Sketches of western adventure: containing an account of the most interesting incidents connected with the settlement of the West from 1755 to 1794: with an appendix

Contents

Page.

CHAP. I. Adventures of Colonel James Smith, 9 II. « Daniel Boone, - - - - 40

III, " General Simon Kenton, 80

IV. « General Benjamin Logan, 109

- V. « Colonel William Crawford, 119

- VI. « John Slover, - 135

VII. " Captain Robert Benham, - - - 148

« « Alexander McConnel, 151

« « Robert and Samuel McAfee, - ----- 154

" " Bryant and Hogan, _-.,- 155

" McKinley, 1£$

« Adam Poe, - 16o

VIII. " Mrs. Woods, - - - 170

« " Davis, Cafl'ree and McClure, - - - - - - 171

* " Captain James Ward, - - 175

" u Francis Downing, - 176

" " The Widow Scaggs, - - - - 179

" Incidents attending the desertion of a young 1 white

•man from a party of Indians, ---------- 183

" Adventures of John Merril, 187

IX. « Ward, Calvin and Kenton, 188

" " Ward, Baker and Kenton, - - 194

X. « May, Johnston, Flinn and Skyles, - - - 195

XI. « Captain William HubbelJ, 231

XII. War in the North West, 239

* Harmer's Expedition, 240

" Adventures of Jackson Johonnet, --------- 243

XIII. Expedition of General Arthur St. Clair, 250

" Adventures of William Kennan, - - 258

XIV. Expedition of Wayne, 264

" Mission of Miller, 267

" Battle of the « Fallen Timber," 269

" Adventure of the two young Johnsons, --.---- 270

A 2 v

Preface

In these " latter days," when a rage for book making pervades all ages, sexes, and conditions, it is scarcely necessary to offer the usual hackneyed apology, for what is modestly called « a trespass upon the patience of the public ! ' Should the book prove entertaining, and in some degree useful, no apology will be necessary — if otherwise, none will be received. Instead, therefore, of spinning a dozen or more sentences, in the usual deprecating tone, or (which is frequently done) throwing down the gauntlet at the whole tribe of critics, I shall content myself with a few remarks, upon the degree of credit which is to be attached to the following pages.*

Several years ago, when the author was younger and more confident, than at present, he was seduced into the perpetration of a book which was intended for a novel. It never attracted much attention, and has long since been forgotten, except by the immediate acquaintances of the author. Upon the appearance of the present work, to which the title and other circumstances unconnected with the merit of the execution, will probably give a more extensive circulation, the recollection of " Camden," will probably be revived with many readers in the West, and give rise to a suspicion that the present work is as truly an offspring of the imagination as the former. A simple denial of the charge would, probably, gain but little credit I wish therefore, to refer distinctly to the sources from which the materials for the present work have been derived, in order to give every one who chooses, an opportunity of satisfying himself as to its authenticity.

For the correctness with which the adventures of Booxe, Smith, and Johxstox are detailed, I refer the reader to the printed narratives of each of those gentlemen, which are to be found upon the shelves of almost every bookseller in the West. In the life of Boone, there are many particulars relating to the siege of Byrant's station and the battle of the Blue Licks, which are not to be found in Boone's narrative. For some of these, I am indebted to Mr. Marshall ; but most of them have been taken from a series of " Notes," which appeared

vii viii PREFACE.

several years ago in the Kentucky Gazette, and which were carefully taken down from the verbal communications of individuals still living, who were actively engaged in those scenes.

For the striking incidents attending the expedition of Crawford, I am indebted' to the printed narratives of Kxight and Sloyer, which were published immediately after their return to Virginia, when the affair was fiesh in the recollection of hundreds, and any misstatement would instantly have been corrected. Kenton's adventures are taken from a manuscript account dictated by the venerable pioneer himself, and now in the possession of Mr. John D. Taylor, of Washington, Ky. from whom at some future day, we may expect a full detail of his whole life, of which I have only given a rapid and imperfect sketch. The adventures of Johok^et, are taken from a printed account by himself, which first appeared in 1791, immediately after the defeat of St. Clair, and those of Ke^^ak, from his own account, which the author, in common with many others, has heard repeatedly from his own lips. For the rest, I refer the reader generally, to Metcalf 's collection, Mr . — « Border Wars," and the

" Notes on Kentucky," already mentioned.

A small portion, and comparatively but a small portion, of the minor details, have been gathered from personal conversation with the individuals concerned. Had I chosen to have given admission to mere rumors, related by persons who had received them from others, I might have given a host of anecdotes, partaking strongly of the marvellous, and some of them really worthy of being inserted, could I have been satisfied of their truth ! But I have chosen to confine myself to those only which were given upon unquestionable authority, and can conscientiously affirm, that I have admitted nothing which I myself, at the time, did not believe to be true.

SKETCHES

OF

Chapter I

The English settlements in North America, until late in the 18th century, were confined to the country lying east of the Allegheny mountains. Even the most adventurous traders from Virginia and Pennsylvania, rarely penetrated beyond the head waters of the Ohio river, and the spot where Pittsburgh now stands, was, for a long time, an extreme frontier pointy where the white fur traders and the western Indians were accustomed to meet and exchange their commodities. All beyond was an unexplored wilderness, which was known only as occupying certain degrees of latitude and longitude upon the map, Shortly before the old French war of 1755, tins spot was occupied by the French, and a fort erected, which, in honor of their commander, was called Du Quesne.

The possession of this fortress was keenly debated during the earlier years of the war, and was soon rendered memorable by the disastrous expedition of Braddock and Grant. Omitting a regular detail of these events, which have been often related, we shall commence our desultory history with a detail of the adventures of Col. James Smith, who subsequently removed to Kentucky, and for many years was a resident of Bourbon county. He was the first anglo-American who penetrated into the interior of the Western country; at least the first who has given us an account of his adventures; and in. a succession of sketches, like the present, designed to commemorate individual rather than national exertions, he is justly entitled to the distinction which we give him. If we mistake not, his adventures will be found particularly interesting, as affording more ample specimens of savage manners and character, than almost any other account now in existence.

In the spring of the year 1755, James Smith, then a youth of eighteen, accompanied a party of three hundred men from the frontiers of Pennsylvania, who advanced in front of Braddock's army for the purpose of opening a road dver the mountain. When within a few miles of the Bedford springs, he was sent back to the rear, to hasten the progress of some wagons loaded with provisions and stores for the use of the road cutters. Having delivered his orders, he was returning, in company with another young man, when they were suddenly fired upon by a party of three Indians, from a cedar thicket which skirted the road. Smith's companion was killed on the spot; and, although he himself was unhurt, }^et his horse was so much frightened by the flash and report of the guns, as to become totally unmanageable, and after a few plungesj threw him with violence to the ground. Before he could recover his feet, the Indians sprung upon him, and, overpowering his resistance, secured him as a prisoner.

One of them demanded, in broken English, whether "more white men were coming up;" and upon his answering in the negative, he was seized by each arm, and compelled to run with great rapidity over the mountain until night, when the small party encamped and cooked their supper. An equal share of their scanty stock of provisions was given to the prisoner; and in other respects, although strictly guarded, he was treated with great kindness. On the evening of the next day, after a rapid walk of fifty miles, through cedar thickets, and over very rocky ground, they reached the western side of the Laurel mountain, and beheld at a little distance the smoke of an Indian en campment. His captors now fired their guns, and raised the scalp halloo! This is a long yell for every scalp that has been taken, followed by a rapid succession of shrill, quick, piercing shrieks, somewhat resembling laughter in its most excited tones. They were answered from the Indian camp below, by a discharge of rifles and a long whoop, followed by shrill cries of joy, and all thronged

JAMES SMITH. XI

out to meet the party. Smith expected instant death at their hands, as they crowded around him; but to his surprise, no one offered him any violence. They belonged to another tribe, and entertained the party in their camp with great hospitality, respecting the prisoner as the property of their guests.

On the following morning Smith's captors continued their march, and en the evening of the next day arrived at fort Du Quesne, now Pittsburgh. When within half a t mile of the fort, they again raised the scalp halloo, and fired their guns as before. Instantly the whole garrison was in commotion. The cannon were fired, the drums were beaten, and French and Indians ran out in great numbers to meet the party, and partake of their triumph. Smith was again surrounded by a multitude of savages, painted in various colors, and shouting with delight; but their demeanor was by no means as pacific as that of the last party he had encountered. They rapidly formed in two long lines, and brandishing their hatchets, ramrods, switches, &c. called aloud upon him to run the gauntlet.

Never having heard of this Indian ceremony before, he stood amazed for some time, not knowing what to do; but one of his captors explained to him, that he was to run between the two lines, and receive a blow from each Indian as he passed, concluding his explanation by exhorting him to "run his best," as the faster he run the sooner the affair would be over. This truth was very plain; and young Smith entered upon h > "ace with great spirit. He was switched very handsomely along the lines, for about three-fourths of the distance, the stripes only acting as a spur to greater exertions, and he had almost reached the opposite extremity of the line, when a tali chief struck him a furious blow with a club upon the back of the head, and instantly felled him to the ground. Recovering himself in a moment, he sprung to his feet and started forward again, when a handful of sand was thrown in his eyes, which, in addition to the great pain, completely blinded him. He still attempted to grope his way through; but was again knocked down and beaten with merciless severity. He soon became insensible under such barbarous treatment, and recollected nothing more, until he found himself in the hospital of the fort, under the hands of a French surgeon, beaten to a jelly, and unable to move a limb. Here he was quickly visited by one of his captors, the same who had given him such good advice, when about to commence his race.

He now inquired, with some interest, if he felt " very sore." Young Smith replied, that he had been bruised almost to death, and asked what he had done to merit such barbarity. The Indian replied that he had done nothing, but that it was the customary greeting of the Indians to their prisoners; that it was something like the English "how d'ye do?" and that now all ceremony would be laid aside, and he would be treated with kindness. Smith inquired if they had any news of General Braddock. The Indian replied that their scouts saw him every day from the mountains; that he was advancing in close columns through the woods ; (this he indicated by placing a number of red sticks parallel to each other, and pressed close!} 7 together;) and that the Indians would be able to shoot them down "like pigeons."

Smith rapidly recovered, and was soon able to walk upon the battlements of the fort, with the aid of a stick. While engaged in this exercise, on the morning of the 9th July, he observed an unusual bustle in the fort- The Indians stood in crowds at the great gate^ armed and painted. Many barrels of powder, ball, flints, &c. were brought out to them, from which each warrior helped himself to such articles as he required. They were soon joined by a small detachment of French regulars, when the whole party marched off together. He had a full view of them as they passed, and was confident that they could not exceed four, hundred men. He. soon learned that it was detached against Braddock, who was now within a few miles of the fort; but from their great inferiority in numbers, he regarded their destruction certain, and looked joyfully to the arrival of Braddock in the evening, as the hour which was to deliver him from the power of the Indians. In the afternoon, however, an Indian runner arrived with far different intelligence. The battle had not yet ended when he left the field, but he announced that the English had been surrounded, and were shot down in heaps by an invisible enemy; that instead of Hying at once, or rushing upon their concealed foe, they appeared completely bewildered, huddled together in the center of the ring, and before sundown there would not be a man of them alive.

This intelligence fell like a thunderbolt upon Smith, who now saw himself irretrievably in the power of the savages, and could look forward to nothing but torture or endless captivity. He waited anxiously for further intelligence, still hoping that the fortune of the day might change. But about sunset, he heard at a distance the well known scalp halloo, followed by wild, quick, joyful shrieks, and accompanied by long continued firing. This too surely announced the fate of the day. About dusk, the party returned to the fort, driving before them twelve British regulars, stripped naked and with their faces painted black! an evidence that the unhappy wretches were devoted to death.

Next came the Indians displaying their bloody scalps, of which they had immense numbers, and dressed in the scarlet coats$ sashes, and military hats of the officers and soldiers. Behind all came a train of baggage horses, laden with piles of scalps, canteens, and all the accoutrements of British soldiers. The savages appeared frantic with joy, and when Smith beheld them entering the fort, dancing, yelling, brandishing their red tomahawks, and waving their scalps in the air, while the great guns of the fort replied to the incessant discharge of rifles without, he says, that it looked as if H — 11 had given a holiday, and turned loose its inhabitants upon the upper world.

The most melancholy spectacle was the band of prisoners. They appeared dejected and anxious. Poor fellows! They had but a few months before left London, at the command of their superiors, and we may easily imagine their feelings, at the strange and dreadful spectacle around them. The yells of delight and congratulation were scarcely over, when those of vengeance began. The devoted prisoners — British regulars — were led out from the fort to the banks of the Allegheny, and to the eternal disgrace of the French commandant, were there burnt to death, one after another, with the most awful tortures.

Smith stood upon the battlements and witnessed the shocking spectacle. The prisoner was tied to a stake with his hands raised above his head, stripped naked, and surrounded by Indians. They would touch him with red hot irons, and stick his body full of pine splinters and set them on fire, drowning the shrieks of the victim in the yells of delight with which they danced around him. His companions in the mean time stood in a group near the stake, and had a foretaste of what was in reserve for each of them. As fast as one prisoner died under his tortures, another filled his place, until the whole perished. All this took place so near the fort, that every scream of the victims must have rung in the ears of the French commandant!

Two or three days after this shocking spectacle, most of the Indian tribes dispersed and returned to their homes, as is usual with them after a great and decisive battle. Young Smith was demanded of the French by the tribe to whom he belonged, and was immediately surrendered into their hands.

The party embarked in canoes, and ascended the Allegheny river, as far as a small Indian town about forty miles above fort Du Quesne. There they abandoned their canoes, and striking into the woods, traveled in a western direction, until they arrived at a considerable Indian town, in what is now the state of Ohio. This village was called Tullihas, and was situated upon the western branch of the Muskingum. During the whole of this period, Smith suffered much anxiety, from the uncertainty of his future fate, but at this town all doubt was removed. On the morning of his arrival, the principal members of the tribe gathered around him; and one old man with deep gravity, began to pluck out his hair by the roots, while the others looked on in silence, smoking their pipes with great deliberation.

Smith did not understand the design of this singular ceremony, but submitted very patiently to the man's labors, who performed the operation of " picking" him with great dexterity, dipping his fingers in ashes occasionally, in order to take a better hold. In a very few moments Smith's head was bald, with the exception of a single long tuft upon the center of his crown, called the "scalp lock." This was carefully plaited in such a manner as to stand upright, and was ornamented with several silver brooches. His ears and nose were then bored with equal gravity, and ornamented with ear-rings and nose jewels. He was then ordered to strip ; which being done, his naked body was painted in various fantastic colors, and a breech-cloth fastened round his loins. A belt cf wampum was then placed around his neck, and silver bands around his right arm.

To all this Smith submitted with much anxiety, being totally ignorant of their customs, and dreading lest, like the British prisoners, he had been stripped and painted for the stake. His alarm was increased, when an old chief arose, took him by the arm, and leading him out into the open air, gave three shrill whoops, and was instantly surrounded by every inhabitant of the village, warriors, women, and children. The chief then addressed the crowd in a long speech, still holding Smith by the hand. When he had ceased speaking, he led Smith forward, and delivered him into the hands of three young Indian girls, who, grappling him without ceremony, towed him off to the river which ran at the foot of the hill, dragged him in the water up to his breast, and all three suddenly clapping their hands upon his head, attempted to put him under. Utterly desperate at the idea of being drowned by these young ladies, Smith made a manful resistance ; the squaws persevered; and a prodigious splashing of the water took place, amidst loud peals of laughter from the shore.

At length, one of the squaws became alarmed at the furious struggles of the young whiteman, and cried out earnestly several times, "no hurt you! no hurt you!" Upon this agreeable intelligence, Smith's resistance ceased, and these gentle creatures plunged him under the water, and scrubbed him from head to foot with equal zeai .

and perseverance. As soon as they were satisfied, they led him ashore and presented him to the chief, shivering with cold, and dripping with water. The Indians then dressed him in a ruffled shirt, leggins, and moccasins, variously ornamented, seated him upon a bearskin, and gave him a pipe, tomahawk, tobacco, pouch, flint, and steel. The chiefs then took their seats by his side, and smoked for several minutes in deep silence, when the eldest delivered a speech, through an interpreter, in the following words : " My son, you are now one of us. Hereafter, you have nothing to fear. By an ancient custom, you have been adopted in the room of a brave man, who has fallen; and every drop of white blood has been washed from your veins. We are now your brothers, and are bound by our law to love you, to defend you, and to avenge your injuries, as much as if you were born in our tribe."

He was then introduced to the members of the family into which he had been adopted, and was received by the whole of them with great demonstrations of regard. In the evening, he received an invitation to a great feast; and was there presented with a wooden bowl and spoon, and directed to fill the former from a huge kettle of boiled corn, and hashed venison. The evening concluded with a war dance, and on the next morning, the warriors of the tribe assembled, and leaving one or two hunters, to provide for their families in their absence, the rest marched off for the frontiers of Virginia. In leaving the village, the warriors observed the most profound silence, with the exception of their leader, who sung the traveling song, as it is called, and when some distance off, they discharged their rifles slowly, and in regular succession, beginning in front, and ending with the rear. As soon as the warriors had left them, Smith was invited to a dance, in which the Indian boys and young unmarried squaws assembled, and entertained themselves for several hours together. They formed in two lines facing each other, at the distance of about twenty feet. One of the young men held a gourd in his hand, filled with pebbles, or beads, which he rattled in such a manner as to produce music, and all the dancers singing in concert with their leader, moved forward in a line until the parties met; then retired, and repeated the same exercise for hours, without the least variation.

Young Smith was merely a spectator in. this scenes and his chief entertainment arose from observing the occasional symptoms of gallantry and coquetry which diversified the monotony of the dance. Heads were often bent close together as the two lines met, and soft whispers, ogling glares, and an occasional gentle tap on the cheek, convinced Smith, that Indians are not so insensible to the charms of their squaws as has been represented. An Indian courtship is somewhat different from ours. With them, all the coyness,, reserve, and pretty delays are confined to the gentlemen. The young squaws are bold, forward, and by no means delicate in urging their passion; and a particularly handsome or promising young hunter, is often reduced to desperate extremities, to escape the toils of these female Lotharios!: Smith was uniformly treated with the greatest kindness, and was for some time particularly distressed by the pressing invitations to eat, which he received from all quarters.

With the Indians, it is uniformly the custom to invite every visitor to eat, as soon as he enters the wigwam; and if he refuses, they are much offended, regarding it as an evidence of hostility to them, and contempt for their house keeping. Smith, ignorant of this circumstance, was sometimes pressed to eat twenty times in a day, and observing their dark and suspicious glances when he declined their hospitality, he endeavored at length to satisfy them at the risk of stuffing himself to death. Making it a point to eat with air who invited him, he soon found himself in great favor, and in the course of a week after his adoption, an old chief honored him with an invitation to hunt with him. Smith readily consented. At the distance of a few miles from the village, they discovered a number of buffalo tracks. The old Indian regarded them attentively, and followed them with great caution, stopping frequently to listen, and rolling his eyes keenly m every direction. Smith, surprised at this singular conduct ? asked him why he did not push on more ra idly, and

B2 endeavor to get a shot. "Hush!" said the Indian, shak ing his head, " may be buffalo — may be Catawba !"

Having at length satisfied himself that they were really buffalo, he pushed on more rapidly, and on the way, as signed his reasons for his hesitation. He said, that the Catawbas had long been at war with his tribe, and were the most cunning and wicked nation in the world. That a few years ago, they had secretly approached his camp in the night, and sent out a few of their spies,, mounted upon buffalo hoofs, who walked round their camp, and then returned to the main body. That, in the morning, he and his warriors, perceiving their tracks, supposed a herd of buffalo to be ahead of them, and moved on rapidly in pursuit. That, they soon fell into the ambuscade, were fired on by the Catawbas, and many of them killed. The Catawbas, however, quickly gave way, and were pursued by his young men with great eagerness. But they had taken the precaution to stick a number of slender reeds in the grass, sharpened like a pen, and dipped in rattle snake's poison, so that as his young men pursued them eagerly, most of them were artificially snake bitten, and lamed. That the Catawbas then turned upon them, over powered them, and took the scalps of all who had been lamed by the reeds. The old man concluded by shaking his head, and declaring that " Catawba was a very bad In dian ; a perfect devil for mischief."

Smith, however, was so unfortunate a few days after wards, as to fall into discredit with these simple people. He had been directed to go out and kill some venison for the squaws and children, who had suffered for several days, during the absence of the greater part of the warriors. As this was the first time that he had been intrusted with so weighty a commission alone, he determined to signalize his hunt by an unusual display of skill and enterprise. He, therefore, struck boldly into the woods, and at a few miles distance, falling upon a fresh buffalo trail, he pushed on for several miles with great eagerness. Despairing, however, of overtaking them, as the evening came on, he began to retrace his steps, and as he had taken a considerable circuit, he determined to cut across the hills, and reach the village by a shorter way. He soon became inextricably involved in the mazes of the forest, and at dark, found himself completely bewildered. He fired his gun repeatedly, in hopes of being heard, but his signal was unanswered, and he wandered through the woods the whole night, totally unable to find his way home.

Early in the morning, the Indians, probably suspecting him for desertion, started out in pursuit of him, but observing the zigzag manner in which the young woodsman had marched, they soon became satisfied of the truth, and their anger was changed to laughter and contempt Smith's rifle was taken from him, and a bow and arrow (the weapons of a boy) were placed in his hands; and although he was treated with undiminished kindness by all, yet it was evident, that it was mingled with compassion and contempt, for his ignorance of the woods. He was now placed under the particular care of Tontileaugo, his adopted brother, and a renowned hunter and warrior. With the aid of his directions, he soon learned all the mysteries of hunting. He trapped beaver, killed deer, bear, and buffalo with great readiness, and in the course of the winter, rose considerably in reputation. The warriors were still absent, and the women and children depended on them entirely for subsistence.

Sometimes they were three days without food; particularly, when the snow became hard, and the noise which they made in walking on the crust frightened the deer, so that they could not come within gunshot. Their only resource then, was to hunt bear trees; that is, for large hollow trees in which bears lay concealed during the winter. The hole is generally from thirty to fifty feet from the ground, and they are often compelled to climb up and apply fire, in order to drive Bruin out, who obstinately maintains his ground until nearly stifled with smoke, and then sneezing and snuffling, and growling, he shows himself at the mouth of his hole, for a little fresh air. The hunter stations himself below, and fires upon him as soon as he appears. Towards spring, the warriors generally return, and game is then killed in abundance.

We shall here pause in our narrative, to mention some