VOLUME 3
The
Long Hunters
In 1750 when Dr. Thomas Walker
traveled through the area now
known as Lee Co., VA, his part began their journey by following, what is now
known as the Wilderness Trail. Beginning
their trek at the New River (near wht is present day
Blacksburg
) continuing on to (current day) Wytheville, to Abingdon, to the Block House
(present day
Kingsport
) on the
Holston
River
. They journeyed on to
Rogersville, Sneedville, on the Clinch. They
then crossed from Blackwater over the mountains into
Virginia
. After crossing the
Beargrass
River
(known today as the
Powell
River
) they passed through Jonesville. They
continued westward on to Indian Creek, near
Ewing
. They followed Indian Creek on
towards the Cumberland Gap and on into
Kentucky
.
The journeys of the longhunters began much earlier than 1760, beginning
with their immigration to the colonies. They
by their very nature were adventurers who were able to take naturally to the
wilderness like an Indian or wolf. They
cherished freedom, solitude, and the wilderness.
Possessing an unwillingness to live "cooped-up" in towns or
settlements, this led to their ever increasing penetration into the
wilderness. They led the way to
where others would only later venture in years to come.
By their neighbors they were often called "white
Indians" because of their habit of dressing as part Indian and part
civilized man. The longhunter was
in the business of selling furs and skins, which were a much sought after
commodity at that time.
Having learned from early individual trappers and
explorers, such as Dr. Thomas Walker
, of the abundance of game to the west of the Allegheny they eagerly went.
It was a natural evolution for these men to "take to the
woods".
They were always far in advance of the ever advancing
frontier. To the settlers who
followed they would become guide, advisor, and protector (during the Indian
wars).
In preparation for a hunt a group of 40 - 50 individual
longhunters would come together into a single hunting party.
Bringing with them the necessities for an extended stay in the
wilderness, often a typical longhunter would bring the following
supplies/equipment:
Supplies
& Equipment
The longhunter himself would be attired in a hunting shirt,
usually made from flax wool lindsey cloth. The
shirt was topped with a loose coat that reached to mid-thigh and decorated with
colored fringes. The coat wrapped
around the hunters waist and was held together with a broad belt.
officers wore brightly colored sashes around their waist.
Each hunter would wear a floppy rimmed hat - not the coonskin cap of
present day fame. Leggings were worn
to protect the legs from briars and brush, these were held up by garters that
were tied at the knee. A breech
cloth was worn instead of trousers, or sometimes in addition to trousers.
On his feet the longhunter wore moccasins - which were said to be a
polite way of going barefoot.
The longhunter would then carry along the following
equipment/supplies:
tomahawk
shot
bag
powder horn
rifle
blanket, folded under his
saddle knapsack
long knife - commonly referred to as a "scalping
knife"
pistols
swords
bullet
mold
lead bar
The longhunters rifle was carried as part of himself,. It
became second nature for him to have it in his hands.
Alone in the woods a longhunter needed to be able to run fast, hide,
strike hard and mercilessly as necessary.
Station Camps varied in size depending upon the length of the hunt -
some later became forts. Station
Camp was used to store skins. The
profits from the sale of the skins were later used to purchase more supplies
for the hunters.
Some of the first hunters who hunted on the Clinch were:
Elisha Wallen
, Henry Scaggs
, Blevins, Cox and others.
Listing of
individuals who have been named as long hunters or associated closely with
them.
Weaponry of a Long Hunter
The Pennsylvania Rifle is a .44 caliber, single-shot
muzzle-loading long rifle. It has
a barrel that is 66" long with a diameter of 1".
The
Pennsylvania
rifle was also known as a long rifle,
Kentucky
rifle, etc.[6]
The American Long Rifle has a barrel length of 39"
with an overall length of 55".[7]
The greatest difference between the musket and the long
rifle was the barrel length, and barrel bore.
The musket had a round barrel with a smooth bore inside.
The musket could be fired five times a minute.
The long rifle, on the other hand, had an octagon shaped
barrel with a spiral bore inside. The
spiral bore is what allowed for greater accuracy.
The spiral bore was achieve by using a tool called a broach, which when
drawn through the length of the barrel gave it, its unique spiral bore.
The long rifle took longer than the musket to fire - twice per minute.
The
Blue Ridge Mountains
were the great barrier. During the
French & Indian War (referred to as the 7 years war in Europe) the British
troops crossed over the
Blue Ridge
in large numbers to fight the French and Indians.
Many recrossed the mountains to settle there after the war.
The settlement of these lands however, was forbidden by treaty.
In 1760 there was the added incentive of large profits in trading with
the Indians to go over the mountains.
The Hunts
Long hunts - southwest part of
Virginia
, eastern
Kentucky
&
Tennessee
, up into the
Ohio
valley. These long hunts would
follow Indian trails, which in turn chiefly followed the trails of animals and
most often avoided crossing rivers.
Purpose of these hunts:
To obtain game for furs and hides, learn the lay of the land, seasons,
winds, rainfall, streams & mountains, plants (medicinal properties and how
to treat his ailments & wounds).
These hunts usually began in October and ended in late
March or early April; other hunts would last upwards of 18 months. The hunting
party would consist of 20-40 men. Once
establishing a station camp they would divide into smaller groups of 2 or 3.
The purpose for the smaller groups was to keep from scaring away the game and
to draw less suspicion from the Indians.
The early longhunts were usually undertaken by large
hunting parties. The following is
a list of known hunts together with information on the hunts.
1760 Daniel
Boone
-
Yadkin
River
area NC - hunted the Watauga co. (present
day
Johnson City
TN
) " D. Boon
cilled a Bar on tree in year
1760".
1760 Dr. Thomas Walker
- crossed the Clinch & Powell
Rivers into what is now
Kentucky
.
1760 Nathaniel Gist
Indian spy & hunter
1761 Daniel Boon
e
to present day
Abington
VA.
1761 - party of 18 men leaves from Pittsylvania, Henry &
neighboring counties. Leaving to
hunt for 18 months in Carter's Valley (present day Hawkins Co., TN), led by
Elisha Wallen
. Traveled through Mockason Gap in
Clinch
Mountains
- establishing a station on Wallen's Creek.
Wallen's Creek feeds into the
Powell
River
in the present day Lee County, VA. This hunting party named the named to
the
Powell
River
,
Powell
Mountain
, and
Powell
Valley
after Ambrose Powell
who had carved his name into a
tree near the mouth of Wallen's Creek. Copper Ridge was named for the
deposits of copper that were found there. Newman's Ridge named for
Newman who was in the hunting party. Wallen's Ridge for a Wallen in the
group {extends from
Lee
County
through the counties of Hancock & Claiborne Cos. In TN.}
Wallen's Ridge was often used as a reference point in locating other
points west. Scaggs's Ridge for a Scaggs in the group. Cumberland
Mountain
was named by Elisha Wallen
after Cumberland Co., VA (his home
place). They called the present
day Cumberland River the
North Cumberland River
. They continued on for an
additional 14 miles until they encountered Indians "thought to be
Shawnees
". Known Members of this hunt :
Henry
Scaggs
William Blevins, brother-in-law of Elisha Wallen
John Blevins, father-in-law of Elisha Wallen
Charles Cox
William Pittman
William Harilson
Walter Newman
Elisha Wallen
Fall of 1762 - Hunting on the waters of the
Clinch. Crossed the
Blue Ridge
at Flower Gap, New River at
Jones's Ford, &
Iron
Mountain
at Blue Spring Gap. Down the South
Fork of the Holston, crossing the fork of the Holston, on to
Elk
Garden
(on the waters of the Clinch). Finding
signs of Indians. Crossed the
Clinch River
the Hunter's Valley. Traveling for 7 or 8 days in a southerly direction (S 60º
W) to Blackwater Creek. Station established on the road that leads from
Rogersville to Jonesville. Here
they tested out their firearms by shooting into a tree. The group split
up. One party moved on to fix
another station at Greasy Rock Creek. (located
presently about on the line between
Claiborne & Hawkins Counties
,
TN
). Here they killed a great
number of bears. As the hunters
would lie on the rock to drink from the creek, their clothes became stained
with the grease from the bear fat and contributed to the naming of that place
Greasy Rock Creek. Hunter's Valley named for the act of long hunting
it was the hunter's valley.
Fall 1763 - same Group (one or two did not travel with them this trip).
Went through the Cumberland Gap to hunt on the
Cumberland
for the season.
1764 - Henry Scaggs
explored the Tennessee Region as a
representative of Henderson & Company.
1765 - Henry Scaggs
travels through the
Cumberland Gap
1765 - Daniel Boon
e
, w/Long Hunters hunt in
Georgia
going deep into
Florida
, coming in contact with the Seminole Indians.
1766 - Traveling the headstreams of the Tennessee River, crossed the
Clinch
Mountains
to the
Cumberland
Valley
. Exploring
Tennessee
, Ohio & Cumberland Rivers, continuing on down the
Mississippi
to
Natchez
. Members of the party:
John Baker
, John Steward
, James Stewart
.
1766 - While hunting from the Forks of the
Yadkin
River
to the Watauga to the west. Captain
Linville
& his on son (John) were
killed in an Indian attack. John
Williams
was shot in the thigh during the
attack. The shot shattered the
bone and broke in his attempt to escape. It
is said that he "crawled on his belly to a log" there by being able
to mount his horse. He then
"rode eastward for five days eating only blackberries for food".
For a time it was thought that he died from the wound that he received,
however, he is known to have survived into old age.
1766 - a party of hunters from
South Carolina
, led by Isaac
Lindsey
, met up with James Harrod
& Michael Stone
at the mouth of Stone's River.
1766 - party explores along the
Cumberland
down to the
Ohio
. {Uriah Stone
, Joshua Horton
& William Baker
, continue on into the Illinois Country).
Captain James Smith
& Jamie, negro slave
boy, continue toward
Tennessee
arriving in
North Carolina
in October. Stone's River named
for Uriah Stone
.
1767 - Uriah Stone
returned to the
Cumberland
w/a Frenchman and hunted on the
Stone
River
.
1767 - Daniel Boone
& two hunters go into
Kentucky
. They traveled too far north
inside the Gap and became landlocked on the rugged Cumberland Plateau along
the
Big
Sandy
River
. The hunt was met with extremely
bad weather, few game trails, no salt licks and perplexing mountain ridges.
1768 - Joseph Hollinigshead
's party of hunters traveled in two boats up the
Cumberland River
to hunt for game. The meat was to
be marketed in
New Orleans
and for the garrison supply at
Fort
Chartres
in
Illinois
. During the hunt they traveled
over 300 miles from the mouth of the
Cumberland
and even further up the
Tennessee
.
May 1, 1769 - Traveling from the
Yadkin
River
to Cumberland Gap then on into
Kentucky
. Hunting in through Moccasin Gap
to the
Clinch
Valley
, across Wallen's
Ridge & Powell
Mountain
into the
Powell
Valley
. Passing through the Cumberland
Gap, crossing the divide between the
Cumberland
and
Tennessee
Rivers
onto Yellow Creek. From Yellow
Creek the7y followed a path which led them to an Indian camping ground at Flat
Lick. They traveled on from Flat
Lick along a trail blazed by Wallen to the
Rockcastle
River
. The party traversed much of
central
Kentucky
. Members: Daniel Boone
, John Finley
, Squire Boone
, John Stuart
Joseph Holden
, James Mooney
, William Cooley
.
1769 - Hunting party of 4
young men from VA led by Gilbert Christian
& William Anderson
. Started from Long Island
of the Holston and striking out from there explored into the present day
Hawkins County
,
Tennessee
to the junction of the
Tennessee
and
Clinch
Rivers
. Gilbert Christian - founder of
Kingsport
,
Tennessee
.
Early June 1769 - A great hunt took place in
Kentucky
and
Tennessee
- departing from the New River, eight miles from
Fort
Chiswell
consisting of at least 20 hunters. Many
of which later made their homes in
Tennessee
. Members:
John Rains
Joseph
Baker
Uriah
Stone
Robert
Crockett
Jacob
Harmon
John
Baker
Castleton Brooks
|
Kasper Mansker
Joseph
Drake
Henry
Smith
Isaac
Bledsoe
William
Crabtree
Thomas
Gordon
|
Abraham Bledsoe
Obadiah Terril
Ned Cowan
William Car
r
James Aldridge
Humphrey Hogan
|
Wallen's trail down the
Powell
Valley
though the Cumberland Gap. Warriors' Path to Flat Lick,
Kentucky. Westward along the Cumberland
River, then southward to
Tennessee
. It was at this point that they
dispersed into small groups, as was the custom during these hunts. Robert
Crockett
killed in an ambush by Indians
Bledsoe's Lick & Mansker's Lick named for these individuals. They saw
thousands of buffalo. The hunters
riding horseback feared to dismount their horses.
They were fearful of being trampled by to death.
1769 - Hancock Taylor
, Orange Co., VA led an expedition (hunters & explorers)
into
Kentucky
, then on by boat to
New Orleans
1770 - John Knox
led a hunting party of more than 20
men from Southwest Virginia toward the Cumberland River in the
Tennessee
region. They made a major
expedition along the
Rockcastle
River
. Here they encountered a Cherokee
chief, Captain Dick
, who directed them to his "river" where they would find plenty of
game. They hunters named the river
to honor this chief
Dix
River
.
1770 - Henry Scaggs
passes through the
Cumberland Gap
.
1770 - A party of long hunters organized by Kasper Mansker
, explored the Cumberland Country to find locations appropriate for settlement.
1770 Uriah Stone
& long hunters explored the
countryside near the present
Gainesboro
,
Tennessee
.
Cumberland Gap
Carved by wind and water the
Cumberland Gap
forms a major break in the formidable Appalachian Mountain chain. First used by
large game animals in their migratory journeys, followed by Native Americans,
the
Cumberland Gap
was the first and best avenue for the settlement of the interior of this
nation. In the late 1700's more than 200,00 men, women, and children crossed the
Gap into the unknown
land
of
Kentucky
.
A visit to the
Cumberland Gap
State Park
will yield a number of exhibits and
trails for exploration.
Visitor Center/Exhibits:
Museum (located inside the visitor
center), Pinnacle Overlook, Iron Furnace, Three State Marker,
Fort
McCook
, White Rocks and Hensley Settlement.
Trails, Roads:
Over 50 miles of hiking trails
meander over the 20,000 acres of eastern forest. Distances range for 1/4 mile
looped trail to the 21 mile Ridge trail. Road to Pinnacle limited to vehicles
under 20 feet. Hensley Settlement accessible by 4-wheel drive ONLY road or by
hiking up the Chadwell Gap Trail.
The Longhunters would have expected to see a variety of
both large and small game. Their
chief interest was in bear, deer, buffalo, and beaver.
All of which would have provided an income to them from the sale of their
pelts.
They
did not have to look too far for additions to their diet.
The land was abundant with berries, edible weeds, fruits and wild grains.
Medicinal plants were also close at hand.
[6]
"Weapons An International Encyclopedia From 5000 B.C. to 2000
A.D.", p. 120, The Diagram Group [© 1980, 1990 by Diagram Visual
Information Ltd., published by St. Martin's Press, New York]; "Red Head
Hunting Specialists Catalog", p. 144, item B.
[7] "Cabela's Fall '96 Annual Catalog", p. 226
[Volume 3 Families]
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