USA > Pennsylvania > Mifflin County > History of that part of the Susquehanna and Juniata valleys, embraced in the counties of Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, Union and Snyder, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. V. 1, Pt. 1 > Part 17
USA > Pennsylvania > Perry County > History of that part of the Susquehanna and Juniata valleys, embraced in the counties of Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, Union and Snyder, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. V. 1, Pt. 1 > Part 17
USA > Pennsylvania > Union County > History of that part of the Susquehanna and Juniata valleys, embraced in the counties of Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, Union and Snyder, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. V. 1, Pt. 1 > Part 17
USA > Pennsylvania > Juniata County > History of that part of the Susquehanna and Juniata valleys, embraced in the counties of Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, Union and Snyder, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. V. 1, Pt. 1 > Part 17
USA > Pennsylvania > Snyder County > History of that part of the Susquehanna and Juniata valleys, embraced in the counties of Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, Union and Snyder, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. V. 1, Pt. 1 > Part 17
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"1st. That the Speaker of the House of Represen- tatives be desired to write to the several members of Assembly, requesting them to meet in this city as soon as possible, but not later than the Ist of August next, to take into consideration our very alarming situation.
"2d. That letters be written to proper persons in each county, recommending it to them to get commit- tees appointed for their respective counties, and that the said committees, or such number of them as may be thought proper, may meet at Philadelphia at the time the Representatives are convened, in order to consult and advise on the most expedient mode of appointing Deputies to the General Congress, and to give their weight to such as may be appointed.
"The Speaker of the Assembly, in a very obliging and ready manner, has agreed to comply with the re- quest in the former of these propositions; but we are now informed that, on account of the Indian disturb- ances, the Governor has found it necessary to call the Assembly to meet in their legislative capacity on Monday, July 18, being about the same time the Speaker would probably have invited them to a con- ference or convention in their private capacity.
" What we have, therefore, to request, is that if you approve of the mode expressed in the second propo- sition, the whole or a part of the committee appointed or to be appointed from your county, will meet the committees from the other counties at Philadelphia
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on Friday, the 15th day of July, in order to assist in framing instructions and preparing such matters as may be proper to recommend to our representatives at their meeting the Monday following.
" We would not offer such an affront to the well- known publie spirit of Pennsylvania as to question your zeal on the present occasion. Our very exist- ence in the rank of freemen, and the security of all that ought to be dear to us, evidently depend upon our conducting this great cause to its proper issue with firmness, wisdom and unanimity. We cannot, therefore, doubt your ready concurrence in every measure that may be conducive to the public good : and it is with pleasure that we can assure you that all the Colonies, from South Carolina to New Hampshire, seem animated with one spirit in the common cause, and consider this as the proper crisis for having our difference with the mother-country brought to some certain issue, and our liberties fixed upon a perma- nent foundation. This desirable end can only be ac- complished by a free communion of sentiments and a sincere, fervent regard to the interests of our common country.
"We beg to be favored with an answer to this, and whether the committee from your county can attend at Philadelphia at the time proposed.
"THOMAS WILLING, Chairman."
On the back of this ancient and interesting doc- ument was the following indorsement (said to be in the handwriting of Joseph Green), which shows the public action taken, viz .:
"At a meeting of a number of the principal inhabit- ants of the township of Buffalo, at Loudowick Derr's,1 of Saturday, the ninth of July, John Loudon, Esquire, and Samuel Maclay were chosen as committee-men to meet the other committee-men from the other town- ships, on Monday, the 11th instant, at Richard Malone's, in order to choose proper persons out of the township committees to go to Philadelphia to the general meet- ing of the committees chosen by the respective coun- ties of this Province; and likewise to fix upon some proper way and means to correspond with the other committees of this Province.
"By order of the meeting.
"JOSEPH GREEN, Clark."
The committees' meeting was duly held at Richard Malone's on the 11th, on which oc- casion William Scull and Samuel Hunter were chosen to represent Northumberland County in the proposed congress of deputies.
For the county of Cumberland, to which a similar notification and request had been sent by the Philadelphia committee, deputies were
also regularly chosen,-the sparse population of the Juniata region and of the western side of the Susquehanna Valley above the Blue Moun- tain taking the journey to their more distant county-seat of Carlisle.
The state of feeling in that region was indi- cated at a meeting of the frecholders and free- men, held at Carlisle the 12th of July, 1774, John Montgomery in the chair, at which the following resolutions were adopted, and deputies elected :
"1. Resolved, That the late Act of the Parliament of Great Britain, by which the port of Boston is shut up, is oppressive to that town, and subversive of the rights and liberties of the Colony of Massachusetts Bay ; that the principle upon which that Act is founded is not more subversive of the rights and liberties of that Colony than it is of all other British Colonies in North America, and therefore the inhabitants of Boston are suffering in the common cause of all these Colonies.
" 2. That every vigorous and prudent measure ought speedily and unanimously to be adopted by these Colonies for obtaining redress of the grievances under which the inhabitants of Boston are now labor- ing, and security from grievance of the same or a still more severe nature under which they and the other inhabitants of the Colonies may, by a further operation of the same principle, hereafter labor.
"3. That a Congress of Deputies from all the Colonies will be one proper method for obtaining these purposes.
"4. That the same purposes will, in the opinion of this meeting, be promoted by an agreement of all the Colonies not to import any merchandize from, nor export any merchandize to, Great Britain, Ireland, or the British West Indies, nor to use any such merchan- dize so imported, nor tea imported from any place whatever, till these purposes be obtained ; but that the inhabitants of this county will join any restriction of that agreement which the General Congress may think it necessary for the Colonies to confine them- selves to.
"5. That the inhabitants of this county will con- tribute to the relief of their suffering brethren in Boston at any time when they shall receive intimation that such relief will be most seasonable.
"6. That a committee be immediately appointed for this county, to correspond with the committee of this Province, or of the other provinces, upon the great objects of the public attention ; and to co-operate in every measure conducing to the general welfare of British America.
"7. That the committee consist of the following persons, viz. : James Wilson, John Armstrong, Wil- liam Irvine, Robert Callendar, William Thompson,
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John Calhoon, Jonathan Hoge, Robert Magaw, Eph- raim Blane, John Allison, John Harris and Robert Miller, or any five of them.
" 8. That James Wilson, Robert Magaw and Wil- liam Irvine be the Deputies appointed to meet the Deputies from other counties of this province, at Philadelphia, on Friday next, in order to concert measures preparatory to the General Congress, . "JOHN MONTGOMERY, "Chairman."
The meeting of deputies chosen by the several counties, as recommended by the central committee, convened in Philadelphia, at Car- penter's Hall, on Friday, July 15, 1774. Thomas Willing was made chairman, and Charles Thompson secretary, and among the resolutions passed were the following :
" U1. 1. That we acknowledge ourselves and the inhabitants of this Province liege subjects of His Majesty King George III., to whom they and we owe and will bear true and faithful allegiance.
" U. 2. That as the idea of an unconstitutional independence of the parent state is utterly abhorrent to our principles, we view the unhappy differences between Great Britain and the Colonies with the deepest distress and anxiety of mind, as fruitless to her, grievous to us and destructive to the best inter- ests of both.
"U. 3. That it is, therefore, our ardent desire that our ancient harmony with the mother-country should be restored, and a perpetual love and union subsist between us, on the principles of the constitution and an interchange of good offices, without the least infraction of our mutual rights.
" U. 4. That the inhabitants of these Colonies are entitled to the same rights and liberties within these Colonies that the subjects born in England are en- titled to within that realm.
"U. 5. That the power assumed by the Parliament of Great Britain, to bind the people of these Colonies, 'by statutes in all cases whatsoever,' is unconstitu- tional, and, therefore, the source of these unhappy differences.
" U. 6. That the act of Parliament for shutting up the port of Boston is unconstitutional ; oppressive to the inhabitants of that town; dangerous to the liberties of the British Colonies; and, therefore, that we consider our brethren at Boston as suffering in the common cause of these Colonies. *
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" U. 9. That there is an absolute necessity that a Congress of deputies from the several colonies be immediately assembled to consult together and form a general plan of conduct to be observed by all the
Colonies, for the purpose of procuring relief for our suffering brethren, obtaining redress of our grievances, preventing future dissensions, firmly establishing our rights, and restoring harmony between Great Britain and her Colonies on a constitutional foundation. * * *
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"U. 16. That this committee give instructions on the present situation of public affairs to their Repre- sentatives who are to meet next week in Assembly, and request them to appoint a proper number of persons to attend a congress of Deputies from the several Colonies, at such time and place as may be agreed upon, to affect one general plan of conduct, for attaining the great and important ends mentioned in the ninth resolve."
In the Provincial Assembly, June 30th, it was " Resolved, That this House approves the Association entered into by the good people of this colony for the defense of their lives, liber- ties and property." And by the same body, on the 22d of July, on receipt of a report of the proceedings of the deputies, it was " Re- solved, that there is an absolute necessity that a Congress of Deputies from the several Colonies be held as soon as conveniently may be, to consult upon the unhappy state of the Colonies, and to form a plan for the purpose of obtaining redress of American grievances, &c., and for establishing that union and harmony between Great Britain and the Colonies which is indispensably necessary to the welfare and happiness of both." The first-mentioned of these resolutions had reference to the fact that a Committee of Safety, consisting of twenty- five citizens, was appointed and authorized to call into actual service such number of the associators as they might judge proper. Organ- izations of " associators " were found in most, if not all, the counties. The committee organized July 3d by the choice of Benjamin Franklin, president. Congress, July 18th, recommended that all able-bodied, effective men between six- teen and fifty years of age should immediately form themselves into companies of militia, to consist of one captain, two lieutenants, one ensign, four sergeants, four corporals, one clerk, one drummer, one fifer and about sixty-eight privates ; the companies to be formed into regiments or battalions, officered with a colonel, lieutenant-colonel, two majors and an adjutant or quartermaster ; all officers above the rank
! The letter U thus placed before a resolution indicates that it was passed unanimously.
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of captain to be appointed by the provincial authorities.
The following letter, written for the com- mittee by Casper Weitzel, of Sunbury, North- umberland County, a prominent attorney, and woon afterwards himself the commander of a company of Northumberland volunteers in the war for independence, is self-explanatory. It was addressed "to John Lowden, Esquire, and Mr. Samuel Maclay, in Buffalo Valley" (now Union County), viz. :
"SUNBURY, 20th April, 1775.
"GENTLEMEN: The time is at hand when the spirit of Americans that love liberty and constitu- tional principles will be put to the trial. What has been by them in their different resolves avowed must, perhaps, at last be put in execution. The late alarm- ing news just received from England (which we may depend upon) informs that the British Parliament are determined by force to put in execution every of their supreme edicts, as they style them, together with their late oppressive acts, which we have so long, and with so little or no effect, hitherto complained of. We consider it absolutely necessary to have a general meeting of the whole county, in order to form some regular plan, in conjunction with our countrymen, to give every opposition to impending tyranny and oppression, either by force or other- wise. The time of meeting, we think, will be best on the first day of May next, at ten o'clock in the fore- noon, and the place most convenient, at Vandyke's, near Beaver run, in Buffalo Valley. We do, there- fore, earnestly request that you will immediately, on the receipt hereof, in the most expeditious manner, notify the inhabitants of your township of this matter, and insist on their attendance without fail there on that day. The place of meeting is such where we cannot expect much accommodation. It will be, therefore, necessary that every man should provide for himself. We are your humble seryts.
"Signed by order of the Committee, " CAS. WEITZEL."
In Cumberland County the strongly patriotic feeling, the righteous resentment of oppression- indicated in the resolutions passed at Carlisle on July 12, 1774, and heretofore given, gathered force as time went on. A letter bearing date of Carlisle May 6, 1776, says,-
" Yesterday the County Committee met from nine- teen townships, on the short notice they had. About three thousand men have already associated. The arms returned amount to about thirteen hundred. The committee have voted five hundred effective men, besides commissioned officers, to be immediately
drafted, taken into pay, armed and disciplined to march on the first emergency ; to be paid and sup- ported, as long as necessary, by a tax on all estates, real and personal, in the county ; the returns to be taken by the township committee, and the tax laid by the commissioners and assessors; the pay of the officers and men as usual in times past.
" This morning wo met again at eight o'clock. Among other subjects of inquiry this day, the mode of drafting, or taking into pay, arming and vietual- ling immediately the men, and the choice of field and other officers will, among other matters, be the sub- ject of deliberation. The strength or spirit of this county, perhaps, may appear small if judged by the number of men proposed; but when it is considered that we are ready to raise fifteen hundred or two thousand, should we have support from the Province, and that, independent, and in uncertain expectation of support, we have voluntarily drawn upon this county a debt of about twenty-seven thousand pounds per annum, I hope we shall not appear contemptible. We make great improvements in military discipline. It is yet uncertain who may go." 1
On the 14th of June, 1775, Congress authorized the raising of six companies of expert riflemen in Pennsylvania, two in Maryland and two in Virginia, to join the army near Boston. On the 22d the " colony of Pennsylvania " was di- rected to raise two more companies, making eight in all, which were to be formed into a battalion. Lancaster County furnished two companies instead of one, and thus the bat- talion, which was commanded by Colonel Wil- liam Thompson, of Carlisle, was swollen to nine companies, viz. : Captain James Chambers' company, enlisted in that part of Cumberland which is now Franklin County ; Captain Rob- ert Cluggage's company, enlisted chiefly in what is now Bedford County; Captain Wil- liam Hendricks' company, of Cumberland County ; Captain John Lowdon's company, enlisted at Northumberland ; Captain Abraham Smith's company, enlisted in Northampton County ; Captain George Nagel's company, en- listed at Reading, Berks County ; Captain James Ross' company, enlisted in Lancaster County ; and Captain Matthew Smith's company, enlisted in that part of Lancaster which is now Dauphin County. This last-named company was one of those who were selected to accompany General
! American Archives, vol. ii p. 616.
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Benedict Arnold in his toilsome and remarkable march through the wilderness of Maine to the stronghold of Quebec, and it did good service on that disastrous expedition. Its commander, Captain Matthew Smith, was a Lancaster County man, but after his service in the army he removed to what is now Union County, and remained a citizen there until his death. The other company which took part in the Quebec expedition was that of Captain William Hendricks, of Carlisle, a brave and gahant officer, who was killed in the as- sault at the Palace Gate, Quebec, January 1, 1776. John MeClellan, who was first lieuten- ant of Hendricks' company, was from what is now Juniata County.' He died on the march through the wilderness, November 3, 1775. He left a daughter, Priscilla, who resided in Cumberland County in 1787, then aged four- teen, and his descendants still reside in Juniata County.
The men of this company were entirely of Cumberland County, and were enlisted in June, 1775.
This company was composed largely of men from the region now constituting Mifflin, Ju- niata and Perry Counties. It left Carlisle on the 15th of July, and arrived in camp at Cam- bridge on the 8th of August, and was assigned to Colonel William Thompson.
On the 5th of September two companies of the battalion, under Captain William Hendricks and Captain Matthew Smith, were ordered to join the detachment "to go upon command with Colonel Arnold." These companies led the advance under Captain Daniel Morgan, through the wilderness, and participated in the attack on Quebec on the morning of the 31st of December, at Palace Gate. In this battle Cap- tain William Hendricks was killed and the rest of the command, after desperate fighting, were forced to surrender, and were paroled on the 7th of August, 1776, and after being ex- changed, for the most part re-entered the ser- vice.
The following is a roster of Captain William Hendricks' company :
" See " History of Milford Township, Juninia County."
[Those marked with an asterisk (*) were captured.] Captain : William Hendricks, June 25, 1775; killed in action at Quebec, January 1, 1776.
First Lieutenant: John MeClellan, died on the march through the wilderness, November 3, 1775.
Second Lieutenant: Francis Nichols, captured at Quebec, January 1, 1776; returned from captivity October 10, 1776.
Third Lieutenant: George Francis .
Sergeants : Dr. Thomas Gibson, of Carlisle (died at Valley Forge in the winter of 1778), Heury Crone,* Joseph Greer,* William McCoy."
Privates.
Edward Agnew,* George Albright, Thomas Ander- son," Philip Boker* (wounded at Quebec), John Blair,* Alexander Burns,* Peter Burns,* William Burns,* John Campbell (killed at Quebec), Daniel Carlisle,* John Corswill * (released April 21, 1777), Roger Casey," Joseph Caskey,* John Chambers,* Thomas Cooke * (afterwards lieutenant of Eighth Pennsylvania), John Cove,* John Craig (promoted lieutenant in Second Battalion, Colonel St. Clair), Matthew Cumming,* Arthur Eckles (re-enlisted, re- sided in Cumberland County in 1809), Peter Frainer,* Francis Furlow,* William Gommel,* John Gardner,* Daniel Graham,* James Greer,* Thomas Greer,* John Hardy,* Elijah Herdy, John Henderson * (wounded at Quebec), James Hogge* (resided in Cumberland County in 1794), James Inload,* Dennis Kelley (killed at Quebec), William Kirkpatrick,* Richard Lynch,* David Lamb, Thomas Lesley,* John Lorain, John McChesney," Daniel Mcclellan,* Richard MeClure,* Henry McCormick, Henry Mc- Ewen, Archibald McFarlane * (made his escape and enlisted in Captain Doyle's rifle company ), Barnabas McGuire,* John McLin," John McMurdy (re-en- listed in Flying Camp, afterwards sergeant in Captain Patterson's company, Second Pennsylvania), Jacob Mason,* Philip Maxwell," George Morrison,* George Morrow,* Edward Morton, Thomas Murdoch,* Daniel North,* Daniel O'Hara," William O'Hara * (exchanged November 8, 1776), John Ray,* James Reed," George Rinchart, Edward Rodden, * William Shannon,* William Smith," William Suell,* Robert Steel * (exchanged January 3, 1777, promoted en- sign in Fourth Pennsylvania), Hugh Sweeney, Ed- ward Sweeney, Abraham Swaggerty * (wounded at Quebec), Matthew Taylor, Henry Turpentine,* Michael Young, * Thomas Witherof,* Joseph Wright .*
The proportion of men from Cumberland County in Captain Robert Cluggage's Company, though nominally from Bedford, was not suf- ficient to warrant the printing of the roster in this connection ; especially as it is now impos-
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-ible to designate which were from " old Cum- berland" and which from the part which has since been taken in the erection of the newer counties to which this history particularly refers.
The " Northumberland Company " of the battalion was that commanded by Captain John Lowdon, who was then a resident " on his farm, called Silver Spring, adjoining the present town of Mifflinburg, Union County, where he died in February, 1798, having served not only in his military capacity, but as a member of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania. First Lieutenant James Parr [of this company] was from Buffalo Valley, near New Columbia. He rose to the rank of major and became noted throughout the army for daring and intrepidity. His history subsequent to the Revolution seems to be altogether lost. He died prior to 1801. James Wilson, second lieutenant, was a noted surveyor in Northumberland County prior to the war. William Wilson, third lieu- tenant, or ensign, served the entire period of the war. On the 13th of January, 1792, he was appointed associate judge of Northumberland County, which office he held until his death, in 1813.' Sergeant David Hammond rose to the rank of first lieutenant and served throughout the war. He was severely wounded in Wayne's attack on the block-house, at Bergen Point, near Jersey City, July 21, 1780. He never recovered from the effects of his wound, which caused his death April 27, 1801, aged fifty- five. ITe is buried in the Chillisquaque grave- yard. He was father of the late General B. II. Hammond, of Milton, Pa., and grandfather of Lieutenant Thomas C. Hammond, who fell in the Mexican War, at San Pasqual, December 6, 1816."2
Captain Lowdon's commission, still in exist- ence, was dated June 25, 1775, and reads as follows :
I This officer was the one who, at the battle of Mon- mouth, captured the battle-flag of the Royal Grenadiers, when they were driven back and their leader, General Monckton, killed, at the Tennent parsonage, in the after- noon of June 28, 1778. The color is still in possession of his descendants, in Bellefonte.
7 Penna, Arch., 2d Series, vol. x. pp. 27-28.
"IN CONGRESS: The Delegates of the United Colo- nies of New Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Penn- sylvania, the counties of New Castle, Kent and Sussex, in Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina :
" To John Lowdon, Esquire :
"We, reposing especial trust and confidence in your patriotism, valor, conduct and fidelity, do, by these presents, constitute and appoint you to be captain of a company of riflemen in the battalion commanded by Colonel William Thompson, in the army of the United Colonies, raised for the defense of American liberty and for repelling any hostile invasion thereof. You are, therefore, carefully and diligently to dis- charge the duty of captain by doing and performing all manner of things thereunto belonging. And we do strictly charge and require all officers and soldiers under your command to be obedient to your orders as captain ; and you are to observe and follow such orders and directions, from time to time, as you shall receive from this or a future Congress of the United Colonies, or committee of Congress for that purpose appointed, or commander-in-chief for the time being of the army of the United Colonies, or any other superior officer, according to the rules and discipline of war, in pursuance of the trust reposed in you. This com- mission to continue in force until revoked by this or a future Congress.
" By order of Congress. "JOHN HANCOCK, President. " Attest : CHARLES THOMPSON, Secretary. "PHILADELPHIA, June 25, 1775."
Captain Lowdon's company was sworn in at Northumberland June 29, 1775, only four days after the date of his commission and probably before he had received it. Aaron Wright's journal3 says that immediately after that cere- mony " we chose our officers and lay there until the 7th of July, when we got or- ders to march the next morning. When on parade our first lieutenant came and told us he would be glad if we would excuse him from going, which we refused, but on consideration we all concluded it was better to consent. . . . In the evening we chose a private in his place. The next morning we marched on board the boats, &e. July 13th, reached Reading, where we got our knapsacks, blankets, &e." They left Reading on the 20th of July and were at Bethlehem on the Ist of August ; reached North River, opposite New Windsor, August
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