The Alexandria herald. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1811-1826, 1819-01-08

murder OF Thomas Baynard. White has
been rcmanded to prison, there to await
his trial on the other. indictments, which
VIII pottake place until May next. Sam
merson and Onion, the witnesses were re
quired to give bonds to the amount of
$4,000 each, for their appearance at
that time which not being able to do
they were also lodged in prison. 1
yRosi THE .pETEassURe. (yA.) M Eli LII Z
GENcEn- - 4
/ - ANCIENT .iFORTTFICATfoNs. !,
There are few circumstances connects,
ed with the history of this continent, more,
interesting, than those remains Of ancient
forts which are fonnd in several. parts of
| tbs western country. Vari us conjec-
| ttires have been formed to explain these
artificial remains In work published
a few years ago by DR. Williamson. of
New-fork on the climate of America
we find several particulars mentioned in
respect to these Notifications, which APP
pear to have escaped, or been unknown,
to Other writer's. Upon the rivers Mus
kingum, Sciote and the Little Miami
| there are numerous remains of For's.-
Upon western branch of the Muskingum
| there is chain of forts near two mile. in
length. Upon the Scioto there are at
least twenty Notifications withip fifteen
| miles of the town Of Chlliicothe Some
OF these. forts include one hundred acres
OF ground. Upon.the Miami the forts are
equally numerous. A traveller seldom
passes ten miles on the banks of either of
those rivers. or through the st;tr of Ohio
in any direction, without sesine q fort or
passing near one. In short ne whole
face of the state cf'0hie is covered with
ancient Notifications. as much as Flanders
is covered with moderJ ones
About nine miles from the mouth of
the Miami there are two forts, ON the OBJ
fposite sides; one oftberr is very irreeu-
lar, the other.is perfect square. Tine of
these forts which includes ninety acres OF
ground, s formed with much labor, and
considerable at, regard being had to the
inequality of the ground. The walls are
from ten to fifteen feet high at present
and they measure thirty three feet across.
AS much of the original wall has yielded
to the inroads OF time, Il is presumed that
the walls have been tw enty feet thick at
bottom, ten feet at top, and fifteen feet
high. According to the dimensions STA
| ted, the works of that fortress contained
100000 cubic yards of clay, or so many
loads for horse and cart. Such fort,
DIR. Williams deserves, could rot have
fbeen built without instruments of metal.
There are forts upen the same river more
than three times the size Of this, but
few ofthcm 80 irregular, because. tfssy &c.
morally stard upon better grounds AS
the forts were commonly built upon AN
.elevated plain neara good spring, or the
steep bank of river, the natives secnred'
| passage to the ~stC by PAL a4lel walls or
by Numerous batteries Every fort had
its tnnluins or burying ground, and some
! OF those tumuli contain tile bones of ma
! ny thousand men, women and children,
| regularly deposited but in diff 1T states
| of decay. The tureuas tina; belongs To
fortress in Chillicothe is composed of al.
| ternate strata of black rnosld and ashes,
by which it would appear, that in some
cases the natives buined their dead
There are some tunhuli upon large p aims
at a considerable distance from aay fort.
These tumuli only contain the bones ci
grown persons, PromiscuousIy heaped s
in similar state of decay. They in fact.
exhibit the carnage of fi,ld Of battle.
Some of the great tumui in that re-
gion do not contain more than the bones
of one person. Those tumnli have cyl
IDENTITY been toinbs Of persons of dlstinc
ton; inevery. case tie bones are attend
ed by ornaments of brass implements oil.
war and images or figures of doubtful il. :.
port. .k 80
Mr.. Jefferson in his Notes on Virginia,
gives the following account Of a Tumulus
| which he examined himself.
SIT was situated on the low grounds of
the RivaDna, about two miles above lis
principal fork, and opposite to some hills
on which had been All Indian town, il
was Of a spherodial form Of about 40 feet
diameter at the base, and had been about
IL feet altitude though now reduced by
tEe plough to Il having been under cui.
tiyatlon about dozen years. Before this
it was covered with trees Of twelve in
cbes diameter, and round the base was an
excavation of FIVE feet depth and width,
from whence the earth had been taken of
which the hillock was formed. | first
dug specifically in several parts Of it, &
Eeame to collections. OF human bones, at
different depths, from six inches 10 three
feet below the surface These were ], ing
/ in the. utmost confusion, some vertical,