A history of Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, from its first beginnings to the present time; including chapters of newly-discovered, Vol. II, Part 71

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 71

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On the 12th of June William Crooks and Asa Budd of Kingston had gone up the river a little way beyond Tunkhannock on a hunting and scouting expedition. Crooks remained at the abandoned house of John Secord (who was with the enemy) to spend the night, while Budd went a couple of miles farther up the river, to hunt down by fire-light. When the latter was within a short distance of Secord's he discovered a number of persons fording the river below. Putting out his light he made for the shore and informed Crooks of what he had seen. Crooks, . with his gun in his hands, ran out of the house, but, having left his ammunition behind, returned for it. Just as he was coming out the second time he was shot dead by an Indian, who, with his companions, immediately fled. This was the first life of a white man taken within the bounds of Westmoreland by the Indians since the massacre of Octo- ber, 1763.

On June 17th a party of six men from Jenkins' Fort had gone up the river in two canoes to endeavor to discover the whereabouts of the enemy. The men in the forward canoe landed about six miles below Tunkhannock, on the west side of the river, opposite the locality later known as Osterhout's, or La Grange, and ascended the bank. There they discovered a band of armed Indians and white men running towards them. They gave an alarm, hurried back to their canoe, and endeav- ored to paddle to the farther side of an island, situated at that point, in order to escape the fire of their pursuers which was being poured in upon them. The canoe in which were Miner Robbins (an enlisted man in Captain Hewitt's company), Joel Phelps and Stephen Jenkins was fired upon, and Robbins was mortally wounded (he died the next day) and Phelps was severely wounded. Jenkins escaped unhurt, although his paddle was shivered to pieces in his hands by a shot. In the attack- ing party was Elijah Phelps, a private in Butler's Rangers (see page 945), who was a brother of Joel Phelps and a brother-in-law of Miner Robbins, abovementioned.

The foregoing incidents increased the anxiety already distractingly painful. But an event soon occurred of more exciting importance. Two Indians who had formerly lived in Wyoming and were acquainted with the inhabitants, came down the river with their squaws on a visit, pro- fessing warm friendship; but there was a suspicion that they were spies,

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and directions were given that they should be carefully watched. An old companion of one of them, with more than Indian cunning, profess- ing his attachment to the natives, gave his visitor drink after drink of rum, when the latter, in his maudlin condition, avowed that the Indians were preparing to cut off the Wyoming settlements-the attack to be made soon ; and that he and his companions had come down to see and report how things were. Thereupon the two Indians were seized and placed in confinement, while the squaws were sent away.

About the first of June Lieut. Col. Zebulon Butler had come to Wilkes-Barré on leave of absence from his regiment, which, forming a part of the brigade commanded by Brig. Gen. Samuel H. Parsons (see page 657), in the northern army commanded by Maj. Gen. Horatio Gates, was stationed near the Hudson River, not far from West Point. Immediately upon his arrival here Colonel Butler learned enough of the situation of affairs to convince him that direct and strenuous efforts ought to be made to properly protect the inhabitants of Wyoming Valley against the antici- pated incursion of the enemy; therefore, securing a fresh horse, he set out for York, in York County, Pennsylvania, which, since September 30, 1777, had been the seat of the General Government, and where the Continental Congress was then in session .* Arriving at his destination after a tedious journey of several days, Colonel Butler repaired without delay to the War Office and made an earnest appeal for the sending of a detachment of Con- tinental troops to Wyoming. He asked that-whether other troops were . available or not-at least the two Westmoreland Independent Companies of Durkee and Ransom should be despatched to assist in defending the families and property of their members against the invading savages.

At that time Washington's army, with the exception of a few detach- ments absent on special duty in different localities, was still encamped at Valley Forge. Among those organizations which were away on detached service were the companies of Durkee and Ransom. Having spent the Winter at Valley Forge, they had been ordered to Lancaster, Pennsylva- nia, in April or May, 1778, to assist in guarding the large number of Hes- sians and other soldiers of the British army who had been captured by the Americans and were confined in barracks at Lancaster as prisoners of- war. The Westmoreland companies had been considerably decimated by deaths, desertions and discharges, and they were soon to be still further reduced in numbers. Colonel Butler returned from York to Wilkes-Barré by way of Lancaster, and from him Captains Durkee and Ransom and their officers and men gained their first knowledge of the dangers which then threatened the people of Wyoming.

On the very day that William Crooks was murdered, as narrated on page 975, Lieut. Col. George Dorrance of Kingston (who was in com- mand of the 24th Regiment during Colonel Denison's absence from West- moreland as a Representative to the Connecticut Assembly, as previ- ously mentioned) addressed to the Board of Wart a carefully-written statement concerning the conditions then existing on the northern bor-

* In the collections of The Wyoming Historical and Geological Society is an original draft of an account against the "United States " in the handwriting. and in favor, of . olonel Butler, bearing date "Wyoming, December 1, 1778," and including the following items: "To expenses from Wyoming to Board of War at Little York, £18. 4sh .; horse hire for said journey, £7, 10sh."

t The Board of War had been created by the Congress in the Autumn of 1777. Its duties were extreme- ly important and complicated, embracing those now performed by the War Department, with extraordi- nary function- arising from the exigencies of the time, in the novel circumstances of the crisis. It stood between the Congress and the Commander-in-Chief. communicating in conference and formal written correspondence with both, and devising and concerting all necessary arrangements to carry out the military administration of affairs.

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ders of Westmoreland, and concluding with an appeal for troops and ammunition. This document was despatched to York by the hands of Lieut. Asahel Buck (see page 468, Vol. I) of Kingston, who, but a short time before, had resigned his commission as Second Lieutenant of the 1st (Durkee's) Westmoreland Independent Company and returned to hishome.

Lieutenant Buck reached York on the 17th or 18th of June and presented Lieutenant Colonel Dorrance's appeal to the Board of War, which body, about the same time, received from Brig. Gen. Oliver Wol- cott, then at York, a forcible communication relative to the situation at Wyoming. "No more touching and heroic poem was ever written," declared the Hon. Stanley Woodward a few years ago,* "in the dry formula of human history, than the appeal made by the Wyoming peo- ple to their Government, to send home their husbands and sons to pro- tect them from savage massacre, and the malevolence of the Tory mis- creants who loitered along the edges of the settlement, spying out its weak and vulnerable points, and keeping the enemy well advised of the situation."

The cry from Wyoming was at last heeded by the Board of War, and on Friday, June 19, 1778, Col. Timothy Pickering, a member of the Board, wrote in its behalf the following lettert to General Washington, now printed for the first time.

"Sir: So many of the soldiers are taken from the ranks for various purposes, and so many troops detached for the defence of the frontiers, that 'tis with much regret we intimate the necessity of detaching more; yet the facts stated in the enclosed papers seem to require it. The letter from Lieutenant Colonel Dorrance was brought down by Lieu- tenant Buck, who will have the honour of delivering this to your Excellency. He can give some further information. The other paper was presented [to the Board of War] by General Wolcott, a delegate in Congress from Connecticut .;

"In addition to these representations we would only observe, that Durgee's? and Ransom's companies are now so very much reduced, that their absence from the army will be of small consequence, though probably their services against the Indians will be of considerable importance. As your Excellency will be furnished with all the requisite information on the subject, we beg leave to refer to your decision, whether or not those two independent companies shall be detached for the purposes above mentioned; and Lieut. Col. Zebulon Butler permitted to remain in that quarter to direct the operations of the force which shall be collected there.

"We shall be glad to be informed of your determination in this case, and at the same time to be favored with a return of the two companies, that Congress may judge of the propriety of throwing them into one. The Board will report to Congress the expedi- ency of offering the same encouragement for filling up the company [Hewitt's] now rais- ing at Wyoming as they have given lately to others alike circumstanced."

This letter and the communications received from General Wolcott and Colonel Dorrance were intrusted to Lieutenant Buck, with instruc- tions to repair to the headquarters of General Washington, who, that very day, broke camp at Valley Forge and started in pursuit of Sir Henry Clinton and his army on their retreat from Philadelphia to New York.

Shortly after the departure of Lieutenant Buck from York on his errand to Washington, the Board of War decided to lay before the Con- gress, without further delay, a report, together with certain recommenda- tions, relative to the three Westmoreland Independent Companies-Dur-

* See "Proceedings and Collections of The Wyoming Historical and Geological Society," IV: 107.

t The original draft of the same is among the "Pickering Papers" (XXXIII : 197), mentioned on page 20, Vol. I.

And also Brigadier General commanding the 6th Brigade, Connecticut Militia, of which the 24th, or Westmoreland, Regiment was a part, as previously mentioned.

¿ The 1st Westmoreland Independent Company, in the Continental service. commanded by Capt. Robert Durkee. As mentioned in the last paragraph, page 480, Vol. I, the surname Durkee was gener- ally pronounced "as if spelled Durgee."

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kee's, Ransom's and Hewitt's-in the Continental service. As a result the Congress took the following action* on Tuesday, June 23, 1778.

"The Board of War report, 'that the two independent companies raised in the town of Westmoreland, lately commanded by Captains Durkee and Ransom, are reduced by various causes to about eighty-six (86) non-commissioned officers and privates; and that there is no chance of their being completed to the establishment; that the said companies are now detached from the main army for the defence of the frontiers.'

" Whereupon, Resolved, That the two independent companies lately commanded by Captains Durkee and Ransom, which were raised in the town of Westmoreland, be united and form one company.

"That Lieutenant SIMON SPALDING be appointed Captain, and Lieutenants TIMOTHY PEIRCE and PHINEAS PEIRCE, Lieutenants, of said company-the said Lieutenants to rank: Timothy Peirce from the 16th of January last, and Phineas Peirce from the 1st of April last, the times they were respectively appointed to act as Lieutenants in the said companies. * * *

"Resolved, That each non-commissioned officer and soldier who hath enlisted or shall enlist in the company of foot ordered to be raised in the town of Westmoreland, on the East Branch of the Susquehanna, by the resolution of the 16th of March last, t shall receive the sums (for finding his own arms, accoutrements and blankets) as were allowed by a resolve of the 16th inst. to the non-commissioned officers and soldiers of the two regiments raising in Virginia and Pennsylvania, to serve for one year; the said sums to be paid them immediately upon their passing muster before the Colonel or, in his absence, the next commanding officer of the militia in the said town, and producing the necessary articles of equipment mentioned in the said resolve of the 16th inst.

" Resolved, That the sum of 1,440 dollars be granted to the Board of War, to be issued to Colonel Denison, of Westmoreland aforesaid, to enable him to pay the allow- ances above mentioned; he to be accountable for the same."

At Fort Arnold, on the Hudson, the day after the foregoing action was taken by Congress at York, Brig. General Parsons (previously men- tioned) wrote to Col. Zebulon Butler at Wyoming in part as follows:

"The General [Gates] approves of your remaining with ye people of Wyoming until the danger of an attack from ye Savages is over, or you receive further orders. * * Let me know nearly the distance from you to the town of the Senecas and Cayugas, for special reasons."

When Colonel Pickering wrote to General Washington that the two Westmoreland Independent Companies (Durkee's and Ransom's) were then "very much reduced," and when, two or three days later, the Board of War reported to Congress that these companies were "reduced by various causes to eighty-six non-commissioned officers and privates," they did not exaggerate the facts. These companies had then been in existence about twenty-one months, during which time they had lost from their ranks a large number of privates and non-commissioned offi- cers by deaths, desertions, and discharges for disabilities. Of the officers, Lieut. Peren Ross and Ensign Matthias Hollenback had resigned and left the service in December, 1777, and Lieut. Asahel Buck had resigned in February or March, 1778, and returned to his home, as previously mentioned.

Immediately after the visit of Lieut. Colonel Butler to Lancaster (as narrated on page 976), where he made known to the men from West- moreland the distressful situation of affairs in their town, Captains Dur- kee and Ransom and Lieut. James Wells, Sr., forwarded their resigna- tions to headquarters. This fact was not yet known to Colonel Picker- ing on June 19th, but was learned before the Board of War made its report and recommendations to the Congress. Captain Ransom and Lieutenant Wells started for Wyoming Valley without much delay. and with them, or shortly afterwards, more than twenty-five of the enlisted men of the two companies left the ranks, with or without leave, and hast- ened to Wyoming Valley to the relief of their beleaguered families and

* See "The Journals of Congress," IV: 263, 264.

t See page 956.

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friends. "Imperious necessity, above all earthly law, consecrated the deed. That they did not all return shows the influence of discipline and their love of order." Some, or all, of the enlisted men who thus uncere- moniously hastened to their homes, took part in the battle of July 3, 1778; and those who survived that action subsequently returned to the ranks of the combined companies, under Captain Spalding. For exam- ple, Rufus Bennet, Thomas Baldwin, Thomas Neill, James Stark, Jr., and Constant Searle, Jr., were five such.

The American army crossed the Delaware into New Jersey (at what is now Lambertville) on June 21st, and a day or two later Lieutenant Buck arrived at Washington's headquarters. Receiving certain docu- ments from the General he hastened back to the Board of War, and by that body was directed to convey, as expeditiously as possible, to the new Westmoreland Independent Company at Lancaster, an official order to march for Wyoming immediately. Lieutenant Buck lost no time in ex- ecuting his commission, and, having seen the company in question set out from Lancaster, he proceeded on his homeward journey, by way of Sunbury and Northumberland. He arrived at the latter place on the 3d or 4th of July,* and there and then receiving from some Wyoming fugitives, who had just come down the Susquehanna, his first news of the invasion of Wyoming, he proceeded no farther. t

Captain Spalding and his company (accompanied by Capt. Robert Durkee, who had been unable to leave for Wyoming with Captain Ran- som) marched from Lancaster on the 26th or 27th of June. Their route lay through the counties of Lancaster and Berks to Reading, thence to Bethlehem, to Nazareth, to the Wind Gap, and thence, over the "Lower Road" (leading from the Delaware River), to Wilkes-Barré. (See pages 445 and 646.) The distance from Lancaster to the Wind Gap is, in a bee-line, about eighty miles ; but, by the roads over which it was neces- sary for Captain Spalding's company to march, the distance was consid- erably greater. From the Wind Gap to Wilkes-Barre, by the "Lower Road " (which, however, was not much more than a bridle-path at that time), the distance was about forty-five miles.

So far as the present writer is aware, the only authentic roster of Captain Spalding's Westmoreland Independent Company now accessi- ble is the one printed in " Pennsylvania Archives," Second Series, XI : 116-118. It is, however, a very imperfect and unsatisfactory record, to say the least. Where the original was found, from which the printed copy was made, or who possessed it, the editors of the "Archives " have failed to state. It is very evident that the roster in question was not made up from a muster- or pay-roll of the company as it existed in July

* In the collections of The Wyoming Historical and Geological Society is an original document, of which the following is a copy-now printed for the first time. "Accompt of my expence in public service going from Wyoming to and attending on the Board of War at York town in the State of Pennsylvania, and from that to headquarters in the Jerseys, and back to the Board of War, and from that to Lancaster. Expences paid in dollars, 76; for my time. 22 days @ one dollar per day, 22 dollars; the ride of my horse, which was near 600 miles, 22 dollars ['Total] 120 dollars. [Signed] "ASAHEL BUCK." "Northumberland, July 4, 1778.

"Westmoreland the 26 July, 1778. personally appeared the abovenamed Asahel Buck and made oath to the above account, and that the same is truly and justly charged. [Signed] "NATHAN DENISON, Justice of the Peace." "Camp at Westmorland, 28 September. 1778. This is to certify that the service and expences men- tioned in the above account is justly due to Mr. Asahel Buck, and I desire it may be paid to him agreeably to his request. Test-

[Signed] "ZEBN BUTLER, Lt. Col. Comdg."

t At Fort Augusta, Sunbury, Pennsylvania, under the date of July 4, 1778, Col. Samuel Hunter, County Lieutenant of Northumberland County, wrote to Vice President Bryan of Pennsylvania, at Philadelphia, as follows (see "Pennsylvania Archives," First Series, VI: 624 .: "The bearer of this letter carries with him dispatches and intelligences of the most alarming and serious consequences. By his accounts Wyo- ming will not long be able to oppose the rapid progress of the enemy. * * We have not language to

paint the consternation of this county!"

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and August, 1778, for there are to be found in the roster the names of some men who left the military service in the previous June, the names of some who did not enlist in the company until 1779 or 1780, and the names of five or six others (for example, Justus Porter, Nathan Beach, Crocker Jones, Ebenezer Park and Benjamin Bidlack) who were never connected with the company. With the aid of original, authentic data to be found in the collections of The Wyoming Historical and Geological Society, the present writer has prepared from the "Archives" roster the following roll of Captain Spalding's Westmoreland Independent Company in the service of the United States.

Captain, Simon Spalding ;* First Lieutenant, Timothy Peircet (suc- ceeded in August, 1778, by John Jenkins, Jr., as narrated on page 806);

* SIMON SPALDING, (JR.), was born in Plainfield, Windham County, Connecticut, January 16, 1742, son of Simon and Anne (Billings) Spalding, and a descendant in the sixth generation of Edward Spald- ing, the first of this family to come to America. Simon Spalding, Jr., was married at Plainfield April 15, 1761, to Ruth Shepard (born in 1742). March 7, 1769, he bought of Isaac Shepard of Plainheld one original "right", or share, in The Susquehanna Company, and four years later removed from Plain- field to Wyoming Valley. In May, 1774, the township of Wooster (its name was later changed to Standing Stone) was laid out on both sides of the Susquehanna River, in what is now Bradford County, Pennsylvania (see the map facing page 468, Vol. I); and, as mentioned on page 811, Simon Spalding became one of the first settlers in that township. In less than a year thereafter, however, he removed thence to the district of Plymouth, in Wyoming Valley, and in September, 1775, was one of the com- pany of adventurers who went from Wyoming to Warrior Run, on the West Branch of the Susque- hanna, to establish a settlement. (See page 843.) December 6, 1775, Simon Spalding was chosen Constable of the town of Westmoreland, and in the collections of The Wyoming Historical and Geological Society there is preserved an interesting legal document evidencing an early atte npt on the part of Constable Spalding to enforce a judicial mandate. The document in question is a writ "in a plea of the case", issued against B. and J. Cole of Westmoreland by Zebulon Butler, Justice of the Peace in and for the county of Litchfield, Connecticut, under the date of March 28, 1776. By the writ the officer serving it was directed to attach the estate or goods of the defendants, to the value of £9, and for want thereof, to attach the bodies of the defendants-to answer two weeks later at the dwelling-house of the said Justice in Wilkes-Barre. Upon the back of the writ is endorsed the following return: "29 March, 1776. Then by vertue of the within writ I attached 8 cowes shune to me to Be the estate of the with yn mensined Defts and also Read the with yn writ yn the hering of the with yn mensined Defts, & have sd. cows for trial. test pr. me. [Signed] "SIMON SPALDING, Constpl."

Simon Spalding was an enrolled member of the 3d Company (Samuel Ransom, Captain), 24th Reg- iment, Connecticut Militia, in 1775, and in December of that year he took part in the battle at "Ram- part Rocks." He continued to reside in Plymouth until he entered the Continental service as Second Lieutenant of the Second Westmoreland Independent Company. As Captain he was stationed with his company at Wilkes-Barre from August, 1778, till January, 1781 (except during two or three brief per- iods of absence on military expeditions, as hereinafter more fully related), when he and his command were ordered to join the United States forces operating along the Hudson. At that time his family were residing in Wilkes-Barre. In the Summer of 1782 Captain Spalding was honorably discharged from the military service, and returned to Wilkes-Barre.

Captain Spalding took part in the Hartley and Sullivan expeditions against the Indians (fully described in subsequent chapters), and upon both occasions he was impressed with the apparent fertility of the soil, and other fine natural features, of the valley of Sheshequin, within the bounds of the town of Westmoreland, and now comprehended in Bradford County, Pennsylvania. It seemed to be "a most inviting territory for occupation and settlement." Therefore, in May, 1783, accompanied by his wife, four daughters and two sons, and by Joseph Kinney (his son-in-law), Benjamin Cole, Hugh Foresman, Thomas Baldwin, Capt. Stephen Fuller, and the latter's sons John and Reuben, Captain Spalding removed from Wilkes-Barre to Sheshequin and settled in the upper part of the valley, on the left bank of the Susquehanna, in what is now the township of Sheshequin.

In the note on page 718 we state that Captain Fuller "removed to Sheshequin-then in Tioga Town- ship, Luzerne County, and now in Athens Township, Bradford County." What we intended to state was that he removed to Sheshequin, later in Tioga Township, Luzerne County, and then (i. e. still later) in Athens Township, etc. Further, in this connection, we desire to correct another unintentional error, to be found on page 834. The original township of Ulster-sometimes referred to as the "Old Town of Ulster" -- was located on the east side of the Susquehanna, and not on the west side as stated on page 834. (See map facing page 468, Vol. I.) The original Sheshequin-or ancient Sheshequinung, or Schechschiquanink of the Indians-lay on the right bank of the Susquehanna, within the present limits of Ulster Township, Bradford County, and opposite the present Sheshequin.

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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 71

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