University of Virginia Library

This humble stone is erected to the memory of Capt. Foreman and twenty-one of his
men, who were slain by a band of ruthless savages—the allies of a civilized nation of
Europe—on the 25th of Sept., 1777.

About the time of the attack at Wheeling, which occurred in September, (1777,)
Capt. Foreman and his men were surprised at the head of Grave creek narrows; the
account of which event, as given in the Border Warfare, differs somewhat from the way
Robin Harkness, my uncle, related it, who was with Capt. Foreman at the time. I will,
therefore, give it as related by him. A smoke was discovered down the river in the direction
of the fort at Grave creek, which induced those at Wheeling to believe that the
Indians had not yet left the country, and that the fort at Grave creek had been set on
fire. In order to make discoveries, on the 25th of September Capt. Foreman, with 45
men, set out for Grave creek. Having arrived there, and seeing the fort standing, and
discovering no signs of the Indians, they returned. On arriving at the foot of the Narrows,
a contention arose between Capt. Foreman and a man by the name of Lynn, who
had been sent with him as a spy, about which road they should take, the river or ridge.
Lynn urged the probability of the Indians having been on the opposite shore, and had
more than likely seen them pass down; and the most likely place for waylaying them
was in the narrows, and therefore urged the necessity of going the ridge road. Foreman,
being indisposed to take the counsel of Lynn, proceeded along the base of the hill.
During the contention, Robin Harkness sat upon a log, having very sore eyes at the
time, and took no part in the dispute; but when Capt. Foreman started, he followed
him. Lynn, however, with seven or eight other frontiers-men, went the ridge road.
While passing along a narrow bottom at the head of the narrows, the foremost of Capt.
Foreman's men picked up some Indian trinkets, which immediately excited a suspicion
that Indians were near, which caused a halt. Before them some five or six Indians
stepped into the path, and behind them about the same number; and at the same moment
a fire was poured in upon them from a line of Indians under cover of the river
bank, and not over fifteen steps from the white men. Those that escaped the first fire
fled up the hill; but it being steep and difficult to climb, they were exposed for some
time to the fire of the Indians. Lynn and his comrades, hearing the fire when they
were below them on the ridge, ran along until opposite. They then proceeded to the
brink of the hill, where they saw a man ascending near them, who had got nearly to the
top when he received a shot in his thigh, which broke it. Lynn and his comrades ran
down and lifted him up, carried him over the hill, and hid him under a cleft of rocks,
and then proceeded to Wheeling. As Robin Harkness was climbing the hill near the
top, and pulling himself up by a bush, a ball struck it and knocked the bark off against
him, which alarmed him, as he supposed it to be the ball; he however proceeded on and
escaped unhurt. In this fatal ambuscade, twenty-one of Capt. Foreman's party were
killed, and several much wounded: among the slain were Capt. Foreman and his two
sons. The Indian force was never ascertained; but it was supposed to have been the
same party that attacked Fort Henry, at Wheeling, which was supposed to have
been upwards of 300 strong. On the ensuing day, the inhabitants of the neighborhood
of Wheeling, under the direction of Col. Zane, proceeded to the fatal spot to bury those
who had fallen, and at the same time to get the man who was wounded and hid under
the rocks, who was still alive and finally recovered.

The Mammoth Mound is 69 feet high, and about 900 feet in circumference at its base.
It is a frustum of a cone, and has a flat top of about 50 feet in diameter. This flat,
until lately, was slightly depressed—occasioned, it is supposed, by the falling in of two
vaults below. A few years since a white oak, of about 70 feet in height, stood on the
summit of the mound, which appeared to die of age. On carefully cutting the trunk
transversely, the number of concentric circles showed that it was about 500 years old.

In 1838, Mr. Tomlinson commenced at the level of the surrounding ground, and ran
in an excavation horizontally 111 feet, when he came to a vault that had been excavated
in the earth before the mound was commenced. This vault was 12 feet long, 8 wide,
and 7 in height. It was dry as any tight room. Along each side and the two ends,

stood upright timbers, which had supported transverse timbers forming the ceiling. Over
the timbers had been placed unhewn stone; but the decay of the timbers[1] occasioned
the fall of the stones and the superincumbent earth, so as to nearly fill the vault. In
this vault were found two skeletons, one of which was devoid of ornament—the other
was surrounded by 650 ivory beads, resembling button-moles, and an ivory ornament of
about six inches in length, which is one inch and five eighths wide in the centre, half an
inch wide at the ends, and on one side flat and on the other oval-shaped. A singular
white exudation of animal matter overhangs the roof of this vault.

The Mammoth Mound at Grave Creek.

Another excavation was commenced at the top of the mound downwards. Midway
between the top and bottom, and over the vault above described, a second and similar
vault was discovered, and, like that, caved in by the falling of the ceiling, timbers,
stones, &c. In the upper vault was found the singular hieroglyphical stone hereafter
described, 1700 ivory beads, 500 sea-shells of the involute species, that were worn as
beads, and five copper bracelets about the wrists of the skeleton. The shells and beads
were about the neck and breast of the skeleton, and there were also about 150 pieces of
isinglass strewed over the body.

The mound is composed of the same kind of earth as that around it, being a fine
loamy sand, but differs very much in color from that of the natural ground. After penetrating
about eight feet with the first or horizontal excavation, blue spots began to appear
in the earth of which the mound is composed. On close examination, these spots were
found to contain ashes and bits of burnt bones. These spots increased as they approached
the centre: at the distance of 120 feet within, the spots were so numerous and condensed
as to give the earth a clouded appearance, and excited the admiration of all who
saw it. Every part of the mound presents the same appearance, except near the surface.
The blue spots were probably occasioned by depositing the remains of bodies
consumed by fire.

In addition to the relics in the mammoth mound, there has been a great number and
variety of relics found in the neighborhood: many of them were discovered with skeletons
which were nearly decayed. Mr. Tomlinson has some beads, found about two

miles from this great mound, that are evidently a kind of porcelain, and very similar, if
not identical in substance with artificial teeth set by dentists. He has also an image of
stone, found with other relics about eight miles distant. It is in human shape, sitting in
a cramped position, the face and eyes projecting upwards. The nose is what is called
Roman. On the crown of the head is a knot, in which the hair is concentrated and
tied. The head and features particularly is a display of great workmanship and ingenuity.
It is eleven inches in height, but if it were straight would be double that height.
It is generally believed to have been an idol.

I have devoted several days to the examination of the antiquities of this place and its
vicinity, and find them to be of even more interest than was anticipated. The most
prominent object of curiosity is the great tumulus, of which notices have appeared in
western papers; but this heavy structure of earth is not isolated. It is but one of a
series of mounds and other evidences of ancient occupation at this point, of more than
ordinary interest. I have visited and examined seven mounds situated within a short
distance of each other. They occupy the summit level of a rich alluvial plain, stretching
on the left or Virginia bank of the Ohio, between the junctions of Big and Little
Grave creeks with that stream. They appear to have connected by low earthen intrenchments,
of which plain traces are still visible on some parts of the commons. They
included a well, stoned up in the usual manner, which is now filled with rubbish.

The summit of this plain is probably 75 feet above the present summit-level of the
Ohio. It constitutes the second bench or rise of land above the water. It is on this
summit, and one of the most elevated parts of it, that the great tumulus stands. It is
in the shape of a broad cone, cut off at the apex, where it is some fifty feet across.
This area is quite level, and commands a view of the entire plain, and of the river above
and below, and the west shores of the Ohio in front. Any public transaction on this
area would be visible to multitudes around it, and it has, in this respect, all the advantages
of the Mexican and Yucatanese teocalli. The circumference of the base has been
stated at a little under 900 feet; the height is 69 feet.

The most interesting object of antiquarian inquiry is a small flat stone, inscribed with
antique alphabetic characters, which was disclosed on the opening of the mound. These
characters are in the ancient rock alphabet
of 16 right and acute-angled single strokes,
used by the Pelasgi and other early Mediterranean
nations, and which is the parent of
the modern Runic as well as the Bardic.
It is now some four or five years since the
completion of the excavations, so far as they
have been made, and the discovery of this
relic. Several copies of it soon got abroad
which differed from each other, and, it was
supposed, from the original. This conjecture
is true. Neither the print published in
the Cincinnati Gazette in 1839, nor that in
the American Pioneer in 1843, is correct. I
have terminated this uncertainty by taking
copies by a scientific process, which does not leave the lines and figures to the uncertainty
of man's pencil.

The existence of this ancient art here could hardly be admitted, otherwise than as an
insulated fact, without some corroborative evidence in habits and customs, which it
would be reasonable to look for in the existing ruins of ancient occupancy. It is thought

some such testimony has been found. I rode out yesterday three miles, back to the
range of high hills which encompass this sub-valley, to see a rude tower of stone standing
on an elevated point, called Parr's Point, which commands a view of the whole
plain, and which appears to have been constructed as a watch-tower, or lookout, from
which to descry an approaching enemy. It is much dilapidated. About six or seven
feet of the work is still entire. It is circular, and composed of rough stones, laid without
mortar, or the mark of a hammer. A heavy mass of fallen walls lies around, covering
an area of some forty feet in diameter. Two similar points of observation, occupied
by dilapidated towers, are represented to exist, one at the prominent summit of the Ohio
and Grave creek hills, and another on the promontory on the opposite side of the Ohio,
in Belmont county, Ohio.

It is well known to all acquainted with the warlike habits of our Indians, that they
never evinced the foresight to post a regular sentry, and these rude towers may be regarded
as of contemporaneous age with the interment of the inscription.

Several polished tubes of stone have been found in one of the lesser mounds, the use
of which is not very apparent. One of these now on my table is twelve inches long,
one and a fourth wide at one end, and one and a half at the other. It is made of a
fine, compact, lead-blue steatite, mottled, and has been constructed by boring, in the
manner of a gun-barrel. This boring is continued to within about three-eighths of an
inch of the larger end, through which but a small aperture is left. If this small aperture
be looked through, objects at a distance are more clearly seen. Whether it had this
telescope or others, the degree of art evinced in its construction is far from rude. By
inserting a wooden rod and valve, this tube would be converted into a powerful syphon
or syringe.

I have not space to notice one or two additional traits which serve to awaken new
interest at this ancient point of aboriginal and apparently mixed settlement.