Neally's Fort
We were recently asked about Neally's Fort location. A massacre occurred there.
Alas not only details on this massacre are scant but so has the sign become missing.
That massacre
was either in April
or September of 1756.
But we wanted to tie in
something about 1757
since in this year of 2021
we are covering 1757.
And yes by the way,
that sign might be wrong.
The massacre might have occurred
in April 1756
instead of September 1756
according to the
late local historical researcher
Norman Baker.
But what do we have on this fort in 1757?
We got something of 1757 on it.
We got it confirmed that by December of 1757 there were no Virginia Regiment soldiers garrisoning that fort. This link shows a roster and locations of garrisons. Look at Captain Joshua Lewis Company. His men were stationed all around that area.
But they were garrisoning that fort in June and then in August 1757.
Blog compiled and authored by Jim Moyer researched first in 2016, updated 12/11/2021, 12/12/2021
The Questions:
Precise location of the fort?
Details on the massacre?
Proof of Virginia Regiment garrisoning that fort?
Where was the fort?
It's sign is missing.
The historical sign on Route 11 north of Martinsburg has been missing sometime between Sept 2012 and Nov 2015. We know this because the Google car captured a siting of the sign in Sept 2012. By the next time it drove by in Nov 2015, the sign was gone except for its pole.
And was there another settler fort in the Green Springs area near North Mountain and possibly near Marion Street and 654 on what is now Virginia's Frederick County side of the border?
A local resident wonders about that Green Springs area.
We wonder if that could have been Neally's fort?
Or does this indicate 2 Neally's forts? would the fort have been rebuilt in a different location after the massacre? Norman Baker wonders about that fort being rebuilt after the massacre.
The Neally property was extensive and covered a good amount of land along Great North Mountain range which now crosses state borders.
Norman Baker's description of location:
See map location of fort here.
One of the country forts deep within the inner inhabitants and “under the North Mountain,” that was probably built immediately after Braddock’s defeat in 1755. It was also one of the forts of tragedy, along with Fort Seybert and Fort Upper Tract, but more of a mystery in its defeat.
.
This was a settler’s stockade, built on the 200 acre settlement land surveyed for William Neally in 1751. After the fort was built, this tract and an adjoining tract of 285 acres on the east were acquired by John Neally in 1756. It was on the east bank of Opequon Creek, 4.4 miles northeast of Mendenhall’s Fort and 6.4 straight-line miles northeast of Evan’s Fort. Neally’s Fort was west by northwest of the present community of Greenburg, west of County Road 5, and 1.2 miles west by northwest of that road’s intersection with County Road 5-3. County Road 5 is the early Vestal’s Gap to Watkin’s Ferry Road. An early branch of that road is believed to have passed through Neally’s settlement, by the fort site, and across the Opequon to the west bank, to connect with the main Indian War Path near the present community of Berkeley.
.
Neally’s adjoining neighbors were Robert Stockton on the west and south, Jacob Morgan also on the south, William Maxwell on the east, and Indian trader, Captain Richard Pearis [my note I think that should mean Robert Pearis, Richard’s brother] across the present County Road 5 on the northeast. Pearis was the brother of militia Captain Robert Pearis of Pearis Fort near Winchester. The father of Richard and Robert, George Pearis, mentioned in his will his daughter Christian Neally and his grandson John Neally.
Source:
"French and Indian War in Frederick County Virginia With the Forts of the French and Indian War On the Northwestern Frontier" by Norman L Baker published 2000 by The Winchester-Frederick County Historical Society, printed in USA by Buckley's Printing 946 Baker Lane Winchester VA, page 172-173.
Details on the Massacre are?
Norman Baker's information on the massacre:
Kercheval wrote that early in the morning of the day after the attack on Evan’s Fort, i.e. April 23, 1756, the same Indian war party attacked Neally’s Fort. Most of the people at the fort were massacred and several prisoners were taken.
A later writer offered a starkly conflicting date for the tragedy.
According to the more recent narrative, the attack on the fort took place early in the morning of September 17, 1756, almost 5 months later.
There seems to be an agreement about what little is known regarding what happened during and after the attack. The defeat of this fort and the extent of its losses are for the most part shrouded in mystery. The record of the massacre is scant.
.
Among the captives of the Indians following the attack was the entire family of “Cohoon,” including small children, and Isabella Stockton, age 19, and George Stockton, age 12, children of Robert Stockton. The raid destroyed the Cohoon family. Cohoon would escape while being taken by his captors over the North Mountain, after his pregnant wife was slain by the war party because she could not keep up. A James Cohoon (Colhoon, Calhoon, Calhoun) would reside in Berkeley County until his death in late 1777 or early 1778. George Stockton would return from captivity after 3 years. Isabella would be a captive for several more years.
Source:
"French and Indian War in Frederick County Virginia With the Forts of the French and Indian War On the Northwestern Frontier" by Norman L Baker published 2000 by The Winchester-Frederick County Historical Society, printed in USA by Buckley's Printing 946 Baker Lane Winchester VA, page 172-173.
Norman Baker's argument for April 1756 instead of Sept 1756:
What evidence is available to support the earlier date for the attack.
Washington would record on April 24, 1756:
that “three families were murdered” by the raiding Indians.
Three families can be accounted for as essentially destroyed by the raid, by accepting the April date for the defeat of Neilly’s Fort.
The family of David Kelly was killed and his wife and all but one of his children captured under Mills Gap on that date.
In addition the settlement of Darby McKeaver on the Great Cacapon was wiped out, apparently at the same time.
Finally there was the horrible destruction of the family of Cohoon.
There are no separate reports of Indian activity in the vicinity of Neally’s Fort during September. The records of the Virginia Regiment or militia activities for the period make no mention of what would have been an event prompting a military response.
Source:
"French and Indian War in Frederick County Virginia With the Forts of the French and Indian War On the Northwestern Frontier" by Norman L Baker published 2000 by The Winchester-Frederick County Historical Society, printed in USA by Buckley's Printing 946 Baker Lane Winchester VA, page 172-173.
Back to Previous
Did Virginia Regiment garrison it?
June 1757
Washington directs Capt Joshua Lewis to detach 4 VA Regiment soldiers to the fort to be relieved weekly.
GW at Fort Loudoun writes to Capt Joshua Lewis 6 June 1757:
.
August 1757
Capt Joshua Lewis was ordered to garrison 10 soldiers at fort.
GW at Fort Loudoun writes to Capt Joshua Lewis 3 Aug 1757
.
December 1757
No one garrisoned at fort
.
Proof of this is a 1 Dec 1757 roster and list of garrison locations shown here:
.
Norman Bakers writes:
The fort was either not destroyed by the raid, or it was rebuilt.
In June 1757, Washington directed Captain Joshua Lewis to detach four Virginia Regiment soldiers to the fort, to be relieved weekly. Again in August 1757, Lewis was ordered to garrison a detachment of 10 soldiers at the fort. In December 1757, Regiment soldiers were not being garrisoned at Neally’s.
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