(RETURN TO THE TITLE PAGE) COLUMBIANA COUNTY - 369 CHAPTER IX. BY CHARLES D. DICKINSON. INDIAN HISTORY OF COLUMBIANA COUNTY — ABORIGINAL OCCUPANTS OF OHIO — EARLY EXPLORATIONS BY THE WHITES — LA SALLE — FRENCH AND ENGLISH ASCENDANCY — LOCATION OF TRIBES — THE DELAWARES, THEIR HISTORY AND CHARACTERISTICS — KILLING OF WHITE EYES — THE BEAVER DAM AND YELLOW CREEK TRAGEDIES — HALF KING — COL. BOUQUET—THE CONTEST BETWEEN ADAM POE AND BIG FOOT. SO LONG a period has elapsed since the occupation of this portion of the United States, by the American aborigines, that much of what is written concerning those first known occupants of this territory, is involved in doubt and mystery, and to many of our younger readers will appear more like fiction than like facts. But it will be endeavored in this article to rely, as nearly as can be done, upon genuine historical facts and well authenticated legends of those dark and bloody times when the supremacy of the savage tribes was wrested from them by the brave pioneers of civilization. It is true that memory lends a halo to the past, and what we remember of earlier years is a finely toned picture in a golden frame. What we recall of childhood and early youth, whether it be of the old school house and our former teachers and fellow pupils, the old homestead and family circle, or of the labors and pleasures we encountered outside of home and school room, is touched with a romantic coloring which we delight to call up before us, divested, as it will naturally be, of its many disagreeable features. In the Indian history of this country, however, it will be impossible to so cover the many cruel and barbarous acts of the savage tribes who roamed over the beautiful hills and valleys of Columbiana county, as to make a record of those bloody deeds appear like the romantic dreams of a novelist. In the first half century after the advent of the white man in our state, was, amid great trials and tribulations, laid the foundation of its present greatness. With those bold pioneers, who, taking their lives in their hands, courageously went forth into the wilderness and bravely contended with nature's obstructions and the many artifices of a wily human foe, was planted the hearthstone of happiness about which hundreds of thousands of our 24—A. 370 - HISTORY OF THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY. fellow citizens to-day enjoy all the products of civilization, education, and intelligent direction of human affairs. The Indian character, as a whole, was not without some redeeming points of humanity, but the acts of generosity, the absence of murderous tendencies, the examples of human feeling are so few and far between in the history of the tribes who occupied this state, that they shine like a very few bright stars on the black scene of unprovoked outrage, not giving enough light to redeem the scroll from almost total darkness. " Westward the star of empire takes its way" was as significant an expression a century ago as it is to-day. Naturally with the strongest fortified post of the white man at Fort Pitt (now Pittsburg, Pa.,) at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, the immediately contiguous country would be the first located in by the white settler, and the valley of the Ohio offering superior inducements because of its beauty and fertility, Columbiana county, the first in the state located on the Ohio river as they descended from Fort Pitt, was one of the earliest settled. To begin at the foundation of the settlement of Ohio, by the English speaking people and lucidly, but briefly, follow up the same with the settlement Of the French in order to get the history of the Indian tribes who were connected with the earliest recorded events in this county, it will be necessary to refer to the landing of Sir. Walter Raleigh with a few of his fellow Englishmen on the Atlantic coast in that portion of North America since known in honor of Elizabeth — England's virgin queen — as Virginia. The English proceeded with the natural vigor aim, aggressiveness of that nation, to obtain full possession of the rich lands from the sea coast to the base of the Alleghenies, but in the meantime the French, with the old time shrewdness and enterprise of their race, had been pushing and securing claims to a goodly portion 0f our fair continent. In 1608, the great explorer Samuel De Champlain, surveyed the course of the St. Lawrence and laid out the city of Quebec, and for about one hundred years thereafter, the French pushed forward and explored and settled the great Mississippi valley west of they Allegheny mountains, and under the leadership of such intrepid men as Cartier, Champlain, Marquette and Joliet, the French by reason of their great discoveries, laid claim to half a continent. M. De La Salle, the great French explorer, in 1678 launched upon the Great Lakes, the "Griffin," the first boat larger than the Indian canoe ever floated upon those waters, and following the irregular shores and woody indentations, sailed the whole length of these great inland seas, leaving his vessel in an inlet of what is COLUMBIANA COUNTY - 371 since known as Lake Michigan and with a small force of his men accompanied by a few Indian guides, he crossed the portage of the Great Lakes and the Illinois river and entered the Mississsippi. With the interest of the French rulers aroused to exceed with their explorations the English, and to add the territory already acquired by the latter to their great acquisitions in the the west, the French, to promote LaSalle's grandest schemes,. gave him every opportunity to prosecute his search into the interior and the result of his explorations was that he discovered and named the Ohio river, slightly changing from the Indian name for the same stream, which was 0-wy-hee, meaning "the beautiful river," and La Salle was undoubtedly the first white man to cross the territory at present known as Columbiana county. Thus to an indomitable French explorer is America indebted for the discovery of the grand hills and fertile valleys of one of the grandest states which sets like an unblemished jewel, in her coronet, and to him, the many thousands of citizens who are enjoying the glorious privileges of liberty and civilization should refer with the highest feelings of gratitude and respect as the pioneer who made these privileges possible. After the explorations by and settlement of the French in this territory, they adopted the wise policy of trading with the natives for furs and other spoils of the chase, arming and making allies of their savage neighbors, and prudently avoiding the English policy of trading for the lands in large quantities and thus depriving the warriors of their wide range of hunting grounds, and the result was forcibly shown in the French and Indian war beginning about the year 1689 or 1690, in which red- handed murder was rife in the English colonies and at their outposts, some of the wildest acts of savage brutality being perpetrated by the Indians with the aid of the French, principally in the New England states, in New York and along the Canadian border. About the middle of the eighteenth century the English were growing stronger along the Atlantic coast, and were extending their settlements deeper into the interidr each succeeding year, while the French held Canada and the valley of the Mississippi, but their tenure was, as we have noticed, that of a military and trading occupation, rather than a colonization. Between the possessions of these nations lay the valley of the Ohio, beautiful in contour and rich in natural resources, claimed by both, but fully occupied as yet by neither. Two important and well known forts, Sandusky in the northern portion of the present state of Ohio, and DuQuesne, afterward Fort Pitt, were erected by the French, and the history of 372 - HISTORY OF THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY. these forts is especially connected with that of Columbiana county by reason of the four important Indian trails from these forts through this county and vicinity. An interesting sketch of the situation of affairs in this region about that time is given by McCabe in his Centennial History of the United States. He says that a number of Indian traders had located themselves west of the Alleghenies, and in order to supply these traders with the articles needed for traffic with the natives, the Ohio company built a trading post at Wills creek in Maryland, and being anxious to explore the country west of the mountains, they employed Christopher Gist, one of the most experienced Indian traders, and instructed him “to examine the western country as far as the falls of the Ohio, to look for a large tract of good level land, to mark the passes in the mountains, to trace the courses of the rivers, to count the falls, to observe the strength and numbers of the Indian nations." Gist set out on his perilous mission, dangerous at any time, now much more so from the actions of the French in their .endeavors to incite the animosity of the Indians toward the English. Leaving Wills' creek on the last day of October, 1750, and crossing the mountains, he reaches the Delaware towns on the Allegheny river, from which he passed down to Logstown, a short distance below the head of the Ohio. " You are come to settle the Indians' lands; you shall never go home safe," said the jealous natives; but in spite of their threats, they suffered him to proceed without molestation. He traveled the country through the present county of Columbiana, to the Muskingum and the Sciota and then crossing the Ohio explored the Ken: lucky to its source and returned to Wills' creek in safety. He made a glowing report of the country through which he traveled, praising highly the climate, abundance of streams, beauty of its land, richness of its timber, and great abundance of game. He also reported that the agents of the French were actively engaged in seeking to induce the western tribes to make war upon the English and prevent them from obtaining a footing west of the mountains. The purposes of the English were well known to the French, who viewed them with alarm, as the successful occupation of the Ohio valley by the English would cut off the communication established by the French between Canada and the Mississippi. This the French were resolved to prevent at any cost. The Indians regarded both of the white nations as intruders in their country. They were willing to trade with both, but were averse to giving up their lands to either. " If the French," said they, " take possession of the north side of the Ohio, and the English of the south, where is the Indian's land?" The possession of the Ohio valley was thus of the highest importance to the French, and they put forth their most strenu- COLUMBIANA COUNTY - 373 ous efforts to obtain and hold it. So far as known at present, the Indian tribes owning the land now embraced in the state of Ohio; were located as follows during the first half of the eighteenth century: The Miamis and Kickapoos held the valley of the Big Miami and its tributary streams, with several villages scattered through their territory, the most noted of which was at Piqua, at present a thriving city in Miami county. The Shawanese held the land as tenants in common with the Wyandots, just east of the Miamis, and extending along the Sciota river from the ,Ohio river, and including the hunting grounds along the western tributaries of the Sciota. The Ottawas, or Miamis of the Lakes, the most cowardly and cruel of all the tribes in this. territory, occupied the northwestern part of the state. The Wyandots, acknowledged owners of the soil of Ohio, lived in the north central part of the state, with their principal village near the present site of Upper Sandusky, but were not confined within any limits, roaming at will throughout the' whole territory. At one time about the earliest settlement of Columbiana county, " the Wyandots encamped in the north part of the county, near where Salem now stands, and, being in a very destitute condition, the whites gathered up provisions and went to their relief, and in return for their kindness received as a present from the Indians a wampum, or bead belt, (being the highest token of gratitude and friendship,) which belt was afterward kept and preserved in the family of old William Heald, who was one of the first government surveyors in our county."—[From an address by Hon. H. H. Gregg before the Columbiana County Pioneer Association, September, 1873.] The Delaware is the tribe that deserves the most notice in this history, as they occupied the rich lands of Columbiana county, with those now forming Carroll, Coshocton, Jefferson, Mahoning, and parts of Ashland, Holm es, Knox and Tuscarawas counties. This tribe was divided into three subdivisions, which were symbolized by the Wolf, the Turkey and the Turtle, or the Minsi, Unalachtgo and Unamis. As the history of this tribe will naturally be of greater interest to the people of Columbiana county than that of their contemporary tribes, a fuller and nearer complete record of them should be made. From all sources of information it appears that their condition was exile and their heritage misfortune. Cooper, the great American novelist, awards this interesting tribe a high place on his pages of border literature, while the memoirs of the Moravian missionaries grant them excellent praise unshared by the neighboring tribes. John Heckewelder in his history of Indian nations and David Zeisberger, the emi- 374 - HISTORY OF THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY. nent Moravian missionary and teacher for many years among them during the early settlement of the state, are particularly prominent 1n endeavoring to create a favorable impression concerning them. A tradition has been preserved by Heckewelder, learned from the Delawares themselves, that many hundred years ago, the Lenni Lenape resided in the western part of the American continent, emigrating slowly from their western home, they reached the Allegheny river, so called from a nation of giants, the Allegewi, against whom the Delawares and Iroquois (the latter, also from the west) carried on a successful war, defeating the enemy at all points and almost exterminating them. After their vict0ry against the giants, the Delawares traveled further eastward and settled on the Deleware, Hudson, Susquehanna and Potomac rivers, making the Delaware the center of their possessions. It was after thus locating that the Delawares divided into the three tribes as above mentioned. The Minsi or Wolf branch of the Delewares, also called Monseys or Muncies, were considered the most warlike and active branch of the Len- ape. The Delewares afterward became subject to the five nations, it is claimed by their historian, through stratagem of the latter; but as they were the most willing and ready of any of the savage tribes, to embrace Christianity, there is no doubt that the gentle teachings of the Moravian missionaries did more to subdue their warlike spirit and render them less able to contend with their fierce and un-Christianized neighbors. The tradition of the conquests of the Iroquois, or Five Nations, is one of most the interesting portions of the partially authenticated history of the aborigines do the North American continent, but as it very briefly, if at all, affects the annals of this county, it will be briefly mentiond here. Gov. Clinton, of New York, a great antiquarian, in 1811, said: "They (the Iroquois) exterminated the nation of the Eries, or Erigas, on the south side of Lake Erie, which has given a name to that lake. They nearly extirpated the Andastes and the Chouanons; they conquered the Hurons and drove them and their allies, the Ottowas, among the Sioux, on the headwaters of the Mississippi. They also subdued the Illinois, the Miami, the Algonquins, the Delawares, the Shawaneese and several tribes of the Abenagins * * * * In consequence of their sovereignty over the other nations, the confederates exercised a proprietary right in their lands." Gen. William H. Harrison, in 1837, however, failed to agree with Gov. Clinton; and denied that the Miami confederacy of Illinois and Ohio could have been conquered by the Iroquois, and cited numerous evidences of their numerical strength and warlike powers, but admitted the subjection of the Delawares in Pennsylvania. COLUMBIANA COUNTY - 375 Taylor, in his history of Ohio, says: "About 1740-50, a party of Delawares, who had been disturbed in Pennsylvania by European emigration, determined to remove west of the Allegheny mountains, and obtained from their ancient allies and uncles, the Wyandots, the grant of the derelict tract of land lying principally on the Muskingum. Here they flourished and became a very powerful tribe. From 1765 to 1795, they were at the height of their influence, but the treaty of Greenville, and the disasters sustained by the Delawares in Wayne's campaign were a death blow to their ascendancy. The Delawares were the ancestral tribe, and their biography contains an unusual number of remarkable personages, 'though none of so extraordinary career or character as to be known in the present generation." Heckewelder, before referred to, mentions the Delaware chief Shingess as " the greatest Delaware warrior of his time," and if his war exploits were recorded they would form an interesting document, though a shocking one. Netawatives, a hereditary chief of the Turtle tribe, was intrusted with " all verbal speeches, with wampum, bead vouchers, &c.," from the time of William Penn. He was over ninety years of age at the time of his death. Capt. White Eyes, or Coquethagechton, succeeded Netawatives in 1776, but, being killed, was succeeded by Gelelemend, or Kill-buck, as some writers say, in 1778; but there is a wide discrepancy between historians as to the date of White Eyes' death, and the place and circumstances connected therewith, some claiming that this noted chief was killed prior to 1778, near the mouth of Yellow creek, on the edge of this county, but all agree that he was killed by a white man. Henry Howe, in his historical collections of Ohio, written in 1847, gives an interesting, and, very likely, the true account of the death of White Eyes. Mr. Howe says: "This county (Columbiana) was settled just before the commencement of the present century. In 1797 a few families moved across the Ohio and settled in its limits. One of them, named Carpenter, made a settlement near West Point" (which is in the north part of" Madison township.) "Shortly after, Capt. White Eyes, a noted Indian chief, stopped at the dwelling of Carpenter. Being intoxicated, he got into some difficulty with a son of Mr. C., a lad of about seventeen years of age, and threatened to kill him. The young man, upon this, turned and ran, pursued by the Indian, with uplifted tomahawk, ready to bury it in his brains. Finding that the latter was fast gaining upon him, the young man turned and shot him, and shortly afterward he expired. As this was in time of peace, Carpenter was apprehended and tried at Steubenville, under the territorial laws; the courts being then held by justices of the peace. He was cleared, it appearing that he acted 1n self defense. The death of White Eyes created great excite- 376 - HISTORY OF THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY. ment, and fears were entertained that it would provoke hostilities from the Indians. Great exertions were made to reconcile them, and several presents were given to the friends of the late chief. The wife of White Eyes received from three gentlemen the sum of $300. This was the last Indian blood shed by white men in this part of Ohio, the famous fight between Poe and the Wyandot chief, Big Foot (an account of which will be given hereafter,) having occurred in 1782. Believing that a brief sketch of several of the Delaware chiefs would furnish interesting reading, their biographies, as full as can be readily furnished, will be given here. Netawatives, according to Heckewelder, had been a signer of a treaty at Conestogo, near Lancaster, Pa., in 1718, and was then a young man, between twenty and thirty years of age. He died at a great age—upward of ninety. He was settled on the Cuyahoga, on his first arrival 1n Ohio, but in 1773 was on the Muskingum, at a point still called from him, Newcomerstown. Coquethagechton, or White Eyes, succeeded Netawatives, as mentioned before, or " at least accepted the appointment for a limited time, and until the young chief, by lineal descent, should be of proper age." His career was cut short, as we have seen, by young Carpenter, and Gelelemend, or Killbuck, after the death of White Eyes, was installed as temporary chief during the minority of the heir of Netawatives. He became a devoted adherent of the Americans, receiving the rank of colonel. Machengive Pushis, or Big Cat, who afterward removed to the Auglaise as appears from the narrative of John Brickell, who was captured in 1791 by the Delawares, and being adopted as a son by Big Cat, remained with the tribe until 1795--was an exceptional Indian, being of a most mild and generous disposition, and the description of his parting with his adopted son is extremely touching. Tetepachksi, also called by the whites the Glaze King, was for a number of years a counselor of the great council of the Turtle tribe at Goshacking (forks of the Muskingum) ; afterward he became a chief of the Delawares, who resided on White river in Indiana. He was rather timorous, and easily prompted t0 become jealous or mistrustful, though he meant no harm to anybody, and rather than make a mistake, would leave others to act in his stead. Yet harmless and innocent as he wag, he was by the prophet brother of Tecumseh declared a witch, and condemned to die; in consequence of which sentence,. his executioners took him to the distance of eight 0r ten miles from their village, and there tomahawked him, and then burned his body on the piles. Shingess or Bockengehelas, the war chief of the Delawares, was probably the greatest warrior of his nation. A bitter im- COLUMBIANA COUNTY - 377 placable foe, with all the fierce instincts and impulses of Indian, character, he had yet a dignity of demeanor and a gentleness of character with his friends which marked the extraordinary man. It has been truly said of him that " No Christian knight ever was more scrupulous in performing all his engagements. Indeed he had all the qualifications of a great hero — a perfect Indian independence the independence of a noble nature, unperceived to itself, and unaffected to others." These brief sketches of Indian biography are given, not because of any special acts done by them within the confines of Columbiana county, for the death of Capt. White Eyes is the only matter of record concerning any of the Delaware chiefs in this county, but as those mentioned were leaders in the field and councils of that tribe which most interests us, and as they each undoubtedly followed the trails, and at times encamped at various. points within the present limits of the county, their history is the history of their people and must naturally excite more than a passing interest. The Delawares had a number of thriving villages along the Muskingum, with many hunting camps on the various streams in this and adjoining counties. One of their lodges or camps was in Middleton township near the present site of Achor; another in St. Clair township near Fredericktown; several at different points in Elk Run township; a couple in Fairfield township, one of them being upon Bull creek at the point where Chief Bull (from whom the creek derived its name) was killed, and traces of camps may be found in almost every township in the county. By all historians of the Ohio valley, the. Big and Little Beaver streams are more frequently mentioned than any other except the Ohio, for the reason that the trails connecting the various villages and camps of the Indians with the trading posts of the French and English led by these streams. After quitting Fort Duquesne, all parties bound west headed for the mouth of the Big Beaver where a broad trail was struck which followed the windings of that stream to Venango; and from there to the present site of Youngstown, thence into Trumbull county to a point at or near the present town of Ravenna, from there to the Cuyahoga at or near the falls, to the lake (Erie) and to Sandusky; but of the four trails leading out from Fort Duquesne, the most important, as well as the most interesting to the people of this county, was the one known as the " Tuscarora path," starting at Logstown and crossing the Pennsylvania line into .Columbiana county on the east line of Middleton township and winding from there in a southwesterly direction through the townships of Elk Run, Center, Wayne and Franklin. Whenever the savages made a foray on the unprotected frontiers of 378 - HISTORY OF THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY. Pennsylvania and Virginia they traversed in gloomy silence, this trail, and when returning with the fruits of their horrible atrocities, the bleeding scalps of their victims and the helpless women and children doomed to a captivity worse than death, the " Tuscorora path " was the line of their hideous triumphal march. Throughout the terrible French and Indian war this was the main thoroughfare for the wily descendant of the ancient Gaul and his bloody ally, and the blood curdling scenes enacted all along that historical pathway, would cause the present peaceful occupants dwelling on the beautiful hills and in the fertile valleys encompassing that trail, to shudder at midday, should they but behold them in their dreams. A few miles north of this bloody path, in the township of Fairfield occurred a few matters of minor importance, but possibly of some interest to the present residents of that township. About the year 1750, a Virginian named Smith was captured by a party of Delawares and adopted as a son by their chief. Smith has left notes giving an account of his captivity in detail. He says one of their hunting excursions was made to a small pond or beaver dam, two miles long and about half a mile wide, situated on a small branch of Little Beaver. His description of this resort is very definite and plain and leaves no doubt that it was the same place known for many years past by the residents of Fairfield township as the Beaver dam. The fact that large quantities of flint arrow heads and other Indian relics have been gathered on the shores of the pond would seem to indicate that this was a regular hunting camp of the Delawares. Smith further says that east of this was a long pond and swamp with a thick growth of hemlock trees, watered by a very " black creek." This fills the description of what is known as Pine Swamp, a few miles east of the village of Columbiana, and the " black creek " is doubtless Bull creek, whose fountain head is the Pine Swamp. Wayne township also has a share in the history of the country, as shown by the same writer, but it is only another of the, ghastly pictures of savage brutality. He says that on one of their excursions at the close of their first day's march, several of their party set out toward the south, some distance, killed and scalped a hunter and sent his wife and two children captives to their village. His description is not definite enough to enable us to determine the immediate locality of this outrage, but from the distance traveled on the trail, it was undoubtedly within the limits, of Wayne township. Yellow Creek township was also the scene of a tragedy in those dark and bloody days. It is said that while Col. Washington was on his way to the Ohio, he was shocked by the awful sight of a family butchered by the Indians. A party of thirty, divided into three squads, was started in pursuit of the Indians, COLUMBIANA COUNTY - 379 who were known to belong to the Mingo tribe. The savages were discovered a few miles above the mouth of Yellow creek, and deeming themselves beyond danger, had taken no precaution against an enemy, and were easily surrounded. At the first fire all of them were either killed or severely wounded. Not one of the ten in number escaped. This must have occurred near Baker's Island in Yellow Creek township Among the most celebrated Indian chiefs whose name is not among those heretofore mentioned, was Tanacharison, known as the Half King. In Washington's journal of 1753, he gives a brief account of his mission from the governor of Virginia to the Indians along the Ohio, and mentions an interview with Half King, who was a devoted friend to the English, and had a great influence with most of the Indian councils. Washington says he arrived at Logstown late in the morning and immediately sought the. Half King; but on inquiry it was learned that he was at his cabin on Little Beaver, about fifteen miles from Logstown. This gives to Columbiana county the honor of being, the home of one of the most celebrated friends of the white man ever found among the aborigines of America. Washington acknowledges that only by the opportune assistance of Half King and his forces, was the small army of white men saved from a terrible massacre at the Big Meadows, and he further says, that if Half King had lived, he would no doubt have saved the English from the bitter defeat and military disgrace they suffered at Braddock's field. Despite the few instances of brave and humane acts among the Indian tribes prior to and even during the war between the English and the French with their dusky allies, the treaty of peace between the two European powers seemed to bring to the surface all the latent vindictiveness and treachery which lurked in the savage breasts of the natives. They, the Indians, the rightful owners of the territory in dispute, were not consulted and were not a party to the treaty. Robbed of their hunting grounds by the very ones whose cause they had espoused and who had bartered away in the treaty the territory for which they fought, the tribes of the Ohio valley joined in a solemn compact to drive every white man from their soil. And in a very short time the true Indian character asserted itself with all its terrors, and the cabins of the white pioneers soon reeked with bloodshed and brutality never equalled in all the history of the world. The torch and tomahawk, the rifle and scalping knife of the savages wrought havoc and destruction all along the border, the fierce flames lapping up humble homes lighted the hills and valleys for miles around, while the crack of the rifle, the shrieks of the dying and the wail of the captive were drowned by the fierce unearthly war-whoop of the savage demons of the 380 - HISTORY OF THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY. forest. The red man was once more monarch of the wilderness, and never in the annals of time was there a time that tried mens’ souls more than in the period immediately following the French and Indian war. In 1763, while the savages were in the midst of their cruel warfare upon the defenseless settlers, Col. Bouquet, of the British army, was sent with a force of gallant Highlanders, numbering about 700 men, to punish the Indians, and on the 5th of August in that year he met and sorely defeated them at Bushy Run, near Fort Pitt. After relieving the garrison at Fort Pitt, Col. Bouquet rapidly pursued the Heeling Indians wh0 retreated north of the Ohio, deserted their former towns, all the country between Presque Isle and Sandusky, and all of eastern Ohio. During this rapid march of Col. Bouquet and his brave Scotch highlanders, our country was honored with their presence, they having on their forced march encamped on a beautiful bluff in Middleton township known as Camp Bouquet, at present. owned by air association of the Grand Army of the Republic of Columbiana county. This is the only monument standing to mark the memory of one of the bravest heroes who ever trod American soil, and a fitting monument it is, erected by the hand of the Great Architect it will not moulder away like the marble shafts erected by human hands. On the 15th of October, Col. B0uquet met the representatives of the Indians to make a treaty of peace with them. The Indians were represented at the meeting by Kiyashuta, chief of the Senecas and fifteen warriors; Custaloga, chief of the Wolf tribe, and Beaver, chief of the Turkey tribe of the Delawares, and twenty warriors; Keissinautchtha, a chief cf the Shawaneese, and six warriors. The firmness of Col. Bouquet, backed as he was by a strong force and, what was quite as influential, the prestage 0f victory achieved at Bushy Run, brought the Indians to accord all that he demanded. ."I give you" said he "twelve days from this date to deliver int0 my hands at Wakatamake all the prisoners in your possession, without any exception, — Englishmen, Frenchmen, women and children, whether adopted into your tribes, married, or living amongst you under any denomination or pretense whatsoever, together with all the negroes. And you are to furnish said prisoners with clothing and provisions, and horses to carry them to Fort Pitt. When you have fully complied with these conditions, you shall then know on what terms you may obtain the peace you sue for." The Indians acceded to the terms, and by the 9th of November most of the prisoners had arrived, 206 in number. Of these were, — Pennsylvanians, forty-nine males and sixty-seven females. and children; Virginians, thirty-two males and fifty-eight females COLUMBIANA COUNTY - 381 and children. Thus ended all regular Indian occupation and claim to the hunting grounds in this portion of the state of Ohio, 'but predatory excursions were frequently made through this county after this date, by roaming bands of savages bent on murder, pillage and destruction. No Indian history of Columbiana county can be complete without relating that most wonderful hand to hand duel between Adam Poe and the Wyandot chief Big Foot, the most remarkable combat in the annals of border warfare, and while the general outlines of this affray are known to almost every schoolboy in this section of the state, yet the extraordinary circumstances attending the conflict and the deep interest manifested in its recital, by the people of to-day, may be offered as an excuse for reproducing it. Adam Poe, who with his brother Andrew, had the noted fight, once resided in this (Columbiana) county, in Wayne township, on, the west fork of Little Beaver. The locality where the strug- gle occurred was nearly opposite the mouth of Littie Yellow creek. In the summer of 1782, a party of seven Wyandots made an incursion into a settlement, some distance below Fort Pitt, and several miles from the Ohio river. Here, finding an old man alone, in a cabin, they killed him, packed up what plunder they could find, and commenced their retreat. Among their party was a celebrated Wyandot chief, who, in addition to his fame as a warrior and counselor, was, as to his size and strength a real giant. The news of the visit of the Indians soon spread through the neighborhood, and a party of eight good riflemen was collected, in a few hours, for the purpose of pursuing the Indians. In this party were the two Poe brothers, Adam and Andrew, both famous for courage, size and activity. This little party commenced the pursuit of the Indians, with a determination, if possible, not to suffer them to escape, as they usually did on such occasions, by making a speedy flight to the river, crossing it, and then dividing into small parties, to meet at a distant point in a given time. The pursuit was continued the greater part of the night after the Indians had committed the murder, and in the morning the party found themselves on the trail of the Indians, which led to the river. Upon arriving within a little distance of the river, Adam Poe, fearing an ambuscade, left the party who followed directly on the trail, to creep along the brink of the river bank, under cover of the weeds and bushes, to fall upon the rear of the Indians, should he find them in ambuscade. He had not gone far, before he saw the Indian rafts at the water's edge. Not seeing any 382 - HISTORY OF THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY. Indians, he stepped softly down the bank, with his rifle cocked. When about half way down he discovered the large Wyandot chief and a smaller Indian within a few steps of him. They were standing with their guns cocked, and looking in the direction of our party, who by this time had gone some distance lower down the bottom. Poe took aim at the large chief, Big Foot, but his rifle missed fire. The Indians, hearing the snap of the gun-lock, instantly turned around and discovered Poe, who being too near them to retreat, dropped his gun and instantly sprang from the bank upon them, and seizing Big Foot by the clothes of his breast, and at the same time embracing the neck of the smaller Indian, threw them both down on the ground, himself being uppermost. The smaller Indian soon extricated himself, ran to the raft, got his tomahawk and attempted to despatch Poe, Big Foot holding him fast in his arms with all his might, the better to enable his comrade to effect his purpose. Poe, however, so well watched the motions of the Indian, that when in the act of aiming a blow at his head, by a vigorous and well directed kick with one of his feet, he staggered the savage and knocked the tomahawk out of his hand. This failure on the part of the smaller Indian was reproved by an exclamation of contempt from Big Foot. In a moment the Indian caught up his tomahawk again, approached more cautiously, brandished his tomahawk, and making a number of feigned blows, in defiance and derision. Poe, however, still on his guard, averted the real blow frpm his head, by throwing up his arm and receiving it on his wrist, in which he was severely wounded; but not so as to lose entirely the use of his hand. In this perilous moment, Poe, by a violent effort broke loose from Big Foot, snatched up one of the Indian's guns, and shot the smaller Indian through the breast, as he ran up the third time to tomahawk him. Big Foot was now on his feet, and grasping. Poe by a shoulder and leg, threw him down on the bank. Poe instantly disengaged himself and got on his feet. Big Foot then seized him again and another struggle ensued, which owing to the slippery state of the bank, ended in the fall of both combatants into the water. In this situation, it was the object of each to drown the other. Their efforts to effect their purpose were continued for some time, sometimes one being under the water, and sometimes the other. Poe at length seized the tuft of hair on the scalp of the Indian, with which he held his head under water, until he supposed him drowned. Relaxing his hold too soon, Poe instantly found his gigantic antagonist on his feet again and ready for another combat. In this, they were carried into the water beyond their depth and were compelled to loose their hold on each other, and swim for COLUMBIANA COUNTY - 383 mutual safety. Both sought the shore to seize a gun and end the contest with bullets, but Big Foot being the best swimmer, reached the land first. Poe seeing this, immediately turned back into the water, to escape, if possible, being shot by diving. Fortunately Big Foot caught up the rifle with which Poe had killed the other Indian. At this juncture, Andrew Poe, missing his brother from the party, and supposing from the report of the gun he had fired, that he was either killed or engaged in conflict with the Indians, hastened to the spot. On seeing him, Adam called out to him to " kill the big Indian on shore;" but Andrew's gun like that of the Indian's was empty. The contest was now between the white man and the Indian, to see who should load and fire first. Very fortunately for Poe, the Indian in loading, drew the ramrod from the thimbles of the stock of the gun with so much violence, that it slipped out of his hand and fell a little distance from him; he quickly caught it up, and rammed down the bullet, but this little delay gave Poe the advantage. He shot the Indian just as he was raising his gun to take aim at him. As soon as Andrew had shot Big Foot, he jumped into the river to assist his wounded brother to shore; but Adam, thinking more of the honor of carrying the big Indian home as a trophy of victory, than of his own safety, urged Andrew to go back and prevent the struggling savage from rolling himself into the river and escaping. Andrew's solicitude for the life of his brother prevented him from complying with this request, and in the meantime, Big Foot, jealous of the honor of his scalp, even in the agonies of death, succeeded in reaching the river and getting into the current, so that his body was never obtained. An unfortunate occurrence took place during the conflict. Just as Andrew arrived at the top of the bank for the relief of his brother, one of the party, who had followed close behind him, seeing Adam in the river, and mistaking him for a wounded Indian, shot at him and wounded him in the shoulder. He, however, recovered from his wounds. During the contest between Adam Poe and the Indians, the whites had overtaken the remainder of the Indian party, and a desperate conflict ensued in which four of the Indians were killed. The loss of the whites, was three men killed and Adam Poe severely wounded. Thus ended the Spartan conflict with the loss of three valiant men on our part, and with that of the whole Indian party except one warrior. Never, on any occasion, was there a greater display of desperate bravery, and seldom did a conflict take place which, in the issue, proved fatal to so great a proportion of those engaged in it. The fatal issue of this little campaign on the side of the Indians, occasioned universal mourning among 384 - HISTORY OF THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY. the Wyandot nation. Big Foot, with his four brothers, all of whom were killed at the same place, were among the most distinguished chiefs and warriors of their nation. Several of the descendants of the brave Poe brothers reside in this and adjoining counties in this state and Pennsylvania, and at the eighteenth annual meeting of the Columbiana County Pioneer and Historical Association, held in Leetonia, Ohio, on Thursday, June 14, 1888, one hundred and six years after the memorable combat above described, the old wooden stock belonging to the rifle carried by Adam Poe on that eventful day, was the most observed of all the valuable relics exhibited on that occasion. The trials and dangers of our brave pioneers are over. The red man has departed from among us. The mysticism of a romantic past hovers alike over the good and bad deeds of the sons of the forest who once roamed at will over the tree clad hills and verdant meadows of Columbiana county. The " Tuscarora Path " is forgotten save by the historian and student of past events. No more along that dreadful trail will be heard the shrill war whoop of the savage Indian, the plaintive wail of the miserable captive, the dying groan of the murdered settler. But in their place may be heard the hum of machinery, the happy song of the house-wife, the cheery voice of the farmer, the lowing of his herds, the rumbling of railroad trains heavily laden with the products of the farm, the mine and the workshop, the tones of the school bell calling the youth of America to come to those founts of education where they may learn the lessons of American patriotism, and the "sound of the church going bell," which leads a happy people into the portals of those edifices erected for the worship of the Most High, where they may sing their songs of praise to Him for His mercy and goodness to all His creatures in this beautiful land.