Historical collections of Virginia containing a collection of the most interesting facts, traditions, biographical sketches, anecdotes, &c., relating to its history and antiquities, together with geographical and statistical descriptions : to which is appended, an historical and descriptive sketch of the District of Columbia : illustrated by over 100 engravings, giving views of the principal towns, seats of eminent men, public buildings, relics of antiquity, historic localities, natural scenery, etc., etc. |
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HARRISON. |
 | Historical collections of Virginia |  |
HARRISON.
Harrison was created in 1784, from Monongalia, and named in
honor of Benjamin Harrison, governor of Virginia from 1781 to
1784, and father of the late President of the U. States. The surface
is much broken, and much of the soil on the streams fertile.
The bounds have been reduced within a few years by the formation
of Marion, Ritchie, Barbour, and Taylor counties. Pop. in
1840, whites 16,850, slaves 693, free colored 126; total, 17,699.
Bridgeport, 6 miles east of Clarksburg, contains 1 Methodist and
1 Baptist church, and 25 dwellings. Lewisport, Milford, and
Shinnston, are small villages in the county.
Clarksburg, the county-seat, lies 253 miles northwesterly from
Richmond, and 70 east of the Ohio River, at the junction of Elk
creek with the west fork of the Monongahela. The village
stands on a rolling table-land, surrounded by an amphitheatre of
hills, while Elk creek, meandering through and around the town,
imparts additional beauty to the scene. Clarksburg was established
by law, Oct., 1785, and William Carpenter, John Myers,
William Haymond, John M'Ally, and John Davisson, gentlemen,
were appointed the trustees. It is now a flourishing town, and
contains 7 mercantile stores, 2 newspaper printing offices, 2 fine
classical academies, 1 Methodist, and 1 Presbyterian church, and
a population of about 1100. There are inexhaustible supplies of
coal in the immediate neighborhood; and being in the midst of a
fertile country, possessing great mineral wealth in its iron, salt,
&c., it possesses the elements of prosperity. This immediate
vicinity was settled a few years before the commencement of the
revolutionary war. The early settlers in this region of country
suffered greatly in the wars with the Indians, until Wayne's treaty
in 1795. Withers' Chronicles of Border Warfare and History of
Northwestern Virginia, published at Clarksburg in 1831, details
many soul-harrowing cases of savage barbarity.
Jesse Hughs was one of the bold pioneers who acted a conspicuous part against
the Indians. He was bred from infancy in the hotbed of Indian warfare, and resided
in Clarksburg. He was a light-built, spare man, and remarkably active on foot, and
from his constant practice of hunting, became one of the best woodsmen and Indian
hunters of his day. The annexed anecdotes we derive from the American Pioneer:
About the year 1790, the Indians one night came secretly upon the settlement at
Clarksburg, and stole some horses. Next morning at daylight a party of about 25 men
started in pursuit, and came upon the Indian trail, and judged from appearances there
were only 8 or 10 of them. The captain and a majority, in a hasty council, were for
pursuing the trail. Hughs opposed it, and advised them to let him pilot them by a near
listen to. He then showed them the danger of following their trail; and that in that
case they would be waylaid,—that the Indians would choose a secure position, shoot
two or three of them, and escape. The commander, jealous of Hughs' influence, broke
up the council, by exclaiming: "All the men may follow me—let the cowards go home!"
and dashed off at full speed. Hughs felt the insult, but followed with the rest. The
result proved as he had predicted. Two Indians in ambush on the top of a cliff, fired and
mortally wounded two of the party in the ravine, and escaped. Now convinced of their
error, they put themselves under Hughs; but on arriving at the Ohio, they saw that the
savages had crossed it. Hughs then got some satisfaction of the captain for his insult
to him. He told them he wanted to find who the cowards were; that if any would
go with him, or even one, he would cross the river in the pursuit. They all refused.
He then said he would go alone, and get a scalp, or leave his own with them. Alone
he crossed the river, and the next morning came upon their camp. They were all absent
hunting except one Indian, who was left to guard the camp. He, unsuspecting
danger, was fiddling on some dry bones, and singing, to pass the time, when Hughs
crept up and shot him; and, with the poor fellow's scalp, returned to his home some 70
miles distant, through the wilderness.
At a time of great danger from the incursions of the Indians in Virginia, when the
citizens of the neighborhood were in a fort at Clarksburg, Hughs one morning observed
a lad very intently fixing his gun. "Jim," said he, "what are you doing that for?"
"I am going to shoot a turkey that I hear gobbling on the hillside," said Jim. "I hear
no turkey," said Hughs. "Listen," says Jim; "there, didn't you hear it? listen
again." "Well," says Hughs, after hearing it repeated, "I'll go and kill it." "No
you won't," says Jim, "it is my turkey; I heard it first." "Well," says Hughs, "but
you know I am the best marksman; and besides, I don't want the turkey, you may
have it." The lad then agreed to let Hughs go and kill it for him. Hughs went out
of the fort on the side that was farthest from the supposed turkey, and taking along the
river, went up a ravine and came in on the rear; and, as he expected, he espied an Indian
sitting on a chestnut stump, surrounded by sprouts, gobbling, and watching to see
if any one would come from the fort to kill the turkey. Hughs crept up behind him,
and shot him, before the Indian knew of his approach. He took off the scalp and
went into the fort, where Jim was waiting for his prize. "There, now," says Jim,
"you have let the turkey go. I would have killed it if I had gone." "No," says
Hughs, "I didn't let it go;" and taking out the scalp, threw it down. "There, take
your turkey, Jim, I don't want it." The lad was overcome, and nearly fainted, to think
of the certain death he had escaped, purely by the keen perception and good management
of Mr. Hughs.
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