark of the red
willow mixed with sumac leaves. They do so still, when
they cannot prorure tobacco.
Some fragments of a rude kind of earthen ware were
found in some places. It was made of potter's-earth
mixed with calcined shells, and burnt to a proper hard
ness. This ware was no doubt used for cooking.
Some rude trinkets of copper have been found in
some of the Indian graves. These, however, were but
few in number, and exhibited no skill in the art of work
ing metals. Many years ago I procured ten copper
beads, which were found in one of the smaller graves
on Grave-creek flat. The whole number found at the
time was about sixty. They appeared to have been
made of hammered wire, cut off at unequal lengths, and
in some of them the ends were not more than half their
surface in contact, and so soldered.
The ancient forts, as they are called, are generally
formed in the neighborhood of the large graves along
the river, and mostly on the first alluvion of their
bottoms. They are of all shapes and various dimen
sions. They have been so often described by different
authors that a description of them is not necessary here.
Whether they were really fortifications, or ordinary in-
closures of their towns, is not so certain. It is said to
be a common practice among the Indians of Missouri
to inclose a piece of ground, which they intend for a
town, with stockades, on each side of which they throw
up a mound of earth, and that, when one of their towns
has been so long deserted that the stockading has rotted

70 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
down, the remaining mound of earth has precisely the
same appearance as one of the ancient forts. If this
was their origin, and most probably it was, they were
fortifications in the same degree that the walls of all an
cient towns and cities were, and not otherwise. The
circular mounds at Circleville, in Ohio, are the only
ones I have ever seen, which appear to ^ave been ex
clusively intended for a fortress.
The sepulchral mounds make by far the greatest
figure among the antiquities of our country. In point of
magnitude some of them are truly sublime and impos
ing monuments of human labor for the burial of the
dead. The large grave, on Grave-creek flat, is the only large
one in this section of the country. The diameter of its
base is said to be one hundred yards, its altitude at least
seventy-five feet, some give it at ninety feet. The dia
meter at the top is fifteen yards. The sides and top of
the mound are covered with trees, of all sizes and ages,
intermingled with fallen and decaying timber, like the
surrounding woods. Supposing this august pyramid to
contain human bones, in equal proportion with the lesser
mounds which have been opened from time to time,
what myriads of human beings must repose in its vast
dimensions.' The present owner of this mound, the author has
been informed, has expressed his determination to pre
serve it in its original state during his life. He will not
suffer the axe to violate its timber, nor the mattocks its

' President Jefferson mentions having made a perpendicular cut through
an Indian grave on the river Rivanna, near Monticello, with a view to
examine ics incernal strucCure and concents. The base of the grave was
forty feet in diameter, its height seven feet and a half. After a careful
examination of the bones contained in the sepulchre, he concluded chat it
might contain one thousand skeletons. Supposing this estimate correct,
what must be the number of skeletons contained in the gi eat pyramid of'
Grave creek ? Those who are curious enough to make the calculacion are
requested Co do so, and give the result. — Notes on Virginia, p. 131.

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 7i
earth. May his successors to the title of the estate for
ever feel the same pious regard for this august mansion
of the dead, and preserve the venerable monument of
antiquity from that destruction which has already anni
hilated, or defaced, a large number of the lesser deposi
tories of the dead.
Most of the writers on the antiquities of our country
represent the sepulchral mounds under consideration, as
peculiar to America. Were such the fact, they would
be objects of great curiosity indeed ; as their belonging
exclusively to this quarter of the globe would go to show
that the aborigines of America were different from all
other nations of the earth, at least in their manner of
disposing of their dead.
But the fact is not so. The history of these ancient
sepulchres of the dead embraces Europe, Asia and
Africa, as well as North and South America. Large
groups of those mounds are met with in many places
between St. Petersburgh and Moscow in Russia. When
the people of that country are asked if they have any
tradition concerning them they answer in the negative.
They suppose that they are the graves of men slain in
battle ; but when, or by whom constructed, they have
no knowledge. Near the mouth of the river Don there
is a group of five mounds which from time immemorial
have been denominated The Five Brothers. Similar
mounds are very numerous along the shores of the Black
sea, and those of the sea of Azof, and throughout the
whole country of the Crimea. They are found through
out ancient Greece. In the neighborhood of ancient
Troy there are several of them nearly as large as any in
America. The mound described by Robbins, in the
vicinity of Wadinoon in Africa, is certainly an ancient
sepulchral mound although he calls it a natural one.
This is the more probable as the reniains of fortifica
tions or town -walls, similar to those in our country, exist
in abundance in the neighborhood of Wadinoon. On

72 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
the hills near Cambridge in England are shown two large
barrows as the tombs of Gog and Magog. The cairns
of Scotland are structures of the same kind, but made
wholly of stone. Peru and Mexico contain a vast num
ber of those mounds of all shapes and of the largest
dimensions. Lastly, the famous pyramids of Egypt have
been ascertained to be sepulchral edifices. 'In all probabil
ity they are coeval with the sepulchral monuments of other
quarters of the globe already mentioned. They were
designed for the last and permanent exhibition of the re
gal grandeur of those monarchs by whom they were
successively erected.
The great number and magnitude of the sepulchral
monuments of antiquity serve to show that during the
time of their erection, over so large a portion of the
earth, mankind generally must have been actuated by a
strong desire to preserve the remains of the dead from
dissolution, and their names and renown, as far as pos
sible, from oblivion. The extensive catacombs of Egypt,
Syracuse, and Palestine, are fully illustrative of the
general wish for the preservation of the body after death,
and posthumous fame. What must have been the labor
and expense of excavating limestone or marble rocks to
such vast extent and with such exquisite workmanship
for the purpose of furnishing elegant and imperishable
recesses for the dead.
The ancient Egyptians held the first rank, among the
nations of antiquity, in their care and skill for preserving
the remains of their dead." To the most splendid and
extensive catacombs, they added the practice of embalming
' Upwards of twenty years ago the author saw a hand and part of the
arm of an Egyptian mummy, in the Franklin library of Philadelphia. It
was covered with two bandages of what is called six hundred linen. Be
tween che skin and the first bandage there was a layer of plaster of some
kind of gum, and the same between the first and outer bandage. The
thumb and fingers were separately, and very neatly, bandaged. It was, in
size and appearance, the left hand of a small woman. This relic of anti
quity is no doubt several thousand years old.

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 73
their bodies ; many of which have so far escaped the
ravages of time. These embalmed bodies, preserved
from putrifaction by serates and bandages of linen, are
still found, sometimes in solitary cells, and sometimes in
large numbers, in newly discovered catacombs ; but
for want of letters, their early history has vanished for
ever. While the ancient Egyptians skillfully preserved the
individual bodies of their dead, other nations were in the
practice of collecting the bones of their people and de
positing them in sepulchral monuments of a national
character. Nearly all the sepulchral mounds which have been
thoroughly opened, in Asia and America, contain, about
the centre of the bottom, a coffin, or vault of stone, con
taining but one skeleton. This, we may reasonably
suppose, was the sarcophagus of the patriarch, or first
monarch of the tribe or nation to which the sepulchre
belonged. Thenceforward all his people were deposited
in the grave of the founder of the nation. In process
of time, the daily increasing mound became the national
history. Its age was the age of the nation, and its mag
nitude gave the census of their relative numbers, and
military force, with regard to other nations about them.
What a sublime spectacle to the people to whom it be
longed, must one of those large sepulchres have been !
The remains of the first chief of the nation, with his
people, and their successors, through many generations,
reposing together in the same tomb !
It is a well known fact that some nations of Indians,
ever since the settlement of America by the Europeans,
have been in the habit of collecting the bones of their
dead, from every quarter, for the purpose of depositing
them, with those of their people, at their chief towns.
This must have been the general practice during the
time of the erection of the large ancient graves of our
country ; for the bones found in those of them which
7

74 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
have been opened, have been thrown promiscuously to
gether in large collections, as if emptied out of baskets
or bags.
Besides the large graves, smaller ones are found in
many places, remote from the large mounds, and all
traces of the ancient forts. Most of these are made
wholly of stone, and for the most part contain but a
single skeleton. Were these solitary mounds erected
to the memory of the individual whose remains they
cover ? Such appears to have been the fact. That a
similar custom prevailed among the ancient Hebrews,
we have an evidence in the burial of Absalom, the re
bellious son of David, who, although unworthy of a place
in the royal sepulchre, was nevertheless honored with
such a rude monument of stones as we often meet with
in our country. After he was slain by Joab, the com
mander-in-chief of his father's army, " They took Absa
lom and cast him into a great pit in the wood, and casta
very great heap of stones upon him."
From all these facts it appears that the strong desire
of posthumous fame induced those nations, amongst
whom the art of writing was unknown, to preserve the
remembrance of their chiefs, or friends, by erecting over
their dead bodies a heap of earth, or a pile of stones, as
well as to make the congregated dead of many genera
tions a national monument, and a national record.
Nearly all the sepulchral mounds which have been
opened in Asia and America have been found to contain
more or less charcoal and calcined bones. From this
fact, it appears that those ancient tombs were altars for
sacrifice. The early histories of the Greeks and Romans
inform us that it was customary to offer sacrifices on the
tombs of heroes slain in battle, with the revolting fact
that the victims offered on those sepulchral altars were
often the prisoners taken in war.
Islanders, surrounded by a great extent of ocean, and
thereby precluded from emigrations, are less liable to

Western. Virginia and Pennsylvania. 75
change their languages, manners, and customs, than the
inhabitants of continents. Hence those of the Society
islands of the South sea, and those of the Sandwich
islands of the Pacific, still continue the ancient practice
of depositing the bones of their dead in mounds, or as
they call them moral ; and these moral are their temples,
on the tops of which their idols are placed for worship.
The truth is, these mounds were the high places of the
pagan nations, mentioned in the Old Testament, and
among these we may safely reckon the famous tower of
Babel. It was on the top of one of those mounds, in the island
of Owhyhee, that Capt. Cook, wrapped up in three hun
dred ells of Indian cloth, and mounted on a scaffold of
rotten railing, was worshiped as a god, under the name
of Oranoo ; but while receiving the devotions of the
islanders he was every moment afraid of tumbling down
and breaking his neck.'
Having given the history of the ancient sepulchral
mounds, as they exist in every quarter of the globe, two
questions only remain for discussilsh : At what period
of the world were they erected, and whether by a bar
barous or civilized people .?
The great antiquity of the monuments in question
may be ascertained by many facts which cannot fail to
strike the notice of an attentive observer of the relics
of antiquity. In America, as far as the author knows,
none of the large mounds are found on the first or lower
bottoms of our rivers, but always on the second or highest
alluvion ; and such is their situation in Asia and Europe.
None of them are to be seen on those tracts of country
which were the beds of lakes, or inland seas. In the
great oriental plain of Tartary, a great part of which was
formerly covered by the waters of the Black and Cas
pian seas, and those of the sea of Azof, but which have

^ For a particular description of the antiquities of our country, the reader
is referred to the ingenious notes of Caleb Atwater Esq., of Circleville,
lately published in the jircbaologia Amerieana.

76 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
been drained off by the breaking down of the Thracian
Bosphorus, which formed the canal of Constantinople ;
but they are found in abundance along the higher grounds
of the southern and western shores of those seas, and in
the neighboring country of Crim Tartary. The gain of
the land upon the waters of our globe has been im
mensely great ; but this gain has been but slowly made.
The very sites of our ancient tombs give a very remote
antiquity for the period of their erection. Their situa
tions, mainly along the large rivers and on the shores of
lakes, announce the primeval state of nations. As the
spoils of the water are more easily obtained than those
of the forest, and these last more easily than the pro
ductions of the earth, the first employment of man
must have been that of fishing, and his first food the
productions of the waters.
These mounds and forts are not found in any great
numbers along the shores of the main oceans. This
circumstance goes to show that those by whom they
were made were not in the practice of navigating the
great seas. That their existence is of higher antiquity
th?n the commencement of the period of history, is evi
dent from the fact that none of them contain a single
inscription of any kind. Even the famous pyramids of
Egypt do not contain a single letter or hieroglyphic to
announce the time when, or the persons by whom, they
were erected. If letters had been in use at the time of
the building of those stupendous repositories of departed
grandeur they would doubtless have been used to an
nounce the names and honor of those who erected them
for sepulchral and imperishable monuments of their own
power, wealth and majesty.
Another evidence of the great age of these rude remains
of antiquity is this ; there exists nowhere even a tradi
tionary account of their origin. At the earliest period-
of the Grecian history they were supposed, but only
supposed, to be the graves of giants. After what lapse

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 11
of time does tradition degenerate into fable ? At what
period of time does fable itself wear out, and consign all
antiquity to a total and acknowledged oblivion ? All
this has happened with regard to the antiquities under
consideration. From all these considerations, it appears that any in
quiry concerning the history of the antiquities of our
country would be a fruitless research. " Close shut
those graves, nor tell a single tale," concerning the num
erous population whose relics they enclose.
The antiquities of our country do not present to the
mind of the author the slightest evidences that this
quarter of the world was ever inhabited by a civilized
people before it was discovered by the Europeans.
They present no traces of the art of building, sculpture
or painting ; not a stone marked with a hammer is any
where to be found. It is supposed, by some, that the
aborigines of this country were in the habit of using iron
tools, and implements of war ; that such was the fact
appears to me very doubtful. There can exist no speci
mens of iron coeval with the antiquities of this country,
as iron, in almost any situation, is liable to rust and
pass to its primitive state of ore. At the discovery of
America, the Indians knew nothing of the use of iron.
Any people who have ever been in the habit of using
iron will be sure to leave some indelible traces of its
use behind them ; but the aborigines of this country
have left none.
Barbarians, in many instances, have possessed, and do
still possess, the art of writing ; but it is not to be pre
sumed that a civilized people ever were destitute of that
art. The original inhabitants of this country possessed
it not, or they would certainly have left some traces of
it behind them.
If they possessed some trinkets of copper, silver, gold,
or even tools and military weapons of iron, they never
theless furnish no evidences of civilization, as all history

78 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
goes to show that the ornamental, or military use of
these metals is consistent with the grossest barbarism.
The Calmuc Tartars have their gold, and silversmiths ;
and yet what people on earth are more barbarous than
the Calmucs. The same may be said of the Circassians ;
they have an abundance of gold and silver ornaments ;
yet they are savages. Copper may have found its way
to this country from Peru, a country in which that
metal is abundant ; a few gold and silver coins, if such
have been found in our country, may have come from
Asia, or even Europe ; but they certainly were never
manufactured here.
If at the period of time herein alluded to, there was
anything like civilization in the world, it was exclusively
confined to Egypt, and the islands in the neighborhood
of that country. The pyramids of Egypt, and the
queen's palace in the island of Cyprus, are built of hewn
stone ; but piling up huge stones, in useless edifices, by
the hands of slaves, is no great evidence of civilization.
In fact the edifices themselves, although they manifest
a degree of mechanical skill, and the use of iron tools,
are evidences of the grossest barbarism on the part of
those by whose orders they were built. It was exhaust
ing the lives and resources of a nation in useless monu
ments not of national grandeur, but solely for that of
the individual monarch.
It is not worth while to amuse ourselves with the
fanciful creations of a vivid imagination unsupported by
facts. The evidences of science and civilization are
not furnished by the antiquities of our country, and in
vain, beyond the period of history, do we look for them
in any other region of the earth. By what events could
the monuments of arts, sciences, and civilization, have
been utterly destroyed .? 'Storms, earthquakes, volca
noes, and war, destructive as they are, are not sufficiently
so to efface them. The shores of our rivers and lakes
have been inhabited by a race of barbarians, who have

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 79
subsisted by hunting and fishing. They have left us
their forts or town walls, and their graves, and but little
else. If they had left behind them any monuments of
arts and sciences, they in like manner would have de
scended to us ; but nothing of the kind has come to our
hands. They were not, therefore, possessed of those
arts and sciences which are essential to a civilized state
of society. It is often asked, whether those people, who
have left behind them the antiquities of our country,
were the ancestors of the present Indians ? Unques
tionably they were, and reader, their cotemporaries of
Europe and Asia were your ancestors and they were
mine. Humiliating as this statement may seem, it must
be true ; otherwise there must have been two creations
of the human race, and this we have no reason to sup
pose. Perhaps the moral philosopher might say with truth,
that the intellectual faculties of man, on a general scale,
like those of the individual, have been doomed to pass
through a tedious infancy, nonage and youth, before
they shall reach the zenith of manhood. However rude,
and indicative of barbarism, the antiquities which those
remote generations have left behind them, their relation
to us, as ancestors, is no way dishonorable to us. It is
only saying that theirs was the infant state of the intel
lectual faculties of man. What were the intellectual
faculties of Sir Isaac Newton in his infancy, and nonage,
in comparison to the state of their full development,
when he not only grasped the dimensions of our globe,
but, in the science of astronomy, whirled in triumph
through the signs of heaven ? Yet it is no way dis
honorable to this prince of philosophers, that he was
once an infant and a boy.
It may be asked, by what events has all remembrance
of those remote generations been so far effaced, that even
the fabulous era of the world has left them in total and
acknowledged oblivion ? Here we are truly in the dark.

80 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
One-third of the period of time assigned for the duration
of the world passed away before the dreadful catastrophe
of the flood, " When all the fountains of the great deep
were broken up, and the windows of heaven were
opened, and rain was upon the earth forty days, and forty
nights." To this it may be objected, even by the believer,
that in all probability this flood did not extend to every
region of the globe, but might have been confined
to that part of it which was known to the writer
of the sacred history. This point cannot be easily
settled ; but admitting that such was the fact ; and ad
mitting for the moment, all the objections of that too
fashionable philosophy which rejects the authenticity of
Divine revelation altogether, what would be the result ?
Would the limitation of the extent of the history of this
destruction, on the one hand, or the total denial of its
authenticity on the other hand, have any bearing on the
physical evidences of the mighty-revolutions which have
taken place on our globe ? The natural history of those
revolutions is exhibited, and its awful import cannot be
mistaken. The philosopher sees all over the surface of
the earth, and even within its bowels, the spoils of the
ocean. All fossil coal, he says,, was vegetable matter.
If so, by what tremendous convulsions have such im
mense quantities of vegetable matters been buried, over
so great a portion of the globe, and at such depths below
its surface ? All limestone, marble and selenite, he
says, have been formed from the shells of the numerous
tribes of shell fish, because, like those shells, they are
carbonates of lime ; and yet there is no description of
stone more abundant than the carbonates of lime. If
this be correct, what must be the age of the world, and
what destructive revolutions must have rent and changed
the position of its component parts in every quarter !
Yet it seems every way probable, that those destruc
tive convulsions which have been occasioned by floods.

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 81
earthquakes, and subterranean fires, never took place
over the whole extent of the globe at any time ; but
have affected different regions in succession so that how
ever great the destruction of animated nature at any one
of those tremendous revolutions, the greater amount of
it still remained in other regions.
After having passed in review the antiquities of our
country, particularly the melancholy monuments of the
ancient dead, what have we gained ? Simply this, that
the generations of remote antiquity were everywhere
the same, at least in their reverence for the dead, whose
monuments constitute almost the only history which
they have left behind them, and that for want of letters,
and other testimonials of arts, and sciences, we are
warranted in saying that their state of society must have
been that which we denominate the barbarous ; yet their
history, rude as it is, is entitled to respect. They were
no doubt the antediluvian race : they were the primeval
fathers of mankind. The immediate progenitors of our
race, to whom the munificent creator gave dominion over
the "fish of the sea, the fowl of the air, and every living
thing that moveth upon the earth." From them we
have inherited our existence and our charter to this
possession of the world. Even the barbarous state of
society is entitled to respect ; for barbarism has its virtues.
Much as the physical happiness of man has been
augmented by civilization, how far has his moral state
received improvement from the augmentation of his
science- and civilization. Have they made his heart the
better .? Have they taught him the noble philanthropy
of the good Samaritan \ Or has he only exchanged the
ferocity of the savage, for the cunning of the sharper ?
Are the vices of our nature diminished in force, or are
they only varnished like a whited sepulchre and placed
under concealment, so as to obtain their objects with
greater effect, and on a broader scale ? Have the politi
cal institutions of the world become sources of freedom.

82 Eany Settlement and Indian Wars of
peace and good will to the people ? Let the boasted
region of our forefathers, enlightened Europe, answer
the inquiry. There legal contributions, insupportable in
their amount, induce all the miseries of pauperism ; royal
ambition presents its millions of subjects to the deadly
machinery of modern warfare ; but are the valiant dead
honored with a monument of their existence and bravery ?
No ! that insatiable avarice which knows nothing sacred,
makes a traffic of their bones, the groaning engine con
verts them to powder to furnish manure for an unfriendly
soil. If this is civilization, pray what is barbarism }
A veneration for antiquity seems to be natural to man ;
hence we consider as barbarians, those who demolish the
relics of antiquity. We justly blame the Turks for
burning the fine marble columns of ancient Greece into
lime ; but do we display a juster taste, with regard to the
only relics with which our country is honored ? When
those relics shall have disappeared, and nothing but their
history shall remain, will not future generations pro
nounce us barbarians for having demolished them 1
Those venerable sepulchral mounds ought to be reli
giously preserved, and even planted with evergreens.
They would figure well in our grave yards, public squares,
and public walks ; but what is likely to be their fate ?
If in fields, for the sake of a few additional ears of corn,
or sheaves of wheat, they are plowed down. If within
the limits of a town, demolished to afford a site for a
house, or garden, or to fill up some sunken spot, while
the walls which inclosed the town or fort of the ancients,
are made into brick. Such is man ! Such are the en
lightened Americans !

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 8-3

CHAPTER III.
Origin of the American Indians.
Whether the Indians of North and South America,
and the Tartars of the north-eastern coasts of the Pacific
ocean, have had a common origin, is an inquiry which
has long exercised the ingenuity of the statesmen and
historians of our country, some of whom have derived
our aboriginal population from- Asia, while others of
them confer the honor of having given population to
Asiatic Tartary, to America.
Resemblance of languages, manners and customs,
mode of life, religious ceremonies, and color, are re
garded as evidences of a community of origin.
Of these tests the first, namely, that of a similarity of
languages, is considered the most important and conclu
sive, and has therefore received the greatest amount of
attention from the learned.
Dr. Barton, a former professor of medicine in the
University of Pennsylvania, has given a vocabulary of
about fifty corresponding words, of about eighty different
languages of the North, and South American Indians,
and about thirty of those of the Asiatic Tartars, for the
purpose of showing the identity of their origin, by the re
semblance of their languages.
To the mind of the author of this work, this laborious
research has resulted in nothing very conclusive ; as
from the specimens given in those vocabularies, the re
semblance between these numerous languages, appears
as small as can well be imagined. This want of success
in the learned author, is not to be wondered at ; as no-

84 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
thing is more permanent than a written language, so
nothing can be more fleeting and changeable than an
unwritten one.
The languages in question are all of the latter class,
that is to say, they are all unwritten languages and, of
course, constantly on the change, so that if they had
all originally sprung even from the same language, in
the lapse of some thousands of years, they would no
doubt have been as wide of the original, and as different
from each other, as the various languages of these wan
dering tribes are at present.
What is the Hebrew language at present ? A mere
written language, and nothing else. Its pronunciation
has gone with the breath of those who spoke it. Had
it not been a written language what traces of it would
now remain ? Most likely all traces of it, by this time,
would have been wholly obliterated. Many words of it
might have remained among the Arabs, Copts, and Sy
rians, while the original would have been buried in utter
oblivion. The present languages of Europe exhibit clearly what
immense changes take place in languages in the lapse of
a few centuries. The English, French, Italian, Spanish
and Portuguese languages, have all sprung from the
downfall of the Roman empire, and all these languages
are composed mainly of the languages of the Roman em
pire, and the German, that of their conquerors ; and yet
how different are their languages from each other. A
man of science can readily trace out their resemblance
to each other. Not so with the illiterate, to whom they
are all distinct languages, as much so as they would have
been if they had no common origins. Had these lan
guages never been written, the community of their ori
ginals would, in all human probability, have been lost
sight of long before this time.
For proof that such would have been the case, let it
be understood that the English language is made up of

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 85
Latin and German. Take all the words which have
been derived from those two languages from a page of
English, and you will have but a few shreds from other
languages behind ; yet when an Englishman hears the
German spoken, his ear scarcely recognizes a single
word which bears any resemblance to his own language ;
so widely different are the pronunciations of these lan
guages although so nearly allied to each other. The
same observations would hold good with regard to the
Latin language, did we use the pronunciation of Cicero,
and Virgil, in reading and speaking it. On this sub
ject we may go farther, and suppose all the languages
above enumerated, to have been unwritten from their
first formation, till this date, and now for the first time
to be committed to writing ; out of a dozen scribes,
scarcely any two of them would spell the same words
with the same letters. This difference of orthography
would still further obliterate the traces of the commu
nity of the originals of those kindred languages, so far
as the mere sound is concerned in perpetuating the re
membrance of their common origins.
The present German language is cleft into a great
variety of dialects, so widely different from each other
that the peasantry of different districts of the Ger
man empire do not well understand each other.
Yet a scholar in that language readily discovers that all
of those dialects have had a common origin, and by
strict attention to the varied pronunciation of the diph
thongs and triphthongs which in that language are very
numerous, he can understand them all. Not so were
the language unwritten.
The present Saxon language is common German.
How widely different must it have been among our
forefathers, several centuries ago, from what it is now !
It seems every way probable that the Gaelic of the
highlands of Scotland, the Welsh of England, and the
3

86 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
Irish were originally the same language ; but for a long
time past, they have been three distinct languages.
The reader by this time I trust must see, that among
wandering barbarians, constantly forming new tribes,
and seeking new habitations, languages, so far as the
mere sound of words is concerned, furnish, after the
lapse of several thousand years, but a poor test of com
munity of origin. With reference to the test of a com
mon origin, furnished by similarity of languages, Mr.
Jefferson has ventured the probability of there being
twenty radical languages among the American Indians,
for one amongst the Asiatic Tartars, and hence he
gives America the honor of having given population to
Tartary. His words are these :
" But imperfect as is our knowledge of the languages
spoken in America, it suffices to discover the following
remarkable fact ; arranging them under the radical ones
to which they may be palpably traced, and doing the
same by those of the red men of Asia, there will be
found probably twenty in America for one in Asia of
those radical languages, so called, because if they were
ever the same, they have lost all resemblance to each
other." Notes on Virginia., p. 137.
A gigantic conclusion ! A conclusion which an ac
curate knowledge of one hundred of the languages of
America and Asia would scarcely have warranted.
With all deference to the usual accuracy of this illus
trious philosopher, it may be said that a zeal for the
honor of the aborigines of his native country, must have
led him to confer upon them the priority of claim, to
individual and national existence.
There is one feature of language much more perma
nent than its sound, and that is the arrangement of its
sentences, with regard to the nominative case, with its
verb, and objective case. On this test, it seems to me,
some reliance may be placed with safety, as it does not
appear likely that any people ever made any change in

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 87
their mode of expression : because it is the arrangement
of the members of a sentence which fixes the regular
succession of ideas. If the agent is first in the sentence,
then the action and lastly the subject of the action, the
ideas of those who speak a language so arranged, follow
each other in the same order ; should the members of
the sentence be differently disposed, a corresponding
difference will take place in the thoughts of those who
speak the language in question. From all this it is rea
sonable to infer that the arrangement of sentences, es
pecially among barbarians who have no written languages,
is the most unvarying feature of all their dialects. In
this respect at least, " words and things."
In the Hebrew the verb stands almost uniformly at
the beginning of the sentence, next the nominative, and
then the objective case. It would be of some import
ance to know whether this arrangement is that of Asiatic
languages generally, and whether our Indian languages
have the same arrangement of sentences.
In the (Jerman, which is probably one of the oldest
languages of the world, the nominative case is at the
beginning of the sentence, then the objective case, and
last of all the verb.
In the English the nominative is the beginning of the
sentence, next the verb, and lastly the objective case,
so that the cases in our language are determined, by the
position of the nouns, and not by their terminations.
In the Latin and Greek languages, there seems to
have been no definite arrangement of the members of a
sentence, nor was it requisite there should, as their con
cord and government were determined by the termina
tions of their verbs and substantives.
The test of a sameness in the arrangement of the
members of sentences, has, as far as I know, never
been attended to, in any attempt to discover a resem
blance between the Asiatic and American languages.
A likeness in the sounds of words alone has been re-

88 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
garded as furnishing the evidences of their affinity. But
who shall determine the point in question t Where shall
we find a philologist sufficiently versed in the languages
of Asiatic Tartary, and those of the Indians of America,
to determine the question of their resemblance to each
other .? As these languages contain no science, and are
therefore not worth learning, it is not likely that such
a person will be found before the Indian languages shall
have vanished from the earth.
With the religious rites and ceremonies of the Tartars,
and American Indians, we are too little acquainted to
justify any conclusion, concerning the identity of their
origin from them. The most that we know on this
subject is, that their pawaws or priests are professed sor
cerers, who are supposed capable of inflicting misfortunes,
disease, and death, by charms, and incantations. The
angikoks of Greenland, and Esquimaux, were men of
the same profession. Most likely the Tartar priesthood
is of the same cast.
The next thing to be considered is the sameness of
color, as having relation to the question under discussion.
Here, it is hoped, a little prolixity in stating the physical
causes of all the varieties of human colors will be ex
cused. On this subject two questions present themselves.
First, what is color, and secondly, what are the natural
causes of the various colors of the human skin ?
Color is a certain arrangement of particles on the
surface of bodies, so constituted as to reflect, or absorb,
the rays of light in such a manner as to make a specific
impression on the organs of vision denominated color.
That arrangement of particles on the surface of bodies
which absorbs all the rays of light, is denominated black;
on the contrary, that which reflects them at their angle
of incidence, produces the white color. The various
angles of reflection of the rays of light, constitute the
ground work of all colors between the extremes of black

Western Virginia- and Pennsylvania. 89
and white. Color is therefore a mere modification of
particles on the surface of bodies.
There are four cardinal varieties of human color.
First, the clear white of the hyperborean, such as that
of the Swedes, Danes, and Poles, and others in the same
parallels of latitude. Secondly, the swarthy color of the
inhabitants of the south of Europe, and the northern
parts of Africa and Asia. Thirdly, the jet black of the
negroes, and Abyssinians of Africa, but with this differ
ence, that the latter have the features of Europeans, and
long straight hair : and lastly, the red, or copper color
of the Asiatic Tartars, and American Indians. Varying
with the parallels of latitude from that of Sweden, to the
torrid zone, the human skin exhibits every possible shade
of difference between the white, and the deepest black.
Concerning the physical cause of the various colors
of mankind, a great variety of opinions have been enter
tained. I shall however take no notice of any of them,
but give that theory on this subject, which appears to be
founded in truth, and which now generally prevails. It
is that which attributes all the varieties of human color
to the influence of climate, and different modes of living.
Every phenomena of the subject in question, evidently
coincides with this opinion.
The sciences of anatomy and physiology have clearly
decided that the rete mucosum of the skin, is the basis
of its color. This, however, requires some explanation.
The skin consists of three membranes. The outer one
is the epidermis, or scarf skin, the second is the rete
mucosum, or, as the expression imports, a mucous mem
brane, or net work, which lies immediately under the
scarf skin, and lastly the true skin. This latter, or true
skin, is perfectly white in all people ; the epidermis, or
scarf skin, is universally transparent. Through this
transparent scarf skin, the color of the rete mucosum,
underneath, is discovered. That the state of the rete
mucosum, with regard to color, is varied by the influence

90 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
of climate, and modes of life, there can be no doubt.
The zones of the earth are scarcely better marked out
by their parallels of latitude, than are the inhabitants of
their respective latitudes, designated by their shades of
color, from the white of the north, to the black of the
tropical regions. Those latter regions alone, exhibit
considerable variety of color. Their inhabitants are not
all black. It may be said, however, that none of them
are white. There must be something peculiar in the
air, and certain portions of Africa, which gives the sooty
color of the negro, and Abyssinian. Physiology will in
time discover this phenomenon.
Whatever may have been the original color of man
kind, a change once induced by removals from one re
gion to others, would be augmented through successive
generations, until, the influence of climate would have
exerted its full effect. Even the influence of mothers
to have their offspring of that color esteemed most
beautiful, would have considerable effect in hastening on
the change from the original color. The shining black,
among the Africans, is equal in point of beauty to the
lily and the rose among the whites. The sight of a
white person, among those of the Africans who have not
been in the habit of seeing Europeans, never fails to ex
cite the deepest horror. At first sight they ascribe the
whiteness of the skin to some loathsome and incurable
disease. Evidences of the influence of climate on the human
color, present themselves constantly to our observation.
The descendants of the Africans in our country, are far
from having the sooty black color of their forefathers,
the natives of Africa. The latter are distinguished from
the former at first sight. In America there are many
full blooded negroes scarcely a shade nearer the black,
than many of our mulattoes. These are denominated
white negroes. Africa exhibits none of this description.
These people exhibit one presumptive evidence, that

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 91
the original color of mankind was white. The skin of
a full blooded negro infant, for some time after birth, is
nearly white. It is not until the skin of the child has
been exposed to the air for some time, that the rete mu
cosum becomes of such a texture as to exhibit the black
color. Many of our young men of a fair complexion, after
performing several voyages down the river, and among
the West India islands, return swarthy men, and remain
so for life. Every mother is aware of the influence of
the sun in tanning their children, especially during the
prevalence of the equinoctial wind in the spring of the
year, and therefore take every pains to. prevent their
blasting influence on the lily and the rose of their little
progeny, during that season.
It may be asked, why the Indian color in America
among the white people } Why this difference of color
in the same region .'' All circumstances alike, the red
color of the Indian is the color which is natural to our
country. Many of those of the white people who have
been brought up among the Indians from their infancy,
differ from them but little in point of color, and are to ,
be distinguished from them, only by the difference of
their features. There are many of our white people of
a darker hue than many of the Indians. We do not so
readily perceive this, because a white man, let his color
be ever so dark, is still a white man, while an Indian
with a whiter skin is still an Indian. We lose sight of
the color of both in the national choracter of each, of
which we never lose sight. Were any number of white
people to adopt the Indian mode of living in its full ex
tent, in a few g;enerations the difference of color between
them and the Indian would not be great. How much
whiter is a French Canadian boatman than an Indian ?
Scarcely a single shade. Thus physiology has ascer
tained beyond a shadow of doubt, that the rete mucosum
is the basis of the human color, and innumerable facts

92 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
go to show that the various states of this membrane,
which exhibit all the varieties of the human color, are
occasioned by the influence of different climates, and
modes of living.
But from the varieties of this membrane, so slight in
themselves that physiology can scarcely discover them,
except in their effects, what mighty consequences have
arisen ! What important conclusions have been drawn !
An African is black, has a woolly head, and a flat
nose, he is therefore not entitled to the rights of human
nature ! But he is a docile being possessed of but little
pride of independence, and a subject of the softer pas
sions, who rather than risk his life in the defense of his
liberty will " Take the pittance and the lash. " He is,
therefore, a proper subject for slavery.
The Indian has a copper colored skin, and therefore
the rights of human nature do not belong to him ! But
he will not work, and his high sense of independence,
and strong desire of revenge, would place in danger the
property and life of the oppressor who should attempt
to force him to labor. He is, therefore, to be exter
minated ; or at least despoiled of his country, and driven
to some remote region where he must perish ! Such
has been, and such is still to a certain extent, the logic
of nations possessed of all the science of the world ! —
of Christian nations. How horrid the features of that
slavery to which this logic has given birth ! The be
nevolent heart bleeds at the thought of the cruelties which
have always accompanied it ; amongst the Mohammedans
as soon as the Christian slave embraces the religion of his
master, he is free ; but among the followers of the Mes
siah, the slave may indeed embrace the religion of his
master ; but he still remains a slave ; although a Christ
ian brother.
It is a curious circumstance, that while our mission
aries are generously traversing the most inhospitable
regions, and endeavoring, with incessant toil, to give the

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 93
science of Europe and America, together with the
Christian revelation, to the benighted pagans, most of
the legislatures of our slave holding states have made it
a highly penal offense, to teach a slave a single letter.
While at great expense and waste of valuable lives, we
are endeavoring to teach the natives of Africa the use of
letters, no one durst attempt to do the same thing for
the wretched descendants of that ill-fated people, bound
in the fetters of slavery in America. Thus our slavery
chains the soul as well as the body. Would a Mussul
man hinder his slave from learning to read the Koran.
Surely he would not.
We are often told by slaveholders, that they would
willingly give freedom to their slaves, if they could do it
with safety ; if they could get rid of them when free ;
but are they more dangerous when free, than when in
slavery ! But admitting the fact, that owing to their ig
norance, stupidity and bad habits, they are unfit for
freedom ; we ourselves have made them so. We debase
them to the condition oi brutes, and then use that de
basement as an argument for perpetuating their slavery.
I will conclude this digression with the eloquent
language of President Jefferson on the subject : " Human
liberty is the gift of God, and cannot be violated but in
his wrath. Indeed I tremble for my country, when I
reflect that God is just and that his justice cannot sleep
forever : that considering numbers, nature, and natural
means only, a revolution of the wheel of fortune, an ex
change of situation is among the possible events : it may
become probable by supernatural interference. The
Almighty has no attribute which can take side with us
in such a contest."
But to return. Why this great solicitude of the
learned, to discover the genealogy of the American In
dians. This solicitude is like many other fashionable
pursuits of the present day. It is like a voyage to the
northern polar regions, or a journey into Africa ; in the

94 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
former of which, nothing is seen but immense islands of
ice, and in the latter little else than regions of arid de
serts ; but the voyager and traveler return home rich in
discoveries — of red snow — the probable cause of the
aurora borealis — or of an hidden catacomb, full of
mummies, and the huge head of the lesser Memnon.
besides actual discoveries, both are rich — in conjectures
of little or no importance to the world.'
We might say to the Englishman, the Frenchman,
and German, what is your origin ? He knows more of
his own genealogy, than he does of that of the American
Indians. The blood -of fifty nations, for aught he can
tell to the contrary, runs in his veins. He may be re
lated to the Assyrians, Chaldeans, Egyptians, Greeks,
Romans, Copts and many other smaller nations, whose
very names have long since been buried in oblivion.
Thus while you are anxiously inquiring for the origin
of the poor savages of America, you forget your own.
Perhaps at this moment, you know nothing of your im
mediate ancestry, beyond your grandfather, or at the
farthest your great-grandfather.
If we should infer a community of origin between
the Tartars of Asia, and the American Indians, from a
resemblance of color, it would be no more than saying

' Many suppose that some of the Indians are of Jewish origin. This may
indeed be the case, for at an early period of the Jewish history, Shalmaneser,
che king of Assyria, Cook Samaria after a siege of chree years' concinuance,
" And che king of Assyria did carry away Israel inco Assyria, and put them
in Halak, and in Habor, by che river Gozan, and in the cicy of che Medes."
From chese places it is highly probable many of the Jews found their way
inco Eascern TarCary, and from thence to America, but wich che loss of their
natural character, language and religion. Ten of the Cwelve tribes were
carried off by Shalmaneser. After this evenc, hiscory no longer recognizes
chose tribes as Jews ; thenceforward the kingdom of Israel consisted only
of the tribes of Juda, Benjamin, and part of the tribe of Levi. So large a
number of prolific people, must have soon associated themselves, by traveling,
commerce, and intermarriages, with all the surrounding nations, and of
course their descendants would be as likely to find their way to America, as
any other people. — II Kings, Chap. i8. — Notes on Virginia, p. 222.

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 95
that the same causes will, in similar circumstances, pro
duce the same effects ; the sun and air will produce the
same effects on man in Tartary, that they do in America
in the same latitudes. It is now too late, or soon will
be so, to find anything like a solution of this question
from any resemblance between the languages of these
people. The religious worship of savages, is every
where pretty much the same, and therefore throws no
light on the subject. On their traditions no reliance
can be placed, because to a people who have no written
science, the past is a region of fabulous uncertainty.
It is enough for the solution of this question, that the
navigation of the northern Atlantic, and northern Pacific,
has at all times been practicable, even to the imperfect
navigation of the nations inhabiting their shores, and that
they at all times carried on a constant intercourse with
each other, especially across the northern Pacific.
But to which continent shall we ascribe the honor of
having given population to the other. This is the most
important point in this discussion, but can it ever be
settled .? For my part I am perfectly willing to concede
to the old world the honor of haying given population
to the new. It is much the largest continent, and by
far the first in arts and sciences. Besides placing some
reliance on the oldest, and not the least authentic history
in the world, I can see no reason why the garden of
Eden, near the head of the Persian gulf, was not a point
from which the whole world might as conveniently be
peopled, and in as short a time, as from any other spot
which a geographer can point out.
,On the whole, the race of mankind constitutes an
exclusive genus of animated beings ; man is therefore
an unit, and as such must have had one common origin,
" no matter what color an Indian or an African sun
may have burnt upon him." He justly claims a kindred
relation to the whole of his race. What though the
severe cold of the arctic circles has dwindled their in-
9

96 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
habitants down to a dwarfish stature. What though in
more fortunate climates we meet with Anakim, or Pata-
gonians, in all the essentials of his physical and moral
character, man is the same in every region of the globe.
May this paternal relation be everywhere recognised.
May a just and enlightened policy, and above all may
the holy religion of the good Samaritan, induce the strong
to respect the claims of the weak upon his justice and
humanity, and " To do unto others, as he would they
should do unto him."

CHAPTER IV.
Changes in the System of Weather.
Great changes have taken place in our system of
weather, since the settlement of the western country,
yet these changes have been so gradual, that it is no
very easy task to recollect, or describe them. At the
first settlement of the country the summers were much
cooler than they are at present. For many years we
scarcely ever had a single warm night during the whole
summer. The evenings were cool, and the mornings
frequently uncomfortably cold. The coldness of the
nights was owing to the deep shade of the lofty forest
trees, which everywhere covered the ground. In addi
tion to this, the surface of the earth was still further
shaded by large crops of wild grass and weeds, which
prevented it from becoming heated by the rays of the
sun during the day. At sun down the air began to be
come damp and cool, and continued to increase in cold
ness, until warmed by the supshine of the succeeding

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 97
day. This wild herbage afforded pasture for our cattle
and horses, from spring till the onset of winter. To
enable the owner to find his beasts, the leader of each
flock of cattle, horses, and sheep, was furnished with a
bell, suspended to the neck by a leathern or iron collar.
Bells, therefore, constituted a considerable article of
traffic in early times.
One distressing circumstance resulted from the wild
herbage of our wilderness. It produced innumerable
swarms of gnats, mosquitoes and horse flies. These
distressing insects gave such annoyance to man and
beast, that they may justly be ranked among the early
plagues of the country. During that part of the season
in which they were prevalent, they made the cattle poor
and lessened the amount of their milk. In plowing,
they were very distressing to the horses. It was cus
tomary to build large fires of old logs, about the forts,
the smoke of which feept the flies from the cattle, which
soon learned to change their position, with every change
of wind, so as to keep themselves constantly in the
smoke. Our summers in early times, were mostly very dry.
The beds of our large creeks, excepting in the deep
holes, presented nothing but naked rocks. The mills
were not expected to do any grinding, after the latter
end of May, excepting for a short time after a thunder
gust ; our most prudent housekeepers, therefore, took
care to have their summer stock of flour ground in the
months of March and April. If this stock was expended
too soon, there were no resources, but those of the
hominy block, or hand mill. It was a frequent saying
among our farmers, that three good rains were sufficient
to make a crop of corn, if they happened at the proper
times. The want of rain was compensated in some de
gree, by heavy dews, which were then more common
than of late, owing to the shaded situation of the earth.

98 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
which prevented it from becoming either warm or dry,
by the rays of the sun, during even the warmest weather.
Frost and snow set in much earlier in former times,
than of late. I have known the whole crop of corn in
Greenbier destroyed by frost, on the night of the twenty-
second of September. The corn in this district of
country was mostly frost-bitten at the same time.
Such early frosts, of equal severity, have not happened
for some time past. Hunting snows usually commenced
about the middle of October. November was re
garded as a winter month, as the winter frequently set
in with severity during that month, and sometimes at an
early period of it.
For a long time after the settlement of the country
we had "an abundance of snow, in comparison to the
amount we usually have now. It was no unusual thing
to have snows from one to three feet in depth, and of
long continuance. Our people often became tired of
seeing the monotonous aspect of the country so long
covered with a deep snow, and " longed to see the
ground bare once more." I well remember the labor of
opening roads through those deep snows, which often
fell in a single night, to the barn, spring, smoke house,
and corn crib. The labor of getting wood, after a deep
fall of snow, was in the highest degree disagreeable. A
tree, when fallen, was literally buried in the snow, so
that the driver of the horses had to- plunge the whole
length of his arms into it, to get the long chain around
the butt end of the tree, to haul it home. The depth
of the snows, the extreme cold and length of our winters,
were indeed distressing to the first settlers, who were
but poorly provided with clothing, and whose cabins
were mostly very open, and uncomfortable. Getting
wood, making fires, feeding the stock, and going to mill,
were considered sufficient employment for any family,
and truly those labors left them little time for anything
else.

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 99
As our roads, in early times, did not admit of the use
of sleighs, the only sport we had in the time of a deep
snow was that of racing about on the crust of its surface.
This was formed by a slight thaw succeeded by a
severe frost. On this crust we could travel over logs,
brush, and owing to great drifts of snow in many places,
over the highest fences. These crusts were often fatal
to the deer. Wolves, dogs and men could pursue them
without breaking through the crust. The deer, on the
contrary, when pursued, owing to the smallness of their
hoofs, always broke through it unless when it was un
commonly hard. The hunters never killed the deer in
the dead of winter, as their skins and flesh were then of
but little value. Taking advantage of them in the time
of a crust, they held a dishonorable practice, and they
always relieved them from the pursuit of wolves and
dogs whenever it fell in their way to do so. Foreigners,
however, who were not in. the habit of hunting, often
pursued and caught them on the crust for the sake of
informing their friends in the old country by letter that
they had killed a deer.
An incident happened in my father's neighborhood
which for some time was highly satisfactory to the hunt
ers, as it looked like a providential punishment for tak
ing advantage of the deer in time of a crust, as well as a
means of putting an end to the unlawful sport.
A Captain Thomas Wells, a noted warrior, hunter
and trapper, was informed by one of his neighbors who
came to his house to borrow a bag, that a deer had
been killed by the wolves, the night before, not far from
his house, and that the deer had not been wholly devoured.
They concluded, that as the wolves would visit the
place, the succeeding night, for the purpose of finishing
their prey, they might catch one of them in a wolf trap.
They accordingly set a large trap in the head of a spring,
close by the relics of the deer. The spring had melted
the snpw as it fell, and it was then covered with a thick

100 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
coat of dry leaves ; under these leaves the trap was con
cealed. Shortly after they had finished their work, a couple of
new comers from Ireland, in pursuit of a deer, with dogs,
came to the place, and seeing the bones of the deer,
called a halt to look at them. One of them, whose feet
happened to be very cold, stepped on the dry leaves over
the spring, and placed one of his feet in the wolf trap,
which instantly fastened on his foot with its merciless
jaws. With great labor, difficulty and delay, the foot
was extricated from the trap. The first house they
called at, after the accident, was that of the man who
had assisted Capt. Wells to set the trap. They com
plained bitterly of the occurrence, and said that they
had wrought full half an hour before they could get the
wicked thing off the foot. They wondered whether
there was no law in America to punish people for setting
such wicked things about the woods, to catch people by
the feet. The gentleman heard their complaint, without
letting them know that he had any hand in setting the
trap. Fortunately the trap struck the Hibernian across
the sole of his shoe, which being thick and frozen, pre
vented the mischief it would otherwise have done him ;
if the jaws of the trap had reached his ankle, the bones
of his leg must have been broken to pieces by them.
The jokes that were carved out of this event, throughout
the neighborhood, and the high glee with which the
hunters related the tale, served to show the foreigners
the detestation in which the practice of killing deer in
the winter season was held, and in a great measure put
a stop to their sport.
But to return. The spring of the year in former times
was pretty much like our present springs. We com
monly had an open spell of weather during the latter part
of February, denominated by some pawwawing days
and by others weather breeders. The month of March
was commonly stormy and disagreeable throughout.

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 101
It was a common saying that we must not expect
spring until the borrowed days., that is, the three first
days of April were over. Sugar was often made in
the early part of April. It sometimes happened that a
great part of April, was but little better than March,
with regard to storms of rain, snow and a cold chilling
air. I once noticed forty frosts after the first day of
April ; yet our fruit that year was not wholly destroyed.
We never considered ourselves secure from frost, until
the first ten days of May had past. During these days
we never failed of having cold, stormy weather, with
more or less frost.
On the whole, although the same variable system of
weather continues, our springs were formerly somewhat
colder, and accompanied with more snow, than they are
now, but the change, in these respects, is no way favora
ble to vegetation, as our latest springs are uniformly fol
lowed by the most fruitful seasons. It is a law of the
vegetable world that the longer the vegetative principle
is delayed, the more rapid when put in motion. Hence
those northern countries which have but a short summer,
and no spring, are amongst the most fruitful countries in
the world. In Russia, Sweden, and Denmark, the
transition from winter to summer occupies but a very
few days ; yet a failure of a crop in those countries is
but a rare occurrence : while in our latitudes, vegetation
prematurely put in motion, and then often checked " by
the laggering rear of winter's frost, " frequently fails of
attaining its ultimate perfection.
From this history of the system of the weather of our
early times, it appears that our seasons have already under
gone great and important changes. Our summers are
much warmer, our falls much milder and longer, and our
winters shorter by at least one month, and accompanied
with much less snow and cold than formerly. What
causes have effected these changes in our system of
weather, and what may- we reasonably suppose will be

102 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
the ultimate extent of this revolution, already so apparent,
in our system of weather ?
In all countries, the population of a desert by a civilized
and agricultural people has had a great effect on its
climate. Italy, which is now a warm country, with very mild
winters was, in the time of Horace and Virgil, as cold and
as subject to deep snows as the western country was
at its first settlement. Philosophy has attributed the
change of the seasons in that country, to the clearing of
its own forests, together with those of France to the
north, and those of Germany to the east, and north, of
Italy.' The same cause has produced the same effect in
our country. Every acre of cultivated land must in
crease the heat of our summers, by augmenting the ex
tent of the surface of the ground denuded of its tirnber,
so as to be acted upon, and heated by the rays of the sun.
The future prospect of the weather throughout the
whole extent of the western country is not very flattering.
The thermometer in the hottest parts of our summer
months already ranges from ninety to one hundred de
grees. A frightful degree of heat for a country as yet
not half cleared of its native timber ! When we con
sider the great extent of the valley of the Mississippi, so
remote from any sea to furnish its cooling breezes, with
out mountains to collect the vapors, augment and diversify
the winds, and watered only by a few rivers, which in
the summer time are diminished to a small amount of
water, we have every data for the unpleasant conclusion
that the climate of the western regions will ultimately
become intensely hot and subject to distressing calms and
droughts of long continuance.
Already we begin to feel the effects of the increase of

* Vides, ut alta stet nive candidum
SoracCe -, nee jam suscineant onus
Sylvx laborances : geluque,
Flumina constiterint acuto .' — /for., lit. i. Ode ix.

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 103
the heat of summer in the noxious effluvia of the stag
nant water of the ponds and low grounds along our rivers.
These fruitful sources of pestilential exhalations have
converted large tracts of our country into regions of
sickness and death, while the excessive heat and dry
ness of our settlements, remote from the large water
courses, have been visited by endemic dysenteries in their
most mortal states. Thus the most fortunate regions of
the earth have drawbacks from their advantages which
serve in some degree to balance the condition of their
inhabitants with that of the people of countries less gifted
by nature in point of soil, climate and situation.
The conflict for equilibrium between the rarified air
of the south and the dense atmosphere of the north, will
continue forever the changeable state of weather in this
country, as there is no mountainous barrier between us
and the northern regions of our continent.

CHAPTER V

Beasts and Birds.

The reader need not expect that this chapter will con
tain a list of all the beasts and birds which were tenants
of the western wilderness at the time of its first settle
ment. I shall only briefly notice a few of those classes
which have already totally or partially disappeared from
the country, together with those which have emigrated
here with our population. This enumeration, as far as
it goes, will serve to show the natural historian a dis
tinction between those beasts and birds which are natu
rally tenants of the wilderness and refuse the society of
man, and those which follow his footsteps from one

104 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
region to another, and although partially wild yet subsist
in part upon his labors.
The buffalo and elk have entirely disappeared from
this section of the country. Of the bear and deer but
very few remain. The wolves, formerly so numerous,
and so destructive to the cattle, are now seldom heard of
in our older settlements. It may seem strange that this
ferocious and cunning animal, so long the scourge of the
mountainous districts of Europe, should have so suddenly
disappeared from our infant country. The sagacity of
the wolves bids defiance to the most consummate craft
of the hunters, many of whom, throughout life, never
obtained a single chance to shoot at one of them. Some
times, indeed, they outwitted them by pit-falls and steel
traps ; but no great number were killed by either of these
means ; nor had the price set upon their scalps by the
state legislatures any great effect in diminishing their
number and depredations. By what means then did
their destruction happen 1 On this subject I will hazard
the opinion that a greater number of them were destroyed
by hydrophobia than by all other means put together.
That this disease took place amongst them at an early
period is evident from the fact that nearly forty years
ago, a Captain Rankin of Racoon creek, in Washington
county. Pa., was bitten by a mad wolf. A few years
ago, Mr. John M'Camant of this county, met with the
same misfortune. In both cases the wolf was killed,
and I am sorry to add both these men died, after having
suffered all the pains and horrors accompanying that
most frightful of all diseases, that inflicted by the bite of
a rabid animal.
An animal so ferocious as a wolf, and under the influ
ence of madness, bites everything he can reach, of
course the companions of his own den and thicket are
the first victims of his rage. Hence, a single wolf would
be the means of destroying the whole number of his fel
lows, in his immediate neighborhood at least. In the

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 105
advanced state of the disease they lose their native wild-
ness, leave their dens and thickets and seek the flocks
and herds about farm houses, and in some instances have
attempted to enter the houses themselves for the purpose
of doing mischief.
The buzzards, or vultures, grey and bald eagles,
ravens, or as they were generally called corbies, were
very numerous here in former times. It was no un
common thing to see from fifty to one hundred of
them perched on the trees over a single carcase of carrion.
All these large carnivorous birds have nearly disappeared
from our settlements.
The wild turkeys, which used to be so abundant as to
supply no inconsiderable portion of provision for the first
settlers, are now rarely seen.
The different kinds of wood-peckers still remain in
the country, with the exception of the largest of that
genus of birds, the wood-cock, which is now very scarce.
The black and grey squirrels still remain in the country.
These beautiful but destructive little animals gave great
annoyance to the first settlers of our country, by devour
ing large quantities of their corn in the fields, before
it was fit for gathering. There is something singular
in the history of the squirrels. Sometimes in the
course of a few years they become so numerous as to
threaten the destruction of whole crops ; when, as if
by common consent, they commence an emigration from
west to east, crossing the river in countless numbers.
At the commencement of their march they are very fat,
and furnish an agreeable article of diet ; but towards its
conclusion they become sickly and poor, with large
worms attached to their skins. After this emigration
they are scarce for some years, then multiply, emigrate,
and perish as before. The cause of this phenomenon
is, I believe, unknown. It cannot be the want of food ;
for the districts of countries which they leave, are often

106 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
as fruitful, or more so, than those to which they direct
their course.
The terrible panther, as well as the wild cat, have
also taken their leave of us.
Thus, in far less time than it cost the Jews to rid
themselves of the serpents and beasts of prey which in
fested the " hill country of Judea," we have freed our
selves from those which belonged to our country. Our
flocks and herds are safe from their annoyance, and our
children are not torn to pieces by " a she bear out of the
wood." In return for the beasts and birds which have left us,
we have gained an equal number from the Atlantic side
of the mountains, and which were unknown at the first
settlement of the country.
Our mornings and evenings are now enlivened with
the matins and vespers of a great variety of singing birds,
which have slowly followed the emigration from the
other side of the mountain.
The honey bees are not natives of this country ; but
they always kept a little in advance of the white popula
tion. We formerly had some professed bee hunters ;
but the amount of honey obtained from the woods was
never considerable, owing to the want of a sufficient
quantity of flowers to furnish it.
Crows and black birds have of late become very
plenty. They were not natives of the wilderness.
Rats, which were not known here for several years
after the settlement of the country, took possession of it,
in its whole extent, in one winter season. Children of
twelve years old, and under, having never heard their
name, were much surprised at finding a new kind of
mice, as they called them, with smooth tails.
Opossums were late comers into the country. Fox-
squirrels have but a very few years ago made their ap
pearance on this side of the mountains.

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 107
Thus our country has exchanged its thinly scattered
population of savages, for a dense population of civilized
inhabitants, and its wild beasts and large, carnivorous
fowls, for domesticated animals and fowls, and others
which although wild, are inoffensive in their habits, and
live at least partially on the labors of man. This has
been effected here perhaps in less time than such import
ant changes were ever effected in any other region of
the earth.
The cases of the two unfortunate victims of the hydro
phobia, here alluded to, deserve some notice.
Capt. Rankin was bitten by the wolf in his own door.
Hearing in the dead of night a noise among his beasts
in the yard, he got up and opened the upper part of his
door, which was a double one. The wolf instantly
made a spring to get into the house. Rankin, with
great presence of mind, caught the wolf in his arms, as
he was passing over the lower half of the door and held
him fast on its upper edge, and against the door post,
until a man belonging to the household jumped out of
bed, got a knife and cut the wolPs throat ; but the
wolf in the mean time bit him severely, in the wrist.
li I recollect rightly he lived but a short time after
wards. Mr. John M'Cammant, who lived but a fevy miles
from this place on the road to Washington, met a simi
lar death, much in the same way. Hearing an uproar
among his beasts, not far from the house, he went to
see what was the matter. He had not gone far before
the wolf sprang at him, and bit him severely, in the left
breast. Being a very strong, resolute man, he caught
the wolf by the jaws, and held them apart, calling on an
apprentice lad to bring an axe to knock the wolf on the
head. He came with all speed, but finding he had no
chance of striking the wolf, without risking an injury to
his master, he dropped the axe, ran back to the house,
and got a butcher knife, with which he cut the wolf's

108 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
throat. It was between seven and eight weeks before
the virus took effect, so as to produce the symptoms of
the terrible disease which followed.
From the time I first heard of his being bitten by the
wolf, I anticipated the consequence with horror, and the
more so, because he applied to a physician who had the
reputation of curing the bite of a mad animal with a
single pill. Placing confidence in this nostrum, he
neglected all other medical aid. In this pill I had no
confidence, having previously seen and examined one of
them, and found it made of ingredients possessed of
scarcely any medicinal efficacy whatever. On the
Thursday preceding his death, he became slightly indis
posed. On Friday and Saturday he had the appearance
of a person taking an intermittent fever. On Sunday
the hydrophobia came on. It was then I first saw him.
Having never seen the disease before, I was struck with
consternation at his appearance. Every sense appeared
to have acquired an hundred fold excitability. The
slightest impression upon any of them, gave him a thrill
of the deepest horror. Noise, the sight of colored cloth
ing, the sudden passage of any person between him and
the light of the window or candle, affected him beyond
description. On Sunday night his convulsive fits came on. He
was then fastened by his hands and feet to the bed posts,
to prevent him from doing mischief. At three o'clock on
Monday evening he became delirious, his fits ceased, and
at two o'clock in the morning death put a period to his
sufferings. It is impossible for language to describe this terrible
disease. The horror of mind which he continually
suffered, was equal to that which would be felt by the
most timid lady, on being compelled to go alone at mid
night into a grave yard, with an entire certainty of seeing
a ghost in the most frightful form which a disordered
imagination ever ascribed to a departed spirit. He

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 109
several times requested the physicians to bleed him to
death. Several veins were opened ; but the blood had
so far lodged itself in engorgements in the viscera, that
none could be discharged from the veins. He then re
quested that some of his limbs might be cut off, that the
same object might be effected that way. Finding this
request would not be complied with, he looked up to
his rifle, and begged of me with tears in his eyes to take
it down and shoot him through the head, saying " I will
look at you with delight and thankfulness, while you are
pulling the trigger. In doing this you will do right. I
know from your countenance that you pity me ; but you
know not the thousandth part of what I suffer. You
ought to put an end to my misery, and God himself will
not blame you for doing so." What made these re
quests the more distressing, was the circumstance that
they did not proceed from any derangement of mind ;
on the contrary, excepting during the time of his fits,
which lasted only a few seconds at a time, he was in the
full exercise of his understanding. His discourse until
about three o'clock on Monday evening was quite ra
tional. He requested prayers to be made for him, and
deliberately gave directions about the place of his in
terment, and funeral sermon, all which requests were
complied with.
The reader, no doubt, wishes to know as much as
possible concerning the famous pill, an improper reliance
on which terminated in the death of Mr. M'Cammant.
I have had an opportunity of examining two of them at
a considerable distance of time apart. The first I saw
was about five times as large as one of Anderson's pills,
and composed of Burgundy pitch and green rue. The
second was made of the same material, with a narrow
strip of paper rolled up in the middle of it. The paper
contained about a dozen ill-shapen letters, but not so
arranged as to spell any word in any language with which
I am acquainted. The physician who gave those pills.

110 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
reported that he got the recipe for making them from a
priest of Abyssinia. Such is the superstition which still
remains attached to the practice of the healing art, and
from which, in all likelihood, it will never be separated.
But why then the celebrity of this pill, as a prevent
ive of canine madness ? Has it never had the effect
ascribed to it.? Certainly never.
Far the greater number of those who are said to be
bitten by rabid animals have been bitten by animals either
not really mad, or not in such a state of madness as to
communicate the disease.
An event which fell under my own observation several
years ago vvill serve to explain this matter. Several
children, one of whom was my own, were said to have
been bitten by a mad cat, which was instantly killed.
On inquiry I found that there was no report of mad
animals in the neighborhood. I then gave it as my
opinion that the apparent madness of the cat proceeded
only from caterwauling. This did not satisfy any one
but myself, so I had to treat the children as I should
have, if the cat had been really mad, and thus got the
credit of curing four cases of canine madness : a credit
which I never deserved.
A few years ago, a gentleman of my neighborhood
brought me his daughter whom he said had been bitten
by a mad cat. I asked if the cat was a male one, he
answered in the affirmative. He said he had imprisoned
him in a closet. I am glad of that, said I, keep him there
a few days, and you will find him as well as ever he was ;
and so it turned out.
Dogs are subject to a similar madness from the same
cause. In this state, like cats, they are apt to bite even
their best friends. In this case the animal is reported to
be mad and instantly killed. In such cases these pills,
as well as other nostrums for this disease, do wonders ;
that is where there is nothing to be done.

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. Ill

CHAPTER VI.
Number and Variety of Serpents.
Among the plagues of the Jews, at the time of their
settlement in the land of Canaan, that of the serpents,
which abounded in that country, was not the least. In
like manner the early settlers of this country were much
annoyed by serpents. Of the poisonous kinds of them
we had but two, the rattlesnake and the copper-head,
both of which were very numerous in every section of
the country, but especially the rattlesnake. We had
also different kinds of black snakes, with a number of
lesser sorts, but these last are not poisonous. The bite
of the rattlesnake was frequently mortal, always extremely
painful ; that of the copper-head not much less so.
Let the reader imagine the situation of our first settlers,
with regard to those poisonous reptiles, when informed
that an harvest day seldom passed in which the laborers
did not meet with more or less of them. The reaper
busily employed with his sickle was suddenly alarmed by
the whiz of a rattlesnake at his feet ; he instantly retreated,
got a club, and giving the snake a blow or two, finished
his execution by striking the point of the sickle through
its head and holding it up to the view of the company.
It was then thrown aside by the root of a tree, or in a
bunch of bushes, and then labor recommenced. This
often happened a half dozen times in the course of a
single day. This was not the worst. Owing to the heavy
dews and growth of rank weeds among the small grain,
it was requisite to let the grain lie in grips a day or more
to dry before it was bound up. The rattlesnakes often

112 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
hid themselves under these handfulls of grain, and hence
it often happened that they were taken up in the arms
of those who were employed in gathering and binding
them. If the laborer happened to be even an old man,
stiffened with toil and the rheumatism, he dropped all
and sprang away with all the agility of a boy of sixteen,
and however brave in other respects, it was some time
before the tremor of his limbs and the palpitation of his
heart wore off.
Terrible as the serpents were to men, they were still
more so to our women, to w|iose lot it generally fell to
pull the flax. The flax patch was commonly near the
grain field. While the men were reaping the grain the
women were pulling the flax. The rattlesnakes were
often met with among the flax. When this happened
th e women always screamed with all their might. A race
then took place among the younger reapers, to decide
who should have the honor of killing the snake. In the
race each one picked up a club, and the first of them who
reached the serpent instantly despatched him. This was
a little piece of chivalry with which the girls were well
pleased. Very few women had the hardihood to attack
and kill a rattlesnake. At the sight of one of them, they
always gave a loud shriek, as if conscious of being the
weaker vessel ; in similar circumstances a man never does
this, as he has no one to depend upon for protection but
himself. I have often seen women so overcome with
terror at the sight of a rattlesnake, as to become almost
incapable of moving.
Every season, for a long time, a number of our people
were bitten by those poisonous reptiles. Some of them
died ; those of them who escaped death, generally suf
fered a long and painful confinement, which left some of
them in an infirm state of health for the rest of their
lives. In the fall these reptiles congregate together in cavities
among the rocks, where it is said that they remain in a

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 113
dormant state during the winter. Whether this is the
fact or not I cannot tell, never having seen one of their
dens opened.
These dens were common all over the country, and
many of them well known to our people, who much
dreaded the egress of their poisonous inhabitants, in the
spring of the year, not only on account of themselves,
but also on account of their beasts, many of which were
killed by the bites of the snakes.
There was a den in the neighborhood of my father's
place, and I well remember a rare piece of sport of the
children belonging to the farms about it. It was on a
warm day in the spring of the year, when we knew that
the snakes were out among the leaves sunning them
selves. We encircled the den, including several acres of
ground, by parting the leaves so as to prevent the fire
from spreading through the woods. On the inside of
this ring we set fire to the dry leaves. In a short time
we had the fun of seeing the snakes jumping and writhing
in the blaze of the leaves. After the burning was over
we collected a considerable pile of our burnt snakes.
I have heard of but two attempts to demolish the dens
of the snakes. The first was somewhere in the Alle
ghany mountain. My informant told me that by the
time they had killed about ninety of them, they became
so sickened by the stench of the serpents that they were
obliged _ to quit the work, although there was still a
great number of them in view. The next attempt to
destroy a snake den, took place between New Lancaster
and Columbus in the state of Ohio. The snakes had
chosen one of the old Indian graves, composed mainly
of stone, for their residence. They gave such annoyance
to the settlers in its neighborhood, that they assembled
for the purpose of demolishing it. In doing so they
found several hundred snakes together with a vast quan
tity of the bones of those of them which through a long
series of years had perished in the den. These were in-

114 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
termingled with the bones of those human beings for
whose sepulture the mound had been erected.
Do these reptiles possess that power of fascination
which has so frequently been ascribed to them ? Many
of them as I have seen I never witnessed an instance of
the exercise of this power. I have several times seen
birds flying about them, approaching close to their heads,
and uttering noises which seemed to indicate the greatest
distress ; but on examination always found that the
strange conduct of the bird was owing to an approach
of the snake to the nest containing its young.
That such cases as those above mentioned are often
mistaken for instances of the exercise of the power of
fascination, is quite certain ; nevertheless that this power
exists there can be no doubt. The greater number of
the early settlers say that they have been witnesses of
the exercise of this power, and their testimony is worthy
of credit. It seems from some reports worthy of belief,
that even mankind as well as birds and beasts are subject
to this fascinating power of serpents.
A Mr. Walter Hill, a laborer in Maryland in early
times, informed me that once in the spring of the year,
himself and a fellow laborer were directed by their em
ployer to clean out the barn. In doing this they found
a rattlesnake among the rubbish. Instead of killing, they
threw it into a hogshead, with a view to have some sport
with him after they had finished their work. J\.ccord-
ingly in the evening, when the work was done, my in
formant stooped over the top of the hogshead to take a
look at the snake, when instantly he said, he became
sick at the stomach, giddy headed, and partially blind.
His head sunk downwards towards that of the serpent,
which was elevated some distance above its coil. The
eyes of the snake were steadily fixed on his and looked,
as he expressed himself, like balls of fire. His com
panion observing his approach to the snake, pulled him
away. It was sometime before he came to himself. I

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 115
have heard of an instance of the fascination. of a young
lady of New Jersey.
This power of fascination is indeed a strange phenome
non. Yet, according to the usual munificence of nature,
the poor miserable snake, which inherits the hatred of
all animated nature, ought to have some means of pro
curing subsistence, as well as of defense : but he has no
teeth or claws to aid him in catching his prey, nor feet
to assist him in flight or pursuit. His poison, however,
enables him to take revenge for the hatred entertained
against him, and his power of charming procures him a
scanty supply of provision. But what is this power of
fascination .' Is there any physical agency in it ? I
think it must be admitted that there is some physical
agency employed in this matter, although we may not be
able to ascertain what it is. If there be no such agency
employed in fascination by serpents, it must be effected
by a power similar to that which superstition ascribes to
charms, amulets, spells, and incantations. A power
wholly imaginary, unknown to the laws of nature, and
which philosophy totally rejects as utterly impossible.
On this subject I will hazard the opinion that the charm
under consideration, is effected by means of an intoxicat
ing odor, which the serpent has the power of emitting.
That the rattlesnakes have the power of giving out
a very offensive vapor, I know by experience, having
often smelt them in warm sunny days, especially after a
shower of rain, when plowing in the field. This often
happened when I did not see any of them ; but it always
excited a painful apprehension that I should speedily
meet with some of them. The odor of a serpent, is an
odor sui generis. A person once accustomed to it can
never mistake it for anything else.
I have heard it said, although I cannot vouch for the
truth of it, that a snake, when in the act of charming,
appears, by the alternate expansion and depression of its

116 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
sides, to be. engaged in the act of blowing with all its
I might. I think it every way probable, that in every instance
of fascination, the position of the snake is to the wind
ward of the victim of its charm. But why should this
intoxicating odor draw its victim to the source from
whence it issues. Here I must plead ignorance, to be
sure ; but does anything more happen to the bird or
beast in this case than happens to mankind in conse
quence of the use of those intoxicating gases, or fluids,
furnished by the art of chemistry.
A person affected by the exhilerating gas clings to the
jar and sucks the pipe, after he has inhaled its whole con
tents and is not the madness occasioned, by inhaling this
gas, equal to that which takes place in the bird or
squirrel when under the influence of the charm of the
serpent. The victims of this serpentine fascination
scream and run, or flutter about awhile, and then resign
themselves to their fate. In like manner the person
who inhales the gas is instantly deprived of reason, be
comes frantic, and acts the madman ; but should he
continue to inhale this gas only for a short time, death
would be the consequence. The same observation may
be made with regard to alcohol, the basis of ardent spirits,
a habit of using which occasions a repetition of the in
toxicating draught, until, in spite of every consideration
of honor, duty, and interest, the indulgence ends in a
slow but inevitable suicide.
My reader, I hope, will not complain of the length of
this article. He perhaps has never seen one of the poi
sonous reptiles which so mueh annoyed his forefathers ;
but in gratitude he ought to reflect on the appalling dan
gers attendant on the settlement of his native country.
The first settler at night knew not where to set his foot
without danger of being assailed by the fangs of a ser
pent. Even his cabin was not secure from the invasion
of the snakes. In the day time, if in the woods, he

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 117
knew not in what bunch of weeds or grass he might
provoke a rattlesnake by the tread of his foot, or from
behind what tree or log he might be met by the bullet
or tomahawk of an Indian.

CHAPTER VII.
Indigenous Fruits of the Country.
After having described the western wilderness, an
account of its native fruits cannot be improper. To the
botanist and agriculturalist this history cannot fail of being
acceptable. To the former it will serve to show the
great improvement which cultivation has made upon the
indigenous fruits of the forest. To the latter it will
point out what plants may yet be cultivated with success,
although hitherto neglected. For instance, should he
inquire whether this country is calculated by nature for
the cultivation of the vine, he has only to ask whether
the country in its original state produced the fruit of the
vine. Those early settlers who profited by the indica
tion with regard to the cultivation of the apple tree, fur
nished by the growth of the crab apple in the country,
derived great advantage from their correct philosophy,
in the high price of their fruit, while those who neglected
this indication, and delayed planting their trees until they
witnessed the growth of fruit on the trees of their
neighbors, were left several years in the rear in this
respect. In giving the history of our native fruits I shall follow
the order in which they ripened from spring until winter,
our manner of gathering them, with some remarks on

118 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
the present state of those of them which still remain in
the country.
The first fruit which ripened in the country was the
wild strawberry. It grew on poor land, on which there
was no timber. There were many such places of small
extent, on the points of hills along the creeks. They
were denominated bald knobs. The fruit was small,
and much sourer than the cultivated strawberry. It was
not abundant in any place.
The service trees were the first in bloom in the spring.
Their beautiful little flowers made a fine appearance
through the woods, in the month of April. The berries
were ripe in June. They are sweet, with a very slight
mixture of acidity, and a very agreeable flavor. The
service trees grew abundantly along the small water
courses, and more thinly over the hills at a distance from
them. A few of these trees still remain, but their fruit
is mostly devoured by the great number of small birds
which have accompanied the population of the country.
Our time for gathering the service berries, as well as
other fruits, was Sunday, and in large companies, under
the protection of some of our warriors in arms. In
doing this a great number of the trees were cut down, so
that our crop of them was lessened every year. This
fruit may be considered as lost to the country, for
although the trees might be cultivated in gardens, the
berries would all be devoured by the small birds, before
they would be fully ripe.
Blackberries grew in abundance in those places where,
shortly before the settlement of the country, the timber
had been blown down by hurricanes. Those places we
called the fallen timber. When ripe, which was in
the time of harvest, the children and young people re
sorted to the fallen timber in large companies, under
a guard, for the purpose of gathering the berries, of which
tarts were often made for the harvest table. The fallen
timber, owing to a new growth of trees, no longer pro-

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 119
duces those berries, but enough of them are to be had
along the fences on most of our farms.
Wild raspberries of an agreeable flavor were found in
many places, but not plentifully anywhere.
Gooseberries of a small size, and very full of thorns,
but of an agreeable taste, grew in some places in the
woods. The amount of them was but small. What
ever may be the reason, this fruit does not succeed well
when transplanted into gardens, where they flower
abundantly, but shed the berries before they become
ripe. Whortleberries were never abundant in this section of
the country, but they were so in many places in the
mountains. Wild plums were abundant in rich land. They were
of various colors and sizes, and many of them of an excel
lent flavor. The wild plums of late years have, like
our damson plums, fallen off prematurely. The beetle
bug, or curculio, an insect unknown to the country at
its first settlement, but now numerous everywhere, per
forates the green fruit, for the deposition of its egg.
This occasions a flow of the juice of the fruit, so that it
becomes gummy, and falls off.
An indifferent kind of fruit, called buckberries, used
to grow on small shrubs, on poor ridges. This fruit has
nearly vanished from the settled parts of the country.
Our fall fruits were winter and fall grapes, the former
grew in the bottom lands. They were sour, of little
value, and seldom used. The fall grapes grew on the
high grounds, particularly in the fallen timber land. Of
these grapes we had several varieties, and some of them
large and of an excellent flavor. We still have the wild
grapes ; but not in such abundance as formerly. In
process of time they will disappear from the country.
Black haws grew on large bushes along the moist
bottoms of small water courses. They grew in large
clusters, and ripened with the first frosts in the fall.
11

120 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
Children were very fond of them. Red haws grew on
the white thorn bushes. They were of various kinds.
The sugar haws, which are small, grow in large clusters,
and when ripe and free from worm, and semi transparent,
were most esteemed. I have a row of about forty trees
of the white thorn in my garden, which were raised from
the haws. The berries when ripe are large, and make
a fine appearance, and being almost free from worms,
the children are very fond of eating them.
Wild cherries were abundant in many places. To
most people they are very agreeable fruit. They are
now becoming scarce.
Pawpaws were plenty along the great water courses,
and on the rich hills. Some people are fond of eating
them. Scarcely any beast will touch them ; even the
omnivorous hog never eats them. It is said that rac
coons are fond of them. They are still plenty in many
places. The crab apple was very abundant along the smaller
water courses. The foliage of the tree which bears this
fruit is like that of the domestic apple tree, bur not so
large. The tree itself is smaller, of a slower growth
than the orchard tree, and the wood of a much firmer
texture. It blossoms a little later than our orchards,
and when in bloom makes a noble appearance, and fills
the surrounding air with a delicious fragrance. The
crab appears to be a tree of great longevity. Sour as
the crab apples were, the children were fond of eating
them, especially when in the winter season they could
find them under the leaves, where, defended from the
frost, they acquired a fire golden color, a fragrant smell,
and lost much of their sourness. One or more of these
indigenous apple trees ought to be planted in every
orchard, in honor of their native tenancy of our forests,
as well as for the convenience of our ladies, who are
very fond of them for preserves, but are sometimes un
able to procure them.

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 121
Of hickory nuts we had a great variety ; some of the
larger shell bark nuts, with the exception of the thick
ness of their shells, were little inferior to the English
walnut. Of white walnuts, we generally had a great
abundance. Of black walnuts, many varieties as to size,
and amount of kernel. Hazel and chestnuts were plenty
in many places.
Thus a munificent providence had furnished this re
gion of the earth with the greater number of fruits
which are to be found in the old world ; but owing to
the want of cultivation, they were inferior in size and
flavor to the same kinds of fruit in Europe. It has been
my fate, as well as that of many others in this country,
to use, in infancy and youth, the native fruits of the
wilderness, and in more advanced age to enjoy the same
kinds of fruits, in their most improved state. The salu
tary effects of the cultivation of these furits are, therefore,
present to our senses, and we cannot fail to appreciate
them. It may not be amiss to notice in this place the changes
which have taken place in the growth and bearing of
some of our fruit trees, since the settlement of the
country. My father planted peach trees at an early period.
For some time a crop of peaches once in three or four
years was as much as we expected. After some time
these trees became so far naturalized to the climate
as to bear almost every year. The same observation
applies, although in a less degree, to the apple trees
which were first planted in the country. Their fruit
was frequently wholly killed by the frost. This has not
happened for many years past. The pear and heart
cherry trees, although they blossomed abundantly, bore
but little fruit for many years ; but in process of time
they afforded abundant crops. Such was the effect of
their becoming naturalized to our climate.

122 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
The peach and pear trees did very well until the year
1806, when a long succession of rainy seasons com
menced, during which the trees overgrew themselves,
and the falls being warm and rainy, they continued their
growth until the onset of winter. Their branches were
then full of sap, and as water occupies a greater space
when frozen than when fluid, the freezing of the water
they contained bursted the texture of their wood, and
rendered them unfit for the transmission of sap the next
season. This fact leads to the conclusion that those
soft-wooded fruit trees ought to be planted' in the high
est situations, and poorest land, where they will have
the slowest possible growth. The few dry seasons we
have had latterly, have, in some measure, restored the
peach trees. If such seasons should continue for any
length of time, the peaches and pears will again become
plenty. If annual plants, as well as trees, possess the faculty
of becoming naturalized to soils and climates remote
from those in which they are indigenous, what great ad
vantages may we not reasonably anticipate for the future
prosperity of our country, from this important law of the
vegetable world } If, by a slow progress from' south to
north, the period of the growth of a plant may be
shortened to three-fourths, or even less than that, of the
time of its growth in the south, the sugar cane, already
transplanted from the islands of the West Indies to the
shores of the Mississippi, may slowly travel .up that river
and its branches, to latitudes far north of any region
which has heretofore witnessed its growth. The cotton
plant and coffee tree, in all probability, will take the
same course.
The conclusions of philosophy, with regard to the
future, are prophetic, when correctly drawn from the
unerring test of experience. In the prospect here pre
sented of the practicability of naturalizing the plants of
the south, to the temperate latitudes /ar north of their

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 123
native region, it is only saying that what has happened
to one plant, may under similar treatment happen to
another. For example. How widely different is the
large squaw corn, in its size, and the period of its growth,
from the Mandan corn. The latter ripens under the
fortieth degree of north latitude ; and yet the squaw and
Mandan corn are not even different species ; but only
varieties of the same plant. The squaw corn might
travel slowly to the north, and ultimately dwindle down
into Mandan corn : while the Mandan corn, by being
transplanted to the south, increases in size and lengthens
the period of its growth.
The cherry tree, a native of Cerasia, was once culti
vated as a tender exotic plant in Italy. It now grows
in the open air as far north as St. Petersburg in Russia.
The palma christi, the plant which furnishes the beans
of which the castor oil is made, is a native of the tropical
regions, yet it now flourishes, and bears fruit abundantly
in our latitudes ! I once saw a plant of this kind in a
garden in this town, the seed of which had come from
the West Indies, among coffee. The plant was large,
and vigorous ; but owing to its too great a removal, at
once, from its native soil and climate, it bore no beans.
These observations have been made to show that the
independence of our country may be vastly augmented,
by a proper attention to the laws of nature with regard
to the vegetable world, so that we may hereafter culti
vate within our own country, the precious fruits even of
the tropical regions.

124 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of

ciTapter viii.
Account of a Hermit.
A man of the name of Thomas Hardie, who from his
mode of living was properly entitled to the appellation
of hermit, lived in the neighborhood of my father's
place. His appearance, dress, and deportment, are
among the earliest impressions of my memory.
He was an Englishman, by birth and education, and
an ordained clergyman of the Church of England. He
must have been a man of profound learning. Some of
his books in Greek and German fell into my hands
after his death. His marginal remarks in the Greek
books showed clearly that he had read them with great
attention. His appearance was in the highest degree venerable.
He was pretty far advanced in age ; his head was
bald, his hair gray, and his chin decorated with a large
well shapen beard. His Sress was a long robe which
reached to his feet, held together with a girdle about his
loins. This he called his phylactery. His clothes were
all fastened together with hooks and eyes. Buttons
and buckles were abominations in his view.
In the time of the Indian war, he went about where-
ever he chose, without arms, believing, as he said, that
no Indian would hurt him ; accordingly so it turned out,
although he frequently exposed himself to danger.
His conversation must have been of the most interest
ing kind. He seemed to be master of every science
and possessed an inexhaustible fund of anecdotes, He
frequently entertained pretty large companies, with rela-

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 1 25
tions of events in England and other parts. In all his
anecdotes and historical relations, he was the only
speaker ; for he knew everything and his hearers no
thing. But, however entertaining this hermit's conversation
and anecdotes, they were conducted in a very singular
way. When speaking he seldom kept his seat, but
paced the floor from one side of the house to the other,
sometimes with a slow, measured step, sometimes in a
quick and irregular gait. During all this time he was
constantly twitching his beard, and sputtering out tobacco
spittle, in such a way that its drops were almost as
small as those of mist. Sometimes he would walk up
to one of his hearers so as to bring his face almost in
contact with that of the person to whom he was speak
ing ; he would then speak in a low tone of voice, almost
approaching to a whisper ; during this time his hearer was
apt to be a little annoyed by the particles of tobacco
spittle falling on his face and clothing. After talking a
while in this way, he would whirl about, and talk again
in a loud tone of voice. Sometimes the hermit would
preach to the people in the fort. When he did this he
wore a black robe, made like the rest of his robes, in
the fashion of a morning gown. Sometimes he put on
bands of the common size and shape. At other times
he had over his robe a very fine piece of linen, about
four feet long and about eighteen inches broad. In the
middle of this there was a hole through which he put
his head, so that the piece of linen hung down at equal
lengths before and behind. This decoration gave him a
truly venerable appearance. I think, from the great ex
tent of his learning, he must have been a first rate
preacher. In addition to this, to the best of my recol
lection, his voice and elocution were of the first order.
In his public services, particularly in the marriage cere
mony, which it fell to. his lot to perform very often for

126 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
our early settlers, he followed the ritual of the Church of
England. This hermit possessed one art, the like of which I
never witnessed or heard of since. He was in the habit
of giving a piece of white paper four or five inches square
a single fold, and with a very small pair of scissors which
he always carried about him, he would soon produce the
picture of a buck, an elk, flower-pot, turkey, or anything
else he chose. These pictures sometimes had a single,
sometimes a double festoon border which had the ap
pearance of fine needle work. While doing this he was
commonly engaged in conversation, and appeared to take
very little notice of what he was doing. I remember I
once asked him to show me how to make such pictures.
He answered with apparent chagrin : " No, I cannot.
It is a star in the head, and you don't possess it, there
fore say no more about it."
Mr. Hardie, although he professed .himself a clergy
man of the Church of England, was nevertheless attached
to the Dunkard society, I think on the river Lehigh,
but whether he came into the country with the Dunkards
who made the establishments which gave name to Dun
kard creek and Dunkard bottom on Cheat river, I have
not been informed. I have, indeed, never been able to
obtain the history of the settlement and departure of
those people from the country.
Mr. Hardie brought with him into the country an
orphan lad, whom he raised in his hermitage, and taught
him his religious principles with such effect, that when
grown up he suffered his beard to grow long. He
adopted his master's deportment and mode of conversa
tion. He was not, however, the disciple of his master
in every point. After his beard had grown to a tolerable
length he engaged in a scout against a couple of Indians
who had taken two women and a child prisoners from
the neighborhood. The prisoners were recovered in the
evening of the second day of their captivity. On this

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 121
occasion, the young Dunkard behaved with the utmost
bravery. He fired the first gun, ^d was first at the
Indian camp, to save the prisoners from the tomahawk.
When the party returned to the fort, they unanimously
protested that so .brave a man should not wear such an
ugly beard, and accordingly shaved it off; but he let it
grow again. All this, however, did not suit the pacific
principles of his master.
This disciple of the hermit departed from his master
in another point. He was twice married. This, I be
lieve, displeased the old hermit ; for soon after the first
marriage of his pupil, he went down among his brethren
in the lower part of Pennsylvania, where he died.
Although these hermits seemed wholly devoted to the
means of securing their future interest, they neverthe
less did not entirely neglect the present world ; but took
care to secure themselves two very valuable tracts of
land ; the one on Cross creek, where their first hermit
age was erected, the other the place now owned by
Dr. John Cuthbertson, on which the second hermitage
was established.
When a boy, I was often at the latter hermitage, for
the purpose of receiving instructions in arithmetic from
the old hermit ; although the old man was a good hand
at washing and cooking, yet the apparent poverty and
wretchedness of the cabin demonstrated in most impres
sive manner " that it is not good for man to be alone."
There was something strange in the character and
latter end of the younger hermit. During the greater part
of his time, especially in his latter years, he was enthu
siastically religious. Before eating he commonly read
a few verses in his Bible, instead of saying grace. When
alone, he was often engaged in soliloquies ; sometimes he
attempted to preach, although he was a great stutterer.
Several times he became quite deranged. On one oc
casion he took it into his head that he ought to be
scourged, and actually prepared hickories, stripped him-

128 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
self, and made a mulatto man whip him until he said he
had enough. Throughout life, with the exception of
his last year, he was remarkably lazy and careless about
his worldly affairs, owing to his great devotion to read
ing and religious exercises. He was the last in the
neighborhood at planting, sowing, reaping, and every
thing else about his farm, so that, although he had an
excellent tract of land, he could hardly make out to live.
About a year before his death he fell into a consumptive
complaint. During this year his former religious im
pressions seemed entirely to have forsaken his mind.
He became completely the man of the world. When
ever any conversation on religious subjects was offered
him by his neighbors, who saw that his end was fast
approaching, he always replied with some observation
about building a barn, a fence, or something else of a
worldly nature. During this year he did more worldly
business than he ever had done in any ten years of his
life before.
I knew an instance of a similar change in the deport
ment of a gentleman whom I attended in a severe attack
of the dropsy. Before his illness he was an easy, good
natured, careless man, and a good neighbor ; but after
his recovery he was excessively avaricious, profane in
his language, and a tyrant to his family and neighbors.
Both these men appeared to have undergone an entire
change in the state of the mind, and external deport
ment. The question whether the moral system of our nature
is not as apt to suffer a deterioration, as to receive an
improvement, in consequence of severe and long con
tinued fits of sickness, would be an interesting subject
in moral philosophy, and deserves the attention of men
of science.

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 129

CHAPTER IX.
Settlement of the Country.
The settlements on this side of the mountains com
menced along the Monongahela, and between that river
and the Laurel Ridge, in the year 1772. In the suc
ceeding year they reached the Ohio river. The greater
number of the first settlers came from the upper parts
of the then colonies of Maryland, and Virginia. Brad-
dock'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 Pennsylvania to Pittsburg.
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 wilderness were
encumbered with much baggage.
Land was the object which invited the greater number
of these people to cross the mountain, for as the saying
then was, " it was to be had here for taking up ;" that
is, building a cabin and raising a crop of grain, however
small, of any kind, entitled the occupant to four hundred
acres of land, and a preemption right to one thousand
acres more adjoining, to be secured by a land office
warrant. This right was to take effect 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 ap
pointed three commissioners to give certificates of settle
ment rights. These certificates, together with *he sur
veyor's plan, were sent to the land officJe of the state.

130 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
where they laid six months, to await any caveat which
might be offered. If none was offered the patent then
issued. There was, at an early period of our settlements, an
inferior kind of land title denominated a tomahawk
right, which was' made by deadening 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 these tomahawk 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 whatever, unless followed by an
actual settlement. These rights, however, were often
bought and sold. Those who wished to make settle
ments on their favorite tracts of land, bought up the
tomahawk improvements, rather than enter into qiiorrels
with those who had made them. Other improvers of
the land, with a view to actual settlement, and who
happened to be stout veteran fellows, took a very different
course from that of purchasing 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 whipping.
Some of the early settlers took the precaution to come
over the mountains 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 course. His family was but sniall
and he brought them all with him. The Indian 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

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 131
of the wild turkey, we were taught to call bread. The
flesh of the bear was denominated meat. This artifice
did not succeed very well ; after living in this way for
some time we became sickly, the stomach seemed 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 delicious was the taste of the
young potatoes when we got them ! What a jubilee
when we were permitted to pull the young corn for
roasting ears. Still more so when it had acquired suffi
cient hardness to be made into johnny cakes by the aid
of a tin grater. We then became healthy, vigorous and
contented with our situation, poor as it was.
My father with a small number of his neighbors made
their settlements in the spring of 1773. Though they
were in a poor and destitute situation, they nevertheless
lived in peace ; but their tranquility was not of long con
tinuance. Those most atrocious murders of the peace
able inoffensive Indians at Captina 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' fort
in Sandy creek glade, some distance to the east of Union-
town. The fort consisted of an assemblage of small
hovels, situated on the margin of a large and noxious
marsh, the effluvia of which gave the most of the women
and children the fever and ague. The men were com
pelled by necessity to return home, and risk the toma
hawk and scalping knife of the Indians, in raising corn
to keep their families from starvation the succeeding
winter. Those sufferings, dangers, and losses, were the
tribute we had to pay to that thirst for blood which
actuated those veteran murderers who brought the war
upon us ! The memory of the sufferers in this war, as well

132 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
as that of their descendants, still looks back upon them
with regret, and abhorrence, and the page of history will
consign their names to posterity, with the full weight of
infamy they, deserve.
A correct and detailed view of the origin of societies,
and their progress from one condition or point of wealth,
science and civilization, to another, in these important
respects a much higher grade, is always highly interest
ing even when received through the dusky medium of
history, oftentimes but poorly and partially written ; but
when this retrospect of things past and gone is drawn
from the recollections of experience, the impressions
which it makes on the heart 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 given to the
world, with the recollection that many of my cotem
poraries, still living, have, as well as myself, witnessed
all the scenes and events herein described, and whose
memories would speedily detect and expose any errors
the work may contain.
The municipal, as well as ecclesiastical, institutions
of society, whether good or bad, in consequence of their
long continued use, give a corresponding cast to the pub
lic character of the society, whose conduct they direct,
and the more so, because in the lapse of time, the observ
ance of them becomes a matter of conscience. This
observation applies, in full force, to that influence of our
early land laws, which allowed four 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 believed that any attempt to get more would
be sinful. Most of them, therefore, contented themselves
with that amount ; 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

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 133
others, to be afterwards transferred to them, as if by
purchase. Some few, indeed, pursued this practice ; but
it was held in detestation.
My father, like many others, believed, that having
secured his legal allotment, the rest of the country be
longed of right to those who chose to settle in it.
There was a piece of vacant land adjoining his tract
amounting to about two hundred acres. To this tract
of land he had the preemption right, and accordingly
secured it by warrant ; but his conscience would not
permit him to retain it in his family ; he therefore gave
it to an apprentice lad whom he had raised in his house.
This lad sold it to an uncle of mine for a cow and calf,
a nd a wool hat.
Owing to the equal distribution of real property directed
by our land laws, and the sterling integrity of our fore
fathers, in their observance of them, we have no dis
tricts of sold land, as it is called, that is large tracts
of land in the hands of individuals, or companies, who
neither sell nor improve them, as is the case in Lower
Canada, and the north-western part of Pennsylvania.
These unsettled tracts make huge blanks in the popula
tion of the country where they exist.
The division lines between those whose lands ad
joined, were generally made in an amicable manner,
before any survey of them was made, by the parties
concerned. In doing this they were guided mainly by
the tops of ridges and water courses, but particularly the
former. Hence the greater number of farms in the
western parts ot Pennsylvania and Virginia bear a striking
resemblance to an amphitheatre. The buildings occupy
a low situation and the tops of the surrounding hills are
the boundaries of the tract to which the family mansion
belongs. Our forefathers were fond of farms of this description,
because, as they said, they are attended with this con
venience " that everything comes to the house down \

134 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
hill." In the hilly parts of the state of Ohio, the land
having been laid off in an arbitrary manner, by straight
parallel lines, without 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 frequently
occupy the tops of the hills, as any other situation.
Our people had become 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 be disposed of in that way.
Hence almost the whole tract of country between the
Ohio and Muskingum was parcelled out in tomahawk
improvements ; but these latter improvers did not
content themselves with a single four 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 land
jobbers of this class did not content themselves with
marking the trees, at the usual height, with the initials
of their names, but climbed up 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 made marks on other trees
around them as references.
Most of the early settlers considered their land as 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. The 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
few crops, became unfit for use and was thrown out into
commons. In their unfavorable opinion of the nature of the soil
of our country, our forefathers were utterly mistaken.

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 135
The native weeds were scarcely destroyed, before the
whi.e clover and different 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 protect the soil from being
washed away by drenching rains, so often injurious in
hilly countries.
Judging.from Virgil's' test of fruitful and barren soils,
the greater part of this country must possess every re
quisite 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 fill it up the soil is barren.
Whoever chooses to make this experiment will find the
result indicative of the richness of our soil. Even our
graves, notwithstanding the size of the vault, are seldom
finished with the earth thrown out of them, and they
soon sink below the surface of the earth.

CHAPTER X.
House Furniture and Diet.
The settlement of a new country, in the immediate
neighborhood of an old one, is not attended with much
difficulty, because supplies can be readily obtained from

' Ante locum capies oculis, alteque jubebis
In solido puteum demicti, omnemque repones
Rursus humum, et pedibus summas cequabis arenas.
Si deerunt : rarum, pecorique et vitibus almis
Aptius uber erit. Sin in sua posse negabunt
Ire loca, et scrobibus superabit terra replecis,
Spissus ager ; glebas cunctantes crassaque terga
Expecca, validis terram proscinde juvencis.
Vir. Geo., lib. ll, 1. 230.

136 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
the latter ; but the settlement of a country very remote
from any cultivated region, is a very different thing, be
cause at the outset, food, raiment, and the implements
of husbandry are obtained only in small supplies and
with great difficulty. The task of making new estab
lishments in a remote wilderness in a time of profound
peace is sufficiently 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 suffer
ings are then carried to the full extent of the capacity of
men to endure them.
Such was the wretched condition of our forefathers
in making their settlements here. To all their difficul
ties arid privations the Indian war was a weighty addition.
This destructive warfare they were compelled to sustain
almost single handed, because the revolutionary contest
with England gave full employment for the military
strength and resources on the east side of the moun
tains. The following history of the poverty, labors, suffer
ings, manners and customs, of our forefathers, will appear
like a collection of " tales of olden times " without any
garnish of language to spoil the original portraits, by
giving them shades of coloring which they did not
possess. I shall follow the order of things as they
occurred during the period of time embraced in these
narratives, beginning with those rude accommodations
with which our first adventurers into this country fur
nished themselves at the commencement of their estab
lishments. It will be a homely narrative ; yet valuable
on the ground of its being real history.
If my reader, when viewing through the medium
which I here present, the sufferings of human nature in
one of its most depressed and dangerous conditions, should
drop an involuntary tear, let him not blame me for the
sentiment of sympathy which he feels. On the contrary.

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 137
if he should sometimes meet with a recital calculated to
excite a smile or a laugh I claim no credit for his enjoy
ment. It is the subject matter of the history and not the
historian which makes those widely different impressions
on the mind of the reader,
In this chapter it is my design to give a brief account
of the household furniture and articles of diet which were
used by the first inhabitants of our country. A descrip
tion of their cabins and half-faced camps, and their man
ner of building them, will be found elsewhere.
The furniture for the table, for several years after the
settlement of this country, consisted of a few pewter
dishes, plates, and spoons ; but mostly of woodeii bowls,
trenchers and noggins. If these last were scarce, gourds
and hard shelled squashes made up the deficiency. 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 corresponded
very well with the articles of diet on which they were
employed. " Hog and hominy " were proverbial for the
dish of which they were the component parts. Johnny
cake 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, milk and mush was the stand
ard dish. When milk was not plenty, which was often
the case, owing to the scarcity of cattle, or the want of
proper pasture for them, the substantial dish of hominy
had to supply the place of them ; mush was frequently
eaten with sweetened water, molasses, bear's oil, or the
gravy of fried meat.
Every family, besides a little garden for the few vege
tables which they cultivated, had another small enclosure
containing from half an acre to an acre, which they
called a truck patch, in which they raised corn, for
roasting ears, pumpkins, squashes, beans, and pota
toes. These, in the latter part of the summer and fall,
were cooked with their pork, venison, and bear meat for

138 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
dinner, and made very wholesome and well tasted dishes.
The standard dinner dish for every log rolling, house
raising, and harvest day was a pot pie, or what in other
countries is called sea pie. This, besides answering
for dinner, served for a part of the supper also. The
remainder of it from dinner, being eaten with milk in the
evening, after the conclusion of the labor of the day.
In our whole display of furniture, the delft, china, and
silver were unknown. It did not then as now require
contributions from the four quarters ot the globe to fur
nish the breakfast table, viz : the silver from Mexico ;
the coffee from the West Indies ; the tea from China,
and the delft and porcelain from Europe or Asia. Yet
our homely fare, and unsightly cabins, and furniture,
produced a hardy veteran race, who planted the first foot
steps of society and civilization, in the immense regions
of the west. Inured to hardihood, bravery and labor
from their early youth, they sustained with manly forti
tude the fatigue of the chase, the campaign and scout,
and with strong arms " turned the wilderness into fruit
ful fields" and have left to their descendants the rich
inheritance of an immense empire blessed with peace
and wealth.
I well recollect the first time I ever saw a tea cup
and saucer, and tasted coffee. My mother died when I
was about six or seven years of age. My father then
sent me to Maryland with a brother of my grandfather,
Mr. Alexander Wells, to school. At Colonel Brown's
iu the mountains, at Stony creek glades, I for the first
time saw tame geese, and by bantering a pet gander I
got a severe biting by his bill, and beating by his wings.
I wondered very much that birds so large and strong
should be so much tamer than the wild turkeys. At this
place, however, all was right, excepting the large birds
which they called geese. The cabin and its furniture
were such as I had been accustomed to see in the back
woods, as my country was then called. At Bedford

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 139
everything was changed. The tavern at which my
uncle put up, was a stone house, and to make the change
still more complete it was plastered in the inside, both
as to the walls and ceiling. On going into the dining
room I was struck with astonishment at the appearance
of the house. I had no idea that there was any house
in the world which was not built of logs ; but here I
looked round the house and could see no logs, and above
I could see no joists ; whether such a thing had been
made by the hands of man, or had grown so of itself, I
could not conjecture. I had not the courage to inquire
anything about it. When supper came on, " my con
fusion was worse confounded." A little cup stood in a
bigger one with some brownish looking stuff in it, which
was neither milk, hominy, nor broth ; what to do with
these little cups and the little spoon belonging to them,
I could not tell ; and I was afraid to ask anything con
cerning the use of them.
It was in the time of the war, and the company were
giving accounts of catching, whipping and hanging the
tories. The word jail frequently occurred : this word
I had never heard before ; but I soon discovered, and
was much terrified at its meaning, and supposed that we
were in much danger of the fate of the tories ; for I
thought, as we had come from the backwoods, it was
altogether likely that we must be tories too. For fear
of being discovered I durst not utter a single word. I
therefore watched attentively to see what the big folks
would do with their little cups and spoons. I imitated
them, and found the taste of the coffee nauseous beyond
anything I 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 the little cups were filled immedi
ately after being emptied. This circumstance distressed
me very much, as I durst not say I had enough. Look
ing attentively at the grown persons, I saw one man turn

140 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
his little cup bottom upwards and put his little spoon
across it. I observed that after this his cup was not
filled again ; I followed his example, and to my great
satisfaction, the result as to my cup was the same.
The introduction of delft ware was considered by
many of the backwoods people as a culpable innovation.
It was too easily broken, and the plates of that ware
dulled their scalping and clasp knives ; tea ware was too
small for men ; they might do for women and children.
Tea and coffee were only slops, which in the adage of
the day " did not stick by the ribs." The idea was they
were designed only for people of quality, who do not
labor, or the sick. A genuine backwoodsman would
have thought himself disgraced by showing a fondness
for those slops. Indeed, many of them have, to this day,
very little respect for them.

CHAPTER XL
Dress of the Indians and First Settlers.
On the frontiers, and particularly amongst those who
were much in the habit of hunting, and going on scouts
and campaigns, the dress of the men was partly Indian,
and partly that of civilized nations.
The hunting shirt was universally worn. This was
a kind of loose frock, reaching half way down the thighs,
with large sleeves, open before, and so wide as to lap
over a foot or more when belted. The cape was large,
and sometimes handsomely fringed with a ravelled piece
of cloth of a different color from that of the hunting shirt
itself. The bosom 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 for the hunter

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 141
or warrior. The belt, which was always tied behind,
answered several purposes, besides that of holding the
dress together. In cold weather the mittens, and some
times the bullet-bag, occupied the front part of it. To
the right side was suspended the tomahawk and to the
left the scalping knife in its leathern sheath. The hunt
ing shirt was generally made of linsey, sometimes of
coarse linen, and a few of dressed deer skins. These
last were very cold and uncomfortable in wet weather.
The shirt and jacket were of the common fashion. A
pair of drawers or breeches and leggins, were the dress
of the thighs and legs ; a pair of moccasons answered for
the feet much better than shoes. These were made of
dressed deer skin. They 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, without gathers
as high as the ankle joint or a little higher. Flaps were
left on each side to reach some distance up the legs.
These were nicely adapted 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 izw hours
labor to make them. This was done by an instrument
denominated a moccason awl, which was made of the
backspring of an old claspknife. This awl with its bucks-
horn handle was an appendage of every shot pouch strap,
together with a roll of buckskin for mending the mocca
sons. This was the labor of almost every evening.
They were sewed together and patched 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 comfort
ably warm ; but in wet weather it was usually said that
wearing them was " a decent way of going barefooted;"
and such was the fact, owing to the spongy texture of
the leather of which they were made.
Owing to this defective covering of the feet, more

142 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
than to any other circumstance, the greater number of
our hunters and warriors were afflicted with the rheuma
tism in their limbs. Of this disease they were all appre
hensive in cold or wet weather, 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
becoming confirmed cripples in early life.
In the latter years of the Indian war our young men
became more enamored of the Indian dress throughout,
with the exception of the matchcoat. The drawers
were laid aside and the leggins made longer, so as to
reach the upper part of the thigh. The Indian breech
clout was adopted. 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 behind leaving the
ends for flaps hanging before and behind over the belt.
These flaps were sometimes ornamented with some
coarse kind of embroidery work. To the same belts
which secured the breech clout, strings which supported
the long leggins were attached. When this belt, as was
often the case, passed over the hunting shirt the upper
part of the thighs and part of the hips were naked.
The young warrior instead of being abashed by this-
nudity was proud of his Indian like dress. In some few
instances I have seen them go into places of public
worship in this dress. Their appearance, however, did
not add much to the devotion of the young ladies.
The linsey 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 home-made
handkerchief, in point of elegance, would illy supply the
place of that profusion of ruffles with which the necks
of our ladies are now ornamented.
They went barefooted in warm weather, and in cold,
their feet were covered with moccasons, coarse shoes, or
shoepacks, which would make but a sorry figure beside

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 143
the elegant morocco slippers often embossed with bullion
which at present ornament the feet of their daughters
and grand-daughters.
The coats and bedgowns of the women, as well as
the hunting shirts of the men, were hung in full display
on wooden pegs round 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 practice has not yet been
wholly laid aside amongst the backwoods families.
The historian would say to the ladies of the present
time, our ancestors of your sex knew nothing of the
ruffles, leghorns, curls, combs, rings and other jewels,
with which their fair daughters now decorate themselves.
Such things were not then to be had. Many 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 hearsay,
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 cover their heads with a sun bonnet made of six or
seven hundred linen.

CHAPTER XII.
The Fort and other Defenses,
My reader will understand by this term, not only a
place of defense, but the residence of a small number of
families belonging to the same neighborhood. As the
Indian mode of warfare was an indiscriminate slaughter
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. '3

144 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
The fort consisted of cabins, blockhouses, and stock
ades. A range of cabins commonly formed one side, at
least, of the fort. Divisions or partitions of logs sepa
rated the cabins from each other. The walls on "the
outside were ten or twelve feet high, the slope of the
roof being turned wholly inward. A very few of these
cabins had puncheon floors, the greater part were earthen.
The blockhouses were built at the angles of the fort.
They projected about two feet beyond the outer walls
of the cabins and stockades. Their upper stories were
about eighteen inches every way larger in dimension than
the under one, leaving an opening at the commencement
of the second story to prevent the enemy from making
a lodgment under their walls. In some forts, instead of
blockhouses, the angles of the fort were furnished with
bastions. A large folding gate made of thick slabs,
nearest the spring, closed the fort. The stockades,
bastions, cabins, and blockhouse walls, were furnished
with port holes at proper heights and distances. The
whole of the outside was made completely bullet proof."
It may be truly said that necessity is the mother of
invention ; for the whole of this work was made without
the aid of a single nail or spike of iron, and for this rea
son, such things were not to be had.
In some places less exposed, a single blockhouse, with
a cabin or two, constituted the whole fort. Such places
of refuge may appear very trifling to those who have
been in the habit of seeing the formidable military gar
risons of Europe and America ; but they answered the
purpose, as the Indians had no artillery. They seldom
attacked, and scarcely ever took one of them.
The families belonging to these forts were so attached
to their own cabins on their farms, that they seldom
moved into their fort in the spring until compelled by
some alarm, as they called it ; that is, when it was an
nounced by some murder that the Indians were in the
settlement.

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 145
The fort to which my father belonged was, during the
first years of the war, three-quarters of a mile from his
farm ; but when this fort went to decay, and became
unfit tor defense, a new one was built at his own house.
I well remember that, when a little boy, the family
were sometimes waked up in the dead of night, by an
express with a report that the Indians were at hand.
The express came softly to the door, or back window,
and by a gentle tapping waked the family. This was
easily done, as an habitual fear made us ever watchful
and sensible to the slightest alarm. The whole family
were instantly in motion. My father seized his gun
and other implements of war. My stepmother waked
up and dressed the children as well as she could, and
being myself the oldest of the children, I had to take my
share of the burdens to be carried to the fort. There
was no possibility of getting a horse in the night to aid
us in removing to the fort. Besides the little children,
we caught up what articles of clothing and provision we
could get hold of in the dark, for we durst 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 not a whimper
was heard afterwards. Thus it often happened that the
whole number of families belonging to a fort who were
in the evening at their homes, were all in their little
fortress before the dawn of the next morning. In the
course of the succeeding day, their household furniture
was brought in by parties of the men under arms.
Some families belonging to each fort were much less
under the influence of fear than others, and who, after
an alarm had subsided, in spite of every remonstrance,
would remove home, while their more prudent neigh
bors remained in the fort. Such families were denomi
nated fool hardy and gave no small amount of trouble
by creating such frequent necessities of sending runners

146 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
to warn them of their danger, and sometimes parties of
our men to protect them during their removal.

CHAPTER Xni.
Caravans and Mode of Trade.
The acquisition of the indispensable articles of salt,
iron, steel and castings, presented great difficulties to the
first settlers of the western country. They had no
stores of any kind, no salt, iron, nor iron works; nor
had they money to make purchases where those articles
could be obtained. Peltry and furs were their only re
sources, 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 throughout the year for the purpose of
sending them over the mountains for barter.
In the fall of the year, after seeding time, every family
formed an association 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 with pack-saddles, to the hinder
part of which was fastened a pair of hobbles made of
hickory withes ; a bell and collar ornamented 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 convenient stages on the way down,
to support the return of the caravan ; large wallets well
filled with bread, jerk, boiled ham and cheese furnished
provisions 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.

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 147
The barter for salt and iron was made first at Balti
more ; Frederick, Hagerstown, Oldtown and Fort Cum
berland, in succession, became the place of exchange.
Each horse carried two bushels of alum salt weighing
eighty-four pounds the bushel. This, to be sure, was
not a heavy load for the horses but it was enough, con
sidering the scanty subsistence allowed them on the
journey. The common price of a bushel of alum salt, at an
early period, was a good cow and calf; and until weights
were introduced, the salt was measured into the half
bushel, by hand, as lightly as possible. No one was per
mitted to walk heavily over the floor while the operation
of measuring was going on.
The following anecdote will serve to show how
little the native sons of the forest knew of the etiquette
of the Atlantic cities.
A neighbor of my father, some years after the settle
ment of the country, had collected a small drove of cattle
for the Baltimore market. Amongst the hands employed
to drive them was one who never had seen any condition
of society but that of woodsmen. At one of their lodg
ing places in the mountain, the landlord and his hired
man, in the course of the night, stole two of the bells be
longing to the drove and hid 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 re
cover the stolen bells. The men were found reaping
in the field of the landlord. They were accused of the
theft, but they denied the charge. The torture of sweat
ing according to the custom of that time, that is of sus
pension 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 were
driven on 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

148 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
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 of 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, only 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 horses used without bells, he thought they were
requisite in every situation.

CHAPTER XIV.

Subsistence by Hunting.

This was an important part of the employment of the
early settlers ot this countfy. For some years the woods
supplied them with the greater amount of their subsist
ence, and with regard to some families at certain times,
the whole of it ; for it was no uncommon thing for fami
lies to live several months without a mouthful of bread.
It frequently happened that there was no breakfast until
it was obtained from the woods. Fur and peltry were
the people's money. They had nothing else to give in
exchange for rifles, salt, and iron, on the other side of
the mountains. '
The fall and early part of the winter was the season
for hunting the deer, and the whole of the winter, includ
ing part ot the spring, for bears and fur skinned animals.
It was a customary saying that fur is good during every
month in the name of which the letter R occurs.
The class of hunters with whom I was best acquainted
were those whose hunting ranges were on the western

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 149
side of the river, and at the distance of eight or nine 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 husbandmen,
so far as the state of warfare permitted them to do so,
soon began to feel that they were hunters. They be
came uneasy at home. Everything about them became
disagreeable. The house was too warm. The feather
bed too soft, and even the good wife was not thought
for the time being a proper companion. The 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 returri into the house and cast a quick and
attentive look at the rifle, which was always suspended
to a joist by a couple of buck's horns, or little forks.
His hunting dog, understanding the intentions of his
master, would wag his tail and by every blandishment in
his power express his readiness to accompany him to the
woods. A day was soon appointed for the march of the little
cavalcade to the camp. Two or three horses furnished
with pack saddles were loaded with flour, Indian meal,
blankets and everything else, requisite for the use of the
hunter. A hunting camp, or what was called a half-faced cabin,
was of the following form : the back part of it was some
times a large log ; at the distance of eight or ten feet
from this two stakes were set in the ground a few inches
apart, and a: 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 spring of the year, the bark
of hickory or ash trees. The front was left entirely
open. The fire was built directly before this opening.

150 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
The cracks between the logs were filled with moss. Dry
leaves served for a bed. It is thus that a couple of men,
in a few hours, will construct for themselves a temporary,
but tolerably comfortable, defense from the inclemencies
of the weather. The beaver, otter, muskrat and squirrel
are scarcely their equals in dispatch in fabricating 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
furnished with port holes, would have enabled two or
three hunters to hold twenty Indians at bay for any length
of time. But this precaution I believe was never at
tended to ; hence the hunters were often surprised and
killed in their camps.
The site for the camp was selected with all the saga
city of the woodsmen, so as to have it sheltered by the
surrounding hills from every wind, but more especially
from those of the north and west.
An uncle of mine of the name of Samuel Teter occu
pied the same camp for several years in succession. It
was situated on one of the southern branches of Cross
creek. Although I lived many years not more than
fifteen miles from the place, it was not till within a very
fisw years ago that I discovered its situation. It was
shown me by a gentleman living in the neighborhood.
Viewing the hills round about it, I soon perceived the
sagacity of the hunter in the site for his camp. Not a
wind could touch him ; and unless by the report of his
gun or the sound of his axe, it would have been by mere
accident if an Indian had discovered his concealment.
Hunting was not a mere ramble in pursuit of game, in
which there was nothing of skill and calculation ; on the
contrary the hunter, before he set out in the morning,
was informed by the state of the weather in what situa
tion 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

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 151
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 highest ground.
In every situation it was requisite for the hunter to
ascertain the course of the wind, so as to get the leeward
of the game. This he effected by putting his finger in
his mouth and holding it there until it became warm,
then holding it above his head, the side which first be
comes cold shows which way the wind blows.
As it was requisite, too, for the hunter to know the
cardinal points, he had only to observe the trees to ascer
tain them. The bark of an aged tree is thicker and
much rougher on the north than on the south side. The
same thing may be said of the moss, it is much thicker
and stronger on the north than on the south sides of the
trees. The whole business of the hunter consists of a succes
sion of intrigues. From morning till night he was on
the alert to gain the wind of his game, and approach them
without being discovered. If he succeeded in killing a
deer, he skinned it and hung it up out of the reach of the
wolves, and immediately resumed the chase till the close
of the evening, when he bent his course towards his
camp ; when arrived there he kindled up his fire, and
together with his fellow hunter cooked his supper. The
supper finished, the adventures of the day furnished the
tales for the evening. The spike buck, the two and
three pronged buck, the doe and barren doe, figured
through their anecdotes with great advantage. It would
seem that after hunting awhile on the same ground, the
hunters became acquainted 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 his superior sagacity and watchfulness, saved
his little gang from the hunte'r's skill, by giving timely
notice of his approach. The cunning of the hunter-and
that of the old buck were staked against each other, and

152 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
it frequently happened that at the conclusion of the hunt
ing season, the old fellow was left the free, uninjured
tenant of his forest ; but if his rival succeeded in bring
ing him down, the victory was followed by no small
amount of boasting on the part of the conqueror.
When the weather was not suitable for hunting, the
skins and carcases of the game were brought in and
disposed of.
Many of the hunters rested from their labors on the
Sabbath day, some from a motive of piety ; others said
that whenever they hunted on Sunday they were sure
to have bad luck all the rest of the week.

CHAPTER XV.
The Wedding, and Mode of Living.
For a long time after the first settlement of this
country, tbe inhabitants in general married young.
There was no distinction of rank, and very little of for
tune. On these accounts the first impression of love
resulted in marriage ; and a family establishment cost
but a little labor and nothing else. A description of a
wedding from the beginning to the end, will serve to
show 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 the
marriage at the house of the bride began, and it should
seem with great propriety. She also has the choice of
the priest to perform the ceremony.
In the first years of the settlement of this country, a
wedding engaged the attention of a whole neighborhood ;

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 153
and the frolic was anticipated by old and young with
eager expectation. This is not to be wondered at, when
it is told that a wedding was almost the only gathering
which was not accompanied with 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 assembled at the house of his father for the
purpose of reaching the mansion of his bride by noon,
which was the usual time for celebrating the nuptials,
which for certain must take place before dinner.
Let the reader imagine an assemblage of people, with
out a store, tailor or mantuamaker within an hundred
miles ; and an assemblage of horses, without a black
smith or saddler within an equal distance. The gentle
men dressed in shoepacks, moccasons, leather breeches,
leggins, linsey hunting shirts, and all horne made. The
ladies dressed in linsey petticoats and linsey or linen bed
gowns, coarse shoes, stockings, handkerchiefs and buck
skin gloves, if any. If there were any buckles, rings,
buttons, or ruffles, they were the relics of old times ;
family pieces from parents or grand parents. The horses
were caparisoned with old saddles, old bridles or halters,
and packsaddles, 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 roads ; and these diffi
culties were often increased, sometimes by the good, and
sometimes by the ill will of neighbors, by falling trees
and tying grape vines across the way. Sometimes an
ambuscade was formed by the way side, and an un
expected discharge of several guns took place, so as to
cover the wedding company with smoke. Let the
reader imagine the scene which followed this discharge ;
the sudden spring of the horses, the shrieks of the girls,

154 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
and the chivalric bustle of their partners to save them
from falling. 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.
Another ceremony commonly 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
destination, two young men would single out to run for
the bottle ; the worse the path, the more logs, brush and
deep hollows the better, as these obstacles afforded an
opportunity for the greater display of intrepidity and
horsemanship. The English fox chase, in point of
danger to the riders and their horses, is nothing to this
race for the bottle. The start was announced by an
Indian yell; logs, brush, muddy hollows, hill and glen,
were speedily passed by the rival ponies. The bottle
was always filled for the occasion, so that there was no
use for judges ; for the first who reached the door was
presented with the prize, with which he returned in
triumph to the company. On approaching them he
announced his victory over his rival by a shrill whoop.
At the head of the troop, he gave the bottle first to the
groom and his attendants, and then to each pair in suc
cession to the rear of the line, giving each a dram ; and
then, putting the bottle in the bosom of his hunting shirt,
took his station in the company.
The ceremony of the marriage preceded the dinner,
yyhich was a substantial backwoods feast of beef, pork,
fowls, and sometimes venison and bear meat roasted and
boiled, with plenty of potatoes, cabbage, and other vege
tables. During the dinner the greatest hilarity always
prevailed ; although 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

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 155
pewter dishes 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 scarce, the defi
ciency was made up by the scalping knives which were
carried in sheaths suspended to the belt of the hunting
shirt. After dinner the dancing commenced, and generally
lasted till the next morning. The figures of the dances
were three and four handed reels, or square sets, and
jigs. The commencement was always a square four,
which was followed by what was called jigging it off;
that is, two of the four would single out for a jig, and
were followed by the remaining couple. The jigs were
often accompanied with what was called cutting out ;
that is, when either of the parties became tired of the
dance, on intimation, the place was supplied by some one
of the company without any interruption of the dance.
In this way a dance was often continued till the musician
was heartily tired of his situation. Toward the latter
part of the night, if any of the company, through weari
ness, attempted to conceal themselves for the purpose
of sleeping, they were hunted up, paraded on the floor,
and the fiddler ordered to play " Hang on till to-morrow
morning." About nine or ten o'clock, a deputation of the young
ladies stole off the bride, 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 lying loose and without nails. This ascent,
one might think, would put the bride and her attendants
to the blush ; but as the toot of the ladder was commonly
behind the door, which was purposely opened for the
occasion, and its rounds at the inner ends were well
hung with hunting shirts, petticoats, and other articles
of clothing, the candles being on the opposite side of the

156 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
house, the exit of the bride was noticed but by few.
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 hi
larity 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 refresh
ment ; black Betty, which was the name of the bottle,
was called for, and sent up the ladder, but sometimes
black 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 a half a dozen hungry
men. The young couple were compelled to eat and
drink, 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 is black Betty, I want to kiss
her sweet lips :" black Betty was soon handed to him ;
then holding her up in his right hand he would say,
" Health to the groom, not forgetting myself; and here's
to the bride, thumping luck and big children." This,
so far from being taken amiss, was considered as an ex
pression of a very proper and friendly wish, for big
children, especially sons, were of great importance ; as
we were few in number, and engaged in 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 anticipate
any conclusion of it ; every big son was therefore con
sidered as a young soldier.
But to return. It often happened that some neighbors
or relations, not being asked to the wedding, took
offense ; and the mode of revenge adopted by them on

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 157
such occasions, was that of cutting off the manes,
foretops, and tails of the horses of the wedding company.
Another method of revenge which was adopted when
the chastity of the bride was a little suspected, was 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 the race for black Betty was the same as before.
The feasting and dancing often lasted for several days,
at the end of which the whole company were so exhausted
with loss of sleep, that several days' rest were requisite
to fit them to return to their ordinary labors.
Should I be asked why I have presented this unpleasant
portrait of the rude manners of our forefathers, I in my
turn would ask my reader, why are you pleased with the
histories of the blood and carnage of battles ? Why
are you delighted with the fictions of poetry, the novel
and romance .? I have related truth, and only truth,
strange as it may seem. I have depicted a state of
society and manners which are fast vanishing from the
memory of man, with a view to give the youth of our
country a knowledge of the advantages of civilization,
and to give contentment to the aged, by preventing them
from saying " that former times were better than the
present."

CHAPTER XVI.
The House Warming.
I will proceed to state the usual manner of settling a
young couple in the world.
A spot was selected on a piece of land of one of the
parents, for their habitation. A day was appointed

158 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
shortly after their mafriage.for commencing the work of
building their cabin. The fatigue party consisted of
choppers, whose business it was to fell the trees and cut
them off at proper lengths. A man with a team for hauling
them to the place, and arranging them, properly assorted,
at the sides and ends of the building, a carpenter, if such
he might be called, whose business it was to search the
woods for a proper tree for making clapboards for the
roof. The tree for this purpose must be straight grained
and from three to four feet in diameter. The boards
were split four feet long, with a large frow, and as wide
as the timber would allow. They were used without
planing or shaving. Another division was employed
in getting puncheons for the floor of the cabin ; this was
done by splitting trees, about eighteen inches in diameter,
and hewing the faces of them with a broad axe. They
were half the length of the floor they were intended to
make. The materials for the cabin were mostly pre
pared on the first day and sometimes the foundation laid
in the evening. The second day was allotted for the
raising. In the morning of the next day the neighbors collected
for the raising. The first thing to be done was the elec
tion of four corner men, whose business it was to notch
and place the logs. The rest of the company furnished
them with the timbers. In the meantime the boards and
puncheons were collecting for the floor and roof, so that
by the time the cabin was a few rounds high the sleepers
and floor began to be laid. The door was made by saw
ing or cutting the logs in one side so as to make an opening
about three feet wide. This opening was secured by
upright pieces of timber about three inches thick through
which holes were bored into the ends of the logs for the
purpose of pinning them fast. 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 and jambs
of stone. At the square, two end logs projected a foot

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 159
or eighteen inches 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
formed the comb of the roof, on these logs the clapboards
were 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 were finished on
the same day of the raising. A third day was commonly
spent by a few carpenters 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 served for shelves
for the table furniture. A single fork, placed with its
lower end in a hole in the floor and the upper end fast
ened to a joist, served for a bedstead, by placing a pole
in the fork with one end through a crack between the logs
of the wall. This front pole was crossed by a shorter
one within the fork, with its outer end through another
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 above
these, for the purpose of supporting the front and foot of
the bed, while the walls were the supports of its back
and head. A few pegs around the walls for a 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 pouch, 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 chunking up the cracks be
tween the logs of the cabin and chimney, a large bed of
mortar was made for daubing up those cracks ; a few
stones formed the back and jambs of the chimney.

160 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
The cabin being finished, the ceremony of house
warming took place, before the young couple were per
mitted to move into it. The house warming was a dance
of a whole night's continuance, made up of the relations
of the bride and groom, and their neighbors. On the
day following the young couple took possession of their
new mansion.

CHAPTER XVII.
Labor and its Discouragements.
The necessary labors of the farms along the frontiers,
were performed with every danger and difficulty imagin
able. 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 growing state.
It is easy to imagine what losses must have been sus
tained by our first settlers owing to this deserted state of
their farms. It was not the full measure of their trouble,
that they risked their lives, and often lost them, in sub
duing 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. Their sheep
and hogs were devoured by the wolves, panthers, and
bears. Horses 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 squirrels and raccoons, so that
many families, and after an hazardous and laborious
spring and summer, had but little left for the comfort of
the dreary winter.

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 161
The early settlers on the frontiers of this country
were like Arabs of the 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 of whom had his rifle and everything else be
longing to his war dress. These were deposited in
some central place in the field. A sentinel was stationed,
on the outside of the fence, so that on the least alarm
the whole company repaired to their arms, and were
ready for the combat in a moment. Here, again, the
rashness of same families proved a source of difficulty.
Instead of joining the working parties, they went out
and attended their farms by themselves, and in case of
alarm, an express was sent for them, and sometimes a
party of men to guard them to the fort. These fami
lies, in some instances, could boast that they had better
crops, and were every way better provided for the winter
than their neighbors. In other instances their temerity
coast them their lives.
In military affairs, when every one concerned is left
to his own will, matters are sure to be but badly man
aged. The whole frontiers of Pennsylvania and Vir
ginia presented a succession of military camps or forts.
We had military officers, that is to say, captains and
colonels, but they, in many respects, were only nomi
nally such. They could advise but not command.
Those who chose to follow their advice did so, to
such an extent as suited their fancy, or interest. Others
were refractory, and thereby gave much trouble. These
officers would lead a scout, or campaign. Those who
thought proper to accompany them did so, those who
did not remained at home. Public odium was the only
punishment for their laziness or cowardice. There was
no compulsion to the performance of military duties,
and no pecuniary reward when they were performed.
It is but doing justice to the first settlers of this

162 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
country to say, that instances of disobedience of fami
lies and individuals to the advice of our officers, wereby no
means numerous. The greater number cheerfully sub
mitted to their directions with a prompt and faithful
obedience.

CHAPTER XVIII.
The Mechanic Arts.
In giving the history of the state of the mechanic
arts, as they were exercised at an early period of the set
tlement of this country, 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 naturally ask where were their mills
for grinding grain .? Where their tanners for making
leather ? Where their smith shops for making and re
pairing their farming utensils .' Who were their carpen
ters, tailors, cabinet workmen, shoemakers, and weavers?
The answer is, those manufacturers did not exist, nor
had they any tradesmen, who were professedly such.
Every family were under the necessity of doing every
thing for themselves, as well as they could.
The hominy block and hand mills were in use in
most of our houses. The first was made of a large block
of wood about three feet long, with an excavation
burned in one end, wide at the top, and narrow at the
bottom, so that the action of the pestle on the bottom
threw the corn up to the sides toward the top of it, from
whence it continually fell down into the centre. In
consequence of this movement, the whole mass of the

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 163
grain was pretty equally subjected to the strokes of the
pestle. In the fall of the year, while the Indian corn was
soft, the block and pestle did very well for making meal
for johnny cake and mush, but were rather slow when
the corn became hard.
The sweep was sometimes used to lessen the toil of
pounding grain into meal. This was a pole of some
springy elastic wood, thirty feet long or more ; the butt
end was placed under the side of a house, or a large
stump ; this pole was supported by two forks, placed
about one-third of its length from the butt end so as to
elevate the small end about fifteen feet from the ground ;
to this was attached, by a large mortise, a piece of a sap
ling about five or six inches in diameter and eight or ten
feet long. The lower end of this was shaped so as to
answer for a pestle. A pin of wood was put through it
at a proper height, so that two persons could work at the
sweep at once. This simple machine very much les
sened the labor, and expedited the work. I remember
that when a boy I put up an excellent sweep at my
farther's. It was made of a sugar tree sapling. It was
kept going almost constantly from morning till night by
our neighbors for several weeks.
In the Greenbriar country, where they had a number
of saltpetre caves, the first settlers made plenty of ex
cellent gun powder by the means of these sweeps and
mortars. A machine, still more simple than the mortar and
pestle, was used for making meal, while 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 from
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 through them on
the board or block, to which the grater was nailed, which,
being in a slanting direction, discharged the meal into a
cloth or bowl placed for its reception. This to be sure

164 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
was a slow way of making meal ; but necessity has no
law. The hand mill was better than the mortar, and grater.
It was made of two circular stones, the lowest of which
was called the bed stone, the upper one the runner.
These were placed in a hoop, with a spout for discharg
ing the meal. A staff was let into a hole in the upper
surface of the runner, near the outer edge, and its upper
end through a hole in a board fastened to a joist above,
so that two persons could be employed in turning the
mill at the same time. The grain was put into the
opening in the runner by hand. These mills are still in
use in Palestine, the ancient country of the Jews. To
a mill of this sort our Saviour alluded, when, with re
ference to the destruction of Jerusalem, he said, " Two
women shall be grinding at a mill, the one shall be taken
and the other left." This mill is much preferable to
that used at present in upper Egypt, for making the
dhourra bread. It is a smooth stone, placed on an in
clined plain upon which the grain is spread, which is
made into meal, by rubbing another stone up and down
upon it.
Our first water mills were of that description denomi
nated tub mills. It consists of a perpendicular shaft, to
the lower end of which an horizontal wheel of about
four or five feet diameter is attached, the upper end
passes through the bedstone and carries the runner after
the manner of a trundlehead. These mills were built
with very little expense, and many of them answered the
purpose very well.
Instead of bolting cloths, sifters were in general use.
These were made of deer skins in the state of parchment,
stretched over an hoop and perforated with a hot wire.
Our clothing was all of domestic manufacture. We
had no other resource for clothing, and this, indeed, was
a poor one. The crops of flax often failed, and the
sheep were destroyed by the wolves. Linsey, which is

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 165
made of flax and wool, the former the chain and the
latter the filling, was the warmest and most substantial
cloth we could make. Almost every house contained a
loom, and almost every woman was a weaver.
Every family tanned their own leather. The tan vat
was a large trough sunk to the upper edge in the ground.
A quantity of bark was easily obtained every spring, in
clearing and fencing the land. This, after drying, was
brought 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. Bears' oil, hog's
lard and tallow, answered the place of fish oil. The
leather, to be sure, was coarse ; but it was substantially
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 own tailors and
shoemakers. Those who could not make shoes, could
make shoepacks. These, like moccasons, were made of
a single piece of leather with the exception of a tongue
piece on the top of the foot. This was about two inches
broad and circular at the lower end. To this the main
piece of leather was sewed, with a gathering stitch. The
seam behind was like that of a moccason. To the shoe-
pack 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, is well calculated to call
into action every native mechanical genius. This hap
pened in this country. There was, in almost every
neighborhood, some one whose natural ingenuity enabled
him to do many things for himself and his neighbors, far
above what could have been reasonably expected. With
the few tools which they brought with them into the
country, they certainly performed wonders. Their

166 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
plows, harrows with their wooden teeth, and sleds, were
in many instances well made. Their cooper ware, which
comprehended everything for holding milk and water,
was generally pretty well executed. The cedar ware, by
having alternately a white and red stave, was then
thought beautiful. Many of their puncheon floors were
veay neat, their joints close and the top even and smooth.
Their looms, although heavy, did very well. Those
who could not exercise these mechanic arts, were under
the necessity of giving labor, or barter, to their neigh
bors in exchange for the use of them, so far as their ne
cessities required.
An old man in my father's neighborhood had the art
of turning bowls, from the knots of trees, particularly
those of the ash. In what way he did it, I do not know :
or whether 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 were amongst our first rate articles
of household furniture.
My brothers and myself once undertook to procure a
fine suit of these bowls made of the best wood, the ash.
We gathered all we could find on our father's land and
took them to the artist, who was to give, as the saying
was, one-half for the other. He put the knots in a branch
before his door. A freshet came and swept them all
away. Not one of them was ever found. This was a
dreadful misfortune. Our anticipation of an elegant dis
play of new bowls was utterly blasted in a moment, as
the poor old man was not able to repair our loss, or any
part of it.
My father possessed a mechanical genius of the highest
order, and necessity which is the mother of invention,
occasioned the full exercise of his talents. His farming
utensils were the best in the neighborhood. After making
his loom, he often used it, as a weaver. All the shoes
belonging to the family were made by himself. He al
ways spun his own shoe thread. Saying that no woman

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 167
could spin shoe thread as well as he could. His cooper
ware was made by himself. I have seen him make a
small, neat kind of wooden ware called set work, in
which the staves were all attached to the bottom of the
vessel, by the means of a groove cut in them by a strong
clasp knife, and small chisel, before a single hoop was
put on He was sufficiently 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
roof. In his latter years he became sickly, and not being
able to labor, he amused himself with tolerably good im
itations of cabinet work.
Not possessing sufficient health for service on the
scouts, and campaigns, his duty was that of repairing the
rifles of his neighbors, when they needed it. In this
business he manifested a high degree of ingenuity. A
small depression on the surface of a stump or log and a
wooden mallet, were his instruments for straightening
the gun barrel when crooked. Without the aid of a bow
string he could discover the smallest bend in a barrel.
With a bit of steel, he could make a saw for deepening
the furrows, when requisite. A few shots determined
whether the gun might be trusted.
Although he never had been more than six weeks at
school he was nevertheless a first rate penman, and a
good arithmetician. His penmanship was of great ser
vice to his neighbors in writing letters, bonds, deeds of
conveyance, etc.
Young as I was, I was possessed of an art which was
of great use. It was that.of weaving shot-pouch straps,
belts and garters. I could make my loom and weave a
belt in less than one day. Having a piece of board
about four feet long, an inch auger, spike gimlet, and a
drawing knife, I needed no other tools or materials for
making my loom. It frequently happened, that my
weaving proved serviceable to the family, as I often sold
a belt for a day's work, or making an hundred rails. So
15

i.68 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
that, although a boy, I could exchange my labor for that
of a full grown person, for an equal length of time.

CHAPTER XIX.
Diseases and their Remedies.
This, amongst a rude and illiterate people, consisted
mostly of specifics. As far as I can recollect them,
they shall be enumerated, together with the diseases for
which they were used.
The diseases of children were mostly ascribed to
worms, for the expulsion of which a solution of common
salt was given. The dose was always large. I well
remember, having been compelled to take half a table
spoon full, when quite small. To the best of my recol
lection 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 forty grains. It was commonly given
in sugar. Sulphate of iron, or green copperas, was 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 poultice of scraped potatoes was 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 recol
lect that 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
whom died of it. For the cure of this, the juice of

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 169
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 performed by means of a strong de
coction of Virginia snake root. The dose was always
very large. If a purge was used, it was about half a
pint of a strong decoction of white walnut bark. This,
when intended for a purge, was peeled downwards ; if
for a vomit, it was peeled upwards. Indian physic,
or bowman root, a species of epicacuanha was frequently
used for a vomit, and sometimes the pocoon or blood
root. For the bite of a rattle, or copper snake, a great va
riety of specifics was used. I remember when a small
boy to have seen a man bitten by a rattlesnake brought
into the fort on a man's back. One of the company
dragged the snake after him by a forked stick fastened
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
up in the fort yard and the whole of the serpent burned
to ashes, by way of revenge for the injury he had done.
After this process was over, a large quantity 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 chestnut bark, fresh from the tree, and the
decoction poured on the leg so as to run down into the
pot again ; after continuing this process for some time,
a quantity of the boiled leaves 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 were 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.

170 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
which, from its resemblance to the leaves of walnut, was
called walnut fern, was another remedy. A plant with
fibrous roots, resembling the seneka-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 of colds. Another plant
which very much resembles the one above mentioned,
but violently poisonous, was sometimes mistaken for it
and used in its place. I knew two young women who,
in consequence- of being bitten by rattlesnakes, used the
poisonous plant instead 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 done, it would have been in
stantly fatal. It was with difficulty that the part to
which the poultice was applied was saved from mortifi
cation, so that the remedy was far worse than the disease.
Cupping, sucking the wound, and making deep inci
sions which were filled with salt and gun powder, were
amongst the remedies for snake bites. It does not appear
to me, that any of the internal remedies used by the In
dians 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 wasp, must consist of an highly concentrated and
very poisonous acid, which instantly inflames the part to
which it is applied. That any substance whatever can
act as a specific for the decomposition of this poison,
seems altogether doubtful. The cure of the fever occa
sioned by this animal poison, must be effected with re
ference 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 acquainted with them,
are possessed of little or no medical efficacy. They are

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 171
not emetics, cathartics, or sudorifics. What then 1 They
are harmless substances which do wonders in all those
cases in which there is nothing to be done.
The truth is, the bite of a rattle or copper snake in a
fleshy or tenderous part, where the blood vessels are
neither numerous nor large, 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, penetrate a blood vessel of any considerable
size, a malignant and incurable fever was generally the
immediate consequence, and the patient often expired in
the first paroxysm. The same observations apply to the
effects of the bite of serpents when inflicted on beasts.
Horses were frequently killed by them, as they were com
monly bitten somewhere about the nose, in which the
blood vessels are numerous and large. I once saw a
horse die of the bite of a rattlesnake. The blood, for
some time before he expired, exuded in great quantity
through the pores of the skin.
Cattle were less frequently killed, because their noses
are of a grisly texture, and less furnished with blood
vessels than those of a horse. Dogs were sometimes
bitten, and being naturally physicians they commonly
scratched a hole in some damp place and held the
wounded part in the ground till the inflammation abated.
Hogs, when in tolerable order, were never hurt by them,
owing to their thick subtratum of fat between the skin,
muscular flesh and blood vessels. The hog generally
took immediate revenge for the injury done him, by in
stantly tearing to pieces and devouring the serpent which
inflicted it.
The itch, which was a very common disease in early
times, was commonly cured by an ointment made of
brimstone and hog's lard.
Gun shot, and other wounds, were treated with slippery
elm bark, flax seed and other such like poultices. Many
lost their lives from wounds which would now be con-

172 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
sidered trifling and easily cured. The use of the lancet
and other 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 might have cured by two or three bleedings, with
out any other remedy. The wound was poulticed with
spikenard roots and soon terminated in an extensive
mortification. Most of the men of the early settlers of this country
were affected with 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 rattlesnakes, geese, wolves,
bears, raccoons, ground-hogs and pole-cats, was applied
to swelled joints and bathed in before the fire.
The pleurisy was the only disease which 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 commonly spikenard and elecampane.
These syrups certainly gave but little relief.
Charms and incantations were in use for the cure of
many diseases. I learned, when young, the incantation
in German, for the cure of burns, stopping blood, for
the toothache, and the charm against bullets in battle ;
but for the want of faith in their efficacy, I never used
any of them.
The erysipelas, or St. Anthony's fire, was circum
scribed 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, for a contribution of blood.
Whether the medical profession is productive of most
good or harm, may still be a matter of dispute with some
philosophers who never saw any condition of society in

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 173-
which there were no physicians, and therefore could not
be furnished a proper test for deciding the question.
Had an unbeliever in- the healing art been amongst the
early inhabitants of this 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 within 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 degree, understood by our people. A pain
in the side called for the use of the lancet, if there was
any to be had ; but owing to its sparing use, the patient
was apt to be left with a spitting of blood, which
sometimes ended in consumption. A great number of
children died of the croup. Remittent and intermittent
fevers were treated with warm drinks, for the purpose
of sweating. The patients were denied the use of cold
water and fresh air. 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 child bed were not unfrequent. Many, no
doubt, died of the bite of serpents, in consequence of an
improper reliance on specifics possessed of no medical
virtue. My father died of an hepatitis, at the age of about
forty-six. He had labored under this disease for thirteen
years. The fever which accompanied it was called
" the dumb ague," and the swelling in the region of the
liver, "the ague cake." The abscess bursted and dis
charged a large quantity of matter which put a period to
his life, in about thirty hours after the commencement
of the discharge.
Thus I, for one, may say, that, in all human proba
bility, I lost both my parents for want of medical aid.

1 74 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of

CHAPTER XX.

Games and Diversions.
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 endow
ments, and on skill in hunting and bravery in war, than
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 savages, 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 participation
in the bloody tragedies which they represent. Dancing,
among civilized people, is regarded, not only as an
amusement suited to the youthful period of human life,
but as a means of inducing urbanity of manners and a
good personal deportment in public. Horse racing is
regarded by the statesman as a preparation, in various
ways, for the equestrian department of warfare : it is
said that the English government never possessed 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 mathematical and other
calculations. Many of the sports of the early settlers of this country,

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 175
were imitative of the exercises and stratagems of hunting
and war. Boys were taught the use of the bow and
arrow at an early age : but although they acquired con
siderable adroitness in the use of them, so as to kill a
bird or squirrel sometimes, yet it appears to me that in
the hands of the white people, the bow and- arrow could
never be depended upon for warfare or hunting, unless
made and managed in a different manner from any speci
mens of them which I ever saw. In ancient times the
bow and arrow must have been deadly instruments in
the hands 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 end to the use of the how and arrow ; but independ
ently of this circumstance, military, as well as other
arts, sometimes grow out of date and vanish from the
world. Many centuries have clasped since the world
has witnessed the destructive accuracy of the Benjamites,
in their use of the sling and stone ; nor does it appear to
me that a diminution in the size and strength of the
aborigines of this country has occasioned a decrease of
accuracy and effect in their use of the bow and arrow.
From all the ancient skeletons which have come under
my notice, it does not appear that this section of the
globe was ever inhabited by a larger race of human
beings than that which possessed it at the time of its
discovery by the Europeans.
One important pastime of our boys was that of imitat
ing the noise of every bird and beast in the woods.
This faculty was not merely a pastime, but a very
necessary part of education, on account of its utility in
certain circumstances. The imitations of the gobbling
and other sounds of wild turkeys, often brought those
keen eyed and ever watchful tenants of the forest,
within the reach of the rifle. The bleating of the" fawn

176 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
brought its dam to her death in the same way. The
hunter often collected a company of mopish owls to the
trees about his camp, and amused himself with their
hoarse screaming ; his howl would raise and obtain re
sponses 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 requisite as a
measure of precaution in war. The Indians, when
scattered about in a neighborhood, often collected
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 neighbor
hood, in consequence of a few screeches of owls. An
early and correct use of this imitative faculty, was con
sidered as an indication that its possessor would become
in due time a good hunter and a valiant warrior.
Throwing the tomahawk was another boyish sport,
in which many acquired considerable skill. The toma
hawk with its handle of a certain length will make a
given number of turns in a given distance. Say in five
steps it will strike with the edge, the handle downwards ;
at the distance of seven and a half, it will strike with the
edge, the handle upwards, and so on. A little experience
enabled the boy to measure the distance with his eye,
when walking through the woods, and strike a tree with
his tomahawk in any way he chose.
The athletic sports of running, jumping, and wrest
ling, were the pastimes of boys, in common with the
men. A well grown boy, at the age of twelve or thir
teen years, was furnished with a small rifle and shot
pouch. He then became a fort soldier, and had his port
hole assigned him. Hunting squirrels, turkeys and rac
coons soon made him expert in the use of his gun.
Dancing was the principal amusement of our young
people of both sexes. Their dances, to be sure, were of
the simplest forms. Three and four handed reels and

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. Ill
jigs. Contra dances, cotillions and minuets, were
unknown. I remember to have seen-, once or twice, a
dance which was called the Irish trot, but I have
long since forgotten its figure.
Shooting at marks was a common diversion among the
men, when their stock of ammunition would allow it ;
this, however, was far from being always the case. The
present mode of shooting off hand was not then in prac
tice. This mode was not considered as any trial of the
value of a gun ; nor, indeed, as much of a test of the
skill of a marksman. Their shooting was from a rest,
and at as great a distance as the length and weight of the
barrel of the gun would throw a ball on a horizontal
level. Such was their regard to accuracy, in these
sportive trials of their rifles, and of their own skill in the
use of them, that they often put moss, or some other
soft substance, on the log or stump 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 pressed against it as
lightly as possible, for the same reason.
Rifles of former times, were different from those of
modern date; few of them carried more than forty-five
bullets to the pound. Bullets of a less size were not
thought sufficiently heavy for hunting or war.
Dramatic narrations, chiefly concerning Jack and the
giant, furnished our young people with another source of
amusement during their leisure hours. Many of these
tales were lengthy, and embraced a considerable range
of incident. Jack, always the hero of the story, after
• encountering many diflficulties, and performing many
great achievements, came off copqueror of the giant.
Many of these stories were tales of knight errantry, in
which some captive virgin was released from captivity
and restored to her lover. These dramatic narrations
concerning Jack and the giant bore a strong resemblance
to the poems of Ossian, the story of the cyclops and

1 78 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
Ulysses, in the Odyssey of Homer, and the tale of the
giant and Great-heart, in the Pilgrim's Progress. They
were so arranged, as to the different incidents of the
narration, that they were easily committed to memory.
They certainly have been handed down from generation
to generation, from time immemorial. Civilization has,
indeed, banished the use of those ancient tales of ro
mantic heroism ; but what then ? it has substituted in
their place, the novel and romance.
It is thus that in every state of society, the imagination
of man is eternally at war with reason and truth. That
fiction should be acceptable to an unenlightened people,
is not to be wondered at, as the treasures of truth have
never been unfolded to their mind ; but that a civilized
people themselves, should in so many instances, like
barbarians, prefer the fairy regions of fiction to the august
treasures of truth developed in the sciences of theology,
history, natural and moral philosophy, is truly a sarcasm
on human nature. It is as much as to say that it is
essential to our amusement; that, for the time being,
we must suspend the exercise of reason, and submit to a
voluntary deception.
Singing was another, but not very common, amuse
ment among our first settlers. Their tunes were rude
enough to be sure. Robin Hood furnished a number
of our songs, the balance were mostly tragical. These
last were denominated "love songs about murder;" as to
cards, dice, back-gammon and other games of chance,
we knew nothing about them. These are amongst the
blessed gifts of civilization.

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 179

CHAPTER XXL
The Witchcraft Delusion.
I shall not be lengthy on this subject. The belief in
witchcraft was prevalent among the early settlers of the
western country. To the witch was ascribed the tre
mendous power of inflicting strange and incurable dis
eases, particularly on children, of destroying cattle by
shooting them with hair balls, and a great variety of other
means of destruction, of inflicting spells and curses on
guns and other things, and lastly of changing men into
horses, and after bridling and saddlingthem, riding them
in full speed over hill and dale to their frolics and other
places of rendezvous. More ample powers of mischief
than these cannot well be imagined.
Wizards were men supposed to possess the same mis
chievous powers as the witches; but these were seldom
exercised for bad purposes. The powers of the wizards
were exercised almost exclusively for the purpose of
counteracting the malevolent influences of the witches
of the other sex. I have known several of those witch
masters, as they were called, who made a public pro
fession of curing the diseases inflicted by the influence
of witches, and I have known respectable physicians
who had no greater portion of business in the line of
their profession, than many of those witch masters had
in theirs.
The means by which the witch was supposed to in
flict diseases, curses and spells, I never could learn.
They were occult sciences, which no one was supposed
to understand, excepting the witch herself, and no
wonder, as no such arts ever existed in any country.
16

1 80 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
The diseases of children supposed to be inflicted by witch
craft, were those ofthe internal organs, dropsy of the brain,
and the rickets. The symptoms and cure of these de
structive diseases were utterly unknown in former times
in this country. Diseases which could neither be ac
counted for nor cured, were usually ascribed to some
supernatural agency of a malignant kind.
For the cure of the diseases inflicted by witchcraft,
the picture of the supposed witch was drawn on a stump
or piece of board and shot at with a bullet containing a
little bit of silver. This silver bullet transferred a painful
and sometimes a mortal spell on that part of the witch
corresponding with the part of the portrait struck by the
bullet. Another method of cure, was that of getting
some of the child's water, which was closely corked up
in a vial and hung up in a chimney. This complimented
the witch with a strangury which lasted as long as the
vial remained in the chimney. The witch had but one
way of relieving herself from any spell inflicted on her in
any way, which was that of borrowing something, no
matter what, of the family to which the subject of the
exercise of her witchcraft belonged. I have known
several poor old women much surprised at being refused
requests which had usually been granted without hesita
tion, and almost heart broken when informed of the
cause of the refusal.
When cattle or dogs were supposed to be under the
influence of witchcraft 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 door, and by the means of certain
incantations the milk was extracted from the fringes of
the towel after the manner of milking a cow. This

Western Virginia ana Pennsylvania. 181
happened when the cows were too poor to give much
milk. The first German glass blowers in this country, drove
the witches out of their furnaces by throwing living pup
pies into them.
The greater or less amount of belief in witchcraft,
necromancy and astrology, serves to show the relative
amount of philosophical science in any country. Igno
rance is always associated with superstition, which, pre
senting an endless variety of sources of hope and fear,
with regard to the good or bad fortunes of life, keep the
benighted mind continually harassed with groundless, and
delusive, but strong and often deeply distressing impres
sions of a false faith. For this disease of the mind there
is no cure but that of philosophy. This science shows
to the enlightened reason of man, that no effect what
ever can be produced in the physical world, without a
corresponding cause. This science announces that the
death bell is but a momentary morbid motion of the
ear, and the death watch the noise of a bug in the wall,
and that the howling of the dog, and the croaking of the
raven are but the natural languages of the beast and fowl,
and no way prophetic of the death of the sick. The
comet, which used to shake pestilence and war from its
fiery train, is now viewed with as little emotion as the
movements of Jupiter and Saturn in their respective
orbits. An eclipse of the sun, and ari unusual freshet of the
Tiber, shortly after the assassination of Julius Csesar,
by Cassius and Brutus, threw the whole of the Roman
empire into consternation. It was supposed that all the
gods of heaven and earth were enraged and about to take
revenge for the murder of the emperor ; but since the
science of astronomy foretels in the calendar the time
and extent of the eclipse, the phenomenon is not viewed
as a miraculous and portentous, but as a common and
natural event.

182 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
That the pythoness and wizard of the Hebrews, the
monthly soothsayers, astrologers and prognosticators of
the Chaldeans, and the sybils of the Greeks and Romans,
were merely mercenary impostors, there can be no doubt.
To say that the pythoness and all others of her class
were aided in their operations by the intervention of
familiar spirits does not mend the matter, for spirits,
whether good or bad, possess not the power of life and
death, health and disease, with regard to man, or beast.
Prescience is an incommunicable attribute of God, and
therefore spirits cannot foretel future events.
The afflictions of Job, through the intervention of
Satan, were miraculous. The possessions mentioned in
the New Testament, in all human probability, were ma
niacal diseases, and if, at their cures the supposed evil
spirits spoke with an audible voice, these events were
also miraculous, and effected for a special purpose. But
from miracles, no general conclusions can be drawn,
with regard to the divine government of the world. The
conclusion is that the powers professed to be exercised
by the occult science of necromancy and other arts of
divination, were neither more nor less than impostures.
Among the Hebrews, the profession of arts of divina
tion was thought deserving capital punishment, because
the profession was of pagan origin, and of course incom
patible with the profession of theism, and a theocratic
form of government. These jugglers perpetrated a de
basing superstition among the people. They were also
swindlers, who divested their neighbors of large sums of
money, and valuable presents, without an equivalent.
On the ground then, of fraud alone, according to the
genius of the criminal codes of ancient governments, this
offense deserved capital punishment.
But is the present time better than the past with regard
to a superstitious belief in occult influences \ Do no
traces of the polythefsm of our fore-fathers remain
among their Christian descendants } This inquiry must

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 183
be answered in the affirmative. Should an almanac
maker venture to give out the Christian calendar without
the column containing the signs of the zodiac, the ca
lendar would be condemned as being totally deficient and
the whole impression would remain on his hands.
But what are these signs .'' They are constellations
of the zodiac, that is clusters of stars, twelve in number,
within, and including the tropics of Cancer and Capri
corn. These constellations resemble the animals after
which they are named. But what influence do these
clusters of stars exert on the animal and the plant. Cer
tainly none at all ; and yet we are taught that the northern
constellations govern the divisions of living bodies alter
nately from the head to the reins, and in like manner the
southern from the reins to the feet. The sign then
makes a skip from the feet to Aries, who again assumes
the government of the head, and so on. About half of
these constellations are friendly divinities and exert a
salutary influence on the animal and the plant. The
others are malignant in their temper, and govern only
for evil purposes. They blast, during their reign, the
seed sown in the earth and render medicine and opera
tions of surgery unsuccessful.
We have read of the Hebrews worshiping the host
of heaven, whenever they relapsed into idolatry, and these
same constellations were the hosts of heaven which they
worshiped. We, it is true, make no offering to these
hosts of heaven, but we give them our faith and confi
dence. We hope for physical benefits from those of
them whose dominion is friendly to our interests, while
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 Christianity while this
column ofthe relics of paganism still disgraces the Christ
ian calendar.
I have made these observations with a view to dis
credit the remnants of superstition still existing among

184 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
us. While dreams, the howling of the dog, the croaking
of a raven are prophetic of future events we are not good
Christians. While we are dismayed at the signs of
heaven we are for the time being pagans. Life has real
evils enough to contend with, without imaginary ones.

CHAPTER XXII.
Law, Morality and Religion.
In the section of the country where my father 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
belonged to the state of Virginia or Pennsylvania. The
line, which at present divides the two states, was not
run until some time after the conclusion of the revolu
tionary war. Thus it happened that during a long period
of time we knew nothing of courts, lawyers, magistrates,
sheriffs, or constables. Every one was therefore at
liberty " to do whatever was right in his own eyes."
As this is a state of society which few of my readers
have ever witnessed, I shall describe it minutely as I can,
and give in detail those moral maxims which, in a great
degree, answered the important purposes 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 consi
dered 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 popula
tion, and in time of peace.

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 185
Such was the situation of our people along the frontiers
of our settlements. They had no civil, military or ec
clesiastical laws, at least none that were enforced, and
yet " they were a law unto themselves " as to the lead
ing obligations of our nature in all the relations in which
they stood to each other. The turpitude of vice and the
majesty of moral virtue were then as apparent as they
are now, and they were then regarded with the same
sentiments of aversion or respect which they inspire at
the present time. Industry in working and hunting,
bravery in war, candor, honesty, hospitality, and steadi
ness of deportment, received their full reward of public
confidence among our rude forefathers, as well as among
their better instructed and more polished descendants.
The punishments which they inflicted upon offenders, by
the imperial court of public opinion, were well adapted
for the reformation of the culprit, or his 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 chastisement was
like the atimea of the Greeks. It was a public expres
sion, in various ways, of a general sentiment of indigna
tion against such as trangressed the moral rtiaxims of the
community to which they belonged. This 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 expected to do his duty faithfully. A person
who did not perform his share of labor on these occasions,
was designated by the epithet of Lawrence, or some
other title still more opprobrious ; and when it came to
his turn to require the like aid from hi-s neighbors, the
idler soon felt his punishment, in their refusal to attend
to his calls.
Although there was no legal compulsion to the per
formance of military duty, yet every man of full age

186 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
and size, was expected to do his full share of public ser
vice. If he did not do so he was " hated out as a
coward. " Even the want of any article of war equip
ments, such as ammunition, a sharp flint, a priming wire,
a scalping knife or tomahawk, was thought highly dis
graceful. A man who, without a reasonable cause, 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 dishonor were
fastened upon him without mercy.
Debts, which make such an uproar in civilized life,
were but little known among our forefathers at the early
settlement of this country. After the depreciation of
the continental paper they had no money of any kind ;
everything 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 punctually fulfilled,
the credit ofthe 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 the bread
rounds. This epithet of reproach was bandied about
in this way;' when he came in sight of a group of men,
one of them would call " Who comes there ? " Another
would answer, " The bread rounds." If any one meant
to be more serious about the matter, he would call out,
" Who stole a cake out of the ashes.'' " Another replied
by giving the name of the man in full ; to this a third
would give confirmation exclaiming, " That is true and
no lie. " This kind of tongue-lashing 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 settle
ments, a summary mode of punishment was always re
sorted to. The first settlers, as far I knew of them,
had a kind, of innate or hereditary detestation of the

Western Virginia and. Pennsylvania. 187
crime of theft, in any shape or degree, and their maxim
was that " a thief must be whipped. " If the theft was
of something of some value, a kind of jury of the neigh
borhood, 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
either 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 informed that he must decamp
in' so many days and be seen there no more on penalty
of having the number of his stripes doubled.
For many years after the law was put in operation
in the western part of Virginia, the magistrates them
selves, 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 chosen and was immediately in
flicted, 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 extort
ing a confession from suspected persons. This was the
torture of oui- early times, and no doubt sometimes very
unjustly inflicted.
Ifa 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, with
out 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 wirh a
neighbor, or stranger, and would have been offended at
the offer 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

188 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
constant in their friendships. On the other hand they
were revengeful in their resentments. Andthe point of
honor 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 coward, 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 charge of cowardice, or any other
dishonorable action ; a battle must follow and the per
son who made the charge must fight, either the person
against whom he made the charge or any champion who
chose to espouse his cause. Thus circumstanced, our
people in early times were much more cautious of speak
ing evil of their neighbors than they are at present.
Sometimes pitched battles occurred in which time,
place, and seconds were appointed beforehand. I re
member having seen one of those pitched battles in my
father's fort, when a boy. One of the young men knew
very well beforehand that he should get the worst ofthe
battle, and no doubt repented the engagement to fight ;
but there was no getting over it. The point of honor
demanded the risk of battle. He got his whipping;
they then shook hands and were good friends afterwards.
The mode of single combats in those days was dan
gerous in the extreme ; although no weapons were used,
fists, teeth and feet were employed at will, but above all the
detestable practice of gouging, by which eyes were some
times put out, rendered this mode of fighting frightful
indeed ; it was not, however, so destructive as the stiletto
of an Italian, the knife of a Spaniard, the small sword of
the Frenchman, or the pistol of the American or English
duelist. Instances of seduction and bastardy did not frequently
happen in our early times. I remember one instance of
the former, in which the life ofthe man was put injeo-

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 189
pardy by the resentment of the family, to which the
girl belonged. Indeed, considering the chivalrous tem
per of our people, this crime could not then take place
without great personal danger from the brothers, or other
relations of the victims of seductions, family honor being
then estimated at an high rate.
I do not recollect that profane language was much
more prevalent in our early times than at present.
Among the people with whom I was most convers
ant, there was no other vestige of the Christian religion
than a faint observation of Sunday, and that merely as a
day of rest for the aged, and a play day for the young.
The first Christian service I ever heard was in the
garrison church in Baltimore county in Maryland, where
my father had sent me to school. I was then about ten
years old. The appearance of the church, the windows
of which were Gothic, the white surplice of the'minister,
and the responses in the service, overwhelmed me with
surprise. Among my school fellows in that place, it
was a matter of reproach to me that I was not baptized,
and why .? Because, as they said, I had no name. Such
was their notion of the efficacy of baptism.

CHAPTER XXIII.
Cruelty to Slaves and Servants.

If some of my readers should complain of the intro
duction of too great a portion of my own history, and
that of my family, into this work, I trust I shall not be
considered blamable for having given the narrative of

190 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
the horrid cruelties exercised upon slaves and servants,
which I was doomed to witness in my early years,
together with the lasting impressions which the view of
these tortures made upon my infant mind.
On the death of my mother, which happened when I
was about eight years old, my father sent me, under the
care of a relation, to Maryland for the purpose of being
sent to school.
When I arrived there, I was in a new world. I had
left the backwoods behind me. I had exchanged its
rough manners and poor living for the buildings, plenty
and polish of civilized life. Everything I saw and
heard confounded me. I learnt, after some time, that
there were rich and poor masters, slaves and convicts,
and I discovered that the poor servants and convicts
were under entire subordination to their masters. I saw
that the slaves and convicts lived in filthy hovels called
kitchens, and that they were poor, ragged and dirty, and
kept at hard labor ; while their masters and families lived
in large houses, were well clothed and fed and did as
they pleased. The reason of this difference in the con
dition of men and women of the same race of beings, I
could not comprehend. Having no idea of crime, I
thought it could be no otherwise than unjust, that some
should have so little and others so much, and that one
should work so hard and others perform no labor.
My residence was in a neighborhood where slaves and
convicts were numerous, and where tortures inflicted
upon them had become the occurrences of almost every
day, so that they were viewed with indifference by the
whole population of the neighborhood, as matters of
course. Thus it is that custom reconciles human nature,
with all its native sympathies, to the grossest barbarities,
and hardens the heart against the intrusion of feeling, at
the sight of the most exquisite suffering of a fellow
creature. Not so with me, who never had witnessed such tor-

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 191
tures ; I had not been long in my new habitation, before
I witnessed a scene which I shall never forget. A con
vict servant, accused of some trivial offense, was doomed
to the whip, tied with his arms extended upwards to the
limb of a tree, and a bundle of hickories were thrown
down before him ; he was ordered to look at them and
told that they should all be worn out on him and a great
many more, if he did not make a confession of the crime
alleged against him. The operation began by tucking
up the shirt over his head, so as to leave his back and
shoulders naked. The master then took two of the
hickories in his hand, and by forward and backhanded
strokes, each of which sounded like a wagon whip, and
applied with the utmost rapidity and with his whole mus
cular strength, in a few seconds lacerated the shoulders
of the poor miserable sufferer, with not less than fifty
scourges, so that in a little time the whole of his shoulders
had the appearance of a mass of blood, streams of which
soon began to flow down his back and sides ; he then
made a confession of his fault. A fault not worth nam
ing ; but this did not save him from further torture. He
had put his master " to the trouble of whipping him and
he must have a little more." His trowsers were then un
buttoned and suffered to fall down about his feet, two new
hickories were selected from the bundle, and so applied
that in a short time his posteriors, like his shoulders, ex
hibited nothing but laceration, and blood. A consulta
tion was then held between the master and the bystanders,
who had been coolly looking on, in which it was hu
manely concluded " that he had got enough." A basin
of brine and a cloth were ordered to be brought ; with
this his stripes were washed or salted as they called it.
During this operation the suffering wretch writhed and
groaned as if in the agonies of death. He was then
untied and told to go home and mistress would tell him
what to do.
From this scene of torture I went home, with a heavy
17

192 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
heart, and wished myself in the backwoods again ; nor
did the frequency of witnessing such scenes lessen, in any
degree, the horror which they first occasioned in my mind.
It frequently happened that torture was inflicted upon
slaves and convicts, in a more protracted manner, than
in that above described. When the victim of cruelty
was doomed by his master to receive the lash, several
of his neighbors were called on, for their assistance.
They attended at the time and place appointed. A jug
of rum and water were provided for the occasion. After
the trembling wretch was brought forth and tied up, the
number of lashes which he was to receive was deter
mined on, and by lot, or otherwise, it was decided who
should begin the operation ; this done, the torture com
menced ; at the conclusion of the first course, the
operator, pretending great weariness, called for a drink
of rum and water, in which he was joined by the com
pany. A certain time was allowed for the subject of
their cruelty to cool, as they called it. When the
allotted time had expired, the next hand took his turn,
and in like manner ended with a drink, and so on until
the appointed number of lashes were all imposed. This
operation lasted several hours, sometimes half a day, at
the conclusion of which the sufferer, with his hands
swollen with the cords, was unbound and suffered to put
on his shirt. His executioners, to whom the operation
was rather a frolic than otherwise, returned home from
the scene of their labor, half drunk. Another method
of punishment, still more protracted than this, was that
of dooming a slave to receive so many lashes, during
several days in succession, each of those whippings, ex
cepting the first, was called " tickling up the old scabs."
A couple of wagoners in the neighborhood, having
caught a man, as they said, in the act of stealing some
thing from the wagon, stripped him and fastened him to
the hinder part of the wagon, got out their jug of rum
and amused themselves by making scores on his back

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 193
for wagers. He that could make the deepest score was
to have the first dram. Sometimes the cuts appearing
to be equal, no decision could be had until the second or
third trial was made. This sport was continued for
several hours, until the poor fellow was a'most killed,
and the wagoners both drunk.
Female servants, both white and black, were sub
jected to the whip in common with the males. Having
to pass through the yard of a neighbor, on my way to
school, it happened that on going my usual route in a
cold, snowy morning, when I came within view of the
house I was much surprised at seeing a naked woman
standing at the whipping post and her master with a hickory
in his hand. When I got to the place, I stopped to see
what was going on ; after the woman had received a
certain number of lashes, a female black slave was
ordered from the kitchen, stripped and fastened by the
irons of the whipping post, her scars exhibited the stripes
and corrugations of former years. Both these women
had handkerchiefs tied around their eyes, to prevent them
from seeing when the blow was coming. The hickory
used by this man was a forked one, twisted together and
tied. A hickory of this kind, owing to the inequality of
its surface, gives the greater pain. With this he scored
the backs of these two women alternately ; but for what
length of time I do not know ; being shocked at the
sight, I hurried on to school, and left the master at his
work. I might here relate many other methods of torture, of
which I have been eye witness among these people, such
as the thumb screw, sweating, the birch, etc., but it is
enough, the heart sickens at the recollection of such
cruelties. Some time ago, I made inquiry of a gentleman who
had recently removed from the neighborhood in which I
had lived in Maryland, to this country, concerning the
present state of the families of my former acquaintance

194 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
in Maryland ; he informed me that ofthe whole number
of those families, only three or four of their descendants
remain possessors of the estates of their forefathers ; of
the others, their sons had become dissipated, sold their
lands, and had either perished in consequence of intem
perance, or left the country, so that the places which
once knew those families as princes of the land, now
know them no more. Thus it is that in moral and phy
sical respects at least " the sins of the fathers are visited
upon the children, to the third and fourth generation."
If the very sanctuaries built by the former hierarchy
of the slave states, in which the oppressors used the ritual
of the Christian service, with hands reeking with the
blood of slaves, have long since ceased to be vocal with
the songs of Zion, have passed to other hands, or even
fallen to decay, it is only saying that, God is just.
The recollection of the tortures which I witnessed so
early in life is still a source of affliction to my mind.
Twenty-four hours never pass during which my imagina
tion does not present me with the afflicting view of the
slave or servant writhing beneath the lashes of his master,
and cringing from the brine with which he salted his
stripes. During my stay of three years, in the region of slavery,
my only consolation was, that the time would come in
which the master and slave would exchange situations ;
that the former would receive the punishment due to his
cruelty, while the latter should find rest from his toils
and sufferings, in the kingdom of Heaven. The master
I regarded as Dives who, after " being clothed in purple
and fine linen and faring sumptuously every day," must
soon " lift up his eyes in hell, being in torment." The
slave was Lazarus, who, after closing his sufferings in
death, was to be " carried by the angels into Abraham's
bosom." From this afflicting state of society, I returned to the
back-woods, a republican, without knowing the meaning

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 195
of the term, that is, with an utter detestation of an arbi
trary power of one man over another.
On reading this recital, the historian will naturally
reflect that personal, real, or political slavery, has, at all
times, been the condition of almost the whole human
race ; that the history of man is the history of oppressors
and the victims of oppression. Wars, bastiles, prisons,
crosses, gibbets, tortures, scourges and fire, in the hands
of despots, have been the instruments of spreading deso
lation and misery over the earth. The philosopher re
gards those means of destruction, and their extensive use,
in all ages, as indices of the depravity and ferocity of
man. From the blood-stained pages of history, he turns
with disgust and horror, and pronounces an involuntary
anathema on the whole of his race. But is the condition
of the world still to remain the same ? Are the moral
impressions of our nature, to be forever sacrificed at the
shrine of lawless ambition ? Is man, as heretofore, to
be born only to destroy, or be destroyed ? Does the
good Samaritan see no rational ground of hope of better
things for future ages ? We trust he does, and that ages
yet to come, will witness the fulfillment of his benevo
lent wishes and predictions.
The American revolution was the commencement of
a new era in the history of the world. The issue of
that eventful contest snatched 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 rights
of man, surrendered him the right and the power of
governing himself, and placed in his hands' the resources
of his country, as munitions of war for his defense. The
experiment was indeed bold and hazardous ; but success
has hitherto more than justified the most sanguine anti
cipations of those who made it. The world has
witnessed, with astonishment, the rapid growth and
confirmation of our noble fabric of freedom. From our

196 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
distant horizon we have reflected a strong and steady
blaze of light on ill-fated Europe, from time immemorial
involved in the fetters and gloom of slavery. Our
history has excited a general 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 partici
pate in our blessings.
But will an example, so portentous of evil to the chiefs
of despotic institutions, be viewed with indifference 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 influence of that
thirst for freedom, so widely diffused and so rapidly gain
ing strength throughout their empires \ Will they make
no effort to remove from the world those free govern
ments, whose example gives them so much annoyance ?
The measures of defense will be adopted, the effort will
be made ; for power is never surrendered without a
struggle. Already nations, which from the earliest period of their
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 liberty. Every year
witnesses an association ofthe monarchs of those nations,
in unhallowed conclave, for the purpose of concerting
measures for effecting their dark designs. Hitherto the
execution of those measures has been, alas ! too fatally
successful. It would 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 ex
pressions of indignation, and threats of vengeance. We
ought to anticipate the gathering storm without dismay ;
but not with indifference. In viewing the dark side of
the prospect before us, one source of consolation of much
magnitude, presents itself. It is confidently expected
that the brave and potent nation with whom we have

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 197
a common origin will not risk the loss of that portion of
liberty, which at the expense of so much blood and
treasure, they have secured for themselves, by an un
natural association with despots for the unholy purpose
of making war on the freedom of the few nations of the
earth which possess any considerable portion of that in
valuable blessing ; on the contrary it is hoped by us, that
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 country ! lose no time,
spare no expense in hastening on the requisite means of
defense, for meeting with safety, and with victory, the
impending storm which, sooner or later, must fall upon us.

CHAPTER XXIV.

Western Civilization.
The causes which led to the present state of civiliza
tion of the western country are subjects which deserve
some consideration.
The state of society and manners of the early settlers,
as presented in these Notes, shows very clearly that their
grade of civilization was, indeed, low enough. The de
scendants of the English cavaliers from Maryland and
Virginia, who settled mostly along the rivers, and the
descendants of the Irish, who settled the interior parts
of the country, were neither of them remarkable 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, jumping,

198 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
shooting, dancing, etc. These diversions were often
accompanied with personal combats, which consisted of
blows, kicks, biting and gouging. This mode of fight
ing was what they called rough and tumble. 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 country.
These people, for the most part, formed the cordon
along the Ohio river on the frontiers of Pennsylvania,
Virginia and Kentucky, which defended the country
against the attacks ofthe Indians, during the revolutionary
war. They were the janizaries of the country, that is,
they were soldiers, when they chose to be so, and when
they chose, laid down their arms. Their military service
was voluntary and of course received no pay.
With the descendants of the Irish, I had but little ac
quaintance, although I lived near them. At an early
period they were comprehended in the Presbyterian
church, and were, therefore, more reserved in their de
portment than their frontier neighbors, and from their
situation, being less exposed to the Indian warfare, took
less part in that war.
The patriot of the western region finds his love of
country and national pride augmented to the highest
grade when he compares the political, moral and religious
character of his people, with that of the inhabitants of
many large divisions of the old world. In Asia and
Africa, generation after generation passes without any
change in the moral and religious character, or physical
condition of the people.
On the Barbary coast, the traveler, if a river lies in
his way, and happens to be high, must either swim 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 Carthagenians.
In upper Egypt the people grind meal for their dhoura
bread \i-^ rubbing it between two flat stones. This is
done by women.

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 199
In Palestine the grinding of grain is still performed by
an ill constructed hand mill, as in the days of our Saviour.
The roads to the famous city 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 caravansera is their fortress and
place of repose at night instead of a place of entertain
ment. The streets of Constantinople, instead of being
paved, are, in many places, almost impassable from mud,
filth, and the carcases of dead beasts. Yet this is the
metropolis of a great empire.
Throughout the whole of the extensive regions of
Asia and Africa, man, from his cradle to his grave, sees
no change in the aspect of anything 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 deter
mined by his birth. Steady and unvarying as the lapse
of time in every department of life, generation after gene
ration 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 descendaiit of Ishmael is still "a wild man,"
hungry, thirsty, and half naked, beneath a burning sun
he traverses the immense and inhospitable desert of Sa-
. hara, apparently without any object, because his fore
fathers did so before him. Throughout life he subsists
on camel's milk and flesh, while his only covering from
the inclemency of the weather, 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 hieroglyphics. They must never exchange it
for one of twenty letters, which would answer an infi
nitely better purpose.

200 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
Had we pursued the course of the greater number of
the nations of the earth, we should have b^en at this day,
treading in the footsteps of our forefathers, from whose
example in any respect we should have thought it criminal
to depart, in the slightest degree.
Instead of a blind or superstitious imitation of the
manners and customs of our forefathers, we have thought
and acted for ourselves, and we have changed ourselves
and everything around us. The linsey and coarse linen
of the first settlers of the country have been exchanged
for the substantial and fine fabrics of Europe and Asia ;
the hunting shirt for the fashionable coat of broadcloth,
and the moccason 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,
and Atlantic America.
It is not enough that persevering industry has enabled
us to purchase the " purple and fine linen " from foreigners
and to use their porcelain and glassware whether plain,
engraved or gilt. We have nobly dared to fabricate those
elegant, comfortable and valuable productions of art for
ourselves. A well founded prospect of large gains from
useful arts and honest labor, has drawn to our country
a large number of the best artizans of other countries.
Their mechanic arts, immensely improved by American
genius, have hitherto realized the hopeful prospect which
induced their emigration to our infant country.
The horse paths, along which our forefathers made
their laborious journeys over the mountains, for salt and
iron, were soon succeeded by wagon roads, and those
again by substantial turnpikes, which, as if by magic en
chantment, have brought the distant region not many
years ago denominated the backwoods, into a close and
lucrative connection with our great Atlantic cities. The
journey over the mountains, formerly considered so long,
so expensive and even perilous, is now made in a very
few days, and with accommodations not displeasing to the

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 201
epicure himself. Those giants of North America, the
different mountains composing the great chain of the
Alleghany, formerly so frightful in their aspect, and pre
senting so many difficulties in their passage, are now
scarcely noticed by the traveler, in his journey along the
graduated highways by which they are crossed.
The rude sports of former times have been discon
tinued. Athletic trials of muscular strength and activity,
in which there certainly is not much of merit, have given
way to the more noble ambition for mental endowments
and skill in useful arts. To the rude and often indecent
songs, but roughly and unskilfully sung, have succeeded
the psalm, the hymn, and swelling anthem. To the
clamorous boast, the provoking banter, the biting sarcasm,
the horrid oath and imprecation, have succeeded urbanity
of manners and a course of conversation enlightened by
science, and chastened by mental attention and respect.
Above all the direful spirit of revenge, the exercise
of which so much 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 pass in
safety among those whose remembrance still bleeds at
the recollection of the loss of their relatives, who have
perished under the tomahawk and scalping-knife of the
savages. The Moravian brethren may dwell in safety on the
sited of the villages desolated, and over the bones of their
brethren and forefathers murdered, by the more than
savage ferocity of the whites. Nor let it be supposed
that the return of peace produced this salutary change
of feeling towards the tawny sons of the forest. The
thirst of revenge was not wholly allayed by the balm of
peace. Several Indians fell victims to the private ven
geance of those who had recently lost their relations in
the war, for some years after it had ceased.
If the state of society and manners, from the com
mencement of the settlements in this country during the

202 Early Settlement and Indian Wars 'of
lapse of many years, owing to the sanguinary character
of the Indian mode of warfare, and other circumstances,
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 civilized man to become wild than for the
wild man to become civilized ; what means have arrested
the progress of the early inhabitants of the western region
towards barbarSm ? 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 exterior
ispect of the population of the country, and giving a new
current to public feeling and individual pursuit. The
huntsman and warrior, when he had exchanged his
hunter's dress for that of the civilized man, soon lost
sight of his former occupations and assumed a new cha
racter 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 manual exercise. Had not commerce
furnished the means of changing the dresses of our people
and the furniture of their houses, had the hunting shirt,
moccason and leggins continued to be the dress of our
men, had the three legged stool, the noggin, the trencher
and wooden bowl, continued to be the furniture of our
houses, our progress towards science and civilization
would have been much slower.
It may seem strange that so much importance is at
tached to the influence of dress, in giving the moral and
intellectual character of society.
In all the institutions of despotic governments we dis
cover evident traces of the highest grade of human sa
gacity and foresight. It must have been the object of
the founders of those governments to repress the genius
of man, divest the mind of every sentiment of ambition,
and prevent the cognizance of any rule of life excepting

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 203
that of a blind obedience to the despot and his established
institutions of religion and government ; hence the canon
laws of religion, in all governments despotic in principle,
have prescribed the costume of each class of society,
their diet, and their manner of eating it, even their house
hold furniture is in like manner prescribed by law. In
all these departments no deviation from the law or cus
tom is permitted, or even thought of. The whole science
of human nature, under such governments, is that of a
knowledge of the duties of the station of life prescribed
by parentage and the whole duty of man that of a rigid
performance of them ; while reason, having nothing to
do with either the one or the other, is never cultivated.
Even among Christians those founders of religious so
cieties have succeeded best who have prescribed a pro
fessional costume for their followers, because every time
the disciple looks at his dress 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 strange pastures.
The English government could never subdue the
esprit du cour of the north of Scotland, until after the re
bellion of '45, the prohibition of wearing the tartan plaid,
the kilt and the bonnet, amongst Highlanders, 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 whom 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
for a change, at the will of each individual, in dress,
household furniture, and in eating and drinking, the
whole Mohamedan system would be overthrown in a
few years. With a similar permission the Hindoo super
stition would share the same fate. We have yet some
small districts of country where the costume, cabins, and
18

204 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
in some measure the household furniture of their an
cestors, are still in use. The people of these districts
are far behind their neighbors in every valuable endow
ment of human nature. Among them the virtues of
chastity, temperance and industry bear no great value,
and 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 we so soon forgotten our fore
fathers, and everything belonging to our former state ?
The reason is, everything belonging to our former state
has vanished from our view ; we meet with nothing to
put us in remembrance of them. The recent date of
the settlement of our country is no longer a subject of
reflection. Its immense improvements present to the
imagination the results ofthe labors of several centuries,
instead of the work of a few years ; and we do not
often take the trouble to correct the false impression.
The introduction of the mechanic arts has certainly
contributed, not a little, to the morals and scientific im
provement of the country. The carpenter, the joiner
and mason have displaced the rude, unsightly and un
comfortable cabin of our forefathers by comfortable and
in many instances elegant mansions of stone, brick, hewn
or sawed timbers.
The ultimate objects of civilization are the moral and
physical happiness of man. To the latter, the commo
dious mansion house, with its furniture, contributes
essentially. The family mansions of the nations of the
earth furnish the criteria of the different grades of their
moral and mental condition. The savages universally
live in tents, wigwams or lodges covered with earth.
Barbarians, next to these, many indeed, have habitations
something better, but of no value and indifferently fur
nished. Such are the habitations of the Russian, Tartar,
and Turkish peasantry.
Such is the effect of a large, elegant and well furnished

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 205
house on the feelings and deportment of a family, that
if you were to build one for a family of savages, by the
occupancy of it they would lose their savage character ;
or if they did not choose to make the exchange of that
character, for that of civilization, they would forsake it
for the wigwam and the woods.
This was done by many of the early stock of back
woodsmen, even after they built comfortable houses for
themselves. They no longer had the chance of " a fall
hunt" the woods pasture was eaten up. They wanted
" elbvw room." They therefore sold out, and fled to
the forest ofthe frontier settlements, choosing rather to
encounter the toil of turning the wilderness into fruitful
fields, a second time, and even risk an Indian war,
rather 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
final stop to the westward march of those lovers of the
wilderness. Substantial buildings have the effect of giving value to
the soil and creating an attachment to the family resi
dence. Those who have accustomed themselves to
poetry, ancient or modern, need not be told how finely
and how impressively the household gods, the blazing
hearth, the plentiful board and the social fireside, figure
in poetical imagery. And this is not " Tying up non
sense for a song," they are realities of life, in its most
polished states ; they are among its best and most rational
enjoyment ; they associate the little family community
in parental and filial affection and duty, in which even
the well clothed child feels its importance, claims and
duties. The amount of attachment to the family man
sion, furnishes the criterion of the relative amount of
virtue in the members of a family. If the head of a
family should wander from the path of parental duty
and become addicted to vicious habits, in proportion as

206 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
his virtue suffers a declension, his love of his home and
family abates until at last, any place, however base and
corrupting it may be, is more agreeable to him than the
once duke domum. If a similar declension in virtue
happens 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 strong attachment for the family mansion,
is "given to outgoing" to places of licentious resort,
their moral ruin may be said to be at no great distance.
Architecture is of use, even in the important pro
vince of religion. Those who build no houses for
themselves, build no temples for the service of God, and
of course derive the less benefit from the institutions of
religion. While our people lived in cabins, their places
of worship were tents, as they were called, their seats
logs, their communion tables rough slabs of hewn timber,
and the covering of the worshipers the leaves of the
forest trees. Churches have succeeded to tents, with
their rude accommodations for public worship. The
very aspect of those sacred edifices fills the mind of the
beholder with a religious awe, and as to the most believ
ing and sincere, it serves to increase the fervor of devo
tion. Patriotism is augmented by the sight of the
majestic forum of justice, the substantial public highway
and bridge, with its long succession of ponderous arches.
Rome and Greece would, no doubt, have fallen much
sooner had it not been for the patriotism inspired by
their magificent public edifices ; had it not been for these,
their histories would have been less complete and lasting
than they have been.
Emigration has brought to the western regions the
wealth, science and arts of our eastern brethren and
even of Europe. These we hope have suffered no de
terioration in the western country. They have contri-

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 207
buted much to the change which has been effected in
the moral and scientific character of our country.
The ministry of the gospel has contributed, no doubt
immensely, to the happy change which has been effected
in the state of our western society. At an early period
of our settlements three Presbyterian clergymen com
menced their clerical labors in our infant settlements.
The Rev. Joseph Smith, the Rev. John M'Millan, and
the Rev. Mr. Bowers, the two latter of whom are still
living. They were pious, patient, laborious men, who
collected their people into regular congregations, and
did all for them that their circumstances would allow.
It was no disparagement to them that their first churches
were the shady groves, and their first pulpits a kind of
tent, constructed of a few rough slabs and covered with
clapboards. " He who dwelleth not exclusively in
temples made with hands," was propitious to their de
votions. From the outset they prudently resolved to
create a ministry in the country, and accordingly esta
blished little grammar schools at their own houses or in
their immediate neighborhoods. The course of educa
tion which they gave their pupils was, indeed, not ex
tensive ; but the piety of those who entered into the
ministry more than made up the deficiency. They
formed societies most of which are now large and re
spectable, and in point of education their ministry has
much improved.
About the year 1792, an academy was established at
Cannonsburg, in Washington county, in the western
part of Pennsylvania, which was afterwards incorporated
under the name Jefferson college. The means possessed
by the society for the undertaking were indeed but
small ; but they not only erected a tolerable edifice for
the academy, but created a fund for the education of
such pious young men as were desirous of entering into
the ministry, but unable to defray the expenses of their
education. This institution has been remarkably sue-

208 Early Settlement arid Indian Wars of
cessful in its operations. It has produced a large number
of good scholars in all the literary professions and added
immensely to the science ofthe country.
Next to this, Washington college, situated in the
county town of the county of that name, has been the
means of diffusing much of the light of science through
the western country.
Too much praise cannot be bestowed on those good
men who opened these fruitful sources of instruction for
our infant country, at so early a period of its settlement.
They have immensely improved the departments of the
ology, law, medicine and legislation in the western regions.
At a later period the Methodist society began their
labors in the western parts of Virginia and Pennsylvania ;
their progress at first was slow, but their zeal and perse
verance 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 convey the gospel through
out a thinly scattered population. Accordingly, their
ministry has kept pace with the extension of our settle
ments. The little cabin was scarcely built, and the
little field fenced in, before these evangelical teachers
made their appearance amongst them, collected them
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 in
structed, and reclaimed from the error of their ways ?
They have restored to society even the most worthless,
and made them valuable and respectable as citizens, and
useful in all the relations of life. Their numerous and
zealous ministry bids fair to carry on the good work to
any extent which our settlements and population may
require.

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 209
With the Catholics I have but little acquaintance, but
have every reason to believe, that in proportion to 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 they 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 un
ostentatious manner, have sought out and ministered to
their scattered flocks throughout the country ; and as far
as I know, with good success.
The societies of Friends, in the western country, are
numerous, and their establishments in good order. Al
though they are not much in favor of a classical educa
tion they are, nevertheless, in the habit of giving their
people a substantial English education. Their habits of
industry and attention to useful arts and improvements
are highly honorable to themselves, and worthy of imi
tation. The Baptists in the state of Kentucky took the lead
in the ministry, and with great success. Their establish
ments are, as I have been informed, at present numerous
and respectable in that state. A great and salutary revo
lution has taken place in this community of people.
Thejr ministry was formerly quite illiterate ; but they
have turned their attention to science and have already
erected some very respectable literary establishments in
different parts of America.
The German Lutheran and Reformed churches in our
country, as far as I know of them, are doing well. The
number of the Lutheran congregations is said to be at
least one hundred, that of the Reformed, it is presumed,
is about the same amount. It is remarkable that through
out the whole extent of the United States the Germans,
in proportion to their wealth, have the best churches,
organs and grave yards.
It is a fortunate circumstance that those of our citi-

210 Early Settlement ana Indian Wars of
zens who labor under the disadvantage of speaking a
foreign language are blessed with a ministry so evangeli
cal as that of these very numerous and respectable com
munities. The Episcopalian church, which ought to have been
foremost in gathering in their scattered flocks, have been
the last, and done the least of any Christian community
in the evangelical work. Taking the western country
in its whole extent, at least one-half of its population
was originally of Episcopalian parentage ; but, for want
of a ministry of their own, have associated with other
communities. They had no alternative but that of
changing their profession or living and dying without the
ordinances of religion. It can be no subject of regret,
that those ordinances 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 episcopus, or suffragan
bishop, of a faithful spirit, who twenty years ago should
have " ordained them elders in every place " where they
were needed, would have been the instrument of forming
episcopal congregations over a great extent of country,
and wbich by this time would have become large, numer
ous and respectable ; but the opportunity was neglected,
and the consequent loss to this church is irreparable.. So
total a neglect ofthe spiritual interests of so many valu
able people, for so great a length of time, by a ministry
so near at hand, is a singular and unprecedented fact in
ecclesiastical history, the like of which never occurred
before. It seems to me, that if the twentieth part of the
Christian people of any other community, had been
placed in Siberia, and dependent on any other ecclesi
astical authority, in this country, that that authority
would have reached them many years ago with the min
istration of the gospel. With the earliest and most
numerous episcopacy in America, not one of the eastern

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 211
bishops has ever yet crossed the Alleghany mountains,
although the dioceses of two of them comprehend large
tracts of country on the western side of the mountains.
It is hoped that the future diligence of this community
will make up, in some degree, for the negligence of the
past. There is still an immense void in this country
which it is their duty to fill up. From their respect
ability on the ground of antiquity among the reformed
churches, the science of their patriarchs, who have been
the lights of the world, from their number and great
resources, even in America, she ought to hasten to fulfill
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 ofthe Episcopal church, all our
religious communities have done well for their country.
The author begs that it may be understood that with
the distinguishing tenets of our religious societies he has
• nothing to do, nor yet with the excellencies or defects
of their ecclesiastical institutions. They are noticed on
no other ground than that of their respective contribu
tions to the science and civilization of the country.
The last,. but not the least, of the means of our present
civilization are our excellent forms of government and
the administration of the laws. In vain, as means of
general reformation, are schools, colleges, and a ministry
of the gospel of the best order, a land of liberty is a land
of crime, as well as of virtue.
It is often mentioned, as a matter of reproach to Eng
land that, in proportion to her population, they have more
convictions, executions 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? No.
There is more liberty there than elsewhere in Europe,
and that is the true, and only solution of the matter in

212 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
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 are much
more liable to fall into the commission of crime than a
people who, from their infancy, 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 the
strange and devious paths of hazardous experiments.
In America, should a stranger read awhile our nu
merous 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 greater the
necessity of a steady and faithful administration of justice ;
but more especially of criminal justice, because a general
diffusion of science, while it produces the most salutary
effects on a general scale, produces also the worst of
crimes, by creating the greater capacity for their com
mission. There is scarcely any art or science, which is
not in some hands, and certain circumstances, made an
instrument of the most atrocious vices. The arts of
navigation and gunnery, so necessary for the wealth and
defense of a nation, have often degenerated into the
crime of piracy. The beautiful art of engraving, and
the more useful art of writing, have been used by the
fraudulent for counterfeiting all kinds of public and pri
vate documents of credit. Were it not for science and
freedom, the important professions of theology and
physic would not be so frequently assumed by the pseudo
priest and the quack, without previous acquirements,
without right, and for purposes wholly base and unwar
rantable

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 213
The truth is, the western country is the region of ad
venture. If we have derived some advantage from the
importation of science, arts and wealth, 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 unlawful means. The steady administra
tion of justice has been our only safety from destruction
by the pestilential influence of so great an amount of
moral depravity, in our infant country.
Still it may be asked whether facts warrant the belief
that the scale is fairly turned in favor of science, piety
and civilization ; whether in regard to these important en
dowments of our nature, the present time is better than
the past, and the future likely to be better than the
present. Whether we may safely consider our political
institutions so matured and settled that our personal
liberty, property and sacred honor are not only secured
to us for the present, but likely to remain the inheritance
of our children for generations yet to come. Society in
its best state resembles a sleeping volcano, as to the
amount of latent moral evil which it always contains.
It is enough for public safety, and all that can reasonably
be expected, that the good preponderate over the evil.
The moral and political means which have been so suc
cessfully employed for preventing a revolutionary explo
sion, have, as we trust, procrastinated the danger of such
an event for a long time to come. If we have criminals
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 lodgements for thieves. Our
hills are not, as Ia the wilderness of Judea, hills of robbers.
The ministry or the holy gospel is enlightening the minds
of our people with the best of all sciences, that of God
himself, His divine government and man's future state.

214 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
Let it not be thought hard that our forms of justice
are so numerous, the style of their architecture so im
posing, and the business which occupies them so multi
farious ; they are the price which freedom must 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 vigilance and
coercions of criminal justice. Even the poorest of our
people are solicitous for the education of their children.
Thus the great supports of our moral and political state,
resting on their firmest basis, public opinion and attach
ment to our government and laws, promise stability for
generations yet to come.

CHAPTER XXV.
Indian Mode of Warfare.
Preliminary observations on the character of the In
dian mode of warfare and its adoption by the white people.
This is a subject which presents human nature in its
most revolting features as subject to a vindictive spirit of
revenge and a thirst for human blood leading to an indis
criminate slaughter of all ranks, ages and sexes, by the
weapons of war, or by torture.
The history of man is, for the most part, one con
tinued detail of bloodshed, battles and devastations.
War has been, from the earliest periods of history, the
almost constant employment of individuals, clans, tribes
and nations. Fame, one of the most potent objects of
humar ambition, has at all times been the delusive but
costly reward of military achievements. The triumph
of conquest, the epithet of greatness, the throne and the
sceptre, have uniformly been purchased by the conflict
of battle, and garments rolled in blood.

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 215
If the modern European laws of warfare have softened
in some degree the horrid features of national conflicts
by respecting the rights of private property and extend
ing humanity to the sick, wounded and prisoners, we
ought to reflect that this amelioration is the effect of
civilization only. The natural state of war knows no
such mixture of mercy with cruelty. In his primitive
state man knows no object in his wars, but that of the
extermination of his enemies, either by death or captivity.
The wars of the Jews were exterminatory in their
object. The destruction of a whole nation was often
the result of a single campaign. Even the beasts them
selves were sometimes included in the general massacre.
The present war between the Greeks and Turks is a
war upon the ancient model; a war of utter extermination.
It is, to be sure, much to be regretted that our people
so often followed the cruel examples of the Indians in
the slaughter of prisoners, and sometimes women and
children ; yet let them receive a candid hearing at the
bar of reason and justice, before they are condemned, as
barbarians, equally with the Indians themselves. His
tory scarcely presents an example of a civilized nation
carrying on a war with barbarians without adopting the
mode of warfare of the barbarous nation. The ferocious
Suwarrow, when at war with the Turks, was as much of
a savage as the Turks themselves. His slaughters were
as indiscriminate as theirs ; but during his wars against
the French, in Italy, he faithfully observed the laws of
civilized warfare.
Were the Greeks now at war with a civilized nation
we should hear nothing of the barbarities which they
have committed on the Turks ; but, being at war with
barbarians, the principle of self-defense compels them to
retaliate on the Turks, the barbarities which they com
mit on them.
In the last rebellion in Ireland, that of united Irishmen,
the government party were not much behind the rebels
iQ

216 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
in acts of lawless cruelty. It was not by the hands of
the executioner, alone, they perished. Summary justice,
as it was called, was sometimes inflicted. How many
perished under the torturing scourge of the drummer,
for the purpose of extorting confessions. These extra
judicial executions were attempted to be justified on the
ground of the necessity of the case.
Our revolutionary war has a double aspect ; on the
one hand we carried on a war with the English, in which
we observed the maxims of civilized warfare with the
utmost strictness ; but the brave, the potent, the mag
nanimous nation of our forefathers had associated with
themselves, as auxiliaries, the murderous tomahawk and
scalping knife of the Indian nations around our defense
less frontiers, leaving those barbarous sons of the forest
to their own savage mode of warfare, to the full indulgence
of all their native thirst for human blood. On them,
then, be the blame of all the horrid features cf this war
between civilized and savage men, in which the for
mer were compelled, by every principle of self defense,
to adopt the Indian mode of warfare in all its revolting
and destructive features.
Were those who were engaged in the war against the
Indians less humane than those who carried on the war
against their English allies ? No. They were not.
Both parties carried on the war on the same principle of
reciprocity of advantages and disadvantages. For ex
ample, the English and Americans take each one thousand
prisoners. They are exchanged. Neither army is
weakened by this arrangement. A sacrifice is indeed
made to humanity, in the expense of taking care of the
sick, wounded and prisoners ; but this expense is mutual.
No disadvantages result from all the clemency of modern
warfare excepting an augmentation of the expenses of
war. In this mode of warfare those of the nation, not
in arms, are safe from death by the hands of soldiers.
No civilized warrior dishonors his sword with the blood

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 217
of helpless infancy, old age, or that of the fair sex. He
aims his blows only at those whom he finds in arms
against him. The Indian kills indiscriminately. His
object is the total extermination of his enemies. Children
are victims of his vengeance because, if males, they may
hereafter become warriors, or if females, they may become
mothers. Even the foetal state is criminal in his view.
It is not enough that the foetus should perish with the
murdered mother, it is torn from her pregnant womb
and elevated on a stick or pole, as a trophy of victory
and an object of horror, to the survivors of the slain.
If the Indian takes prisoners, mercy has but little
concern in the transaction ; he spares the lives of those
who fall into his hands, for the purpose of feasting the
feelings of ferocious vengeance of himself a.^d 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 purpose of gain, by selling him for a
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 presents for scalps,
and prisoners, as well as furnishing the means for carrying
on the Indian war, which for so many years desolated
our defenseless frontiers. No lustration can ever wash
out this national stain. The foul Hot must remain, as
long as the page of history shall convey the record of
the foul transaction, to future generations.
The author would not open wounds which have, alas !
already bled so long, but for the purpose of doing justice
to the memory of his forefathers and relatives, many of
whom perished in the defense of their country, by the
hands of the merciless Indians.
How is a war of extermination, and accompanied with
such acts of atrocious cruelty, to be met by those on
whom it is inflicted ? Must it be met by the lenient
maxims of civilized warfare ? Must the Indian captive
be spared his life ? What advantage would be gained

218 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
by this course ? The young white prisoners, adopted
into Indian families, often became complete Indians, but
in how few instances did ever an Indian become civil
ized. Send a cartel for an exchange of prisoners, the
Indians knew 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 the prosecution of the
Indian war, let him who harbors this unfavorable impres
sion concerning them, portray in imagination the horrid
scenes of slaughter, which frequently met their view in
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 of the Indian torture by
fire, and smell the surrounding air, rendered sickening
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 would be his feelings ?
After a short season of grief, he would say, "I will now
think only of revenge."
Philosophy shudders at the destructive aspect of war
in any shape ; Christianity, by teaching the religion of
the good Samaritan, altogether forbids it ; but the ori
ginal 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 ne
cessity, and a motive of revenge, with the exception of
burning their captives alive, which they never did ; if

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 219
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 of 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 indi
viduals, no advantages 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 ofthe same charac
ter; or by an overwhelming force which may put an
end to it, without a sacrifice of the helpless and unoffend
ing part of hostile nations ; such a force was not at the
command ofthe 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 wisel" nd humanely
pursued the latter course.
The 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 in
stances of acts of wanton barbarity occurred on our side,
which have«received, and must continue to receive, the
unequivocal reprobation of all the civilized 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.

220 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of

CHAPTER XXVI.
The War of 1763.
The treaty of peace between his British majesty and
the kings of France, Spain and Portugal, concluded at
Paris on the loth of February, 1763, did not put an end
to the Indian war against the frontier parts and back set
tlements 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 de
structive 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 lakes and
throughout the whole extent of the frontier settlements
of Pennsylvania, Virginia and North Carolina.
The events of this war, as they relate to the frontier
of Pennsylvania and the shores of the lakes, are matters
of history already, and therefore shall be no farther re
lated here than is necessary to give a connected view of
the military events of those disastrous seasons. The
massacre by the Indians in the south-western part of
Virginia, so far as they have come to the knowledge of
the author, shall be related more in detail. '
The English historians attribute this terrible war to
the influence of the French Jesuits over the Indians," but
whether with much truth and candor, is, to say the least
of it, extremely doubtful.
The peace of 1763, by which the provinces of Canada
were ceded to Britain, was offensive to the Indians ;
especially, as they very well knew that the English go
vernment, on the ground of this treaty, claimed the
^ History of England, -vo\. x, p. 399.

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 221
jurisdiction ofthe western country generally ; and as an
Indian sees no difference between the right of jurisdic
tion and that of possession, they considered themselves
as about to be dispossessed ofthe whole of their country
as rapidly as the English might find it convenient to take
possession of it. In this opinion they were confirmed
by the building of forts on the Susquehanna, on lands to
which the Indians laid claim. The forts and posts of
Pittsburg, Bedford, Ligonier, Niagara, Detroit, Presque
Isle, St. Joseph, and Michilimackinac, were either built,
or improved 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, threatened an
extension of them into the heart of their country. Thus
circumstanced the aborigines of the country had to choose
between the prospect of being driven to the inhospitable
regions ofthe north and west ; of negotiating with the
British government for continuance ofthe possession of
their own land, or of taking up arms for its defense.
They chose the latter course, in which a view of the
smallness of their numbers and the scantiness of their
resources, ought to have taught them that, although they
might do much mischief, they could not ultimately suc
ceed ; but the Indians, as well as their brethren of the
white skin, are often driven by their impetuous passions
to rash and destructive enterprises, which reason, were
it permitted to give its counsels, would disapprove. The
plan resolved on by the Indians for the prosecution of
the war, was that of a general massacre of all the inhabit
ants ofthe English settlements in the western country,
as well as of those on the lands on the Susquehanna, to
which they laid claim.
Never did military 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 recovery

222 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
of their country from the possession of the English.
It was, indeed, a war of utter extermination on an extensive
scale. A conflict which exhibited human nature in its
native state, in which the cunning ofthe fox is associated
with the cruelty of the tiger. We read the history of
this war with feelings of the deepest horror ; but why ?
On the part ofthe savages, theirs was the ancient mode
of warfare, in which there was nothing of mercy. If
science, associated with the benign influence of the
Christian system, has limited the carnage of war to those
in arms, so as to give the right of life, and hospitality to
women, infancy, old age, the sick, wounded and prisoners,
may not a farther extension of the influence of those
powerful but salutary agents put an end to war alto
gether ? May not future generations read the history
of our civilized warfare with equal horror and wonder,
that, with our science and piety, we had wars at all ! I
The English traders among the Indians were the first
victims in this contest. Out of one hundred and twenty
of them, among the different nations, only two or three
escaped being murdered. The forts of Presque Isle, St.
Joseph and Michilimackinac were taken, with a general
slaughter of their garrisons. The fortresses of Bedford,
Ligonier, Niagara, Detroit and Pitt were with difficulty
preserved from being taken. It was a principal object
with the Indians to get possession of Detroit and Fort
Pitt, either by assault or famine. The former was at
tempted with regard to Detroit. Fort Pitt, being at a
considerable distance from the settlements, where alone
supplies could be obtained, determined the savages to
attempt its reduction by famine.
In their first attempt on Fort Detroit, the Indians cal
culated on taking possession of it by stratagem. A
large number of the Indians appeared before the place
under pretense of holding a congress with Major Glad
win, the commandant. He was on his guard and re
fused them admittance. On the next day, about five

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 223
hundred more ofthe Indians arrived in arms and demanded
leave to go into the fort, to hold a treaty. The com
mandant refused to admit a greater number than forty.
The Indians understood his design of detaining them as
hostages for the good conduct of their comrades, on the
outside of the fort, and therefore did not send them into
the place. The whole number of men in the fort and
on board two vessels of war in the river, did not exceed
one hundred and ten or twelve ; but by the means of
the cannons they possessed, they made shift to keep the
Indians at a distance and convince them that they could
not take the place. When the Indians were about to
retire. Captain Dalyell arrived at the fort, with a consi
derable reinforcement for the relief of the place. He
made a sortie against the breast works which the Indians
had thrown up, with two hundred and forty-five men.
This detachment was driven back with the loss of seventy
men killed and forty-two wounded. Captain Dalyell
was among the slain. Of one hundred men who were
escorting a large quantity of provisions to Detroit, sixty-
seven were massacred.
Fort Pitt had been invested for some time, before
Captain Ecayer had the least prospect of relief. In this
situation he and his garrison had resolved to stand it out
to the last extremity and even perish of famine, rather
than fall into the hands of the savages ; notwithstanding
the fort was a bad one, the garrison weak, and the
country between the fort and Ligonier was in possession
of the savages, and his messengers killed or compelled to
return back. In this situation. Col. Bouquet was sent
by General Amherst to the relief of the place, with a
large quantity of provisions under a strong escort. This
escort was attacked by a large body of Indians, in a
narrow defile, on Turtle creek, and would have been
entirely defeated, had it not been for a successful strata
gem employed by the commander for extricating them
selves from the savage army. After sustaining a furious

224 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
contest, from one o'clock till night, and for several
hours the next morning, a retreat was pretended, with a
view to draw the Indians into a close engagement. Pre
viously to this movement, four companies of infantry and
grenadiers were placed in ambuscade. The plan suc
ceeded. When the retreat commenced, the Indians
thought themselves secure of victory, and pressing for
ward with great vigor, fell into the ambuscade, and were
dispersed with great slaughter. The loss on the side of
the English was above one hundred killed and wounded,
that of the Indians, could not have been less. This loss
was severely felt by the Indians, as in addition to the
number of warriors who fell in the engagement, several
of the most distinguished chiefs were amongst the slain.
Fort Pitt, the reduction of which 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 western region of our country,
cannot help regarding Pittsburg, the present flourishing
emporium ofthe northern part of that region, and its im
mediate neighborhood, as classic ground, on account of
the memorable battles which have taken place for its
possession in the infancy of our settlements. Braddock's
defeat. Major Grant's defeat, its conquest by Gen. Forbes,
the victory over the Indians above related, by Major
Bouquet, serve to show the importance in which this
post was held in early times, and that it was obtained
and supported by the English government at the price of
no small amount of blood and treasure. In the neighbor
hood of this place, as well as in the war-worn regions
of the old world, the plough share of the farmer turns
up, from beneath the surface of the earth, the broken
and rusty implements of war, and the bones of the slain
in battle.
It was in the course of this war that the dreadful
massacre at Wyoming took place, and desolated the fine
settlements of the New England people along the Sus-

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 225
quehanna. The extensive and indiscriminate slaughter
of both sexes and all ages by the Indians, at Wyoming
and other places, so exasperated a large number of men,
denominated the Paxton boys, that they rivalled the most
ferocious of the Indians themselves, in deeds of cruelty
which have dishonored the history of our country by
the record of the shedding of innocent blood, without the
slightest provocation; deeds of the most atrocious bar
barity. The Canestoga Indians had lived in peace for more
than a century, in the neighborhood of Lancaster. Their
number did not exceed forty. Against these unoffending
descendants of the first friends of the famous William
Penn, the Paxton boys first directed their more than
savage vengeance. Fifty-seven of them, in military ar
ray, poured into their little village and instantly murdered
all whom they found at home, to the number of fourteen
men, women and children. Those of them who did not
happen to be at home at the massacre, were lodged in
the jail of Lancaster, for safety. But alas ! This pre
caution was unavailing. The Paxton boys broke open
the jail door and murdered the whole of them, in num
ber from fifteen to twenty. It was in vain that these
poor defenseless people protested their innocence and
begged for mercy on their knees. Blood was the order
of the day, with those ferocious Paxton boys. The
death of the victims of their cruelties, did not satisfy
their rage for slaughter ; they mangled the dead bodies
of the Indians with their scalping knives and tomahawks,
in the most shocking and brutal manner, scalping even
the children and chopping off the 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
Wequetank and Nain. From the execution of this in
fernal design they were prevented, by the humane in
terference of the government of Pennsylvania, which
removed the inhabitants of both places under a strong

226 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
guard to Philadelphia, for protection. They remained
under guard from November, 1763, until the close of
the war in December, 1764 ; the greater part of this time
they occupied the barracks of the city. The Paxton
boys twice assembled in great force, at no great distance
from the city, with a view to assault the barrack and
murder the Indians ; but owing to the military prepara
tions made for their reception, they at last reluctantly
desisted from the enterprise.
While we read, with feelings of the deepest horror,
the record of the murders which have, at different pe
riods, been inflicted on the unoffending Christian Indians,
of the Moravian profession, it is some consolation to re
flect that our government has had no participation in
those murders ; but on the contrary, has at all times
afforded them all the protection which circumstances
allowed. The principal settlements in Greenbriar, were those
of Muddy creek and the big levels, distant about fifteen
or twenty miles from each other. Before these settlers
were aware of the existence of the war, and supposing
that the peace made with the French, comprehended
their Indian allies also, about sixty Indians visited the
settlement on Muddy creek. They made the visit under
the mask of friendship. They were cordially received
and treated with all the hospitality which it was in the
power of these new settlers to bestow upon them ; but
on a sudden, and without any previous intimation of
anything like an hostile intention, the Indians murdered,"
in cold blood, all the men belonging to the settlement
and made prisoners of the women and children. Leav
ing a guard with their prisoners, they then marched to
the settlement in the Levels, before the fate ofthe Muddy
creek settlement was known. Here, as at Muddy creek,
they were treated with the most kind and attentive hos
pitality, at the house of Mr. Archibald Glendennin, who
gave the Indians a sumptuous feast of three fat elks.

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 227
which he had recently killed. Here, a scene of slaughter,
similar to that which had recently taken place at Muddy
creek, occurred at the conclusion of the feast. It com
menced with an old woman, who having a very sore leg,
showed it to an Indian, desiring his advice how she
might cure it. This request he answered with a blow
of the tomahawk, which instantly killed her. In a few
minutes all the men belonging to the place shared the
same fate. The women and children were made pri
soners. In the time of the slaughter, a negro woman
of the spring near the house 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 perfidy and cowardice, in tak
ing advantage of the mask of friendship to commit
murder. One of the Indians, exasperated at her bold
ness, and stung, no doubt, at the justice of her charge
against them, brandished his tomahawk 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 perfidy 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 the child made the Indians enquire for the_
mother. She was not to be found. " Well," says one
of them, " I will soon bring the cow to her calf," and
taking the child by the feet, beat its brains out against a
tree. Mrs. Glendennin returned home, in the course
ofthe succeeding night, and covered the corpse of her
husband with fence rails. Having performed this pious
work for her murdered husband, she chose, as a place.
of safety, a cornfield where, as she related, her heroic

228 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
resolution was succeeded by a paroxysm of grief and de
spondency, during which she imagined she saw a man
with the aspect of a murderer, standing within a few
steps of her. The reader of this narrative, instead of
regarding this fit of despondency as a feminine weakness
on the part of this daughter of affliction, will com
miserate her situation of unparalleled destitution and dis
tress. Alone, in the dead of night, the survivor of all
the infant settlements of that district, while all her rela
tives and neighbors of both settlements were either
prisoners or lying dead, dishonored by ghastly wounds
of the tomahawk and scalping knife of the savages, her
husband and her children amongst the slain.
It was some days before a force could be collected in
the eastern part of Bottetourt and the adjoining country,
for the purpose of burying the dead.
Ofthe events of this war, in the south-western fron
tier of Virginia, and in the country of Holstein, the then
western part of North Carolina, the author has not been
informed, further than that, on the part of the Indians,
it was carried on with the greatest activity, and its course
marked with many deeds of the most atrocious cruelty,
until late in the year 1764, when a period was put to
this sanguinary contest, by a treaty made with the Indian
nations by Sir William Johnson at the German Flats.
The perfidy and cruelties practiced by the Indians,
during the war of 1763 and 1764, occasioned the re
volting and sanguinary character of the Indian wars
which took place afterwards. The Indians had resolved
on the total extermination of all the settlers of our north
and south-western frontiers, and being no longer under
the control of their former allies, the French, they were
at full liberty to exercise all their native ferocity and riot
in the indulgence of their innate thirst for blood.

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 229

CHAPTER XXVIL
Gov. Dunmore's War.
After the conclusion of the Indian war by the 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 spring of- 1774.
During this period of time, the settlements increased with
great rapidity along the whole extent of the western
frontier. Even the shores ofthe Ohio, on the Virginia
side, had a considerable population as early as the year
1774- Devoutly might, humanity wish that the record ofthe
causes which led to the destructive war of 1774 might
be blotted from the annals of our country ; but it is
now too late to efface it, the black- lettered list must re
main, a dishonorable blot in our national history ; good
however may spring out of evil. The injuries inflicted
upon the Indians in early times by our forefathers, may
induce their descendants to fihow justice 2ini mercy to the
diminished posterity of those children of the wilderness,
whose ancestors perished in cold blood, under the toma
hawk and scalping knife of the white savages.
In the month of April, 1774, a rumor was circulated
that the Indians had stolen several horses from some
land jobbers on the Ohio and Kanawha rivers. No
evidences of the fact having been adduced leads to the
conclusion that the report was false. This report, how
ever, induced a pretty general belief that the Indians,
were about to make war upon the frontier settlements;
but for this apprehension there does not appear to have
been the slightest foundation. In consequence of this

230 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
apprehension of being attacked by the Indians, the land
jobbers ascended the river, and collected at Wheeling.
On the 27th of April, it was reported in Wheeling that
a canoe containing two Indians and some traders, was
coming down the river and then not far from the place.
On hearing this the commandant of the station, Capt.
Cresap, proposed taking a party to go up the river and
kill the Indians. This project was vehemently opposed
by Col. Zane, the proprietor of the place. He stated
to the captain that the killing of those Indians would
inevitably bring on a war, in which much innocent blood
would be shed, and that the act 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 be
come 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. This was the first blood which was shed
in this war, and terrible was the vengeance which followed.
In the evening ofthe same day, the party hearing that
there was an encampment of Indians at the mouth of
the Captina, went down the river to the place, attacked
the Indians and killed several of them. In this affair
one of Cresap's party was severely wounded.
The massacre at Captina, and that which took place
at Baker's, about forty miles above Wheeling, a few days
after that at Captina, were unquestionably the sole
causes of the war of 1774. .The last was perpetrated
by thirty-two men, under the command of Daniel Great-
house. The whole number killed at this place and on
the river opposite to it was twelve, besides several
wounded. This horrid massacre was effected by an hy
pocritical stratagem which reflects the deepest dishonor
on the memory of those who were agents in it.
The report of the murders committed on the Indians
near Wheeling induced a belief that they would imme-

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania, 231
diately commence hostilities, and this apprehension fur
nished the pretext for the murder above related. The
ostensible object for raising the party under Greathouse,
was that of defending the family of Baker, whose house
was opposite to a large encampment of Indians at the
mouth of big Yellow creek. The party were concealed
in ambuscade, while 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, saying that the In
dians were drinking and angry on account of the murder
of their people down the river, and might do him some
mischief. On his return to his party he reported that
the Indians were too strong for an open attack. He re
turned to Baker's and requested him to give any Indians
who might 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 men, with two women, came over the
river to Baker's, who had previously been in the habit
of selling rum to the Indians. The men drank freely
and became intoxicated. In this state they were all
killed by Greathouse, and a few of his party. I say a
few of his party ; for it is but justice to state that not
more than five or six of the whole number had any par
ticipation in the slaughter at the house. The rest pro
tested against it, as an atrocious murder. From their
number being by far the majority, they might have pre
vented the deed ; but alas ! they did not. A little
Indian girl alone was saved from the slaughter, by the
humanity of some one of the party, whose name is not
now known.
The Indians in the camps, hearing the firing at the
house, sent a canoe with two men in it to inquire what
had happened. These two Indians were both shot down,
as soon as they landed on the beach. . A second and
larger canoe was then manned with a number of Indians

232 Early Settletnent and Indian Wars of
in arms ; but in attempting to reach the shore, some
distance below the house, were received by a well di
rected 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 without damag'e to the white party, not one of
whom was even wounded. The Indian men who were
murdered were all scalped. The woman who gave the
friendly advice to the commander of the party, when in
the Indian camp, was amongst the slain at Baker's house.
The massacres of the Indians at Captina and Yellow
creek comprehended the whole of the family of the
famous but unfortunate Logan, who before these events,
had been a lover of the whites and a strenuous advocate
for peace ; but in the conflict which followed them, by
way of revenge for the death of his people, he became a
brave and sanguinary chief among the warriors.
The settlers along the frontiers, knowing that the
Indians would make war upon them for the murder of
their people, either moved off to the interior, or took up
their residence in forts. The apprehension of war was
soon realized. In a short time the Indians commenced
hostilities along the whole extent of our frontiers.
Express was speedily sent to Williamsburg, the then
seat of government ofthe colony of Virginia, communi
cating intelligence of the certainty of the commencement
of an Indian war. The assembly was then in session.
A plan for a campaign for the purpose of putting a
speedy conclusion to the Indian hostilities was adopted
between the Earl of Dunmore, the governor of the
colony, and Gen. Lewis of Bottetourt county. Gen.
Lewis was appointed to the command of the southern
division of the forces 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 Greenbriar country. The Earl of Dun-

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 233
more was to raise another army in the northern countries
of the colony, and in the settlements west of the mount
ains and assemble them at Fort Pitt, and from thence
descend the river to Point Pleasant, at the mouth of the
Great Kanahwa, the place appointed for the junction of
the two armies, for the purpose of invading the Indian
country and destroying as many of their villages as
they could reach in the course ofthe season.
On the eleventh of September the forces under Gen.
Lewis, amounting to eleven hundred men, commenced
their march from Camp Union to Point Pleasant, a dis
tance of one hundred and sixty miles. The tract of
country between these two points was at that time 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 wholly transported on pack horses, as the route
was impassable for wheel carriages. After a painful
march of nineteen days the army arrived, on the first of
October, at Point Pleasant, where an encampment was
made. Gen. Lewis was exceedingly disappointed at
hearing no tidings of the Earl of Dunmore, who, ac
cording to previous arrangements, was to form a junction
with him at this place. He 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 ninth, three men, who had formerly been Indian
traders, arrived in the camp, on express from the earl,
to inform Lewis that he had changed his plan of opera
tions, and intended to march to the Indian towns by the
way of Hockhocking and directing Gen. Lewis to com
mence his march immediately for the old Chillicothe
town. Very early in the morning of the tenth two young
men set out from the camp to hunt, up the river. Hav
ing gone about three miles they fell upon a camp of the

234 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
Indians, who were then in the act of preparing to march
to attack the camp of Gen. Lewis. The Indians fired
upon them and killed one of them, the other ran back to
the camp with intelligence that the Indians, in great
force, would immediately give battle.
Gen. Lewis instantly ordered out a detachment of the
Bottetourt troops under Col. Fleming and another ot the
Augusta troops, under Col. Charles Lewis, remaining
himself with the reserve for the defense of the camp.
The detachment marched out in two lines, and met the
Indians in the same order about four hundred yards from
the camp. The battle commenced a little after sunrise
by a heavy firing from the Indians. At the onset our
troops gave back some distance, until met by a rein
forcement, on the arrival of which the Indians retreated
a little way and formed a line behind logs and trees,
reaching from the bank of the Ohio, to that ofthe Kan
awha. By this manoeuvre our army and camp were
completely invested, being inclosed between the 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 retreated, and in the night
recrossed the Ohio, and the next day commenced their
march to their towns on the Scioto.
Our loss in this destructive battle was seventy-five
killed, and one hundred and forty wounded. Among
the killed were Col. Charles Lewis, Col. Fields, Captains
Buford, Murrey, Ward, Wilson and M'Clenachan ;
Lieutenants Allen, Goldsby and Dillon and several sub
altern officers. Col. Lewis, a distinguished and merito
rious officer, was mortally wounded by the first fire of
the Indians, 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-

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 235
one were found on the battle ground, twelve more were
afterwards found in different places where they had been
concealed. A great number of their dead were said to
have been thrown into the river during the engagement.
Considering that the whole number of our men engaged
in this conflict 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 Indians, during the battle, were commanded by
the Cornstalk warrior, the king of the Shawanees. This
son of the forest, in his plans of attack and retreat, and
in all his manoeuvres throughout the engagement, dis
played the skill and bravery of the most consummate
general. During the whole of the day he was heard
from our lines, vociferating, with the voice of Stentor,
" Be strong, be strong." It is even said that he killed
one of his men with his own hand for cowardice. The
day after the battle, after burying the dead, entrenchments
were thrown up round the camp, and a competent guard
was appointed for the care and protection of the sick and
wounded. On the day following. Gen. Lewis com
menced his march for the Shawanee's towns on the Scioto.
This march was made through a trackless desert and at
tended with almost insuperable difficulties and privations.
In the mean time the Earl of Dunmore, having col
lected a force and provided boats at Fort Pitt, descended
the river to Wheeling, where the army halted for a few
days, and then proceeded down the river in about one
hundred canoes, a few keel boats, and pirogues to the
mouth of Hockhocking, and from thence overland until
the army had got within eight miles of the Shawanee
town Chillicothe, on the Scioto. Here the army halted
and made a breast-work of fallen trees and entrench
ments of such extent as to include about twelve acres of
ground, with an inclosure in the centre containing about
one acre, surrounded by entrenchments. This was the
citadel which contained' the marquees of the earl and his

236 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
superior officers. Before the army had reached that
place, the Indian chiefs had sent several 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 camp, was
formally introduced to his officers and gave the order in
person. The army of Gen. Lewis then commenced
their retreat.
It was with the greatest reluctance and chagrin that
the troops of Gen. Lewis returned from the enter
prise in which they were engaged. The massacres of
their relatives and friends at the Big Levels and Muddy
creek, and above all, their recent loss at the battle of the
Point, had inspired these big knives, as the Indians
called the Virginians, with an inveterate thirst for re
venge, the gratification of which they supposed was
shortly to take place, in the total destruction of the In
dians and their towns, along the Scioto and Sandusky
rivers. The order of Dunmore was obeyed ; but with
every expression of regret and disappointment.
The earl and his officers having returned to his camp,
a treaty with the Indians was opened the following day.
In this 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 Shawanees, in a lengthy speech, in which he
boldly charged the white people with having been the
authors of the commencement of the war, in the massa
cres of the Indians at Captina and Yellow creek. This
speech he delivered 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.

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 237
Logan, the Cayuga chief, assented to the treaty ; but
still indignant at the murder of his family, 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 insert this 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 ever he entered
Logan's cabin hungry, and he gave him not meat ; if
ever he came cold and naked, and he clothed him not.
During the course of 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 they passed, and said, ' Logan is the friend of
the white men.' I had even thought to have lived with
you, but for the inj'uries of one man. Col. Cresap, the
last spring, in cold blood, and unprovoked, murdered all
the relations of Logan, not even sparing my women and
children. There runs not a drop of my blood in the
veins of any living creature. This called on me for re
venge. I have sought it ; I have killed many ; I have
fully glutted my vengeance ; for my country I rejoice at
the beams of peace. But 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 ? No.t one."
Thus ended, at the treaty of Camp Charlotte in the
month of November, 1774, the disastrous war of Dun
more. It began in the wanton and unprovoked murders
of the Indians at Captina and Yellow creek, and ended
with an awful sacrifice of life and property to the demon
of revenge. On our part we obtained at the treaty a

238 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
cessation of hostilities and a surrender of prisoners, and
nothing more.
The plan of operations adopted by the Indians in the
war of Dunmore, shows very clearly that their chiefs
were by no means deficient in the foresight and skill
necessary for making the most prudent military arrange
ments for obtaining success and victory, in their mode
of warfare. At an early period they obtained intelligence
of the plan of the campaign against them, concerted
between the Earl of Dunmore and Gen. Lewis. With
a view, therefore, to attack the forces of these command
ers separately, they speedily collected their warriors,
and by forced marches reached the Point, before the ex
pected arrival of the troops under Dunmore. Such was
the privacy with which they conducted their march to
Point Pleasant that Gen. Lewis knew nothing of the
approach of the Indian army, until a few minutes before
the commencement of the battle, and it is every way
probable that if Cornstalk, the Indian 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 savages had left them no chance of retreat.
Had the army of Lewis been defeated, the army of Dun
more, consisting of but little more than one thousand
men, would have shared the fate of those armies, which,
at different periods, have suffered defeats, in consequence
of venturing too far into the Indian country, in numbers
too small, and with munitions of war inadequate to sus
tain a contest with the united forces of a number of In
dian nations.
It was the general belief among the officers of our
army, at the time, that the Earl of Dunmore, while at
Wheeling, received advice from his government of the
probability of the approaching war between England and
the colonies, and that afterwards, all his measures with
regard to the Indians, had for their ultimate object an
alliance with those ferocious warriors, for aid of the

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 239
mother country in their contest with us. This supposi
tion accounts for his not forming a junction with the
army of Lewis at Point Pleasant. This deviation from
the original plan of the campaign jeopardized the army
of Lewis and well nigh occasioned its total destruction
The conduct ofthe earl at the treaty, shows a good un
derstanding between him and the Indian chiefs. He
did not suffer the army of Lewis to form a junction with
his own, but sent them back, before the treaty was con
cluded, thus risking the safety of his own forces, for at
the time of the treaty, the Indian warriors were about
his camp, in force sufficient to have intercepted his re-
retreat and destroyed his whole army.

CHAPTER XXVIII.
Th£ Death of Cornstalk.
This was one of the most atrocious murders com
mitted by the whites during the whole course of the war.
In the summer of 1777, when the confederacy of the
Indian nations, under the influence of the British govern
ment, was formed and began to commit hostilities along
our frontier settlements. Cornstalk and a young chief of
the name of Redhawk and another Indian made a visit
to the garrison at the Point, commanded at that time by
Captain Arbuckle. Cornstalk stated to the captain that,
with the exception of himself and the tribe to which he
belonged, all the nations had joined the English, and that,
unless protected by the whites, " They would have to
run with the stream." Capt. Arbuckle thought proper
to detain the Cornstalk chief and his two companions as
hostages for the good conduct of the tribe to which they

240 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
belonged. They had not been long in this situation
before a son of Cornstalk's, 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 father and son
mutually embraced each other with the greatest tender
ness. On the day following, two Indians who had con
cealed themselves in the weeds on the bank of the
Kanawha, opposite the fort, killed a man of the name of
Gilmore, as he was returning from hunting. As soon
as the dead body was brought over the river there was a
general cry among the men who were present, " Let us
kill the Indians in the fort." They immediately as
cended the bank of the river, with Capt. Hall at their
head, to execute their hasty resolution. On their way
they were met by Capt. Stuart and Capt. Arbuckle, who
endeavored to dissuade them from killing the Indian
hostages, saying that they certainly had no concern in the
murder of Gilmore ; but remonstrance was in vain.
Pale as death with rage, they cocked their guns and
threatened tbe captains with instant death, if they should
attempt to hinder them from executing their purpose.
When the murderers arrived at the house where the
hostages were confined. Cornstalk rose up to meet them
at the door, but instantly received seven bullets through
his body ; his son and his other two fellow hostages were
instantly dispatched with bullets and tomahawks. Thus
fell the Shawanee war chief. Cornstalk, who like Logan,
his companion in arms, was conspicuous for intellectual
talent, bravery and misfortune.
The biography of Cornstalk, as far as it is now known,
goes to show that he was no way deficient in those
mental endowments which constitute human greatness.
On the evening preceding the battle of Point Pleasant,
he proposed going over the river to the camp of Gen.
Lewis for the purpose of making peace. The majority
in the council of warriors voted against the measure.

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 24 1
"Well," said Cornstalk, "since you have resolved on
fighting, 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 battle, I will kill him with my own
hand," and accordingly fulfilled his threat, with regard
to one cowardly fellow. After the Indians had returned
from the battle. Cornstalk called a council at the Chilli
cothe town, to consult what was to be done next. In
this council he reminded the war chiefs of their folly in
preventing him from making peace, before the fatal battle
of Point Pleasant, and asked, "What shall we do now,
the long-knives are coming upon us by two routes.
Shall we turn out and fight them ?" All were silent.
He then asked, " Shall we kill all our squaws and children,
and then fight until we shall be all killed ourselves ?" To
this no reply was made. He then rose up and struck
his tomahawk in the war post in the middle of the
council house, saying, "Since you are not inclined to
fight, I will go and make peace." And accordingly 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 pre
sent. During the sitting of the council, it is said that
he seemed to have a presentiment of his approaching
fate. In one of his speeches he remaj-ked to the council :
" When I was young, every time I went to war, I thought
it likely that I might return no more ; but I still lived, I
am now in your hands, and you may kill me if you
choose. I can die but once, and it is alike to me,
whether I die now, or at another time." When the
men presented themselves before the door for the pur
pose of killing the Indians, Cornstalk's son manifested
signs of fear, on observing which, his father said : " Don't
be afraid my son, the Great Spirit sent you here to die
with me, and we must submit to his will. It is all for
the best."

242 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of

CHAPTER XXIX.
Wappatomica Campaign.
Under the command of Col. Angus M'Donald four
hundred men were collected from the western part of
Virginia by the order of the Earl of Dunmore, the then
governor of Virginia. The place of rendezvous was
Wheeling, some time in the month of June, 1774. They
went down the river in boats and canoes to the mouth
of Captina, from thence by the shortest route to the
Wappatomica town, about sixteen miles below the pre
sent Coshocton. The pilots were Jonathan Zane, Tho
mas Nicholson and Tady Kelly. About six miles from
the town the army were met by a party of Indians, to
the number of forty or fifty, who gave a skirmish by the
way of ambuscade in which two of our 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
Indians had retreated to the opposite shore of the river,
where they had formed an ambuscade, supposing the
party would cross the river from the town. This was
immediately discovered. The commanding officer then
sent sentinels up and down the river, to give notice, in
case the Indians should attempt to cross above or below
the town. A private in company of Capt. Cresap, of
the name of John Hargus, one of the sentinels below
the town, displayed the skill of a backwoods sharpshooter ;
seeing an Indian behind a blind across the river, raising
up his head, at times, to look over the river, Hargus
charged his rifle with a second ball and taking deliberate

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 243
aim, passed both balls through the neck of the Indian.
The Indians dragged off the body and buried it with the
honors of war. It was found the next morning and
scalped by Hargus.
Soon after the town was taken, the Indians from the
opposite shore sued for peace. The commander offered
them peace on condition of their sending over their
chiefs as hostages. Five of them came over the river
and were put under guard as hostages. In the morning
they were marched in front of the army over the river.
When the party had reached the western bank of the
Muskingum the Indians represented that they 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 ap
pointed time. Another chief was permitted to go on
the same errand, who in like manner did not return.
The party then moved up the river to the next town,
which was about a mile above the first and on the oppo
site shore. Here we had a slight skirmish with the
Indians, in whiqh one of them was killed and one of our
men wounded. It was then discovered that, during all
the time spent in the negotiation, the Indians were em
ployed in removing their women and children, old people
and effects, from the upper towns. The towns were
burned and the corn cut up. The party then returned
to the place from which they set out, bringing with them
the three remaining chiefs who were sent to Williams
burg. They were released at the peace the succeeding
fall. The army were out of provisions before they left the
towns and had to subsist on weeds, one ear of corn each
day, with a very scanty supply of game. The corn was
obtained at one ofthe Indian towns.

244 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of

CHAPTER XXX.
Gen. McIntosh's Campaign.
In the spring of the year 1778, government having sent
a small force of regular troops under the command of
Gen. Mcintosh, for the defense of the western frontier,
the general, with the regulars and militia from Fort Pitt,
descended the Ohio about thirty miles and built Fort
Mcintosh on the site of the present Beavertown. The
fort was made of strong stockades, furnished bastions
and mounted with one six pounder. This station was
well selected as a point for a small military force, always
in readiness to pursue, or intercept, the war parties of
Indians who frequently made incursions into the settle
ments on the opposite side of the river, in its imme
diate neighborhood. The fort was well garrisoned and
supplied with provisions during the summer.
Some time in the fall of the same year General
Mcintosh received an order from government to make
a campaign against the Sandusky towns. This order he
attempted to obey with one thousand men ; but owing
to the delay in making necessary outfits for the expedi
tion, the officers, on reaching Tuscarawa, thought it
best to halt at that place, build and garrison a fort, and
delay'the farther prosecution of the campaign until the
next spring. Accordingly they erected Fort Laurens
on the bank of the Tuscarawa. Some time after the
completion of the fort, the general returned with the
army to Fort Pitt, leaving Col. John Gibson, with a
command of one hundred and fifty men, to protect the
fort until spring. The Indians were soon acquainted
with the existence of the fort, and soon convinced our

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 245
people, by sad experience, of the bad policy of building
and attempting to hold a fort so far in advance of our
settlements and other forts.
The first annoyance the garrison received from the
Indians was some time in the month of January. In
the night time they caught most of the horses belonging
to the fort, and taking them off some distance into the
woods, they took off their bells and formed an ambuscade
by the side of a path, leading through the high grass of a
prairie at a little distance from the fort. In the morning
the Indians rattled the horse bells at the farther end of
the line of the ambuscade. The plan succeeded; a
fatigue of sixteen men went out for the horses and fell
into the snare. Fourteen were killed on the spot, two
were taken prisoners, one of whom was given up at the
close of the war, the other was never afterwards heard of.
Gen. Benjamin Biggs, then a captain in the fort, be- -
ing officer of the day, requested leave of the colonel to
go out with the fatigue party which fell into the ambus
cade. " No," said the colonel, " this fatigue party does
not belong to a gaptain's command. When I shall have
occasion to employ one of that number I shall be thank
ful for your service, at present you must attend to your
duty in the fort." On what trivial circumstances do
life and death sometimes depend !
In the evening of the day of the ambuscade, the
whole Indian army, in full war dress and painted, marched
in single file through a prairie in view of the fort, their
number, as counted from one of the bastions, was 847.
They then took up their encampment on an elevated
piece of ground at a small distance from the fort, on the
opposite side of the river. From this camp they fre
quently held conversations with the people of our garri
son. In these conversations, they seemed to deplore
the long continuance of the war and hoped for peace ;
but were much exasperated at the Americans for attempt
ing to penetrate so far into their country. This great

246 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
body of Indians continued the investment of the fort, as
long as they could obtain subsistence, which was about
six weeks.
An old Indian ofthe name of John Thompson, who
was with the American army in the fort, frequently
went out among the Indians during their stay at their
encampment, with the mutual consent of both parties.
A short time before the Indians left the place, they sent
word to Col. Gibson by the old Indian, that they were
desirous of peace, and that if he would send them a
barrel of flour they would send in their proposals the
next day ; but although the colonel complied with their
request, they marched off without fulfilling their engage
ment. The commander, supposing the whole number
of the Indians had gone off, gave permission to Col.
Clark, of the Pennsylvania line, to escort the invalids,
to the number of eleven or twelve, to Fort M'Intosh.
The whole number of this detachment was fifteen.
The wary Indians had left a party behind for the pur
pose of doing mischief. These attacked this party of
invalids and their escort about two miles from the fort,
and-killed the whole of them with the exception of four,
among whom was the captain, who ran back to the fort.
On the same day a detachment went out from the fort,.
brought in the dead, and buried them with the honors of
war, in front of the fort gate. In three or four days
after this disaster, a relief of seven hundred men, under
Gen. M'Intosh, arrived at the fort with a supply of
provisions, a great part of which was lost by an unto
ward accident. When the relief had reached within
about one hundred yards of the fort, the garrison gave
them a salute of a general discharge of musketry, at the
report of which the pack horses took fright, broke loose,
and scattered the provisions in every direction through
the woods, so that the greater part of it could never be
recovered again.
Among other transactions which took place about this

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 24cl
time, was that of gathering up the remains of the fourteen
men, who had fallen in the ambuscade during the winter,
for interment, and which could not be done during the
investment of the place by the Indians. They were
found mostly 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 with a little earth, with a view to have
revenge on the wolves for devouring their companions,
they covered the pit with slender sticks, rotten wood
and bits of bark, not of sufficient strength to bear
the weight of a wolf. On the top of this covering they
placed a piece of meat, as bait for the wolves. The
next morning seven of them were found in the pit. They
were shot and the pit filled up.
For about two weeks before the relief arrived, the
garrison had been put on the short allowance of half a
pound of sour flour and an equal weight of stinking meat
for every two days. The greater part of the last week,
they had nothing to subsist on but such roots as they
could find in the woods and prairies and raw hides. Two
men lost their lives by eating wild parsnip roots by mis
take. Four more nearly shared the same fate, but were
saved by medical aid.
On the evening of the arrival of the relief two day's
rations were issued to each man in the fort. These
rations were, intended as their allowance during their
march to Fort Mcintosh ; but many of the men, sup
posing them^to have been back rations, eat up the whole
of their allowance before the next morning. In conse
quence of this imprudence, in eating immoderately after
such extreme starvation from the want of provisions,
about forty of the men became faint and sick during the
first day's march. On the second day, however, the
sufferers were met by a great number of their friends
from the settlements to which they belonged, by whom
they were amply supplied with provisions.

248 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
Maj. Vernon, who succeeded Col. Gibson in the
command of Fort Laurens, continued its possession until
the next fall, when the garrison, after being like their
predecessors reduced almost to starvation, evacuated the
place. Thus ended the disastrous business of Fort Laurens,
in which much fatigue and suffering were endured and
many lives lost ; but without any beneficial result to the
country.

CHAPTER XXXI.
The Moravian Campaign.
This ever memorable campaign took place in the
month of March 1782. The weather, during the greater
part of the month of February, had been uncommonly
fine, so that the war parties from Sandusky visited the
settlements and committed depredations earlier than usual.
The family of a William Wallace, consisting of his wife
and five or six children, were killed, and John Carpenter
taken prisoner. These events took place in the latter
part of February. The early period at which those fatal
visitations of the Indians took place, led to the conclu
sion that the murderers were either Moravians or that
the warriors had had their winter quarters at their towns,
on the Muskingum In either case, the Moravians
being in fault, the safety of the frontier settlements re
quired the destruction of their establishments at that
place. Accordingly, between eighty and ninety men were
hastily collected together for the fatal enterprise. They
rendezvoused and encamped the first night on the Mingo
bottom, on the west side of the Ohio river. Each man

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 249
furnished himself with his own arms, ammunition and
provision. Many of them had horses. The second
day's march brought them within one mile of the middle
Moravian town, where they encamped for the night.
In the morning the men were divided into two equal
parties, one of which was .to cross the river about a
mile above the town, their videttes having reported that
there were Indians on both sides of the river. The
other party was divided into three divisions, one of which
was to take a circuit in the woods, and reach the river,
a little distance below the town, on the east side. An
other division was to fall into the middle of the town,
and the third at its upper end.
When the party designed to make the attack on the
west side, had reached the river, they found no craft to
take them over ; but something like a canoe was seen
on the opposite bank. The river was high with some
floating ice. A young man of the name of Sloughter
swam the river and brought over, not a canoe, but a
trough designed for holding sugar water. This trough
could carry but tw^o men at a time. In order to expe
dite their passage, a number of men stripped off their
clothes, put them into the trough, together with their
guns, and swam by its sides, holding its edges with their
hands. When about sixteen had crossed the river, their
two sentinels, who had been posted in advance, discovered
an Indian yyhose name was Shabosh. One of them broke
one of his arms, by a shot. A shot from the other sen
tinel killed him. These heroes then scalped and toma
hawked him. By this time, about sixteen men had got
over the river, and supposing that the firing of the guns
which killed Shabosh would lead to an instant discovery,
they sent word to the party designed to attack the town
on the* east side of the river, to move on instantly ;
which they did.
In the meantime, the small party which had crossed
the river, marched with all speed to the main town on

250 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
the west side of the river. Here they found a large
company of Indians gathering the corn, which they had
left in their fields 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, and began, with all speed, to
prepare victuals for the white men, and for themselves,
on their journey. A party of white men and Indians
were immediately dispatched to Salem, a short distance
from Gnadenhutten, where the Indians were gathering
in their corn, to bring them into Gnadenhutten. The
party soon arrived with the whole number of the Indians
from Salem.
In the meantime the Indians at Gnadenhutten were
confined in two houses some distance apart, and placed
under guards, 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
was held to decide on their fate. The officers, unwil
ling to take on themselves the whole responsibility of
the awful decision, agreed to refer the question to the
whole number of the men. The men were accordingly
drawn up in a line. The commandant of the party.
Col. David Williamson, then put the question to them
in form "Whether the Moravian Indians should be
taken prisoners to Pittsburg or put to death, and re
quested 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 of mercy was far too short
for that of vengeance.

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 251
The fate of the Moravians was then decided on, and
they were told to prepare for death.
The prisoners, from the time they were placed in the
guard house, foresaw their fate, and began their devotions
of singing hymns, praying and exhorting each other
to place a firm reliance in the mercy of the Saviour of
men. When their fate was announced to them, these
devoted people embraced, kissed, and bedewing each
others faces and bosoms with their mutual tears, asked
pardon of the brothers and sisters for any offense they
might have given them through life. Thus, at peace
with God, and each other, on being asked by those who
were impatient for the slaughter, "Whether they were
ready to die ?" They answered, "That they had com
mended their souls to God, and were ready to die." The
particulars of this dreadful catastrophe are too horrid to
relate. Suffice it to say, that in a few minutes these
two slaughter-houses, as they were then called, exhibited
in their ghastly interior the mangled, bleeding remains
of these poor unfortunate people, of all ages and sexes,
from the aged grey headed parents, down to the hepless
infant at its mother's breast, dishonored by the fatal
wounds of the tomahawk, mallet, war club, spear and
scalping knife.
Thus; O! Brainard and Zeisberger! Faithful mis
sionaries who devoted your whole lives to incessant toil
and sufferings in your endeavors to make the wilderness
of paganism " rejoice and blossom as the rose" in faith and
piety to God ! thus perished your faithful followers, by
the murderous hands of the more than savage white men.
Faithful pastors ! your spirits are again associated with
those of your flock, where the wicked cease from troub
ling 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
22

252 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
these, sixty-two were grown persons, one-third of whom
were women, the remaining thirty-four were children.
All these, with a few exceptions, were killed in the house.
Shabosh was killed about a mile above the town, on the
west side of the river. His wife was killed while en
deavoring to conceal herself in a bunch of bushes at the
water's edge, on the arrival of the men at the town, on
the east side ofthe river. A man at the same time was
shot in a canoe, while attempting to make his escape
from the east to the west side ofthe river. Two others
were shot, while attempting to escape by swimming the
river. A few men, who were supposed to be warriors, were
tied and taken some distance from the slaughter houses,
to be tomahawked. One of these had like to have made
his escape at the expense of the life of one of the mur
derers. 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 should have the scalp.
The Indian, while marching with a kind of dancing
motion and singing his death song, drew a knife from a
scabbard suspended round his neck, cut the rope, and
aimed at stabbing one of the men ; but the jerk of the
rope occasioned the men to look round. The Indian
then fled towards the woods, and while running, dex-
trously untied the rope from his wrists. He was in
stantly pursued by several men who fired at him, one of
whom wounded him in the arm. After a few shots the
firing was forbidden, for fear the men might kill each
other as they were running in a straggling manner. A
young man then mounted on a horse and pursued the
Indian, who, when overtaken, struck the horse on the
head with a club. The rider sprang from the horse, on
which the Indian 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, which he did merely
in time to save the life of his companion.

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania-. 253
Of the whole number of the Indians at Gnadenhutten
and Salem, only two made their escape. These were
two .lads of fourteen or fifteen years of age. One of
them, after being knocked down and scalped, but not
killed, had the presence of mind to lie still among the
dead, until the dusk of the evening, when he silently
crept out of the door and made his escape. The other
lad slipped through a trap door into the cellar of one of
the slaughter houses, from which he made his escape
through a small cellar window. These two lads were
fortunate in getting together in the woods the same night.
Another lad, somewhat larger, in attempting to pass
through the same window, it is supposed stuck fast and
was 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 body of Shabosh. Providen
tially they all made their escape, although they might
have been easily overtaken by the party if they had un
dertaken their pursuit. A division of the men were
ordered to go to Shonbrun ; but finding the place deserted,
they took what plunder they could find, and returned to
their companions without looking farther after the Indians.
After the work of death was finished and the plunder
secured, all the buildings in the town were set on fire
and the slaughter houses amon-g the rest. The dead
bodies were thus consumed to ashes. A rapid retreat
to the settlements finished the campaign.
Such were the 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 remarks on the causes which led
to these disgraceful events under consideration, it may be
proper to notice the manner in which the enterprise was
conducted, as furnishing evidence that the murder of
the Moravians was intended, and that no resistance from
them was anticipated. In a military point of view the

254 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
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 March in former times, would have de
feated the enterprise. When the army came' to the
river, instead of constructing a sufficient number of rafts
to transport the requisite number over the river at once,
they commenced crossing in a sugar trough, which could
carry only two men at a time, thus jeopardizing the
safety of those who first went over. The two sentinels
who shot Shabosh, according to military law ought to
have been executed on the spot for having fired without
orders, thereby giving premature 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, for after all their forces employed, and precautions
used in getting possession of the town on the east side
of the river, there were but one man and one squaw
found in it, all the others being on the other side. This
circumstance they ought to have known beforehand, and
acted accordingly. The Indians on the west side ofthe
river amounted to about eighty, and among them above
thirty men, besides a number of young lads, all possessed
of guns and well accustomed to the use of them ; yet
this lage number was attacked by about sixteen men.
If they had really anticipated resistance they deserved
to lose their lives for their rashness. It is presumable,
however, thar haying full confidence in the pacific prin
ciples of the Moravians, they did not expect resistance ;
but calculated on blood and plunder without 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
transaction. One can hardly help reflecting with regret that these
Moravians, did not for the moment, lay aside their pacific
principles and do themselves justice. With a mere show
of defense, or at most a few shots, they might have cap-

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 255
tured and disarmed these few men, and held them as
hostages for the safety of their people and property, until
they could hav3 removed them out of their way. This
they might have done on the easiest terms, as the re
mainder 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 professions of friendship, until
"they were led as sheep to the slaughter." Over this
horrid deed, humanity must shed tears of commiseration,
as long as the record of it shall remain.
Let not the reader suppose that I have presented him
with a mere imaginary possibility of defense on the part
of the Moravians. This defense would have been an
easy task. Our people did not go on that campaign
with a view of fighting. There may have been some
brave men among them ; but they were far from being
all such. For my part, I cannot suppose for a moment
that any white man who 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.
The history of the Moravian settlements on the Musk
ingum and the peculiar circumstances of their inhabitants
during the revolutionary contest between Great Britain
and America deserve a place here.
In the year 1772, the Moravian villages were com
menced by emigrations from Friedenhutten on the Big
Beaver and from Wyalusingand Sheshequon on the Sus
quehanna. In a short time they rose to considerable
extent and prosperity, containing upwards of four hun
dred people. During the summer of Dunmore's war,
they were much annoyed by war parties of the Indians,
and disturbed by perpetual rumors of the ill intentions of"
the white people of the frontier settlements towards
them ; yet their labors, schools and religious exercise,
went on without interruption.

256 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
In the revolutionary war, which began in 1775, the
situation of the Moravian settlements was truly deplora
ble. 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 committed the most horrid depredations
along the whole extent of our defenseless frontier. From
early in the spring until late in the fall, the early settlers
of the western parts of Virginia and Pennsylvania had to
submit to the severest hardships and privations. Cooped
up in little stockade for:s, they worked their little fields
in parties under arms, guarded by sentinels, and were
doomed from day to-day to witness, or hear reports, of
the murders or captivity of their people, the burning of
their houses and the plunder of their property.
The war with the English fleets and armies, on the
other side of the mountains, was of such a character as
to engage the whole attention and resources of our go
vernment, so that, poor as the first settlers of this county
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 circumstanced, " they
became a law unto themselves," and on certain occa
sions perpetrated acts which government was compelled
to disapprove. This lawless temper of our people was
never fully dissipated until the conclusion of the whiskey
rebellion in 1794.
The Moravian villages were situated between the
settlements of the whites and the town of the warriors,
about sixty miles from the former, and not much farther
from the latter. On this account they were denomi
nated " the half way houses of the warriors." Thus
placed between two rival powers engaged in furious war
fare, the preservation of their neutrality was no easy
task, perhaps impossible. If it requires the same phy
sical force to preserve a neutral station among belligerent

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 257
nations, that it does to prosecute a war, as is unques
tionably the case, this pacific people had no chance for
the perservation 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, secreted
and sent home prisoners who had made their escape from
the savages, 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
rendered those accommodations to the warriors una.-
voidable on their part ; as the warriors possessed both
the will and the means to compel them to give them
whatever they wanted from them.
The peaceable Indians first fell under suspicion with
the Indian warriors and the English commandant at
Detroit, to whom it was reported that their teachers
were in close confederacy with the American congress,
for preventing not only their own people, but also the
Delawares and some other nations, from associating their
arms 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 attributed to
the 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 1 78 1 the war chief of the Delawares fully ap
prised the missionaries and their followers of their danger
both from the whites and Indians, and requested them
to remove to a place of safety from both. This request
was not complied with. The almost prophetic predic
tions of this chief were literally fulfilled.
In the fall of the year 1781, the settlements of the
Moravians were broken up by upwards of three hundred
warriors, the missionaries taken prisoners, after being

258 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
robbed of almost everything. The Indians were left to
shift for themselves in the barren plains of Sandusky,
where most of their horses and cattle perished from
famine, during the winter. The missionaries were taken
prisoners to Detroit ; but after an examination by the
governor permitted to return to their beloved people
again. In the latter part of February, a party of about
one hundred and fifty of the Moravian Indians returned
to their deserted villages on the Muskingum, to procure
corn to keep their families and cattle from starving.
These, to the amount of 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 Indian war along the whole of
the western frontier, for several years preceding the event
under consideration, had been dreadfully severe. From
early in the spring, until the commencement of winter,
from day to day, murders were committed in every di
rection by the Indians. The people lived in forts which
were in the highest degree uncomfortable. The men
were harrassed continually with the duties of going on
scouts and campaigns. There was scarcely a family of
the first settlers who did not, at some time or other,
lose more or less of their number by the merciless
Indians. Their cattle were killed, their cabins burned,
and their horses carried off. These losses were severely
felt by a people so poor as we were, at that time. Thus
circumstanced our people were exasperated to madness
by the extent and severity of the war. The unavailing
endeavors of the American congress to prevent the
Indians from taking up the hatchet against either side in
the revolutionary contest contributed much to increase
the general indignation against them, at the same time
these pacific endeavors of our government divided the
Indians amongst themselves, on the question of war or
peace with the whites. The Moravians, part of the

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 259
Delawares, and some others, faithfully endeavored to
preserve peace ; but in vain. The Indian maxim was
" He that is not for us, is against us. " Hence the
Moravian missionaries and their followers were several
times on the point of being murdered by the -warriors.
This would have been done had it not been for the pru
dent conduct of some of the war chiefs.
On the other hand, the local situation of the Moravian
villages excited the jealousy of the white people. If
they took no direct agency in the war yet they were, as
they were .then called, " half way houses " between us
and the warriors, at which the latter could stop, rest,
refresh themselves and traffic off their plunder. Whether
these aids thus given to our enemies we're contrary to the
laws of neutrality between belligerents is a question which
I willingly leave to the decision of civilians. On the
part of the Moravians they were unavoidable. If they
did not give or sell provisions to the warriors, they would
take them by force. The fault was in their situation,
not in themselves.
The longer the war continued, the more our people
complained of the situation of these Moravian villages.
It was said that it was owing to their being so near us
that the warriors commenced their depredation so early
in the spring, and continued them until so late in the fall.
In the latter end of the year 1781 the militia of the
frontier came to a determination to break up the Mora
vian villages- on the Muskingum. For this purpose a
detachment of our men went out under the command
of Col. David Williamson, ' for the purpose of inducing
the Indians with their teachers to move farther off, or
bring them prisoners to Fort Pitt. When they arrived
*: the villages they found but few Indians, the greater

• The Rev. John Heckewelder, the historian of the Moravians, states
that chis campaign in the fall of lySl was commanded by Capt. Biggs.
This was not the case, it was commanded by Col. David "Williamson, che
same who commanded the fatal campaign the succeeding spring.

260 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
number of them having removed to Sandusky. These
few were well treated, taken to Fort Pitt and delivered
to the commandant of that station, who after a short
detention, sent them home again. This procedure
gave great offense to the people of the country, who
thought that the Indians ought to have been killed. Col.
Williamson who, before this little campaign, had been a
very popular man, on account of his activity and bravery
in war, now became the subject of severe animadversions
on account of his lenity to the Moravian Indians. In
justice to the memory of Col. 'Williamson I have to say
that, although at that time very young, I was personally
acquainted with him, and from my recollection of his
conversation, I saw with confidence that he was a brave
man, but not cruel. He would meet an enemy in battle,
and fight like a soldier ; but not murder a prisoner. Had
he possessed the authority of a superior officer in a reg
ular 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 onlv fault was that of
too easy a compliance with popular opinion and popular
prejudice. On this 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 was that the night after they were liberated
at Fort Pitt, they crossed the river and killed or made
prisoners of a family of the name of Monteur. A family
on Buffalo creek had been mostly killed in the summer
or fall of 1 78 1, and it was said by one of them who,
after being made prisoner, made his escape, that the
leader of the party of Indians who did the mischief wa?
a Moravian. These, with other reports of similar im
port, served as a pretext for their destruction, although
no doubt they were utterly false.
Should it be asked, what sort of people composed the

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 261
band of murderers of these unfortunate people, I an
swer. They were not miscreants or vagabonds, many of
them were men of the first standing in the country.
Many of them were men who had recently lost relations
by the hand of the savages, several of the latter class
found articles which had been plundered from their own
houses, or those of their relations, in the houses of the
Moravians. One man, it is said, found the clothes of
his wife and children who had been murdered by the
Indians but a few days before. They were still bloody ;
yet there was no unequivocal evidence that these people
had any direct agency in the war. Whatever of our
property was found with them, had been left by the war
riors in exchange for the provisions which they took
from them. When attacked by our people, although
they might have defended themselves, they did not.
They never fired a single shot. They were prisoners
and had been promised protection. Every dictate of
justice and humanity required that their lives should be
spared. The complaint of their villages being "half
way houses for the warriors " was at an end, as they had
been removed to Sandusky the fall before. It was there
fore an atrocious and unqualified murder. 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 convul
sions 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 Mora
vians. 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
favor ? The fear of public indignation restrained them
from doing so. They thought well ; but had not hero
ism enough to express their opinion. Those who did
so, deserve honorable mention for their intrepidity. So

262 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
far as if may hereafter be in my power, this honor s
be done them. While the names of the murderers s
not stain the pages of history, from my pen at least.

CHAPTER XXXII.
The Indian Summer.
As connected with the history of the Indian wars of
the western country it may not be amiss to give an ex
planation of the term Indian summer. This expres
sion, like many others, has continued in general use
notwithstanding its original import 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 human nature.
The reader must here be reminded that, during the
long continued Indian wars sustained by the first settlers
of the western country, they enjoyed no peace excepting
in the winter season, when, owing to the severity of the
weather, the Indians were unable to make their excur
sions into the settlements. The onset of winter was
therefore hailed as a jubilee by the early inhabitants of
the country who throughout the spring, and the early
part of the fall, had been cooped up in their little uncom
fortable forts, and subjected to all the distresses of the
Indian war. At the approach of winter, therefore, all
the farmers, excepting the owner of the fort, removed to
their cabins on their farms, with the joyful feelings of a
tenant of a prison on recovering his release from confine
ment. All was bustle and hilarity, in preparing for
winter, by gathering in the corn, digging potatoes, fat-

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 263
tening hogs, and repairing the cabins. To our fore
fathers, the gloomy months of winter were more pleasant
than the zephyrs of spring and the flowers of May.
It however sometimes happened that after the apparent
onset of winter, the weather became warm, the smoky
time commenced and lasted for a considerable number
of days. This was the Indian summer, because it af
forded the Indians another opportunity of visiting the
settlements with their destructive warfare. The melting
of the snow saddened every countenance and the gene
ral 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 fine spell of open warm weather, during which the
snow melted away. This was denominated the Pawwaw
ing days, from the supposition that the Indians were then
holding their war councils, for planning off their spring
campaigns into the settlements. Sad experience taught
us that in this conjecture, we were not often mistaken.
Sometimes it happened that the Indians ventured to
make their excursions too late in the fall, or too early
in the spring for their own convenience.
A man of the name of John Carpenter was taken
early in the month of March, in the neighborhood of
this place. There had been several warm days, but
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
23

264 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
and fallen into the trail by which they came the preced
ing day, and were making their way homeward. When
he overtook the horses and had taken off their fetters,
as he said, he had to make a most awful decision. He
had a chance and barely a chance, to make his escape,
with a certainty of death should he attempt it without
success; on the other hand the horrible prospect of
being tortured to death by fire presented itself as he was the
first prisoner taken that spring, of course the general cus
tom 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 attempt
ing an escape, and effected it by way of Forts Laurens,
M'Intosh, and Pittsburg. If I recollect rightly, he brought
both his horses home with him.
This happened in the year 1782. The capture of
Mr. Carpenter 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 cam
paign, and the murder of that unfortunate people.

CHAPTER XXXIII.
Cra'wford's Campaign.
This, in one point of view at least, is to be considered
as a second Moravian campaign, as one of its objects was
that of finishing the work of murder and plunder with
the Christian Indians at their new establishment on the
Sandusky. The next object was that of destroying the
Wyandot towns on the same river. It was the resolu
tion of all those concerned in this expedition not to
spare the life of any Indians that might fall into their
hands, whether friends or foes. It will be seen in the

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 265
sequel that the result of this campaign was widely dif
ferent from that of the Moravian campaign the preced
ing March.
It would' seem that the long continuance of the In
dian war had debased a considerable portion of our popu
lation 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 became subjects of that indiscriminating 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, and kill every Indian they could find, whether
friend or foe.
Preparations for this campaign commenced soon after
the return of the 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 conducted
with secrecy and dispatch, the men were all mounted
on the best horses they could procure. They furnished
themselves with all their outfits, except some ammuni
tion which was furnished by the lieutenant colonel of
Washington county.
On the 25th of May, 1782,480 men mustered at the
old Mingo towns, on the western side of the Ohio river.
They were all volunteers from the immediate neighbor
hood of the Ohio, with the exception of one company
from Ten Mile in Washington county. Here an elec
tion was held for the office of commander-in-chief for
the expedition. The candidates were Col. Williamson
and Col. Crawford. The latter was the successful
candidate. When notified of his appointment, it is said
that he accepted it with apparent reluctance.
The army marched along Williamson' s trail, as it
was then called, until they arrived at the upper Moravian
town, in the fields belonging to which there was still
plenty of corn on the stalks with which their horses

266 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
were plentifully fed, during the night of their encamp
ment there.
Shortly after the army halted at this place, two Indians
were discovered by three men, who had walked some
distance out of the camp. Three shots were fired at one
of them, but without hurting him. As soon as the news
of the discovery of Indians had reached the camp, more
than one-half of the men rushed out, without command,
and in the most tum ultuous manner, to see what happened.
From that time. Col. Crawford felt a presentiment of
the defeat which followed.
The truth is, that notwithstanding the secrecy and
dispatch of the enterprise, the Indians were beforehand
with our people. They saw the rendezvous on the
Mingo bottom, knew their number and destination.
They visited every encampment immediately on their
leaving it, and saw from their writing on the trees and
scraps of paper that " No quarter was to be given to any
Indian, whether man, woman or child." Nothing ma
terial happened during their march until the sixth of
June, when their guides conducted them to the site of
the Moravian villages, on one of the upper branches of
the Sandusky river ; but here, instead of meeting with
Indians and plunder, they met with nothing but vestiges
of desolation. The place was covered with high grass
and the remains of a few huts alone announced that the
place had been the residence of the people whom they
intended to destroy ; but who had moved off to Scioto
some time before.
In this dilemma what was to be done ? The officers
held a council in which it was determined to march one
day longer in the direction of upper Sandusky, and if
they should not reach the town in the course of the day,
to make a retreat with all speed.
The march was commenced the next morning, through
the plains of Sandusky and continued until about two
o'clock, when the advaitte guard was attacked and driven

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania, 261
in by the Indians, who were discovered in large numbers,
in the high grass, with which the place was covered.
The Indian army was at that moment about entering a
piece of woods, almost entirely surrounded by plains ;
but in this they were disappointed by a rapid movement
of our men. The battle then commenced by a heavy
fire from both sides. From a partial possession of the
woods which they had gained at the onset of the battle,
the Indians were soon dislodged. They then attempted
to gain a small skirt of wood on our right flank, but were
prevented from doing so by the vigilance and bravery of
Maj. Leet, who commanded the right wing of the army
at that time. The firing was incessant and heavy until
dark, when it ceased. Both armies lay on their arms
during the night. Both adopted the policy of kindling
large fires along the line of battle, and then retiring some
distance in the rear of them, to prevent being surprised
by a night attack. During the conflict of the afternoon
three of our men were killed and several wounded.
In the morning our army occupied the battle ground
of the preceding day. The Indians made no attack
during the day, until late in the evening, but were seen
in large bodies traversing the plains in various directions.
Some of them appeared to be employed in carirying off
their dead and wounded.
In the morning of this day a council of the officers
was held, in which a retreat was resolved on as the only
means of saying their army, the Indians appearing to
increase in number every hour. During the sitting of
this council. Col. Williamson proposed taking one hund
red and fifty volunteers, and marching directly to upper
Sandusky. This proposition the commander-in-chief
prudently rejected, saying : " I have no doubt but that
you would reach the town, buj you would find nothing
there but empty wigwams, and having taken off so many
of our best men, you would leave the rest to be destroyed
by the host of Indians with which we are now surrounded,

268 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
and on your return they would attack and destroy you.
They care nothing about defending their towns. They
are worth nothing. Their squiiws, children and pro
perty, have been removed from them long since. Our
lives and baggage are what they want, and if they can
get us divided they will soon have them. We must
stay together and do the best we can. "
During this day, preparations were made for a retreat
by burying the dead, burning fires over their graves to
prevent discovery, and preparing means for carrying off
the wounded. The retreat was to commence in the
course of the night. The Indians, however, became
apprised of the intended retreat, and about sundown at
tacked the army with great force and fury, in every
direction, excepting that of Sandusky.
When the line of march was formed by the command
er-in-chief and the retreat commenced, our guides pru
dently took the direction of Sandusky, which afforded
the only opening in the Indian 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 of
the next day, with a trifling annoyance 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 re
signed themselves to repose, without placing a single
sentinel ot vidette for safety. In this careless situation,
they might have been surprised and cut off by the Indians
who, however, gave them no disturbance during the
night, nor afterwards during the whole of their retreat.
The number of those composing the main body in the
retreat was supposed to be about three hundred.
Most unfortunately, when a retreat was resolved on,
a difference of opinion prevailed concerning the best
mode of effecting it. The greater number thought best

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 269
to keep in a body and retreat as fast as possible, while a
considerable number thought it safest to break off in
small parties, and make their way home in different di
rections, avoiding the route by which they came. Ac
cordingly many attempted to do so, calculating that the
whole body of the Indian's -would follow the main army.
In this they were' entirely mistaken. The Indians paid
but little attention to the main body of the army, but
pursued the small parties with such activity, that but
very few of those who composed them made their escape.
The only successful party who were detached from
the main army was that of about forty men under the
command of a Captain Williamson, who, pretty late in
the night of the retreat, broke through the Indian lines
under a severe fire, and with some loss, and overtook
the main army on the morning of the second day of the
retreat. For several days after the retreat of our army, the
Indians were spread over the whole country, from San
dusky to the Muskingum, in pursuit of the straggling
parties, most of whom were killed on the spot. They
even pursued them almost to the banks of the Ohio.
A man of the name of Mills was killed two miles to the
eastward of the site of St. Clairsville, in the direction of
Wheeling from that place. The number killed in this
w'iy, must have been very great, the precise amount,
however, was never fairly ascertained.
At the commencement of the retreat Col. Crawford
placed himself at the head of the army and continued
there until they had gone about a quarter of a mile,
when, missing his son John Crawford, his son-in-law
Major Harrison, and his nephews Major Rose and
William Crawford, he halted and called for them as the
line passed, but without finding them. After the army
had passed him, he was unable to overtake it, owing to
the weariness of his horse. Falling in company with
Doctor Knight and two others, they traveled all the

270 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
night, first north, and then to the east, to avoid the pur
suit of the Indians. They directed their course during
the night by the north star. On the next day they fell
in with Captain John Biggs and Lieutenant Ashley, the
latter of whom was severely wounded. There were two
others in company with Biggs and Ashley. They en
camped together the succeeding night. On the next
day, while on their march, they were attacked by a party
of Indians who made Colonel Crawford and Doctor
Knight prisoners. The other four made their escape,
but Captain Biggs and Lieutenant AsWey were killed
the next day.
Colonel Crawford and Dr. Knight were immediately
taken to an Indian encampment at a short distance
from the place where they were captured. Here they
found nine fellow prisoners and seventeen Indians. On
the next day they were marched to the old Wyandot
town, and on the next morning were paraded to set off,
as they were told, to go to the- new town. But aias ! a
very different destination awaited these captives. Nine
of the prisoners were marched off some distance before
the colonel and the doctor, who were conducted by Pipe
and Wingemond, two Delaware chiefs. Four of the
prisoners were tomahawked and scalped on the way, at
different places.
Preparations had been made for the execution of
Colonel Crawford, by setting a post about fifteen feet
high, in the ground, and making a large fire of hickory
poles about six yards from it. About half a mile from
the place of execution, the remaining five of the nine
prisoners, were tomahawked and scalped by a number of
squaws and boys. When arrived at the fire, the colonel
was stripped and ordered to sit down. He was then se
verely beaten with sticks and afterwards tied to the post
by a rope of such length as to allow him to walk two or
three times round it, and then back again. This done,
they began the torture by discharging a great number of

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 271
loads of powder upon him, from head to foot, after which
they began to apply the burning ends of the hickory
poles, the squaws, in the meantime, throwing coals and hot
ashes on his body, so that in a little time he had nothing
but coals to walk on. In the midst of his sufferings
he begged of the noted Simon Girty to take pity on him
and shoot him. Girty tauntingly answered: "You see
I have no gun, I cannot shoot," and laughed heartily at
the scene. After suffering about three hours he became
faint and fell down on his face ; an Indian then scalped
him, and an old squaw threw a quantity of burning coals
on the place from which the scalp was taken. After
this he rose and walked round the post a little, but did
not live much longer. After he expired his body was
thrown into the fire and consumed to ashes. Colonel
Crawford's son and son-in-law were executed at the
Shawnees' town.
Dr. Knight was doomed to be burned at a town about
forty miles distant from Sandusky, and committed to the
care of a young Indian to be taken there. The first
day they traveled about twenty-five miles, and encamped
for the night. In the morning the gnats being very trou
blesome, the doctor requested the Indian to untie him,
that he might help him to make a fire to keep them off.
With this request the Indian complied. While the
Indian was on his knees and elbows, blowing the fire,
the doctor caught up a piece of a tent pole which had
been btirned in two, about eighteen inches long, with
which he struck the Indian on the head with all his
might, so as to knock him forward into the fi'-e. The
stick however broke, so that the Indian, although se
verely hurt, was not killed, but immediately sprang up ;
on this the doctor caught up the Indian's gun to shoot
him, but drew back the cock with so much violence that
he broke the main spring. The Indian ran off with an
hideous yelling. Dr. Knight then made the best of his
way home, which he reached in twenty-one days, almost

272 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
famished to death. The gun being of no use, after
carrying it a day or two, he left it behind. On his journey
he subsisted on roots, a few young birds, and berries.
A Mr. Slover, who had been a prisoner among the In
dians and was one ofthe pilots of the army, was also taken
prisoner, to one of the Shawanee towns on the Scioto.
After being there a few days, and as he thought, in favor
of the Indians, a council of the chiefs was held in which
it was resolved that Slover should be burned. The fires
were kindled and he was blackened and tied to a stake,
in an uncovered end of the council house. Just as they
were about commencing the torture, there came on
suddenly, a heavy thunder gust with a great fall of rain
which put out the fires. After the rain was over the
Indians concluded that it was then too late to commence
and finish the torture that day, and therefore postponed
it till the next day. Slover was then loosed from the
stake, conducted to an err. pty house, to a log of which
he was fastened with a buffalo tug fastened round his neck,
his arms were pinioned behind him with a cord. Until
late in the night the Indians sat up smoking and talking.
.They frequently asked Slover how he would like to eat
fire the next day. At length one of them laid down and
went to sleep, the other continued smoking and talking
with Slover. Sometime after midnight, he also laid down
and went to sleep. Slover then resolved to make an
effort to get loose if possible, and soon extricated one of
his hands from the cord and then fell to work with the
tug round his neck ; but without effect. He had not
been long engaged in these efforts, before one of the In
dians got up and smoked his pipe awhile. During this
time Slover kept very still for fear of an examination.
The Indian lying down, the prisoner renewed his efforts,
but for some time without effect. He resigned himself
to his fate. After resting for awhile, he resolved to
make another and a last effort, and as he related, put his
hand to the tug, and without difficulty slipped it over his

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 273
head. The day was just then breaking. He sprang
over a fence into a cornfield, but had proceeded but a
little distance in the field, before he came across a squaw
and several children, lying asleep under a mulberry tree.
He then changed his course for part of the commons of
the town, on which he saw some horses feeding. Passing
over the fence from the field, he found a piece of an old
quilt. This he took with him. It was the only covering
he had. He then untied the cord from the other arm,
which by this time was very much swelled. Having
selected, as he thought, the best horse on the commons,
he tied the cord to his lower jaw, mounted him and rode
off at full speed. The horse gave out about ten o'clock,
so that he had to leave him. He then traveled on foot
with a stick in one hand, with which he put up the weeds
behind him, for fear of being tracked by the Indians.
In the other hand he carried a bunch of bushes to brush
the gnats and mosquitoes from his naked body. Being
perfectly acquainted with the route he reached the river
Ohio in a short time, almost famished with hunger and
exhausted with fatigue.
Thus ended this disastrous campaign. It was the last
one which took place in this section of the country during
th^ revolutionary contest of the Americans with the
mother country. It was undertaken with the very worst
of views, those of murder and plunder. It was conducted
without sufficient means to encounter, with any prospect
of success, the large force of Indians opposed to ours in
the plains of Sandusky. It was conducted without that
subordination and discipline so requisite to insure success
in any hazardous enterprise, and it ended in a total dis-
_comfiture. Never did an enterprise more completely
fail of attaining its object. Never, on any occasion, had
the ferocious savages more ample revenge for the murder
of their pacific friends, than that which they obtained on
this occasion.
Should it be asked what consideration led so great a

274 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
number of people into this desperate enterprise ? Why,
with so small a force, and such slender means, they
pushed on so far as the plains of Sandusky ? The an
swer is, that many believed that the Moravian Indians,
taking no part in the war, and having given offense to
the warriors on several occasions, their belligerent friends
would not take up arms in their behalf. In this con
jecture they were sadly mistaken. They did defend
them with all the force at their command, and no wonder,
for, notwithstanding their Christian and pacific principles,
the warriors still regarded the Moravians as their rela
tions, whom it was their duty to defend.
The reflections which naturally arise out of the history
of the Indian war in the western country, during our
revolutionary contest with Great Britain, are not calcu
lated to do honor to human nature, even in its civilized
state. On our side, indeed, as to our infant government,
the case is not so bad. Our congress faithfully en
deavored to prevent the Indians from taking part in the
war on either side. The English government, on the
other hand, made allies of as many of the Indian nations
as they could, and they imposed no restraint on their
savage mode of warfare. On the contrary the com
mandants at their posts along our western frontier received
arid paid the Indians for scalps and prisoners. Thus the
skin of a white man's, or even a woman's head served,
in the hands of the Indian, as current coin, which he
exchanged for arms and ammunition, for the farther
prosecution of his barbarous warfare, and clothing to
coyer his half naked body. Were not these rewards
the price of blood ? Of blood, shed in a cruel manner,
on an extensive scale ; but without advantage to that
government which employed the savages in their warfare
against their relatives and fellow Christians, and paid for
their murders by the piece.
The enlightened historian must view the whole of the
Indian war, from the commencement ofthe revolutionary

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 21 o
contest, in no other light than a succession of the most
wanton murders of all ages, from helpless infancy to
decrepid old age, and of both sexes ; without object, and
without effect.
On our side, it is true, that the pressure of the war
along our Atlantic border was such that our government
could not furnish the means for making a conquest of
the Indian nations at war against us. The people of the
western coQntry, poor as they were at that time, and
unaided by government, could not subdue them. Our
campaigns, hastily undertaken, without sufficient force
and means, and illy executed, resulted in nothing bene
ficial. On the other hand, the Indians, with the aid
their allies could give them in the western country, were
not able to make a conquest of the settlement on this
side ofthe mountains. On the contrary, our settlements,
and the forts belonging to them, became stronger and
stronger from year to year, during the whole continuance
of the wars. It was therefore a war of mutual but un
availing slaughter, devastation and revenge, over whose
record humanity still drops a tear of regret, but that tear
cannot efface its disgraceful history.

CHAPTER XXXIV.
Attack on Rice's Fort.
This fort consisted of some cabins and a small block
house, and was, in dangerous times, the residence and
place of refuge for twelve families of its immediate
neighborhood. It was situated on Buffalo creek, about
twelve or fifteen miles from its junction with the river
Ohio. Previously to the attack of this fort, which took place
24

276 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
in the month of September, 1782, several of the few
men belonging to the fort had gone to Hagerstown to
exchange their peltry and furs for salt, iron, and ammu
nition, as was the usual custom of those times. They
had gone on this journey somewhat earlier that season
than usual, because there had been a still time. That is
no recent alarms of the Indians.
A few days before the attack on this fort about 30O
Indians had made their last attack on Wheeling fort.
On the third night of the investment of Wheeling, the
Indian chiefs held a council, in which it was determined
that the siege of Wheeling should be raised, two hun
dred of the warriors return home, and the remaining
hundred of picked men make a dash into the country
and strike a heavy blow somewhere before their return.
It was their determination to take a fort somewhere and
massacre all its people, in revenge for their defeat at
Wheeling. News of the plan adopted by the Indians was given
by two white men who had been made prisoners when
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 was indeed but short, but it reached Rice's fort
about half an hour before the commencement of the at
tack. The intelligence was brought by Mr. Jacob Mil
ler who received it at Dr. Moore's, in the neighborhood
of Washington. Making all speed home, he fortunately
arrived in time to assist in the- defense of the place. On
receiving this news, the people of the fort felt assured
that the blow was intended for them and in this con
jecture they were not mistaken. But little time was
allowed them for preparation. The Indians had sur
rounded the place before they were discovered ; but they
were still at some distance. When discovered the alarm
was given, on which every man ran to his cabin for his
gun and took refuge in the block house. The Indians,

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 277
answering the alarm with a war whoop from their whole
line, commenced firing and running towards the fort from
every direction. It was evidently their intention to take
the place by assault ; but the fire of the Indians was an
swered by that of six brave and skilful sharpshooters.
This unexpected reception prevented the intended assault
and made the Indians take refuge behind logs, stumps
and trees. The firing continued with little intermission
for about four hours. In the intervals of the firing the
Indians frequently called out to the people of the fort,
" Give up, give up, too many Indian. Indian too big.
No kill." They were answered with defiance. " Come
on you cowards ; we are ready for you. Show us your
yellow hides and we will make holes in them for you."
During the evening, many of the Indians, at some
distance from the fort, amused themselves by shooting
the horses, cattle, hogs and sheep, until the bottom was
strewed with their dead bodies.
About ten o'clock at night the Indians set fire to a barn
about thirty yards from the fort. The barn was large
and full of grain and hay. The flame was frightful and
at first it seemed to endanger the burning of the fort, but
the barn stood on lower ground than the fort. The
night was calm, with the exception of a slight breeze up
the creek. This carried the flame and burning splinters
in a different direction, so that the burning of the barn,
which at first was regarded as a dangerous if not fatal
occurrence, proved in the issue the means of throwing
a strong light to a great distance in every direction, so
that the Indians durst not approach the fort to set fire
to the cabins, which they might have done, at little risk,
under the cover of darkness. After the barn was set on
fire, the Indians collected on the side of the fort opposite
the barn, so as to have the advantage of the light and
kept a pretty constant fire, which was as steadily answered
by that of the fort, until about two o'clock, when the
Indians left the place and made a hasty retreat.

278 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
Thus was this little place defended by a Spartan band
of six men, against one hundred chosen warriors, ex
asperated to madness by ttieir failure at Wheeling fort.
Their names shall be inscribed in the list of the heroes
of our early times. They were Jacob Miller, George
Lefler, Peter FuUenweider, Daniel Rice, George Fele-
baum and Jacob Lefler jr. George Felebaum was shot
in the forehead, through a port hole, at the second fire of
the Indians and instantly expired, so that in reality, the
defense of the place was made by only five men.
The loss of the Indians was four, three of whom were
killed at the first fire from the fort, the other was killed
about sun down. There can be no doubt but that a
number more were killed and wounded in the engage
ment, but concealed or carried off.
A large division of these Indians on their retreat, passed
within a little distance of my father's fort. In following
their trail, a few days afterwards, I found a large poul
tice of chewed sassafras leaves. This is the dressing
which the Indians usually apply to recent gun shot
wounds. The poultice which I found had become too
old and dry, was removed and replaced with a new one.
Examples of personal bravery, and hairbreadth escapes,
are always acceptable to readers of history. An instance
of both of these happened during the attack on this fort,
which may be worth recording.
Abraham Rice, one of the principal men belonging
to the .*^ort of that name, on hearing the report of the
deserters from the Indians, mounted a very strong, active
mare and rode in all haste to another fort, about three
and a half miles distant from his own, for further news, if
any could be had, concerning the presence of a body of
Indians in the neighborhood. Just as he reached the
place he heard the report of the guns at his own fort.
He instantly returned as fast as possible, until he arrived
within sight of the fort. Finding that it still held out, he
determined to reach it and assist in its defense, or perish

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 279
in the attempt. In doing this, he had to cross the creek,
the fort being some distance from it on the opposite
bank. He saw no Indians until his mare sprang down
the bank of the creek, at which instant about fourteen
of them jumped up from among the weeds and bushes,
and discharged their guns at him. One bullet wounded
him in the fleshy part of the right arm above the elbow.
By this time several more of the Indians came up and
shot at him. A second ball wounded him in the thigh
a little above the knee, but without breaking the
bone; the ball then passed transversly through the' neck
of the mare ; she however sprang up the bank of the
creek, fell to her knees and stumbled along about a rod
before she recovered ; during this time several Indians
came running up, to tomahawk him. He made his
escape after having about thirty shots fired at him from
a very short distance. After riding about four miles, he
reached Lamb's fort much exhausted with the loss of
blood. After getting his wounds dressed and resting a
while, he set off late in the evening with twelve men,
determined if possible to reach the fort under cover of
the night. When they got within about two hundred
yards of it, they halted. The firing at the fort still con
tinued ; ten of the men, thinking the enterprise too
hazardous, refused to go any farther and retreated.
Rice and two other men crept silently along towards the
fort ; but had not proceeded far before they came close
upon an Indian in hrs concealment. He gave the alarm
yell, which was instantly passed round the lines with the
utmost regularity. This occasioned the Indians to
make their last effort to take the place and make their
retreat, under cover of the night. Rice and his two
companions returned in safety t'o Lamb's fort.
About ten o'clock next morning, sixty men 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

280 Early Settlenieftt and Indian Wars of
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 separation, before they discovered four
men coming from a neighboring fort in the direction of
that which they had left. The Indians waylaid the path
and shot two of them dead on the spot. The others fled.
One of them being swift of foot soon made his escape.
The other, being a poor runner, was pursued by an In
dian who after a smart chase came close to him. The
man then wheeled round and snapped his gun at the In
dian. This he repeated several times. The Indian
then threw his tomahawk at his head, but missed him ;
he then caught hold of the ends of his belt which was
tied behind in a bow knot. In this again the Indian
was disappointed, for the knot came loose so that he get
the belt, but not the man, who wheeled round and tried
his gun again. It happened to go off and laid the Indian
dead at his feet.

CHAPTER XXXV.
Expected Attack on my Father's Fort.
When we received advice at my father's fort of the
attack on Rice's blockhouse, which was but a few miles
distant, we sent word to all those families who were out
on their farms, to come immediately to the fort. It
became nearly dark before the two runners had time to
give the alarm to the family of a Mr. Charles Stuart who
lived about three-quarters of a mile from the fort. They
returned in great haste, saying that Stuart's house was
burned down, and that they had seen two fires between

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 281
that and the fort, at which the Indians were encamped.
There was, therefore, no doubt that an attack would be
made on our fort early in the morning.
In order to give the reader a correct idea of the mili
tary tactics of our early times, I will give, in detail, the
whole progress of the preparations which were made for
the expected attack and", as nearly as I can, I will give
the commands of Capt. Teter, our officer, in his own
words. In the first place, he collected all our men together,
and related the battles and skirmishes he had been in,
and really they were not few in number. , He 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 suc
ceed, we need expect no mercy, that every man, woman
and child would be killed on the spot. They have been
defeated at one fort and now they are mad enough. If
they should succeed in taking ours all their vengeance
will fall on our heads. We must fight for ourselves
and one another, and for our wiyes and children, brothers
and sisters. We must make the best preparations we
can, a little after day break we shall hear the crack of
the guns."
He then made a requisition of all the powder and lead
in the fort. The ammunition was accurately divided
amongst all the men, and the amount supposed to be
fully sufficient. When this was done, " now," says the
captain, " when you run your bullets, cut off the necks
very close, and scrape them, so as to make them a little
less, and get patches one hundred finer than those you
commonly use, and have them well 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 unbreach a gun and get a plug, to

282 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
drive out a bullet. Have the locks well oiled, and your
flints sharp, so as not to miss fire.
Such were his orders to the men. He then said to
the women, "These yellow fellows are very handy at
setting fire to houses, and 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 middle of it, and attempt to set fire
to our cabins in twenty places at once." They fell to
work, and did as he had ordered.
The men having put their rifles 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 them
down, and an axe, in that case, might hit, when 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 ofthe present day will suppose that our women
were frightened 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.
They went on with their work of carrying water and
cutting bullet patches for the men apparently without
the least emotion of fear, and I have every reason to
believe, that they would have been pleased with the crack
ofthe guns in the morning.
During all this time, we had no sentinels placed around
the fort ; so confident was our captain that the attack
would not be made before day break.
I was at that time thirteen or fourteen years of age;
but ranked as a fort soldier. After getting my gun and
all things else in order I went up into the garret loft of
my father's house, and laid down about the middle of
the floor, with my shot pouch on and my gun by my side,
expecting to be waked up by the report of the guns at

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 283
day break, to take my station at the port hole assigned
me, wliich was in the second story of the house. I did
not awake till about sun rise, when the alarm was all
over. The family which we supposed had been killed,
had come into the fort about day break. Instead of the
house being burnt it was only a large old log on fire, near
the house, which had been seen bv our expresses. If
they had seen anything like fire, between that and the
fort, it must have been fox fire. Such is the creative
power of imagination when under the influence of fear.

CHAPTER XXXVI.
Coshocton Campaign.
This campaign took place in the summer of 1780, and
was directed against the Indian villages at the forks of
the Muskingum. The place of rendezvous was Wheel
ing. The number of regulars and militia about eight
hundred. From Wheeling they made a rapid march,
by the nearest route, to th^ place of their destination.
When the army reached the river a little below Salem,
the lower Moravian town. Colonel Broadhead sent an
express fo the missionary of that place, the Rev. John
Heckewelder, informing him of his arrival in his neigh
borhood with his army, requesting a small supply of pro
visions and a visit from him in his camp. When the
missionary arrived at the camp the general informed him
of the object of the expedition he was engaged in, and
enquired of him, whether any of the Christian Indians
were hunting, or engaged in business, in the direction of
his march. On being answered in the negative, he
stated that nothing would give him greater pain than to
hear that any of the Moravian Indians had been molested
by the troops, as these Indians had always, from the com-

284 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
mencement ofthe war, conducted themselves in a manner
that did them honor.
A part of the militia had resolved on going up the
river to destroy the Moravian villages ; but were pre
vented from executing their project by General Broad-
head, and Colonel Shepherd of Wheeling.
At White Eyes' Plain, a few miles from Coshocton,
an Indian prisoner was taken. Soon afterwards two more
Indians were discovered, one of whom was. wounded, but
he, as well as the other, made his escape.
The commander, knowing that these two Indians
would make the utmost dispatch in going to the town to
give notice of the approach of the army, ordered a rapid
march, in the midst of a heavy fall of rain, to reach the
town before them and take it by surprise. The plan
succeeded. The army reached the place in three divi
sions. The right and left wings approached the river a
little above and below the town, while the center marched
directly upon it. The whole number of the Indians in
the village on the east side of the river, together with
ten or twelve from a little village some distance above,
were made prisoners, without firing a single shot. The
river having risen to a great 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 ofthe
river, escaped destruction.
Among the prisoners, sixteen warriors were pointed
out by Pekillon, a friendly Delaware chief, who was with
the army of Broadhead.
A little after dark a council of war was held, to deter
mine on the fate of the warriors in custody. They were
doomed to death and by the order of the commander
they were bound, taken a little distance below the town,
and dispatched with tomahawks and spears and scalped.
Early the next morning an Indian presented himself
on the opposite bank of the river and asked for the big
captain. Broadhead presented himself and asked the

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 285
Indian what he wanted ? To which he replied, " I want
peace." " Send over some of your chiefs," said Broad
head. " May be you kill," said the Indian. He was an
swered, "They shall not be killed." One of the
chiefs, a well looki.ig man, came over the river and
entered into conversation with the commander in the
street; but while engaged in conversation a man ofthe
name of Wetzel came up behind him with a tomahawk
concealed in the bosom of his hunting shirt, and struck
him on the back of his head. He fell and instantly ex
pired. About eleven or twelve o'clock, the army commenced
its retreat from Coshocton. Gen. Broadhead com
mitted the care of the prisoners to the militia. They
were about twenty in number. After marching about
half a mile, the men commenced killing them. In a short
time they were all dispatched, except a few women and
children who were spared and taken to Fort Pitt, and
after some time exchanged for an equal number of their
prisoners.

CHAPTER XXXVII.
Captivity of Mrs. Brown.
On the 27th day of March, 1789, about 10 o'clock
in the forenoon, as she was spinning in her house, her
black woman who had stepped out to gather sugar water,
screamed out " here are Indians." She jumped up, ran
to the window and then to the door, where she was met
by one of the Indians presenting his gun. She caught
hold of the muzzle and turning it aside, begged him not
to kill, but take her prisoner. The other Indian in the
meantime caught the negro woman and her boy, about

286 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
four years old, and brought them into the house. They
then opened a chest and took out a small box and some
articles of clothing, and without doing any further damage,
or setting fire to the house, set off with herself and son
about two years and a half old, the black woman and
her two children, the oldest four years and the youngest
one year old. After going about one and a half mile,
they halted and held a consultation, 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 the Indians who could speak
English, she held out her little boy and begged him not
to kill him, as he would make a fine little Indian after a
while. The Indian made a motion to her to walk on
with her child. The other Indian then struck the negro
boy with the pipe end of his tomahawk, which knocked
him down and then dispatched him by a blow with the
edge, across the back of the neck and then scalped
him. About four o'clock in the evening, they reached the
river, about a mile above Wellsburg, and carried a canoe,
which had Veen thrown up in some drift wood, into the
river. They got into this canoe and worked it down to
the mouth of Rush run, a distance of about five miles.
They pulled up the canoe into the mouth of the run, as
far as they could, then went up the run about a mile and
encamped for the night. The Indians gave the prison
ers all their own clothes for covering and added one of
their own blankets. A while before daylight, the In
dians got up and put another blanket over them.
About sun rise they began their march up a very steep
hill, and about two o'clock halted on Short creek, about
twenty miles from the place from whence they had set
out in the morning. The place where they halted had
been an encampment shortly before, as well as a place
of deposit for the plunder which they had recently taken
from the house of a Mr. Vanmeter, whose family had

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 287
been killed. The plunder was deposited in a sycamore
tree. They tapped some sugar trees when there before.
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, was
working with an hired man in a field, about a quarter of
a mile from the house, when his wife and family were
taken, but knew nothing of the event until two o'clock.
After searching about the place and going to several
houses in quest of his family, he went to Mr. Wells's
fort, and collected ten men besides himself, and the same
night lodged in a cabin, on the bottom on which the
town now stands.
Next morning, they discovered the place from which
the Indians had taken the canoe from the drift, and
their tracks at the place of their embarkation. Mr.
Glass could distinguish the track of his wife by the print
of 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 discovering no tracks
of the Indians most of the men concluded that they
would go to the mouth of the Muskingum by water, and
therefore wished to turn back. Mr. Glass begged of
them to go as far as the mouth of Short creek, which
was only two or three miles farther. To this they
agreed. When they got to the mouth of Hush run,
they found the canoe of the Indians. This was identi
fied by a proof which goes to show the presence of mind
of Mrs. Brown. While going down the river, one of
the Indians threw into the water several papers which
he had taken out of Mr. Glass's trunk ; some of these
she picked up out of the water, and under pretense of
giving them to the child dropped them into the bottom
of the canoe. These left no doubt. The trail of the
Indians and their prisoners up the run to their camp, and
then up the river hill, was soon discovered. The trail

288 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
at that time, owing to the softness of the ground and
the height of the weeds, was easily followed.
About an hour after the Indians had halted, Mr. Glass
and his men came within 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 slily as they could, till they got within
something more than one hundred yards from the camp.
Fortunately Mrs. Brown's little son had gone to a sugar
tree to get some water, but not being able to get it out
of the bark trough, his mother had stepped out of the
camp to get it for him. The negro woman was sitting
some distance from the two Indians who were looking
attentively at a scarlet jacket which they had taken some
time before. On a sudden they dropped the jacket, and
turned their eyes towards the men, who, supposing they
were discovered, immediately discharged several guns,
and rushed 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
was fired after him, by Maj. M'Guire, which brought
him to his hands and knees ; but there was no time for
pursuit, as the Indians had informed Mrs. Brown that
there was another encampment close by. They there
fore returned home with all speed, and reached the
Beach Bottom fort that night.
The other Indian, at the first fire, ran a little distance
beyond Mrs. Brown, so that she was in a right line
between him and the white men ; here he halted for a
little to put on his shot pouch which Mr. Glass, for the
moment, mistook for an attempt to kill his wife with a
tomahawk. This artful manoeuvre, no doubt, saved the
life of the savage, as his pursuers durst not shoot at him,
without risking the life of Mrs. Brown.

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 289

CHAPTER XXXVIII.
Escape of Le-wis Wetsel.
The following narrative goes to show how much may
be effected by the skill, bravery and physical activity of
a single individual in the partizan warfare carried on
against the Indians on the western frontier.
Lewis Wetsel was the son of John Wetsel, a German,
who settled on Big Wheeling, about fourteen miles from
the river. He was amongst the first adventurers into
that part of the country. His education, like that of his
cotemporaries, was that of the hunter and warrior.
When a boy, he adopted the practice of loading and firing
his rifle as he ran. This was a means of making him so
destructive to the Indians afterwards. 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 carried off a small piece of
his breast bone. The second night after they were
taken, the Indians encamped at the big lick, twenty
miles from 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 afterwards 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 barefooted, 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,"

290 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
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 Indians coming after them. It was a moonlight
night. When the Indians came pretty nigh them, they
stepped aside into the bushes, let them pass, then fell
into their rear and traveled on. On the return of the
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 is
land on a raft of their own making. By this time Lewis
had become almost spent from his wound.
In the year 1782, after Crawford's defeat, Lewis went
with a Thomas Mills, who had been in the campaign,
to get his horse, which he had left near the place where
St. Clairsville now stands. At the Indian springs, two
miles from St. Clairsville, on the Wheeling road, they
were met by about forty Indians, who were in pursuit
of the stragglers from the campaign. The Indians and
white men discovered each other about the same moment.
Lewis fired first and killed an Indian, the fire from
the Indians wounded Mills in the heel ; he was soon
overtaken and killed. Four of the Indians then singled
out, dropped their guns, and pursued Wetsel. Wetsel
loaded his rifle as he ran. After running about half
a mile, one of the Indians having got within eight
or ten steps of him, Wetsel wheeled round and shot him
down, ran, and loaded his gun as before. After going
about three-quarters of a mile farther, a second Indian
came so close to him that when he turned to fire, the
Indian caught the muzzle of the gun, and as he expressed,
it " He and the Indian had a severe wrin^." He how-
ever succeeded in bringing the muzzle to the Indian's
breast, and killed him on the spot. By this time he,
as well as the Indians, were pretty well tired ; the pur
suit was continued by the two remaining Indians.

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 291
Wetsel, as before, loaded his gun and stopped several
times during this latter chase, when he did so, the In
dians tree'd themselves. After going something more
than a mile, Wetsel took advantage of a little open piece
of ground over which the Indians were passing, a short
distance behind him, to make a sudden stop for the
purpose of shooting the foremost, who got behind a little
sapling which was too small to cover his body. Wetsel
shot and broke his thigh. 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 doubt, to get off with
his life.
It is said that Lewis Wetsel, in the course of the In
dian wars in this part of the country, killed twenty-seven
Indians, besides a number more alonsi the frontier settle-
ments of Kentucky.

CHAPTER XXXIX.
The Struggle of Adam Poe.
In the summer of 1782, a party of seven Wyandots
made an incursion into a settlement some distance below
Fort Pitt, and several miles from the Ohio river. Here
finding an old man alone, in a cabin, they killed him,
packed up what plunder they could find, and commenced
their retreat. Amongst their party was a celebrated
Wyandot chief, who, in addition to his fame as a vyarrior
and counselor, was, as to his size and strength, a real
giant. The news of the visit of the Indians soon spread
through the neighborhood, and a party of eight good rifle
men was collected, in a few hours, for the purpose of

292 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
pursuing the Indians. In this party were two brothers
of the names of Adam and Andrew Poe. They were
both famous for courage, size and activity. This little
party commenced the pursuit of the Indians with a deter
mination, if possible, not to suffer them to escape, as
they usually did on such occasions, by making a speedy
flight to the river, crossing it, and then dividing into small
parties, to meet at a distant point, in a given time.
The pursuit was continued the greater part of the
night after the Indians had done the mischief. In the
morning 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 ambus
cade, 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 saw the Indian rafts at the water's edge.
Not seeing any Indians he stepped softly down the bank
with his rifle cocked. When about half way down, he
discovered the large Wyandot chief and a small Indian,
within a few steps of him. They were standing 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 missed 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 gun and
instantly sprang from the bank upon them, and seizing
the large Indian by the cloths on his breast, and at the
same time embracing the neck of the small one, threw
them both down on the ground, himself being uppermost.
The Indian soon extricated himself, ran to the raft, got
his tomahawk, and attempted to dispatch Poe, the large
Indian holding him fast in his arms with all his might,
the better to enable his fellow to effect his purpose.
Poe, however, so well watched the motions of the Indian

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 293
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 hand. 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 toma
hawk 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 receiving it on his wrist on which 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 grasping
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 a new struggle
ensued, which, owing to the slippery state of the bank,
ended in the fall 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 con
tinued for some time with alternate success, sometimes
one being under the water and sometimes the other.
Poe at length seized the tuft of hair on the scalp of the
Indian, with which he held his head under the water,
until he supposed him drowned. Relaxing his hold too
soon, Poe, instantly found his gigantic antagonist on his
feet again, and ready for another combat. In this, they
were carried into the water beyond their depth. In this
situation they were compelled 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

294 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
The Indian being the best swimmer reached the land
first. Poe, seeing this, immediately turned back into the
water to escape, if possible, beingshot, by diving. Fortu
nately the Indian caught up the rifle with which Poe
had killed the other warrior.
. At this juncture, Andrew Poe, missing his brother
from the party, and supposing from the report of the gun
which he shot, that he was either killed, or engaged in
conflict with the Indians, hastened to the spot. On
seeing him, Adam called out to him to " kill the big
Indian on shore." But Andrew's gun, like that of the
Indian, was empty. The contest was now between the
white man and the Indian, who should load and fire first.
Very fortunately for Poe, the Indian, in loading, drew
the ramrod from the thimbles of the stock of the gun
with so much 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. This little delay gave
Poe the advantage. He shot the Indian as he was rais
ing his gun to take aim at him. As soon as Andrew
had shot the Indian, he jumped into the river to assist
his wounded brother to shore ; But Adam, thinking
more ofthe honor of carrying the big Indian home, as a
trophy of victory, than of his own safety, urged Andrew
to go back, and prevent the struggling savage from rolling
himself into the river and escaping. Andrew's solicitude
for the life of his brother prevented him from complying
with this request.
In the meantime the Indian, jealous of the honor 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 took place during this con
flict. Just as Andrew arrived at the top of the bank,
for the relief of his brother, one of the party who had
followed close behind him, seeing Adam in the river and
mistaking him for a wounded Indian, shot at him and

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 295
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 re
maining six of them. A desperate conflict ensued, in
which five of the Indians were killed. Our loss was
tfiree men killed and Adam Poe severely wounded.
Thus ended this Spartan conflict, with the loss of
three valiant men on our part and with that of the whole
of the Indian party with the exception of one warrior.
Never, on any occasion, was there a greater display of
desperate bravery, and seldom did a conflict take place
which, in the issue, proved fatal to so great a proportion
of those engaged in it.
The fatal issue of this little campaign, on the side of
the Indians, occasioned an universal mourning among
the Wyandot nation. The big Indian, with his four
brothers, all of whom were killed at the same place,
were amongst the most distinguished chiefs and warriors
of their nation. The big Indian was magnanimous, as
well as brave. He, more than any other individual,
contributed, by his example and influence, to the good
character of the Wyandots, for lenity towards their pri
soners. He would not suffer them to be killed or ill
treated. This mercy to gaptives was an honorable dis
tinction in the character of the Wyandots, and was well
understood by our first settlers, who, in case of captivity,
thought it 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
greatness, even among savages. The original stamina
of those endowments, or what is called genius, are but
thinly scattered over the earth, and there can be but little
doubt, but that the lower grades of society possess their
equal proportion of the basis of moral greatness, or in
other words, there is as much of native geriius, in propor
tion to numbers, among savages, as there is among civi-

296 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
lized 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, evenrof the good
Samaritan himself, and encourage his endeavors for the
instruction of the most ignorant and the reformation of
the most barbarous.
Had the aborigines of our country been possessed of
science to enable them to commit to the faithful page of
history, the events of their intercourse with us, since the
discovery and settlement of their native land, by the
Europeans, what would be the contents of this history ?
Not such as it is from the hands of our historians, who
have presented nought but the worst features of the In
dian character, as exhibited in the course of their wars
against the invaders of their country, while the wrongs
inflicted on them by civilized men have occupied but a
very small portion of the record. Their sufferings, their
private virtues, their bravery and magnapimity in war,
all individual instances of greatness of mind, heroism,
and clemency to captives, in the midst of the cruelties of
their barbarous warfare, must soon be buried with them
selves in the tomb of their national existence.

CHAPTER XL.
The Affair of the Johnsons.
The following narrative goes to show that the long
continuance of the Indian war had inspired even the
young lads of our counrry, not only with all the bravery,
but even the subtlety of the Indians themselves.
In the fall of the year 1793, two boys ofthe name of
John and Henry Johnson, the first thirteen and latter

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 297
eleven years old, whose parents lived in Carpenter's
station, a little distance above the mouth of Short creek,
on the west side ofthe Ohio river, were sent out in the
evening to hunt the cows. At the foot of the river hill,
at the back of the bottom, they sat down under a hickory
tree to crack nuts. After some time they saw two men
coming towards them, one of whom had a bridle in his
hand ; being dressed like white men they mistook them
for their father and an uncle in search of horses. When
they discovered their mistake and attempted to run off,
the Indians, pointing their guns at them, told them to
stop, or they would kill them. They halted and were
taken prisoners.
The Indians, being in pursuit of horses, conducted
the boys by a circuitous route over^the Short creek hills
in search of them, until, late in the evening, they halted
at a spring in a hollow place about three miles from the
fort. Here they kindled a small fire, cooked and ate
some victuals, and prepared to repose for the night.
Henry, the oldest of the boys, di*ring the ramble had
affected the greatest satisfaction at having been taken
prisoner. He said his father was a hard master, who
kept him always at hard work, and allowed him no play ;
but that for his part he wished to live in the woods and
be a hunter. This deportment soon brought him into
intimacy with one of the Indians, who could speak very
good English. The Indian frequently asked the boys
if they knew of any good horses, running in the woods..
Sometime before they halted, one of the Indians gave
the largest of the boys a little bag, which he supposed
contained money, and made him carry it.
When night came on, the fire was covered up, the
boys pinioned and made to lay down together, the In
dians then placed their hoppis 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

298 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
one of them becoming cold caught hold of John in his
arms and turned him over on the outside. In this situa
tion, the boy, who had kept awake, found means to get
his hands loose ; he then whispered to his brother, made
him get up, and untied his arms. This done, Henry
thought of nothing but running off, as fast as possible ;
but when about to start, John caught hold of him, say
ing, " We must kill these Indians before we 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 muzzle close to the head of
one of them. He then cocked the gun, and placed his
little brother at the breach with his finger on the trigger,
with instructions to pull it, as soon as he should strike
the other Indian. He then took one of the Indian's
tomahawks and standing a straddle of the other Indian
struck him with it. The blow, however, fell on the
back of the neck and to one side, so as not to be fatal.
The Indian then attempted to spring up ; but the little
fellow repeated his blows with such force and rapidity
on the scull, that as he expressed it, " The Indian laid
still and began to quiver."
At the moment of the first stroke given by the elder
brother with the tomahawk, the younger one pulled the
trigger, and shot away a considerable portion of the In
dian's lower jaw. This Indian, a moment after receiving
the shot, began to flounce about and yell in the most
frightful manner. The boys then made the best of their
way to the fort and reached it a little before day break.
On getting near the fort they found the people all up and
in great agitation on their account. On hearing a woman
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 be
tween them and the Indians was not fully credited. A

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 299
small party was soon made up, to go and ascertain the
truth or falsehood of their report. This party the
boys conducted to the spot by the shortest route. On
arriving at the place, they found the Indian whom the
eldest brother had tomahawked lying dead in the camp.
The other had crawled away, and taken his gun and
shot pouch with him. After scalping 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 in the top of a fallen tree, where, notwithstanding
the severity of his wound, with a Spartan bravery he de
termined to sell his life as dearly as possible, and 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, but his gun missed fire. On
hearing the snap of the lock, one of the men exclaimed,
" I should not like to be killed by a dead Indian." The
party concluding that the Indian would die at any rate,
thought best to retreat and return and look for him after
some time. On returning, however, he could not be
found, having crawled away and concealed himself in
some other place. His skeleton and gun were found
some time afterwards.
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 first 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 time after
wards, he appeared to have a greater plenty of money
than his neighbors.
The Indians themselves did honor to the bravery of
these 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
26

300 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
who killed the Indians ? He was answered that they
lived at the same place witli their parents. The Indian
replied, " You have not done right, you should make
kings of those boys."

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 301

APPENDIX

Sketch of Major Samuel McColloch.
Among the earliest settlers in North Western Virginia,
were the McCollochs, who emigrated from the south
branch of the Potomac, in 1770, and located on the
borders of Short creek, a stream which empties into the
Ohio river, nine miles north of Wheeling creek. The
family consisted of four brothers, Abraham, George,
Samuel and John, and several sisters, one of whom was
the wife of Col. Ebenezer Zane, who, with his brothers,
Jonathan and Silas, was from the same neighborhood,
and about the same period settled at the mouth of
Wheeling creek.
The name which graces the head of this article is not
unknown to readers of border history, in which some of
his daring exploits are recorded. At present, however,
we propose noticing only a few. particulars, more imme
diately connected with the final scene of his eventful
career, which were communicated to the writer by the
widow of his brother, the late Major John M'Colloch,
of Ohio county, Virginia, and, in substance, corroborated
by Col. M. Moorehead, of Zanesville, and the Hon. T.
Scott, of Chillicothe, Ohio.
Between the two younger brothers of the M'Colloch
family, Samuel and John, of whom alone we shall speak,
there existed a more than fraternal intimacy, arising not
only from congeniality of disposition, but from com
munity of interests and pursuits ; consequently, they
were much together, and their history is in some degree
blended. Both were early distinguished for intrepidity
and successful prowess in Indian warfare ; possessing, in

302 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
an eminent degree, firmness and decision of character,
they were wont, in cases of exigency, which in those
days of peril were of frequent occurrence, to determine
quickly and execute promptly. These qualities, combined
with untiring energy and perseverance, in circumventing
the various stratagems of the Indians, and indomitable
courage in opposing them in open combat, soon placed
the brothers in the van of the frontier bands, required
by the peculiarly exposed condition of the country to be
ever on the alert and ready for conflict with the wily
enemy, whose frequent irruptions into the infant settle
ments, for purposes of rapine and murder, kept the in
habitants in a state of continual dread and apprehension.
To many of the savages they were personally known,
and objects of fear and intense hate. Numerous artifices
were employed to capture them ; their enemies antici
pating, in such an event, the privilege of satiating their
vindictive and fiendish malice, by the infliction of a
lingering and cruel death. Of this design, on the part
of the Indians, the brothers were aware ; and in their
almost miraculous preservation, in various contests with
them, gratefully acknowledged the interposition of an
invisible Power in their behalf.
Major Samuel M'Colloch commanded at Fort Van
Meter, in 1777, styled the Court House Fort, from
the circumstance of the first civil court in North Western
Virginia, being held in it, immediately after the organiza
tion and separation of Ohio county from West Augusta.
This fort was one of the first erected in this part of
Virginia, and stood on the north side of Short creek,
about five miles from its confluence with the Ohio river.
During many consecutive summers, the inhabitants of
the adjacent neighborhood sought security from the
tomahawk and scalping knife of the merciless aborigines,
within its palisades ; agricultural labor being performed
by companies, each member of which, like the Jews of
old, when rebuilding the walls of the Holy City, after

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 303
their return from the Babylonish captivity, wrought with
one hand while the other grasped a weapon of defense.
On the 30th July, 1782, arrangements were made by
the inmates ofthe fort, for the performance of field labor.
To the comriiander and his brother, John, was assigned
the dangerous, duty of reconnoitering the paths leading
from the river, to ascertain, if possible, whether there
were any Indians lurking in the vicinity. Leaving early
in the morning, in the discharge of their mission, after
proceeding some distance, the former, impelled perhaps
by a sudden premonition of the tragic fate which befel
him, returned ; and depositing with the wife of his bro
ther John, his watch and several other articles, gave di
rections as to their disposition, in the event of his not
returning, and leaving a kindly message for his youthful
bride, soon rejoined his wondering companion.
They traversed the path lying along the south bank of
the creek till within a short distance of its junction with
the Ohio, where they crossed, and followed the direc
tion of the river to the Beach bottom, a distance of three
miles ; when, perceiving no indications of an enemy,
they retraced their steps to the mouth of the creek, a
short distance above which, they ascended a steep and
rugged eminence, well known in the neighborhood by
the significant cognomen of Giriy's Point. The no
torious renegade, Simon Girty, having on several oc
casions, when conducting parties of Indians -into the
settlement, with difficulty escaped capture by the infu
riated whites, by a rapid flight over the craggy and pre
cipitous path.
Congratulating themselves on the absence of immedi
ate danger, the brothers pursued their course in the
direction of the fort, on the summit of the elevated ridge
rising abruptly from the northern bank of the creek, and
had arrived at the termination of a deep ravine which
made up from the stream — John, being somewhat in ad
vance of his brother, and riding round the top of a large

304 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
tree, which had fallen across the way — when a low, half-
suppressed growl, from a well trained hunting- dog which
accompanied them, arrested their attention. No time,
however, intervened for scrutinizing the cause ; a volley of
bullets from an invisible foe revealed it. On reaching
the path, John turned to look for his companion, whose
bleeding form, with feelings of unutterable anguish, he
beheld falling from his horse, and, ere it reached the
earth, a stalwart savage sprang from his covert, toma
hawk and scalping-knife in hand, with which to complete
the bloody tragedy, and secure a trophy of victory.
While the exulting victor was in the act of scalping, the
younger brother, with frenzied resolution, suddenly
wheeled his horse, and, amid a shower of balls, elevating
his rifle, quickly sent the swift messenger of death to the
heart ofthe murderer, whom he had the exquisite grati
fication of seeing spring into the air, and then fall to rise
no more. Having performed this feat, he rapidly as
possible, his enraged enemies in full pursuit, their balls
perforating his hat and hunting-shirt, made his way down
the ravine, and soon reached the fort in safety ; his bro
ther's horse closely following him.
The next morning a party from the fort proceeded to
the spot where the sanguinary deed had been perpetrated
and found the mutilated remains of their beloved com
mander. The Indians, influenced no doubt, by that
species of hero-worship, inherent in their nature, causing
an unbounded admiration of personal valor, had ab
stracted the heart of their victim ; which, it was after
ward learned, from one belonging to the party, had been
eaten by them ; a practice in which they occasionally
indulged. Parkman, who was well acquainted with their
habits, says : " the Indians, though not habitual cannibals,
sometimes eat portions of the bodies of their enemies,
superstitiously believing that their own courage and hardi
hood will be increased thereby."
This fatal rencounter was, doubtless, instrumental in

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 305
the salvation of the lives of all in the fort ; it being sub
sequently ascertained that the party committing the
murderous act, consisted of upwards of one hundred
warriors, en route to attack it. After the escape of the
surviving brother, aware that notice of their propinquity
would be given, and immediate pursuit made, they
hastily retreated to their towns west of the Ohio.
The remains of Major Samuel M'Colloch were in
terred in Fort Van Meter ; but not unwept nor un-
honored. There were present very many who knew
and appreciated the sterling worth of the forest soldier,
and by whom the memory of his noble qualities and
tragic fate was long cherished ; and to this day, in the
vicinity where the circumstances transpired, the name
and fate of the hero are as familiar as household words.
Capt. Oliver Brown.
Memorandum of Capt. Oliver Brown, made by himself
at Wellsburg, Brooke Co., Virginia, in Feb. 1845.
He died in the following year, at a very advanced age,
respected and beloved by all. — N. D.
April 8, 1775, I stood in front of the first cannon fired
by the British on the Americans at Lexington. June 17,
ofthe same year, I was in the engagement at Bunker hill.
Was with our army on York Island, participated in the
battle of Harlem heights, where we beat the British. I
commanded a company of thirty men and two field pieces.
Lost fifteen of my men killed and wounded. Next, I
was in the battle of the White Plains, where we were
defeated. I was at the battle of Trenton, also in the
battle of Princeton, was stationed at Bound brook after
that engagement. Was next stationed at Meed fort.
Was at the battle of Brandywine, where we were en
gaged throughout the day. At sundown our army drove
the red coats into Germantown, where they took refuge
in an old stone house. Winter coming on we did not

306 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
do much. Next year I was in the battle of Monmouth,
where our artillery did much execution. After this
battle I was ordered to Fort Schuyler, where, during the
year, we had some skirmishing with the Indians. I always
belonged to the artillery of the Massachusetts line ; was
capt. lieut., in the artillery, and served under Gen.
Washington four years, by whom I was entrusted with
many small adventures, for the execution of which I re
ceived his personal thanks. I was present at the Boston
Tea-party, a looker on only. I pulled down the king's
statue, in New York, a leaden one, which we made into
bullets. I came to this place, Wellsburg, in 1790, no town
here then. The Indian war was not yet ended. I
served in the militia ranks. Every one at that early
period was obliged to carry arms for self-defense. I be
lieve I am the oldest revolutionary soldier in this state,
Virginia. Association.
The power of association in the human mind was
perhaps never more strongly illustrated than in the follow
ing instance, which is said to have occurred at Carlisle,
Pa., on the return of Colonel Boquet from his successful
military expedition to the Muskingum, against the
Delaware and Shawanee Indians, in 1764. Having, by
his firmness and address, without the shedding of blood,
compelled the Indians to submit to his own terms to
obtain peace and the withdrawal of his army from their
country. Col. Boquet resolved forthwith to enjoin com
pliance with one ofthe stipulations of his agreement with
his wily antagonists, which was, the immediate delivery
of all the white prisoners among them, the greater part
of whom returned with the army to Eastern Pa. The
relatives of many who were known to have been captured
by these Indians, entered the ranks of Boquet with the

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 307
hope of finding their long lost children and friends.
Others, met the army on its return, having the same
object in view.
At Carlisle, a woman appeared whose little daughter
had been carried off nine years before. In the .crowd of
female captives, she discovered one in whose wild and
swarthy features she recognized the somewhat altered
lineaments of her long lost child; but the young girl, who
had almost forgotten her native language, returned no
answering sign of recognition to her eager words, and
the despairing mother bitterly lamented that the daughter
whom she had so often sung to sleep on her bosom, had
utterly forgotten her. At this stage of the proceedings,
the humanity and superior knowledge of Col. Boquet
readily suggested an expedient ; said he to the desponding
mother, "sing the song that you used to sing to her
when a child." The woman did so ; when a sudden
start, a look of bewilderment, and a flood of tears, re
moved every doubt, and restored the long lost daughter
to the overjoyed mother's fond embrace.
Van Meter's Fort.
This fort was situated on the south side of Short
creek a few miles above its junction with the Ohio
river, in Ohio county, Virginia. The land on which
it was located belonged to the widow and heirs of Mr.
Joseph Van Meter, and was subsequently owned by his
eldest son, Morgan Van Meter. It now, 1847, belongs
to the heirs of Mr. George Mathews, and adjoins the
farm formerly owned and occupied by the late Captain
John Bukey, son-in-law to Maj. William M'Mahon.
There are many interesting reminiscences connected
with this early fort in the wilderness, some of which
have perhaps never been recorded, indicative of the suffer
ings and bravery of those who lived in its vicinity, and
who frequently sought refuge within its rude palisades.

308 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
Mr. John Van Meter, at one time lived in this
fort, and at the period of the occurrence narrated,
resided on the farm now owned by Alexander Walker,
Esq., in the immediate neighborhood of the fort. It was
during his occupancy of this farm, in 1789, that a party
of Indians visited his peaceful domicil, murdered his wife,
daughter, and two small sons, taking the three elder
sons prisoners, and burning the hoase.
Hannah, the daughter who was killed, was washing at
a spring a short distance from the house ; she had on a
sun-bonnet and was stooping over the tub, unconscious
of danger, when one of the savages stealthily advanced,
and, supposing her to bean old woman, buried his toma
hawk in her head. When the Indians saw her face and
perceived that she was young and beautiful, they deeply
lamented their precipitancy, saying, " she would have
made a pretty squaw." This information was subse
quently communicated by the notorious Simon Girty,
who was one of the party which committed the murders.
The spring at which this tragedy was enacted, is still
designated as Hannah's Spring.
Whilst these events were transpiring at his home, the
husband and father, John Van Meter, was absent at a
neighbor's house, Mr. Charles Hedges, breaking flax.
He heard the report of the guns, and saw the flames in
which his house was enveloped, without power to afford
the least relief, well knowing that to go single-handed,
would but insure his own destruction, without bene
fitting his beloved family.
Abraham, Isaac and John were the names of the
three sons carried into captivity. They were taken
in one of their father's fields, in which they were at work.
The two former ultimately escaped, and returned to
their friends. John remained with his captors, became
attached to their mode of life, and finally married
a young squaw. He subsequently visited his father
several times, but could never be prevailed on to remain

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 309
with the whites, preferring that reckless independence,
self-reliance and irresponsible freedom enjoyed in forest.
life, to the vapid and wearisome conventionalities of ci
vilized society.
Several years after the murder of Mr. Van Meter's
family, he married the widow of Mr. John Bukey, one
of the early emigrants from New Jersey to Western
Virginia. Mrs. Bukey had four daughters by her first
marriage. Mary, the eldest, became the wife of Major
John M'Colloch, of Short Creek, Va. Marcy, the
second, married Col. Harman Greathouse, late of Lex
ington, Kentucky. Elizabeth, the third, from whom
the writer has received the particulars of this article, is
Mrs. Jacob Roland, of West Liberty, Va. Jemima,
the fourth daughter, became the wife of Rev. Dr. Joseph
Doddridge, of Wellsburg, Brooke co., Va. She had
also three sons, John, Hezekiah and Rudolph. The
two former were for some years spies under Capt. Samuel
Brady, lived and died in Virginia. Rudolph, at an early
age emigrated to Kentucky, where many of his descend
ants still reside.
Mrs. Bukey had but one child. by Mr. Van Meter,
Sarah, who is now the wife of Robert Patterson, Esq.,
of Wheeling, Va.
The Capture of Members of the Doddridge
Family, by the Indians.
The particulars ofthe following account of the murder
of a member of the family of Philip Doddridge, sen., and
the capture of three of his children by a party of Wy
andots in 1778, were communicated to the writer by
Mrs. Eleanor Brown, late of Wellsburg, Virginia, and
Mrs. Ruth Carson, recently deceased in Ross co., Ohio.
Philip Doddridge, sen., emigrated from Maryland in
1770, and settled near the mouth of Dunkard creek, a tribu
tary of the west branch of the Monongahela in Virginia.

310 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
At the time of this sad occurrence he had a comfortable
. cabin and a tolerably well improved farm. His house
hold consisted of a wife and four young children, also
his wife's father, mother and a nephew, a lad of twelve
years. Early one morning in the month of May,
1778, Mr. Doddridge went into one of his fields to
work, some distance from his house, his wife also being
absent ; she having taken her infant and gone some
miles to the house of a friend, to do some weaving for
her family. Her three little girls, between the ages of
two and seven years, were left in the care of her parents
and the boy above spoken of. While he was amusing
the children at the base of a high bank of the creek on
which they lived, he espied in the distance, a party of
Indians approaching the house, which they, without see
ing him, entered, tomahawked and scalped the aged grand
father, took such articles from the cabin as they fancied,
and then set fire to it, leaving the body of the murdered
man to be consumed with it.
The nephew, well aware that if he remained with his
little charge, he could not protect them, and would be
himself killed or captured, fled to the field in which his
uncle was at work, and informed him of what was trans
piring at home. They both saw the flames of the burn
ing buildings, and the savages amusing themselves by
ripping up the feather beds and throwing their contents
high in the open air. Having finished their work at the
cabin, the deeply distressed father was compelled to re
main where he was and see the Indians bearing off into
the forest, his three little girls and their grandmother
without the power to afford them the slightest relief.
Soon after this catastrophe, Philip, with his wife and
remaining child, left the neighborhood of the Mononga
hela, removed to the house of his brother John Doddridge,
who had, in 1773, settled in the western part of Wash
ington county. Pa., not far from the present village of
West Middletown, in the same county. Philip subse-

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 311
quently purchased from his uncle. Captain Samuel Teter,
a farm near his brother's, on which he resided till about
the year iSi8, when removed with his family, then con
sisting of one son, John, and five daughters, to the state
of Indiana, himself performing the journey on foot, for
although having plenty of this world's goods, he was
never known to ride on horseback. He was one of the
early friends and supporters of Methodism in the western
country, and so exemplary was his life, that wherever he
was known, his influence was felt.
The fate of the grandmother was never ascertained,
but many years subsequent to the captivity of their child
ren, the parents learned that they had been taken to
Detroit, where the oldest girl was sold to a French officer,
who finally married her and took her to France. The
second one died, and the third, being reared with the
children of her tawny captors, became as one of them,
married a chief, and although acquainted herself with her
parentage, so strong was her attachment to the mode of
life in which she had been brought up, that she carefully
endeavored to conceal her relationship to her family.
The late Philip Doddridge, Esq., of Wellsburg, Va.,
averred that this woman had often been at his house,
with other Indians, who came into Western Virginia to
-sell baskets and other articles. After seeing and con
versing with her several times, he recognized her re
semblance to her family, and one day made some enquiries
of her respecting her history, telling her that he was her
cousin, and offering to take her to see another of her
relations. Rev. Joseph Doddridge. He said she looked
displeased, ceased to converse, and never to his knowledge
returned to that part of the country.

27

312 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of

A dirge.
Written in Charleston, Brooke Codntt, Va., Feb. 22, 1800,
By p. Doddridge.
Hail all auspicious glorious morn !
On which for mighty deeds was born
Columbia's son.
The chief who freedom's flag unAirl'd
To free from chains the western world
Great Washington !
Thy chief wc sing, the good and great.
Who freed by blood and toil the state.
From slavery.
In power, and worth, he kings outvied,
His country's glory, boast, and pride.
Who made her free.
In war he was her strength ; in peace
He steered her bark to purest bliss
To nations given.
He trod the paths where virtue trod.
And show'd the source of civil good.
The gift of Heaven.
But why is every heart dismay'd ?
Why a whole land in mourning clad ^
And solemn gloom ?
Why weeps the thoughtless youth, and why
Flows the sad tear from beauty's eye.
In virgin bloom ^
Say friend of peace, and hast thou flown ?
Has Heaven just claim'd thee for her own ?
And hast thou fled ?
Our strength in war, art thou no more .''
Sleep'st thou, borne off to oblivion's shore,
Among the dead ?

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 313

A people's tears, a nation's groans,
The muffled church bell's chilling moans
All joys reprov'd.
The sabled edge on morning's wings.
The mournful news in d^ges brings
That thou'rt remov'd.
Adieu great chief! thy spotless fame.
Thy virtuous precepts, and thy name
Remain our boast.
These be our pride till the last day
Shall worlds and systems sweep away.
In chaos lost.

Reminiscences
Or the First Protestant Episcopal Church Minister op Western
Virginia and Eastern Ohio.
Presuming that but few of the present members of the
Episcopalian church in the now flourishing diocese in
this state, are aware that it was owing, in a great measure,
to the early labors and indefatigable exertions of the in
dividual above named, that an episcopate was obtained
in Ohio, we feel persuaded that a few brief remmiscences
connected with his self-denying and persevering efforts
for the establishment in the West, of the church of his
fathers, will not be unacceptable at the present period :
indeed, as the early and intimate friend of this pioneer
herald of the cross in our western borders, we deem it
but a measure of justice to the memory of a man, who,
for a series of years, labored in the good cause, single-
handed and almost without remuneration. We shall,
however, only advert to his labors in general, not having
at hand the data to enable us to do so in detail.
My first acquaintance with the subject of this notice
commenced in 1788, in Hampshire county, Va. He

314 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
was then about nineteen years of age and a successfiil
and highly esteemed laborer among the Wesleyan Meth
odists, in connection with whom he continued several
years. Being recalled from his field of labor, to the
paternal mansion, in Western Pennsylvania, by the sud
den decease of his father, in consequence of which event,
the younger members of the family — of whom he was
the eldest — were placed in circumstances requiring, for
a time, his personal supervision, the youthful itinerant
felt it to be his duty to resign his charge, and, in con
formity with the last wish of his deceased parent — who
had appointed him the executor of his will — to apply
himself to the settlement of his estate.
This accomplished, he found himself in possession of
sufficient means to enable him to prosecute his educa
tion, which as yet, was limited, owing to the few facili
ties for obtaining one, afforded by their wilderness location.
Accompanied by his younger and only brother, Philip,
who subsequently became eminent in Virginia, as a
lawyer and legislator, dying while a member of con
gress, in Washington city, in 1833, he entered Jefferson
Academy, at Canonsburg, Pa., they being among the
first students at that pioneer literary institution, in what
was, at that period, in the trans-montane states, denomi
nated the " far west."
The Wesleyans having now laid aside the Prayer-
Book, or ritual, enjoined to be used on occasions of
public worship, by the founder of their society, the Rev.
John Wesley, a formula which Dr. Doddridge's judg
ment sanctioned as being not only beautifully appropriate,
but highly edifying ; he did not therefore resume his
connection with them, after his return from college, but
diligently applied himself to an examination of the claims
ofthe Protestant Episcopal church, of which his parents
had been members prior to their removal to the West.
Suffice it to say, this examination resulted in a determin
ation to offer himself a candidate for orders in that

Western Virginia and P'ennsylvania. 315
church. Early in the year 1792, he received ordination
at the hands of the Rt. Rev. William White, of Phila
delphia, soon after which, he located, temporarily, in
Western Pennsylvania ; but in tlie course of a few years,
settled, permanently, in Charlestown, now Wellsburg,
in Brooke co., Va.
At this early period of the settlement of the country,
the greater portion of the population of Western Vir
ginia and Pennsylvania consisted of emigrants from
Maryland and Virginia, where many of them had been
attached to the mother church ; hence the advent of a
preacher of their own denomination was hailed by them,
as an auspicious event, filling their hearts with gladness.
He was everywhere greeted with kindness, cheered and
encouraged in his labors by the presence of large and
attentive congregations ; albeit, in most places where
they assembled for public worship, their only canopy was
the umbrageous trees of the unbroken forest, whose sol
emn silence was, for the time being, rendered vofal by
their devotions.
During the year 1793, I occasionally attended the
ministrations of this zealous advocate for the cause of
Christ, at West Liberty, then the seat of justice for
Ohio CO., Va., and the residence of many respectable
and influential families. At this place divine service was
held in the Court House. Although still a young man.
Dr. Doddridge was an able minister of the New Cove
nant. When preaching, there was nothing either in his
language or manner that savored of pedantry or awkward
ness, yet he did not possess that easy, graceful action,
which is often met with in speakers, in every other re
spect, his inferiors ; but this apparent defect was more
than compensated by the arrangement of his subject, the
purity of his style, the selection and appropriateness of
his figures, and the substance of his discourses. He was
always listened to with pleasure and edification, com
manding the attention of his hearers not so much by

316 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
brilliant flights of imagination or rhetorical flourishes, as
by the solidity of his arguments and his lucid exhibition
of the important truths which he presented for their de
liberate consideration.
In person, he was tall and well proportioned, walking
very erect. He possessed fine colloquial powers, was
social, an agreeable companion, and highly esteemed by
those who knew him, on account of his plain, unosten
tatious manners, courteous demeanor, and rigid devotion
to duty.
The first Episcopal Church in Western Virginia —
if I remember rightly — called St. John's, was erected
in 1792—3, in a country parish, a few miles distant from
the residence of Dr. D., whose pastoral connection with
it, I have been informed, continued for nearly thirty
years — when declining health compelled him to dissolve
it. At no great distance from St. John's, and occupied
by the same pastor, another edifice, also in Virginia,
was ejected at a very early period, the name of which
I cannot now recollect.
In the course of a few years after he took up his abode
in Virginia, many families, reared in the Episcopal
church, removed from the older states and settled west
of the Ohio river, where they were as sheep in a wilder
ness without a shepherd. To those of them within a
convenient distance from his residence, he made fre
quent visitations, holding service in temples not made
with hands, but by the Great Architect of nature.
We have been credibly informed, that Dr. Doddridge
was the first Christian minister who proclaimed the gos
pel of salvation in the now flourishing town of Steuben
ville, in this state, and that, some years previous to the
close of the last century, he officiated there, monthly,
the place at that time containing but a few log cabins
and a portion of " Fort Steuben." The parish of St.
James, on Cross creek, in Jefferson county, was early
formed by him, and was for many years under his pas-

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 317
toral charge. At St. Clairsville, Belmont co., he had
a congregation and church, the pulpit of which he oc
cupied from time to time, until another pastor could be
obtained. Occasionally his missionary excursions in
cluded Morristown, Cambridge, and Zanesville. In the
autumn of 1815, this untiring apostle of the church, with
a view of preparing the way for future missionaries, made
a tour through part of Ohio, coming as far west as this
city, Chillicothe, preaching in the immediate towns and
ascertaining where Episcopal services would be accepta
ble. He was, I think, the first regularly ordained clergy
man of that church, who officiated in our place, which
he did several times, during his stay among us.
In Virginia, at a very early period, he held religious
services at Charlestown, Grave Creek and Wheeling.
At the latter place, was quite a number of Episcopalians,
whom he frequently visited, keeping them together till
the arrival of that pious and devoted servant of God, the
Rev. John Armstrong, their first resident pastor.
From the time of his ordination, he made it a practice
to visit and preach wherever he could find a few who
desired to be instructed in the faith of their fathers.
These efforts to collect and keep within the fold of xhe
church, the scattered sheep of the flock, imposed upon
him the necessity of traversing a wide extent of country,
which, being but sparsely settled, was poorly provided
with roads, consequently, all his journeys had to be per
formed on horseback.
In labors this Christian minister was most abundant^
sustained under their performance by the approbation" of
his own conscience and the long deferred hope, that the
time was not far distant, when Episcopalians in the At
lantic states, to whom, through letters to several of their
bishops^ and otherwise, he made request and earnest ap
peals in behalf of a field already white for the harvest,
would awake from their apathy to a lively consciousness
of the imperative duty of making the long neglected West
a theatre for missionary exertion.

318 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
Some years subsequent to his entrance into the minis
try of the Protestant Episcopal church, he found it
necessary, in order to meet the wants of an increasing
family, to combine with his clerical profession, one that
would be more lucrative in a new and sparsely settled
country ; he accordingly studied medicine, completing
his course under Dr. Benjamin Rush, in the Medical
Institute of Philadelphia. To the avails of the latter
profession, he was mainly indebte'd for means to rear
and educate a large family of children.
His life was one of close application and incessant
toil ; but his health eventually failed, and an asthmatic
disease, with which, in his later years, he was sorely
afflicted, in a great measure impaired his ability for use
fulness. In the fall of 1824, he attended a convention
of his church, holden in this city, but he appeared
greatly enfeebled. In the course of the succeeding
summer, he spent some weeks here, in the family of a
beloved sister, Mrs. N. Reeves, hoping, though vainly,
that a cessation from labor, change of air and scene,
would in some measure renovate his exhausted energies.
During this period the friendship of our youthful days
and the remembrance of former years, revived. He
often visited me at my own domicile, where we held
free converse and communion together, and I found him
the same cheerful, agreeable companion, as in days " lang
syne." Nothing ever occurred to mar our friendly in
tercourse or to diminish our kindly regards for each
other. But he is taken from our midst — his disencum
bered spirit has been called to its reward, by the Great
Head ofthe church.
Finding that neither traveling nor rest availed to
arrest the progress of disease, my friend returned to his
home and family in Virginia, as he emphatically said,
"to die among his own people." He lingered, in much
bodily affliction, till l^ovember, 1826, when, strong in
the faith which he had preached, in the 58th year of his

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 319
age, his sufferings were terminated by death, to him a
most welcome messenger.
Of the published writings of the Rev. Dr. Doddridge,
his " Notes on the Settlement and Indian Wars, together
with a View of the State of Society, Manners, Customs,
etc., of the Early Settlers of the Western Country," is
the principal.
This graphic pictuse of pioneer scenes, manners, cus
toms and events, is peculiarly interesting as well as val
uable, on account of its fidelity : it being the result of
the writer's personal experience and observation. The
work was undertaken by its author, not only for the pur
pose of preserving the facts therein recorded, but also
with a view of enabling those who come after him, pro
perly to estimate the advantages of position in a civilized
and refined state of society, by contrasting them with
those possessed by their forefathers, in the Western
regions.
Thomas Scott.
Chillicothe, Ross Co., 0.,\
June 25, 1855. /

AN ELEGY ON HIS FAMILY VAULT.
BY THE AUTHOR.
Where Alleghany's towering, pine clad peaks
Rise high in air, and sparkle in the sun.
At whose broad base the gushing torrent breaks.
And dashes through the vale with curling foam.
My father came while yet our world was young,
Son of the trackless forest, large and wild.
Of manners stern, of understanding strong,
As nature rude but yet in feeling, mild.
Then our Columbia, rising from the woods.
Obeyed the mandates of a foreign king,
And then the monarch as a father stood.
Nor made us feel his dread ambition's sting.

320 Early Settlement and Indian Wars of
For him no splendid mansion reared its head,
And spread its furniture of gaudy forms,
His was the humble cot of forest wood.
Made by his hands, a shelter from the storms.
No costly dress, the work of foreign hands.
Nor silks from: Indian, or Italian realms.
His clothing plain, the produce of his lands.
Nor shaped with modern skill, nor set with. gems.
Simple his fare, obtained from tiSlds and woods.
His drink, the crystal fountain's wholesome streams.
No fettered slave for him e*er shed his blood.
To swell in pomp ambition's idle dreams.
Look back, ye gaudy sons of pride and show.
To your forefather's humble, lowly state — ~
How much they suffered, much they toiled for you.
To leave their happier oiSpring rich and great.
With meek Aurora's earliest dawn he rose.
And to the spacious, trackless woods repaired.
When Boreas blew In autumn's whirling snows.
To hunt the prowling wolf, or timid deer.
And when stern winter howl'd thro' leafless woods.
And filled the air with bitter, biting frost.
He hunted to his iien, the grisly bear \
Nor without danger faced the fiightful beast.
The shaggy native cattle ofthe west.
The bounding elk, with branching antlers large.
The growling panther, with his frowning crest.
Were victims to his well alm'd, deadly charge.
In hunting frock, and Indian sandals trim,
O'er lengthening wastes, with nimble steps he ran.
Nor was Apollo's dart more sure in aim.
Than In his skillful hand, the deadly gun.
To masters, schools, and colleges unknown.
The forest was his academic grove,
Self taught : the lettered page was all his own.
And his the pen, with nicest art to move.
Think not ye lettered men with all your claims.
Ye rich in all the spoils of fields, and floods.
That solid sense, and virtue's fairest gems,
Dwell not with hutsmen in their native woods.

Western Virginia and Pennsylvania. 321
When chang'd the woodsman, for hard culture's toil.
To fell the forest, and to clear the field.
And cover o'er with waving grain, the soil,
He was the husband, father, and the friend.
His was an ample store of ardent mind.
Rich in liberal and creative arts.
To trace the landscape with correct design.
And ply in many ways, the tradesman's parts :
With feeling heart sincere, and ever kind.
He was the fri?nd and father ofthe poor.
His was the wish for good to all mankind,
And pity often taxed his little store.
His length'd years of sickness, toil, and pain.
When cherish'd by religion's heavenly call.
Strong was his faith in che Redeemer's name.
He sunk in death, and died beloved of all.
My father and my friend, it was thy aim
To make thy children rich in mental store.
To thy expanded mind, the highest gain.
And may they honor well thy tender care.
My mother, sweetest, loveliest of her race,
Fair as the ruby blushes ofthe morn,
Adorn'd with every captivating grace —
Her piety sincere, and heavenly born.
With hope elate she saw her little throng.
Ruddy as morn, and fresh as zephyr's breeze.
Chanting with voice acute their little song.
Or sporting thro' the shade of forest trees.
By fatal accident, in all her charms
Snatch'd from her babes, by death's untimely dart.
Resigned me to my second mother's arms.
Who well fulfilled a tender mother's part.
Say, then, shall the rough woodland pioneers
Of Mississippi's wide extended vale.
Claim no just tribute of our love, or tears.
And their names vanish with the passing gale.
With veteran arms the forest they subdued,
With veteran hearts subdued the savage foe,
Our country, purchased by their valiant blood.
Claims for them all that gratitude can do.

322 Early Settlement and Indian Wars.
Their arduous labors gave us wealth and ease.
Fair freedom' followed from their double strife.
Their well aim'd measures gave us lasting peace.
And all the social blessedness of life.
Then let their ofi^pring, mindfiii of their claims.
Cherish their honor in the lyric band —
O save from dark oblivion's gloomy reign.
The brave, the worthy fathers of our land
My dear Eliza' (Oh! fond hope beguil'd)
Sweet as the rose bud steeped in morning dew,
Tho' withered now, I claim my lovely child j
Nor have I bid thee yet a long adieu.
Sweet little tenants of this dark domain.
Yours was but a momentary breath.
You ope*d your eyes on life, disliked the scene,
Resign'd your claim, and shut them up in death.
Soft be your rest, ye tenants of my tom b !
Exempt from toil and bitter biting care ;
Sacred your dust until the general doom
Gives the reward of heavenly bliss to sha

our dust until the general doom
the reward of heavenly bliss to share.

1 The aachor'9 daughter, aged fifteeo.

INDEX.

Abrams, John, ij.
Absalom, burial of, 74.
Adams, William, 12.
Adventure, region of, 213.
Africa, 71 ; deserts of, 61 } regions of, 199.
Allbright, Frederick, 16.
Alleghany, great chain of, 201 ; mountains,
61.
Allen, Lieut., 1^4.
Altan for sacrifice, 74.
Ambuscade, an, 153.
America, discovery of, 77 j sepulchral
mounds in, 73.
American revolution, 195.
Amherst, General, Z2j.
Anabaptists, 20.
Ancient, fons, the, 69 ; tombs, 74.
Angikoks, of Greenland, 88.
Apostolic succession, 8, 9.
Appendix, ^01.
Apple, crab, 117, 120 ; trees, izt.
Arbuckle, Capt. Matthew, 2J3f ^39) 240.
Architecture, ot use, 206.
Armstrong, Rev. John, J17.
Arrow heads, 67, 6S
Arts, monuments of, 78, 79 ; of navigation,
gunnery, engraving, writing, 212.
Asbury, Rev. Francis, 6.
Ashley, Lieut., 270.
Asia, 71 ; cotemporaries of, 79 j sepulchral
mounds in, 73 ; red men of, 86 ; re
gions of, 199.
Asiatic Tartars, 86 j Tartary, 83, SS ; Tur
key, 199.
Association, 306.
Astronomy, science of, 79.
Assyria, Shalmaneser, king of, 94.
Assyrians, 48.
Atimta ofthe Greeks, 185.
Atkinson, George, 12 j William, 12.
Atlantic cities, 2oc>.
Atwater, Caleb, 75.
Attack, expected, on my father's fort, 280.
Avarice, insatiable, 82.
Ayres, Rev. Robt., 17.
Azof, sea of, 7$.
Babet, tower of, 75.
Baker, family of, 231.
Bald knobs, 118.
Baptism, 189.
Baptists, 209.
Barbary coast, 198.
Barter for salt and iron, 147.
Barton, Dr., 83.
Baxter, William, 12.
Beach Bottom fort, 288.

Beans, 137.
Bear, 104.
Bear meat, 371.
Bear's oil, 137.
Beasts and birds, 103.
Beck, Samuel, 13 ; Thomas, 12.
Bed gown, IJ.2.
Bccj, honey, lofi ; hunterof, 106 j Treat
ise on the culture of, 37.
Beetle bug, the, II9.
Bells, an article cf traffic 97; stolen, 147.
Belt, Che, 141.
Bent, Silas, 16.
Biggs, Capt., 2^9; Benjamin, 12, 245;
Captain John, 270; Zatheus, 13.
Biography of Cornstalk, 140.
Birch, the, 193.
Birds and beasts, 103.
Bite of snakes, specifics, 169, 170.
Blackberries, 118.
Black Betty, 156, 157; birds, 106; haws,
119; sea, 75; snake, dilferent kinds
of. III.
Bly, John, 16.
Bold hives, 168,
Boquet, Col., 306, 307.
Borrowed days, 101.
Bosphorus, Thracian, 76.
Boston tea party, 306.
Bouquet, Col., 223 ; major, 224.
Bow and arrow, boys taught CQe use ot,
>75.
Bowers, Rev. Mr., 207.
Bowls, wooden, 137.
Braddock's defeat, 64, 224.
Brady, Capt. Samuel, 35.
Brainard, 251,
Brandywine, battle of, 305.
Brannan, Mary D., 44; B. T., 44.
Bravery, instance of, 278.
Bread rounds, the, 186.
Breeche:., 141.
Bridegroom put to bed, 156.
Bride put to bed, 155.
Britt, James, 12.
Broadhead, Col., 283,284, 285.
Brooke Academy. Episcopal services held
in, IS.
Brown, Colore], 138; Mrs., 287; cap
tivity of, 285; Mrs. Eleanor, 309;
Oliver, 16 } Capt. Oliver, memoran
dum of, 305.
Brutus, 181.
Bryan, Mr., 32.
Buckberries, 119.
Buffalo, 104.

3^4

Index.

Buford, Captain, 234.
Building, no traces of the art of, 77.
Buildings, substantial, effect of, 205.
Bukey, Elizabeth, 309; Hezekiah, 35,
309; Jemima, 309 ; John, 35 ; Capt.
John, 34, 307 i John, widow of, 3C^;
Marcy, 34, 309 i Mary, 34, 309 ; Ru
dolph, 35, 309.
Bullet bag, 141.
Bunker hill, 305.
Burns, remedies for, 168.
Buzzards, 105.
Cabin, a half-faced, form of, 149; work of
building, 158.
Ciims of Scotland, 72.
Calcined bones, 74.
CaldweU, Alex., 16.
Calendar, Christian, 183.
Calmuc Tartars, 78.
Calvinists, 21.
Camp Charlotte, treaty of, 237 j site for
the, 150.
Campaign, Crawford's, 264; Gen. Mcin-
toshes, 244.
Canal of Constantinople, 76.
Cancer, tropic of, 183.
Canestoga Indians, Z25.
Cannonsburg, Academy establiahed at,
207.
Captina, massacre at, 230, 237.
Capricorn, tropic of, 183.
Caravans and mode of trade, 146.
Carpenter. John, 248, 262, 264.
Carpenter s station, 297.
Carson, Mrs. Ruth, 309.
Carthagenians, country of^ 198.
Caspian sea, 75.
Cassias, 181.
Catacombs of Ancient Greece, and Pales
tine, 51 ; of Egypt, 72 i of Palestine,
72; of Syracuse, 72.
Cayuga chief, 257.
Cedar ware, 166.
Ceremony of house warming, 157, 160.
Chaldeans, 48.
Chapline, Moses, iz.
Charcoal, 74.
Charlestown church, 15.
Charm, manuscript of, 66.
Charms and incantations, 172.
Chase, Rev. Philander, 19, 20, 24, 28,
30; Bishop, 40.
Cherries, wild, 120.
Cherry trees, 121, 123.
Chestnuts, 121.
China, tea from, i}8.
Chinese alphabet, 199.
Christiani calendar, 183.
Church of England, clergyman of, 124.
Cicero, pronunciation of, 85.
Cissner, Mr., 40.
Civilization, evidences of, 78 ; monuments
of, 79; means of present, 2llj ob
jects of, 204} western, 197} grade of,
971.

Clark, Col., 246 ; Jaraes, 16.
Clasp knives, 140.
Clergymen, Presbyterian, 207.
Climate, inSuence of, 89, 90.
Coffee, first time ever tasted, 138 ; tree,
122.
Coins, gold and silver, 78.
Color, resemblance of, 83 ; sameness of, 88 ;
physical cause of, 89.
Comet, the, iSl.
Commander-in-chief, election for, 265.
Commerce, introduction of, 202.
Common prayer, book of, 13.
Community of origin, evidences of a, 8j.
Conclusions, important, drawn, 92.
Connel, John, 16.
Constanrinople, canal of, 76; streets of.
Convention, memoranda relative to, 25,
26 ; report, 17 ; time and place for
holding, 24.
Convicts, tortures inflicted on, 190, 192.
Cook, Capt., 75.
Cooper ware, 166.
Copper, beads, 69 ; trinkets of, 69, 77-
Copper head snake, ill.
Corn, 137 ; destroyed by frost, 98 ; man
dan, 123 ; squaw, 123.
Cornstalk, 235, 136; the death of, 239,
240.
Coshocton campaign, 283 ; retreat from,
285.
Costume, professional, 103.
Cotton plant, 122.
Coughs, 172.
Council of war, 284; of warriors, 241.
Court house fort, 302.
Court house, 40 j built in the reign of
George III, 40.
Crab apple, 117, 120.
Crawford, 13 ^ Col., 265, 266, 169, 270 ;
execution of, 170, 271 \ John, 12,2)69;
Thomas, 12; William, 269.
Crawford's campaign, 264 ; defeat, 290.
Cresap, Capt., 230, 242 ; Cot., 237.
Croup, cure for, 168, 169.
Crows, 106.
Cully, John, 13; William, 13.
Cunningham, Mr., 25, 26.
Curculio, the, 1 19.
Customs, resemblance of, 83.
Cuthbertson, Dr. John, 127.
Cyclops, story ofthe, 177.
Cyprus, island of, 78.
Dalyell, Captain, 223.
Damson plums, 119.
Dancing, 155, 174, 176.
Darrow, James, t6.
David, son of, 74.
Davis, John, 12 ; William, iz.
Death belt, 181 ; watch, iSi.
Debts, 186.
Deer, 104 ; season for hunting the, 148.
Defenses, 143.
Delft, 1 3 8.

Index.

3^5

Delusion, the witchcraft, 179.
Dement, Benijah, 13 ; George G., 13 :
William, 13.
Dements, Mr., 31.
Demosthenes, 54.
Desert of Sahara, 199.
Despotic governments, institutions of, 202.
Derr, Sebastian, 16.
Dhoura bread, 198.
Diclcerson, Thomas, 13.
Dickinson, Mr., 34.
Diet, articles of, 1 37.
Dillon, Lieut., 234.
Dinner, tbe, 154.
Diocese of Ohio, first annual convendon,
29; second annual convention, 31, 32,
n, 34-
Dirge, tv, 311.
Diseases, and their remedies, 168 ; inflicted
by witchcraft, 180 ; cure of, 180.
Dishes, pewter, 137.
Dives, 194.
Divination, profession of, 182
Divine providence, allotment of, 132; re
velation, 80.
Division lines, 133.
Doddridge, 309; Ann, 6 ; Charles Ham
mood, 44; Dr., elected cor. mem., of
the Academy of Natural Sciences,
35; letter to his son, 37, ]8, 41,42;
letter to his wife, 39, 40 ; Eliza M.,
43 ; family, capture of members of,
309; Joseph, 40, 43 ; foreman of
grand jury, 40; John, 5, 360 j Joseph,
6,38,43, 311 : Narcissa, iii, iv, 26;
Philip B., 6, 38, 44; P., 312;
Philip, 7, 8, 16; Philip sen., 309,
310; Reeves, 41, 4] ; death of, 41 ;
Ruth, 6 ; Rev. Dr. Joseph, letters from,
20-24: memoir of, 5-44.
Doddridge 3 fort, attack on, 280.
Douglas, Mr,, 29.
Dramatic narrations, 177.
Doyle, Benj., 16.
Dress, influence of, 202 ; of the Indians
and first settlers, 140 ; of the sexes,
»5J-
Dunkards, che, 40.
Dunmore, Earl of, 232, 233, 235, 236, 238 ;
war of, 131,
Duval, Harriet T.,44 ; Maj. William, 44.
Eagles, grey and bald, 105.
Earthenware, fragments of, 69,
East Ohio, Medico Surgical Society of, 35.
Ecayer, Captain, 223
Ecclesiastical history, 211.
Eclipse ofthe sun, 181.
Eden, garden of, 95.
Egypt, catacombs of, 72 ; pyramids of, 51,
72, 76, 78 i built of hewn stone, 78 ;
upper, 199.
Egyptian mummy, 72.
Egyptians, tlic ancient, 72, 73.
Elbow room, 205.
Elegy, 3x9.

Elk, 104.
Elliot, Charles, 12; George, 12; Simon,
12 i Simon jr., 12,
Ellson, Archibald, 12 ; John, 12; Richard,
12; Richard T., 12.
Embalmed bodies, 73.
England, history of, 220.
English, cavaliers, 197; government, 203 ;
historians, 220 ; language, 84 ; the, 48.
Engraving, art of, 212.
Epaminondas, 54.
Episcopal clergymen, 22; church, 210.
Equilibrium, conflict for, 103.
Erysipelas, 172.
Europe, 71 ; cotemporaries of, 79; pre
sent languages of, 84.
Extermination, war of, 215, 217, 220, 222.
Extinct people, remains of an. Si.
Faculties, intellectual, of man, 79.
Fall hunc, a, 205.
Fame, 214.
Fate ofthe Moravians, 251.
Family mansions, 204.
Fatigue party, iy8.
Fear, passion of, 66.
Felebaum, George, 278.
Fever, treatment of, 173.
Fields, Col., 234.
Fire arms, 175.
Five brothers, the, 71,
Fleming, Col., 234.
Fling, John, 16.
Flood, catastrophe ofthe. So.
Florida, gulf of, 61.
Forbes, Gen., 224.
Forefathers, something due to the memory
of, 51.
Fortifications, remains of, 67, 71.
Fort and other defenses, the, 143.
Fort Laurens, 244, 248 ; Mcintosh, 244,
246, 247; Pitt, 244, 250, 257, 259,
260; Schuyler, 306; of Pittsburg,
221 ; Bedford, 221 ; 222 ; Ligonier,
129, 221, 222; Niagara, 221, 222;
Detroit, 221, 222 ; Presque Isle, 221,
222; St. Joseph, 221, 222; Michili
mackinac, 221, 222.
Forts, the ancient, 69.
Foscer, Christian, 13 ; John, 12.
Fout, Andrew, 13.
Fonts, Lyman, 13.
Fox squirrels, ic6.
Francis, Stephen G., ij, 17.
Franklin library -of Philadelphia, 72.
French, the, 48 ; Jesuits, Influence of the,
220 ; language, 84.
Freshet ofthe Tiber, 181.
Friends, 20; societies of, 209.
Friends Cove, 5.
Frost, crop of corn destroyed by, 98.
Fruits, history of native, 117.
FuUenweider, Peter, 278.
Furniture for the table, 137.
Gaelic language of Scotland, 85.
Games and diversions, 174.

3^6

Index.

Garden of Eden, 95.
Geese, tame, 1^8,
Generation, present, 48.
Gentlemen, dress of, 158.
German, glass blowers, 181 ; language, 85 ;
Lutheran, 209 ; soldier, the, 66.
Giants, graves of, 76.
Gibson, Col. John, 244, 246, 248.
Gilmore, killed, 240.
Girty, Simon, 271, 308.
Girty '3 Point, 303.
Gist, 13.
Gladwin, Major, 2ZZ.
Glass blowers, German, 181.
Glass, Mr., 287, 288.
Glendennin, Mr. Archibald, 226; Mrs.,
227.
Goddesses of good or bad luck, 65.
Gog, tomb of, 72.
Gold, trinkets of, 77, 78.
Goldsby, Lieut., 234.
Golgotha, an immense, 67.
Goodrich, Mr., 26.
Gooseberries, 119.
Gourds, 137.
Gov. Dunmore's war, 229.
Government of Pennsylvania, interference
of, 225.
Grammar schools established, 207.
Grant's defeat, 224,
Grapes, winter and fall, 118.
Grater, a, 163.
Grave, the large, 70.
Great heart and the giant, 178.
Greathouse, Col. Harman, 309, 345;
Daniel, 230, 231.
Grecian history, earliest period of, 76.
Greece, ancient, 71 ; catacombs of, 51 ;
classic character of, 53.
Green, A., 16; copperas, 168.
Greeks, the, 53, 54, 215 ; early history of,
74; tbe atimea of the, 185.
Grief, paroxysm of, 228.
Griflith, William, 13.
Griswold, Ezra, 25, 26; Gen. G. H., 25,
26.
Gunnery, art of, 212.
Gun-shot wounds, treatment of, 171.
Habitations, ofthe Russian, Tartar, and
Turkish peasantry, 204.
Haines, Reuben, 3$.
Hair balls, 179.
Halfway houses, 256.
Hall, Capt., 240.
Halliwell, George, 16.
Hammond, Charics, I4,i5i George, 13,
15 i Mr., letter from, 14, 15; Wil
liam, 14.
Handkerchief, a, 142.
Hand mills, 162, 164. ,
Hanlon, Moses, 16,
Hannah's spring, 308.
Hardie, Thomas, 124, 126.
Harding, Nathan, iz.
Hardshelled squashes, 137.

Hargus, John, 242, 243.
Hariem heights, battle of, 305.
Harmar, campaign of, 55.
Harris, John, 13.
Harrison, Major, 269.
Harrows, 166.
Hatchets, 69.
Hadng the offender out, 185.
Haws, black and red, 1 19, 120.
Hay, Peter, 12.
Hazelnuts, 121.
Heaven, signs of, 79.
Hebrew language, 84.
Hebrews, ancient, 74 ; pythoness of the,
123 ; wizard ofthe, 182.
Heckewelder, Rev. John, 259, 283.
Hedges, Charles, 308; Silas, ij.
Hendling, William, 13.
Hendricks, John, 12.
Herbage, wild, 97.
Hermit, account of a, 124; disciple of,
is6, 127.
Heroes, tombs of, 74.
Hickory nuts, 120.
Highlands of Scotland, 85 ; the Gaelic of
the, 85.
Hill, Mr. Walter, 1 14.
Hindoo, the, 199.
Hinds, Thomas, 16.
Hives, bold, 168.
Hobart, Rt. Rev. Bishop, 24.
Hog and hominy, 137.
Holy city, the, 302.
Homer, Odyssey of, 178.
Hominy. 137; block, 162,
Honey bees, 106.
Honor, point of, 188.
Hood, 13.
Horace, quotation from, 102.
Horse racing, 174.
House furniture and diet, 135 ; warming,
the, 157, 160.
Human color, varieties of, 89.
Hunting, camp, form of, 149 ^ shirt, tbe,
140, 141 ; snows, 98 ; subsistence by,
148.
Hydrophobia, victims of, 107 ; wolves
destroyed by, 104.
Imitative faculty, 176.
Inability, apprchchension of, 50.
Incantations, 172.
Indian, maxim, 259 ; meal, 130 ; mode of
warfare, 143, ZI4 ; nations, 48 ; sum
mer, the, 262, 263; the big, 295;
war, 1 36 ; wars, history imperfect, 46 ;
loss of, 278 ; origin of the American,
Indignation, fear of public, 261.
Influence of dress, 202 ; of the French
Jesuits, 220 ; ofthe sun,^i.
Institutions of society, municipal and ec
clesiastical, 132.
Intellectual faculties of man, 79.
Irish, descendants of the, 198 ; language,
8s ; trot, the, 177.

Index.

3^7

Iron, specimens of, 77 ; military weapons
of, 77; tools of, 77, 78.
Ishmael, descendant of, 199.
Italian language, 84.
Italians, the, 48.
Itch, cure for the, 171.
Jack and the giant, 177.
Jacket, a laced, 130.
Jacob, John J., 6.
Jail, 139.
Janizaries ofthe country, 198.
Jefferson, Mr., 86 ; President, 70, 93 ;
academy, 14: college, 207,.
Jerusalem, city of, 53, 199.
Jews, 21 ; wars ofthe, 215.
Job, afflictions of, 182.
Johnny cakes, 131, I37-
Johnson, Abel, 12; David, 7; John, 296,
298 ; Henry, 296, 267, 298 ; Robt. H,,
16; Rev. Mr., 22 ; Sir William, 228.
229.
Johnsons, affair ofthe, 296.
Judkins, Anderson, 35.
Julius Czsar, assassination of, 181.
Jupiter, movements of, 181
Kelly, Eli, 16 ; Tady, 242.
Kenyon College, 24.
Kilbourn, Rev. James, 23, 24, 25, 30.
Kirk, John, 13.
Knight, Dr., 269, 270, 271.
Labor and discouragements, 160.
Lackey, Andrew, 12.
Ladies, dress of, 153.
Lads, escape of two, 253.
Lakes, chain of, 61.
Land, sold, 133.
Language, the present Saxon, 85 ; che
Welsh of England, 85 ; Gaelic of
Scodand, 85 ; Irish, 86 ; written and
unwritten, 84.
Languages of Europe, 84.
Larimore, Capt. Robert, 43; Susan A.,
43-
Latin language, 85.
Law, morality and religion, 184.
Lawrence, epithet of, 185.
Lazarus, 194.
Leek, Mr., 32.
Leet, Maj,, 267.
Lefler, George, 278 ; Jacob jr., 278.
Legal government, want of, 184.
Leggins, 141.
Leonidas, 54.
Lewis, Gen., 232, 233, 234, 235, 236, 238 ;
Col. Charies, 234.
Lexington, 305.
Library, Franklin, 72,
Life, resemblance of mode of, 83.
Ligonier, Fort, 129.
Limestone, 80.
Line of mercy, 250.
Lingen, Hugh, iz.
Logan, 237, 240 ; family of, 232 ; speech
of, 237 J the last of the race of Shik-
etlimus, 39,

Logic of Christian nadons, 92.
Long, John, 16.
Looms, 166.
Lover ofthe whites, 232.
Lowther, William, 12.
Lycurgus, 54.
Magog, tomb of, 72.
Mahan, George. 16.
Mahon, George. 12.
Maneally, Andrew, 12.
Man, in his primitive state, 215 » intellec
tual faculties of, 79 ; physical happi
ness of, 81.
Mankind, original color of, 90, 91.
Manners, resemblance of, 83.
Marble, 80.
March, the, 153.
Marriage ceremony, the, 154.
Massacre at Captina, 230,
Mathews, Mr, George, 307 ; John, 28.
M'Cammant, Mr. John, 104, 107, 109;
bitten by a wolf, 107.
M'Clenachan, Capt., 234.
McColloch, Abraham, 301 ; George, 301 ,
Major John, 34, joi, 303, 309 i
Major Samuel, 301, 302, 304; sketch
of, 301 ; remains of, 305.
McColnall, William, 16.
McConnell, John, 16; William, 16.
M'Donald, Capt. Angus, 242.
M'Guire, Maj., 288; Mary, 16; widow,
16.
Mcintosh, General, 246; campaign of,
144.
M'Kc)^, Charles, 12.
McKnight, John, 16.
M'Mahon, Major William, 30I.
M'Millan, Rev. John, 207.
Meed fort, 305.
Mechanic arts, the, 162 ; introduction of,
204.
Mercer, Rev. Mr., 17.
Messiah, followers of the, 92.
Metals, ornamental use of, 78.
Methodist society, 21, 33, 208.
Mexico, silver from, 138.
Mice, a new kind, 106.
Milk and mush, 137.
Miller, Jacob, 276, 278.
Mills, Thomas, 269, 290.
Mississppi, valley ofthe, 61.
Mittens, 141.
Moccasons, 141.
Mode of living, influence of 89 ; Indian,
91.
Mohammedans, 92.
Molasses, 137.
Monmouth, battle of, 306.
Monteur, family of, 260.
Monuments, antiquity of, 75.
Moody, David, 15.
Mooney, Peter, 13,
Moore, Bishop, 10; Dr., 15; Robert T.
16.
Moores, Dr., 276.

328

Index.

Moorehead, CoL M., 301.
Morai, 75.
Moral philosopher, the, 79; philosophy,
an interesting subject in, iz8.
Moravian brethren, 2=1 ; campaign, the,
248 ; setUemenu, history of the, 155 ;
broken up, 257.
Moravians, fate of, 251.
Morehead, Andrew, 12.
Morris' fort, 131.
Morrow, Alex., 12 j Jane, 12.
Morse, Rev. Intrepid, 17, 31.
Moscow, 71.
Mummy, Egyptian, 72.
Murders, at Camp Charlotte, 237; Yellow
creek, 237.
Murray, Nicholas, 16.
Murrey, Capt., 234.
Mush and milk, 137.
Mussulman, 93.
Myers, John, 12.
National history important, $1.
Nations, pagan, high places ofthe, 75.
Navigation, imperfect, 95 j art of, 212.
Ncviil, General, 17.
Newton, Sir Isaac, 79 : intellectual facul
ties of, 79.
Nicholson, Thomas, 12, 242.
Noggins, wooden, 137.
North America, 71.
North Western Virginia and Ohio, early
churches in, 11.
Notes on Virginia, 86, 94 ; quotation from,
86.
Odyssey of Homer, 178.
Ohio, diocese of, 15 ; parish convention,
29; Protescant Episcopal church in,
24.
Opossums, 106.
Oram, Thomas, 16.
Oranoo, 75.
Origin, ofthe American Indians, 83 ; evi
dences of identity of, 83 ; evidciKes of
community of, 83.
Ossian, resemblance to the poems of, 177.
Owhyhee, island of, 75.
Owings, Asel, 12.
Owl, moan of, 63.
Pagan nadons, high places ofthe, 75.
Painting, no traces ofthe art of, 77.
Palestine, 53 ; catacombs of, 72 ; ancient,
Palma christi, 123.
Palmer, Mr., 25.
Panther, 106; shriek of, 63,
Parkman, 304.
Patriarch, sarcophagus ofthe, 73.
Patterson, Rev. Robert, 7; Robert, Esq.,
3C9.
Pawpaws, 88, 120.
Pawwawing days, 100, 263.
Paxton boys, the, 225, 226.
Peace, treaty of, 220.
Peach tree, 121, 122.
Pear trees, 121, 122.

Pekillon, 284.
Penn, William, 225.
Peru, copper abundant in, 78.
Petticoat, linsey, 142.
Philanthropy of the good Samaritan, 8x.
Philosopher, the, 80; the moral, prince
of» 79-
Philosophy, conclusions of, 122 ; fashion
able, 80.
Physical happiness of man, 81 ; cause of
various of colors, 89.
Pickaway plains, 61.
Pilgrim's Progress, 178.
Pipe, Delaware chief, 270.
Pitched battles, 188.
Plates, 137.
Pleurisy, 172, 173.
Plows, 166.
Plums, damson, 119^ wild, II9.
Poe, 292, 294; Adam, 29I, 292, 293, 294,
295 i struggle of, 291.
Political institimons ofthe world, 81.
Pone, 137.
Porcelain, 138.
Pork, 137.
Portuguese language, 84.
Possums, st« Opossumt.
Potatoes, 137.
Potato tops, growth of, watched, 131.
Pot pie, 138.
Prather, Charies, 16 ; Henry, 16.
Preface, iii, iv, 56-57.
Presbyterian clergymen, 207.
Presbyterians, 20.
Priests, 88.
Prince, David, 25, 26.
Princeton, battle of, 305.
Printed documents, want of, 55.
Prisoners, slaughter of 215.
Protestant Episcopal clergy, meeting o(
ofthe, 18.
Pumpkins, 137.
Punishment for idleness, lying and dis
honesty, 185.
Pyramids of Egypt, 72, 78.
Pythoness ofthe Hebrews, 182.
Raising, the, 158.
Rankin, Captain, 104, 107.
Raspberries, wild, 119.
Rats, 106.
Rattlesnake, iii.
Raven, croaking ofthe, 63, 65.
Rebellion of ttte United Irishmen, 215.
Redhawk, 239.
Red haws, 120.
Red men of Asia, 36.
Reed, Dr. Horace, 25.
Reeves, Josias, 16 ; Mrs. Nathan, 42, 318,
Reflections, 274.
Reformed, 209.
Refuge, place of, 62,
Religious worship of savages, 95 ; cere
monies, resemblance of, 83 ; rites and
ceremonies ofthe Tartars, 88.
Reminiscences, 313.

Index.

3^9

Rendezvous, place of, 283.
Reno, Rev. Francis, i?*
Resemblance of Indian languages, etc.,8j,
Rete mucosum, the basis of color, 89, 91 ;
various states of, 9^-
Retreat, preparations for a, 268.
Revelation, divine. So.
Revolting fact, 74.
Revolutionary war, 216,
Rheumatism, 172.
Rice, Abraham, 278 ; Daniel, 2.78 .
Rice's fort, attack on, 275.
Richardson, George, 12.
Ritchey, George, 16.
Robbins, mound described by, 71.
Robin Hood, 178.
Robinson, Aaron, 13; Israel, 13 ; James,
13.
Rocky mountains, 61.
Rogers, Nicholas, 13.
Roland, Abraham, 13 ; Mrs. Jacob, 309.
Roman Catholics, 209; clergy, zz.
Roman empire, languge of, 84.
Romans, the, 48, 53 ; early history of, 74.
Rome, classic character of, 53.
Rose, Major, 269.
Ross, Peter, 13.
Rough and tumble, 198.
Royal sepulchre, the, 74.
Rush, Dr. Benjamin, 34, 318.
Russian peasants, habitations of, 205.
Russian spy, 39.
Russia, steppes of, 61.
Sacraments administered, 32, 33, 34.
Sacrificial altars, 74.
Sahara, desert of, 199.
Saints, a nation of, 212.
Saltpetre caves, 163.
Samaritan, good,philanthrophy ofthe, 81 j
religion ofthe, 218
Samaritans, 21.
Sandusky plains, 61.
Sandwich islands, 75.
Sarcophagus of the patriarch, 73.
Saturn, movements of, iSi.
Savages, ferocity of the, 81 ; religious
worship of, 95.
Saxon language, 85.
Scalping knives, 140.
Science, evidences of, 78 ; light of, 208;
monuments of, 78, 79.
Scotland, cairns of, 72; Gaelic of, 85.
Scott, John, i6 ; Hon. T,, 301 ; reminis
cences of, iv, 6, II, 12, 13, 42, 43.
Sculpture, no traces ofthe art of, 77,
Searle, Rev, Mr., 29; Rev. Roger, letters
from, 27, 28.
Selenite, 80.
Sepulchral monuments, number and mag
nitude of, 72 ; mounds, 67, 70, 71 .
Serpents, number and variety of, ill.
Service trees, I18 ; berries, 118; time of
gathering, 118.
Seicleoienc ofthe country, 129 j principal,
zz6.

Shabosh, 249, 252, 253, 254.
Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, 94.
Sharper, the cunning ofthe, 81.
Shawanees, the war chief of, 236.
Shellfish, tribes of, 80.
Shepherd, Col., 284.
Shoe thread, 166.
Shooting at marks, 177.
Shoepacks, 142.
Sickness, bed of, 66.
Signs ofthe zodiac, 183.
Silver, trinkets of, 77, 78.
Singing, 178,
Single combat, 188.
Skinner, Walter, 13.
Sky, appearance of, 65.
Slain, number of the, 351.
Slender, 187.
Slaughter, a scene of, 227.
Slaves and servants, tortures inflicted on,
190, 192.
Sleds, 166.
Sloughter, 249.
Slover, Mr., 272; escape of, 272, 273.
Smith, Rev. Joseph, 207.
Snakes, bite of, 169, 170; dens of, 113 ;
power of fascination, 114, 115, 116.
Snow crust, fatal to deer, 99 ; hunting, 98.
Society islands, 75.
Son of David, 74.
Sophocles, 54.
South America, 71.
South sea, 75.
Spanish language, 84.
Spartan band, 278.
Specifics for snake bites, 169, 170.
Spoons, 137.
Sports, athletic, 176.
Squashes, hard-shelled, 137.
Squirrels, black and gray, 105 ; emigra
tion of, 165.
St. Clair, campaign of, 55.
St. Clairsville church, 18.
Stentor, voice of, 235.
Steubenville church, 15.
St. James's church, 15, 15, 28, 34; report
of, 30; Zanesville, 30; parish, 316;
germ of, 16 ; subscribers for, 1800, 16 ;
Zanesville, 41.
St. John's church, 12, 30, 316 j parish, 33;
record, 26; subscribers, 12.
Stone pipes, 69.
St. Paul's church, 12, 13, 15, 17, 34 i
parish, list of names in 1800, 13.
St. Petersburgh, 71.
St. Peter's church, 18; report of, 30.
Stratagem, hypocritical, 230.
Strawberry, wild, 118; cultivated, 118.
Streets of Constantinople, 199.
Strong, John, 12,
St.Thomas's church, 17, 18 ; report of, 30
Stuart, Mr. Charles, 280 j Capt., 240.
Sulphate of iron, 168.
Sun, an eclipse of the, iSi ; influence of,
91.

33°

Index.

Supeisdtion, associated with ignorance,
66; the wilderness a region of, 65.
Susquehanna, building forts on the, 2ZI.
Suwarrow, the ferocious, 215.
Swarms of gnats, mosquitoes, flies, 97.
Swearengen, Daniel, 12 ; Elzy, ij ;
George, 12 \ Israel, 12.
Sweating, 193
Sweep, the, 163.
Syracuse, catacombs of, 72.
Table furniture, 137
Talman, Samuel, 16.
Tan vat, the, 165.
Tartar peasants, habitations of, 204.
Tartars, Asiatic, 86 ; religious rites and
ceremonies of, 88.
Tartary oriental plain of, 61, 75.
Tattling and slandering, 187.
Taylor, Elizabeth, 16 ; Isaac, 12
Tea from China, 138.
Teter, Capt., 281 ; commands of, 28t ;
Capt. Samuel, 311 ; Mr., 64; Samuel,
ISO.
Theft, 186.
Thompson, John, 246.
Thorp, William, 16.
Thracian Bosphorus, 76.
ThraU, Walter, 18.
Thumb screw, the, 193.
Tiber, freshet ofthe, iSl.
Tibergein, Charles, 12.
Ticy, Cooper, 13.
Tiliinghast, Nicholas P., 16.
Timber, fallen, llS.
Timon, 54.
Tobacco, use of, 69.
Tomahawk, throwing the, 176 ; right, 130.
Tombs of heroes, 74.
Tongue lashing, 186.
Torture, methods of, 193 ; recollection of,
194.
Tower of Babel, 75.
Treaty, 237 ; of peace, 220.
Trenchers, wooden, 137.
Trenton, batde of, 305.
Trinity church, 15 ; subscribers for, 1800,
16.
Trinkets of copper, gold, and silver, 77.
Truck patch, 137.
Turkey, Asiatic, 199.
Turkish peasants, habitations of, 204.
Turks, the, 54, 215.
Ulysses, story of, 178.
United Irish rebellion, 215.
Van Meter, Abraham, 308 ; Hannah, 308 ;
Isaac, 308; John, 308, 3095 Joseph,
307 i Morgan, 307 ; Mr., 286 ; Sarah,
309 i Fort, 302, 305, 307.
Varieties of human color, 89.
Venison, 137J lean, 130.
Vernon, Maj., 248.
Vilettle, Patience, 16.
Virgil, pronunciation of, 85 ; quntadon
from, 135.
VirgiPs test of soils, 13.

Virginia, notes on, 86, 94.
Vultures, los-
Wadinoon, neighborhood of, 71.
Walker, Alexander, 308.
Wallace, WiUiam, 248.
Walnut fern, 170,
Walnuts, English, white and black, 121.
Wappatomica campaign, 242.
Ward, Capt., 234.
War, equipments, want of disgraceful,
1S6; dance of savages, 174; Gov.
Dunmore's, 229; of 17663,47, 220 ;
of extermination, 215, 217, 220, 2zz.
Warfare, Indian mode of, 143, 214.
Warriors, council o£^ 24I.
Wars, the, ofthe Jews, 215.
Washington college, 20S.
Waterman, Rev. John, 8.
Water mills, 164.
Wayne, Gen., 299; campaign of, 55.
Weather, breeders, 100 ; changes in the
system of, 96 ; future prospects of, 102.
Webb, Mr., 29.
Wedding, and mode of living, the, 152 , a
description of, 152-157.
Welts, Absalom, iz ; Alexander, 138 ;
Benedict, ij; George, 12; Mary, 5;
Richard, 5, 12 ; Capt. Thomas, 99,-
100.
Wellsburg church, 15.
Welsh language, 85.
Wendell's Mr., 32.
Wesley, Rev. John, 314.
Wesleyan Methodist, 314 ; society, 6, 7, 8.
Western civilization, 197.
West Indies, colTee from, 138.
West Liberty church, 12; supporters of,
1800, 12, 13.
Wetzel, 285; Jacob, 289; John, 289;
Lewis, escape of, 289, 290, 291.
Wheeling fort, attacks on, 46.
Whitcratt, William, 16.
White, Bishop, 10, 18, 23, J15; letter of,
19, 20; James, 12; James H., 16.
White clover, 135 ; negroes, 90.
White Plains, battle of, 305.
White plantain, 169.
Whortleberries, 119.
Wilcoxen, Anthony, 12,
Wild cats, 106 J cherries, 120 ; plums,
119; turkey, breast of, 131 j noise of
the, 63, 105.
Wilderness, solitude a prominent feature
of a, 62; state ofthe, 59.
Williams, Alfred, iv; Joseph, 16.
Williamson, Captain, 269; Col., 265,
267 i Col. David, 250, 259, 260.
Williamson's trail, 265.
WiUius, John sr., 13 ; William, 13.
Wilson, Capt,, 234; James, 13; John,
Ui Mr., 33.
Windsor, John T., 16.
Wingemond, Delaware chief, 270.
Winters, Matilda D., 43 ; John, 45.
Witchcraft, belief in, 179; delusion, 179

Indtx.

3V

Wizards, 179 ; ofthe Hebrews, 182.
Wolf, howl ofthe, 62; trap set, 99; man
caught in, 100.
Wolves, sagacity of, 104; destroyed by
hydrophobia, 104.
Wooden trenchers and noggins, 1 37 ; ware,
137, 166.
Wood peckers, 105.
Writing, art of, 212.
Written language, nothing more perma
nent than, 84.

Wyandot chief, 291 .
Wyman, Thomas, ij.
Yellow creek, murders at, 237.
Zane, Col. Ebenezer, 46, 301 ; Col., 230,
Jonathan, 242, 301 ; Noah, Esq,, 46 ;
Silas, 301.
Zeisberger, 251.
Zodiac, signs ofthe, 183.
ZoU, Jacob, 13.

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