USA > Pennsylvania > Columbia County > A history of Columbia County, Pennsylvania. From the earliest times. > Part 3
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43
WHEELER'S FORT. In the spring of 1778 Lieut. Van Campen was in command under Col. Hunter, of a company of six months men, raised for the protection of the frontiers, and with these he
24
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY.
was ordered to proceed up the North Branch of the Susquehanna to the mouth of Fishingcreek, and following up this three miles to a compact settlement located in that region, build a fort for the protection of the inhabitants. He selected for a site the farm of a Mr. Wheeler, whence it was called Wheeler's Fort. It was built with stockades, and was sufficiently large to accommodate all the families in the neighborhood. Before the fort was entirely completed, a runner brought word of an approaching band of In- dians. The inhabitants fled to the fort, and their houses' and barns and grain and furniture were delivered up by the savages to the devouring flames. Then the fort was attacked, but it held out against them. By evening the ammunition being nearly ex- pended, Van Campen sent two men to Fort Jenkins, about eight miles off, on the river at Hill's place for a supply. They return- ed before morning amply provided, and the remainder of the night was spent in running bullets and preparing for a renewal of the fight on the approaching day. The attack was not resumed. This was in May, 1778. "What loss they sustained we could not ascertain, as they carried off all the dead and wounded, though, from the marks of blood on the ground, it must have been consid- erable. The inhabitants who took shelter in the fort had built a yard for their cattle at the head of a small flat at a short distance from the fort, and one evening in the month of June, just as they were milking them, my sentinel called my attention to some movement in the brush, which I soon discovered to be Indians making their way to the cattle yard. There was no time to be lost-I immediately selected ten of my sharp-shooters, and under cover of a rise of land got between them and the milkers. On as- cending the ridge we found ourselves within pistol shot of them -I fired first, and killed the leader, but a volley from my men did no further execution, the Indians running off at once. In the mean time the milk pails flew in every direction, and the best runner got to the fort first. The poor cattle equally frightened, leaped the fence and ran off in every direction into the woods, with their tails in the air and bellowing at a most terrible rate. It was, continues Van Campen, a scene of confusion as wild, and to us who knew there was no danger, as laughable as can well be imagined. But though it was an amusing scene to us; to the timid women and girls it was a serious fright, for when we return-
25
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY.
ed, we found them trembling with agitation, and their faces pale from fear. Yet they soon recovered their accustomed feelings, and as soon as they learned that there was no danger, were ready to laugh with us at the display which they had made of their bravery."
Wm. Maclay writes to President Reed from Sunbury, April 2, 1780. "I will not trouble you with the distress of this county. They will no doubt be painted to the council in lively colors, and indeed the picture cannot be overcharged, nor should I at this time write to you, but for a strong belief and persuasion that a body of Indians are lodged about the head of Fishing and Muncy creeks. They were with us to the very beginning of the deep snow last year, they are with us now before that snow is quite gone. This country might be examined. This is what we wish. Many of our hunters who went late last fall into that country (which is a fine one for hunting) were so alarmed with constant reports of guns, which they could not believe to be white men's that they returned suddenly back. We are not strong enough to spare men to examine this country and dislodge them." Mr. Maclay's conclusion seems to have been correct. But the inhabi- tants in and about Fort Wheeler do not appear to have had any apprehensions of danger, and early in the spring began to return to their farms. The only narrative we have of that raid upon our settlements is the one given by Lieut. Van Campen, which is here added : "My father's house having been burned in the indian de- predations of 1778, he 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 ap- prehension was entertained of molestations from the Indians this season, they had been so completely routed the year before. We left the fort about the last of March, 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 morn- ing 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 toma- hawked, 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
26
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY.
me. I shrunk from the spear, and 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 reach- ed us, had touched on the lower settlements of Wyoming, and killed a Mr. Upson, and took a boy prisoner by the name of Ro- gers. We were now marched off up Fishingcreek, and in the af- ternoon we came to Huntington, where the Indians found four white men at a sugar camp, who fortunately discovered the In- dians and fled to a house. 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 pur- sued their course, and leaving the waters of Fishingcreek, touched the head waters of Hunlock's 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 continued their course that day and encamped the same night in the same manner as the day previous. It came into my mind that sometimes individuals 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 of communicating my plan to my fellow-prisoners. They treated it as a visionary scheme for three men to attempt to dispatch ten Indians. I spread before them advantages that three men would have over ten when asleep ; and 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 stakes 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 up Little Tunkhannock Creek, so called ; they crossed the river and set their canoes adrift. I renewed my suggestions to dispatch them that night and urged that they must decide 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
27
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY.
one we can kill at our leisure. They agreed to disarm them, and after that 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 kill them. I observed that would be a very uncertain 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 tom- ahawk ; 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 the Indians had occasion to use his knife ; he dropped it at my feet, and 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 to Pence, who rose ; 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, and in a minute's time we disarmed them. Pence 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, and 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 agree- ment, and as I was about to kill the last on my side, 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, giving the war-whoop. He darted to take possession of the guns ; I was 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, struck at him, but missing his head my tom- ahawk stuck in his shoulder, or rather the back of his neck ; he pitched forward and fell-at the same time my foot slipped, and I fell full length by his side ; we clinched, his arm was naked ; he caught me around 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.
28
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY.
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 was covered up, and I could not find it in time to overtake him ; he was the only one of the party that escaped. Pike was powerless. I always have had a deference for christian devotion. Pike was trying to pray, and Pence swearing at him, charging him with cowardice, and say- ing 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 morning, 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 land; we reached Wyalusing late in the afternoon. Came to the narrows, discovered a smoke below, 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 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 appearance 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 hills so uear 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 sig- nal ; they came and threw their packs on 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 shot, when two of them came in ; 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
29
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY.
had got on the island, and was for 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 a watch, and soon a noble raccoon came under the light. I shot the rac- coon, 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 day we reached Wyo- ming, and there was much joy to see us ; we rested one day, and it being not safe to go to Northumberland by land, we procured a canoe, and with Pence and my cousin, we descended the river by night ; we came to Fort Jenkins before day, when I found Col. Kelly and about one hundred men encamped out of the fort ; he came across from the west branch by the heads of Chillisquaque to Fishingcreek, the end of the Knob Mountain, so called at that day, where my father and brother were killed ; he had buried mny father and uncle, my brother was burnt, a part of him only was to be found. Col. Kelly informed me that my mother and her chil- dren were in the fort, and it was thought that I was killed like- wise. Colonel Kelly went into the fort to prepare her mind to see me ; I took off my belt of scalps and handed them to an officer to keep. Human nature was not sufficient to stand the interview. She had just lost a husband and son, and one had returned to take her by the hand, and one, too, that she supposed was killed.
FORT JENKINS was built on the farm of Jacob Hill, about six miles above Bloomsburg, and abont twenty rods from the river. The fort was probably a dwelling house originally built by the man after whom the fort was named, for Mr. Hill says that a low place where he built his house was said to be the cellar of a house built by Jenkins. It is first mentioned as a fort in a letter of August 9th 1778, addressed to Lient. Col. Zebulon Butler by Col. Hartley : he says-"I have established a post and a work is built at one Jenkins' about six miles below the Niscopeck Falls. There is now a garrison there which is to be strengthened to-morrow; when I am reinforced my wish is to extend our post to Wioming- should you not think yourself able to maintain yourself at Wio- ming, you are to march your troops to Jenkins' Fort, at the place I have mentioned." In a letter from Col. Hartley to the Council
30
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY.
of War, dated Sunbury, August 10th. 1778, he says :-- "All the people of the West Branch above Wallace's (who lives near Mun- cy) had fled and evacuated their settlements -- so on the North- east Branch, all above Nescopeck Falls were gone. I was re- solved to hold posts at both these extremes, and have an interme- diate one on the head waters of Chellesquaque-there had been a small work began near one Jenkinse- about five miles from Nesco- peck Falls, near Briarcreek, this I have garrisoned." In Novem- ber, 1778, information was brought to Col. Hartley that the Indians were in force about Wyoming, and that another band was moving towards the forks of the Chillisquaque and had taken some prisoners. He says :- "I am drawing some little force together and to-morrow will endeavor to attack those Indians on the Chillisquaque if they keep in a body and make a movement towards Fishingcreek, which will probably be of use to the people of Wyoming." The enemy does not seem to have approached the settlements on the Chillisquaque and the Fishingcreek, owing doubtless to the Colonel's promptness ; and on the 14th of Novem- ber he writes to the Council from "Fort Jenkins, near Nescopeck :" "The enemy are in force between here and Wyoming. They seem very intent on plunder, by their desolations near this place ; they expected the Frontiers to give way, but the good countenance of this garrison has saved all below." In April, 1779, Mr. Maclay writes that "Massacres and depredations have been committed at Wioming, Fort Jenkins, Fishingcreek [Fort Wheeler], Freeland's Mill, Fort Muncy and Loyal Sock, almost at one and the same time." And Lieut. Hunter writes on April 27th that on the Sun- day preceding, the Indians attacked the inhabitants near Fort Jenkins and had taken two or three families prisoners, but about thirty men from the fort turned out and rescued them. The Indians, however, drove them under cover of the fort with a loss of three killed and four badly wounded. They burned the houses, killed the cattle and drove off a number of horses. In May 1779 there was a family of four persons killed and scalped on the North Branch opposite to Fort Jenkins. Nothing of their name or his- tory has come to my knowledge. In July following, Col. Hartley moved his regiment towards Wyoming and left Fort Muncy and Fort Jenkins vacant. But in November Lieut. Hunter proposes to send 25 men to Fort Jenkins for "the support of the distressed
-
31
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY.
inhabitants." Col. Lund. Weltner writes to the Board of War, December 13, 1779, in reference to the posture of several forts on his taking command :- "I found Fort Muncy on the West and Fort Jenkins on the East Branch, with the magazine at Sunbury, to have been the only standing posts that were occupied." In March, 1780, another raid was made, the Indians carrying away seven or eight prisoners from ahout two miles ahove the fort, and in writing of it Lieut. Hunter says :- "Now we have but ahout 30 men at Fort Jenkins which was not able to spare men enough out of the garrison to pursue the enemy that carried off the prisoners." Who they were I have not been able to ascertain. The few inen at the fort were unable to maintain it. It was daily hecoming more insecure. The Indians were gathering round and the terrified inhabitants were fleeing for their lives. They seem to have strengthened the place shortly after, for, on the 9th of April, 1780, writing from Northumberland, Col. Weltner says :- "I have manned three material out posts, viz. Fort Jenkins, Fort Mont- gomery and Bosley's Mills."
In September, 1780, a descent was made by about 300 Indians and Tories, and an attack made on Fort Rice, on the upper Chil- lisquaque, which was repulsed ; hut the Indians hurned and de- stroyed everything in their power along the whole frontier, and Lieut. Hunter hearing of the advance on Fort Rice, ordered the evacuation of Fort Jenkins, which, with all the huildings about it, was burned by the detachment of the enemy which moved up the North Branch. It seems never to have been rebuilt. Mr. Jacob Hill furnishes the following information in relation to Fort Jenkins :- "Its location was ahout twenty rods from the river, and about half the distance from the North Branch canal. It stood upon the very spot upon which my house now stands. There are no remains left above ground, hut I think there might be some pieces of the logs buried in the ground. There is a very low spot between my house and harn which is said to have been the well inside the fort. There is also another such a spot near my house, and about four rods from the former, which is said to he the cel- lar of a house built by Jenkins, and in digging the cellar for my house my hands found a quantity of stone which I took to be thie foundation of some building, among which were some hrick of rather singular dimensions ahout four or five feet under ground.
32
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY.
I well recollect when the posts of the fort stuck out of the ground, but they can no more be seen. The posts were oak. The fields in the vicinity are scattered with arrows such as Indians use. This is all I can tell you about it. There has been so much build- ing upon and around this spot that all marks of the fort are almost invisible."
This is all the information concerning the forts in Columbia county which I am able to present here, but this is enough to stimulate inquiry and produce additional history of them, if any exists, not already in print. In his "Annals of Luzerne county," the IIon. Stewart Pearce mentions a "Fort Freedly, on the North Branch, below Bloomsburg," and in another place speaks of it as "Fort Freedley, near Bloomsburg, where Capt. Boone and others were slain." It is most evident that Mr. Pearce is mistaken. There was no Fort Freedley near Bloomsburg, and the fort where Boone was killed was Fort Freeland, on Warrior's Run. Mr. Pearce also says that Capt. Walker erected Fort Jenkins, and charges that Van Campen claims that honor. Certainly no such claim is made in the "Life of Van Campen," and I cannot account for the inadvertence. Mr. Pearce asserts that Fort Muncy was built by Capt. Walker. It was so built in 1778, under Col. Hart- ley, but it was also as certainly abandoned and substantially de- stroyed, and remained so, in December, 1779. Maj. Van Campen says that in March, 1782, at the head of Capt. Robinson's com- pany he was ordered "to march to a place called Muncy, and there rebuild a fort which had been destroyed by the Indians in the year 1779." I see no reason to question Major Van Campen's veracity in this matter. He was certainly with Capt. Robinson in June 1781, and in September 1781, and in April 1782 Col. Hunter writes to Vice President Potter that Captain Robinson is then at Muncy and is repairing the Fort. Besides, Van Campen's Nar- rative was written and published at a time when, if false, it could and would have been contradicted by many a living witness. I am furnished with the following letter by a gentleman who shows himself competent to speak on the subject: "You are no doubt aware that certain sapient historians have endeavored to make Abraham Pike the Hero of the killing of the Indian captors in- stead of the hated and despised Pennamite, Van Campen. Abra-
33
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY.
ham Pike was a rather worthless fellow, doing but little good for himself and still less to others, wandering around from house to house retailing his Munchausen tales, thereby securing his whisky, bread, and a warm corner by the fire, on the strength of his won- derful exploits as related by himself. I have heard an incident re- lated of him for which at this distant day I cannot vouch. He had procured the services of some one of the many "historians" of the Wyoming Valley to write his "memoirs"; the ready writer pro- ceeded until he came to a case of sheep stealing in which Pike had been engaged; the writer as an honest man insisted upon in- serting the transaction, while Pike swore roundly that it should not be put down, which cut the "memoirs" of this wonderful man short, and deprived the world at large of a full knowledge of his heroic decds. My father was well acquainted with the boy Rod- gers, who Van Campen relates was captured from the Wyoming settlements and was present at the killing of the Indians. He told the same story that Van Campen did, and furthermore said he did not contradict Pike unless specially appealed to, as the poor old fellow's whisky and living depended in a great measure upon his self glorification. Pike died as he lived, a pauper. The ab- surdity of Pike's claim to killing the Indians in ordinary times would have been hootcd at, but at that time the passions of Yan- kee and Pennamite ran so high that almost any tale reflecting to the discredit of the Pennamite was received without question. Moses Van Campen was a man of considerable ability, great ener- gy and undoubted courage, as is seen and proved by his being chosen to command in such dangerous times, and his continuance in positions requiring courage and ability. His friends and associates were mostly men of daring courage, among them old Colonel Salmon and others of our county, who would never have counte- nanced a man with the slightest tinge of cowardice in a position of command".
It may be as well to add here, upon the general subject of these forts, the following extract from a letter of Col. Weltner to the Board of War, dated Sunbury, December 13th, 1779. He says:
"On my being ordered down from Wyoming the first considera- tion which engaged my attention with regard to posting the troops under my command was to find what position Col. Hartley and the other gentlemen who had preceded me in this command
34
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY.
had taken. I found Fort Muncy on the West and Fort Jenkins on the East Branch with the magazine at Sunbury to have been the only standing posts that were occupied. This position (which I have never since heard censured) I endeavorcd to revive. Col. Hunter whom I consulted was of the same opinion; the only dif- ficulty was to fix on some place equally well adapted to cover the frontier as Fort Muncy was; Fort Muncy having been evacuated and destroyed-McClung's was agreed on, and a detachment of the troops accordingly took post there the 5th of last month. The troops, however, found this place so void of shelter and so barren of timber that they were obliged to abandon it, the in- formation given to council of the defences erected at this place being totally false and groundless. This detachment accordingly moved to a place called Montgomery's, nearer to Bosley's Mill and equally well situated for the defence of the frontier as McClung's. At this place, the troops having erected barracks and other neces- sary defences, and their vicinity to Bosley's Mill being not more than about two miles distant, makes another post there quite un- necessary at present."
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.