Anne Bailey: Frontier Scout
By Dr. Earl Robinson
Anne
Bailey was born as Ann Hennis in Liverpool, England in 1742. She
emigrated to the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia in 1765 at the age of 19
years. In 1765, she married a settler by the name of Richard Trotter. He
served in Lord Dunmore's War and was killed on October 10, 1765, during
a battle with Shawnee forces led by Chief Cornstalk at the Battle of
Point Pleasant. The Virginia Militia was pressing the Shawnee to move
to the Ohio River boundary accepted by the Iroquois in the treaty of
1768. Almost immediately after this battle, at the beginning of the
Revolutionary War, Lord Dunmore, the governor of Virginia, began
leading British and Indians against the Virginia Militia. For this and
other reasons, some historians consider the Battle of Point Pleasant
the "first battle" of the American Revolution. After her husband's
death, Anne "put on her husband's fringed buckskin jacket," left her
seven year old son with a neighbor, took a long rifle and began riding
alone through Indian territory. When the American Revolution broke out
in full measure, Anne rode from settlement to settlement recruiting
colonists to serve in the militia. Anne's wilderness survival skills
matched those of any Native American and she used them daily, serving as
a scout and messenger. Riding fearlessly through enemy territory, she
delivered vital information to frontier outposts. At night she would
sleep in caves and hollow trees to keep her ammunition dry. To keep from
being discovered by Indians who might be tracking her, she would ride a
half mile beyond her campsite, then turn her horse loose and walk back
to her place of safety. On one winter's night, Anne was unable to build a
fire to stay warm because of wind and snow. She crawled into a hollow
tree and held her horses' head close to her body to allow his warm
breath to keep her from freezing. On another occasion, while being
tracked by hostile Indians, she crawled into a hollow log. The Indians
searched all around, even sitting on the log she was hiding in. After
the Indians left the area, Anne crawled out to find that the Indians had
stolen her favorite horse, Liverpool. In the darkness, she tracked down
the Indian encampment. Crawling silently among the horses she
identified Liverpool. Letting out a terrifying, rebellious scream, she
jumped onto Liverpool's back and galloped away into the darkness.
Colonists less courageous, began calling her "Mad Anne."
In
1785, Anne married John Bailey, a frontiersman and ranger. The married
couple moved to Clendenin's settlement in the Great Kanawha Valley. In
1791 local Fort Lee was under threat of attack. She made a 100 mile ride
through the wilderness to Fort Savanah at Lewisburg, Virginia and back
with much needed ammunition. She is credited with saving Fort Lee from
destruction. She remained on duty until 1795, when the Treaty of
Greenville ended the Northwest Indian War. When her husband John Bailey
was murdered in 1794, she began living with her son. She died on
November 22, 1825. Her remains were reentered at Tu-Endie-Wei State
Park, the site of the Battle of Point Pleasant, where there is a museum
that contains her memorabilia.
