USA > Virginia > Exiles in Virginia : with observations on the conduct of the Society of Friends during the revolutionary war ; comprising the official papers of the government relating to that period. 1777-1778 > Part 12
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This bill, though not known at that time to be enacted into a law, had the desired effect, and induced the lieutenant of Berks to send us forward.
The alteration of our residence, from Staunton to Win- chester, we understand was made at the instance of Isaac Zane, Jr., without our knowledge; but the latter warrant con- taining no countermand of former orders, our keepers thought it necessary to apply to Richard Peters, who happened to be at Reading. He undertook, without consulting the Board of War, to write the note dated the 17th, at the foot of the directions from that office, and to detain the letter respecting us, directed to the lieutenant of Augusta County, not certainly knowing that we should be stopped at Winchester, and without giving any instructions to the lieutenant, or to any other person there concerning us.
Carlisle, 26th of 9th month .- We all put forward before eight o'clock, being joined by two additional guards. We met
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with no insult during our stay at Carlisle, but on our leaving it, a number of armed men, who were on their way to the camp, and one of them, who presented his gun at most of us, made use of abusive and threatening language. We dined seven miles from Carlisle, at Robert Semple's inn ; he treated us kindly, and we set off early and reached Shippensburg at four o'clock, where we had very good quarters.
We were confirmed here in an account we had at Lebanon, that a malicious and false representation of us and of our Society, by an anonymous writer, which had been published in Bradford's paper before we left Philadelphia, had been reprinted in a handbill by William and Thomas Bradford, and sent into this part of the country to deceive people, and encourage them against us. It is worthy of thankful remembrance, that as we were setting together this evening, our minds were drawn into a solemn quiet and peace, and we had renewed cause to trust in our Great Preserver, whose good presence was sensibly felt among us.
In Thomas Gilpin's Journal, he writes, " Very false ideas and information are spread through the country concerning us, by which people are grossly imposed upon, and made to be- lieve that we are the cause of distress and bloodshed, instead of those who are really the cause of it; and which false opinion ought to be set right."
27th. - We left Shippensburg about eight o'clock, and reached Henry Pauling's, twenty-four miles, at night ; on our way we stopped at Chamberstown to dinner, but there was none to be had. We fed the horses, and got some bread and cheese out of our wagons. Henry Pauling's was a private house, but small ; he treated us very kindly. We had to obtain lodging through the neighbourhood. Most of our guards were also dispersed. Four of us, John Hunt, Thomas Wharton, Thomas Fisher, and Miers Fisher, went three miles off the road to Dr. Kneavely's tavern. Henry Drinker and Samuel Pleasants, to William Allison's. Thomas Gilpin to the Widow
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Smith's. The remainder of the company well accommodated, though several of them laid on straw before the fire.
28th day of 9th month .- This morning, the four persons who were at Dr. Kneavely's went forward, and at about four miles, met with most of the guards at a house on the road, where they had lodged, and concluded to go on to Watkins's Ferry, at the Potomac River, to make what provisions they could for the company, expecting us all to dine there.
They stopped at the house on the north side, where the land- lord absolutely refused to receive the company, but said they could be accommodated at the house on the south side. While the horses were crossing the ford, Adam Drinkhouse, one of the guards, overtook them, to stop them ; the rest came up, but on representing what had passed at the ferry-house, he crossed the river with them, to wait on the south side. But there was no provision made ; every thing was in a wretched state, and so continued from place to place, being at several other places refused admittance, till they came to a tavern about twenty miles on, called the Red House, kept by Robert Watts, where they got some refreshment. Some of the company, John Pem- berton and others, who stayed at Pauling's last night, were not satisfied to go on, but stopped at the line of Maryland, about three and a half miles, to see the sheriff, and make a protest at being taken out of the State of Pennsylvania, and from thence to go into Virginia, which they did before witnesses. The witnesses were Henry Pauling and William Atkinson, jun., and the persons protested against were, William Lower, Leonard Thomas, who acted as guards at Chamberstown, and Beamer, the schoolmaster.
We sent for our friend Edward Beason, who lives about half a mile further, who came with Lewis Walker ; and our friends Edward Pennington, Owen Jones, jun., William Smith, S. R. Fisher, Thomas Affleck, Charles Eddy, Charles Jervis, Elijah Brown, James Pemberton, and Thomas Gilpin, came up, and at the Red House, E. Beason's, and Lewis Walker's, sixteen of us were lodged.
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29th .- Israel Pemberton, John Pemberton, Henry Drinker, and Samuel Pleasants, had stayed at Robert Watts's. They, together with Thomas Pike and William Drewet Smith, pro- tested at Henry Pauling's, near the line of Maryland, and at Eli Williams's, on the north side of the Potomac, against being sent out of Pennsylvania into Maryland, and thence into Vir- ginia, and against the force used to take them.
We sent off a person to our friend Isaac Zane, to inform him of our coming, and having dined at about twelve miles, reached Winchester at about six o'clock, where we were conducted to the Inn of Philip Bush. Thomas Gilpin, Thomas Fisher, Samuel R. Fisher, and Miers Fisher, went to Rachael Hollings- worth's to lodge.
In the evening we met with Isaac Zane, jun. John Smith, Lieutenant of Frederick County, Colonel and Lieutenant- Sheriff M'Levan, and Colonel Lowther came to see us.
Daniel Levan delivered to Lieutenant John Smith, the several papers respecting us. They were read in his hearing, and some remarks were made. The Lieutenant offered to give us the liberty of the town if we would promise not to converse with the people on any political subject.
In answer to this, we told him that our principles restrained us from joining in any party strife, contention, or wars ; but as we did not fully understand the extent of his restrictions, it would be better for us to consider about them. In the course of our conversation he assured us he did not mean to restrict us from justifying ourselves.
In regard to the papers delivered him, he remarked they were very much confused, and did not contain such directions as would authorize him to take charge of us, as he did not look upon himself obliged to obey any orders of Congress or the Council of Pennsylvania, unless he had the sanction of the executive powers of this government.
This evening, a packet, directed to the Lieutenant of Augusta County, endorsed " War Office, on Public Service," and sent forward by our escort from Reading, was opened in the pre-
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sence of some of us, when it was found to contain nothing but a Philadelphia newspaper, replete with malicious forgeries and falsehoods, all of which were manifestly intended to prejudice the minds of the people and lay us open to insult and abuse.
As we could not all be accommodated with lodgings at Philip Bush's, Henry Drinker and Charles Eddy went to Benjamin Shreeve's, William Smith and Elijah Brown, to Frederick Conrad's, and Thomas Gilpin, Thomas Fisher, Samuel R. Fisher, and Miers Fisher, to Rachael Hollings- worth's, about a mile out of town.
RESIDENCE AT WINCHESTER, VIRGINIA.
Winchester, 30th of 9th month .- On considering the manner of our being sent here, and our present situation, we thought it necessary to draw up some queries for the consideration of John Smith, which having agreed to were accordingly de- livered to him, and are as follows :
The inhabitants of Philadelphia, now at Philip Bush's, think it proper to inform the Lieutenant of the County of Frederick of some circumstances attending their removal from Pennsylvania, and to propose to his consideration others which relate to their future situation.
They were arrested in their dwellings in and near the city of Philadelphia, and confined some days, by the order of the President and Supreme Council of the State of Pennsylvania.
They remonstrated repeatedly to them the injustice of the proceeding, and, asserting their innocence, demanded a hear- ing as the inherent right of every freeman, but could obtain none. They were ordered to be sent to Virginia unheard. In order to avail themselves hereafter, they protested regularly against all the proceedings respecting them as arbitrary, un- just, and unwarranted by any law. They were removed from their families by force, (after having again protested against
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all the actors under the President and Council,) to Reading, where writs of habeas corpus allowed by the Chief Justice of Pennsylvania, were served on their keepers, who refused to obey them. They were removed from thence to S. Pauling's, near the line of Maryland, where they again protested against the power of their keepers to carry them beyond that line. They were then brought to the State of Virginia, where they protested in the same manner. All these protests were regu- larly made in the presence of witnesses.
Thus far they thought it their duty to acquaint the Lieute- nant of Frederick, and at the same time acknowledge the po- liteness he has shown in the conferences they had with him. They now propose to him the following questions, the answers to which they request him to give them in writing, viz. :
Ist. Whether he conceives from the papers delivered to him by Daniel Levan and Isaac Zane, that they are the prisoners of Congress, or of the Council of Pennsylvania, or prisoners of war ?
2d. Whether, if he deems them prisoners of Congress, he has any authority to take charge of them ?
3d. Whether, if he deems them prisoners of the Council of Pennsylvania, do any of the papers give him authority to take charge of them ?
4th. If he considers himself authorized to take charge of them, whether he will provide for their comfortable accommodation at Winchester, according to their character and stations, as the papers referred, to direct ?
Winchester, 30th of 9th month, 1777.
Several of our friends having called to see us last evening and this morning, we were informed it had given great offence. This laid us under the disagreeable necessity of requesting them to discontinue their visits until the people should be re- conciled to our being here, but this did not appear to be the case. We believed it owing to the conduct of our guards, who prejudiced the minds of the people before under wrong impres- sions.
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A number of armed men, said to be about thirty, collected about noon at the door of our lodgings, demanding our imme- diate removal. But after some time, and several proposals, it was agreed that we should confine ourselves to the house, and have no communication with any of the inhabitants. A guard was placed at the door by Lieutenant John Smith, and in a few hours he acquainted us he had prevailed on the people to suffer us to remain till he could write to Congress and the Governor of Virginia, for further directions concerning us.
We collected together this evening in a degree of retirement and religious quiet, and advice was dropped exciting us to a steady reliance on the arm of Almighty Power, under every afflicting and trying dispensation.
Our whole company is accommodated this evening at Philip Bush's, with the help of our own bedding.
This day, about three hundred Hessians, (of those taken at Trenton, by General Washington,) sent by Isaac Zane from Lebanon, were drawn up and parcelled out to the country people to work ; some sent to the public works, by which they are gainers, as they have their pay from the Crown of England, and are paid also by the people for their work here.
This scheme, or plan, has many consequences. There are six hundred more of them at Lebanon, and they are hired out at $7 50 per month, to be returned when called for.
Winchester, 1st of 10th month, 1777 .- This morning, after a further conference with the Lieutenant, John Smith, he pro- posed to write to the Governor of Virginia and Congress, for directions concerning us ; and we were to do so also, each showing the letters to the other. Thomas Wharton, Edward Pennington, James Pemberton, and Miers Fisher, were ap- pointed to prepare an address to the Governor and Council of Virginia, and a remonstrance to Congress, to go with John Smith's letters.
About noon, Daniel Levan and John Smith attended. John Smith repeated what he had said before, concerning the papers,
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and refusing to take charge of us, but he concluded to accept a conditional charge over us, and he gave a receipt, which Daniel Levan gave us the substance of, as follows:
Daniel Levan, jun., had offered to deliver into the charge of John Smith, Lieutenant of Frederick County, Virginia, the several persons, (whose names are mentioned,) but he cannot deliver them as prisoners, from the confused manner in which the papers concerning them are drawn up, as well as the pre- sent disposition of the inhabitants of the town of Winchester. He therefore agrees to place a guard over them till further in- structions can be had from the Governor of Virginia.
The following are copies of two letters ordering our being stopped at Winchester, delivered to us by Isaac Zane.
" Philadelphia, 17th of September, 1777.
" SIR,-
" A new application has been made to Congress on behalf of. the prisoners who are gone for Staunton, in Virginia.
" It is represented that at Winchester they may be more. comfortably accommodated and equally well secured. In my former letters on this subject, Winchester or Augusta were proposed. Congress fixed on Staunton. They doubtless had their reasons; but if it now appears proper to stop them at Winchester, directions from your body to the Board of War can dispose matters accordingly ; for it is a matter of in- difference to Council.
" I am, sir, your most obedient humble servant, " THOMAS WHARTON, jun., " President.
" JOHN HANCOCK, ESQ."
" To the County Lieutenant of Frederick County, Virginia, and to the commanding officer who has charge of the above prisoners.
11
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" The Continental Board of War have directed me to communicate to you their consent, that the said prisoners be stopped at Winchester, and there accommodated according to former instructions.
" JOHN ADAMS, " Chairman.
"Philadelphia, September 13, 1777."
John Smith, the Lieutenant, gave us a copy of his letter to the Congress, which contains some matters injurious to the Society in general; those parts being remarked upon by John Hunt, Henry Drinker, and James Pemberton, he made some alterations, and allowed us to take a copy, which is as follows :
" Virginia, Frederick, Winchester, October 1st, 1777. " SIR,-
" Two days since, the Sheriff of Berks County, in the State of Pennsylvania, arrived at this place with charge of a number of prisoners, sent by the Executive Council of Pennsylvania, with the approbation of Congress, to the care of the Lieutenant of this county.
" The peculiar situation of these prisoners has left me at a loss what part to take. On examining the papers addressed to the sheriff, I found the orders so exceedingly confused that I could not discover upon what terms the prisoners should be re- ceived, nor in what manner they were to be supported during their continuance here.
" The sheriff informed me they were sent to Winchester at the public expense ; and the prisoners expected to be maintained in the same manner while in confinement. As I have received no orders sufficiently positive to make such provisions, and as it is contrary to the usual mode of treating men of their order in this State, I have refused to make any such engagement, nor can I say that I have received the prisoners agreeably to any order whatever, my reasons for which I hope will be a sufficient excuse.
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RESIDENCE AT WINCHESTER.
" The inhabitants in this part of the country are, in general, much exasperated against the whole Society of Quakers. The people were taught to suppose these people were Tories, and the leaders of the Quakers,-and two more offensive stigmas, in their estimation, could not be fixed upon men; in short, they determined not to permit them to remain in Winchester, for fear of their holding a correspondence with the Friends of the adjoining counties.
" It was with the utmost exertion of my influence with an enraged multitude, that I prevented the greatest violence being offered to these men, and that only upon a promise that they should be continued here no longer than Congress should give orders for their removal.
" These, sir, have been the reasons which have induced me to write to Congress upon the subject ; for I can assure you their lives will be endangered by their staying at Winchester. I have sent you a copy of such orders as I have received, and a list of the prisoners' names.
" I shall write to Governor Henry and acquaint him with what has been done in respect of the prisoners, so that what- ever orders Congress shall think proper to make, the sanction of the executive power of this State, I presume, will be ready to receive them here.
" I am, Sir, " Your most obedient servant, " JOHN SMITH, " Lieutenant of Frederick County.
" In justice to the prisoners I can but inform you that their behaviour, since they have been at this place, has truly been inoffensive, and such as could give umbrage to no person whatever.
" To the Honourable John Hancock, Esquire."
In the afternoon the committee reported an essay of a remon-
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strance to Congress, which was corrected and to be ready to accompany John Smith's letter ; it being as follows :
" Winchester, 1st day of 10th month, 1777.
" TO THE CONGRESS.
" The remonstrance of the subscribers, citizens of Philadel- phia, now confined under strict guard in the town of Win- chester, sheweth :
" That in pursuance of your recommendation, we have been taken up on suspicion of being dangerous men, inimical to our country, and holding correspondence with the British army. The truth of which we have heretofore, and yet do utterly deny.
" That the President and Council of Pennsylvania, upon your information, and as we have cause to believe, with your concurrence, have banished us to a part of this Continent of which we have heard very disagreeable accounts, but which, from our short experience, far exceeds the description.
" The lieutenant of this county has informed us that the orders he has received respecting us are not such as required his taking charge of or providing a support for us, but that, from the disposition of the people towards us, he has, out of regard for our personal safety, undertaken to protect us, until further instructions from you, confirmed by the executive power from whom he derives his authority, be obtained.
"In this difficult situation we now find ourselves among strangers, whose passions and prejudices have been excited against us ; who, from the manner of our being sent here, are impressed with a notion that we have been convicted of some heinous offences, and cannot be persuaded that any public body in America, would so severely punish men on bare sus- picion, and who disclaim the right of the Council of Pennsyl- vania to send persons so circumstanced out of their own government.
- " And we here think proper to mention a fact that has come
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to our knowledge, which of itself shows the rancour we have been persecuted with, and our safety endangered. A packet, directed to the lieutenant of one of the counties, who was to have the charge of us, sent forward by our escort, and endorsed, ' War Office, on public service,' was opened in our presence, and was found to contain nothing but a newspaper fraught with anonymous falsehoods and forgeries, tending to render us odious in the eyes of the people.
" Had the President and Council meant only to secure our persons, and prevented our correspondence, as they pretended to fear, we should have thought places might have been found for that purpose without endangering our lives.
" If you or the Council were ignorant of the state of this country, it might be some apology for sending us here ; and your withdrawing us from it upon hearing our danger, will show the sincerity of those declarations you have made in favour of us, with respect to the treatment you wished us to receive.
" At the time we were forced from our families we were preparing a remonstrance to you; from a calm consideration whereof we expected a just and honourable result. We had therein stated, and we now repeat it, that having the authority of your recommendation to the Council to give us a hearing, we expected an opportunity of defending ourselves against the general charge you were pleased to exhibit against us of. ' having by our general conduct and conversation evidenced a disposition inimical to the cause of America ;' we have no doubt we should have been able to remove 'every suspicion entertained against us,' had the right of citizens been allowed us; but we were refused a hearing without any other reason than a re-assertion of their unjust suspicions : a mode of pro- ceeding which would criminate all innocent men !
" It will be needless to go through the many arguments we have already used to the Council and yourselves. It is suffi- cient to remind you that we are reduced to our present dan- gerous situation by your means ; and as the Council have no
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pretence of jurisdiction in this place, on the principles of jus- tice and humanity, you ought to extricate us from it.
" We therefore, in the name of our fellow-citizens, of our families, of ourselves, and of every obligation by which man- kind are bound to each other, call upon you to remove those difficulties of which you have been the primary cause, to re- instate us in that situation we were in when by your concur- rence, and by the concurrence of your Committee for War, we were removed from the country in which our supposed offences, if any, must have been committed, and where alone they are cognizable ; and to do us that justice which the Presi- dent and Council, who began the attack upon us, could not be influenced to by their regard to the rights of mankind, or your recommendation.
" If you entertain those opinions in reality you have so often uttered in your publications in favour of liberty, so far from being offended at the freedom we use in addressing you in its favour, our cause will derive credit from the firm- ness with which we have thought proper to assert it. On the contrary, if you are determined to support the Council in the unjust and illegal steps they have taken to carry your first recommendation into execution, by continuing us in a country so dangerous to our personal safety, we shall commit ourselves to the protection of an all-wise overruling Power, in whose sight we trust we shall stand in this matter acquitted, and who, if any of us should lose our lives, will require our blood at your hands.
Israel Pemberton,
Thomas Gilpin,
John Pemberton,
Charles Jervis,
James Pemberton, Charles Eddy,
Samuel Pleasants, William Drewet Smith,
Thomas Pike, John Hunt,
Owen Jones, Jr., Edward Pennington,
Thomas Affleck, Thomas Wharton,
Thomas Fisher,
Henry Drinker,
Samuel R. Fisher, Elijah Brown,
Miers Fisher,
William Smith, (broker.)"
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2d day of 10th month .- The committee reported an essay of an address to the Governor and Council of Virginia, which was signed; and a letter was written, signed by Thomas Wharton and Samuel Pleasants, to introduce the address to the Governor, ready to be forwarded. It is as follows :
" TO THE GOVERNOR AND COUNCIL OF VIRGINIA.
" The address and memorial of the subscribers, citizens of Philadelphia, in Pennsylvania, now confined at Winchester, in Virginia, respectfully sheweth :
" That we were taken from our families and brought to this place, by order of the President and Council of Pennsylvania, in a manner not heretofore known in any free country, without being heard in our defence !
" Upon our arrival here, Daniel Levan, who commanded the escort conducting us from Reading, delivered to the lieutenant of this county, sundry papers from the President and Council of Pennsylvania, and the Continental Board of War, contain- ing directions concerning our confinement ; copies of the most material of which we herewith present to you.
" Before our departure from Philadelphia, we applied to the Council among other things, to know to whose custody we were to be committed when here, and what directions were to be given concerning us ; and were informed that the Governor of Virginia would have the charge of, and directions con- cerning us.
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