~Rememberances~

The following is a document provided by Craig GRAU (152 Calvary Rd, Duluth, MN 55803), in November 2000, that was an interview with John F. CRAIG, son of William Daniel CRAIG, Sr. John was a farmer in Jeffersonville. I have typed it as received from Craig.

William CRAIG , my father came from Maryland (where I was born in 1769) when I was a child; and settled on Greenbriar, the south side, between 2nd Creek and where is now Monroe Court House. Had a station there. (That is a fort with bastions.) I recollect when the men left there to go to the Battle of the Point . And another time when my father and another man, asked to be allowed to stand sentry for that night. They danced and were off their guard so much in the fort he wanted to break it up. At night they fired their guns, my father at a big tree. Tom NICHOLS(sic-NICKELL) ran up into the bastion (before my father could get out of the way) (the other man hid immediately) and asked him if he had hit anything. My father said he had. Nichols asked if he was sure. He said he was quite sure he had hit it. Nichols called up his dog and rushed out of the fort gate. Had there been Indians he couldn't have acted with more imprudence. Joseph CORRY(sic-CURRY) , the fiddler, was so frightened he crept under the ground log of the house. This broke up the frolicking. The station was 10 or 15 miles from Lewisburg, I suppose. There were people living 'round that made up the station (or fort) Craig's Station and Soaps Knobs were both in what might be called the heart of the country.

Over on the other side of the Knobs was a creek that runs into Greenbriar which was a danger (attack of). The Indians stole horses there. At the mouth of Greenbriar lived 2 brothers named Van-bibbee . Grimes Fort on the other side of Greenbriar was attack and a young man named Caldwell (?) from our neighborhood was killed. That was all that was done. At the time of the attack that was made on Donelly's Station it was Philip HAMMOND that with another man (the nearest station on the north side of Greenbriar) went there from Point Pleasant to give notice that they had seen an army of Indians pass up. The night after they had gotten there the Indians came. When the Indians arrived, they made a rush up on the gate and pressed against it so hard that they thought they would get in. Philip HAMMOND let the gate come and shot one of the Indians and they left. An express had been sent to the settlement. A company came which was ____ from the bastion. When they made their rush to the fort, the gates were opened and they were let in without any loss. Phillip HAMMOND lived here, my neighbor till 20 odd years ago when he moved to Alabama and has since died. His oldest son lives 8 or 9 miles above West Liberty in Morgan. My father and one Capt. SMITH that lived between him and Bottecourt Court House on Craig's (?) Creek (a creek the other side of the Sweet Spring Mountains as you go to Bottecourt (court house) made a tour down the Ohio and up the Cumberland. My father had heard that Continental money was going to be better than gold or silver. He sold everything he could even his silver shoe buckles and took it. They had heard that it was so much better than silver or gold at Natchez and started to dispose of it in speculation. For some cause my father didn't go all the way and for $1500 that he had only got out wintering and a saddle. The money was afterwards valuable and many did well with it for it was received in payment for land warrants. After returning from the tour my father lived on the east side of Soaps Knobs. They were not forted there. Before I left they were trying to get the county divided so as to have a county seat on the south side of the Greenbriar River.

After the Battle of the Point, 9 or 10 chiefs came to Point Pleasant where my father was at the time stationed, and Cornstalk was marking down on the floor, for the officers, a map of the Ohio country; when suddenly a "halloo" was heard from the other side of the river. Cornstalk stopped and wouldn't mark any more, saying that's my son Nipsico[Elinispico] . He was sent for and brought over. Word was there also gotten that some men had been killed that day over on the other side of the River. That night the Indians were all shut up together in the guard-house. On the next day, Cornstalk said for them to keep his son and all the other chiefs and let him only go, and he would bring them the man that had killed the white man. They would not, but set to work to killing them here. Nipsico jumped on the rafters, and began to tear away the singles in order to make his escape. Cornstalk it is said called out to his son "Come down, Nipsico, the Great Spirit sent you here yesterday to died with me today." Nipsico came down, sat by the others to await with him the common fate.

In the fall of 1788, I think, my father and family came to Kentucky and settled within 3 miles of Stroude's Station. Ben Combs and his son were out in the Indians' old fields hunting _or has a claim _ and his son's horse was shot from under him.

He was there on his way to there. A little company of us who were there hunting, and started in. When we got to the fork of the trace our part leading to Stroud direct, the other trace leading to there, by way of Hood's Station (a little this side of there to the right) we stopped and parleyed awhile to know which road we should go but at length agreed to go to Hood's. Had we kept on the other we would have come right in among the Indians who attacked Combs . That night a company was raised as at break of day, just as we were bout starting guns were heard at Crossweights and we just broke right off for there. The family were clearing a piece of ground. A black woman was tomahawked and scalped who yet lived some time. One of the foremost Indians was seen to slip into the cane as we got there. At the time that Martins and Riddles Stations were attacked a party came also to attack Strode's. Early in the morning W. Spohr went to drive out the cattle from the fort. Spohr's daughter and Donaldson's daughter that was since my wife went out with him. The Indians shot Spohr and had hoped to have caught the children, and would have done so but that on the firing the dogs broke out on them so furiously __ and so both the girls got in. They then attacked the station. All the men but 2 or 3 were out somewhere and the station would have been taken but for one Benjamin Donoway who was there from McGee's Station. He got up and talked with the Indians or their white men. Afterwards my wife's father Patrick Donnielson(sic, Donaldson) went to look over the fort gate and was shot in the forehead. Donielson had a survey on a creek of his name. His children were, Elizabeth, Mrs. Couchuden , born February 6, 1776, Rebecca, Mrs. Jones born May 17, 1767, John, General Danialson(Donaldson) , born July 9, 1769; Mary, Mrs. Craig born May 20 1770, Hannah (deceased) born January 19, 1776, Sally married a Danielson , born 1778 age 1 year, 4 months, 11 days, and one son and 5 daughter that lived.

John Flemming , a Captain in the Revolutionary War, married the widow Danielson it being his first marriage. He had a survey where his station was on the Fleming. Have heard him say he loved whiskey better then ever he did his mother's milk. He was a smart, shrewd, sensible man but he destroyed himself as did his two sons. He was born 1735. His children were: William Flemming , born December 15, 1782; John born August 19, 1786; Thomas born October 29, 1788.

I was at Harmer's defeat and in Scott's Campaign to the Wabash, in the close of the summer of 1791. The man who was our guide, had a wife in town, and we didn't know it. We were in a little hollow not far off and as we camped for breakfast ,some men who went on as spies, got into the edge of the prairies and saw them. Scott ordered us immediately forward on our horses. When we got there they were fairly surprised. The men had but time to rush to their canoes and get into the broad river, as we poured on them a fire perhaps destructive to everyone. We know not that one escaped. Beside this we got 90 prisoners, one of them an old chief. Our only loss was at the crossing White River where 11 of our men got drowned. Two of them were of our mess, Berry and Sedgewoods . They lived on Howard's Creek a little beyond Winchester. It poured down rain I don't know how many days and nights, after we turned back, was the reason I suppose why we were not persued. We had drawn rations for 6 days at the mouth of the Kentucky. Some wasted and ate up theirs and then stole from the others. They were 12 of us in our mess, a double one. In this half were Col. McMullin, General Donaldson , my wife's brother and myself. The Colonel took our bag and lay it under his head, and while he slept, some one came and stole it out. We had now to live on the other half's mess, until we got to the Ohio.

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