The Drinnen Raid

 

The Drinnen Raid was a significant event in the history of Pocahontas County, involving a violent attack on the home of Lawrence Drinnen. The exact date of the raid is uncertain, with some historians suggesting 1780, others 1784, and a record in an old Bible suggesting 1786. The events of the raid are described as follows:

• Location: The Drinnen cabin was located on the level bottom land west of the Greenbrier River, just above present-day Marlinton, encompassing the Fair Ground and surrounding fields. The cabin was near the cattle barns, about three rods above the line fence and the same distance from the river.
• People Present: On the morning of the raid, the following individuals were at the Drinnen cabin:
  • Lawrence Drinnen and his family.
  • Nathan, a Black slave.
  • Richard Hill from the Levels.
  • Henry Baker, a teacher.
  • A man named Slator, also possibly a teacher.
• Morning Events: At sunrise, Richard Hill and Henry Baker went to the river to wash before breakfast. While returning to the cabin, an Indian was spotted running from tree to tree. Hill reached the cabin safely, but Baker was killed as he tried to climb the fence.
• Henry Baker's Death: The Indians, who were concealed by the riverbank, pried up the fence, pulled Baker's head through, and scalped him.
• Attack on the Cabin: The Indians did not attempt to storm the house directly but shot blazing arrows onto the roof in a futile attempt to set the cabin on fire.
• Nathan's Escape and Alarm: After nightfall, Nathan, the Black slave, volunteered to carry the alarm to Keckleytown (now Mill Point). He crossed the river to the east side, and it is unknown whether he recrossed at Swago, Stephen’s Hole Run, or Stamping Creek.
• Rescue: Upon receiving the alarm at Fort Keckley, a group of pioneers quickly assembled and hurried to the relief of the Drinnens. While on their way, they alerted residents in the Swago section.
• Aftermath: No Indians were found when the rescue party reached Drinnen’s. Henry Baker was buried, and his grave was located under the fence separating the Fair Ground from the field above until erosion obliterated it. The residents of the Marlinton and Levels sections, along with others from Swago, gathered in Fort Keckley.
• Uncertainties: It is unknown whether the attacks upon the Warwicks at Clover Lick and upon Drinnen at the Fair Ground were perpetrated by the same war party. The direction from which the Indians came is also uncertain.

The Drinnen Raid demonstrates the vulnerability of the early settlers to Indian attacks. The quick response of the settlers at Fort Keckley emphasizes the importance of community forts in the area for protection.