Second Siege of Wheeling
On Sunday preceeding the attack, Ebenezer and Jonathan Zane, and Stephen
Burkam returned from Stillwater, where they had been to get Indian horses,
got none, and were chased all the way to Wheeling. Mills was wounded, 17
wounds and two skips. Henry Smith was slightly wounded in the thigh. It
was 2 months before Mills was able to get about. Dr. Knight came once from
Pittsburg to see him. Mills desired Burkham to tomahawk him, to deprive the
Indians of that fun, in case they got into the fort.
The siege commenced on Wed afternoon, 15th or 16th Sep 1782.
Peter Neisinger and Hamilton Carr were out spying. The Indians crossed at
Bogg's Island - the main body. Some got on the Wheeling Island. A few days
before Andrew Zane had brought two 10 gall. kegs of whiskey from Cat Fish
Camp, within 2 or 3 miles of Wheeling, saw the signs and hid his kegs in a
tree top.
On the day of the attack, Andrew Zane, Stephen Burkam, Solomon (?) Wright,
and half a dozen others went for it. They saw the old sign, nothing more,
got to the fort spring, were drinking, when 2 spies came in. All went to
work preparing for the siege. All hands carried water from the river. Sun
near two hours high, they came beating the drums, and paraded themselves
along the hill. They stopped the music, Girty, with flag in hand made his
speech. Stated his strength (that Simopn had defeated the Kentuckians at
Blue Licks) that reenforcements with artillery would arrive.
Burkam fired 3 shots at Girty, and missed. The swivel was shot - grape
shot and bullets - 10 Indians scattered mostly into the cornfield among the
corn. There was moonlight, then a heavy fog. Pratt speaks, says he is a
Scotchman, closed by wishing them no harm. Betsey Wheat and George Girty
confabbed. Girty asked if they had whiskey. Yes, plenty of it. How was it
made? In a melting ladle, and you shall have a belly full of it. Said
Girty, "I'll have the fort before morning, or go to hell." "Hell
then,"
said Betsey, "is your portion, for into the fort, you cannot come." Then
commenced a mutual throwing of stones, after awhile firing commenced.
Archibald and George Carr, brothers of Hamilton, and Anthony Rigger, and
George Scott were also among the defenders. Silas Zane and Andrew Scott
were at the fort, and only Ebanezer Zane, Green, and the negro were at
Zane's house.
David Sullivan and two men with a load of cannon balls and despatches from
Pittsburgh to Gen Clark reached Wheeling just before the siege commenced.
Sullivan knew Girty personally and recognized his voice. Sullivan was
wounded the first night. [the bullet came in at the toe and lodged in the
instep, and had to be extracted at Pittsburg, where he went after loosing
his load, but Sullivan fought.
Two pickets fell, were put up, and a board nailed across on the inside.
John Tate and Conrad Stoup were gunners. Tate had been in the army. (Capt
Boggs sent for aid to Col James Marshel, on Buffaloe, etc) They fired the
cannon at Jacob Rigger's house, in which the Indians were hiding, cut the
joints in two, and the whole loft fell. Indians scattered out. The enemy
tried to fire the fort with flax, but failed.
At Zane's house, Old Sam, the negro, was slightly grazed. He pulled out his
plug, and fired out, saying, "Take care, Sambo is here!" They kept away
from Zane's the remainder of the night.
Next day they shot at a negro with the Indians, wounded him, and he
surrendered and came in. He had been taken on the Clinch, had on Maj
Harrison's coat, with a bullet hole in it.
The Indians put on pertticoats. They killed sheep, cattle, hogs and took
horses. They would cut out the tongues of cattle to eat. There were 11
horses and 12 cows at the fort, one of the latter was shot. That evening,
the Indians fired their wooden cannon, within 15 yds of the fort, and it
busted. At Muskingum, on their way out, the negro said, they made one
wrapped with elk tugs, and made some noise, but this with chains that did
not give. The next night there was some firing.
Friday, about noon, they last were seen on Wheeling Island. The men then
ran out of the fort and fired on them. Tate, an Irishman, seized the wooden
cannon and shouldered it, hollowaing out, "Tell your master that you left an
Irishman running off with your cannon."
Col Williamson did not come until late in the day, marching with some 40
men.
On Sat, Rice's Blockhouse was besieged by a part of this enemy. Sunday
morning early, 40 men (including Burkam and Moses Shepherd) under Capt
Ezekial De Witt, went from Lamb's fort, some 2 miles off, and followed the
trail some distance. [He] don't think Rice went from Lamb's during Sunday
night.
End of Stephen Burkam's narrative