Betty Zane and the “Gunpowder Run”

On a hot September day in 1782, the gate of Fort Henry—located near the Ohio River in present–day Wheeling, West Virginia—edged open, and a 16-year—old girl named Betty Zane dashed out and across an open stretch of ground to a cabin 60 yards away.

This certainly surprised the nearby British soldiers and American Indians, who were besieging the fort.

Laughing, some of the American Indians called Betty a “squaw.” Yet their taunts soon turned to anger when she emerged from the cabin a few minutes later with a large bundle wrapped in her apron. Realizing that she had gunpowder, the American Indians fired upon Betty as she scurried up the slight incline to Fort Henry...

And thus was born the legend of Betty Zane, and her famous “Gunpowder Run.”

Elizabeth “Betty” Zane (also known as “Betsy”) was the sixth child, and only daughter, of William Andrew Zane and Nancy (Nolan) Zane. William’s forefathers had been Quakers who came to America with William Penn, and William Zane had been born in Philadelphia. In June of 1769, three of the Zane brothers—Ebenezer (who would later found the town of Zanesville, Ohio), Silas, and Jonathan—moved to the Wheeling, Virginia area. Their families followed during the next year, joined by other settlers. Because they were constantly harassed by local American Indians, a fort was built at the mouth of Wheeling Creek. It was eventually constructed on land belonging to Ebenezer Zane, and was originally called Fort Fincastle; later it was renamed Fort Henry, in honor of Patrick Henry. Sometime before 1782, Betty— along with her father and her stepmother—joined the other Zanes at Wheeling. Betty soon drew the admiration of several single men, not only for her beauty and wit, but also for her ability to ride fearlessly and run swiftly. Betty also had a bit of a temper; she was known to toss her black hair and flash her dark eyes when riled.

Fort Henry

Descriptions of the site and the construction of Fort Henry are found in various documents, and it is typically described as constructed:

“in the shape of a parallelogram, with wooden towers at each corner, which projected over the lower story and which were pierced by port holes for the use of rifles and muskets. In case of attack, the fighting was carried on almost entirely from these bastions. Between these bastions was stretched a strong and closely-connected line of oak and hickory pickets (commonly seventeen feet high), surrounding the entire enclosure; within which were located a magazine powder, barracks, and cabins for sheltering those who sought refuge within the stockade. On the roof of the barracks was mounted a swivel gun captured during the French and Indian War by the British. There was also a well of water within the stockade. On the west side of the Fort outside of it was a never-failing spring of pure, limpid water. The main entrance was on the east side, which was closed by a strong wooden gate. The ground in the vicinity was cleared, fenced and cultivated, extending to the base of the hill on the east, about an eighth of a mile distant. To the southeast of the fort and distant from it about 70 yards stood the residence of Col. Ebenezer Zane, located on a level with the fort, built of rough hewn logs..."

It was in this cabin that the settlers stored surplus ammunition and arms.

Over the course of the American Revolution, British soldiers and American Indians assaulted Fort Henry several times. In one attack, during September of 1777, fifteen Patriots were killed and five wounded. While this may not seem a significant number of casualties by today’s standards, it must be remembered that most forts in the 1700s were defended by as few as 15-20 local men, and supported by nearby settlers only when under attack.

In 1782, Colonel Ebenezer Zane sent a letter to Brigadier General William Irvine, commander of the Western Department, requesting “thirty to forty pound of powder” because American Indians had been spied in the vicinity once again, and a battle was expected. He concluded that even if the powder couldn’t be procured, “we mean to support the place or perish in the attack.” 2

On September 11, 1782, a Patriot named John Lynn saw a large force of British soldiers and American Indians while scouting along the banks of the Ohio River. He returned to Wheeling and warned the settlers to prepare for the onslaught. Captain Boggs, the commander of Fort Henry, immediately left for reinforcements, leaving Silas Zane in charge. Betty joined Silas and the other settlers inside the fort.

Unfortunately, there had not been time to transfer the powder from Ebenezer Zane’s cabin to the fort.

The British and the American Indians eventually approached the fort and demanded unconditional surrender. The leader of the attack—one Captain Bradt— announced that he would offer protection in the name of King George. The Patriots responded with several volleys that tore through the British colors and scattered the surprised soldiers. Some historians state that at this time, Jonathan Zane loudly called the attackers “cutthroat savages, horse thieves, Tories, and fiendish devils.” He also summarized the general opinion that the settlers held of the detested King George and ended his lecture with an invitation to fight.3

With war whoops, the American Indians rushed the gate—only to be repelled by a hail of rifle-fire.

The Siege
During the first day of the attack, the raiders made several futile attempts to destroy Fort Henry. Betty occupied the sentry box and loaded guns for her brother Jonathan and another man. According to a letter written by Betty’s future son, Ebenezer Clark, his mother said she would “frequently have to stop and pick splinters out of her body, which the bullets would split off and drive into her flesh.” 4

As might be expected, Fort Henry’s cannon was instrumental in the siege. It was manned by a gentleman known as Mr. Tate, who had very accurate aim. Sometimes he loaded the cannon with shot; other times with rocks and nails. One volley brought down the roof of the blacksmith shop, killing all of the American Indians within. Impressed by the effectiveness of the cannon, the attackers made a cannon of their own out of a hollow tree that they wrapped with chains and loaded with confiscated cannon balls. Yet the contraption exploded, killing and injuring several of the attackers.

As the fighting continued, it became apparent to the defenders that they needed to procure gunpowder from the Zane cabin. Knowing that a man couldn’t be spared, Betty Zane volunteered and stripped to her chemise, petticoat, and apron so that she would not be encumbered by layers of clothing. She safely arrived at the cabin, but when she returned, she had to deftly dodge a hail of riflefire that tore through her clothing as she returned with 20–30 pounds of gunpowder wrapped in her apron. This would provide sufficient firepower for the Patriots within Fort Henry, enabling them to withstand the siege until the British and the American Indians lost heart and departed.

Controversy and Legacy
Elizabeth Zane would go on to marry Ephraim McLaughlin in 1786, and together they had five daughters. When Ephraim died, Betty married Jacob Clark; the couple had a son and a daughter. Betty also had an illegitimate daughter, Miriam Zane, by one Van Swearingen. There are court records in Ohio County, Virginia, in which Van Swearingen is ordered to deed some property to Betty Zane, evidently in order that the illegitimate daughter would be provided for and not become a burden on the county.

By the late 1700s, many members of the Zane family had settled across the Ohio River at Martins Ferry, Ohio. It was here that Ebenezer Zane either gave or sold Betty and Jacob a small farm. Betty lived here until she died on August 23, 1823, and was buried in the Pioneer Cemetery Section of Walnut Grove Cemetery in Martins Ferry.

An incident occurred in 1849 that overshadowed Betty Zane’s celebrated “Gunpowder Run.” Sixty-seven years after the event, one of the last surviving adult eyewitnesses of the siege of Fort Henry—83-year-old Lydia Boggs Shepherd Cruger—swore out an affidavit stating that it had not been Betty Zane who ran the powder, but rather a young woman named Molly Scott. Cruger also stated that it wasn’t the men in Fort Henry who had ran out of powder, but rather men in Colonel Zane’s cabin. Cruger’s account was so totally different from the long accepted story that it started a bitter controversy among historians and within the general public. Interestingly enough, contradicting Cruger’s account were the stories told by Scott herself; Scott had repeatedly told friends, family members, and neighbors that she watched Zane run to the cabin and return to the fort with the gunpowder. Some historians discredited Cruger’s account, claiming she had a long-standing jealousy of Zane because Zane had been formerly engaged to Cruger’s first husband. Other historians stated that because of her advanced years, Cruger interchanged Scott and Zane. Regardless, after reviewing countless documentation and letters, it is clear that the gunpowder runner and heroine of the 1782 siege of Fort Henry was Betty Zane.

In 1903, Zane Grey—the great-grandson of Ebenezer Zane—published his first book, entitled Betty Zane. He summed up his dedication to preserving the past and his own family history with these words:

“ In this busy progressive age there are no heroes of the kind so dear to all lovers of chivalry and romance. There are heroes, perhaps, but they are the patient sadfaced kind, of whom few take cognizance as they hurry onward…cannot we all remember some one who suffered greatly, who accomplished great deeds, who died on the battlefield-someone around whose name lingers a halo of glory? Few of us are so unfortunate that we cannot look backward on kith or kin and thrill with love and reverence as we dream of an act of heroism or martyrdom which rings down the annals of time like a melody of the huntsman’s horn, as it peals out on a frosty October morn purer and sweeter with each succeeding note..."5

During the 18th century, American settlers led unbelievably arduous lives, surviving horrific conflict and brutality only as a result of constant watchfulness and readiness. Stories of daring exploits intertwine with the early history of the United States, and the courageous feat of 16-year-old Elizabeth Zane—who selflessly volunteered for a dangerous mission—epitomizes the tenacious spirit of the pioneers.



by B.H. Strassell