Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1900-05-10

very valuable and timely contribution to
pioneer literature. We would not de-
tract aught from his well earned fame.
But there are incidents related in said
book in which Col. Henry Harman bore
a conspicuous part which were manifest
ly unknown to MIR. Hale or he would
gladly have given him due credit for
same. For the truth of history, refer
ence is here made to two of these incl
dents and the facts given as received from
the lips of those perfectly familiar there
with or participating therein.
About the year l760 Col. Henry Har-
man, in command of the militia, was
stationed and fOrted at Peppers Ferry,
on New River, at which point fort and
stockade had been erected. At the per-
iod when Indian raids were expected, he
gave command that ali the settlers OF
that region should come into the fort.
But Dutch family failing to obey this
command, wss attacked by a raiding
party of Indians and Dutch NO nan
taken captive and together with num-
her of horses and lot of household plum
der, carried by the Indians up little Riv-
er. Col. Harman with thirty of his
militia made pursuit. Being about to
overtake them and designing, by sudden
attack. to surprise and stampede tue ln-
dians before they could tOmahawk the
prisoner, he placed the only two tried
soldiers he had, towit, Thomas Loony
and John Shilling, in charge of the militia
to bring them into action at the firing OF
his gun, while he alone stealthily advanced
ON their trail until he discovered them,
loudly talking and feastng behind large
log. In an instant he fired at a large
warrior breaking his back, and the rest
all jumped to trees an fired at the tree
behind which he, together with Loony
and Shilling, who had rushed to his sup
port. we're sheltered, until they shot
splinters of the tree into their hair which
were afterwards picked out at the fort.
The militia, vet some distance in the rear,
with loud cheering fired of their guns
which frightened aud stampeded the
Indians, who went ekulkmg and hiding
in the tall sedge-grass.
Col Harnlau leaped over the log, told the
Dutch woman to lie fiat on the ground or
thew would fling back their tOmaha"ks and
scalp her asked her in English how many
Indians there were, and receiving no an
swer. asked her in Dutch, and she replied
"thirtv." The militia approaching un'
guardedy, we're fired on from the sedge
grass and two of them fell, one Of whom
was killed and the other fell by his side to
avoid being hit Col. Harman and COM
rades continued to shoot the Indians as
they crossed the trails made by the bu:
falos in the tall grass, until they Killed
seven Of them. Returning TO the Indian
which he first shot, he found him sitting
up with his gun in hand, which he at
tempted to fire at his breast, but which
failed to discharge the bullet for lack OF
powder. Leaping upon him he cleft his
skull with his tomahawk, and with his
command and the prisoner and all the
captured property, returned safely to the
fort On page 81 of the I. A. Pioneers, Is
imperfectly related an occurrence so slmi'
lar to the above accurate and reliable
statement of facts as to leave little doubt
that the same occurrence, in substance, is
referred to.
At the battle with the Indians who had
captured Thomas Ingles wife and two
children and two negroes, which took
place at Maxwell's Gap IN Tug mountain,
Col. Harman WAS in command Of the mill
tia, and laid the plan to surprise and stam-
pede the Indians before they could toma-
hawk the prisoners and for this purpose
sent Captain Maxwell, with his company,
to attack them on the flank before day,
while he attacked them in front, but COM
manded Captain Maxwell to take OIL a
white hunting shirt, which the Indians
would discover and shoot him and dispatch
the prisoners. This command Captain
Maxwell failed to ohey, and was killed,
and the white prisoners to'nahawked by
the Indians, from which the two children
died, but the mother recovered. One
other incident On the 18th of November,
1888, Col. Harman and two Of his sons,
George and Matthias, while hunting bears
on Tug River, near what is now known as
Warfeld, discovered a band of Indian
warriors, steering towards Abbs Valley
and Bluestone, where all the women and
children were defenseless-the men being
absent hunting.
Seeing that they were outnumbered by
the Indians, the sons proposed to return
by circultous route and avoid them. But
Col. Harman said, with great emphasis :;
"At the rick of my life, I'll warn Bluestone
before Sleep" and went directly on the
trail-discovered and encountered them,
and in one of the bloodiest hand to hand
and knife to knife encounters ever recorded
in border warfare, he and his two SONS,
George and Matthias, succeeded in killing
five out of the seven warriors and wound
ing the other two, one Of whom was Black
Wolf, son of the famous Corustalk-Col.
Harman and bis son, George, both being
severely wounded, but recovered and sur
vived many years.
The sons of Col. Henry Harman were.
according to seniority, Henry, Damti,
Adam, George, Matthias, Hezekiah, ami
Elias, Gather Of the wrlter), and daugl.-
tiers, Rhoda, who intermarried with Will
lam Neil, and Louisa, who intermarried
with James Dayis-LOuisa, being the
grandmother of Mrs. Richardson, above
referred to, widow of the late Judge Robert
pichordson of Kentucky Col, HeZekiah