A history of Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, from its first beginnings to the present time; including chapters of newly-discovered, Vol. II, Part 83

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 83

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The fugitives generally crossed the mountains to Fort Penn (the present Stroudsburg, Monroe County, Pennsylvania), which was located on land owned by Col. Jacob Stroud (see note on page 851), in what was then Lower Smithfield Township, Northampton County. This fort, which, like the Wyoming forts, was constructed of logs, had been built as a possible means of protection against the Indians, and it served as a place of rendezvous for the militia of the neighborhood when called into active service. Colonel Stroud made it his headquarters.

One of the first survivors of the battle of July 3d to set out from Wilkes-Barre over the "Lower Road " (mentioned on page 979), which led to Fort Penn and to Easton, was Ensign Matthias Hollenback. As hereinbefore related he had reached the fort at Wilkes-Barré in the even- ing of July 3d. Early the next morning he mounted a horse, and, accompanied by a Mr. Hageman (either John or Joseph), set out with the hope and expectation of meeting Captain Spalding's company and urging them to hasten to the relief of the distressed inhabitants. On the evening of the 3d Spalding and his men were at Shupp's, about forty miles from Wilkes-Barre. Marching early on the 4th, they had

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advanced about thirteen miles when they mnet Messrs. Hollenback and Hageman-the first fugitives to come that road-and learned from them what they knew about the situation of affairs in Wyoming. Pushing forward, without delay, Spalding and his men, accompanied by Hollen- back and Hageman, reached Bear Swamp, twelve miles from Wilkes- Barré, at nightfall. The men were practically worn out by their march of nearly thirty miles over a wretched path, but nevertheless two of them volunteered to go forward to the top of Wilkes-Barre Mountain to recon- noiter. Arriving there they saw the flames rising from the buildings in the upper end of the Valley which had been set on fire by the enemy on their return march to Wintermute's after the surrender of Forty Fort. The men hastened back to Captain Spalding with a report of what they had seen, and with the further information that they had found at the deserted house of Nathan Bullock* on the "Lower Road," some three miles from Bear Swamp and nine miles from Wilkes-Barré, a company of fugitives, composed of the following-named residents of Wilkes-Barre : Mrs. Susanna (Huntington) Dana, widow of Anderson Dana, Sr. (men- tioned on pages 957, 958 and 963), who had fallen in the battle of the 3d ; Mrs. Susanna (Dana) Whiton, daughter of Anderson and Susanna Dana, and widow of Stephen Whiton who had fallen in the battle; Sarah, Anderson, Aziel, Sylvester and Eleazar Dana (four of them under fourteen years of age), children of Anderson and Susanna (Huntington) Dana ; Daniel Downing, t Sr. (who had been in the battle of the 3d and had escaped safely), his sons Reuben and Daniel, Jr., and other mem- bers of his family ; Mrs. Sarah Durkee, widow of Capt. Robert Durkee (who had fallen on the 3d of July), and her two sons and two daughters. These people had with them a single horse, upon which was carried the few belongings of the party and a scanty supply of provisions, and they purposed spending the night at Bullock's. From them Spalding's scouts learned of the happenings in the Valley (including the withdrawal of Lieut. Col. Zebulon Butler and the survivors of Hewitt's company, as well as the surrender of Forty Fort) since the departure of Ensign Hol- lenback early in the morning of that day.

The next morning Captain Spalding, governed by what his scouts had seen and learned, determined that it would be useless as well as rash for him to venture into the Valley with his company of less than sixty men. He concluded, therefore, to march his men back over about thirty miles of the road they had come, and then change their course in the direction of Fort Penn-there to await orders from headquarters, and in the meantime to render all the assistance possible to the Wyoming fugi- tives. Before leaving their bivouac at Bear Swamp Ensign Hollenback obtained from Captain Spalding's commissary a pack-load of provisions, and placing this on his horse he hastened along the path in the direction of Wyoming and administered much needed relief to the many hungry fugitives who were now beginning to make their appearance in large numbers. "Imparting a saving morsel to one, and then hastening on to another starving group, he came, said the ancient people, 'like an Angel of Mercy.'"

According to the testimony of Samuel Finch, who was a prisoner in the hands of the enemy, but was released on July 7th in conformity

* Two of his sons fell in the battle of July 8, 1778, and it is probable that the other members of the family had moved down to Fort Wilkes-Barre on the first alarm of danger.

t See note on page 996.

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with the terms of the articles of capitulation, Major Butler received a letter on July 6th by the hands of a messenger. He immediately assem- bled his officers and the principal Indian chiefs and read the letter to them. Then he addressed the chiefs very earnestly in their own tongue, and Finch was informed that Butler enjoined upon the Indians not to kill women and children. When Butler ceased speaking the Indians raised a great shout. Then Butler ordered preparations to be made for the evacuation of the Valley by his command. Commenting upon this incident Miner (see his "History of Wyoming," pages 235 and 236) says: "It was supposed the letter hastened his march. Such a letter may have been received, or it might have been a scheme devised to hasten the departure of the Indians. Butler did not lack sense. All that duty, more than honor, required, had been done. He must have been insensi- ble to interest, as well as character, to countenance further atrocities. The Valley was in his absolute power. Had he meant to plunder and destroy the whole, certainly he would not have entered into written articles, voluntarily stipulating the reverse. * * * It is certain Butler could have commanded much more severe conditions. The set- tlement was wholly at his mercy. No one can deny but the capitula- tion, on its face, was, under the circumstances, in a high degree honor- able and favorable to Colonel Denison. Colonel Franklin confirms the statement of Mrs. Myers, that Butler exerted himself to restrain the savages, seemed deeply hurt when he was unable to do so, and at once offered, if a list could be furnished of property lost, to make it good."

After a long and careful consideration of the events which took place in Wyoming in July, 1778, the present writer is firmly convinced that the looting of the inhabitants and the burning of their homes, sub- sequently to the capitulation of Forty Fort and prior to the departure from the Valley of the regular forces of Major Butler, were done with the latter's knowledge and approval. It will be observed that in the Forty Fort articles of capitulation it was stipulated that the inhabitants should occupy their farms peaceably, and that Butler would use his utmost influence to preserve entire, for the use and enjoyment of the inhabitants, their private property. In the capitulations executed at Wintermute's, Jenkins' and Pittston Forts the only " promise " made in behalf of Butler was that the lives of the men, women and children should " be preserved entire." In his report to Lieut. Colonel Bolton relative to the Wyoming incursion (see page 1047) Butler made partic- ular mention of the destruction by his forces of 1,000 dwelling-houses (a very much larger number, in fact, than was destroyed, for there were not that many houses in the whole of Westmoreland at that time). It is very evident that he made mention of this destruction of property in order to impress upon his superior officers the great value of the results accom- plished by the expedition. He certainly did not hesitate to exaggerate the extent of the destruction of property. This, undoubtedly, he would not have done had the destruction taken place contrary to his desires and orders.

When the looting began at Forty Fort-almost before the ink was dry on the document executed by Butler and Denison-the former threw all the blame on the Indians and claimed that he could do nothing with them. Perhaps he could not, but the Indians-in particular, the Sen- ecas-were under the command and control of powerful chiefs, who,

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had it been desirable or necessary, could have restrained the most dis- orderly and unruly of the savages. As we have before noted (on pages 984 and 985), the Senecas greatly outnumbered all the other Indians in the expedition-they alone, of all the Indians on the ground, forming a part of the regular force under the command of Major Butler. The other Indians-to whom we have referred as "miscellaneous " Indians (see page 985)-were a lot of nondescripts, forming the rag-tag-and-bob- tail of the expedition. The Senecas were a very martial and warlike nation (see page 121, Vol. I), and, particularly during the Revolutionary War, their warriors were, to a greater degree than those of any other Indian nation, organized on a military basis. They were arranged in bands and companies, which were commanded by " Captains," who were war-chiefs of note, while over all Sayenqueraghta was supreme. He was really a remarkable and forceful man, and, as we have shown in the sketch of his life on pages 968-970, was for many years prior to his death one of the most distinguished men of the Iroquois, the most popu- lar and prominent of the Senecas, and always a firm friend where he pledged fidelity. In a word, then, had Major Butler, the commander- in-chief of the Wyoming expedition, indicated to Sayenqueraghta in positive and unequivocal terms that no depredations should be com- mitted after the surrender of the inhabitants, we question if more than a very few would have occurred.

The names of only a few of the sub-chiefs, or "Captains," of the Senecas who were here under Sayenqueraghta are now known. Roland Montour and his brother, "Stuttering John," have been already men- tioned. Others, who subsequently became prominent chiefs, were " Big Tree," or "Captain Pollard,"* "Little Beard,"t and Ta-wan-ne-ars, or "Governor Blacksnake."# For many years it was almost universally believed, and in fact it is still stated by some modern writers, that Joseph Brant (see page 299, and other pages) was in command of the Indians at the battle of Wyoming. This belief has been quite thor- oughly destroyed, however, by many authentic letters and other docu- ments that have been brought to light within recent years. School-

* GA-ON-DO-WAU-NA, Or KA-OUN-DO-WA-NA ("Big Tree") was a half-breed, his father being an English Indian trader, with headquarters at Niagara, and his mother a Seneca woman. After the death of the latter Kaoundowana's father was married to Catharine Montour ("Queen Catharine"), mentioned on page 207, Vol. I, and thus Kaoundowana became the step-brother of Roland Montour and "Stuttering John." Catharine Montour bore to Kaoundowana's father three sons, all of whom were renowned in the border warfare of the Revolutionary period. In youth Kaoundowana was an ambitious warrior, and later he made himself conspicuous in the many forays against the border settlements by the British and Indians during the Revolutionary War. In middle life he was known as "Captain Pollard," and in his later years as "Colonel Pollard." In January, 1777, he was at Wilkes-Barre with a large body of Indians en route to Easton, Pennsylvania, to hold a treaty. In the list of names of the chiefs of these Indians (see page 914) Kaoundowana's name is given as Tawanah-which was as near as the interpreter, or recorder, of the treaty could get to the true name.

In 1777, '78 and '79 the home of "Big Tree" was at Conesus, or Adjutsa, a small Seneca village about a mile south-south-east of the head of Conesus, or Adjutsa, Lake ("Lake Between the Hills"), in Livingston County, New York. In September, 1779, Conesus, then consisting of eighteen houses, was destroyed by the Sullivan Expedition. Maj. James Norris, an officer of the Expedition, recorded in his journal under the date of September 13, at Conesus: "At this town lived a very great noted warrior called 'The Great Tree,' who has made great pretensions of friendship to us, and has been to Philadelphia and to General Washington's headquarters since the war commenced, and has received a number of presents from General Washington and from the Congress; yet we suppose that he is with [Maj. John] Butler against us."

After the Revolutionary War "Big Tree," or "Captain Pollard" as he was then called, settled at Buffalo Creek near the present city of Buffalo, New York, and at that time he was a Sachem of the first class. A number of years later he became one of the first-fruits of the missionary labors among the Senecas in that locality. After his conversion to Christianity he led a blameless and beneficent life, and always spoke with abhorrence and deep contrition of the events of his warrior days. At the commencement of the War of 1812 the Indians who were allies of the United States forces formally selected "Captain Pollard" as their leader, or war-captain, and he proved to be an able and valiant com- mander. He was a man of commanding presence, and of dignified and benevolent aspect, showing but few traces of his Indian lineage. He was a contemporary of the famous Seneca chief, "Red Jacket," and was only second to him as an orator. In moral attributes he was the superior of "Red Jacket," being literally a man without guile, and distinguished for his benevolence and wisdom. In 1821 "Cap- tain Pollard" was the head of the Christian party of the Senecas, and "Red Jacket" was the Orator and

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craft, in his "History of the Indian Tribes of the United States" (VI : 297), says :

"It was at Niagara that the plan of the incursion into the valley of Wyoming origi- nated. * * It was then believed, and it has since been frequently asserted, that Brant led the Indians on that occasion; but it is doubtful whether he was actually present, though he probably approved of the movement, if he was not the original instigator of it. This chief was known to cherish such a deadly hatred of the revolutionists, and had been so frequently connected with the incursions and midnight massacres perpetrated on the frontiers, that, in the popular estimation, no injustice has been done to his bad reputa- tion in the use which has been made of his name by the poet Campbell [in 'Gertrude of Wyoming ']. A melancholy catalogue, indeed, would be a detail of the enterprises in which Brant was the leader and principal actor."

In 1838 Col. William L. Stone published his "Life of Joseph Brant," and in 1840 he published the first edition of his " Poetry and History of Wyoming." On page 213 of the latter book is the following note :

"Until the publication, year before last, of the Life of Brant by the writer of the present work, it had been asserted in all history that that celebrated Mohawk chieftain was the Indian leader at Wyoming. He himself always denied any participation in this bloody expedition, and his assertions were corroborated by the British officers, when questioned upon the subject. * * The author made a journey into the Seneca country, and pushed the investigation among the surviving chiefs and warriors of the Senecas engaged in that campaign. The result was a triumphant acquittal of Brant from all par- ticipation therein. The celebrated chief 'Captain Pollard,' whose Indian name is Kaoun- dowana, a fine old warrior, was a young chief in that battle. He gave a full account of it, and was clear and positive in his declarations that Brant and the Mohawks were not engaged in that campaign at all. Their leader, he said, was Gi-en-gwah-toh," who lived many years afterwards."

principal chief of the Pagan party. Ketcham, who knew "Captain Pollard" personally, says in his "Buffalo and the Senecas": "After the death of 'Farmer's Brother' the most considerable of the chiefs of the Senecas was 'Captain Pollard.' "

"Captain Pollard" died at an advanced age April 10, 1841, and was buried in the old mission cem- etery at East Buffalo near the graves of "Red Jacket," "Young King," "Tall Peter," and other Senecas of note in their day. In October, 1884, the remains of "Red Jacket,""Captain Pollard," "Young King," and other Senecas were re-entombed in Forest Lawn Cemetery, Buffalo.

t "Little Beard," who was a Captain under Sayenqueraghta in the Wyoming expedition, lived at Deonundagaa, or Little Beard's Town, sometimes called Genesee Castle. (See page 967.) This town, together with 20,000 bushels of corn, was destroyed by the Sullivan Expedition in Septem- ber, 1779. It was much the largest town hap- pened upon by the Expedition. The Indians de- serted the town in a great hurry. While Sullivan's army was encamped there a white woman with a small child, who had been captured in Wyoming in 1778 by Indians, made her appearance.

# TA-WAN-NE-ARS, or THA-O-WA-NYUTH ("The Nephew"), belonged to the Seneca nation. The place and date of his birth are unknown. He was associated with "John Halftown" and "Corn- planter" (see page 164, Vol. I) in negotiations with General Washington, by whom he was greatly esteemed, and who, when "The Nephew" visited the capital in company with "Cornplanter," ."' gave

him the name of "Governor Blacksnake." George S. Conover, in his pamphlet, entitled "Sayenque- raghta, King of the Senecas," says: "The Indians generally acknowledge that 'Governor Blacksnake' was quite prominent and one of the leaders on that occasion [the battle of Wyoming]. Dr. Mor- gan says that the Iroquois had two supreme mil- itary chieftains, whose duty it was 'rather to take the general supervision of the affairs of war than the actual command in the field, although they were not debarred from assuming it if they were disposed to do so.' These offices were hereditary, and were assigned to the Senecas. The first was named 'Ta-wan-ne-ars,' and was hereditary in the Wolf clan. The first of these positions was held by 'Governor Blacksnake.'" This old chief died December 26, 1859, at Cold Springs, in South Valley, on the Allegany Reservation, New York. He was believed to be at least 118 years old. The accompanying picture of "Governor Blacksnake" is a photo-reproduction of an en- graved copy of a portrait, which was painted prior to 1853, at which time it was in existence in Owego, New York.

"GOVERNOR BLACKSNAKE."

* One of the various forms in which the name of Sayenqueraghta appears, as mentioned on page 968.

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In 1843 Eleazar Carey of Wilkes-Barre (see page 1026) wrote to the Hon. Charles Miner as follows (see Miner's "History of Wyoming," page 233):

"When a lad fourteen years old I resided in the Genesee country, and in 1803 became acquainted with the family of Kanchilak, eldest son of 'Blue Throat,' or Talag- wadeak. He had sons and daughters not differing much from my age, and he said the boys must teach me to talk Indian, and I them to speak Yankee. We thus became intimate. 'Blue Throat' could speak our language understandingly. He assured me, as did ' Little Beard '-who held the rank of Captain in the battle [of Wyoming]-that Brant was not present. This statement was confirmed by 'Stuttering John ' and Roland Montour *- the latter a half-blood, who took my uncle, Samuel Carey, prisoner."

On Tuesday, July 7th, the inhabitants who had been inmates of Jenkins' Fort, Wintermute's Fort, Pittston Fort and Forty Fort at the time of the several surrenders, and who since then had been, in some measure, prisoners, were given permission to depart from the Valley. According to the statement of Ishmael Bennett (see Hayden's "The Massacre of Wyoming," page 53) some sixty persons started together from Pittston Fort. They were allowed by the enemy to take with them a couple of cows. They set out for the Delaware by way of the "Upper Road " (see page 646), which passed through the Lackaway District of Westmoreland. As they left the Valley burning buildings were seen in many directions, and a little farther on they passed the bodies of St. John and Leach, who had been slain two days before, as previously mentioned. In the afternoon of the 7th the " Rangers " and Senecas were ordered to make preparations for their departure, and dur- ing the remainder of that day and the following night there was con- siderable bustle and confusion in the upper part of the Valley. Major Butler, who, since the surrender of Forty Fort, had spent the most of his time at his headquarters near the ruins of Wintermute's Fort, was still on the ground-Miner stating that " he did not even indulge him- self with a visit to Wilkes-Barre or the lower part of the Valley."

Early in the morning of July 8th Butler ordered his drummers to beat the generale, and soon thereafter the "Rangers" and the Senecas-the regular forces-together with the Onondagas, and prob- ably the Cayugas, of the " miscellaneous" Indians (see pages 985 and 1041), had arranged themselves in marching order. Butler placed him- self at the head of the column with his standard-bearer, t the drums

* See note on page 1027.

t The standard (or "colors") of the "Rangers" was eight feet long by five feet and four inches in width; its ground was buff in color, upon which was borne the red cross of St. George, extending to the four edges of the standard and covering a large part of its surface. In each of the four quar- ters of the standard, formed by the arms of the cross, there were two triangular designs in blue. Some years after the disbanding of the "Rangers" Fort George was built by the British author- ities on the Canadian shore of Lake Ontario near the mouth of Niagara River, and near the spot where the old barracks of the "Rangers" stood. The colors of the disbanded "Rangers," and of various Canadian military organizations, were later deposited in Fort George for preservation. During the War of 1812 Fort George was the most important frontier fortification of the British, and it was called by the Americans the "Pandora's-box of the frontiers." The fort was captured by 4,000 United States troops on May 27, 1813, and this gave the Americans possession of all the forts and the country on both sides of Niagara River from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. Among the property found in Fort George and taken possession of by the United States troops was the old standard of "Butler's Ran- gers." It was sent to Washington, where, a suitable inscription having been placed upon it, it was deposited in the War Department.

In March, 1837, Mr. Frederick Hancock, a native of Wilkes-Barre, but at that time residing in Philadelphia, happened to be in Washington, and while there visited the War Department and asked to be shown the collection of standards taken from the enemies of the United States in times of war. Mr. Hancock was conducted to the attic of the building and shown a number of flags. "After some further examination," wrote Mr. Hancock in 1837, "I was shown a very ancient-looking British flag, and was informed that it had been carried in the 'Wyoming Massacre.' My attention was at once excited, and upon examination I found the following words written on the margin [of the flag]: 'The standard of the bloody, scalping Colonel Butler, carried in the Massacre of Wyoming.' The flag was much defaced, and stained with blood, and looked as though it might have been in the front of the battle on that memorable day." Mr. Hancock-as he subsequently stated-endeavored to obtain the flag from the Adjutant General of the army, in order that he might present it to the citizens of Wyoming; but, finding that that officer had no authority to part with the flag, Mr. Hancock called upon the Hon. Joseph R. Underwood, a Representative in Congress from Kentucky, and who, as a

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struck up, and the invaders began their return march up along the river-following the road which at that day ran through Exeter north- ward to Sutton's Creek and beyond. As previously noted, some of the "miscellaneous " Indians who had accompanied the expedition into the Valley withdrew with it, but no small number of them-including the Delawares and others belonging to the villages near Tioga Point- remained behind. Miner states that squaws, to a considerable number, mounted astride on stolen horses, brought up the rear of the retiring column, each of the squaws wearing a belt of scalps (stretched on small hoops) around the waist for a girdle, and some of them having on four, others six, and even more, dresses, one over the other, and on their heads three, four or five bonnets, one atop of the other and worn wrong side before-all this clothing having been taken, of course, from the women of Wyoming.

The enemy carried away, as prisoners, John Gardner and Daniel Carr (who had been captured at Sutton's Creek, as related on pages 987 and 989), and Samuel Carey, captured on July 3d (as described on page 1027). On the morning of their departure Gardner's arms were pinioned and a heavy pack of plunder was placed on his back. His wife and children were then allowed to come to him to bid him farewell ; but after a short time the command "Go! Go !" was given, when an Indian put a rope around Gardner's neck and led him off as one would lead a beast. He was compelled to carry his load to Kanadesaga (see page young man, had been at the taking of Fort George. Mr. Underwood immediately became interested in the matter, for he was familiar with the history of Wyoming, and this particular flag of the "Rangers" had previously attracted his attention.

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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 83

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