Ucahula near Fort Duquesne while Fort Seybert is Massacred
The big story is that two Forts Upper Tract and Fort Seybert in old Augusta County Virginia were attacked and its people were massacred in April 1758. That's the big story. And it is really quite a story that has inspired a local group to build a fort and burn it down in an annual observance of that story.
But what is little told is that when "they" were sending war parties down to "us," we were sending war parties to them.
The Virginia Regiment has 6 men in unison with their equals and certainly their betters in the art of warfare -- 30 Cherokee men - - traveling through the mountains and woods right up to the opposite river bank of Fort Duquesne -- the source of all the attacks, the source of all of the pain.
Here we are in the heart of Spring in 2022 and only last month it snowed. Just as it was In 1758.
It is in that snow in the mountains, that Lieutenant Nathaniel Gist falls and lames himself temporarily. Some stay with him until he recovers. Others head closer to the enemy French Fort Duquesne.
Once there across the river from the fort, the son of Old Hop, Ucahula kills and scalps two Frenchmen fishing from a canoe near the fort in sight of some other French nearby also fishing.
Ucahula brings back the scalps to Colonel George Washington at Fort Loudoun Winchester VA.
Ucahula also reports that Fort Duquesne doesn't have many there.
And the fort has it's weak side facing the river protected only by a stockade.
Since there weren't many garrisoning the fort, the Cherokee had to wonder why the English are taking so long.
Do this now.
But Forbes was not going to do a long jump like Braddock had.
Forbes was going to build a new road with camps every 40 miles or so.
So the Cherokee war parties headed toward Fort Duquesne, waited in the woods and spied or harassed the enemy or took prisoners and scalps.
The Braddock Cannon:
By the way, just remember when you pass that abandoned Braddock Cannon on the corner of Cork and Braddock.
It is pointing northwest for a reason.
It's pointing towards Fort Duquesne, which is today's Pittsburgh.
Everything in this area was all about "reducing" Fort Duquesne.
Building Fort Loudoun was all about that.
Building of all the forts for the Virginia Regiment was all about that.
And all the Cherokee allies who came to Winchester were all about harassing anything that was associated with that fort.
Fort Upper Tract and Fort Seybert Massacred:
Also part of the spy report on Fort Duquesne was discovering traces of two big enemy war parties.
While Ucahala is returning from Fort Duquesne they find the imprints and tracks of two large enemy Indian parties.
These are probably the two war parties who attacked and massacred both Forts Upper Tract and Fort Seybert in what was then the old large Augusta County. That's what Ucahala and his warriors thought.
They don't mention Killbuck.
Other historians mention Killbuck was the leader of those enemy war parties.
See the locations of these 2 Forts in "Frontier Forts Google Maps."
Here's the spy report that landed on 4 May 1758
in Colonel George Washington's hands.
He is at fort Loudoun Winchester VA. He writes of this to Sir John St Clair .
You remember him?
Ben Franklin frightened half of the Pennsylvania German farmers to provide wagons and horses for Braddock in 1755 or The Hussar will be coming and you don't want that fury upon you. That Hussar was allegedly the temperamental John St Clair.
Dear Sir
I have now had an oppertunity of Examining Ucahula, an Indian Warrior that brought in the Scalps mentiond in my last. His acct is nearly the following.
The person receiving this spy report from Colonel George Washington is Sir John St Clair.
He is the famous "Hussar" Ben Fran Franklin used to scare the German Farmers of Pennsylvania to supply wagons and horses to the Braddock campaign in 1755. Ben Franklin does not try this scare tactic again for Forbes, because, after all Ben Franklin is in England .
Ben Franklin left for England 6 June 1757, arriving there 17 July 1757. Joan Paterson Kerr in the December 1976 Volume 28 Issue 1 of American Heritage states, " between 1757 and 1785 he lived a total of only three years on American soil."
Back to the letter:
That about the first of last Month [1 April 1758]
Lieutt Gist
with 6 Soldiers and 30 Indians
left the South Branch of Potomack River,
and after a tedious March
(occasiond by deep Snows on the Mountains)
Lt Nathaniel Gist hurt
they got upon the Waters of Monongahela,
where Mr Gist
by a fall from a steep Bank
got lamd [Lamed] &
was renderd incapable of Marching.
that the white Men
and some Indians stayd with him
and the remainder of the Indians
divided into three small parties
and proceeded whin [with]
He Ucahula with two others
went down the Monongahela
in a bark Canoe
and landed on the
No. Side [north side]
not far from Fort Duquesne—
That they lay there conceald two days
to make discoveries and if possible to get a prisoner,
but no favourable oppertunity offering to accomplish the latter
Two Scalps
they attack’d a Canoe in which two Frenchmen were Fishing, both of whom they killd & Scalpd in sight of some other Frenchmen also a fishing.1
The Weak side of the fort faces the river
This Indian’s Acct of Fort Du-quesne
corrisponds with most others I have heard,
vizt that it is strong on the Land side,
but stockado’d only where it Faces the Ohio.
Not many Enemy
It does not appear from his information,
that there are many Men there;
nor that they have thrown up any New Works.
He saw a Party on the other side the River
which he supposd to be newly come,
because, there were
several Canoes near them
and they seemd to be busied in putting up bark Huts
which however were not many &
only two Tents pitch’d.
Two Big Enemy Indian War Parties
When he got about
15 Miles this side Fort Duquesne
he came upon a large Indian Incampment, &
Tracts steerg towards Virginia;
and after the Parties had Joind &
were Marching in
Lieutt Gist came upon the Tract of another large Party
pursuing the same course—
Fort Upper Tract and Fort Seybert Massacred
these parties have since fallen upon
the back Inhabitants of Augusta County
and destroyd near 50 persons
besides an Officer & 18 Men of Captn Hogs Rangg Company
who we suppose (for I have no advice from him) we sent to the Country People’s Assistance.2
So soon as I got notice of this I orderd a Detachment from the Regimt and some Indians that were equipd for War to March & endeavour to intercept their retreat if they are not too numerous.
Ucahula Promsies a Prisoner in 20 days
I have also engagd Ucahula with a small party of brisk Men to go immediately to Fort Duquesne and try to get a Prisoner. He seems confident of Success; and promises to be back in 20 days at farthest.
Source:
Does Ucahula come back in 20 days with a French prisoner?
We are looking for that story.
And we looked. Maybe not long enough or far enough.
But we found nothing.
Maybe Ucahula fulfilled his promise? Did he fulfill his promise of getting a scalp in 20 days?
We just haven't found evidence.
Absence of Evidence is not proof of nothing happening. So we continue to be open to anyone discovering otherwise.
And while we are sending war parties to them, they are sending war parties to us.
That's it.
Below is the full letter with sources to back up the claims made here.
Compiled and authored by Jim Moyer, researched April and May 2022, updated 5/22/2022
The compete letter
with Founders Online footnotes.
From George Washington
to John St. Clair,
4 May 1758
To John St. Clair Fort Loudoun May 4th 1758.
Dear Sir I have now had an oppertunity of Examining Ucahula, an Indian Warrior that brought in the Scalps mentiond in my last. His acct is nearly the following.
That about the first of last Month Lieutt Gist with 6 Soldiers and 30 Indians left the South Branch of Potomack River, and after a tedious March (occasiond by deep Snows on the Mountains) they got upon the Waters of Monongahela, where Mr Gist by a fall from a steep Bank got lamd & was renderd incapable of Marching. that the white Men and some Indians stayd with him and the remainder of the Indians divided into three small parties and proceeded whin He Ucahula with two others went down the Monongahela in a bark Canoe and landed on the No. Side not far from Fort Duquesne—That they lay there conceald two days to make discoveries and if possible to get a prisoner, but no favourable oppertunity offering to accomplish the latter they attack’d a Canoe in which two Frenchmen were Fishing, both of whom they killd & Scalpd in sight of some other Frenchmen also a fishing.1
This Indian’s Acct of Fort Du-quesne corrisponds with most others I have heard, vizt that it is strong on the Land side, but stockado’d only where it Faces the Ohio. It does not appear from his information, that there are many Men there; nor that they have thrown up any New Works. He saw a Party on the other side the River which he supposd to be newly come, because, there were several Canoes near them and they seemd to be busied in putting up bark Huts which however were not many & only two Tents pitch’d.
When he got about 15 Miles this side Fort Duquesne he came upon a large Indian Incampment, & Tracts steerg towards Virginia; and after the Parties had Joind & were Marching in Lieutt Gist came upon the Tract of another large Party pursuing the same course—these parties have since fallen upon the back Inhabitants of Augusta County and destroyd near 50 persons besides an Officer & 18 Men of Captn Hogs Rangg Company who we suppose (for I have no advice from him) we sent to the Country People’s Assistance.2
So soon as I got notice of this I orderd a Detachment from the Regimt and some Indians that were equipd for War to March & endeavour to intercept their retreat if they are not too numerous. I have also engagd Ucahula with a small party of brisk Men to go immediately to Fort Duquesne and try to get a Prisoner. He seems confident of Success; and promises to be back in 20 days at farthest.
The two Virga Companies from Carolina came to this place Yesterday. inclosd is a return of their Strength.3
I am Sir Yr most Obedt & Most Hble Servt Go: Washington
ALS, Scottish Record Office; LB, DLC:GW.
Founders Online Footnotes:
1. On this day GW wrote to Blair a little less detailed account of the exploits of Ucahula and Lt. Nathaniel Gist. See GW to Blair, 4–10 May, and notes. Robert Stewart’s account written for General Forbes on the same day is more detailed but told in much the same words (Stewart to Forbes, 4 May 1758, Scottish Record Office: Dalhousie Muniments).
2. See GW to Blair, 4–10 May, n.1. Peter Hog, former captain of the 1st company of the Virginia Regiment, was at this time captain of a company of rangers in Augusta County.
3. The returns of the two companies brought back from South Carolina by Adam Stephen have not been found.
Source:
3. Nathaniel Gist, the second son of Capt. Christopher Gist, became a lieutenant at the end of 1755 in his father’s company of scouts, which was attached to GW’s regiment, and he remained in the Virginia Regiment after the scouts were disbanded in 1757. Ucahula (Ocayula) was a son of the Cherokee emperor Old Hop. GW’s letter to John St. Clair of 4 May seems to suggest that GW got this account from Ucahula himself.
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