USA > Maryland > Allegany County > Cumberland > History of Cumberland, (Maryland) from the time of the Indian town, Caiuctucuc, in 1728, up to the present day : embracing an account of Washington's first campaign, and battle of Fort Necessity, together with a history of Braddock's expedition > Part 13
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I march from this to-morrow with about 1,200 Men. When I shall have the honor of seeing you at Philadelphia is uncertain on account of the long march. I hope everything will be fusilitated for our reception. It would give me infinite pleasure to hear from you on my March. I flatter myself with agreeable news of our Friends at Sea and Gen. Shirley. The latter is my greatest concern, as I am assured he will meet with a vigorous opposition.
I leave here the Virginia and Maryland Companies with some of the Train to protect this Fort and the General hospital, where there is about 400 Wounded or Sick.
Sir, your most humble and Ob'dent Serv't THOMAS DUNBAR.
To Governor Morris.
P. S .- I fear Ladys, wives to Gentlemen kil'd, are come or coming to Philadelphia. If they arrive and want a little Assistance be so good as to supply them. Mrs. Hanson, Mrs. Brereton, and Mrs Hart is their names.
185
FLIGHT OF THE SETTLERS.
1755.]
On the 2d, with his entire command, and two of the independent companies, he marched away from the Fort, and did not conclude to give up his flight until he had reached Philadelphia.
Dunbar's abandonment of Fort Cumberland left that post under the care of Colonel Innes' small command, consisting of one Virginia company, and a company of Maryland rangers, upon whom devolved the labor of nursing the sick and wounded, as well as of defending the position from attack. There were at this time 400 officers and men in the hos- pitals, disabled by wounds and sickness.
The retreat of the army had a most disheartening effect upon the entire population of the back country. The people heard of the flight of the veteran troops, and taking quick alarm, most of them, gathering together such of their effects as they could carry, fled towards the Susquehanna. Everything was aban- doned, houses, lands, growing crops, and stock. The forts remained garrisoned by small bodies of colonial troops,and a few hardy pioneers determined if possible to hold their own. Amongst these latter was the indomitable Cresap, who prepared for any emergency that might arise.
The French had no conception of the effect of their attack, and it was some time ere they learned the terrible state of demoralization and panic which followed their slaughter of Braddock's army. They were not slow to take advantage of this state of affairs, however, when they became apprised of it, and quickly the forests became filled with savages and robbers, who extended their raids 24
186
HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND. [1755.
almost as far East as Winchester, pillaging and mur- dering in the most ruthless manner, until the whole country from New York to the heart of Virginia became the theatre of inhuman barbarities and heartless destruction.
The defeat of Braddock was totally unlooked for, and it excited the most painful surprise, both in England and in the Colonies. The British troops had been looked upon as invincible, and preparations had been made in Philadelphia for the celebration of Braddock's anticipated victory. His defeat and his death were, therefore, startling disappointments, and it was plain that from that time forward the Colon- ists had a much less exalted opinion of the valor of the royal troops.
Braddock had entered upon this campaign full of confidence, pride and self-reliance. He was utterly ignorant of the Indian and his mode of warfare, yet too proud to receive instruction or advice upon the subject at the hands of his inferiors in military rank. He was bigoted to an extent which led him into error as to the value of the allies offered him, in the bands of Indians and scouts who were ready to join him, and whom he insulted and repelled by his indifference and neglect. He entered upon the contest without having in any way fitted himself for it, and the brave, reckless old soldier paid the penalty of his errors with his life. During the fatal battle Washington had besought Braddock to permit him to take three hundred of the provincials and fight the Indians after their own method, assuring him that they could take to the trees and quickly rout
187
WHO KILLED BRADDOCK?
1755.]
the enemy. To this he would not consent, and answered with much warmth, that he was competent to command the troops, and was not yet reduced to the extremity of asking advice or of resorting to the disgraceful method of warfare in vogue with the naked savages. This was the only occasion upon which he aroused Washington's anger, and even then it was quickly forgotten.
It has never been clearly settled whether Braddock died at the hands of the enemy, or by the act of one of his own men, although the question has been largely discussed, for many years past. Thomas Fossit, a soldier in Captain Cholmondeley's company, in his later years persistently declared that he shot Braddock, and that he was justified in so doing. Fossit was a large man, of great strength, rude habits, and strong passions. He had enlisted at Shippens- burg, Pa., and had a brother Joseph in the same command, who was killed in the battle of the Monongahela. Fossit was living near the top of Laurel Hill, in 1783, at the junction of Braddock's and Dunlap's roads, where he kept a small tavern. He was then an old man, but lived many years afterwards, and died at about the age of 100 years, in 1818. Fossit charged Braddock with having killed his brother Joseph by a stroke of his sword, for having taken shelter behind a tree during the battle, and for this reason, as well as to save the army, he alleged that he shot the General.
Mr. Winthrop Sargent reviews this matter at considerable length, and concludes that there was no truth in Fossit's story, because he was mistaken
188
HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND.
[1755.
entirely in a number of statements made concerning the incidents of the engagement. There is certainly no positive proof to contradict Fossit's statement, and it is not surprising that at his great age he should have forgotten many of the facts of the transaction, dating back fifty years or more. There is nothing more probable than that Tom Fossit, angered by the stubbornness of the commander who was deter- mined to sacrifice the army to his foolish ideas of fighting Indians, should have been impelled to this deed by revenge and hatred, when he witnessed the taking of his brother's life. Hon. Andrew Stewart, when quite a boy, had heard Fossit assert that he shot Braddock, and at that time his story was generally accepted as the truth, as it still is, by nearly all the peo- ple living in that part of Pennsylvania, who have treasured up the legends pertaining to the ill-fated expedition. The place of Brad- dock's sepulture was BRADDOCK'S GRAVE IN 1850. within a few yards of a small stream, the banks of which abruptly sloped down to the water, and distant about two miles- westwardly-from Fort Necessity. The grave was made immediately in the road, about a stone's throw from the present National Road. When the march
189
BRADDOCK'S GRAVE.
1755.]
was resumed the horses, wagons and troops passed over the grave, the purpose being to prevent its discovery and desecration by the enemy.
About 1824, a party of workmen engaged in repair- ing the old road, came upon the remains of a human skeleton, which was supposed to be that of Braddock. Numerous insignia of rank were found with it, and there was no knowledge of the burial of any other officer in that vicinity. Those who were present on the occasion carried away with them, as souvenirs, the buttons and other metal articles which had not been destroyed by corrosion. Some of the party even went so far in the gratification of their passion for relics, as to make way with several of the small bones of the hands.
Mr. James Matthews, a blacksmith, who lived at Mount Washington, as Fort Necessity has since been called, was present on the occasion referred to, and witnessed the disinterment of these remains. They were carried to a point about one hundred and fifty yards Eastward, and buried in a field, at the foot of a large oak tree, some twenty-five yards from the National Road. In order to mark the spot more clearly to strangers, Hon. Andrew Stewart had prepared a board upon which was inscribed the fact that this was the last resting place of Major General Edward Braddock, and this board was nailed to the tree. For twenty-five years the National Road was the great highway between the East and West, and thousands of persons passed over it annually. The writer can well remember how, when a boy, each morning and evening long trains of stage coaches
190
HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND. [1755.
arrived at and left Cumberland over this great highway. Braddock's grave was one of the great points of attraction on the road, and every day the stages were stopped, in order that the passengers might disembark for a few minutes to inspect the place. The old oak tree, ten years since, fell a victim to the imperious hand of time, and during the prevalence of a storm was blown down, the trunk
ha Electro.bo B
BRADDOCK'S GRAVE IN 1877.
breaking off some feet from the ground, leaving only a stripped and shredded trunk to mark the sacred spot. The stump has now entirely disap- peared, and no mark of the old tree remains. In 1871 a party of gentlemen from England visited the place, and before leaving it they had it enclosed with a fence of boards securely built; and thus it remains to-day.
191
BRADDOCK'S GRAVE.
1755.]
A foot note in De Hass's History of the Indian Wars of West Virginia states that "many years since, the remains of General Braddock were removed to England, and now rest with the quiet sleepers of Westminster Abbey." Whence this information was derived has not transpired. However, it is certainly erroneous. Those remains undoubtedly still lie in the place above described, and no inhabitant of that locality has ever heard of their removal to England. Those bones which were carried away as souvenirs by desecrating curiosity-seekers were afterwards gathered together by Mr. Stewart, and are supposed to have been deposited in Peale's Museum, Phila- delphia .*
It was Washington's intention, when he buried Braddock, to return at some future day and erect a monument to his memory, but his time was so much occupied by the events of the years following that it was not until after the close of the revolutionary war that he was able to undertake the self-imposed task. In 1784 he visited the place, for the purpose indicated, and "made a dilligent search for the grave, but the road had been so much turned, and the clear land so extended that it could not be found." The British government is not wont to neglect her soldiers, but she never took the smallest notice of the resting place of Braddock, and it was left for a stranger's hand to mark the spot where he lay, more than half a century after he fell.
The demoralization of the settlers generally after the battle of the Monongahela was so great that
*Day's Penna. 334.
192
HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND.
[1755.
Governor Sharpe again visited Fort Cumberland, and on his way to that point, promised them ample protection, whereby some were induced to remain on their plantations.
Governor Sharpe said of his visit here at that time: "I found by Colonel Dunbar and the other officers at the Fort that there had been many unhappy divisions in the army that General Braddock commanded. Himself and the two Colonels were scarcely on speaking terms, and very few beside four or five favorites mention him with regret. It has been hinted to me that in case he had succeeded against the Fort, the several companies that have been raised in, and that are supported by, these Provinces, would have been regimented, and given to Lieutenant-Colonel Burton, of Dunbar's; Captain Morris, one of the aid-de-camps, was to have been Lieutenant-Colonel, and Captain Dobson Major, and Captain Orme, the other aid-de-camp, was to have succeeded Burton as Lieutenant-Colonel in the regi- ment that Dunbar commands."
Washington, while deprecating the lack of judg- ment shown by Braddock, in dealing with the Indians, was disposed to do him the fullest justice, and said of him: "He was one of the honestest and best men of the British officers with whom I was acquainted; even in the manner of fighting he was not to blame more than others; for of all that were consulted, only one person objected to it. Braddock was both my General and my physician. I was attacked with a dangerous fever on the march, and he left a sergeant to take care of me, and James'
193
1755.] NEWSPAPER REPORTS FROM THE BORDERS.
fever powders, with directions how to give them, and a wagon to bring me on when I should be able."*
The following extracts are taken from the Mary- land Gazette, of the dates given:
"ANNAPOLIS, August 21, 1755.
" The latest account to be depended on from the Westward is, That a Fortnight ago an Officer, who had been sent with a Party of Men over the Allegany Hills to reconnoitre, was returned to Fort Cumberland, and reported, That on his way towards the Meadows he met with two Friend Indians, who expressing a great Regard for the English, and for his safety, advised him immediately to retire, and save his Party from the Hands of 400 French and about 100 Indians, who were then at the Place where Col. Dunbar was encamped, when he received the News of Gene- ral Braddock's Misfortune.
"The Indians also told him, that a Detachment of 100 French was ordered to advance to the Meadows, and prepare some Materials for a Place of Defence, which is to be there constructed."
" ANNAPOLIS, October 2, 1755.
"From Fort Cumberland we learn, that on the 21st ult. a Boy, who was coming from that Place with a Waggon, was wounded in the arm and Back by two Arrows, that were shot by an Indian, who lay concealed near the Road, just on this side Wills's Creek.
" The same Day two Soldiers that were sent on Duty from the Fort, were surprized near the same place, and taken Prisoners by five Indians, who carried them towards Fort Du Quesne; one of the Soldiers has since given them the Slip, and notwithstanding he was dangerously wounded by a Tomahawk in the Head, is likely to recover."
" ANNAPOLIS, October 9, 1755.
" We learn from Fort Cumberland, that as Col. Stevens was going thence, with a small Party of Men, to Winchester, he was fired on at two different Places by some Indians that lay concealed by the Road's side. Two of the Virginians were killed, but the Enemy did not choose to stay for their scalps.
"By a Person who arrived in Town last Monday from Col. Cresap's we are told, that last Wednesday Sen'night, in the Morning, the Indians had taken a Man Prisoner, who was going to Fort Cumberland from Frazier's, and had also carried off a woman from Frazier's Plantation, which is four Miles on this side Fort Cumberland, The same Morning they fell in with a Man and his Wife, who had left their Plantations, and *Hon. Wm. Findley's letter, XIV Niles Register, 179. 25
-
194
HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND. [1755.
were retiring into the more populous Parts of the Country; they shot the Horse on which the Man rid, but as it did not fall immediately he made his Escape; the Woman, it is supposed, fell into their Hands, as neither she nor the Horse on which she was riding, have been since seen or heard of.
" The same Party of Indians have also killed or carried off Benjamin Rogers, his Wife, and seven Children, and Edmund Marle of Frederick County. On Patterson's Creek many Families have, within this Month been murdered, carried away, or burnt in their Houses, by a Party of these Barbarians, who have entirely broke up that settlement.
" Another Person, who left Stoddert's Fort last Sunday, acquaints us that the Inhabitants of that Part of the Country were in the greatest Consternation; that near 80 Persons were fled to the said Fort for Pro- tection, and many more gone off in the greatest Confusion to Pennsylvania. This, it seems, has been occasioned by an Express that was sent Lieuten- ant Stoddert and the Neighborhood, by Col. Cresap, advising them, that a Party of 17 Indians had passed by his House, and had cut off some People, who dwelt on the Town Creek, which is a few Miles on this side Col. Cresap's : One Daniel Ashloff, who lived near that Creek, is come down towards Conococheague, and gives the same account. He says also, that as himself and Father, with several others, were re- tiring from their plantations, last Saturday, they were attacked by the same Indians, as he supposes, and all but himself were killed or taken Prisoners. It is said that Mr. Stoddert who has a Command of 15 Men, invited a few of the Neighborhood to join him, and to go in Quest of the Enemy, but they would not be persuaded; whereupon he applied himself to Major Prather for a Detachment of the Militia, either to go with a Party of his Men in Pursuit of the Savages, or garrison his Fort, while he made an Excursion. We hope there will be no Backwardness in the Militia to comply with such a reasonable Request, especially as any Party or Person that shall take an Enemy Prisoner, will be rewarded with Six Pounds Currency; and the Person who will kill an Enemy, with Four Pounds, provided he can produce Witnesses, or the Enemy's Scalp, in Testimony of such action."
" ANNAPOLIS, October 23, 1755.
" We hear that a Party of 31 Volunteers, under the Command of Capt. Alexander Beall and Lieutenant Samuel Wade Magruder, marched from the lower Part of Frederick County towards the Western Frontiers last Saturday.
" It is said that Col. Henry Ridgely will take the same Rout, with a Party of thirty Volunteers, next Saturday.
" We hear that next Monday a Party of Volunteers, of about 60 young hearty Men, will set out for the Westward, from Prince George's
195
1755.] THE MARYLAND ASSEMBLY.
County, for the assistance and Defence of our distressed Friends in the back Parts of this Province."
Up to this time Maryland had put no troops in the field, save a few companies of rangers; and previous to Washington's defeat at Fort Necessity she refused to do anything towards defraying the expenses of the war. After the Fort Necessity affair, however, the Assembly was convened, and without delay £6,000 was appropriated, to be expended under direction of Governor Sharpe for the defense of the frontiers, and the support of the wives and children of the Indian allies. Several appropriation bills were defeated by an unfortunate difference which arose between the two Houses as to how the revenues should be raised; and thus Maryland took no part in Braddock's campaign. She was both willing and able to do so, but the objection of the upper house to the con- tinuance of the duty on convicts, which the lower house proposed, led to a long continued dispute, whereby appropriations were prevented. The dis- astrous result of the campaign of 1755, however, so thoroughly aroused the people of Maryland, that when the Assembly was called together by the Governor, the lower house yielded its position in order that the necessary taxes might be levied and collected. They recognized the fact that instant action was imperative. The settlers were in terror, and hundreds were fleeing from their homes. Conococheague Creek was the boundary, beyond which few settlements had extended. Fort Cumber- land was in a wilderness uninhabited by civilized men, save those venturesome trappers and hunters
196
HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND.
[1755.
who had made themselves homes near the Fort; it was separated from the settlements Eastward by an almost trackless forest, eighty miles in extent, and was easily flanked, both on the North and the South, so that it presented no obstacle to the predatory bands of savages that attacked the fron- tiersmen in Virginia and Pennsylvania. The settlers were compelled, therefore, to provide means for their own defense. They built stoccade "forts," en- closing their houses, and thus each man's home became a castle, which was often the scene of heroic defense, and not unfrequently of heartrending disaster, when savage cunning overcame Spartan courage. Those who were unable to erect these "forts" relied for safety upon the means afforded by their more fortunate neighbors, and in case of alarm they repaired with their families to the nearest stockade.
On the assembling of the Legislature the emergen- cies of the situation were clearly set forth, and £40,000 was at once voted as a fund for defense. £11,000 of this was to be applied to the building of a fort and blockhouse on the Western borders, and sustaining a garrison therein; and £25,000 was appropriated in aid of any expedition for the general service." In 1756 Fort Frederick was commenced, and before the close of the year it was garrisoned with two hundred men. This fort was built upon an elevated plateau, about one fourth of a mile from the Potomac. It was constructed of the stone so plentiful in that neighborhood, and its walls were some fifteen feet in height, with bastioned corners. As a place of
197
FORT FREDERICK.
1755.]
defense against small arms it was all that could be desired, but was not calculated to resist an artillery attack. The shape of the fort was quadrangular, each of its exterior lines being three hundred and sixty feet in length, and its walls strengthened with earth embankments. The work was done in the most substantial manner, as it was designed for permanent use, and the expense of construction was something more than £6,000. Barracks sufficient for the accommodation of three hundred men were erected inside, as well as a substantial magazine. The walls of this fort are still standing, firm and strong, covered with wild vines, and shaded by the foliage of large trees which grow in the enclosure. It is thirteen miles east of Hancock, and may be seen from the railroad cars in passing over the Baltimore and Ohio Road.
Washington remained at Fort Cumberland a few days on his return after the battle, in order to recruit his strength, and then took his departure for Mount Vernon, at which place he arrived on the 26th of July, still suffering from the effects of his illness. He was greatly depressed in spirits, in consequence of the result of the campaign, in which he had suffered a very considerable pecuniary loss, in the matter of his horses and general outfit.
Colonel Innes, being left at Fort Cumberland with only a very small force of provincial troops, did all that was possible to alleviate the sufferings of the wounded soldiers under his care. Many of them died and were buried on the hillside near the Fort. Others recovered and were assigned to duty. Great
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HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND. [1755.
care was taken by him to have the Fort kept in the most perfect order. The men were required to thoroughly clean the camp and their quarters each day, and every precaution was observed to avoid a surprise by the enemy, which might be attempted at any moment.
After Braddock's army had left Fort Cumberland, on the 9th of June, for the advance on Fort Duquesne, the Indians made their appearance with great frequency and the utmost audacity. Knowing the weakness of the garrison, they had on several occasions approached the Fort and fired upon it, but without doing any damage. Not being bold enough, or strong enough, to attack it, they devoted them- selves to murder and plunder wherever opportunity offered, and several settlers were killed in the imme- diate vicinity of the Fort. Others were taken prisoners and carried off. The number of persons who thus fell victims to savage cruelty in a few weeks was twenty-six.
Governor Sharpe remained some time at the Fort, upon his visit after Braddock's disaster, and on the 11th of August he declared his conviction that Fort Cumberland was not a proper place for a grand magazine. He had consulted with the engineers of the army, who unanimously agreed with him in this conclusion, because the Fort was badly located, being commanded by adjacent hills on two sides.
During the month of August the sick and wounded were removed to Fredericktown, Colonel Innes fearing that he might be besieged by an enemy which would prove strong enough to capture the Fort. Governor
199
INDIAN MASSACRES.
1755.]
Sharpe advised him in case of such an attack, should it appear that he would be unable to hold the Fort, to set fire to it, and retire at once. After the departure of the men who had been left in the hospital the garrison amounted to barely one hundred, and they became in a short time almost insubordi- nate, the reins of discipline being greatly relaxed.
Maryland sent a small company of volunteer soldiers to the Fort, in September, which was under command of Captain Dagworthy, whom Governor Sharpe had commissioned. The strength of the garrison was thus swelled to one hundred and thirty- seven men.
Fort Cumberland had never supplied the settlers with the protection they needed, and many fell victims to the tomahawk and scalping knife. On the 24th of June the savages had fallen upon two families within four miles of the Fort, and near the river, and killed six men, women and children. On the 26th they killed seven more, inflicting upon them the most inhuman outrages. In this latter affair the Indians attacked the house of a settler, and toma- hawked a woman and three children; the husband seized his gun and fired upon the assailants, but without effect. One of the Indians fired upon him, and the ball passed through his mouth; he then sprang through a back door and ran towards the woods, when another shot struck him in the thigh, inflicting a severe wound. He managed, however, to reach the Fort. A boy who was in the house was struck upon the head with a tomahawk and knocked down, after which he was scalped, his assailants supposing him dead. In a little while he
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