The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1925-01-22
(By Col. Andrew Price, in the Poca
hontas wv. Va) Times)

part of West Virginia are raised up
on is the four hundred page book en-
titled" Forty-four Years Of a Hunters
Life" by Meshach Browning. A re-
cent edition has been published by
Lippincott's, Philadelphia, and it is
copy of that edition that a friend
sent me.
The hunter was a well-to-dO citizen
of Maryland and has hundreds of de-
scendants all proud to trace their lin
cage back to him. His activities seem
to have been laid largely in Garrett
county, Maryland, and in Preston
county, West Virginia, in the Terra
Alta country.
Meshach Browning was born in
Frederick county, Maryland, in the
year 1881, the son Of Joshua and
Nancy Browning. When Meshach was
two weeks old his father died. At
the age of eleven years, his family
moved to some point in Monongalia
county, Virginia. Shortly after, Me-
shach went to live with his uncle
where he continued until he was Is
years old when having had a fight
wit his aunt who tried to beat him
into submission, he went to seek his
fortune and arrived at Wheeling.
There he worked for John Caldwell
and killed his first bear in what must
be now the city.
That must have been about the year
1896, and the recollection Of the fam
GUS siege of Fort Henry was clear in
the minds Of the people of Wheeling.
In the book is an account Of the bat
tie. 1t occurred in 1777. According
10 that account John Caldwell was
one of the three men of Captain Ma
sons company who escaped. Brown
lng's account of it is identified by the
incident of Elizabeth Zane who went
through the fire line to get supply
of powded for the soldiers of the fort.
The siege of Fort Henry was one
Of the important engagements of the
Revolutionary War, and it was the
most important battle waged against
the white settlers by the Iriquois In
dians, allies of Great Britain. Thirty
three men held the fort againgt 1856
Indian warriors. The casualties on
the part of the white settlers consist
ed OF the slaughter of % of the 26
soldiers who went out of the fort in
the early morning the End day of
September and fell into ambush. The
accepted history of that engagement
has not been very satisfactory or con-
vlncing as to why the settlers, who
had taken shelter in the fort against
the Indians should have been lured
to leave the safety of the fort by the
Indians. Browning gives this account
as being the one told to him by the
Caldwells:
Two Indians made their appear
ance on the high hill above the town.
This hill runs from north to south.
Wheeling Greek runs from east to
west, passing this elevation about a
mile north of town, and then turns
south, coursing along the foot of the
nil until it arrives at a point little
south of the fort, where it empties
5nto the river, thus leaving the hill a
mile north of the creek. Whenever
the river is little high, the water
is backed up the creek to the depth of
ten or twelve feet On this hill, op-
poslte the fort, those two Indians
showed themselves, fired a shot or
two at the fort, and then went off
slowly slapping their hands behind
them in token of der:sion and con-
tempt of those within the fortiica-
tion.
Fired with such an insult, our men
commenced running out, and would
have all gone had not the command
ing officer stood at the gate and stop
ENu UAiSAl5 CilOuSl IlOI I'LL IWenCy-IOQr
men were running up the steep hill
after the Indians who were to be
seen retreating, as if they did not in
tend to make battle. When the whites
reached the top of the hill to their
great dismay, they found themselves
between two CALLING fires. They
could not cross the creek if they ran
that way.
They then endeavored to break
through the north line of the enemv
and escape down the river to the fort.
The loss as given by Browning was
twenty-one men.
He says that John Caldwell was one
OF the three to escape with his life,
and that as he ran he encountered
white man who had left the settle
ment some years before and whom
ne recognized at first sight. This
white Indian carried a spear mounted
on handle like that of fork, and
ne ran before all the Indians. He was
close at the heels of John Caldwell
when ha arrival OF +bo L,o.I- e IL