A history of Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, from its first beginnings to the present time; including chapters of newly-discovered, Vol. II, Part 94

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 94

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).

* Sixty Northumberland County "rangers," enlisted for six months.

t BENJAMIN C. STODDERT, born in Charles County, Maryland, in 1751. January 13, 1777, he was commissioned Captain in Col. Thomas Hartley's regiment of infantry in the First Pennsylvania Bri- gade, in Gen. Anthony Wayne's division. The regiment took part in the battle of Brandywine in September, 1777, when Captain Stoddert was severely wounded. In April, 1779, Captain Stoddert resigned his commission, and shortly afterwards succeeded Maj. Peter Scull as Secretary to the Board of War. In this office he served till 1781. He was the first Secretary of the Navy in Wash- ington's cabinet-serving from 1798 to 1801. He died in 1813.

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of his country. Mr. Carbery, with his Horse, was very active, and rendered important services till his horses were fatigued. Nearly all the other officers acquitted themselves with reputation. Captain Spalding exerted himself as much as possible. * * The men of my regiment were armed with muskets and bayonets. They were no great marks- men, and were awkward at wood fighting. The bullet and three swan shot in each piece made up in some measure for the want of skill."*

Colonel Hartley arrived at Wilkes-Barré with his command Octo- ber 1, 1778, and the same day he issued the following orderst :

"It is agreeable to the Articles of War in general, and to the Articles of these States in particular, that the whole of the articles taken upon any excursion or expedition (sim- ilar to the one in which we have engaged), called by the name of plunder (except mili- tary stores), should be the property of the whole party who took the same; otherwise there would be the highest encouragement to worthless men to quit their duty and go in search of plunder.

"The Colonel commandant orders Captains Stoddert, Spalding and Murray, with the assistance of Lieutenant King, Quartermaster, to examine into the number of articles plundered, and make report to-morrow. All persons who have been engaged in this expedition are ordered to make an exact return, of the articles taken and now in their pos- session, to those four gentlemen this evening or to-morrow morning. Should any one volunteer or other be hardy enough to conceal any article, he shall be punished [accord- ing] to military laws, and his character and punishment published."

At Wilkes-Barre, under the date of October 2, 1778, Colonel Hartley issued the following orders :

"The Colonel commandant orders the sale of the goods (taken from the enemy by the detachment under his command) to begin-Capt. [George] Bush, Vendue Master and Cashier; Capt. [John] Brady, Clerk; Captains [Benjamin C. ] Stoddert, [Simon] Spalding and [James] Murray to superintend the vendue. Any officer of the detachment may bid till £10 without cash, but for anything above that sum one of the above officers or a Cap- tain of one of the Continental companies must be security-to pay in ten days. A non- commissioned officer, or soldier, may bid to any sum not exceeding £5; an officer must be security for anything above. Any other persons not belonging to the detachment may bid for any articles, but must pay cash for the same.

"The money arising from these sales to be disposed of as follows : The Colonel, his Captains and subalterns, Captain Spalding and his subalterns, Captain Murray and his subalterns, Captain [Hawkins] Boone, Captain Brady, Mr. Carbury, Mr. Chatham, Mr. Sims, Mr. Robert King, Mr. William Stewart, Mr. Boyd, Mr. McCoy, Mr. Wiggins, Mr. Allison, Mr. Barkley, and Captains Camplen and [John] Franklin each to draw two shares. The rest of the whole detachment -horse and foot, volunteers and others-each to draw one share."

* In Cruikshank's "The Story of Butler's Rangers" (frequently mentioned in the preceding chap- ter), we find (on page 54) the following reference to the Hartley Expedition-based, presumably, on correspondence and reports found by the author among the "Haldimand Papers."

"Late in August [1778] Capt. Walter N. Butler returned from Quebec. As senior Captain,

Butler superseded Caldwell [in command of the 'Rangers']. [See page 1045, last paragraph. ] Caldwell was then detached with 200 'Rangers' and 160 Indians against the German Flats, where there were two large forts occupied by a Continental regiment. Advancing swiftly through the woods from Unadilla, he met and captured a party of Oneidas. He had good reason to suspect that these Indians were scouts in the enemy's service, but his own Indians insisted that they should be liberated. On his return to Unadilla, Caldwell had the mortification to learn that the Oneidas he had liberated had plundered the Loyalists there and carried off some prisoners, among them two sick 'Rangers.' This was followed by a formidable inroad by a body of regulars and militia, estimated at 1,400, under Col- onel Hartley, piloted by [Col. Nathan] Denison and others who had surrendered at Wyoming. Another force from Schoharie advanced at the same time upon Oghwaga and Unadilla. They burnt both those villages, with the houses and mills of the Scottish Loyalists in the vicinity. By this raid the Young family, which had already furnished Butler with two active officers, suffered severely in property.

"Hartley ascended the Susquehanna as far as Tioga, desolating the farms of many Loyalists as he advanced, and burnt the Indian village there. He then sent a written message to the chiefs of Chemung, a few miles distant, accusing them of killing women and children and torturing prisoners. He threatened to waste their country with 'fire and sword' if they delayed to sue for peace. Capt. [Walter N.] Butler had retired to Kanadesaga, where he was joined by Caldwell with the 'Rangers.' The Senecas rapidly assembled 400 men, leaving only their women and children to take care of their villages. Convinced that if the Six Nations 'were forced to a neutrality, Niagara would be in great danger,' Colonel Bolton sent a few volunteers from the 8th [ Regiment] to join him. Finding himself at the head of 800 men, Butler prepared to attack Hartley, when he retreated with every sign of haste. His [Hartley's] rear-guard was fiercely assailed, and lost fifteen men, but carried off five Indian scalps."

Among the "Haldimand Papers" (B. M. 21,765, B. 105, p. 53) is a letter from Capt. John John- ston (see page 1038, ante) to Maj. John Butler at Fort Niagara, written at Kanadesaga, September 30, 1778, in which the writer states that he is collecting Indians to assist Captain Butler; that runners have brought word that three parties from Wyoming are coming to demolish the Six Nation country; that one of these parties has been defeated at Tioga by the Indians-most of the party being cut to pieces, and some drowned; that he is doing all he can to meet the main body which is advancing. Capt. Walter Butler and his forces remained at and near Tioga Point until early in November, 1778, when, as related on page 930, they set out for Cherry Valley. Cruikshank says: "Butler saw that the favor- able moment for a counterstroke had arrived. While strong parties dogged the steps of the retreating enemy [Hartley's Expedition], he marched with 200 'Rangers,' a small party of the 8th Regiment, and 321 Indians, against Cherry Valley, where they had long been forming magazines and collecting cattle."

t See "Collections and Proceedings of The Wyoming Historical and Geological Society," VII:120.

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In the morning of October 3d four members of Capt. James Murray's Northumberland County Rangers, who had imprudently left Camp Westmoreland to go in search of potatoes on the Kingston flats, were surprised there by a band of Indians who killed three of the men and wounded the fourth. The latter escaped across the river to the camp .* On this same day Colonel Hartley issued the following orders :

"Colonel Hartley takes the opportunity of returning his thanks to the officers and soldiers-volunteers and others-under his command on the late expedition, for their good conduct and perservation (?) during that toilsome and dangerous march midst hunger, wad- ing of rivers at midnight. *

* No complaints were heard-all was submission and resignation in action. Several of the Continental officers distinguished themselves. Cap- tain Boone and Captain Champlane of the volunteers deserve particularly to be named. Capt. [John] Franklin, with his volunteers from Wyoming, were very useful in this expedi- tion. In short, with very few exceptions, the whole detachment have acquitted themselves with the highest reputation; and they have this further satisfaction, to know they have saved the lives of many and served their country. Sergeant Allison and Sergeant Thornbury, for their good conduct on the march and their great bravery in action, are appointed Ensigns in Colonel Hartley's regiment.

"Colonel Hartley's regiment (except those who are ordered to stay with Capt. [James] Kenney), Captain Murray's company, and the volunteers from Northumberland, are to draw and cook three days' provisions-exclusive of the present day-and be ready to march this afternoon at four o'clock."

In pursuance of the foregoing orders Colonel Hartley and his com- mand, excepting the company of Capt. James Kenney (which comprised the Captain, one Lieutenant, four Sergeants, two musicians, and forty- seven rank and. file), the company of Capt. Simon Spalding, and the Wyoming militia who had participated in the expedition, set out from Wilkes-Barre about four o'clock in the afternoon of October 3d en route for Sunbury. They marched as far as Shickshinny Creek over the same road which had been traversed by Captain Bush and his detach- ment about three weeks previously ; and from Shickshinny Creek on they followed the continuation of this road to Northumberland. They arrived at Sunbury on the 5th of October, and three days later Colonel Hartley wrote from there to the Supreme Executive Council in part as follows :

" I have wrote to Congress to request that another regiment should be sent to Wyo- ming. The Indians are numerous, as well as Tories. * * * It is too late for an expe- dition against Chemung this Fall. We must only secure our posts for the Winter, and early in the Spring a body must march against their towns on this river."

With this letter Colonel Hartley forwarded the previously-mentioned " narrative " of his expedition, the concluding portion of which read as follows :

" From our observations we imagine that the same party who had fought us, after taking care of their dead and wounded had come on to Wioming, and are now in that neighborhood. I would respectfully propose that Congress would be pleased to send a Connecticut regiment to garrison Wyoming as soon as possible. It is but 120 miles from Fishkill [on the Hudson River]. I have done all I can for the good of the whole. I have given all the support in my power to that post, but if troops are not immediately sent, these settlements will be destroyed in detail. I left one-half of my detachment there [Wyoming], with five of my own officers. I arrived here with the remainder of the detachment on the 5th. We have performed a circuit of near 300 miles in about two weeks. We brought near fifty head of cattle and twenty-eight canoes, besides many other articles."t

* Relative to this incident we find the following in a letter written at Easton, Pennsylvania, Oc- tober 17, 1778, by Robert Levers, Esq., to the Supreme Executive Council at Philadelphia. "I under- stand by Colonel Denison from Wyoming that a few days ago three persons were killed near Wyoming, and another was sent in with his life, scalped to his eyebrows almost."

t At Fort Augusta, Sunbury, Pennsylvania, under the date of October 7, 1778, Col. Samuel Hun- ter, Lieutenant of the County of Northumberland, wrote to Vice President Bryan at Philadelphia relative to the Hartley Expedition, in part as follows (see "Pennsylvania Archives," First Series, VI: 778): "The 5th inst. Colonel Hartley returned from an expedition he carried on against some of the small Indian towns on the North Branch of the Susquehanna, where he was informed there was a party of Indians and Tories assembled; but they being apprised of Colonel Hartley's march by a party of warriors he met coming to the West Branch, whom our people fired upon, and shot their Captain dead, upon which the Indians fled immediately and alarmed the towns Colonel Hartley was bound for,

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Upon the departure of Colonel Hartley from Camp Westmoreland the command of the troops there naturally devolved on Lieut. Col. Zebulon Butler, the ranking Continental officer of the post, and upon assuming command on October 3d he issued an order appointing his son, Lord Butler (then in the seventeenth year of his life), Quartermaster, and Mason Fitch Alden (see note, page 500, Vol. I), Foragemaster, at the post-they " to be obeyed as such in their respective offices."*

By this time quite a number (for the most part, men) of the widely- dispersed refugees from Wyoming had returned to the Valley and were temporarily settled at Wilkes-Barre. Some of these, whose homes had been either damaged or destroyed, were endeavoring to repair or rebuild the same; others were engaged in gathering such crops as were fit to be harvested; others were sowing, or preparing the ground for, Winter grain ; while all, or nearly all, who were enrolled members of the 24th

A List of the Militia Belonging to Cele Nathan Jenejen. Regt In a Detachment Carbon? By Zebulon Butter Cole

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John Staples Joy; Elias Church Jorg!

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Elihu Williams

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Thomas Herund

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Reduced photo-reproduction of a portion of the Muster-roll herein described.

Regiment, Connecticut Militia, did military duty for more or less time as a part of the garrison under the command of Colonel Butler. The present writer has in his possession an original muster-roll of 117 of the officers and men belonging to the 24th, or Westmoreland, Regiment. This roll covers a period extending from June 28, 1778 (when a con-

so that they had time to put their families and chief part of their effects out of the way before he arrived there. And when he came to Tioga, where he took some Tories prisoners, they informed him that there was a town called Chemung-about ten or twelve miles from there-where there was a body of Indians, Tories, and Regulars in garrison-as good as 600 or 700.

"Colonel Hartley, after consulting his officers, thought it most expedient to return back without attempting Chemung; and so, after destroying Tioga and Sheshequin and bringing off fifty or sixty head of horned cattle and some horses they got there, besides several other articles our people brought with them in canoes, they marched towards Wyoming. In the meantime the Indians were collecting a party to intercept Colonel Hartley on his march to Wyoming, which they accomplished, and fired on our people in front, on this side of Wyalusing. The enemy followed all the way to The Wyoming, and scalped four of Col. James Murray's men after they arrived there.

expedition was well conducted, considering the number of men that went with Colonel Hartley-not above 250. They brought with them five Indian scalps, besides several more of the enemy killed. Col- onel Hartley's loss was seven killed and eight wounded, including those that were killed at Wyoming."

. See "Proceedings and Collections of The Wyoming Historical and Geological Society," VII:122.

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siderable number of the militia were called into active service), to and including October 1, 1778. It has never heretofore been published, and, so far as now known, is the only muster-roll of Westmoreland militia belonging to the 24th Regiment now in existence. With the very-much-twisted spelling of some of the names straightened out, the roll reads as follows :

"A List of the Militia Belonging to Colo Nathan Deneson's Regt In a Detachment Commd By Zebulon Butler, Colo

Months. Days.

Wm. Hooker Smith, Capt., 3. 6. Samuel Jackson, 2,

22.

Lebbeus Tubbs, Lieut., .

3, 6. Peleg Comstock, 2.

John Comstock, Ensign, 3, 6.

James Hedley,

15.

Daniel Ingersoll, Serg't, 3. 6.

Samuel Dart, .

John Staples, Serg't, . 2. 22.

Asahel Nash, . 2.

Elias Church, Serg't, 1,

15.

Rufus Lawrence, 2,

Samuel Cummings, Serg't, 1,

Elisha Harvey, 2,

William Hibbard, Serg't, 2,

Eldad Kellogg, Corp'l, 3, 6.

Solomon Bennet, Corp'l, 2. 5. Joseph Thomas,

Noah Pettebone, 3,

David Inman,

15.

Benjamin Bailey, 2,

Phineas Spafford,

15.

Josiah Kellogg, .

Gabriel Ferguson, 1,

Calvin Eaton,

Elisha Blackman, Jr. 2,

Samuel Dunn,

2, 5.

William Avery, . . 2,

Joshua Terry,

Jedidiah Cummings,

15.

Jonathan Terry, 2.

Elisha Blackman, Ensign,

15.

Parshall Terry, Sr. 3, Andrew Blanchard, 2,

Roasel Franklin, Lieut.,

15.

Ward Williams,

6. Jonathan Forsythe, . 1,

15.

. William Reynolds,

Justus Gaylord, 1,

15.

Isaac Bennet,

22.

Robert Hopkins, 1,

15. 5.

Ezekiel Peirce,

15. Waite Garrett, 2,

Thomas Bennet,

15. Peter Siff [Skiff ?], '1,

15.

Justus Pickett,

15. Edward Lester, 2,

Thomas Stoddart, 1,

15. Isaac Tripp,

15.

- Francis Garrett, 1,

15.

Thaddeus Williams, 1,

15.

Ebenezer Hebard, 1,

15. - John Hutchins, . . 1,

15.

Samuel Gardner,

15.

John Franklin, Capt.,. 3,

Uriah Marvin, 1,

15.

James Bidlack, Capt., 1,

15.

Joshua Bennet, . 1,

15. Robert Carr, Capt., . 1,

15.

William Nelson,

1, 15.

Stephen Fuller, Serg't, 1,

15.

James Lasley, . 1,

15.

Jonathan Corey, 1,

15.

John Hyde, 1,

15.

Samuel Ayres, 1,

15.

John White,

15. Samuel Franklin, 1,

15.

Nathan Bullock,

15. John Abbott, 1,

15.

Joseph Blanchard, 1,

15. William Smith, 1,

15.

Joseph Disberry, .

Samuel Jackson, 2,

x Matthias Van Loon, 1,

15.

John Van Tillbury, 1,

15.

--- Luke Swetland. 1,

15.

Kelley, 1,

15.

Benjamin Cole, 1,

15. James Frisbie, 1,

15.

Jabez Sill, . 1,

15. Zerah Fitch, . 1,

15.

Isaac Williams, 1,

15.

Isaac Bennet, Jr., 1,

15.

Nathaniel Landon,

15. .

Thomas Sawyer, . 1,

15.

William Hyde, 1,

15.

Daniel Sherwood, 1,

15.

Isaac Inman, 1,

15.

David Lindsey, 1,

15.

John Perkins, 1.

15.

- Cummings, 1,

15.

Aaron Perkins, 1,

15.

Jonathan Prisket [Prescott?], .1,

15.

James Nesbitt, 1,

15.

Benjamin Stephens,. 1

22.

David Marvin, 1,

15. Joseph Hageman, 1.

15.

Ephraim Mc Coy,

15.

- Timothy Keyes, Lieut. 1, 15."

Benjamin Harvey,

. 1,

15.

5. John Jameson, 1,

15.

Asahel Brown,

5. William Jameson, 1,

15.

Elijah Bennet,

Caleb Spencer,

15.

Nathan Carey, . 2,

Elihu Williams, 1,

15. - Giles Slocum, 2, 1,

John Sutter, .

15. Matthias Hollenback, 1,

15.

15. Josiah Smith, . 1,

15.

William Ross,

15. Benjamin Ashley, 1,

15.

Richard Inman, 1,

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15. 5. Christopher Hurlbut, 2.

Josiah Pell, 2, 2,

15.

5. Walter Spencer, 1,

15.

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Upon the back of this roll, in the well-known handwriting of Col. Zebulon Butler, is the following endorsement : "The Within is Taken to the first Day of Octor 1778." A reduced photo-reproduction of this endorsement is here given.

11,

The Within is Taken to the funDay of atom

After a very careful consideration of this roll, as well as of all the authentic information obtainable relative to the military services per- formed in the Summer of 1778 by the men whose names appear in the roll, but one conclusion can be reached by the writer, and that is : Between June 28 and October 1, inclusive, each man named in the roll served, altogether, in one way or another-consecutively or otherwise- the number of months and days therein duly credited to him.

Eleven of these men served, each, three months and six days-the full period covered by the roll. Therefore they were in service at the time of the battle of Wyoming. Of these men, we know that on July 3d Capt. William Hooker Smith was at Fort Wilkes-Barre; Daniel Ingersoll was a prisoner in the hands of the enemy; Capt. John Franklin was marching with a squad of his company from Huntington to Forty Fort.

Twenty-seven of the men are credited with two months and five days each. Of these, the names of the following appear in the list of " Survivors " on the Wyoming Monument *: Elisha Blackman, Jr., Solomon Bennet, Nathan Carey, William Hibbard, Josiah Pell, Phineas Spafford and Giles Slocum. From various other reliable sources we learn that, in addition to the foregoing, the following-named-credited on the roll in question with having served two months and five days each-were in the battle, and escaped : Wait Garrett, Elisha Harvey, William Reynolds, Sr., and Jonathan Terry.

Seventy-five of the men are credited with one month and fifteen days each, and of these the following-named are enrolled in the list of "Survivors" inscribed on the Monument: John Abbott, Roasel Frank- lin, Ebenezer Hibbard, Matthias Hollenback, David Inman, Richard Inman, John Jameson and Walter Spencer. Relative to some of the other men who served one month and fifteen days, we know that on July 3d Elisha Blackman, Sr., was on duty at Fort Wilkes-Barre; Thomas Ben- net was in Forty Fort ; Capt. James Bidlack, Sr., was in command of Shawnee Fort; Capt. Robert Carr was at Forty Fort, and undoubtedly marched out to the battle; Francis Garrett was in the battle; Benja- min Harvey was employed on special military service (see pages 994 and 995) ; Isaac Inman was in the battle ; William Jameson was in the battle; Lieut. Timothy Keyes was with his company in Pittston Fort ; David and Uriah Marvin were in the battle; William Ross was at Fort

* See Chapter XXVII.

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Wilkes-Barre ; Luke Swetland was at Forty Fort, and probably took part in the battle ; Elihu Williams, [Sr.], was in the battle.

Upon the whole, we are firmly convinced that, with the exception of Benjamin Harvey (who, as narrated on page 994, was riding express to Fort Jenkins), every man whose name appears in this list was in Wyoming Valley on July 3, 1778; and (with the exception of Daniel Ingersoll, who was a prisoner in the hands of the enemy) either took part in the battle of Wyoming, or was engaged in military service at one of the forts, or elsewhere. All, as set forth in the caption of the muster- roll under consideration, were certainly enrolled members of the 24th Regiment, Connecticut Militia.

Immediately upon assuming command of the Wyoming, or West- moreland, Post on October 3d, Colonel Butler set about the erection of a fortification more capacious and substantial than the stockade on South Main Street which the garrison had been occupying since early in August. The new fort (which subsequently received the name of " Fort Wyoming ") was built by laying two rows of logs horizontally, four feet apart, and filling up the space between with earth, well tamped down. The solid wall-six or more feet in thickness-thus formed, was carried up to a height of seven feet, and all around the inside of the square inclosure formed by the wall a platform, or bench, was built, standing upon which the occupants of the fort were able to deliver their fire over the top of the wall. All around the outside of the wall a ditch was dug, and beyond this was placed an abattis, formed by setting firm- ly in the ground, in a row, the tops of pitch-pine trees, with their boughs -which were trimmed and sharpened-pointing outwards. Embra- sures were constructed at different points in the wall, through which cannon could be fired, while the four corners of the fort were rounded, so as to flank on all sides. The inclosure contained about half an acre of ground, and cabins, or barracks, were provided therein for the garrison. A gate opened towards the south-west, and access to a copious spring of water at the margin of the river was had by a protected way. After the completion of the fort, in the latter part of October, 1778, two small block-houses were erected on the river bank at a short distance from the upper, or north-easterly, side of the fort. These were intended for the shelter of the inhabitants whose homes had been destroyed, and who could not be accommodated in the fort.

Sheldon Reynolds, Esq., President of The Wyoming Historical and Geological Society, who wrote the chapter on the forts "within the Wyoming Valley region," which is printed in "Frontier Forts of Penn- sylvania," states (see Vol. I, page 458, of the work mentioned) that the new Fort Wyoming was built in 1778 "on the site of the old Fort Wyo- ming, on the river bank, about ten rods below the junction of North- ampton and River Streets." Following Mr. Reynolds-as well as some earlier writers-the present writer has made the same statement (see pages 678, 686 and 818, ante) ; and on June 14, 1899, Wyoming Val- ley Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution marked this site by a very substantial stone monument bearing a suitably-inscribed bronze tablet.

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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 94

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