Tag: Betty Zane

September 10, 1782: Betty Zane Resupplies Fort Henry

On September 10, 1782, Betty Zane entered American history and folklore with her daring dash to resupply Wheeling’s Fort Henry. Her courageous act supposedly took place during one of the last battles of the American Revolutionary War—nearly a year after the British surrender at Yorktown but before the peace treaty had been finalized.

Some 200 warriors—mostly Wyandots and Delaware—accompanied by American Loyalists and British soldier—had attacked Fort Henry, which was defended by 47 patriotic civilians. The fort was commanded by Betty Zane’s brother, Colonel Silas Zane. Based on the traditional account, Betty volunteered to retrieve gunpowder from her family’s cabin—perhaps as far as 60 yards away. Surprised to see a woman emerge from the fort and sprint across the battlefield, the Indians, American Loyalists, and British held their fire, allowing Zane to resupply the fort.

Betty Zane’s heroism became widely known in 1903, when author Zane Grey, a distant relative, wrote a novel about her. Although, some have questioned whether Betty Zane actually made her bold dash since it wasn’t mentioned in contemporary accounts of the battle.

McColloch Leaps Into Wheeling Creek to Escape Attack: Sept. 1, 1777

On the morning of September 1, 1777, about 200 Wyandot and Mingo Indians attacked Fort Henry at Wheeling. The fort was defended by about 60 militia—nearly half of whom were lured outside the post and killed by the Indians.

The Indians then launched a siege of the fort for three days and nights. After burning cabins and outbuildings in the region, they withdrew across the Ohio River.

It was the first of two Indian attacks on Fort Henry during the Revolutionary War. The second attack, which occurred five years later, was the occasion for Betty Zane’s heroic actions.

The attack of 1777 produced a different story of bravery. A few militia escaped the initial Indian attack and made it to a nearby fort. That fort’s commander, Major Samuel McColloch, rode to lift the siege of Fort Henry, but he was trapped by Indians atop Wheeling Hill. McColloch spurred his horse to the edge of a cliff and leaped to the waters of Wheeling Creek far below. Amazingly, both he and his horse survived the leap.

Samuel McColloch was killed in another Indian ambush in 1782.

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