Scott County Historical Society
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send you a password reset link.
Scott County Chronicle
Vol. 15 No. 3 – Published by the Scott County Historical Society, Editor; David Jeffers
Indian stories, as told by H. Clay Smith
NOTE: -This article was printed in the SCOTT COUNTY NEWS, Friday, April 12, 1968.
Reprinted with permission of Mrs. H Clay Smith.
Background To Some Indian Stories
I am often asked to write about what part of Indians played in the founding of this part of Tennessee. I wrote several articles on the Indians in and around this part of Scott County in the early days of this section.
Now, the only Indian affairs that had some influence on why some of our people drifted into this section was the terrible Indian killings that took place in our neighbors state of Kentucky. These rough times did cause many pioneer Drifters who had started to Kentucky to change their mind and drift further South into the Powell Valley and then follow the Indian in Buffalo trails on into this section. I mentioned this before. But I did not name the ruffian that caused much of the trouble. Old Simon Girty, The Butcher.
The above named was among the worst these that changed many a man’s trail. He was the Jessie James of the West, who likewise changed the way many settlers of the West travelled.
The name Simon Girty was nothing more than terror during the years of early settlers in Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan and Tennessee. Yes! He played a part in more settlers lives than any other character of his day.
Some men are born to lead, and they care not under whose banner they follow. Simon Girty was a champion of his cause. he could be placed alongside so many of those like Hitler Castrod in the Hanoi group, who say they are champions of liberty. Yet they lead their forces against innocent humanity which offers an opportunity for gratification for such an ambition. Their reputation must be gained by ignoring virtue placing the shackles upon liberty and crushing the helpless. Such was Simon Girty. He was born an Irish-American. By habit he was a savage inhumane monster. He had a fiery disposition from his life in the wilderness.
Millard Sanduskey A Native Of Kentucky
Mr. Sanduskey lived on a small clearing in West Oneida. Mr. Sandusky had granted several hundred acres of land on what was later known as the R.S. Marcum farm. Mr. Sanduskey was from the noted Sanduskey’s from Wayne and Pulaski County, Kentucky. If there was ever anyone who had the story of Girty “down pat” it was Mr. Sanduskey.
Mr. Sanduskey let it be known that the mighty great and fiery disposition of this man Girty was all a direct cause from drinking of liquor. It was thought by him and his forefathers as well as early historians, that if Mr. Girty had not spent so much of his time with Indians and drinking the liquor his name might this day be among the records of the great soldiers of the Revolutionary days.
He had spent so much time drinking and traveling in the company of bloodthirsty Indians who had raided the early travelers and settlers in the area of Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, as well as Ohio and Michigan. It is said he roamed over a greater distance than did Jesse James and his outlaw gang did in their day. He was to his territory what Jesse James later was to the western states.
Girty was born somewhere near Fort Pitt about 1750. He started his life with his father tramping off to the woods with liquor and other articles to trade to the Indians for fur. He had two brothers, James and George. All these boys took to the woods with their father but not so wildly as did Simon.
For several years Simon lived in the wilderness with his red brothers, of whom he had become attached as history says, he was but five years old at this time. The instructions he received from the Indians made an indelible impression upon his tender mind. Later years he was rescued several times. Once just after he had been captured by Col Boquet. The lad could not be kept with the whites, except by force. By the age of 24, it looked as if the fiery Irishman would become one of the most worthy of the Girty family. He was by now a spy with Kenton in Dunmore’s war. During this exciting period of his life, we find his skill in Indian life and woodcraft had made him a very valuable scout for Co. Kenton and his other scouts.
Simon Kenton spoke of him as the skillful, fearless and a very heroic scout, or spy he saved Kenton’s life on one occasion by being in good grace with the Indians.
After he completed his services with Col. Kenton, he joined the American cause for the struggle of freedom. He was made a commander of a company of militia and in this capacity he did active service until the year 1778. After this he was stationed at Pittsburgh. His ambitions called for promotion. This was denied him on the statement that others were constantly preferred before him. Here his furious Irish blood rose to a feverish pitch. He determined to play traitor, flee to the British ranks and gain their promotion he was so much desired. He gathered about him twelve of his best friends and joined in with three others by the name of Elliott, Alexander and McKee. Some circulated the false and malicious stories among the Indians, inciting them to take up arms against the American. The injury done by this renegade body, just at the critical house in our young America was incalculable.
Neutral tribes were told that Washington was dead; that Congress was broke up; that defeat after defeat had followed the efforts of the American army, in the in a short time the English would sweep down upon all opposing Indians with destruction and much bloodshed.
Moravian Missionary Heckel Welder
Had it not been for the Moravian missionary Heckel Welder much more damage would have been done by the Indians, including our Cherokees. In 1801 these Moravians founded a mission at Spring Place. The first mission was founded in the home of James, Va. Abraham Steiner assisted in preaching along with Gottlieb Byham and Jacob Woolfahart. This record founded in Register No.11 A Cherokee Collection, furnished to me by The Tennessee Manuscript Division of Tennessee State Library and Archives.
When Girty and his famous colleagues, abandon Fort Pitt they struck across the country toward British headquarters at Detroit. It would be difficult to determine how many massacres, scalpings, crusades, and savage battles this white man of the woods engaged in during the remainder of the war. The whites along the border states dreaded him as no other was dreaded before. The way he wielded the tomahawk toward his white blood brothers was horrible record that has never been surpassed by a white man.
His Bloody Attack At Bryant Station
On this bloody attack he had 600 painted friends with him when he surrounded this station; silence fell over the station when the old man, women and children of the settlers gathered together as best they could to protect themselves. With silence the noiseless steps the renegade and his subjects performed their journey of many miles after night.