The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1872-09-02
AMAFoF Hmr0BY.

I.ataa Army-8slly from Fort
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Sun oi
se.ssnSer Ist-Hsrrew Escapes
acknowledgements osslaushl
| Heroic DeEense-smoke and
rIsnssLHissins Of Bullets ming.
led With shoats and the Boo ming
A. Caunon-Grasd Tableaux-Ad.
to,r, 70 Dinner-The Psriey-Re.
.sv.y Of the Csabat-The Com.
.tttes On Raiis-Rive Hundred
Wa,rssrs Asainss Twelve Men and
| thirty Ws.sen and, Childres-
! Ttshtinx freu Sun 60 sus-The
Reseue-viessry Of the zanesburg.
ers.
Yesterday, September /, was the
ninety.ffth anniversary Of the attack
on Fort Henry, Wheeling, by SIMON
airty, the renegade, and the Indians
and British under him. The battle
wa fought September l, TIT. But
little has been written of this terrible
days fight and most heroic defense ex-
cept what can be gathered from the
historians, traditions and recollections
of the old families and their descendants.
no one participating in the action or
coutemporaneous with it having writ.
ten anything about it.
The commanders of the coutending
forces, were Ebenezer Zane, Colonel of
the regiment of Ohio county militia,
then thirty years Of age, and Simon
Girty, the famous renegade Colonel Of
LOYAL Volunteers, which included To-
dams and Royalists or Tories.
Wheeling was at that time composed
Of thirty log houses and q fort or block
house, designed by General George
Rodgers Clark and built BY Ebenezer
Zane and John Caldwell. The space
enclosed WAS about three-quarters of an
acre. In shape the fort was parallel
opram, having q block house at each
corner, with picket stockade eight feet
high with the upper ends sharpened.
The space between the block houses
rand the stockade was about eight feet
A ditch six feet deep and eight feet wide
surrounded the fort. Within the en-
closure was q store house, barrack'
rooms, garrison, wells and cabins for
The nae Of families. The principal en-
trance was q gateway on the eastern
aide Of the fort. This description is
given on the authority Of the late Mrs.
John Bailey, nee Carnahan, OF Bailey 8
Hollow. three miles back Of Bridgeport
The fort was situated on the high bluff
exactly in the rear of Harbour d Dit.
mans store, opposite the corner OF Union
and Main streets. The fort was at first
called Fort Fincastle. but was changed
to Fort Henry out Of compliment to
Patrick Henry. :,
The city OF Wheeling was then called
"Zanesburg." The name was changed
to it's present one in 1895. This pre-.
historic town we'll deserved the appel
lation 1.-THE Heroic 1t was truly hap
tised in blood and fire. 1t WAS then an
extreme frontier post and was burned
in lit, 1880 and 1881 by the Indians
and British, but they never succeeded
in carrying the fort. But to the battle ;
Girty had adroitly conducted his force
in detachments and concentrated them
on Bogg's Island. 1t consisted OF five
hundred we'll armed merciless men. On
the morning OF September |, TIT, the
sun rose with uncommon splendor over
Wheeling hill. The weather was un-
usually fine and the landscape lay like
a beautiful garden bathed in the golden
rays OF the morning sun. A white man
and q negro went out to look for a
horse that had strayed, totally uucon-
scious of the proximity OF foes. The
white man was killed aud the negro
made his escape to the fort, shouting
Indians! IndiansT
| The garrison Of the fort consisted
OF two companies or rather squads oil
Ohio county militia, fourteen men in
each squad, commanded by Capt.
lOple and Capt. Sam Mason, both
famous Indian fighters. Capt. Mason
and his men sailed out to meet the
enemy who were ambuscaded in a
ravine that commenced about the head
of Sprigg alley on Main street, and
opened into the river between Monroe
and Quincy streets. They could not
find them, but as they started to return
to the fort they we're attacked in front
and rear by Girty's men and repulsed
with great slaughter. The other COM
pany, Capt. Ogle's, volunteered by &C.
clamation TO 60 to the assistance Of their
comrades and friends. They met the
same fate, total defeat. Eleven Of the
twenty eight were killed outright, and
the others nearly all wounded, includ-
ing the two Captains, who did not re-
gain the fort till the next day, losing
their rifles, powder horns, pouches and
blankets.
The line of battle Of the enemy was
now in full view, the left resting on the
river and the right extending out into
what 10 now known as East Wheeling.
The people of the town were mean.
while Fastening to the fort leaving
most Of their valuables in their houses
for want Of time to remove them.
Among the incidents related of the
hurried flight to the fort are some very
narrow escapes. Col. Zanes wife had
placed her infant daughter, Rebecca,
one year old, in charge Of Molly Scott,
and returned to the house to secure the
Colonels money and papers. Just as
she entered the front door she saw the
Indians coming in the back way
With great speed she made her way
back to the fort, and her house was
set on fire az was every other one in
the place. Jonathan Zane discovered
that his wife, Who was sick in bed, and
her infant child had been abandoned
by those he had left in charge and went
back to bring her to the fort. Swear