Daviess County, Indiana - Chapter 2 (2 of 2 so headed), 1886

Chapter 2

Indian History - The Attack on McGowen, Smith and Perry - The Forts and Block-houses - The Killing of Bogard and Hathaway - The Death of Big Indian - The Murder of Thomas Eagle - Smothers, the Avenger - Indian Alarms - The Rangers - Occupants of the Forts.

THE difficulties with the Indians in Indiana were incidental to the efforts of Gov. Harrison to break up the Confederacy at the head of which was Tecumseh and his brother, the Shawnee Prophet, the headquarters of whom were at Prophetstown. The general history of these efforts of Gov. Harrison, resulting in the battle of Tippecanoe November 7, 1811, is sufficiently detailed in all general histories of the United States not to require recital in this connection. But the incidents with which the early settlers of Daviess County were immediately connected, and in which some of them were personally engaged, are necessarily here introduced. William McGowen has been mentioned as one of the earliest settlers. He lived, as has been previously stated, near the present site of Mt. Pleasant, in Martin County, and kept a ferry across the East Fork of White River, near his home.

One evening, early in the spring of 1812, just after Mr. McGowen had retired, an Indian put his gun through an opening about a foot square in the wall of his log cabin and fired at him as he lay in bed, lodging several buckshot under his left arm, from the effects of which he almost instantly expired. This Indian, or Indians, if there were more than one, was not pursued. Not long after this first painful incident, John and William Smith and a Mr. Perry, while carrying provisions from "the settlement," as Washington was then called, to the men at McGowen's ferry, were discovered by three Indians while crossing a small prairie. The Indians waylaid them at what was then called the "narrows,"' and near the farm since known as the Houghton farm. They fired upon the white men, lodging two balls in Perry's back, and sending one ball through John Smith's thigh and two through William Smith's hat. After thus emptying their guns they rushed upon the white men, who, by throwing the loads off their shoulders, were enabled to outrun their enemy and escape to the ferry without further injury.

The Erection Of Block-Houses

The recurrence of such difficulties as these clearly demonstrated to our early pioneers the necessity for measures of mutual protection and defense against the common enemy. Hence the erection of suitable forts, suitably located. The entire number of these forts erected in Daviess County was ten, but only five of the ten were erected in 1812. These five were as follows, with their locations: Hawkins' Fort, located on Hawkins' farm, on the southeast quarter in Section 32, Township 3, Eange 7; Comer's Fort, on the southeast quarter in Section 4, Township 2, Eange 7 ; Coleman's Fort, some distance south of Comer's; Purcell's Fort, in the Purcell neighborhood, and Ballow's Fort, on the northwest quarter in Section 9, Township 2, Range 7. The other five were as follows: Richard Palmer's; David Flora's, built across Main Street from, and almost directly opposite the Meredith House ; Ebenezer Jones, about one and a quarter miles south from "Washington; John Aikman's, on the southwest quarter of Section 10, Township 2, Range 7, and one on Prairie Creek, about 300 feet west of the site of the present postoffice at Lettsville.

Occupants Of The Forts

The following is a list of the heads of families that assembled in each of the first five forts named: Hawkins' Fort - Cornelius Bogard, Eli Hawkins and a Mr. Curry, the young men being Charner, Eli, Joseph and William Hawkins. Comer's Fort - Friend Spears, James and Thomas Aikman, Ebenezer Jones, Alexander Stevens, Chris. Gregory, John Stringer, William White, John Wallace, the widow Wallace and two sons, the widow Ellis, Vance Jones, Ephraim Thompson, E. Ragsdale, Thrice Stafford and Alexander Stephenson. There was a large number of young men in this fort, among them Wiley R. Jones, Jesse Hallem, William Phillips, John and James Stafford, Samuel Aikman, John and Josiah Wallace; John, David and AVilliam Ellis; Colman Morgan and Wesley Wallace; John Ragsdale and John Thompson. Coleman's Fort - Joshua Reeves, Henry Edwards, Samuel Comer, John Smith, a Mr. Perry, Alexander Hays, J. Waters, J. Freeland, Amos Rogers, Simon Nicholas. Abraham Rodarmel and Robert Hays. The young men were John, Hugh and three other Edwards boys, and William Perry. Purcell's Fort - Robert Bratton, Andrew Little, Daniel Gregory, Josiah Culbertson, John Forden, " Obe " and William Flint, Richard Palmer, Henry Mattingly and a Mr. Carland. The young men were John Bratton, John, Joseph, Samuel and Josiah Culbertson. Ballow's Fort - John, Thomas and William Horrall, Jeremiah Lucas, Charles Sinks, Richard Steen, Thomas Scales and Nathan Davis. Young men and boys : George Mason and Fleming Ballow ; John, James and

Samuel Steen, and Salem Sinks. These names comprise a list of nearly, if not quite all the male inhabitants of Daviess County, at the breaking out of troubles with the Indians.

Description Of A Block-House

It will now be appropriate to record such other Indian difficulties as occurred within the limits of the county, or in which inhabitants of Daviess County were specially interested by participation. These Indian troubles will, however, be preceded by a brief description of one of the forts and block-houses used as places of refuge. The fort was usually about 150 feet square. A trench about twenty inches wide and three feet deep was dug, into which were set timbers twelve feet long with sharpened tops, some round, others split. The earth was then firmly packed on either side of the timbers. Near the middle of the west wall was a gateway for wagons. Within the enclosure was ahewed-log house, 25x18 feet in dimensions. It was a two-story building, the upper story being reached by means of a ladder. At the northeast and southwest corners were block-houses, in which lived some of the inhabitants, while others built huts of various sizes and forms according to their taste and means. The block-houses were two stories in height, the lower story being about eighteen feet square, and the upper about twenty feet square, the projection of two feet being on the two outer sides of the fort. If, however, a block-house were built independent of a fort, it had a projection on each side. The manner of life in the forts was very simple, the food consisting of corn bread, a little meat, a few potatoes, turnips, cabbage, pumpkins and hominy. No wheat was raised at that early day.

The Murder Of Bogard And Hathaway

Not long after the erection of the earliest forts a serious affair occurred on Steele Prairie. A few families, having built some cabins there, were moving in their household goods. While unloading their second load they were attacked by Indians, and two of them killed, the older Mr. Hathaway outright and W. Bogard after a protracted struggle in self-defense. Old Mr. Sinks was shot through the left shoulder, and Richard Hathaway through the neck. The two latter were in the wagon handing out the goods, the younger Hathaway falling down in the wagon in a faint when shot. Upon the firing of the guns and the yelling of the Indians, the four horses attached to the wagon took fright and ran to the lower end of the prairie. By this time young Hathaway had recovered from his faint, and he and Mr. Sinks, having detached the horses from the wagon by cutting the hame strings, attempted to ride two of them back to the fort, but the rough gait of the horses irritated their wounds to such a degree that they were obliged to walk. A Miss Case, who had been left at some stables a short distance from where the killing of Hathaway and Bogard occurred, haltered a two-year-old colt and rode nine miles to the nearest fort (Hawkins') to give the alarm. The attack having been made about sundown, most of her journey was accomplished by night - a feat requiring no small degree of courage. Upon her arrival at Hawkins' Fort, runners were dispatched to three other forts - Comer's, Purcell's and Ballow's. As many as could procure horses collected at Hawkins' Fort, and about 3 o'clock the next morning set out for Steele Prairie, where the murders had been committed. On their way up, they unknowingly passed the two wounded men, Sinks and Hathaway, who, upon hearing them approach and supposing them to be Indians, retired from the path in order to escape notice. The horsemen having passed on, the two wounded men returned to the path and proceeded to the fort, arriving there some time before noon. Here they first heard of Miss Case's heroism.

Upon arriving at the place where Bogard and Hathaway lay dead upon the ground, a portion of the little band of warriors made arrangements to carry the two dead bodies back to the fort, and in due time, assisted by those remaining, deposited the mangled corpses in the present Maysville Cemetery, the first interment to occur in that resting-place for the dead. Investigations made at the scene of the murder led to the conclusion that seven Indians had taken part in the attack, from the finding of seven beds or nests, each evidently having been occupied by one person, and so artfully constructed as to conceal its occupant from view. Those of the horsemen not returning with the two dead bodies attempted to find the Indian trail. This, however, was very difficult to do. From what could be discovered, it was concluded that the Indians were making for the mouth of Eel River. But our pursuers, after crossing Smothers' Creek, skirting along the edge of the river bottom, passing through English's Prairie, through the timber and on through Owl Prairie, and, having entirely lost what feeble traces of a trail they thought they had occasionally discerned, came to a halt. It was now past sundown. A portion of the company built camp-fires, and the remainder went on still a few miles further up the country, but failing to find any new traces of the red men's footsteps, they returned to the camp. During the night, upon consultation, it was concluded useless to further pursue the Indians, as, from all that could be observed, they had crossed to the west side of the river, and so made good their escape. All therefore returned.

The Killing Of Big Indian

In 1813 another incident occurred, in which, instead of a white man, an Indian lost his life. Palmer's Fort was built early in the spring of this year. One rainy night three Indians walked around this fort, and in the morning their footprints were discovered. A very large dog, owned by a man named Baker, living in the fort, scented the Indians and started on their trail. The men, armed and on horseback, immediately followed them to Prairie Creek. The Indians had crossed the creek on a drift opposite the site of the old block-house, built that spring by Capt. Paterson, but then abandoned by him. They had evidently occupied the block-house during the latter part of the night, and had baked a johnny-cake on a board before the fire, out of some corn meal left there by Capt. Paterson. Mr. Baker's large dog and some of the men easily followed the Indians across the creek on the drift, but it was found necessary to swim the animals across, which caused considerable delay. While this was in progress, two Indians came out of a house and darted off at a full run. When the last horse had been swum across, a third and very large Indian came out of the house and followed his companions. The white men, seven in number, and all well mounted, started in full pursuit, preceded by the dog. The country between Prairie and Smothers' Creeks then consisted of sandy ridges, covered with oak bushes, small prairies, marshes, and ponds, through which the Indians kept straight on. This it was impossible for the mounted men to do, for their horses would have stuck fast in the mire; hence, considerable time was lost by making more or less wide detours. Time was also lost in crossing Smothers' Creek, which, like Prairie Creek, was too high for fording. But upon reaching the upper ground of White Kiver bottom, the white men, guided by the dog, had so well kept the trail and had so nearly overtaken the Indians, as to commence firing upon them. The large Indian who had, during the entire chase, which was very exciting, kept in the rear, at leDgth received a slight wound in his right knee. He then climbed a large hackberry tree, and made two attempts 'to shoot his pursuers, but each time the' powder flashed in the pan. Being defenseless, he was overpowered and slain, after, however, giving his companions time to escape. This was the only Indian killed during those troublous times.

The Murder Of Thomas Eagle

Some four or five years afterward, a number of friendly Indians were collected on what is now called Owl Prairie. Hearing of their presence, a number of settlers from Washington and vicinity went up to trade with them, taking along powder, lead, tobacco and whisky. Among those who went up were Obed Flint, a Mr. Frost and Thomas Eagle. Mr. Eagle, being a very stout man, was desirous of exhibiting his strength, and bantered one of the smaller Indians to let him (Eagle) throw him over the fire. With the Indian's consent, Mr. Eagle made the attempt and succeeded in throwing him only half-way over the fire, the Indian falling upon the coals and being quite severely burned. An Indian named ';Big File," observing the occurrence, and not understanding the reason of the attempt by Mr. Eagle, rushed upon him and stabbed him to death with a large knife. Big File was indicted by the grand jury, but succeeded in escaping the penalty of his crime.

Smothers, The Indian Hater

It is related that William Smothers, of Kentucky, whose father had been killed there by the Indians, had taken a vow of revenge, and had come to Indiana with that sanguinary object in view.

He had formerly lived near Owensboro, Ky., and is said to have taken as much pleasure in hunting Indians as in hunting beavers or other wild animals. Four or five dead Indians are said to have been found in his hunting grounds, two of whom he confessed to have killed by the accidental discharge of his gun. He saw one fall through a hole cut in the ice to catch fish, went to the place, but could see nothing but blood, which he supposed to have flowed from a wound accidentally inflicted upon himself by the Indian with his tomahawk, and that he had fainted, fallen through the ice into the deep water, and had thus been drowned. On another occasion his gun was accidentally discharged while he was passing down the creek, and immediately he heard a noise in the water, went to see what occasioned it ; saw a log with blood on it, but no Indian ; so supposed the Indian had fallen into the water, and becoming entangled, was unable to extricate himself, and was thus drowned. Such "accidents"' became altogether too common, and Mr. Smothers left for some other happy hunting ground.

Indian Alarms

The killing of the four white men, Mr. McGowen, Mr. Hathaway, Mr. Bogard. and Mr. Eagle, and of the one Indian, are all that occurred within the limits of Daviess County during and in consequence of Indian troubles: but. simultaneously with these difficulties, were other excitements which served to prevent the inhabitants of the county from resting under too great a sense of safety. On one of these occasions Fort Harrison, then held by Capt. Zachary Taylor, was besieged by a large body of Indians, and all who could procure horses were required to repair to its relief. This fort was completed in October, 1811, and was located on the east bank of the Wabash, above the present site of Terre Haute. Probably not over twenty men went, but the hurry and bustle of preparation, the mending of bridles and saddles, the gathering together of the horses, the grinding of corn in the little hand-mill, the baking of bread, etc., caused as much anxiety and wakefulness, perhaps, as would the preparation for the march of an entire regiment. After the farewell, full of forebodings, had been bidden, for none .knew how many would fail to return alive, nothing was heard of the little band of warriors for sixteen days, at the

The Rangers

Early in the spring of 1812, when it was confidently anticipated that a war would soon break out between Great Britain and the United States, a call was made among the residents of Daviess County for volunteers to fight the Indians. From fifteen to twenty answered the call, none of them heads of families, but all of them of mature age. They were to serve for one year, furnish their own horses and horse-feed, one good rifle gun each, with shot-bag, powder-horn and ammunition; one leather belt, one tomahawk and one large butcher knife, and a small knife from four to five inches long ; and were to receive as wages $1 per day. Thus mounted and accoutered they were named "rangers." During the time for which they were enlisted they were called away many times, but reference is here made to only one of these expeditions, mainly to record the killing of two more of the early settlers of Daviess County, but incidentally to illustrate the superior skill and cunning of the Indian in desultory warfare. In the latter part of September, 1812, Gen; Samuel Hopkins was in Vincennes in command of about 2,000 volunteers. The duty assigned to his command was that of breaking up and destroying the settlements of Indians along the Wabash and Illinois Eivers. The destruction of one Kickapoo town at the head of Lake Peoria was accomplished, and the mounted forces returned to Vincennes, most of them being discharged on account of refusing to obey their commander. Gen. Hopkins immediately organized another force, chiefly infantry, to operate against the Indians in the vicinity of the Prophet's town. Accompanying this expedition were a number of Daviess County rangers. The Winnebago town, lying on Wild Cat Creek one mile from the Wabash River, had been surrounded and found deserted, and Gen. Hopkins' command, to use his own language, was "embarked in the complete destruction of the Prophet's town, which had about forty cabins and huts, and the large Kickapoo village adjoining it on the east side of the river. * * * Seven miles east of us a party of Indians was dis- covered on Ponce Passu (Wild Cat Creek). They had fired on a party of ours on the 21 (of September) and killed a man by the name of Dunn, a gallant soldier in Capt. Duval's company. On the 22d, upward of sixty horsemen, under the command of Lieut. -Cols. Miller and Wilcox, anxious to bury their comrade, as well as to gain a more complete knowledge of the ground, went on to a point near the Indian encampment, fell into an ambush, and eighteen of the party were killed, wounded and missing." Two of those who were killed in this ambuscade were from the settlement at the forks of the White River - Samuel Culbertson and Jesse Jones. The former was the son of Josiah Culbertson, a worthy citizen of Daviess County and a soldier of the Revolutionary war, and the latter a son of Ebenezer Jones, who lived in Daviess County from 1811 until 1863. The story of this fatal expedition is thus graphically told by John Thompson in his " Pioneer Papers," herein referred to.

The country immediately around the encampment, a short distance above the site of the present city of Lafayette, was finely timbered, and to all appearances a body of rich land. Some of the men strayed off from the main body for the purpose, as they said, of looking at the country. While one of these parties, consisting of three, was out some distance from the main body, they were fired on by the Indians and one of their number killed. His name was probably Dunn. Upon the return of the two survivors to camp, sixty men were detailed to bury the dead man, and the men from this part of the country were included in those detailed. Approaching the spot where the slain man lay, they discovered an Indian mounted on quite a fine horse. Dropping their burying tools, they, in a very tumultuous manner, started in pursuit. The Indian at first kept a northeast course, but gradually inclined to the north, until he arrived at the head of a ravine running directly west to the Wabash River. He entered the ravine, which was quite steep at the sides, and covered with timber and thick underbrush. When his pursuers had proceeded about 300 yards down the hollow, they received a very heavy fire on both flanks, which added much to their disorder and confusion. A general rout ensued, and every man that could made the best of his way back to camp.

Iis'Iv. - Of Dwii-Ss Cointv

Those who effected an escape had to cut their way through the enemy's line. The next day almost the whole army went out to bury the dead, who were found much mutilated, and some that were reported missing never were found.