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| Source: WV History on View |
David Morgan, known as The Great Indian Fighter, was the son of Colonel Morgan ap Morgan and brother to Zackquill Morgan, who founded Morgantown, WV. Born in 1721, David was a surveyor with George Washington in 1746 when the Fairfax Stone was laid, and fought in the French and Indian War.
In the late 1770's, David and his family had retired to the Prickett's Fort area near Fairmont. And, that's where legend and history collide. It is said that in April of 1779, David Morgan, just shy of his 58th birthday, had taken ill. As he lay in his sick bed, he had a feverish dream that two of his children had been attacked and were scalped and bleeding. David awoke from this strange dream to find that his children had in fact, wandered away from the security of the cabin in search of a lost cow. He jumped from his sick bed, and yelled for his children to hurry back up the path to the home.
The children had just made it back when two Indians appeared from out of the woods and attacked. David, though ill, managed to fight off and even kill one of the Indians. However, as he was fleeing, the other Indian threw a tomahawk directly at David's head. David's life was spared as the quick-thinking frontiersman threw his hand up to shield himself, severing at least one finger in the process.
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| 1995 David Morgan portrait by Kelley Ward |
Prophetic dreams (also known as Veridical Dreams) are not uncommon among the superstitious Appalachian Mountain folk, and I know that certainly in my family, dreams foretelling the future were taken pretty seriously. In the wild frontier that would become the state of West Virginia, sometimes that intuition and/or divine intervention...whichever you want to call it...was all that stood between you and death.
David Morgan's prophetic vision may have saved his life as well as those of his children, and it certainly makes for a wonderful bit of folklore. Unfortunately, some scholars don't believe this sick-bed vision ever actually happened. Nevertheless, visitors to Rivesville near where the incident occurred, have been treated to this wonderful informational sign. The sign is part of the West Virginia Highways Historical Markers Program, which was initiated in 1937. Based on the photograph above, found at the WV History on View website, it looks like this sign was one of the originals placed in the 1930's and 1940's. And, at least as recently as 2011, the sign still appears to be standing, as seen here in this Waymarking entry.
David Morgan passed away on May 19, 1813. He is buried in a private cemetery in Marion County. The Morgan Family was instrumental in shaping the history of what would become the great state of West Virginia, and thanks to a dire warning that came to him in a dream, David Morgan and two of his children were able to survive long enough to see some major changes come to the area.
Further Reading:
The Earliest Printed Version of David Morgan and the Two Indians, by Jack B. Moore (1962)
Interesting that he had two young children at the age of 58!
ReplyDeleteI've learned that in the hills of WV, that wasn't all that uncommon, lol. Although, I wonder about the ages of the kids, as it isn't clear how old they actually were.
DeleteMy mother in law's life was saved by a dream where her dead mother came to her and warned her something her doctor was poo-pooing was cancer. My mother in law listened, went to another doctor (it was cancer), and survived another 45 or so years. I fully believe in these kinds of dreams.
ReplyDeleteSo much history in the past that will may never know if that's actually what happened but sure is interesting.
ReplyDelete