The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1877-02-15
For the VALLEY yIRGINIAN.
Augusta County, Va, One Hundred and
Thirty Years Ago.
NUMBER s.

u
During the summer Of 1857, the Indian
were very troublesome. A party of Shawnee
penetrqted the Roanoke settlement and mur
dered several Of the white settlers. Thi
gave rise to the campaign which was cale'
! by the carly settlers the SANDY Cree
voyage To avenge this outrage, the Gov
ernor ordered out a company Of regulars
taken chiefly from the garrison at Fort Din
widdie, on .Jacksou's river, Under command
of Captain Audley Paul; also, company o
minute men from Botetourt, under command
OF Captain Vim. Preston. and two compa
MES from Augusta, under command OF Cap
tains John Alexander and VIM, Hogg. II
/ Captain Alexander,s company, John Men ut
I was asubaItern, and afterwards became TIT
/ Governor of Nova Scotia. These four com
panics were placed under the command O.
Andrew Lewis.
Besides Furnishing the savages, this expe
dition had for its object the establishment o.
a military post ut the mouth Of the Grea
Sandy river. This would enable them moi
only TO maintain constant watch over ma
rauding parties OF Indians from that quarter
| but check the communication between them
and the post at Galiopolis, and thus coun-
teract the influence which the French there
had obtained over them.
The four companies were required to rem
devious on the Roanoke, near the present
/ ~ in, (,slI
Lewis was then posted. The company COM
manded by Capt. Hogg failed to be on hand
at the appointed TING, and Col. Lewis, after
weeks delay, marched forward, expecting
to be speedily overtaken by Hogg and his
men. 10 avoid being discovered by the In
dams, which would have been the conse-
quence OF their taking the more public route
| by the Great Kanahwa, they took the route
by the way of New River and Sandy. Cross
| ing the New River, below the Horseshoe,
they decended it to the mouth of Wolf creek,
and descending this to its source, passed over
to the head of Blue Stone river, where they
waited another week for Capt. Hogg. They
then marched to the head Of the north fork
| of the Sandy, and continued down it to the
| Great Burning Spring, where they also re-
NAMED another day. Here the salt and pro-
visions, which had been conveyed on pack
| horses, were entirely exhausted. Two buf-
faloes, killed above the spring, were eaten
while the army continued here, and their
| hides were hung upon a beech tree. After
| this, their subsistence was procured exclu-
sively by hunting. Two or three days after
wards, Capt. Hogg and his company arrived i;
| also, an express arrived from Gov. Francis
| Fauquier with orders for the army to return
home, ard for the disbanding of all the
troops except Capt. Paul's regulars, who
| were to return to Fort Dinwidd.e. This was
one of Gov. Fauquier's first official acts, and
| was far from endearing him to the inhabi-
tants west of the Blue Ridge. They had the
utmost confidence in tile courage and good
conduct Of Col. Lewis and his troops, and
great confidence in the success Of the expt-
faction to an exemption, in a great degree,
| from future attacks from the Indians.
Lewis and his men were disappointed and
| indignant. They had endured much hard
ship during their march, from bad weather,
and more from the want Of provisions. They
| had borne their sufferings without q muir
mur, anticipating chastisement OF the In
| dams and an abundant supply Of provisions
from the conquered towns. They had ar
rived within ten miles of 'the Ohio river. A
council of war was held. A majority of the
| officers were in favor of proceeding to the
| Ohio river, anxious to meet the enemy.
| nights on its banks, but finding nothing like
an enemy, they broke Up their camp to re-
| trace their steps through painless wilder
ness and mountains, distance of three hum
| dred miles, in the midst of winter and with
out provisions.
| 1t makes the heart sick to read Of the suf.
| ferings Of these brave men on their home
ward march. On the second night, while
encamped at Great Fails, some Of Hogg's
men went out on the hills to hunt turkeys,
and fell in with a party Of savages, painted
as for war. AS soon as they saw they were
discovered. they fired and killed two Of
Hogs's men. The fire was returned, and a
Shawnee was wounded and taken prisoner.
The enemy, yelling the war whsop, fled
down the river. -.
The wounded Indian refused to give any
information Of their number or object. An
opinion prevailed that so small party Of
Indians would not have pursued the army
alone; that it was only an advanced scout Of
a large body of the enemy who were follow
ing them. A council of war was held, and
much diversity Of opinion prevailed at the
board. Capt. Paul proposed to return and
cross the Ohio, invade the towns on the
Scioto, and burn them or perish in the at.
tempt. This proposition was supported by
Lieut. McNutt, but overruled, the majority
deeming it right to act in conformity with
the Governors orders, and Immediately re.
turn home. Orders were then given tina: nc
more g,Irs should be fired and no fires kin
died in camp, as their safety depended or
silence and secrecy.
An obedience to this order caused mucl
suffering, as we'll from cold as from hun
ger. The pack-horses, which we're no longel
serviceable; having no provisions to trans
port, and some of which had given out fo
want of provender, were killed and eaten
When the army arrived at Burning Spring
the buffalo hides, which had been left there
on their way down, were found still hanging
on the trees they were taken and cut into
tnggs, or strings. and eaten after having
been exposed to the heat produced by thu
boiling spring. Hence they called 1t Tugs
River" name by which 1t is still known
After this the army subsisted for while OF
beech nuts, but a deep snow fell and de
prived them of this comfort, and the restric
lions to fire no guns or kindle fires in tn
camp, were removed.
About thirty men then detached them
selves from the main body, to hunt thei
way home. Several of them persisted frou
cold and hunger, Others were lost and neve
afterwards heard from. The main body 9
the army was conducted home by Col. Levi
after much suffering, the strings OF thei