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73-595: The Timberlake Expedition was organized in 1761 by Colonel Adam Stephen . The expressed purpose of the expedition was to visit the Overhill Cherokee (in present-day Tennessee ) to verify that an end of hostilities of the Anglo-Cherokee War had taken place in the Virginia back-country. Stephen gave command of the expedition to Henry Timberlake , who had volunteered for the assignment. Timberlake

146-520: A day, and carrying their little Necessities at their backs, and Sometimes a Stout Pack of Skins into the bargain." While archaeology shows that the Valley of Virginia was inhabited before the arrival of the Europeans, by the 18th century most of the region was abandoned. Only smaller villages and settlements of different tribes occupied the valley, which was used as a hunting ground, a travel route, and

219-879: A fine country, that is watered by Several beautiful Rivers. The Ohio branch led up the Holston Valley to the north fork of the Holston River by what is now Saltville, Virginia , to the New River , and thence down the New and Kanawha rivers to Indian settlements in Ohio and western Pennsylvania. Most GIW branches cross West Virginia, although one more eastern route skips the state entirely, following U.S. Route 15 from Winchester to Frederick, Maryland . The Winchester Pike (now U.S. 11) passes through Berkeley County, West Virginia (including Martinsburg ) before crossing

292-462: A half-mile in the icy waters to retrieve their canoe which had drifted away while they were exploring the cave. On December 13, the party reached a series of river cascades which Timberlake called "Great Falls". The party spent a day maneuvering their way down the cascades but found the Holston frozen over immediately downstream. The ice slowed them more, but rains on the night of December 14 thawed

365-814: A line was designated roughly following the Seneca Trail. In the south, the GIW began at the Gulf of Mexico in the Mobile area and proceeded north by northeast, bisecting another trail known as the Upper Creek Path and crossing the Tennessee River near Guntersville . It then followed roughly the same route as the Tennessee upriver until reaching the vicinity of the modern Bridgeport . There it crossed

438-670: A medical practice in Fredericksburg . Stephen joined the provincial troops in 1754 and became lieutenant colonel of the Virginia Regiment under George Washington . The unit was based at Winchester (east of the Appalachian Mountains ), then explored westward across the Appalachians. The unit was involved in battles at Jumonville Glen and Fort Necessity (both in 1754 and which some consider

511-526: A warpath between the two great clusters of Eastern Indians in the 17th and 18th centuries. In the north, the line of the Seneca Trail formed the boundary of "the frontier" by the time of the French and Indian War (1756–63). When King George III issued a proclamation in 1763 forbidding further settlement beyond the mountains and demanding the return of settlers who had already crossed the Alleghenies ,

584-724: Is buried beneath a monument erected in his honor. The Adam Stephen House in Martinsburg and The Bower near Shepherdstown survive today and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places . Great Indian Warpath The Great Indian Warpath (GIW)—also known as the Great Indian War and Trading Path , or the Seneca Trail —was that part of the network of trails in eastern North America developed and used by Native Americans which ran through

657-585: Is now open for our brethren of the Six Nations and their allies, and they may now pass as safely and freely as the people of the Twelve United Colonies themselves. And we are further determined, by the assistance of God, to keep open and free for the Six Nations and their allies, as long as the earth remains. The Iroquois Confederacy's central trail had its western terminus at the site of present-day Buffalo on Buffalo Creek . It crossed to

730-557: Is the only one of note which traversed our county northward and southward. Generally, they passed eastward and westward, from the river, to and across the mountains. The trails northward from Virginia and Pennsylvania converged at the junction of the Susquehanna River and the Chemung River ; these led to where the Seneca Trail started/ended in western New York near present-day Niagara Falls , used for centuries by

803-528: Is where Dragging Canoe and his Chickamauga Cherokee faction established their base after leaving the Overhill Cherokee towns on the Little Tennessee River . From there, it proceeded north along the modern-day Chickamauga Road until reaching the main route again. Its path was later followed by the improved Chattanooga-Cleveland Pike. From the area of present-day Cleveland, Tennessee , the path has been followed by Lee Highway until reaching

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876-558: The Bluestone River to the New and Greenbrier rivers to the vicinity of White Sulphur Springs . It then follows Anthony Creek down to the Greenbrier River near the present Pocahontas – Greenbrier County line, then ascending toward Hillsboro and Droop Mountain . It crossed through present Pocahontas County by way of Marlinton , Indian Draft Run, and Edray . Passing into present Randolph County , it descended

949-545: The Cumberland Gap and Appalachian mountains at the Tennessee border, the fork called the Chesapeake Branch led northeast, passing 3 miles (5 km) west of what is now Bristol , then through the sites of present-day Abingdon , Glade Spring , Marion , Rural Retreat , Fort Chiswell (another possible westward gap route), Draper , Ingle's or Pepper's ferry , Salem , Roanoke and Amsterdam , then up

1022-687: The French and Indian War . He served under Washington again in the American Revolutionary War , rising to lead a division of the Continental Army . After a friendly fire incident during the Battle of Germantown , Stephen was cashiered out of the army but continued as a prominent citizen of western Virginia, including terms in the Virginia General Assembly representing Berkeley County . Stephen

1095-799: The Great Appalachian Valley . The system of footpaths (the Warpath branched off in several places onto alternate routes and over time shifted westward in some regions) extended from what is now upper New York to deep within Alabama . Various Native peoples traded and made war along the trails, including the Catawba , numerous Algonquian tribes, the Cherokee , and the Iroquois Confederacy . The British traders' name for

1168-790: The Great Wagon Road or the Carolina Road . William Byrd II mentioned it during his survey of the dividing line between North Carolina and Virginia in November 1728. "The Trading Path above mentioned receives its name from being the Route the Traders take with their caravans, when they go to traffick with the Catawbas and other Southern Indians... The Course from Roanoke to the Catawbas is laid down nearest Southwest, and lies through

1241-607: The James River in early April. While in Williamsburg, Timberlake and Ostenaco attended a dinner party at the College of William & Mary at which Ostenaco professed his desire to meet the king of England. Although he feared the trip would break him financially, Timberlake agreed. In May 1762, Timberlake, Sumter, and three distinguished Cherokee leaders, including Ostenaco, departed for London . Arriving in early June,

1314-721: The Koasati . After following the south bank of the Tennessee River, the path proceeded through Running Water Valley to Lookout/Will's Valley, where it met the Cumberland Trail. From present-day Gadsden, Alabama , this trail passed through the latter valley at a point along the Upper Creek Path, on its way to the Cumberland Gap , the Ohio Valley , and the Great Lakes region. Having met, both trails crossed

1387-670: The Little Tennessee River . From Old Chickamauga Town, a third branch of the path passed across Hickory Valley, where it intersected a path from the Cisca and St. Augustine Trail in North Georgia to the Tennessee River. This intersected the main route of the path before fording the stream at Harrison, Tennessee , to reach the Middle Mississippian town which archaeologists call the Dallas site. After crossing that valley,

1460-889: The Main Line of the Pennsylvania Railroad and U.S. Route 30 , which meets Route 15 at Gettysburg and Route 11 at Chambersburg. James Veech described the Catawba Trail in The Monongahela of Old : The most prominent, and perhaps the most ancient of these old pathways across our county, was the old Catawba or Cherokee Trail, leading from the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida, &c., through Virginia and Western Pennsylvania, on to Western New York and Canada. We will trace it within our limits as well as we can. After crossing and uniting with numerous other trails,

1533-585: The Onondaga Valley at the foot of Seneca and Cayuga Lakes, met the Mohawk River at the "great carrying place" (the site of present-day Rome ), then followed the river to site of Schenectady and had its eastern terminus at the site of Albany (in the vicinity of Castle Island , where the Dutch built Fort Nassau ). Modern-day New York State Route 5 largely follows this path. Afterwards,

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1606-638: The Potomac River at Hagerstown, Maryland through Chambersburg , Shippensburg and Carlisle, Pennsylvania ). Both these war and hunting routes joined to cross the Susquehanna River near Camp Hill (now a suburb of Harrisburg ) and jointly followed its tributaries further northward until again splitting near what became the Shamokin Dam and later Shikellamy State Park (then a major Indian village near Sunbury ). One branch followed

1679-749: The Potomac River ) and begged for cattle to be delivered to Fort Pitt (the future Pittsburgh ). In 1761, Stephen had received cattle and other goods necessary to organize and fund the Timberlake Expedition , which attempted to reconcile British and Cherokee interests following the Anglo-Cherokee War (part of the much broader French and Indian War). In the summer of 1763, settlers complained of raids by Delaware and Shawnees on South Branch settlements so that many inhabitants of Hampshire County had abandoned their homes, so in August

1752-653: The Roanoke River , down Catawba Creek to Fincastle or Amsterdam. The Richmond fork of the Chesapeake branch led off from Salem, and continued southwest of Lynchburg , and thence northeast to the future site of Richmond . Another branch turned south from Big Lick , near present-day Roanoke, and turned south toward the Catawba country in South Carolina. Later this trading path would be called part of

1825-539: The Shenandoah Valley through Buchanan , Lexington , Staunton , Harrisonburg , Winchester . From Winchester, most GIW routes briefly enter West Virginia , then continue northward into Maryland and Pennsylvania . Various forks led up (or down) rivers from Chesapeake Bay through the coastal plain and Piedmont . One Chesapeake branch cut off at present Ellett, Virginia , went up the North Fork of

1898-814: The Susquehanna , and into Western New York , then the empire of the Iroquois. A branch left the main trail at Robinson's mill, on Mill or Opossum run, which crossed the Yough at the Broad ford, bearing down across Jacobs creek , Sewickley and Turtle creeks, to the forks of the Ohio, at Pittsburgh , by the highland route. This branch, and the northern part within our county [Fayette], of the main route, will be found to possess much interest in connection with Braddock's line of march to his disastrous destiny. This Cherokee or Catawba Indian trail, including its Warrior branch,

1971-653: The Tellico River . At Great Tellico, the Warrior's Path intersected the Trading Path (later called the "Unicoi Turnpike"), which ran east over the mountains. From Great Tellico, the Warrior's Path followed Conasauga Creek to its confluence with the Hiwassee River , where the town of Great Hiwassee stood. In Virginia, U.S. Route 11 (parallel to Interstate 81 ) was built along the GIW route. From

2044-701: The Tygart Valley River from its headwaters and passed through the vicinity of present-day Elkins , after which it proceeded north by ascending Leading Creek . It left Randolph County after crossing Pheasant Mountain , and descended the Left Fork of Clover Run into present-day Tucker County . Crossing the Shavers Fork of the Cheat River , it exited Tucker county and West Virginia by way of Horseshoe Run northeast of St. George , crossing

2117-874: The West Branch Susquehanna River westward along one bank via the Great Shamokin Path to the Allegheny River or northward along the other bank via the Great Island Path to Lock Haven, Pennsylvania and another major village at the confluence of five major trails. Another branch continued north and eastward along the main branch of the Susquehanna into the Wyoming Valley . The Sheshequin Path connected

2190-409: The Yough river , crossing it just below the run's mouth, where Braddock's army crossed, at Stewart's Crossings. The trail thence kept through the Narrows, by Rist's, near the Baptist meeting-house, beyond Pennsville, passing by the old Saltwell on Green Lick run, to the mouth of Bushy run, at Tinsman's or Welshouse's mill. Thence it bore across Westmoreland county , up the Allegheny , to the heads of

2263-620: The Youghiogheny and Allegheny rivers with Brownsville, Pennsylvania on the Ohio River . As the 19th century began, this east–west route became known as the Cumberland or National Road , later ( U.S. Route 40 ). Another major Indian route crossed the Potomac nearer what became Washington, D.C., and the falls of the Potomac River, crossing in the Sugarland/Seneca valley area of what became Montgomery County, Maryland (where historic Edward's Ferry operated and White's Ferry still operates), then continued to Rockville, Maryland . As European settlement progressed, this route also moved somewhat to

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2336-409: The defense of Philadelphia . In the October 1777 Battle of Germantown , Stephen's men fought in the fog with troops led by General Anthony Wayne . Stephen was accused of being drunk during the battle, and after being convicted in a court martial , he was stripped of his command and cashiered out of the army, making him the only Continental Army general court-martialed and immediately dismissed from

2409-420: The Cherokee were an immediate attraction, drawing crowds all over the city. The poet Oliver Goldsmith waited for three hours to meet the Indians and offered a gift to Ostenaco. They sat for Sir Joshua Reynolds to paint their portraits, and they met personally with King George III . The Cherokee returned to North America with Sergeant Sumter in August. Timberlake remained behind in England . Upon returning to

2482-501: The Chesapeake Bay. The Great Indian Warpath continued its south–north route through Pennsylvania toward New York along three major paths, pushed westward by development. The easternmost route followed the Appalachian foothills in what became U.S. Route 15 (from the Potomac River at Point of Rocks through Frederick, Maryland and Gettysburg to the Susquehanna River at Camp Hill, Pennsylvania ). Another route followed Pennsylvania's Cumberland Valley via U.S. Routes 11 and 81 (from

2555-427: The Diamond Spring (now William James'); thence nearly on the route of the present Morgantown road, until it came to the Misses Hadden's; thence across Hellen's fields, passing near the Rev. William Brownfield's mansion, and about five rods west of the old Henry Beeson brick house; thence through Uniontown , over the old Bank house lot, crossing the creek where the bridge now is, back of the Sheriff's house; thence along

2628-429: The French Broad River the following day. A week later, they reached Fort Robinson, which the Stephen garrison had abandoned but where they left behind a large supply of flour. The expedition left Long Island-of-the-Holston on March 22, continuing northward to an abandoned army camp. There, Timberlake was disappointed to find that his belongings had been looted from a trunk. The party arrived in Williamsburg, Virginia , on

2701-424: The GIW to Baltimore , where a connector path closely followed the present-day route of Maryland Route 10 , the Arundel Expressway. It continued south of Maryland Route 2 towards Annapolis near the once-planned extension of MD 10. War parties could then invade the Delmarva Peninsula , and the lands of the Algonkian speaking Lenape of the Delaware River Valley and/or the Piscataway and Powhatan Confederacy of

2774-447: The Mount Braddock mansion, it passed a few rods to the east of the old Conrad Strickler house, where it is still visible. Keeping on through land formerly of John Hamilton (now Freeman), it crossed the old Connellsville road immediately on the summit of the Limestone hill, a few rods west of the old Strickler distillery; thence through the old Lawrence Harrison land (James Blackiston's) to Robinson's falls on Mill Run, and thence down it to

2847-488: The Ohio River valley through Emmitsburg, Maryland and could ultimately connect to Nemacolin's trail further north, even along what became U.S. Route 30 in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania . Another GIW branch continued east along the Potomac River toward Washington, D.C. , and Alexandria, Virginia (then settlements of the Piscataway tribe ) following what became the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal . Yet another hunting, fighting and trading route from Frederick continued eastward from

2920-401: The Overhill mother-town of Chota , where several Cherokee town heads had gathered in the large council-house. Ostenaco gave a speech and ceremoniously buried a hatchet in the ground, symbolizing a state of peace between the English and the Cherokee. Timberlake smoked several pipes with the gathered town heads. He described it in his memoir as "very disagreeable," but respected the ritual with

2993-437: The Potomac River near Hagerstown, Maryland . Another more western Seneca Trail branch crossed West Virginia along routes that became U.S. Route 19 , I-79 and U.S. Route 219 . Entering a few miles west of Bluefield , what became Route 19 winds through the mountains until Beckley , then continues to Sutton and Morgantown before entering Pennsylvania and continuing to the Great Lakes at Erie via I-79. Route 219 follows

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3066-459: The Potomac River near Oakland, Maryland . From crossing the Potomac River at Hagerstown, Maryland , the Seneca Trail ( U.S. Route 11 ) continued northward toward the Cumberland Valley and modern Chambersburg, Pennsylvania . Since the terrain in Virginia and West Virginia was the most difficult to cross east to west (or vice versa), along the Appalachian mountain range, due to numerous north–south ridges, most hunters (and later settlers) crossed

3139-426: The Seneca of the Iroquois and previous peoples around the Great Lakes. In 1775 the twelve united colonies entered into an agreement concerning the use of Native American paths and the roads: Brothers: It is necessary, in order for the preservation of friendship between us and brothers of the Six Nations (Iroquois) and their allies, that a free and mutual intercourse be kept between us; therefore we, Brothers: The road

3212-422: The Tennessee once again at the Great Creek Crossing just below the foot of Long Island on the Tennessee, intersecting another path, the Cisca and St. Augustine Trail, which ran from the area of St. Augustine, Florida to that of Nashville, Tennessee . Several miles upriver from Long Island, the GIW passed through the Nickajack area, so-called by the Cherokee (from Ani-Kusati ) because it had once inhabited by

3285-425: The Virginia Regiment from Washington and traveled westward to assist in putting down Pontiac's Rebellion . When the American Revolutionary War broke out, Stephen offered his services to the Continental Army , again serving under Washington. He was with the army during the New York and New Jersey campaigns of 1776 and early 1777, and as a major general he was given command of a division in Washington's army during

3358-412: The branch from Chickamauga passed east to Parker's Gap through Whiteoak Mountain and turned northeast, eventually rejoining the main route. In the Overhill Cherokee country, the path ran from the north to the town of Chota on the Little Tennessee. Here, another important trail, the Warriors' Path, continued south to the town of Great Tellico (present-day Tellico Plains ), following Ball Play Creek and

3431-446: The branches and continued to follow the Appalachians into New York. The westernmost GIW routes actually crossed the Alleghanies. That which became ( Interstate 79 ) crossed into the Great Lakes watershed at Erie, Pennsylvania . This or the Great Shamokin Path may have become the most used after the French and Indian War as settlement, the Kittanning Expedition of 1756 and the Wyoming Valley massacre of 1778 as well as disease pushed

3504-545: The chiefs. The party continued southward to Citico , where Timberlake was greeted with a ceremonial dance involving some 400 Cherokee. Timberlake recalled that the dancers were "painted all over in a hideous manner" and that they "danced in a very uncommon figure." The town's head man, Cheulah, presented Timberlake with a string of beads and held another pipe-smoking ceremony. The non-stop pipe smoking made Timberlake so sick that he "could not stir for several hours." The following day, Timberlake and Ostenaco traveled to Chilhowee ,

3577-417: The colonies, Sumter became stranded in South Carolina due to financial difficulties. He petitioned the Virginia Colony for reimbursement of his travel expenses but was denied. He was subsequently imprisoned for debt in Virginia. When his friend and fellow soldier, Joseph Martin , arrived in Staunton , Martin asked to spend the night with Sumter in jail. He gave Sumter ten guineas and a tomahawk. Sumter used

3650-478: The expedition up the Little Tennessee. The party struggled to keep up with the Cherokee, with Timberlake recalling, "my hands were so galled, that the blood trickled from them, and when we set out the next morning I was scarce able to handle a pole." They arrived in the Overhill village of Tomotley on December 20, where they were greeted by the town's head man, Ostenaco (or "Mankiller"). After spending several days in Tomotley as guests of Ostenaco, they proceeded to

3723-423: The foot of Lookout Mountain ; their route was later followed by the improved Old Wauhatchie Pike . Once over the mountain, the path crossed lower Chattanooga Valley to what archaeologists refer to as the Citico site. For several hundred years this was the pre-eminent town in the early period of the Mississippian culture in East Tennessee (until around 1200). Past Citico, the path ran east (later followed by

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3796-435: The governor authorized Stephen to draft 500 men from the militias of Hampshire, Culpeper, Fauquier, Loudoun and Frederick counties and the next month told them to continue guarding the posts on the South Branch and Patterson Creek, lest the Native Americans retaliate for their loss that summer at Bushy Run . While Captain Charles Lewis escorted 60 former settler prisoners back to Fort Pitt in 1764, Stephen had assumed command of

3869-513: The ice, and the party passed out of the mouth of the Holston (at modern-day Knoxville ) into the Tennessee River on December 15. Having traveled through the Appalachian Mountains to this point, the expedition traveled more quickly on the Tennessee River. A hunting party led by the Cherokee leader, Slave Catcher, met the party near the mouth of the Little Tennessee River and supplied the weary expedition with provisions of "dried venison, homminy, and boiled corn." The following day Slave Catcher guided

3942-414: The late Shallowford Road) to Missionary Ridge , where it divided. The main branch headed northeast toward the Shallow Ford (which can still be seen) across the Chickamauga River (South Chickamauga Creek ) and the other branch went directly east (a route now followed by Bird's Mill/Brainerd Road) to cross at another ford at the site of the later Brainerd Mission and Bird's Mill. The east bank of that site

4015-448: The money to buy his way out of jail in 1766. When Martin and Sumter were reunited some 30 years later, Sumter repaid the money. Adam Stephen Adam Stephen ( c.  1718 – 16 July 1791) was a Scottish -born American doctor and military officer who helped found what became Martinsburg, West Virginia . He emigrated to North America , where he served in the Province of Virginia 's militia under George Washington during

4088-486: The mountains between the Ohio River watershed and Chesapeake Bay watershed either in Tennessee to the south of that region, or via what was once called Nemacolin's Trail through the Cumberland Narrows of Maryland and western Pennsylvania. Named after the Delaware chief Nemacolin , who assisted surveyor Thomas Cresap on behalf of the Ohio Company of Virginia , it was further improved by Washington and General Braddock . This route connected Cumberland, Maryland by way of

4161-458: The north. Although the rumors turned out to be based on a misunderstanding, Timberlake grew anxious and begged Ostenaco to guide him back to Virginia. Ostenaco reluctantly agreed, and the party set out on March 10, 1762. Just before departure, Timberlake witnessed the ceremonial return of a war party led by Willinawaw. The party sang "the war-song" and planted a scalp-filled pole next to the council-house door. The Timberlake party had decided to make

4234-459: The northern side of the public grave-yard on the hill, through the eastern edge of John Gallagher's land, about six rods south of John F. Foster's (formerly Samuel Clarke's) house, it crossed Shute's Run where the fording now is, between the two meadows, keeping the high land through Col. Evans' plantation, and passed between William and John Jones' to the site of Pearse's Fort; thence by the Murphy school-house, and bearing about thirty rods westward of

4307-537: The old gun factory, and thence toward the mouth of Redstone , intersecting the old Redstone trail from the top of Laurel Hill , afterward Burd's road, near Jackson's, or Grace Church, on the National Road . The main Catawba trail pursued the even tenor of its way, regardless of minor points, which, like a modern grand railroad, it served by branches and turn-outs. After receiving the Warrior Branch junction, it kept on through land late of Charles Griffin, by Long's Mill, Ashcraft's Fort, Phillip Rogers' (now Alfred Stewart's),

4380-399: The opening engagements of the French and Indian War ). The following year, Washington, Stephen and the Virginia militia participated in the disastrous Braddock Expedition . In 1756, Stephen led Virginia militiamen against the Creeks to relieve colonists from South Carolina. By 1759, Stephen was in command at Fort Bedford (on the west side of the Appalachian range near the South Branch of

4453-407: The party had to drag or portage the canoe over and around exposed shoals and sandbars. They ran out of provisions after several days, but McCormack managed to shoot a bear, supplying them with several days' worth of meat. Around December 7, the party explored a stalactite-filled cave situated approximately 50 feet (15 m) above the river. In his journal, Timberlake describes Sumter swimming nearly

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4526-416: The plan for Martinsburg and named the town after his friend, Colonel Thomas Bryan Martin . Stephen became sheriff of Berkeley County, with Martinsburg as the county seat. Generals Horatio Gates and Charles Lee both purchased property in the county and lived nearby. In 1780, Berkeley County voters elected Stephen as one of their (part-time) representatives in the Virginia House of Delegates . In 1788, he

4599-418: The principal one entered Fayette territory, at the State line, at the mouth of Grassy run. A tributary trail, called the Warrior Branch, coming from Tennessee, through Kentucky and Southern Ohio, came up Fish creek and down Dunkard , crossing Cheat river at McFarland's. It run out a junction with the chief trail, intersecting it in William Gans' sugar camp, but it kept on by Crow's mill, James Robinson's, and

4672-484: The remaining Algonquian-speaking peoples westward. The northernmost major east–west branch in Pennsylvania connecting to the GIW became the track of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad; a part has recently been converted back to pedestrian use as the Susquehanna Warrior Trail in Luzerne County . The easiest and most traveled east–west route of the pre- and colonial era became the Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike (first used in 1795), which even later became

4745-432: The return trip overland with purchased horses from the Cherokee. Ostenaco, accompanied by several hundred Cherokee warriors, guided the Timberlake group northward along what is now known as the Great Indian Warpath , which followed the western base of the Appalachian Mountains. On March 11, the party arrived at the abandoned Cherokee village of Elajoy along the Little River in what is now Maryville, Tennessee . They crossed

4818-480: The route was derived from combining its name among the northeastern Algonquian tribes, Mishimayagat or "Great Trail", with that of the Shawnee and Delaware , Athawominee or "Path where they go armed". The age of the Great Indian Warpath is unknown. Many of the trails were first broken by animals traveling to the salt licks in the region, especially by the herds of buffalo in the Valley of Virginia. These animal trails were later used by Native Americans. Certainly

4891-484: The second southernmost of the Overhill towns on Timberlake's map, where the town's head man, Yachtino, held a peace procession similar to that held at Citico. The assignment largely completed, the party returned to Tomotley with Ostenaco on January 2, 1762. Timberlake spent the next few weeks studying Cherokee habits, making notes, and mapping the Overhill country. At the end of January, rumors began trickling in from Cherokee scouts of renewed hostilities with rival tribes to

4964-447: The service during the war. Stephen had lived in western Virginia before the war broke out, and voters from Berkeley County (created in 1772) had elected him as one of their two delegates (alongside Robert Rutherford ) to the Second Virginia Revolutionary Convention, which was held at St. John's Episcopal Church in Richmond between March 20 and March 27, 1775. When the war ended, he returned to Berkeley County. In 1778 Stephen laid out

5037-426: The trails were used for commerce, trading and communication between tribes before the land was explored by Europeans. In Virginia during November 1728, William Byrd II commented while passing a branch of the Indian trail what would later be called the Great Wagon Road in what would eventually be Henry County, Virginia , that "The Indians, who have no way of traveling except on the Hoof, make nothing of going 25 miles

5110-404: The west, so the major crossing became at Point of Rocks, Maryland or Brunswick, Maryland , then continued to Frederick, Maryland . This route did not cross the Alleghenies, instead following their foothills, especially along Monocacy River , roughly along the old alignment of U.S. Route 15 (the Catoctin Highway, now Maryland Route 28 and Maryland Route 85 ). One branch continued west toward

5183-566: Was accompanied by Sergeant Thomas Sumter (who funded the expedition), John McCormack (an interpreter), and a servant. The small group purchased a canoe and ten days' worth of provisions with money Sumter had borrowed. The planned route was to follow the Holston River to its confluence with the French Broad River , and proceed to the Little Tennessee River , where the five main Overhill towns were situated. Timberlake's party left Long Island-on-the-Holston on November 28, 1761. The Holston River's unusually low water levels slowed their progress, as

5256-695: Was born in Scotland . He earned a degree at King's College in Aberdeen , and studied medicine in Edinburgh . Stephen later married and had one child, Ann. Stephen entered Royal Navy as a surgeon (with possible rank of Lieutenant) after completing medical studies in 1746 and served on a hospital ship during the Siege of Lorient before emigrating to the British colony of Virginia in 1748. There he established

5329-682: Was elected to the Virginia Ratifying Convention , where he spoke (and voted) in favor of ratification of the Constitution of the United States . Despite opposition by political heavyweights such as Patrick Henry and George Mason , Virginia ratified the Constitution 89 to 79, in large part because western Virginia delegates (including Stephen) supported it 15 to 1. Stephen died in Martinsburg in 1791 and

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