Brown County, Ohio - Chapter 3: Adventures and Conflicts with the Indians, 1883

Chapter 3: Adventures and Conflicts with the Indians

THE pioneer hunters and woodsmen of Kentucky often passed over the Ohio into the territory now forming Brown County in pursuit of marauding parties of Indians. This county was the scene of some adventures of thrilling interest during the times of tumult and suffering through which the Northwest Territory passed. Daniel Boone, Simon Kenton, Neil Washburn and other noted hunters and scouts passed over the hills and through the swamps of Brown County long before there was a white settler within its limits.

In 1778, Daniel Boone was a prisoner among the Indians of Ohio for several months. He probably passed through the county in making his flight homeward, when he made the marvelous journey of 160 miles, from Old Chillicothe to Boonesboro, in less than five days, during which he had but one meal.

About the 1st of August of the same year, Boone and Kenton were in a small party formed for the purpose of surprising the Indians at the small Shawnee town on Paint Creek. Before reaching the town, it was learned that the Indian warriors had left it, and were marching against Boonesboro. Boone thereupon, with most of his men, returned to Kentucky to assist in defending the station. Simon Kenton and his companion, Montgomery, determined to proceed alone and capture some horses as a recompense for the trouble of their journey. Reaching the Indian village, they approached it with the stealthy pace of the cat or the panther, and took their stations in the corn-field, supposing the Indians would enter it as usual to get roasting ears. They remained all day and did not see a single Indian, and heard only the voices of some children who were playing near them. At night, they entered the town, and, capturing four of the best horses they could find, they made a rapid night march for the Ohio, which they crossed in safety, and, on the second day afterward, reached Logan's Fort with their booty.

About the 1st of September, 1778, Simon Kenton, becoming tired of the quiet of a life in the stations of Kentucky, planned a raid against the Indian town on the North Fork of Paint Creek, in what is now Ross County. He was joined by Alexander Montgomery and George Clark. The party set off from Boone's Station with the avowed purpose of taking horses from the Indians, the Kentucky settlements having lost many horses by Indian raids. They crossed the Ohio and proceeded cautiously to Chillicotlie, and arrived at the Indian town without meeting any adventures. Kenton's biographer. John McDonald, says:

" In the night, they fell in with a drove of horses that were feeding in the rich prairies. They were prepared with salt and halters. They had much difficulty to catch the horses; however, at length they succeeded, and, as soon as the horses were haltered, they dashed off' with seven - a pretty good haul. They traveled with all the speed they could to the Ohio. They came to the Ohio near the mouth of Eagle Creek, now in Brown County. When they came to the river, the wind blew almost a hurricane. The waves ran so high that the horses were frightened, and could not be induced to take the water. It was late in th« evening. They then rode back into the hills some distance from the river, hobbled and turned their horses loose to graze, while they turned back some distance and watched the trail they had come, to discover whether or no they were pursued. Here they remained till the following day, when the wind subsided. As soon as the wind fell, they caught their horses and went again to the river; but their horses were so frightened with the waves the day before that all their efforts could not induce them to take the water. This was a sore disappointment to our adventurers. They were satisfied that they were pursued by the enemy; they therefore determined to lose no more time in useless efforts to cross the Ohio ; they concluded to select three of the best horses, and make their way to the Falls of the Ohio, where Gen. Clark had left some men stationed. Each made choice of a horse, and the other horses were turned loose to shift for themselves. After the spare horses had been loosed and permitted to ramble off, avarice whispered to them, and why not take all the horses. The loose horses had by this time scattered and straggled out of sight. Our party now separated to hunt up the horses they had turned loose. Kenton went toward the river, and had not gone far before he heard a whoop in the direction where they had been trying to force the horses into the water. He got off his horse and tied him, and then crept, with the stealthy tread of a cat, to make observations in the direction he heard the whoop. Just as he reached the high bank of the river, he met the Indians on horseback. Being unperceived by them, but so nigh that it was impossible for him to retreat without being discovered, he concluded the boldest course to be the safest, and very deliberately took aim at the foremost Indian. His gun flashed in the pan. He then retreated. The Indians pursued on horseback. In his retreat, he passed through a piece of land where a storm had torn up a great part of the timber. The fallen trees afforded him some advantage of the Indians in the race, as they were on horseback and he on foot. The Indian force divided; some rode on one side of the fallen timber, and some on the other. Just as he emerged from the fallen timber at the foot of the hill, one of the Indians met him on horseback, and boldly rode up to him, jumped off his horse and rushed at him with his tomahawk. Kenton, concluding a gun-barrel as good a weapon of defense as a tomahawk, drew back his gun to strike the Indian before him. At that instant, another Indian, who, unperceived by Kenton, had slipped up behind him, clasped him in his arms. Being now overpowered by numbers, further resistance was useless - he surrendered. While the Indians were binding Kenton with tugs, Montgomery came in view, and fired at the Indians, but missed his mark. Montgomery fled on foot. Some of the Indians pursued, shot at, and missed him; a second fire was made, and Montgomery fell. The Indians soon returned to Kenton, shaking at him Montgomery's bloody scalp. George Clark, Kenton's other companion, made his escape, crossed the Ohio and arrived safe at Logan's Station.

"The Indians encamped that night on the bank of the Ohio. The next morning, they prepared their horses for a return to their towns, with the unfortunate and unhappy prisoner. Nothing but death in the most appalling form presented itself to his view. When they were ready to set off, they caught the wildest horse in the company and placed # Kenton on his back. The horse being very restive, it took several of them to hold him, while the others lashed the prisoner on the horse. They first took a tug, or rope, and fastened his legs and feet together under the horse. They took another and fastened his arms. They took another and tied around his neck, and fastened one end of it around the horse's neck; the other end of the same rope was fastened to the horse's tail, to answer in place of a crupper. They had a great deal of amusement to themselves, as they were preparing Kenton and his horse for fun and frolic. They would yell and scream around him, and ask him if he wished to steal more horses. Another rope was fastened around his thighs, and lashed around the body of his horse; a pair of moccasins was drawn over his hands, to prevent him from defending his face from the brush. Thus accoutered and fastened, the horse was turned loose to the woods. He reared and plunged, ran through the woods for some time, to the infinite amusement of the Indians. After the horse had run about, plunging, rearing and kicking for some time and found that he could not shake off or kick off his rider, he very quietly submitted himself to his situation, and followed the cavalcade as quiet and peaceable as his rider. The Indians moved toward Chillicothe, and in three days reached the town."

The most important army which passed through this county in the campaigns against the Indians was that commanded by Col. Benjamin Logan, in the autumn of 1786, and which destroyed the Mack-a-Cheek towns, in what is now Logan County, Ohio. In the autumn of this year, Gen. George Rogers Clark raised forces for an expedition against the Indians on the Wabash, and ordered Col. Logan to raise a force and march against the Indian towns on the head-waters of the Great Miami. Logan succeeded in raising four or five hundred mounted riflemen, with whom he crossed the Ohio near where Maysville, Ky., now stands, and passed northward, and would have succeeded in surprising the Indian towns had not one of his men deserted to the enemy and given notice of his approach. He succeeded, however, in destroying the towns and numerous corn-fields, killing about twenty Indians and taking seventy or eighty prisoners. He returned by the same route and crossed the Ohio Dear Limestone, after an absence of about two weeks.

Daniel Boone, Simon Kenton, Col. Robert Patterson and other noted woodsmen were in this expedition, as was also Gen. William Lytle, .then only sixteen years old, and, being too young to come within the requisition of the law, offered himself as a volunteer. Among the prisoners taken by Col. Logan back to Kentucky were an Indian woman, known as the " grenadier squaw," who was a sister of Cornstalk, and upward of six feet high, and an interesting Indian lad about sixteen years old, who was adopted by Col. Logan as a member of his family, and was afterward known as Capt. Logan.

The route of Col. Logan through Brown and Clinton Counties was well known to the early surveyors of the Virginia Military District. The place from which the deserter left the army was on Todd's Fork, in Clinton County, about three miles northeast of Wilmington, and since known as "the Deserted Camp." This also was a well-known locality to the early surveyors.

A few miles below Aberdeen, on the north side of the Ohio, is an opening through the river hills to which the attention of travelers on steamboats is often directed, and which is known as Logan's Gap. Through this gap the valley of Eagle Creek is easily reached. Tradition has assigned different reasons for the origin of this name. It is probable that Logan's army passed through this gap, and that thus it received its name.

So numerous were the depredations of the savages during the year 1789 that an expedition was planned against the Indians, who had frequently harassed boats on the Ohio from a lofty rock near the mouth of the Scioto. The Kentuckians being aroused, Gen. Charles Scott, with 230 volunteers, crossed the Ohio at Limestone, and was joined by Gen. Harmar with 100 regulars of the United States, and, on the 18th of April, 1790, marched for the Scioto. The plan adopted was to strike the Scioto some distance from the Ohio, with the hope of intercepting the Indians. The Indians, however, had abandoned their camp, and there was no general action. On the route, a small Indian trail was discovered; thirteen men were detached to follow it; they came upon four Indians in camp, all of whom were killed at the first fire. No official re port of this abortive expedition appears ever to have been made to the War Department.

Killing Of Amos And William Wood

Amos Wood was an early settler on the Kentucky side of the river, near the site of Dover. Mr. Wood, in company with his son William, and Thomas Watts, crossed the Ohio and passed back on a ridge to a deer-lick, for the purpose of procuring venison. Having killed a deer, they were engaged in dressing the meat, when Indians were seen approaching them. Leaving the venison, they fled, and were pursued by the savages to the Ohio. Unfortunately, they failed to reach the river, where they had left their boat. Amos plunged, into the river, and was shot and killed. His body was afterward found near Cincinnati. William was overtaken and killed with a tomahawk on the bank of the river. Thomas W atts was engaged in a close encounter with one of the savages. The Indian threw his tomahawk at him and missed him; Watts gained possession of the weapon, and it served him a useful purpose in his own defense. He reached the boat and crossed the river in safety, with the Indian's tomahawk as a trophy. This tragedy of the killing of Amos Wood and his son was witnessed by their friends from the Kentucky shore. The date of the occurrence is not now attainable. The widow of Amos Wood afterward resided at Cincinnati, in a cabin made of papaw poles, and, at a later period, on Mad River.

Neil Washburn And His 'Adventures

This celebrated hunter, trapper and scout killed his first Indian in Brown County, and afterward was for some time a resident of this county. Some account of him is appropriate in this place. Cornelius Washburn was a native of New Jersey, was born about the year 1774, and was the son of Jeremiah Washburn. When Neil was six years old, his father moved to the Red Stone country, in Pennsylvania, and, nine years later, to the vicinity of Maysville, Ky. Thomas McDonald, an early pioneer of Ohio, furnished the following account of Neil for Henry Howe, when he was compiling his historical collections:

"In the year 1790, I first became acquainted with Neil Washburn, then a lad of sixteen, living on the Kentucky side of the Ohio, six miles below Maysville. From his early years, he showed a disposition to follow the woods. When only nine or ten, he passed his time in setting snares for pheasants and wild animals. Shortly after, his father purchased for him a shotgun, in the use of which he soon became unexcelled. In the summer of 1790, his father, being out of fresh provisions, crossed the Ohio with him in a canoe to shoot deer at a lick near the mouth of Eagle Creek. On entering the creek, their attention was arrested by a singular hacking noise some distance up the bank. Neil landed, and, with gun in hand, cautiously crawling up the river bank, discovered an Indian, about twenty feet up a hickory tree, busily engaged in cutting around the bark, to make a canoe, in which he probably anticipated the gratification of crossing the river and committing depredations upon the Kentuckians. However this may have been, his meditations and work were soon brought to a close, for the intrepid boy no sooner saw the dusky form of the savage than he brought his gun to a level with his eye and fired; the Indian fell dead to the earth, with a heavy sound. He hastily retreated to the canoe, from fear of the presence of other Indians, and recrossed the Ohio. Early the next morning, a party of men, guided by Neil, visited the spot, and found the' body of the Indian at the foot of the tree. Neil secured the scalp, and the same day showed it, much elated, to myself and others, in the town of Washington, in Mason. Several persons in the village made him presents, as testimonials of their opinion of his bravery.

" In the next year, he was employed as a spy between Maysville and the mouth of the Little Miami, to watch for Indians who were accustomed to cross the Ohio into Kentucky to steal and murder. While so engaged, he had some encounters with them, in which his unerring rifle dealt death to several of their number. One of these was at the mouth of Bullskin, on the Ohio side.

"In 1792, the Indians committed such great depredations upon the Ohio, between the Great Kanawha and Maysville, that Gen. Lee, the Government agent in employing spies, endeavored to get some of them to go up the Ohio, above Kanawha, and warn all single boats not to descend the river. None were sufficiently daring to go but Neil. Furnished with an elegant horse and well armed, he started on his perilous mission. He met with no adventures until after crossing the Big Sandy. This he swam on his horse, and had reached about half a mile beyond, when he was suddenly fired upon by a party of Indians in ambush. - His horse fell dead, and the Indians gave a yell of triumph; but Neil was unhurt. Springing to his feet, he bounded back like a deer, and swam across the Big Sandy, holding his rifle and ammunition above his head. Panting from exertion, he rested upon the opposite bank to regain his strength, when the Indians, whooping and yelling, appeared on the other side, in full pursuit. Neil drew up, shot one of their number, and then continued his retreat down the Ohio, but, meeting and exchanging shots with others, he saw it was impossible to keep the river valley in safety, and, striking his course more inland, to evade his enemies, arrived safely at Maysville.

"In the fall of the same year, he was in the action with Kenton and others against Tecumseh, in what is now Brown County. Washburn continued as a spy throughout the war, adding the sagacity of the lion to the cunning of the fox. He was with Wayne in his campaign, and at the battle of the Fallen- Timbers manifested his usual prowess.

"Neil Washburn was in person near six feet in height, with broad shoulders, small feet, and tapered beautifully from his chest down. He was both powerful and active. His eyes were blue, his hair light and his complexion fair. A prominent Roman nose alone marred the symmetry of his personal appearance. "

After peace with the Indians was restored, Washburn spent most of his time in hunting and trapping until the war of 1812, in which he served as a ranger. He owned land in Brown County, about six miles east of the site of Georgetown, and resided there for some time. In 1813, he sold his land in Brown County. The records of this county show that this noted scout, like many others of his time whose lives were spent in the woods, was unable to write his name, and there are records of several documents, in signing which both he and his wife made their marks. In 1815, he moved to Williamsburg, Clermont County, which was his home for several years, but most of his time was spent in hunting and trapping in the Southwest. It is believed that he was killed by the Indians in 1833, while trapping on the Yellowstone.

A Battle With The Indians On East Fork

In the month of March, 1792, some horses were stolen by the Indians from the settlements in Mason County, Ky. A party of whites to the number of thirty-six was immediately raised for the purpose of pursuing them. It embraced Simon Kenton, Cornelius W'ashburn, Benjamin Whiteman, McIntyre,

Calvin, Downing, Ward and other experienced woodsmen. The trail of the Indians being taken, it was found that they had crossed the Ohio where Ripley now stands. The pursuing party reached the Ohio the first evening, prepared rafts, crossed over and encamped for the night. Simon Kenton was placed in command. Early the next morning, the trail was again taken, and followed in a north course, the weather being bad and the ground wet.

When fairly in the Indian country, a portion of the party became dissatisfied; a difference of opinion as to the best plan to pursue was found to exist, and twelve of the men were granted liberty to return. The remaining twentyfour continued the pursuit until a bell was heard, which they supposed indicated their approach to the Indian camp. A halt was called, and all useless baggage and clothing laid aside. Whiteman and two others were sent forward as spies in different directions, each followed by a detachment of the party. After moving forward some distaiice, it was found that the bell was approaching them. A solitary Indian came riding toward them. When within 150 yards, he was shot and killed. Kenton directed the spies to proceed, being satisfied that the Indian camp was near at hand. They pushed on rapidly and found the Indians encamped on East Fork. The indications of a considerable body of Indians were so strong that the expediency of an attack at that hour was doubted by Kenton.

A hurried council was held, in which it was determined to retire, if it could be done without discovery, and lie concealed until night, and then assault the camp. This plan was carried into execution. Two of the spies were left to watch the camp and ascertain whether the pursuing party had been discovered. The others retreated, and took a commanding position on a ridge. The spies watched until night, and then reported that they had not been discovered by the enemy. The men, being wet and cold, were now marched down into a hollow, where they kindled fires, dried their clothes and'put their rifles in order. The party was then divided into three detachments, Kenton commanding the right, McIntyre the center, and Downing the left. By agreement, the three divisions were to move toward the camp simultaneously, and, when they had approached as near as possible without giving an alarm, were to be guided in the commencement of the attack by the fire from Kenton's party. When Downing and his detachment had approached close to the camp, an Indian rose upon his feet and began to stir up the fire, which was but dimly burning. Fearing a discovery, Downing's party instantly shot him down. This was followed by a general fire from the three detachments upon the Indi ans, who were sleeping under some marquees and bark tents, close upon the margin of the stream. But unfortunately, as it proved in the sequel, Kenton's party had taken "Boone" as their watchword. This name, happening to be as familiar to the enemy as themselves, led to some confusion in the course of the engagement. When fired upon, the Indians, instead of retreating across the stream, as had been anticipated, boldly stood to their arms, returned the fire of the assailants and rushed upon them. They were re enforced, moreover, from a camp on the opposite side of the river, which, until then, had been unperceived by the whiles. In a few minutes, the Indians and the Kentuckians were blended with each other, and the cry of ''Boone" and "Che Boone" arose simultaneously from each party.

It was after midnight when the attack was made, and, there being no moon, it was very dark. Kenton, perceiving that his men were likely to be overpowered, ordered a retreat, after the attack had lasted for a few minutes; this was continued through the remainder of the night and part of the next day, the Indians pursuing them, but without killing more than one of the retreating party. The Kentuckians lost but two men - Alexander McIntyre and John

Barr. The loss of the Indians was much greater, according to the statements of some prisoners, who, after the peace of 1795, were released, and returned to Kentucky. They related that fourteen Indians were killed and seventeen wounded. They stated further that there were in the camp about one hundred warriors, among them several chiefs of note, including Tecumseh, Battise, Black Snake, Wolf and Chinskau; and that the party had been formed for the purpose of annoying the settlements in Kentucky, and attacking boats descending the Ohio River. Kenton and his party were three days in reaching Limestone, during two of which they were without food, and destitute of sufficient clothing to protect them from the cold winds and rains of March. The foregoing particulars of this expedition are taken form the narrative of Gen. Benjamin Whiteman, one of the early and gallant pioneers of Kentucky, afterward a resident of Greene County, Ohio. His statement was followed in the account of the battle given in Drake's Life of Tecumseh.

Stephen Ruddle, who had been captured by the Indians when quite young, and had adopted their habits, was with Tecumseh in this engagement. His Indian name was Sinnamatha. His account of the engagement differs somewhat from that before given. He says but two Indians were killed, and that their force was less than that of the whites. Ruddell states that, at the commencement of the attack, Tecumseh was lying by the fire, outside of the tents. When the first gun was heard, he sprang to his feet, and, calling upon Sinnamatha to follow his example and charge, he rushed forward and killed one of the whites [John Barr] with his war-club. The other Indians, raising the war-whoop, seized their arms, and, rushing upon Kenton and his party, compelled them, after a severe contest of a few minutes, to retreat. One of the Indians, in the midst of the engagement, fell into the river, and, in the effort to get out of the water, made so much noise that it created a belief in the minds of the whites that a re- enforcement was crossing the stream to aid Tecumseh. This is supposed to have hastened the order from Kenton for his men to retreat. The afternoon prior to the battle, one of Kenton's men, by the name of McIntyre, succeeded in catching an Indian horse, which he tied in the rear of the camp, and, when a retreat was ordered, he mounted and rode off. Early in the morning, Tecumseh and four of his men set off in pursuit of the retreating party. Having fallen upon the trail of McIntyre, they pursued it for some distance, and at length overtook him. He had struck a fire and was cooking some meat. When McIntyre discovered his pursuers, he instantly fled at full speed. Tecumseh and two others followed, and were fast gaining on him, when he turned and raised his gun. Two of the Indians, who happened to be in advance of Tecumseh, sprang behind trees, but he rushed upon McIntyre and made him prisoner. He was tied and taken back to the battle-ground. Upon reaching it, Tecumseh deemed it pru ent to draw off' his men, lest the whites should rally and renew the attack. He requested some of the Indians to catch the horses, but, they hesitating, he undertook to do it himself, assisted by one of the party. When he returned to camp with the horses, he found that his men had killed McIntyre. At this act of cruelty to a prisoner, he was exceedingly indignant, declaring that it was a cowardly act to kill a man when tied and a prisoner. The conduct of Tecumseh in this engagement, and in the events of the following morning, is creditable alike to his courage and humanity. Resolutely brave in battle, his arm was never uplifted against a prisoner, nor did he suffer violence to be inflicted upon a captive without promptly rebuking it.

It is a singular fact that two brothers named Ward were in this engagement, and on opposing sides. John Ward had been captured by the Indians in 1758, when he was three years old, had been adopted as a member of the

Shawnee tribe, and had married an Indian woman, by whom he had several children. He, with his wife and children, was in the camp at the time of the attack by the whites. Capt. Charles Ward, of Mason County, Ky., then a mere lad, was with the party under Kenton, and afterward informed the author of "Western Adventures 55 that, just before tiring began, while he stood within rifle shot of the camp, an Indian girl, apparently about fifteen years old, attracted his attention. Not recognizing her sex, he raised his gun and was on the point of firing, when her open bosom betrayed her sex, and her light complexion caused him to doubt whether she could be an Indian by birth. He afterward learned that she was his brother's child. John Ward was killed in an engagement with the whites one year later, another brother, Capt. James Ward, Simon Kenton and about thirty others, being in the engagement.

Several accounts of the battle on East Fork have been published.* There is some difference in the accounts respecting its exact locality. Howe's Historical Collections places it at Salt Licks, Perry Township, Brown County. The history of Clermont County says the camp of the red men when they were attacked was " on the southeast side of the East Fork of the Little Miami River, in Jackson Township, Clermont County, at Limekiln Ford, near the mouth of Grassy Run, and on what are now (1880) the lands of Thomas Goldtrap, J. G. Hutchinson, Samuel Bicking's heirs, about two miles south of Marathon and five miles northeast of Williamsburg." The writer of the account in the Clermont County history claims that Cornelius Washburn, who for some time made his home in the immediate vicinity of the battle, often pointed out the battle-ground and located it as just described. "Western Adventures " says the engagement took place on the Little Miami, which is evidently an error for East Fork of the Little Miami. The account given by Benjamin Whiteman says the Indians were encamped "on the southeast side of the East Fork of the Little Miami, a few miles above the place where the town of Williamsburg has since been built." Solomon Claypool, one of the very earliest settlers in Perry Township, and who was acquainted with both Washburn and Ruddell, located the battle above the mouth of Grassy Run, in Perry Township. It would not be easy, even for those who participated in the struggle, to point out its exact locality after the lapse of many years, and all that can now be said with certainty is that the engagement was on the southeast side of East Fork, and not far from the boundary line between Clermont and Brown Counties.

" The celebrated Tecumseh commanded the Indians. His cautious and fearless intrepidity made him a host wherever he went. In military tactics, night attacks are not allowable, except in cases like this, when the assailing party are far inferior in numbers. Sometimes, in night attacks, panics and confusion are created in the attacked party, which may render them a prey to inferior numbers. Kenton trusted to something like this on the present occasion, but was disappointed; for, when Tecumseh was present, his influence over the minds of his followers infused that confidence in his tact and intrepidity that they could only be defeated by force of numbers."