History of the counties of Dauphin and Lebanon : in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania ; biographical and genealogical, Part 11

Author: Egle, William Henry, 1830-1901
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts & Peck
Number of Pages: 1046

USA > Pennsylvania > Dauphin County > History of the counties of Dauphin and Lebanon : in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania ; biographical and genealogical > Part 11
USA > Pennsylvania > Lebanon County > History of the counties of Dauphin and Lebanon : in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania ; biographical and genealogical > Part 11

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).

About eight o'clock on the morning of the 9th the advanced division, under Col. Gage, crossed the ford and pushed forward. After the whole army had crossed and marched about a mile, Braddock received a note from Col. Gage giving notice that he had passed the second ford without difficulty. A little before two o'clock the whole army had crossed this ford, and was arranged in the order of march on the river plateau. Col. Gage, with the advanced party, was then ordered to march, and while the main body was yet standing on the plain, the action began near the river. Not a single man of the enemy had before been seen. To the brave grenadiers who had stood firm on the plains of Europe, amid tempests of cannon-balls cutting down whole platoons of their comrades, this new species of warfare was perfectly appalling, and unable longer to breast the girdle of fire which enveloped them, they gave way'in confusion, involving the whole army in distress, dismay, and disorder. In such a dilemma. with hundreds of his men falling at every discharge, his rank, converted into a wild and reckless multi- tude, unable to rally and too proud to retreat, Brad- doek obstinately refused to allow the Provincial troops to fight the Indian- in their own way, but with a mad- ne-s incomprehensible did his utmost to form the men into platoons and wheel them into close columns. The result was horrible, and the sacrifice of life with-

1 History of Pennsylvania, by Dr. Egle.

HISTORY OF DAUPHIN COUNTY.

out a parallel at that time in Indian warfare. The Provincial regiment-, unable to keep together, spread through the surrounding woods, and by this means did all the execution that was effected. Every man fought for him-elf, and rushing to the trees from be- hind which gleamed the flash of the rifle, the brave frontiersmen often bayoneted the savage at his post. This perilou- enterprise, however, was attended with a terrible sacrifice. Out of three full companie's of Virginia troops but thirty men were left ; of the Penn- sylvania forces, much less.

It was the most disastrous defeat ever sustained by any European army in America. Sixty-three officers and seven hundred and fourteen privates were killed or dangerously wounded. There is, perhaps, no in- stance upon record where so great a proportion of oth- cers were killed. Out of the eighty-six composing the command but twenty-three escaped unhurt. Their brilliant uniform seemed sure marks for the deadly aim of the savage. On that disastrous day the mili- tary genius of Washington shone forth with much of that splendor which afterwards made him so illustri- ons. His courage, energy, bravery, aud skill displayed on this occasion marked him as possessed of the high- est order of military talents. After the fall of Brad- dock, with his Provincial troops he covered the retreat, and saved the remnant of the army from annihilation.

Gen. Braddock was taken to Dunbar's Camp, on the summit of Laurel Hill, where he breathed his last, on the fourth day after the battle. His body was interred in the centre of the road, and the entire army marched over the spot in order that the remains of the unfor- tunate general might not be desecrated by savage hands.

In the correspondenee of Gen. Braddock with his government, from the time of his arrival in Virginia to his defeat, he complains that Pennsylvania and Virginia would not give the aid he demanded. The disputes at that period in the Proprietary govern- ment, says Duponceau, account in some degree, but : not sufficiently, for these results. The Quaker spirit in Pennsylvania may be supposed to have produced them, but it was used as a means instead of a primary cause. It is certain that at that time a leading Quaker, who was Speaker of the Assembly, said in debate, : " I had rather see Philadelphia sacked three times by the French than vote a single copper for the war." It is easy to see from this the difficulties Braddock had to contend with. Had he received the earnest i support of the Province his success would have been assured. The Scotch-Irish, who settled on the fron- -- tiers, were busy protecting their own homes, and although several companies offered their services to Gen. Braddock he did not accept them,-not from , hanna Indians, a great part of them are actually in the motives ascribed to him by most historians, but from the fact that they were actually required at their own fresides, which had already been invaded by the savage foe.

The consternation at Braddock's defeat was very

great in Pennsylvania. The retreat of Dunbar left the whole frontier uncovered, while the inhabitants, unarmed and undisciplined, were compelled hastily to seek the means of defense or of flight. In de- scribing the exposed state of the Province, and the miseries which threatened it, the Governor had oc- casion to be entirely satisfied with his own eloquence, and had his resolution to defend it egnaled the earnestness of his appeal to the Assembly, the people might have been spared much suffering. The enemy, long restrained by fear of another attack, and scarce crediting his senses when he discovered the defen-e- less state of the frontiers, now roamed nnmolested and fearlessly along the western lines of Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, committing the most appalling outrages and wanton eruelties which the cupidity and ferocity of the savage could dictate. The first inroads into Pennsylvania were into Cum- berland County, whence they were soon extended to the Susquehanna. The inhabitants, dwelling at the distance of from one to three miles apart, fell unre- sistingly, were captured, or fled in terror to the in- terior settlements. The main body of the enemy en- camped on the Susquehanna, thirty miles above Harris' Ferry, whence they extended themselves on both sides the river below the Kittochtinny Moun- tains. The settlements at the Great Cove, in Cumber- land County, now Fulton, were destroyed, and many of the inhabitants slaughtered or made captives, and the same fate fell upon Tulpehocken, upon Mahanoy, and Gnadenhütten.

Under date of October 29th, John Harris wrote to the Governor : " We expect the enemy upon us every day, and the inhabitants are abandoning their planta- tions, being greatly discouraged at the approach of such a number of cruel savages, and no sign of assist- ance. The Indians are cutting us off every day, and I had a certain account of about fifteen hundred In- dians, besides French, being on their march against us and Virginia, and now close on our borders, their scouts scalping our families on our frontiers daily. Andrew Montour and others at Shamokin desired me to take care ; that there was forty Indians out many days, and intended to burn my house and destroy myself and family. I have this day cut holes in my house, and am determined to hold out to the last ex- tremity if I can get some men to stand by me, few of which I yet can at present, every one being in fear of their own families being cut off every hour wsuch is our situation). I am informed that a French officer was expected at Shamokin this week with a party of Delawares and Shawanese, no doubt to take posses- sion of our river ; and, as to the state of the Su-que-

the French interest; but if we should raise a number of men immediately as will be able to take possession of some convenient place up Susquehanna, and build a strong fort in spite of French or Indians, perhaps some Indians may join us, but it is trusting to un-

GENERAL HISTORY.

certainty to depend upon them in my opinion. We by the members of that body, whose phlegmatic tem- ought to insist on the Indians declaring either for or perament could allow them to look calmly upon the victims of their neglect. In preventing protection, as was their sworn duty to do, they were indirectly guilty of the complete sway of the tomahawk and scalping-knife. against ns. As soon as we are prepared for them we must bid up for scalps and keep the wood- fall of our people hunting them, or they will ruin our Province, for they are a dreadful enemy. We impatiently look for assistance. I have sent out two Indian spies to Following Braddock's defeat, the French, or rather their Indian allies, encouraged by their success, pushed their incursions into the interior parts of the frontier settlements, into York, Cumberland. Lancaster, Derks, and Northampton Counties. These counties were scenes of murder and rapine for about ten years. The apprehensions of those who feared the direful conse- quences of the English defeat were sadly realized. Shamokin, they are Mohawks, and I expeet they will return in a day or two. Consider our situation, and rouse your people downwards, and not let about fif- teen hundred villains distress such a number of in- habitants as is in Pennsylvania, which actually they will if they possess our provisions and frontiers long, as they now have many thousands of bushel, of our corn and wheat in possession already, for the inhabi- tants goes off and leaves all."

In consequence of these melancholy tiding- the Governor summoned the Assembly for the 3d of No- vember, when he laid before them an account of the proceedings of the enemy, and demanded money and a militia law. Petitions were poured in from all parts of the Province,-from the frontier counties. praying for arms and munitions ; from the middle counties. deprecating further resistance to the views of the Governor, and requiring, if it were necessary, a par- tial sacrifice of the property of the citizens for the , this Province; while having no militia is thereby defense of their lives ; and that the religious scruples of the members of the Assembly might no longer pre- vent the defense of the country.

By the middle of the month the savages had " en- tered the passes of the Blue Mountains, broke into the connties of Lancaster, Berks, and Northampton, committing murder, devastations, and other kind of horrid mischief," to use the language of Governor Morris, and yet the Assembly delayed the measures of defense required of them. The Governor, aston- ished at the obstinacy of the Assembly, for such he characterized it, again sent a message requesting that body to strengthen his hands and afford assistance to the back inhabitants, but they plead in excuse that they feared the alienating the affections of the In- dians, and in a measure refused to grant the means necessary for the protection of the frontiers.

The cold indifference of the Assembly at such a crisis awoke the deepest indignation throughout the Province. Public meetings were held in various parts of Lancaster and in the frontier counties. at which it was resolved that they would " repair to Philadelphia and compel the Provincial authorities to pass proper laws to defend the country and oppose the enemy." In addition, the dead bodies of some of the murdered and mangled were sent to that city and hauled ahont the streets, with placards announcing that these were vietims of the Quaker policy of non-resistance. A large and threatening mob surrounded the House of Assembly, placed the dead bodies in the doorway, and demanded immediate relief for the people of the frontiers. Such, indeed, were the desperate measures resorted to for self-defense. There was little sympathy

Plans were now devised for the defense of the frontiers. A chain of forts were directed to be erected, but it was not until the succeeding summer that anything like places of defense were actually built. The sad condition of affairs in the interior and western part of the Province is thus described by Governor Robert Morris in his me-sage of July 24. 1755, to the Assembly in relation to Braddock's defeat : "This unfortunate and unexpected change in our affairs deeply affects every one of His Majesty's colonies, but none of them in so sensible a manner as left exposed to the cruel ineur-ion of the French and barbarous Indians, who delight in shedding | human blood, and who make no distinction as to age or sex,-as to those that are armed against them, or such as they can surprise in their peaceful habita- tions, all are alike the objeets of their cruelty,- slaughtering the tender infant and frightened mother with equal joy and flereeness. To such enemies, spurred by the native cruelty of their tempers, en- couraged by their late snecess, and having now no army to fear, are the inhabitants of this Province ex- posed, and by such must we now expect to be overrun if we do not immediately prepare for our own defen-e ; nor ought we to content ourselves with this, but resolve to drive to and confine the French to their own just limits."

Searce three months after this disastrous defeat we find the barbarous savages engaged in murdering the whites and setting fire to their houses on the west side of Susquehanna, in Cumberland County, now Union, for on the 15th of October, 1755, a party of Indians " fell upon the inhabitants on Mahoney (or Penn's) Creek that runs into the river Susque- hanna, about five miles lower than the Great Fork made by the juncture of the two main branches of the Susquehanna, killed and carried off about twenty- five person-, and burnt and destroyed their buildings and improvements, and the whole settlement was deserted." Learning of these transactions, John Harris wrote to the Governor, as follows :

" PAXTANG, Oct. 20, 1755.

" May it please your Honor,-

"I was informed last night by a person that came down our river that there was a Dutch (Germin) women, who made her escape to

4.4

HISTORY OF DAUPHIN COUNTY.

George Gabriel's, and inform, us that last Friday evening, on her way home from this settlement, on Mahathogy or Penn's Creek, where her family lived, she called at a neighbor's house and saw two persons lying by the door of said house murdered and scalped, and thete were suite Dutch (German) families that lived noar their places immediately left, not thinking it safe to stay any longer. It is The opinion of the people up the river, that the families on Pean's Creek being scattered, that itit few in number are killed or carried off, except the above said woman, the certainty of who h will soon be known, as there are some men gune out to bury the dead.

" By report this evening I was thewise informed by the helt of wam- form, and these Indians here, there were ven ned shamokin, about six days ago, two French Indians of the Carmasago tribe. I a little doubted the truth of the repeat at first, but the Indians have -remed so afraidt that they dispatched messengers immediately to the mountains above my house to bring in some of their women that were gathering chest- unts, for fear of their bring killed.

" By a person just arrived down our river, brought information of two men bring murdered within five miles of George Gabriel's, four women carried off, and there is one man wounded in three places who escaped to Gabriel's, and it is imagthel that all the inhabitants ou Peun's Creek and Little Mahah. . y are killed or carried uff, as most of them hve much higher n.j., where the first mun er was discovered. The Indian warrior bare send you these two strings of white wampmm, and the women the black one, both requesting that yon would lay by all your council pipes immediately, and open all your eyes and ears, and view your slain people in this land, and to put a stop to it immediately, and come to this place to our assistance without any delay ; and the belt of wampum particularly mentions that the propriet ors and your Honor would immediately act in defense of their country, as the old chain of friendship now is bicken by several nations of Indians, and it seems to. be such as they never expected to see or hear of. Any delay ou . ur acting vigorously now at this time would be the loss of all Indian in- terest, and! perhaps our ruin in these parts.

"I am your honor's most obedient servant, " JOHN HARRIS.

" P.S .- I shall endeavor to get a number of my neighbors to go out as far as the murder has been committed, and perhaps to shamokin, to know the minds of the Indians and their opinions of these times, and to get what intelligence I can from them and to encourage some of their young men to scont abont back of the frontiere, to give us notice of the enemy's approach, if possible, at any time hereatter. I heartily wish your honor and the Assembly wand! please to agree on some method at this time towards protecting this province, as this part of it seems actu- ally in danger now, for should but a company of Indians come and murder but a few families hereabouts, which is daily expected, the situ- ation we are in would oblige onmbers to abandon their plantation-, and our cattle and provisions, which we have a plenty of, must then fail a prey to the enemy.

"Our Indians here seem much discouraged at the large number of families passing here every day on account of the late murders ou the Potomac, and will be much more so if it should happen to be on case. There were two Indian women set out from here two days ago for the Ohio, to bring some of their relations (as they say) down here, and should the French or their Indians hear by them, as they will be inquiring for news, the effect that their late murders has bad among our inhalatants it will be a matter of encouragenient to them.

" I conclude, your honor's most obedient and most humble servant, " JOHN HARRIS."

On the 23d of October, 1755, forty-six of the inhab- itants about Harris' Ferry went to Shamokin to in- quire of the Indian- there who they were who had so cruelly falten upon and ruined the settlement on Ma- hahony Creek. On their return from Shamokin they were fired upon by some Indians who lag in ambush, and four were killed, four drowned, and the rest put to flight. The following is the report of this expedi- tion :

" I, and Thomas Forster, Laq., Mr. Harris, and Mr. MeKre, with up- wards of forty men, went up the ed inst. (October, 1753. r., Capt. Mc- Kee, at New Providence, in order to bury the dead lately murdered ou Mahahony Creek ; but un de og the corpse were buried, we then determined to return imm: home. But being urged by Jobu

Sekalamy and the Oll Belt to go up to see the Indians nt Shanto- kin and know their minds, we went on the 24th, and stayed there all night ; and in the night I heard some Delawares talking, abont twelve in number, to this purpose: "What are the English come here for?' Says another: 'To kill us, I suppose ; can we then send off some of our nimble young men to give our friends notice that can soon be here " They soon after sang the warsong, and four Indians went off in two canoes, well armed ; the one canoe went down the river, and the other across.

" On the moruing of the 25th we took our leave of the Indians and set off homewards, and were advised to go down the east side of the river ; but, fearing that a snare might be land on that side, we matched ou peaceahly on the west side, having behaved in the most civil and frimolly manber towards them while with them ; and when we came to the month of the Mahahony Creek, we were fired on by a good number of Indians that lay among the bushes, on which we were obliged to retreat with the loss of several men ; the parte ular number I cannot exactly men- tion, but I am positive that I saw four lall, and one man struck with a tomahawk on the head in his flight across the river. As I understand the It-Inware tongue. I heard several of the Indians that were engaged against us speak a good many words in that tongue during the au tr .n. "ADAM TORRANCE."

" The above declaration was attested by the author's voluntary quali- fication, no magistrate being present, at Paxtang, this Eoth October, 1755, before us :

THOMAS MCARTHTE.

" JOHN ELDER. " MICHAEL GRAHAM. ALEX. MCCLURE.

" MISCHAFL TEAFF. WILLIAM HARRI -.

" THOMAS BLACK. SAMUEL LENES

" SAMUEL PEARSON. WILLIAM MCCLURE.

"X B .- Of all our people that were in the action there ate but nine that are yet returned."

John Harris, under the date of " Paxtang. ye 28th October, 1755," writes to the Governor an account of the foregoing expedition to Shamokin, and how near they all came to suffer through Indian treachery :

" May it please your Honor

"This is to acquaint you, that on the 24th of October I arrived at Shamukin, in order to protect our frontiers up that way till they might make their escape from their ornel enemies, and learn the best intelli- gence I could.

" The Indians on the west branch of the Susquehanna certainly killed onr inhabitants on l'enn's Creek, and there are a hatchet and two Eng. lish scalps sent by them up the North brauch, to desire them to strike with them, if they are men.

" The Indians are all assembling themselves at Shamokin to counsel ; a large body of them was there four days ago. I cannot learn their in- tentions, but seems Andrew Montour and Mona-ca-too-tha are to bring down the news from them. There is not a sufficient number of them to oppose the enemy, and, perhaps, they will join the enemy igasost us. There is no depemlence on Indians, and we are in imminent danger.

"I got certain information from Andrew Monteur and others that there is a body of Freuch, with fifteen hundred Indiana, coming upon us,-Picks, Ottaways, Orandox, Delawares, Shawanese, and a number of the six Nations,-aud are now not many days' march from this Province and Virginia, which are appointed to be attached; at the any time some of the Shamokin Indians seem friendly, and others appear like enemies.

" Montour knew many days ago of the enemy being on their march against us before he informed, for which I said as much to him as 1 thought prudent, considering the place I wes in.

" On the 25th inst., on my return with about forty more, we were at- Marked by about twenty or thirty Indians, received their fire, and thont fifteen of our mes and myself took to the trees, attacked the vihuns, killed four of them on the spot, and lost but three more, retreating thout half a mile through walls, and crossing the susquehanna, one f whom was shut off an horse riding behind myself, through the river. My horse was wounded, and, falling into the river, I was obliged to quit him and sw'in part of the was.

" Foor or are .4 our mien were drowned crossing the river Il ge our journey. though with fatigue and loss of our substance, and - a : of ottr lives, will be of service to our country, hy discovering our enemy. who will be our rain, if not timely prevented.

--------

GENERAL HISTORY.

" I just now received information that there was a French officer, sup- posed captain, with a party of Shawanese, Delawares, &c., within six miles of Shamokin, teu days ago, and no doubt intends to take posses- sion of it, which will be a dreadful consequente to us, if suffered. Therefore, I thought proper to de-jaich this message to inforin your Honor. The Indians here, I hope, your Honor, will be pleased to cause them to remove to some place, a. I don't like their company ; and, as the then of those here were not against us, yet did them no harin, or else I would have them all ent off. Belt ( Indian so- alled) promised at Shamokin to send out spies to view the enemy, and, npou hearing of our skirmishes, Old Belt was in a rage. gathered up thirty Indians im- mediately, and went in pursuit of the enemy, as I am this day in- formed.

" I expect Montour and Mona-ca-too-tha down here this werk, with the determination of their Shamokin council. The inhabitants are abandoning their plantations, and we are in a dreadful situation.

" JADI, &C.,

" JOHN HATRIS.

" P.S .- The night ensning our attack the Indians burnt all George Gabriel's housee; danced around them."

The person who was shot off the horse, while riding behind John Harris in crossing the river, was a phy- sician of Paxtang, but in the absence of the assess- ment-lists we are unable to tell who he was. The Indians alluded to by John Harris as being at Harris' Ferry for some months were those to whom Conrad Weiser refers when writing from that place to the Governor in July (9th) previous, when he said, ---

" According to your order, I came to this place last Monday, and found ' the Indians waiting for me. Yesterday I distributed about two hundred bushels of meal among them : after that was over, they enquired how things stood as to the war. I told them what had happened to some of the back inhabitants, and that the French Indians were like to do a great deal of mischief. They wemed to be very much concerned. There were about thirty of them, amlof which number nine offered themselves to go with me, or my aon sanimy, to Wills Creek, and serve as ontscouts against the French and their fudians, and to protect the poor people settled about those parts; and I was agreed that they should meet me or my son, at this place in ten days hence; and that in the mean time, I was to obtain your Honor's leave, and a proper pass. This morning Captain Glazier's express from the east arrived at this place, with the agreeable news of the defeat of the French at Nova Scotia, and the taking of the French men-of-war, by Admiral Boscawen,

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of the counties of Dauphin and Lebanon : in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania ; biographical and genealogical, Part 11

Author: Egle, William Henry, 1830-1901 Publication date: 1883 Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts & Peck Number of Pages: 1046

Author: Egle, William Henry, 1830-1901
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts & Peck
Number of Pages: 1046