A history of Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, from its first beginnings to the present time; including chapters of newly-discovered, Vol. II, Part 113

Author: Harvey, Oscar Jewell, 1851- [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: Wilkes-Barre [Raeder press]
Number of Pages: 683

USA > Pennsylvania > Luzerne County > Wilkes-Barre > A history of Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, from its first beginnings to the present time; including chapters of newly-discovered, Vol. II > Part 113

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).

The two small block-houses which had stood on the north-easterly side of Fort Wyoming-as described on page 1098-were demolished by order of General Sullivan after his arrival at Wilkes-Barre, and in their stead a substantial redoubt was erected on the River Common south-west of the fort, a short distance below Northampton Street. The location of this redoubt is indicated in the Hubley sketch.

Early in the morning of July 10, 1779, a detachment of 150 men from the 1st and 2d New Hampshire Regiments, under the command of Colonel Reid, was sent towards Easton to repair the road, and to escort in a train of wagons laden with army stores. At the same time Brig. General Hand, accompanied by Lieut. Jonathan Snowden, his aide-de-camp, and escorted by a company of light-horse, set out for Harris' Ferry (now Harrisburg) in order to hurry on supplies, the deten- tion of which, "owing to the unaccountable neglect of those having the superintendence of the same, occasioned the army to continue at" Wyoming longer than had been planned. At Wilkes-Barre, under the date of July 11, 1779, General Sullivan wrote as follows to Brig. Gen. James Clinton, assigned to the command of the 4th Brigade of the Sul- livan Expedition, and then at Canajoharie, New York.

* By the deed in question the Rev. Jacob Johnson conveyed to Ezekiel Brown a portion of the "50-Acre Lot" which had been granted to Mr. Johnson by the town of Wilkes-Barre; and the land conveyed is described in the deed in part as follows: "Beginning at the north corner of Capt. Samuel Bowman's land whereon his house now stands, and running westerly along his line until it intersects a redoubt built by Sullivan's army on the top of a hill-supposed to be about sixteen rods; thence along the course of the hill five and a-half rods; thence east, on a line parallel with Bowman's fence, until it intersects the main road leading from Wilkesbarre town-plot to Pittstown."

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LOOKING NORTH-WEST FROM THE SITE OF THE OLD SULLIVAN REDOUBT. At the rear of the German Catholic Cemetery, Darling Street, Wilkes-Barre, 1902.

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"I have been disappointed and delayed respecting provisions and stores in the- most surprising manner. I hope, however, to march in a few days. * * * It is agreed in Council that this army is to reach Tioga by the day prefixed for your march, that we may be ready to move up the Susquehanna to meet and cover you. * * Gen- eral Washington wrote me, as he has you, but I have undeceived him by shewing him that in case you depended on our magazine for stores, we must all starve together, as the Commissaries have deceived us in every article."

Word having been received by General Sullivan from General Clin- ton on July 12th that a body of 300 hostile Indians had been sent out. from the Indian country, " to distress and harass as much as possible " the Sullivan Expedition while on its march, 150 men and a field-piece were despatched from Wilkes-Barre to reinforce Colonel Reid on the "Sullivan Road." The same day a request was received from General Hand to have all the large bateaux at Wilkes-Barre sent down the river, as the boats there were not sufficient in number to carry the stores which were ready. Thereupon the boats referred to were despatched, in charge of Lieut. Col. John Conway, commanding a detachment of infantry and Capt. Joseph Rice's company of Procter's Artillery, hav- ing two field-pieces and a howitzer. In the evening of this day thirty- three men of the German Regiment deserted, under the plea that their time was up and that they should be paid off and discharged. They marched from their camp in a body, fully armed and equipped, and headed by a drummer and a fifer. One of the Stockbridge Indian scouts was afterwards sent out by General Sullivan to ascertain the route taken by the deserters ; which having been learned, a detachment of fifty soldiers on horseback was sent in pursuit of them. A few days later twenty-nine of the deserters having been apprehended in the neigh- borhood of the Wind Gap, they were marched back to Wilkes-Barre and confined in the guard-house. At Wilkes-Barre, under the date of July 14, 1779, Lieut. Colonel Hubley wrote to President Reed at Philadel- phia as follows* : * * * "Our Expedition is carrying on rather slow, owing to the delay of our pro- visions, etc. I sincerely pity General Sullivan's situation. People who are not acquainted with the reasons of the delay I'm informed censure him ; which is absolutely cruel and unjust. No man can be more assiduous than he is. Unless some steps are taken to find out and make an example of the delinquent Quartermasters and Commissaries, I fear our Expedition will be reduced to a much less compass than was intended."

On July 20th Captain Bowman arrived at Wilkes-Barre from Brinker's Mills, bringing with him 270 head of cattle for the Expedi- tion. A number of horses also arrived. On July 21st, at Wilkes-Barré, General Sullivan wrote to the Continental Congress in part as followst :

" My duty to the public, and regard to my own reputation, compel me to state the reasons why this army has been so long delayed here without advancing into the enemy's country. In April last it was agreed that the army should be put in motion the 15th of May and rendezvous at Easton on the 20th, to proceed immediately on the expedition. The necessary preparations were to be made in the Quartermaster and Commissary Departments, that no delay might take place-success, in a great measure, depending on secrecy and despatch. I immediately detached parties to clear a road from Easton to- Wyoming, which was done in season. * * * General Washington, in consequence of my letters, wrote the Executive Council of Pennsylvania for Rangers and Riflemen. They engaged 720, and the President [Joseph Reed] frequently wrote me that they would be ready in season. Not a man of them has joined us, nor are any about to do it. The reason assigned by them is, that the Quartermasters gave such extravagant prices to boat- men that they all enlisted in the boat service. But this is evidently a mistake, for we have not one hundred boatmen engaged for the army, and but forty-two pack-horsemen."

On the same day that General Sullivan wrote and despatched the foregoing letter, he issued the following general order, a copy of which he enclosed in his letter to the Congress.

* See "Pennsylvania Archives," First Series, VII : 554. t See ibid., 568.

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"The Commander-in-Chief acquaints the army that, had the Board of War com- plied with his requisitions, and even their own engagements respecting clothing, the numerous brave and virtuous soldiers at this post would not now be suffering through want of any articles in that way. Although he has been disappointed from time to time, and has almost despaired of receiving suitable supplies, yet, from late advice, he prom- ises himself the satisfaction of relieving the absolute necessities of the troops before they move from hence."

A copy of this order ultimately came into the possession of the Board of War, and was sent to the Congress, accompanied by a letter representing that the characters of the Board were "made very free with in General Sullivan's army, who, being under a deception," censured the members of the Board with great bitterness. The Con- gress was requested to appoint a committee to examine into the conduct and proceedings of the Board of War in the matters complained of- which request was acceded to.

On the same day that General Sullivan issued the foregoing order at Wilkes-Barre, Col. Timothy Pickering, at Philadelphia, by direction ·of the Board of War, wrote to General Sullivan as follows :

"We have received your favour of the 18th inst. We cannot but regret exceed- ingly the delay of an expedition whose success greatly depended on secrecy and dispatch. Your remarks on the Staff Department have undoubtedly but too much foundation. At the same time we must observe that there are in many cases almost insuperable difficul- ties in their way. Among these may be reckoned the want of men and proper materials. Of the former, the country is much drained, and of the latter, the old stocks are generally worked up or used, and no provision made for future wants. Hence, in particular, they have sometimes been obliged to use green stuff for casks, which in Summer is ruinous to whatever is put in them. To this cause may be imputed the badness of some of the salted provisions destined for your army ; for we have, upon inquiry, received satisfactory evi- dence that no care was wanting in the salting and repacking of the far greater part of them."

On Saturday, July 24, 1779, General Hand arrived at Wilkes-Barré from Sunbury with a fleet of 134 boats, loaded with provisions of all kinds. Chaplain Rogers, in his journal, recorded the arrival of the boats in these words: "On the river they appeared beautiful as they approached the village in proper divisions. Those with field-pieces on board discharged several rounds* for joy, which in the surrounding woods produced a pleasing echo. The Commander-in-Chief, in public orders, returned his cordial thanks to General Hand, Major Conway, Captains Rice and Porter, and others, for their great exertions in thus bringing forward the stores of the army with such expedition. Also expressed his grateful acknowledgments to Commissary General Steele for his attention and activity in the business. The troops were directed to be in readiness to march on Wednesday morning [July 28th] next."

The deserters from the German Regiment having been tried and found guilty on July 24th by a general court-martial, whereof Brig. General Poor was President, were sentenced as follows: Five to be shot, two Corporals to be reduced to the ranks, and the remaining twenty-two men to run the gantlet through the brigades of Generals Hand and Maxwell-the respective punishments to take place on Mon- day, July 26th, at four o'clock in the afternoon. On that day, on account of rainy weather, orders were issued that the execution of these sen- tences should be postponed till July 27th. Chaplain Rogers states that he " visited the criminals, and found them greatly dejected on account

* Sergeant Thomas Roberts, of the 5th New Jersey Regiment, made the following entry in his journal relative to the arrival of the fleet on July 24, 1779. "The stores arrived with 150 boats for our army. At their return there was twenty-six rounds of cannon fired-13 from the boats and 13 from the camp. These boats had three 4-pounders, and one howitzer that threw bums [sic], for their security on the river."

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of their approaching dissolution." The following is an extract from Chaplain Rogers' journal, under the date of July 27, 1779.

" Visited the convicts twice. In discussing with them upon a future state, they appeared much affected and very penitent. Represented their situation to General Sulli- van, who told me that in consequence of a petition received from them he had ordered a board of General officers to sit. "On the issuing of this day's orders the following sen- tence was read with pleasure by myself and the other Chaplains : 'The Commander-in- Chief having received a petition from the prisoners of the German Battalion now under sentence, manifesting their consciousness of the crimes for which they have been con- demned, and promising in case of pardon to distinguish themselves in future as brave and obedient soldiers ; which petition being laid before a board of General officers-in hopes that an act of lenity may have a proper effect on their future conduct, as well as that of others-they have unanimously advised a pardon of all the offenders without dis- crimination. The General, wishing to extend mercy where it can be done without injury to the public service, has accordingly consented to pardon each and every one of the offenders tried and sentenced by a general court-martial, whereof Brig. General Poor was President ; and directs that they be immediately released and restored to their duty. Lest this unparalleled act of lenity should be abused. and any soldiers take the same. unjustifiable measures hereafter, the Commander-in-Chief absolutely declares he will not in future pardon a deserter, or one who, though his time be expired, shall quit his corps without a proper discharge from his commanding officer.' Instantly after the above was made known to the criminals, I called in to see them. and found them calm, composed and thankful. Agreeably to the above order the whole twenty-nine were dismissed the. main guard, and joined their regiment."

At Paxtang, Pennsylvania, July 26, 1779, William Maclay (see page 759) wrote to President Reed as follows :

"I am just returned from Sunbury. The whole of the troops have left that place a week ago, and I am satisfied that General Sullivan will move forward with the Expedi- tion perhaps this very day. A more happy incident could not have happened than the rise of the Susquehanna at this critical and unexpected time."

On July 27th, by order of General Sullivan, General Poor's brigade broke camp at Forty Fort and moved down to Wilkes-Barre, erecting their tents near the village. On July 28th the detachment in com- mand of Lieut. Colonel Reid, which had been sent to Brinker's Mills on July 10th, returned to Wilkes-Barre convoying eighty wagons loaded with supplies for the Expedition. On Thursday, July 29th, orders were. given for everything to be put in readiness for the marching of the army on the morning of the 31st.

In pursuance of arrangements previously made by Military Lodge No. 19, the remains of Captain Davis and Lieutenant Jones-who had been members of that Lodge-were raised from their rude graves on Wilkes-Barre Mountain and re-interred in the Wilkes-Barre grave-yard, near the corner of the present Washington and Market Streets, with appro- priate military and Masonic ceremonies on July 29th. The members of the Lodge met at five o'clock in the afternoon at the marquee of Colonel Procter, Master of the Lodge, and marched thence in procession to the marquee of General Sullivan, where they were joined by him. Then, escorted by the 11th Pennsylvania Regiment (Lieut. Colonel Hubley's). and Colonel Procter's artillery regiment, with drums and fifes and the band of the last-mentioned regiment, they proceeded three-quarters of a mile to the grave-yard, where the remains of the dead soldiers-previ- ously exhumed, encoffined, and brought down from the mountain- awaited their coming. "The afternoon was very rainy," it is stated in one of the journals of the Expedition, "otherwise the appearance [of the Free Masons] would have been tolerably grand, as they all marched in order, with the band of music playing." Arriving at the grave-yard, an exceedingly heavy shower of rain came down, which prevented the deliv- ery of a discourse appropriate to the occasion which had been prepared

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by the Rev. Dr. Rogers. Instead, a short prayer was made by the Chap- lain, and then the bodies were interred in one grave, in regular Masonic form, after which three volleys of small arms were fired over the grave.

The following account of this, the first Masonic and military funeral in Wyoming Valley of which we have any record, was prepared at the time by a member of Lodge No. 19, who forwarded it to John Carter of Providence, Rhode Island, by whom it was published in the Provi- dence Gazette and Country Journal of September 18, 1779.

" WYOMING, July 31, 1779.

"On Thursday last, the 29th inst., agreeable to previous determination, the bodies of our Brethren, Capt. Joseph Davis and Lieut. William Jones, who were massacred by the savages near this Post on the 23d of April last, were reinterred. This mark of respect we thought necessary for the following reasons : It being expressive of our esteem, and their not being buried in the proper grave-yard. The form of procession being fixed on by Lodge No. 19, was as follows : Twenty-four musketeers with reversed arms ; two Tylers, bearing their swords ; a band of music ; two Deacons, with wands ; two Brethren bearing orders ;* the Holy Bible and the Book of Constitutions, supported by two Breth- ren ; the Reverend Brethren ; the Worshipful Master, with the Honorable Major General Sullivan ; the Senior and Junior Wardens, bearing their columns ; the Treasurer and the Secretary ; Past Masters ; the Brethren [of the Lodge], two and two ; Brothers of the army, t two and two ; two corps of drums (muffled ) and fifes, playing a solemn dirge .; "The Brethren were neatly clothed, with jewels, etc., and were, in number, odds of 150. Just as we arrived at the grave, an exceedingly heavy gust of rain coming up prevented the delivery of a discourse which had been prepared by Brother [sic] Rogers. A short prayer being by him offered up, we then committed their bodies in Masonic form to the dust; afterwards, three volleys of small arms were discharged. The Brotherhood were attended by the Pennsylvania Infantry, commanded by Colonel Hubley, as like- wise by a great concourse of people-both inhabitants and soldiery. The melancholy scene was closed with that decorum usual among the Brethren, and the satisfaction of all the bystanders. A stone being prepared by our Brethren Forrest§ and Story. || with a suit- able inscription, was fixed at the head of their grave."

The stone thus referred to as having been erected over the double- grave in the Wilkes-Barre burial-ground was a red-stone slab, upon which were chiseled certain Masonic symbols and the following inscrip- tion :

"In Memory of Capt. J. DAVIS of the 11th Penna. Regt. also Lieut. WILLIAM JONES who were massacred by the savages on their march to the relief of the distressed inhab- itants of Wyoming April 23, 1779. Erected by the Brotherhood July 25, [ the same year."

A good many years later, at the instance of George M. Hollenback of Wilkes-Barre-whose paternal grandmother had been closely related to Lieut. William Jones-the above-described head-stone was replaced by a marble slab bearing the following inscription :

"In memory of Capt. J. DAVIS, of the 11th Pennsylvania Regt., also of Lieut. WILLIAM JONES, who were massacred by the savages on their march to the relief of the distressed inhabitants of Wyoming, on the 23d of April, 1779. Erected by a friend." **

* The jewels, or "working-tools," of the Lodge.

t That is, those Free Masons in the army who were not members of Lodge No. 19.

# Undoubtedly "Roslin Castle."

& THOMAS FORREST, commissioned Captain, in the Pennsylvania Artillery Battalion commanded by Major Procter, October 5, 1776; promoted Major, Pennsylvania State Regiment of Artillery (Proc- ter's), February 5, 1777; promoted Lieutenant Colonel, December 2, 1778; resigned from the service October 7, 1781; Member of Congress, 1819-'23; died in Germantown, Pennsylvania, March 20, 1825, aged eighty-three years.

| SAMUEL STORY was an Englishman, who joined the American army after the British evacuated Philadelphia, and was commissioned Third Lieutenant in the Pennsylvania State Regiment of Artil- lery, commanded by Colonel Procter. Later he was promoted Second Lieutenant, and May 13, 1779, he was promoted First Lieutenant. He was appointed Adjutant of the regiment February 18, 1780, and was promoted Captain-Lieutenant October 7, 1781. He died in service in South Carolina, October 4, 1782.

Sunday, July 25th, had been fixed upon as the day for the reinterment of the bodies of Captain Davis and Lieutenant Jones, but as it rained very hard on that day as well as the next, the cere- monies were postponed to the 29th.

** The remains of Captain Davis and Lieutenant Jones rested in the old Wilkes-Barre burial- ground until 1867, when, in view of the fact that the ground was to be abandoned as a place of inter- ment, and the remains of all the dead buried there were to be reinterred elsewhere (see, as to this, a subsequent chapter), it was decided by Lodge No. 61, F. and A. M., of Wilkes-Barre, to remove the remains of those two long-deceased Free Masons to Hollenback Cemetery. A committee of members of the Lodge, consisting of Edmund L. Dana, Sharp D. Lewis, Elisha B. Harvey, Hendrick B.

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A detail of 600 men was employed at Wilkes-Barré on Friday, July 30, 1779, from six o'clock in the morning until nine o'clock at night, loading boats and pack-horses with supplies for the Expedition. On this day General Sullivan received from Col. William Cook (see note, page 818) at Northumberland, Pennsylvania, a letter dated at seven o'clock in the morning of July 29th and reading as follows :

"The enemy yesterday [July 28th] made themselves masters of Freeland's fort, upon the West Branch of the Susquehanna, upon terms of capitulation, viz .: The men to remain prisoners of war ; the whole garrison to be plundered by the Indians ; the women to go free. The number of the enemy appearing before the fort, about 250-one- third British. The residue were savages, together with a Corps de Reserve of 100 more, at some distance. The whole under the command of Captain McDonald .* We have now at Northumberland about 150 to oppose the enemy and protect the women and children, whom it is impossible to get off. We expect to be attacked every hour, as we are the most frontier garrison, and fear [that] without some speedy assistance [we] must fall a prey to Savage Tyrants. The enemy have collected all the cattle and everything valu- able as they came on. We beg leave to give it as our opinion that a party of men thrown across the country will retake the plunder and everything else. * * The number killed in action were Capt. Hawkins Boone and forty men, after the capitulation, who were out on a scout and had not heard of the surrender of the Garrison."

About the same time General Sullivan received from Col. Samuel Hunter, Lieutenant of the County of Northumberland, a communica- tion (dated July 28th) similar in purport to the foregoing letter. He also received by a messenger a letter written July 28th at Minisink, on the Delaware, and reading as followst :

Wright, George Urquhart, Albert M. Bailey and William L. Stewart, was appointed to prepare a pro- gram of ceremonies, and make the necessary arrangements for carrying out the same. St. John the Baptist's Day (June 24th), 1867, was fixed upon for the ceremonies, and invitations to unite and take part in the same were extended to all the Masonic Lodges in Luzerne County, and to some others in neighboring counties. Sidney Hayden, of Rural Amity Lodge, No. 70, Athens, Pennsylvania, was invited to deliver the address on the occasion.

The day selected for the carrying out of the program proved a most favorable one, and Wilkes- Barre was filled with strangers drawn hither to witness the solemn and peculiar ceremonies that were to take place. At two o'clock in the afternoon a procession was formed on West Market Street (near the Hall of Lodge No. 61), with the right resting on River Street. Capt. Charles C. Plotz acted as Chief Marshal, assisted by Capt. O. K. Moore and Walter G. Sterling of Wilkes-Barre, Bryce R. Blair of Plymouth, Captain Gordon of Shickshinny, and George Parton and Julius Josephson of Scranton. The formation of the procession was as follows: (1) Veteran Zouaves (Capt. W. W. Ellis command- ing) and drum corps, of Wilkes-Barre. (2) Officers and soldiers of the War of 1861, in full uniform. (3) Officers and soldiers of the Mexican War. (4) Officers and soldiers of the War of 1812. (5) The Scranton Cornet Band. (6) Lodges of Free and Accepted Masons of Pennsylvania, in the following order: Sylvania, No. 354, Shickshinny; Schiller, No. 345, Scranton; Hyde Park, No. 339, Hyde Park; Plymouth, No. 332, Plymouth; Peter Williamson, No. 323, Scranton; Waverly, No. 301, Clark's Sum- mit; Union, No. 291, Scranton; Carbondale, No. 249, Carbondale; St. John's, No. 233, Pittston; Lodge No. 61, Wilkes-Barre. (7) The clergy. (8) Hearse. (9) Pall-bearers: Gen. Henry M. Hoyt, Col. Samuel H. Sturdevant, Col. William Brisbane, Lieut. Col. Edwin S. Osborne, Lieut. Col. Thomas C. Harkness, Lieut. Col. George N. Reichard, Maj. Charles M. Conyngham, Maj. Oliver Parsons, and Maj. George Smith-all in full uniform.

The procession moved down River Street, and thence through several other streets to the old grave-yard on East Market Street. There the remains of the two officers and Brethren (previously disinterred and laid in a new coffin) were placed in the hearse, and the procession moved on to Hol- lenback Cemetery, the band and the drum corps playing "Roslin Castle" (referred to on page 1182). Arriving at the cemetery-where a large concourse of citizens had gathered-the following program was carried out: (1) Prayer by the Rev. Thomas P. Hunt. (2) Dirge, played by the band. (3) Masonic burial services, conducted by Edward H. Chase, Worshipful Master of Lodge No. 61. (4) Music. (5) Introduction of the orator of the day, by Gen. Edmund L. Dana, a Past Master of Lodge No. 61. (6) Oration, by Sidney Hayden. (See the present writer's "History of Lodge No. 61, F. and A. M.," pages 600-608, for this oration.) (7) Music. (8) Remarks, by Gen. Edmund L. Dana and the Hon. Hendrick B. Wright, members of Lodge No. 61. (9) Benediction, by the Rev. John G. Eckman. (10) Firing, by the military escort. The procession then returned to Masonic Hall, where it was dismissed. Some 500 Free Masons took part in the ceremonies of the day.

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A history of Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, from its first beginnings to the present time; including chapters of newly-discovered, Vol. II, Part 113

Author: Harvey, Oscar Jewell, 1851- [from old catalog] Publication date: 1909 Publisher: Wilkes-Barre [Raeder press] Number of Pages: 683

Author: Harvey, Oscar Jewell, 1851- [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: Wilkes-Barre [Raeder press]
Number of Pages: 683