USA > Pennsylvania > Lancaster County > Lancaster county Indians: annals of the Susquehannocks and other Indian tribes of the Susquehanna territory from about the year 1500 to 1763, the date of their extinction > Part 11
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About the same time an additional force was raised to go against the Susquehannocks, which is set forth p. 56 of the same book. "It is or- dered that a party of 30 men be rais- ed-15 out of St. Mary's and 15 out of St. Charles under Capt. Douglass and Sly to range the woods about Piscataway and the Susquehannock Fort to take up all such horses as they shall find were lost by the sol- diers in the late expedition against the Susquehannock Indians." And page 58 it is stated: "The governor and council have taken into consid- eration the disbursements for pro- visions and other charges relating to the late Indian war with the Sus- quehannocks that the same be levied this year and be taken into considera- tion."
Thus from these items we see there was an expedition against the Sus- quehannocks by Maryland, and that in it many horses were lost of the 250 that set out and the expense of the late war was now a subject of governmental concern for Maryland.
The particulars of this expedition and the disreputable action of the whites in the same against the de- fenseless chiefs of the Susquehan- nocks, and the impeachment proceed- ings against the leaders of the expe- dition by the Maryland authorities
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ANNALS OF THE SUSQUEHANNOCKS AND
we will next take up and in doing so reveal a disgraceful page in colonial Indian policy.
1675-Virginia Asks Maryland to Join Her in An Expedition Against the Susquehannocks.
On Sept. 6, 1675 Col. John Washing- ton, a great grandfather of George Washington,together with Isaac Aller- ton sends a letter to Maryland stating, that on Sunday the 5th inst. orders were received from the governor of Virginia to summon the militia on the north side of the Rappahannock and south of the Potomac, to make an inquisition into the murders and spoyl done by the Indians and ascer- tain by what nations done and to de- mand satisfaction and proceed to war if needed.
Wherefore the regiment of 5 troops of 50 men each as stated in the last item, were ordered raised. See 15 Md. Arch. 48.
1675-Maryland Sends Instructions to Co-Operate With Washington
Accordingly Thos. Dent was sent to Col. Washington with these instruct- From this we see that this tribe of Indians through their King first of- fered his warriors to assist the Mary- landers and Virginians in whipping the Susquehannocks, and to give as- surance that he would not dessert in battle and go over to the Susquehan- nocks, he gave the women and chil- dren of his tribe as hostages into the charge of the English, who could have been enslaved or even slaugh- tered if the soldiers proved recre- ant. The above also states that he did remain loyal. ions: "Gent. According to the promise made Capt. Lee and Maj. Youell we have this day taken your letter into consideration and for answer return you that we have ordered 250 horses and dragoon to rendezvous upon Thursday which will be the 23rd in- stant at the head of the Choptico Bay from whence they shall continue their march to the north side of the mouth of the Piscataway where they shall await your arrival and join with you where your commanders shall advise with you upon the ways and means to prosecute the war against the 1675-The Great, Shameful Expediton of Slaughter and Dishonor. Doages and the Susquehannock In- dians till the murderers are delivered The expedition against the Susque- and all possible satisfaction obtain- hannocks, who were huddled in a fort on the Potomac, about 200 strong
ed from them for damages done his
majesty's subjects. Ordered that Maj. Thomas Truman be commander of the expedition." See 15 Md. Arch. 49.
1675-The Mattawomen Indians Join the Expedition and Help Maryland and Virginia Against Sus- quehannocks.
This is set forth in 15 Md. Arch. 57 as follows, "The Council, taking into consideration the merits of the King of the Mattawomen, namely that he came first unto Major Truman volun- tarily and offered all his men to serve us against the Susquehannocks and his women and children as hostages and that he continued all the time of the War with the Eng- lish and in pursuit of the enemy, do humbly desire the government con- currence to an order that the said King may be presented with 12 match coats as a mark of gratitude and have of value 100 arms length Roan- oke namely four match coats for every prisoner of the Susquehannocks that they have taken and delivered- the said match coats to be paid to the Indian that took the prisoner."
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OTHER LANCASTER COUNTY INDIAN TRIBES
including women and children, began about the middle of September, and continued n a siege of about 6 weeks ending the beginning of November. In addition to the march on the Fort, as we have above seen the whites hired other Indians to sally through the woods and capture Susquehan- nocks. The white soldiers also rang- ed the woods for the same purpose. At any rate about the beginning of November the Indians left their fort one night and struck southwestwardly into Virginia and were the leading instigators of the Bacon Rebellion all of which we shall show later.
None of the government archives of Maryland state anything of the general result of the expedition, per- haps because there was so much dis- graceful about it. Neither do any other public records tell the particulars of the struggle. However inferentially several things are plain. First that the war was of considerable expense to Maryland, and that her people con- tributed of their private means to its maintenance. In Vol. 15 Md. Arch. 56 under date of Oct. 13 it is "Ordered that proclamation be made by the several sheriffs of each respective county that all persons that have been at any charge or expense
for provisions or ammunition about the late expedition against the Susquehannocks shall come to the next provincial court and deliver their claims to the sheriffs." This is his- torical testimony that the expedition was taken, and that it was ended by Oct 13 or nearly so. Secondly in the same book p. 58 it is set out "Where- as the King of the Mattawomen de- sires to inform himself for the securi- ty of himself and his people against the Susquehannocks, who are now his enemies only because he hath es- poused our quarrel against them, the council do request that it be ordered |
that he have liberty to 'infort' him- self and his people upon any place the governor shall .see fit." Thus though the Susquehannocks as we shall see were driven out of their fort on the Potomac, and voluntarily went into Virginia, they still feared, because from their Virginia base they continually sent parties into their old country. This request of the Mattawomen king is dated 1675. Thirdly in the same year as shown in 15 Md. Arch. 59, something of the cost of the expedition is given us. It is stated "The governor and Council having taken into consideration that the disbursements for provisions and other charges relating to the late war with the Susquehannocks and that the same may be levied this year and having seen several papers and ac- counts thereto relating, but not the whole accounts, do appoint to meet Monday; and it is ordered that on Monday all the people exhibit their accounts or be debarred. It is also ordered that 85 pounds of tobacco per poll be levied as tax and be added to the former levy so that this year there be levied in the whole 165 pounds of tobacco per poll." We
have seen in a former item that there were 6610 taxables in Mary- land at this time and a tax of 165 pounds of tobacco per head would be about 1090650 pounds, of if it were worth 10 cents per pound it was equi- valent to $109,065.00. So the six weeks' war was very costly, even if the whites did win.
Elaborate particulars of the war are however, told by a master hand, whose graphic description of it, we shall tell in the following several items, under the general title of "The Fall of the Susquehannocks."
1675-The Fall of the Susquehannocks Chapter I (First Attack).
What I shall now give is verbatim S. F. Streeter, Esqr's account of the
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ANNALS OF THE SUSQUEHANNOCKS AND
last days of the Susquehannocks as | were among the most talented and an independent and powerful tribe. influential men of the province. The account was given in 1857 and may be found in Vol. 1, of the his- torical Magazine, p. 65, found in the Historical Society, at Philadelphia. As I have said in an earlier item, the public records of the Maryland Arch- ives give only the making up of the expedition which resulted so fatal- ly for the Susquehannocks, and the march, and then are silent as to the character of the battle. But that there was a battle is evident from the discussions in Council and As- sembly concerning the cost, the loss of horses, and the impeachment of Col. Truman, for despicable conduct in the flight.
Streeter says, "The brave but un- fortunate Susquehannocks, driven from their original seat (on Susque- hanna) by the conquering Senecas in the attempt to find a place of refuge became unwillingly embroiled by a series of untoward circumstances with the people of Maryland and of Virginia, and in the extremity of their despair rushed into a conflict which though brief, gave the finish- ing blow to their power and com- pelled the few survivors of this for- merly dreaded tribe to seek a resting place in the wilds of the west or to incorporate themselves with the por- tions of the Powhatan Confederacy.
"The events connected with this struggle between the two races pos- sess for us a double interest. First, they relate to a trying period in our own colonial history; and secondly, as they were closely connected with the occurrences in Virginia, which ar- rayed Nathaniel Bacon against the established government and aroused a spirit of resistance to Sir William Berkley, that ceased only with the death of the unfortunate leader and the expatriation or execution of many of his supporters, some of whom
"On a Sabbath morning in the summer of the year 1675 as the people of Stafford, at that time the most northerly county in Virginia, on the Potomac, were on their way to church they found a herdsman nam- ed Robert Henn lying across the threshold of his house and an Indian without the door, both terribly gash- ed and mutilated. The Indian was quite dead; but Henn lived long enough to declare that the 'Doegs' were the murderers. A boy was also discovered hidden under a bed from whom it was gathered that the In- dians had made their attack and committed the murder about day- break.
"Col. Mason and Capt. Brent, com- manders of the militia of that county, on hearing of the bloody dead im- mediately collected a force of about 30 men and followed on trail of the retreating Indians. After a pursuit of about 20 miles up the Potomac they crossed the river into Maryland. Landing at daybreak they discovered two narrow paths, one of which was followed by Mason with a part of the men; and the other by Brent with the remainder. After advancing a short distance each party discovered in its front an Indian wigwam, which was silently surrounded.
"Having stationed his men Capt. Brent advanced to the wigwam and in a loud voice, in the Indian tongue, demanded a council with the occu- pants. A chief came forward appar- ently much alarmed, and would have fled, but Brent, seizing him by the scalp, told him he had come for the murderers of Henn. The chief plead- ed ignorance of the whole matter, and managed to escape from the grasp of his captor; but as he turned to flee fell dead by a pistol shot from the
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OTHER LANCASTER COUNTY INDIAN TRIBES
hand of Brent. This was the signal for action on both sides. The In- dians within delivered their fire from the hut, and under its frail cover stood for a short time the volleys of the Virginians, but finally attempted to save themselves by flight from their murderous effects. As they thronged out of the door in a body, however, the unerring rifle dić prompt execution and ten of their number were slain. A lad of eight years of age, the son of the chief killed by Capt. Brent, was the only one taken prisoner. The Indians so severely handled in this encounter belonged to the tribe of 'Doages' or
'Doegs.' Meanwhile Col. Mason's party had also been actively engaged. Scarcely had his men been arranged when they were startled by the din of the other assault, while the sud- denly awakened and panic stricken occupants of the wigwam, in their extremity, without waiting for sum- mons or attack, rushed to the door to make their escape. As they pour- ed out they were met by the deadly fire of the Virginians, who supposed from the noise and the firing that Brent's men were warmly engaged with a hostile party, and fourteen of the Indians had already fallen, when one of them rushed up to Col. Mason through the heaviest of the fire and seized his arm and exclaimed "Sus- quehannocks netoughs" that is, "Sus- quehannocks friends," and imme- diately fled. Col. Mason at once caused his men to cease firing, since those who were the objects of their attack proved to belong to a tribe recognized as friends of Virginia.
"This tribe which had formerly oc- cupied a considerable territory on the Susquehanna and at the head of Chesapeake Bay, and which _ was spreading terror among the tribes of the Patuxent and the eastern shore
of the Potomac at the time of the ar- rival of the Maryland Pilgrims, had in its turn been made to feel the hand of the conqueror. The Seneca In- dians, one of the most numerous and powerful of the Confederacy of the Five Nations, through whose terri- tory in western New York the upper waters of the Susquehannocks flow- ed (as the governor and council of New York in an address to his Ma- jesty, Aug. 6, 1691, say: the Susque- hanna river, is situate in the middle of the Seneca country) had pushed their war parties down that river (Susquehanna), reducing the tribes on its borders to submission, or compelling them to seek new places of abode in more defensible positions with other tribes or within the sweep of the strong and protecting arms of the white men.
"The Susquehannocks, too proud, it would seem, to yield to those with whom they had long been contested as equals, and by holding the land of their fathers by suffrage, to ac- knowledge themselves reduced; yet too weak to withstand the victorious and domineering Senecas, had been compelled to forsake the river bear- ing their name and the head of the Bay; and had taken up a position near the western borders of Mary- land below the territory of the Pis- cataway Indians."
(This is the end of Chapter I. The next item will take up Chapt- II and will be devoted to the new location of the Susquehannock Indians and of their weak neighboring and confed- erated tribes.
1675-Fall of the Susquehannocks. Chapter II (The New Fort).
"This tribe (Susquehannocks) orig- inally occupied lands lower down the river (Potomac) about the Piscata- way; but the year 1673 a tract at the head of the Potomac was assign-
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ANNALS OF THE SUSQUEHANNOCKS AND
ed them by the Assembly, somewhat above the former location, and every possible effort was made to establish themselves permanently at that
place. Implements of husbandry were presented to them and a supply of provisions for three years guaran- teed to free them from all apprehen- sion on the care of subsistence and afford them full time to make these lands sufficiently productive for their
own support. This spot was near where Washington now stands (An- nals of Annapolis, p. 64). From this legislation it is evident that the policy of the province was to remove the Indians toward the western borders of its territory and thus at the same time to preserve for them a
home .- to make room for the pioneers of civilization already press- ing upon that quarter and to dimin- ish as far as possible the chances of collision between the two races. The Piscataways however,were an unwar- like inoffensive people and were re- garded as firm friends to both Mary- land and Virginia.
"The Doegs" as they are styled in the Maryland records, occupied a portion of the territory between the Piscataway river on the north and the great bend on the Potomac on the south now forming the western part of Charles and perhaps a small por- tion of Prince George county. The tongue of land formed by Mattawo- men Run as it flows into the Poto- mas still retains the name 'Indian Point' and may have been the spot on which the bloody scene which has been described was enacted. The lands of the Doegs extended to the Piscataway.
in the mere fact that parties from both tribes were found occupying wigwams a short distance below the river and near to each other, as was the case with those attacked by Mason and Brent.
But murders had been committed in Virginia; the pursuers had as they believed tracked the murderers until they had suddenly :allen upon these parties. Had they found In- dian families in the wigwams it would have been different-but they found armed warriors; and this in connection with the recent startling raids and evils were surely enough to excite suspicion. According to
the dying testimony of one of the vic- tims the murderers were Doeg, and therefore of the same tribe with those which Capt. Brent's party sur- prised on the Maryland side of the river; and this fact in their appre- hensions afforded a good reason for the assault. There is no evidence that the Susquehannocks were the abbettors or ever the associates of the Doegs, or chargeable with any other fact or fault than that of un- fortunately occupying quarters in the neighborhood.
"That Capt. Brent's party knew whom they were assaulting is likely from his parley with the chief before firing began; but that the attack of Mason's men thus precipitated by the noise of the other engagement, and that they were not aware of whom they assailed is evident from the fact that Col. Mason the moment he as- certained they were Susquehannocks, recognized them as friends and ceas- ed hostilities.
"The truth is the Virginians were hot with passion and eager of pur- suit. Their friends had been mur- dered and by Indians; they knew the perpetrators and started in pur-
"The Susquehannocks had lately established themselves on the north side of that (Piscataway) river. There would seem therefore to have been no ground of suspicion either, | suit; they came up with two bands
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OTHER LANCASTER COUNTY INDIAN TRIBES
in junctos with the very tribe charg- ed with the crime and in the direct line of their retreat; and concluding at once that these were the assassins, without pausing to deliberate, hasten- ed to avenge the slaughter of their friends. In one of these cases at least the assailants were sadly pre- cipitated.
"The murderous assault of Mason's party was entirely unprovoked, if we accept the assertion of the Sus- quehannocks, who charged the mur- ders upon the marauding parties of the Senecas (and this is by no means improbable.) "The Senecas' war par- ties might at that time have penetrat- ed Maryland and Virginia as they are known to have done within a very few years after, when they committed various murders, might naturally be expected to arouse their savage pas- sions, and stimulate them to seek revenge, particularly as no attempt was made by the Virginians to ex- plain the cause of the attack or to make preparation for the grievous in- jury inflicted. It may be the savage retribution and subsequent conflicts followed too closely upon this en- counter to allow an opportunity for explanation. Several murders were soon afterwards committed in Mary- land, and though guard boats were equipped to prevent interruptions and invasions across the Potomac one or two persons were also murdered in Stafford county, Virginia. The perpetrators of these cruel acts were not certainly known; but under the circumstances suspicion naturally fell upon the Susquehannocks.
"The presence of this tribe on their western borders had al- ready exacted dissatisfaction among the people of Maryland, especially those whose plantations were situat- ed near the Piscataway; and efforts had been made (the Indians being re- | stated.
solutely bent not to forsake their Fort (Ann Cotton's Account 1676, p. 1) to induce them to leave the position they had taken. This was on the north side of the Piscataway, in a strong Fort which had either origin- ally belonged to the Piscataways or was built by the province years pre- vious (In 1644 an act was passed to enable the Governor to establish and support a garrison at Piscataway (see Bacon's Laws) for the protection of the frontier settlements, and perhaps Maryland has left it unoccupied dur- ing the time of peace, which had preceded these occurrences. From
its strength and construction the latter supposition seems most pro- bable.
'The walls of the fort were high banks of earth having flankers well provided with loop holes and encom- passed by a ditch. Without this was a row of tall trees from 5 to 8 inches in diameter set three feet in the earth and six inches apart and wattled in such a manner as at the same time to protect those within and afford holes for shooting through. These defenses were ingenious and strong and enabled the occupants to set at defiance any ordinary beseiging party unless provided with cannon or pre- pared to starve its defenders into a surrender. Here the Susquehannocks to the number of 100 with their old men, women and children established themselves,-here they were deter- mined to remain ..
"Remembering not only the deeds of violence that had been borne and taking counsel of their apprehensions forgetful as it would seem, of the outrages which had stung the sav- ages into revengeful mood. the Mary- landers determined to organize an expedition against them, and drive them from the province." All this is from Streeter's account as first
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ANNALS OF THE SUSQUEHANNOCKS AND
1675-Fall of the Susquehannocks- | in Maryland and in Virginia, and that (Chapt. III. The March).
" Doubting, however, the ability to carry out promptly and effectively their designs, and aware that the Vir- ginians, like themselves, had of late suffered from midnight attacks and murders which from their share in the recent unfortunate assault on the Susquehannocks they were dis- posed to distribute to them as acts of revenge there was proposed to the Virginian's a union of forces and a joint expedition for the purpose of subduing their common enemy.
"The proposition was readily ac- cepted and the two provinces raised a force of a thousand men to march against the Susquehannocks. The Virginia troops were under command of Col. John Washington, the great- grandfather of General George Wash- ington; those of Maryland under
Major Thomas Truman. On
the
morning
of
Sunday
the
26th
of September the Maryland forces
appeared before the Fort, and the Virginians probably a little later. In the obedience to instruc- tions from the government to settle matters with the Susquehannocks by negotiations if feasible, Major Tru- man sent to the Fort two messengers one of whom was well acquainted with the English language, to in- vite Harignera, one of the municipal chiefs, to a conference. Having as- ertained that Harignera was dead, they requested that the other chiefs might be sent in his stead, where- upon six of their leaders came forth and met the commander of Maryland in the presence of his principal officers and several Indians belonging to neighboring tribes. Upon their de- manding the reason of all that hostile array Major Truman informed them through the interpreters, that grave outrages had been committed
he had come to ascertain who had committed them. They replied it was the Senecas. The Major then in- quired if they would furnish some of their young men as guides in pur- suit, as several of the other tribes had already done; but they replied the Sencas had come four days and by that time must be near the head of the Tataysco. To this it was an- swered that the horses of the white men were fleet and the Indian runners swift and botn ought easily to over- take the Senecas. They then consent- ed to furnish the guides. During the conference Col. Washington, Col. Ma- son and Maj. Adderton came over from the Virginia encampement and charged the chiefs with the murders that had been committed on the south side of the Potomac; but they positive- ly denied that any of their tribe were guilty. The Virginians, however far from being convinced by this denial, insisted that three of the Susquehan- nocks had been positively identified as participants in the outrages which had taken place.
"The chiefs then presented to Ma- jor Truman a paper and a silver medal with a black and yellow rib- bon attached,which they said had been given to them by former governors of Maryland; this medal is exceedingly rare now; it is of silver, about the size and half the thickness of
a crown piece, with a knob on the end for the insertion of a cord, so it may be hanged about the neck) as a.
pledge of protection and friendship as long as the sun and moon shall endure. These tokens were received by Major Truman with assurances that he was satisfied the Senecas had been the aggressors in the late out- rages and that they need have no apprehension for the safety of them- both | selves or their wives and children.
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