History of Bedford, Somerset, Fulton counties Pennsylvania, Part 5

Author: Waterman, Watkins & Co.
Publication date: 1884
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 967

USA > Pennsylvania > Bedford County > History of Bedford, Somerset, Fulton counties Pennsylvania > Part 5
USA > Pennsylvania > Fulton County > History of Bedford, Somerset, Fulton counties Pennsylvania > Part 5
USA > Pennsylvania > Somerset County > History of Bedford, Somerset, Fulton counties Pennsylvania > Part 5

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

The French force, which was marching in pursuit of Washington, consisted of five hun- dred Frenchmen and about four hundred In- dians, under the command of M. Coulon de Villiers, a half-brother of the slain M. de Jumonville. It had ascended the Monongahela from Fort Du Quesne to the mouth of Red- stone creek in periaguas (large canoes), the Indians meanwhile scouting on either bank of the stream, thence up the valley of Redstone

creek. Referring to De Villiers' journal, he says, under date of July 2: " After having marched some time we stopped, for I was re- solved to proceed no farther until I had positive news; wherefore I sent scouts upon the road. In the meanwhile came some of the Indians to me whom we had left at the Hangard ; they had taken a prisoner who called himself a de- serter. I examined him, and threatened him with the rope if he offered to impose on me. I learned that the English had left their post [at Gist's] in order to rejoin their fort, and that they had taken back their cannon. Some of our people finding that the English had abandoned the camp, we went thereto, and I sent some men to search it throughout. They found several tools and other utensils hidden in many places, which I ordered them to carry away. As it was late, I ordered the detachment to encamp there. We had rain all night."

Soon after sunrise of the 3d the advance scouts of the French appeared before the fort and wounded one of the pickets. Being fully apprised of the enemy's approach, Washington formed his forces in line outside the defenses, and there awaited his pursuers. Finally, at a little before noon, the French appeared in the edge of the woods toward the northwest, and began firing at long range but doing no execution. Finding that the enemy manifested no disposi- tion to make a general attack, Col. Washington withdrew his men within the defenses, the Carolinians occupying the rifle-pit trenches be hind the low log parapet which formed the outer line (though they were afterward driven out, not by the enemy's fire, but by the torrents of rain that filled the trenches in which they were posted).

The battle continued through the remainder of the day. Sparks' account of it is as follows : "At eleven o'clock they [the French] approached the fort and began to fire, at the distance of six hundred yards, but without effect. Col. Wash- ington had drawn up his men on the open and level ground outside of the trenches, waiting for the attack, which he presumed would be made as soon as the enemy's forces emerged from the woods, and he ordered his men to reserve their fire till they should be near enough to do execu- tion. The distant firing was supposed to be a stratagem to draw Washington's men into the woods, and thus take them at a disadvan- tage. He suspected the design and maintained

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THE FRENCH OCCUPATION-WASHINGTON'S CAMPAIGN.

his post till he found the French did not in- cline to leave the woods and attack the fort by an assault, as he supposed they would, consider- ing their superiority of numbers. He then drew his men back within the trenches, and gave them orders to fire according to their dis- cretion, as suitable opportunities might present themselves. The French and Indians remained on the side of the rising ground which was nearest to the fort, and, sheltered by the trees, kept up a brisk fire of musketry, but never ap- peared in the open plain below.

"The rain fell heavily through the day, the trenches were filled with water, and many of the arms of Col. Washington's men were out of order and used with difficulty. In this way the battle continued from eleven o'clock in the morning till eight at night, when the French called and requested a parley. Suspecting this to be a feint to procure the admission of an officer into the fort that he might discover their condition, Col. Washington at first declined listening to the proposal ; but when the call was repeated, with the additional request that an officer might be sent to them, engaging at the same time their parole for his safety, he sent out Capt. Van Braam, the only person under his command that could speak French except the Chevalier de Peyrouny, an ensign in the Vir- ginia regiment, who was dangerously wounded and disabled from rendering any service on the occasion. Van Braam returned and brought with him from M. de Villiers, the French com- mander, proposed articles of capitulation. These he read and pretended to interpret, and some changes having been made by mutual agree- ment, both parties signed them about midnight."

The articles of capitulation were written in French. A translation reads as follows :

"Article 1. We grant leave to the English commander to retire with all his garrison, and to return peaceably into his own country, and promise to hinder his receiving any insult from us French, and to restrain, as much as shall be in our power, the Indians that are with us.

" Article 2. It shall be permitted him to go out and carry with him all that belongs to them except the artillery, which we reserve.

"Article 3. That we will allow them the honors of war-that they march out with drums beating and one swivel gun ; being will- ing thereby to convince them that we treat them as friends.

" Article 4. That as soon as the articles are signed by both parties the English colors shall be struck.

" Article 5. That tomorrow, at break of day, a detachment of French shall go and make the garrison file off, and take possession of the fort. " Article 6. As the English have but few oxen or horses left they are at liberty to hide their effects and to come again and search for them when they have a number of horses suffi- cient to carry them off, and that for this end they may have what guards they please on con- dition that they give their word of honor to work no more on any buildings in this place, or any part on this side of the mountains.

" Article 7. And as the English have in their power one officer, two cadets and most of the prisoners made at the assassination of M. de Jumonville, and promise to send them back with a safeguard to Fort Du Quesne, situate on the Ohio, for surety of their performing this article, as well as this treaty, MM. Jacob Van Braam and Robert Stobo, both captains, shall be delivered as hostages till the arrival of our French and Canadians above mentioned. We oblige ourselves on our side to give an escort to return these two officers in safety and expect to have our French in two months and a half at farthest."

Washington, Mackay and Villiers signed the capitulation. The latter had very cunningly caused article seven to be so worded that the English officers, in their ignorance of the French language, were made to sign an acknowl- edgment that the killing of De Jumonville in battle was an act of assassination. Washing- ton firmly held to the opinion that Capt. Van Braam, the so-called interpreter, knowingly con- nived at the deception, and in writing of this affair afterward, said : "That we were will- fully or ignorantly deceived by our interpreter in regard to the word assassination, I do aver, and will to my dying moment ; so will every officer that was present. The interpreter was a Dutchman, little acquainted with the English tongue, therefore might not advert to the tone and meaning of the word in English ; but what- ever his motives were for so doing, certain it is he called it the death or the loss of the Sieur Jumonville. So we received and so we under- stood it, until, to our great surprise and mortifi- cation, we found it otherwise in a literal trans- lation,"

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HISTORY OF BEDFORD, SOMERSET AND FULTON COUNTIES.

According to Washington's official statement the Virginia regiment of three hundred men lost in the engagement twelve killed and forty- three wounded. The casualties in Capt. Mac- kay's were not stated. On the French side, according to the report of De Villiers, the losses were two Frenchmen and one Indian killed, fifteen Frenchmen and two Indians seri- ously and a number of others slightly wounded.

At break of day on the morning of July 4, Washington, with his troops, filed out of the fort with drums beating and colors flying, and (without any transportation for their effects other than was afforded by the backs and shoul- ders of the men, and having no means of carry- ing their badly wounded except on rude, hastily constructed stretchers) moved sadly away to commence their weary journey of seventy miles over the mountains and streams to Will's Creek. They were even unable to take with them the cannon granted by article three of the terms of capitulation. After marching southeasterly for a distance of about three miles the vanquished and forlorn command halted until the following morning, for the purpose of making some necessary arrangements before continuing the march.

Returning to the further movements of the French, it appears that De Villiers was appre- hensive lest the expected reinforcements to Washington should arrive, which might place him in an unpleasant position and reverse the fortunes of the day, for the fort was imme- diately demolished, the captured cannon broken up, several barrels of rum destroyed ( to guard against the disorder and perhaps bloodshed which would doubtless have ensued had the liquor been allowed to fall into the hands of the Indians), and at as early an hour as possible the French began their return march toward the northwest, accomplishing two leagues before nightfall of the 4th. They arrived at Fort Du Quesne in the afternoon of the 7th of July, after having destroyed the stockade which Washing- ton had partially erected at Gist's, the " Hangard storehouse" at the mouth of the Redstone, and all the English settlements found along the Monongahela, down which they floated in their "periaguas " from Redstone creek.

The English-Washington's Virginia regi- ment and Mackay's company of South Caro- linians-marched forward on the morning of the 5th, and, fording the Youghiogheny at the

Great Crossings, retraced their steps over the route previously traveled and reached Will's Creek after a slow and toilsome journey. From thence Washington went to Alexandria, and the Virginia troops returned to their homes. Mackay's Carolina company, however, remained at Will's Creek, and, together with two inde- pendent companies from the province of New York, all under the command of Col. James Innes, erected the fortification afterward known as "Fort Cumberland." This, then, was the extreme western outpost of the English; be- yond it, and in all the country west of the Alleghenies, there was no hindrance to French occupation and supremacy.

CHAPTER V.

BRADDOCK'S EXPEDITION IN 1755.

How the News of Washington's Defeat was Received in England - English Ministry Determined to Wage a Vigorous War- Arrival of Gen. Braddock at Alexandria, Virginia - His Two Royal Regiments of Foot Joined by Provincial Forces - The March to Fort Cumberland - The Troops Composing Brad- dock's Army - Its Officers - Benjamin Franklin - Sir John Sinclair - Details of the March to the Monongahela- Brad- dock Spurns the Assistance of Friendly Indians- The Battle - Braddock Mortally Wounded - Defeat of the English - Their Hurried Retreat - Panic-Stricken Wagoners- Dunbar's Camp-Hix Culpable Conduct - Braddock's Death - Final Retreat to Fort Cumberland - Results of the Defeat.

THE conflict known in America as the "Old T

French and Indian War" was now fairly inaugurated. News of the defeat of Washing- ton and the consequent domination of the French over all the broad territory west of the Allegheny range was hurriedly dispatched to England, where it produced general alarm and excitement. The ministry, roused to prompt and vigorous action, were determined to re- trieve the disaster and expel the French, at whatever cost, from the valleys of the Monon- gahela and Allegheny rivers. In pursuance of this determination it was decided to send out a military force to march from the Potomac to the "Forks of the Ohio," there to wrest from the French by force of arms their most men- acing possession, Fort Du Quesne .*

The command of the expedition designed for the reduction of Fort Du Quesne was given to Maj .- Gen. Edward Braddock, of the British

* Two other expeditions, however, were projected -one against Niagara and Frontenac, under Gen. Shirley, and another against Crown Point, under Gen. William Johnson: but the chief one way that intended for the capture of Fort Du Quesne.

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BRADDOCK'S EXPEDITION IN 1755.

army, who was also made commander-in-chief of all his Majesty's forces in America. The expeditionary force was to be composed of the 44th and 48th royal regiments of foot (of about five hundred men each), commanded respect- ively by Col. Sir Peter Halkert and Col. Thomas Dunbar, besides a considerable body of pro- vincial troops to be raised in Virginia and other American provinces.

Gen. Braddock sailed from Cork, Ireland, January 14, 1755, with the two regular regi- ments, on the fleet commanded by Admiral Keppel. Hampton Roads was reached on Feb- ruary 20, and the general and admiral imme- diately proceeded to Williamsburg, Virginia, to confer with Gov. Dinwiddie. There the general met his quartermaster-general, Sir John Sin- clair, who had preceded him to America and had already visited Fort Cumberland to make the preliminary arrangements for the campaign. "Virginia levies " had already been raised for the purpose of being incorporated with the two regular regiments, and these levies had been ordered to Alexandria, whither, also, the fleet was ordered for the disembarkation of the troops.

Leaving Williamsburg, Gen. Braddock, Sir John Sinclair and the admiral reached Alex- andria on the 26th, which place was the head- quarters of the expedition for nearly two months, during which time (April 14) a council was held there, composed of Braddock, the admiral, Gov. Dinwiddie of Virginia, Gov. Shirley of Massachusetts, Gov. Delancey of New York, Gov. Morris of Pennsylvania, and Gov. Shupe of Maryland. At this conference the plan of the campaign was decided upon, and arrange- ments made to facilitate the forwarding of the provincial troops destined for the expedition. We will add here, however, that the council had nothing to do with the adoption of the plan of operations, that being entirely according to the martinet ideas and opinions of the com- mander-in-chief.

Soon after his arrival at Alexandria, Sir John Sinclair was ordered to proceed to Winchester, Virginia, and thence to Fort Cumberland, to complete arrangements for the army's transpor- tation. By his advice Braddock adopted the plan of moving his force from Alexandria in two divisions -one regiment and a portion of the stores to proceed to Winchester, whence a new road was nearly completed to Fort Cum-

berland, and the other regiment with the re- mainder of the stores and the artillery to move by way of Frederick, Maryland. On April 9 Sir Peter Halkert marched for the fort (Cum- berland) via Winchester with six companies of the 44th regiment, leaving the other four companies behind under command of Lieut .- Col. Gage* to escort the artillery. On the 18th, Col. Dunbar, with the 48th regiment, marched for Frederick, Maryland, and the com- mander-in-chief left Alexandria for the same place on the 20th. When Dunbar arrived at Frederick, he found (what should have been known before) that there was no road to Cum- berland through Maryland, and accordingly on May 1 he recrossed the Potomac (near the pres- ent town of Williamsport), struck the Winches- ter route, and nine days later was in the vicinity of the fort. "At high noon on May 10, while Halkert's command was already encamped at the common destination, the 48th was startled by the passage of Braddock and his staff through their ranks, with a body of light-horse galloping on each side of his traveling chariot, in haste to reach Fort Cumberland. The troops saluted, the drums rolled out the grenadiers' march, and the cortege passed by. An hour later they heard the booming of the artillery which welcomed the general's arrival, and a lit- tle later themselves encamped on the hillsides about that post." The artillery did not reach the fort until the 20th.

Braddock remained at Fort Cumberland about four weeks, during which time his force was organized. Two companies, Rutherford's and Clarke's, had been at the fort through the win- ter and were still there. The two regular regi- ments had been increased to a total of fourteen hundred men by the addition, at Alexandria, of Virginia and Maryland levies. A company of Virginia light-horse, under command of Capt. Stewart, acted as the general's body-guard. A body of seventy provincials was formed into two companies of pioneers, and Lieut. Spendelow and two midshipmen from Admiral Keppel's fleet were present with about thirty sailors, to take charge of the cordage and tackles, neces- sary for the building of bridges and the hoist- ing of artillery pieces and other heavy material over precipices. The other provincial troops brought the total number up to about twenty-

* The same Gage who as major-general commanded the British forces in Boston in 1775.

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HISTORY OF BEDFORD, SOMERSET AND FULTON COUNTIES.

one hundred and fifty, including officers, but exclusive of wagoners and the usual comple- ment of non-combatant camp-followers, among whom were a number of women. There were, also, eight friendly Indians who accompanied the expedition.

By Braddock's orders his force was brigaded as follows : The 1st brigade, commanded by Sir Peter Halkert, was composed of the 44th regt. of regulars, Capt. John Rutherford's and Capt. Horatio Gates"* independent companies of New York, Capt. William Polson's Virginia company of pioneers and carpenters, Capt. William Peyronie's Virginia Rangers, Capt. Thomas Waggoner's Virginia Rangers, and Capt. Eli Dagworthy's Maryland Rangers. The second brigade, under the command of Col. Thomas Dunbar, consisted of the 48th regt. of regulars, Capt. Paul Demerie's South Carolina detachment, Capt. Dobbs' North Carolina Ran- gers, Capt. Mercer's Virginia company of car- penters and pioneers, Capt. Adam Stephens', Capt. Peter Hogg's and Capt. Thomas Cooke's companies of Virginia Rangers. Capt. Andrew Lewis' company of Virginians had been sent to the Greenbrier river to protect the settlers there ; but he joined Braddock's column on its way to Fort Du Quesne.

Braddock's field-officers, acting under his im- mediate orders, were Lieut .- Cols. Burton and Gage, Majs. Chapman and Sparks, Brigade- Maj. Francis Halkert, Maj. Sir John Sinclair, deputy quartermaster-general ; Matthew Leslie, assistant quartermaster-general. William Shir- ley served as the general's secretary, and his (Braddock's) aides-de-camp were Capt. Robert Orme, George Washingtont and Roger Mor- ris. Christopher Gist and his son Nathaniel accompanied the expedition as guides, while George Croghan and Andrew Montour were along as Indian interpreters.

One hundred and ninety wagons and more than fifteen hundred carrying-horses were then collected at Fort Cumberland for purposes of transportation. When he landed in Virginia, Braddock expected that "two hundred wagons and one hundred and fifty carrying-horses"

* Afterward Maj .- Gen. Gates, to whom Burgoyne surren- dered at Saratoga.

tAs a result of the Fort Necessity campaign. Col. Washington's rank, as well as that of other colonial officers, was reduced by royal order, which caused him to resign his commission, and at the time of Braddock's arrival in America he was not in the military service. But Braddock, well aware of the importance of securing his services, urged Washington to take the position of volunteer aide-de-camp on his staff, and the offer so earnestly pressed was accepted.

would be furnished by the provincial authori- ties, but on arriving at Frederick, Maryland, he found that not more than one-tenth part of that number had been collected, and that some of these, even, were in an unserviceable condition. Learning this, the general burst out in fierce invective against the inefficiency, poverty and lack of integrity among the provincials; he de- clared that the expedition was at an end, and that it was impossible to move forward without one hundred and fifty wagons and a corre- sponding number of horses, at the very least. But Dr. Benjamin Franklin, being present at Frederick, told the general that the Pennsylva- nia farmers were able to furnish the necessary transportation and that for a specified sum he (Franklin) would contract to deliver one hun- dred and fifty wagons and the necessary horses at Fort Cumberland within a given time. Braddock proceeded on his march and in about two weeks Franklin had assembled more than the required number of wagons and animals at the fort. Gen. Braddock was very grateful for this service and warmly complimented Frank- lin in a letter addressed to the secretary of state, dated at Will's Creek, June 5, as fol- lows :

" Before I left Williamsburg the quartermas- ter-general told me that I might depend on twenty-five hundred horses and two hundred wagons from Virginia and Maryland; but I had great reason to doubt it, having expe- rienced the false dealings of all in this country with whom I had been concerned. Hence, be- fore my departure from Frederick, I agreed with Mr. Benjamin Franklin, postmaster in Pennsylvania, who has great credit in that province, to hire one hundred and fifty wagons and the necessary number of horses. This he accomplished with promptitude and fidelity ; and it is almost the only instance of address and integrity which I have seen in all these prov- inces."

It has been related that in procuring the wagons and horses from the German farmers in the southeastern counties of Pennsylvania, Franklin was materially aided by the presence of Sir John Sinclair, Braddock's quartermaster- general. Sir John wore a hussar's cap, and Franklin made use of the circumstance to ter- rify the Teutonic settlers with the belief that he was a hussar, who would administer to them the tyrannical treatment they had experienced

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BRADDOCK'S EXPEDITION IN 1755.

in their own country if they did not comply with his wishes.

That this same Sir John Sinclair was a man of rough speech and imperious and domineer- ing character is made evident by the following extract from a letter written by Messrs. George Croghan," James Burd," John Armstrong," William Buchanan* and Adam Hoops," to Gov. Morris, of Pennsylvania, dated Fort Cumber- land, April 16, 1755, at which time some of the companies, as well as Sir John himself, had already reached the rendezvous. The writers of the letter had been appointed to view and lay out a road over the mountains, and had re- turned from their mission to the fort. In the letter they say, "Last evening we came to the camp, and were kindly received by the officers, but particularly Capt. Rutherford. We waited for Sir John, coming to camp from the road toward. Winchester, who came this day at three o'clock, but treated us in a very disagree- able manner. He is extremely warm and angry at our province ; he would not look at our drafts, nor suffer any representations to be made to him in regard to the province, but stormed like a lion rampant. He said our com- mission to lay out the road should have issued in January last, upon his first letter ; that doing it now is doing nothing ; that the troops must march on May 1 ; that the want of this and the provisions promised by Pennsylvania has retarded the expedition, which may cost them their lives, because of the fresh number of the French that are suddenly like to be poured into the country ; that instead of marching to the Ohio he would in nine days march his army into Cumberland county, to cut the roads, press wagons, etc .; that he would not suffer a soldier to handle an ax, but with fire and sword oblige the inhabitants to do it, and take every man that refused to the Ohio, as he had yesterday some of the Virginians ; that he would kill all kind of cattle, and carry away the horses, burn houses, etc .; and that if the French defeated them by the delays of this province, that he would with his sword drawn pass through the province and treat the inhabitants as a parcel of

. These men all became prominent afterward in the history of Pennsylvania -Croghan as an Indian agent, etc .; Burd, as the builder of Fort Burd on the site of the present town of Brownsville ; Armstrong as the successful leader of the expedi- tion against the Indian town of Kittanning; and Hoops, after having served most gallantly during the Indian wars and war of the Revolution as an officer of Pennsylvania troops, was granted a large tract of land, now occupied, in part, by the town of Olean, New York, where he became the first settler during the latter part of the last century.

traitors to his master ; that he would write to- morrow to England by a man-of-war, shake Mr. Penn's proprietaryship, and represent Pennsyl- vania as disaffected, * * * and told us * to go to the general, if we pleased, who would give us ten bad words for one he had given."

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History of Bedford, Somerset, Fulton counties Pennsylvania, Part 5

Author: Waterman, Watkins & Co. Publication date: 1884 Publisher: Number of Pages: 967

Author: Waterman, Watkins & Co.
Publication date: 1884
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 967