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 8
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1755.] FRANKLIN'S LETTER TO THE PENNSYLVANIANS. 113
thro' the Dissensions between our Governor and Assembly, money had not been provided nor any steps taken for that Purpose.
"It was proposed to send an armed force immediately into these Counties, to seize as many of the best Carriages and Horses as should be wanted, and compel as many Persons into the Service as should be necessary to drive and take care of them.
"I apprehended that the Progress of a Body of Soldiers through these counties on such an Occasion, especially considering the Temper they are in, and their Resentment against us, would be attended with many and great Inconveniences to the Inhabitants ; and therefore more will- ingly undertook the Trouble of trying first what might be done by fair and equitable Means.
" The People of these back Counties have lately complained to the Assembly that a sufficient Currency was wanting; you have now an Opportunity of receiving and dividing among you a very considerable Sum, for if the Service of this Expedition should continue (as it's more than probable it will) for 120 Days, the hire of these Wagons and Horses will amount to upwards of Thirty Thousand Pounds, which will be paid you in Silver and Gold of the King's Money.
" The Service will be light and easy, for the Army will scarce march above 12 miles per Day, and the Wagons and Baggage Horses, as they carry those things that are absolutely necessary to the Welfare of the Army, must march with the Army and no faster, and are, for the Army's sake, always placed where they can be most secure, whether on the March or in Camp.
" If you really are, as I believe you are, good and loyal Subjects of His Majesty, you may now do a most acceptable Service, and make it easy for yourselves ; for three or four such as cannot separately spare from the business of three Plantations a Wagon and four Horses and a Driver, may do it together, one furnishing the Wagon, another one or two Horses, and another the Driver, and divide the Pay proportionally between you. But if you do not this service to your King and Country voluntarily, when such good pay and reasonable Terms are offered you, your Loyalty will be strongly suspected. The King's Business must be done; so many brave Troops, come so far for your defense, must not stand idle thro' your Backwardness to do what may reasonably be expected from you; Wagons and Horses must be had; violent measures will probably be used; and you will be to seek for a Recompense where you can find it, and your case, perhaps be little pitied or regarded.
" I have no particular Interest in this Affair, as (except the satisfac. tion of endeavoring to do Good and prevent mischief,) I shall have only my Labor for my Pains. If this method of obtaining the Wagons and Horses is not like to succeed, I am obliged to send word to the General in fourteen Days, and I suppose Sir John St. Clair, the Hussar,
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HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND. [1755.
with a body of Soldiers, will immediately enter the Province, of which I shall be sorry to hear, because
"I am very sincerely and truly "your Friend & Well Wisher,
"B. FRANKLIN."
The promulgation of this document was speedily effective. The Dutch farmers of the back counties of Pennsylvania had formerly lived under despotic power, and they dreaded the Hussars as a scourge, so that, believing St. Clair to have been a Hussar, and having heard of his violence and temper, they lost no time in sending forward two hundred wagons and two hundred and fifty pack horses, all of which reported at Fort Cumberland, for service, about the latter part of June.
On the 30th of April Braddock left Frederick- town, with his staff and a body-guard of light horse. Before leaving Alexandria he had purchased of Governor Sharpe a chariot, one of the cumbersome carriages of that day, and was making his journey with a degree of style which would have been better suited to the cultivated districts of England. He quickly discovered that the road was ill-adapted to a conveyance of that character, and did not hesitate to express his opinion by "damning it heartily." The route pursued was that by way of Winchester, the other, and shorter road, not having then been built. He arrived at Fort Cumberland on the 10th of May. He passed Dunbar's division of troops on the Oldtown road, a few miles below Will's Creek, the entire line making room for him to pass on the narrow road, and the drums beating the Grenadier's March, as he drove past, surrounded by his staff, in
1755.] BRADDOCK'S ARRIVAL AT FORT CUMBERLAND. 115
their bright uniforms. When he arrived at Will's Creek he was received with a salute of seventeen guns, fired from the Fort, and the garrison drawn up in line, and ready for inspection. It was a little after noon when the General arrived, and as the road had been, for several miles back, smooth and easy, lying along the beautiful river, and as the weather was mild and pleasant, he and his officers were in fine spirits, when they dismounted to take possession of their quarters and join Colonel Innes at dinner, at his table. At 2 o'clock Colonel Dunbar, with his com- mand, arrived, and they encamped on the hill to the west of the Fort, about where the residences of Hon. George A. Pearre and Mrs. J. Philip Roman now stand. The number of Indians here at that time was about one hundred, and their lodges were clustered in the woods, a quarter of a mile distant. They were all of the Six Nations, and amongst them were Scarooyadi, or Monicatoocha, successor to the Half- King; White Thunder, the keeper of wampum; Silver Heels, and Great Tree. Besides these, Bright Lightning, the daughter of White Thunder, and several other Indian women, were quite prominent in their curiosity, and every day they came to the drill ground to witness the marching of the soldiers, seeming greatly surprised by their numbers and the uniformity of their movements. Of these natives the Seamen's Journal says: "I would willingly say something of the manners and customs of the Indians but they are hardly to be described. The men are tall, well made and active, but not strong, but very dexterous with a rifle barrelled gun, and their
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HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND.
[1755.
tomahawk, which they will throw with great certainty at any mark and at a great distance. The women are not so tall as the men, but well made and have many children, but had many more before spirits were introduced to them. They paint themselves in an odd manner, red, yellow and black intermixed. And the men have the outer rim of their ears cut, which only hangs by a bit top and bottom, and have a tuft of hair left at the top of their heads, which is dressed with feathers. Their watch coat is their chief clothing, which is a thick blanket thrown all round them, and wear mocasins instead of shoes, which are Deer skin thrown round the ankle and foot. Their manner of carrying their infants is odd. They are laid on a board, and tied on with broad bandage, with a place to rest their feet on, and a board over their head to keep the sun off, and are slung to the women's backs. These people have no notion of religion, or any sort of Superior being, as I take them to be the most ignorant people as to the knowledge of the world and other things. In the day were in our camp, and in the night they go into their own, where they dance and make a most horrible noise."
These Indians were from Aughquick, in Pennsyl- vania, and were brought to Will's Creek by George Croghan, who was commissioned by Braddock as a Captain to command the savages during the campaign. He was thoroughly acquainted with the Indian customs, spoke the language of several nations, and had great influence with them, having been a trader amongst them for many years.
On the day of General Braddock's arrival at the
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TROOPS AT FORT CUMBERLAND.
1755.]
Fort he announced the appointment of Major Washington as aid-de-camp. By the 19th of May the forces were all encamped at this point, and con- sisted of the 44th and 48th regiments, each 700 strong, the Independent companies of New York 100; carpenters 100; rangers 400, and the South Carolina detachment 100, a total of 2,100 men. These troops were encamped according to the plan approved of by the council of war, and Washington had ample opportunity to study the methods of the camp. Braddock was a martinet, whose education permitted him to overlook no detail which might prove of the least importance. He enforced implicit obedience, and punished in the most severe manner every infraction of law or regulation; his soldiers were drilled with persistence and precision, and the camp was made a model of order and regularity. The recruits were subjected to the most rigid discipline, and especial pains taken to make them attain to some degree of perfection in the drill. Drunkenness and theft were punished with a severity unknown in the army to-day, the ordinary penalty being a thousand lashes and ignominious expulsion from the regiments.
Braddock maintained to some extent his old habits of extravagance and conviviality. He was by incli- nation and education a bon vivant, devoted to high living, and good wine, when it was possible to obtain those articles which were pleasing to his palate. The supply of choice things to cheer the inner man was lamentably short, however, upon his arrival at the Fort. But a few days later, through Franklin's efforts, there was received by the General a present
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HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND.
[1755.
of fifty fat oxen and one hundred sheep, for the use of the army, and the following articles for his own table:
Twelve Hams,
Four kegs of Sturgeon,
Eight Cheeses,
One keg of Herrings,
Twenty-four Flasks of Oil,
Two chests of Lemons,
Ten loaves of Sugar,
Two kegs of Spirits,
One cask of Raisins,
A cask of Vinegar,
A box of Spice and Currants,
A barrel of Potatoes,
A box of Pickles and Mustard, Three tubs of Butter,
Eight Kegs of Biscuit.
In addition to these very acceptable supplies, each of the twenty subalterns of the 48th regiment received a parcel made up of the following:
6 lbs. Loaf Sugar,
1 Gloucester Cheese,
6 Muscorado Sugar,
1 Keg, 20 lbs., good Butter,
1 Green Tea,
2 doz. old Madura Wine,
1 Bohea Tea, "
2 gallons Jamaica Spirits,
6 Ground Coffee,
1 bottle flour of Mustard,
6 Chocolate,
2 well cured Hams,
¿ chest best white Biscuit,
¿ doz. Dried Tongues,
≥ 1b. Pepper,
6 lbs of Rice,
1 quart White Vinegar,
6 " Raisins.
Colonel Dunbar caused these latter articles to be divided between the subalterns of the two royal regiments. The General again spread a bounteous table, and his cooks devoted themselves to the preparation of dishes that might tempt his appetite. The "two kegs of spirits" were not neglected, and. "punches" were with liberality passed around the board, on many and oft recurring occasions. A levee, or reception was held every day at head- quarters, from 10 to 11 o'clock a. m., at which time every officer was expected to pay his respects to the commander.
On the 12th, the Seamen's Journal states that a
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CONFERENCE WITH THE INDIANS.
1755.]
congress was held at the General's tent, at 11 o'clock, at which time all the officers attended the General, and the Indians were brought. The guard received them with their firelocks rested, and the interpreter was ordered to tell them that their brothers, the English, who were their old friends, were come to assure them that every misunderstanding that had been in former times should now be buried under that great mountain (pointing to Will's Mountain). Then a string of wampum was given them, after which a belt of wampum was held forth, with the following speech, viz: that this wampum was to assure them of our friendship; that everybody who were their enemies were ours; and that it was not the small force only that we had here, but numbers to the northward, under our great war Captains, Shirley, Pepperell, Johnston, and others, that were going to war, and that we would settle them happily in their country, and make the French both ashamed and hungry. But that whatever Indians after this declaration did not come in, would be deemed by us as our enemies, and treated as such. The General told them he should have presents for them in a few days, when he should have another speech to make to them, and then, after having the ceremony of taking a drink of the spirits all round, the Indians filed out one after another in silence, and returned to their camp. On the same day one of those sudden gusts of wind, which sometimes visit this locality, with thunder and lightning, came down upon the camp, sweeping away a number of tents and every- thing moveable, much to the consternation of the
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HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND.
[1755.
soldiers. The following day the weather was so excessively hot, that it was not deemed prudent to require of the men any exercise until after the sun had nearly set. At night the Indians had a grand war-dance in their camp, having declared their determination to take up the hatchet against the French. At dark they had a fire built, and formed a ring about it, dancing, gesticulating and shouting in the wildest manner, their faces and bodies being covered with war-paint. Several Indians sat on the ground, beating a drum, made of a skin stretched over a tub, the name of which in their tongue is the toy-wa-egun. They also contributed to the aggre- gation of unearthly sounds by the rattling of the sheshegwon, a bladder dried and filled with pease. It was a custom with these Indians, once or twice a year, for the women to dance, and all the men to sit by, and each woman selected the man she preferred, danced with him, and then lived with him for a week, at the end of which time she returned to her husband, and they lived as they did before .* The wild dance of the savages on this night drew many of the officers of the Fort to the scene, who looked on with much interest and some degree of awe, while these children of nature roused the echoes of the wilderness with their demoniacal shouts, and went through a thousand grotesque contortions.
A court-martial which had been convened on the 13th had tried several soldiers upon charges made, and Luke Woodward, a private in the ranks of the 48th regiment, was convicted of desertion, and sentenced to death. General Braddock, however,
*Seaman's Journal, written by a naval officer, under Com. Keppel, while at Fort Cumberland.
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AFFAIRS AT FORT CUMBERLAND.
1755.]
pardoned him, and was rewarded for his leniency by a repetition of the crime, by the ungrateful fellow, shortly afterwards. Three other soldiers of the 48th regiment, James Fitzgerald, James Hughes and Thomas Connelly, were convicted of having stolen a jug of beer. Connelly was sentenced to receive nine hundred lashes, and the others eight hundred each, and this punishment was inflicted just outside the Fort, in presence of the command, three hundred lashes being given each day until the punishment was complete.
Washington was a close student of everything that took place in and about the camp. Especially did he treasure up all that he witnessed of the government and disposition of troops. He apprehended much delay and trouble because of the long train of artillery and wagons which was to be taken over the roads, of which he knew the worst. On the 14th he wrote the following letter to his brother, John A. Washington :
" FORT CUMBERLAND, 14 May, 1755.
" DEAR BROTHER :
" As wearing boots is quite the mode, I must beg the favor of you to procure me a pair that are good and neat, and send them to Major Carlyle, who I hope will contrive to forward them as quickly as my necessity requires.
" I see no prospect of moving from this place soon, as we have neither horses nor wagons enough, and no forage except what is expected from Philadelphia ; therefore, I am well convinced, that the troubles and diffi- culties we must encounter in passing the mountains, for the want of proper conveniences, will equal all the difficulties of the campaign ; for I conceive the march of such a train of artillery, in these roads, to be a tremendous undertaking. As to any danger from the ememy, I look upon it as trifling, for I believe the French will be obliged to exert their utmost force to repel the attacks to the northward, where Governor Shirley and others, with a body of eight thousand men, will annoy their settlements, and attempt their forts. 16
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HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND.
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"The General has appointed me one of his aides-de-camp, in which character I shall serve this campaign agreeably enough, as I am thereby freed from all commands but his, and give his orders, which must be implicitly obeyed.
" I have now a good opportunity, and shall not neglect it, of forming an acquaintance, which may be serviceable hereafter, if I find it worth while to push my fortunes in a military line.
"I have written to my two female correspondents by this opportunity, one of whose letters I have enclosed to you, and beg your deliverance of it. I shall expect a particular account of all that has happened since my departure. " I am, dear Jack,
" your most affectionate brother,
" GEO. WASHINGTON."
Not only were horses and wagons still scarce, but the supply of food for the men was wholly insufficient, and of that on hand twenty-two casks of beef were inspected and condemned, on the 15th, as unfit for use. On the following day the last division of the train reached the Fort, under guard of two companies of Sir Peter Halket's regiment. This consisted of three field pieces, four ships' howitzers, several cohorns,* and forty-two wagons loaded with supplies. The first death at the Fort also occurred on that day. Captain Bromley, of Sir Peter Halket's regiment, who had been ill for several weeks, died on the 16th, and was buried with military honors on the 18th. The weather was excessively hot, and the men suffered greatly therefrom. The funeral took place at 10 o'clock in the morning, at which time all the troops in the camp and the Fort were assembled. A Captain's guard marched before the corpse, with the Captain of the guard in the rear. The men carried their arms reversed, and the drums beat the
*A cohorn is a small bronze mortar, mounted on a wooden carriage, and having handles, by which it may be carried a short distance by two men. It was invented by Baron Coehorn.
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AFFAIRS AT FORT CUMBERLAND.
1755.]
dead march. When the cortege approached the grave, the guard formed two lines, open order, facing each other, and rested on their arms, with the muzzle down, and their faces leaning on the buts of the guns. The corpse was carried between the lines, the deceased officer's sword and sash lying on the coffin, and the officers following, two abreast. The Chaplain read the burial service of the English Church, and after the coffin had been deposited in the grave, the guard fired three volleys over it, and were then marched to their quarters.
The warriors who had come to Fort Cumberland, with Croghan, had, as before stated, brought their families with them. as they had no means of pro- viding for their women and children during their absence. The squaws seem to have been quite attractive in person, being well formed and having small hands and feet, languishing eyes and soft voices. To both officers and soldiers they possessed a charm which led to a great degree of annoyance. The brilliant uniforms and dashing style of the British officers had so captivated these untutored beauties that they spent most of their time in and about the camp, and willingly accepted the very marked attentions shown them. Presents of money and other articles were lavishly bestowed upon the young squaws, and Secretary Peters, of Pennsylvania, in a letter to Governor Morris, said, "the officers are scandalously fond of them." To such an extent were the amours of these parties carried that the warriors were roused to a fury of jealousy, and angrily denounced the officers. Bright Lightning the prin-
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[1755.
cess, abandoned herself to the dissipation which was so novel to her, and her example was followed by most of her sisters. In order to prevent a serious outbreak, orders were issued, on the 11th, forbidding the women to come into the camp, and imposing a penalty upon officers and men who should give the Indians "rum, other liquor, or money, upon any pretense whatever." These stringent orders, however, did not remedy the evil, and the dusky maidens met their lovers in other places, a favorite resort being the shady grove just opposite the Fort, across the river, in Virginia. Finally, Braddock determined to get rid of the women entirely, and on the 18th a convention was held at his tent, which was attended by all the warriors. When they had assembled, the General made them a speech. He told them he had invited them to join him for the purpose of taking up the hatchet against the French; that it became necessary now, in preparing for the movement to the West that they should send their families-the women and children-back to Pennsyl- vania, where they might remain until the enemy had been punished. He said their Father, the King, had sent them presents for their families, and that he felt great interest in them, and was in much sorrow because of the death of the Half-King, and that he had ordered guns and ammunition to be given the warriors, so that they might be more successful in the chase; he wanted them to be good friends to the English, who were their brothers. The General presented them, then, with three belts and a string of wampum, as well as beads, knives, rings, paint,
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1755.] AFFAIRS AT FORT CUMBERLAND.
cloth, &c., all of which they received with signs of great pleasure, and they promised to come on the next day and give their answer. They then returned to their own camp, and built a fire, around which they danced and sang all night long.
On the following day they came to Braddock's tent, and notified him that they had called to give him their answer. Scarooyadi said the Indians had heard what the great Captain had said to them, and that the words of their white Brother were good; that they were thankful to their Father, the great King, for the presents he had sent, and for his kind words about the loss of the Half-King. The Indians would be the friends of their English brothers, and would take up the hatchet against the French; they would do all they could, and would furnish scouts to go into the country and see what their enemies were doing, and speedily bring them news. The warriors then sung their war song, dancing wildly, and chanting the deeds by which they promised to distinguish themselves, when led against the French. The General afterwards took them to that part of the Fort where the artillery was in position, which they examined with a great deal of curiosity, never before having seen any of these engines of war. He then ordered the gunners to fire three 12-pounders, three howitzers and three cohorns, the drums and fifes playing and "beating the point of war." The explosion caused by the discharge of nine big guns startled the Indians greatly, and excited their liveliest admiration. They afterwards approached the cannon with great caution, peered into their
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HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND. [1755.
muzzles, and walked all about them, meantime gesticulating and making comments to each other upon these wonderful engines. After this display the warriors returned to their own camp. The General sent them a bullock, which they roasted, and they had a great feast, upon the conclusion of which they gathered about the fire, and danced their war dance, the warriors being decked in their feathers and hideous in their war paint. The officers from the Fort attended this affair, and were quite as much impressed by the wild antics of the Red Men, as they went through the vaunting exhibition of their deeds in war, fighting and scalping their enemies, as were the savages by the thunder of the big guns of the Fort. Throughout almost half the night was this wild riot kept up, the forests resounding with the terrible din of the rude drums and the yells and howls of the seemingly tireless dancers. Braddock had never before witnessed a scene like this, and he seemed to regard the painted sons of the forest as so many demons let loose from the infernal regions, and looked upon the weird ceremonies with mingled awe and amusement. While he beheld in them untutored children of the wilderness, evidently strangers to fear, and filled with a desire for heroic deeds, he regarded them with a degree of contempt, because of their total ignorance of discipline, and those rules of obedience and unanimity, which he knew were necessary to render effective the soldiers of civilized nations. He had now established the most friendly relations with them, and hoped to make them useful as scouts
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1755.]
and messengers, to ascertain the condition and movements of the enemy.
The women and children were a few days later sent back to Aughquick, and White Thunder and all but eight of the warriors went along for the purpose of protecting them, promising to return in a few days. At the same time, the three Delaware chiefs from the Ohio returned to their village, for the purpose, as they alleged, of gathering together their warriors, and promised to join the command further west. None of them ever returned. Those who remained were Scarooyadi, and his son; Cashuwayon, Frason, Kahuktodon, Allscheeokatha, Dyoquario, and Kash-wugh-daniunto. The bad faith of the Indians who thus deserted caused the writer of the Seamen's Journal to declare that they were "villains, and always side with the strongest." Previous to their departure they had become so addicted to the excessive use of rum that it became necessary to issue stringent orders forbidding any person to furnish them with spirits, under the severest penalty a court-martial could inflict.
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