USA > Pennsylvania > The history of Pennsylvania : from its discovery by Europeans, to the Declaration of Independence in 1776 > Part 55
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northern side of the national road, seven miles east of Union town. - Pitts- burg Mercury. Watson's MSS. in the collection of the Pennsylvania His- torical Society.
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INDIAN OUTRAGES.
It is an ungrateful task to detail the Indian barbarities. Their outrages, however numerous upon humanity, have such similarity in character, that their repetition in our narrative can serve only to create sentiments of hor- ror and disgust. But the sufferings and exertions of our progenitors should not pass unnoticed; and we may, without offence to the most fastidious, give them more particular attention in a note, than would be proper in the text.
About the twentieth of October, news was received in the vicinity of Lancaster, that the French and Indians had massacred and scalped many of the inhabitants, not more than forty miles from Harris' ferry, (now Har- risburg. ) About forty-five persons immediately proceeded to the indicated spot, where they found fourteen bodies shockingly mangled, which they interred. Upon receiving information from some friendly Indians, that a force of French and Indians had passed the Allegheny mountains, this party re- solved to proceed to Shamokin, to ascertain the disposition of the Delawares settled there, of whose fidelity they had become suspicious. They were received coldly, but civilly, and it was apparent that their visit had, in some degree, disconcerted the Indians. Fearful of remaining in the woods, the provincialists spent the night in the village, and were advised by Andrew Monteur, who had frequently acted as provincial interpreter, to avoid a particular road, which he told them would prove dangerous. But, doubt- ing his sincerity, they unfortunately pursued the forbidden route, and were assailed by about forty Indians, some of whom they recognised as their hosts of the preceding night. The provincialists were put to flight and dispersed; four of their number were killed by the Indian fire, and four more were drowned in crossing the Susquehannah in their retreat. Mr. John Harris, who led the party, with many others, were several days in reaching their home, and their protracted absence caused great apprehen- sion in their neighbourhood.
On the first of November, Monteur and Scarroyaday came to Harris' ferry, and gave information that a party of Delawares and Shawanese had visited Great island, who declared that they had accepted the hatchet from the French, and were resolved to use it against the English while any of them were alive; and that a large body of French and Indians had left fort Du Quesne, and would divide themselves in small parties as they approached the frontiers, designing to attack the settlements at Shamokin, on the Juniata, and at Harris' ferry. They ascribed the attack on Mr. Harris and his people to a party which had left the fort about eight days before.
On the second of November, the enemy commenced their devastations at the Great Cove, Canollaways, and Tulpehocken. A letter of the third of November describes the people in the Great Cove in the greatest dis- tress-their houses burning, their cattle shot down, the roads filled with the unhappy sufferers flying with their children to save their lives, without subsistence, beds, or clothing to defend them from the cold.
On the eighteenth, the savages extended their horrors to Berks county, murdering many of the inhabitants, and destroying their houses.
The Moravian settlement at Gnadenhutten was attacked soon after, by a party of twelve Delawares; five persons were slain in a house, which was set on fire, and, with the dead bodies, was consumed. - One lad, having
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been twice slightly wounded, made his escape. Notice was about the same time given to the Indians under the care of the Moravian society, that an opportunity would be given them to return to their friends, which if they neglected, they would afterwards be treated as the whites. Captain An- derson, of New Jersey, on receiving information of this attack, came over with a company, with whom he pursued the Indians in vain.
A letter from Bethlehem, dated December the eighteenth, states, "that a party of Indians had gathered behind the Blue mountains, to the number" of two hundred, and had burned the greatest part of the buildings, and killed upwards of a hundred of the inhabitants; and that they threatened the upper Moravian places, as Christiansbrun, Gnadenthal, Nazareth, and Friedensthal."
Another letter, from Union works, Jersey, of the 20th, says, "the barbarous and bloody scene which is now open in the upper parts of Northampton coun- ty, is the most lamentable that perliaps ever appeared. There may be seen horror and desolation; populous settlements deserted; villages laid in ashes; men, women, and children, cruelly mangled and massacred; some found in the woods very nauseous for want of interment, some just reeking from the hands of their savage slaughterers, and some hacked and covered all over with wounds." To this letter was annexed a list of seventy-eight persons killed, and more than forty settlements burned.
A letter from Easton, dated twenty-fifth of December, states " the coun- try all above this town, for fifty miles, is mostly evacuated and ruined, ex- cepting only the neighbourhood of Dupuy's five families, which stand their ground. The people have chiefly fled into the Jerseys. Many of them have thrashed out their corn, and carried it off with their cattle and best household goods, but a vast deal is left to the enemy: many offered half their corn, horses, cows, goods, &c. to save the rest, but could not obtain assistance enough to remove them in time. The enemy made but few prisoners, murdering almost all that fell into their hands, of all ages, and both sexes. All business is at an end; and the few remaining starving in- habitants in this town are quite dejected and dispirited. Captains Ashton and Trump march up to Dupuy's this day, and are to build two block- houses for defence of the country between that settlement and Gnaden- hutten, which when finished, the inhabitants that are fled say they will return."
Upon the thirty-first of December, the village of Gnadenhutten, consist- ing of thirty-six houses and a church, was again attacked, and reduced to ashes. It was at this time occupied by a part of captain Levan's company of rangers, and some labourers without arms, under the command of a lieutenant Brown, who, after a sharp conflict, maintained from the church, was compelled, upon its taking fire, to retreat with great loss, the enemy, amounting to two hundred and fifty persons, far outnumbering his force. The lieutenant himself escaped, having concealed himself behind a rock in the river for many hours. Captain Levan arrived in sight of the village with the rest of his company, during the conflagration; but, seeing the church in flames, concluded that the lieutenant had been overpowered, he deemed it prudent to withdraw.
About the twenty-seventh of January, the Indians made their appearance upon the Juniata river, and committed many murders within three miles of fort Patterson.
During the month of January, the Indian aggressions were continued, but were not so extensive as in the prior and succeeding months. The latter part of February, and throughout the month of March, they were very active and mischievous along the whole western and northern border.
On the fourteenth of the former month, the savages attacked the house of F. Reichelsderfer, in Albany township, Berks county. The owner was
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in the field, and made his escape on the approach of the barbarians. They murdered his two children, and set his house and stables on fire, destroy- ing his grain and his cattle. At the house of a neighbour, (Jacob Ger- hart,) they killed one man, two women, and six children. Two children slipped under the bed, one of whom was burned, the other escaped.
About the same time, the house of the widow Coxe, near M'Dowel's mill, in Cumberland county, was burned, and her two sons, and another destroyed or carried off.
On the twentieth of February, captain Patterson, with a scouting party, fell in with some Indians at Middle creek, in Cumberland county, one of whom they scalped, and put the others to flight, having one of his own men wounded. He reported the woods, from the Juniata to Shamokin, to be filled with Indians, seeking plunder and scalps, and burning all the houses, and destroying the grain, in that vicinity.
Early in March, they burned the house and barn of Barnabas Sietle, and the mill of Peter Conrad, in Berks county, and killed the wife of Balsar Neytong, and made captive his son, a lad of eight years of age. They fired upon one David Howell five times, and the last time shot him through the arm.
On the first of March, in Northampton county, on the other side of the Blue mountain, between fort Norris and fort Hamilton, at the plantation of Philip Bussart, one Muhlhaurs, whilst breaking flax there, was mortally wounded by a shot through the body. A boy of George Miniers', whilst standing at the door, received a shot in his breast, upon which he went into the house to get his gun, but, while cocking it, fell dead. Bussart's son, attempting to make his escape, was shot dead, and Bussart himself was wounded in the arm by an Indian whom he shot in the back. This attack was made by eight Indians, three of whom it was supposed were slain in the encounter.
On Sunday, the twenty-ninth of February, two boys, at a small distance from David Davis' fort, in the Little cove, Cumberland county, were fired upon by some Indians. One of them escaped and alarmed the fort. The Indians, to the number of twenty, immediately came up and took posses- sion of a barn, and fired repeatedly on the fort, in which there were eight or ten men. The fire was briskly and effectively returned. Failing in this attempt, the enemy divided their force into two parties, and proceeded to the commission of the usual ravages. But the inhabitants of Peters town- ship collected together in small parties between three and four o'clock of the afternoon, marched to the fort, and on the next morning set out in pur- suit of the savages. They came in sight of six on horseback, who, being closely pressed, abandoned their horses and fled to the woods, leaving be- hind them a woman they had taken the day before, near the Potomac. Another party, under Mr. Potter, discovered the trail of two companies of the enemy, whom they followed, until baffled in the pursuit by the falling snow. These companies belonged to Shingas and Jacobs; in this foray they killed four whites, and made prisoners of a like number.
In the evening of the same day, a party of Indians were discovered by one Alexander, near the house of Thomas Barr, in Peters township. Alex- ander was pursued, but escaped, and alarmed the fort at M'Dowel's mill, and notice of the presence of the enemy was speedily given to the township. Early on Monday morning, a party, composed of fourteen men of captain Croghan's company, who were at the mill, and about twelve other young men, set off to watch the motions of the enemy. Within a quarter of a mile of Barr's, they fell in with fifty, and sent back for a reinforcement from the
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fort. The young lads proceeded by a circuit to take the enemy in the rear, whilst the soldiers should attack them in front. But the impetuosity of the soldiers defeated their plan. For, getting within gun-shot, they immediately engaged the Indians, who were standing around the fire, and slew several of them at the first discharge. The Indians briskly returned the fire, killing one of the soldiers, and compelled the rest to retreat. The party of young men, hearing the report of fire-arms, hastened up, and, finding the Indians on the ground which the soldiers had occupied, de- livered their fire with effect, but, concluding that the soldiers had fled, or were slain, they also retreated. One of their number, Barr's son, was wounded, and would have fallen by the tomahawk of an Indian, had not / the savage been killed by a shot from one Armstrong, who saw him run- ning upon the lad. Soon after, the soldiers and young men, being joined by a reinforcement from the mill, again sought the enemy, who, eluding their pursuit, crossed the creek near William Clark's, and attempted to surprise the fort; but their design was discovered by two Dutch lads, coming from foddering their master's cattle. One of the lads was slain, but the other reached the fort, which was immediately surrounded by the Indians, who, from a thicket, fired many shot at the men in garrison, who appeared above the wall, and returned the fire as often as they ob- tained sight of the enemy. At this time, two men coming to the mill fell into the middle of the assailants, but made their escape into the fort, though fired at three times. The party at Barr's now came up, and drove the In- dians through the thicket; in their retreat, they met five men from Mr. Hoops', riding to the mill; they killed one of these, and wounded another severely. The sergeant at the fort, having lost two of his men, declined to follow the enemy, until his commander, Mr. Crawford, who was at Hoops', should return, and, the snow falling thick, they had time to burn .Barr's house, and in it they consumed their dead. In the morning of the second of March, Mr. Crawford, with fifty men, went in quest of the enemy but was unsuccessful in his search. ,
On the seventh of March, the house of Andrew Lycan, on the Wike- nesko creek, was attacked by the Indians. Lycan had with him his son, a negro man, a boy, and John Revalt, and Ludwig Shut, two of his neigh- bours. Lycan and Revalt, whilst engaged early in the morning foddering the cattle, had two guns fired at them, but, being unhurt, ran to the house, and prepared for an engagement. In order to get a shot at the enemy, John Lycan, Revalt, and Shut, crept out of the house, but were instantly fired upon by five Indians, and were all wounded. Lycan, the father, per- ceiving, over the hog-house, an Indian, named Joshua James, fired upon, and killed him: he also saw two white men run from the hog-house, and get at a little distance from it. The people in the house now endeavoured to escape, and were pursued by sixteen Indians. John Lycan and Revalt, unable, from their wounds, to continue the fight, fled with the negro, whilst. Andrew, Shut, and the boy, faced the foe. One of the Indians approached the boy, and, whilst in the act of striking him with his toma- hawk, was shot dead by Shut, and, at the same instant, Lycan killed an- other. These two heroic men continued the combat for some time, and killed and wounded several of their adversaries. Their bravery daunted the enemy, who did not dare to close upon them, even though they were compelled, from fatigue and loss of blood, to sit down upon a log to rest themselves, and they finally succeeded in making good their retreat to Hanover township. Several of the Indians were recognised as Delawares, and were well known in the neighbourhood.
On the twentieth of March, John Baker, a servant of captain Croghan, 78
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returned to fort Shirley, bringing with him an Indian scalp. Baker, on the twenty-seventh of January preceding, was taken prisoner near the fort by two Indians, and carried to Kittanning. He remained there until about the tenth of March, when, being ordered out of the town with an Indian on some service, he took an opportunity to kill and scalp his companion, and make his escape. The number of warriors at this town did not then exceed one hundred. Of these, a party of twenty-six, under Shingas, and another party of about the same number, had set out to fall on the Conococheague settlement, and on their return home to annoy forts Littleton and Shirley.
John Craig was taken prisoner, by five Delawares, on the eleventh of February, whilst in search of two sons of the widow Coxe, of Cumberland county, whose house was burned on that day by the Indians. His captors immediately stripped him, tied a rope about his neck, and drove him be- fore them. Whilst travelling toward the Cove mountains, they gave the war halloo, which was answered by two Indians, who had with them the two sons of widow Coxe, with ropes about their necks. At night, the three prisoners were stripped quite naked, and their limbs stretched out to the utmost extent, and tied to a post and trees; a blanket was then thrown over each. In the morning, the Indians loaded the prisoners with their luggage. They travelled seven days north-westerly, till they reached the Kiskiminetas creek, where, on hearing the noise of many guns, they gave the war cry, which was answered by a party under Shingas. Being told that the king was ready to receive them, they again set up the war shout, and provided themselves with hickory withes, with which they lashed the ground in a furious manner, and, when they came in sight of the other Indians, fell to whipping the prisoners most unmercifully, drawing blood at every stroke. When they met, a council was held concerning the pri- soners, and Craig was given to Shingas, who adopted him as his son, and he and his party separating from the other Indians, took him with them to Loyal Hannah. From this place, Shingas, with the greater part of his force, went to attack M'Dowel's fort, and left Craig in the custody of four Indian men and two women. Soon after, captain Jacobs, with sixteen Indians, came to them, staid with them two nights, and then set out for cape Capon, in Virginia. The four Indians then made Craig assist them to construct a raft, upon which they crossed the river, and commenced hunting. The women also left the cabin to search for haws, when Craig made his escape.
On the twenty-fourth of March, the house of Peter Klucks, in Berks county, about fourteen miles from Reading, was set on fire by the enemy, and the family, five in number, consumed. After which, the Indians at- tacked the house of one Linderman, in which were two men and a woman, all of whom ran up stairs, where the woman was shot dead through the roof. The men then ran out of the house to engage the Indians, when Linderman was shot in the neck, and the other through the jacket. Upon this, Linderman ran towards the Indians, two of whom only were seen, and shot one of them in the back, when he fell, and he and his companion scalped him, and brought away his gun and knife.
About the fourth of April, M'Cord's fort, in Conococheague, was burned ·by the Indians, and twenty-seven persons were killed or captured: the In- dians escaped the pursuit of two parties of the inhabitants of the vicinity, who had divided themselves into three parties to seek them. Several other forts along the frontier line were watched by outlying parties of sa- vages, and every straggler was made prisoner, or shot down. The third party came up with the enemy at Sideling hill, with whom they had a smart engagement for two hours, during which they fired twenty-four rounds, but
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were overpowered by numbers, the Indians having been succoured by a force under Shingas. Each side sustained a loss of above twenty-five killed, and many wounded.
During the months of May, June, and July, the Indians continued their barbarities, but not so extensively as in the two preceding months.
On the twenty-second of July, a party of sixty Indians appeared before fort Granville, and challenged the garrison to combat: but this was declined by the commander, in consequence of the weakness of his force. The Indians fired at and wounded one man belonging to the fort, who had been a short way from it, yet he got in safe; after which they divided themselves into small parties, one of whom attacked the plantation of one. Baskins, near Juniata, whom they murdered, burnt his house, and carried off his wife and children; and another made Hugh Carroll and his family pri- soners.
On the thirtieth of July, captain Ward, commanding at fort Granville, left the fort with all his men, except twenty-four under the coinmand of lieutenant Armstrong, to guard some reapers in Shearman's valley. Soon after the captain's departure, the fort was attacked by about one hundred Indians and French, who, having assaulted it in vain during the afternoon and night of that day, took to the Juniata creek, and, pro- tected by its banks, attained a deep ravine, by which they were enabled to approach, without fear of injury, to within thirty or forty feet of the fort, to which they succeeded in setting fire. Through a hole thus made, they killed the lieutenant and one private, and wounded three others, whilst endeavouring to put out the fire. The enemy then offering quarter to the besieged, if they would surrender, one Turner immediately opened the gate to them. They took prisoners twenty-two soldiers, three women, and some children, whom they loaded with burdens, and drove before them. The fort was burned by captain Jacobs, pursuant to the order of the French commander. When the Indians reached Kittanning, they put Turner to death with the most horrid tortures. They tied him to a black post, danced around him, made a great fire, and having heated gun-barrels red hot, ran them through his body. Having tormented him for three hours, they scalped him alive, and at last held up a boy with a hatchet in his hand to give him the finishing stroke.
From the fifth to the tenth of August, many murders were committed in Cumberland county, and the affrighted inhabitants, especially of the Juniata and Shearman's valley, deserted their homes.
About the twentieth of August, on the Salisbury plain, near the mouth of Conococheague creek, as a number of men, women, and children, were attending a funeral, they were fired on by about thirty Indians; who killed and scalped fifteen persons, and wounded many of the others. The same day, six men went from Isaac Baker's upon the scout; one returned wounded, four were killed, and the other was captured. And six others, going to one Erwin's, to haul grain, were attacked; one wounded in the hand, who, together with a companion, escaped; the rest were slain. Four more, who went from Shirley's fort, were also slain or made prisoners. On the same day, two families on Salisbury plain, consisting of nine persons, were murdered.
Upon the following day, as captain Emmet and a scouting party were crossing the South mountain, they were fired on, and three of their number killed, and two wounded.
A few days after this, one William Morrison went to his place in Cono- cocheague settlement, where he was discovered by five Indians, and, finding he could not escape by running, he put himself in an active pos-
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ture, beckoning and making signs, first to one side and then to the other, as if a party of his friends were at hand, trying to surround the Indians, which they perceiving, retreated into the woods, and he got off safe.
2 P .- 316.
The address of some of the people called Quakers, in behalf of them- selves and others in the said province:
The consideration of the measures which have lately been pursued, and are now proposed, having been weightily impressed on our minds, we apprehend that we should fall short of our duty to you, to ourselves, and to our brethren in religious fellowship, if we did not in this manner inform you, that, although we shall at all times heartily and freely contri- bute, according to our circumstances, either by the payment of taxes, or in such other manner as may be judged necessary, towards the exigencies of government, and sincerely desire that due care may be taken, and pro- per funds provided for raising money, to cultivate our friendship with our Indian neighbours, and to support such of our fellow-subjects who now are, or may be, in distress, and for such other like benevolent purposes; yet, as the raising sums of money and putting them into the hands of committees, who may apply them to purposes inconsistent with the peaceable testi- mony we profess, and have borne to the world, appears to us, in its conse- quences, to be destructive of our religious liberties, we apprehend many among us will be under the necessity of suffering, rather than consenting thereto, by the payment of a tax for such purposes; and thus the funda- mental part of our constitution may be essentially affected, and that free enjoyment of liberty of conscience, for the sake of which our forefathers left their native country, and settled this, then a wilderness, by degrees be violated.
We sincerely assure you, we have no temporal motives for thus address- ing you; and could we have preserved peace in our own minds, and with each other, we should have declined it, being unwilling to give you any unnecessary trouble; and deeply sensible of your difficulty in discharging the trust committed to you irreproachably in these perilous times, which hath engaged our fervent desires that the immediate instruction of Supreme Wisdom may influence your minds; and that being preserved in a steady attention thereto, you may be enabled to secure peace and tranquillity to yourselves and those you represent, by pursuing measures consistent with our peaceable principles; and then, we trust, we may continue humbly to confide in the protection of that almighty Power, whose providence has heretofore been as walls and bulwarks round about us.
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