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Subject: [PAWASHIN-L] Reminiscences of Early Times by Mary Covalt (Born 1772, the 4th of 10 children)
Date: Tue, 2 May 2000 21:44:00 EDT
I will call the attention of the reader to the early days of 1788. The first
day of January of that year I left Pennsylvanis for Ohio (then called Indian
country) in company with Captain Covalt (who was my father) and seven other
families; they were Robert McKinney, J. Pittman, J. Webb, J. Hutchins, David
Smith, Z. Hinkle, T. Covalt and their families. It was with regret not
unmixed with pleasure that we left our pleasant homes to contend with the red
men who then inhabited this western country. We moored our boats at Columbia
on the nineteenth of January. We did not have the gay steamer that now plys
the wide waste of waters but the simple flat boat of our own construction.
Captain Covalt had two boats, one 55 and the other 40 ft. long, the family
occupied one, the other for his stock and farming implements for he came
prepared for the wild woods. He had some 20 head of cattle, swine and sheep
and 7 horses, the best ever came to the west. We met with very few incidents
of interest on our voyage with exceptions of our boats becoming stranded on
the ice and that filled our hearts with fear and terror. But with the united
excretion of the men in the different boats we soon pursued our perilous
journey. As I have said we landed on the 19th of January, we erected a tent
on the banks of the little Miami in which place we remained for one week;
while the men were erecting a temporary dwelling when it was completed, they
came for their families. We then movd to our new home which was 7 miles from
our tent and one mile below the town of Milford, now stands. The first night
we stayed in our new home, there were 45 in number.
A fort was soon erected which consisted of seventeen dwelling houses and 4
blockhouses. It was called Covalt's fort. He was the proprietor and owned the
land. His first purchase consisted of 600 acres of land.
My father soon built a mill, he brought the mill stones and a millwright
whose name was Hinkle. This was the first mill in the Miami Purchase. During
this time we had not been molested but once by the Indians. 5 days after we
landed we had 5 of our horses stolen, each valued at $100. The sound of the
axe was heard in the thick woods, to gell the sturdy oak and remove the wide
spreading branches, from off the ground and prepare it for the summer crop.
We were unmolested during the summer. In the fall they came into the
neighborhood but they did little damage. They killed one hog and roasted it
and stole a horse from Mr. Batz. The Indians were pursued and one of them was
overtaken--he had creased the horse so badly that he could not travel very
fast. The Indian had a rope over his shoulder and was pulling it along. When
the white men came near enough, three of them discharged their rifles and one
of them felled him to the ground. They scalped him and took his gun,
tomahawk, cap and knife and brought them to the fort.
Abraham Covalt and Abel Cook were chosen as their hunters to supply the
inhabitants of the fort with game. Theirs was a perilous mission. During the
winter and spring, the soldiers were often called to repulse the red foe, who
would come so close to the fort that we could hear the noise and confusion at
their camp for two or three days at a time.
Well, I do remember one night, whilst we were miling and the sentinels were
guarding us, some Indians concealed behind a fence. They made their escape
and when they arrived at their towns, they told the prisoners what had
happened and how they acted. About this time the Indians became very
troublesome. They attacked Dunlap's station (now cold rain) and told the
soldiers they had taken Covalt's fort and had sent a company to take the fort
at Cincinnati and that they might as well surrender for they were bound to
take the fort. But they had a brave commander, one who was not frightened by
their savage threats of cruelty. They fought with great bravery to defend
their rites. Their commander was Lt. Hartshorn. During the seige he put his
cap on a staff and elevated it above his place of concealment. The savages
fired at it and it fell to the ground. The savages raised their well known
whoop and filled the air with their hideous cries.
By this time, Captain Covalt had sent to Cincinnati for reinforcements which
were sent to their relief for the Indians attacked it again before relief had
come, the beseiged must have fallen prey to the tomahawk and scalping knife.
In June 1788 a company of five men went out on a hunting expedition they were
A. Covalt, E. Fletcher, L. Buckingham, P. Beagle and Clemmons. After they had
gone a short distance from the fort, Covalt said, "Boy, the Indians are not
far off, we had better return to the fort and apprise them of the approach of
the Indians, so they can repulse them before they come any nearer." Still
they did not see the Indians but they started for the fort. The hunters had
separated from each other Beqgle and Clemmons were together when they came to
shawnee run, they saw two Indians sitting on the bank taking off their
mocasins to wade over to the other side. Beagle wanted to shoot at them but
Clemmons said "No, if you do I am dead man if they attack us. I am old and
clumsy and I cant run and I must become a prey to their savage cruelty."
Beagle did not shoot.
The Indians did not go more than twenty yards up the ravine when they came on
contact with the other three Indian men. The Indians fired before the white
men saw them Covalt was wounded, Fletcher and him ran together about a
hundred yards when Covalt said, "For God's sake Fletcher make your escape for
I am a dead man." He was shot through the breast--he did not expire
immediately after he fell. He had fought the Indians as long as he had
strength he had received several wounds in the face. The tomahawk did its
work of death. They took his rifle and powder horn. He threw away his
tomahawk. It was found some 20 years later by his companion-Levi Buckingham.
Thus ended the life of one of the brave sons of Pennsylvania as ever inhaled
the morning air. He was as undaunted as a lion and as active as a deer that
bounds through the forest. In his deportment he was genteel and affable. He
was beloved by all that knew him. He left many friends to bemoan his loss.
The other four hunters got to the fort safe, they soon called their little
band together to go search for Covalt. They brought him to the fort to pay
last tribute of respect to so brave a man. They did not pursue the foe, for
their number being too small to be divided.
To be continued.............
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