Lewis Ludwig Wetzel (abt. 1763 - abt. 1808)

Born about Aug 1763 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania [uncertain]

Ancestors

Died about 1808 at about age 44 in Natchez, Adams, Mississippi, United States [uncertain]

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Biography

Lewis Wetzel is Notable.

American frontiersman and scout who roamed the hills of what is now the state of West Virginia and Ohio. Zane Grey, the great Western novelist, wrote about Wetzel in his books Spirit Of The Border, Betty Zane, and The Last Trail. Wetzel was accused in 1788 of the murder of peaceful Native Americans, but he escaped and there was no trial.

Lewis Ludwig Wetzel was born about Aug 1763 around Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. He was was the son of a German emigrant named John Wetzel, who was later killed by Native Americans, and Mary Bonnet, daughter of Jean Jacques Bonnet of Friedrichstal, Baden. The Wetzel and Bonnet families moved to the Wheeling Creek area in what is now the northern panhandle of West Virginia in 1770. The Wetzel family settled on a section far upstream from the Ohio River in a fairly isolated location.

In 1777, Lewis, then 13, and his brother Jacob, 11, were taken prisoner by members of the Wyandot tribe, but managed to escape. Lewis was shot in the leg during the capture. The young man vowed to avenge his family. Lewis and Jacob managed to return to the location of what is now Wheeling, West Virginia, which was then called Fort Henry. Lewis played an active part in the defense of that fort in the first siege of Fort Henry a couple weeks after his escape.

From this time onward, Lewis Wetzel hated Native Americans; he scalped those he killed. He grew his hair out almost to the ground, to taunt the Indians with what would be an unmatchable trophy. The Native Americans gave him the nickname "Deathwind" because of his lethal sharpshooting. His skills in what we now characterize as guerilla war were considered famous at the time, most notably his ability to load his gun while sprinting. He was some six feet tall, striking, and very athletic. He was also considered a good fiddle player and good with children.

Wetzel later participated in some of the military campaigns against the Native American tribes in the Ohio region. Between the years of 1782 and 1787, he killed several Native Americans, adding to a total including those killed during the fighting in 1786. He preferred to operate alone; military procedure did not suit him while serving with the militia. Wetzel was implicated in the deaths of several Native Americans, including respected Chief Tegunteh, which led to his being charged with murder by Colonel Josiah Harmar "for the murder of an Indian in the region of Fort Harmar", near present day Marietta, Ohio, in 1788. Wetzel was captured and interrogated on November 6 of that year, then escaped for two weeks by running into the woods before being captured again. This time he attacked his jailer and escaped. He was located and captured a third time outside Maysville, Kentucky in mid-December, this time being transferred to Fort Washington (now Cincinnati, Ohio). He was held there until a 200-man mob led by Simon Kenton forced Harmar to release him. Wetzel eventually moved to New Orleans, where he spent several years in prison for counterfeiting.

According to legend, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark asked Wetzel to join their expedition but he declined. This is unlikely to have actually occurred, as neither Lewis or Clark mention Wetzel in their letters or diaries, and they were under strict orders to explore, not fight.

Accounts vary as to his life after that point. Some accounts state he died in 1808 in Mississippi, at the residence of his cousin Philip Sykes. Some accounts say he married a Spanish woman and lived to an old age. The 1808 date was probably correct, as a skeleton matching the description of Wetzel, which was buried along with a rifle and other equipment, as legend had it, was found at what was the former farm of Philip Sykes. This skeleton was re-interred in McCreary Cemetery in Marshall County, West Virginia.^[1]

Legacy

Despite his troublesome life, Wetzel County, West Virginia was named in his honor.

Lewis Wetzel's older brother, Martin, a friend of Daniel Boone and Erik Dahlstrom, fought against the Native Americans with a tomahawk. Martin Wetzel's direct descendant, Robert "Sam" Lewis Wetzel (1930-2022), of Clarksburg, West Virginia, was a veteran of the Korean and Vietnam wars, and rose to the rank of Lieutenant General and Corps commander during the Cold War. Robert Lewis Wetzel's middle name came from his notable relation, Lewis Wetzel.

Sources

1. ↑ Burial: Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/5091950/lewis-wetzel: accessed August 10, 2024), memorial page for Lewis Wetzel (Aug 1763–1808), Find A Grave: Memorial #5091950, citing McCreary Cemetery, Limestone, Marshall County, West Virginia, USA; Maintained by TB (contributor 48742414).

• Lewis Wetzel, Dark Hero of the Ohio
• West Virginia Archives list of books and articles written about Lewis Wetzel

See also:

• Lewis Wetzel on Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
• Lewis Ludwig Wetzel on Geni
• Origin of the Wetzel Family on Genealogy.com