USA > Pennsylvania > Franklin County > Chambersburg > Historical sketch of Franklin County, Pennsylvania : prepared for the centennial celebration held at Chambersburg, Penn'a, July 4th, 1876, and subsequently enlarged by I. H. M'Cauley John M. Pomeroy, publisher. To which is added a valuable appendix by J. L. Suesserott, D. M. Kennedy and others, and embellished by over one hundred lithographic illustrations, drawn by W. W. Denslow > Part 8
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Another of these ancient worthies, whom it would be a gross in- justice not to mention in this connection, was the Rev. John Steele. He was called to the charge of the Presbyterian churches of East and West Conococheague, now Greencastle and Mereersburg, about the year 1751 of 1752. He came to our county at a time when the country was greatly disturbed by the incursions of the hostile Indi- ans of the west. Though a man of peace, and engaged in teaching the doctrines of his Divine Master, yet his heart burned within him at the sufferings inflicted upon his parishioners and neighbors, and he speedily organized a company of rangers for their defence, of which he was unanimously elected the captain, and was commis- sioned by the colonial government. After the disastrous defeat of General Braddock in 1755, the Indians again swept over the western and south-western part of our county, murdering and plundering the settlers, and Mr. Steele's congregations were for a time almost broken up and dispersed. Frequent mention is made of Mr. Steele and his men in the history of those troublous times. Rev. D. K. Richardson, in his Centennial Sermon in relation to the Presbyterian church of Greencastle, delivered August 15th, 1876, says: "At one time he was in charge of Fort Allison, located just west of town, near what afterwards became the site of M'Cauley's Mill. The con-
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gregation had assembled in a barn standing on the farm now owned by Adam B. Wingerd, Esq. They brought their arms with them. When Mr. Steele entered the rude pulpit which had been erected, he hung his hat and rifle behind him. The male members of the con- gregation sat listening to the gospel message with their arms at their side. While in the midst of his discourse, some one appeared and quietly called a member of the congregation out, and told him of the murder of a family of the name of Walker, by the Indians, at what is now known as Rankin's Mill. The awful story was soon whispered from one to another. As soon as Mr. Steele discovered what had taken place he brought the serviees to a close, took down his hat and rifle, and, at the head of the members of his congrega- tion, went in pursuit of the murderers."
His "meeting-house," on the West Conococheague, was turned into a fort, was stockaded for defence, and often was the refuge of the neighboring people when the country was invaded by the In- dians. It was afterwards burned by the savages in one of their forays.
About the year 1763 or 1764, Mr. Steele took charge of the Presby- terian congregations of Carlisle and lower Pennsborough, where he spent the remainder of his days. When the revolutionary war broke out the people of this valley responded to the call of their country with zeal and unanimity. Eleven companies were raised in Cumberland county in a few days. Hon. George Chambers, in his tribute to the early Scotch-Irish settlers, says: "The company in the lead in July, 1776, from Carlisle, was that under the command of the Reverend Captain John Steele, pastor of the Presbyterian congregation worshipping in or near Carlisle. In the Indian wars he had acquired military training and experience, which were now at the service of his country against the army of his late, but now rejected, royal master."
One of the most prominent of the military families of our county in those early days was the "Johnstons," of Antrim township. James Johnston, senior, settled about two and one-half miles east of Greencastle, near where Shady Grove now is, about 1735. He died about 1765, leaving a large estate and four sons and several daughters. Colonel James Johnston, the eldest son, was a soldier in the revolu- tion, and commanded a battalion from this county at various points in New Jersey. He died about the year 1814. Colonel Thomas John- ston, the second son, was adjutant of the detachment of troops under General Wayne which was surprised and slaughtered by the British at Paoli, September 20th, 1777. He twice served as colonel in the revolutionary war. He died about the year 1819.
Dr. Robert Johnston, of Antrim township, the third son, was ap- pointed surgeon to Colonel William Irvine's battalion, from this county, on the 16th January, 1776, and served his country in that
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capacity throughout the whole war of the revolution. He was present, as hospital surgeon in the southern department, at the sur- render of the British army under Lord Cornwallis, at Yorktown, Virginia, in October, 1781, and in 1790 was appointed collector of excise for Franklin county. He was also subsequently appointed by President Jefferson, with whom he was very familiar, United States revenue collector for western Pennsylvania. His acquaint- anee with the leading officers and men of the revolution was very large, and many of them were wont to spend much of their time at his hospitable residence, about two and a half miles south of Green- castle. Tradition says that President Washington stopped there and dined with the family when going westward to inspect the Ma- ryland and Virginia troops called out to aid in suppressing the whisky insurrection of 1794. Lieutenant General Winfield Scott was also, in his youthful days, a visitor at "Johnston's," as well as many others of his compatriots, and of the literati of those times.
Robert Johnston made a visit to China about the commencement of the present century, and brought back many rare curiosities from that far distant country. He died about the year 1808.
John Johnston, the youngest son, at the age of twenty years, raised a troop of horse and marched them to Lancaster, but their services not being needed, they returned home. He subsequently removed to Westmoreland county, where he died, about the year 1825
Another of our native-born military men of " ye olden time," and one whose patriotism, zeal and bravery did honor to the place of his nativity, was Brigadier General James Chambers. He was the eldest son of Colonel Benjamin Chambers, the founder of Cham- bersburg, and in June, 1775, marched, as the captain of a company of riflemen raised in Chambersburg and vicinity, to the siege of Boston. The battle of Bunker Hill was fought June 17th, 1775, and . Dr. Egle, in his recent history of Pennsylvania, says: "Within ten days after the news of the battle of Bunker's Hill reached the Pro- vince of Pennsylvania, her first rifle regiment was officered and completed, many of the companies numbering one hundred men. It was commanded by Colonel William Thompson, of Cumberland county, whom Lossing, by mistake, credits to Virginia. The com- panies were severally under the command of Captains James Cham- bers, Robert Cluggage, Michael Doudel, William Hendricks, John Lowden, James Ross, Matthew Smith and George Nagel. The reg- iment, upon its organization, at once marched to the relief of Bos- ton, where they arrived about the last of July. They were the first companies south of the Hudson to arrive in Massachusetts, and naturally excited much attention. They were stout and hardy yoemanry, the flower of Pennsylvania's frontiersmen, and, aceord- ing to Thatcher, "remarkable for the accuracy of their aim." This command became, in January, 1776, the first regiment of the army
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of the United Colonics, commanded by General George Washington." Two companies of this battalion, Captains Smith and Hendricks, were subsequently ordered to accompany General Arnold in his unsuccessful expedition to Quebec. Their term of service was for one year.
This regiment was enlisted under a resolution of Congress, dated June 14th, 1775, authorizing the raising of six companies of expert riflemen in Pennsylvania, ten in Maryland and two in Virginia, to join the army at Boston. Each company to contain one captain, three lieutenants, four sergeants, one corporal, one drummer and sixty-eight privates. The commissions of the officers bear date 25th June, 1775.
The companies rendezvouzed at Reading, where the regiment was organized by the election of Win. Thompson, of Carlisie, colonel, Edward Hand, of Lancaster, lieutenant colonel, and Robert Magaw, of Carlisle, major. It marched at once to Boston by way of Easton, through northern New Jersey, crossing the Hudson river at New Windsor, a few miles north of West Point, and arrived in camp at Cambridge, according to the latest authorities, in the beginning of August, 1775. At this time the regiment had three field officers, nine captains, twenty-seven lieutenants, one adjutant, one quar- termaster, one surgeon, one surgeon's mate, twenty-nine sergeants, thirteen drummers and seven hundred and thirteen rank and file fit for duty.
Captain Chambers' company was the only one in the regiment, so far as I know, that was raised within the bounds of our present county. I therefore was very anxious to get a complete roll of it, believing that our people would be pleased to have a knowledge of the names of the first patriot soldiers who left our county to battle for the independence of the United Colonies: For a long time I searched in vain for this roll, at Harrisburg, at Philadelphia, and at Washington city, and I feared I would not succeed in getting it. But recently the rolls of the regiment were found among the papers of Colonel Hand, of Lancaster county, who succeeded to the com- mand of the regiment upon the capture of Colonel Thompson, and through the kindness of Hon. John B. Linn, Deputy Secretary of the Commonwealth, I am able to give the complete roll of Captain Chambers' company. It is as follows, viz. :
ROLL OF CAPTAIN CHAMBERS' COMPANY.
James Chambers, Captain, James Grier, 1st Lieut.,
Nathan M'Connell, 2d Lieut., Thos. Buchanan, 3d Lieut., David Hay, Sergeant, ₱
Arthur Andrews, Sergeant,
Alex. Crawford, Sergeant,
David Boyd,
John Brandon, Johnson Brooks,
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Historical Sketch of Franklin County.
James Black,
Michael Kelly,
Thomas Beatty,
Thomas Kelly,
David Biddle,
Silas Leonard,
Michael Benker,
David Lukens,
Archibald Brown,
Black Brown,
Thos. Lochry, Patrick Logan,
Jolm Brown,
Nicholas Lowrie,
Wm. Barnett,
John Lynch, John M'Cosh,
Wm. Campbell,
James M'Eleve,
Benj. Carson,
John M'Donald,
Wm. Chestney,
Michael M'Gibson,
John Dermont,
Cornelius M'Giggan,
Joseph Eaton,
Jas. M'Haffey,
John Everly,
John M'Murtrie,
Abijah Fairchild,
Patrick M'Gaw,
James Furmoil,
Thoma , Mason,
John Fidd,
Patrick Neale,
Wm. Gildersleeve,
Wm. Parker,
Richard Henney, Peter Hogan,
Thomas Rogers,
George Houseman,
Nicholas Sawyer,
John Hutchinson,
Joseph Scott,
Thomas Hutchinson,
Jacob Shute,
Charles Irwin,
Moses Skinner,
Francis Jamieson,
Timothy Stiles,
Rob't Joblier,
Patrick Sullivan,
Andrew Johnston,
James Sweeney,
George Justice,
James Symns,
Andrew Kieth,
Thomas Vaughn.
Lewis Kettleng,
On the 26th of August, 1775, Captain Chambers commanded a de- tachment of four hundred men, drawn from the Cumberland county companies, sent out to Prospect Hill and Ploughed Hill, near Bos- ton, to protect a force of about two thousand men who were erect- ing a redoubt upon the latter hill. On the 7th of March, 1776, he was promoted to the lieutenant coloneley of his regiment, vice Lieu- tenant Colonel Hand, appointed Colonel in the place of Colonel Thompson, who had been commissioned a Brigadier General on the first of the month. He was soon after ordered to Long Island, in the vicinity of New York. He was in the battle of Flatbush, on the 22d of August, 1776, and also in that at King's Bridge. In his re- port of the operations at Flatbush he says that "Captain John Steele aeted with great bravery." On the 30th of August, 1776, the Penn- sylvania troops were selected as a corps-de-reserve to cover the rear
David Riddle,
Timothy Campbell,
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of the patriot army in their retreat from Long Island. That body was composed of Colonel Hand's regiment, of which Chambers was Lieutenant Colonel, Colonel Hazens', Colonel Shea's and Colonel Hazlett's regiments. On the 26th of September, 1776, Mr. Chambers was commissioned colonel of his regiment, in place of Colonel Hand, appointed brigadier general. In June, 1777, he was in New Jersey, and was one of the first officers to enter New Brunswick with his command and drive the enemy out. On the 11th of September, 1777, his command was opposed to the Hessians under General Knyphausen at Chadd's Ford and Brandywine, where he was woun- ded in the side, together with two of his captains, Greer and Craig, and Lieutenant Holliday. also of his regiment, was killed. He was also in the battle of Germantown, October 4th, 1777 ; and in that of Monmouth, June 28th, 1778; he led the attack at the battle of Bergen Point, July 20th, 1780, and his regiment was complimented for their bravery by General Wayne, in general orders, on the 23d of the same month. He was at White Plains, West Point and other points, in active service, up to the time of his resignation, in 1781. Having seen more than six years constant service, he needed rest. After his retirement he was three different times appointed to the command of a battalion in his native county. In 1794 he was appointed to the command of the third brigade of the Pennsylvania troops called out to quell the whisky insurrection, and in 1798 was again ap- pointed to a similar command in the Pennsylvania troops called out in anticipation of a war with France.
He was the second Justice of the Peace and Judge of our county courts, appointed September 17th, 1784, and served until the consti- tution of 1790 went into force in 1791. He was also a member of the "Society of the Cincinnati," instituted by the officers of the Ameri- ean army. He died at Loudon Forge, his place of residence, April 25th, 1805, and was buried with military honors in the resting place consecrated by his father, the cemetery of the Falling Spring church at Chambersburg.
I have found it extremely difficult to make up a connected, reliable, or satisfactory history of the military organizations that originated in our county during the revolutionary struggle, or of the officers and men connected with them. Their terms of service, at first, were generally very short, ranging from six months to a year, and the changes in their regimental organizations, because of deaths, desertions, sickness, promotions and expiration of service, were so frequent that it has been impossible, with my limited sources of in- formation, to trace the history of any particular company or regi- ment for any great length of time, in a satisfactory manner. It would be foreign to my purpose to notice the whole early military operations of the Province of Pennsylvania, and yet it is necessary that I shall briefly refer to some part of them in order to understand
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that which I wish to elucidate, to wit: the carly military history of that section of country now forming Franklin county.
The first battalion, or regiment, that went out of Cumberland county was formed in June, 1775, as already stated, and was com- manded by Colonel William Thompson, of Carlisle. Colonel Thompson was born in Ireland, emigrated to America and settled near Carlisle, and there followed his profession of a surveyor. Prior to the revolution he served in the war between England and France, and in the Indian wars. He was a commissioned officer in the In- dian expedition that destroyed Kittanning in 1756, and was captain of a troop of light horse in 1758. In 1774 he commanded a company of rangers in Westmoreland county. He was commissioned colonel of the first battalion of Pennsylvania militia 25th June, 1775, and brigadier general March 1st, 1776. As has been heretofore stated, his regiment reached the patriot camp at Cambridge, near Boston, August 18th, 1775. Thatcher, in his military journal, says of these men : "Several companies of riflemen, amounting, it is said, to more than fourteen hundred men, have arrived here from Pennsyl- vania and Maryland, a distance of from five hundred to seven hun- dred miles. They are remarkably stout and hardy men, many of them exceeding six feet in height. They are dressed in white frocks or rifle shirts, and round hats. These men are remarkable for the accuracy of their aim, striking a mark with great certainty at two hundred yards distance. At a review a company of them, while on a quick advance, fired their balls into objects of seven inches diameter, at a distance of two hundred and fifty yards. They are now stationed on our out lines, and their shot have frequently proved fatal to British officers and soldiers who exposed themselves to view, even at more than double the distance of a common mus- ket shot." General Thompson was ordered to Canada in April, 1776. and was captured by the British at "Three Rivers" on the 4th of July of that year. He was paroled and allowed to return to his family in 1777, but was not regularly exchanged until the 25th of October, 1780.
Sir Henry Clinton, the commander-in-chief of the British forces, then released General Thompson, Colonel Magaw and Lieutenant Laurens, prisoners in his possession, in exchange for Major General De Reidesel, of the Brunswick troops, a prisoner in our possession. He died on his farm near Carlisle, September 3d, 1781, aged forty- five years, and was buried in the grave-yard at Carlisle.
Robert Magaw, of Carlisle, was major of this battalion, his brother 1 Win. Magaw, of Mercersburg, surgeon, and Rev. Samuel Blair chaplain.
As everything connected with the history of this regiment, the first that left the Cumberland Valley, must undoubtedly be of great interest to our people, I here insert an article from the pen of Hon.
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Historical Sketch of Franklin County.
John B. Linn, Deputy Secretary of the Commonwealth, published in the "Philadelphia Weekly Times" of the 14th of April, 1877.
THE FLAG OF THE FIRST PENNSYLVANIA REGIMENT -- 1775-1783.
"The Historical Society of Pennsylvania has in its temporary pos- session a very interesting relie of the revolution. Itis the standard of the First Pennsylvania Rifle Battalion, Colonel Wm. Thompson, of Carlisle, which was raised upon the reception of the news of the battle of Bunker Hill, and entered the trenches in front of Boston on the 8th of August, 1775. It was in all the skirmishes in front of Boston, and before the British evacuated that city it was ordered to New York to repel their landing there. Colonel Thomp- son was promoted brigadier on the 1st of March, 1776, and Lieuten- ant Colonel Hand, of Lancaster, succeeded him. The term of the battalion expired on the 30th of June, 1776, but officers and men in large numbers re-enlisted for three years or during the war, under Colonel Hand, and the battalion became the First Regiment of the Continental line. It was at Long Island, White Plains, Trenton and Princeton, under Hand. On the 1st of April, 1777, Hand was promoted brigadier, and Lieutenant Colonel James Chambers, of Chambersburg, became Colonel. Under him the regiment fought at Brandywine, Germantown, Monmouth and in every other battleand skirmish of the main army until he retired the service, January 1st, 1781.
Colonel Chambers was succeeded by Colonel Daniel Broadhead, and on the 26th of May, 1781, the First regiment left York, Pa., with five others, into which the line was consolidated, under the com- mand of General Wayne, joined Lafayette at Raccoon Ford on the Rappahannock on the 10th of June; fought at Green Springs on the 6th of July ; opened the second parallel at Yorktown, which General Steuben, in his division orders of 21st of October, says "he considers as the most important part of the siege." After the sur- render the regiment went southward with Wayne, fought the last battle of the war at Sharon, Georgia, May 24, 1782, entered Savannah in triumph on the 11th of July, Charleston on the 14th of December, 1782 ; was in camp on James Island, South Carolina, on the 11th of May, 1783, and only when the news of the cessation of hostilities renched that point was embarked for Philadelphia. In its services it traversed every one of the original thirteen States of the Union ; for while in front of Boston, October 30th, 1775, Captain Parr was ordered with a detachment of this battalion up to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, to defend that point. I noticed this standard on exhibition at the Museum during the Centennial, but supposed it "the banner with a strange device" of some revolutionary militia battalion. I identified it the other day at the rooms of the Histori-
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Historical Sketch of Franklin County.
cal Society from a description contained in a letter from Lieutenant Colonel Hand to Jasper Yeates, in possession of General Hand's granddaughter, Mrs. S. B. Rogers, of Lancaster. It is dated :
"PROSPECT HILL, 8 March, 1776. - I am stationed at Cobble Hill with four companies of our regiment. Two companies, Cluggage's and Chambers' were ordered to Dorchester on Monday ; Ross' and Lowdon's relieved them yesterday. Every regiment is to have a standard and colors. Our standard is to be a deep green ground, the device a tiger partly enclosed by toi!s, attempting the pass defended by a hunter armed with a spear, in white on crimson field; the motto 'Domari Nolo.' "
The present owner of the standard, I am told, is Thomas Robin- son, Esq., grandson of Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Robinson. The latter, it appears by our records, entered the service January 5, 1776, as captain in Colonel Wayne's Fourth Pennsylvania (one year) battalion, served the campaign in Canada and was promoted June 7, 1777, lieutenant colonel of the First Pennsylvania Continental Line. He served until the close of the war and was mustered ont of service in 1783 as lieutenant colonel of the Second Pennsylvania. . He became custodian of the standard, because Colonel Broadhead did not accompany the regiment South and Colonel Robinson was in actual command when the war closed.
Harrisburg, April 6th, 1877. JOHN B. LINN."
In the early part of December, 1775, the second Pennsylvania bat- talion was formed. It was first under the command of Colonel John Bull, and subsequently under that of Colonel John Philip De Haas.
In the latter part of the year Congress called for four more battal- ions, which were fully organized in January and February, 1776. They were commanded as follows :
The second by Colonel Arthur St. Clair.
The third by Colonel John Shee.
The fourth by Colonel Anthony Wayne.
The fifth by Colonel Robert Magaw.
The sixth by Colonel William Irvine.
With the regiments of Colonels St. Clair, Shee and Wayne, the people of this valley had no connection. They were raised in other sections of the State.
Colonel Magaw's regiment was made up of companies from what is now Cumberland county, and from adjoining counties. There were none from the territory now embraced in our county, that I have been able to hear of. Colonel Magaw and his whole command were captured by the British at Fort Washington, Long Island, on the 16th of November, 1776, and was paroled, but not exchanged until the 25th of October, 1780. He died at Carlisle January 7th, 1790.
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Historical Sketch of Franklin County.
Colonel William Irvine was born at Fermagh, Ireland, on the 3d of November, 1741. He was educated at the University of Dub- lin, studied medicine and was a surgeon in the British navy, in 1754. In 1763 he settled at Carlisle in the pursuit of his profession. He was a delegate from Cumberland county in the Provincial Confer- ence which met at Philadelphia on the 15th of July, 1774, and recom- mended a general congress of the Colonies. On the 9th of January, 1776, he was appointed colonel of the sixth regiment of Pennsyl- vania troops. On the 8th of June, 1776, he was captured at the bat- tle of "Three Rivers," Canada. On the 3d of Angust, 1776, he was released on parole, but was not exchanged until the 6th of May, 1778. The same year he was appointed Colonel of the second Penn- sylvania regiment. May 12th, 1779, was appointed a brigadier gen- eral and served under General Wayne during that and the following year. In 1781 he was stationed at Fort Pitt, in command of the north-western frontier. In 1784 he was a member of the Council of Censors. In 1785 he was the agent of the State looking after her public lands, and recommended the purchase of the "Triangle," thus giving Pennsylvania an outlet upon Lake Erie. In 1786-'88 he was a member of Congress, and of the State Constitutional Convention in 1790. In 1794 Governor Mifflin appointed him and Chief Justice M'Kean, commissioners to reason with the leaders of the whisky insurrection. He also served in Congress from 1793 to 1795; was president of the "Pennsylvania Society of the Cincinnati," and died at Philadelphia on the 29th of July, 1804.
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