USA > Pennsylvania > Early history of western Pennsylvania, and of the West, and of western expeditions and campaigns, from MDCCLIV to MDCCCXXXIII > Part 14
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It then became us to make the best use of the remaining moonlight; but ere we were aware, an Indian whistled in a very singular manner, about thirty perches from our front, in the foot of a corn-field ;- upon which we immediately sat down, and after passing silence to the rear, I asked one Baker, a soldier, who was our best assistant, whether that was not a signal to the warriors, of our approach. He answered, No ; and said it was the manner of a young fellow's calling a squaw, after he
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had done his dance, who, accordingly kindled a fire, cleaned his gun and shot it off, before he went to sleep.
All this time, we were obliged to lay quiet and hush, till the moon was faintly set, Immediately after, a number of fires appeared in dif- ferent parts of the corn-field, by which, Baker said, the Indians lay, the night being warm, and that these fires would immediately be out, as they were only designed to disperse the gnats.
By this time it was break of day, and the men having marched thirty miles, were mostly asleep; the line being long, the three companies of the rear were not yet brought over the last precipice. For these, some proper hands were immediately dispatched, and the weary soldiers being roused to their feet, a proper number under sundry officers were ordered to take the end of the hill, at which we then lay, and march along the top of the said hill, at least one hundred perches, and so much farther, it then being daylight, as would carry them opposite the upper part, or at least the body of the town, for the lower part thereof, and the corn- field ; presuming the warriors were there, I kept rather the larger num- ber of the men, promising to postpone the attack in that part, for eigh- teen or twenty minutes, until the detachment along the hill should have time to advance to the place assigned them. In doing of which, they were a little unfortunate.
The time being elapsed, the attack was begun in the cornfield, and the men with all expedition possible, dispatched through the several parts thereof. A party being also dispatched to the houses which were then discovered by the light of the day. Captain Jacobs immediately then gave the war-whoop, and with sundry other Indians, as the English prisoners afterwards told us, cried, "The white men were at last come, they would then have scalps enough ;" but at the same time ordered their squaws and children to flee to the woods.
Our men, with great earnestness, passed through and fired in the corn- field, where they had several returns from the enemy, as they also had from the opposite side of the river. Presently after, a brisk fire began among the houses, which from the house of Captain Jacobs, was returned with a great deal of resolution ; to which place I immediately repaired, and found that from the advantages from the house and port holes, sun- dry of our people were wounded, and some killed ; and finding that re- turning the fire upon the house was ineffectual, ordered the contiguous houses to be set on fire, which was performed with a great deal of ac- tivity-the Indians always firing whenever an object presented itself, and seldom missed of wounding or killing some of our people ; from
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which house, in moving about and giving the necessary directions, I re- ceived a wound with a large musket ball, in the shoulder. Sundry per- sons during the action, were ordered to tell the Indians to surrender themselves prisoners, but one of the Indians in particular, answered and said, " He was a man, and would not be a prisoner. Upon which he was told, in Indian, he would be burnt. To this he answered, he did not care, for he would kill four or five before he did; and had we not desisted from exposing ourselves, they would have killed a great many more-they having a number of loaded guns there. As the fire began to approach, and the smoke grow thick, one of the Indian fellows, to show his manhood, began to sing. A squaw in the same house, and at the same time, was heard to cry and make a noise, but for so doing, was severely rebuked by the men ; but by and by, the fire being too hot for them, two Indian fellows and a squaw sprung out and made for the corn- field, who were immediately shot down by our people ; then surround- ing the houses, it was thought Captain Jacobs tumbled himself out at the garret or cock-loft window, at which he was shot-our prisoners offering to be qualified to the powder horn and pouch there taken off him, which they say he had lately got from a French officer in exchange for Lieutenant Armstrong's boots, which he carried from Fort Granville, where the Lieutenant was killed. The same prisoners say they are perfectly assured of his scalp, as no other Indians there wore their hair in the same manner. They also say they know his squaw's scalp by a particular bob ; and also know the scalp of a young Indian called the King's son. Before this time, Captain Hugh Mercer, who early in the action was wounded in the arm, had been taken to the top of the hill above the town, to where a number of the men and some of the officers were gathered, ; from whence they had discovered some Indians cross the river and taken the hill, with an intention, they thought, to surround us and cut us and our retreat off, from whom I had sundry pressing messages to leave the house and retreat to the hill, or we should all be cut off; but to this, I could by no means consent, until all the houses were set on fire ; though our spreading upon the hill appeared very ne- cessary, yet did it prevent our researches of the cornfield and river side, by which means sundry scalps were left behind, and doubtless some squaws, children, and English prisoners, that otherwise might have been got.
During the burning of the houses, which were nearly thirty in num- ber, we were agreeably entertained with a quick succession of charged guns gradually firing off, as they were reached by the fire ; but more so
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with the vast explosion of sundry bags and large kegs of gunpowder, wherewith almost every house abounded. The prisoners afterwards informing, that the Indians had frequently said, they had a sufficient stock of ammunition for ten years to war with the English. With the roof of Capt. Jacob's house, where the powder blew up, was thrown the leg and thigh of an Indian, with a child of three or four years old, such a height that they appeared as nothing, and fell into the adjacent corn field.
There was also a great quantity of goods burnt, which the Indians had received but ten days before from the French.
By this time, I had proceeded to the hill, to have my wound tied up, and the blood stopped, where the prisoners, who in the morning had come to our people informed me that, that very day two Batteaux of French men, with a large party of Delawares and French Indians were to join Capt. Jacobs, at Kittanning, and to set out early next morning to take Fort Shirley, or as they called it George Croghan's Fort, and that twenty four warriors, who had lately come to town, were sent out be- fore them the evening before for what purpose they did not know, whether to prepare meat, to spy the fort, or to make an attack upon some of our back inhabitants.
Soon after, upon a little reflection, we were convinced these warriors were all at the fire, we had discovered, but the night before, and began to doubt the fate of Lieut. Hogg and his party. From this intelligence of the prisoners, our provisions being scaffolded some thirty miles back, except what were in the men's haversacks which were left with the horses and blankets with Lieut. Hogg and his party, and a number of wounded people then on hand, by the advice of the officers it was thought imprudent then to wait for the cutting down of the corn field. (which was before designed) but immediately to collect our wounded and force our march back, in the best manner we could, which we did by collecting a few Indian horses to carry off our wounded.
From the apprehension of being waylaid and surrounded, (especially by some of the woodsmen) it was difficult to keep the men together ; our march for sundry miles, not exceeding two miles an hour-which apprehensions were heightened by the attempt of a few Indians, who, for sometime after the march, fired upon each wing, and immediately ran off, from whom we received no other damage but one of our men being wounded through both legs. Capt. Mercer being wounded was induced, as we have reason to believe, by some of his men, to leave the main body with his Ensign, John Scott, and ten or twelve men, they
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being heard tell him that we were in great danger, and that they could take him into the road a nigh way, is probably lost, there being yet no account of him, and most of the men have come in. A detachment was sent back to bring him in, but could not find him ; and upon the return of the detachment, it was generally reported he was seen with the above number of men, take a different road.
Upon our return to the place where the Indian fire had been discov- ered the night before, we met with a sergeant of Capt. Mercer's com- pany, and two or three others of his men, who had deserted us that morning immediately after the action at the Kittanning. These men on running away, had met Lieut. Hogg, who lay wounded in two different parts of his body, by the road side. He there told them of the fatal mistake of the pilot, who had assured us there were but three Indians at the most at the fire place, but when he came to attack them that morn- ing, according to orders, he found a number considerably superior to his, and believes they killed or mortally wounded three of them at the first fire. After which a warm engagement began, and continued for about an hour, when three of his best men were killed, and himself twice wounded, the residue fleeing off-he was obliged to squat in a thicket, where he might have lain securely until the main body had come up, if this cowardly sergeant, and others that fled with him, had not taken him away.
They had marched but a short space when four Indians appeared, on which these deserters began to flee. The Lieut. then, notwithstanding his wounds, as a brave soldier, urging and commanding them to stand and fight, which they all refused. The Indians pursued, killing one man, and wounding the Lieuteant a third time in the belly, of which he died in a few hours ; but he having some time before been put on horse- back, rode some miles from the place of action ; but this last attack of the Indians upon Lieut. Hogg and the deserters, was by the before mentioned sergeant represented to us quite in a different light: he telling us that there were a far larger number of the Indians there than appeared to them, and that he and the men had fought five rounds. That he had there seen the Lieutenant and sundry others killed and scalped, and had also discovered a number of Indians throwing themselves before us, and insinuated a great deal of such stuff as threw us into much confusion. So that the officers had a great deal to do to keep the men together, but could not prevail with them to collect what horses and other baggage the Indians had left, after their conquest of Lieut. Hogg and the party under his command in the morning, except a few of the horses, which
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some of the bravest of the men were prevailed on to collect. So that from the mistake of the pilot who spied the Indians at the fire, and the cowardice of the said sergeant, and other deserters, we have sustained a considerable loss of our horses and baggage.
It is impossible to ascertain the exact number of the enemy killed in the action, as some were destroyed by fire, and others in different parts of the cornfield ; but upon a moderate computation, it is generally be- lieved there cannot be less than thirty or forty killed and mortally woun- ded, as much blood was found in sundry parts of the corn field, and Indians seen in several places crawl into the woods on hands and feet, whom the soldiers, in pursuit of others, then overlooked, expecting to find and scalp them afterwards, and also several killed and wounded in crossing the river.
On beginning our march back, we had about a dozen of scalps, and eleven English prisoners, but now find that four or five of the scalps are missing ; part of which were lost on the road and part in possession of the men with Capt. Mercer, separated from the main body, with whom also went four prisoners; the other seven being now at this place, where we arrived on Sunday night, not being attacked through our whole march by the enemy, though we expected it every day .- Upon the whole, had our pilots understood the situation of the town, and the paths leading to it, so as to have posted us at a convenient place, where the disposition of the men and the duty assigned them could have been performed with greater advantage, we had, by Divine assistance, destroyed a much greater number of the enemy, recovered more prison- ers and sustained less damage, than what we at present have. But the advantage gained over these, our common enemies, is far from being satisfactory to us, yet must we not despise tne smallest degree of suc- cess that God is pleased to give, especially at a time when the attempts of our enemies have been so prevalent and successful. I am sure there was the greatest inclination to do more, had it been in our power, as the officers and most of the soldiers, throughout the whole action, exerted themselves with as much activity and resolution as could possibly be expected.
Our prisoners inform us the Indians have for some time past talked of fortifying at the Kittanning and other towns. That the number of French at Fort Du Quesne is about four hundred. That the principal part of their provisions came up the river, from the Mississippi ; and that in the three other forts, which the French have on the Ohio, there are not more men, taken together, than what there are at Fort Du Quesne.
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I hope as soon as possible to receive your Honor's instructions with regard to the distribution or stationing of the sundry companies in this battalion ; and as a number of men are now wanting in each of the companies, whether or no they should be immediately recruited, and if the sundry officers are to recruit, that money be speedily sent for that purpose.
I beg the favor of your Honor, as soon as possible to furnish Gover- nor Morris with a copy of this letter, and the gentlemen commissioners for the Province another, as my present indisposition neither admits me to write, or dictate any more at this time.
In case a quantity of ammunition is not already sent to Carlisle, it should be sent as soon as possible ; and also, if the companies are to be recruited and completed, there must be an immediate supply of about three hundred blankets, as there have been a great many lost in the pre- sent expedition. Enclosed is a list of the killed, wounded and missing of the several companies. I expect to get to Carlisle in about four days.
Yours, &c., JOHN ARMSTRONG. To Hon. W. DENNY.
A list of the names of persons killed, wounded and missing, out of the several companies employed in the late expedition against Kittanning :- Of Lieut. Col. John Armstrong's Company-Thomas Power, and John McCormick, killed ; Lieut. Col. Armstrong, James Carruthers, James Strickland, and Thomas Foster, wounded. Of Captain Hamilton's Com- pany-John Kelly, killed. Of Captain Mercer's Company-John Ba- ker, John McCartney, Patrick Mullen, Cornelius McGinnes, Theophilus Thompson, Dennis Kilpatrick and Bryan Carrigan, killed ; Richard Fitzgibbens, wounded; Captain Hugh Mercer,(1) Ensign John Scott, Emanuel Minshey, John Taylor, John -, Francis Phillips, Robert Morrow, Thomas Burk, and Philip Pendergrass, missing. Of Captain Armstrong's Company-Lieut. James Hogg, James Anderson, Hold- craft Stringer, Edward O'Brians, James Higgins, John Lasson, killed ; William Findley, Robert Robinson, John Ferral, Thomas Camplin, Charles O'Neal, wounded ; John Lewis, William Hunter, William Ba- ker, George Appleby, Anthony Grissy, Thomas Swan, missing. Of Captain Ward's Company-William Welsh, killed ; Ephraim Bratton, wounded ; Patrick Myers, Lawrence Donnahow and Samuel Chambers, missing. Of Captain Potter's Company-Ensign James Potter, and
(1) Believed to be General Mercer, of the United States Army, who died near Princeton, January 12, 1777 .- Haz. Reg. I., 366.
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Andrew Douglass, wounded. Of the Rev. Captain Steel's(1) Company -Terrence Cannaberry, missing. Total : killed, seventeen ; wounded, thirteen ; missing, nineteen.
A list of English prisoners retaken from the Indians at Kittanning .- Ann McCord, wife of John McCord, taken at McCord's Fort in Cono- gocheague ; Martha Thorn, about seven years old, taken at the same place ; Barbara Hicks, taken at Conollaways ; Catherine Smith, a Ger- man child, taken near Shamokin ; Margaret Hood, taken near the mouth of Conogocheague, in Maryland ; Thomas Girty, taken at Fort Granville; Sarah Kelly, taken near Winchester, in Virginia ; besides one woman and a boy, and two little girls, who, with Captain Mercer and Ensign Scott, separated from the main body, as we began our march from Kit- tanning, who are not yet come in.
For the signal success of Colonel John Armstrong, in reducing Kit- tanning, the Corporation of the City of Philadelphia, voted him and his gallant officers their thanks, and conferred upon them other favors, as may be seen from the following extracts, from the minutes of the Com- mon Council :
October 5, 1756-It being proposed that this Board should give some public testimony of their regard and esteem for Col. John Armstrong and the other officers concerned in the late expedition against the In- dians at Kittanning, and the courage and conduct shown by them on that occasion, and also contribute to the relief of the widows and children of those who lost their lives in that expedition. Resolved, That this board will give the sum of one hundred and fifty pounds out of their stock in the Treasurer's hands, to be paid out in pieces of plate, swords, or other things suitable for presents to the said officers and towards the relief of the said widows and children.
(1) During the French and Indian wars, the times were such, in the Penn- sylvania, especially along the Frontier settlements, that the services of all who could shoulder a gun, or handle a defensive weapon, were demanded. Clergymen of several denominations had accepted of commissions, while others, from their pulpits, animated the people to manfully resist the hostile foe. The Rev'd Steel, of Cumberland, the Rev'd Elder, of Lancaster (now Dauphin), the Rev'd John Conrad Bucher, grandfather of Judge Bucher, of Harrisburg ;- the first-named was a captain, and two last colonels; during this war, Rev'd Richard Peters, of Philadelphia, and Rev'd Barton, of York county, Episcopal Clergymen, werealike active in the service of their country. The Rev'd Peters, writing from Philadelphia, May 3d, 1758, to Mr. Steven- son, of York, says : " The Ministers should be desired, in different and proper parts of the country, and at proper distances, as their congregations may be seated, to appoint meetings, and animate the people to raise levees with all possible dispatch." Stevenson, in answer to Mr. Peters, writes, York, May 21st : " The Rev'd Craddock gave me the pleasure of a visit, and preached an excellent war sermon from Lishy's pulpit, on Friday last, in the hearing of the Rev'd Barton, Bay and Lishy ; he went with Mr. Barton yesterday ; and is to deliver another sermon to the same purpose to-day, from Mr. Barton's pulpit." 9
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The following is a description of the medal sent to Col. Armstrong : Occasion. In honor of the late Colonel Armstrong of Carlisle, Penn- sylvania, for destroying Kittanning Indian towns.
Device. An officer followed by two soldiers : the officer pointing to a soldier shooting from behind a tree, and an Indian prostrate before him. In the back ground, Indian houses are seen in flames.
Legend. Kittanning destroyed by Colonel Armstrong, September, 1758.
Reverse. Device-The arms of the Corporation of Philadelphia. These consisted of four devices ; on the right hand a ship under full sail : on the left, a pair of scales, equally balanced in the right, above the ship, a wheat sheaf : in the left, two hands locked ..
Legend. The gift of the Corporation of the City of Philadelphia.
To COLONEL JOHN ARMSTRONG. SIR :- The corporation of the city of Philadelphia greatly approve of your conduct and public spirit in th late expedition against the town of Kittanning, and are highly pleased with the signal proofs of courage and personal bravery given by you, and the officers under your command, in demolishing of that place. I am therefore ordered to return you and them the thanks of the board for the eminent service you have thereby done your country. I am also ordered by the corporation to present you, out of their small public stock, with a piece of plate and silver medal, and each of your officers with a medal and a small sum of money to be disposed of in the manner most agree- able to them ; which the board desire you will accept as a testimony of the regard they have for your merit. Signed by order,
January 5, 1757.
ATTWOOD SHUTE, Mayor.
To the Mayor, Recorder, Aldermen, and Common Council of the Cor- poration of the City of Philadelphia.
Gentlemen-Your favor of the 5th instant, together with the medals and other genteel presents made to the officers of my battallion by the Corporation of the city of Philadelphia, I had the pleasure to receive by Capt. George Armstrong.
The officers employed in the Kittanning expedition, have been made acquainted with the distinguished honor you have done them, and desire to join with me in acknowledging it in the most public manner. The kind acceptance of our past services by the Corporation, gives us the highest pleasure and furnishes a fresh motive for exerting ourselves on every future occasion for the benefit of his Majesty's service in general,
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and in defence of this province in particular. In behalf of the officers of my battallion, I have the honor to be, gentlemen,
Your most obedient and obliged humble servant,
Carlisle, January 24, 1757. JOHN ARMSTRONG.
The destruction of this town and its inhabitants, was a severe stroke on the Indians. This was the first attempt to assail them in their own towns, and they had hitherto fancied themselves perfectly secure from the approach of the inhabitants on this side of the mountains. Though goaded on by the French, and impelled by a thirst of vengeance to reta- liate the fatal blow inflicted upon their "flesh and blood," they would not venture, for some time, to leave their wigwams en masse to assault the frontier settlements, lest they might again meet with a signal over- throw. Such of them as belonged to Kittanning and had escaped the carnage, refused to settle again on the east of Fort Du Quesne, and very wisely resolved to place that fortress and the French garrison between them and the English.(1)
CHAPTER VII.
THE DESPONDENCY OF THE COLONIES IN THE BEGINNING OF 1758-THE CHANGE IN THE BRITISH MINISTRY, AND THE APPOINTMENT OF WILLIAM PITT AS PRIME MINISTER-HIS CHARACTER, ENERGY AND WISDOM, IN THE DEFENCE OF THE COLONIES-THE ZEAL OF PENNSYLVANIA TO AID THE MINISTER- THE ASSEMBLING OF 50,000 MEN IN AMERICA-THE PLAN OF THE CAMPAIGN- THE ARRIVAL OF GENERAL FORBES, AT PHILADELPHIA, AT THE HEAD OF 1,200 ROYAL TROOPS, TO CO-OPERATE WITH 6,000 PROVINCIALS IN AN EXPEDITION AGAINST FORT DUQUESNE-THE ASSEMBLING OF THE PROVINCIALS AT BED- FORD AND FORT CUMBERLAND-THE PROGRESS OF GEN. FORBES TO LOYAL- HANNA-MAJOR GRANT'S URFORTUNATE ATTEMPT UPON FORT DUQUESNE- THE ATTACK OF THE FRENCH UPON COL. BOUQUET, AT LOYALHANNA, AND THEIR DEFEAT- THE EVACUATION OF THE FORT, AT THE APPROACH OF GEN. FORBES-THE GLORIOUS TERMINATION OF THE CAMPAIGN.
At the close of the campaign of 1757, great despondency and gloom hung over the prospects of the English in America. During the years 1755, 1756, and 1757, a series of defeats had followed in succession, until despondency had seized upon the public mind. (2) By the cap- ture of Fort William Henry, on Lake George, by the Marquis de Mont- calm, the French obtained complete possession of the best passage from Canada into the British provinces, through Lake Champlain. By the
(1) Gordon's His. Pa., 345.
(2) Lord Chesterfield, at this time exclaimed-" I never saw so dreadful a time."
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destruction of Oswego they had the control of the Great Lakes ; and by their possession of Fort Du Quesne, they maintained their ascendancy over the Western Indians, and held control of all the country west of the Allegheny mountains. (1)
At length the creation of a new ministry in England, at the head of which was placed WILLIAM PITT, afterwards the Earl of Chatham, produced an immediate change in the aspect of affairs. Public confi- dence revived, and the nation seemed inspired with new life and vigor.
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