University of Virginia Library

1777.

This, the far-famed bloody-year, and the "year of the three
sevens," as the old pioneers were accustomed to call it, is full
of painful incidents to hundreds of families in North-Western
Virginia. It was, indeed, the most terrible year the early
settlers ever experienced. Dark, mysterious clouds of malignant
spirits hung upon the horizon, threatening every moment
to overwhelm and exterminate the half-protected pioneer
in his wilderness home. At length the storm broke over
them, and scarcely a settlement in the great Valley of the

West that did not experience its fatal and terrible effect. The
fury of the savages during this year seemed to have no bounds.
The wretched inhabitants were massacred with every conceivable
cruelty. Men, women, and children were chosen objects
of their revenge, and scarcely a settlement west of the Alleghanies
that escaped their visits and their fury. The alarm
became great, and terror seemed to seize upon the entire
population. Block-houses were hastily thrown up, and many
who could, moved their families to Red-stone, and other points
on the Monongahela; but still, there were hundreds left to
endure all the anticipated horrors of an Indian invasion.

The Indians separated into what were termed "scalping
parties," and penetrated the country at various points. One
of their first acts along the Monongahela was to visit the
house of a Mr. Grigsly, on West Fork, and carry off his wife
and two children. Mr. Grigsby was absent at the time; but
returning soon after, and missing his family, suspected the
true cause, although no injury had been done to either the
house or furniture. Securing the services of some of his
neighbors, pursuit was immediately given. Keeping the trail
about six miles, the horror-stricken husband came suddenly
upon the ghastly forms of his murdered wife and child. The
savages, finding Mrs. Grigsby unable to travel on account
of her delicate situation, most inhumanly tomahawked her,
together with her youngest child.

The almost frantic husband and parent, burning for revenge,
rushed on with a few select men, but the savages
suspecting a pursuit, divided into small parties, and so
effectually covered their trail, that all efforts to trace them
were unsuccessful, and the pursuit had to be given up.

This was but the commencement of such scenes of blood
along the Monongahela. A short time after this occurrence,
a Miss Coons, whose father erected Coons' fort, went into the
field to turn some hemp which lay near the fort. While there
engaged, two young men, Thomas Cunningham and Enoch
James, approached, and after a short conversation, went on.
They had not gone far before the report of a gun was heard,

and on looking round saw two Indians standing near Miss
Coons, one of whom was in the act of scalping his unfortunate
victim. Pursuit was immediately given, but the savages
eluded every effort to trace them. One of the young men
fired at the retreating murderer, but without success.

Western Pennsylvania suffered in common this year with
Western Virginia. Scalping parties overran the settlements
along the lower Monongahela and its tributaries. The
settlements within the region now embraced in Washington,
Alleghany, and Westmoreland counties suffered
severely. As it was known that the Indians who committed
these depredations crossed the Alleghany river, it was determined
to erect a fort at some convenient point on that stream,
supposing that the presence of a small garrison would have
the effect to check the movements of the enemy in that quarter.
Accordingly, Colonel William Crawford, whose melancholy
fate a few years later thrilled the whole country with
horror, visited the Alleghany for the purpose of selecting a
proper location for the proposed fort. He decided to place it
near the mouth of Puckety creek, about seventeen miles above
Fort Pitt. The fort was immediately built, and called Crawford,
in honor of its projector. Several others were erected
about this time along the Loyalhanna, Kiskeminitas, Cheat,
Ten-mile, Pidgeon creek, &c. &c. The effect of the erection
of this fort may have been to force the Indians lower down,
and such was doubtless the fact. Large parties of them
found their way into Virginia at points below, and their
operations in this quarter were more extensive, particularly
in the neighborhood of Wheeling, (which we shall presently
notice) than was ever before undertaken. The whole combined
force of the western confederated tribes seemed directed against
this particular section.

Early in April, a man named Rodger McBride, was killed
and scalped, about ten miles up Wheeling creek, which caused
considerable excitement, and induced Colonel Morgan, United

FORT HENRY—WHEELING—1777.

States Indian Agent for the middle department, to communicate
the fact by letter to Colonel Crawford, under date April
10. About the same time, another murder was committed
near where Bridgeport now stands, (opposite Wheeling).