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A History of The Middle
New River Settlements
and Contiguous Territory.

By David E. Johnston (1906).

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Chapter II.  1753 - 1766 (Part 2)

We will let Captain William Preston tell the story as written down by him at the time.

"Monday, ye 9th day of February, 1756,  "In pursuance to ye orders of Major Lewis, dated the 4th inst., I marched from Fort Prince George, with my 2 Lieutenants, 2 Sergeants, 3 Corporals, and 25 Privates.  We had one wagon load of dry beef, the wt. 2000 lbs.  We traveled 15 miles the first day and lodged at the home of Francis Cyphers, on Roanoke, and early on Tuesday morning, being the 10th, we proceeded on our journey as far as Richd. Hall's, about 15 miles.

"Wednesday, the 11th, marched to New River; informed that Capt. Hog's company was but a little behind us.  As we marched by the Cherokee Camp we saluted them by firing off guns, which they returned in seeming great joy, and afterwards honored us with a war dance.

"Thursday, 12th, heard a sermon preached at Capt. Woodston's Camp, by Rev. Mr. Brown.

"Friday, 13th: reviewed by Major Lewis.  The number reviewed was about 340, Indians included, being the Companies of Capt. C. Hog, Preston, Smith, Overton, Woodston, and Pearis, with the Cherokee Indians.  Rev. Mr. Craig preached a military sermon, text in Deuteronomy.  Two Captain's commissions  given by Major Lewis to two head Cherokee Warriors named Yellow Bird and Round O.

"Sat. 14.  A company of volunteers, 25 in number, under Capt. Delap (The name is indistinct in the Mas.) joined us.

""Sunday 15, James Burk brot word that Robert Looney was killed nigh Alex Sawyers, and he had himself one horse shot and five taken away by the Shawnee Indians.

"Monday 16, 40 Indians and 60 white men under command of Capt. Smith and Woodston marched from fort in order to range the woods about Reed Creek; they are to march to Burke's Garden.

"Tuesday 17, Mr. Paul returned from the horse guard (This guard had been left to protect the crossing of New River.)

"Wednesday 18, Capt. Hog's company and Major Lewis march in afternoon.

"Thursday 19, Left Fort Frederick at 10  o'clock:  27 loaded pack horses, got to William Sawyer's:  Camped on his barn floor.

"Friday 20, Switched one of the soldiers for swearing, which very much incensed the Indian chiefs then present.  Advanced to Alex Sawyers, met the Indians who went out with the first division, and Lieutenant Ingles who informed us of the burial of Robt. Looney.  Some of our Indians deserted.

"Sat. 21, Major Lewis, Capt. Pearis and the interpreter went to Col. Buchanan's place, where they met the Indians who had deserted us, and induced them to return, which they did.

"Sunday 22, Marched to John McFarland's.

"Monday 23, Marched over the mountain to Bear Garden, on North Fork of Holston's river.  Lost sundry horses.

"Tuesday 24, Crossed two mountains and arrived at Burke's Garden.  Had plenty of potatoes which the soldiers gathered in the deserted plantations

""Wednesday 25, Remained in Camp.

"Burke's Garden is a tract of land of 5000 or 6000 acres, as rich and fertile as any I ever saw, as well watered with many beautiful streams, and is surrounded with mountains almost impassible.

"Thursday 26 Marched early, crossed three large mountains, arrived at head of Clinch.  Our hunters found no game.

"Friday 27, Lay by on account of rain.  Hunters killed three or four bears.

"Saturday 28,  Passed several branches of Clinch and at length got to head of Sandy Creek, where we met with great trouble and fatigue, occasioned by heavy rain, and driving our baggage horses down said creek, which we crossed 20 times that evening.    Killed three buffalos and some deer.

"Sunday 29, In 15 miles passed the creek 66 times,  Sundry horses were left, not being able to carry loads any further.  Encamped at a cane swamp.  This creek has been much frequented by Indians both traveling and hunting on it, and from many late signs I am apprehensive that Starnicker--the prisoners taken with him were carried this way.

""Monday 1st, of March (1756)

"Marched at 9 o'k.  In 4 miles left the Creek to Eastward, passed a gap in high ridge, and came upon a branch, where we camped in a large bend in a prominent place.    Sent Abrim Bledsher to hunt.

"Tuesday 2, Discovered recent signs of enemy Indians hunting camp: our Cherokees ranged the woods.  Moved down the branch and came to the main creek where we camped.    Put on half rations.  Came into the Cole (Coal) land:  crossed the river 8 times.

"Wednesday 3,  Marched only 8 or 10 miles being much retarded by the river and mountains which closed in on both sides, which made our marching very difficult, and more so as each man had but  half pound of flour and no meat but what we could kill and that was very scarce.

"Thursday 4, Lost many horses that wandered off and could not be found.    Marched 6 miles.  Hunters had no success, and nothing but hunger and fatigue appears to us.

"Friday 5, With great difficulty marched 15 miles: the river being very deep and often to cross, nearly killed the men, as they were in utmost extremity for want of provisions.  My fourth horse expired.

"Saturday 6,  As we encamped nigh the forks of the river, we only crossed the S. E. fork and encamped.  The Cherokees made bark canoes to carry themselves down the river.  Major Lewis had a large canoe made to carry the ammunition and small remnant of flour.  The men murmured much for want of provisions and numbers threatened to return home.

""Sunday 7, Marched to a place 6 miles below the forks of the river.    Mountains very high and no appearance of level country, which greatly discouraged the men.  The men were faint and weak with hunger and could not travel the mountains and wade the river as formerly, there was no game in the mountains, nor appearance of level country, and their half pound of flour would not support them, and that would soon be gone, and they intended to leave next morning and go home.  I proposed to kill the horses to eat, which they refused.  They said that might do to support them if they were on their way home,  but it was not a diet proper to sustain men on a long march against the enemy.  They finally agreed to make one more trial down the river.

"Monday 8, Proceeded down the river about 3 miles, where the mountains closed so nigh the water that we could not pass: went up a branch, crossed a very high mountain, and down another branch to the river, where we met a party of men who had been at the river and could not get down any further.  Crossed another mountain to the head of another branch which we followed several miles to the river and camped.  Some of the volunteers killed two elk, which they divided with us.

"Tuesday 9, The volunteers killed two buffalos and an elk, which helped us some, but the men are very faint and continue to murmur.  Did not move this day waiting for Major Lewis, and the rest of the men who were left at the forks of the river, supposed 15 miles.

"Wednesday 10, Sent a messenger with a letter to Major Lewis to come at once, as the men were determined to desert and go home.

"Thursday 11th,  8 of Capt. Smith's men went off and Bledsher and ----------.

Friday 12,  8 or 10 of my Company being ready to leave, I was obliged to disarm them and take their blankets from them by force.  Capt. Woodson arrived, with some of his company, and informed us that his canoe overset, and lost his tents and every thing of value.  Major Lewis' canoe was sunk in the river and he and Capt. Overton and Lieut. Gun had to swim for their lives: they lost every thing of value, particularly 5 or 6 guns.

"Saturday 13th, Major Lewis ordered each Capt. to call his company together immediately, which was done.  He made a speech to them, but they were obstinate.

"Major Lewis stepped off some yards, and desired all that were willing to share his fate, to go with him.  All the officers, and some privates, not above 20 or 30, joined him.  Then Montgomery's volunteers marched off, and were immediately followed by my company and Smith's: 4 private men and my lieutenants stayed with me.

"Major Lewis spoke to Old Autocity, who was much grieved to see the men desert, who said that he was willing to proceed, but some of his warriors and young men were yet behind, and he was doubtful about them.  Mr. Dunlap's volunteers went off in the afternoon.

"An account of miles marched each day on our journey to the Shawnees' towns.

It will appear by a close examination of this journal by one fully acquainted with the territory from the head waters of the Clinch to the mouth of the Dry Fork of the Tug Fork of Sandy, where the Station of Iaeger on the line of the Norfolk and Western Railway now stands, over which territory the expedition passed, that it proceeded by way of one of the North branches of the Clinch through the farm of the late W. G. Mustard in Tazewell County, thence through Maxwell's Gap on to the waters of Horse Pen Creek, thence down the same to Jacob's Fork, and down the same to the Low gap or Cane Brake in the ridge dividing the waters of Jacob's Fork from Dry Fork, and a little South and West of the residence of Rev. R. B. Godbey, on Jacob's Fork, then down the Dry Fork to its junction with the Tug or main fork.

Captain Hogg and his company finally overtook Major Lewis.  At the same time a messenger arrived directing the return of the expedition.  It however proceeded to the mouth of the Sandy, and some of the officers urged the crossing of the Ohio river, but it was finally decided to obey the summons to return.  The weather was extremely cold, snow having fallen the march was a difficult one, and the men stopping at Burning Spring (Warfield)  took strips of the hides of the buffaloes and broiled them in the burning gas.  They cut them into strips or thugs, hence the name of Tug River.    On leaving the spring they scattered through the mountains and many of them perished, either frozen to death, starved or killed by the Indians.  They left however, some marks by the way, cutting their names on trees on the route pursued by them, notably at the forks of Big Coal and Clear Fork of that River, but these trees have been destroyed in recent years.

As already stated, if Major Lewis ever made any written report of this expedition, the author has been unable to find it or any trace of it, and therefore we are without information as to the number of men lost on the expedition.

The Indians had discovered that Lewis and his men were on the Sandy or about the mouth of it, and some of them followed the whites for a distance on their way homeward.

A second Sandy expedition seems to have been contemplated, but for some reason abandoned.

Reference has already been made to that splendid body of land situated in the southeastern part of the present County of Tazewell. about fourteen miles from the Court House thereof and known as Burke's Garden.  Colonel William Preston, as we have seen from his journal, gives a short description of this body of land.  It appears that Lewis and his men saw this Garden within less than three years after Burke had discovered it.  Whether between 1753 and 1756 Ingles and Patton were therein surveying lands for the Loyal Company does not certainly appear.

Burke moved with his family into the Garden in 1754, (Note: A white thorn bush, sprout from an older bush, at a spring, near to the residence of Mr. Rufus Thompson, in Burke's Garden, is pointed out as the spot where Burke spent his first night in the Garden.) cleared up some land, and planted a crop, including potatoes, and in the fall of 1755 was driven out on account of fear of Indians, and left his crop of potatoes in the ground which Lewis' men found the next spring and appropriated.  Burke had killed a large number of deer, elk and bear, and had tanned a number of the hides, which he took with him when he left in the fall of 1755.  On his way out with his family he camped one night in an old hunter's cabin near what is now Sharon Springs in the now County of Bland, Virginia.  The Indians followed him, and on their way killed two hunters in their camp.  On approaching Burke's cabin and seeing several horses, and the tanned hides rolled up in the cabin, they came to the conclusion that there were too many people for them to attack, and contented themselves with the cutting of the throat of one of Burke's horses.  One of the evidences adduced that Burke had removed with his family to this Garden, and lived there in 1755, is that no mention of him or of his family is made in the history of the destruction of the Drapers Meadows settlers by the Indians on the 8th day of July, 1755, while all the other settlers are accounted for.  Burke was not killed in the Garden.  He was living and seen by Captain Preston and his men on the 15th day of February, 1756, when he reported to Major Lewis the killing by the Indians of a man by the name of Robert Looney near Alexander Sawyer's.  Burke with his family never returned to the Garden to live, first, because the Loyal Company claimed the land and had Ingles and Patton to survey it.  Second, Burke got not one foot of it, and third; he removed South where he died.  Many of his descendants, among them the Snidows, of Giles County, still reside in the New River Valley, and they seem never to have heard of the story that Burke was killed in the Garden.  Again Morris Griffith, the step son of Burke, who is reputed to have first seen the Garden, was captured at Vaux's Fort in the Summer of 1756, but escaped.

The failure of the Sandy expedition gave encouragement to the Indians and they prepared to assault more fiercely the border white settlements during the Spring, Summer and Fall months of 1756.

Vaux Fort situated on the Roanoke near where Shawesville Station on the line of the Norfolk and Western Railway Company now stands, was built prior to 1756, and destroyed in the early Summer of that year.

On September 8th, 1756, Governor Dinwiddie, (Dinwiddie Papers) writes to Captain Hogg as follows:  "I received yours of the 25th ult., and observe you have made a beginning to build a fort near Vass's plantation, which is well.  I am of the opinion that three forts are necessary, as the one you are constructing may be sufficient, as I hear Col. Washington is with you, counsel with him thereon."  This letter shows that Colonel George Washington was with Captain Hogg on the Roanoke at Vass's Fort when the above letter was written.

From the beginning of the French and Indian war in 1753 up to the close of the war in the year 1763, the border country from the lakes to the mountains of  North Carolina was scourged by Indian forays and incursions, and the few inhabitants were kept in almost constant fear.

Preston's Journal shows that several settlements had been made along Peak, Reed and other Creeks West of New River prior to 1756.  Among the parties he names are William Sawyers, Alexander Sawyers, and John McFarland, and Dr. Walker mentions Samuel Stalnaker as on the Holston on the 24th of March, 1750, when he and Mr. Powell helped him to raise a house.

Hale in his Trans Alleghany Pioneers states that seven families were settled West of New River in 1754, but gives the names of but two, Reed and McCorkle.

The New River lead mines were discovered by Colonel Chiswell in 1757.

About the year of 1758 Joseph Howe, and a little later James Hoge settled in the Back Creek Valley.

In 1760 an Indian marauding party penetrated the New River settlements, and passing over into what is now Bedford County, committed murders and other depredations and on its return, reaching the vicinity of Ingles' Ferry, was attacked by Captain William Ingles, Captain Henry Harman, (Harman Ms.) and others.  One white man and six or seven Indians were killed, and this was the last Indian foray that ever succeeded in penetrating so far into the interior.  Captain Henry Harman was a German, born in the Isle of Man, and first settled in Forsythe County, North Carolina, where he married Miss Nancy Wilburn, and removed to the New River Valley about 1758, and settled first on Buchanan's Bottom (the Major James R. Kent farm, below the present town of Radford, Virginia); and from thence removed to Walker's Creek in what is now Bland County, and shortly thereafter to the Hollybrook farm on Kimberling in the same County.

This name Harman being German, was originally Herman, and the family of this name that settled in the New River Valley, except Adam Harman, and in Tazewell County, Virginia, were all from the State of North Carolina.  Adam Harman and his family and all by that name that settled on the Jackson River and in Western Virginia came from the Valley of Virginia.

In the Fall of the year 1763, about fifty Indian warriors ascended the Great Sandy, and passed over the present territory of Mercer County on to New River, where they separated, forming two parties, one going towards the Jackson River, and the other towards the Roanoke and Catawba settlements.

Pitman, Pack and Swope, trappers on New River, discovered the trail of these Indians and the route they had taken, suspecting that they were preparing to attack the settlements just mentioned, they set out, Pitman for Jackson's River and Pack and Swope for Roanoke, but the Indians reached both places ahead of them.  After killing some people in the Jackson's River settlement and taking some prisoners, the Indians began a hasty retreat towards the Ohio, pursued by Captain Audley Paul with a company of twenty men from Fort Dinwiddie, and who followed the Indians up Dunlap's Creek over on to Indian Creek and New River, to the mouth of Piney Creek without discovering them, and Captain Paul started on his return.

The party that had crossed over on to the Roanoke and Catawba committed some depredations and murders, and captured three prisoners, a Mrs. Katherine Gun, a man by the name of Jacob Kimberline (who was taken from a creek now called Kimberling, a branch of Walker's Creek) and another whose name is not given.  This party was being pursued by Captain William Ingles, Captain Henry Harman and their men.  On the night of the 12th of October, the Indians pursued by Ingles and Harman were discovered by Captain Paul and his men about midnight, encamped on the North bank of the New River opposite an island at the mouth of Turkey Creek (now Indian Creek) in Summers County.  Paul's men fired on them, killed three and wounded several others, one of whom threw himself into the river to preserve his scalp, the rest of the party fled hurriedly down the river.

The Snidows came in 1766 and settled in the neighborhood of Philip Lybrook, near the mouth of Sinking Creek; however settlements had been made in the Greenbrier section of country by Marlin and Sewell in 1750, and some families came in 1762, but they were massacred by Indians in 1763, and resettlements did not begin in that section until the year of 1769

The Snidow family mentioned above, were Germans, and came from Pennsylvania.    John, the father, and head of the family, had in 1765 visited the New River section, and Philip Lybrook, whom it is supposed had been his neighbor in Pennsylvania.    He returned for his family and started with them for his new home in 1766, but on the road was taken suddenly and violently ill, from which illness he died.   His widow, Elizabeth, with her children, made her way to the New River home which had been selected and fixed upon by her husband.  This family later suffered from an Indian attack in which a part of its members were killed and a part captured.  This family became one of the largest and most influential of the settlers of the New River Valley.

Settlements began on the head waters of the Clinch in 1766-1767, but as there will be a chapter in this work devoted exclusively to the history of Tazewell County, in which these settlements were made, a statement in full in regard thereto is reserved to be stated in said chapter.

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