USA > Pennsylvania > Pennsylvania, colonial and federal : a history, 1608-1903, Volume One > Part 34
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and a certain tract of land fixed which it shall not be lawful for us or our children ever to sell, nor for you or any of your children ever to buy. . . . . To build different houses from what we have done heretofore, such as may last not only for a little time, but for our children after us, we desire you will assist us in making our settlements, and send us persons to instruct us in building houses, and in making such necessaries as shall be needful, and that persons be sent to instruct us in the Christian religion, which may be for our future welfare, and to instruct our children in reading and writing, and that a fair trade be established between us, and such persons appointed to conduct and manage these affairs as shall be agreeable to us." In reply to a question about Fort Augusta, which was included in the bounds desired accord- ing to a plan which Teedyuscung presented, the latter agreed that the fort should belong to the English and should continue as a trading house, and his people would assist in defending it. The plan was supposed to have been made by Charles Thomson, the writing on it being in his hand, and the whole proposition was supposed to have been dictated by him or the Quakers in town. Croghan gave Denny an opinion that the real desire of the Indians was to get a sight of the deeds, that they might know what Indians granted the lands, and that all were of opinion that the Proprietaries had made fair purchases from the Six Nations, but that the latter were not the rightful owners. Croghan and Weiser thought that if the Delawares persisted, it would occasion a breach between them and the Six Nations, which would have fatal consequences, and it was decided that it would be imprudent to enter into the question of the title of the Six Nations, which should be left to Sir William Johnson : so on Sunday, July 31, the Lieutenant-Governor asked that, as the land was not the principal cause of the Delawares striking Pennsylvania, but only the reason that they struck a harder blow, such matter of little moment be passed over, and peace be made, and as Sir William Johnson had been appointed to settle the complaint as to the land.
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and his Deputy had no power to suffer any altercation on that subject to take place here, it be referred to Sir William. As a convincing proof of the value which the Proprietaries set upon
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Old Sun Dial from Fort Pitt
Photographed especially for this work from the original in the Carnegie Museum, Pittsburgh
the friendship of the Indians, the Proprietaries had agreed to relinquish the land west of the Alleghanies forming part of the purchase made at Albany of 1754. As to the lands between Shamokin and Wyoming, which Teedyuscung wished to settle,
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they had never been claimed under any purchase. Teedyuscung answered the next day that he was well pleased, except with one thing, which he had ordered to be written down by his clerk, who had read it over to them three or four times and now would read it. The Lieutenant-Governor objected to this. "Brother, it is true," replied the untutored savage; "you are right, this was not formerly practiced ; it never used to be so. Don't you see that I aim by having a clerk of my own to exceed my ancestors by hav- ing everything for the best." The Lieutenant-Governor ap- pealed to Croghan, who came to his assistance, and asked the chief to repeat himself what he had to say. Then Teedyuscung said that what they had concluded upon was this: As Croghan had been introduced to them as appointed to act for Sir William Johnson, why must they be obliged to go to the latter to have the proofs and deeds examined? They did not wish to go, for they did not know him, and there were in his country Indians who had been instrumental in selling lands, having in former years usurped that authority, and called Delawares women. "I only want," said he, "for the satisfaction of the Indians of the ten nations present, and also of all other Indians, that the deeds may be produced and well looked into. . .. After they have been fairly taken down, if you agree to this, then I shall, by two belts tied together, take you by the hand, and with my uncles confirm a lasting peace with you; and if it please the Governor and Mr. Croghan, let the copy of the deeds be sent to Sir William Johnson, and to the King, and let him judge. I want nothing for the land till the King hath sent letters back : then if any of the lands be found to belong to me, I expect to be paid for it, and not before." Croghan then said that the deeds must be read and copies of them given. Peters said that he held them not as secretary, but merely on a private trust, and if he showed them or gave copies, except to Sir William Johnson, it would violate the express instructions and be a breach of trust, which he hoped the Lieutenant-Governor and Council would not require. William Logan declared that in
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his opinion it would be unjust to the Indians and injurious to the Proprietaries not to show, read, and explain to the Indians all deeds relating to the land in question, with the names of those who had signed them, and the instructions referring the matter to Sir William Johnson should not be adhered to. The coun- cillors then reflected that the deeds were on record in Phila- delphia, and the Quakers had brought exemplifications of them to the treaty, so it could not hurt the Proprietaries for the originals to be produced, as the Lieutenant-Governor had insisted that he could not go into a defence of the title : so all except Peters agreed to the reading and the giving of copies of five deeds, including the copy of the alleged deed of 1686. Weiser obtained Teedyus- cung's consent that only the deeds covering land north of Tohiccon should be produced. So on August 3, these deeds were produced, and peace was made. Croghan noticed that the deed of 1718, which was a summary of all previous deeds, and which only cov- ered as far as the South mountain below the Lehigh, was not one of the five deeds, so he announced that he expected a copy of it. A few days later Paxanosa, the Shawanee king, and Abraham, a Mohican chief, and about fifty or sixty Indians arrived, and were informed of the peace. Croghan then asked that Teedyuscung join the Six Nations against the French. Teedyuscung then called upon those present of the Six Nations to witness that whereas he had been called a woman by his uncles, they had since given him a tomahawk, the edge of which he would turn against the French.
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THE EXPULSION OF THE FRENCH
T HE treaty at Easton had a good effect. Little or no mischief was done on the borders that winter. After the treaty was over and Teedyuscung was returning to Tioga Point, he met messengers from the Ohio Indians, who announced that they were sorry that they had struck the English, and would do what he told them. He informed them of the peace, and that he would give them a tomahawk against the French, and would bring them down to Philadelphia for a treaty. He himself made fre- quent visits to Philadelphia, the first being at the end of that month, when he reported this interview, and also asked for a copy of the deed of 1718, and the reason why the treaty had not been published. On Denny explaining that it was Sir William John- son's business to order any publication, and that Croghan had so reminded Denny, Teedyuscung said that Croghan was a rogue, and that he himself would have nothing to do with him or John- son. Denny handed over the desired copy of the deed, and gave Teedyuscung assurance that the treaty would be published. Two members of the Assembly asked Denny if he had power to consent to an act, which they offered to have the Assembly pass, to vest in the Indians and their posterity the lands which they desired to be reserved for them. The draft or plan of these lands not being clear, and it being imprudent to make an appropriation of land not released by the Six Nations, Denny replied that, while he had not the power, he would write to the Proprietaries for such power.
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and to have the necessary permission solicited from the Six Na- tions.
The Assembly, on hearing of the surrender of Fort William Henry, by act authorized the Lieutenant-Governor to send 1,000 men to the defence of the province of New York. In September, Lord Loudoun ordered the Second battalion of the Royal Amer- icans to march to Carlisle, and join Colonel Stanwix for the pro- tection of the back settlements. Frenchmen and Indians came to Minisink to reconnoitre; but, in spite of Teedyuscung's wishes, a reward for scalps was not offered, Weiser suggesting that the province would be paying for the scalps of its own people. John Hughes, Edward Shippen (grandson of the former President of the Council), James Galbreath, and Rev. Charles Beatty went to Wyoming to build houses and a little fort, as Teedyuscung ex- pected to remove from Tioga to that place in the following May.
Owing to the illness of Isaac Norris, Thomas Leech, a mer- chant of Philadelphia, was chosen Speaker of the Assembly on January 2, 1758. A report was made to the Council as to the Walking Purchase. Some of the points made were good, but it would at the present day be called a "whitewash." Logan did not sign it, and was not present at the Council on January 6, when it was unanimously adopted.
The Earl of Loudoun was ordered back to England, and Major-General James Abercrombie succeeded him as commander- in-chief of the forces in America. Teedyuscung came again to Philadelphia in March, and was as spirited, not to say rude, as usual. He asked for a clerk ; on which request the councillors de- bated for more than an hour, and then caused a message to be sent that for the private interview which was expected the old custom of having no one present but the councillors on both sides would be followed. Teedyuscung replied that he was tired of waiting, was at dinner, and would bring his clerk, or not speak at all. The difficulty was solved by holding a public conference in the council chamber at the State House in presence of many persons, when
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the calumet sent to him in reply to the publication of peace was smoked in turn by himself, then the Governor, and Shoemaker, Logan, and Peters of the Council, and the Speaker and members of the Assembly. Eight nations, the Ottawas, Twightees, Chippewas, Tawas, Caughnawagos, Mahoowas, Pietoatomows, and Nalashawawnas, had taken hold of the covenant belt in-addi- tion to the ten for which he had spoken at the treaty. A week
Birthplace of Robert Fulton
Engraved for this work from a negative by D. E. Brinton
later, when the Lieutenant-Governor made his reply accepting this alliance, and thanking Teedyuscung, the latter repeated his re- quest for the benefits of civilization: "Brother, you must con- sider I have a soul as well as another and I think it proper you should let me have two ministers to teach me, that my soul may be instructed and saved at last. Brother, and I desire, moreover, two schoolmasters, for there are a great many Indian children who want schoolmasters. One therefore is not sufficient to teach them all, so that they may be sufficiently instructed in the Chris- tian way. Brother, I have a body as well as a soul. I want two men to instruct me and show me the ways of living, and how to
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Pennsylvania Colonial and Federal
conduct temporal affairs, who may teach me in everything to do as you do yourselves, that I may live as you do, and likewise who may watch over me, and take care of my things, that nobody may cheat me." He asked the liberty of choosing the ministers. He said : "You tell us the Christian religion is good, and we believe it to be so, partly upon the credit of your words, and partly be- cause we see that some of our brother Indians who were wicked before they became Christians live better lives now than they for- merly did." He wanted two instructors in temporal affairs, so that if one proved dishonest, the other might prevent him from imposing upon the Indians. Several Cherokees had been sent through Philadelphia, accompanied by some Mohawks, on their way from Sir William Johnson, who was by them inviting the Cherokee and other southern nations of Indians to make a treaty of alliance with him. News came that several more had arrived at Winchester, prepared to start out against the French and the Ohio Indians. Teedyuscung asked that a messenger be sent to his friends on the Ohio, warning them to separate from the French, so as not with them to be cut off, and also a messenger to the Cherokees to stop the latter, for if they did any injury, it would be attributed to the English, who had hired them. Denny had reason to believe that the Cherokees hated the Delawares and Shawanees, and did not wish these to become friends of the Eng- lish, the hope being that they would be destroyed. Denny wrote to George Washington, or whoever commanded the Virginia troops, leaving to him the nice point how to communicate the news of the peace to the Cherokees without disgusting them so much that they would leave the service. Then Denny sent to the Ohio Indians the pipe which William Penn smoked on his first arrival in the country, and which had been preserved by his order to that day. Denny was not free to send any invitation to the eight nations of which Teedyuscung had spoken, from apprehen- sion that in some way the plans of Sir William Johnson might be interfered with. Tied hand and foot by his many masters, this
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occupant of the gubernatorial chair only occasionally could slip for an inch or so, or change the position of his cords. Appar- ently he found the matrimonial tie the most irksome; for his treat- ment of his wife came to be resented by the ladies, so Franklin tells us.
On December 30, 1757, Pitt as Secretary of State communi- cated the King's commands for a large force to be raised in the colonies south of Pennsylvania inclusive, ready to take the field as soon after May I as possible, under the command of Brigadier- General John Forbes. On receipt of this, the Assembly of Penn- sylvania voted to raise, pay, and clothe 2,700 men, including those then in service. Teedyuscung asked that the whole conquest of the Ohio be left to him; with one blow he would drive the enemies of the English into the sea : but Robert Strettell, in Denny's ab- sence, explained that the expedition must go; then Teedyuscung promised to accompany it, but with his own captains over his people.
The Assembly passed a bill for granting 100,000l. for the mili- tary expenses, and levying a tax on all estates real and personal. Denny proposed to amend it so that the Proprietaries' estates should not be taxed by the same mode as those of the inhabitants, but asked the House not to understand him as wishing to exempt the Proprietaries' estates, which in fact, he said, was not desired by those gentlemen themselves. They were willing that every tract surveyed and appropriated for their use should bear an equal share of the burdens imposed for defence. As the estates of the people were to be rated and assessed by assessors chosen by the people, so, he argued, the estates of the Proprietaries should be rated and assessed only by those in the choice of whom they had a voice; therefore he offered to concur in a separate bill putting the taxation of such estates into the hands of commissioners to be accepted by him as part of the act and named therein. He also informed the House that it would be impossible for him to trans- act any business with Joseph Fox, John Hughes, William Masters,
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Joseph Galloway, and John Baynton, who had been commissioners under the last money bill, and were among those named in this. Not only had they treated him with discourtesy, they had ex- pended money without obtaining his consent, or even consulting him, contrary to the directions of the act appointing them, and had held meetings without giving notice to Lardner and Mifflin, their fellow commissioners. He moreover disapproved of mem- bers of Assembly acting as commissioners. The House adhered to the bill in every respect. The Lieutenant-Governor then re- jected it, and said that he would send to the King a copy, with his reasons for rejecting it. The money being required, General Abercrombie writing from New York, General Forbes arriving in Philadelphia, forty Cherokees coming to Fort Loudoun naked and without arms and to be provided for, the Assembly passed an- other bill for 100,000l., naming the same commissioners, but ex- empting the Proprietary estates. Denny sent down his amend- ments. He objected among other things to a clause intimating that the money under the former bill had been expended with his consent, whereas he declared that he did not know how the com- missioners had spent the money, and that they had not filed any account. Their account, as a matter of fact, was before a com- mittee of the House. The House adhering to the bill, the Coun- cil, after serious deliberation, on April 22, Strettell, Peters, Mifflin, Turner, Lardner, and Cadwalader being present, unanimously recommended that the Lieutenant-Governor yield, which he signi- fied in a written message that he did under protest. General Forbes having made requisition for 218 light fusees and 165 arms in the public store, and Denny having given an order for the same on Thomas Janvier, the provincial armorer, Hughes, Galloway, Baynton, and Masters forbade him to deliver them. The Gen- eral expostulating, the Lieutenant-Governor gave a peremptory order, and told the armorer that he would indemnify him.
Sir William Johnson approved of Denny sending an invitation to the Indians inclined to peace. Ravages at this time recom-
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mencing, Teedyuscung sent Indians to range the frontiers, but they got drunk ; he sent his sons to the Ohio, but they took fright, and would not leave Fort Allen until he went there. Such was the terror at Reading that Forbes promised that 100 Highlanders should guard the town, from which promise he felt compelled to recede, leaving such work to provincial soldiers.
The John Harris Mansion, Harrisburg
Built 1766; engraved for this work from a pho- tograph in possession of the Historical Society of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania
The Assembly, replying to Denny's message of April 22. asked if the tracts surveyed and appropriated for the Proprietaries' use were all the property which they were willing to have assessed for the immediate preservation of their own fortunes. Must the quit rents arising from several millions of acres, the large estate in ground rents, etc., be exempted? The Assembly repeated a former criticism on Denny's management of the provincial troops. Had he not had 1,400 men under his command, and yet permitted
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the most trifling parties of Indians to depopulate a great part of the province, while the troops were inactive in the forts? Had not orders to make incursions into the enemy's country, although expressly directed by law, been entirely neglected ? Had a single party been sent out on this account, or one of the enemy been killed, or taken prisoner, during his administration? Had not the people been surprised and murdered in their beds, when but for this neglect they might have had timely notice, and defended themselves? In short, what protection or defence had the un- happy colony received from the large sums of money given ?
John Hughes and Henry Pawling started on May 15 from Bethlehem with 50 or 60 carpenters, masons, and laborers, march- ing across the country to Wyoming, which they reached on the 22nd. Not meeting on their arrival the batteaux from Fort Au- gusta, they were for some time short of provisions, and for sev- eral days without bread, and one of the masons was killed and scalped by a party of Indians : but in the ten days of their stay ten houses, mostly 20 feet by 14, and one 24 by 16, were finished, and some land ploughed and rails split. Will Sock, a Conestoga, had been over the country carrying a French flag, and had murdered Chagrea and a "Dutchman" in Lancaster county. Teedyuscung took away the flag, sent it to Philadelphia, and gave him an Eng- lish flag. Meanwhile, the building of a fort at Wyoming, and the entrance of Cherokees into the province made the Indians at Tioga and Osaningo very uneasy, and there was some ejalousy of Teedyuscung. Paxinosa and his family decided to move to the Ohio, and many had already gone in that direction. The Rev. Christian Frederick Post, the Moravian missionary, and Charles Thomson were sent to Teedyuscung to explain as to the Chero- kees, and to caution the friendly Indians to remain on the eastern side of the Susquehanna. These messengers went as far as the Nescopecken mountains, where hearing that hostile warriors were skulking in the woods, they sent for Teedyuscung, who came from his new residence at Wyoming, and explained that
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he could not invite the messengers to his house for fear of ill be- falling them from the Indians that lay "squatting in the bush." He expected a great many, including all the Wanamis and Mo- hicans, to come during the summer to live with him, and he begged for provisions for them, maize and flour, and also powder and shot, to be sent to Shamokin, whence by way of the river it was easier to transport them than from Fort Allen. He assured Post and Thomson that the belt repeating an invitation to the Senecas would reach their chief man in eight days, and there must be a treaty during that summer, the Onondagas having alreday prom- ised to attend. Two Cherokee chiefs sent words of friendship to Teedyuscung, advising the Delawares not to go to the war, but to leave the fighting to the Cherokees, and reported the services of the latter to the English in killing 12 Frenchmen, 12 Tawas, and 2 Shawanees, and asked that the Lenape on the Ohio be brought away, lest the tomahawk of the Cherokees, which was exceedingly sharp, should kill some by mistake. Let the Shawanees and Tawas remain, said the Cherokees; time out of mind, the Tawas had been at war with the Cherokees. Rev. C. F. Post took this message to Teedyuscung, and at Wyoming met Indians from the Allegheny who expressed sorrow for turning against the English, and complained that they had heard no satisfactory account of the peace made at Easton, nor received any belts until lately, whereas had messengers come from the government of the province, the war would have ceased. Post said that the messengers had been sent. An old chief living above the Allegheny said that it would be of great consequence to his people if the Governor would send somebody to them on his return. Information was gathered that at Fort Duquesne were 1, 100 French soldiers almost starved, who would have abandoned the place, had not the Mohawks helped them. The provisions came from the Mississippi. The commander had said "if the English come too strong upon me. I will leave." Two of these Allegheny Indians came down to Phil- adelphia, and were induced to go as quickly as possible to the
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Ohio, and observe what was taking place at Fort Duquesne, and send a messenger back from Beaver Creek. Post agreed to ac- company them, but asked for some other white men. Charles Thomson offered to go, but the Lieutenant-Governor objected, telling Post to take any other person, and to get trusty Indians from the Rev. Mr. Spangenberg at Bethlehem. Written accounts of the conferences and all the belts and strings delivered with the speeches were handed to Post and the two Allegheny Indians. Post taking with him abstracts, the party set out from Philadel- phia on July 15.
Francis Bernard, an old acquaintance of Denny. arrived in New Jersey as Governor of that province, just after the Muncys had made an incursion, and had inflicted the usual barbarities. Taking measures for defence, planning to make a peace with Denny's assistance, or, if unsuccessful in that, to pursue the Muncys to the heart of their own settlements, Bernard held a pow-wow at Burlington in presence of Denny and Chew, Turner, and Peters, and agreed to attend a treaty at Easton.
Meanwhile, by the labors of General Forbes, who, taken sick upon his arrival in Philadelphia in April, was overworking him- self with details which in a better organized service would have been attended to by sergeants and quartermasters, an army of about 7,000 men had been set in motion against Fort Duquesne The forces raised by Pennsylvania, called a regiment, were in three battalions, the general officers being Brevet Lieutenant- Colonel Joseph Shippen (son of Edward Shippen of Lancaster) ; Commissary of the Musters and Paymaster, James Young (who had married the daughter of Dr. Græme of the Governor's Coun- cil) ; Surgeon, Dr. Bond; Chaplain, Rev. Thomas Barton (the Church of England minister at Lancaster) ; Wagon Master, Rob- ert Irwin, and deputy Wagon Master, Mordecai Thompson of Chester county. The first battalion was commanded by Colonel John Armstrong, the leader of the Kittanning Expedition; under him were Lieutenant-Colonels Hance Hamilton of York, Major
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