USA > Pennsylvania > Columbia County > A history of Columbia County, Pennsylvania. From the earliest times. > Part 2
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It seems altogether likely that the points mentioned are Cata-
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HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY.
wissa, Nescopeck and Wyoming ; and also that Oskohary was a Delaware name of Catawissa, and that the other two names are the same dialect. So I have sometimes been disposed to think that "Chenastry," an Indian town on the Susquehanna, spoken of in Colonial Records III, page 295, together with the Indian Man- aukyhickon, ibid 295, 304, 315 and Pennsylvania Archives I, 214, 215, 216, compared with the letter of James Le Tort from "Cata- wasse," all referred to the same place and the same difficulty, and that by "Chenastry" Catawissa may be intended.
There was an Indian town about half way between the month of Catawissa creek and the mouth of Roaringcreek which by some authorities is given as the town of the chief Lapackpitton, and may have been the place called Oskohary.
No two men spell the same Indian name alike, and the same man scarcely ever spells it twice the same way. The different tribes called the same place by different names, as Catawissa and Oskohary, as Wyomock and Seahautowano and Manghwauwame for Wyoming ; distances are given by mere guess, and seem to depend on the strength of the rower or the swiftness of the horse making the journey.
Fifty years ago much was known which is now lost ; but amongst old letters and old newspapers some things may yet be reeovered and made to contribute to the personal interest and lo- cal and chronologieal eorreetness of this attempt.
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HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY.
CHAPTER III.
THE FORTS.
T "THE territory originally composing Columbia county was of r considerable extent. It comprised all that portion of North- umberland county which lay west of the North Branch, except the single township of Point. Within its first described limits were three townships now in Schuylkill county, the whole of Montour, and the townships of Chillisquaque, Turbot, Lewis and Delaware, now in Northumberland county. All this, its cause and history will be more particularly referred to and given hereafter ; but it becomes necessary to state the fact here, because in giving some- what of the revolutionary history of the county, it is proposed to include sketches of all the forts and military stations within its original boundaries.
It had at least ten such forts or military stations within its bor- ders, named and located as follows :
Beginning on the North Branch, we have "Fort Jenkins," loca- ted on Jacob Hill's farm, near Briarcreek-"Fort Wheeler," on Fishingcreek, about three iniles above its mouth-"McClure's Fort," located just below Bloomsburg on the site of the Douglas Hughes farm buildings-"Fort Rice," on the head waters of Chillis- quaque creek, about thirteen miles from Sunbury-"Montgomery's Fort," twelve miles below Muncy, on the West Branch-"Bosley's Mills," on the Chillisquaque, and supposed to be where the borough of Washingtonville now stands-"Freeland's Fort," on the War- rior Run, between four and five miles above its mouth-"Boone's Mill," said to be about seven miles from Fort Freeland, at the mouth of Muddy Run-"Fort Swartz," situate about one mile above Milton-and "Fort Meninger," at the mouth of Warrior Run.
BOSLEY'S MILLS seems to have been an important military station,
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HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY.
stockaded and held by the neighborhood militia. The earliest information as to this post is of the date of August 10, 1778, in a letter from Col. Hartley to the Council of War. Speaking of the posts at Jenkins on Briarcreek, and Wallace's at Muncy, and at the head waters of Chillisquaque which was no doubt Fort Rice, he adds : "I have a body in the Forks of Chelesquaque," which the maps show to be where the borough of Washingtonville stands, and was Bosley's Mills. The Chillisquaque and the forks of that creek are very frequently mentioned, for the forts on that stream were in the line of posts from Wyoming to Muncy. No- vember 9, 1778, writing to the Executive Council the Colonel says : "The enemy have come down in force and invested Wyoming. They have burnt and destroyed all the settlements on the North East Branch as far as Nescopeck. Fort Jenkins where we have a small garrison has supported itself for the present. About 70 Indians were seen about 22 miles from here [Sunbury] yesterday evening, advancing towards the Forks of Chillisquaque, they took some prisoners yesterday. *
I am drawing some
little force together, and to-morrow will endeavor to attack those Indians on Chillisquaque, if they keep in a body and make a move- ment towards Fishingcreek, which will probably be of use to the people of Wyoming." The Colonel advanced to the relief of Wyo- ming, and on November 14, was at Fort Jenkins.
On the 26 of June, 1779, Capt. Thomas Kemplen was stationed with the few men under his command, at "Bosley's Mills on Chill- isquaque." The letter conveying that information also mentions that the muster roll of Capt. Kemplin is enclosed, but it has not been preserved. It would be now a most interesting document. Under date of November 27, 1779, Col. Hunter recommends re- building Fort Muncy and putting in a garrison of one hundred men, twenty-five men at Fort Jenkins, and a "serjent's guard at Bosley's Mills on Chillisquake." At this time Capt. Kemplen was stationed at Mineger's place on the West Branch about seventeen miles from Sunbury. Lieut. Col. Weltner, under date of North- umberland, April 9, 1780, says : "I have manned three material outposts, viz : Fort Jenkins, Fort Montgomery, and Bosley's Mills." On the 14th of October, 1782, the Indians killed and scalped an old couple of the name of Martin, living on the Chillis- quaque about one mile and a half from Col. James Murray's, and
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HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY.
took three young women prisoners, being all the family that was in the house. "This old couple, Col. Hunter says, being man and wife, I saw laying killed and scalped, and was one that helped to bury them." He complains bitterly of the perfidious enemy, and of the falsehood of British assurances that no more parties of sav- ages should be permitted to be sent against the frontiers. He fears also that these murders will prevent settlers from returning, and adds that the Martin family had been back only a few days. After the summer of 1780 we hear nothing more of Bosley's Mills, but it would seem that the post was maintained throughout the Indian hostilities. Of Capt. Kemplin, who appears to have been a good and active officer the Hon. John B. Linn in his "Annals of Buffalo Valley," gives the following paragraph, [page 198]. "In a letter to General Potter, Colonel Hunter states that Captain Thomas Kempling, as he writes it, and his eldest son were killed by the Indians at the mouth of Muncy Creek, in March 1781. In the pe- tition of his widow, who writes her name Mary Campleton, pre- sented to the Assembly, September 23, 1784, she says. My hus- band and son, with others, went on a tour of duty up the West Branch, early in the spring of 1781, and lying one night at the mouth of Muncy Creek, in the morning the savages came on them, when my unfortunate husband and son with one William Camp- bell, fell a sacrifice to all the cruelties and barbarities that savages could inflict, leaving your petitioner and six children. We were driven from house and home, and so reduced that I am unable to return to the place we had improved upon."
FORT MONTGOMERY was twelve miles below Fort Muncy, and about two miles from Bosley's Mill, and in November, 1779, there were forty men stationed there. The place is mentioned in a letter from Col. Weltner to the Board of War, Dec. 13, 1779, as being well situated for the defense of the frontier, and that the detach- ment sent there had erected barracks and other necessary defences. On the 9th of April, 1780, he writes again to the Board of War, and speaks of Montgomery's as a material out-post, which with Fort Jenkins and Bosley's Mills he had manned. After the latter date I do not find the place again mentioned.
FORT MENINGER, the place at which Capt. Kemplen was sta- tioned in November, 1779, is reported to have been at the mouth
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HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY.
of Warrior's Run on the West Branch, about seventeen miles from Sunbury. At this time the Captain had but fourteen men. It is re- ported to have been a military post previously, and to have been abandoned in June 1779, when McDonald made his raid into the county. Nothing further seems to be known of its history.
FORT SCHWARTZ was located about one mile above Milton. The first mention of the place occurs in a letter from Colonel Hunter to President Reed, dated "Sunbury, 17th April 1780," in which he says . "Last Saturday a party of twenty Indians struck at Peter Swartz's plantation about twelve miles from here on the West Branch. They killed one man and wounded three which are now in this town under Dr. Alison's care." He adds that a party in pursuit came within sight of the enemy, who dropt their packs and turned up the mountain, and so escaped. Between the above date and September 18, 1780, the place must have been fortified : for under that date Gen. Potter writes from Sunbury, that on reeeiv- ing information of the attack on Fort Rice, he assembled some forces, and the next morning marched with 170 men to Fort Swarts. On the 21st of the same month Col. Hunter writes to President Reed and says : "When the German Regiment marched off from here I gave orders to the Frontier Companys to embody and keep one fourth of the men constantly reconnoitering, after garrisoning Fort Jenkins, Fort Rice, and Fort Swartz with twenty men in each of them."
FORT RICE is stated by Col. Sam Hunter to have been erected by Col. Weltner's troops on the head waters of Chillisquake about thirteen miles from Sunbury. It is first mentioned by Col. Hart- ley in a letter to the Council of War, August 10, 1778, where speaking of maintaining posts at Muncy and Fort Jenkins, he adds that he "was resolved to hold posts at both these extremes, and have an intermediate one on the head waters of Chelesquaque." It seems not to have been molested for a considerable period of time, - but it was attacked about the 6th of September, 1780. by 300 In- dians, who were repulsed by the 20 men by whom the fort was manned. In this attack on Fort Rice the enemy had killed but one man and taken one prisoner. It was at this time and by a por- tion of this force that Fort Jenkins at Hill's place was burned, hav- ing been evacuated by Col. Hunter upon information of the con-
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HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY.
templated attack on Fort Rice. Col. Hunter says "the enemy at- tacked the Fort, (Rice) about sundown and fired very smartly, the garrison returned the fire with spirit, which made them withdraw a little off, and in the night they begun to set fire to a number of houses and stacks of grain, which were consumed. In the mean- time our militia had collected to the number of one hundred men under the command of Col. John Kelly, who marched to the re- lief of the garrison, and arrived the next day. The people in the garrison acquainted Col. Kelly there must be two hundred and fifty or three hundred of the enemy, which he did not think prudent to engage without being reinforced." Expresses were sent out and Col. Purdy on the Juneate, turned his forces toward Sunbury, to engage in the pursuit of the enemy. Volunteers and militia to the number of several hundred poured into Sunbury. Gen. Potter coming to Sunbury at this time took command of the militia, hav- ing dismissed the volunteers, and pursued the enemy. He marched on to Muncy hills, but did not find the route taken by the enemy till the 13th, and then followed on across the country, up Fishing- creek, and to nearly opposite Wyoming, where the General writes, the enemy were found to be so far ahead as to make it useless to follow them. At the same time, he writes that another band "crossed the Moncey hill near one Eveses and went up the Moncey creek."
Nothing further worthy of mention seems to have occurred at this post, until October 24, 1782, when it is related in a letter from Capt. Thomas Robison to the Executive Council, that Sergeant Ed- ward Lee and Robert Carrethers were sent out from Fort Rice as spies ; and when about two miles from the fort fell into an ambus- cade of about eleven Indians, were fired on, and Lee was killed and scalped-Carrethers was missing and supposed to be taken prisoner. Subsequent mentions of Fort Rice are merely incidental.
BOONE'S FORT was located about two miles above Milton on Muddy Run, and was about seven miles from Fort Freeland. The fort at Muncy having been evacuated, the Indians made an incur- sion in July 1779, and on the 3rd killed three men and took two prisoners at Lycoming-on the 8th burned the widow Smith's mill -on the 17th burned Starret's mill and all the principal houses in Muncy township-and on the 20th killed three men at Freeland's
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HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY.
Fort and took two prisoners. Col. Hunter writes "that unless succour arrives, the forts at Freeland's and Boone's cannot stand long, but that he has never seen the people behave more spiritedly." At that time every thing above Muncy Hill was abandoned, and the scouting and scalping parties of the Indians having driven in all the inhabitants, gathered themselves together and on the 28th. of July a large party of British and Indians attacked Fort Free- land. The firing was heard at Boone's, and Capt. Boone and Capt. Kemplen marched off with thirty-four men to reinforce the fort at Freeland's. Before they arrived it had surrendered, and a detachment of the enemy met the company under Capt. Boone at a little distance from the fort and cut them to pieces. It is re- lated that the enemy were within the fort, the women and chil- dren being outside and unguarded, and Capt. Boone thus fell into the ambuscade, thinking nothing wrong. The women made signs to him to retire, but it was too late. Though surprised, the thirty- four men fought desperately, and Col. McDonald, the British commander, long after, spoke of Capt. Boone and his heroic bravery.
The following are the names of the killed belonging to Capt. Boone's party : Capt. Boone, Capt. S. Dougherty, J. M. Mc- Glaghlen, Natt Smith, John Jones, Ezra Green, Samuel Neel, M. W. McClintock, Hugh McGill, Andrew Woods and Edward Cost- ikan.
These are all the names of killed which are given, but another account says that thirteen scalps of Capt. Boone's party, were brought into the fort in a handkerchief, Capt. Boone's among them; and Col. Hunter writes under date of "August ye 4th., 1779,"' that there were of the relieving force, fifteen killed and two wounded. William Maclay writes on the 5th. of August, that none of Boone's men were made prisoners. The list above given is furnished by Matt'w Smith, who says: "This acct. I Believe is the Fact as the party out yesterday have Bury'd the Dead, gave me the List."
Nothing further appears relative to this out-post, though it was ubtless maintained as such so long as danger from roaming bands of Indians made such points of refuge necessary.
FORT FREELAND was situated about four miles up Warrior's
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HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY.
run, which empties into the Susquehanna about five miles above Milton. It is said by Col. Hunter to be "a little fort near Muncy hill, called Fort Freeland." It was six and a half miles north of Milton, and half a mile from Warrior's Run Presbyterian church. It is first spoken of as a fort in 1779. There was a grist mill built near there by Jacob Freeland in 1773 or 1774. The Free- land two story log dwelling house, which constituted the fort, seems to have been picketed in the fall of 1778. It contained within the pickets half an acre of ground. The timbers were set close and were about twelve feet high. The Freeland party were from Essex county, New Jersey. On the 26th. of April 1779, a scouting party of Indians killed or captured seven of the militia men stationed there, but it was not until the 28th. of July following that the real attack on the Fort was made. There were at the time forty or fifty women and children in the fort, and by sonie accounts thirty-two men, and by others only twenty-one. At daybreak on the 28th. of July 1779, a party of about three hundred, consisting of British and Indians, com- manded by Capt. McDonald, surrounded the fort. There was but little ammunition, and Mary Kirk and Phebe Vincent imme- diately commenced to run their spoons and plates into bullets. The distress of the women and children and the want of ammu- nition made successful resistance hopeless, and about nine o'clock a flag of trucc was raised. John Little and John Vincent con- ducted the negotiations, and after consultation agreed upon the following articles :
ARTICLES OF CAPITULATION, FORT FREELAND 1779 .- Articles of capitulation ent'd into Between Capt'n. John McDaniel on his Majesties part and John Little on that of the Congress.
ARTICLE Ist. The men in Garrison to March out and Ground their Arms in the green, in front of the fort, which is to be taken in Possession of immediately by his Majesty's Troops. Agreed too.
2dly. All Men Bearing Arms are to Surrender theniselves Pris- oners of war and to be sent to Niagara. Agr'd too.
3d. The Women and Children not to be Strip'd of their cloath- ing nor Molested by the Indians and to be at Liberty to Move down the country where they Plcase. Agr'd too.
JOHN McDONALD, Capt. of Rangers. JOHN LITTLE.
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HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY.
Col. Samuel Hunter, under date of "Sunbury August ye 4th. 1779," gives the following graphic account : "There was in the garrison at the time twenty-six men and fifty women and children, who is all come in safe; the fireiug at Freeland's was heard at Boon's Mill, about seven miles distance, where a number of the inhabitants had collected. Captains Boon and Kemplen march- ed off with thirty-four men to reinforce the Fort at Freeland's, but was met a little way on this side by a number of the savages who surrounded them immediately ; our men behaved with great bravery for some little time, but being overpowered by numbers was almost cut to pieces ; our loss there was fifteen killed and two wounded. Among the dead is Capt. Boon and Capt. Saml. Dougherty, two very good men."
It was after the surrender of the fort that Capt. Boone's party came up, so many of whom were uselessly slaughtered by the en- emy.
In the fort but five men were killed, viz : James Watts. John McClintock, William McClung, James Miles and Henry Gilfillen. Thirteen scalps of Capt. Boone's party were brought into the fort in a pocket handkerchief. Among them was Capt. Boone's.
The whole garrison left the fort by twelve o'clock, and the wo- men and children reached Northumberland, about eighteen miles distant, that night, not having eaten a bite during the whole day. Col. Smith writes to President Reed from Sunbury, August 3rd, 1779, that he is there "with sixty Paxtang boys and intends to follow the savages. He reports that fifty two women and children and four old men came safely from Fort Freeland. He says the distress of the people is great-the town now composes Northumberland county-houses, barns, wheat, stacks of hay, all is consumed. Such devastation he has not yet seen. The surrender of Fort Freeland and the defeat and death of Capt. Boone left every thing exposed." Col. Hunter writes under date of July 29th, "The town of Northumberland was the frontier last night, and I am afraid Sunbury will be to night," And he begs for assistance, as well he might, seeing the helpless women and children flying down the river, many of the husbands and fathers slain, and those yet alive going off into hopeless cap- tivity.
It would be interesting now to know who were taken prisoners,
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HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY.
and who returned from the captivity. We have only the names of Benjamin Vincent, Michael Freeland, Bethuel Vincent, Daniel Vincent and Capt. John Little.
Daniel Vincent had been married a short time before he was taken prisoner,to Miss Angelica Heuff of New Jersey. Upon the capture of her husband she returned to the home of her parents, and for a period of something like four years, heard nothing from him. One evening she was out with a sleighing party, and hav- ing stopped at a tavern, a roughly dressed stranger happening there, inquired if a Mrs. Vincent lived in that vicinity. She was pointed out to him, whereupon he introduced himself to her notice, and soon convinced her that he was her long lost husband. The hilarity of the party was doubtless much increased by this unex- pected but joyful reunion; which as I am informed by a descend- ant, took place at the tavern, and not, as reported, after the party had broken up and on the return home.
Capt. Little returned to find his wife, deceived by false infor- mation of his death in captivity, married to another man. Ex- planations ensued. Letters detailing his death were proved to have been received, their falsehood was evident-the false hus- band fled the country, and the pair so long and cruelly separated were re-united.
To this sketch of Freeland's Fort I add a most interesting and graphic narrative of Benjamin Patterson, the hunter, published in Judge McMaster's History of Steuben county. He says : At the skirmish of Freeling's Fort in 1779, he and his younger brother Robert fought in the party of Capt. Hawkins Boone, and narrow- ly escaped with their lives. Freeling's Fort on the West Branch of the Susquehanna, had been taken by a party of Tories and Indians, the former under the command of McDonald, a noted loyalist of Tryon county in New York, and the latter led by Hiakatoo, the husband of Mary Jennison, the white woman. Capt. Boone's party of thirty two, volunteered to scout in the neighbor- hood of the captured Fort, and to attack the enemy if it could be advantageously done. They advanced cautiously and succeeded in concealing themselves in a cluster of bushes overlooking the camp of the enemy. Both Tories and Indians were engaged in cooking or eating, while a single sentinel, a fine tall savage, with a blanket drawn over his head, walked slowly to and fro. Boone's
-
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HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY.
men commenced firing by platoons of six. The sentry sprang in- to the air with a whoop and fell dead. The enemy yelling fright- fully ran to arms and opened a furious but random fire at their unseen foes. Their bullets rattled through the bushes where Boone's men lay hid, but did no mischief. The slaughter of in- dians and tories was dreadful. The thirty two rangers firing rapidly and coolly by sixes, with the unerring aim of frontiers- men, shot down one hundred and fifty (so the story runs) before the enemy broke and fled. Boone's men with strange indiscretion, rushed from their covert in pursuit, and immediately exposed their weakness of numbers. Hiakatoo with his Indians made a circuit and attacked them in the rear, while McDonald turned upon their front. They were surrounded. "Save yourselves, men, as you can," cried Capt. Boone. The enemy closed with tomahawks and spears. This part of the fight occurred in the midst of the woods. The rangers broke through their foes and fled with such success that many escaped, but their Captain and more than half his men were killed.
Patterson further relates the particulars of his own escape, with others of the rangers, and their pursuit by a party of the enemy, while on the return trip to Niagara.
The discrepancies in these several narratives are in a great measure reconciled by the fact that each writer told what he saw and knew, without observing what was the condition of affairs at other points; and having no persons with whom to compare and correct their respective remembrances. But the killing of one hundred and fifty Indians and Tories at Fort Freeland on that occasion seems to need confirmation, and is certainly not sustained by any authority which I have consulted. "The hunter" seems to have been drawing upon his imagination.
MCCLURE'S FORT was located on the North Branch of the Sus- quehanna, "on the farm of Mrs. McClure, about one mile above the mouth of Fishingcreek." It was built by Lieut. Moses Van Campen in 1781, and occupied the exact site of the present dwell- ing house on the farm of Douglas Hughes, below Bloomsburg. Sev- eral families had settled along the river and on the Fishingcreek and this was a central point for the daring Indian fighter. Here he gather . ed his stores, and from this point proceeded on his excursions through
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HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY.
the woods. It was while he held his headquarters at McClure's Fort, which was no doubt a pleasant rendezvous to him, as he married a daughter of Mr. James McClure subsequently, that news was brought him of the assembling of a body of three hundred Indians at Sinnemahoning, with the intention of making a de- scent on the frontier. They were to divide into small parties and fall upon all the settlements on the same day. Lieut. Van Cam- pen communicated the intelligence to Col. Hunter, who selected a party of five to go out in disguise, reconnoitre and ascertain their movements. The company consisted of Capt. Campbell, Peter Grove, Michael Grove, Lieut. Cranmer and Lieut. Van Campen. It was called the Grove party and was under the command of Van Campen. This statement made in the life of Van Campen is corroborated in a letter from Capt. Robinson, to whose company Van Campen belonged, in a letter to President Reed, dated Sep- tember 8th., 1781. The expedition was highly successful, and soon after the return from the Sinnemahoning, the Lieutenant returned to his headquarters at McClure's fort, and entered again upon the service of conducting scouts around the line of the settlements. No further mention is made of the fort. Van Cam- pen was made prisoner in the spring of 1782, about the Bald Eagle creek on the West Branch, and was not paroled until near January 1783, and upon his exchange he was ordered to Wilkes- Barre, where and above which post, he remained until November 1783, when the Treaty of Peace was ratified and the army dis- banded. Mr. James McClure was dead, and the family was then living near Northumberland. Major Van Campen followed, and McClure's was again his headquarters. He remained with the McClure family and farm for several years, and then removed to Briarcreek where he remained for five years, whence in 1795 he removed to the state of New York. He died in Livingston county between 1845 and 1850, aged nearly ninety years. I find no account of any adventures or any hair breadth escapes related about this fort, and if there is a tradition of any I should be glad to have it put in writing.
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