A history of Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania : from its first beginnings to the present time, including chapters of newly-discovered early Wyoming Valley history, together with many biographical sketches and much genealogical material. Volume II, Part 50

Author: Harvey, Oscar Jewell, 1851-1922; Smith, Ernest Gray
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: Wilkes-Barre : Raeder Press
Number of Pages: 680

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 early Wyoming Valley history, together with many biographical sketches and much genealogical material. Volume II > Part 50

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860

expedition to its destination. There was a second field-piece mounted in one of the other boats.

The formidable preparations being made at Fort Augusta caused con- siderable uneasiness and excitement among the people at Wyoming, and the seizure of the Wyoming traders and their goods and the arrest of the settlers at Lackaway intensified matters. Therefore an express, carry- ing the depositions printed on pages 853 and 854, was sent from Wilkes- Barré to Philadelphia to make known the condition of affairs to the Connecticut Delegates in the Congress then in session, while at the same time preparations were inade at home to oppose the threatened in- vasion. By virtue of his rank as the chief militia officer in Westinore- land, and by reason of his extensive experience in actual warfare, Col. Zebulon Butler was given charge of the preparations for defense, as well as cominand of the inhabitants who responded to the call to arms. Neither the 24th Regiment nor any. one of the companies composing it was ordered ont, as a militia organization, to oppose the on-coming Pennamites ; but the inhabitants of Westmoreland generally were sum- moned to this duty. The men who responded were mainly-in fact, almost exclusively-enrolled members of the 1st, 2d, 3d, 4th, 5th and 6th Companies of the 24th Regiment. The members of the 7th, 8th and 9th Companies dwelt too far away to be made useful in this emergency ; and, at any rate, the 8th Company was just then in a state of innocuous desuetude owing to the occurrences which had taken place at Lackaway a few days previously, as hereinbefore narrated. It is quite probable, however, that Capt. Silas Park and several other inhabitants of Lack- away District, who were in Wilkes-Barré about the middle of Decem- ber, remained here and took part in repelling the invading Pennamites.

It is a well-ascertained fact that all the male inhabitants of Wyo- ming Valley who had fire-arms, and were able to bear them, held them- selves in readiness to aid in opposing the invaders. Scouts, sent out every day, reported the progress of the Pennaniites-who had taken up their line of inarch from Fort Augusta about the 15th of December; the weather then being mild and the river free from ice, which was quite unusual at that season of the year. On December 20th (the day on which the inhabitants of Westmoreland were to assemble in town-meet- ing, and the very day when Congress passed the resolution printed on page 856) it was learned that the invaders had arrived opposite the mouth of Nescopeck Creek, some nineteen miles below Nanticoke Falls (see page 35, Vol. I), but that they were advancing slowly on account of the snow which had fallen and the ice which was gathering in the river. Colonel Butler mustered his available force-which numbered about 400 men-on Saturday, December 23d, and marched to the left bank of Harvey's Creek (see page 54, Vol. I), where he encamped for the night on a level stretch of land near the river.

At the westernmost end of the plantation then owned by Benjamin Harvey, Sr., there was a small, sheltered pool, or bay, in the river, on the shore of which Mr. Harvey had built a rude wharf. The place was known as "Harvey's Landing," and there the owner kept his bateaux, and there their loading and unloading was attended to, for Nanticoke Falls (one-quarter of a mile farther up the river) not being navigable, it was impossible to get past them with a laden boat, either going up or down stream. The vanguard of Colonel Plunket's expedition arrived

861

at "Harvey's Landing " shortly after the Yankees had gone into camp above Harvey's Creek.

Early Sunday morning (December 24th) Ensign Mason F. Alden (see page 500, Vol. I), in command of a detail of eighteen men, was directed by Colonel Butler to remain on guard at Harvey's Creek. Capt. Lazarus Stewart (see page 640), with twenty inen, was detached to the east side of the river, above the falls, with orders to lie in ambush and prevent the landing on that shore of any boat's crew. Colonel Butler, with the remainder of his force, then retired np the river about a mile to a point of natural defense on the plantation of Benjamin Harvey, Sr., a few rods west of his dwelling-house and store. There a precipitous ledge of rocks extended from the Shawanese Mountain in a south-easterly direction almost to the bank of the river, a distance of nearly half a mile. The land in the vicinity was well covered with for- est trees, and the road from Harvey's Creek to the village of Plymouth passed between the lower point, or end, of the ledge and the river bank. The Yankees took up their position at this rocky rampart, and where- ever it was defective for their complete defense they erected breastworks of logs and stones.

Later in the morning of Sunday, about eleven o'clock, Ensign Alden, being apprised at the mouth of Harvey's Creek of the approach of the Plunket expedition, retired with his men up the river and joined Colonel Butler. Deploying his column on the flat just abandoned by the Yankees, Plunket directed a spirited advance in pursuit of Alden, not doubting but that the main force of the settlers was near, and that the hour of conflict had arrived. In less than thirty minutes the ad- vancing line was halted by Plunket, who was at its right, in front, and was heard to exclaim, "My God ! what a breastwork !" Scarcely had these words been uttered when there came a discharge of musketry, crackling front end to end of the long-extended rampart, and giving no uncertain notice that this unlooked-for barricade was well garrisoned. One of Plunket's men-Hugh McWilliams *- was killed and three others were wounded, while the whole body of invaders was thrown into great confusion, and, without returning the fire of the Yankees, immediately retreated to Harvey's Creek. They then brought two of their boats fromn Harvey's Landing past Nanticoke Falls by land, and made preparations to cross the river in detachinents, in order to march by way of the eastern shore against the village of Wilkes-Barre-the chief objective point of the expedition.

After nightfall both boats, well filled with soldiers, started across the river some distance above the falls. In the bow of the first boat sat Benjamin Harvey, Jr., still held a prisoner by the Pennamites and act- ing as pilot under compulsion, while Colonel Plunket himself occupied a place in the second boat. When the boats had nearly reached the opposite shore, they were, without warning, fired upon by Captain Stew- art and his men who were concealed in the thick woods on the bank. Two or three inen in the first boat were wounded, one of whom, Jesse Lukenst, subsequently died. All the occupants of this boat would have

* He was an inhabitant of Northampton County, and is said to have been a soldier in the Provincial army under General Braddock at the time of the latter's defeat and death.

+ JESSE LUKENS, extracts from whose diary are printed on page 813, et seq., was, as previously noted, the son of John Lukens, who was Surveyor General of Pennsylvania from 1761 till his death in 1789. Jesse Lukens was born August 8, 1748, and, says John F. Meginness in the "Official Report of the Centennial Anniversary of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania" (1896), "early displayed a taste for surveying and did much work [at and near Williamsport] for Samuel Wallis. [See page 653, ante.] He took up land for

862

been killed, probably, had not Benjamin Harvey, Jr. (apprehending that he himself was in peril), called to the Yankees to desist from firing. Colonel Plunket, it is said, lay down in the bottom of the boat to avoid the shots that were fired at him. The boats were hastily and excitedly backed astern into the channel of the river, whereupon, having got within the suction of the falls, they shot down through them and the rapids below-fortunately without mishap-and were brought-to in the pool at Harvey's Landing. Thus ended the occurrences of Sunday.

Early in the morning of Monday-which was Christmas-day-the Pennamites, who had bivouacked on the flat at the mouth of Harvey's Creek, were astir. Colonel Plunket having formed his men in two divisions, again marched up the river to the breastworks, or "rampart rocks," held by the Yankees. While one division stormed the works, the second division ascended the mountain on their left and attempted to turn the right flank of the Yankees. The conflict lasted, with fre- quent cessations, during the greater part of the day, and on the side of the settlers some three or four men were killed and three times as many wounded. Towards the close of the day Colonel Plunket, finding the position of the Yankees too strong to be carried, withdrew from the field and immediately began his retreat down the west side of the river. He was pursued for some miles by Captain Stewart and his party on the east side, with a view to capture one of the boats of the expedition. But Benjamin Harvey, Jr., who was on board, still a prisoner, called to them not to fire, lest they might injure their friends; and so they re- turned and let the retreating army pass down without further pursuit. On their way down the river all the settlers under The Susquehanna Company whose homes were located along the route of the Pennamites were plundered by the latter *.

A view is herewith givent of a small part of the rocky ledge which, at Christmas-tide more than a century and a-quarter ago, so well served the needs of the Wyoming settlers. Large portions of the ledge have been blasted down and removed from time to time within the last one hundred years, in order to make way for roads and other improvements, but there still remains a considerable part of the sometime rampart. " Rampart Rocks" was the name given to this historic ledge subse- quently to the battle of December 25, 1775, and upon some of the early surveys and inaps of that locality this name will be found. (See the map in the July, 1830, issue of Silliman's American Journal of Science and Arts-Vol. XVIII.) Col. H. B. Wright, in his "Historical Sketches of Plymouth," published in 1873, states (page 107) : "More than fifty years ago I remember seeing a large flat rock, set up on edge between two trees, near the natural breastwork upon this battle- field. It stood between two chestnuts, and as the trees grew it became firinly imbedded between them. This was pointed out to me by my father as 'one of the barricades of the early settlers of the valley, in a battle that had been fought on that ground many years before.'"

himself in Buffalo Valley, Pennsylvania, in 1769. He accompanied Colonel Plunket's ill-advised expedi- tion from Sunbury against the Yankees at Wyoming as a spectator." However, the inscription on his tombstone states that he died December 25, 1775, "of a gunshot wound received from the Connecticut in- truders, when in company with the Sheriff and magistrates of Northumberland County on a journey to Wioming in order to support the laws of his country." [See Johnson's "Historical Record," VIII: 226.]

* The facts relating to the Plunket expedition and the battle of "Rampart Rocks," recited in the fore- going account, have been drawn from Miner's "History of Wyoming," Stone's "Poetry and History of Wyoming," Wright's "Historical Sketches of Plymouth," and other sources.

t Views of some of the other localities mentioned in the foregoing account of the battle of "Rampart Rocks" will be found facing pages 48, 54, 55 and 312, Vol. I.

VIEW OF "RAMPART ROCKS." From a photograph taken in 1899 by the author.

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Under tlie date of December 27, 1775, Col. Zebulon Butler wrote from Wilkes-Barré to a friend in Hartford, Connecticut, as follows *:

" We have lately had a visitation by a body of Tories, under the command of one Plunket-they pretended, by orders from Pen11. Be that as it will, the bottom of it is toryism. As we were threatened with death and destruction, we had no other way but to fight. They had 600 or 700 men, two cannons, &c. I marched with about 400 of my regiment, which I thought enough for 700 of such wretches. As soon as they came in sight they fired without saying a word, and rushed to surround us. Our people met them with as much resolution, and a very heavy fire ensued. We soon drove them, killed a number, and drove one wing of the body into the mountain; the inain body retreated. This was on the 24th December. At night they atteinpted to cross the river, to destroy our settlements where the men were chiefly drawn off. I sent a party to receive them, and just as their boats came to shore, with about one hundred men, our people poured in the shot upon them, at about three rods distance, and obliged them to retreat and make off as well as they could. By the best accounts we can get they had fifty or sixty killed and wounded. We had two killed and three wounded, one of whom is since dead. Our enemies are all gone off, I believe for the Winter."

Under the date of December 30, 1775, at Sunbury, "William Scull, Sheriff, Samuel Harris, Coroner, William Plunket, Samuel Hunter, Michael Troy and Jolin Weitzel" wrote to Governor Penn at Philadel- phia as followst:

"In pursuance of your Honour's letter of the 25th ult. the magistrates of this county delivered into the hands of our Sheriff warrants and other legal processes against a num- ber of persons residing at Wyoming in this county, who have been charged on oath with the most illegal practices, and some of them with the greatest crimes. The Sheriff, ap- prehensive of resistance, judged it prudent to raise the posse of the county, and a body of near 500 men accompanied him to the neighborhood of Wyoming, where they were met by some people from Wyoming (one of whoni was said to be an officer). To these men the intention of the Sheriff and his posse was sufficiently explained, and the strong- est assurances given that no violence or molestation should be offered to any person sub- mitting to the laws. The Sheriff proceeded, however, but a little farther, when he was most unexpectedly fired upon-one man [Hugh McWilliams] killed, and three others dangerously wounded. It was soon found impossible to force a passage on that side of the river, as the narrows, naturally strong, had been fortified with the greatest care, and were lined with numbers of men, to whom ours bore no reasonable proportion.

"An attempt was made to cross the river, with design, if possible, to arrive at the settlement of the persons against whom process had issued, without further molestation. This attempt was, for greater secrecy, made in the night. When the boats had nearly reached the opposite shore, and were entangled in a margin of ice too thin to bear the weiglit of a man, they were, without any previous challenge, fired upon repeatedly by a party from the top of the bank. Jesse Lukens received a mortal wound, of which he is since dead. Sundry others narrowly escaped. As a landing could not be effected, the boats returned. Baffled in this second attempt, the weather being intolerably severe, and receiving information that the persons we wished to arrest were the chief in command in their breastworks, it was thought advisable to desist from any further attempt. The boat with the wounded men was fired on while within gunshot; a constant fire was kept up on our men from the opposite side [of the river], while they retreated through a long narrows. One man only, however, was wounded-in the arm." * *

Governor Penn transmitted to the Provincial Assembly the forego- ing letter, with an explanatory message, in which he stated, among other things : " As a considerable expense must have arisen on this attempt to execute the laws of the Government, I doubt not you will readily make provision for defraying it."}

* See "American Archives," Fourth Series, IV : 470. + See ibid., page 1473.

# Fourteen years after the Plunket expedition occurred the following bill was paid by the Common- wealth of Pennsylvania:

"The Province of Pennsylvania To Capt. Thomas Gaskin,

Dr.

£ 5. d.

"For a large boat lost returning from Wyoming in the expedition with Dr. William Plunket,.

18 0

To six large socket poles lost at the same time,

To 12 days' service of myself, @ 3s. 9d. per day,

To 12 days' service of two boatmen, @ 2s. 6d. per day, 3 0

To finding myself and hands provisions,

223

0 0

£28, 5s. 0d." "December, 1775.

In 1790 the following accounts relative to the Plunket expedition were rendered against the Com- mon wealth. (See "Pennsylvania Archives," Second Series, XVIII: 696, 698.)

864

The General Assembly of Connecticut con- vened in special session December 14, 1775, and among the important Acts passed by it was one for raising and equipping a body of "min- ute-inen," to be held " in readiness for the bet- ter defence of the Colony." The Act provided that one-fourth part of the militia of the Colony should be forthwith selected by voluntary en- listment, with as many other able-bodied, effect- ive men, not included in any militia roll, as were inclined to enlist-"to stand in readiness as ininute-inen for the defence of Connecticut and the rest of the United Colonies." The offi- cers and men were directed to equip themselves with arms and ammunition prescribed by ex- isting law, and they were required to come to- gether once a fortnight for half a day's muster and drill. Owing to the comparative smallness of the population of Westmoreland, and the large extent of territory over which the people were scattered, the Assembly declared that this Act should "not extend to include or affect the 24th Regiment of Mil- itia." It was at this session that the Assembly passed the resolution relative to the manual-exercise to be thereafter used by the militia of the Colony-as noted on page 827, ante.

At this same session the Assembly enacted the following important law relative to Westmoreland .*

"That the town of Westmoreland in this Colony shall be bounded east by the River Delaware, south by a line of latitude just 41º north from the equator, and extend west on said line to the termination of fifteen English miles west of the East Branch of the River Susquehanna; from thence to run northerly a straight line to the forks of the River Tioga, and continuing the same course to the north line of this Colony, which shall be the west line of said town and of the county of Litchfield. And said town is bounded north by the north line of this Colony, as described in the Charter from King Charles II .*

(1) "The State of Pennsylvania Dr. to William Sayres, for sundries furnished the Troops on the Wyo- ming Expedition, by order of the Magistrates of Northumberland County, in the year 1775.

"To 69% galls. Rum, @ 6s. 9d ,

423

116

23 galls. Whiskey, @ 4s., 4 1bs. Candles, @ 1s. 3d.,

4 12

21/2 lbs. Tallow, @ 10d.,

1 6

1 bolt Tape,

4 1bs. Coffee, @ 1s. 7d.,

2 loaves Sugar, 31 1bs., @ 2s.,

3 3

5 1bs. Sugar, @ 11d.,

7 1bs. Soap, @ Is.,

7 0

0 0

1 pair Leggins,

Cash to the wounded,

5 2

0 6

Sundries furnished the different Companies and wounded, by order of Squire Al- lison and [former] Sheriff Cook, 41 10

(2) "Commonwealth of Penusylvania to Robert King,

1775

€

S. d.

December 14. To a canoe lent Samuel Maclay, Esq., for public Service. Broke in the ice before returned,

1 10

= 18. To a wagon, horse and driver, and finding the same for four days, haul- ing ammunition and stores from Northumberland to Fishing Creek, by or-

. der of Samuel Hunter, Esq., 2

8 0

To my pay as Lieutenant of militia, under the Command of Col William Plunket, from December 12, 1775, to January 3, 1776, both days included-be- ing twenty-three days,

1776

7 13 4

January To hauling twenty-one loads of firewood, by order of Dr. Benjamin Alli- son, Esq., for the use of the men wounded at Wyoming, and then under the care of Dr. Allison, 2 12 6

"Total, £14, 3s. 10d."

* See "Colonial Records of Connecticut," XV: 197.

2 pairs Shoes, @ 10s.,

Do. for firewood for the wounded.

£78, 1s. 1112d." Dr.

865

"And Whereas part of the land contained in said Charter is claimed by the Propri- etaries of the Colony of Pennsylvania, *

* and a number of persons are settled on part of said lands under said claim; and also numbers of persons are settled on other parts of said disputed territory under the title of this Colony, who are included within said town of Westmoreland; and in order to preserve the peace of said inhabitants, and harmony and friendship between the Colonies, pursuant to the advice of the Honorable Congress of the United Colonies until the controversy concerning the title of said lands can be settled and determined,

"It is Resolved, That all the present inhabitants on said disputed territory shall remain quiet in their present possessions, without molestation from any person or per- sons under the jurisdiction of this Colony; provided they behave themselves peaceably toward the inhabitants settled under the claim of this Colony; and provided the persons belonging to this Colony who have been lately apprehended on said lands by some of the people of Pennsylvania be released, and all the effects-as well of those who have been already released as those now in custody-be restored to them. And all persons are hereby strictly forbid making any further settlements on said lands without special license from this Assembly, or giving any interruption or disturbance to any persons already settled thereon. This temporary provision to remain in force during the pleas- ure of this Assembly, and shall not affect or prejudice the legal title of this Colony or of any particular persons to any of said lands in controversy."

A copy of this Act having been brought to the attention of the Continental Congress, that body passed on December 23, 1775, the fol- lowing :

"Whereas the Colony of Connecticut has, by a certain Act of their Assembly, resolved that no further settlements be made on the lands disputed between them and Pennsylvania, without license from the said Assembly; Resolved, That it be recom- mended to the Colony of Connecticut not to introduce any settlers on the said lands till the further order of this Congress, until the said dispute shall be settled."

Four days after the battle of "Rampart Rocks" (to wit, December 29, 1775) the inhabitants of Westmoreland assembled at Wilkes-Barré in town-meeting, and several resolutions were passed in consequence of the Pennamite invasion and battle. One of them was: "That Mr. Chris- topher Avery be chosen Agent for this town, to proceed forthwith to his Honor, the Governor of this Colony, and lay our distressed case before him." Obadiah Gore, Jr., was appointed to repair to Philadelphia to "lay before the Honorable Continental Congress [an account of] the late invasion made by the Tory party of the Pennsylvania people." It was also voted " that Titus Hinman and Peren Ross be appointed to col- lect the charity of the people for the support of " the widows Baker, Franklin and Ensign. The husbands of these women had fallen in the recent battle. How many more married men (whose circumstances were such that their widows would not need the aid of contributions), or how inany unmarried men, were slain on that occasion, the town records do not disclose. Miner states that " it is probable six or eight were killed in all, and three times that number wounded."

At this same town-meeting it was voted that in payinent of taxes corn should be received at the rate of two shillings a bushel, rye at three shillings, and wheat at four shillings; that is, thirty-three, fifty and sixty-six cents in American money of to-day. According to a return made to the General Assembly of Connecticut in December, 1775 (see "Colonial Records of Connecticut," XV : 215), " the sum total of the list of the polls and ratable estate of the town of Westmoreland for the year 1775 " amounted to £10,520 6s.

* See the map facing page 790 for the bounds here described.

CHAPTER XIII.

LOYALISTS IN WESTMORELAND-THE WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE UNDER WAY-INDIAN CONFERENCES AT WILKES-BARRE-ENLISTMENTS IN WESTMORELAND FOR THE CONTINENTAL ARMY-OLD FORTS STRENGTHENED AND NEW ONES ERECTED-THE TWO " WESTMORELAND, OR WYOMING, INDEPENDENT COM- PANIES"-THE COUNTY OF WESTMORELAND, "IN THE STATE OF CONNECTICUT," ERECT- ED OUT OF THE WYOMING REGION.

" Freedom, prime blessing of this fleeting life, Is there a man that hears thy sacred name And thrills not to the sound with loftiest hope, With proud disdain of tyrant whips and chains?" -"Speech of Arminius to his Soldiers" ( Knight).

"How many tears have been shed, how much blood has been spilled, to nourish the tree of Freedom, the tree of Knowledge, or the tree of Life Eternal, and been forgotten!"

Early in 1776 a vigilance committee, or a "Committee of Inspec- tion " as it was called, was established in Westmoreland, in pursuance of a recommendation made by the Continental Congress that such a committee should be appointed in every town, and that persons "hostile to the cause of liberty" should be arrested. These " hostiles," who were, in fact, Loyalists, soon came to be generally known and spoken of as Tories .* The words "Tory" and "Pennamite" seem to have been synonymous to the New Englanders in Westmoreland, with few excep- tions. To their minds, apparently, all Pennamites were Tories. In reality, however, such was not the case.

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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 early Wyoming Valley history, together with many biographical sketches and much genealogical material. Volume II, Part 50

Author: Harvey, Oscar Jewell, 1851-1922; Smith, Ernest Gray Publication date: 1909 Publisher: Wilkes-Barre : Raeder Press Number of Pages: 680

Author: Harvey, Oscar Jewell, 1851-1922; Smith, Ernest Gray
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: Wilkes-Barre : Raeder Press
Number of Pages: 680