Bemino
Encyclopedia
Bemino — known as John Killbuck, Sr to white settlers — was a renowned medicine man
and war leader of Shawnee
and Delaware
warriors during the French and Indian War
(1754–63). He was a son of Netawatwees
, at one time principal chief of the Delaware, and his own son was Gelelemend
(John Killbuck, Jr.), a Delaware chief during the American Revolutionary War
. Bemino lived with his people in what is now eastern Ohio
, but was mostly active in the upper Potomac River
watershed in what is now the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia
.
(clan) is unclear, but he was a member of either the Turtle or the Turkey phratry. He may have been born or raised in what is now eastern Ohio
where his father, a Delaware sub-chief named Netawatwees
, had been forced to remove from the Delaware River Valley by white pressure. In any case, by the 1740s and '50s Bemino was well acquainted with all the white settler families in the valley of the South Branch Potomac River in what is now the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia
. This river and region were known at that time to Indians and whites alike by a Native American name — Wappocomo. Such was the rapport between Bemino and the newly established whites that, shortly before the outbreak of the French and Indian War (1754), one of them — a Mr Peter Casey — hired Bemino to chase down and retrieve a "runaway negro" (or, by another account, a runaway "Irish servant"). In trying to collect his payment, however, he quarreled with Casey, who knocked him to the ground with a cane. (Bemino long held a grudge and, throughout the subsequent hostilities, attempted without success to find an opportunity to kill Casey.) At times, Bemino would live among some of the English families, a situation that allowed him to familiarize himself with their habits and assess their resources — knowledge that later proved invaluable when he allied himself with the French as a leader of marauding warrior bands in the region.
in Pennsylvania
(May 28, 1754), Bemino was among those Indian leaders siding with the French against the English. Bemino is said to have led the attack in an ambush (the "Battle of the Trough
") of white settlers near Fort Pleasant
, in what is now Hardy County, West Virginia
, in March or April of 1756. A one or two hour firefight left seven whites (out of about 18) dead as against three Indians (out of 60 or 70). At around the same time, Bemino and a small band apprehended a Mr. Williams, a settler on Patterson's Creek, some 9 miles across Patterson Creek Mountain
from Fort Pleasant. After besieging him in his home (and losing 5 of their party of 7), the Indians managed to kill him and quarter his body, hanging the four parts at the four corners of the log cabin, and impaling his head upon a fence stake at the front door.
An engagement known as the Battle of Great Cacapon
took place on April 18, 1756. A number of years after this incident, Bemino described how he and a band of Indians (probably composed of both Delawares and Shawnee
) killed two men near Fort Edwards
, not far from the Cacapon River
in what is now Hampshire County, West Virginia
. Deliberately leaving a trail of corn meal, they lay in wait for an ambush along a high stream bank. Captain John Mercer
led a band of militia (said to number either 40 or 100, depending on the source) in pursuit. When they passed the concealed Indians, the trap was sprung, and the Indians opened a withering crossfire, killing Mercer and 16 of his men. Survivors were soon chased down and killed, with Bemino claiming that only six men escaped.
In 1756 or 1757, Bemino approached Fort Cumberland
, just across the Potomac River in Maryland, with a large warrior force. Agreeing to a parlay, the garrison commander, a Major Livingston, admitted the leaders inside the gates, but detained them there and, assuming that the encounter was a ruse, humiliated them (perhaps by dressing them in women's clothing) before expelling them from the fort.
Bemino and his Delaware and Shawnee warriors attacked the British settler stockades at Fort Upper Tract and Fort Seybert
(on the South Fork of the South Branch in what is now Pendleton County
) on 27 and 28 April 1758, respectively. Fort Seybert (about 12 miles northeast of the present town of Franklin
) was then occupied by about 30 people, apparently only three of which were adult males. After the defenders surrendered, the Indians spared only eleven white lives. According to the son of one of the survivors:
Medicine man
"Medicine man" or "Medicine woman" are English terms used to describe traditional healers and spiritual leaders among Native American and other indigenous or aboriginal peoples...
and war leader of Shawnee
Shawnee
The Shawnee, Shaawanwaki, Shaawanooki and Shaawanowi lenaweeki, are an Algonquian-speaking people native to North America. Historically they inhabited the areas of Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Western Maryland, Kentucky, Indiana, and Pennsylvania...
and Delaware
Lenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
warriors during the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
(1754–63). He was a son of Netawatwees
Netawatwees
Netawatwees was a Delaware chief of the Turtle subtribe. His name, meaning "skilled advisor," appears in the colonial records as Netawatwees, Netahutquemaled, Netodwehement, and Netautwhalemund...
, at one time principal chief of the Delaware, and his own son was Gelelemend
Gelelemend
Gelelemend , also known as Killbuck or John Killbuck Jr., was a Delaware chief during the American Revolutionary War...
(John Killbuck, Jr.), a Delaware chief during the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. Bemino lived with his people in what is now eastern Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, but was mostly active in the upper Potomac River
Potomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
watershed in what is now the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
.
Early years
Within the Delaware hierarchy, Bemino’s phratryPhratry
In ancient Greece, a phratry ατρία, "brotherhood", "kinfolk", derived from φρατήρ meaning "brother") was a social division of the Greek tribe...
(clan) is unclear, but he was a member of either the Turtle or the Turkey phratry. He may have been born or raised in what is now eastern Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
where his father, a Delaware sub-chief named Netawatwees
Netawatwees
Netawatwees was a Delaware chief of the Turtle subtribe. His name, meaning "skilled advisor," appears in the colonial records as Netawatwees, Netahutquemaled, Netodwehement, and Netautwhalemund...
, had been forced to remove from the Delaware River Valley by white pressure. In any case, by the 1740s and '50s Bemino was well acquainted with all the white settler families in the valley of the South Branch Potomac River in what is now the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
. This river and region were known at that time to Indians and whites alike by a Native American name — Wappocomo. Such was the rapport between Bemino and the newly established whites that, shortly before the outbreak of the French and Indian War (1754), one of them — a Mr Peter Casey — hired Bemino to chase down and retrieve a "runaway negro" (or, by another account, a runaway "Irish servant"). In trying to collect his payment, however, he quarreled with Casey, who knocked him to the ground with a cane. (Bemino long held a grudge and, throughout the subsequent hostilities, attempted without success to find an opportunity to kill Casey.) At times, Bemino would live among some of the English families, a situation that allowed him to familiarize himself with their habits and assess their resources — knowledge that later proved invaluable when he allied himself with the French as a leader of marauding warrior bands in the region.
The French and Indian War
After the outbreak of hostilities at the Battle of Jumonville GlenBattle of Jumonville Glen
The Battle of Jumonville Glen, also known as the Jumonville affair, was the opening battle of the French and Indian War fought on May 28, 1754 near what is present-day Uniontown in Fayette County, Pennsylvania...
in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
(May 28, 1754), Bemino was among those Indian leaders siding with the French against the English. Bemino is said to have led the attack in an ambush (the "Battle of the Trough
Battle of the Trough
The Battle of the Trough was a skirmish of the early French and Indian War fought between Native Americans and British settlers in the valley of the South Branch Potomac River in what is now northern Hardy County, West Virginia, USA.-Background:After the defeat of General Edward Braddock at the...
") of white settlers near Fort Pleasant
Fort Pleasant
Fort Pleasant, also known as the Isaac Van Meter House, is a historic home located near the unincorporated community of Old Fields north of Moorefield, Hardy County, West Virginia. The residence was completed by Isaac Van Meter and his wife Elizabeth Inskeep Van Meter by the late 18th century, and...
, in what is now Hardy County, West Virginia
Hardy County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,669 people, 5,204 households, and 3,564 families residing in the county. The population density was 22 people per square mile . There were 7,115 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile...
, in March or April of 1756. A one or two hour firefight left seven whites (out of about 18) dead as against three Indians (out of 60 or 70). At around the same time, Bemino and a small band apprehended a Mr. Williams, a settler on Patterson's Creek, some 9 miles across Patterson Creek Mountain
Patterson Creek Mountain
Patterson Creek Mountain is a mountain ridge that forms the border between Mineral and Hampshire counties and Grant and Hardy Counties in West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle. The mountain's namesake, Patterson Creek, parallels its western flank...
from Fort Pleasant. After besieging him in his home (and losing 5 of their party of 7), the Indians managed to kill him and quarter his body, hanging the four parts at the four corners of the log cabin, and impaling his head upon a fence stake at the front door.
An engagement known as the Battle of Great Cacapon
Battle of Great Cacapon
The Battle of Great Cacapon — also known as Mercer's Massacre — was fought on April 18, 1756 between members of Colonel George Washington's Virginia Regiment and French-allied Shawnee and Delaware Indians. Captain Mercer and a company of his men were pursuing some Indians when they were ambushed...
took place on April 18, 1756. A number of years after this incident, Bemino described how he and a band of Indians (probably composed of both Delawares and Shawnee
Shawnee
The Shawnee, Shaawanwaki, Shaawanooki and Shaawanowi lenaweeki, are an Algonquian-speaking people native to North America. Historically they inhabited the areas of Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Western Maryland, Kentucky, Indiana, and Pennsylvania...
) killed two men near Fort Edwards
Capon Bridge, West Virginia
Capon Bridge is a town located in eastern Hampshire County, West Virginia along the Northwestern Turnpike , approximately twenty miles west of Winchester, Virginia. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 2,178, 200 of which live within the town limits. Originally known as Glencoe, Capon...
, not far from the Cacapon River
Cacapon River
The Cacapon River , located in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle region, is an river known for its fishing, boating, wildlife, and scenery...
in what is now Hampshire County, West Virginia
Hampshire County, West Virginia
Hampshire County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of 2010, the population was 23,964. Its county seat is Romney, West Virginia's oldest town . Hampshire County was created by the Virginia General Assembly on December 13, 1753, from parts of Frederick and Augusta counties ...
. Deliberately leaving a trail of corn meal, they lay in wait for an ambush along a high stream bank. Captain John Mercer
Battle of Great Cacapon
The Battle of Great Cacapon — also known as Mercer's Massacre — was fought on April 18, 1756 between members of Colonel George Washington's Virginia Regiment and French-allied Shawnee and Delaware Indians. Captain Mercer and a company of his men were pursuing some Indians when they were ambushed...
led a band of militia (said to number either 40 or 100, depending on the source) in pursuit. When they passed the concealed Indians, the trap was sprung, and the Indians opened a withering crossfire, killing Mercer and 16 of his men. Survivors were soon chased down and killed, with Bemino claiming that only six men escaped.
In 1756 or 1757, Bemino approached Fort Cumberland
Fort Cumberland (Maryland)
thumb|380px|Fort Cumberland, 1755 Fort Cumberland was an 18th century frontier fort at the current site of Cumberland, Maryland, USA...
, just across the Potomac River in Maryland, with a large warrior force. Agreeing to a parlay, the garrison commander, a Major Livingston, admitted the leaders inside the gates, but detained them there and, assuming that the encounter was a ruse, humiliated them (perhaps by dressing them in women's clothing) before expelling them from the fort.
Bemino and his Delaware and Shawnee warriors attacked the British settler stockades at Fort Upper Tract and Fort Seybert
Fort Seybert
Fort Seybert was an 18th century frontier fort in the Allegheny Mountains in what is now Pendleton County, West Virginia, USA. In a 1758 surprise raid occasioned by the French and Indian War , most of the 30 white settlers sheltering there were massacred by Shawnee and Delaware warriors and the...
(on the South Fork of the South Branch in what is now Pendleton County
Pendleton County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 8,196 people, 3,350 households, and 2,355 families residing in the county. The population density was 12 people per square mile . There were 5,102 housing units at an average density of 7 per square mile...
) on 27 and 28 April 1758, respectively. Fort Seybert (about 12 miles northeast of the present town of Franklin
Franklin, West Virginia
Franklin is a town in Pendleton County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 797 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Pendleton County...
) was then occupied by about 30 people, apparently only three of which were adult males. After the defenders surrendered, the Indians spared only eleven white lives. According to the son of one of the survivors:
They bound ten, whom they conveyed without the fort, and then proceeded to massacre the others in the following manner: They seated them in a row upon a log, with an Indian standing behind each; and at a given signal, each Indian sunk his tomahawk into the head of his victim: an additional blow or two dispatched them.
Later years
In later years, the sons of the aforementioned Peter Casey and Mr. Williams visited the elderly Bemino in the Ohio Territory. By this time he was quite feeble and completely blind. Upon hearing the name of Col. Vincent Williams, his only response was "Your father was a brave warrior". Upon hearing that the other visitor, Benjamin Casey, was Peter Casey's son, he responded: "Your father owes me eight shillings; will you pay it?" During this visit, Bemino related many of the details of his exploits which would otherwise have been lost to history for lack of surviving eyewitnesses.Legacy
- Despite the bitter animosity between Bemino and the white settlers and officials, two places in OhioOhioOhio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
continue to bear his name: the town of KillbuckKillbuck, OhioKillbuck is a village in Holmes County, Ohio, United States, along Killbuck Creek. The population was 839 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Killbuck is located at ....
and the stream known as Killbuck CreekKillbuck CreekKillbuck Creek is a tributary of the Walhonding River, 81.7 mi long, in north-central Ohio in the United States. Via the Walhonding, Muskingum and Ohio Rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River...
.
Other sources
- Lucier, Armand Francis (1999), French and Indian War Notices Abstracted from Colonial Newspapers: Volume 2, 1756-1757; Westminster, MarylandWestminster, MarylandWestminster is a city in northern Maryland, United States. It is the seat of Carroll County. The city's population was 18,590 at the 2010 census. Westminster is an outlying community within the Baltimore-Towson, MD MSA, which is part of a greater Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV...
: Heritage Books. - White, Richard (1991), The Middle Ground: Indians, Empires, and Republics in the Great Lakes Region, 1650-1815, CambridgeCambridgeThe city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
: Cambridge University PressCambridge University PressCambridge University Press is the publishing business of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII in 1534, it is the world's oldest publishing house, and the second largest university press in the world...
, pg 251. - Morton, Oren F. (1910), A History of Pendleton County, West Virginia, Franklin, West VirginiaFranklin, West VirginiaFranklin is a town in Pendleton County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 797 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Pendleton County...
. - Gordon, Scott Paul (2010), Two William Henrys: Indian and White Brothers in Arms in Faith in Colonial and Revolutionary America, Jacobsburg Historical Society, pp. 7–9.