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Historical Collections of Ohio

By Henry Howe

Vol. I

©1888

 

BELMONT COUNTY

 

 

 

            BELMONT COUNTY was established September 7, 1801, by proclamation of Gov. St. Clair, being the ninth county formed in the Northwestern Territory.

 

            The name is derived from two French words signifying a fine mountain.  It is a very hilly, picturesque tract and contains much excellent land.  Area 500 square miles.  In 1885 the acres cultivated were 112,269; pasture, 136,301; woodland, 81,396; lying waste, 8,684; produced in wheat, 83,141 bushels; corn, 1,905,664; tobacco, 1,425,866 pounds; butter 743,059; sheep, 158,121; coal, 573,770 tons.  School census 1886, 18,236; teachers, 275.  It has 113 miles of railroad.

 

 

 

 

Population in 1820 was 20,329; in 1840, 30,902; in 1860, 36,398; in 1880, 49,638, of whom 38,233 were Ohio-born.

 

            Belmont county was one of the earliest settled within the State of Ohio, and the scene of several desperate encounters with the Indians.  About 1790, or perhaps two or three years later, a fort called Dillie’s fort was erected on the west side of the Ohio, opposite Grave creek.

 

            About 250 yards below this fort an old man named Tate was shot down by the

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Indians very early in the morning as he was opening his door.  His daughter-in-law and grandson pulled him in and barred the door.  The Indians, endeavoring to force it open, were kept out for some time by the exertions of the boy and woman.  They at length fired through and wounded the boy.  The woman was shot from the outside as she endeavored to escape up chimney, and fell into the fire.  The boy, who had hid behind some barrels, ran and pulled her out, and returned again to his hiding-place.  The Indians now effected an entrance, killed a girl as they came in, and scalped the three they had shot.  They then went out behind that side of the house from the fort.  The boy, who had been wounded in the mouth, embraced the opportunity and escaped to the fort.  The Indians, twelve or thirteen in number, went off unmolested, although the men in the fort had witnessed the transaction and had sufficient force to engage with them.

 

            Captina creek is a considerable stream entering the Ohio, near the southeast angle of Belmont.  On its banks at an early day a sanguinary contest took place known as “the battle of Captina.”  Its incidents have often and variously been given.  We here relate them as they fell from the lips of Martin BAKER, of Monroe, who was at that time a lad of about twelve years of age in Baker’s fort:

 

                The Battle of Captina.—One mile below the mouth of Captina on the Virginia shore, was Baker’s fort, so named from my father.  One morning in May, 1794, four men were sent over according to the custom, to the Ohio side to reconnoitre.  They were Adam MILLER, John DANIELS, Isaac M’COWAN, and John SHOPTAW.  MILLER and DANIELS took up stream, the other two down.  The upper scout were soon attacked by Indians, and MILLER killed; DANIELS ran up Captina about three miles, but being weak from the loss of blood issuing from a wound in his arm was taken prisoner, carried into captivity, and subsequently released at the treaty of Greenville.  The lower scout having discovered signs of the enemy, SHOPTAW swam across the Ohio and escaped, but M’COWAN going up towards the canoe, was shot by Indians in ambush.  Upon this he ran down to the bank and sprang into the water, pursued by the enemy, who overtook and scalped him.  The firing being heard at the fort, they beat up for volunteers.  There were about fifty men in the fort.  There being much reluctance among them to volunteer, my sister exclaimed, “She wouldn’t be a coward.”  This aroused the pride of my brother, John BAKER, who before had determined not to go.  He joined the others, fourteen in number, including Capt. Abram ENOCHS.  They soon crossed the river, and went up Captina in single file, a distance of a mile and a half, following the Indian trail.  The enemy had come back on their trails, and were in ambush on the hill-side awaiting their approach.  When sufficiently near they fired upon our people, but being on an elevated position, their balls passed harmless over them.  The whites then treed.  Some of the Indians came behind, and shot Capt. ENOCHS and Mr. HOFFMAN.  Our people soon retreated, and the Indians pursued but a short distance.  On their retreat my brother was shot in the hip.  Determined to sell his life as dearly as possible, he drew off one side and secreted himself in a hollow with a rock at his back, offering no chance for the enemy to approach but in front.  Shortly after two guns were heard in quick succession; doubtless one of them was fired by my brother, and from the signs afterwards, it was supposed he had killed an Indian.  The next day the men turned and visited the spot.  ENOCHS, HOFFMAN, and John BAKER were found dead and scalped.  Enoch’s bowels were torn out, his eyes and those of HOFFMAN screwed out with a wiping-stick.  The dead were wrapped in white hickory bark, and brought over to the Virginia shore, and buried in their bark coffins.  There were about thirty Indians engaged in this action, and seven skeletons of their slain were found long after secreted in the crevices of rocks.

 

                M’Donald, in his biographical sketch of Governor M’ARTHUR, who was in the action, says that after the death of Capt. ENOCHS, M’ARTHUR, although the youngest man in the company, was unanimously called upon to direct the retreat.  The wounded who were able to walk were placed in front, while M’ARTHUR with his Spartan band covered the retreat.  The moment an Indian showed himself in pursuit he was fired upon, and generally, it is believed, with effect.  The Indians were so severely handled that they gave up the pursuit.  The Indians were commanded by the Shawnee chief, CHARLEY WILKEY.  He told the author (M’Donald) of this narrative that the battle of Captina was the most severe conflict he ever witnessed; that although he had the advantage of the ground and the first fire, he lost the most of his men, half of them having been either killed or wounded.

 

            The celebrated Indian hunter, Lewis Wetzel, was often through this region.  Belmont has been the scene of at least two of the daring adventures of this far-famed borderer, which we here relate.  The scene of the first was on Dunkard

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creek, and that of the second on the site of the National road, two and one-half miles east of St. Clairsville, on the farm of Jno. B. MECHAN, in whose family the place has been in the possession of since 1810:

 

                Fight at Dunkard’s Creek.—While hunting Wetzel fell in with a young hunter who lived on Dunkard’s creek, and was persuaded to accompany him to his home.  On their arrival they found the house in ruins and all the family murdered, except a young woman who had been bred with them, and to whom the young man was ardently attached.  She was taken alive, as was found by examining the trail of the enemy, who were three Indians and a white renegado.  Burning with

 

 

 

revenge, they followed the trail until opposite the mouth of Captina, where the enemy had crossed.  They swam the stream and discovered the Indians’ camp, around the fires of which lay the enemy in careless repose.  The young woman was apparently unhurt, but was making much moaning and lamentation.  The young man, hardly able to restrain his range, was for firing and rushing instantly upon them.  Wetzel, more cautious, told him to wait until daylight, when there was a better chance of success in killing the whole party.  At dawn the Indians prepared to depart.  The young man selecting the white renegado and Wetzel the Indian, they both fired simultaneously with fatal effect.  The young man rushed forward, knife in hand, to relieve the mistress of his affections, while Wetzel reloaded and pursued the two surviving Indians, who had taken to the woods, until they could ascertain the number of their enemies.  Wetzel, as soon as he was discovered, discharged his rifle at random, in order to draw them from their covert.  The ruse took effect, and, taking to his heels, he loaded as he ran, and suddenly wheeling about, discharged his rifle through the body of his nearest and unsuspecting enemy.  The remaining Indian seeing the fate of his companion, and that his enemy’s rifle was unloaded, rushed forward with all energy, the prospect of prompt revenge being fairly before him.  Wetzel led him on, dodging from tree to tree, until his rifle was again ready, when suddenly turning he fired, and his remaining enemy fell dead at his feet.  After taking their scalps, Wetzel and his friend, with their rescued captive, returned in safety to the settlement.

 

                Fight at the Indian Springs.—A short time after Crawford’s defeat in 1782, Wetzel accompanied Thomas Mills, a soldier in that action to obtain his horse, which he had left near the site of St. Clairsville.  They were met by a party of about forty Indians at the Indian springs, two miles from St. Clairsville, on the road to Wheeling.  Both parties discovered each other at the same moment, when Lewis instantly fired and killed an Indian, while the Indians wounded his companion in the heel, overtook and killed him.  Four Indians pursued Wetzel.  About half a mile beyond, one of the Indians having got in the pursuit with a few steps, Wetzel wheeled and shot him, and then continued the retreat.  In less than a mile farther a second one came so close to him that, as he turned to fire, he caught the muzzle of his gun, when, after a severe struggle, Wetzel brought it to his chest, and, discharging it, his opponent fell dead.  Wetzel still continued on his course, pursued by the two Indians.  All three were pretty well fatigued, and often stopped and treed.  After going something more than a mile Wetzel took advantage of an open ground, over which the Indians were passing, stopped suddenly to shoot the foremost, who thereupon sprang behind a small sapling.  Wetzel fired and wounded him mortally.  The remaining Indian then gave a little yell, exclaiming, “No catch that man; gun always loaded.”  After the peace of 1795 Wetzel pushed for the frontier, on the Mississippi, where he could trap the beaver, hunt the buffalo and deer, and occasionally shoot an Indian, the object of his mortal hatred.  He finally died, as he had lived, a free man of the forest.

 

            ST. CLAIRSVILLE IN 1846.—St. Clairsville, the county-seat, is situated on an elevated and romantic site, in a rich agricultural region, on the line of the National road, 11 miles wet of Wheeling and 116 east of Columbus.  It contains six places for public worship: 2 Friends, 1 Presbyterian, 1 Episcopal, 1 Methodist, and 1 Union; one female seminary, twelve mercantile stores, two or three news-

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paper-offices, H. Anderson’s map-engraving and publishing establishment, and, in 1840, had 829 inhabitants.  Cuming’s tour, published in 1810, states that this town “was laid out in the woods by David Newell in 1801.  On the south side of Newell’s plat is an additional part laid out by William Matthews, which was incorporated with Newell’s plat on the 23d of January, 1807, by the name of St. Clairsville.”  By the act of incorporation the following officers were appointed until the first stated meeting of the inhabitants should be held for an election, viz., John PATTERSON, President; Sterling JOHNSON, Recorder; Samuel SULLIVAN, Marshal; Groves Wm. BROWN, John BROWN, and Josiah DILLON, Trustees; William CONGLITON, Collector; James COLWELL, Treasurer, and Robert GRIFFITH, Town Marshal.  The view given was taken from an elevation west of the town, near the National road and Neiswanger’s old tavern, shown on the extreme right.  The building in the distance, on t