In the Current of the Revolution 31 



the ever-recurring tragedies of the frontier, not the 

 least sorrowful was the recovery of these long- 

 missing children by their parents, only to find that 

 they had lost all remembrance of and love for their 

 father and mother, and had become irreclaimable 

 savages, who eagerly grasped the first chance to flee 

 from the intolerable irksomeness and restraint of 

 civilized life. 13 



Among others, the stockade at Wheeling 14 was 

 attacked by two or three hundred Indians; with 

 them came a party of Detroit Rangers, marshaled 

 by drum and fife, and carrying the British colors. 15 

 Most of the men inside the fort were drawn out by 

 a stratagem, fell into an ambuscade, and were slain ; 

 but the remainder made good the defence, helped by 

 the women, who ran the lead into bullets, cooled and 



13 For an instance where a boy finally Returned, see "Trans- 

 Alleghany Pioneers," p. 119; see also pp. 126, 132, 133, for in- 

 stances of the capture and treatment of whites by Indians. 



14 Fort Henry. For an account of the siege, see De Haas, 

 pp. 223-340. It took place in the early days of September. 



15 The accounts of the different sieges of Wheeling were 

 first written down from the statements of the pioneers when 

 they had grown very aged. In consequence, there is much 

 uncertainty as to the various incidents. Thus there seems 

 to be a doubt whether Girty did or did not command the In- 

 dians in this first siege. The frontiersmen hated Girty as 

 they did no other man, and he was credited with numerous 

 actions done by other white leaders of the Indians ; the Brit- 

 ish accounts say comparatively little about him. He seems 

 to have often fought with the Indians as one of their own 

 number, while his associates led organized bands of rangers; 

 he was thus more often brought into contact with the fron- 

 tiersmen, but was really hardly as dangerous a foe to them as 

 were one or two of his tory companions. 



