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 success.†

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.

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CHAPTER VII.

INDIAN INCURSIONS AND MASSACRES.

AFTER the defeat of Braddock, the whole western frontier was left expo sed to the incursions of the Indians and French. In the spring of the year 1756, a party of about fifty 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 fifty Indians at Fort Frederick,‡ to attack the fort, destroy it, and blow up the magazine.

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

Fort Frederick was commenced in the year 1755, under the direction.

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 thirteen years of age prisoners. Mrs. Horner was the mother of seven or eight children; she never got back to her family. The girl, whose name was Sarah Gibbons, the sister of my informant,* was a prisoner about eight or nine years before she returned home. The intention of attacking Fort Frederick was of course abandoned.

Those 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 eighteen or twenty 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. William 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' fort. 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 went in pursuit of a reinforcement. In their absence Mr. Evans and his family got 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.

safe to the fort.

A

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

of Gov. Sharp, of Maryland, and was probably finished in 1776. It is still standing on the Maryland side of the Cohongoruton. Its walls are entirely of stone, four and a half 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, height and thickness of the walls. Its location is not more than about twelve 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 sixty-five thousand pounds sterling.

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

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

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, leaving 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 eight or nine 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 acquainted with her, and made her a tender of his hand in matrimony.§ This she declined unless her parents' consent could be obtained, a strong proof of her filial affection and good sense. The Frenchman immediately proposed to conduct her home, readily 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 everything 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

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

+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.

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

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 attempt to take her off, his life should pay the forfeit. This story 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 three years, got home also.

A party of fourteen 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 moccasins to wear on her feet. This was done to facilitate her travelling; 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 parties, in order to watch the fort. At a late hour in the night, Mrs. Neff discovering that her guard was pretty soundly asleep, ran off. The old fellow very soon awoke, fired off his gun, and raised a yell. Mrs. N. ran between the two parties of Indians, got safe into Fort Pleasant, and gave notice where the Indians were encamped. A small party of men, the same evening came from another small fort a few miles above, and joined their friends in Fort Pleasant. The Indians, after the escape of Mrs. Neff, had collected into one body in a deep glen, near the fort. Early the next morning, sixteen men, well mounted and armed,left the fort with a view to attack the Indians. They soon discovered their encampment. The whites divided themselves into two parties, intending to inclose the Indians between two fires; but unfortunately a small dog which had followed them, starting a rabbit, his yelling alarmed the Indians; upon which they cautiously moved off, passed between the two parties of white men unobserved, took a position between them and their horses, and opened a most destructive fire. The whites returned the fire with great firmness and bravery, and a desperate and bloody conflict ensued. Seven of the whites fell dead, and four were wounded. The little remnant retreated to the fort, whither the wounded also arrived. Three Indians fell in this battle, and several were wounded. The victors secured the white men's horses, and took them off.†

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

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

This battle, is called the "Battle of The Trough."

Messrs. Vanme

ter, McNeill and Heath, detailed the particulars to the author. A block house, with port holes, is now standing in Mr. D. McNeill's yard,-part of an old fort erected at the time of Braddock's war, the logs of which are principally sound.

returned with all speed to the fort, and gave notice of the defeat. The old man was killed by the Indians in 1757.

After committing to writing the foregoing account, the author received from his friend Dr. Charles A. Turley, of Fort Pleasant, a more particular narrative of the battle, which the author will subjoin, in the doctor's own words:

"The memorable battle of The Trough (says Dr. Turley) was preceded by the following circumstances. On the day previous, two Indian strollers, from a large party of sixty or seventy warriors, under the well known and ferocious chief Kill-buck, made an attack upon the dwelling of a Mrs. Brake, on the South fork of the South branch of the Potomac, about fifteen miles above Moorefield, and took Mrs. Brake and a Mrs. Neff prisoners. The former not being able to travel from her situation, was tomahawked and scalped, and the latter brought down to the vicinity of Town fort, about one and a half miles below Moorefield. There one of the Indians, under the pretence of hunting, retired, and the other laid himself down and pretended to fall asleep, with a view, as was believed, to let Mrs. Neff escape to the fort, and give the alarm. Every thing turned out agreeably to their expectations; for as soon as she reached the fort, and related the circumstances of her escape, 18 men from that and Buttermilk fort, five miles above, went in pursuit. They were men notorious for their valor, and who had been well tried on many such occasions.

"As soon as they came to the place indicated by Mrs. Neff, they found a plain trace left by the Indian, by occasionally breaking a bush. Mr. John Harness, who was well acquainted with the manners and mode of warfare of the Indians, pronounced that the hunter Indian had not returned to his comrade, or that they were in great force somewhere near and in ambush. They however pursued the trace, without discovering any signs of a larger party, until they arrived between two mountains, forming what from its resemblance is called The Trough. Here, directly above a fine spring about 200 paces from the river, which at that time was filled to an impassable stage by a heavy fall of rain, these grim monsters of blood were encamped, to the number above stated. The western face of the ridge was very precipitous and rough, and on the north of the spring was a deep ravine, cutting directly up into the ridge above. Our little band of heroes, nothing daunted by the superior number of the enemy, dismounted unobserved, and prepared for battle, leaving their horses on the ridge. But by one of those unforeseen and almost unaccountable accidents which often thwart the seemingly best planned enterprises, a small dog which had followed them just at this juncture started a rabbit, and went yelping down the ridge, giving the Indians timely notice of their approach. They immediately flew to arms, and filing off up the ravine before described, passed directly into the rear of our little band, placing them in the very situation they had hoped to find their enemies, between the mountain and the swollen river. Now came the "tug of war," and both parties rushed to the onset, dealing death and slaughter at every fire. After an hour or two hard fighting, during which each of our little band had numbered his man, and more than half their number had fallen to rise no more, those

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