U.S. Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ -- USGenNet Inc. -- Please read the U.S. Data Repository Copyright Statement on the following page: --------------------------------------------------------------------- History of Wetzel County, West Virginia by John C. McEldowney, Jr., 1901 Pages 23-27 FORT HENRY, AT WHEELING, W. VA. Wetzel county was at one time a part of Ohio county, and was during the sieges of Fort Henry, and a sketch of the sieges would be appropriate. We have selected a sketch written by G. L. Cranmer. Originally called Fort Fincastle in honor of Lord Dunmore, who, at the time of its erection, was Governor of the Colony, in the year 1776 its name was changed to Fort Henry, in honor of Patrick Henry, the first Governor of the Commonwealth. It was erected in the year 1774, the immediate cause of its erection being found in the fact that an apprehended attack from the savages during that year was anticipated, and a place of defence for the protection of the infant settlement, of which they were destitute, was demanded. It was planned by General George Kogers Clark, Commandant of the Western Military Department, and was built by the settlers. In shape it was a parallelogram, being about three hundred and fifty- six feet in length and about one hundred and fifty feet in width, and was surrounded by pickets about twelve feet high with bastions at each corner. Inside of the stockade cabins were erected for the shelter of such as sought protection, a magazine for military stores, a block house, the second story of which projected over the lower, filled with port holes, through which the trusty rifle of the pioneer sent its death-dealing missile. On the top of the block house was a mounted swivel, a four pounder, which did effective work in an emergency. Wells were also sunk in the inclosure, so that a supply of water was secured at all times. To the southeast, and about fifty yards distant from the Fort, stood the residence of Col. Ebenezer Zane——a cabin built of rough-hewn logs, with a kitchen or outbuilding in the rear, which also had attached to it a magazine for military stores. This house served as an outpost during the last siege of the Fort, which occurred on the 11th day of September, 1782, and contributed greatly to the defeat of the Indians and their British allies on that memorable occasion. There were two regular sieges of the Fort—the one in the year 1777 and the other in the year 1782, both of which were successfully repulsed. At the last siege the Indians were commanded by James Girty, and the British troops by Captain Pratt. Many writers name Simon Girty as the one in command on this occasion, but this is a mistake, as at this time he was with an Indian army which had invaded the territory of Kentucky, and he was present with that force at its attack on Bryant's Station, which occurred but a short time prior to the attack on Fort Henry. James Girty was even more vindictive and bloodthirsty than his brother Simon Girty, but was not so conspicuous a character as the latter. There is reason to believe, however, that many of the atrocious deeds attributed to Simon Girty, the recital of which even at this late date makes the blood to run cold with horror, were perpetrated by James. On the happening of the last siege the settlers on short and sudden notice had barely time to escape to the shelter of the Fort, so unexpected was the appearance of the savages. Consequently their homes, together with their furniture, were left exposed to the rapacity and cupidity of their assailants. It was towards evening that the Indian force with their allies appeared, and from that time until midnight repeated and furious assaults were made by them on the Fort and its inmates, which were as often repulsed. Awaiting the dawn of day, the attacks were renewed, but with as little success as during the preceding night. In the afternoon of the second day the besieged, finding their stock of powder had almost given out, it became with them a serious question as to how they were to obtain a supply. There was plenty of it in the magazine at the house of Col. Zane, but apparently for all practical purposes it might have been a hundred miles distant. In this juncture Silas Zane, who was in command of the Fort, called attention to the critical state of affairs, and asked for volunteers to undertake the perilous feat of going to Col. Zane's house for the purpose of obtaining the needed supply. Several young men fleet of foot as well as bold and intrepid, offered their services, and each clamored to have the preference in an enterprise which, humanly speaking, boded almost certain death. At this crisis a young lady seventeen years of age, who had been engaged in moulding bullets and loading the guns of the men during the siege, stepped forward and besought her brother, Silas Zane, to permit her to undertake the arduous task, accompanying her arguments with representations to the effect that she, being a woman, could be more easily spared than a man; that each man was needed for the defence, and that the loss of her life as compared with one of the sterner sex would be a small matter. Her arguments prevailed and she was permitted to essay the effort. Divesting herself of superfluous clothing, the gates were thrown open for her egress, when, bounding forth with the fleetness of a deer, her long black hair streaming like a banner on the air, she rapidly sped in the direction of her brother's house, which she reached in security. Not a rifle had been raised nor a shot fired at her, the Indians, when they saw her, contemptuously exclaiming, "A squaw," "A squaw." Hastily communicating her errand, Col. Zane snatched a table-cloth at hand, which he securely bound around her waist, and emptying into it the coveted powder, she set out on her return. She had covered about half the distance between the house and the Fort, when the savages, apprehending her purpose, fired a storm of bullets at her person, which happily proved harmless. In recounting her adventures subsequently, and especially this stirring incident, she would relate that the bullets whistled around her so thick and came so fast that her eyes were blinded with the dust so that she could scarcely distinguish her way to the fort. As the gates were thrown open for her entrance, the Indians made an unavailing effort to reach them by rushing towards them and securing an ingress. This act of heroism upon the part of Elizabeth Zane saved the lives of the inmates of the Fort and enabled them to successfully withstand the siege. In the meantime the besiegers had been greatly harrassed and embarrassed by the continual tiring from Col. Zane's house, which as an outpost contributed largely to the protection of the stockade. On the second night it was therefore resolved by the Indians to attempt its destruction. About midnight the savages became quiet and they had suffered their fires to die out, while a hush of silence rested on the scene around. The vigilance of the occupants of the house, however, was not deceived by appearances. Old Sam, a Guinea negro who belonged to and was strongly attached to his master, Col. Zane, was on the alert with his trusty rifle in hand. He perceived a dark object with a lighted brand wriggling along on the ground, which ever and anon would wave to and fro in the air and blow upon it to rekindle. Allowing the Indian, for such it was, to approach within sure range, Sam fired, when the savage jumped to his feet, but fell back again yelling with rage and pain, until he either made his own way off or was aided to do so by others. Twice during the night did Sam frustrate two similar attempts on the part of the Indians. Old Sam and his wife were cared for assiduously until their death. They lived for many years after in a cabin which was erected for them on the upper portion of the Island, and died in peace and contentment, honored and respected by all who knew them, whose name was legion. On the morning of the third day the Indians held a pow-wow or council and determined to raise the siege, greatly to the relief of the inmates of the house and Fort. With demonstrations of disgust and contempt they turned their backs upon the besieged, the greater portion of them recrossing the river, while a smaller portion went on a raid against some of the smaller forts back of Wheeling in the vicinity of the Pennsylvania line. While peace between Great Britain and the Colonies had not yet been proclaimed, and was not for some months subsequent, yet virtually it did prevail and continued until its formal declaration, so that this siege of Fort Henry was the last battle of the Revolution, and the capstone of the war was laid on the soil of Western Virginia. Elizabeth Zane, the heroine of Fort Henry, was twice married—the first time to a man by the name of Clark, and all her life was spent in the immediate vicinity of the scene of her exploits. Her immediate descendants have all deceased, but her heroism will ever remain as a monument to perpetuate her name and fame. Unless speedily rescued, the past with all its splendid achievements, its incidents and its memories, will be swallowed up in oblivion. To the youth of our land we therefore appeal not to let these things die. Let them become the guardians of our pioneer history, and by frequent recurrence to the scenes of the past restore their loyalty and revive their patriotism. ------------------------------------------------------------------- If you've reached this file through a SEARCH, you can access other articles in this book by going to the following URL which contains a linked index for the book. http://www.us-data.org/wv/wetzel/history/mceldowney.html -------------------------------------------------------------------