USA > Massachusetts > Our western border : its life, combats, adventures, forays, massacres, captivities, scouts, red chiefs, pioneer women, one hundred years ago, containing the cream of all the rare old border chronicles > Part 67
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around him, continued to exert himself until the boat had reached a more respectable distance. He then for the first time looked around him, in order to observe the condition of the crew.
His nephew lay in tis blood, perfectly lifeless; the horses had been all killed or mortally wounded. Some had fallen overboard; others were struggling violently, and causing their frail bark to dip water so abundantly as to excite the most serious apprehensions. But the crew presented the most singular spectacle. A Captain, who had served with reputation in the Continental army, seemed now totally bereft of his faculties. He lay upon his back in the bottom of the boat, with hands uplifted, and a countenance in which terror was personified, ex- claiming, in a tone of despair, "Oh, Lord ! Oh, Lord !" A Dusch- man, whose weight might amount to about three hundred pounds, was anxiously engaged in endeavoring to find shelter for his bulky person, which, from the lowness of the gunwales, was a very difficult under- taking. In spite of his utmost efforts a portion of his posterial luxu- riance appeared above the gunwale, and afforded a mark to the enemy which brought a constant shower of balls around it.
In vain he shifted his position. The hump still appeared, and the balls still flew around it, until the Dutchman, losing all patience, raised his head above the gunwale, and, in a tone of querulous remonstrance, called out, " Oh, now ! quit tat tamned nonsense tere, will you?" Not a shot was fired from the boat. At one time, after they had partly re- gained the current, Captain Ward attempted to bring his rifle to bear upon them, but so violent was the agitation of the boat from the furious struggles of the horses, that he could not steady his piece within twenty yards of the enemy, and, quickly laying it aside, returned to the oar.
The Indians followed them down the river for more than an hour, but, having no canoes, they did not attempt to board; and as the boat was at length transferred to the opposite side of the river, they finally abandoned the pursuit and disappeared. None of the crew, save the young man already mentioned, were hurt, although the Dutchman's seat of honor served as a target for the space of an hour, and the Con- tinental Captain was deeply mortified at the sudden, and, as he said, " unaccountable" panic which had seized him. Captain Ward himself was protected by a post, which had been fastened to the gunwale, and behind which he sat while rowing.
621 .
EXCITING NARRATIVE OF MAJOR VAN CAMPEN.
EXCITING NARRATIVE OF MAJOR VAN CAMPEN.
Moses Van Campen and his brother Jacobus, or " Cobus Van Camp," as he was called, were famous in the border wars along the Susquehan- na. Moses was a bold, daring scout or spy, and was engaged by Sulli- van on his expedition through the Six Nations' country, when, in return for the massacre of Wyoming and other enormities, it was determined to retaliate by ravaging the Indian country. From Major Van Camp- en's petition to Congress for a pension, (which, we may add, was speed- ily granted, so conspicuous were his courage and services,) we quote the following account of a desperate fight with Indians:
On the return of the army I was taken with the camp fever, and was removed to the fort which I had built in '78, where my father was still living. In the course of the Winter I recovered my health, and my father's house having been burnt in '78, by the party which attacked the before-mentioned fort, my father requested me to go with him and a younger brother to our farm, about four miles distant, to make prepara- tions for building another, and raising some grain. But little apprehen- sion was entertained of molestation from the Indians this season, as they had been so completely routed the year before. We left the fort about the last of March, 1780, accompanied by my uncle and his son, about twelve years old, and one Peter Pence. We had been on our farm about four or five days when, on the morning of the 30th of March, we were surprised by a party of ten Indians. My father was lunged through with a war spear, his throat was cut and he was scalped, while my brother was tomahawked, scalped and thrown into the fire before my eyes. While I was struggling with a warrior, the fellow who had killed my father drew his spear from his body and made a violent thrust at me. I shrank from the spear; the savage who had hold of me turned it with his hand so that it only penetrated my vest and shirt. They were then satisfied with taking me prisoner, as they had the same morning taken my uncle's little son and Pence, though they killed my uncle. The same party, before they reached us, had touched on the lower settlements of Wyoming, and killed a Mr. Upson, and took a boy prisoner of the name of Rodgers.
We were now marched off up Fishing Creek, and in the afternoon of the same day we came to Huntingdon, where the Indians found four white men at a sugar camp, who fortunately discovered the Indians and fled to a house; the Indians only fired on them and wounded a Captain
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Ranson, when they continued their course till night. Having encamped and made their fire, we, the prisoners, were tied and well secured, five Indians lying on one side of us and five on the other ; in the morning they pursued their course, and, leaving the waters of Fishing Creek, touched the head waters of Hemlock Creek, where they found one Abraham Pike, his wife and child. Pike was made prisoner, but his wife and child they painted, and told Joggo squaw, go home. They con- tinued their course that day, and encamped the same night in the same manner as the previous. It came into my mind that sometimes in- dividuals performed wonderful actions and surmounted the greatest dangers. I then decided that these fellows must die ; and thought of the plan to dispatch them. The next day I had an opportunity to commu- nicate my plan to my fellow prisoners ; they treated it as a visionary scheme for three men to attempt to dispatch ten Indians. I spread be- fore them the advantages that three men would have over ten when asleep; that we would be the first prisoners that would be taken into their towns and villages after our army had destroyed their corn; that we should be tied to the stake and suffer a cruel death; we had now an inch of ground to fight on, and if we failed it would only be death, and we might as well die one way as another.
That day passed away, and having encamped for the night, we lay as before. In the morning we came to the river, and saw their canoes; they had descended the river and run their canoes up on Little Tunk- hannock Creek, so called; they crossed the river and set their canoes adrift. I renewed my suggestion to my companions to dispatch them that night, and urged they must decide the question. They agreed to make the trial; but how shall we do it, was the question. Disarm them, and each take a tomahawk and come to close work at once. There are three of us; plant our blows with judgment and three times three will make nine, and the tenth one we can kill at our leisure. They agreed to disarm them, and after that one take possession of the guns and fire, at the one side of the four, and the other two take tomahawks on the other side and dispatch them. I observed that would be a very un- certain way ; the first shot fired would give the alarm; they would discover it to be the prisoners, and might defeat us. I had to yield to their plan. Peter Pence was chosen to fire the guns, Pike and myself to tomahawk. We cut and carried plenty of wood to give them a good fire ; the prisoners were tied and laid in their places ; after I was laid down, one of them had occasion to use his knife ; he dropped it at my feet ; I turned my foot over it and concealed it; they all lay down and fell asleep.
About midnight I got up and found them in sound sleep. I slipped
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EXCITING NARRATIVE OF MAJOR VAN CAMPEN.
to Pence, who rose ; I cut him loose and handed him the knife; he did the same for me, and I in turn took the knife and cut Pike loose ; in a minute's time we disarmed them.
Pence now took his station at the guns. Pike and myself, with our tomahawks, took our stations; I was to tomahawk three on the right wing, and Pike two on the left. That moment Pike's two awoke, and were getting up; here Pike proved a coward, and laid down. It was a critical moment. I saw there was no time to be lost; their heads turned up fair ; I dispatched them in a moment, and turned to my lot, as per agreement, and as I was about to dispatch the last on my side of the fire, Pence shot and did good execution ; there was only one at the off wing that his ball did not reach; his name was Mohawke, a stout, bold, daring fellow. In the alarm he jumped off about three rods from the fire ; he saw it was the prisoners that made the attack, and, giving the war whoop, he darted to take possession of the guns; I was as quick to prevent him ; the contest was then between him and myself. As I raised my tomahawk he turned quick to jump from me; I followed him and struck at him, but, missing his head, my tomahawk struck his shoulder, or rather the back of his neck; he pitched forward and fell ; at the same time my foot slipped, and I fell by his side ; we clinched ; his arm was naked ; he caught me round my neck; at the same time I caught him with my left arm around the body and gave him a close hug, at the same time feeling for his knife, but could not reach it. .
In our scuffle my tomahawk dropped out. My head was under the wounded shoulder, and almost suffocated me with his blood. I made a violent spring and broke from his hold ; we both rose at the same time, and he ran ; it took me some time to clear the blood from my eyes ; my tomahawk got covered up and I could not find it in time to over. take him ; he was the only one of the party that escaped. Pike was powerless. I always have had a reverence for Christian devotion. Pike was trying to pray, and Pence swearing at him, charging him with cowardice, and saying it was no time to pray-he ought to fight; we were masters of the ground, and in possession of all their guns, blankets, match coats, &c. I then turned my attention to scalping them, and recovering the scalps of my father, brother, and others, I strung them all on my belt for safe keeping. We kept our ground till morn- ing, and built a raft, it being near the bank of the river where they had encamped, about fifteen miles below Tioga Point ; we got all our plunder on it and set sail for Wyoming, the nearest settlement. Our raft gave way, when we made for land, and we lost considerable property, though we saved our guns and ammunition, and took to iand ; we reached Wyalusing late in the afternoon.
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Came to the Narrows; discovered a smoke below, and a raft lying at the shore, by which we were certain that a party of Indians had passed us in the course of the day, and had halted for the night. There was no alternative for us but to rout them or go over the mountain; the snow on the north side of the hill was deep; we knew, from the appear- ance of the raft, that the party must be small; we had two rifles each ; my only fear was of Pike's cowardice. To know the worst of it, we agreed that I should ascertain their number and give the signal for the attack ; I crept down the side of the hill, so near as to see their fires and packs, but saw no Indians. I concluded they had gone hunting for meat, and that this was a good opportunity for us to make off with their raft to the opposite side of the river. I gave the signal ; they came and threw their packs on to the raft, which was made of small, dry pine timber ; with poles and paddles we drove her briskly across the river, and had got nearly out of reach of shore when two of them came in; they fired, but their shots did no injury. We soon got under cover of an island, and went several miles ; we had waded deep creeks through the day ; the night was cold ; we landed on an island and found a sink hole, in which we made our fire ; after warming we were alarmed by a cracking in the crust; Pike supposed the Indians had got on to the island, and was calling for quarters; to keep him quiet we threatened him with his life; the stepping grew plainer, and seemed coming directly to the fire; I kept watch, and soon a noble raccoon came under the light. I shot the raccoon, when Pike jumped up and called out, " Quarters, gentlemen ! quarters, gentlemen !" I took my game by the leg and threw it down to the fire. " Here, you cowardly rascal," I cried, " skin that and give us a roast for supper." The next night we reached Wyoming, and there was much joy at seeing us.
3
CHAPTER X
THE FRIGHTFUL MASSACRE OF WYOMING.
A scream ! 'tis but the panther's-naught Breaks the calm .. unshine there. A thicket stirs ! a deer has sought From sight a closer lair. Again upon the grass they droop, Then bursts the well-known whoop on whoop; Shrill, deafening on the ear. And onward, from their ambush deep, Like wolves the savage warriors leap .- Street.
One of the most dreadful and memorable atrocities recorded in American history was the awful massacre of Wyoming, made more illus- trious by affording the theme for Campbell's Gertrude of Wyoming. It happened in 1778. The valley of Wyoming, situate in Luzerne county, Pennsylvania, was, and is yet, one of the richest and most beautiful in the country. It was early settled by a happy, contented and patriotic population, but was greatly exposed to incursions from the powerful Six Nations, then under malign tory influence.
Nearly all the able-bodied men of Wyoming fit to bear arms had been called away into the Continental army. The settlement consisted of eight townships, each five miles square, beautifully situated on either side of the Susquehanna, and had increased so rapidly that they were enabled to send a thousand men to serve in the armies of their country. To provide against the dangers of their defenceless situation, four forts had been erected to cover them from savage irruptions; but they had also the misfortune to have among them some very bitter royalists, and the two parties of whigs and tories were actuated by feelings of the most rancorous animosity. It was to be expected that these tories, many of whom had fled to join Johnson and Brant, of the Mohawk valley, would bring down vengeance upon a settlement which had evinced such ardent spirit in the cause of liberty.
Late in June, therefore, a large body of tories and savages, number- ing eleven hundred, under the lead of that notorious royalist, Colonel
40
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John Butler, descended the Susquehanna, and appeared before Jenkins' Fort, at the head of the valley. The invasion had not altogether been unexpected. For several weeks previous small parties of strange In- dians had come and gone, professing friendship with their lips but act- ing in the most secret and treacherous manner. Colonel Zebulon Butler at once took alarm, and wrote to Congress and Washington, presenting his fears and the reasons for them, but nothing was done.
Jenkins' Fort was obliged to capitulate, and Wintermoot's followed suit. There were several more stockade forts at Wyoming, but with no other means of defence than the small arms fired through loop holes. In all Wyoming valley there was but one cannon-a four-pounder, without balls, and simply maintained at the Wilkesbarre Fort as an alarm gun. Almost all the defenders took refuge in Forty Fort. They only numbered about four hundred men and boys. Many of the men were gray-headed-some of them grandfathers. By invitation, Colonel Zebulon Butler placed himself at the head of this force, and prepared to make defence as best he could.
History does not furnish an instance of more gallant devotion than they exhibited. On July 3d they marched out, very rashly and un- wisely, it must be confessed, to meet the enemy, Colonel Butler com- manding the right wing and Colonel Dennison the left. Opposed to Zebulon Butler was John Butler, with his own tory rangers, in full uni- form, and a detachment of Sir John Johnson's Royal Greens. Opposed to Dennison were the Indians, chiefly Senecas, seven hundred strong, led on by Gi-en-gwah-toh. Until very lately, the celebrated Mohawk Chief, Brant, has been credited with the leadership of the hostile sava- ges on this expedition, but it has been proved by incontestable evidence that he was not. He himself always denied it most vehemently, and so convinced the poet Campbell, who had given him such a bad eminence in his Gertrude of Wyoming, that in the preface to the next edition, he did Brant a tardy justice.
The engagement commenced in the afternoon, and for some time was fought with great spirit, but the overwhelming force of the enemy soon enabled them not only to outflank their opponents, but actually to gain their rear. The men falling rapidly on all sides, Colonel Dennison gave the order to fall back to obtain a better position. Some misun- derstood the order as a retreat, and great confusion ensued. The prac- ticed enemy sprang forward at once ; raised a horrid yell along their whole ranks and rushed in among the retiring columns with spear and tomahawk.
When the left was thrown into confusion, Colonel Zebulon Butler threw himself in front and rode in between the two lines. "Don't
-
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THE FRIGHTFUL MASSACRE OF WYOMING.
leave me, my children," he appealed to them, "the victory will be ours." It was too late ! The battle was lost ! Indeed, it should never have been fought. It has even been considered a blunder, for what could four hundred do against eleven hundred, well posted and con- fident of victory.
Now followed a most dreadful massacre and the most heart-rending scenes. The brave but overpowered defenders were slaughtered with- out mercy, principally in flight and after having surrendered. The plain, the river and the island of Monockonock were the principal scenes of this atrocious massacre. Sixteen men, placed in a ring around a rock, called to this day Queen Esther's Rock, were held by stout In- dians while they were, one by one, slaughtered by the knife or toma- hawk, it is said, of Catharine Montour, generally known by the name of Queen Esther, but this is very positively denied. In another simi- lar ring, nine persons were murdered in the same way. Many were shot in the river, or hunted out and slain in their hiding places on Mo- nockonock island. But a small proportion of the men who went into battle survived.
The survivors took refuge in Wilkesbarre and Forty forts. Mr. Hol- lenback, who had swum the river naked, amid a shower of balls, came rushing into the former fort with the dread cry, " all is lost !" when the inmates fled to the mountains and down the river. . Their sufferings were extreme. Colonel Zebulon Butler and the soldiers who had es- caped the battle, understanding that no quarter was to be given, were among the refugees. Colonel Dennison, with a large number of the refugees from the battle, threw themselves into Forty Fort, and next day succeeded in getting terms from the tory Butler. The current his- torical accounts of the Wyoming battle and massacre were very much exaggerated, and especially of Butler's ferocity and the indiscriminate massacre which followed the surrender of the forts. Not a life of all those under Dennison's charge was lost. It was horrible enough, but not so bad as represented. A general scene of ruthless devastation now occurred throughout the valley. The houses and grounds of the tories alone escaped rapine and ruin. Such of the cattle as were not killed had their tongues cut out. Fire, sword and scalping knife, all were employed. This one attack made one hundred and fifty widows and six hundred orphans in that once peaceful and beautiful valley, while families were swept out of existence or driven to protracted suf- ferings by flight.
Of the Gore family, out of seven who went into battle, but one es- caped. From the farm of Mr. Weeks seven males went to battle-not one escaped. The survivors fled to the mountains or down the valley,
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but their sufferings from fright, hunger and hurried traveling were ex- treme. In one party of a hundred, there was but one man.
The chief part of the invading army was led off by Butler in a few days, but parties of Indians continued in the valley for some time, until from every part of the compass fire after fire arose, and all who could get away fled. Every pathway was thronged with women and children, old men and boys. The following Sunday twenty Indians came to Mr. Weeks' house, and ordered breakfast and for him to clear out. "All my sons have fallen," said the old man, " and here I am left with four- teen grandchildren, all young and helpless." No use ; he had to go. After breakfast an Indian leader wheeled a rocking chair into the mid- dle of the road, sat himself down and complacently rocked himself. The rest afterwards followed his example, and thus rocked themselves into such good humor that they allowed Weeks a pair of oxen and a wagon to carry the family off.
When Forty Fort capitulated, Butler, as he entered, saw Sergeant . Boyd, a late English deserter from the British, who was a good drill ser- geant, and had been employed training the men in the fort. "Boyd," said Butler, recognizing him, "go to that tree !" pointing to a pine not far outside. "I hope," replied the poor Sergeant, " that your honor will consider me a prisoner of war." "Go to that tree," re- peated Butler, sternly. Boyd had to go, and was instantly shot down.
CATHARINE MONTOUR, ALIAS QUEEN ESTHER.
Tioga Point, Bradford county, Pa., near the New York State line and at the junction of the Tioga and the Susquehanna, was noted in the an- nals of Indian warfare as the site of an ancient Indian town and a place of rendezvous for parties passing up and down the two rivers. At this place stood the "castle" of the celebrated Queen Esther, who is said to have played such a cruel and pitiless role at the Wyoming massacre. Her permanent residence was at Catharine's Town, at the head of Sen- eca Lake.
Catharine Montour was a half-breed, who had been well educated in Canada. Her reputed father was one of the French Governors of that province, and she herself was a lady of comparative refinement. She was much caressed in Philadelphia, and mingled in the best society. She exercised a controlling influence among the Indians, and resided in this quarter while they were making their incursions upon the Wyoming settlements. It has been even suspected that she presided at the bloody sacrifice of the Wyoming prisoners after the battle ; but Colonel Stone, who is good authority upon the history of the Six Nations, utterly dis-
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ATTACK AND ESCAPE OF HAMMOND AND THE BENNETTS.
credits the suspicion. The plain upon which her mansion stood is called Queen Esther's Flat. Old Mr. Covenhoven, who still lives in Lycoming county, was one of Colonel Hartley's expedition to Tioga, just after the battle of Wyoming, for the purpose of burning the Mora- vian villages and the Indian town at Tioga. Mr. Covenhoven says, that he himself put the brand to Queen Esther's "castle." He describes it as a long, low edifice, constructed with logs set in the ground at in- tervals of ten feet, with horizontal hewn plank or puncheons neatly set into grooves in the posts. It was roofed or thatched, and had some sort of a porch or other ornament over the doorway.
FIERCE ATTACK AND ESCAPE OF HAMMOND AND THE BENNETTS.
Among the many exciting adventures attending the massacre, none exceeds in thrilling interest the story of the escape of Hammond and the Bennetts from their Indian captors. Lebbeus Hammond was one of two who bounded off and escaped from the slaughter about Queen Esther's Rock. He, with Thomas Bennett and son, a lad only fourteen years old, were surprised in the woods on the march, when the snow was waist deep, but the savages drove them on without rest. At night they were secured by slender poles laid across them, a redskin lying upon either end. Their fate was sure. Bennett had torn a button from his coat and wished to replace it. "Fool!" said one of the captors, "only one day more; you die at Wyalusing!" Then they told of the fate of a man named Boyd, whom they knew, and who had been cap- tured not long before. They related that they had cut off his fingers and toes, one by one, and plucked out his eyes, but could not extract from him a cry or a groan. "Boyd brave man," they applaudingly said.
The prisoners were now left alone for a few minutes. "Hammond," said Bennett, "we must rise upon them to-night!" "It will be a peril- ous undertaking," replied Hammond, "but it may be our last chance. We may succeed, and if I'm to die, I'll sell my life as dearly as possi- ble." That night the prisoners were secured as usual. Towards morn- ing they were released from the poles and suffered to walk about a little. Soon the Indians, save one, who acted as guard, fell into a deep slum- ber. This one sat over the fire, roasting a deer's head and lazily pick- ing out the dainty morsels.
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