ed. It stands at the north end of Loudoun-street, and a considerable part of the walls are now remaining. It covered an area of about half an acre; within which area, a well, one hundred and three feet deep, chiefly through a solid limestone rock, was sunk for the convenience of the garrison.* The labor of throwing up this fort was performed by Washington's regiment; so says Gen. Smith. It mounted six 18-pounders, six 12-pounders, six 6-pounders, four swivels, and two howitzers, and contained a strong garrison.† No formidable attempts were ever made by the enemy against it. A French officer once came to reconnoiter, and found it too strong to be attacked with any probability of suc'cess.+

For three years after the defeat of Braddock, the French and Indians combined carried on a most destructive and cruel war upon the western people. The French, however, in about three years after Braddock's defeat, abandoned Fort Duquesne, and it was immediately taken possession of by the British and colonial troops under the command of Gen. Forbes. Washington soon after resigned the command of the Virginia forces, and retired to private life. A predatory warfare was nevertheless continued on the people of the valley by hostile Indian tribes for several years after the French had been driven from their strong holds in the west; the particulars of which will form the subject of my next chapter.

The water in this well rises near the surface, and in great floods of rain has been known to overflow and discharge a considerable stream of water, The site of the fort is upon more elevated ground than the head of any springs in its neighborhood. Upon what principle the water should here rise above the surface the author cannot pretend to explain.

† Gen, John Smith stated this fact to the author. The cannon were removed from Winchester early in the war of the revolution. Some further ac count of this artillery will be given in a future chapter. Mr. Henry W. Baker, of Winchester, gave the author an account of the number of cannon mounted on the fort.

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

93

CHAPTER VII.

Indian incursions and massacres.

After the defeat of Braddock, the whole western frontier was left exposed to the incursions of the Indians and French. In the spring of the year 1756, a party of about 50 Indians, with a French captain at their head, crossed the Allegany mountains, committing on the white settlers every act of barbarous war. Capt. Jeremiah Smith raised a party of twenty brave men, marched to meet this savage foe, and fell in with them at the head of Capon river, when a fierce and bloody battle was fought. Smith killed the captain with his own hand; five other Indians having fallen, and a number wounded, they gave way and fled. Smith lost two of his men. On searching the body of the Frenchman, he was found in possession of his commission and written instructions to meet another party of about 50 Indians at Fort Frederick,* to attack the fort, destroy it, and blow up the magazine.

The other party of Indians were encountered pretty low down the North branch of the Capon river, by Capt. Joshua Lewis, at the head of eighteen men; one Indian was killed, when the others broke and ran off. Previous to the defeat of this party they had committed considerable destruction of the property of the white settlers, and took a Mrs. Horner and a girl about 13 years of age prisoners. Mrs. Horner was the mother of 7 or 8 children; she never got back to her family. The

*Fort Frederick was commenced in the year 1755, under the direction of governor Sharp, of Maryland, and was probably finished in 1776. It is still standing on the Mary land side of the Cohongoruton. Its walls are entirely of stone, 4 feet thick at the base, and three at the top; they are at least twenty feet high, and have undergone but little dilapidation. Dr. John Hedges, and his son Capt. John C. Hedges, aided the author in the examination of this place, and measuring its area, hight and thickness of the walls. Its location is not more than about 12 miles from Martinsburg, in Virginia, and about the same distance from Williamsport, in Maryland. It encloses an area of about one and a half acres, exclusive of the bastions or redoubts. It is said the erection of this fort cost about 65 thousand pounds sterling.

girl, whose name was Sarah Gibbons, the sister of my informant,* was a prisoner about 8 or 9 years before she returned home. The intention of attacking Fort Frederick was of course abandoned.

These Indians dispersed into small parties, and carried the work of death and desolation into several neighborhoods, in the counties now Berkeley, Frederick and Shenandoah. About 18 or 20 of them crossed the North mountain at Mills's gap, which is in the county of Berkeley, killed a man by the name of Kelly, and several of his family, within a few steps of the present dwelling-house of the late Mr. Wm. Wilson, not more than half a mile from Gerardstown, and from thence passed on to the neighborhood of the present site of Martinsburg, the neighboring people generally taking shelter in John Evans's fort. A small party of the Indians attacked the dwelling-house of a Mr. Evans, brother to the owner of the fort; but being beaten off, they ent in pursuit of a reinforcement. In their absence, Mr. Evans and his family got safe to the fort. The Indians returned, and set fire to the house, the ruins of which are now to be seen from the great road leading to Winchester, three miles south of Martinsburg, at the head of what is called the Big Spring.

The same Indians took a female prisoner on the same day at John Strode's house. A boy by the name of Hackney, who was on his way to the fort, saw her previously, and advised her not to go to the house, saying that Strode's family were all gone to the fort, and that he suspected the Indians were then in the house. She however seeing a smoke at the house, disregarded the advice of the little boy, went to it, was seized by the Indians, taken off, and was about three years a prisoner, but finally got home. The boy went to the fort, and told what had happened; but the men had all turned out to bury Kelly and go in pursuit of the Indians, leav

*Mr. Jacob Gibbons was born 10th Sept. 1745. Since the author saw him, he has departed this life-an honest, good old man.

Evans's fort was erected within about 2 miles of Martinsburg, a stockade. The land is now owned by

Fryatt, Esq.

ing nobody to defend the fort but the women and children. Mrs. Evans armed herself, and called on all the women, who had firmness enough to arm, to join her; and such as were too timed she ordered to run bullets. She then made a boy beat to arms on a drum; on hearing which, the Indians became alarmed, set fire to Strode's house,* and moved off. They discovered the party of white men just mentioned, and fired upon them, but did no injury. The latter finding the Indians too strong for them, retreated into the fort.†

From thence the Indians passed on to Opequon, and the next morning attacked Neally's fort, massacred most of the people, and took off several prisoners; among them George Stockton and Isabella his sister. Charles Porterfield, a youth about 20 years of age, heard the firing from his father's residence, about one mile from the fort, armed himself and set off with all speed to the fort, but on his way was killed.‡

Among the prisoners were a man by the name of Cohoon, his wife, and some of his children. Mrs. Cohoon was in a state of pregnancy, and not being able to travel fast enough to please her savage captors, they forced her husband forward, while crossing the North mountain, and cruelly murdered her: her husband distantly heard her screams. Cohoon, however, that night made his escape, and got safely back to his friends. George Stockton and his sister Isabella, who were also among the prisoners, were taken to the Indian towns. Isabella was 8 or 9 years of age, and her story is as remarkable as it is interesting. She was detained and grew up among the savages. Being a beautiful and interesting girl, they sold her to a Canadian in Canada, where a young Frenchman, named Plata, soon became ac

*The present residence of the widow Showalter, three miles from Martinsburg.

t Mr. Joseph Hackney, Frederick county, stated these facts to the author. The little boy, mentioned above, grew up, married, was a Quaker by profession, and the father of my informant.

George Porterfield, Esq. now residing in the county of Berkeley, is a brother to the youth who was killed, and stated to the author the particulars of this unhappy occurrence. Capt. Glenn also stated several of the circumstances to the author.

quainted with her, and made her a tender of his hand in matrimony.* This she declined unless her parents' consent could be obtained,—a strong proof of her filial affection and good sense. The Frenchman immediately proposed to conduct her home, readily believing that his generous devotion and great attention to the daughter would lay the parents under such high obligations to him, that they would willingly consent to the union. But such were the strong prejudices existing at the time against every thing French, that her parents and friends peremptorily objected. The Frenchman then prevailed on Isabella to elope with him; to effect which they secured two of her father's horses and pushed off. They were, however, pursued by two of her brothers, overtaken at Hunterstown, Pennsylvania, and Isabella forcibly torn from her protector and devoted lover, and brought back to her parents, while the poor Frenchman was warned that if he ever made any farther attempts to take her off, his life should pay the forfeit. This sto ry is familiar to several aged and respectable individuals in the neighborhood of Martinsburg. Isabella afterwards married a man by the name of McClary, removed and settled in the neighborhood of Morgantown, and grew wealthy. George, after an absence of about three years, got home also.

A party of 14 Indians, believed to be part of those defeated by Capt. Smith, on their return to the west killed a young woman, and took a Mrs. Neff prisoner. This was on the South fork of the river Wappatomaka, They cut off Mrs, Neff's petticoat up to her knees, and gave her a pair of moccasons to wear on her feet. This was done to facilitate her traveling; but they proceeded no further than the vicinity of Fort Pleasant,† where, on the second night, they left Mrs. Neff in the custody of an old Indian, and divided themselves into two par

* Mr. Mayers, of Berkeley county, gave the author the name of this young Frenchman.

+ Fort Pleasant was a strong stockade with block houses, erected on the lands now owned by Isaac Vanmeter, Esq. on the South branch of Potomac, a short distance above what is called The Trough.