USA > Pennsylvania > Pennsylvania, colonial and federal : a history, 1608-1903, Volume One > Part 35
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William Allen
Recorder of Philadelphia 1741; chief justice of Pennsylvania 1750-1774
The Expulsion of the French
Jacob Orndt, Surgeon Blain, Chaplain Rev. Charles Beatty (a Presbyterian), Adjutant John Philip de Haas, and Quartermaster Thomas Smallman. The sixteen companies were respectively led, as far as we have ascertained, by Samuel Allen, James Potter, Jacob Snaidor, George Armstrong, Edward Ward, Robert Cal- lender, John Nicholas Wetterholt, William Lyon, Patrick -Davis, Charles Garraway, William Armstrong, Richard Walter, David Hunter, and John McKnight. The second battalion was com- manded by Colonel James Burd, a Scotchman by birth, who had married into the Shippen family, and lived not far from Harris's Ferry, the present Harrisburg. His Lieutenant-Colonel was Thomas Lloyd, apparently the physician of that name who was great-grandson of the former Lieutenant-Governor; the Major being David Jamison, and the other officers Surgeon John Mor- gan, Chaplain Rev. John Steel (Presbyterian), Adjutant Jacob Kern, Quartermaster Asher Clayton, Commissary Peter Bard. James Hayes took Colonel Burd's company, and was wounded at Grant's defeat hereafter mentioned; Samuel Miles of Philadelphia county as Lieutenant took Lieutenant-Colonel Lloyd's company, and was wounded in an attack by French and Indians at Ligonier. The other companies apparently were led by Christian Busse, Jo- seph Scott, Samuel J. Atlee, William Patterson, William Reynolds. Martin Heidler (apparently only an ensign), Levi Trump (who was the third husband of President Anthony Palmer's widow), Jacob Morgan, Samuel Weiser, Alexander McKee, John Byers, John Haslett, John Singleton, and Robert Eastburn. The third battalion was commanded by Colonel Hugh Mercer, whose Lieu- tenant-Colonel was Patrick Work, and the other officers were Major George Armstrong, Surgeon Robert Bines, Chaplain Rev. Andrew Bay, Adjutant James Ewing, Quartermaster Thomas Hutchins, and Sergeant-Major Samuel Culbertson. The com- manders of companies appear to have been Robert Boyd, John Blackwood, James Sharp, Adam Read, Samuel Nelson, John Montgomery, George Aston, Charles McClung. Robert McPher-
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son, Paul Jackson ( who was Professor of Latin at the College of Philadelphia), John Bull, William Biles, Archibald, McGrew, Thomas Hamilton, Ludowick. Stone, John Clark, John Allison, Job Rushton, Thomas Smith, Alexander Graydon, James Hynd- shaw, William Biles of Bucks County, and Thomas Armour of York County. Two troops of light horse, commanded respect- ively by William Thompson and John Hambright, were also raised. Some of the minor officers above mentioned, like Major Orndt, and some of the companies were assigned to garrisoning posts like Fort Augusta, but the greater part of 2.700 Pennsyl- vanians took part in Forbes's expedition, in which there were also I,200 regular soldiers of the regiment known as the Highlanders, 350 of the Royal American regiment, 1,600 Virginians under Washington, and others. Bouquet was a Lieutenant-Colonel of the Royal Americans, and was put in command of the advance guard. Sir John St. Clair, Braddock's Quartermaster-General, had the same position under Forbes, and after an errand to Vir- ginia went to meet Bouquet, and proceeded to Carlisle in the middle of June. Bouquet advanced to Raystown (Bedford). Washington brought his troops to Fort Cumberland, only Ste- phens's two companies going by way of Shippensburg to Rays- town. Parties began to open a road from Fort Cumberland to the latter place, and to repair Braddock's road. Washington and Bouquet in a conference differed as to route, the former urging that pursued by Braddock, who had widened and completed a road to within six miles of Fort Duquesne. Bouquet wished a new one cut directly from Raystown. Washington writes : "If Colonel Bouquet succeeds in this point with the General, all is lost,-all is lost, indeed-our enterprise will be ruined and we shall be stopped at the Laurel Hill this winter ; but not to gather laurels except of the kind that covers the mountains." The reasons for the Rays- town route were it was a few miles shorter, better forage was to be found, grass growing to the foot of the ridge of mountains, there were fewer defiles, and no considerable rivers. St. Clair
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agreed with Bouquet, and Forbes, proceeding in July to Carlisle. adopted that plan, under Pennsylvania influence, Washington as- serted. It was then suggested that Washington be allowed to take the troops he had at Fort Cumberland, by way of Braddock's road, and afterwards to unite with the main army, but Wash- ington represented the bad ef- fect of dividing strength, and in September was ordered to march to Raystown, Fort Cum- berland being left to the care of Maryland militia. With in- flammation of the stomach Forbes was kept at Carlisle un- til August II, and was then carried, much emaciated, on a litter between two horses to Shippensberg. There his weak- ness kept him until September. St. Clair had gone from Bed- ford to make the road. Park- man's "Montcalm and Wolfe" says that he was extremely in- efficient. It quotes him : "The greatest curse that our Lord can pronounce against the worst of Pennsylvania-Maryland Five Mile Stone sinners is to give them business One of the original Mason and Dixon Line markers, showing the Calvert Arms. En- graved for this work from a negative by D. E. Brinton to do with provincial commis- sioners and friendly Indians." From 1,000 to 2,000 men constantly worked at the road. While the main body of the army was at Raystown, Bouquet allowed Grant of the Highlanders with 800 men to make a reconnoissance from Loyal Hanna. They reached what was since called Grant's Hill, overlooking Fort Duquesne on Sept. 14. Here by the
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division of his forces an attack upon the open field before the fort was not supported : the French and Indians were in great numbers, and put the Highlanders opposed to them to rout. Piecemeal the various detachments were surrounded and decimated, Grant him- self being captured. The total loss was 273 killed, wounded, and taken, among the wounded being Quartermaster Clayton. Bou- quet, receiving the returning party, was harassed by a body of French hovering near his camp at Loyal Hanna, while Forbes, having reached Raystown, was detained by heavy rains.
On October 8, Denny and Croghan held another treaty with the Indians, in presence of six of Denny's councillors, six mem- bers of the Pennsylvania Assembly, two New Jersey commission- ers for Indian affairs, and a number of Quakers. While only one Mohawk with one woman and two boys attended, and perhaps one Cayuga, there were men, women, and children of the other nations composing the Six Nations, also Nanticokes and Conoys, now one nation, Tuteloes, Chugnuts, Chehohockes alias Delawares and Unamis including Teedyuscung, Muncys, Mohicans, and Wapings or Pumptons, with the interpreters. Governor Bernard of New Jersey joined in the council on the IIth, and demanded from the Muncys the captives taken from his province. The Seneca chief then gave assurances of peace on behalf of the Dela- wares and Muncys and also stated that messages had been sent to the Delawares, Muncys, and those of the Six Nations on the Ohio to advise them to unite in peace. The Cayuga chief asked pardon for his young men. Denny granted this, and asked why the cap- tives had not been delivered according to Teedyuscung's promise. Rev. Mr. Post and Pisquitomen and Thomas Hickman, an Ohio Indian, returning to Harris's Ferry from their visit to the Ohio. Post went to General Forbes, and the two others to Easton. Pis- quitomen reported at this treaty. The chief men had sent him back to shake hands with and give a string of wampum to the Governor, Teedyuscung, and Israel Pemberton each. Beaver King. Shingass, Delaware George, and twelve other captains and
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councillors promised by Pisquitomen to join in the peace. Then Nichas, the Mohawk chief, with great vehemence spoke in his own language, pointing to Teedyuscung. Weiser asked to be excused from interpreting, but obtained the Indians' consent for the inter- pretation to be made at a private conference. This was attended by the chiefs of the Six Nations and of the Conoys and Tuteloes. Then Nichas and Tagashata, the Seneca, and Assarandonquas, the Onondaga, and Thomas King, the Oneida, severally wanted to know who had made Teedyuscung a great man. They had never heard of his having any authority over ten nations, as he was claiming; they disowned it, and asked if the English had given it to him. Then the Cayuga chief and Nichas promised to satisfy the English as to the return of captives, adding: "If any of them are gone down our throats, we will heave them up again." The next day, the minutes of the private conference were read to Tee- dyuscung in the Delaware language at a meeting of all the In- dians, and Denny explained that Teedyuscung had claimed to rep- resent ten nations, but as a messenger for the Six Nations and as a chief for the Delawares only, and so he, Denny, had made him an agent to publish what was done at the council fires, but had given him no authority over the Six Nations, and never would impose any chief on any Indian tribe. Then Governor Bernard said that if the English called an Indian a king, they meant no more than sachem or chief : and he recognized that Teedyuscung was still a nephew to the Six Nations. Then Tagashata told Teedyuscung that the Six Nations had promised to return all captives, and so must the Delawares and Muncys. On the 18th, the counsellors of the Indians having finished, the warriors by Thomas King addressed some remarks to all the English on the continent. The cause of the war, he said, was that when some of the Shawanees were passing through South Carolina to fight their enemies, as they had done every year, the English had with friendly manner enticed them into their houses, and then arrested and imprisoned them, and put a head man to death : the Shawa-
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nees had complained of this to the French when the latter came to the Ohio, and they had urged them to revenge themselves against the English : the Shawanees had said to the Delawares, "Grandfathers, are not your hearts sore at our being used so ill, and at the loss of one of your chiefs? Will you not join us in revenging his death?" so the young men of the Delawares had been induced to act against the English. Now as to the Senecas, eight of them returning from war with seven prisoners and scalps were met by 150 soldiers at Green Briar, Virginia, who under pre- tense of supplying them with food, took them to a store, and there disarmed them; the head men among the Indians cried out, "Here is death. defend yourselves as well as you can," in doing which two Indians were killed, and one, a boy, was taken prisoner : if this boy was alive, let him be returned. Then again, when the French came, the Indians wished implements of war to defend their lands, but the Governors of Pennsylvania and Virginia would not assist them, although the Governor of Virginia had taken care to settle on the Indian lands for his own benefit, and the English traders retired, so the Indians were obliged to trade with the French. Addressing himself to the Governor of New Jersey. Thomas King said that the Muncys believed that there were tracts here and there in the Jerseys which had never been sold. but they could not tell which ; and protested against not being allowed to hunt deer or peel a single tree, that never having been the intention when the land was released. Addressing himself to the Governor of Pennsylvania, he said that at Albany 1,000 pieces of eight had been paid for the part of the land purchased which was settled by the Pennsylvanians, but the other part which was not paid for, the Indians reclaim : the warriors and hunters, when they heard that so much land had been sold, disapproved, and what was not settled was hunting ground. Teedyuscung then entered a complaint from the Waping, or Goshen, Indians, nine of whose people had been killed three years before. Then he asked if King George had decided the question as to the land which
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the Delawares had claimed. While he was so speaking, the chiefs of the Six Nations one by one left the council, apparently in dudgeon. The next day at a private conference Governor Ber- nard offered to pay a reasonable sum to satisfy the Muncys, which was afterwards fixed at 1,000 Spanish dollars. Teedyuscung with his grandson and an inter- preter went to Denny's house, and in the presence of Peters and Gov- ernor Bernard and Andrew John- son said that the Delawares did not claim high up the Delaware River. At the public conference on the 20th Teedyuscung asked the Six Nations to clear up the matter of the land at Wyoming and Shamokin, where they had placed the Delawares, but which was now reported to have been sold. "I sit here as a bird on a bough; I look about and do not know where to go : let me there- fore come down upon the ground, and make that my own by a good deed." Denny then reported that the Proprietaries were willing to Pennsylvania-Maryland Five Mile Stone release all of the land purchased at Albany which the Six Nations One of the original Mason and Dixon Line markers, showing the Penn Arms. Engraved for this work from a negative by D. E. Brinton reclaimed, if the latter would con- firm the residue of the purchase. So the mutual releases were executed, October 24. Pisquitomen
and Thomas Hickman were sent back to the Ohio to bear assur- ances of pardon, and invitations to come to Philadelphia, and a
I-32
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request to keep away from Fort Duquesne. Captain John Bull and William Hayes and Isaac Stille, the interpreter, and two In- dians of the Six Nations, Tojenotawly, a Cayuga, and the young- est Shickcalamy, accompanied them. Thomas King promised to lay Teedyuscung's request for a confirmation of the lands of Wyoming and Shamokin before the great council of the Six Nations.
Washington wrote on October 30 from Loyal Hanna that had it not been for the accidental discovery of a new passage over the Laurel Hill, the carriages must have stopped on the eastern side, and he supposed the expedition would terminate for that year at Loyal Hanna, where the General and most of the army had not yet arrived. In the beginning of November, the whole army reached Loyal Hanna. On the General's arrival, a council of war decided that it was not advisable to proceed ; but soon prisoners reported the smallness of the garrison at Fort Duquesne. The labors of the Pennsylvania messengers to the Indians had done the deed. Washington and Armstrong and their detachments cut a road to within a day's march of the fort. On November 18th, 2,500 picked men started on the way, reaching the hills of Turkey Creek on the evening of the 24th. The next day, with Forbes in a litter, they advanced. Reaching the object of their march at dusk, ready for battle or siege, they found it deserted, the barracks burnt, the fortifications blown up! A stockade was afterwards built around some cabins and huts, and the place was called Pitts- burgh. On the site of Braddock's defeat, Major Halket found the skeleton of his father, Sir Peter. It was buried with another, probably the son who was also killed in the battle. Want of pro- visions forbade going on to Venango; so, leaving such gar- rison as could be fed, Forbes conducted his army back. He left early in December, and, delayed by poor health at Loyal Hanna, reached Philadelphia after the Assembly had voted to continue 1.400 men in service, and a day of thanksgiving had been observed for what proved to be the permanent expulsion of the French.
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Yet Hugh Mercer, then colonel of the Virginia troops, and his command of 280 men left to garrison Pittsburgh was in con- siderable danger. Reassuring the neighboring Indians, whom Forbes had summoned, and with whom it was Mercer's duty to hold conference, he was receiving words of devotion and giving his provisions, while the commander at Venango was offering belts to induce the Six Nations, Delawares, and Shawanees to strike him, and over-Lake Indians were forming a confederacy under French direction to destroy the Six Nations, and storing arms, etc., for it at Kuskusky (on a branch of Beaver Creek in Butler county). Forbes was too ill to see Indian messengers who in the winter followed him to Philadelphia, but Rev. Mr. Peters saw them, and, in denial of the French statement that the English wanted to take the red man's land, Forbes communicated with them, and declared that the English had no intention of set- tling west of the Alleghanies. He also assured them that any Indians joining his forces would be well supported. But the In- dian messengers were scarcely satisfied with this indefinite sug- gestion, and more than discouraged by nobody having ordered for them a tub of punch during their long stay.
The British government before hearing of the taking of Fort Duquesne made by Pitt's letter on Dec. 9, 1758, application for the raising of a still greater force for service by the Ist of May following. The Assembly, in reply to Denny's message laying this before it, called his attention to the loss of horses and wagons taken into service and for which the owners were unpaid, the abuse of the inhabitants by both officers and soldiers employed to secure such means of transportation, the violence of officers in forcing troops into private houses, and also the continuance of William Moore of Chester county in the magistracy notwith- standing the Assembly's attempt to impeach him and its repre- sentation of his arbitrary, unjust, and illegal conduct : the hope was expressed that the Governor would speedily redress these grievances to the utmost of his power, and then the Assembly
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would co-operate with the efforts made for further military opera- tions. A copy of this answer, which made the redress of griev- ances a condition upon which alone the money would be granted. Denny forwarded to General Jeffrey Amherst, who had succeeded General Abercrombie as commander-in-chief of the forces in North America. Amherst wrote back that it was an unexpected answer, particularly as part of the grievances were owing to Forbes's illness. As the latter had been so prevented from re- dressing them, he, Amherst, would do so when in a few days he would come to Philadelphia; meanwhile Sir John St. Clair should prepare the accounts. As to the officers and soldiers not showing due regard to the law for supplying the forces with horses and carriages, it was not to be supposed that they would apply for more than they required, and if they could not get them otherwise, it was their duty to impress them. Similarly, if there were not public houses to quarter the soldiers, they must be put in private houses ; how would it be possible to carry on the service if the soldiers must perish in the streets? If, however, the troops were guilty of any irregularities, he would not screen them. In conclu- sion, he could not furnish regulars to garrison Fort Augusta ; and he expected the Assembly at once to pay and clothe the Pennsyl- vania troops.
On March II, 1759, he who by a combination of circumstances not perhaps altogether brought about by his ability had driven the French from the junction of the Allegheny and Monongahela, the most important military event in Pennsylvania before the battle of Gettysburg, paid with his life the penalty of overwork and neglect of health, but the price for his place in history. General Forbes died in Philadelphia, and was buried in Christ Church, where very recently a tablet was erected to his memory. A report was circulated that Colonel William Byrd of Virginia was to suc- ceed him in command of the troops of Pennsylvania and other southern provinces, and members of the Assembly went to Denny to ask him to join in a remonstrance to General Amherst. They
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said that it would be useless to vote supplies, as no one would en- list, and the Indians would take umbrage at seeing a Virginia colonel in command. Denny called together his councillors, but ยท in the midst of their deliberations a servant came in to say that Brigadier General Stanwix had arrived in town and a letter was handed to Denny from Amherst announcing Stanwix's appoint- ment.
As it appeared in 1868. The house was built in 1768, and at the time the original sketch of this illustration was made, it was the oldest house in the county. For a time it was occu- pied by Heckewelder, Moravian missionary. Photographed especially for this work from a print in possession of the Tioga Point Histor- ical Society
PV
As it appears to-day. Engraved especially for this work from a negative by Louise E. Murray
Heckewelder House, Bradford County
In August, 1757, the same month that the deeds were being shown to Teedyuscung, Benjamin Franklin in London handed to the Proprietaries three heads of complaint, viz. :
First-That the reasonable and necessary power given to dep- uty governors of Pennsylvania by the royal charter, sections 4 and 5, of making laws with the advice and consent of the Assembly for raising money for the safety of the country and other public uses according to their best discretion is taken away by Proprie- tary instructions enforced by penal bonds and restraining the dep- uty from the use of his best discretion ; though, being on the spot, he can better judge of the emergency, state, and necessity of af-
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fairs than Proprietaries residing at a great distance, by means of which restraints sundry sums of money granted by the Assembly for the defence of the province have been rejected by the deputy, to the great injury of his Majesty's service in time of war and danger of the loss of the colony.
Second-That the indubitable right of the Assembly to judge of the mode, measure, and time of granting supplies is infringed by instructions that enjoin the deputy to refuse his assent to any bill for raising money unless certain modes, measures, and times in such instructions directed be made a part of the bill, whereby the Assembly in time of war are reduced to the necessity of either losing the country to the enemy or giving up the liberties of the people and receiving law from the Proprietary ; and if they should do the latter in the present case it would not prevent the former, the restricting instructions being such that if complied with it is impossible to raise a sum sufficient to defend the country.
Third-That the Proprietaries have enjoined their deputy by such instructions to refuse his assent to any law for raising money by a tax, though ever so necessary for the defence of the country, unless the greatest part of their estate is exempted from such tax. This to the Assembly and people of Pennsylvania seems both un- just and cruel.
In conclusion the Proprietaries were asked to redress these grievances. Those careful gentlemen, or rather Thomas Penn, decided to consult the King's Attorney-General and the Solicitor- General, and so notified Franklin; and one of the agents of the province was blamed for the delay of a year in receiving the opinions, based upon which the Proprietaries then answered in the first place, that instead of leaving matters to a Lieutenant- Governor whom the Assembly would pay or not according as he surrendered his discretion, the Proprietaries would instruct and by penal bonds control him, instructions being given to and bonds re- quired from every one intrusted with the government of any Brit- ish colony, instructions being given even to those executing the
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regal government in the King's absence, the Proprietaries being repeatedly commanded by the Crown on the nomination of a Lieutenant-Governor to give instructions, and a Lieutenant-Gov- ernor being able by misbehavior to bring the estate and franchise into danger. The Proprietaries then offered to have their income inquired into, and if the 5,000l. already given was less than the portion their estate which was in its nature taxable should pay, to make good the balance, if the Assembly would return the excess if there should turn out to be any. Then they offered to settle with the agents the terms of a supply bill, but Franklin disclaimed the power so to bind the Assembly. The Proprietaries sent a message to the Assembly, dated Nov. 28, 1758, enclosing a copy of their answer, and offering as to any matters not concerning property a conference with "any persons of candor" whom the As- sembly would appoint. Franklin asked them whether they would consent to a law directing the inquiry into their income, what parts of their estate they deem to be in its nature taxable, whether the 5,000l. already contributed were to be compared with their share of past taxation or to include their share of taxes for the ensuing and future years, and whether by the expressions about a right to dispose of their estates and properties as the Assembly had of their constituents', it was meant that the Assembly should dispose of what the people paid, and the Proprietaries of what they paid. The Proprietaries and Franklin came to an agreement that the Lieutenant-Governor should approve of such a law as was passed the preceding year, and a decision should be obtained from the officials of the Crown as to what estates of the Proprietaries were in their nature liable to taxation, which decision the Assem- bly desired the agents to obtain. A bill was presented to Denny on March 24 for striking off 100,000l. and sinking the same by a tax on real and personal estates. Denny proposed amendments to make it plain that 18d. per /. were to be levied on the clear yearly rents of lands leased and the clear annual income of improved lands cultivated by the owners and the interest on the value of the
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