USA > Pennsylvania > Colonial records of Pennsylvania, Vol. VI > Part 68
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from the Governor and Assembly. I believe the people in general up here would fight. I had two or three long Beards in my Com- pany, one a Menonist who declared he would live and die with his neighbours ; he had a good gun with him. I must conclude and subscribe myself,
" Honoured Sir, Yours &ca-, " CONRAD WEISER."
Then the Governor ordered the Secretary to read his Answers to Mr. Weiser and to John Harris, and to enter them, which are as follows :
A Letter from Governor Morris to Conrad Weiser, Esq". " PHILADELPHIA, October 31st, 1755.
" Sir :
" I had the pleasure of receiving your favor of the 30th Instant, and of being thereby set right as to the Indians passing the Moun- tains at Tolkeo, which I am glad to find was a false alarm. I hear- tily commend your conduct and Zeal, and hope you will continue to act with the same Vigour and Caution that you have already done, and that you may have the greater Authority I have appointed You a Colonel by a Commission herewith.
" I have not time to give you any Instructions with the Com- mission, but leave it to your Judgment and discretion, which I know are great, to do what is most for the safety of the people and ser- vice of the Crown.
" I have seen your Letter to Mr. Allen and want much to have some certain intelligence upon which I may depend, of the number and motion of the Enemy, distinguishing between the French and Indians, for this I must greatly depend upon you, and for that pur- pose I send this Express to you, and I must desire you will appoint some one or two trusty men, Indians or others, to go upon that service in such a manner as you shall think best in order to get me the most certain Intelligence. You may, on behalf of this Gov- ernment, make such offers of Rewards to the Indians or others that you employ in this service as you shall Judge best, and I will re- mit you the Money or other things you shall agree for as soon as you please, and whatever intelligence you get by this means you will as soon as possible send to me and no other.
" If the design of the French be to strengthen themselves at Shamokin or elsewhere on this side of the Allegheny Mountains, they must certainly have a good number of Regular Troops with them.
" Since writing the above I have yours of the 31st, and am obliged to you for the punctuallity of your Correspondence, which
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I must beg you would Continue. I wrote you from Newcastle, and send this by Mr. Gist, concerning whom you will have a par- ticular Letter from Mr. Peters. I approve of your offer to Gabriel, and hope he will bring us certain Intelligence that we may depend on concerning the numbers of the Enemy and their motions, from which we may in some measure Collect their Designs. If our Shamokin Indians leave us, I must think they are forced into the French measures for want of Assistance & Protection from us, for I can't persuade myself to think that Jonathan and some few that I know are false to us from Inclination. I am glad you stoped the Flower. I desire you will use it in any manner for the Service of the Publick that you shall think best. I am sure it can't be applied to better purpose, and I wish I had every other necessary thing upon the present occasion, I should freely use them. You will only take care to keep an account of the number of Casks you use, and give me an account of them, that there may be no confusion in the accounts.
" I have only to wish you all imaginable success, and to recom- mend it to you to Continue your Care and Diligence for his Ma- jestie's Service.
"I am, Sir, Your most Humble Servant, " ROBERT H. MORRIS.
"' CONRAD WEISER, Esq"."
A Letter from the Governor to Mr. John Harris at Paxton. "PHILADELPHIA, October 31st, 1755. " Sir :
"I have yours of the 28th by Express, and heartily congratulate you and your family upon your safe arrival and escape from your Danger. I much Commend your Zeal for the service of your Country, and am sorry that it is not in my power to afford you the Assistance that your service and situation deserves, but I have neither Arms nor Ammunition at my disposal or you should not have been so long in want of those necessary Articles at this dan- gerous time.
" I must recommend it to you & the people that are nigh you to act with caution and spirit upon the present occasion in the defence of your Families, and to give me intelligence from time to time of what passes, not only among yourselves but of what you can collect of the numbers and motions of the Enemy.
" I am, Sir, Your most humble Servant, " ROBERT H. MORRIS.
" Mr. JOHN HARRIS."
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The Governor wrote a second Letter to the Governor of Jersey in these words, and the like Letter to the other Governors :
A Letter from Governor Morris to the Governor of Jersey.
" PHILADELPHIA, October 31st, 1755. " Sir :
"The accounts since I came here confirm the particulars set forth in my Letter of the 29th, and say further that the French intend to seize and fortify Shamokin, an Indian Town situate at the Conflux of the two Main Branches of the Sasquehannah, and to make use of their Indians against the Inhabitants, that they may be fully en- gaged and rendered unable to give the French any Interruption. This is not said with absolute certainty, but the situation of the Town is so extreamly convenient for a communication with the Ohio by the Western branch of Sasquehannah which interlocks with the Mississipi and rises within Fifty miles of Fort Du Quesne, and with the Six Nation Country by the Eastern Branch, which has its rise near the Mohocks river not far from Fort Hunter, that it is very likely to be true, and that they have obtained the consent of the Delaware Indians by assuring them that they will put them into possesion of their own former country, and render them independant of the Six Nations.
" Our Inhabitants are arriving in such a manner as they are able, expecting the Indians will fall on the Country side along the Blue Mountains, which they will prevent if they can, but considering that they have no Discipline, very few Arms, and little Ammunition, I am afraid the Indians will be able to perpetrate this part of the Design and put numbers of our Inhabitant to Death.
"I am, Sir, Your most Obedient & most humble Servant, "ROBERT H. MORRIS.
The Governor was advised, as there were so few Members of Council present, to meet again in the afternoon, and to send parti -. cular Summons requiring the attendance of all the Members.
At a Council held at Philadelphia, Friday the 31st October, 1755, P. M.
PRESENT :
The Honourable ROBERT HUNTER MORRIS, Esquire, Lieu- tenant Governor, &ca.
James Hamilton,
Benjamin Shoemaker,
Robert Strettell, Lynford Lardner, Esquires.
Joseph Turner, Richard Peters,
The Governor acquainted the Council that having issued Writs for the Assembly to meet on Monday he desired to have a full Council,
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and hoped that as they had been made acquainted with the Hostili- ties now are committing by the Indians on the Frontiers of this Province, they would not only mention every thing that occurred to them as proper to be done by him, but likewise advise him in what manner he might best lay the same before the Assembly.
All the Intelligence and Letters lying upon the Table, they were perused by such Members as had not an opportunity of reading them before.
He said he was informed that in his absence a Committee of As- sembly had taken upon them to send a number of Arms and Ammu- nition to several parts of this Province, and as he thought this an infringent on the rights of Government, and that it was his indis- pensable duty to inform himself of everything of this sort that had been or should be done, he appointed Mr. Peters and Mr. Lardner a Committee to enquire into this affair, with directions to learn the exact quantity of Arms and Ammunition that had been sent, where and when and to whose care it was committed, and how and by whom it was to be used, and they were directed to make their report to him to-morrow.
The Governor having desired the attendance of the Chief Jus- tice, together with the Mayor, Recorder, and Alderman of the City of Philada,, they now waited on him, and the Secretary introduced them into Council.
After being seated, the Governor in a very full manner related to them the several accounts he had received of the Hostilities com- mitted by the Indians, & of the Number, Motions, and Designs of the French and Indians; he also mentioned the defenceless state of the Province, the insecurity of navigation, and the dangerous & naked State of the city, and recommended it to them (as no Pro- vision was made to the Legislature for the security of either the City or Province) to exert themselves upon the present Exigency in defence of their country, and as they were the most considerable Inhabitants of the Province, and the best affected to his Majestic's Government, that they would endeavor to infuse into the minds of the people such a spirit as would most effectually dispose them to contribute to the general, as well as their own safety, at this time of imminent Danger; all which they respectfully asssured the Gov- ernor they would do with the utmost Zeal and Diligence.
The Governor mentioned to them that he had been informed they were lately seen in the City a great number of Frenchmen, but that tho' they had of late disappeared yet it is thought they were still in Town, and lay concealed in the Houses of some of the Citi- zens; that he expected from them that they would cause diligent search to be made for them, and to have them apprehended and brought before him, that they might be examined, secured, and sent away.
The Governor said he had one thing more to mention whilst these
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Gentlemen were present, vizt-, that he had as soon as the Intelligence arrived apprized them the neighbouring Governors of it from Newcastle, recommending it to them to be upon their Guard, and to be ready to afford such assistance as the Progress of the Enemies and the safety of the Colonies might require, and would likewise have sent the same to General Shirley, but he postpones his advices to him that he might have the opinion of a full Council whether he should not at the same time, considering how little was to be ex- pected from the Assembly, make a formal Demand of such Detach- ment of his Majestie's Troops as could be spared for the Protection and Security of this Province, and he now desired the opinion of the Council and the Gentlemen present on this matter, and after some Consideration the Governor was unanimously advised to make the Demand.
After Mr. Allen and the others had retired, the Governor desired the Council to be attentive to the information he had communicated about several Frenchmens being seen in Town, & secreted in some of the Citizens' Houses, adding that just as he was setting out to Newcastle, the Sheriff who had been ordered to take up all that were then in Town, bring them before the Council to be examined, & secured them, and acquainted him that the Frenchmen had all suddenly disappeared, and there was not a single man of them to be found, tho' several were seen walking the Streets the day before. He further gave it in Charge to the Council to make it their Busi- ness to enquire whether any of the Merchants of the City, and which of them, were concerned in carrying on a correspondence or Trade with the Islands; and if they should discover any persons concerned, that as they had in virtue of their Office a power to send for and examine all the subjects of the French King & their Abettors together with their Papers, He expected they would not fail to do every thing in their power to discover and put an end to these pernicious & dangerous Negotiations.
The Governor and Council thinking it necessary upon the pre- sent occasion that an account should be taken of all the Arms and Ammunition that were in the City, and that the same might be taken into the Hands of the Government; Ordered, That Mr. Turner and Mr. Lardner be a Committee to enquire what Quantity of Arms & Ammunition there is now in the City, & to make report thereof to the Board, and it is recommended to the Mayor, Recor- der, and Aldermen, to afford the said Gentlemen all possible assist- ance in case they should have reason to apprehend that Arms and Ammunition are concealed in any place or places within this City or Province ; they are hereby ordered and empowered to cause such suspected places to be opened and examined.
Upon the present Exigency of Affairs, as Mr. Weiser is known to be well attached to his Majestie's Government, and to have dis- tinguished himself by raising a large Body of Men to oppose the
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Incursions of the Enemy, and to defend the several parts of the County where he resides that lye most exposed to their Depreda- tions, it was judged proper to give him the Command of the Com- panies that should be raised in that County, and accordingly the Governor executed a Commission, appointing him Colonel of the Forces that were raised & should be raised in that County.
The Governor wrote the following Letter to General Shirley :
A Letter from Governor Morris to General Shirley. " PHILADELPHIA, October 31st, 1755.
" Sir :
" Whilst I was in my Lower Government I received certain ac- counts that our Inhabitants on the West side of Sasquehannah were surprized & murdered, & their Plantations plunder'd and burnt by the French and Indians, and that a large body of these were seen to pass the Allegheny Mountains moving towards this Province.
"On this Intelligence I immediately issued Writts for the As- sembly here to meet on Monday next; and having enacted a Militia Law there, and obtained a Resolve of Assembly for a grant of Two thousand Pounds for his Majesty's use, I hastened to this City where I have this day received further Intelligence from Mr. Wei- ser, the Interpreter of the Province, that there is reason to appre- hend that the French have designs upon Shamokin and are going to seize and fortify it-having, it is said, obtained the consent of the Delaware Indians to do it under the ensnaring pretence of putting them again into possession of their own former Country, and ren- dering them Independant of the Six Nations. Those Indians we know are gone against us, and with the Shawanese, a Nation ever averse to the Six Nations, committed the murders and Devastations in Virginia, and are now in several parties killing our Inhabitants in the Country near Shamokin, with design no doubt to give the French time to build their Fort and to hinder any obstruction from us.
" Shamokin is situate at the meeting of the two Main Branches of Sasquehannah, one of which takes its rise about fifty miles from Fort Du Quesne and interlocks with some of the Branches of the Mississipi and the other heads in the heart of the Six Nation Coun- try near Fort Hunter. Its situation has very many advantages, being in the Latitude of Staten Island, and not more than Sixty miles from Jersey and 120 from this City, and a little below it on this side the Blue Mountains lies one of the finest parts of this Province, where we raise an abundance of Grain & Cattle, which the Enemy may overrun at pleasure, & stock themselves and their Garrison with plenty of Provisions.
"I had two opportunitys of sending the first accounts to the See- retary of State from New Castle by two Vessels then passing by, one for London and the other for Liverpoole; And I informed the neighboring Governments of it, and recommended it to them not
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only to be upon their Guard but to be ready to afford such assist- ance as the progress of the Enemy and the safety of the Colonies may require.
" I deferred sending the Intelligence to you till I came here and could have the opinion and advice of the Council upon this Import- ant Turn of our Affairs, and they have unanimously advised me to apply to You as I now do, that you would be pleased to order such of his Majesty's regular Forces as the present Exigencys of the Province require, and his Majesty's service on the other Colo- nies will permit you to spare.
" That you may be able to form a Judgment of the nature of the intelligence and of the necessity there is of some regular Forces for the preservation of this Colony, I have sent you extracts of the most material parts of the Letters I have received that relate to this matter.
" I shall take all imaginable care that the Troops destined here be well provided with every sort of necessaries and Conveniencies that this Country affords.
" We are in great want of Powder, and as I understand there is a large Quantity in Fort Cumberland, I should be obliged to you to give directions to the commanding officer there to deliver to me or my orders what part thereof you shall think proper, and I will take care that it be distributed where it is most wanted & will do the most service, and whatever remains shall be subject to your order. What makes this more necessary is, that I am told the powder in its present situation is in great danger.
" I am, Sir, Your most obedient and most humble Servant,
" ROBERT H. MORRIS. " Gen1. SHIRLEY."
At a Council held at Philadelphia Sunday, 2nd November, 1755. PRESENT :
The Honourable ROBERT HUNTER MORRIS, Esquire, Lieu- tenant Governor, &ca.
James Hamilton, Joseph Turner, Lynford Lardner,
Robert Strettell, Richard Peters, Esquires.
The Governor mentioned to the Council that as Mr. Till, Mr. Growdon, & Mr. Logan, lived out of town, he found it difficult to get a Council, and therefore proposed to add Three new Members, viz., Benjamin Cohen, Esq'., Attorney General, John Mifflin, Esqr., one of the Aldermen of the City, & Dr. Thomas Cadwallader, if
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they were agreeable to the Council; and all the Members expressing their entire Satisfaction with them they were admitted, qualified, and took their places.
The minutes of the three preceeding Councils were read by the new Members & then the Governor ordered the Secretary to read the following paper of Intelligence which was sent by expresses from Township to Township into all parts of the Western Counties to put them upon their Guard :
"May it please your Honour :
" We have scarce strength to write. We are for ever employed & without Clerks. We have within one hour received Letters from Justice Forster, from Mr. James Galbreath, and John Harris, by several Messengers, with accounts that the people at Auchwick & Juniata are cut off, and among others George Croghan. The date of Mr. Forster's Letter is the 29th Instant, of Mr. Galbreath the thirtieth, but that of Mr. Harris is thro' his confusion not dated.
"We cannot find Clerks; we cannot write ourselves any thing of considerable Length; We must, therefore, depend upon it that we shall be credited without sending Copies, and originals we must keep to convince the unhappily scrupulous of the Truth of our accounts.
"We are all in uproar, all in Disorder, all willing to do, and have little in our power. We have no authority, no commissions, no officers practised in War, and without the commisseration of our Friends in Philadelphia, who think themselves vastly safer than they are. If we are not immediately supported we must not be sacrificed, and therefore are determined to go down with all that will follow us to Philadelphia, & Quarter ourselves on its Inhabitants and wait our Fate with them. We are,
" Your Honour's most Obedient humble Servants, "JOHN POTTS, "CONRAD WEISER, "WM. MANSRIDGE, "JONAS SEELY, "JAMES READ.
" Mr. Bird was obliged to go home or would certainly have signed this.
" Reading, October 31st, 1755, 2 8 o'clock at night."
Then were read several Letters mentioning the receipt of this Intelligence, the defenceless state of the Country, the inconceivable confusion the Inhabitants were put into, and the want of even Arms and Ammunition.
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The following Letters from Mr. Parsons and from Mr. Weiser were delivered to the Governor in Council and read :
A Letter from Mr. William Parsons to the Reverend Mr. Coart. "October 31st, 1755.
" This morning very early between 4 and 5 of the clock Adam Rees, an Inhabitant over the first mountain, about six Miles from Lawrence Houts, who lives on this side the Mountain, came to my house and declared that Yesterday between 11 & 12 of the clock he heard three guns fired towards the plantation of his neighbour Henry Hartman, which made him suspect that something more than ordinary had happened there; Whereupon he took his Gun and went over to Hartman's house, being about a quarter of a Mile, & found him lying dead upon his face on the floor, and his Head was scalped, but saw nobody else. He thereupon made the best of his way thro' the Woods to the Inhabitants on this side of the Mountain to in- form them of what had happened. He further informs me that he had been to Adam Reed, Esqr., and related the whole affair to him, & that Mr. Reed is raising men to go over the Mountain in quest of the Murderers.
"I am your very humble Servant and most hearty friend, . "WM. PARSONS.
" To the reverend Mr. COART and all other Friends.
" Please to forward this to Mr. Weiser."
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A Letter from Mr. Parsons at Stonykiln to Adam Reed, Esqr. " STONYKILN, November 1st, 1755.
" Sir :
"I wrote to you yesterday that I intended to be with you at the unhappy place where Henry Hartman was murdered, but when I was got to the top of the Mountain I met some men who said they had seen two Men lying Dead and scalped in the Shamokin road about two or three Miles from the place we then were; Wherefore we altered our course, being 26 in number, and went to the place and found the two men lying dead about 300 Yards from each other, and all the Skin scalped off their heads. We got a grubbing Hoe and spade from a Settlement about ¿ a Mile from the place and dug a Grave as well as we could, the Ground being very stony, and buried them both in one grave without taking off their Cloaths or examining at all into their wounds, only we saw a Bullet had gone thro' the leg of one of them. I thought it best to bury them to prevent the bodies from being torn to pieces by wild beasts. One of the men had a Daughter with him that is yet missing, and the other man had a Wife & three or four children that are also missing.
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I shall be obliged to return home in a day or two, but hope to see you sometime about Christmass, and to find my unhappy Country somewhat relieved from this distressed Condition. I can't help thinking that it would be well for a good number of the Inhabitants to go next Monday and help to bring the poor people's Grain and Corn to this side. It will help to maintain them, which we must do if they can't maintain themselves, and 'tis very likely those bar- barous Indians will soon set Fire to and burn all if it be not soon secured.
" I am, Sir, Your very humble Servant, "WM. PARSONS.
" ADAM READ, Esq"."
To all his Majestic's subjects in the Province of Pennsylvania or elsewhere :
" Whereas, Andrew Montour, Belt of Wampum, two Mohawks, and other Indians came down this day from (2) Shamokin, who say that the whole Body of Indians, or greatest part of them in the French interest, is actually encamped on this side (b) George Ga- briel's near Sasquehanna, and that we may expect an attack in three days at farthest, and a French Fort to be begun at Shamokin in ten days hence. Tho' this be the Indians report, We, the Sub- soribers, do give it as our advise to repair immediately to the Fron- tiers with all our Forces to intercept their Passage into our Country, and to be prepared in the best manner possible for the worst event, as witness our hands. Paxton, October 31st, 1755, From John Harris' at 12 o'clock at Night.
"JAMES GALBREATH, "JOHN ALLISON, "BARNEY HUGHES, "ROBERT WALLACE, " JOHN HARRIS, "THOMAS HARRIS, "JAMES POLLEK,
" JAMES ANDERSON,
"WILLIAM WORK,
"PATRICK HEANY.
" Before me,
" JAMES GALBREATH.
"P. S .- They positively affirm that the above-named Indians discovered a party of the Enemy at Tho& McKee's upper place on the 30th of October last.
(a) Shamokin is at the Forks of Sasquehannah on the east side.
(b) George Gabriel's below the Forks of Sasquehannah, about 30 Miles of Harris' Ferry, on the West side of the River.
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" Monacatootha, the belt, and other Indians here, insist upon Mr. Weiser's coming immediately here to John Harris' with his Men, and to Council with the Indians."
Mr. Hamilton finding by the Letters received from Lancaster County that matters were in the utmost danger and confusion, pro- posed to go instantly to the Town of Lancaster in order to do all the service in his power, and a Dedimus with Blank military Com- missions by the advice of the Council was given by the Governor to him, empowering him to fill up the Blanks with such persons names as should offer, and were men of known good Characters. A Dedimus was likewise given Mr. Hamilton to qualify such Officers as should be appointed in that part of the Country. Sundry Pe- titions from the most respectable persons in the several Counties of Cumberland, York, Lancas", and Chester, setting forth the dismal Condition of the Inhabitants were read, and sundry Companies were formed & Commissions granted to such as were recommended for Captains, Lieutenants, and Ensigns.
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