Part 16 (2/2)

Clinton Mt. Pleasant, 3Oth, transferred to 31st N. J. Vol's. Inv. colored brigade.

Wilson Jacobs, 1st N. Y., Vet. Cav., Co. M.

Edward Spencer (Edward Anderson), Inv. sway. Co. A. 17th Corps.

Alvis D. Hewett, 151st N. Y. Vol's.

Thomas Cornelius, Co. K, 2d N. Y. Mounted Rifles.

Charles Green, 120th N. Y. Vol's, Co. K.

John Longboard, Samuel Mt. Pleasant.

During the war, Cornelius C. Cusick was promoted to First Lieutenant, and at the close of the war he was promoted to Captain. He was some time afterwards commissioned into the regular army of the United States as First Lieutenant.

Antique Rock Citadel of Kienuka;

OR, GAU-STRAU-YEA.

There has been much said by different writers of aboriginal forts, and fort builders of western New York, in availing themselves of steeps, gulfs, defiles, and other marked localities, in establis.h.i.+ng works for security or defense. This trait is, however, in no case more strikingly exemplified than in the curious antique work of Kienuka. The term ”Kienuka,” means the stronghold or fort; but the original name of this fort is Gau-strau-yea, which means bark laid down; this has a metaphorical meaning, in the similitude of a freshly peeled slippery elm bark, the size of the fort and laid at the bottom as a flooring, so that if any person or persons go in they must be circ.u.mspect, and act according to the laws of the fort, or else they will slip and fall down to their own destruction.

The citadel of Kienuka is situated about four miles eastward of the inlet of Niagara gorge at Lewiston, on a natural escarpment of the ridge on the Tuscarora reservation, known at present by the name of the Old Saw Mill.

There is quite an interesting tradition connected with the antique fort Gau-strau-yea. At the formation of the confederacy of the Iroquois, there was a virgin selected from a nation which was called Squawkihaws (a remote branch of the Seneca nation), and was ordained a Queen or Peacemaker, who was stationed at this fort to execute her office of peace, her official name was Ge-keah-saw-sa.

The fort was built by the Senecas aided by the Squawkihaws, on an eminence on the north side of a steep of perpendicular rocks, which was about eight or ten feet down; and on the east, south and west sides they dug a trench four or five feet deep, and in this trench were placed timbers which were put up perpendicularly and jointed as close as possible, they projected above the ground ten or twelve feet, inclosing a place of about twenty by fifty rods. The house for the Queen was in the center of this inclosure or fort, and adjacent houses were built in two rows, with a trail or path between them directing towards the Queen's house; on each end and inside of the fort, which ran lengthwise east and west, was an entrance corresponding with the trail prepared leading to the house of the Queen.

Then a suitable number of warriors were selected from the Squawkihaws'

nation, the ablest bodied, the swiftest runners and the most expert in the arts of war, which were stationed at this fort (and made their dwelling in the adjacent houses), to keep it in order and execute its regulations and laws; they were to be supported with subsistance and all other necessaries of life, and furnished with suitable implements of war by the Iroquois.

In order more fully to understand the laws and regulations of the fort or place of peace, it must be observed that at this period there were contentions, strife and wars between all the different known nations of the continent; nation against nation, like fishes of the waters, the larger ones eating the smaller. The warrior who can report in his rehearsal in the war-dance of having obtained the greatest number of scalps from the enemy, was the most honored and had the most laurels in his crown; consequently, they were constantly forming companies for an expedition to some nation in quest of honor and the applause of their nation. At this time the confederacy of the Iroquois was formed, and this place of peace was ordained for the purpose, it may be, to alleviate the distress and commotion of the nations of the forest.

The laws were that there shall be no nation or nations of the Iroquois make war against any nation or nations of the same league, under any circ.u.mstances; and the Iroquois must not make war with any alien nation without the consent of the Queen. This fort must ever be held sacred, as it is a place of peace, by never allowing the shedding of blood within the inclosure. All executions decreed by the Queen should be made outside of the fort. And any person or persons, aside from the keepers of the fort, should, on entering, never go any faster than a walk. And the Queen must always have meals ready at every hour of the day and night-- allegorically speaking, it is called a kettle of hominy hanging, for all fugitives and pursuers from any nation on the continent to partake. All fugitives, irrespective of their nationalities, fleeing for life, from their enemy, when once their feet touch the threshold of the fort, their life is safe; then the Queen conducts him or them into one end of her house, which is lengthwise east and west, with a door at each end and a part.i.tion in the center of the room by a curtain made of deer skin, and when the pursuer comes, she also conducts him or them to the other end of the room. She then gives to each of these parties, which are enemies to each other, sustenance to eat; when, this being done, she rolls away the curtain, so that each party can see the other; when they have done eating they pa.s.s out and go home to their respective nations in peace. It is contrary to law after a fugitive arrives at this fort and has gone out, for the enemy to execute their death scheme without the consent of the Queen; and if this be violated, then the Iroquois demand the trespa.s.ser from the nation to which he or they belong. If this is acceded to, 'tis well; then the trespa.s.sers are executed, of which the penalty is death.

But should the nation harbor the trespa.s.ser, then the nation must suffer the devastations of war at the hands of the Iroquois.

I would here say a few words in relation to the question often asked, ”Who were the Squawkihows, Kah-Kwahs, and the Eries?” There has been much controversy on the question. These three named tribes were of one language and of one nation--a remote branch of the Seneca nation--and spoke the same language as the Senecas, varying but very little in a few words. These three tribes originally were called Squawkihows. In time they became very numerous and powerful. They had their settlement from the ch.o.r.es of Lake Ontario and along the Niagara River, and up Lake Erie as far as a place now called Erie, and as far east as to the Genesee river. This was their domain, within these limits.

A settlement of this nation in the neighborhood of, now, North Evans, south of Buffalo, a place called by them Kah-kwah-ka, and the Squawkihows living in this vicinity were called Kah-kwahs; and the Squawkihows living further on along the sh.o.r.es of Lake Erie were called cats or Eries, a name that originated from the name of the lake. By this explanation you will better understand my story.

There was a time when the Kah-kwahs' branch of that nation made a challenge to the Seneca nation, another very powerful nation having their settlement on the east side of the Genesee river, to play a game of ball, which the Senecas readily accepted and a day was appointed; accordingly, the combat ensued, and was a hotly contested game; but the Senecas finally came out victorious. The Kah-kwahs immediately made another challenge, that of having a foot race, which the Senecas also accepted.

Each nation chose their swiftest runners, then the flyers went which and tucker for a ways, but the Senecas finally came out glorious. The Kah- kwahs being mortified by the defeat of the two contests made the third challenge, that of wrestling, with the understanding that an umpire must be chosen from each nation and both to have a war club in hand, and the one that is defeated should suffer death by having his head struck with the war club while down, by the umpire opponent to the one defeated and should be best two in three.

Even in this the Senecas accepted the challenge, and in this remarkable contest they were also victorious. With this the a.s.semblage dispersed.

The defeats of the Kah-kwahs considerably alieniated the Squawkihows from the Senecas; the report, of course, reached the ears of the Queen, which also alienated her feelings from the Senecas, she being by birth a Squawkihow, but the office to which she was ordained was by the Iroquois.

After this in one of the scouting tours of the Senecas across the Niagara river, among the Masa.s.sauka Indians, on their return at night to the ”place of peace” or Gau-strau-yea, they were pursued by a number of the Masa.s.saukas; when both parties had arrived and had their repast, they all lodged there to rest in peace for the night, as they were wont to do. But in the slumber and stillness of the midnight hour, was tested the treachery of the Queen, by the Masa.s.saukas, in asking her consent to ma.s.sacre the Senecas in their unsuspecting slumber; her feelings having been previously somewhat alienated from the Senecas, she was induced to give her consent, whereupon they were ma.s.sacred; their number I have not been able to obtain. They were buried southwest from the Queen's house, the mound of which was perceptible until a few years ago, when it was cultivated.

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