John Waggoner and Peter Waggoner

Taken in part from:

Chronicles of Border Warfare

From the Book 

Chronicles of Border Warfare 

or  a 

History of the Settlement of the Whites, of Northern Virginia, and of the Indian Wars and Massacres in that section of the State

by Alexander Scott Withers

copyright  1895

About the middle of May,1792, a party of savages came upon a branch of Hacker's creek, and approaching late in the evening a field recently cleared by John Waggoner, found him seated on a log, resting himself after the labors of the day. In this company of Indians was the since justly celebrated General Tecumseh, who leaving his companions to make sure of those in the house, placed his gun on the fence and fired deliberately at Waggoner . The leaden messenger of death failed of its errand, and passing through the sleeve of his shirt, left Waggoner un- injured, to try his speed with the Indian. Taking a direction opposite the house, to avoid coming in contact with the savages there, he outstripped his  pursuer, and got safely off.  In the mean time, those who had been left to operate against those of the family who were at the house, finding a small boy in the yard, killed and scalped him ; and proceeding on, made prisoners of Mrs. Waggoner and her six children, and departed immediately with them, lest the escape of her husband, should lead to their instant pursuit. They were disappointed in this expectation. A company of men was soon  collected, who repaired to the then desolate mansion, and from thence followed on the trail of the savages. About a mile from  the house, one of the children was found where its brains had been beaten out with a club, and the scalp torn from its head.
A small distance farther, lay Mrs. Waggoner and two others of her children, their lifeless bodies mangled in the most barbarous and shocking manner. Having thus freed themselves from the principal impediments to a rapid retreat, the savages hastened on; and the pursuit was unavailing. They reached their towns with the remaining prisoners  - two girls and a boy- and avoided chastisement for the outrage. 

The elder of the two girls did not long remain with them; but escaping to the neighborhood of Detroit with another female prisoner, continued there until after the treaty of 1795. Her sister abided with her captors until the close of the war; and the boy until during the war of 1812. He was then seen among some friendly Indians, and bearing a strong resemblance in features to his father, was recognized as Waggoner's captive son.
He had married a squall by whom he had several children, was attached to his manner of life, and for a time resisted every importunity, to withdraw himself from among them. When his father visited him, it was with difficulty he was enticed to return to  the haunts of his childhood, and the associates of his younger days, even on a temporary visit. When however he did return to them, the attention and kindly conduct of his friends, prevailed
with him to remain, until he married and took up his permanent abode amid the habitations of civilized men. Still with the  feelings natural to a father, his heart yearns towards his children in the forest; and at times he seems to lament that he ever forsook them.

1 1 Drake, in Aboriginal Races of North America (15th ed.), p. 616, cites the Waggoner massacre as " the
first exploit in which we find Tecumseh engaged." L. V. Mc Whorter sends me this interesting note, giving the  local tradition regarding the affair: 
" John Waggoner lived on Jesse's Run, more than two miles above its junction with Hacker's Creek. While engaged in burning logs in his clearing, he was sitting upon a log, with a handspike lying across his lap. It was thought that Tecumseh mistook this tool for a gun, and was nervous. But three in number, the Indians had entered the district with some trepidation. Over Sunday, while the settlers were holding religious services in West's Fort, the savages lay in a neighboring ravine. The dogs of the settlement barked furiously at them, and ran toward their hiding place, trying to lead their masters ; but the latter supposed that the animals had merely scented wolves, hence paid no attention to them. 
Tecumseh was but thirty paces from Waggoner when he fired, and it is singular that he missed, for the latter was a large man and in fair view. Waggoner sprang up and started for his cabin, a short distance only, but when about fifteen yards away saw an Indian chasing one of the children around the house. Waggoner was unarmed; his gun was in the house, but he feared to enter, so ran for help to the cabin of Hardman, a neighbor. But Hardman was out hunting, and there was no gun left there. The screams of his family were now plainly heard by Waggoner, and he was with difficulty restrained from rushing back to help them, unarmed. Jesse Hughes carried the news into the fort, and a rescue party at once set out. 
Mrs. Waggoner and her three youngest children had been carried across the ridge to where is now Rev, Mans- field McWhorter's farm, on McKenley's Run, and here they were tomahawked and scalped. 
Henry McWhorter helped to carry the bodies to the fort, but made no mention of their being' mangled in the most barbarous and shocking manner.

 The boy Peter, then eight years old, remained with the Indians for twenty years, The manner of his  return, as related to me by Mr. McWhorter, was singular, and furnishes an interesting and instructive romance of the border,
One Baker, one of John Waggoner's neighbors, went to Ohio to " squat," and on Paint Creek saw Peter with a band of Indians, recognizing him by the strong family resemblance. Baker at  once wrote to the elder Waggoner, telling him of his discovery, and the latter soon visited the Paint Creek band, with a view to inducing his son to return home. But Peter was loth to go. He was united to a squaw, and by her had two children. In tears, she
bitterly opposed his going. When finally he yielded to parental appeals, he promised her he would soon be back again. When the time for his return to the forest came, his relatives kept him under guard; when it had passed, he was afraid to return to his Indian relatives, having broken his word. Gradually he became reconciled in a measure to his new surroundings, but was ever melancholy, frequently lamenting that he had left his savage family. " Some time after his return to civilization," continues McWhorter, " an Indian woman, Supposed to be his wife, passed
through the Hacker Creek settlements, inquiring for Peter, and going on toward the East. She appeared to be demented, and sang snatches of savage songs, Peter never knew of her presence, nor would any one inform her of his whereabouts. He was reticent about his life among the Indians, and no details of that feature 
of his career became known to his white friends. Tecumseh, who is said to have been born on Hacker's Creek, possibly at a village near the mouth of Jesse's Run, visited the White settlements there, after the peace, and told the whites of his experiences in connection with the Waggoner massacre.

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