tugh-qua, meaning Cornstalk, signifying a blade (or stalk) of the maize plant.

In order to understand the Indian, it is necessary to know something of his history and environment. As far back as 1669, when La Salle's expedition descended the Ohio, and when at the mouth of the Mississippi in 1682 he claimed all the Mississippi Valley for the French crown, in his speech he named the Shawanoe (or Shawnee) tribes in the Ohio region.

It was into one of these Shawnee tribes that Cornstalk was born to become its chief. We know but little of his early history, but one can easily imagine what the effect would be on a growing youth, to see the whites coming into his country and taking possession; making it necessary for the Indians to appeal first to the French and then to the English for the right to hold their hunting ground and home-land. They felt that their enemies had combined for their destruction and they found themselves engaged in a fearful struggle, which involved not only their glory but their very existence. Many of them thought that the two white nations had conspired to destroy them and then to divide their lands. Cornstalk the Shawnee, and Logan the Mingo, were both young men, but there is every reason to suppose that they received their "baptism of fire” in the French-Indian war.

Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Pennsylvania, all are largely made up of the lands which were by original treaty given to the Indians. The Indians had been much dissatisfied ever since the first treaties were made. They claimed that they had been made by a few only and the United States had told them that if any white. citizens attempted to settle on their lands they might

"punish them as they pleased". Probably the greater • part of the white settlers were ignorant of this provision in the treaties, as are a great many American citizens today, who are unaware that the Indians had provocation, or right to kill intruders on their land. By the narratives of those who were with the Indians for any length of time, we learn that prisoners were humanely

treated. The adoption

rites may have been severe, but once received into the tribe a prisoner was treated with kindness and consideration. After the year 1790, this could not be affirmed of Ohio tribes.

The Shawnees were a warlike tribe and there is no doubt that Cornstalk was a prominent leader during the years of Indian attack and massacre between 1754 and 1763. His forays were directed against the frontier settlements of Virginia, as

most approachable from the Scioto country where the Shawnees were mostly located.

The earliest of these expeditions, of which there is any record, was one against several families on Carr's Creek in 1759, in what is now Rockbridge County. Pursuing frontiersmen rescued the prisoners and recovered considerable booty. Again in Pontiac's War, Cornstalk

led a marauding party into the same neighborhood. Coming in the guise of friendship, they first attacked the settlers at Muddy Creek in Greenbier County; then then Clendenins, near Lewisburg, where the family was horribly massacred, or taken into captivity, with the single exception of Mrs. Clendenin, who made her escape after being taken prisoner and finally reached. friends. She wandered around for nine days and nights with nothing to eat but an onion and salt, which she found in a deserted house.

Cornstalk was one of the hostages exacted by Bouquet in 1764, but he escaped from Fort Pitt the following year. Nothing more is known of him until the opening of the Dunmore War in 1774. About this time, while Logan was upon the war-path, Cornstalk shielded Richard Butler and other Pennsylvania traders among them, from the fury of the Mingoes; and when the latter were ready to depart with their goods, Cornstalk sent his brother Silver Heels, to protect them on their homeward journey. On the return of this chief and his two companions, from this friendly mission, they were waylaid and fired upon by a party of frontiersmen under William Linn, and Silver Heels was dangerously wounded. At the same time Cornstalk sent a speech, by the united advice of several of his associated chiefs, addressed to the Governors of Pennsylvania and Virginia, and the commandant at Pittsburgh, entreating them "to put a stop to any further hostilities and they would endeavor to do the same."

About the end of August, 1774, Lord Dunmore, Governor of Virginia, arrived at Fort Pitt and for several weeks was occupied in fruitless negotiations with the Delaware, Mingo and Shawnee chiefs, the latter of

whom were requested to meet him and make a treaty, somewhere lower down the Ohio. The Governor and about seven hundred men set out in canoes, while five hundred more under Major William Crawford marched by land and conveyed the beeves to the fort at Wheeling, where they arrived September 30th. From this point Crawford marched to the mouth of Hockhocking and crossing, his forces began a small stockade named Fort Gower. A few days later the remainder of the army arrived under Dunmore's command.

Lord Dunmore had expected to meet General Andrew Lewis at this point, as he had ordered him to march with about twelve hundred militiamen from the southern counties and join him at the mouth of the Kanawha, where they expected to proceed to the Indian villages of the Shawnees. When he did not find General Lewis there, he decided not to wait for him, but to push on toward the villages. When he came to the towns he found that they were deserted and that the Indians had gone to attack the corps under General Lewis, encamped at Point Pleasant, where they arrived on the 6th of October, numbering about eleven hundred strong. Upon their arrival there they found a message in a hollow tree directing them to join his Lordship at the mouth of the Big Hockhocking, but Lewis' men were spent with the exertion of having marched a distance of one hundred and sixty miles, through a tangled forest, transporting troops and supplies. Pens had to be built for the cattle and shelter for the stores, so no move was made. On Saturday, the 8th, came a further order from the Governor to join him at Fort Gower, but Lewis replied that he would do so as soon as the troops, food, powder and supplies reached Point Pleasant. The men

were angry and did not want to go out of their way to join Dunmore, but wanted to march directly to the Indian towns, which they had started out to attack. The 9th was Sunday and these sturdy Scotch-Irish Presbyterians spent the day in religious exercises, listening to a sermon from their chaplain.

Early on Monday morning, the 10th of October, two soldiers left camp in quest of deer, when they unexpectedly came in sight of a large number of Indians encamped, who immediately fired upon them, killing one. The other escaped unhurt, communicated the intelligence that he had seen a large body of Indians, "covering four acres of ground". The main part of the army was immediately ordered out under Colonels Charles Lewis and William Fleming. They had proceeded but a short distance when they met the enemy and the action commenced. At the first onset Colonel Charles Lewis was killed and Colonel Fleming wounded, the lines gave way and were retreating when met by reinforcements and rallied. The engagement then became general and was sustained with the most obstinate fury on both sides, from sunrise till toward the close of evening, when a fortunate movement on the part of the Virginia troops decided the day. The Indians finding themselves unexpectedly between two armies gave way and about sundown, commenced a retreat across the Ohio to their towns on the Scioto.

Cornstalk's intelligence was far above that of the average Shawnee. He had before the battle at Point Pleasant, urged his people to keep the peace as their only salvation, but when defeated in council he with great valor led the tribesmen to war. Their army was composed of about one thousand warriors from different nations