Here is a narrative of "Old" Elijah McClanahan, my 6th great grandfather.
The Indian massacre took place in early 1764 in what is now known as
Bath County, Virginia in an area called "The Cowpasture." It was here that "Olde
Elijah" lost his wife, Ann and their youngest child, both killed by the
In-dians. "Olde Elijah" himself was severely tomahawked, but was saved
only by the fact that he had a pen in his hat. The Indians, realizing he
could write, did not kill him and apparently wanted his writing ability
for an unknown reason. However, not long after the massacre, Captain
Lewis, following the raiding party with a group of local militia, came
upon the Indians. "Olde Elijah" was rescued as well as several other
cap-tives. This was attested to in a letter written by Reverend John
Brown who wrote to Colonel William Preston in June 1764 the following"
Captain Lewis came up with the Indians that killed the people at
cowpasture and one Frenchman and it is thought wounded some Indians and
res-cued several prisoners, among whom were old Elijah McClanachan."
Further
evidence of this massacre was written personally by "Olde Elijah's"
grandson, Colonel Elijah McClanahan of Roanoke, Virginia, son of William
and Sarah (Neeley) McClenachan. Colonel Elijah McClanahan corresponded
with Lyman C. Draper. In one of these letters, dated 19 March 1846, is
given a vivid account of the massacre.
Letter dated March 19,
1846. Again, this is only part of the entire letter addressed to Lyman
C. Draper: "Your other inquiry is as to my father's birth and decease.
When I had the pleasure of seeing you at Bent Mountain, I mentioned the
circumstances of my father's mother and his younger brother being killed
by the Indians in what is now Bath County and that part of it called
the Cowpasture, what county it was then, I can't say. My grandfather was
wounded at same time and taken prisoner and pursued. The prisoners all
retaken and my grandfather tomahawked and hurt in the head by the
Indians on finding they were overtaken, but was carried in and lived. He
told me of several incidents that occurred whilst on his march with the
Indians. Such as taking two small children (There mothers prisoners) by
the heels and dashing their brains against a tree because they cryed
and that they held two counsels about him together, he being very unable
to travel on account of his wound and that he was saved by a pen in his
hat showing he could write for which they were desirous to take him to
the nation. My grandfather was from Ireland and an excellent scholar."
-- From Janet Skelton's GEDCOM @ RootsWeb.com
Before and during the French and Indian War, the Scots/Irish were among
the first to suffer, and among those who suffered most because of their
inhabitation of the frontier and their proximity to the various Indian
tribes, many of whom couldn’t get along with each other, let alone, with
the white settlers. The Scots/Irish had fresh memories of the border
raids from the days back in Northern Ireland and Scotland. The Augusta
Stone Church and other dispersed meeting houses throughout the
Shenandoah Valley became refuges against Indian attacks. During one such
raid, the family of Col. Elijah and Ann Ewing McClanahan came under
Indian attack and the lone survivor of that family was their young
daughter Hannah (later the wife of John Greenlee, a son of James and
Mary McDowell Greenlee) who hid under a log footbridge across the nearby
creek. Many other Scots/Irish had been killed at Tickling Springs, 10
miles from Augusta. Joist Hite of Winchester, Frederick (old Orange)
County, Virginia constructed a fort near his home of the Opecquon Creek,
where the frontier families of that area, including the Hites, Woods,
and McDowell families gathered for shelter during Indian raids.
- - From http://home.comcast.net/~davidmartin/ppl/a/b/abc80ae0ab37d0d9005.html
