Searching For A Lost French And Indian War Era Fort Upper Tract: Fort Found?
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- Опубликовано: 9 сен 2024
- This video is the end of our second day investigating and metal detecting the potential fort site. We feel a decent level of confidence that we have found the fort but will return for more evidence. Stay tuned... the best is yet to come! (day 2 - video 3 of 3)
This fort was called Fort Upper Tract and is located in Upper Tract, West Virginia (formerly part of the Virginia colony).
This fort is a French and Indian War-era fort (1758) that has been lost to history. Very little is known about this fort to include its exact location and what happened to the colonial settlers and militiamen that were garrisoning the fort located deep in what was then the Virginia colony's western frontier. Two years after Colonel George Washingtons complete defeat to the French and Indians at Fort Necessity and one year after General Braddock's disastrous defeat in route to try to capture Fort Duquesne along the Ohio River, Indian war parties poured out of the Ohio country and swept through the western portions of the English colonies killing and plundering with no major English or Colonial force to hold them back. This fort was one of many small and ineffectual forts built along the frontier under the command of Colonel Washington, many of which were attacked and lost.
This video series is the story of one of the "lost' frontier forts located in the beautiful South Branch Valley of the Potomac River in what was once the colony of Virginia but is now in the state of West Virginia. This fort was burned as was witnessed by a lone Colonial scout from a distant mountaintop. There were no survivors to tell the story and apparently, there is no written record of anyone ever going back to the fallen fort to look for bodies, bones or to determine the fate of the colonists that took shelter there. This western portion of the Virginia colony would remain a wild and dangerous place for colonists until the end of the American Revolution some 25 years later.
We hope to be able to create enough interest in this site so that a proper archeological investigation might be commissioned by some entity. We feel this is an important historical site and hope it will one day be recognized as such and its story is preserved for the ages.
About Aquachigger:
I enjoy metal detecting for historical items like gold coins, relics, silver coins, and other buried treasures. I also metal detect for gold and silver nuggets and even meteorites. I like to make videos that promote my choice of lifestyle that includes outdoor adventure, metal detecting, yapping, searching for river treasure, SCUBA diving, exploring abandoned places, hiking, caving, caring for animals and pets, and observing the things outdoors that often go unnoticed by most people who are not familiar with outdoor adventures and nature. I keep my RUclips "Aquachigger" channel family-friendly and hope you subscribe if you like my style.
BTW, you can also catch me here, / chiggsarmy ,but I may get a little edgier there. FB isn't a place for kids anyway...lol.
Affiliate links to see and purchase the gear I use:
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I hope to see you guys out there!
I dont think most people realize how much work goes into doing this and videoing it at the same time! You sir are one of the hardest working men on RUclips and we greatly appreciate it.
Don't matter if it's something from 20 years ago or 220...it all tells the history of that area. Kids are enjoying your channel and learning our history at the same time. Thanks for all your hard work, see you next time.
I hope you enjoy this video. End of our second of day detecting. MOAR to follow!
Follow Chigg’s Army!
My Patreon: www.patreon.com/aquachigger
Instagram: instagram.com/aquachigger/
Facebook: facebook.com/chiggsarmy/
Thanks for watching…. The Chigg
nice job chig
Should be lots of hand forged square nails in the Area if it was the Site of the fort especially if it burnt.....
Chiggs awesome work 🤘👍🍺
Great series Chigg ! I hope you held on to some bone samples for identification .
So much melted lead and in fragments tends to lead in the direction that there was a skirmish and fire the absence of artifacts makes sence. It was a defensive position not meant for long term habitation and upon either the settlers opening the gates or being breached everything of value was taken.
In that area where you were finding those musket balls of different sizes and arrowheads makes me wonder if that wasn't where there was some fighting going on. The unfired ones or dropped musket balls could have been like they were panicking and trying to load because the Indians were attacking and then not all of the Indians would have had muskets they'd have to have bows and arrows as well because they might have been limited on powder and ball. I hope you don't quit looking it seems like you're zeroing in on it. Thank you for sharing its so exciting. I realize I probably have a case of wishful thinking and an active imagination.
This is such a great story sir. Just wow to know this is most likely the fort. Can't wait for the next one. Be safe
Be been so focused on your sage advice of what your finding, I forgot about Mr. Todd. Hope he’s helping solve the mystery with his finds, as well. It must be very solemn digging at a massacre site.
Great video and great finds be safe you and Todd GOD BLESS y’all Amen 🙏
I've always wanted to metal detect, more for the history that's unearthed than anything, love all your videos Mr Chig, thanks for giving some of us views into history!
This has definitely been one of the best, most interesting series I've seen. Thank you for sharing all this, Chigg!
Good finds! Can’t wait for more videos. Hoping y’all will investigate the creek also
Great video chigg! I think you are getting closer to finding the fort! Appreciate you bringing us along for the Adventure!!!!
I really enjoyed this venture of history an metal detecting chigg. Can’t wait for your next adventure. Thank you.
That bigger piece looks like a piece of hip bone!
I think Chigg’s right, probably a scapula (shoulder blade)...maybe the right size for human, maybe animal...
This is amazing the chance to be part of correcting history is thrilling. Especially this time in our country.
Thank you for your dedication. Nora C
Great finds, bones charcoal, buckle pieces in the same hole it does get you to thinking . Just keeps getting more interesting thanks Chigg.
Another great adventure searching the past. Finding and saving the relic’s and artifacts.
Chiggs this has been an incredible adventure for you and Todd.I am enjoying every bit of the mystery at what happened at this location.
I’m convinced .. maybe bring in Time Team for verification you and Todd would still get credit for the “Accurate find” .
They have the equipment and the funding ,as well as the proper accredited archeologist for both historical and forensic digs. Just a thought. 🤔
I’m awake
woke?
@@kevio6868 woke is a JOKE ...
I’m awake in The Holy Spirit , The Awake see ALL satans deceptions for what they are ...
Although I wasn’t inferring to that either . In my first comment I stated “that YT was putting my to sleep today “ ,and prayed for a Chigg vid. “AND IT WAS “
Lol
@@theofficialdiamondlou2418
Amen!
A Lidar scan might reveal the the outline of fort walls.
Yep I thought the same thing while watching all these videos.
Or a drone view?
xspensive
Hey Aquachigger, I have a piece of charcoal I dug up that is the end of a stick someone was poking the fire with. I was seven feet down in the dirt under a rock over- hang. I was digging in a very old campfire. This piece of charcoal came out in sections like a puzzle. It was rounded on three sides with the top being flat, as it graduated back it was round like a stick. This charcoal looked like it had burned yesterday! When in fact it had not been on fire for a few hundred years! Your charcoal could be from the period your looking for!
I agree with you on the arrowheads and flint flake ! That’s a perfect ancient Indian site and lord knows the relics in that ground.
Great video.....I think you are doing a super job. Now we want Moar........
Really interesting. One of your best video series ever.
Appears to be a perfect spot for a fort. On top a small bluff with views up a down river at a near 90 degee bend. I wonder if the small ravine leading to the river could have been dug to allow access to the river. I don't see a natural Swale leading to it as you most likely would find with natural drainage
Aquachigger, When you find potentially history changing sites like this do you document where each relic came from like archeologist?
Good little series, Chig. I hope you find something definitive to identify the fort. That will be awesome if you go down in history as the one who discovered this lost site. I'm sure the indians took all they could find at the time, but they're bound to have overlooked a lot of small objects...specially since they burned it down. Looking forward to the next one. Thanks.
Man I'd love to be in on this one!
Good luck Beau and Todd👍🎧✌️
Seems like ya might be on to something there......hmmmmm. Cant wait for more. Thanks again soooo much for bringing us along!! Really awesome brother!!
I hope you are able to have the foret put on the historical registry. Love it all.
Thanks for the vid.
You are accumulatling quite an assortment of different items from the time period. Keep on keeping on!
Nice job Chigg....Congrats on the Colonial buckle
I think you guys are spot on the fort. Thanx Chigg for another great AQUACHIGGER ADVENTURE see ya on the next
You've got me convinced you found the location of the fort 🤠👍
Why don't you try the 1 yard square area to dig everything down to the level of the age you may find a lot more
Well, good question but for 2 reasons. 1- If on a timed outing, too tedious. Too much area. 2- Owner may not want the attention.
Chiggles just admitted his machine is juiced! He’s banned from any metal detecting contest after an admission like that
what does "juiced" mean? I'm not a detector...tnx
@@kevio6868 in sports if someone is on performance enhancing drugs they are called “juiced” chig said his detector is juiced up. So I made a joke about the metal detector using performance enhancing drugs.
I think chig is referring to his metal detector having a low discrimation setting so he can hear all of the iron and non ferrous items
@@jackwiger5619
ahh got it nowJack tnx for your reply much appreciated
@@kevio6868 Beau often says, "let me tell you what I am using today I have the Garrett AT Max, Zero discrimation and maximum sensitivity". Basically it is maxxed out to hear everything and as deep as it will go. If you want it juiced, you don't even ground balance. The downside is that it will pick up electric fences and power wires 200 feet away and a sewing needle 6" down.
@@AndrexT
thanks Andrew
Good find arrowhead and the thumb scraper you threw back in hole are nice keepers
AWE$OME Work my Friend !!!
I imagine all those souls are grateful to be remembered... but understand your hesitancy, also. ♡
Could the musket ball with the hole be a ram rod imprint? I have heard of frightened soldiers leaving them in the barrel and then firing.
Looked like hole was in the back of the ball, but then again if it had been fired through an unrifled musket barrel it could have tumbled every which way
The ramrod would not have made a hole in the musket ball. It just does not happen that way. An imprint on the surface of the ball, but not a hole. Twice I have seen ramrods flying down range. The two I saw went down range swirling like a helicopter blade, probably because of being off balance.
Absolutely love this series..✌❤
I like being a detective with you to try and solve the mystery of the fort. I feel you are on to something. Maybe grid it off and try sample Digs…..thanks…
Hi Chigger......Well..Even with the pull tabs it looked like a pretty good day!....Keep on diggin!...Have a good day!
I wonder if you could see lines in the grass from above.
Crop lines like they see in the Uk where round houses once stood
I wonder if ground penetrating radar would find the palisade holes.
I think it would help paint a picture using different color flags to identify the type of finds Beau. I would love to detect a project like you are doing. Good luck my friend.
I'd get permission from the owner (even open up a go-fund me for us to chip in a sweet pot for them) to dig a narrow, long trench in the likeliest area. That way, you'd get a good cross section of the field, and know what's what.
I love what you do!
Chigger Opportunity to be able to work on the place and find some awesome information about the history of the poor lost souls there my prayers are with them 🙏❤👍🌟
You sir, are a national treasure.
Rather intriging site this one, I hope you do find the Fort and can confirm its location, boi wouldn't that be awesome but till then "hold ya breath" 👌👌👌
Great series man I’m proud of you
Chigg! Just curious why you don’t use a pinpointed?
Enjoyed as always Chigg , awesome. 👍👌🤛
Great series of videos!! I hope you really did find the fort.
Fun hunt! Neat finds!! Thanks for sharing!!
Wow! Very interesting. That site must be loaded with native artifacts. Thank you for sharing.
“I’m falling asleep watching YT @ 1:30 pm , lord please send a Chigger video to save the day 🙏🙏🙏”
YEEEESSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!! 😃😃😄
Chigg has been uploading this series daily. No miracle answered prayer here. Confirmation bias is strong in you.
Your an idiot , ever heard of a joke Capt weirdo
Nice finds chigg and Todd you finally brung your arrowhead detector
Great stuff chigg
Appreciate it
it is fun to unmask an old fort i got me one from back in time.
Great job as always..love it
History chigg! Loving the series!!
Great videos Beau.
I was thinking the fort could be found with geophysical survey, but I doubt it existed long enough on site to leave a footprint.
People lived some hard lives not too far back in time. Really it wasn't until the 1950's that living a much better and easier life was commonplace.
I was wondering if you flew a drone over the area, hovering at different altitudes, you might see traces of the fort wall.
I find the area you worked today to be more telling than some of the others. Whole musketballs and buckles in the charcoal layer....maybe the Fort was bigger than you think or had an outbuilding of some kind?
It might be easier for you if wasn't so muddy but I think your on to something so keep digging!
Great job!! Scooter!
Would love to see you use a sifter here
Epic videos 🙂
I see the Chig is getting the led out! LOL Beautiful work Brother!
The plot thickens. I wonder how the plan view of the finds looks. is there a concentration to indicate where most of the fight or flight took place. that might indicate the main gates of the fort. This is excellent stuff, regards from England.
Those small brass grommets could be from a period corset ?
Did you forget you have a pin pointer chigg?
Looks like the pin that holds the barrel to the stock on a muzzle loader
Seems to me that at some point you need to hand over to an archi team (if they are interested). That's history right in your hand and you would want it all to be correctly surveyed. Someone's been chugging back a few beverages too. You got me convinced anyway.
I referenced several F & I era gun collections from books and online for my fort search, and the smallest caliber musket was .58. As you have said, these would have been fowlers used by citizens. The Brown Bess used by the military/militia would have fired a .69 caliber ball. The natives allied with the French used mostly French made trade guns in .62 caliber.
It, s human, dude! Ask, Mrs. Chigg! She will know for sure!It, s too late ! You are tainted! Lol!
Any way, thank you for the update! Looks very promising!😀👍👍
Always enjoy the finds my friend I just can't believe this whole site, best of luck on the future digs.
Looks like the lower end of a scapula of a horse (lower end meaning the end closer to the ground as the animal stands) - it looks like the size for a cow or horse, but in a cow there is a spine of the scapula that sticks up higher, so I think it’s a horse, but perhaps you have the part below that spine on a cow scapula - can’t tell just watching but Chigg was right - too big to be human scapula. One of the authors writing in the first decade of the 20th century - I think referred to site were you are (might be the same author Chigg talked about) anyway he said there was a building on the site and stones from it’s foundation could clearly be seen, but no one then had a memory of the building - my point is that building may have been 18th century also. And could that building have burned? I looked over the land records for that site and the area between there and what is now “Upper Tract” and these records seem to show people were back in that area again not long after the fort burned - for sure by right after Rev War so still 18th century. I hate to “nag” on ya, but the site should be more concisely investigated - as others have said.
Wondered if any local Tribes had a oral history of the locations and events about this "fort" massacre.
Chigg wanted to say that gully where they are dumping would have been a great way for the settlers to enter and exit the river to the fort and where that spot it commanded a good distant view of the river I assume from the north ! Also the Indians that attacked were they Shawnees ? I assume they were being from Ohio !
If you found it, that would be the pinnacle of a digging career. Find the fence of the fort and call the archaeologists.
Did you grab some of the charcoal for analysis by some college?
The Chig dug up Captain Ricky.
wasn't Pewter expensive back then?
@26:34 What is that ? A drawer handle ?
Save ya elbow and use a pinpointer Chigg!
Are you plotting and recording the locations of holes and finds?
Good vid!
Such a tragic story! The Shawnee tribe warriors under Chief Killbuck killed twenty one people and scalped them the rest were taken captive. One woman was bedfast and most likely burned in the fire. The piece that you found on day one that looked like a piece of fence wire had a loop on the end... kinda looked like part of a bed box spring end. ??
GREAT Detective work Beau. BTW, The sound quality on this one is not the best.
Look ⏩ to the next installment, then the final wrap.
You found Rickie in the hole.😁👍☮️
watched from Bryan,tx
Awesome video man
Very intriguing series Beau. Only complaint is videos to short for a bowl of popcorn. Ha
Dude... how big is that bowl? This is a 27 minute video...lol.
@@aquachigger lol. I like my popcorn
What’s the song in the end :/
Your on it chigg
Did you find the second arrow point again?
I'm curious...I could be wrong, but won't those holes possibly be a problem for a cow to step on after you back filled? Unless you tamped them quite hard.
Chigg leaves the land better than when he found it always for sure