History of Bradford County, Pennsylvania, with Illustrations and biographical sketches, Part 18

Author: Craft, David, 1832-1908; L.H. Everts & Co
Publication date: 1878
Publisher: Philadelphia : L. H. Everts
Number of Pages: 812

USA > Pennsylvania > Bradford County > History of Bradford County, Pennsylvania, with Illustrations and biographical sketches > Part 18

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scrupulously followed her directions, and found their way home in safety."

The repulse of St. Leger, the surrender of Burgoyne, and promises made to the Indians still further increased their hostility to the Americans. In addition to this, sev- eral deserters from the American army about this time came to reside at Tioga Point and Sheshequin. Prominent among these were Parshall Terry, Jr., Thomas Hill, and Thomas Green, the two former having enlisted in Ransom's company at Wyoming. After the company joined Wash- ington's army, Terry, who was a spirited young man, stopped on the march to fix his shoe. His captain ordered him to fall in and go on. Some words passed ; the captain struck Terry with his sword, and Terry knocked the captain down. Knowing well the penalty which would be inflicted for this breach of military law, he deserted, came to Wyoming, where he married Amy Stevens; but receiving no sym- pathy from his own relatives, who were all decided and active Whigs, he retired to Sheshequin, joined Butler's Royal Greens, was promoted to a lieutenantcy, became an active partisan during the war, after which he retired to Canada, where he was honored with several important offices under the British government, and was subsequently drowned by breaking through the ice. Of Thomas Hill, Elisha Harding gives the following account : " Thomas Hill deserted from the same company (Ransom's), joined Butler's Rangers, and was down with them (at the battle of Wy- oming) ; who, after the war, lived with the Indians until they left the waters of the Susquehanna. He still remained on the Chemung, until he became old and unable to main- tain himself. He was then maintained by the town. I saw him in the poor-house under the care of one of my old friends, Capt. Joseph Leonard." Tom Green, as he was usually called by the people here, belonged to a respectable Whig family, who were settled at Binghamton before the Revolutionary war, and subsequently removed to the West Branch. He was a most bitter and virulent Royalist. These men having joined the British forces at Niagara, at once began to stir up the Indians to acts of hostility against the Whigs on the upper waters of the Susquehanna, and be- came leaders in their forays.

In addition, the old feuds between the Connecticut and Pennsylvania settlers operated strongly towards inducing the latter, the weaker party, to take the opposite side in the contest. It was a well-understood matter at the time that by far the larger part of those in this county, who were interested in the Pennsylvania claim, were for this reason in sympathy with the enemy, from whom they sought assistance to expel the Yankee intruders. In the petition of Alexander Patterson, presented to the legislature of this State in 1804, reviewing this period of Wyoming history he says,-

" In the year 1776 there were a number of inhabitants, settlers on the northeast branch of the Susquehanna near Wyalusing, under Pennsylvania title. Among these were two brothers by the name of Pawling, of a respectable family from the county of Montgomery, who paid a thou- sand pounds in gold and silver for their farm at Wyalusing unto Job Gillaway, a useful and well-informed Indian, who had obtained a grant for said land from the late proprietors

IIISTORY OF BRADFORD COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

of the State. Among the settlers were Messrs. Depue, Secord, Vander Lippe, and many other wealthy farmers. The Yankees at Wyoming being more numerous, and though at the distance of sixty miles, insisted that the Pennsylvania settlers should come to Wyoming and train and associate under Yankee officers of their own appoint- ment. As may be supposed, the proposals were very ob- noxious to the inhabitants of Pennsylvania, and very properly refused, alleging that they would associate by them- selves, and would not be commanded by intruders, who had so repeatedly sacked the well-disposed inhabitants of Penn- sylvania, and at that time bid defiance to its laws and jurisdiction. This gave a pretext for the Yankees calling them Tories. They, therefore, went in force and tied the Pennsylvania settlers, and brought them to Wyoming with all their movables, and confined them in a log house until the Indians who lived in the neighborhood of Wyalusing and loved the Pennsylvanians, and at that time were well affected toward the United States, some of whom were in our army,-throse Indians came to Wyoming and requested that the Pennsylvania people should be released from con- finement. After some altereation, and upon the Indians deelaring they would complain to Congress, they were re- leased. And then on their return, without property, were ambushed and fired upon by the Yankees. The event of all this was that the Pennsylvania people were so harassed by the intruders that they were driven to seek an asylum with the Indians, and at length retired to Niagara for pro- tection. It was well known at that time, on the frontiers of Northampton and Northumberland, that the conduct of those Yankees occasioned the secession of the Five Nations from the United States. As was natural to imagine, those Pennsylvania settlers who had been so cruelly robbed of their property would endeavor to regain it. Their address and moving complaints induced Joseph Brandt, a well- known Indian chief, and Col. Butler, superintendent . of Indian affairs, to come with them to Wyoming, with a number of Indians, for the recovery of their goods and chattels."

Then follows his account of the battle of Wyoming, in perfeet keeping with this inveterate opposer of the Yankees. The evidence from other sources is conelusive that this difficulty about land titles was one of the causes which in- duced some, at least, to go over to the enemy, and was one of the causes which led the Indians to begin hostilities against the people of this valley.

The people at Wyoming becoming convinced that some of the inhabitants here, if they had not already taken up arms in the British interest, were using all their influence to raise a force against the Susquehanna settlements, and were acting as spies and informers for the enemy, determined to rid themselves of these troublesome neighbors. Ae- cordingly, Samuel Gordon, a surveyor of the Susquehanna company, and intimately acquainted with the country and the people residing here, at his own suggestion, was sent up by the committee of inspection to discover the haunts of the active Tories, return to Wyalusing, where he was to meet Lieut. Jenkins with an adequate force, and secure the capture of those who were found to be most active in their opposition to the Whigs. For some reason, not ex-

plained, Jenkins failed to meet Gordon with the promised force at the time appointed. Meanwhile, the Tories, be- coming acquainted with his movements, assembled in force, took Gordon and a number of others prisoners. Who these were, or how long they were kept in captivity, is not related in the memorial of Mr. Gordon, dated May 3, 1778, to the assembly of Connecticut, in which these facts are recited. This was probably the first aet of open hostility which was committed in this county during the Revolutionary war.

It was probably about this time (the exact dates cannot mow be ascertained) that Rudolph Fox, of Towanda, was captured. Both parties were released the same year. The latter part of November or first of December, Lient. Jen- kins, while on a tour of inspection up the river, was also captured between Wyalusing and Standing Stone, carried to Canada, and escaped after a captivity of about six months.

On Dee. 6, 1777, a party of twenty Indians and refugees, under an Indian captain by the name of Hopkins and his lieutenant Terry, plundered the house of Mr. Fitzgerald at Standing Stone, drove off his cattle, sheep, and horses, and took him with them as far as Wysox.

On Dec. 10, 1777, Col. Nathan Denison, commanding the Twenty-fourth regiment of the Connecticut militia, sent a detachment of eleven men, under the command of Lieut. Asa Stevens, who came up as far as Meshoppen and took five suspected persons prisoners, but deeming their force insufficient to advance farther, returned to Wyoming. On hearing their report, Col. Denison, Dee. 20, sent up a larger force consisting of one captain, five subalterns, seven ser- geants, five corporals, and ninety-three rank and file, in all one hundred and eleven men, under the command of Lient .- Col. Dorrance, who marehed up the river as far as Sheshe- quin. A prominent Indian chief, whom the English called Hopkins, who had received from the British government a captain's commission, and was then residing at the foot of New Sheshequin (the old Gore place), it was reported, was keeping several prominent Tories. The soldiers were di- rected not to molest the Indians, but hoping to capture some of these white people, a party entered Hopkins' house, made him prisoner, and commeneed their search for the persons they were seeking. Hopkins, attempting to escape, was shot through the body by Rufus Baldwin, who was placed to guard him. Hopkins, however, recovered, and was present at the battle of Wyoming. This was the first blood shed in this valley in the Revolutionary contest.

The results of this expedition are thus stated in the memorial of Col. Denison to the Connecticut assembly, dated January, 1778 : " The men marched up the river about eighty miles, and took sundry Tories, and happily contented the Tioga Indians and entirely disbanded the conspirators." Unfortunately, this Indian contentment was not of long duration. At the following session the assembly resolved " that *Richmond Berry, Philip Buek, Thomas Silk, *Edward Hicks, *Edward Hicks, Jr., John Young, *Jacob Bowman, Adam Bowman, Jr., *Jacob Bruner, John Henry Short, *Henry Hover, Nicholas Phelps, Nicholas Phelps, Jr., John Phelps, *Jacob Anguish, *George Kent- ner, Frederick Frank, who were taken in arms against the United States by the militia of Westmoreland, and sent to the deputy commissary-general of prisoners of this State,

HISTORY OF BRADFORD COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

are ordered to be received and treated as prisoners of war, provided that nothing in the aforesaid order shall be con- strued to excuse said prisoners from any treasonable offense against the laws of other States." Those in the above list marked with a * are known to have resided in this county. About the same date is a bill of Isaac Underwood against the committee of inspection of Westmoreland for boarding and tending Hicks and Waldreck in jail for eight days. It may be here remarked that in one way or other these men were released in time to engage in the battle of Wyoming.

Thus the year 1777 ended in darkness and gloom and anxious foreboding to the few Whig families which remained here. On the very borders of the Indian country, within a day's journey of the Indian towns Tioga and Sheshequin, surrounded by parties inimical to their interests, and who regarded them as intruders, sixty miles distant from the Wyoming settlements, unprotected and defenseless, and yet exposed to danger on every side ; when they retired for the night thinking that before the morning dawned they might be awakened by savage yells, or when they left their homes they might find them in flames on their return ; that every family gathering might be the last, the new year's greetings were uttered under lively anticipations of distress and sorrow.

The year 1778 commenced with renewed acts of depre- dation upon the settlements. Io January a party cap- tured Lemuel Fitch, of Standing Stone, the first settler in the township, took him to Niagara, and thence to Canada, where he died in captivity.

In February a party of Indians led by Terry and Green came to Wyalusing in the midst of a severe snow-storm, which fell the 12th and 13th of the month, and remained secreted in the old Indian town until the morning of the 14th, when they apprehended Amos York, as he was riding to the town on an errand, plundered his house, drove off his stock, and with much cruelty took Mr. York with them as prisoner. In the early part of March, Nathan Kingsley, a neighbor of Mr. York, was also captured, and taken to Niagara, and thus the entire Wyalusing settlement was swept off ; every Whig family had either removed or the men been captured.

In the month of March, as soon as the ice had gone out of the river, a party consisting of 150 men, under Lieut .- Col. Dorrance, came up the river, for the purpose of moving down the Whig families and their effects which remained here. Constructing a raft of the timbers of the old Mora- vian church and some of the other buildings, they removed the effects of Messrs. York and Kingsley which had es- caped the savages, and the family of Benjamin Eaton, who still remained at Ingham's, in Wilmot, and one Tory family whose name is not given. At Vander Lippe's they found some of the family of Mrs. York, and at Messhoppen the family of Fitzgerald. These were taken on board, and all were transported to Wyoming. In this party were Capt. Aholiab Buck, Jonathan Terry, and Christopher Hurlbut. The two latter have given accounts of this expedition, and were subsequently residents of the county.

Old Mr. Van Valkenburg and his three daughters, and the family of his two sons-in-law, the Stropes, had always treated the Indians with great kindness. Coming from the west of the Hudson, they were strangers to the Connecticut

settlers farther down the river, and for some time were un- molested. Indeed, they hoped that by kind treatment to their savage neighbors they would be spared from the dis- tresses inflicted upon the Whigs below them. But their fears were aroused by the intimation of a friendly Indian, and immediately Sebastian Strope set out for Wyoming for assistance to remove his family down. He had scarcely gotten ont of sight of his house, on the 20th of May, when a band of thirteen Indians took the whole family pris- oners, burned their house, drove off their stock, sent the men to Niagara, but kept the women and children at various places until the termination of the war. This was the first instance in which women and children were disturbed by the enemy in their attacks upon the settlers of this valley. Mr. Fox was again taken by this party, but contrived to make his escape a little above Towanda.

There may be a sort of monotony in these stories of the sufferings of these early pioneers into this then wilderness, but to the thoughtful reader they tell a story of fortitude, of patience, and of sacrifice which has but few parallels in even the frontier history of the country. There were, as nearly as can now be ascertained, thirty-eight Whig families living in the county in the autumn of 1776. Of these seven enlisted in the two independent companies, besides some eight or ten who belonged to the company of militia. Seven men and the women and children of the Van Valkenburg family were captured ; seven were killed by the enemy ; one died in captivity, and another immediately after his release; property was destroyed or driven off to the amount of thousands of dollars, houses burned, homes broken up, families separated, and the entire settlements swept away. Of all of our Penn- sylvania frontiers we were the first to feel the bitterness of the conflict, and to suffer from the merciless grasp of the enemy. The calamities which befell Wyoming have been recounted in song and in history, but they were not a whit greater, in proportion to the number of her people, than those endured by the few Whig families scattered along the Susquehanna through Bradford County. In those " times which tried men's souls" our people stood as a barrier be- tween the enemy and the more populous districts, and not until they were swept away could the horde of rangers, refugees, Tories, and Indians plan and execute their fell designs upon Wyoming.

The Tories now had almost entire possession of the county. Only the family of Mr. Fox remained, and he, alarmed for his own safety and that of his family, was making preparations to leave as soon as possible. The object in thus capturing and driving off the Whigs from these upper settlements was first in the interest of' some of the Pennsylvania claimants, in order that they might have unquestioned possession of the land to which they deemed themselves to have a lawful title; second, to carry con- sternation and distress to those who were politically opposed to them, for these people, being without arms, could not be considered as in armed resistance to the British crown; but the especial object was that no tidings of their contemplated movements against Wyoming should be carried to the set- tlements below, and, therefore, they determined to remove every family which was known to be in friendly communi- cation with them.

HISTORY OF BRADFORD COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

The preparations for the invasion of the frontiers now were commenced with great activity under the direction of John Butler, a major in the British army. A few British Provincials from Fort Niagara, and a number of Tories from the upper waters of the Susquehanna and the valley of the Mohawk, together to the number of about 300 or 400, assembled at Tioga Point early in June. To divert the Americans from the real point of attack, a force of In- dians under the renowned Joseph Brant made a descent upon Cherry valley ; but alarmed by what he deemed war- like preparations, but which were only the boys practicing military drill in sport, he beat a hasty retreat. In the meanwhile another force under Gucingeracton, a noted Seneca chief, carried devastation to the upper and scattered settlements on the West Branch. Other parties were en- gaged in constructing canoes at Newton (Elmira) and Tioga for the descent of the forces down the Susquehanna. These being completed, the various marauding parties assembled at Tioga. The combined invading force has been variously estimated at from 800 to 1100 men. Major Butler, in his report to Lieut .- Col. Bolton, puts his own force of rangers and Indians at about 500, but this is doubtless considerably below the number under his command. While at Tioga a few days were spent in feasting, at which every Indian warrior devoured a portion of roasted dog flesh, singing war-songs, and engaging in war-dances. These over, the party, with faces bedaubed with paint, embarked in their canoes, sang their war-song, and set out on their journey to Wyoming.

While these events were transpiring at Tioga, frequent rumors and alarms had been afloat through the lower set- tlements. Indian scouts had been discovered below Tunk- hannock, and some families had been attacked. It was not, however, until the return of Mr. Jenkins from his captivity, a few days before the battle, June 2, that the inhabitants were certainly assured of the meditated attack upon them. Efforts were at once made to put the settlements in as good posture for defense as possible. The inhabitants were at once assembled at their respective forts, the militia com- panies were notified to be in constant readiness, expresses were sent to Congress praying for the return of the Wyo- ming companies to defend their homes and firesides, scouts were kept on the alert up the river to watch the move- ments of the enemy; with fearful anxiety, but with un- daunted courage, the people were putting forth all their energy to repel the invading foe. Alarm succeeded alarm, and a deepening gloom was settling down upon the northern horizon.

To conceal his movements and guard against surprise, the British commander sent small parties down the river, who sometimes attacked the American scouts. On the 12th of June, William Crooks and Asa Budd, both form- erly of Bradford County, were fired on ; Crooks was killed, Budd escaped. He was the first man killed in the Susque- hanna valley in the Revolutionary war.

June 17, a party of six men in two canoes landed a few miles below Tunkhannock. On ascending the bank they saw an armed force of Tories and Indians running towards them, who fired on them, killing Miner Robbins and wound- ing Joel Phelps. Elijah, a brother of Joel and brother-in- law of Robbins, was in the attacking party.

The latter part of June the invading force came down in their canoes as far as the mouth of Bowman's creek, where they left their boats, detached two or three large parties, who followed the river, while the main body kept behind the mountains and thus escaped observation from the Wyo- ming scouts. Unfortunately, the plan succeeded but too well.

On the 30th of June a party from Jenkins' fort (present West Pittston) went up into Exeter to hoe some corn ; were betrayed by four Tories, two of whom were Michael Showers and Frederick Angar, to the Indians, who assailed them just as they were leaving work, killing three and taking two prisoners.

On this same evening a party of the enemy, led by one of the Wintermoots, obtained entrance to their fort, and the next day, July 1, about noon, the whole force of the enemy took possession of this fort, whose gate stood open to receive them. The next day Butler sent a message to Fort Jenkins, about a mile above Wintermoot's, demanding its surrender. Hopeless of successful resistance, the six or eight who comprised the entire force of this fort made honorable capitulation.

On the afternoon of this day, Col. Nathan Denison, com- manding the militia at Wyoming, apprehending an imme- diate attack upon the Kingston settlement, hastened dis- patches to the several companies to assemble at the Forty. fort without delay. During the forenoon of the next day, July 3, two companies from Wilkes-Barre, commanded by Captains James Bidlack, Jr., and Rezin Geer, the company from Plymouth commanded by Capt. Asaph Whittlesy, the Hanover company commanded by Capt. Lazarus Stewart, the Kingston company under command of Capt. Aholiab Buck, and a company under Capt. Dettrick Hewitt, assem- bled at Forty fort. Besides these were several officers of the Independent companies, who, on learning the imminent danger that threatened, resigned their commissions and has- tened home. Among these were Captains Durkee and Ran- som, Lieutenants Perin Ross and James Wells. Col. Zebulon Butler was also home on furlough. Capt. John Franklin's company from Huntington and Salem, and the companies of Lackawanna, were not able to reach Kingston in time to participate in the engagement. Capt. Blanchard was com- pelled to remain at Pittston, because the enemy had taken possession of all the boats belonging to the settlement. The whole force assembled at the Forty fort, says Col. Frank- lin, did not exceed 300 men. Of this little band, Col. Zebulon Butler, at their special request, took command, Col. Denison, Lieut .- Col. Dorrance, aud Major John Garret serving as his aids.

In the forenoon, Major Butler sent a message to Forty fort demanding its surrender. At a council of war it was unanimously agreed to reject the demand. Then the ques- tion was raised whether to make an immediate attack upon the enemy, or await in the fort a few days for reinforce- ments. Here a wide diversity of opinion was manifested. Butler, Denison, and others were in favor of delay. Frank- lin's company would be in before night. Lieut. Timothy Pierce had just arrived from Spalding's company bringing word that this company would reach Wyoming in two days, and other troops might arrive, which would nearly double their present force. Time was needed to discover the real

HISTORY OF BRADFORD COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

force of the enemy, to organize the army, and for the excite- ment to subside. To this delay Stewart was vehemently opposed. He treated the fears of the others as visionary, accused those who opposed him of cowardice, declared that his company alone could whip the whole force of the enemy, and finally threatened that unless the attack were made that day he would lead his Hanover boys home. Butler yielded, and the impetuous Stewart prevailed.

Between two and three o'clock the little army was pa- raded before the fort, and marehed out in the order of battle, Capt. Hewitt's company on the right, and Capt. Whittle- sey's on the left. A mere handful of old men, with two or three who had been disabled from the scouting of the past few days, were left to guard the fort, and protect the women and children.

It will be borne in mind that Forty fort stood on the west bank of the river, about a mile above Kingston village, upon a gravelly ridge, which extends up to West Pittston. Between this ridge and the river is a low alluvial plain, varying from a few rods to more than a mile in width. On the west of this ridge, towards the mountains, is a strip of low and, in many places, marshy ground, which, at the time of the battle, was covered with a dense growth of alders and white birches ; the ridge was covered with piteh pine. About half way between Forty fort and Wyoming Abraham's creek cuts this ridge transversely. The path of the army lay along the erest of this ridge, nearly where the present carriage-road runs.

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History of Bradford County, Pennsylvania, with Illustrations and biographical sketches, Part 18

Author: Craft, David, 1832-1908; L.H. Everts & Co Publication date: 1878 Publisher: Philadelphia : L. H. Everts Number of Pages: 812

Author: Craft, David, 1832-1908; L.H. Everts & Co
Publication date: 1878
Publisher: Philadelphia : L. H. Everts
Number of Pages: 812