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 54
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* See "The Journals of Congress," II : 306, 307.
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" That suitable persons be recommended to Congress by the [Constitutional] Con- vention of Pennsylvania for a Lieutenant Colonel and Major to command the said forces; and that the said Convention appoint the Captain and subalterns.
"That two companies on the Continental establishment be raised in the town of Westmoreland, and stationed in proper places for the defence of the inhabitants of the said town and parts adjacent, till further orders of Congress; the commissioned officers of the said two companies to be immediately appointed by Congress.
"That the pay of the men, to be raised as aforesaid, commence when they are armed and mustered, and that they be liable to serve in any part of the United States, when ordered by Congress.
"That the said troops be inlisted to serve during the war, unless sooner discharged by Congress."
Three days later (Monday, August 26) Congress proceeded to the election of sundry officers, when Robert Durkee and Samuel Ranson " were elected Captains of the two Companies ordered to be raised in the town of Westinoreland "; James Wells and Peren Ross were elected First Lieutenants, Asahel Buck and Simon Spalding Second Lieuten- ants, and Heman Swift and Matthias Hollenback Ensigns " of the said companies."*
The battle of Long Island, disastrous to the Americans, was fought August 27, 1776 (as noted on page 485, Vol. I), and that same day, at Philadelphia, Congress resolved "that Zebulon Butler, Esq., be appoint- ed to supply the two companies, ordered to be raised in the town of Westmoreland, with provisions ; and that he be allowed therefor at the rate of 1-12th part of a dollart per ration, until further orders of Con- gress." The same day Congress voted "that the Secret Committee be directed to send to Captain Durkee 200 lbs. of powder and a propor- tionable quantity of lead for the use of the Westmoreland Companies."}
Returning now to Wilkes-Barré we find that under the date of August 17, 1776, Col. Zebulon Butler sent a letter hence to the Hon. Roger Sherman, reading in part as follows§:
" You will see by the enclosed depositions a late attempt has been made on a man of this settlement by some Indians. We have since searched the woods around where the mischief was attempted, and can find nothing, only some few tracks. You'll see by the deposition they wanted a prisoner, as they offered him quarter; but he chose rather not to trust them. As there is frequent passing from the Indians on this river to Niag- ara, we have heard that Johnson and Butler has offered bounty for scalps. That, per- haps, might be their design, or to get a prisoner for intelligence. On the whole, you'll see the reason there is to suppose danger, and I make no doubt that all [the steps that may be] necessary will be taken by the Congress for the defence of the frontiers. But Oh! our arms, our guns, that are kept from us! Eighty or ninety as good soldiers as the American States have are without arms in this place, but relying on the goodness of Congress." * * *
The depositions referred to in the foregoing letter were inade at Wilkes-Barré August 17, 1776, before Nathan Denison, Justice of the Peace.|| Parker Wilson deposed that on August 15th he was out walk- ing near his home, seven miles west of the Susquehanna River, in Kingston District, opposite Wilkes-Barré, when, declared the deponent,
* About that time a prominent and efficient Brigadier General of the Continental army wrote as follows to a member of the Congress: "All the discerning officers of the army see the necessity of hav- ing good officers in it. * * Old men without experience are utterly unfit for the army. They want ambition, which is the life and soul of a soldier. Nor are they fit for it if they have seen service, unless they are men of genius capable of improving the service. Otherwise they are a burden to it. They are useless old boys who pride themselves in having seen service-but without profiting by it. If you would have officers and soldiers, the former must be men of condition in the country, or men who have a sense of honour, and whose class in life is respectable. These are necessary qualifications, among others, to make the officer. Where these meet in men of genius, those they command will be soldiers; but without it, they will only be men."
About ten and a-half cents in American money of to-day.
¿ See "The Journals of Congress," II : 307.
§ See the original draft of the letter in the collections of The Wyoming Historical and Geological Society.
| Contemporary copies of the original depositions are now in the possession of The Wyoming His- torical and Geological Society.
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" I saw an Indian about ten rods distant from me, and he gave an Indian holler and three inore Indians ris up from behind a logg. I then walk- ed very fast, upon which they fired two guns at mne. Then I made the best of my way to the house, and as I went in at ye door one musquett ball was shott into ye side of ye house just over my head. I then took my gun and fired at them, they at this time not being more than eight rods distant from me, and got themselves behind sum trees and con- tinued firing att ine the best part of half an hour, and I att them, in which time one of them spoke to me 'and offered me quarter (he spoke good Inglish), but I refused. In which time I supposed I had wounded or killed one of them, and there came two of the party and took the wounded one & carryed him off, which gave me an oppertunity to make iny escape to the inhabitence and Reported as above written."
Dethick Hewitt and Ezekiel Hamilton deposed as follows: "After the above deponent had made his report Colonel Denison gave orders for us to go with the above said deponent to the place where he was attacked, to make what discoveries we could, whilst a larger party were getting ready to follow after. When we came to the house we discov- ered where several inusket balls and large shot struck the house, and several balls that the deponent says he fired at Indians had struck the tree ; and in the plowed ground we saw tracks of moccasins."
So far as is disclosed by documentary testimony, the abovemen- tioned attack was the first one made by Indians on a white person at or near Wyoming Valley subsequently to the massacre of October 15, 1763, described on page 430, Vol. I. In the circumstances Colonel Butler, though not officially authorized to do so, thought proper to send with- out delay a messenger with a letter to the Indians at Tioga Point and at Chenango, or Otsiningo *- who were supposed to be particularly friendly to the Westinorelanders-to inquire as to the meaning of the attack on Wilson, and to ascertain, if possible, the future intentions of the Indians towards the inhabitants of Westmoreland. This was done about the 20th of August, and a few days later a town-meeting was "legally warned," to be held at Wilkes Barré. The following para- graphs are from the original records of the town of Westmoreland :
"At a town-meeting legally warned and held in Westmoreland, in Wilkesbarre District, August ye 24th, 1776, Colonel Butler was chosen Moderator for ye work of ye day.
"Voted, It is the opinion of this meeting that it now becomes necessary for ye Inhabitants of this Town to erect a suitable Fort, or Forts, as a defence against our com- mon enemy. * * *
"August 28th, 1776, this meeting is opened and held by adjournment.
"Voted, That ye three Field Officerst of ye Regiment in this Town be appointed as a committee to view the most convenient places in said town for building Forts for ye defence of said town, and determine on some particular spot or place or places in each District for that purpose, and mark out the same.
"Voted, That the abovesaid Committee do recommend it to the people in each part -as shall be set off by them [the committee] to belong to any Fort-to proceed forth- with in building said Forts, &c., without either fee or reward from ye said Town."
When this action was taken by the inhabitants of Westmoreland they had not yet learned of the resolutions affecting themselves which had been adopted by Congress on August 23d, 26th and 27th (see page 883) ; and of course it was impossible for them to have learned so soon, for those were not the days of railways and telegraphs. At that time the latest news from the seat of Government which had been received
* See pages 219, 239 and 373, Vol. I.
+ Col. ZEBULON BUTLER, Lieut. Col. NATHAN DENISON and Maj. WILLIAM JUDD.
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at Wilkes-Barre was contained in the letter of the Hon. Roger Sherman dated August 20th (see page 880), which had been brought from Phila- delphia by Elisha Swift only a couple of days before the last-mentioned Westinoreland town-meeting. However, the inhabitants of Westmore- land were ever ready to prove that their love of freedom was something more than an empty profession. They had already demonstrated that they could provide ammunition almost without means, and now they were willing to serve as soldiers without pecuniary reward, and to work without pay. There was on their part no listless dependence, no wait- ing for aid and protection from the parent State or the General Govern- ment, but a spontaneous and an almost unanimous resolution of the whole people-men, women and youth-that they would be free, and that they would procure and protect their freedom by their own indus- try and energy.
The committee of field-officers of the 24th Regiment, under the powers given to it by the aforementioned vote of the town, " began its labors by a study of the needs of each township [district]; and the most advantageous sites for works of defense were carefully examined," states Sheldon Reynolds in "Frontier Forts of Pennsylvania," I : 434. " In some of the townships [districts] there were stockades or fortified places, erected at the time of the early settlement a few years before, though since then suffered to fall into decay. These, wherever it was deemed to be practicable, were ordered to be put in a good state of repair, and the best posture of defense of which the circumstances would admit."
Forty Fort (see page 774), in Kingston District, was enlarged and strengthened .*
The fort in Pittston District, which was early known as Lackawanna Fort (see pages 745 and 814), and the erection of which had been begun in the Spring of 1772 (see page 730), was enlarged and strengthened. It stood near the corner of the present North Main and Parsonage Streets, in the city of Pittston. It consisted, at that period, of three log block-houses, surrounded by a stockade From a photograph, taken in 1901, of the locality where Pitts- ton Fort stood. built in the usual way. The site of the fort (which is approximately indicated in the picture thus: X) has been marked by a monument erected in July, 1906, by Dial Rock Chapter, Daughters of the Ameri- can Revolution. One of the houses had been built by James Brown of Pittston, and was occupied by him and his family in the years 1776-'78, and from that circumstance the stronghold was then and later sometimes called "Fort Brown."t
On the west side of the Susquehanna, a short distance above the Exeter-Kingston boundary-line (in what is now the borough of Exeter),
* For a description of Forty Fort see Chapter XV.
+ For a fuller description of this fort see "Frontier Forts of Pennsylvania," I : 446.
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and about three-quarters of a mile south-west of Pittston Fort, stood the stockaded log house of Jolin Wintermute. The house had been built by Winterinute about 1773 or '74, and was stockaded in the Spring of 1776-being then occupied by the Wintermute family. Later this place became known as "Wintermute's Fort", and will be referred to more at length in a subsequent chapter.
In Hanover was the Stewart block-house described on pages 643 and 644. This building, which was then occupied by Capt. Lazarus Stewart and his family, was strengthened in the Summer of 1776.
The fort at Lackaway (see page 771), sometimes called Fort Park and again Wallenpaupack Fort, was described in the year 1845 as fol- lows (see Miner's "Wyoming", page 467):
"This fort, which was probably somewhat primitive in its construction, was a field containing about an acre, surrounded by a trench, into which upright pieces of liewed timber were firmly fixed. The spot was selected from the circumstance of its containing a living spring. The fort was erected on the eastern side of the Sterling road, almost immediately opposite the point where the road leading through Salem, over Cobb's Mountain and along the Lackawanna to the Wyoming settlements (called the 'Old Wyo- ming Road'), branches off from the Sterling road. It is six miles south-west from the hamlet now (1845) marked on the maps as Wilsonville. Within the enclosed space was a block-house, also built of squared pieces of hewed tiniber, upon the top of which was a sentry-box, made bullet-proof. There was, beside, a guard-house standing just east of the block-house. The defences were so constructed that a rifle ball, fired from the high ground on the east into the fort, would strike the palisades on the opposite side above a man's head. After the rumors of the Indian troubles on the Susquehanna reached Wal- lenpaupack, the settlers constantly spent the nights in the fort. The spring, whose ex- istence and situation governed the colonists in their selection of a stronghold, still bub- bles by the wayside, and nothing but a pile of loose stones indicates to the traveler the formidable neighborhood to which it has been exposed."
Whether or not the settlers at Lackaway cut down in December, 1775, the stockade surrounding their block-house-as directed to do by the Pennamites (see page 851)-we have no means of knowing. If they did, they undoubtedly renewed it in 1776 or in 1777.
The original fortification built by the inhabitants of Plymouth was a block-house, which was erected in October or November, 1772, in compliance with directions voted at different general town-meetings .* In 1776 additions, to a considerable extent, were made to this block- house, a stockade was erected, and the structure became known as " Shawnee Fort." The place where it stood was called "Garrison Hill ", the location of which is described on pages 180 and 181, Vol. I. Colonel Wright states in his "Historical Sketches of Plymouth " that the first log used in the construction of "Shawnee Fort " was hauled by Capt. Samuel Ransom, and that Benjamin Harvey, Sr., " planted the first flag upon the turret." The following item concerning this fort, written by a correspondent to, and printed in, the Bucks County Intelli- gencer, was reprinted in the Wilkes-Barre Advocate September 17, 1845.
"Entering a gate at the lower end of the village [of Plymouth], we struck upon the head of the celebrated flats. *
* * Passing the pound gate two or three hundred yards, on a bank descending to the first platform of land on the river, we came to 'Garri- son Hill'. This was the stronghold of the Shawaneset settlement, both before the Revo- lution and during its continuance. The garrison was constructed by building about twenty log houses, half of them on each side of the street, facing inwards. At each end of the avenue was a picket of logs, fifteen feet high, furnished with a strong gate. Through these pickets, and through the logs in the rear of each house, were holes made to fire from. In this manner it became a fortress of much strength, and a small party, thus shielded from the assailants' fire, could oppose with success an attacking force of
* See pages 735, 753 and 754.
+ Plymouth was then, just as it is now, often referred to, locally, as "Shawanese," or "Shawnee."
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six times their own number. In times of peril, into this enclosure was driven the live stock of the settlers and was brought the most valuable of their portable effects. A solitary cellar, daily filling up, is now the only memento left of this stronghold of a race of hardy, brave and adventurous pioneers."
At that period the majority of the inhabitants of Plymouth lived in the lower part of what is now the borough of Plymouth, near the " flats ", where they carried on their agricultural operations, and Shaw- nee Fort was intended more particularly for the protection of those peo- ple. Farther up the river (near the intersection of the present Main Street and Gaylord Avenue in the borough of Plymouth) lived Joseph and Aaron Gaylord and their families in a block-house which they had erected in 1773. This block-house was stockaded in 1776, and became known as "Gaylord's Stockade."
Fort Wyoming, on the River Common, near the foot of North- ampton Street, Wilkes-Barré, having been demolished in the Winter of
View of Public Square in 1841, looking north-east from the corner of South Main Street and the Square.
From a drawing supposed to have been made on the spot in the year mentioned .*
1774-'75 (as noted on page 818), there was no fortified structure within the bounds of Wilkes-Barre in the Summer of 1776. Nor had the in- habitants of Westmoreland yet erected either a town-hall or a jail. It was decided, therefore, after the action taken at the town-meeting held on August 28th, that a fort should be built in Wilkes-Barre large enough to include a building to be used both as a town-hall and a jail. The authorized committee selected as a site for the proposed structure the southern half of the " Diamond ", or Center (now Public) Square, in the town-plot of Wilkes-Barre (see page 655); this then unoccupied four-acre field being a part of the undivided common lands belonging to the proprietors of Wilkes-Barre. The erection of the new fort-to which the name "Fort Wilkes-Barre " was subsequently given-was begun early in September, 1776, and the work was carried on in a desil- tory way during the next few months. After the departure of the two Westmoreland Independent Companies from the valley for the seat of war, work on the fort was discontinued for awhile, but was taken up
* At that time, and for some years later, Main Street and Market Street ran straight through Public Square without any breaks, intersecting each other at the center of the "Diamond" (where now stands the main part of the Luzerne County Court House) and dividing the "Diamond" into four triangles. In the above illustration the building with the low cupola, at the right side of the picture, was the Court House of that period. It stood in the south triangle of the "Diamond."
1
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again in the Summer of 1777. It was not finally finished, however, until the Spring of 1778.
Miner describes Fort Wilkes-Barré in these words: "It stood where the Court House now (1845) stands, and embraced from a quarter to half an acre. It was square, built by setting yellow pine logs upright in the earth, close together, fifteen feet high, surrounded by a trench. The corners were so rounded as to flank all sides of the fort. The Court House and jail of Westmoreland were within the limits of the fortifica- tion." Sheldon Reynolds, in his description of this fort (in "Frontier Forts of Pennsylvania," I : 449), says : "The structure was in the form of a parallelogram, with flanking towers at the angles, and was provided with a single gateway opening towards the river, north-west. The sides were pierced with loop-holes to enable the garrison to deliver its fire without exposure; and one four-pound gun was mounted on the rainpart, but, inasmuch as there happened to be no suitable ammunition, it served as an aların-gun only. Barracks or huts were built along the walls within the works, which, together with the room afforded by the public buildings, were sufficient to shelter the occupants. The work
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View of Public Square in 1901, looking north-east from the corner of South Main Street and the Square.
was surrounded by a ditch. The water supply was taken fromn a spring either within the enclosure or near at hand."
With respect to present-day landmarks, it may be stated that Fort Wilkes-Barré stood about two rods east-south-east of where now stands the monument set up in Public Square in 1881 by the Pennsylvania Geo- logical Survey to indicate the latitude and longitude of Wilkes-Barré.
Colonel Butler received at Wilkes-Barré, September 16, 1776, a reply to the letter which he had sent to the Indians on the upper waters of the Susquehanna. The reply was brought by an Indian "runner" or messenger, and the original document is now in the collections of The Wyoming Historical and Geological Society. It reads as follows : "To Mr. Col. BUTLER and the Rest of our friends at Wyoming:
"Well, Brothers, we have this day met together at Chenango to consult about the news we heard from you. We received your letter at our Fire Place at Chenango. Well, Brothers, we, the Six Nations and our Cousins, we are all glad to hear from you that you are all friends to us. Well, Brothers, we can't find out who it was that fired on your young man. If it be any of our people on this River that is wounded we shall find it out. If you find it out, send us word, &c.
"Brothers, we don't want to hurt you. We are your friends. We hope you are our friends and won't hurt us. We don't speak only out of our mouths, but out of our hearts. Brothers, you told us you haven't forgot what we told you the other day, nor we haven't forgot it either. We can't forget our old agreement, &c. Brothers, we are glad you sent us word to wash our eyes that we can see the road clear. We thank you kindly. Brothers, we are glad you told [reminded] us we were together the other day, and now you have cleared the road we can travel the road with pleasure and not be afraid. Brothers, we are glad we are not afraid of anything, for we hold the road like peaceable times. We have come out of our houses, and are all of one mind.
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"Brothers, we have been to Tyoga* at the treaty, and all the Six Nations and the people were together. As for Toby'st stories we know nothing. About what the King's ment want we can't tell. As for Toby, we look upon him to be a child, for he knows nothing about our business. You must not mind him, for you make his belly so big to hold these stories. Only let him go about like another child, for we shall see about his telling such stories to the people. Well, Brothers, now the road is cleared we want you should travel the road, too, and send traders among us to bring powder, lead and goods, and take such things as we have to spare. As for straggling fellows that travel the road without a pass, you must take care of them. We don't mind what they say. Now, Brothers, we hope you will travel the road, for, where the road is not traveled, bushes, briars and thorns will grow up, and by and by nobody can get along. We want to have you trade freely with us. Now that you have washed our eyes we see clearly. Your powder and things are very dear. We want you should find some place where we can always find a supply of powder and lead, or else we can't live nor travel this.road.
"Brothers, we understand that you are building forts. We are not scared. We don't blame you for defending yourselves these times. Well, Brothers, you tell us if there is any enemy coming against us. You will tell us of it if you know it, and we shall do the same by you, for it is hard if Brothers can't do so. The * * People are always ready to do mischief. If there is any mischief done it will not be allowed by our head- men.
" Well, Brothers, you must let all the people round about know what we have done to-day. And now we all send our respects and regards to you as friends and brothers, so farewell. [Signed] "KING LAST NIGHT,?)
Chenango.|
"JAMES NANTICOKE, "ISAAC, [} Chiefs from "JACOB, § Aquago .** "CORNELIUS WESTBROOK, \ Chocinotett "JACOB TUCKHANS, chiefs."
It is probable that all, or at least a majority of, the signers of this letter were Nanticoke Indians. As noted on page 219, the Nanticokes prided themselves on the fact that they had lived always on friendly terms with the whites.
About the 21st of September a deputation of three Indian chiefs arrived at Wilkes-Barré. They were "William Nanticoke," of the Nan- ticoke-Conoy tribe, "Indian Joseph," of the Onondagas, and Narondig- wanok, or " Captain Johnson," of the Senecas, and they brought a " talk " from the "Great Head," or Council, at Onondaga.}} Miner says (" History of Wyoming," page 186) " the talk was agreed upon at Chenango by certain authorized chiefs. While it professes peaceable intentions, the tone is one of complaint. The length is too great to render proper its publication entire. A paragraph or two will give its spirit.
"'Brothers, there is a great deal between us. The Devil is always putting some- thing between us; but this is to clear your hearts, that you may speak clearly and pleas- antly to us. [A string of wampum presented.]
"' Well, Brothers, there is a great deal of trouble around you. Your lids are all bloody, but we come to clear away all suspicion, that your hearts may be pleasant. [ Three strings of wampum presented.]
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