LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
 DDD170bflSbfl 
 
I 
 
 r- 
 
THE 
 
 BOEDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK, 
 
 DURING THE REVOLUTION 
 
 OR, THE 
 
 ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 
 
 BY WILLIAM W. CAMPBELL. 
 
 • ^I"^ ^''^? confederacy, except a little more than half of the Oneidas, took up arms 
 agamst us They hung hke the scythe of death upon the rear of our settlements, and 
 their deeds are inscribed with the scalping-knife and the tomahawk, in characters of 
 blood, on the fields ot Wyoming and Cherry Valley, and on the banks of the Mohawk." 
 
 De Witt Cunton. 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 BAKER & SC KEENER, 
 
 145 Nassau Street, and 36 Park Row. 
 
 1849. 
 
EZh^' 
 
 b 
 
 Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1849, by 
 
 BAKER & SCRIBNER, 
 
 In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States, for the Sontliern 
 
 District of New York. 
 
 EDWARD O. JKNKINS, PRINTER, 
 111 Nassau St., New York. 
 
HON. WILLIAM KENT. 
 
 My dear Sir : Eighteen years ago the following " Annals 
 of Tryon County" were dedicated to your illustrious father. 
 He, who was regarded by you with such deep filial affection, 
 and who was the object of veneration to his friends, has 
 ecently, after a long sojourn upon the earth, been gathered 
 ,0 his fathers in peace. It is a source of unaffected gratifi- 
 ation to me, that I was pennitted, when a young man, to 
 i^rm his acquaintance, and from that period down to the 
 close of his life, continued to share somewhat of his notice 
 and his friendship. To you, his son, my early professional 
 instructor and my friend, I now present this new edition of a 
 work, which, though it has but little intrinsic merit, either in its 
 style or arrangement, possesses, perhaps, some interest, from 
 the fact .j-hat it was the pioneer history of the border wars of 
 our native State. For me it has a melancholy interest, be- 
 cause all the actors in the Revolutionary drama who were 
 living at the time of its first appearance, in 1831, and from 
 whose lips the personal narratives were gathered, have gone 
 the way of all the living, and are now numbered with the 
 dead. Of the then aged men and women scattered along the 
 valley of the Mohawk and the head- waters of the Susque- 
 hanna, with whom it was my good fortune to sit down and 
 
iv HON. WILLIAM KENT. 
 
 listen to the stones of their trials and their triumphs, not one 
 survives. 
 
 The materials were, at the time, collected from the manu- 
 scripts of the Committee of Safety on the borders, from the 
 correspondence of the principal actors, and from the oral 
 statements of those who survived to my day. While several 
 large volumes have since been written, covering the same 
 ground, it is believed that the Annals, as originally drawn 
 and published by me, contained all the principal events which 
 occurred- upon the frontier of New York during the Revolu- 
 tion, and were in all essential particulars correct. When first 
 published, the whole history of the border wars of New York 
 scarcely made up a page in any then existing historical work. 
 As this book was the first, and was prepared from materials 
 in ^ great degree new, succeeding writers on the same sub- 
 ject drew largely upon it, and, in some instances, made exten- 
 sive extracts without credit or reference. My first intention 
 was, in presenting a new edition, to revise and alter, but 
 upon reflection I determined to leave the work substantially 
 in its original form. Since its first pubhcation I have at 
 various times examined many additional documents, and pre- 
 pared articles which throw some new light upon portions of 
 the work, and which tend to confirm its positions and state- 
 ments. The original text will be left as it was, and these 
 articles, even at the expense of some repetition, will be 
 inserted in the Appendix. Such is the " Memoir of General 
 James Clinton," read before the New York Historical Society 
 in 1837; also, the article on the "Direct agency of the 
 British Government in the employment of the Indians in the 
 
HON. WILLlAiM KENT. ^ 
 
 Revolutionary war," read before the same Society in 1845, 
 and the - Centennial Address," delivered at my native town 
 of Cherry Valley, in 1840. 
 
 The novelist and the poet have embellished and adorned 
 the annals of our brave and patriotic borderers. My ambi- 
 tion was to rescue from obUvion, materials for the future 
 historian of the Empire State. Like the wandering Arab, 
 who, as he passes, lays a stone upon his father's grave, to 
 mark the place of his sepulture, I bring my contribution, my 
 rough block, in the hope that it may be hewn into shape and 
 polished by others, and form a part of that historic colmiin, 
 upon which our children and their descendants may read the 
 record of the struggles and the patriotism of those ancestors, 
 to whom we and they are and will be indebted for our liberty 
 and our Republic. 
 
 I am, respectfully, your friend, 
 
 WILLIAM W. CAMPBELL. 
 
 New York, January 1st, 1849. 
 
TO THE 
 
 HON. JAMES KENT, LL.D. 
 
 LATE CHIEF JUSTICE AND CHANCELLOR OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, 
 AND PRESIDENT OF THE NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY, 
 
 i 
 
 THE FOLLOWING- PAGES ARE RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED. 
 
 "Historia, testU temporum et nuntia veritatis, prseclari facinoris famam, posteritatis 
 memoria tradet." 
 
 That the, evening of your hfe may be as serene and happy 
 as its meridian 
 sincere wish of 
 
 as its meridian has been useful and distinguished, is the 
 
 THE AUTHOR. 
 
 New York, 1831, 
 
PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION. 
 
 In presenting this volume of Annals to the public, I 
 would wish to say a few words as to its origin. It is 
 a right which every reader of a book, purporting to 
 be a record of facts, possesses, and may exercise, to 
 examine its authenticity, and to demand whence the 
 author has drawn his conclusions. In the fall of 1830 
 a society was formed in the village of Cherry Valley 
 for literary purposes generally, but especially for col- 
 lecting facts illustrative of the natural and civil his- 
 tory of that section of country. I had been often 
 requested to collect and imbody the events of its civil 
 history, and was again solicited to prosecute this 
 branch of inquiry. I at first contemplated writing 
 only the history of Cherry Valley. Born and reared 
 in that valley, I had, from early life, been in some de- 
 gree familiar with the incidents which had occurred 
 there. They w^ere interwoven with my earliest im- 
 1* 
 
X PREFACIv 
 
 pressious ; and I entered upon the business of arrang- 
 ing and compiling them with an interest which the 
 subject, perhaps, did not merit. Upon examina- 
 tion, I found its revolutionary history connected 
 with that of the valley of the Mohawk, and think- 
 ing I might, from the documents and information 
 which I had obtained, throw some light upon the com- 
 paratively imperfect history of that valley, during that 
 interesting period, I dropped the original plan, and 
 adopted the one which I have followed in the subse- 
 quent pages. I have, however, dwelt more particu- 
 larly upon the events which occurred in Cherry Val- 
 ley; not that they were more important or interesting, 
 but partly from reasons before mentioned, and partly 
 for the reason that an accurate account of the minute 
 transactions of that settlement was immediately within 
 my reach, and upon the authenticity of which I could 
 rely with the greatest confidence. 
 
 Some of the written documents were obtained in 
 the office of the Secretary of State, but most of th^m 
 from the venerable John Frey, one of the chairmen of 
 the Tryon County committee, and who is now stand- 
 ing almost upon the brow of a hundred years — a mon- 
 ument of other days. Several gentlemen, relatives or 
 descendants of those who acted conspicuous parts, 
 have very politely furnished me with original papers. 
 To all of them I would here most sincerely tender my 
 
PREFACE. XI 
 
 thanks. Some of the accounts, merely traditionary, 
 have been obtained from persons conversant and on 
 intimate terms w^ith the actors ; but most of them from 
 those w^ho could say to me, " pars magna fui." Under 
 these circumstances, it is possible there may be errors. 
 I have, however, in all cases, compared the state- 
 ments where they varied ; and I flatter myself that I 
 have generally arrived at the truth. I may be mis- 
 taken ; but I have written nothing which I do not be- 
 lieve to be true. 
 
 WILLIAM W. CAMPBELL. 
 
 New York, Ana-ust 16th. 1881. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 INTRODUCTION, 
 
 Page 
 Containing a summarj view of the Iroquois or Six Nations . . Il 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 First Settlement of Cherry Valley— Population of the Province 
 of New York at the commencement of the Revolution — Limits 
 of the County of Tryon, and Districts in the County .... 27 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Position of the Province of New York— The gathering of the Storm 
 of the Revolution on the Frontiers— The Johnson Family— But- 
 lers and Brant— The first Committees of Safety in Tryon 
 County, and their noble and patriotic resolves, that they would 
 live free or die — Correspondence with Col. Guy Johnson, In- 
 dian Superintendent — Departure of the Superintendent for 
 Canada, accompanied by the Mohawks, never to return again 
 to their homes on the banks of that river which bears their 
 
 40 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 Powers and difficulties of the Committees of Safety— Influence of 
 the Tories in Tryon County— Character of the Members of the 
 Committee— Their patriotism— Sir Jolm Johnson— Correspond- 
 ence with him relative to his fortifying Johnson Hall — Capitu 
 lation — Afterwards breaks his Parole and goes to Canada — In- 
 terview between General Herkimer and Brant at Unadilla, 
 and singular termination of it , ... 72 
 
xiv CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Page 
 
 Opening of the Campaign of 1777 — Fort Stanwix, ov Fort Schuy- 
 ler — Rumored advance of St. Leger — Militia of Tryon County 
 called out by General Herkimer — Siege of Fort Stanwix — Bat- 
 tle of Oriskany — Bravery and Death of General Herkimer — 
 Retreat af St. Leger— Battle of Saratoga, and brilliant success 
 of American Arms 85 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Cherry Valley — The Religious Character of its Committee of 
 Safety — Its exposed situation — Fort built there by order of La 
 Fayette — Brant and Capt. M'Kean — Massacre and entire de- 
 struction of Cherry Valley, 11th November, 1778 — Melancholy 
 Death of all the. Wells family, except the late distinguished 
 lawyer, John Wells, of New York — Condition of those who 
 were taken prisoners by the Indians 120 
 
 CHAPTER VJ. 
 
 The Expedition, known as Sullivan's ExjDedition, against the Six 
 Nations in 1779 149 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 Settlements in the Valley of Schoharie by German Palatinates in 
 the reign of Queen Anne — Revolutionary movements in that 
 valley — Destruction of the Settlements — Account of Murphy, 
 the famous white border-warrior 1 67 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 The Harper Family — Harpersfield, Delaware County — Col. John 
 Harpfer — His Caj^tm-e of a band of Indians — Captain Alex- 
 ander Harjjer taken prisoner, and runs the gauntlet at Fort 
 Niagara 18-S 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 The life of an Officer at Fort Stanwix saved by the sagacity of 
 his dog — La Fayette in the valley of the Mohawk — The ravages 
 of the valley of the Mohawk by Sir John Johnson iii 1780 — His 
 retreat — General condition of the border settlements . . . .189 
 
CONTEiNTS XV 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 Page 
 
 Mohawk Valley in 1781— Fort Dayton— Col. Willet's and Capt. 
 M'Keau's battle with the Indians and Tories in the Cedar 
 Swamp at Durlach, near the Sharon Springs — Death of the 
 brave M'Kean— Battle of Johnstown— Retreat of the British 
 under Major Ross— Death of Walter Butler 202 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 The residence of Mrs. Jane Campbell, wife of Col. Samuel Camp- 
 bell, of Cherry Valley, among the Indians as an Indian priso- 
 ner — Also a prisoner at Fort Niagara — Her return to Albany 
 and Cherry Valley- Tic return of the inhabitants at the close 
 of the war — Visit to Cherry Valley of General Washington — 
 Eccentric Character of Mr. Shankland — Conclusion. . . . 214 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Speech of Mohawk Chiefs to the Magistrates of Albany, in 1689 . 236 
 Sketch of the Life of Sir William Johnson— King Hendrick . . 241 
 
 Sketch of the Life and Character of Joseph Brant 248 
 
 Skenando, the white man's friend 264 
 
 Dr. Moses Younglove — Poetic Description of Indian Customs . 268 
 
 Biographical Sketch of Governor George Clinton 211 
 
 Biographical Sketch of General Philip Schuyler 283 
 
 Battle and Massacre at Wyoming SOO 
 
 A Letter, containing an invoice of Scalps taken by the Senecas . 307 
 
 Song, reciting the brave deeds of one Christian Shell 312 
 
 The Sacrifice ol the Senecas 316 
 
 Number of Indian Warriors employed by the British in the Revo- 
 lutionary War . 319 
 
 The Direct Agency of the English Government hi the employ- 
 ment of the Indiana 321 
 
 Life and Ser^dces of General James Clinton 338 
 
 Centennial Address, deliveied at Cherry Valley, July 4, 1840 . 867 
 
NTRODUCTION. 
 
 New York, at the time of its discovery and settle- 
 ment by the Europeans, was inhabited by a race of 
 men distinguished, above all the other aborigines of 
 this Continent, for their intelligence and prowess. 
 Five distinct and independent tribes, speaking a lan- 
 guage radically the same, and practicing similar 
 customs, had united in forming a confederacy which, 
 for durability and power, was unequalled in Indian 
 history. They were the Mohawks, Oneidas, Onon- 
 dagas, Cayugas, and Senecas, called the Iroquois by 
 the French, and the Five Nations by the English. 
 In cases of great emergency, each tribe or nation 
 acted separately and independently ; but a general 
 council usually assembled at Onondaga, near the 
 centre of their territory, and determined upon peace 
 or war, and all other matters which regarded the in- 
 terests of the whole. The powers of this council 
 appear to have been not much dissimilar to those 
 of the United States Congress under the old confede- 
 ration. 
 
 Their language, though guttural, was sonorous. 
 Their orators studied euphony in their words and in 
 their arrangement. Their graceful attitudes and ges- 
 
18 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 tures, and their flowing sentences, rendered their 
 discourses, if not always eloquent, at least highly 
 impressive. An erect and commanding figure, with 
 a blanket thrown loosely over the shoulder, with his 
 naked arm raised, and addressing in impassioned 
 strains a group of similar persons sitting upon the 
 ground around him, would, to use the illustration of 
 an early historian of this State, give no faint picture 
 of Rome in her early days.* 
 
 They were very methodical in their harangues. 
 When in conference with other nations, at the con- 
 clusion of every important sentence of the opposite 
 speaker, a sachem gave a small stick to the orator 
 who was to reply, charging him at the same time to 
 remember it. After a short consultation with the 
 others, he was enabled to repeat most of the discourse, 
 which he answered article by article.f 
 
 These nations were distinguished for their prowess 
 in war, as well as for their sagacity and eloquence in 
 council. War was their delight. Believing it to be 
 the most honorable employment of men^ they infused 
 into their children in early life high ideas of military 
 glory. They carried their arms into Canada, across 
 the Connecticut, to the banks of the Mississippi, and 
 almost to the Gulf of Mexico. Formidable by their 
 numbers and their skill, they excited respect and awe 
 in the most powerful tribes, and exacted tribute and 
 obedience from the weak. 
 
 In 1608, the first efficient settlement was made in 
 Canada by Governor Champlain, who founded Que- 
 
 * Smith's History of New York.. f Ibid, 
 
INTRODUCTION. 19 
 
 bee. At this time the Five Nations were waging a 
 desperate war with the Hurons and Algonqiiins, who 
 inhabited a part of that province. Champlain, un- 
 fortunately for the colony, entered into an alliance 
 with the latter tribes, and by furnishing them with 
 men and fire-arms, enabled them to gain a temporary 
 ascendency.* The confederates, who had always 
 been victorious, and who considered the Hurons and 
 Algonquins as little better than vassals, could not 
 brook this defeat. They applied to, and courted the 
 friendship of the Dutch, who found their way up the 
 Hudson River, and established themselves at Albany, 
 soon after the settlement of Quebec. From them they 
 obtained arms and munitions, and soon regained the 
 influence and power which they had lost. This op- 
 portune arrival and assistance of the Dutch, together 
 with their mild, concilatory manners, endeared them 
 to the Five Nations, who afterward looked up to them 
 for advice and direction in their own affairs, and pro- 
 tected and fought for them with cheerfulness and 
 courage. But the interference of the French aroused 
 the indignation of these haughty warriors ; for almost 
 a century they harassed their infant colonies, and 
 visited with a dreadful vengeance both the authors of 
 their disgrace and their descendants. This, if not the 
 iron, was the golden age of the Iroquois. During 
 this period, the hardy German passed up the Mohawk 
 in his light canoe, and penetrated into the remote 
 bounds of their territory, where he exchanged his 
 
 * Vide Edinb. Eilcyclopedia — Art. America. 
 
20 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 merchandise and munitions of war for the peltry of 
 the Indians.* 
 
 In 1664 the province of New York was surrendered 
 to the English by Peter Stuyvesant, the last of the 
 Dutch governors. The English, perceiving the im- 
 portance of being on friendly terms with the Indians, 
 exerted themselves to preserve that good understand- 
 ing which had existed between the latter and the 
 Dutch. Conventions were frequently called at Al- 
 bany, at which the governors met and conferred with 
 them 5 presents were distributed liberally, and no 
 opportunity was neglected to impress them with ideas 
 of the wealtli and power of the English monarch. 
 The French were not idle. Jealous of the growing 
 power and influence of the English colonies, and 
 desirous of monopolizing the Indian trade, they 
 adopted various plans to detach the Iroquois from 
 their alliance with the English. They endeavored 
 to break up the confederacy, that they might conquer 
 the nations in detail. They attacked the English, in 
 hopes that, by gaining some splendid victories over 
 them, they would convince the Indians of the weak- 
 ness of their allies, and of the strength of their ene- 
 mies. They sent missionaries among them, more 
 desirous of making allies for France than converts tcr 
 Christianity ; in this they partially succeeded ; and in 
 1671, persuaded the Caughnawagas to remove from 
 their settlements on the Mohawk, and to establish 
 themselves in Canada. 
 
 In 1688 the vengeance of the Five Nations was 
 
 * Memoirtj of an American Lady. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 21 
 
 again aroused by a stratagem of the Dinondadies, a 
 tribe at war with them, and in alliance with France. 
 The Dinondadies killed several of their ambassadors 
 while going to hold a conference in Canada, and 
 falsely pretended that they had been informed of their 
 jouYney by the French governor. Incensed at what 
 they considered a great breach of faith, about twelve 
 hundred warriors of the Five Nations landed at Mon- 
 treal on the 26th July, 1688, and killed about a thou- 
 sand French — men, women, and children, and carried 
 away twenty-six prisoners, whom they afterward 
 burned alive. The French retaliated for these ag- 
 gressions by making incursions into the Indian coun- 
 try, and burning their villages. 
 
 In 1690 the French made an attack upon Schenec- 
 tady ; took the place by surprise, as it was in the 
 dead of winter, and no danger was apprehended ; 
 the whole village was destroyed ; about sixty of the 
 inhabitants were killed, and most of the remainder 
 perished, as they fled naked through the snow toward 
 Albany.* 
 
 This was the first intimation the colony of New 
 York received that a war was meditated on the part 
 of the French ; it was the more perfidious, as nego- 
 tiations were then pending in Europe for the purpose 
 of settling the claims of the two governments in 
 America. During this war the confederates remained 
 attached to the English, and rendered important ser- 
 vices by harassing the frontiers of their enemies. 
 About 1701 a general treaty of peace was made be- 
 
 * See Appendix — iN'ote A. 
 
22 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 tween the French and Five Nations, which put an 
 end to these long and afflicting wars, in which both 
 parties had been sufferers. In the early part of this 
 century, (about 1712,) the Monecons, or Tuscaroras, a 
 tribe of Indians living in the Carolinas, made war 
 upon the inhabitants of those colonies ; they were 
 vanquished by the colonists, and forced to abandon 
 their country ; they are thought to have been allies 
 of the Five Nations in some of their southern expedi- 
 tions. From a similarity in their language, the con- 
 federates supposed them derived from a common 
 origin ; they received them into the confederacy, 
 assigned them a section of their territory to dwell in ; 
 after this they were called the Six Nations. The 
 Tuscaroras never possessed the energy and courage 
 of the other confederates. Tradition says that they 
 were obliged to wear a woman's pocket for a tobacco 
 pouch, as a mark of their effeminacy and want of 
 courage. 
 
 From the commencement of this century down to 
 1750, the French missionaries and agents were very 
 successful. That body of men, the French Jesuits, 
 who by their zeal put to shame many men engaged 
 in a better cause, entered upon this field of labor with 
 great ardor. At one time they doffed the clerical 
 habit, and putting on the Indian garb, accompanied 
 the warriors on distant and hazardous expeditions ; 
 and at another, they astonished their savage audience 
 with the splendid and imposing rites and ceremonies 
 of the Romish church. They spoke in glowing terms 
 of the resources and magnificence of le grand Mo- 
 narque, as they termed the King of France. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 23 
 
 They obtained permission for the French to build 
 forts in their territory ; and in short, when the last 
 French war broke out in 1754, the four western tribes 
 went over to the French, and took up the hatchet 
 against the English. This war terminated by the 
 complete subjection of Canada, and the annexing it 
 to the British dominions. The Indians,* however, 
 
 * In 1 '7 74 Governor "William Try on, the royal governor of the prov- 
 ince of New York, made a return to the British government, embracing 
 the general condition of the province, its civil history, political and 
 judicial, the general features of the country, rivers, mountains, cities, 
 forts, population, commerce ; in short, giving a complete view of the 
 province. This document is among the papers at Albany, obtained by 
 Mr. Brodhead, and ought to be published at length. It was the 
 closing account of the province of New York, which was soon thereaf- 
 ter to give place to the state. 
 
 One of the questions relates to the Indians, and was answered by 
 Gov. Try on, upon information derived from Sir William Johnson, and 
 the statement may be implicitly relied on. It shows of course the 
 numbers and situation of the Indians at the commencement of the 
 war. 
 
 " What number of Indians have you, and how are they inclined V 
 
 " The Indians who formerly possessed Nassau or Long Island, and 
 that part of this province which lies below Albany, are now reduced to 
 a small number, and are in general so scattered and dispersed, and so 
 addicted to wandering, that no certain account can be obtained of 
 them. They are the remnants of the tribes Montocks and others of 
 Long Island, Wappingers of Dutchess Cormty, Esopus, Papagonk, &c. 
 in Ulster County, and a few Skachticokes. These tribes have gene- 
 rally been denominated River Indians, and consist of about three hun- 
 dred fighting men. 
 
 " They speak a language radically the same, and are understood by 
 the Delawares, being originally of the same race. Most of these peo- 
 ple at present profess Christianity, and as far as in their power adopt 
 our customs. The greater part of them attended the army during the 
 late war, but not with the same reputation as those who are still 
 hunters. 
 
24 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 witnessing the defeat of the French, had many of 
 them returned, before the close of the war, to the 
 English, by whom they were again received as 
 allies. 
 
 " The Mohawks, the first in rank of the Six Nation confederacy, 
 though now much reduced in nimibers, originally occupied the country 
 westward from Albany to the German Flats, a space of about ninety 
 miles, and had many towns, but having at different times been pre- 
 vailed on to dispose of their lands, they have little property left ex- 
 cept to the northward, and are reduced to two villages on the Mohawk 
 river, and a few families at Schoharie. The lower Mohawks are in 
 number about one hundred and eighty-five, and the upper, or those of 
 Canajoharie, two hundred and twenty one, making together four hundred 
 and six. This nation hath always been warm in their attachment to 
 the English, and on this account sufiered great loss during the late war. 
 
 " The nation beyond and to the westward of the Mohawk, is the 
 Oneidas. The villages where they reside, including Onoaughquaga, 
 are just beyond the Indian line or boundary established at Fort Stan- 
 wix, in 1168, and their property within that line, except to the north- 
 ward, has been Bold. This nation consists of at least fifteen hundred, 
 and are firmly attached to the English. 
 
 " The other nations of that confederacy, and who live further beyond 
 the Indian line, are the Onondagas, Cayugas, Senecas and Tuscaroras, 
 and are well inclined to the British interest. The whole Six Nations 
 consist of about ttvo thouscmd fighting men, and their number of souls 
 according to their latest retm-ns at least ten thousand; the Seneca 
 nation amovinting alone to one half that number." 
 
 " What is the strength of the neighboring Indians ?" 
 
 " The Indians north of this province near Montreal, with those living 
 on the river St. Lawrence, near the 45th degree of northern latitude, 
 form a body of about three thousand five hundred. They are in alli- 
 ance with, and held in great esteem by the rest ; are good warriors, 
 and have behaved well since they became allies to the English previ- 
 ous to the reduction of Canada. 
 
 " The tribes of Indians witliin the province of Massachusetts Bay, and 
 the colonies of Connecticut and Rhode Island, <fec. are under similar 
 circumstances with those denominated River Indians ; and the Stock- 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 25 
 
 Major General William Johnson* rendered very 
 important services during this war ; his complete vic- 
 tory over Baron Dieskau, Sept. 1757, at the head of 
 Lake George, and the capture of Fort Niagara hy 
 him, had aided materially in bringing the war to a 
 successful termination. He was created a baronet, 
 and Parliament voted him five thousand pounds ster- 
 ling ; he was also appointed general superintendent 
 of Indian affairs : he had settled upon the Mohawk 
 in 1734, having emigrated there from Ireland, and 
 thus rose to rank and affluence. Stern, determined 
 in purpose, at times even arbitrary, sagacious and 
 
 bridge Indians, living on the eastern borders of New York, maybe con- 
 sidered as within it, as they formerly claimed the lands near Albany, 
 and still hold up some claim in that vicinity. They served as a corps 
 during the late war, and are in number about three hundred. 
 
 " Of the Susquehanna tribes many have retired further westward, 
 among which are some not well affected to the British government. 
 They are all dependents and allies of the Six Nations. 
 
 " Within the department of Sir William Johnson, His Majesty's 
 Superintendent of Indian affairs, there are twenty-five thousand fom* 
 hundred and twenty fighting men, and may be about one hundred 
 and thu'ty thousand Indians in the whole, extending westward to the 
 Mississippi." 
 
 It is thus seen that the Indian warriors of the Six Nations were as 
 numerous as the able-bodied men of Tryon County, wliile the warriors 
 under the superintendence of Sir William Jolmson, and afterwards 
 under that of Col. Guy Johnson, were equal nearly to the militia of 
 the whole province. The whole body of wamors could be called out 
 if necessary. Being under the pay of England, and having no domes- 
 tic labors, and war being their delight, it was evident that it would 
 be a fearful event to the Colonies if the Indians took part in the con- 
 troversy, 
 
 * See Appendix — Note B. 
 
 2* 
 
26 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 penetrating, but when necessary, urbane and concil- 
 iatory in his manners, he was eminently qualified for 
 the station to which he was appointed. No person 
 has ever exerted an equal influence over those unlet- 
 tered children of the forest. He lived at Johnstown, 
 where he had a beautiful residence, and was sur- 
 rounded by the Mohawks. The Indians looked up 
 to him as their father, paying the utmost deference to 
 his advice, and consulting him on all occasions. Out 
 of compliment to them, he frequently wore in winter 
 their dress ; he received them cordially at his house, 
 where sometimes hundreds of them assembled. So 
 great was the respect they had for him, that though 
 the house contained many valuables, nothing was 
 purloined from it, even in their carousals. Being a 
 widower, he received into his family an Indian maid- 
 en, a sister of the celebrated sachem Joseph Thayen- 
 danegea, called the Brant. 
 
 The influence of Sir William continued until his 
 death, about the commencement of the revolutionary 
 war, when the principal events took place, which I 
 design hereafter to relate. 
 
CHAPTER I 
 
 " Time rolls his ceaseless course. The race of yore, 
 
 Who danced our infancy upon their knee, 
 
 And told our marvelling boyhood legend's store 
 
 Of their strange ventures happ'd by land or sea ; 
 
 How they are blotted from the things that be ! 
 
 How few, all weak, and withered of their force, 
 
 Wait on the verge of dark eternity. 
 
 Like stranded wrecks, the tide returning hoarse, 
 To sweep them from our sight ; Time rolls his ceaseless course." 
 
 It is always a pleasing task to rescue from oblivion 
 the names, and to record the deeds, of those individ- 
 uals, howev^er humble, who were the pioneers of our 
 country, who purchased the wilderness from the 
 savage, and afterward disputed the dominion over it 
 with the wolf and the bear. 
 
 The pleasure is increased, and a deep and thrilling 
 interest is awakened, as we trace out those individu- 
 als ardently engaged on the side of their country m 
 that revolution which terminated in our entire inde- 
 pendence ; in the planting of that tree of liberty, 
 whose beautiful foliage and wide-spreading branches 
 have excited universal admiration, and a scion from 
 which may yet be engrafted into all the nations of the 
 east. 
 
 This is the object of the following imperfect sketch, 
 which, if it add little to the materials for the future 
 history of our State, may be a source of some pleasure 
 and satisfaction to those connected with the actors 
 
28 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OK, 
 
 themselves ; and to the survivors, those venerable 
 relics of other times, a few of whom have come down 
 to us, but who, one by one, are daily dropping into 
 eternity. 
 
 In 'l 738 a patent for 8000 acres of land, lying about 
 ten miles south of the Mohawk River, and fifty-two 
 west from Albany, was granted by George Clark, then 
 ireutenant governor, with the consent of the council 
 of the then province of New York, to John Lindesay, 
 Jacob Roseboom, Lendert Gansevoort, and Sy brant 
 Van Schaick. This patent is situated in the extreme 
 north-eastern part of the now county of Otsego, em- 
 bracing a part of the town and village of Cherry Val- 
 ley. The face of the country generally, in this county, 
 is uneven ; a great number of valleys run nearly north 
 and south, in which are Otsego and Schuyler Lakes, 
 and through which flow several streams, forming the 
 eastern branch of the Susquehanna. These valleys 
 are bounded on tlie north by a ridge of table land, in 
 which many of the smaller streams take their rise, and 
 from whose northern declivity flow several unimpor- 
 tant tributaries of the Mohawk ; there are indenta- 
 tions or passes at the northern extremities of all these 
 valleys ; diff'ering, however, in their elevations and 
 in the distances between the sources of the tributary 
 waters of the two rivers. None of these valleys are 
 very extensive, but the soil is fertile, and the rolling 
 land between them produces all kinds of grain, and 
 furnishes excellent pasturage in great abundance. 
 The valley, through which runs Cherry Valley Creek, 
 is about sixteen miles in length, and varies from one 
 quarter to a mile in breadth ; at the village it is 1335 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 29 
 
 feet, and where it terminates in its pass about a mile 
 north, 1418 feet, above tide water. Chains of high- 
 land stretch along both sides of this valley ; that on 
 the east may properly be considered a spur of the 
 Catskill. It terminates abruptly about three miles 
 north-east of the village, in Mount Independence, 
 from whose top the land slopes gradually to the north ; 
 its summit is more than 2000 feet above tide water, 
 and 1700 above the valley of the Mohawk; from 
 hence a beautiful prospect opens in some directions 
 nearly one hundred miles in extent. The Mohawk 
 valley, with a large portion of. the northern part of 
 the State, is spread out as a map ; while far in the 
 north-east are dimly seen the tops of the Green 
 Mountains, as they mingle with the horizon.* 
 
 Early in the eighteenth century, nearly three thou- 
 sand German Palatinates emigrated to this country 
 under the patronage of Queen Anne ; most of them 
 settled in Pennsylvania ; a few made their way, in 
 1713, from Albany, over the Helleberg, to Schoharie 
 Creek, and under the most discouraging circumstan- 
 ces succeeded in effecting a settlement upon the rich 
 alluvial lands bordering upon that stream. Small 
 colonies from here, and from Albany and Schenec- 
 tady, established themselves in various places along 
 the Mohawk ; and in 1722 had extended as far up as 
 the German Flats, near where stands the village of 
 Herkimer ; but all the inhabitants were found in the 
 
 * Upon this northern slope, and about three miles from Mount In- 
 dependence, is built the famous " Pavilion " at Sharon Springs, from 
 the piazza of which the prospect is both beautiful and grand. 
 
30 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 neighborhood of these streams; none had ventured 
 out in that unbroken wilderness which lay to the 
 south and west of these settlements. 
 
 Mr. Lindesay, having obtained an assignment from 
 the three other patentees to himself and Governor 
 Clark, in 1739 caused the patent to be surveyed and 
 subdivided into lots, and chose for himself the farm 
 afterward successively owned by Mr. John Wells and 
 Judge Hudson, and gave to it the name of Lindesay 's 
 Bush. In the following summer he left New York 
 with his family, consisting of his wife, and father-in- 
 law, Mr. Congreve, a lieutenant in the British army, 
 and a few domestics, and settled upon his farm. He 
 was a Scotch gentleman of some fortune and distinc- 
 tion, having held several offices under government, 
 and anticipated much pleasure from a residence in 
 this high and rolling country, whose valleys, and hills, 
 and lakes, would constantly remind him of the wild 
 and romantic scenery of his native land. A luxuri- 
 ant growth of beach and maple, interspersed with the 
 wild cherry, covered the valley, and extended along 
 up the sides of the hills, whose tops were crowned 
 with clusters of evergreen ; elk and deer were found 
 here in great numbers, as were bears, wolves, beavers, 
 and foxes ; it was a favorite hunting-ground of the 
 Mohawks, who erected their cabins near some little 
 spring, and hunted their game upon the mountains. 
 Mr. Lindesay, as well as all the early settlers, found 
 it important to cultivate their friendship ; he received 
 them into his house, and treated them with such hos- 
 pitality as circumstances would permit ; this kindness 
 was not lost upon the high-minded savages, one of 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 31 
 
 whom gave proof of no ordinary friendship during the 
 first winter after his removal to Lindesay's Bush. 
 Whatever of happiness and independence Mr. Linde- 
 say may have looked forward to, he knew little of 
 the privations of the settlers of a new country, espe- 
 cially such a country as he had selected ; his farm 
 was fifteen miles from any settlement, difficult of 
 access from that settlement which was on the Mohawk 
 River, by reason of its elevation above it ; and the 
 intervening country was traversed only by an Indian 
 footpath. 
 
 In the winter of 1740, the snow fell to a great 
 depth ; the paths were filled up ; all communication 
 with the settlers upon the Mohawk was stopped ; Mr. 
 Lindesay had not made sufficient preparation for such 
 a winter ; he had but a scanty supply of provisions ; 
 these were almost consumed long before spring ; a 
 wretched and lingering death was in prospect for him 
 and his family. At this critical time an Indian came 
 to his house, having travelled upon the snow with 
 snow-shoes; when informed of their situation, he 
 readily undertook to relieve them ; he went to the 
 settlements upon the Mohawk, and having procured 
 provisions, returned with them upon his back, and 
 during the remainder of the winter, this faithful child 
 of the forest thus continued to relieve them, and thus 
 preserved the lives of the first inhabitants of our town 
 and county. 
 
 In New York, Mr. Lindesay became acquainted 
 with the Rev. Samuel Dunlop, and prevailed upon 
 him to visit his patent, offering him a tract of land of 
 several hundred acres, on condition that he would 
 
32 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 settle upon it, and would use his influence with his 
 his friends, and persuade them to accompany him. 
 Pleased with the situation, and the generous proprie- 
 tor of the patent, he accepted of the proposal. He was 
 an Irishman hy birth, but had been educated in Edin- 
 burgh ; had spent several years in the provinces, hav- 
 ing travelled over most of those at the south ; and at 
 the time of his first acquaintance with Mr. Lindesay, 
 was on a tour through those at the north. He went 
 to Londonderry in New Hampshire, where several of 
 his countrymen were settled, whom he persuaded to 
 remove, and in 1741 David Ramsay, William Gallt, 
 James Campbell, William Dickson, and one or two 
 others, with their families, in all about thirty persons, 
 came and purchased farms, and immediately com- 
 menced making improvements upon them. They had 
 emigrated from the north of Ireland several years an- 
 terior to their removal here ; some of them were ori- 
 ginally from Scotland ; they were called Scotch Irish — 
 a general name given to the inhabitants of the north 
 of Ireland, many of whom are of Scotch descent; 
 hardy and industrious, inured to toil from their infan- 
 cy, they were well calculated to sustain the labors 
 necessary in clearing the forest, and fitting it for the 
 abode of civilized man. 
 
 The following circumstance gave rise to its name : 
 Mr. Dunlop, engaged in writing some letters, inquired 
 of Mr. Lindesay where he should date them, who pro- 
 posed the name of a town in Scotland ; Mr. Dunlop, 
 pointing to some fine wild cherry-trees, and to the 
 valley, replied, " let us give our place an appropriate 
 name, and call it Cherry Valley," which was readily 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 33 
 
 agreed to ; it was for a long time the distinguishing 
 name of a large section of country, south and west. 
 Soon after the arrival of these settlers, measures were 
 taken for the erection of a grist-mill and saw-mill, 
 and a building for a school-house and church. Mr. 
 Dunlop left Ireland under an engagement of marriage 
 with a young lady of that country; and having made 
 the necessary arrangements for his future residence in 
 Cherry Valley, returned to fulfill it. This engage- 
 ment was conditional ; if he did not return in seven 
 years from the time of his departure, it should be op- 
 tional with her to abide by or put an end to the con- 
 tract ; the time had almost expired ; she had heard 
 nothing from him for some time, and supposed him 
 either dead or unfaithful; another offered, was ac- 
 cepted, and the day appointed for the marriage. In 
 the mean time Mr. Dunlop had been driven off the 
 coast of Scotland by a storm : after a detention of 
 several days, he finally made port in Ireland, and 
 hastening on his journey, arrived the day previous ; 
 his arrival was as joyful as it was unexpected ; he 
 w^as married, and returned immediately with his wife 
 to Cherry Valley, and entered upon his duties as the 
 first pastor of its little church. A log-house had been 
 erected to the north of Mr. Lindesay's, on the decli- 
 vity of the little hill upon which his house was situ- 
 ated ; where, though possessing little of this world's 
 wealth, they offered up the homage of devout and 
 grateful hearts. Most of the adult inhabitants were 
 members of the church ; the clergyman was to receive 
 ten shillings oh the hundred acres of land ; a mere 
 pittance, by reason of the small number of inhabitants ; 
 
34 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW \LORK; OR, 
 
 but he lived frugally ; they made presents to him of 
 the productions of their farms, which, with the avails of 
 his own, afforded him a competent support. In these 
 early days, an excellent state of feeling- toward each 
 other prevailed ; common danger and common inte- 
 rest united them. In their worship and observances 
 they were very strict. During the ten subsequent 
 years, not more than three or four families had come 
 into the settlement. Among them was Mr. John 
 Wells, grandfather of the late John Wells of New 
 York City. He also was an Irishman, and became a 
 resident in 1743, and in '44 purchased the farm 
 which Mr. Lindesay had selected for himself, and 
 upon which he resided. 
 
 Mr. Lindesay was unacquainted with pratical farm- 
 ing, and his property had been expended to little ad- 
 vantage ; after struggling several years, he was com- 
 pelled to abandon his enterprise. The war between 
 France and Great Britain had been, in part, transfer- 
 red to America, and in 1744 our northern frontier was 
 threatened with an attack by the French and Indians. 
 Reinforcements were ordered to Oswego, and among 
 them, the company of Independent Greens, in which 
 Mr. Congreve was a lieutenant; he resigned his 
 commission in favor of his son-in-law, Mr. Lindesay, 
 who, having spent several years in the service, died 
 in New York, leaving no children. Mr. Wells, a man 
 of amiable disposition, and of great integrity, before 
 there was any officer of justice, was frequently appeal- 
 ed to as the arbiter of any little difference ; he was 
 afterwards appointed the first justice of the peace for 
 the town, and one of the judges of Tryon County, 
 
ANNALS TRYON COUNTY. 
 
 35 
 
 which offices he continued to exercise until the time 
 of his death, a little before the breaking out of the Rev- 
 olution. 
 
 Mr. Dunlop, having received a classical education, 
 opened a school for the instruction of boys, who came 
 from the settlements upon the Mohawk, and from 
 Schenectady and Albany. It is worthy of remark, 
 that this was the first grammar-school in the State 
 west of Albany. The boys were received into his 
 house, and constituted a part of his family. The ex- 
 treme simplicity of the times may be learned from the 
 fact, that they often went into the fields, and there 
 recited their lessons as they followed their instructor 
 about, while engaged in his usual avocations upon his 
 farm; several individuals along the Mohawk, who 
 were afterwards conspicuous in the Revolution, thus 
 received the first rudiments of their education. 
 
 The tranquillity which had hitherto prevailed in the 
 settlement was not always to continue ; the French by 
 their intrigues had succeeded in alienating the affec- 
 tions of the Indians, who instead of regarding the 
 inhabitants as friends, in many cases looked upon 
 them as intruders. A war colony had been sent out 
 by the Six Nations, which had settled at a place called 
 Oquago, in the now county of Broome, situated on the 
 eastern branch of the Susquehanna. During the Rev- 
 olution this was a place of general rendezvous for the 
 Six Nations. In the French wars it was composed 
 principally of Mohawks, who remained attached to 
 the English, and who paid their annual visits to Sir 
 William Johnson, to receive their presents. Those 
 who violated the laws were not permitted to share 
 
36 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK j OR, 
 
 with the others; a few such, fearing to present them- 
 selves before Sir William, stayed behind and concert- 
 ed a plan for destroying this infant settlement. They 
 were to make an attack upon it while the inhabitants 
 were at church on the Sabbath. They were discovered 
 on Sabbath morning, before their arrival at the settle- 
 ment. The inhabitants, fearing some hostile inten- 
 tion, prepared themselves for defense, taking care to 
 exhibit their arms to the Indians as they approached, 
 who, not wishing to hazard an attack upon ihem 
 armed, withdrew. But during the last French war, 
 the danger of Indian incursions having become great 
 from the defection of the four western of the Six Na- 
 tions, and from threatenings of the more distant tribes, 
 a body of eight hundred rangers (so called from their 
 being chiefly employed in ranging the woods) was or- 
 dered to be raised for the defense of the county of 
 Tryon, and a company of them, under the command 
 of Capt. M'Kean, stationed at Cherry Valley ; some 
 rude fortifications were erected, and during their con- 
 tinuance the settlement was comparatively secure. 
 But previous^ and indeed during all the French wars, 
 the inhabitants of this, as of all the other settlements, 
 were frequently called out to repel the French and In- 
 dians upon our northern frontier. This service was 
 not only extremely hazardous but burdensome, as they 
 were obliged oftentimes to furnish in addition means 
 of transportation for their own baggage, and also for 
 that of the English. In accordance with the will of 
 the government, they entered upon this service cheer- 
 fully. The militia from the northern and western 
 part of the province, lay under Sir William Johnson 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 3'7 
 
 at Fort Edward, when Fort William Henry was be 
 sieged by the French General Montcalm in 1757. The 
 whole force of General Webb, who was commander 
 at Fort Edward, was about 4000 ; 3000 were in Fort 
 William Henry under Col. Monro, while the force of 
 Montcalm was little over 8000 French and Indians. 
 The troops of the former were more efficient, and bet- 
 ter disciplined than the French and Indians under 
 Montcalm. During the siege and bombardment of 
 Fort William Henry, the provincials at Fort Edward, 
 a distance of only fifteen miles, earnestly demanded 
 to be led to its relief. Gen. Webb after having given 
 permission to Sir William Johnson to lead the men in 
 case they would volunteer, on seeing them all express 
 their willingness and ready to march, broke his prom- 
 ise and ordered them to return to the fort. Indig- 
 nation was depicted upon every countenance, but 
 indignation and remonstrance were alike unavailing. 
 Fort William Henry, after a vigorous defense by Col. 
 Monro, was surrendered, he having in vain expected 
 that some movement would be made in his favor by 
 Gen. Webb. The terms of surrender were, that the 
 garrison should march out with their arms, but without 
 ammunition, and that'a body of the French should 
 guard them to Fort Edward. Montcalm, contrary to 
 stipulation, neglected to send the guard, and thus suf- 
 fered the Indians to fall upon the garrison, many of 
 whom were barbarously killed, while others stripped 
 of their arms and clothes fled to Fort Edward. Their 
 sufferings deepened that feeling of indignation which 
 the cowardly or treacherous conduct of Webb had cre- 
 ated. The interest excited by the subsequent revolu 
 
38 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 tion absorbed for a time their thoughts and feelings ; 
 but there were individuals in that army under Sir 
 William Johnson, from the little settlement of Cherry 
 Valley, who, when age had furrowed their cheeks and 
 whitened their locks, could scarcely repress their feel- 
 ings as they recounted the events of that siege. 
 
 Col. Monro died soon after very suddenly at Al- 
 bany, not without suspicions however that unfair 
 means had been used to prevent his preferring a com- 
 plaint against Gen. Webb to the English govern- 
 ment. 
 
 During these harassing wars the population of the 
 western part of the province continued to increase. 
 Small settlements had been made in various directions 
 around Cherry Valley. A family of Harpers, who 
 were afterwards distinguished for their courage and 
 ardent attachment to the cause of American liberty, 
 removed from Cherry Valley some years before the 
 Revolution, and established themselves at Harpersfield 
 in the now county of Delaware. The Rev. William 
 Johnstone had succeeded in planting a flourishing lit- 
 tle colony on the east side of the Susquehanna, a short 
 distance below the forks of the Unadilla ; and several 
 . families were scattered through Springfield, Middle- 
 field, then called Newtown-Martin, and Laurens and 
 Otego, called Old England district. The population of 
 Cherry Valley was short of three hundred, and that of 
 the whole county of Tryon but a few thousand, when 
 the Revolution commenced.* This county was taken 
 
 * In 1756 the whole population of the province of New York was 
 96,775. In 1771 it had increased to 168,007; and in 1774 to 182,25L 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 39 
 
 from Albany County in 1772, and named in honor of 
 William Tryon, then governor of the province. In 
 1784 it was changed to that of Montgomery. When 
 formed, it embraced all that part of the State lying 
 v^est of a line running north and south nearly through 
 the centre of the present county of Schoharie. It was 
 divided into five districts, which were again subdi- 
 vided into smaller districts or precincts. The fir^t, 
 beginning at the east, was the Mohawk district, em- 
 bracing Fort Hunter, Caughnawaga, Johnstown, and 
 Kingsborough ; Canajoharie district, embracing the 
 present town of that name, with all the country south, 
 including Cherry Valley and Harpersfield ; Palatine 
 district, north of the river, and including the country 
 known by the same name, with Stone Arabia, &c. ; and 
 German Flats and Kingsland districts, being then the 
 most western settlements, and the former now known 
 by the" same name. The county buildings were at 
 Johnstown, where, as before mentioned, was the resi- 
 dence of Sir William Johnson. 
 
 In 1771, the population of the county of Albany was 38,829 ; and as 
 the county of Albany embraced all the northern and western part of 
 the State, reaching from the city of Albany to Niagara, and the east- 
 ern part of the county was by far the most populous, it is not probable 
 that the county of Try on contained more than 10,000 inhabitants. It 
 was estimated in 1774 that the population of the province of New York 
 doubled by natural increase in 20 years. With a population of 182,251, 
 there was estimated a militia force of 32,000 ; and this was probably a 
 fair estimate of the able-bodied men of New York at the commence- 
 ment of the Revolution. 
 
40 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Of all the English colonies in North America, none 
 was more loyal than New York ; but while her colo- 
 nial history exhibits her inhabitants professing a warm 
 attachment to the English crown, it presents them 
 also uniformly and zealously maintaining their own 
 inherent rights and privileges. As early as 1691 an 
 act was passed by the colonial Assembly, asserting the 
 grounds of their right of being represented in Assem- 
 bly ; that it was one of the distinguishing liberties of 
 Englishmen, and was not a privilege enjoyed through 
 the grace of the crown ; and in 1708 the following 
 resolution, reported by the committee of grievances, 
 was adopted by the Assembly: '^ Resolved, that the 
 imposing and laying of any monies upon any of her 
 Majesty's subjects of his colony, under any pretence 
 or color whatever, without consent in General Assem- 
 bly, is a grievance, and a violation of the people's 
 property." From this period down, we find this 
 colony steadily resisting every attempt of her govern- 
 ors to encroach upon her rights, while contributing at 
 the same time freely and largely for their support, and 
 that of the government generally. During the long 
 and harassing French wars, her levies both of men 
 and money, considering her population and resources. 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 41 
 
 were immense. Her terrilory was the principal scene 
 of action, and she seconded with all her powers the 
 measures adopted by tie English to destroy tlie influ- 
 ence of the French in America : the successful termi- 
 nation of the last of those wars, thus freeing- New 
 York from constant alarm and danger ; the common 
 privations and sufferings endured by the Provincial 
 .and English armies ; the numerous connections by 
 marriage formed by the officers of the latter; and the 
 extensive and flourishing commerce of the city, all 
 tended to strengthen the attachment of this province 
 to the motlier country. 
 
 Still asserting her own exclusive right of taxation, 
 the Stamp Act was opposed in this province with much 
 warmth in 1765, and the first committee of corre- 
 spondence was chosen ; which, communicating with 
 the committees of other provinces, prepared the way 
 for the calling of the Congress which convened in the 
 city of New York the same year. With the repeal of 
 the Stamp Act, the loyalty of the inhabitants again 
 returned ; and the aforementioned causes still opera- 
 ting, together with the direct influence supposed to 
 have been exerted by the Er^glish ministers, prevent- 
 ed the early adoption by the Assembly of the measures 
 recommended by the Continental Congress of Phila- 
 delphia in 1774. 
 
 In Tryon County, during the period between the 
 repeal of the Stamp Act and the assembling of Con- 
 gress in '74, a state of things existed unfavorable to 
 the cause of the Colonies. Sir William Johnson, 
 respected for his talents, and distinguished by the 
 official stations which he had filled with so much 
 3 
 
42 BORDER WARFARE OF xNEW YORK; OR, 
 
 credit, had endeared -himself, not only to the Indians^ 
 who looked up to him as a father, but also to the 
 other inhabitants, who regarded him as the patron of 
 of the County, and who consulted him upon all mat- 
 ters of importance. Drawing towards the close of 
 life, his opinions were those of a sage, and expressed, 
 as they would naturally be, in favor of that govern- 
 ment which had so highly honored and enriched him, 
 had a tendency, if not entirely to change, at least to 
 neutralize many individuals, who otherwise would 
 have espoused with warmth the colonial cause. He 
 was supposed, however, to have been actuated more 
 by what he considered his duty to the English gov- 
 ernment, than governed by his own private opinions. 
 He could but view therefore with regret, those acts 
 of the British Parliament which were goading on the 
 Americans to resistance by force. His sons-in-law, 
 Colonel Guy Johnson, and Colonel Claus, and his 
 son. Sir John Johnson, especially Guy and Sir John, 
 espoused the cause of the crown with great ardor. 
 Possessing large estates and occupying splendid resi- 
 dences along the eastern boundary of the County, they 
 presented a formidable barrier to the transmission and 
 circulation of general intelligence relative to existing 
 differences. If they were not individually possessed 
 of the influence and reputation of Sir William, they 
 made up the deCiciency by their zeal and activity. In 
 the early part of the disturbance, they formed saga- 
 cious plans to prejudice the Six Nations against the 
 American cause, and also to secure the co-operation in 
 favor of Great Britain of their numerous dependents 
 and friends. Among the latter were John and Wal- 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 43 
 
 ter Butler, who lived near Caughnawaga, a few miles 
 from Johnstown, and Joseph Brant,* all of whom 
 visited with such dreadful massacres the settlements 
 of western Pennsylvania and New York. The in- 
 habitants of Tryoii County, friendly to the American 
 cause, were not idle. They, in common with their 
 friends of this and the other provinces, had viewed 
 with alarm and indignation the enactment and opera- 
 tion of the oppressive acts of the English Parliament, 
 and warmly sympathized with the inhabitants of Mas- 
 sachusetts. They hailed with joy the proposition for 
 calling a Continental Congress. A meeting for Pala- 
 tine district was called the 27th of August, 1774, 
 which was attended by a large number of the inhab- 
 itants. It was said by Dr. Franklin, upon his exam- 
 ination before the British House of Commons, in 1766, 
 relative to the operation of the Stamp Act, " that the 
 Germans who inhabit Pennsylvania are more dissatis- 
 fied with the duty than the native colonists them- 
 selves.". The following resolutions, adopted at this 
 meeting, will show what were the feelings and senti- 
 ments of their brethren on the Mohawk. They 
 contain the sentiments of the times, and they breathe 
 a spirit highly commendable, and which could hardly 
 have been expected to exist, and existing, must have 
 required some deeision and courage to publish in this 
 then remote and defenseless county, filled too with 
 loyalists and Indians under their control. It will be 
 romembered that it was in June preceding, the Boston 
 Port Bill went into operation, and when the first mea- 
 
 * See Appendix — Note C. 
 
44 tJORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 sures were adopted by the Assembly of that province 
 for the calling of a General Congress. 
 
 " This meeting, looking with concern and heartfelt 
 sorrow on the alarming and calamitous condition 
 which the inhabitants of Boston are in, in conse- 
 quence of the act of Parliament blocking up the port 
 of Boston, and considering the tendency of the late 
 acts of Parliament, for the purpose of raising a revenue 
 in America, has to the abridging the liberties and priv- 
 ileges of the American colonies, do resolve : 
 
 I. That King George the Third is lawful and 
 rightful Lord and Sovereign of Great Britain, and the 
 dominions thereunto belonging; and that, as part of 
 his dominions, we hereby testify, that we will bear 
 true faith and allegiance unto him; and that we will, 
 with our lives and fortunes, support and maintain 
 him upon the throne of his ancestors, and the just 
 dependence of these, his colonies, upon the crown of 
 Great Britain. 
 
 II. That we think and consider it as our greatest 
 happiness, to be governed by the laws of Great Brit- 
 ain^ and that with cheerfulness we will always pay 
 submission thereunto as far as we consistently can 
 with the security of the constitutional rights and liber- 
 ties of English subjects, which are so sacred that we 
 cannot permit the same to be violated. 
 
 III. That we think it is our undeniable privilege 
 to be taxed only with our own consent, given by our- 
 selves or our representatives. That taxes otherwise 
 laid and exacted are unjust and unconstitutional. 
 That the late acts of Parliament, declarative of their 
 right of laying internal taxes on the American colo- 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 45 
 
 nies, are obvious encroachments on the rights a'^id 
 liberties of the British subjects in America, 
 
 IV. That the act for blocking- up the port of Bos- 
 ton is oppressive and arbitrary; injurious in its prin- 
 ciples, and particularly oppressive to the inhabitants 
 
 ,of Boston, whom we consider brethren suffering in 
 the common cause. 
 
 V. That w^e will unite and join with the different 
 districts of this county, in giving whatever relief it is 
 in our power, to the poor, distressed inhabitants of 
 Boston ; and that we will join and unite with our 
 brethren of the rest of this colony, in anything tending 
 to support and defend our rights and liberties. 
 
 VI. That we think the sending of delegates from 
 the different colonies to a general continental Con- 
 gress is a salutary measure, and absolutely necessary 
 at this alarming crisis, and that we entirely approve 
 of the five gentlemen chosen delegates for this colony 
 by our brethren of New York, hereby adopting and 
 choosing the same persons to represent this colony in 
 the Congress. 
 
 VII. That we hereby engage faithfully to abide by 
 and adhere to such regulations as shall be made and 
 agreed upon by the said Congress. 
 
 VIII. That we consider it necessary that there be 
 appointed a standing committee of this county, to 
 correspond with the committees of New York and 
 Albany, and we do hereby appoint Christopher P. 
 Yates, Isaac Paris, John Frey, and Andrew Fink, who, 
 together with persons to be appointed by the other 
 districts of this^ county, are to compose a committee of 
 
4G BORDER, WARF/^ .E OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 correspondence to convey the sentiments of this coun- 
 ty, in a sot of resolves, to New York. 
 
 IX. It is voted by this meeting-, that copies of the 
 proceedings of this day, certified by the chairman, be 
 transmitted to tlie supervisors of the different districts 
 of this county, and that we recommend it to the in- 
 habitants of the said districts to appoint persons to 
 compose a committee of correspondence." 
 
 The Continental Congress which met in Philadel- 
 phia in September following, after a session of eight 
 weeks adjourned until May, 1775. Several impor- 
 tant and patriotic addresses had been sent forth, well 
 calculated to awaken the people to a knowledge of 
 their rights. 
 
 At a court held in Johnstown in the spring of 1775, 
 a declaration was drawn up and circulated by the 
 loyalists of Tryon County, in which they avowed 
 their opposition to the measures adopted by the Con- 
 gress. Warm altercations and debates ensued, but it 
 was signed by most of the grand jury, and nearly all 
 the magistrates. 
 
 This proceeding applied the torch to that train of 
 combustible materials which had been accumulating, 
 and which immediately kindled into a blaze. The 
 minds of men were generally prepared for a decisive 
 step, and meetings were called, and committees ap- 
 pointed in all the districts, and sub-committees in 
 almost every precinct and hamlet in the county. 
 
 On the day appointed for the meeting in Cherry 
 Valley, the little church was filled with the inhabit- 
 ants, of every age. Parents took their ^children with 
 them, that they might early breathe the air of free- 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 4*7 
 
 dom, and that their first lispings might be in favor of 
 the liberties of their country. Thomas Spencer, a 
 resident in the place, and an Indian interpreter, ad- 
 dressed the meeting in a strain of rude, though im- 
 passioned eloquence. The noblest efforts of a Henry 
 or an Otis never wrought more sensibly upon the 
 feelings of the respective congresses which they ad- 
 dressed, than did the harangue of this unlettered 
 patriot upon that little assembly. The article of as- 
 sociation was carried round to the different persons, 
 most of whom subscribed it. 
 
 These meetings were called early in May, and the 
 following was the article of association : '^ Whereas 
 the grand jury of this county, and a number of the 
 magistrates, have signed a declaration, declaring their 
 disapprobation of the opposition made by the Colonies 
 to the oppressive and arbitrary acts of Parliament, 
 the purport of which is evidently to entail slavery on 
 America ; and as the said declaration may, in some 
 measure, be looked upon as the sense of the County 
 in general, if the same be passed over in silence ; we 
 the subscribers, freeholders, and the inhabitants of 
 the said County, inspired with a sincere love for our 
 country, and deeply interested in the common cause, 
 do solemnly declare our fixed attachment and entire 
 approbation of the proceedings of the grand Conti- 
 nental Congress held at Philadelphia last fall, and 
 that we will strictly adhere to, and repose our con- 
 fidence in the wisdom and integrity of the present 
 Continental Congress ; and that we will support the 
 same to the utmost of our power, and that we will re- 
 
48 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 ligiously and inviolably observe the regulalions of 
 that august body." 
 
 On the ISth of May the Palatine committee met 
 and wrote a letter to the committee of Albany, which, 
 as it gives a full view of the affairs of the County, is 
 inserted at length. 
 
 " We are so peculiarly circumstanced in this coun- 
 ty, relating to the present struggle for American lib- 
 erty, that we cannot longer defer laying the situation 
 of this county before you. The district we represent 
 has been foremost in avowing its attachment to liber- 
 ty, and approving the method of opposition adopted 
 in America, and are now signing an association simi- 
 lar to what has been signed in other counties in this 
 province, and we hope, in a few days, to have the 
 pleasure to transmit it down for the press. The County 
 being extensive, it takes a considerable time before 
 the people who are favorable to the cause can be got 
 to sign : for we have caused copies of the association 
 to be dispersed in divers parts of the County. This 
 county has, for a series of years, been ruled by one 
 family, the different branches of which are still strenu- 
 ous in dissuading people from coming into congres- 
 sional measures, and even have, last week, at a 
 numerous meeting of the Mohawk district, appeared 
 with all their dependents armed to oppose the people 
 considering of their grievances : their number being 
 so large, and the people unarmed, struck terror into 
 most of them, and they dispersed. We are informed 
 that Johnson Hall is fortifying by placing a parcel of 
 swivel guns round the same ; and that Colonel John- 
 son has had parts of his regiment of militia under arms 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 
 
 49 
 
 yesterday, no doubt with a design to prevent the 
 friends of liberty from publishing their attachment to 
 the cause to the world. Besides which, we are told 
 that about 150 Highlanders (Roman Catholics) in and 
 about Johnstown, are armed, and ready to Uiarch 
 upon the like occasion. We liave been informed 
 that Colonel Johnson has stopped two New England- 
 ers and searched them, being, we suppose, suspicious 
 that they came to solicit aid from us or the Indians, 
 whom we dread most, there being a current report 
 through the County, that they are to be made use of 
 in keeping us in awe. 
 
 u We recommend it strongly and seriously to you 
 to take it in your consideration whether any powder 
 and ammunition ought to be permitted to be sent up 
 this way, unless it is done under the inspection of the 
 committee, and consigned to the committee here, and 
 for such particular shopkeepers as we in our next 
 shall acquaint you of. We are determined to suffer 
 none in our district to sell any, but such as we approve 
 of, and sign the association. Wlien any thing par- 
 ticular comes to our knowledge relating to the Indians, 
 (whom we shall watch,) or any other thing interest- 
 ing, we shall take the earliest opportunity in commu- 
 nicating the same to you. And as we are a young 
 county, remote from the metropolis, we beg you will 
 give us all the intelligence in your power. We shall 
 not be able to send down any deputies to the Pro- 
 vincial Congress, as we cannot possibly obtain the 
 sense of the County soon enough to make it worth 
 our while to send any, but be assured we are not the 
 less attached to American liberty. For we are deter- 
 3* 
 
50 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 mined, although few in number, to let the world see 
 who are, and who are not such ; and to wipe off the 
 indelible disgrace brought on us by the declaration 
 signed by our grand jury and some of our magis- 
 trates ; who in general are considered by the majority 
 of the County as enemies to their country. In a 
 word, gentlemen, it is our fixed resolution to support 
 and carry into execution every thing recommended by 
 the Continental Congress, and to he free or die.^^ 
 
 This same committee met on the 21st of May, 
 when the following letters were laid before them. 
 The first, being a letter from some of the Mohawk 
 Indians to the Oneidas, had been found in the road, 
 where it was supposed to have been lost by some 
 Indian. 
 
 Translated into English, it was as follows : '' Writ- 
 ten at Guy Johnson's, May, 1775. This is your letter, 
 you great ones or Sachems. Guy Johnson says he 
 will be glad if you get this intelligence, you Oneidas, 
 how it goes with him now, and he is now more cer- 
 tain concerning the intention of the Boston people. 
 Guy Johnson is in great fear of being taken prisoner 
 by the Bostonians. We Mohawks are obliged to 
 watch him constantly. Therefore we send you this 
 intelligence that you shall know it, and Guy Johnson 
 assures himself, and depends upon your coming to his 
 assistance, and that you will without fail be of that 
 opinion. He believes not that you will assent to let 
 him suffer. We therofore expect you in a couple of 
 days' time. So much at present. We send but so far 
 as to you Oneidas, but afterward perhaps to all the 
 other nations. We conclude and expect that you will 
 
ANNALS OF TflYON COUNTY. 51 
 
 have concern about our ruler, Guy Johnson, because we 
 are all united." This letter was signed by Joseph Brant, 
 secretary to Guy Johnson, and four other chiefs. 
 
 The following letter was from Guy Johnson to 
 the magistrates, and others of the upper districts, 
 dated Guy Park, May 20th, 1775. ''Gentlemen, 
 I have lately had repeated accounts that a body of 
 New Englanders, or others, were to come and seize 
 and carry away my person, and attack our family, 
 under color of malicious insinuations, that I intended 
 to set the Indians upon the people. Men of sense and 
 character know that my office is of the highest impor- 
 tance to promote peace among the Six Nations, and 
 prevent their entering into any such disputes. This 
 I effected last year, when they were much vexed about 
 the attack made upon the Shawnese, and I last win- 
 ter appointed them to meet me this month to receive 
 the answer of the Virginians. All men must allow, 
 that if the Indians find their council-fire disturbed, 
 and their superintendent insulted, they will take a 
 dreadful revenge. It is therefore the duty of all peo- 
 ple to prevent this, and to satisfy any who may have 
 been imposed on, that their suspicions, and the alle-- 
 gations they have collected against me, are false, and 
 inconsistent with my character and office. I recom- 
 mend this to you as highly necessary at this time, as 
 my regard for the interest of the County and self- 
 preservation has obliged me to fortify my house, and 
 keep men armed for my defense, till these idle and 
 malicious reports are removed." 
 
 The committee, taking these letters into considera- 
 tion, adopted unanimously the following resolutions : 
 
52 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 " I. That it is the opinion of this committee that the 
 Indians who signed the letter never would have pre- 
 sumed to write or send the same, if they had not been 
 countenanced. 
 
 II. That as we have unanimously adopted the pro- 
 ceedings of the grand Continental Congress, and mean 
 virtuously to support the same, so we feel and com- 
 miserate the sufferings of our brethren in the Massa- 
 chusetts Bay, and the other colonies in America, and 
 that we mean never to submit to any arbitrary and 
 oppressive acts of any power under heaven, or to any 
 illegal and unwarrantable action of any man or set of 
 men. 
 
 III. That as the whole Continent has approved of 
 the actions and proceeding of the Massachusetts Bay, 
 and other of the provinces of New England, we do 
 adopt and approve of the same. Wherefore we must 
 and do consider that any fortification or armed force 
 raised to be made use of against them, is evidently 
 designed to overawe and make us submit. 
 
 IV. That Col. Johnson's conduct in raising fortifi- 
 cations round his house, keeping a number of Indians 
 and armed men constantly about him, and stopping 
 and searching travellers upon the King's highway, 
 and stopping our communication with Albany, is very 
 alarming to this county, and is highly arbitrary, ille- 
 gal, oppressive and unwarrantable ; and confirms us 
 in our fears, that his design is to keep us in awe, and 
 oblige us to submit to a state of slavery. 
 
 V. That as we abhor a state of slavery, we do join 
 and unite together under all the ties of religion, honor, 
 justice, and a love for our country, never to become 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 53 
 
 slaves, and to defend our freedom with our lives and 
 fortunes." 
 
 The following letter was at the same time written, 
 and sent by express to the committee of Albany. 
 
 '^ Upon the alarming news that expresses were gone 
 to call down the upper nations of Indians to Col. John- 
 son's, we caused ourselves to be convened this day, to 
 take the state of this County into our consideration ; 
 upon which we have determined to order the inhabit- 
 ants of this district to provide themselves w^th suffi- 
 cient arms and ammunition, and to be ready at a 
 moment's warning. We are sorry to acquaint you 
 that all communication with your county is entirely 
 stopped by Col. Johnson, w4io has five hundred men 
 to guard his house, which he has fortified, under pre- 
 tense that he is afraid of a visit of the New England 
 men, as will appear by a copy of a letter we inter- 
 cepted this morning. We have not 50 pounds of 
 powder in our district, and it will be impossible for 
 you to help us to any till the communication is opened, 
 not a man being suffered to pass, w^ithout being 
 searched. To-morrow is to be a meeting of Canajo- 
 harie district, when we expect they will adopt Con- 
 gressional measures very heartily, and we purpose to 
 have a meeting of the committees of both districts, 
 and propose the question, whether we will not open 
 the communication by force ; if w^hich question is de- 
 termined in the affirmative, we shall despatch another 
 express to you^ acquainting you with the day, when 
 we hope you will be on your way up with some am- 
 munition. We have just sent off an express to the 
 German Flats and Kingsland districts, desiring them 
 
54 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 to unite with us and give us their assistance ; which 
 districts, or at least a great majority of them, we are 
 credibly informed, are very hearty in the present strug- 
 gle for American liberty. We are, gentlemen, per- 
 haps in a worse situation than any part of America is 
 at present. We have an open enemy before our faces, 
 and treacherous friends at our backs, for which reason 
 we hope you will take our case into your immediate 
 consideration, and give us an answer by the bearers, 
 who go express by the way of Schoharie, as we dare 
 not trust them any other way. They have orders to 
 wait for an answer. We have reason to think that a 
 great many of the Indians are not satisfied with Col. 
 Johnson's conduct, for which reason we have thought 
 it would not be improper to send a couple of men, 
 well acquainted with the Indian language, to dis- 
 suade them from coming down. And we think it 
 would be of service to us if you could send two also, 
 who are able to make the Indians sensible of the 
 present dispute with the mother country and us. We 
 have the pleasure to acquaint you, that we are very 
 unanimous in our district, as well as in Canajoharie, 
 and w^e are determined by no means to submit to the 
 oppressive acts of Parliament, much less to Col. John- 
 son's arbitrary conduct." 
 
 On the 22d of May, the mayor, aldermen, and 
 commonalty of the city of Albany, to whom a letter 
 similar to the one addressed to the magistrates of 
 Tryon County had been sent by Guy Johnson, re- 
 turned the following answer. ^^ We this day received 
 3^ours without date, directed to the magistrates and 
 committee of Albany and Schenectady, and to the 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 55 
 
 mayor, corporation, &c. of Albany, wherein you 
 write, that you have received repeated accounts that 
 either the New Englanders, or some persons in or 
 about this city, or the town of Schenectady, are coming 
 up to a considerable number to seize and imprison 
 you, on a ridiculous and malicious report, that you 
 intend to make the Indians destroy the inhabitants, 
 or to that effect, and that you, in consequence thereof, 
 have been put to the great trouble and expense of for- 
 tifying your house, and keeping a large body of men 
 for the defense of your person, &c. You proceed and 
 say, that the absurdity of this apprehension may easily 
 be seen by men of sense, but that as many credulous 
 and ignorant persons may be led astray, and inclined 
 to believe it, &c., it is become the duty of all those 
 who have authority or influence to disabuse the pub- 
 lic, and prevent consequences which you foresee with 
 very great concern. We are very sorry to learn from 
 you that any groundless reports should have arisen, 
 and be propagated to your prejudice, considering your 
 character, station, and the large property you have in 
 the county. And we trust that you are so well ac- 
 quainted with the nature and duties of your office, 
 that you will pursue the dictates of an honest heart, 
 and study the interest, peace and welfare of your 
 county. In which case, we presume you need not 
 be apprehensive of any injury in your person or prop- 
 erty ; neither can we learn or conceive that there 
 either is, or has been, any intention of taking you cap- 
 tive, or offering you any indignity whatever, either 
 by the New England people, or any of the inhabit- 
 ants of this city, or any one else ; and we have but loo 
 
56 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 much reason to think that these groundless reports 
 have been raised and industriously propagated, in 
 your own phraseology, by some busy people in your 
 county, to rouse up the Indians from their peaceful 
 habitations, and take up arms against such of our 
 American brethren as are engaged on the part of 
 America in the unhappy contest between Great Brit- 
 ain and her colonies. 
 
 ''As it appears from your letter, that you consider 
 the station wherein you are placed, as superintendent 
 of Indian affairs, to be of the highest importance to 
 the public, we hope that you will use all possible 
 means in your power to restore peace and tranquillity 
 among the Indians, and assure them, that the report 
 propagated prejudicial to you or to them is totally 
 groundless of any just foundation, and that nothing 
 will afford His Majesty's subjects in general a greater 
 satisfaction, than to be and continue with them on 
 the strictest terms of peace and friendship." 
 
 A letter was also written by the Albany committee 
 to Guy Johnson, of the same purport; also one to the 
 Tryon County committee, informing them that they 
 had no ammunition for them, and advising, as the 
 most prudent course, not to attempt to open by force 
 the communication between the two counties. This 
 proposition was abandoned. Four members were, 
 however, sent to Albany, who were directed to obtain 
 all the information possible relative to the situation of 
 the country, and also to procure a quantity of powder 
 and lead, for the payment for which the committee 
 themselves became responsible. In consequence of 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 57 
 
 some threats of Guy Johnson, the following resolution 
 was unanimously adopted : 
 
 " That, whereas, the persons of some of the mem- 
 bers of this committee have been threatened with 
 imprisonment on account of their being- concerned in 
 our just opposition, in which case we do associate and 
 unite together, that to the utmost of our power we 
 will do our endeavors by force, or otherwise, to rescue 
 them from imprisonment, unless such person or per- 
 sons are confined by a legal process, issued upon a 
 legal ground, and executed in a legal manner." 
 
 Secrecy as to all proceedings, except those which 
 were to be published, was enjoined upon all the mem- 
 bers. Resolutions were adopted, by which they bound 
 themselves to have no connection or dealing with 
 those who had not signed the association.. The own- 
 ers of slaves were directed not to suffer them to go 
 from home, unless with a certificate that they were 
 employed in their master's business. They assumed 
 the exercise of legislative, executive, and judicial 
 powers. The members scattered over the County as 
 sub-committees, and aided by the Vv'higs, who entered 
 upon the measures proposed by the committee with 
 great zeal, were generally enabled to bring their 
 plans to a successful termination. 
 
 On the 25th of May, the Indian council which had 
 been called met at Guy Park. Delegates from Albany 
 and Tryon counties w^ere present. The Mohawks 
 alone appear to have been represented in it. Little 
 Abraham, chief of the Mohawks, speaker, said : " He 
 was glad to meet them and to hear the reports con- 
 cerning taking Guy Jolinson, their superintendent, 
 
58 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 were false. That the Indians do not wish to have a 
 quarrel with the inliabitants. That during Sir Wil- 
 liam Johnson's lifetime, and since, we have been 
 peaceably disposed. That the Indians are alarmed on 
 account of the reports that our powder was stopped. 
 We get our things from superintendent. If we lived 
 as you do, it would not be so great a loss. If our am- 
 munition is stopped we shall distrust you. We are 
 pleased to hear you say, you will communicate freely, 
 and we will at all times listen to what you. say in pres- 
 ence of our superintendent." 
 
 The committee, after consulting, replied : ^' That 
 they were glad to hear them confirm the old friend- 
 ship of their forefathers — that the reports were false — 
 whenever they had any business they would apply at 
 their council-fires in presence of their superintendent." 
 
 The speaker of the Mohawks replied : '' The In- 
 dians are glad that you are not surprised we cannot 
 spare Col. Johnson. The love we have for the mem- 
 ory of Sir William Johnson, and the obligations the 
 whole Six Nations are under to him, must make us 
 regard and protect every branch of his family. That 
 we will explain these things to all the Indians, and 
 hope you will do the same to your people." The 
 council broke up with apparent good feeling on all 
 sides, which it was hoped and expected would con- 
 tinue. 
 
 On the 2d day of June, 1775, a meeting of the 
 committee was held, at which the members from the 
 Mohawk district were for the first time present, hav- 
 ing been kept awa}^ by the Johnsons. The whole 
 county was now represented, and as this was the first 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. ' 59 
 
 united meeting, it may be interesting to some to 
 give the names of this body of men, who had so often 
 professed their willingness to peril their liv es and pro- 
 perty in defense of the liberties of their country. 
 (From Palatine district,) Christopher P. Yates, John 
 Frey, Andrew Fink, Andrew Reeber, Peter Waggon- 
 er, Daniel McDougal, Jacob Klock, George Ecker, Jr., 
 Harmanus Van Slyck, Christopher W. Fox, Anthony 
 Van Veghten — (Canajoharie district,) Nicholas Her- 
 kimer, Ebenezer Cox, William Seeber, John Moore, 
 Samuel Campbell, Samuel Clyde, Thomas Henry, 
 John Pickard — -(Kingsland and German Flats district,) 
 Edward Wall, William Petry, John Petry, Augus- 
 tine Hess, Frederick Orendorf, George Wentz, Michael 
 Ittig, Frederick Fox, George Herkimer, Duncan Mc- 
 Dougal, Frederick Helmer, John Frink — (Mohawk 
 district,) John Morlett, John Bliven, Abraham Van 
 Home, Adam Fonda, Frederick Fisher, Sampson 
 Simmons, William Schuyler, Volkert Veeder, James 
 McMaster, Daniel Lane — 42. Christopher P. Yates 
 was chosen chairman of this body. He had been 
 chairman of the Palatine committee, and had drafted 
 most of the foregoing letters and spirited resolutions. 
 The following letter was written to Guy Johnson at 
 this meeting : 
 
 " According to the example of the counties in this 
 and the neighboring colonies, the people of the dis- 
 trict we represent have met in a peaceable manner to 
 consider of the present dispute with the mother coun- 
 try and the colonies, signed a general association, and 
 appointed us a committee to meet in order to consult 
 the common safety of our rights and liberties, which 
 
60 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK ; OR, 
 
 are infringed in a most enormous manner, by enforc- 
 ing opppressive and unconstitutional acts of the Brit- 
 ish Parliament, by an armed force in the Massachusetts 
 Bay. 
 
 *' Was it any longer a doubt that we are oppressed 
 by the mother country, and that it is the avowed de- 
 sign of the ministers to enslave us, we might perhaps 
 be induced to use argument, to point out in what par- 
 ticulars we conceive that it is the birthright of English 
 subjects to be exempted from all taxes, except those 
 which are laid on them by their representatives, and 
 think we have a right, not only by the laws and con- 
 stitution of England to meet for the purpose we have 
 done. Which meeting, we probably would have 
 postponed a while, had there been the least kind of 
 probability that the petition of the General Assembly 
 would have been noticed more than the united peti- 
 tion of almost the whole continent of America, by 
 their delegates in Congress. Which, so far from being 
 any ways complied with, was treated with superlative 
 contempt by the ministry, and fresh oppressions were, 
 and are, daily heaped upon us. Upon which princi- 
 ples, principles which are undeniable, we have been 
 appointed to consult methods to contribute what little 
 lies in our power to save our devoted country from 
 ruin and devastation ; which, with the assistance of 
 Divine Providence, it is our fixed and determined res- 
 olution to do ; and if called upon we shall be foremost 
 in sharing the toil and danger of the field. We con- 
 sider New England suffering in the common cause, 
 and commiserate their distressed situation ; and we 
 should be wanting in our duty to our country, and to 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COLTNTY 61 
 
 ourselves, if we were any longer backward in an- 
 nouncing our determination to the world. 
 
 '' We know that some of the members of this com- 
 mittee have been charged with compelling people to 
 come into the measures which we have adopted, and 
 with drinking treasonable toasts. But as we are con- 
 vinced that these reports are false and malicious, 
 spread by our enemies with the sole intent to lessen 
 us in the esteem of the world, and as we are conscious 
 of being guilty of no crime, and of having barely done 
 our duty, we are entirely unconcerned as to anything 
 that is said of us, or can be done with us. We should, 
 however, be careless of our character, did we not wish 
 to detect the despicable wretch who could be so base 
 as to charge us with things which we never have en- 
 tertained the most distant thoughts of. We are not 
 ignorant of the very great importance of your office, as 
 superintendent of the Indians, and therefore it is no 
 more our duty, than inclination, to protect you in the 
 discharge of the duty of your proper province ; and we 
 meet you with pleasure in behalf of ourselves and our 
 constituents, to thank you for meeting the Indians in 
 the upper parts of the County, which may be the 
 means of easing the people of the remainder of their 
 fears on this account, and prevent the Indians com- 
 mitting irregularities on their way down to Guy Park. 
 And we beg of you to use your endeavors with the 
 Indians to dissuade them from interfering in the dis- 
 pute with the mother country and the colonies. We 
 cannot think that, as you and your family possess very 
 large estates in this County, you are unfavorable to 
 American freedom, although you may differ with us 
 
62 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 ill the mode of obtaining a redress of grievances. 
 Permit us further to observe, that we cannot pass over 
 in silence the interruption which the people of the 
 Mohawk district met in their meeting ; which, we are 
 informed, was conducted in a peaceable manner; and 
 tlie inhuman treatment of a man whose only crime 
 was being faithful to his employers, and refusing to 
 give an account of the receipt of certain papers, to 
 persons who had not the least color of right to demand 
 anything of that kind. We assure you, that we are 
 much concerned about it, as two important rights of 
 English subjects are thereby infringed, to wit, a right to 
 meet and to obtain all the intelligence in their power." 
 
 Dissatisfied witli the council which had been held 
 at his house, yet professing to be desirous to promote 
 peace between the Indians and the inhabitants, Guy 
 Johnson had called another council to meet in the 
 western part of the County. Under pretense of meet- 
 ing the Indians in this council, he had removed with 
 his family and retinue from Guy Park to the house of 
 Mr. Thomson in Cosby's Manor, a little above the 
 German Flats, where he was waited upon by Edward 
 Wall and Gen. Nicholas Herkimer, with the letter of 
 which the foregoing is a part. To this letter he re- 
 turned the following answer : 
 
 " Cosby's Manor, June 6th, 1775. I have received 
 the paper signed Chris. P. Yates, chairman on be- 
 half of the district therein mentioned, which I am 
 now to answer; and shall do it briefly, in tie order 
 you have stated matters. As to the letter from some 
 Indians to the Oneidas, I really knew nothing of it 
 till I heard such a thing had been by some means ob- 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 6 
 
 tamed from an Indian messenger ; and from what 1 
 have heard of its contents, I can't see anything mate- 
 rial in it, or that could justify such idle apprehensions ; 
 but I must observe that these fears among the people 
 were talked of long before, and were, I fear, propa- 
 gated by some malicious persons for a bad purpose. 
 
 *^ As to your political sentiments, on which you 
 enter in the next paragraph, I have no occasion to en- 
 ter on them or the merits of the cause. I desire to 
 enjoy liberty of conscience and the exercise of my 
 own judgment, and that all others should have the 
 same privilege 5 but with regard to your saying you 
 might have postponed the affair, if there had been the 
 least kind of probability that the petition of the Gen- 
 eral Assembly would have been noticed, more than 
 that of the delegates, I must, as a true friend to the 
 country, in which I have a large interest, say that 
 the present dispute is viewed in different lights, accord- 
 ing to the education and principles of the parties 
 affected, and that however reasonable it may appear 
 to a considerable number of honest men here, that the 
 petition of the delegates should merit attention, it is 
 not viewed in the same light in a country which ad- 
 mits of no authority that is not constitutionally estab- 
 lished ; and I persuade myself you have that reverence 
 for His Majesty, that you will pay due regard to the 
 royal assurance giren in his speech to Parliament, 
 that whenever the American grievances should be 
 laid before him by their constitutional assembliesj 
 they should be fully attended to. I have heard that 
 compulsory steps were taken to induce some persons 
 
64 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 to come into your measures, and treasonable toasts 
 drank ; but I am happy to hear you disavow them. 
 
 '' I am glad to find my calling a congress on the 
 frontiers gives satisfaction ; this was principally my 
 design, though I cannot sufficiently express my sur- 
 prise at those who have, either through malice or 
 ignorance, misconstrued my intentions, and supposed 
 me capable of setting the Indians on the peaceable 
 inhabitants of this county. The interest our family 
 has in this county, and my own, is considerable ; 
 and they have been its best benefactors ; and mali- 
 cious charges, therefore, to their prejudice, are highly 
 injurious, and ought to be totally suppressed. 
 
 *'The office I liold is greatly for the benefit and 
 protection of this country, and on my frequent meet- 
 ings with the Indians depends their peace and secu- 
 rity ; I therefore cannot but be astonished to find the 
 endeavors made use of to obstruct me in my duties, 
 and the weakness of some people in withholding 
 many things from me, which are indispensably ne- 
 cessary for rendering the Indians contented ; and I am 
 willing to hope that you, gentlemen, will duly con- 
 sider this and discountenance the same. 
 
 " You have been much misinformed as to the origin 
 of the reports which obliged me to fortify my house, 
 and stand on my defense. I had it, gentlemen, from 
 undoubted authority from Albany, and since confirm- 
 ed by letters from one of the committee at Philadel- 
 phia, that a large body of men were to make me pris- 
 oner. As the effect this must have on the Indians 
 might have been of dangerous consequences to you, 
 (a circumstance not thought of,) I was obliged at great 
 
ANNALS OF TKYON COUNT! . 65 
 
 expense to take these measures. But the many re- 
 ports of my stopping travellers were false in every 
 particular, and the only instance of detaining anybody 
 was in the case of two New England men, which I 
 explained fully to those of your body who brought 
 your letter, and wherein I acted strictly agreeable to 
 law, and as a magistrate should have done. 
 
 " I am very sorry that such idle and injurious re- 
 ports meet with any encouragement. I rely on you, 
 gentlemen, to exert yourselves in discountenancing 
 them, and am happy in this opportunity of assuring 
 the people of a county I regard, that they have nothing 
 to apprehend from my endeavors, but I shall always 
 be glad to promote their true interests.'- 
 
 During this correspondence, the fears not only of 
 the inhabitants of western New -York, but of all the 
 northern provinces, were excited. They had suffered 
 too much from Indian warfare, to be indifferent to the 
 course which should be adopted by the Six Nations. 
 The Provincial Congress of Massachusetts had this 
 subject under consideration on the 13th of June, and 
 sent a circular to the Provincial Congress of New 
 York. The conclusion is as follows : — " We also have 
 had the disagreeable account of methods taken to fill 
 the minds of the Indian tribes adjacent to these colo- 
 nies with sentiments very injurious to us. Particu- 
 larly we have been informed that Col. Guy Johnson 
 has taken great pains with the Six Nations, in order 
 to bring them into a belief that it is designed by the 
 Colonies to fall upon them, and cut them off. We 
 have therefore desired the honorable Continental Con- 
 gress that they would with all convenient speed use 
 4 
 
0(5 ISOKDEll WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OK, 
 
 their inlluence in guarding against the evil intended 
 by this malevolent misrepresentation, and we desire 
 you to join with us in such application." 
 
 A letter was immediately written by the New York 
 Congress to Johnson, disclaiming, as had often been 
 done by the committee, any and every intention to 
 injure him or the Indians. .(He had removed with his 
 retinue to Fort Stanwix, and thence on to Ontario, where 
 he met 1340 Indian warriors in council.) Pretending 
 unjust interference in the former council, he was sure 
 at this place, so far removed from the settlements of 
 the whites, of exerting to the best advantage that in- 
 fluence which he derived from British gold, and the 
 merited reputation of his father-in-law. From this 
 place, under date of the 8th of July, he wrote an an- 
 swer to P. V. B. Livingston, Esq., the President of the 
 Congress, in which he complained bitterly of the mal- 
 contents and those who disturb reguMr governments. 
 This letter is a very loyal one, and concludes thus: — 
 ^^ I should be much obliged by your promises of dis- 
 countenancing any attempt against myself, did they 
 not appear to be made on condition of compliance 
 with continental or provincial congresses, or even 
 committees, formed or to be formed, many of whose 
 resolves may neither consist with my conscience, duty, 
 or loyalty. I trust I shall always manifest more hu- 
 manity than to promote the destruction of the innocent 
 inhabitants of a colony, to which I have been always 
 warmly attached ; a declaration that must appear per- 
 fectly suitable to the character of a man of honor and 
 principle, who can on no account neglect those duties 
 that are consistent therewith, however they may differ 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 67 
 
 from sentiments now adopted in so many parts of 
 America." 
 
 To the last, Col. Johnson persisted in allegations 
 which had no foundation — allegations which, if true, 
 present the people of Massachusetts and New York 
 warring against their own important interests — a 
 charge which their conduct at this time, and during the 
 war, was far from warranting. They had the desired 
 effect upon the Indians. Having by these and other 
 means secured for the English the attachment of the 
 Indians, Col. Johnson went from Ontario to Oswego, 
 and thence to Montreal, where he took up his resi- 
 dence. During the war he continued to act as agent, 
 distributing to the Indians liberal rewards for their 
 deeds of cruelty, and, by promises, stimulating them 
 to future exertions. It required no uncommon sa- 
 gacity to penetrate his motives, though he had pro- 
 fessed his attachment to this province so warmly and 
 frequently in his letters, and pretended to shudder at 
 the thought of employing the savages against its '' in- 
 nocent inhabitants." 
 
 The committee entertained suspicions of his ulti- 
 mate designs, too well founded, when they saw him 
 moving up the Mohawk with his family, and accom- 
 panied by a large number of dependents. The un- 
 armed state of the inhabitants would not, however, 
 warrant any attempt to check his movements. Be- 
 sides, such a step, though recommended by some, 
 would not have been considered justifiable by a major- 
 ity of the Whigs, as Johnson had not yet committed 
 any act of hostility. 
 
 Few of the Mohawks returned to their native homes 
 
68 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 upon the banks of that river which bears their name. 
 The graves of their ancestors were abandoned. Their 
 council-fires were extinguished. Every movement in- 
 dicated the gathering of that storm so much dreaded, 
 and wiiich afterward burst with such desolating effects 
 upon the inhabitants of this defenseless frontier. 
 Those inhabitants had the satisfaction of reflecting that 
 it was a calamity which they had not called down 
 upon themselves, but which they had labored with all 
 their powers to avert. They had proffered to their red 
 brethren the calumet of peace, though in vain. That 
 the Indians, and especially the Mohawks, should have 
 remained attached to the English government is by 
 no means strange ; for they had been furnished by 
 that government with the necessaries of life, and with 
 arms and other munitions, both for the chase and for 
 war ; and the chain of their friendship had been 
 brightened by constant use for more than an hundred 
 years. We find therefore not so much to censure in 
 the conduct of the Indians themselves, as in that of 
 the British ministers, who reccommended the plan of 
 employing them in the war, and in that of their agents, 
 who carried that plan into effect. It has rendered in- 
 famous the names of men who might otherwise have 
 been ranked among the great and good of our country, 
 and it has imprinted a dark spot upon the pages of 
 English history. This was pretended at the time to be 
 a retaliatory measure, and was justified on that ground. 
 But no plan for employing the Indians is believed to 
 have been recommended or adopted, by either the 
 continental or any of the provincial congresses. If 
 such a course was ever mentioned, it was probably by 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 69 
 
 private, unauthorized persons. It would have argued 
 an extreme of weakness to have provoked, by setting 
 the example, the employment of such a foe in a war 
 which was to be carried on in their own territory, and 
 where, if acts of cruelty were committed, their own 
 wives and children must necessarily be the sufferers.* 
 
 The Rev. Samuel Kirkland, missionary to the 
 Oneidas, was requested to use his influence with that 
 tribe, and endeavor to persuade them to remain neu- 
 tral during the war. Several conferences were held 
 with them. On the 28th of June, the Oneidas and 
 Tuscaroras assembled at the German Flats, where 
 they were met by the inhabitants of that district, and 
 the delegates from Albany. The inhabitants of the 
 Flats delivered to them the following speech : 
 
 " Brothers f We are glad to have you here to re- 
 turn you thanks. We should have been much pleased 
 to have spoken with you at the appointed place ; that 
 is, by your superintendent, where of late you kept 
 your council-fire ; but since his removing so far from 
 us, we do not think it wrong or imprudent to commu- 
 nicate our sentiments of peace to you here. It is at 
 this place, brothers, it has often been done, and here 
 again we renew it, and brighten the old chain of 
 peace and brotherly love. 
 
 '' Brothers ! We cannot see the cause of your late 
 council -fire, or superintendent going away from among 
 
 * See Appendix, M. Since this volume was written, the author has 
 had access to the documents procured in England by the agent of the 
 State, J. Romeyn Brodhead, Esq., and they fully confirm the views 
 originally expressed, and the reader who is interested in the subject 
 will find it discussed in the Appendix. 
 
70 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 US. We did him no harm, and you well know that 
 none of us ever did, and you may depend on it, there 
 was no such thing meant against him. He told our 
 people he was going up to Thompson's (Cosby's 
 Manor) to hold a council-fire with our brothers the 
 Five Nations there. We helped him to provisions to 
 support you there, and every thing we had that he 
 wanted. But he is gone away from among us, and 
 told some of our people, that he would come back 
 with company which would not please us ; which, if 
 true, it is certain his intentions are bad, and he may 
 depend that whatever force he may or can bring, we 
 regard not. 
 
 " Brothers / Our present meeting does not arise 
 from any unfriendly thoughts we entertain of you, or 
 from any fear of ourselves. It is purely on account of 
 the old friendship which has so long been kept up be- 
 tween us, that friendship we want to maintain. It is 
 that friendship which will be an equal benefit to us. 
 It is as much wanted on your side as ours. 
 
 ^^ Brothers ! We cannot too much express our satis- 
 faction of your conduct toward us by your late pro- 
 ceedings with the superintendent, at the carrying 
 place, for which we are also obliged to you, and do 
 not doubt but that your conduct will be blessed with 
 greater benefits than any other of those who will 
 hurry themselves into mischief; which can never be 
 of any other benefit to them, but sorrow for the inno- 
 cent blood that may be shed on an occasion wherewith 
 they have no concern. 
 
 " We look to you, particularly, to be men of more 
 understanding than others, by the benefits you have 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 71 
 
 received in learning- ; wherefore we confide and trust 
 the more freely in yon, that you can communicate to 
 the other tribes and nations, the error they want to 
 lead 3^ou in, and cannot doubt but your wisdom and 
 influence with the other nations will be attended with 
 that happy success which will hereafter be a blessing 
 to you and your posterity. 
 
 " Brothers ! What we have said is supposed to be 
 sufficient to- convince you that our meaning is for 
 our joint peace and friendship ; in which we hope 
 that we and our children may continue to the end of 
 time." 
 
 Most of the Oneidas agreed to remain neutral ; a 
 few joined the English. When Gen. Schuyler had 
 command of the northern army, they asked permission 
 to take up the hatchet. But he always dissuaded 
 them. It shows not only the consistency hut the 
 amiableness of character^of that man, so much esteem- 
 ed by his contemporaries. Some of the Oneidas 
 rendered very important services by traversing the 
 country, and notifying the inhabitants of approaching 
 danger. Others, contrary to advice, joined in the 
 war. The latter were a small part of the tribe. 
 Among them was Skenando,* distinguished along the 
 border by the appellation of the '^ white man's friend." 
 
 * See Appendix — Note D. 
 
72 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 CHAPTEE III. 
 
 The removal of Guy Johnson to Canada excited no 
 surprise ; but while hovering- upon the frontier, reports 
 were circulated which caused considerable alarm. It 
 was said that he intended to attack Little Falls, with 
 eight or nine hundred Indians, and to proceed thence 
 down the river, and ravage the whole county below. 
 Measures were taken to make a vigorous resistance, 
 in case the report should prove true. The militia 
 were ordered to arm, and to be ready to march on the 
 first notice, and expresses were sent for assistance to 
 Albany and Schenectady. Whether the rumor was 
 unfounded, or whether the invasion was contemplated, 
 but was abandoned in consequence of the preparations 
 made to resist him, is not known. Col. Johnson 
 withdrew, as before stated, without committing any 
 acts of hostility. 
 
 The committee, freed from immediate danger in 
 that direction, turned their attention to the internal 
 regulation of the county. They determined civil 
 causes — officered and organized the militia — arrested 
 and tried suspicious persons, some of whom they fined, 
 and others they imprisoned — ordered that no person 
 should come into or go out of the county without a 
 pass from some acknowledged public body, either a 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 73 
 
 congress or a committee; and, in short, exercised 
 such powers as the exigencies of the times demanded, 
 and which were necessary to secure tranquillity with- 
 in, and guard against danger from without. 
 
 Though these committees generally exercised pow- 
 ers which were not delegated to them when first 
 appointed, their regulations were submitted to, and 
 their resolves obeyed cheerfully by their constituents, 
 who perceived the necessity of concentrating as much 
 power as possible in that body. The discordant and 
 disorganizing materials thrown together by such strifes 
 require the control of a strong arm. The rash are to 
 be checked, the vicious are to be punished, and the 
 irresolute and wavering encouraged and confirmed. 
 The exposed situation of Tryon County, with the 
 great number of open and avowed enemies, furnished 
 an additional reason why the committee should exer- 
 cise an almost absolute authority. 
 
 Brant and the Butlers had accompanied Guy John- 
 son, but the loyalists were still numerous in the county. 
 They found a willing and active leader in Sir John 
 Johnson, whose house now became their principal 
 place of rendezvous. 
 
 They strove to weaken the confidence of the people 
 in the committee. At one time they called meetings 
 in some of the districts, and chose new committees. 
 At another, they ridiculed their proceedings. Some- 
 times they asserted that their acts were illegal, and at 
 other times that they were tyrannical. Under such 
 circumstances, and with the feelings which such strifes 
 are apt to engender, it is not singular that the pro- 
 ceedings of the committee against those men were 
 4# 
 
74 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 characterized by considerable severity. It is worthy 
 of remark, however, that no sacrifice was required of 
 their constituents, which they themselves were unwil- 
 ling to make ; no dangers to be encountered which 
 they were unwilling to share. Several of the com- 
 mittee were killed in battle, and there were few of 
 those who escaped with their lives, who did not sus- 
 tain a total loss of property during the subsequent 
 Indian ravages. 
 
 Christopher P. Yates, the first chairman, went a 
 volunteer to Ticonderoga, and into Canada with Gen. 
 Montgomery. During the latter part of the summer 
 of 1775, he raised a company of rangers, and in the 
 following summer was commissioned a major. He 
 was succeeded by Nicholas Herkimer, afterwards brig- 
 adier general of the militia, and he by Isaac Paris. 
 
 The following extract is from a letter of the State 
 Committee of Safety, under date of December, 1775, 
 signed by John M^Cesson, clerk of the Provincial 
 Congress. '' I was directed by this Congress to assure 
 you of the high esteem and respect they have for your 
 vigilant, noble-spirited county committee." The fol- 
 lowing was from Gen. Schuyler in the summer of '76: 
 '' The propriety of your conduct, and your generous 
 exertions in the cause of your country, entitle you to 
 the thanks of every one of its friends — please to ac- 
 cept of mine most sincerely." 
 
 Among the loyalists of Tryon County was Alexan- 
 der White, sheriff of the county. He had assisted in 
 his official capacity in dispersing the people assembled 
 in tlie Mohawk district to appoint a committee, and 
 had uttered violent threats against them. The com- 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. '75 
 
 mittee refused to acknowledge him as such officer, 
 and procured the election of John Frey in his place. 
 They wrote a letter to the Provincial Congress solicit- 
 ing their interference in procuring a commission for 
 Mr. Frey. 
 
 In a subsequent letter they say, '' We must further 
 hear that Gov. Tryon shall have granted again acom- 
 mission to the great villain, Alexander White, for 
 high sheriff in our county ; but we shall never suffer 
 any exercise of such office in our county, b}^ tlie said 
 White." He left the county soon after, but returned 
 the following summer ; was arrested and confined, 
 though afterward suffered to go at large upon parole. 
 
 The following is from a letter of the committee to 
 Provincial Congress of New York, Sept. 7, 1775. 
 '' There is a great number of proved enemies against 
 our association and regulations thereof, proceeding in 
 and about Johnstown and Kingsborough, under the 
 direction and order of Sir John Johnson, being High- 
 landers, amounting to 200 men, according to intelli- 
 gence. We are daily scandalized by them, provoked 
 and threatened, and we must surely expect a havoc 
 of them upon our families if we should be required 
 and called elsewhere for the defense of our country's 
 cause. The people on our side are not willing that 
 the committee should proceed so indulgently any 
 longer. We have great suspicions, and are almost 
 assured that Sir John has a continual correspondence 
 with Col. Guy Johnson and his party." 
 
 It was afterward ascertained that such a corres- 
 pondence was carried on through the Indians, who 
 conveyed letters in the heads of their tomahawks and 
 
76 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 in the ornaments worn about their persons. The 
 Indians also brought powder across from Canada. 
 
 On the 26th of October the committee wrote to Sir 
 John the following letter: '^ Tryon County Com- 
 mittee Chamber, Oct. 26th, 1775. Honorable Sir: 
 As we find particular reason to be convinced of your 
 opinion in the questions hereafter expressed, we re- 
 quest you that you'll oblige us with your sentiments 
 thereupon in a few lines by our messengers the bear- 
 ers hereof, Messrs. Ebenezer Cox, James M'Master, 
 and John J. Clock, members of our committee. We 
 wish to know whether you will allow the inhabitants 
 of Johnstown and Kingsborough to form themselves 
 into companies, according to the regulations of our 
 Continental Congress, for the defense of our country's 
 cause; and whether your honor would be ready him- 
 self to give his personal assistance to the same pur- 
 pose ; also, whether you pretend a prerogative to our 
 county court-house and gaol, and would hinder or 
 interrupt the committee making use of the same to 
 our want and service in the common cause. 
 
 '^ We do not doubt you will comply with our rea- 
 sonable request, and thereby oblige," &-c. 
 
 To this letter Sir John replied, '' That as to embody- 
 ing his tenants, he never did or should forbid them ; 
 but they might save themselves further trouble, as he 
 knew his tenants would not consent. Concerning 
 himself, sooner than lift his hand against his king, or 
 sign any association, he would suffer his head to be 
 cut off. As to the court-house and gaol, he would 
 not deny the use of it for the purpose for which it was 
 built, but that they were his property until he should 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. ^ 77 
 
 be refunded seven hundred pounds. He further said 
 he had been informed that two-thirds of Canajoharie 
 and German Flats people had been forced to sign the 
 association." The deputies replied, that his authority- 
 spared the truth, for it appeared of itself ridiculous 
 that one-third should have forced two-thirds to sign. 
 
 The Provincial Congress, to whom a letter contain- 
 ing the proceedings of the committee had been sent, 
 returned an answer as follows : '' Dec. 9th. The 
 Congress have this day entered into the consideration 
 of your letter of the 28th of October, and are of opin- 
 ion that your application to Sir John Johnson, request- 
 ing an answer from him whether he would allow his 
 tenants to form themselves into companies and asso- 
 ciate with their brethren of your county according to 
 the resolves of the Continental Congress, for the de- 
 fense of our liberties, was improper with respect to 
 him, and too condescending on your part, as it was a 
 matter that came properly within your province : and 
 to which we doubt not but you are competent, as 
 you have a line of conduct prescribed to you by Con- 
 gress. With respect to your second question, whether 
 he would take any active part in the controversy at 
 present existing between Great Britain and her colo- 
 nies, we conceive it to be very proper, and thank you 
 for your information on that head. 
 
 '' As-to the third question, we conceive that he has 
 no claim nor title to the court-house or gaol in your 
 county, as we are credibly told that his father. Sir 
 William Johnson, did in his lifetime convey the same 
 to two gentlemen, in trust for the use of your 
 county. However, as an attempt to use the same 
 
for the purpose of confining persons inimical to our 
 country, may be productive of bad consequences, we 
 beg leave to recommend to you, to procure some other 
 place which may answer the end of a gaol. And 
 give you our advice not to molest Sir John as long as 
 he shall continue inactive, and not impede the meas- 
 ures necessary to be carried into execution from being 
 completed." This advice was followed, and a private 
 house was procured for that purpose, while some of 
 the prisoners were sent to Albany and Hartford. 
 
 The fears of the people were again excited, during 
 the subsequent winter, by preparations made by Sir 
 John for the erection of a fortification around Johnson 
 Hall. The number of armed dependents which he 
 retained around him, gave credit to a report that, 
 when the fortification should be completed, it would 
 be garrisoned by three hundred Indians in addition to 
 his own men, and that from thence they would sally 
 out and ravage the surrounding country. 
 
 Gen. Schuyler had been informed of the movements 
 of Sir John, and in Jan. 1776, in the dead of winter, 
 together with Gen. Ten Broeck, and Col. Varick, and 
 a few others, with a small detachment of soldiers, 
 came into Tryon County. General Herkimer ordered 
 out all the militia. They were paraded on the ice on 
 the Mohawk River. The place of meeting was Major 
 Fonda's, a few miles from Johnson Hall. Major 
 Fonda was sent a messenger to Sir John. An answer 
 was returned, and a correspondence carried on which 
 was continued two or three days. The precise nature 
 of it is not known. It resulted in Sir John surrender- 
 ing himself a prisoner, and disarming his dependents 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 79 
 
 and tenants. He was sent down to Fishkill, where 
 he was liberated upon his parole. This surrender 
 removed the fears of the inhabitants during- the re- 
 mainder of the winter. In the following May, how- 
 ever, Sir John, regardless of his promises, broke his 
 parole, and, accompanied by a large number of his 
 tenants, went north from Johnstown, by the way of 
 Sacondaga, to Montreal. Sir William Johnson would 
 have frowned with indignation upon this unmanly 
 and disgraceful conduct of his son. The Provincial 
 Congress of New York immediately wrote a letter to 
 Gen. Washington : '* We apprehend no doubt can 
 exist, whether the affair of Sir John Johnson is within 
 your immediate cognizance. He held a commission 
 as brigadier general of the militia, and it is said another 
 cqmmission as major general. That he hath shame- 
 fully broken his parole is evident, but whether it 
 would be more proper to have him returned or ex- 
 changed is entirely in your excellency's prudence." 
 It is believed that neither the one nor the other was 
 ev^r done. He left much valuable property, which 
 was confiscated by Congress, and sold under the 
 direction of the committee. During the war he com- 
 manded a regiment of refugees, known in the preda- 
 tory border warfare of this province by the name of 
 " .Tohnson's Greens." 
 
 The first delegates to the Provincial Congress were 
 John Marlatt and John Moore. Afterward, William 
 Wills, Benj. Newkirk, Volkert Veeder, and William 
 Harper were appointed. The two latter were for a 
 long time members of the State Committee of Safety. 
 A new county committee was this spring elected, of 
 
80 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 which John Frey, Esq. was chosen chairman. At a 
 meeting in May, it was unanimously resolved to 
 instruct the delegates from this county in tlie Provin- 
 cial Congress to vote for the entire independence of 
 the Colonies. 
 
 The Declaration of Independence of the 4th of July 
 following was hailed by them with joy, and they 
 were willing to maintain it " with their lives and for- 
 tunes." 
 
 Tryon County, during the summer, was compara- 
 tively tranquil and secure. Scouts were sent out 
 upon the borders, who with the continental troops 
 kept at a distance the few detached parties of Indians 
 and Tories. The following winter the Indians col- 
 lected in consideitible numbers at Oquago on the Sus- 
 quehanna. Col. John Harper, of Harpersfield, was 
 sent by the Provincial Congress with a letter to them, 
 to ascertain their feelings toward the country and their 
 intentions. Col. Harper having given private orders to 
 the captains of his^regimentofmilitiato hold themselves 
 in readiness in case their services should be required, 
 went to Oquago accompanied by one Indian and one 
 white man. He arrived there the 27th of February. 
 He soon ascertained that the report of a contemplated 
 invasion was untrue. He caused an ox to be roasted, 
 and invited the Indians to the entertainment thus 
 provided. The letter was received in a friendly man- 
 ner, and the Indians expressed their sorrow on account 
 of the troubles of the country, and declared that they 
 would take no active part against it. 
 
 Joseph Brant, having had some disagreement with 
 Guy Johnson, came to Oquago after the visit of Col. 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 81 
 
 Harper. In June following-, 1777, he went up to 
 Unadilla with a party of seventy or eighty Indians, 
 and sent for the officers of the militia company and 
 the Rev. Mr. Johnstone. Brant informed them that 
 the Indians were in want of provisions. That if they 
 could not get them by consent they must by force; 
 that their agreement with the king was very strong, 
 and that they were not such villains as to break their 
 covenant with him ; that they were natural warriors, 
 and could not bear to be threatened by Gen. Schuyler. 
 They were informed that the Mohawks were confined, 
 (that is, probably the few who remained behind,) 
 and had not liberty to pass and repass as formerly. 
 That they were determined to be free, as they were 
 a free people, and desired to have their friends re- 
 moved from the Mohawk River, lest, if the western 
 Indians should come down, their friends might suffer 
 with the rest, as they would pay no respect to persons. 
 The inhabitants let them have provisions. After 
 staying two days they returned, taking with them 
 cattle, sheep, &c. The inhabitants friendly to the 
 countrj^ immediately removed their families and 
 effects to places of greater security. 
 
 Information having been given, Gen. Herkimer in 
 July marched to Unadilla with 380 militia. He was 
 met here by Brant at the head of 130 warriors. Brant 
 complained of the same grievances as above set forth. 
 To the question whether he would remain at peace if 
 these things were rectified, he replied : ^' The Indians 
 were in concert with the king, as their fathers and 
 grandfathers had been. That the king's belts were 
 yet lodged with them, and they could not falsify their 
 
82 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 pledge. That Gen. Herkimer and the rest had joined 
 the Boston people against their king. That Boston 
 people were resolute, but the king would humble 
 them. That Mr. Schuyler, or General, or what you 
 please to call him, was very smart on the Indians at 
 the treaty at German Flats ; but was not at the same 
 time able to afford them the smallest article of cloth- 
 ing. That the Indians had formerly made war on the 
 white people all united ; and now they w^ere divided, 
 the Indians were not frightened." 
 
 After Brant had declared his determination to 
 espouse the cause of the king. Col. Cox said, if such 
 was his resolution the matter was ended. Brant turned 
 and spoke to his warriors, who shouted and ran to their 
 camp about a mile distant, when, seizing their arms, 
 they fired a number of guns, and raised the Indian 
 war-whoop. They returned immediately, when Gen. 
 Herkimer addressing Brant, told him he had not come 
 to fight. Brant motioned his followers to remain in 
 their places. Then, assuming a threateningattitude, 
 he said, if their purpose was war, he was ready for 
 them. He then proposed that Mr. Stewart, the mis- 
 sionary among the Mohawks, (who was supposed 
 friendly to the English,) and the wife of Col. Butler 
 should be permitted to pass from the lower to the 
 upper Mohawk castle. 
 
 Gen. Herkimer assented, but demanded that the 
 Tories and deserters should be given up to him. This 
 was refused by Brant, who after some farther remarks, 
 added that lie would go to Oswego, and hold a treaty 
 with Col. Butler. This singular conference was sin- 
 gularly terminated. It was early in July, and the 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COtJNTY. 83 
 
 sun shone forth without a cloud to obscure it, and as 
 its rays gilded the tops of the forest trees, or were re- 
 flected from the waters of the Susquehanna, imparted 
 a rich tint to the wild scenery with which they were 
 surrounded. The echo of the war-whoop had scarcely 
 died away before the heavens became black, and a 
 violent storm of hail and rain obliged each party to 
 withdraw and seek the nearest shelter. Men less 
 superstitious than many of the unlettered yeomen 
 who, leaning upon their arms, were witnesses of the 
 events of this day, could not have failed in after times 
 to have looked back upon them, if not as an omen, 
 at least as an emblem of those dreadful massacres 
 with which these Indians and their associates after- 
 ward visited the inhabitants of this unfortunate fron- 
 tier. 
 
 Gen. Herkimer appears to have been unwilling to 
 urge matters to extreme, though he had sufficient 
 power to have defeated the Indians. He no doubt 
 entertained hopes that some amicable arrangement 
 would eventually be made with them. 
 
 This is believed to have been the last conference 
 held with any of the Six Nations, except the Oneidas, 
 in which an effort was made to prevent the Indians 
 engaging in the war. In the remarks of Brant will be 
 found what was no doubt one of the principal rea- 
 sons of the Indians joining the English, and which 
 liberal gifts on our part miglit probably have prevent- 
 ed. As before remarked, they had been accustomed 
 to receive most of their clothing and other necessaries 
 from the English agents and superintendent. And 
 now, when they received from the Americans little 
 
84 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK ; OR, 
 
 save professions of friendsbip, they were led to con- 
 clude that they were either poor or penurious, and 
 therefore continued an alliance coupled with more 
 immediate and suhstantial benefits. Col. Guy John- 
 son is said to have addressed the Indians at one of 
 their councils as follows : '' Are they (the Americans) 
 able to give you any thing more than apiece of bread 
 and a glass of rum ? Are you willing to go with 
 them, and suffer them to make horses and oxen of 
 you, to put you into wheelbarrows, and to bring us 
 all into slavery 1" 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 85 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 The campaign of 1777 had long- been a favorite 
 one with the British ministers, and during the previ- 
 ous winter great preparations had been made for its 
 successful prosecution. Should Sir Henry Clinton 
 and Gen. Burgoyne, with the southern and northern 
 armies, succeed in uniting at Albany, the province of 
 New York, cut off from all communication with th@ 
 eastern provinces, must necessarily submit, and the 
 way would be prepared for the speedy subjugation of 
 all the others. Gen. Burgoyne, who had superseded 
 Gen. Carleton, left Canada with 7500 well disciplined 
 troops, and a large train of artillery, and accompa- 
 nied by a numerous body of Canadians and Indians. 
 On the 3d of July he arrived before Ticonderoga,* 
 
 * The following is Gov. Tryon's account of the forts in the province 
 of New York in 1114:'. 
 
 " The city of New York, the metropolis, is protected by a fort and 
 a range of batteries at the entrance of the East River or harbor, in 
 good order, and capable of mounting about one hundred pieces of ord- 
 nance. Albany and Schenectady are defended by forts, and both 
 places encircled by large pickets or stockades, with blockhouses at 
 proper distances from each other, but which, smce the peace, have 
 been suffered to go to decay, and are now totally out of repair. 
 
 " The western forts are Fort Stanwix, and the forts at Oswego and 
 Niagara ; the two former are dismantled — a few men only kept at Oa 
 wego. Niagara is occupied by a ganison of the Kihg's troops. 
 
86 BOllDEK WARFARE OF NEW YORK ; OR, 
 
 which was garrisoned by 3000 continental soldiers 
 and militia under Gen. St. Clair. Finding themselves 
 unable to maintain the fortress against a force so 
 much superior, the Americans, on the niglit of the 
 Sth, withdrew and retreated toward Fort Edward. 
 The English immediately took possession of Ticonde- 
 roga, with a large quantity of provisions and military 
 stores. The Americans were pursued and overtaken, 
 and in several actions suffered severely. This fortress 
 was an important one, and its surrender was as unfor- 
 tunate as it was unexpected. Besides, Gen. Schuy- 
 ler, who had the command of the American army, 
 numbered little rising of 4000 men after all the troops 
 of St. Clair were united with his own at Fort Ed- 
 ward ; an army which, under equal circumstances, 
 could present no barrier to the progress of the victori- 
 ous army of Burgoyne. A general alarm spread 
 throughout the country, and especially through New 
 York. This alarm was increased in Tryon County, 
 when, on the I5th of July, Thomas, one of the prin- 
 cipal Oneida sachems, who had just returned from 
 Canada, where he had been present at an Indian 
 council held at the Indian castle of Cassassenny, gave 
 the following account : 
 
 " Col. Claus invited strongly the Indians to join 
 him in his expedition to Fort Schuyler, mentioning 
 
 " The northern forts are Fort Edward, which is abandoned. A few- 
 men only are kept at the works at the south end of Lake George 
 to facilitate the transportation to the next forts, which are Ticonde- 
 roga and Crown Point. These are both garrisoned by His Majesty's 
 troops, but since the fire only a small guard is kept there, the princi- 
 pal part of the garrison being withdrawn and posted at Ticonderoga.'' 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. S7 
 
 the number of his white men, and saying, that he has 
 sent already a number of Indians with the army to 
 Ticonderoga, and he is sure that Ticonderoga will be 
 rendered to them and Clans. Repeated again thus : 
 Ticonderoga is mine. This is true, you may depend 
 on it, and not one gun shall be fired. 
 
 " The same is true with Fort Schuyler ; I am sure, 
 said Col. Clans, that when I come toward that fort, 
 and the commanding officer there shall see me, he 
 shall also not fire one shot, and render the fort to 
 ine." The sachem, after relating this speech, added : 
 " Now, brothers, this which I related to you is the 
 real truth, and I tell you further, for notice, that Sir 
 John Johnson, with his family, and Col. Clans, with 
 his family, are now in Oswego, with 700 Indians, and 
 their number of white men are 400 regulars and 
 about 600 Tories, lying yet on an island on this side of 
 Oswegatchie ; therefore now is your time, brothers, to 
 awake and not to sleep longer ; or, on the contrary, 
 it shall go with Fort Schuyler as it went already with 
 Ticonderoga. Col. Butler is, as I heard, to arrive 
 yesterday (being the 14th) from Niagara at Oswego, 
 with his party, not knowing how strong in number, 
 and shall immediately keep a council there with the 
 Five Nations, (which are already called,) and offer the 
 hatchet to them to join him and strike the Ameri- 
 cans. 
 
 ^'Brothers f I therefore desire you to be spirited, "and 
 to encourage one another to march on in assistance 
 of Fort Schuyler. Come up and show yourselves as 
 men, to defend and save your country, before it is too 
 late. Despatch yourselves to clear the brush about 
 
88 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 the fort, and send a party to cut trees in the Wood 
 Creek to stop up the same. 
 
 '^Brothers ! If you don't come soon without delay to 
 assist this place, we cannot stay much longer on your 
 side ; for if you leave this fort without succor, and the 
 enemy "shall get possession thereof, we shall suffer 
 like you in your settlements, and shall be destroyed 
 with you. We are suspicious that your enemies have 
 engaged the Indians, and endeavor daily yet to strike 
 and fight against you ; and Gen. Schuyler refuses 
 always that we shall take up arms in the country's 
 behalf. 
 
 ''•Brothers ! I can assure you that as soon as Butler's 
 speech at Oswego shall be over, they intend to march 
 down the country immediately, till to Albany. You 
 may judge yourselves ; if you don't try to resist we will 
 be obliged to join them or fly from our castles, as we 
 cannot hinder them alone. We, the good friends of the 
 country, are of opinion that if more force appears at 
 Fort Schuyler the enemy will not move from Oswego 
 to invade these frontiers ; you may depend on it we 
 are willing to help you if you will do some efforts 
 too." 
 
 In the spring of 1776, Colonels Van Schaick and 
 Dayton were sent into Tryon County with detach- 
 ments of continental soldiers, and were stationed at 
 Johnstown and German Flats. Col. Dayton, sta- 
 tioned at the latter place, was ordered by Gen. Schuy- 
 ler, in June of this year, to take post and erect a for- 
 tification at Fort Stanwix. The militia of the county 
 were called out to assist him. This fort occupied a 
 part of the site of the present village of Rome, in 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUINTY. 89 
 
 Oneida County, situated at the head of navigation of 
 the Mohawk, and at the carrying-place between that 
 river and Wood Creek, from whence the boats passed 
 to Oswego ; it was a post of great importance to the 
 western part of New York. The French, with their 
 usual sagacity, when endeavorhig to monopolize the 
 Indian trade, had erected a fortification at this place. 
 At the commencement of the war it appears to have 
 gone to decay ; a few families had settled there, form- 
 ing the extreme western ouipost of civilization, save 
 the forts of Oswego and Niagara. The fort erected by 
 Col. Dayton was called Fort Schuyler, in honor of 
 Gen. Schuyler. It is designated by that name in 
 most of the letters and official communications of the 
 officers, including Gen. Schuyler himself. It has 
 been confounded by some with Fort Schuyler, which 
 was built in the French wars, near where Utica now 
 stands, and named in honor of Col. Schuyler, the 
 uncle of Gen. Schuyler. At the time of the Revolu- 
 tion there was no fort at the latter place. There was 
 a clear field, which still retained the name of Fort 
 Schuyler, as did the settlement west that of Fort Stan- 
 wix. 
 
 The last of April, 1777, Col. Gansevoort, with the 
 3d regiment of the New York line of State troops, was 
 ordered to Fort Schuyler. The fort was still unfin- 
 ished, and the early {art of the summer was spent in 
 advancing the works. It was not even completed 
 when afterward invested. The duties of the troops in 
 consequence were extremely arduous. 
 
 The information as above given by the Oneida sa- 
 chem occasioned some alarm. It developes part of 
 5 
 
90 BOilDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OK, 
 
 the original plan of the campaign. The forces des- 
 tined against this fort were under the command of 
 Gen. Barry St. Leger. Should he succeed in taking 
 Fort Schuyler, he was to pass down the Mohawk val- 
 ley to Johnstown, and to fortify himself there. From 
 this place he could easily make a diversion in favor 
 of Burgoyne, or aid in cutting off the retreat of the 
 American army, as circumstances should render neces- 
 sary. The rich Mohawk country would at the same 
 time furnish provisions for his own and the other in- 
 vading armies. 
 
 Secret information of their movements had been 
 industriously circulated among all the disaflected in- 
 habitants of Tryon County. Insinuations of an 
 alarming nature were thrown out, and not without 
 effect. The Indians, it was said, would ravage the 
 whole intervening country. Many who had not be- 
 fore acted decidedly, now espoused the cause of the 
 mother country, and in small parties stole away and 
 went to the enemy. 
 
 A few days before the communication of the sa- 
 chem was made, the committee had ordered out 
 200 militia to aid in garrisoning Fort Schuyler. A 
 part only obeyed ; on the 15th they ordered two com- 
 panies of continental troops, stationed at different 
 places in the county under their direction, to repair 
 to the fort. They made various excuses, that they 
 had been sent out as scouts, and were unfit for garri- 
 son duty, and refused to comply with the orders ; 
 they afterward complied. Under these circumstan- 
 ces, on the 17th of July, Brig. Gen. Nicholas Herki- 
 mer published the following proclamation : 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 91 
 
 '* Whereas, it appears certain that the enemy, of 
 about 2000 strong, Christians and savages, are arrived 
 at Oswego with the intention to invade our front^'ers, 
 I think it proper and most necessary for the defense 
 of our country, and it shall be ordered by me as soon 
 as the enemy approaches, that every male person, 
 being in health, from 16 to 60 years of age, in this 
 our county, shall, as in duty bound, repair immedi- 
 ately, with arms and accoutrements, to the place to 
 be appointed in my orders, and will then march to 
 oppose the enemy with vigor, as true patriots, for the 
 just defense of their country. And those that are 
 above 60 years, or really unwell and incapable to 
 march, shall then assemble, also armed, at the respec- 
 tive places where women and children will be gath- 
 ered together, in order for defense against the enemy, 
 if attacked, as much as lies in their power. But con- 
 cerning the disaffected, and who will not directly obey 
 such orders, they shall be taken along with their 
 arms, secured under guard, to join the main body. 
 And as such an invasion regards every friend to the 
 country in general, but of this county in particular, 
 to show his zeal and well-affected spirit in actual de- 
 fense of the same, all the members of the committee, 
 as well as all those who, by former conmiissions 
 or otherwise, have been exempted from any other 
 military duty, are requested to repair also, when 
 called, to such place as shall be appointed, and join 
 to repulse our foes. Not doubting tliat the Almighty 
 Power, upon our humble prayers and sincere trust 
 in him, will then graciously succor our arms in bat- 
 
^2 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR,. 
 
 tie, for our just cause, and victory cannot fail on our 
 side." 
 
 On the 30th of July, the committee received the 
 following letter from Thomas Spencer, dated Oneida, 
 July 29th. 
 
 *' At a meeting of the chiefs, they tell me that there 
 is but four days remaining of the time set for the 
 king's troops to come to Fort Schuyler, and they 
 think it likely they will be here sooner. The chiefs 
 desire the commanding officers at Fort Schuyler not 
 to make a Ticonderoga of it; but they hope you 
 will be courageous. They desire Gen. Schuyler may 
 have this with speed, and send a good army here ; 
 there is nothing to do at New York ; we tliink there 
 is men to be spared ; we expect the road is stopped 
 to the inhabitants by a party through the woods; we 
 shall be surrounded as soon as they come. This may 
 be our last advice, as these soldiers are part of those 
 that aie to hold a treaty. Send this to the committee ; 
 as soon as they receive it let the militia rise up and 
 come to Fort Schuyler. To-morrow we are a-going 
 to the Three Rivers to the treaty. We expect to meet 
 the warriors, and when we come there and declare 
 we are for peace, we expect to be used with indiffer- 
 ence and sent away. Let all the troops that come to 
 Fort Schuyler take care on their march, as there is a 
 parly of Indians to stop the road below the Fort, about 
 80 or 100. We hear they are to bring tlieir cannon 
 up Fish Creek. We hear there is 1000 going to meet 
 the enemy. We advise not — the arm)^ is too large 
 for so few men to defend the fort — we send a belt of 
 8 rows to confirm the truth of what we say.''^ Spen- 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 93 
 
 cer added — '^ It looks likely to me the troops are 
 near ; hope all friends to liberty, and that love their 
 families, will not be backward, but exert themselves, 
 as one resolute blow would secure the friendship of 
 the Six Nations, and almost free this part of the coun- 
 try from the incursions of the enemy." 
 
 About the time of the receipt of this letter several 
 batteaux, guarded by one or two companies of bat- 
 teauxmen, arrived from Schenectady with stores des- 
 tined for Fort Schuyler. When the letter was laid 
 before the committee, a question arose whether the 
 militia should be ordered out immediately, or whether 
 they should wait the arrival of troops who w^ould un- 
 doubtedly be sent by Gen. Schuyler. The necessity 
 of guarding more effectually the batteaux was urged. 
 The former course was adopted, and means were 
 taken for assembling as many of the militia as possi- 
 ble. Their own firesides were to be inva^ded ; the 
 time for exertion had come — a time which they ought 
 to have anticipated, and for which, from the ample 
 notice they had received, they ought to have made 
 the best possible preparations. They were determined, 
 however, to atone for their neglect. The fears ex- 
 cited by the previous losses had considerably subsided, 
 and Gen. Herkimer soon found himself at the head of 
 800 men ; most of the committee were among the 
 nuniber, as officers or volunteers. Little order was 
 observed on their march, and those precautions so 
 necessary to guard against surprise were too much 
 neglected. This was the less excusable, as they had 
 been apprised of the ambuscade of the Indians. 
 Spencer, who had joined the troops, insisted on keep- 
 
94 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 ing- out flanking parties. In this he was seconded by- 
 several of the officers. Gen. Herkimer himself was 
 of this opinion ; but in consequence of some remarks 
 made by some of the inferior officers, imputing cow- 
 ardice to him, he directed them to advance with all 
 possible dispatch. If any excuse can be ofTered, it must 
 arise from the fact, that they had learned that the fort 
 was invested, and were fearful it might be surren- 
 dered before their arrival. The distance most of the 
 troops marched, was between fifty and sixty miles, 
 through woods and over miseralle roads. Flanking 
 parties, travelling through woods, and crossing 
 streams and marshes, would necesarily retard the 
 progress of the main body, should they only keep 
 pace w^ith them. 
 
 Gen. St. Leger left Oswego, about the time before 
 mentioned, for Fort Schuyler, with about 1700 men. 
 On the 28th of July he sent forward Lieut. Bird, with 
 60 or 70 men, to reconnoitre and to ascertain the situ- 
 ation of the fort. Under date of July 31st, St. Leger 
 wrote to him the following letter : 
 
 '^ I have received yours of the 30th. If they are 
 strongly posted, risk nothing, as hy both parties (yours 
 and Hare's) joined, an investiture may be easily 
 made till my arrival, which w^ill be sometime to- 
 morrow, w^ith my artillery, the 34th and King's regi- 
 ment, w^ith the Hessian riflemen, and the whole corps 
 of Indians. The rest of the army is led by Sir John, 
 and will be up the day afterward. 
 
 Yours, very faithfully, 
 
 Barry St. Leger, 
 
 Brig, General, 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 95 
 
 On the 2d of August, Lieut. Bird wrote to Gen. St. 
 Leger, and the following is the conclusion : '' Twelve 
 Massesaugers came up two or three hours after my 
 departure. These, with the scout of fifteen, I had the 
 honor to mention to you in my last, are sufficient to 
 invest Fort Stanwix, if you honor me so far as not to 
 order to the contrary." 
 
 Under the same date St. Leger returned the fol- 
 lowing answer : 
 
 '' I this instant received your letter containing the 
 account of your operations since you were detached, 
 which I with great pleasure tell you have been sensible 
 and spirited ; your resolution of investing Fort Stan- 
 wix is perfectly right ; and to enable you to do it with 
 greater effect, I have detached Joseph (Brant) and his 
 corps of Indians to reinforce you. You will observe 
 that I will have nothing but an investiture made, and 
 in case the enemy, observing the discretion and judg- 
 ment with which it is made, should offer to capitulate, 
 you are to tell them that you are sure I am well dis- 
 posed to listen to them ; this is not to take any honor 
 out of a young soldier's hands, but by the presence of 
 the troops to prevent the barbarity and carnage which 
 will ever obtain where Indians make so superior a 
 part of a detachment ; I shall move from hence at 
 eleven o'clock, and be early in the afternoon at the 
 entrance of the creek. 
 
 I am, sir, your most obt. and humble ser't, 
 
 Barry St. Leger. 
 
 Mne Mile Pointy Aug. 2, 1777. 
 
 On the 3d of August, Gen. St. Leger arrived before 
 
96 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 the fort; he soon found that ihe garrison had no dis- 
 position to surrender. Col. Gansevoort had anticipa- 
 ted his approach, and with his hrave soldiers were 
 determined to defend their post to the last. Soon 
 after St. Leger published the following proclamation : 
 
 " By Barry St. Leger, commander in ch ef of a 
 chosen body of troops from the grand army, as well 
 as an extensive corps of Indian allies from all the 
 Nations, &c. &c. 
 
 "• The forces intrusted to my command are designed 
 to act in concert, and upon a common principle with 
 the numerous armies and fleets which already display, 
 in every quarter of America, the power, the justice, 
 and when properly sought, the mercy of the king. 
 The cause in which the British armies are thus ex- 
 erted, applies to the most affecting interests of the 
 human heart ; and the military servants of the crown, 
 at first called forth for the sole purpose of restoring 
 the rights of the constitution, now combine with love 
 of their country and duty to their sovereign, the other 
 extensive incitements which spring from a due sense 
 of the general privileges of mankind. To the eyes 
 and ears of the tejuperate part of the public, and to 
 the hearts of suffering thousands in the provinces, be 
 the melancholy appeal, whether the present unnatu- 
 ral rebellion has not been made a foundation for the 
 completest system of tyranny, that ever God in his 
 displeasure suffered for a time to be exercised over a 
 froward and stubborn generation. . 
 
 '' x\rbitrary imprisonment, confiscation of property, 
 persecution and torture unprecedented in the inquisi- 
 tions of the Romish Church, are among the palpable 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 97 
 
 enormities that verify tlie affirmation. These are in- 
 flicted by assemblies and committees, who dare to 
 profess themselves friends to liberty, upon the most 
 quiet subjects, without distinction of age or sex, for 
 the sole crime, often for the sole suspicion, of hav- 
 ing adhered in principle to the government under 
 which they were born, and to which, by every tie 
 divine and human, they owe allegiance. To con- 
 summate these shocking proceedings, the profanation 
 of religion is added to the most profligate prostitution 
 of common reason ; the consciences of men are set at 
 naught, and multitudes are compelled not only to 
 bear arms, but also to swear subjection to an usurpa- 
 tion they abhor. 
 
 " Animated by these considerations ; at the head of 
 troops in the full powers of health, discipline, and 
 valor; determined to strike where necessary, and 
 anxious to spare where possible, I, by these presents, 
 invite and exhort all persons in all places where the 
 progress of this army may point, and by the blessing 
 of God I will extend it far, to maintain such a conduct 
 as may justify me in protecting their lands, habita- 
 tions, and families. The intention of this address is 
 to hold forth security and not depredation to the 
 country. 
 
 '' To those, whose spirit and principle may induce 
 to partake the glorious task of redeeming their coun- 
 trymen from dungeons, and re-establishing the bless- 
 ings of legal government, I offer encouragement and 
 employment, and upon th^ first intelligence of their 
 associations, I will find means to assist their underta- 
 kings. The domestic, the industrious, the infirm, 
 5* 
 
98 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 and even the timid inhabitants, I am desirous to pro- 
 tect, provided they remain quietly at their houses — 
 that they do not suffer their bridges or roads to be 
 broken up, nor by any other acts, directly or indi- 
 rectly, endeavor to obstruct the operations of the 
 king's troops, or supply or assist those of the enemy. 
 Every species of provisions brought to my camp will 
 be paid for at an eeputable rate, and in solid coin. 
 
 '* If, notwithstanding these endeavors, and sincere 
 inclinations to etiect them, the frenzy of hostility 
 should remain, I trust I shall stand acquitted in the 
 eyes of God and men, in denouncing and executing 
 the vengeance of the state against the wilful outcasts. 
 The messengers of justice and of wrath await them in 
 the field, and devastation, famine, and every concom- 
 itant horror, that a reluctant, but indispensable prose- 
 cution of military duty must occasion, will bar the 
 w^ay to their return. 
 
 {Sig?ied) Barry St. Leger. 
 
 By order of the Commander in Chief, 
 
 Will. Osb. Hamilton, Secretary, 
 
 How well the threats and promises set forth in the 
 foregoing letters and proclamation were fulfilled, will 
 appear in the sequel. 
 
 Learning that Gen. Herkimer was approaching to 
 the relief of the garrison, and not being disposed to 
 receive him in his camp, St. Leger detached a body 
 of Indians and Tories under Brant and Col. Butler to 
 watch his approach, and to intercept, if possible, his 
 march. The -surrounding country afforded every 
 facility for tlie practice of the Indian mode of war- 
 
ANiNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 99 
 
 fare. In the deep recesses of its forests they were 
 secure from observation, and to them they could re- 
 treat in case they were defeated. Finding that the 
 militia approached in a very careless manner, Butler 
 determined to attack them by surprise. He selected 
 a place well fitted for such an attack. A few miles 
 from the fort there was a deep ravine, sweeping to- 
 ward the east in a semicircular form, and having a 
 northern and southern direction. The bottom of 
 this ravine was marshy, and the road along which 
 the militia were marching crossed it by means of a 
 log causeway. The ground thus parCly enclosed by 
 the ravine was elevated and level. Along the road, 
 on each side on this height of land, Butler disposed 
 his men. 
 
 About ten o'clock on the morning of the 6th of Au- 
 gust, the Tryon County militia arrived at this place 
 without any suspicions of danger. The dark foliage of 
 the forest trees, with a thick growth of underbrush, 
 entirely concealed the enemy from their view. The 
 advanced guard, with about two-thirds of the whole 
 force, had gained the elevated ground; the baggage 
 wagons had descended into the ravine — Col. Fisher's 
 regiment was still on the east side — when the Indians 
 arose, and with a dreadful yell poured a destructive 
 lire upon them. The advanced guard was entirely 
 cut off. Those wlio survived the first fire were imme- 
 diately cut down with the tomahawk. The horror of 
 ihe scene was increased by the personal appearance 
 of the savages, who were almost naked, and painted in 
 a most hideous manner. They ran down each side, 
 keeping up a constant fire, and united at the cause- 
 
100 BORDER WARFARE OF KEW YORKj OR, 
 
 way; thus dividing the mih'tia into two bodies. The 
 rear regiment, after a feeble resistance, fled in con- 
 fusion, and were pursued by the Indians. They suf- 
 fered more severely than they would have done had 
 they stood their ground, or advanced to the support of 
 the main body in front. 
 
 The latter course would have been attended with 
 great loss, but might probably have been effected. 
 The forward division had no alternative but to fight. 
 Facing out in every direction, they sought shelter be- 
 hind the trees and returned the fire of the enemy with 
 spirit. In thie beginning of |he battle the Indians, 
 whenever they saw that a gun was fired from behind 
 a tree, rushed up and tomahawked the person thus 
 firing before he had time to reload his gun.* To 
 counteract this, two men were ordered to station them- 
 selves behind one tree, the one reserving his fire until 
 the Indian ran up. In this way the Indians were made 
 to suffer severely in return. The fighting had continued 
 for some time, and the Indians had begun to give way, 
 when Major Watts, a brother-in-law of Sir John John- 
 son, brought up a reinforcement, consisting of a de- 
 tachment of Johnson's Greens. The blood of the Ger- 
 mans boiled with indignation at the sight of these 
 men. Many of the Greens were personally known to 
 them. They had fled their country, and were now 
 
 * "Again. Let me recall, gentlemen, to your recollection, tliat bloody 
 field in which Herkimer fell. Tliere was found the Indian and the 
 ■white man born on the banks of the Mohawk, tlieir left hand clenched 
 in each other's hair, the right grasping in a gripe of death the knife ' 
 plunged in each other's bosom ; thus they lay frowning." — Gouverneur 
 Jifnfrifi'ft 4(^'^^'^^'': heforf the Npn York Historiral Socifty. 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 101 
 
 returned in arms to subdue it. Their presence under 
 any circumstances would have kindled up the resent- 
 ment of these militia ; but coming up as they now did, 
 in aid of a retreating foe, called into exercise the most 
 bitter feelings of hostility. They fired upon them as 
 they advanced, and then, rushing from behind their 
 covers, attacked them with their bayonets, and those 
 who had none, with the butt'endof their muskets — 
 '^ rage supplies arms.'' This contest was maintained, 
 hand to hand, for nearly half an hour. The Greens 
 made a manful resistance, but were finally obliged to 
 give way before the dreadful fury of their assailants, 
 with the loss of thirty killed upon the spot where they 
 first entered. Major Watts was wounded and taken 
 prisoner, tliough afterward left upon the field. 
 
 In this assault Col. Cox is said to have been killed ; 
 possessing an athletic frame, with a daring spirit, he 
 mingled in the thickest of the fight. His voice could 
 be distinctly heard, as he cheeered on his men, or 
 isssued his orders, amid the clashing of arms and the 
 yells of the contending savages. 
 
 About one o'clock Adam Helmer, who had been 
 sent^by Gen. Herkimer with a letter to Col. Ganse- 
 voort, announcing his approach, arrived at the fort. 
 At 2 o'clock, Lieut. Col. Willet, with two hundred and 
 and seven men, sallied from the fort for the purpose of 
 making a diversion in favor of Gen. Herkimer, and 
 attacked the camp of ihe enemy. This engagement 
 lasted about an hour, when the enemy were driven off 
 with considerable loss. Col. Willet having thrown 
 out flanking parties, and ascertained that the retreat 
 was not feigned, ordered his men to take as much of 
 
102 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 the spoil as they could remove, and to destroy the re- 
 mainder. On their return to the fort, above the land- 
 ing-,' and near where the old French fort stood, a party 
 of 200 regular troops appeared, and prepared to 
 give battle. A smart fire of musketry, aided by the 
 cannon from the fort, soon obliged them to retreat, 
 when Willet returned into the fort with his spoil, and 
 without the loss of a single man. A part of that spoil 
 was placed upon the walls of the fortress, where it 
 waved in triumph in sight of the vanquished enemy. 
 
 This timely and well-conducted sally was attended 
 with complete success. A shower of rain had already 
 caused the enemy to slacken their fire, when finding 
 by their reports that their camp was attacked and 
 taken, they withdrew and left the militia in possession 
 of the field. 
 
 Few battles have been fought at a greater disadvan- 
 tage than was that of Oriskany, on the part of the 
 Americans. After recovering from the confusion of 
 the first attack, they found themselves without ammu- 
 nition, save that in their cartouch-boxes. Their bag- 
 gage wagons were in possession of the enemy. The 
 weather was warm, and, surrounded by the enemy, 
 they could get no water. In this state they defended 
 themselves against a far superior force for five or six 
 hours. The severe remarks which have been made 
 upon the militia engaged in this battle, are certainly 
 not warranted. They had been imprudent, but they 
 were brave, and, in this kind of fight, skillful. 
 
 The Americans lost in killed nearly 200, and about 
 as many wounded and prisoners ; they carried off be- 
 ween 40 and 50 of their wounded. They encamped 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. IQS 
 
 the first night upon the ground where old Fort Schuy- 
 ler was built. 
 
 Among the wounded was Gen. Herkimer. Early 
 in the action his leg was fractured by a musket ball. 
 The leg was amputated a few days after, but in con- 
 sequence of the unfavorable state of the weather, and 
 want of skill in the surgeons, mortification ensued, 
 and occasioned his death. On receiving his wound, his 
 horse having been killed, he directed his saddle to be 
 placed upon a little hillock of earth and rested him- 
 self upon it. Being advised to choose a place where 
 he would be less exposed, he replied : " I will face 
 the enemy." Surrounded by a few men, he contin- 
 ued to issue his orders with firmness. In this situation, 
 and in the heat of the battle, he very deliberately took 
 from his pocket his tinder-box and lit his pipe, which 
 he smoked with great composure. He was certainly 
 to blame for not using greater caution on his march, 
 but the coolness and intrepidity which he exhibited 
 when he found himself ambuscaded, aided materially 
 in restoring order and in inspiring his men with courage. 
 His loss was deeply lamented by his friends and by 
 the inhabitants of Tryon County. The Continental 
 Congress, in October following, directed that a monu- 
 ment should be erected to his memory, of the value of 
 five hundred dollars. 
 
 In a letter accompanying the resolution, the Con- 
 gress say : '' Every mark of distinction shown to the 
 memory of such illustrious men as oflfer up their lives 
 for the liberty and happiness of this country, reflects 
 real honor on those who pay the grateful tribute; and 
 by holding up to others the prospect of fame and im- 
 
104 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 mortalit}^, will animate them to tread in the same 
 path. 
 
 Governor George Clinton, who forwarded the letter 
 and resolution to the Tryon County committee added: 
 
 " Enclosed you have a copy of a letter and resolves 
 of Congress for erecting a monument to the memory 
 of your late gallant General. While with you I lament 
 the causes, I am impressed with a due sense of the great 
 and justly merited honor the continent has, in this in- 
 stance, paid to the memory of that brave man." We 
 regret to state that no monument has ever been erected 
 to his memory in pursuance of that or any other 
 resolve.* 
 
 * Tlie scenes with which this sturdy old patriot was connected, were 
 of thrilling and romantic interest. His interview with Brant, at Una- 
 dilla ; his conduct on the bloody field of Oriskany, and his subsequent 
 death, were all characteristic, and would form a fine subject for the 
 poet or the painter. Henry R. Schoolcraft, Esq., to whom the country 
 is so much indebted for liis researches in Indian history, thus describes 
 the closing scenes : 
 
 " The wounded General himself was thus carried by his affectionate 
 soldiery to his own house, below the Little Falls, with his leg badly 
 shattered and bandaged. Ten days after the battle, amiDutation 
 became necessary. The operation was unskillfully performed by a 
 French surgeon in Arnold's detachment, who could not succeed in effec- 
 tually staunching the blood, and he thus fell a victim to professional 
 ignorance. But he preserved, on his dying bed, the same calmness and 
 composure which had marked liis conduct on the field. As he saw 
 that his dissolution must shortly ensue from the continued bleeding and 
 the bad state of his wound, he called for his family Bible, and having 
 gathered his domestic circle around him, he read aloud, in a clear 
 voice, the thirty -ninth psalm — ' Lord, rebuke me not in thy wrath, 
 neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure ; for thine arrows stick fast 
 in me, and thy hand presseth me sore.' The entire psalm is one of 
 pingular appropriateness ; and the acquaintance with the sacred volume 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 105 
 
 Tryon County siiflTered dreadfully in this battle ; 
 Col. Cox, Majors Eisinlord, Klepsattie, and Van Slyck 
 were killed, as was also Thomas Spencer, the Indian 
 interpreter. 
 
 John Frey, major of brigade, with Col. Bellenger, 
 were taken prisoners. Most of the inferior officers 
 were either killed or taken. The county was tilled 
 with mourning. The enemy sustained a severe loss 
 likewise. The Indians, according to their own state- 
 ments, lost in killed nearly 100 warriors. More than 
 30 of the Seneca tribe alone were killed. The loss of 
 the regulars and Tories is not known, but in the con- 
 test with Herkimer and Willet must have been nearly 
 or quite a hundred. 
 
 The following- extracts are from a statement made 
 
 which its selection evinces, proves that if, in the field, he was an un- 
 daunted soldier, he was not less, on the threshold of another world, a 
 trustful Christian, Other generals have fallen in the arms of victory, 
 but Nicholas Herkimer may be said to have fallen in the arms of his 
 Maker. Congress passed a resolution, and appropriated money to 
 erect a monument to his memory — an act of justice yet unperformed ; 
 but his name has long been inscribed in the hearts of liis countrymen 
 as one of the noble patriots to whom we owe our national indepen- 
 dence." — Proceedings of the A^. Y. Historical Society !' 
 
 Two or three years ago, upon the memorial of the New York His- 
 torical Society, a bill was reported by the Committee on Revolutionaiy 
 Claims, in the House of Representatives of the United States, making 
 a liberal appropriation for the erection of a monument to Herkimer. 
 But it was swallowed up in the great gulf of " unfinished business ;" 
 the bill was never reached on the calendar. The remains of General 
 Herkimer lie buried in the hillside, near his former residence, at a 
 point overloking, to a great extent, the valley of the Mohawk. But 
 there is no monument to attract the attention of the teeming millions 
 who throng that great travelled thoroughfare. A small rough and ur- 
 
106 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 by the State Council of Safety, on the 15th of August, 
 to the delegates of the province in General Congress: 
 
 " If it is not inconsistent with the general interest, 
 \ve would most earnestly wish for one or two regiments 
 of riflemen, who would be very useful in our woody 
 countr}^, and whose very name would serve to intimi- 
 date the savages. Would the circumstances admit of 
 our drawing our whole force to a point, and were the 
 passes to the southward secured by a sufficient number 
 of troops, exclusive of our militia, we should not have 
 thought it necessary to call in any aid from the neigh- 
 boring States ; but at present, attacked on every side, 
 we stand in need of more assistance than we have, 
 from present appearances, reason to hope for." 
 
 The same report thus alludes to the late transaction 
 in Tryon County : 
 
 hewn head-stone, without figui'e or letter of any description, alone marks 
 the place of his sepulture. 
 
 It is a matter of some historical interest, that the siege of Fort Schuy- 
 ler and battle of Oriskany, was the^rs^ subject of congratulation in the 
 first message oi the first Governor of the State of N'ew York. 
 
 "At present, by the kind interposition of Providence, the cloud which 
 hung over us seems in a great measure disjaelled, and we have reason 
 to expect a happy issue to this campaign. The good conduct and 
 bravery of the garrisoti of Fort Schuyler, seconded by the intrepidity of 
 the late gallant General Herkimer aiid the militia of Tryon County, 
 have entirely frustrated the designs of the enemy upon that part of the 
 State" — Extract from Message of Gov. George Clinton, Sept. 10, 1177. 
 
 And, singular as it may seem, the subject of a monimient to General 
 Herkimer, formed the last recommendation in the last message of De 
 Witt Clinton, the illustrious nephew of the first Governor : 
 
 " At the last meeting of the Legislature, I recommended a monu- 
 mental erection in honor of General Herkimer, and to which I beg 
 leave to refer you." — Gov. ClintovUs Message, Jan. 1st, 1828. 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 107 
 
 ''By the papers enclosed you will find that our troops 
 and militia have behaved with becoming spirit in 
 Tryon County ; but as it is out of our power to sup- 
 port them, we fear that that county must fall into the 
 hands of the enemy ; in which case, by means of the 
 Indians, who will then be wholly in their power, they 
 may ravage all that part of this State which lies to the 
 westward of Hudson's River, as well as the frontiers of 
 New Jersey and Pennsylvania." 
 
 After reviewing the general state of the province, 
 and remarking that in many places the disaffected had 
 gained the ascendency, and compelled the Whigs to 
 side with them, they added, with true Spartan spirit : 
 " We are resolved, if we do fall, ta fall as becomes 
 brave men." 
 
 But to return to Fort Schuyler: St. Leger, availing 
 himself of this disastrous battle, endeavored by strong 
 representations of Indian cruelty to obtain immediate 
 possession of the fort. Major Frey, who was wounded, 
 and Col. Bellenger, both prisoners, threatened proba- 
 bly with the treatment which some others received, 
 on the evening of the battle wrote to Col. Gansevoort 
 the following letter : 
 
 '' 9 o'' clock J P. M, — Camp before Fori Stanwix, 
 
 6th August, 1777. 
 " Sir, 
 " It is with concern we are to acquaint you that this 
 was the fatal day in which the succors, which were 
 intended for your relief, have been attacked and de- 
 feated with great loss of numbers of killed, wounded, 
 and taken prisoners. Our regard for your safety and 
 
108 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 lives, and our sincere advice to j^ou is, if you will 
 avoid inevitable ruin and deslruction, to surrender the 
 fort you pretend to defend against a formidable body 
 of troops and a good train of artillery, whicli we are 
 witnesses of ; when at the same time you have no 
 farther support or relief to expect. We are sorry to 
 inform you tliat most of the principal officers are kill- 
 ed, to wit. Gen. Herkimer, Colonels Cox, Seeber, 
 Isaac Paris, Captain Graves, and many others, too 
 tedious to mention. The British army from Canada 
 being now perhaps before Albany, the possession of 
 which place of course includes the conquest of the 
 Mohawk River and this fort." 
 
 The following endorsement is on tlie back of this, 
 letter : " Gen. St. Leger, on the day of the date of 
 this letter ; made a verbal summons of the fort by his 
 adjutant general, and Colonel Butler, and who then 
 handed this letter ; when Colonel Gansevoort refused 
 any ans\ver to a verbal summons, unless made by 
 Gen. St. Leger himself, but at the mouth of his can- 
 non" — a written summons was the result. This de- 
 mand was repeated on the 8th, when the adjutant 
 general and Col. Butler were led blindfolded into 
 the presence of the gallant commanders, Gansevoort 
 and Willet. To the promises and threats of Butler 
 they replied, that it would only be another Fort Wil- 
 liam Henry scene, and that they would not surrender 
 it, and especially upon a verbal summons. 
 
 On the 9th, St. Leger wrote Col. Gansevoort the 
 following letter : 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 109 
 
 " Sir, 
 " Agreeably to your wishes, I have the honor to 
 give you, on paper, the message of yesterday ; though 
 I cannot conceive, explicit and humane as it was, how it 
 could admit of more than one construction. After the 
 defeat of the reinforcement, and the fate of all your 
 principal leaders, on which naturally you built your 
 hopes, and having the strongest reason, from verbal 
 intelligence, and the matter contained in the letters 
 tliat fell into my hands, and knowing thoroughly the 
 situation of Gen. Burgoyne's army, to be confident 
 that you are without resource ; in my fears and ten- 
 derness for your personal safety from the hands of the 
 Indians, enraged for the loss of some of their principal 
 and most favorite leaders, I called to council the chiefs 
 of all the nations, and after having used every method 
 that humanity could suggest, to soften their minds, 
 and lead them patiently to bear their own losses, by- 
 reflecting on the irretrievable misfortune of their ene- 
 my, I at last labored the point my humanity wished 
 for ; which the chiefs assured me of the next morning, 
 after a consultation with each nation that evening, at 
 their fire-places. Their answer, in its fullest extent, 
 they insisted should be carried by Col. Butler ; which 
 he has given you in the most categorical manner. 
 You are well acquainted that Indians never send mes- 
 sages without accompanying them with menaces on 
 non-compliance, that a civilized enemy would never 
 think of doing. You may rest assured, therefore, 
 that no insult was meant to be offered to your situa- 
 tion by the king's servants in the message ihey per- 
 emptorily demanded to be carried by Col. Butler ; I 
 
110 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 am now to repeat what has been told you by my ad- 
 jutant general. That provided you deliver up your 
 garrison, with everything as it stood at the moment 
 the first message was sent, your people shall be treated 
 with every attention that a humane and generous 
 enemy can give. 
 
 I have the honor to be, Sir, 
 
 Your most obedient and humble servant, 
 
 Barry St. Leger, 
 Brigadier General of his Majesty'' s Forces. 
 Camp before Fort Stanwix, Aug, 9thy 1777. 
 " P. S. I expect an immediate answer, as the In- 
 dians are extremely impatient ; and if this proposal is 
 rejected, I am afraid it will be attended with very 
 fatal consequences, not only to you and your garrison, 
 but the whole country down the Mohawk River ; such 
 consequences as would be very repugnant to my senti- 
 ments of humanity, but after this entirely out of my 
 power to prevent." 
 
 Colonel Gansevoort returned the following laconic 
 answer : 
 '<■ Sir, 
 " In answer to your letter of this day's date, I have 
 only to say that it is my determined resolution, with 
 the forces under my command, to defend this fort, at 
 every hazard, to the last extremity, in behalf of the 
 United American States, who have placed me here to 
 defend it against all their enemies. 
 I have the honor to be^ Sir, 
 
 Your most obt. and humble ser't, 
 
 Peter Gansevoort, 
 CoL commanding. Fort Stanwix, 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. HI 
 
 St. Leger threw up several redoubts, but his artil- 
 lery was not sufficient to make any impression upon 
 the fort. '' The siege continued until the 22d of Au- 
 gust, 1777, when St. Leger had advanced to within 
 one hundred and fifty yards of the fort. Ignorant of 
 the fate of Colonel Willet, his second in command, 
 who, with Lieutenant Stockwell, had undertaken a 
 hazardous enterprise to procure relief for the garrison ; 
 his provisions daily exhausting; some of his officers, 
 anxious to accept the proffered protection of St. Le- 
 ger from the fury of the savages by making a timely 
 surrender ; all communication with the fort cut off by 
 the besiegers, and having no certain prospect of re- 
 lief; Gansevoort, who knew not how to yield when 
 he was guarding his country's honor and safety, had 
 adopted the desperate resolution, in case no reinforce- 
 ment should arrive before his provisions were reduced 
 to a few days' supply (after distributing them among 
 his men) to head the brave remnant of his garrison, 
 and fight his way at night through the enemy, or 
 perish in the attempt. Those who knew him best, 
 knew how well he dared to execute his resolves."* 
 
 Col. Willet and Lieut. Stockwell left the fort by 
 night, and, having eluded the enemy, passed down 
 the Mohawk country for the purpose of again assem- 
 bling the militia for its relief. It is one among the 
 many instances of personal courage which were ex- 
 hibited upon this frontier, by that intrepid soldier. 
 Col. Willet. So successful was he in all his move- 
 ments, that the Indians, believing him to be possessed 
 
 * American Biographical Dictionary. 
 
112 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 of supernatural powers, gave to him the name of " the 
 Devil." 
 
 Gen. Schuyler, who from the beginning had felt a 
 great anxiety as to the event of this siege, knowing 
 how disastrous it would be, should the fort be taken, 
 on the news of the defeat of Gen. Herkimer dis- 
 patched Gens. Learned and Arnold, with a brigade 
 of men, to its relief. Under date of August 10th, Al- 
 bany, he wrote Col. Gansevoort the following letter : 
 
 "Dear Colonel — A body of troops left this yester- 
 day, and others are following, to raise the siege of 
 Fort Schuyler. Everybody here believes you will 
 defend it to the last ; and I strictly enjoin you so 
 to do. 
 
 " Gen. Burgoyne is at Fort Edward — our army at 
 Stillwater — great reinforcements coming from the 
 eastward, and we trust all will be well, and that the 
 enemy will be repulsed." 
 
 ' Gen. Arnold, with about 900 light troops, leaving 
 behind all the heavy baggage, advanced some dis- 
 tance before Gen. Learned, and on the 22d of Au- 
 gust addressed the following letter to Col. Ganse- 
 voort, dated at German Flats : 
 
 " Dear Colonel — I wrote you the 19tli, that I 
 should be with you in a few days ; since which your 
 express is arrived, and informs me you are in high 
 spirits, and no apprehensions at present. I have been 
 retarded by the badness of the roads, waiting for some 
 baggage and ammunition wagons, and for the militia, 
 who did not at first turn out with that spirit I expect- 
 ed ; they are now joining me in great numbers ; a 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 113 
 
 few days will relieve you ; be under no ! ind of app:e- 
 hension ; I know the strength of the enemy, and how 
 to deal with them. Enclosed are several letters and 
 papers, which will announce to you a signal victory 
 gained by Gen. Stark over the enemy ; you will ac- 
 cept my congratulatory compliments on tlie occasion. 
 Howe, with the shattered remnant of his army, are 
 now on shipboard. The last date was the 4th Au- 
 gust; he was in the Gulf Stream, becalmed. Bur- 
 goyne, I hear this minute, is retreating to 'I y. I 
 make no doubt our army, which is near fil'teen thou- 
 sand, will cut off his retreat. 
 
 '' Adieu, and believe me to ba, dear colonel, yours 
 sincerely, 
 
 B. Arnold.'' 
 
 From this place, a few days before, Gen. Arnold 
 sent forward Hanyost Schuyler, a refugee, to the 
 camp of St. Leger. He had given him his liberty, on 
 condition that he would announce his approach, and 
 make an exaggerated statement of his forces. He re- 
 tained his brother as an hostage. 
 
 In the camp of St. Leger all was confusion. The 
 Indians, disappointed in obtaining plunder, and en- 
 raged on account of their losses, could scarcely be re- 
 strained. They supposed ti at in the action they had 
 fired across and killed each other. The confusion 
 was greatly increased by the arrival of Schuyler. On 
 being questioi:ed as to the number of troops approach- 
 ing, he answered — he knew not, but they were as 
 numerous as the leaves upon the forest trees. The 
 Indians refused to remain any longer. All the arts of 
 6 
 
114 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 their leaders were unavailing. On the 22cl of August, 
 St. Leger retired in great confusion, leaving his camp 
 with a great part of his baggage. The Indians plun- 
 dered from their friends in the retreat, and, it is said, 
 raised a shout that the Americans were coming, and 
 then amused themselves in witnessing the terror it 
 occasioned. St. Leger has been accused by his subal- 
 tern officers of a want of energy. He is said to have 
 been in a state of intoxication during most of the time 
 his forces lay before the fort. 
 
 Thus ended the siege of Fort Schuyler, and a cam- 
 paign which, at the commencement, threatened the 
 valley of the Mohawk with conquest and devastation. 
 
 On the 24th of August, Gen. Arnold arrived, to the 
 great joy of the garrison. 
 
 The fury and cruelty of the Indians and Tories may 
 be learned from the following affidavit, the original 
 of which is now in the office of the Secretary of State. 
 The high standing of Dr. Younglove, who died a few 
 years since in the city of Hudson, is a sufficient vou- 
 cher for its truth. The compiler has seen several 
 persons to whom the same facts were communicated 
 by him in his lifetime. 
 
 '' Moses Younglove,* surgeon of General Herki- 
 mer's brigade of militia, deposeth and saith, that being 
 in the battle of said militia, above Oriskany, on the 
 6th of August last, toward the close of said battle he 
 surrendered himself a prisoner to a savage, vvbo im- 
 mediately gave him up to a sergeant of Sir John 
 Johnson's regiment; soon after which, a lieutenant in 
 
 * See Appendix — Note E, 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 115 
 
 the Indian department came up, in company with 
 several other Tories, when said Mr. Grinnis by name, 
 drew his tomahawk at this deponent, and with deal 
 of persuasion was hardly prevailed on to spare his 
 life. He then plundered him of his watch, buckles, 
 spurs, &c., and other Tories following his example, 
 stripped him almost naked, with a great many threats, 
 while they were stripping and massacreing prisoners 
 on every side. That this deponent, on being brought 
 before Mr. Butler, senior, who demanded of him what 
 he was fighting for ; to which this deponent answered, 
 ' he fought for the liberty that God and nature gave 
 him, and to defend himself and dearest connections 
 from the massacre of savages.^ To which Butler re- 
 plied, ' you are a damned impudent rebel ;' and so 
 saying, immediately turned to the savages, encourag- 
 ing them to kill him, and if they did not, the depo- 
 nent and the other prisoners should be hanged on a 
 gallows then preparing. That several prisoners were 
 then taken forward towards the enemy's head-quar- 
 ters, with frequent scenes of horror and massacre, 
 in which Tories were active as well as savages ; and 
 in particular, one Davis, formerly known in Tryon 
 County, on the Mohawk River. That Lieut. Single- 
 ton, of Sir John Johnson's regiment, being wounded, 
 entreated the savages to kill tlie prisoners ; Avhich 
 they accordingly did, as nigh as this deponent can 
 judge, about six or seven. 
 
 "That Isaac Paris, Esq., was also taken the same 
 road without receiving from them any remarkable 
 insnlt except stripping, until some Tories came np,who 
 kicked and abused him, after w4iich the savages, 
 thinking him a notable offender, murdered him bar- 
 
116 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 barously. That those of the prisoners who were de- 
 livered up to the provost guards, were kept without 
 victuals for many days, and liad neither clothes, blan- 
 kets, shelter nor fire, wliile the guards were ordered 
 not to use any violence in protecting the prisoners 
 from the savages, who came every day in large com- 
 panies with knives, feeling of the prisoners, to know 
 who were fattest. That the}^ dragged one of the pris- 
 oners out of the guard with the most lamentable cries ; 
 tortured him for a long time, and this deponent was 
 informed by both Tories and Indians, that they ate 
 him, as appears they did another on an island in 
 Lake Ontario, by bones found there nearly picked, 
 just after they had crossed the lake with the prison- 
 ers. That the prisoners who were not delivered up, 
 were murdered in considerable numbers from day to 
 day round the camp, some of them so nigh that their 
 shrieks were heard. That Capt. Martin, of the bat- 
 teaux-men, was delivered to the Indians at Oswego, 
 on pretense of his having kept back some useful in- 
 telligence. That this deponent during his imprison- 
 ment, and his fellows, were kept almost starved for 
 provisions, and what they drew were of the w^orst 
 kind, such* as spoiled flour, biscuit full of maggots and 
 mouldy, and no soap allowed, or other method of keep- 
 ing clean, and were insulted, struck, &c., without 
 mercy by the guards, without any provocation given. 
 That this deponent was informed by several sergeants 
 orderly on Gen. St. Leger, that twenty dollars were 
 offered in general orders for every American scalp. 
 
 Moses Younglove. 
 
 John Barclay, Chairman of Albany Committee.'*^ 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. HY 
 
 Col. Gansevoort, in a letter under date of July 29th, 
 confirms the statement, that St. Leger had offered 
 twenty dollars for every American scalp. Small par- 
 ties of Indians were then lurking around. A few 
 days before, he adds, a firing was heard in the woods 
 about five hundred yards from the fort. On sallying 
 out, it was found that the Indians had fired upon 
 three young girls who were eng^aged picking ber- 
 ries. Two of them were killed and scalped, and 
 the third made her escape, wounded by two balls 
 shot through her shoulder. The foregoing statements 
 need no comment. The men who employed such 
 instruments, and who stimulated them by promises 
 and rewards, have received the just execration of an 
 indignant people. I shall leave it to the reader to 
 compare their conduct with their professions. 
 
 The retreat of St. Leger, with the success of the 
 American arms at Bennington, restored hope and ani- 
 mation. Tryon County, smiling through her tears, 
 obeyed with alacrity the call to reinforce Gen. Gates 
 in the month of September following. Her militia 
 mounted on horseback, some without saddles, others 
 without bridles, sallied forth. If as uncouth in ap- 
 pearance, they were equally as zealous as the Knight 
 of La Mancha. Large reinforcements of eastern 
 militia having come on, the Tryon County militia 
 were directed to return hom^ before the surrender. 
 The splendid victory over Burgoyne at Saratoga, with 
 the surrender of his whole arm}^, produced feelings of 
 joy in the bosom of the Americans as deep and per- 
 vading as had been those of their despondency. 
 Counting upon that success, many a hope was enter- 
 
118 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 tained, and many a prayer put up, that a speedy ter- 
 mination would be put to the unhappy war in which 
 they were engaged. 
 
 It is not our province to inquire into the policy or 
 propriety of the change of commanders of the north- 
 ern army. Gen. Schuyler* was always a favorite 
 with the inhabitants of New York. Those few sur- 
 vivors, who have come down to us, the relics of his 
 day, still cherish his name in grateful remembrance. 
 Tryon County owed much to his vigilance and atten- 
 tion. He rejoiced with her when she rejoiced, and 
 wept with her when she wept. Alive to her exposed 
 situation, he was always ready to afford relief, so far 
 as it could be done consistently. The following is 
 the conclusion of one of his letters to the committee 
 on this subject, under date of July the 4th, 1777. 
 
 " I entreat you to keep up the spirits of the people ; 
 encourage them to step forth with alacrity whenever 
 they may be called upon, and our enemies will be 
 baffled in their attempts ; and do not suppose that the 
 United States of America will not aff'ord you protec- 
 tion. I am sure I have always been ready and 
 willing to afford every protection in my power, and 
 hitherto it has been effectual, for no mischief worth 
 mentioning has as yet been perpetrated in any part of 
 your county, and you may depend upon it that upon 
 no necessary occasion will you be left without proper 
 support. May God keep you in his protection, is the 
 sincere wish of, gentlemen. 
 
 Your friend and humble servant, 
 
 Philip Schuyler." 
 
 * See Appendix — Note G. 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 119 
 
 The Baroness De Reidesel, whose husband acted 
 a conspicuous part under Burgoyne, bears the follow- 
 ing- testimony to his character, which I trust I shall be 
 excused for inserting-. After the surrender of Bur- 
 goyne, she was invited by Gen. Schuyler to spend 
 some time in his family ; Gen. Burgoyne was also a 
 guest. 
 
 '' Some days after this we arrived at Albany, where 
 we so often wished ourselves ; but we did not enter it 
 as we expected we should, victors ; we were received 
 by the good Gen. Schuyler, his wife and daughters, 
 not as enemies, but kind friends, and they treated us 
 with the most marked attention and politeness, as 
 they did Gen. Burgoyne, who had caused Gen. Schuy- 
 ler's beautifully finished house to be burnt. In fact, 
 they behaved like persons of exalted minds, who de- 
 termined to bury all recollections of their own injuries 
 in the contemplation of our misfortunes." Gen. Bur- 
 goyne was struck with Gen. Schuyler's generosity, 
 and said to him, " You show me great kindness, 
 although I have done you much injury." '' That was 
 the fate of war," replied the brave man ; " let us say 
 no more about it," 
 
120 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK: OR. 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 " Sad was the year ; by proud oppression driven, 
 
 When transatlantic Liberty arose ; 
 
 Not in the sunshine and the smile of heaven, 
 
 But wrapt in whirlwinds and begirt with woes ; 
 
 Amidst the strife of fratricidal foes 
 
 Her bright star was the hght of burning plain 
 
 Her baptism is the weiglit of blood that flows 
 
 From kindred hearts— the blood of Pritisii veins ; 
 And famine tracks her steps and pestilential j)ains." 
 
 It has been mentioned in a preceding" chapter, that 
 the inhabitants of Cherry Valley signed the associa- 
 tion early in the siunmer of 1775. Their committee 
 met with the committee of the county, and were con- 
 nected with the transactions of that summer. It was 
 stated in the account which has been given of the 
 early settlement of Cherry Valley, that its inhabitar.ts 
 were very strict in their observances. The following 
 letter was written by the committee, and is in con- 
 firmation of that statement : 
 
 Cherry Valley^ June 9th, 1775. 
 
 ''Sirs, 
 
 '' We received yours of yesterday, relative to the 
 
 meeting of tlie -committee on Sunday, which surprised 
 
 lis not a little, inasmuch as it seems not to be on any 
 
 alarming circumstance; which, if it was, we should 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 121 
 
 readily attend. But as that does not appear to us to 
 be the case, we think it is very improper ; for unless 
 the necessity of the committee sitting superexceed the 
 duties to be performed in attending the public worship 
 of God, we think it ought to be put off till another 
 day ; and therefore we conclude not to give our 
 attendance at this time, unless you adjourn the sitting 
 of the committee till Monday morning; and in that 
 case, we will give our attendance as early as you 
 please. But otherwise, we do not allow ourselves to 
 be cut short of attending on the public worship ; ex- 
 cept the case be so necessitous as to exceed sacrifice. 
 We conclude with wishing success to the common 
 cause, and subscribe ourselves the free-born sons of 
 
 liberty. 
 
 John Moore. 
 Samuel Clyde. 
 Samuel Campbell. 
 " If you proceed to sit on the Sabbath, please to 
 read this letter to the committee, which we think will 
 sufficiently assign our reasons for not attending.'* 
 This letter was sent to the county committee. 
 
 During the early part of the summer of 1776, Capt. 
 Robert M'Kean of Cherry Valley raised a company 
 of rangers, who were stationed at that place. As this 
 settlement was the principal one to ihe soutli of the 
 Mohawk, it was much exposed to incursions of the 
 Indians in that direction. The Indians had their 
 paths from Oquago along up the main streams flow- 
 ing into the eastern branch of the Susquehanna. 
 From thence they passed through the low indeiTta- 
 6* 
 
122 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 tions to the Mohawk. One of these passes was 
 through Cherry Valley. Every movement of the 
 Indians about Oquago was calculated, therefore, to 
 excite their fears. Orders having been given for the 
 removal of Capt. M'Kean's company, the following 
 letter was written to the committee, in the name of 
 the inhabitants, by the Rev. Mr. Dunlop, under date 
 of June 3d, 1776. 
 
 '^ We, tlie inhabitants of Cherry Valley, being 
 assembled yesterday at a public town-meeting, and 
 among other things taking the present critical situa- 
 tion of affairs into consideration, looked upon our- 
 selves, and the neighborhood around us, Springfield 
 and Newtown-Martin, as a frontier, lying very open 
 and unguarded, and very much exposed to the enemy, 
 in case an Indian war should break out, or any party 
 of the enemy should take it into their heads to come 
 down upon iis ; and that it would be absolutely neces- 
 sary to have a party of men stationed here among us, 
 in order to keep a sharp look-out, and to scout all 
 around our frontiers ; lest at any time we be taken by 
 surprise. And therefore, have appointed me to write 
 to you, to lay this matter warmly before the commit- 
 tee, and earnestly to impress them with the absolute 
 necessity of the thing, and to beg of them, that if 
 Capt. M'Kean and his company be removed from this 
 place, that they would be pleased to send some others 
 in his stead ; that we may not lie altogether naked 
 and exposed to the assaults of the enemy." 
 
 The committee not being able to comply with this 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 123 
 
 request, on the 1st of July several of the inhabitants 
 drew up and signed the following petition : 
 
 '' To the honorable members of the Provincial Con- 
 gress of New York — 
 
 " The humble petition of the inhabitants of Cherry 
 Valley, Newtown-Martin, and Springfield, in the 
 county of Tryon, humbly showeth : 
 
 '' That we, the aforesaid inhabitants, from the most 
 authentic intelligence we have received from our mis- 
 sionaries and Indian friends, learn that we are in im- 
 minent danger of being cut off by the savages, our 
 enemies, whom we understand are bribed by Sir John 
 Johnson and Col. Butler to execute the same. 
 
 ^^Know also, honorable gentlemen, that the spirit of 
 our inhabitants has been such for the American cause, 
 that out of the small and scattered bounds of Cherry 
 Valley and Newtown-Martin, no less than thirty- 
 three has turned out for immediate service, and good 
 of their country, and thereby left us in a defenseless 
 condition. 
 
 " We therefore, your humble petitioners, humbly 
 pray you would forthwith take this, our deplorable 
 and distressed state and condition, under your imme- 
 diate consideration, and meditate some speedy relief 
 for us, before it be too late ; especially, as the inhab- 
 itants of the Old England district, and Unadilla, are 
 daily flying in to our settlement, so that we shall im- 
 mediately, in all appearance, become an open, defense- 
 less, and unguarded frontier, and very much exposed 
 to the insnlts of the enemy, especially scalping parties ; 
 9.fici are at present without either ammunition or men. 
 
X24 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 any way sufficient to defend ourselves ; and unless 
 you, gentlemen, that can help us, will help us, hy 
 sending ammunition to the inhabitants, and a suffi- 
 cient number of men, such as )^ou may think proper, 
 to guard our frontiers, we must expect to fall victims 
 to tlie rage and fury of our merciless enemies. And, 
 therefore, must once more beg you may take this our 
 deplorable circumstances underyour consideration, and 
 send us immediate relief, and your petitioners shall 
 ever pray." 
 
 This petition was signed by Samuel Dunlop, Sam- 
 uel Campbell, James Scott, Robert Wells, James 
 Richey, James Moore, Samuel Clyde. TJieir req lest 
 was now granted, and a company of rangers under 
 Capt. Winn was ordered here. 
 
 Those persons who had held commissions, or who 
 were exempt from military duty in consequence of 
 being above 60 years of age, formed themselves into a 
 company to protect themselves and families. The 
 spirit of disaffection found its way into this settlement, 
 and several went to the enemy during the campaign 
 of 1777. No fortification had yet been erected. Brant, 
 during the summer of 1777, had collected a conside- 
 rable number of warriors at Oquago. His visit to 
 Unadilla, as before stated, excited the fears of the in- 
 habitants, and they deemed it necessary that some 
 more efficient steps should be taken, to prepare for a 
 defense, in case they should be attacked. The house 
 of Col. Samuel Campbell, being the largest, and situ- 
 ated on elevated ground, was selected as the best place 
 for a fortification. A rude embankment of logs and 
 earth was thrown up, enclosing the house and two 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 125 
 
 large barns. The inhabitants of the surrounding 
 country assembled there, carrying with them such of 
 the.r effects as were most valuable. The doors were 
 doubled, strong window-shutters were provided, and 
 the whole rendered bullet proof. Two small block- 
 houses w^ere erected within the enclosure. Military 
 law was enforced, and no person was suffered to come 
 into, or leave the settlement, without permission. 
 They remained in this situation during most of the 
 summer, and in the fall returned to their respective 
 habitations. They obeyed the call of Gen, Herkimer, 
 but, being detained, did not arrive until after the action. 
 Lieut. Col. Campbell, and Major, afterward Col. 
 Clyde, were the only persons from Cherry Vulley in 
 the battle of Orisk'any. They were next in command 
 to Col. Cox, and at the close of that unfortunate con- 
 test led off the remains of his brave regiment. 
 
 In the spring of 1778, when Gen. La Fayette was 
 at Johnstown, Col. Campbell and Mr. Wilson waited 
 upon him, and represented the exposed situation of 
 C. erry Valley. After examining its location on a map 
 which they furnished him, he directed a fort to be 
 built there. It was considered an object of great im- 
 portance to keep the inhabitants of the frontiers at 
 their homes, as by moving in they would necessarily 
 create great confusion, and would expose to sudden 
 inroads of the enemy places of great importance. For 
 this reason, small forts were elected, and military 
 posts were maintained along the frontier, wherever it 
 was found practicable. 
 
 A fort was subsequently erected, in pursuance of the 
 directions of Gen. La Fayette. Early in the spring, 
 
126 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 the inhabitants returned to their old quarters, where 
 they remained until it was completed. Many of the 
 inhabitants of Unadilla and other towns came in. 
 As all the exercises and sports were of a military na- 
 ture, the younger boys, in imitation of their elders, 
 formed themselves into a company. Those who were 
 acquainted with military evolutions, instructed them. 
 Armed with wooden guns, they paraded with all the 
 pride of soldiers. It was a fine pleasant morning, to- 
 ward the latter part of May, that these minature 
 soldiers sallied out, and paraded upon the green east 
 of the house. That morning. Brant, having come up 
 from Oquago with a party of his men, had posted 
 them upon the hill about a mile farther east ; and con- 
 cealed by the thick woods which covered it, was look- 
 ing down upon the little fortification. His intention, 
 as afterwards explained by a Tory who accompanied 
 him, was to make an attack the following night, and 
 either to kill, or carry away prisoners, some of the 
 principal persons, and especially the committee. This 
 sagacious warrior was deceived when he saw this little 
 company of boys. Looking down from an elevation, 
 and the view being obstructed by the trees, he sup- 
 posed them to be men. Turning round to his follow- 
 ers he remarked — " Col. Campbell has got his house 
 well guarded, I perceive." During the day, he ascer- 
 tained that the inhabitants were in garrison, but that 
 no militia or soldiers from abroad were there. Wish- 
 ing to gain definite information, as to the force, and 
 the preparations for defense, he moved his party to a 
 place near the main road leading to the Mohawk 
 River, about two miles to the north. Here he lay in 
 wait behind a large rock. 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 127 
 
 A short distance from this, the road wound along 
 near the top of a ledge of rocks, forming a precipice 
 a hundred and fifty feet high. It was shaded by ev- 
 ergreens, and was dark even at mid-day. Its wildness 
 was increased by the dashing of a small stream which 
 fell over this precipice, called by the Indians the falls 
 of the Tekaharawa. That day, Lieut. Wormwood 
 came up from the Mohawk River, and informed the 
 garrison that Col. Klock would arrive the next day, 
 with a part of his regiment of militia. It was almost 
 night when he started to return, accompanied by 
 Peter Sitz, the bearer of some dispatches. Throwing 
 down his portmanteau, he mounted his horse, saying 
 he should not need it until his return an the morrow, 
 with his company. The fine personal appearance of 
 this young ofl^cer, who was clad in a rich suit of ash- 
 colored velvet, attracted much attention during his 
 stay ; and many persons remained at the door, look- 
 ing at the horsemen until they were hid by the hill 
 over which they passed. The clattering of hoofs had 
 scarcely died away upon the ear, when the report of 
 a volley of musketry was heard. Soon after. Worm- 
 wood's horse returned ; the saddle was covered with 
 blood, which excited fears as to his fate but too well 
 founded. A party went out that evening, but could 
 make no discoveries. The next morning the body 
 was found behind the rock before mentioned. They 
 had arrived near the rock, when they were hailed, and 
 ordered to stop. Disregarding the order, they put 
 spurs to tlieir horses, and endeavored to pass. The 
 Indians immediately fired ; Wormwood was wounded, 
 and fell from his horsey when Brant, rushing out, 
 
128 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 tomahawked him with his own hand. They had 
 been personal friends before th^ war, and Brant is said 
 to have lamented his death ; at the time he supposed 
 him to be a continental officer. Sitz's horse was 
 killed, and he himself taken prisoner. Tlie dis- 
 patches which he carried were double. He had pres- 
 ence of mind to destroy the paper containing the true 
 account of the garrison, and to give Brant the other. 
 Brant retired without doing any other injury. The 
 next day, Col. Klock arrived, and the father of 
 Wormwood, who had been immediately apprised of 
 the death of his son. He was a wealthy man, living 
 in Palatine district, and this was his only son. His 
 feelings, as he bent over the dead and mutilated body, 
 were excruciating ; and when, in the agony of his 
 soul, he cried out, ''Brant, cruel, cruel Brant!" 
 tears started in many an eye which scarcely knew how 
 to weep. 
 
 On account of their exposure to sudden attacks of 
 scalping parties, the inhabitants joined together and 
 went round over the different farms ; some stood as 
 sentinels, while others labored. This course was not 
 peculiar to this place ; it was adopted along the whole 
 frontier. William M'Kown, then a lad of about four- 
 teen years of age, related the following interview, 
 which he had this summer with Brant. Contrary to 
 custom, he was sent out alone, to cure some hay. 
 While engaged in raking, he heard some one walk- 
 ing behind him, and turning round, perceived an In- 
 dian very near him. He raised his rake to defend 
 himself, when the Indian, addressing him in English, 
 said, *' Do not be afraid, young man, I shall not hurt 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 129 
 
 you." He then inquired where Mr. Foster (a Tory) 
 lived. Having directed hin3, M'liown inquired if he 
 knew him; to which the Indian replied, '^ I am par- 
 tially acquainted with him, having once seen him at the 
 Halfway Creek" (meaning Bowman's Creek, half-way 
 between Cherry Valley and the Mohawk River.) The 
 Indian then inquired of M'Kown his name. ''You 
 are a son of Mr. M'Kown, who lives in the northeast 
 part of the town, I suppose ; I know your father very 
 well ; he lives neighbor to Capt. M'Kean. I know 
 M'Kean very well, and a fine fellow he is, too." 
 This free, familiar conversation induced M'Kown to 
 inquire of the Indian his name. After a moment's 
 hesitation, he answered, " My name» is Brant." 
 '' What! Captain Brant?". ^' No, I am a cousin of 
 his." An arch smile played over his dark features, 
 as he gave this reply; then turning, he. directed his 
 course toward Foster's. It was Joseph Brant him- 
 self, who afterward gave the same account. M'Kown 
 immediately informed the garrison, and a party went 
 directly to Foster's ; but he was not there, and Foster 
 denied having seen him. 
 
 In June of this summer. Brant came up with a 
 party, and burned Springfield, carrying away several 
 prisoners. He collected together the women and chil- 
 dren into one house, and there left them uninjured — 
 an example which was not always followed by his 
 allies. About the same time, it was reported that he 
 was fortifying at Unadilla, and that great numbers of 
 Indians and Tories were collecting around him. A 
 reward was offered to any person or persons who would 
 gain any satisfactory information relative to his pro- 
 
130 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 ceedings there. Capt. M'Kean, who was at this time in 
 Cherry Valley, offered to go as a volunteer, provided 
 he should be accompanied by five others. The com- 
 plement was soon made' up. They arrived the first 
 night at the house of a Mr. Sleeper, a Quaker, who 
 lived in the town of Laurens, a distance of seme twenty- 
 five miles from Cherry Valley. Sleeper informed them 
 that Brant had been at his house that day with fifty men, 
 and would return there that night. He advised them 
 to leave, as they would be killed or taken in the event 
 of his return. M'Kean looked round upon the house 
 with the eye of a soldier ; observing that it was built 
 strong, and of logs, he remarked — '' your house, 
 friend Sleeper, shall be my fort to-night ; I have with 
 me five good marksmen, and I am not myself defi- 
 cient in that qualification of a soldier." Sleeper re- 
 monstrated, saying, '^ he wished to remain neutral ; 
 that he would be involved in difficulty, and in the 
 end would lose his property, probably his life." 
 JVPKean finally withdrew^, and took possession of a 
 vacant house a mile or two distant. It was on this, 
 or another scout a short time afterward, that M'Kean 
 wrote a letter to Brant, and fastening it in a stick, 
 placed the stick in an Indian path. He blamed him 
 for his predatory warfare, and challenged him to meet 
 him, either in single combat, or with an equal num- 
 ber of men, adding, that if he would come to Cherry 
 Valley, and have a fair fight, they would change him 
 from a Brant into a Goose. He received this chal- 
 lenge, as appears by a letter written soon after to 
 Parcifer Carr, a Tory, living in Edmeston. The fol- 
 lowing is an exact transcript of it : 
 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. * 131 
 
 " Tunadilla, July 9, 1778. 
 " Sir, 
 
 '' I understand by the Indians that was at your 
 house last week, that one Smith lives near with you, 
 has little more corn to spare. I should be much 
 obliged to you, if you would be so kind as to try to 
 get as much corn as Smith can spare ; he has sent me 
 five skipples already, of which I am much obliged to 
 him, and will see him paid, and would be very glad 
 if you could spare one or two your men to join us, 
 especially Eiias. I would be glad to see him, and I 
 wish you could sent me as many guns you have, as 
 I know you have no use for them, if you any ; as I 
 mean now to figbt the cruel rebels as well as I can : 
 whatever you will able to sent'd me, you must sent'd 
 by the bearer. 
 
 I am your sincere friend and humble ser't. 
 
 To Mr. Can\ Joseph Brant. 
 
 «^ P. S. I heard that Cherry Valley people is very 
 bold, and intended to make nothing of us ; they call us 
 
 wild geese, but I know the contrary. 
 
 «Uos. B." 
 
 M'Keaft returned along the Susquehanna River, 
 having succeeded in taking two prisoners. He was 
 pursued by the Indians, and narrowly escaped being 
 taken. When he returned to Cherry Valley, Capt. 
 Ballard had arrived with a detachment of 100 men, 
 being a part of Col. Alden's continental regiment. 
 Col. A.lden arrived a day or two after with the 
 remainder of the regiment. Stockades had been 
 placed around the church by the militia and rangers. 
 
132 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 Col. Alden immediately took possession of his little 
 fortress. This was an eastern regiment, and few of 
 the officers or soldiers were conversant with the In- 
 dian mode of fighting. Col. Gansevoort solicited this 
 post when Col. Alden was ordered here ; at the 
 head of the brave regiment he commanded at Fort 
 Schuyler, he would doubtless have given the enemy 
 a different reception on the 11th of November follow- 
 ing- 
 It was jn July of this year, that Col. John Butler and 
 
 Brant, at the head of 800 Indians and rangers, made 
 an incursion into the beautiful valley of Wyoming, and 
 ravaged and laid waste its flourishing settlements. A 
 great number of the inhabitants were killed, and the 
 most wanton acts of barbarity were committed.* The 
 destruction of Wyoming produced a thrill through all 
 the States, and especially along the frontiers similarly 
 exposed. Butler returned to Niagara, and Brant to 
 his stations about Unndilla and Oquago. Brant con- 
 tinued about the branches of the Susquehanna until 
 fall. Early in October, Mr. Dean, the Indian inter- 
 preter and agent, wrote Major Robert Cochrane com- 
 manding at Fort Schuyler, the following letter : 
 
 '^ As the Seneca chief, called the Great Tree^ who 
 was all the summer past with General Washington, 
 returned through Oneida, he gave our friends there 
 the most solemn assurances, that upon his arrival in 
 his country he would exert his utmost influence to 
 dispose his tribe to peace and friendship with the 
 United States, and that should his attempts prove un- 
 
 * See Appendix — N'ote H. 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. I33 
 
 successful he would immediately leave his nation and 
 join the Oneidas with his friends and adherents. A 
 long time having- elapsed without heftiing from the 
 Great Tree, the Oneidas, a few days since, despatched a 
 runner to him, desiring an account of his success. The 
 express returned yesterday with the following intelli- 
 gence, which the sacliems immediately forwarded to 
 me hy three of their warriors, namely : that upon his 
 arrival in the Seneca country he found that whole 
 people in arms, and the two villages, Kanadaseago and 
 Jennessee, where he was, croweded with their warri- 
 ors, who were all collected from the remote settle- 
 ments. That upon the Great Tree's lirst arrival, 
 appearances seemed to promise him success, but that 
 a rumor being' circulated that the Americans were 
 about to invade them, they had all flown to arms. 
 The Great Tree was there, and determined to chastise 
 the enemy that dared presume to think of penetrating 
 their country. 
 
 " That they are to be joined by all the Indians as 
 far as the Onondagas, a small party of which tribe 
 has gone to meet them, and likewise by those of the 
 several settlements upon the branches of the Susque- 
 hanna. That the Senecas were to march the 8th, 
 and the others the 9th instant. That the whole party 
 were to rendezvous at Kanakals, a place situated on 
 that branch of the Susquehanna called Tioga branch, 
 and from thence were to proceed against the frontiers 
 of Pennsylvania or the Jerseys ; our Oneida friends 
 rely on the authenticity of the above intelligence, and 
 beg that it may not. be neglected." 
 
 On the 6th of November the following letter was 
 sent from Fort Schuyler to Col. Alden ; 
 
131 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 '' Sir, 
 
 " We were just now informed by an Oneida Indian, 
 that yesterday an Onondaga Indian arrived at their 
 castle, from one of the branches of the Susquehanna, 
 called the Tioga. That he was present at a great 
 meeting of Indians and Tories at that place, and their 
 result was, to attack Cherry Valley, and that young 
 Butler was to head the Tories. I send you this in- 
 formation that you may be on your guard.'' 
 
 To this letter Col. Alden returned the following 
 answer : 
 
 ''Cherry Valley, JYov. 8th, 1778. 
 '' Sir, 
 '' Received yours of the 6th inst. by express, inform- 
 ing me of the intelligence you obtained by one of the 
 Oneida Indians of a large body of the enemy who 
 were collected on the Susquehanna, and were des- 
 tined to attack this place. I am much obliged to you 
 for your information, and am, 
 
 Sir, your very humble serv't, 
 
 IcHABOD Alden. 
 ^' P. S. Gen. Hand is now here; arrived at this 
 place the day before yesterday ; will return soon to 
 Albany," 
 
 Cnpt. Walter Butler, son of Col. John Butler, who 
 went to Canada in 1775 with Guy Johnson, returned 
 early in this summer to Tryon County, where he was 
 taken prisoner and confined in Albany gaol. Being 
 sick, or pretending to be so, he was removed to a private 
 house in the city, and a sentinel was placed over him. 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 135 
 
 In conjunction with tlie family, who were secretly 
 disaffected, he succeeded in intoxicating the sentinel. 
 A horse was provided for him, and he escaped and 
 went to Niag-ara and joined his fa(her. He here 
 jirocured from him the command of a part of his 
 regiment, called " Butler Rangers," together with 
 permission to employ the forces under Brant. Al- 
 though it was late in the season, he determined to 
 make an incursion into the county, to avenge the 
 wrongs which he supposed himself to have suffered by 
 his imprisonment.^ On his way he met Brant, who 
 was returning to winter quarters at Niagara. Brant 
 was displeased in being thus placed under Walter But- 
 ler, but was finally prevailed on to return with him. 
 Their united forces were five hundred Indians and 
 two hundred Rangers. 
 
 The inhabitants, many of whom had left in the 
 summer, in consequence of the repeated attacks of the 
 Indians upon the frontiers, had now returned to their 
 homes, thinking the season so far advanced that no 
 danger need be apprehended. On the information 
 above being given to Col. Alden, they requested per- 
 mission to remove into the fort, or at least to deposit 
 their most valuable property there. Both requests 
 were denied by Col. Alden, He replied, that it would 
 be a temptation to his soldiers to plunder; that the 
 report was probably unfounded ; that it was only an 
 Indian story, and that he would keep out scouts, who 
 would apprise them in season to secure themselves in 
 case of real danger. Scouts were accordingly sent 
 
 * It was through his agency, doubtless, that the Senecas were roused 
 up, as detailed in the letter of Mr. Dean. 
 
136 BORDEPv, WARFARE OF NEW \URK; OR, 
 
 out to traverse the country in every diection. The 
 scout sent down the Susquehanna kindled up a fire 
 on the night of the 9th, and all very foolishly lay 
 down to sleep. The fire was discovered hy the ene- 
 my, and a little before daylight on the morning of the 
 10th ti ey V ere all surrounded and taken. 
 
 On the night of the 10th the enemy encamped on. 
 the top of a hill thickly covered with evergreens, about 
 a mile southwest from the fort. On the morning of" 
 the 11th the enemy moved from his encampment 
 toward the fort. They had learned from the scout 
 which they had taken, that the officers of the garrison 
 lodged in different private houses out of the fort; their 
 forces were so disposed that a party should surround 
 every house in which an officer lodged nearly at the 
 same time, while the main body would attack the fort. 
 During the night the snow fell several inches. In 
 the morning it turned to rain, and the atmosphere was 
 thick and hazy. The whole settlement thought them- 
 selves secure. The assurances of Col. Alden had in 
 a considerable degree quieted their fears. Everything 
 favored the approach of the enemy undiscovered. 
 Col. Alden and Lieut. Col. Stacia, with a small 
 guard, lodged at Mr. Wells's. A Mr. Hamble was 
 coming up that morning from his house, several miles 
 below, on horseback ; when a short distance from 
 Mr. Wells's house he was fired upon and wounded by 
 the Indians. He rode in great haste to inform Col. 
 Alden of their approach, and then hastened to the 
 fort. Still incredulous, and believing them to be only 
 a straggling party, he ordered the guard to be called 
 in. The delay of a few minutes gave the Indians 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. isl 
 
 time to arrive. The Rangers had stopped to examine 
 their firelocks, the powder in which had been wet 
 with tfie rain. The Indians, improving this opportu- 
 nity, rushed by. Tlie advance body was composed 
 principally of Senecas, at that time the wildest and 
 most ferocious of the Six Nations. Col. Alden made 
 his escape from the house, and was pursued down the 
 hill toward the fort by an Indian ; when challenged 
 to surrender, he peremptorily refused so to do ; sev- 
 eral times he turned round and snapped his pistol at 
 the Indian ; the latter, after pursuing some distance, 
 threw his tomahawk and struck him on the head, and 
 then rushing up, scalped him. He thus " was one of 
 the first victims of this most criminal neglect of duty." 
 Lieut. Col. Stacia was taken prisoner. The guard 
 were all killed or taken. 
 
 The Senecas, who first arrived at the house, with 
 some Tories, commenced an indiscriminate massacre 
 of the family, and before the Rangers arrived had bar- 
 barously murdered them all, including Robert Wells, 
 his mother and wife, and four children, his brother 
 and sister, John and Jane, with three domestics. Of 
 this interesting and excellent family not one escaped, 
 except the late John Wells of New York city. His 
 father had left him in Schenectady the previous sum- 
 mer with an aunt, that he might attend the grammar 
 school there. He might almost have exclaimed with 
 Logan, that not a drop of his blood ran in the veins of 
 any human being ; or, as it has been beautifully ex- 
 pressed by an eminent English poet — 
 
J3S BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 They ''left of all my tribe 
 Norman, nor child, nor thing of living birth. 
 No ! not the dog, that watched my household hearth. 
 Escaped— that ' morn' of blood upon our plains 
 All perished ! I alone am left on earth ! 
 To whom nor relative nor blood remains, 
 No t not a kindred drop that runs in human veins." 
 
 A Tory boasted that he killed Mr. Wells while at 
 prayer. The melancholy fate of Jane Wells deserves 
 a more particular notice. She was a young lady, not 
 disLinguished for her personal beauty, but endeared to 
 her friends by her amiable disposition, and her Chris- 
 tian charities ; one " in whom the friendless found a 
 friend," and to whom the poor would always say, 
 ^' God speed thee." She fled from the house to a pile 
 of wood near by, behind which she endeavored to 
 screen herself. Here she was pursued by an Indian, 
 who, as he approached, deliberately wiped his bloody 
 knife upon his leggins, and then placed it in its sheath ; 
 then drawing his tomahawk, he seized her by the 
 arm; she possessed some knowledge of the Indian 
 language, and remonstrated, and supplicated, though 
 in vain. Peter Smith, a Tory, who had formerly been 
 a domestic in Mr. Wells's family, now interposed, say- 
 ing she was his sister, and desiring him to spare 
 her life. He shook his tomahawk at him in defiance^ 
 and then, turning round, with one blow smote her to 
 the earth. John Wells, Esq., at this time deceased, 
 and the father of Robert Wells, had been one of the 
 judges of the courts of Tryon County; in that capacity, 
 and as one of the justices of the quorum, he had been 
 on intimate terms with Sir William Johnson and 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. , 139 
 
 family, who frequently visited at his house, and also 
 with Col. John Butler, likewise a judge. The family 
 were not active either for or against the country ; they 
 wished to remain neutral, so far as they could, in such 
 turbulent times ; they always performed military duty, 
 when called out to defend the country. Col. John 
 Butler, in a conversation relative to them, remarked : 
 '' I would have gone miles on my hands and knees to 
 have saved that family, and why my son did not do it 
 God only knows." 
 
 Another party of Indians surrounded the house of 
 the Rev. Samuel Dunlop, whom we have frequently 
 had occasion to mention as the pioneer in education 
 in western New York. His wife was immediately 
 killed. The old gentleman and his daughter were 
 preserved by Little Aaron, a chief of the Oquago 
 branch of the Mohawks. Mrs. Wells was also a 
 daughter of Mr. Dunlop ; Little Aaron led him out 
 from the house, tottering with age, and stood beside 
 him to protect him. An Indian passing by pulled his 
 hat from his head, and ran away with it; the chief 
 pursued him, and regained it; on his return, another 
 Indian had carried away his wig ; the rain was falling 
 upon his bare head, while his whole system shook 
 like an aspen, under the combined influence of age, 
 fear, and cold. He was released a few days after ; 
 but the shock was too violent ; he died about a year 
 after : his death was hastened by his misfortunes, 
 though he could have borne up but a few years longer 
 under the increasing infirmities of old age. 
 
 A Mr. Mitchell, who was in his field, beheld a party 
 of Indians approaching; he could not gain his house, 
 
140 BORDER WARFARIN OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 and was obliged to flee to the woods. Here he evad- 
 ed pursuit and escaped. A melancholy spectacle pre- 
 sented itself on his return ; it was the corpses of his 
 wife and four children. His house had been plundered 
 and set on lire. He extinguished the fire, and by 
 examination found life still existing in one of his 
 children, a little girl ten or twelve years of age. He 
 raised her up and placed her in the door, and was 
 bending over her when he saw another party ap- 
 proaching. He had barely time to hide himself 
 behind a log fence near by, before they were at the 
 house. FronUhis hiding-place he beheld an infamous 
 Tory, by the name of Newbury, extinguish the little 
 spark of life which remained in his child, with a single 
 blow of his hatchet. The next day, without a sing e 
 human being to assist him, he carried the remains of 
 his family down to the fort on a sled, and there the 
 soldiers aided him in depositing them in a common 
 grave. Retributive justice sometimes follows close 
 upon the heels of crime. This Tory was arrested as 
 a spy, the following summer, by order of Gen. James 
 Clinton, when he lay with his army at Canajoharie, 
 on the Mohawk River. Mr. Mitchell was called to 
 prove this act. He was found guilty by a court mar- 
 tial, and with a companion suffered an ignominious 
 death.* 
 
 * Extract from a letter from Gen. James to Mrs. Clinton, dated July 
 6th, 1*779. 
 " I have nothing further to acquaint you of, except that we appre- 
 hended a certain Lieut. Henrj Hare, and a Sergt. ITewbury, both of 
 Col. Butler's regiment, who confessed that they left the Seneca coun- 
 try with sixty -three Indians and two white men, which divided 
 
ANNALS (3F TRYON COUNTY. 141 
 
 The party which surrounded the house of Col. 
 Campbell, took Mrs. Campbell and four children 
 prisoners. Mr. Campbell was absent from home, but 
 hastened there on the first alarm, which was a cannon 
 fired at the fort. He arrived only in time to witness 
 the destruction of his property, and not even to learn 
 the fate of his family; their lives were spared, but 
 spared for a long and dreadful captivity. 
 
 Many others were killed ; some few escaped to the 
 Mohawk River, and the remainder were made prison- 
 ers. Thirty-two of the inhabitants, principally women 
 and children, were killed, and sixteen continental 
 soldiers. The terror of the scene was increased by 
 the conflagration of all the houses and out-houses in 
 the settlement; the barns were many of them filled 
 with hay and grain. He who fled to the mountains, 
 saw as he looked back the destruction of his home, 
 and of that little all which he had labored for years 
 to accumulate. 
 
 When the enemy approached on the morning of 
 the 11th, Mrs. Clyde, the wife of Col. Clyde,collecting 
 together her children, fled into the woods. During 
 
 themselves in three parties ; one party was to attack Schoharie, another 
 party Cherry Valley and the Mohawk River, and the other party to 
 skulk about Fort Schuyler and the upper part of the Mohawk River, 
 to take prisoners or scalps. I had them tried by a general court-mar- 
 tial for spies, who sentenced them both to be hanged, which was done 
 accordingly at Canajoharie, to the satisfaction of all th« inhabitants 
 of that place that were friends to their coimtry, as they were known 
 to be very active in almost all the murders that were committed on 
 these frontiers. They were mhabitauts of Tryon County, had each 
 a wife and several children, who came to see them and beg their 
 lives." 
 
142 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW VORK ; OR, 
 
 that day and the following night, she lay with her chil- 
 dren, one of whom was an infant, gathered around her, 
 and concealed under a large log. As we have before 
 mentioned, it was a cold, rainy day, and the storm 
 continued through the night. She could hear the yells 
 of the savages as they triumphed in their work of 
 death; several of them passed near where she lay, 
 and one so near, that the butt of his gun trailed upon 
 the log which covered her. At the intercession of 
 her husband, who was in the fort, a party sallied out 
 the following morning, and, at the risk of their lives, 
 brought her and her children into the fort; they were 
 drenched with the rain, and stiffened with the cold ; 
 but they all survived. Mrs. Clyde, at the time of her 
 flight, had missed her eldest daughter, about ten years 
 of age, and supposed she had gained the fort ; when 
 she arrived at the fort on the .morning of the 12th, 
 this daughter appeared in the neighboring field. 
 When she saw the sentinels, who had wrapped them- 
 selves in blankets, she supposed them to be the In- 
 dians, and again fled to the woods ; she was followed 
 and brought back to the anxious mother. When 
 fleeing from the house she had separated from the 
 rest of the family, and had lain concealed alone, until 
 her appearance in the field. The sufferings of such a 
 child in such a night, thinly clad, alone in the woods, 
 must have been of the most excruciating nature. 
 
 Some generous acts were performed by Brant, 
 which, in justice to him, ought to be mentioned. 
 On the day of the massacre, he inquired of some of 
 the prisoners where his friend, Capt. M'Kean, was. 
 They informed him that he had probably gone to the 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 143 
 
 Mohawk River with his family. *^ He sent me a 
 challenge once," said Brant; "I have now come to 
 accept it. He is a fine soldier thus to retreat." 
 They answered, " Capt. M'Kean would not turn his 
 back uporj an enemy, when there was any probability 
 of success." ''I know it; he is a brave man, and I 
 would have given more to have taken him than any 
 other man in Cherry Valley, but I would not have 
 hurt a hair of his head." 
 
 In a house which he entered, he found a woman 
 engaged in her usual business. '^ Are you thus en- 
 gaged, while all your neighbors are murdered around 
 you?" said Brant. " We are king's people," she re- 
 plied. *' That plea will not avail you to-day. They 
 have murdered Mr. Wells's family, who were as dear 
 to me as my own." " There is one Joseph Brant ; if 
 he is with the Indians he will save us." ^' I am 
 Joseph Brant; but I have not the command, and I 
 know not that I can save you ; but I will do what is 
 in my power." While speaking, several Senecas 
 were observed approaching the house. " Get into 
 bed and feign yourself sick," said Brant, hastily. 
 W^hen the Senecas came in, he told them there were 
 no persons there, but a sick woman and her children, 
 and besought them to leave the house ; which, after 
 a short conversation, they accordingly did. As soon 
 as they were out of sight, Brant went to the end of 
 the house, and gave a long shrill yell ; soon after, a 
 small band of Mohawks were seen crossing the ad- 
 joining field with great speed. As they came up, he 
 addressed them — '' Where is your paint 7 here, put 
 my mark upon this woman and her children." As 
 
144 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 soon as it was done, he added, '^ You are now proba- 
 bly safe." It may be observed liere, that this was a 
 general custom ; each tribe had its mark, by which 
 they and their prisoners were designated ; most of the 
 other prisoners were thus marked. It was an evi- 
 dence that they were taken, or claimed by some par- 
 ticular tribe, or individual ; and woe to that person 
 upon whom no captor had put his mark ! 
 
 Brant, jealous of his character, always said, that in 
 the councils he had urged the Indians to be humane, 
 and not to injure the women and children. Where 
 he had the exclusive command, this was in some de- 
 gree effected. Col. Butler alleged, that Brant secretly 
 incited the Indians in this massacre, in order to stig- 
 matize his son, who had superseded him in command. 
 Others said that he was humane, in order to contrast 
 his own conduct with that of Walter Butler. Brant 
 stoutly denied both charges, and appealed to his con- 
 duct in Springfield and other places. 
 
 Whatever may have been the motives and conduct 
 of Brant, it will not wipe away the stain frpm the 
 character of Walter Butler. The night previous to the 
 massacre, some of his Rangers, who were acquainted 
 in Cherry Valley, requested permission to go secretly 
 into the settlement, and apprise his and their friends 
 of their approach, that they might escape the fury of 
 the Indians. This he peremptorily refused, saying, 
 that there were so many families connected, that the 
 one would inform the others, and all would escape. 
 He thus sacrificed his friends, for the sake of punish- 
 ing his enemies. 
 
 Several attacks were made during the day upon 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 145 
 
 the fort, but without success. The Indians were poor 
 troops when a fortress was to be taken ; besides, the 
 enemy had no artillery. They rushed up and fought 
 with considerable courage, but were driven back 
 without much loss on either side. Col. Alden's regi- 
 ment numbered between two and three hundred men 
 — a number not great enough to make a successful 
 sortie against the enemy, with a force more than 
 double their own. 
 
 The principal part of the enemy, with the prison- 
 ers, between thirty and forty, including several of the 
 officers of the garrison, encamped the first night in 
 the valley about two miles south of the fort. To the 
 prisoners it was a night of wretchedness, never to be 
 forgotten. A large fire was kindled, around which 
 they were collected, with no shelter, not even in 
 most cases an outer garment, to protect them from 
 the storm. There might be seen the old and infirm, 
 and the middle-aged of both sexes, and *' shivering 
 childhood, houseless but for a mother's arms, couch- 
 less but for a mother's breast." Around them at a 
 short distance on every side, gleamed the watch-fires 
 of the savages, who were engaged in examining and 
 distributing their plunder, and whose countenances 
 wore a still more fiend-like aspect, as seen indistinctly, 
 through a hazy November atmosphere. Close by 
 their eneampment, if such it might be called, the 
 land rose abruptly into a high hill, thickly studded 
 with dark frowning hemlocks. A lurid glare of light 
 from the watch-fires below played upon their tops, 
 contrasting strongly their dark foliage with the naked 
 
 branches of the other forest trees, and rendering still 
 
 7* 
 
14G BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK ^ OR, 
 
 more appalling the whoop of some straggling Indian, 
 as it broke the silence of the thicket beneath. Along 
 up the valley they caught occasional glimpses of the 
 ruins of their dwellings, as some sudden gust of wind, 
 or falling timber, awoke into new life the decaying 
 flame. An uncertain fate awaited thenl. If they 
 augured from the scenes which they had that day 
 witnessed, it was death. Their minds were filled 
 with fearful forebodings — a secret fear which one 
 dare not whisper to his fellow, that they might be 
 reserved as the victims for a more deliberate and 
 dreadful torture. 
 
 The morning broke upon a sleepless group ; they 
 did not, they could not close their eyes in sleep ; they 
 were early divided into small companies, and placed 
 under different parties of the enemy, and in this man- 
 ner commenced their journey down the Cherry Val- 
 ley Creek. 
 
 On the morning of the second day the prisoners 
 were called together, and it was decided to send back 
 the women and children, a decision which kindled up 
 hope and life anew in their bosoms. This was ac- 
 cordingly done ; but Mrs. Campbell and her four 
 children, and Mrs. Moore and her children, whose 
 husbands had been active partisans, were retained. 
 It was at the same time told to them, that they must 
 accompany their captors to the land of the Senecas. 
 
 The first day of their journey, Mrs. Cannon, the 
 mother of Mrs. Campbell, being unable to travel, 
 on account of her age, was killed by her side, and 
 the same Indian drove her along with his uplifted 
 and bloody hatchet, threatening her with the same 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 147 
 
 fdte if she should be unable to proceed on the jour- 
 ney with the speed which he required. She carried 
 in her arms a child aged eighteen months. The 
 following day she was placed under the care of an 
 Indian advanced in life, and who, during the remain- 
 der of the journey, was very humane. 
 
 They passed down the Susquehanna to its junction 
 with the Tioga, thence up the Tioga to near its 
 source, and thence across to the head of Seneca Lake, 
 and along down the eastern border of the lake to the 
 Indian castle and village of Kanadaseago, a few miles 
 from the present flourishing and beautiful village of 
 Geneva. The whole distance was betv/een two and 
 three hundred miles. Here they arrived about the 
 last of November. Here all their children were taken 
 from them, not even excepting the infant, and given 
 to different families and tribes of Indians. We shall 
 have occasion to continue somewhat of their history 
 in a future chapter. 
 
 The day following the massacre — that is, the 12th — 
 a party of Indians returned, and prowled about for a 
 short time. That day, two hundred militia arrived 
 from the Mohawk River, and the straggling parties of 
 Indians dispersed. The mangled remains of those 
 who had been killed were brought in, and received 
 as decent an interment as circumstances would per- 
 mit. The most wanton acts of cruelty had been 
 committed, but the detail is too horrible, and I will not 
 pursue it further. The whole settlement exhibited an 
 aspect of entire and complete desolation. The cocks 
 crew from the tops of the forest trees, and the dogs 
 howled tiiroue;-h the fields and woods. The inhabit- 
 
148 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK ; OR, 
 
 ants who escaped, with the prisoners who were set at 
 liberty, abandoned the settlement. The garrison was 
 kept until the following summer, when the fort was 
 also abandoned, and the regiment joined the troops of 
 Gen. James Clinton,* when on their way to join the 
 army of Gen. Sullivan. 
 
 * Gen. James Clinton was the father of De Witt Clinton, and the 
 reader will find a sketch of his life, with a brief outline of the 
 Clinton family, in Appendix, being a lecture read by the author before 
 the New York Historical Society, 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 149 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 " But go and ronse your warriors." 
 
 The atrocities of which the Indians were guilty at 
 Wyoming, and along the frontiers of New York, 
 drew the attention of the Congress and commander- 
 in-chief to the situation of that section of country. 
 Major Gen. Sullivan was ordered to march into the 
 Indian territory, to lay waste their settlements and de- 
 stroy their grain; thus visiting upon them some of the 
 inconveniences and hardships attendant upon their 
 mode of warfare. The western and southern parts of 
 New York were the places of his destination. 
 
 On the first of May, 1779, the 2d and 4th New York 
 regiments left their camp near the Hudson, and, pass- 
 ing through Warwarsing, arrived upon the Delaware 
 the 9th. They crossed the Delaware, and passed 
 down the west side to Easton, at which place their 
 stores were collected. From thence they marched 
 toward Wyoming, where they arrived the 17th of 
 June. The delay was occasioned by the great labor 
 required to open a road through woods and over an 
 almost impassable swamp, extending many miles. 
 Gen. Sullivan arrived with the main army on the 24th. 
 On the 31st of July, the army left Wyoming for the 
 
150 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 Indian settlements. The stores and artillery were 
 conveyed up the Susquehanna in 150 boats. " The 
 boats formed a beautiful appearance as they moved in 
 order from their moorings, and as they passed the fort 
 received a grand salutOjWhich was returned bythe loud 
 cheers of the boatmen. The whole scene formed a 
 military display surpassing any which had ever been 
 exhibited at Wyoming, and was well calculated to 
 form a powerful impression upon the minds of those 
 lurking parties of savages, which still continued to 
 range upon the mountains, from which all their move- 
 ments were visible for many miles." On the 11th 
 they arrived at Tioga, and encamped in the forks of 
 the river. On the 12th a detachment was sent forward 
 to Chemung, twelve miles distant, where they were 
 attacked by a body of Indians, and lost seven men 
 killed and wounded. The next day, having burned 
 the town, they returned to Tioga. About a mile and a 
 quarter above the junction of the Tioga and Susque- 
 hanna, these rivers approach each other to within a 
 stone's throw. Here a fort was built, called Fort 
 Sullivan, while the army lay on what might almost 
 be called the island below. 
 
 In this situation. Gen. Sullivan awaited the arrival 
 of Gen. James Clinton. This officer, with the 1st 
 and 3d New York regiments, passed up the Mohawk 
 to Canajoharie, where he arrived early in the Spring. 
 An expedition was sent out from here by Gen. Clin- 
 ton against the Onondaga Indians. The detachment 
 consisted of six companies of New York troops, one 
 of Pennsylvania, one of Massachusetts, and one of 
 rifles, amounting in the whole to five hundred and 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. jgi 
 
 four, rank and file. Col. Van Schaick of the 1st 
 regiment of the New York line had the command, 
 and was accompanied by Lieut. Col. Willet and Ma- 
 jor Cochran, of the 3d regiment. They rendezvoused 
 at Fort Schuyler, and from thence began their march. 
 The whole settlement of the Onondagas, consisting of 
 about fifty houses, and a large quantity of grain, were 
 destroyed. They took 37 prisoners, and killed between 
 20 and 30 warriors. About one hundred muskets 
 were taken. On their return, they met a small party 
 of Indians, who fired on them, but were soon driven 
 back by the corps of riflemen under Lieut. Evans. 
 They returned to Fort Schuyler in five days and a half 
 from the time of their march from thence; the whole 
 distance going and returning was one hundred and 
 eighty miles. 
 
 Gen. Clinton commenced opening a road from Ca- 
 najoharie to the head of Otsego Lake, distant about 
 20 miles, and one of the principal sources of the 
 eastern branch of the Susquehanna. This was effected 
 with great labor ; iiis boats were carried across on 
 wagons. It was midsummer before General Clinton 
 found himself, with his army and baggage, at the 
 head of the lake, upon which he had launched his 
 boats. This is a beautiful little lake, about nine miles 
 long, and varies in breadth from one to three miles. 
 Its elevation is 1193 feet, and it is ahiiost surrounded 
 by high land. The water is deep and clear, which is 
 said to be the meaning of its Indian name. The 
 scenery from many points is very picturesque and wild: 
 
 " Tall rocks and tufted knolls their face 
 Could on the dark blue mirror trace," 
 
152 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 And it has not been unaptly compared to the roman- 
 tic lakes for which Scotland is so much celebrated. 
 At this time, save in one or two places, no mark of 
 cif ilization was visible ; and though 
 
 " Each boatman, bending to his oar, 
 With measured sweep the burthen bore," 
 
 they could not but gaze at times with delight upon 
 the natural beauties which surrounded them. 
 
 The outlet of this lake is narrow. Gen. Clinton, 
 having passed his boats through, caused a dam to be 
 thrown across. The lake was raised several feet. A 
 party was sent forward to clear the river of drift-wood. 
 When ready to move, the dam was broken up, and 
 the boats glided swiftly down with the current.* 
 
 The few scattered inhabitants along the river below 
 fled, not being able to account for the rapid rise of the 
 river. At Tioga the water flowed back, up the west- 
 ern branch. 
 
 On the 22d day of August this division arrived at 
 Tioga, and joined the main army. The whole force 
 now under Gen. Sullivan consisted of Generals Hand, 
 Clinton, Maxwell, and Poor's brigades of infantry, 
 Proctor's artillery, and a corps of riflemen ; in all be- 
 tween four and five thousand men. 
 
 * The -word " Otsego" is said by some to be formed from the Indian 
 term of salutation, " Sago ;" and a large rock is shown at the south 
 end of this lake, near which, it is said, in early times, the Indians met 
 in council, and when that term was frequently used. By others, it is 
 said to mean " clear, deep water ;" which is at least a very appropriate 
 meaning. At the south end of this lake is situated the beautiful and 
 flourishing village of Cooperstown, over whose early history so much 
 interest has been thrown by Mr. Cooper, in his tale of the Pioneers. 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 153 
 
 On the 26th, this army, formidable indeed, if the 
 numbers of the enemy be considered, moved from Ti- 
 oga, up the river of that name, in excellent order. 
 Their progress was necessarily slow, and every pre- 
 caution was taken to guard against surprise. Large 
 flanking parties were kept out on each side, and a 
 corps of light troops was thrown forward. 
 
 On the 28th they destroyed the settlements and 
 grain at Chemung, twelve miles distant from Tioga, 
 and on the morning of the 29th, about 10 o'clock, fell 
 in with the enemy near Newtown, and a short dis- 
 tance from the mouth of Butler's Creek. They were 
 under the Butlers and Brant, and were in number 
 about six hundred Indians and two hundred Tories. 
 After some reconnoitering and skirmishing, the enemy 
 retreated behind their breastwork, and made a spirited 
 resistance. They were soon driven from their posi- 
 tion by the artillery. In the mean time Generals 
 Clinton and Poor's brigades filed off to the right, and 
 Gen. Hand's light troops to the left, to gain the ene- 
 my's rear, where the land was high. Had this been 
 effected, the enemy could not have escaped ; but the 
 movement is said to have been discovered by Brant, 
 who ordered an immediate retreat. Nine Indians 
 were left dead upon the field ; their wounded they 
 carried off. The Americans lost in killed three; 
 thirty-four were wounded, among whom were Major 
 Titcomb, Capt. Clayes, and Lieut. M^Coiley, the lat- 
 ter of whojn died of his wounds. Two prisoners were 
 taken, who gave information as to the force of the 
 enemy. 
 
 This was the only stand made by the Indians. 
 
154 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OK, 
 
 When it was first announced that an army was march- 
 ing into their country, the Indians laughed at their 
 supposed folly, believing it impossible for a regular 
 army to traverse the wilderness such a distance, and 
 to drive them from their fastnesses. 
 
 The following is extracted fi^om the manuscript Journal 
 of an officer, 
 
 '^ Aug. 29tli. This night encamped on the field of 
 action. 
 
 30th. Remained on the ground ; large detach- 
 ments sent off this morning to destroy the corn, beans, 
 &c. about this place, which was not half destroyed. 
 This evening sent off our wounded, heavy artillery, 
 and wagons in boats down the river to Tioga ; these 
 boats brought forward such stores as could not be 
 loaded on pack-horses. This da}^ put on half allow- 
 ance. 
 
 31st. Decamped at 8 o'clock ; marched over moun- 
 tainous ground until we arrived at the forks of New- 
 town ; there entered on a low bottom ; crossed the 
 Cayuga branch, and encamped on a pine plain — much 
 good land about Newtow^n. Here we left the Tioga 
 branch to our left. 
 
 Sept. 1st. Decamped early in tlie morning; after 
 marching about three miles, entered a swamp eight or 
 nine miles across ; roads very bad, and no pasture 
 here. The army made a forced march, and arrived 
 that niglit at dark in Catherine's Town. The cattle 
 and most part of the pack-horses, together with our 
 brigade (Clinton's) lay that night in the swamp, with- 
 out pack or baggage. From this town the enemy 
 seemed to have made a very precipitate retreat. 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. I55 
 
 2d. About 3 o'clock came up with the army at 
 the town, and encamped. 
 
 3d. Destroyed it, together with the corn, beans, 
 &c., and decamped at 8 o'clock in the morning ; af- 
 ter marching three miles, fell in on the east side of the 
 Seneca Lake. This lake runs north and south, about 
 thirty-six miles in length, and between two and three 
 miles across. At 2 o'clock passed Apple-tree Town, 
 situated on the banks of the lake. This day marched 
 eleven miles over high, though level ground, timbered 
 chiefly with white oak, and encamped in the woods. 
 
 4th. Marched twelve miles from last encampment; 
 passed several narrow defiles, and encamped in the 
 woods beside the lake. This daj^ and yesterday passed 
 several corn-fields and scattering houses, which we 
 destroyed as we passed along. The Cayuga Lake 
 runs the same direction with this lake, and is about 
 ten or twelve miles "distant — land tolerably good. 
 
 5ih. Decamped in the morning, and about 12 
 o'clock arrived at Kandaia, a fine town, lying about 
 half a mile from the lake ; here we found a great 
 plenty of apple-trees ; it evidently appears to be an 
 old inhabited town ; their houses are large and ele- 
 gant ; some beutifully painted ; their tombs likewise, 
 especially of their chief warriors, are beautifully 
 painted boxes, which they build over the grave, of 
 planks hewn out of timber. 
 
 6th. Decamped at noon, and marched about three 
 miles, when we encamped on the edge of the lake. 
 Land timbered with white and black oak, and very 
 good, the ground naturally descending with an easy 
 descent towards the lake. 
 
156 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 7th. This day passed the north end or outlet of the 
 lake, which is very narrow, and marched through a 
 narrow defile about one mile in length ; the lake on 
 our left, and a morass through which no one could 
 pass on our right. Arrived at sundown at the north- 
 west corner of the lake, where we destroyed a town 
 and some corn, and proceeded on to Kanadaseago, the 
 capital of the Senecas, where we arrived at 8 o'clock 
 at night. This town lies on a level spot of ground, 
 about one mile and a half north from the lake, and 
 consisted of about sixty houses, and great plenty of 
 apple and peach trees. The enemy, in their retreat 
 from this place, left a white child, about four years 
 old, and some horses and cows, &c. 
 
 8th. Tlie army employed this day in destroying 
 the corn, beans, &c. at this place, of which there was 
 a great quantity. The riflemen were detached this 
 morning to destroy Kashanguash, about eight miles 
 south. This morning a captain and 50 men detached 
 to the garrison at Tioga with all the sick and lame, 
 and such others as could not proceed with us to 
 Chennessee. 
 
 9th. Marched nine miles. 
 
 10th. Decamped early in the morning, and about 
 2 o'clock fell in with a small lake on our left, at the 
 outlet of which lies the town of Kanandagua, consisting 
 of upwards of twenty houses, which we set fire to and 
 decamped. This town, from the appearance of the 
 buildings, seems to have been inhabited by white peo- 
 ple ; some houses have very neat chimneys, which the 
 Indians have not, but build a fire in the centre, around 
 which they gather. 
 
A.NNALS OF TRYON COUiNTY. I57 
 
 11th. Decamped this morning earlier than usual, 
 to reach the next settlement, Hanneyaye, where we 
 arrived in season and encamped. The country from 
 Kanadaseago, excepting this day, is exceedingly level, 
 and soil very good. This day crossed several moun- 
 tains, between which lie fine rich valleys. This town 
 lies at the head of a small lake, in a fine rich valley, con- 
 sisting of 13 or 14 good houses, and neatly built. Here 
 we likewise found a great quantity of corn, beans, &c. 
 
 12th. Decamped this morning at 11 o'clock ; 
 detained by a heavy rain ; marched over a rough 
 country ; passed another small lake, called Konyou- 
 ghejough, and arrived within two miles of Adjuton, 
 and encamped in the woods. The sick, lame, and 
 some stores were left with a detachment under the 
 command of Capt. Cummings, who took post in one 
 of the blockhouses. 
 
 13th. Decamped this morning at 5 o'clock ; marched 
 to the town, where we v/ere employed in destroying 
 the corn, &c. until noon ; from this place Lieutenant 
 Boyd, of the rifle corps, was detached with fifteen 
 or twenty men to reconnoitre the next town, seven 
 miles distant. Killed and scalped two Indians in the 
 town. On his return, found his retreat cut off, and 
 surrounded by five t)r six hundred savages ; defended 
 himself until his men were all cut off but himself and 
 one more, when he surrendered ; whom we afterward 
 found in Chennessee castle, tortured in a most cruel 
 manner." He was the first prisoner taken by the en- 
 emy, although they had used all their arts to obtain 
 one, in order to learn the number and destination of 
 the army. One of the party under Lieut. Boyd was 
 
158 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 Hanyerr}^ an Oneida Indian, who iiad distinguished 
 himself in the Oriskany battle ; he exhibited great 
 courage, and being an excellent marksman, did great 
 execution. His conduct had aot passed unnoticed by 
 the hostile Indians, and now, when in their power, 
 he was literally hewn to pieces by them. Lieutenant 
 Boyd was taken before Col. Butler, and being ex- 
 amined, w^as, according to Col. Butler's statement, 
 sent forward with a guard to Niagara, when, passing 
 through Genesee village, an old Indian rushed out 
 and tomahawked him. 
 
 '' The same day, 13th, encamped that night at 
 Gathtsegwarohare, where we found the enemy para- 
 ded before the town, and seemed determined to fight 
 us. Clinton's brigade filed off to the right to gain 
 the enemy's rear, which could not be effected; but 
 they retreated in a very precipitate manner. 
 
 14th. This morning the whole army paraded at 
 gun-firing, which was half-past three in the morning; 
 lay on our arms until sunrise, expecting an attack 
 from the enemy. At 6 o'clock detached large par- 
 ties to destroy the corn about this place. At 10 the 
 army passed a branch of the Chennessee River, and 
 entered on the Chennessee Flats." These flats ex- 
 tended along the borders of the Genesee River, about 
 twenty miles in length, and four in breadth, with a 
 rich soil, producing grass near ten feet high. Scarcely 
 a tree was to be seen over the whole extent. Mod- 
 ern curiosity and enterprise had not then rendered 
 familiar the mighty valleys and prairies of the West ; 
 and ofinicers and soldiers gazed alike with surprise 
 and admiration upon this garden of our State. The 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. I59 
 
 army, as it emerged from the woods, and as company 
 after company filed off and formed upon the phiin, 
 presented a highly animating and imposing specta- 
 cle. '' This river in a high freshet overflows most 
 part of this extensive plain, as appears from several 
 large trunks of trees scattered on the same. After 
 fording the river, raised a considerable hill, timbered 
 chiefly with white oak, and entered on another flat, 
 on which stands the capital of the Chennessee, consist- 
 ing of upwards of one hundred and twenty houses, 
 and vast quantities of corn, beans, pumpkins, pota- 
 toes, &c. Encamped this evening around the town. 
 
 15th. This morning the whole army paraded at 6 
 o'clock, to destroy the corn, &c. about this place, 
 which could be done no other way but by gathering 
 the corn in the houses, and setting fire to them. Here 
 we likewise found a great quantity of corn gathered 
 in houses by the savages. At 3 o'clock in the af- 
 ternoon we completed the destruction of this place ; 
 recrossed the Chennessee River, and encamped on the 
 flats about half a mile north of Gathtsegwarohare. 
 This morning a woman taken prisoner at Wyoming 
 last year, came in to us at the Chennessee castle. 
 
 16th. This morning, after destroying the corn, &c. 
 on the southeast corner of the flats, recrossed the 
 branch of the Chennessee River on logs ; this river is 
 about one dozen paces wide, with very high banks, 
 and the current hardly perceivable. At ten o'clock 
 passed the last-mentioned town lying on the banks 
 of this branch, and encamped this night at Adjuton. 
 
 17th. Decamped early in the morning, and arrived 
 in good season at Hanneyaye, where we encamped 
 this night ; found our stores, &c. as we left them. 
 
160 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 I8th. Decamped, and left Hanneyaye with great 
 difficulty ; the horses left at this post having strayed 
 so far from the village, and could not be found ; con- 
 sequently many packs would have been left on the 
 ground, had not those officers entitled to ride dis- 
 mounted, of whom Gen. Sullivan was one. This 
 day met three Oneida Indians with dispatches for 
 Gen. Sullivan. They informed us the city of New 
 York was laid in ashes, and evacuated. Arrived at 
 Kanandagua some time before night ; passed the out- 
 let of the Lake, and encamped about one mile from 
 the outlet. This town lies about a fourth of a mile 
 from a small lake, I suppose of the same name. 
 
 19th. Decamped this morning early, proceeded on 
 our way to Kanadaseago, where we encamped a little 
 before sunset. 
 
 20th. Remained encamped until 2 o'clock, when 
 we decamped and passed the outlet of the Seneca 
 Lake, and encamped about one mile from the outlet. 
 This morning detached Col. Butler, (Col. Zebulon 
 Butler, of Wyoming,) with the rifle corps and five 
 hundred men, to Cayuga Lake to destroy the settle- 
 ments there. Col. Gansevoort detached at the same 
 time with one hundred men to Fort Schuyler. 
 
 21st. Decamped in the morning, passed Kandaia, 
 and encamped about two miles above. This morning 
 detached Lieut. Col. Dearborn, with two hundred 
 men, to destroy the corn and settlements along the 
 south side of Cayuga Lake. 
 
 22d. Decamped early in the morning, passed seve- 
 ral defiles, and encamped within Tseven miles of 
 Catherine's Town. 
 
 23d. Decamped and raarched about four miles 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 161 
 
 southeast of Catherine's Town, at the edge of the 
 swamp, and encamped. 
 
 24th. Passed the swamp, so much dreaded for its 
 badness, without any difficuhy, and arrived at the 
 forks of Newtown, where Capt. Reid, with a detach- 
 ment oi two hundred men, had thrown up a breast- 
 work to guard some stores and cattle brought forward 
 from Tioga for the army in case of necessity. Saluted 
 by thirteen rounds of cannon from the breastwork on 
 our arrival, which number we returned from our artil- 
 lery. 
 
 25th. This morning the small arms of the whole 
 army were discharged ; at 5 o'clock the whole were 
 drawn up in one line, with a field-piece on the right of 
 each brigade, to fire a feu-de-joie ; first, thirteen rounds 
 of cannon; second, a running fire of musketry from 
 right to left, which was repeated twice ; five oxen 
 were killed on this joyous occasion — one delivered to 
 each brigade, and one to the artillery and staflf. 
 
 This was done in consequence of Spain declaring 
 war against Great Britain. 
 
 26th. Remained encamped. Col. Dearborn's de- 
 tachment arrived. 
 
 27th. Encamped. 
 
 28th. Col. Butler with his detachment arrived, hav- 
 ing destroyed a vast quantity of corn, beans, apple- 
 trees, &c. on the east side of the Cayuga Lake, and 
 burnt three towns, among which was the capital of 
 the Cayuga tribe. This day Colonels Cortland and 
 Dayton detached with large detachments to destroy 
 corn ; the former taking his route up the Tioga branch, 
 to which place he was detached the day before, and 
 8 
 
162 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 destroyed large fields of corn ; and the latter taking 
 his route downwards, and destroyed such as the army 
 left iindestroyed in going up. 
 
 29th. Decamped this morning at 8 o'clock ; passed 
 the Cayuga branch, and encamped at Old Chemung, 
 three miles below New Chemung. This day forded 
 the Tioga twice.. 
 
 30th. Decamped this morning, 7 o'clock ; arrived 
 at Fort Sullivan about 1 o'clock ; saluted from the fort 
 by thirteen cannon, which number was returned from 
 our artillery; after which we passed the fort and en- 
 camped on our old ground in the forks of the river." 
 
 On the 3d of October the fort was demolished, and 
 the army returned by the way of Wyoming to Easton, 
 where it arrived the 15th. The whole distance from 
 Easton to the Genesee castle, by the route of the 
 army, was two hundred and eighty mi'les. The loss 
 of men sustained in this expedition, considering the 
 fatigue and exposure, was very inconsiderable — not 
 more than forty in the whole were killed or died from 
 sickness. It is noted in the journal, that on the 20tli 
 of September, Col. Gansevoort was detached with a 
 party of one hundred men to Fort Schuyler. The fol- 
 lowing were Gen. Sullivan's instructions to him : 
 «' Sir, 
 
 "You are to take command of a chosen party, 
 draughted from the army, and proceed by the shortest 
 route to the Mohawk castle, destroy it, and capture, 
 if possible, all the Indians that may be there. The 
 upper castle being inhabited by the Onheskas, you 
 are to spare, and treat them as friends. Such neces- 
 sary marks of civility and attention you will show 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. X63 
 
 them as may engage a continuance of their friendship, 
 and give evidence of our pacific disposition towards 
 them. 
 
 " Whatever prisoners may fall into your hands, you 
 are to proceed with to Albany, and collect the bag- 
 gage of the several regiments from which your party 
 were draughted, and proceed with all possible expe- 
 dition to head-quarters. You are by no means to 
 leave any of the prisoners at Albany, unless particu- 
 larly directed by Gen. Washington or Congress. 
 
 '^ As your route will be through the Oneida country, 
 you are to take particular care that your men do not 
 offer the inhabitants the least insult ; and if by acci- 
 dent any damage should be done, you are to make 
 reparation, for which I shall stand accountable. From 
 your zeal, activity, and prudence, I trust every pre- 
 caution will be taken to execute these orders to the 
 advantage and honor of the United States." 
 
 The following is Col. Gansevoort's account of the 
 manner in which be had executed his commission. 
 
 *' Agreeable to my orders, I proceeded by the sliort- 
 est route to the lower Mohawk castle, passing through 
 the Tuscarora and Oneida castles, where every mark 
 of hospitality and friendship was shown the party. 
 I had the pleasure to find, that not the least damage 
 nor insult was offered any of the inhabitants. 
 
 '' On the 25th, I arrived at Fort Schuyler, wliere, 
 refreshing my party, I proceeded down the river, and 
 on the 29th eflfectually surprised the lower Mohawk 
 castle, making prisoners of every Indian inhabitant. 
 They then occupied but four houses. I was prepar- 
 ing, agreeable to my orders, to destroy them, but was 
 
164 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 interrupted by the inhabitants of the frontiers, who 
 have been lately driven from their settlements by the 
 savages, praying that they might have liberty to enter 
 into the Mohawks' houses, vi^hilst they could procure 
 other habitations ; and well knowing those persons to 
 have lately lost their all, humanity tempted me in this 
 particular to act in some degree contrary to orders, 
 although I could not but be confident of your appro- 
 bation ; especially when you are informed that this 
 castle is in the heart of our settlements, and abound- 
 ing with every necessary ; so that it is remarked, that 
 these Indians live much better than most of the Mo- 
 hawk River farmers. Their houses were very well fur- 
 nished with all necessary household utensils, great 
 plenty of grain, several horses, cows, and wagons ; of 
 all which I have an inventory, leaving them in the 
 care of Major Newkirk, of that place, who distributed 
 the refugees in the several houses. Such being the 
 situation, I did not allow the party to plunder at all. 
 The prisoners arrived at Albany, on the 2d inst., and 
 were closely secured in the fort." 
 
 These prisoners, it is believed, were set at liberty, 
 and restored to their possessions, as would follow from 
 the facts stated in the letter of Gen. Schuyler, Presi- 
 dent of the Board of Commissioners for Indian affairs. 
 
 ^' Dear Sir, 
 " Having perused Gen. Sullivan's orders to you 
 respecting the Indians of the lower Mohawk castle 
 and their property, I conceive they are founded on 
 misinformation given to that gentleman ; these Indi- 
 ans have peaceably remained there under the sane- 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. / i65 
 
 tion of the public faith repeatedly given them by 
 the Commissioners of Indian affairs, on condition of 
 peaceable demeanor ; this contract they have not vio- 
 lated to our knowledge. It is therefore incumbent on 
 us, as servants of the public, to keep the public faith 
 inviolate ; and we therefore entreat you to postpone 
 the sending the Indians from hence until the pleasure 
 of his excellency Gen. Washington can be obtained, 
 and a letter is already dispatched to him on the occa- 
 sion, and in which we have mentioned this application 
 to you." 
 
 The country of the Onondagas, the Cayugas, and 
 the Senecas, the three western tribes, was completely 
 overrun and laid waste. To a person reading the 
 foregoing journal, it may seem that too much severity 
 was exercised in the burning of the Indian towns, and 
 that corn, &c. was wantonly destroyed; but it must 
 be borne in mind that this was not a bare retaliatory 
 measure, though as such it might have been justified 
 by the previous conduct of the Indians ; their towns 
 were their retreats, and from thence they made incur- 
 sions into the settlements ; driven back to Niagara, 
 and rendered dependent upon the English for sup- 
 plies of provisions, they would necessarily be much 
 crippled in their future operations. Though, as we 
 shall see, this campaign did not put a stop to the 
 ravages of the Indians, yet they never recovered from 
 the severe chastisement which they received. 
 
 A part only of the Indians ever returned to their old 
 settlements, from which they were driven ; some of 
 them obtained permission to locate in the extreme 
 
l66 BORDEIl WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 western part of the State ; during' the following win- 
 ter, 1779-80, they remained in and about Fort 
 Niagara. Provisions were scarce ; those they received 
 were salt, a kind to which the Indians were unaccus- 
 tomed. They took the scurvy and died in great 
 numbers. The winter was unusually cold, which in- 
 creased the difficulties of their situation. 
 
ANNALS OF TRYO.\ COUNTY. 107 
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 *' And now no scenes had brighter smiled, 
 No skies with purer splendor mild, 
 No greener wreath had crowned the spring, 
 No sweeter breezes spread the wing, 
 Nor streams through gayer margins rolled. 
 Nor harvests waved with richer gold, 
 Nor flocks on brighter hillocks played. 
 Nor groves entwined a safer shade : 
 But o'er her plains, infernal war 
 Has whirled the terrors of his car. 
 The vengeance poured of wasting flame, 
 And blackened man with endless shame." 
 
 At the commencement of the Revolution, the whole 
 country now embraced within the limits of the counly 
 of Schoharie, contained scarcely one thousand in- 
 habitants ; the greater part of these inhabited the 
 valley of the Schoharie Creek. Their settlements 
 commenced about 20 miles above the junction of that 
 stream with the Mohawk River, and extended along 
 its valley 15 miles.* The breadth of this valley va- 
 
 * A part only of the settlements of Schoharie was embraced within 
 the county of Tryon ; but their revolutionary history is connected with 
 that of Tryon County; and I have concluded to give it in this chapter- 
 The facts were principally furnished by a friend, since the other chap- 
 ters were written. I have in many cases adopted his language and 
 sentiments. Some allusions have been made in the foregoing chapters 
 to these settlements ; but I trust I shall be excused for giving a more 
 minute account of them. 
 
168 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORKj OK, 
 
 lies from two to three miles, and both in the richness 
 of its soil, and in the beauty of its scenery, is scarcely 
 equalled in the State. The history of its settlement, 
 and the incidents that occurred there during the war of 
 the Revolution, is lost, so far as written documents are 
 concerned ; and all that can be known respecting it 
 must be collected from tradition, and the oral accounts 
 of the survivors. Before commencing a narration of 
 the events of the Revolution in Schoharie, it may be 
 well to relate what tradition has preserved of its early 
 history. 
 
 In the year 1709, a number of families from the 
 Palatinates in Germany, induced by the liberal offers 
 made by Queen Anne, embarked for New York, and 
 having proceeded up the Hudson as far as Albany, 
 landed and selected a few of their number to choose 
 a place for a settlement. Of these, some went to 
 Schenectady, and thence up the Mohawk, where a 
 settlement of Germans had been formed a few years 
 previous ; the others, hearing of a beautiful country 
 to the southwest, penetrated the wilderness in that 
 direction ; and after travelling through a hilly, and 
 in some parts mountainous country, arrived the second 
 day on the height of land east of the Scoharie Creek. 
 
 Here a scene of extraordinary beauty, and to them 
 entirely new, burst upon their sight ; at their feet, and 
 far below them, was a plain of limited extent, em- 
 bosomed by hills, in some places rising abruptly to 
 the height of 1000 feet, and in others of more gen- 
 tle ascent, and broken by deep ravines. The declivity 
 of the hills was covered with a stinted growth of oak, 
 too scanty to hide even from a distant view the rocks 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. Igg 
 
 amid which they grew, and forming a striking con- 
 trast with the stately forest and luxuriant vegetation 
 of the plain below. The valley had been partially 
 cleared, and the alternate spots of woodland and 
 meadow, interspersed with clumps of trees, added 
 variety and richness to the landscape. Along its 
 western boundary ran the Schoharie Creek, now 
 washing the base of the hill, now meandering through 
 the flats ; its course marked through the woodlands 
 by the deep green of the trees along its bank, and 
 through the meadows by the elms that lined its bor- 
 ders ; sometimes its course was hidden from the view 
 by the thick foliage, and again, as its channel spread 
 out wider, or its course inclined to the east, its clear 
 waters were seen glittering in the sunbeams. No 
 traces of any occupants of this valley were seen, ex- 
 cept here and there the ruins of a deserted wigwam. 
 
 The travellers returned to Albany, and gave so flat- 
 tering an account of the country which they had 
 visited, that the whole company started immediately 
 for Schoharie, without waiting for the return of their 
 friends from the Mohawk. The place they chose for 
 a settlement had formerly been occupied by a part of 
 the Mohawk tribe of Indians ; but they had most of 
 them now left it. 
 
 The settlers were illy provided with implements of 
 husbandry, and with many of the necessaries of life; 
 which wants were very severely felt during many 
 years. Whether they paid the Mohawks an equiva- 
 lent for the land, tradition does not inform us. It 
 was not, however, until several years after, that they 
 obtained a grant from government. 
 8* 
 
170 BORDER WARFARE LW NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 A commission was sent to grant them a title in the 
 name of the crown, and to extend to them the pro- 
 tection of the laws. Believing this to be a pretense 
 for exacting taxes from them^ and remembering their 
 former oppression, they drove off the commissioner, 
 and refused to accept his proposals. A part left the 
 settlement and went up the Mohawk, and the re- 
 mainder were finally prevailed upon by threats and 
 persuasion to accept the terms offered by the govern- 
 ment agent. 
 
 From this period down to 1775, nothing of impor- 
 tance happened in the settlement. When the first 
 steps were taken to resist the enforcement of the acts 
 of Parliament, a majority of the inhabitants deter- 
 mined to support the colonial cause. A committee 
 of safety was appointed, which exercised the powers 
 mentioned in the previous account of these bodies. 
 
 In the fall of 1777 the inhabitants began to suffer 
 from the inroads of straggling parties of Indians, and 
 the committee turned their attention to devising some 
 mode of defense. Aid was sought from government, 
 and three forts were erected, called the Upper, Mid- 
 dle, and Lower Forts. The Middle Fort was near 
 where the village of Middleburgh now stands ; the 
 Upper Fort w^as five miles above, and the Lower Fort 
 six miles below ; they consisted of intrench ments of 
 earth and wood thrown up in the usual form, around 
 some building, which served as a shelter for the 
 women and children. In the Middle Fort, this build- 
 ing was a stone dwelling-house ; in the Lower a stone 
 church. The forts were garrisoned with a few con- 
 tinental soldiers, and each furnished with a small field- 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 17^ 
 
 piece. Many of the inhabitants repaired to the forts 
 at night, and returned in the tnorning to their em- 
 ployment on their farms. 
 
 During two or three subsequent years, no powerful 
 party of the enemy laid their whole settlement in 
 ruins; but individual after individual, and family 
 after family, were missing along its outskirts. The 
 smoking ruins of their dwellings, the charred bones 
 of their inmates, and the dead bodies of domestic ani- 
 mals killed by the enemy, were all that were left to 
 record their fate, until the return of some captive, or 
 the narration of a prisoner taken from the enemy, re- 
 vealed the secret of their destruction. 
 
 The Tories, who often commanded the Indians, 
 were the most barbarous. There is a story told of an 
 act in a settlement adjoining Schoharie, which, for 
 the honor of humanity, would not be believed were it 
 not supported by undoubted testimony. A party of 
 Indians had entered a house, and killed and scalped 
 a mother and a large family of children. They had 
 just completed their work of death when some royal- 
 ists belonging to their party came up, and discovered 
 an infant still alive in the cradle. An Indian war- 
 rior, noted for his barbarity, approached the cradle 
 with his uplifted hatchet. The babe looked up in his 
 face and smiled ; the feelings of nature triumphed 
 over the ferocity of the savage ; the hatchet fell from 
 his hand, and he was in the act of stooping down to 
 take the infant in his arms, when one of the royalists, 
 cursing the Indian for his humanity, took it up on the 
 point of his bayonet, and holding it up struggling in 
 the agonies of dpath, exclaimed— -'« M?> too isarehej.^^ 
 
72 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 But the inhabitants were not the only sufferers. 
 Wlien contending- with equal numbers, they gene- 
 rally defeated the enemy, and often the Indians found 
 their antagonists their superiors in stratagem as well 
 as in bravery. Seven Indians meeting with a man 
 by the name of Sawyer, took him prisoner, and hav- 
 ing gone eight or ten miles, bound him, and laid 
 down to sleep. In the night, he succeeded in loosing 
 his hands, and then silently taking out of the belt of 
 the nearest savage his hatchet, killed with it six of 
 them. The seventh made his escape wounded. Saw- 
 yet returned home in safety. 
 
 The following account is given by the Rev. Mr. 
 Fenn, the former clergyman of Harpersfield, who 
 received the information from Col. Harper. 
 
 In the year 1778, McDonald, a Tory of some 
 enterprise and activity, had collected about 300 In- 
 dians and Tories, and was committing great depreda- 
 tions on the frontiers. He fell down upon the Dutch 
 settlements of Schoharie, with all his barbarity and 
 exterminating rage : Col. Yrooman commanded in 
 the fort at Schoharrie at this time : they saw the 
 enemy wantonly destroying everything on which they 
 could lay their hand. The garrison were so weak that 
 they could spare no men from the fort to protect the 
 inhabitants, or secure the crops. '' What shall be 
 done V^ says Col. Harper. '^ Oh, nothing at all," says 
 Col. Vrooman ; ^'we be so weak we cannot do any- 
 thing." 
 
 Col. Harper ordered his horse, and laid his course 
 for Albany; rode right down through the enemy, 
 who were scattered over all the countrv : at Fox's 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 173 
 
 Creek, put up at a Tory tavern for the night; he re- 
 tired to bed after having- locked his door; soon there 
 was a loud rapping at the door. " What is wanted V 
 <' We want to see Col. Harper." The colonel arose 
 and unfocked the door ; seated himself on the bed ; 
 and laid his sword and pistols before him : in stepped 
 four men. «' Step one inch over that mark," said the 
 colonel, ''and you are dead men." After talking a 
 little time with him, they left the room ; he again 
 secured the door, and sat on his bed until daylight 
 appeared ; he then ordered his horse, mounted, and 
 rode for Albany, and the enemy were round the 
 house. An Indian followed the colonel almost into 
 Albany ; and when the colonel would wheel his 
 horse and present his pistol, the Indian would turn 
 and run with all his might. When the colonel 
 arrived at Albany, he called on Col. Gansevoort, 
 stated the distressed situation of Schoharie, and 
 prayed for help ; a squadron of horse was immedi- 
 ately provided, and they rode all night, and appeared 
 in Schoharie in the morning; and the first knowledge 
 that the people had that any relief was expected, they 
 heard a tremendous shrieking and yelling, and looked 
 out and saw Col. Harper with his troop of horse welt- 
 ing up the enemy. The men in the fort rushed out, 
 and joined in the attack, and the country was soon 
 cleared of the enemy, and the inhabitants had peace 
 and rest, and could collect their harvest in safety. 
 
 The massacres at W^yoming and Cherry Valley had 
 employed most of the Indians during 1778, and in 
 1779 the western tribes were driven back by Gen. 
 Sullivan. During the latter summer, a party of the 
 
174 BORDER WAllFAKK OF NEW YOK.K ; OR. 
 
 Onondagas, after the destruction of their town by Col. 
 Van Schaick, made an inclusion into Schoharie. 
 
 There was, at this time, a little settlement, consist- 
 ing of only nineteen families, on the Cobbleskill 
 Creek, ten miles west of Schoharie. Though they 
 had erected no fortifications, they had prepared for 
 defense, by organizing a company of militia, and pro- 
 curing arms and ammunition. About the middle of 
 May, it was reported at a meeting of the militia, that 
 some straggling Indians had been seen in the neigh- 
 borhood, and a scout of three men, one of whom was 
 suspected of being secretly a royalist, was sent out 
 into the forest. On the return of the scout, they met 
 two Indians near the settlement, who accosting them 
 in friendly terms, and pretending to be hunting, were 
 suffered to pass. The Indians took a circuitous route, 
 and in a short time met them again. The suspected 
 individual had now disappeared, having taken a dif- 
 ferent path to the settlement. The Indians still pre- 
 tended friendship ; one of them familiarly took the 
 musket from one of the men, and knocking out the 
 flint, handed it back. The other attempted the same 
 thing, but his adversary perceiving his intention, shot 
 him. His companion fled, and the men returned to 
 the settlement. 
 
 This circumstance, together with a rumor that a 
 large body of Indians were on their march for Scho- 
 harie, excited fears that this little settlement would 
 be the first object of their revenge. They immedi- 
 ately despatched a messenger to Schoharie with the 
 intelligence, and directed him to ask for assistance. 
 A part of a company of continental soldiers, under the 
 
ANNALS OF TRYOi\ COUNTY. 175 
 
 command of Capt. Patrick, was sent the same day to 
 Cobbleskill. The next morning a party of Indians 
 were seen to cross the creek and return again into the 
 woods. A small detachment of men were sent in 
 pursuit. These were soon driven back by superior 
 force. Capt. Patrick then marched the whole of his 
 little band, and 15 volunteers of the militia, to their 
 support. The Indians were driven back, but soon 
 made a stand, and after firing again retreated. They 
 continued to retreat, disputing the ground at every 
 step, evidently increasing in number, until the con- 
 flict became exceedingly fierce. * Capt. Patrick was at 
 first wounded, and afterwards killed, when his men 
 sought safety in flight. The Indians immediately 
 pursued them, and at the same instant the main body, 
 which had been concealed in the thickets, rushed 
 forth, and with deafening yells poured a shower of 
 rifle-balls upon the fugitives ; their number, as after- 
 wards ascertained, was about 300. 
 
 The death of Capt. Patrick alone saved his men 
 from entire destruction ; in a few moments more they 
 would have been surrounded, and their retreat cut off. 
 
 The inhabitants of the settlement, as soon as they 
 saw the fugitives emerging from the woods, pursued 
 by the Indians, fled in an opposite direction, and all 
 arrived safe at Schoharie ; their escape was favored 
 by the desperate resistance of seven of the soldiers, 
 who, taking possession of a house, fired from the 
 windows, and checked the pursuit of the enem3^ 
 The Indians at length succeeded in setting the house 
 on fire, and six of its brave defenders perished in tne 
 flames ; the other was afterward found a few rods 
 
176 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 distant, much burned, and horribly mutilated ; a roll 
 of continei.ital money was put in his hand, as if in de- 
 rision of the cause which he supported. The enemy 
 set fire to the buildings in the vicinity, and after bury- 
 ing the dead, and mangling the dead bodies of the 
 soldiers, retired without pursuing the fugitives further. 
 Of the 45 who went out, 21 escaped, 22 were killed, 
 and 2 taken prisoners. The Indians suffered severely, 
 according to the account of the prisoners who after- 
 ward returned. They were accompanied by a few 
 Tories, and commanded by a Tory, who took this 
 method to obtain revenge for an unsuccessful attempt 
 to arrest him the previous year ; he afterward returned 
 to his former home upon Charlotte River, and was 
 killed by the celebrated Murphy, who was one of a 
 party sent to bring him into the fort.* 
 
 * Murplij, who was of great service to tlie inliabitants of Schoharie, 
 was a native of Virginia, and had belonged to Morgan's rifle corps, in 
 which he had distinguished himself as a marksman. After the capture 
 of Bm-goyne, the company to which he belonged was ordered to Scho- 
 harie, where it remained until their term of service expired. 
 
 When the company was disbanded, Murphy and some others re- 
 mained, and served in the militia. His skill in the desultory war 
 which the Indians carry on, gave him so high a reputation, that though 
 not nominally the commander, he usually directed all the movements 
 of the scouts that were sent out, and on many important occasions the 
 commanding officers found it dangerous to neglect his advice. His 
 double rifle, his skill as a marksman, and his fleetness either in retreat 
 or pursuit, made liim an object both of dread and of vengeance to the 
 Indians. They formed many plans to destroy him, but he always 
 eluded them, and sometimes made them suifer for their temerity. 
 
 He fought the Indians in their own way, and with then* own weapons. 
 When circumstances permitted he tomahawked and scalped his fallen 
 enemv. He boasted after the war that he had slain fortv"of the en- 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 17-7 
 
 In the fall of 1780, the enemy, about 800 strong, 
 under Sir John Johnson, made preparations for de- 
 stroying Schoharie and the Mohawk valley. The 
 forces, consisting of British regulars, loyalists, and 
 Tories, assembled on the Tioga, and marched thence 
 up along the eastern branch of the Susquehanna, and 
 crossed thence to Schoharie. Col. Harper, with a 
 small body of men, annoyed them on their march, 
 watched all their movements, and gave timely notice 
 
 emy with his own hand, more than half of whom he scalped. He took 
 delight in perilous adventures, and seemed " to love danger for dan- 
 ger's sake." Tradition has preserved the account of many of his 
 exploits ; but there are so many versions of the same story, and so 
 much evident fiction mixed with the truth, that we shall give but a 
 single instance as a proof of the dread with wliich he was regarded by 
 the Indians. 
 
 They were unable to conjecture how he could discharge his rifle 
 twice without having time to reload ; and his singular good fortune in 
 escaping unhurt, led them to suppose that he was attended by some 
 invisible being who warded off their bullets, and sped his with uner- 
 ring certainty to the mark. When they had learned the mystery of 
 his double-barreled gun, they were careful not to expose themselves 
 too much imtil he had fired twice, knowing that he must have time to 
 reload his piece before he could do them further injury. 
 
 One day, having separated from his party, he was pursued by a 
 number of Indians, all of whom he outran excepting one ; Murphy 
 turned round, fired upon this Indian, and killed him. Supposing that 
 the others had given up the pursuit, he stopped to strip the dead, when 
 the rest of his pursuers came in sight. He snatched the rifle of his 
 fallen foe, and with it killed one of his pursuers ; the rest, now sure of 
 their prey, with a yell of joy heedlessly rushed on, hoping to make 
 him their prisoner ; he was ready to drop down with fatigue, and was 
 likely to be overtaken, when turning round, he discharged the remain- 
 ing barrel of his rifle, and killed the foremost Indian ; the rest, aston- 
 ished at his firing three times in succession, fled, crying out that he 
 could ihoot all day without loading. 
 
178 BORUER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 of their approach. On the 16th of October they en- 
 camped about four miles from the Upper Fort. It 
 was their intention to pass the Upper Fort in the 
 night, and to attack the Middle Fort at daybreak. As 
 it was expected that the Upper Fort would be the first 
 object of attack, they hoped to surprise the Middle 
 Fort by this unexpected movement. Sir John had 
 ordered his troops to be put in motion at four in the 
 morning, but from some mistake it was five before 
 they began their march. The main body passed the 
 Upper Fort undiscovered ; but the rear-guard was 
 discovered by the sentinels, and the alarm gun imme- 
 diately fired ; the alarm was quickly answered from 
 the other forts, and 20 riflemen were sent out from the 
 Middle Fort to watch the motions of the enemy ; they 
 soon fell in with an advanced party, and retreated 
 back to the fort. The firing of the alarm gun disap- 
 pointing the enemy, became the signal for them to 
 commence the destruction of the settlement; houses, 
 barns, and stacks of hay were burned, and cattle, 
 sheep, and horses killed or driven away. Sir John 
 gave orders that the church should be spared ; but he 
 found that with such an army he had only the power 
 of doing injury, and contrary orders were never obeyed 
 — it too was burned. 
 
 About 8 o'clock the enemy commenced a regular 
 attack on the fort ; the regular troops fired a few can- 
 non-shot, and threw a number of shells ; but for want 
 of skill in i!;e gunners, the shot either fell short or 
 flew over, and the shells exploded high in the air. 
 The Indians retreated behind a row of willow-trees, 
 and kept up a constant fire with small-arms, but at 
 too sfreal a distance to take eflnpct. 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNPY. 179 
 
 In the fort all was gloom and despondency ; the 
 garrison amounted to no more than 150 regular troops, 
 and about 100 militia. It is said that there was but a 
 single pound of powder in the magazine ; their am- 
 munition wagons had been sent to Albany for a supply, 
 but had been detained beyond their usual time. Two 
 men had been sent through the woods the day before 
 to bring powder on their backs, but they had not 
 had time to complete their journey. The regular 
 soldiers had but a few cartridges apiece ; the militia 
 were better supplied. To attempt to defend the fort 
 appeared to be madness ; to surrender, was to deliver 
 up themselves, their wives, and their children, to im- 
 mediate death, or at least to a long captivity. Major 
 Woolsey, who commanded the continental troops, was 
 inclined to surrender on the first appearance of the en- 
 emy, but was prevented by the officers of the militia, 
 who resolved to defend the fort. Woolsey's presence 
 of mind forsook him in the hour of danger ; he con- 
 cealed himself at first with the women and children in 
 the house, and wiien driven out by the ridicule of his 
 new associates, he crawled round the intrenchments 
 on his hands and knees, amid the jeers and bravos of 
 the militia, who felt their courage revive as their 
 laughter was excited by the cowardice of the major. 
 In times of extreme danger, everything which has a 
 tendency to destroy reflection by exciting risibility has 
 a good effect. 
 
 The enemy, perceiving that their shot and shells 
 did little or no execution, formed under shelter of a 
 small building near the fort, and prepared to carry 
 the works by assault. While the preparations were 
 
180 liORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 making, a flag was seen to approach the fort; all 
 seemed inclined to admit it, when Murphy, who sus- 
 pected that it was only an artifice to learn the actual 
 strength of the garrison, and aware that for him, at 
 least, there was no safety in capitulation, fired upon 
 the flag. The flag retired, and some soldiers were 
 ordered to arrest Murphy ; but so great was his popu- 
 larity among the militia, that no one dared to obey. 
 The flag approached a second time, and was a second 
 time driven back by Murphy and his adherents. A 
 white flag was then ordered to be raised in the fort, 
 but Murphy threatened with instant death any one 
 who should obey. The enemy sent a flag a third 
 time, which was again compelled to retire. The 
 British oflScers now held a council of war, and after a 
 short consultation withdrew, and proceeded down the 
 Schoharie Creek, burning and destroying everything 
 in their way. 
 
 The loss of the garrison in this aflfair was only one 
 killed and two wounded, one mortally. It is not 
 known what loss the enemy sustained, or why they 
 retreated so hastily. It was said by some, that a pre- 
 tended royalist had given them exaggerated accounts 
 of the strength of the garrison ; by others, that a ru- 
 mor reached them that the militia were advancing 
 from Albany. The latter was probably the true 
 cause. Perhaps the determined spirit of resistance 
 manifested in firing upon the flag, led them to suppose 
 the defense would be obstinate. The Tory leaders, 
 satiated with blood, may have been unwilling to act 
 over the tragedies of Wyoming and Cherry Valley. 
 
 When they arrived at the Lower Fort, they showed 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 181 
 
 little disposition to attack it, although its garrison 
 did not amount to 100 men. They separated into 
 two divisions, the regular troops marching along the 
 bank of the creek, and the Indians filing off about 
 half a mile to the east of the fort. The regulars fired 
 a few cannon-shot without effect, one only lodging in 
 the corner of the church ; and then, after sinking one 
 of their field-pieces in a morass, marched round to the 
 north of the fort, where they were joined by the In- 
 dians. Here they fired a few shot with small-arms, 
 and a few of the Indians approached near enough to 
 throw their bullets into the tower of the church, where 
 some marksmen had been stationed. A discharge of 
 grape from the fort drove them back, and they con- 
 tinued their march through the woods to Fort Hunter, 
 on the Mohawk, near the mouth of Schoharie Creek, 
 where they arrived after dark. The ravages of this 
 army, as they passed up the valley of the Mohawk, 
 and the battles fought with the militia, will be given 
 in a subsequent chapter. 
 
 The beautiful valley of Schoharie Creek presented 
 a scene of devastation, on the night of the 17th of 
 October, not easily described. Houses, barns, and 
 numerous stacks of hay and grain were consumed ; 
 domestic animals lay dead everywhere over the fields ; 
 a few buildings belonging to the royalists had been 
 spared, but the militia, sallying out, set fire to them 
 in revenge. After the burning of Schoharie, this set- 
 tlement ceased to be so much an object of Tory ven- 
 geance ; and during the years 1781 and 1782, though 
 there were frequent alarms, little damage was done 
 by the enemy. The Indians appeared once in con- 
 
1(^2 BOllDEll WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 siderable numbers at Cobbleskill, burned a few build- 
 ings, killed one man, and carried ofT five prisoners ; 
 but tbe body of the inhabitants had taken refuge in 
 a fort which they had built on their return from Scho- 
 harie in 1781, and were safe. 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNT!f. ]83 
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 " Here too, those warrior sires with honor rest, 
 Who braved in freedom's cause the valiant breast, 
 Sprang from their half-drawn furrow, as the cry 
 Of threatened hberty came thrilling by ; 
 Looked to their God, and reared in bulwark round 
 Breasts free from guile, and hands with toil embrowned, 
 And bade a monarch's thousand banners yield — 
 Firm at the plough, and giorious in the field ; 
 Lo ! here they rest, who every danger braved. 
 Unmarked, untrophied, 'mid the soil they saved." 
 
 In 1768, William, John, Alexander, and Joseph 
 Harper, with eighteen other individuals, obtained a 
 patent for twenty -two thousand acres of land lying in 
 the now county of Delaware. The Harpers removed 
 from Cherry Valley soon after, and made a settlement 
 there which was called Harpersfield. This settlement 
 had begun to flourish at the commencement of the 
 war. Col. John Harper, who has been often men- 
 tioned in the foregoing chapters, had the command 
 of one of the forts in Schoharie. 
 
 The following account of a successful enterprise of 
 Col. Harper, was also furnished by the Rev. Mr. 
 Fenn, who received the information from him. '•' He 
 informed me that in the year 1777, he had command 
 of the fort in Schoharie^ and of all the frontier sta- 
 tions in this region. He left the fort in Scholiarie, 
 and came out through the woods to Harpersfield 
 
184 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OK, 
 
 in the time of making sugar, and from thence 
 laid his course for Cherry Valley to investigate 
 the state of things there ; and as he was pursu- 
 ing a blind kind of Indian trail, and was ascend- 
 ing what are now called Decatur Hills, he cast his 
 eye forward and saw a company of men coming di- 
 rectly toward him, who had the appearance of In- 
 dians. He knew that if he attempted to flee from 
 them they would shoot him down ; he resolved to ad- 
 vance right up to them, and make the best shift for 
 himself he could. As soon as he came near enough 
 to discern the white of their eyes, he knew the head 
 man and several others ; the head man's name was 
 Peter, an Indian with whom Col. Harper had often 
 traded at Oquago, before the Revolution began. The 
 colonel had his great-coat on, so that his regimentals 
 were concealed, and he was not recognized ; the first 
 word of address on Col. Harper's part was, '' How do 
 you do, brothers?" the reply was, ^* Well — how do 
 you do, brother ? which way are you bound, brother ?" 
 " On a secret expedition — and which way are you 
 bound, brothers?" ''Down the Susquehanna to cut 
 off the Johnstone settlement." (Parson Johnstone, 
 and a number of Scotch families, had settled down 
 the Susquehanna, at what is now called Sidney Plains, 
 and these were the people whom they were about to 
 destroy.) Says the colonel, '' Where do you lodge 
 to-night?" ''At the mouth of Scheneva's creek," 
 was the reply. Then shaking hands with them, he 
 bid them good speed, and proceeded on his journey. 
 " He had gone but a little way from them before 
 he took a circuit through the woods, a distance of 
 eight or ten miles, on to the head of Charlotte River, 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 185 
 
 where were a number of men making sugar ; ordered 
 them to take their arms, two days' provisions, a can- 
 teen of rum, and a rope, and meet him down the 
 Charlotte, at a small clearing called Evans's place, at 
 a certain hour that afternoon ; then rode with all 
 speed through the woods to Harpersfield ; collected all 
 the men who were there making sugar, and being 
 armed and victualled, with each man his rope, laid his 
 course for Charlotte; when he arrived at Evans's 
 place, he found the Charlotte men there in good spir- 
 its ; and when he mustered his men, there were fif- 
 teen, including himself, exactly the same number as 
 there were of the enemy ; then the colonel made his 
 men acquainted with his enterprise. 
 
 *' They marched down the river a little distance, 
 and then bent their course across the hill to the mouth 
 of Schenevas Creek ; when they arrived at the brow of 
 the hill where they could overlook the valley where the 
 Schenevas flows, they cast their eyes down upon the 
 flat, and discovered the fire around which the enemy 
 lay encamped. * There they are,' said Col. Harper. 
 They descended with great stillness, forded the creek, 
 which was breast-high to a man ; after advancing a 
 few hundred yards, they took some refreshment, and 
 then prepared for the contest — daylight was just be- 
 ginning to appear in the east. When they came to 
 the enemy, they lay in a circle, with their feet toward 
 the fire, in a deep sleep ; their arms, and all their im- 
 plements of death, were all stacked up according to 
 the Indian custom when they lay themselves down for 
 the night : these the colonel secured by carrying them 
 off a distance, and laying them down ; then each 
 9 
 
ISO BORDER WARFARE OF xNEW YORK; OK, 
 
 mail, taking his rope in his hand, placed himself by 
 his fellow; the colonel rapped his man softly, and 
 said, ' Come, it is time for men of business to be on 
 their way ;' and then each one sprung upon his man, 
 and after a most severe struggle they secured the 
 whole number of the enemy. 
 
 " After they were all safely bound, and the morn- 
 ing had so far advanced that they could discover 
 objects distinctly, says the Indian, Peter — ' Ha ! Col. 
 Harper ! now I know thee — why did I not know thee 
 yesterday V ' Some policy in war, Peter.' ^ Ah, me 
 find em so now.' The colonel marched the men to 
 Albany, delivered them up to the commanding officer 
 there, and b}^ this bold and well-executed feat of valor 
 he saved the whole Scotch settlement from a wanton 
 destruction." 
 
 Early in the spring of 1780, a party of Tories and 
 Indians, under the command of Brant, destroyed Har- 
 persfield. The inhabitants had generally left the 
 place ; but a few of tiie men were at the time engaged 
 in making maple sugar. Nineteen were taken pris- 
 oners, and several killed. A consultation was held in 
 the Indian language in presence of the prisoners, rela- 
 tive to a contemplated attack upon the Upper Fort in 
 Schoharie ; the Indians, satisfied with the booty and 
 prisoners already obtained, were unwilling to risk any- 
 thing in an uncertain expedition ; some of the Tories 
 represented the plan as promising success, and advised 
 the Indians to kill the prisoners, that they might not 
 be encumbered with them. Brant came up to Capt. 
 Alexander Harper, one of the prisoners, and drawing 
 his sword, asked him if there were any troops in the 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 187 
 
 fort; saying liis life, should be taken if he did not 
 inform him correctly. Harper knew enough of the 
 Indian language to have learned the subject of the 
 foregoing conversation, and immediately answered, 
 that it was well garrisoned, believing that they would 
 all be killed should they answer differently. Another 
 prisoner, not knowing the determination of the Indi- 
 ans, and fearing their vengeance should the falsehood 
 be detected, stated truly that tliere were few if any 
 troops in the fort. Harper insisted that liis statement 
 was true; lie was believed, and they returned to 
 Niagara. The last night of their journey they en- 
 camped a short distance from the fort. In the morn- 
 ing the prisoners were to run the gauntlet. Harper, 
 knowing the hostility of the Indians tov/ard him, and 
 fearing they might take his life, requested Brant to 
 interfere and ^^rotect him, which he promised to do. 
 The Indians arranged themselves in two parallel lines, 
 facing inwards, with clubs and whips in their hands. 
 Harper was selected first; he was a tall, athletic 
 man, and on the first signal sprang from the mark 
 with extraordinary swiftness. An Indian near the 
 end of the line, fearing he might escape with little 
 injury, stepped before him. Harper struck him a blow 
 with his fist, and then springing over him ran toward 
 the fort ; the Indians, enraged, broke their ranks and 
 followed him. The garrison, who had been apprised 
 of the movements of the Indians, were upon the walls ; 
 when they saw Harper approaching, they threw open 
 the gate, and he rushed in, w4ien they immediately 
 closed it. It was with difficulty that they could keep 
 the Indians back. The other prisoners took different 
 
188 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK ; OR, 
 
 courses, and got into the fort without passing through 
 this, if not fiery, yet bloody ordeal.* 
 
 * "William Harper was an active member of the Provincial Con- 
 gress, and after the war was several times a member of the State 
 Legislature. When Otsego County was formed, he was appointed one 
 of the assistant judges ; William Cooper, Esq., being first judge. He 
 lived to a great age, and died a few years since at Milford, in Otsego 
 County, retaining to the last that strong desire for information which 
 bad characterized his public life. Col. John Harper died in Harpersfield, 
 and Alexander and Joseph, soon after the war, obtained a grant of some 
 land in the western part of the State of Ohio, whither they removed. The 
 quiet of the country, and the approach of civilization, was not congenial 
 to them ; they preferred the life of a borderer, and sought it amid the 
 boundless forests which then covered that beautiful State. 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 189 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 " And Vengeance striding from his grisly den, 
 With fell impatience grinds his iron teeth ; 
 And Massacre, unchidden, cloys his famine, 
 And quaffs the blood of nations." 
 
 We will now return to the valley of the Mohawk, 
 which we left with the retreat of St. Leger, and the 
 close of the campaign of 1777. 
 
 During the fall and the following year, Indian 
 scouts infested (he country around Fort Schuyler and 
 the western settlements, cutting off supplies and mas- 
 sacreing the inhabitants and soldiers, when small par- 
 ties of the latter happened to pass beyond the limits of 
 the fort. 
 
 The following narrative is given by Dr. Dwight : 
 ''In the autumn, when the siege of Fort Stanwixwas 
 raised, the following occurrence took place here. 
 Capt. Greg, one of the American officers left in the 
 garrison, went out one afternoon with a corporal be- 
 longing to the same corps to shoot pigeons. When 
 the day was far advanced, Greg, knowing that the 
 savages were at times prowling round the fort, deter- 
 mined to return. At that moment" a small flock of 
 pigeons alighted upon a tree in that vicinity. The 
 corporal proposed to try a shot at them ; and having 
 
190 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 approached sufficiently near, was in the act oT eleva- 
 ting his piece towards the pigeons, when the report of 
 two niuskels, discharged hy unknown hands, at a 
 small distance, was heard ; the same instant, Greg saw 
 his companion fall, and felt himself badly wounded in 
 the side. He tried to stand, but speedily fell, and in 
 a moment perceived a huge Indian taking long strides 
 toward him with a tomahawk in his hand. The 
 savage struck him several, blows on the head, drew 
 his knife, cut a circle through the skin from his fore- 
 head to the crown, and then drew off the scalp with 
 his teeth. 
 
 ''At the approach of the savage, Greg had counter- 
 feited the appearance of being dead with as much 
 address as he could use, and succeeded so far as to 
 persuade his butcher that he was really dead ; other- 
 ^^yse measures still more effectual would have been 
 employed to dispatch him. It is hardly necessary to 
 observe, that the pain produced by these wounds was 
 intense and dreadful ; those on the head were, how- 
 ever, far the most excruciating, although that in his 
 side was believed by him to be mortal. The savages 
 having finished their bloody business, withdrew. 
 
 "As soon as they were fairly gone, Greg, who had 
 seen his companion fall, determined if possible to 
 make his wa}^ to the spot where he lay ; from a per- 
 suasion that if he could place his head upon the cor- 
 poral's body, it would in some degree relieve his 
 excessive anguish. Accordingly he made an effort to 
 rise, and having with great difficulty succeeded, im- 
 mediately fell. He was not only weak and distressed, 
 but had been deprived of the power of self-command 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 191 
 
 by the blows of the tomahawk. Strongly prompted, 
 however, by this little hope of mitigating his suffer- 
 ings, he made a second attempt and again fell. After 
 several unsuccessful efforts, he finally regained pos- 
 session of his feet, and, staggering slowly through the 
 forest, he at length reached the spot where the corpo- 
 ral lay. The Indian who had marked him for his 
 prey, took a surer aim than his fellow, and killed him 
 outright. Greg found him lifeless and scalped. With 
 some difficulty he laid his own head upon the body of 
 his companion, and, as he had hoped, found con- 
 siderable relief from this position. 
 
 "While he was enjoying this little comfort, he met 
 with trouble from a new quarter. A small dog which 
 belonged to him, and had accompanied him in his 
 hunting, but to which he had been hitherto inatten- 
 tive, now came up to him in apparent agony, and 
 leaping around him in a variety of involuntary mo^ 
 tions, yelped, whined, and cried in an unusual man- 
 ner, to the no small molestation of his master. Greg 
 was not in a situation to bear the disturbance even of 
 affection. He tried in every way which he could 
 think of to force the dog from him, but he tried in 
 vain. At length, wearied by his cries and agitations, 
 and not knowing how to put an end to them, he ad- 
 dressed the animal as if he had been a rational being. 
 ^ If you wish so much to help me, go and call some one 
 to ray relief.' At these words the creature instantly left 
 him, and ran through the forestat full speed, to the great 
 comfort of his master, who now hoped to die quietly. 
 
 "The dog made his way directly to three men be- 
 longing to the garrison, who were fishing at the dis- 
 
192 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK ; OK, 
 
 tance of a mile from the scene of this tragedy; as 
 soon as he came up to them, he began to cry in the 
 same afflicting manner, and advancing near them, 
 turned and went slowly back toward the point where 
 his master lay, keeping his eye continually on the 
 men ; all this he repeated several times. At length 
 one of the men observed to his companions, that there 
 was something very extraordinary in the actions of 
 the dog, and that in his opinion they ought to find 
 out the cause ; his companions were of the same mind, 
 and they immediately set out with an intention to fol- 
 low the animal wtiither he should lead them. iVfter 
 they had pursued him some distance, and found 
 nothing, they became discouraged. The sun had set, 
 and the forest was dangerous ; they therefore deter- 
 mined to return. The moment the dog saw them 
 whe^l about, he began to cry with increased violence, 
 and coming up to the men, took hold of the skirts of 
 their coats with his teeth, and attempted to pull them 
 toward the point to which he had before directed their 
 course. When they stopped again, he leaned his 
 back against the back part of their legs, as if endeav- 
 oring to push them onward to his master. Astonished 
 at this conduct of the dog, they agreed, after a little 
 deliberation, to follow him until he should stop. The 
 animal directed them directly to his master. They 
 found him still living, and, after burying the corporal 
 as well as they could, they carried Greg to the fort ; 
 here his wounds were dressed with the utmost care, 
 and snch assistance was rendered to him as proved 
 the means of restoring him to perfect health. This 
 story," says the Doctor, '* T received from Captain 
 
ANNALS OF TKYON COUNTY. 193 
 
 Edward Buckley, who received the account from 
 Greg a few days before." 
 
 In the spring of 1778 Lafayette was stationed at 
 Albany; in March he went up to Johnstown, from 
 which place he wrote to Col. Gansevoort a letter, 
 dated March 6th, 1778. This letter was enclosed in 
 a letter from Col. Livingston of the same date, of 
 which the following is an extract : 
 
 " Enclosed you have a letter from Major Gen. Mar- 
 quis de Lafayette, relative to Col. Carleton, nephew 
 to Gen. Carleton, who has for some time been in this 
 part of the country as a spy. The general appre- 
 hends he has taken his route by the way of Oswego, 
 and begs you'll send out such parties as you may 
 judge necessary for apprehending him." 
 
 The following is the letter of Lafayette : 
 
 '' Sir, 
 '' As the taking of Col. Carleton is of the greatest 
 importance, I wish you would try every means in 
 your power to have him apprehended. I have de- 
 sired Col. Livingston, who knows him, to let you 
 have any intelligence he can give, and to join to them 
 those I have got by a Tory about the dress and figure 
 of Carleton. You may send as many parties as you 
 please, and every where you'll think proper, and do 
 every convenient thing for discovering him. I dare 
 say he knows that we are after him, and has nothing 
 in view but to escape, which I beg you to prevent by 
 all Ineans. You may promise, in my name, fifty 
 guineas, hard money, besides all money, &c. they 
 can find about Carleton, to any party of soldiers or 
 9* 
 
194 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 Indians who will bring him alive. As every one 
 knows now what we send for, there is no inconve- 
 nience to scatter them in the country, which reward 
 is promised in order to stimulate the Indians. 
 I have the honor to be, sir, 
 
 Your most obedient servant. 
 
 The Marquis De Lafayette. '^ 
 
 Col. Carleton, it is believed, was not apprehended. 
 
 The Indians and Tories found employment in the 
 destruction of Wyoming- and Cherry Valley ; and the 
 valley of the Mohawk, with the exception of an in- 
 cursion into the German Flats, was unmolested during 
 the summer of 1778. The following letter was writ- 
 ten by Major Robert Cochran, then commanding at 
 Fort Scliuyier, to Col. Gansevoort, dated 
 
 " Fort Schuyler, Sept. 18th, 1778. 
 ''Dear Colonel, 
 '' Since my last, the sachems and warriors of the 
 Oneida and Tuscarora nations, with Col. Lewee, ar- 
 rived at this fort, with a formal speech from both 
 nations. They informed me of their great uneasiness 
 in regard to the matter of scalping, which had so 
 lately happened about this fort, and were sorry any 
 suspicions should be entertained that they had the 
 least knowledge of any thing being intended against 
 any body here ; that they had from the beginning of 
 the present dispute declined acting against us ; that 
 they had been used well at first by Col. Dayton, then 
 by Col. Elmore ; afterward Col. Gansevoort came to 
 this fort, a native of Albany, from whom we expected 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. I95 
 
 much, as the Commissioners of Indian affairs noticed 
 him in particular ; but we are sorry he has not noticed 
 lis much for some time past ; we are sorry you neglect 
 us now ; when your affairs were in a worse situation, 
 you courted us and our interest; but now you are 
 prosperous you don't know us ; you know we are one ; 
 that we have made an agreement with Gen. Schuyler 
 and the other commissioners, that we would be friend- 
 ly, and not strike the axe at each other. 
 
 ^' The next morning I answered them as follows : 
 ' That I was glad to see them here, and that I had 
 taken particular notice of all they had said ; and fur- 
 ther, that we were inclined to give them assurance of 
 our friendly dispositions to them, and were sorry that 
 any uneasiness should arise in their minds ; and in 
 regard to what some bad soldiers might say, that they 
 would not regard it, as all societies have their bad 
 people among them.' 
 
 To which they replied : ' They would not regard 
 what the soldiers should say, but would apply to the 
 head when occasion might require.' I fed them 
 plentifully, and gave them drink also, which I thought 
 was best at present for the public service ; and they 
 went off greatly satisfied." 
 
 Sometime in the summer of 1778 the enemy made 
 an incursion into the western part of the county, and 
 destroyed the settlements of German Flats. This fine, 
 fertile section of country was laid waste. About one 
 hundred houses were burned, a few persons were 
 killed and taken, but most of the inhabitants escaped. 
 
 Early in the spring of 1779, as before stated, Gen- 
 eral Clinton, with two regiments of the New York 
 
196 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OK, 
 
 line, moved up the Mohawk, and encamped at Cana- 
 joharie. During this summer also, little mischief 
 was done in the valley of the Mohawk. In the spring 
 of 1780, the Indians again made their appearance, 
 infuriated, rather than humbled, by the destruction of 
 their villages and grain the previous summer. 
 
 General Clinton gave the following orders to Colo- 
 nel Gansevoort, dated 
 
 " Albany, June 6, 1780. 
 '' Sir, 
 '« You will proceed with your regiment as soon as 
 possible to Fort Plank, where you will find a quantity 
 of provisions, destined for the use of the garrison at 
 Fort Schuyler, which you will take into your charge 
 and escort to that post. 
 
 '' As the enemy are said to be out in force on the 
 Mohaw^k River, it is absolutely necessary that you 
 should pay the strictest attention to prevent a surprise ; 
 and, in case of attack, to defend the stores to the last 
 extremity; the present situation of the garrison points 
 out the absolute necessity of this caution. 
 ♦ '' You will receive a supply of provisions before 
 you march, for the use of your troops, to the end that 
 you may not make use of that destined for the garri- 
 son. If you should fall short, you must impress from 
 the inhabitants, avoiding every degree of irregularity." 
 Brant, sagacious, and generally successful where 
 he directed, had caused a rumor to be circulated that 
 he intended to capture the batteaux, in order to divert 
 attention from other points of attack. This plan suc- 
 ceeded in August following ; when, on account of a 
 similar report, the militia of Canajoharie were ordered 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 
 
 19: 
 
 out to guard a number of batteaux to Fort Schuyler. 
 Brant made a circuit through the woods, and coming 
 in the rear of them, laid waste the whole country 
 around Canajoharie. 
 
 The following account of this movement is given 
 by Col. Samuel Clyde, in a letter to Gov. George 
 Clinton, dated 
 
 '' Canajoharie, August Qth, 1780. 
 
 *'SlR, 
 
 ^* I here send you an account of the fate of our dis- 
 trict. On the second day of this inst., Joseph Brant, 
 at the head of about four or five hundred Indians and 
 Tories, broke in upon the settlements, and laid the 
 best part of the district in ashes, and killed sixteen of 
 the inhabitants that we liave found ; took between 
 fifty and sixty prisoners, mostly women and children, 
 twelve of whom they have sent back. They have 
 killed and drove away with them upwards of three 
 hundred head of cattle and horses; have burnt fifty- 
 three dwelling-houses, beside some outhouses, and 
 as many barns, one very elegant church, and one 
 grist-mill, and two small forts that the women fled 
 out of. They have burnt all the inhabitants' weapons 
 and implements for husbandry, so that they are left 
 in a miserable condition. They have nothing left to 
 support themselves but what grain they have grow- 
 ing, and that they cannot get 'saved for want of tools 
 to work with, and very few to be got here. 
 
 '' This affair happened at a very unfortunate hour, 
 when all the militia of the county were called up 
 to Fort Schuyler to guard nine batteaux about half 
 laden, ft was said the enemv intended to take 
 
198 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 Uiem on their passing to Fort Schuyler. There was 
 scarce a man left tliat was able to go. It seems that 
 every thing conspired for our destruction in this quar- 
 ter ; one whole district almost destroyed, and the best 
 regiment of militia in the county rendered unable to 
 help themselves or the public. This I refer you to 
 Gen. Rensselaer for the truth of. 
 
 '' This spring, when we found that we were not likely 
 to get any assistance, and knew that we w^ere not able 
 to withstand the enemy, we were obliged to work and 
 build ourselves forts for our defense, which we had 
 nearly completed, and could have had our lives and 
 effects secure, had we got liberty to have made use 
 of them. But that must not be, we must turn out of 
 them ; not that we have anything against assisting 
 the general to open the communication to Fort Schuy- 
 ler, but still doubted what has happened while we 
 were gone. But it was still insisted on that there was 
 no danger when we were all out; that in my opinion 
 there never has been such a blunder committed in the 
 county since the war commenced, nor the militia so 
 much put out; and to send generals here without 
 men, is like sending a man to the woods to chop with- 
 out an axe. I am sensible, had the general had suffi- 
 cient men, that he would have been able to have given 
 satisfaction both to the public and inhabitants here." 
 
 We have already given an account of the ravages 
 of Sir John Johnson, in the fall of 1780, along the 
 valley of the Schoharie Creek. The day after the 
 burning of Schoharie, that is, the 18th of October, 
 he burned Caughnawaga. Col. Fisher, residing near 
 this place, after defending himself in his house, with 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 199 
 
 two brothers, both of whom were killed, fled from it, 
 and was pursued and overtaken by the Indians. 
 They tomahawked and scalped him, and left him, as 
 they supposed, dead. The next day he was found 
 by a friend, w'ho carried him to his house. He re- 
 covered and lived long- after the war, a useful member 
 of society, and a monument of Indian barbarity. 
 
 From Caughnaw^aga, Johnson passed up on the 
 north side of the Mohawk, ravaging and burningevery 
 thing in his course. Gen. Van Rensselaer, who had 
 been apprised of his movements, collected the militia 
 from Claverack and Schenectady, and pursued him. 
 From Caughnawaga, Gen. Van Rensselaer wrote to 
 Col. Brown, commanding at Stone Arabia, with a 
 small force of 130 men stationed in a fort there, to 
 turn out and check the advance of the enemy, and 
 he would support him from the rear. Col. Brown 
 obeyed the orders, but owing to some delay of Gen. 
 Van Rensselaer's, was not supported by him. He 
 fell, fighting manfully at the head of his little band, 
 with 30 or 40 of his followers. The rest, unable to 
 oppose any longer a force so much superior, retreated. 
 
 Sir John Johnson settled at Fox's Mills, about eight 
 miles above Fort Plank, (or as it is noW' called Fort 
 Plain,) and two miles below the upper Mohawk castle. 
 On the north side and on a flat, partly surrounded by a 
 bend of the river, he posted his regiment of regulars 
 and Tories. A small breastwork was thrown across 
 the neck of land. The Indians occupied a tract of 
 elevated land to the north and in the immediate 
 vicinity, which was covered with a thick growth of 
 shrub-oak. In this position Sir John awaited the 
 
200 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK ; OR, 
 
 approach of Gen. Van Rensselaer, who was joined by 
 the Canajoljaiie militia and the Tories from Fort 
 Plain under Col. Du Bois. After a slight skirmish 
 the Indians were driven from their position, and fled 
 up the river to the fording place, near the castle, where 
 they crossed, and directed their course toward the Sus- 
 quehanna. Sir John's troops made a more effective 
 resistance, though they were almost exhausted by the 
 forced marches which they had made, and the labors 
 they had performed. The attack had been commenced 
 late in the day. Though it was conducted with con- 
 siderable spirit, night came on before the works of Sir 
 John were carried. In this situation Gen. Van Rens- 
 selaer ordered his troops to fall back a mile and en- 
 camp. Many of the militia were enraged on account 
 of this order, and refused to obey it. They remained 
 during most of the night, and took several prisoners, 
 who informed them that the enemy were on the point 
 of offering to capitulate, when Gen. Van Rensselaer 
 ordered his troops to fall back. A detachment of the 
 Canajoliarie militia, under Col. Clyde, took one of their 
 field-pieces during the night. 
 
 On the following morning, when Gen. Van Rens- 
 selaer advanced with his troops, the enemy had entire- 
 ly disappeared. They had left their ground, and 
 retreated up the river a short distance, and then 
 crossed to the south. The river was deep and rapid 
 where it formed the bend, which would have ensured 
 Gen. Van Rensselaer a complete victory had he prose- 
 cuted his attack with more vigor. A detachment was 
 sent in pursuit, who discovered in the trail of the 
 enemy evidence of the extreme state to which they 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 201 
 
 were reduced by hunger and fatigue. The whole 
 country on the north side of the river, from Caugh- 
 nawaga to Stone Arabia and Palatine, had been de- 
 vastated, which, with the ravages of Brant on the 
 soutfi side of the river, in the previous August, almost 
 completed the destruction of the Mohawk settlements. 
 
 Jf here and there a little settlement escaped their 
 ravages, each were like an oasis in the desert, affording 
 temporary slielter and protection, and, like them, 
 liable to be destroyed or buried up by the next whirl- 
 wind which should sweep over the land. 
 
 But these incursions of the enemy were not made 
 without loss on their part. The militia hastily collect- 
 ed, hung upon their rear, and often attacked them, and 
 checked and diverted their course ; and there were 
 instances of individual resistance — of men standing 
 between the enemy and their wives and children, 
 upon whose scalps the Indians might well have paint- 
 ed the little red foot* indicating that they fell fighting 
 bravely in their defense. 
 
 * See Appendix — ISTotes I, K. 
 
O02 BORDER WARFARI': OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 " Still in your prostrate land there shall be some 
 Proud hearts, the shrines of Freedom's vestal flame ; , 
 Long trains of ill may pass unheeded, dumb, 
 But vengeance is behind, and justice is to come." 
 
 The following letter was written by Major Nicholas 
 Fish to Gen. Clinton, under date of 
 
 Schenectady^ March 6th, 1781. 
 " Dear General, 
 
 "The enclosed letters from Col. Cortland announce 
 the disagreeable tale of the capture of fifteen men of 
 our regiment and murder of one, by which the inhab- 
 itants of this town, and doubtless of the upper settle- 
 ments, have their fears very considerabl3^ alarmed. 
 
 " In consequence of your intention, communicated 
 to me when last in Albany, I wrote to the justices at 
 Canajoharie for a warrant to impress twenty sleighs, 
 for the purpose of transporting another supply of pro- 
 vision to Fort Schuyler, and ordered the officer com- 
 manding at Fort Rensselaer to furnish men to execute 
 the warrant on Tuesday morning, and forward the 
 sleighs to this place to-morrow evening. Perhaps this 
 disaster may put it out of his power to procure the 
 number ordered ; but should the sleighs arrive, I wish 
 |f> have particular instructions whether to prosecute 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 208 
 
 the first plan of sending on the provision or not ; and 
 if you should judge it expedient to send on the pro- 
 vision, notwithstanding the niisfortune, I would be 
 happy to know what number the escort must consist 
 of, and from what posts it must be furnished. The 
 company with me amounts to about forty men fit for 
 duty ; the companies above average about the same 
 number ; to lessen either, you will readily believe, sir, 
 would increase the uneasiness of the inhabitants. 
 
 " P. S. If the present moment for sending an ad- 
 ditional supply to the fort is to be embraced, would it 
 not be advisable to call in some aid from the militia?'' 
 
 To tliis letter Gen. Clinton returned, on the same 
 day, the following answer, dated 
 
 '' Albany. 
 
 '' Yours of this day's date has been received. The 
 intelligence from Fort Schuyler is too disagreeable to 
 dwell upon ; I hope it may put us so much on our 
 guard as to prevent similar accidents. I sincerely 
 wish sleighs could be procured nearer hand than 
 those at Canajoharie. The provision, I should think, 
 ought at least to be sent as far as that settlement by 
 sleiglis from the vicinity of Schenectady. However, 
 if a sufficient number are not furnished from that 
 quarter, Mr. Glenn must procure them nearer home. 
 I do not imagine the present escort will run so great 
 a risk as the last ; yet I would not wish to subject 
 such an important transport to the least uncertainty. 
 You will therefore detach the company under your 
 immediate command to Johnstown ; and as they have 
 been up lately, and consequently fatigued, you will 
 direct them to remain there, and send on the company 
 
204 BORDER. WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 now Stationed there, with twenty men from each of 
 the other companies, and officers proportionate, which 
 will complete the escort to eighty men ; the inhabit- 
 ants in their absence must turn out and defend their 
 posts." 
 
 This expedition was undertaken by Major Fish, and 
 the provision safely conveyed to Fort Schuyler; but 
 the labor of transporting it was extremely severe. 
 The snow was so deep that the road was almost im- 
 passable, and in many places above Canajobarie no 
 path had been made. Some days they advanced only 
 two or three miles. This labor of transporting and 
 guarding provision and ammunition for Forts Plain, 
 Da3^ton,* and Schuyler, was very oppressive upon 
 the inhabitants of the frontier. 
 
 * Fort Dayton was built 1776, at German Flats, and named in honor 
 of Col. Dayton. The old fort at German Flats was called Fort Her- 
 kimer ; and in 1758 was commanded by Col. Charles Clinton, father of 
 Gen. James and Governor George Clinton, and grandfather of De Witt 
 Clinton, who was a son of General James Clinton. This officer march- 
 ed from this fort in the summer of 1758, under Gen. Bradstreet, to 
 Oswego, and went thence to the siege of Fort Frontenac. This expe- 
 dition was completely successful ; the French were not apprised of 
 their approach until they saw them before the walls of their fortress. 
 Among the persons who were afterward distinguished, who accompa- 
 nied Gen. Bradstreet, were Horatio Gates, then a captain, and Nathan- 
 iel Woodhull, then a major, afterward first president of the New York 
 Provincial Congress, and who in the Revolution was a general, and 
 sealed liis attachment to the cause of his country with his blood. Col. ' 
 Charles Clinton wrote a very interesting account of this expedition 
 against Fort Funtenac, which has been preserved, and is in possession 
 of his great grandson, Charles Clinton, Esq., of New York. Though 
 not belonging to the period of which I am writing, yei I will insert the 
 account which he gives of the capture of this fort. 
 
 " The fort of Frontenac was a regular square, built on[the entrance in 
 the Lake Ontario, on the northwest side of the river. It was built of 
 
ANNALS OF TKYON COUNTY. 205 
 
 During the early part of the summer of 1781, a con- 
 stant warfare was carried on in the vicinity of the 
 forts ; small parties of Indians hovered about Fort 
 Plain, and cut off every soldier or inhcibitant who was 
 so careless or unfortunate as to stray beyond its walls. 
 
 Col. Willet, who now commanded at this fort, in 
 July sent Lieut. Gros, with thirty-six men, as a secret 
 scout, into Durlagh,* now the town of Sharon, in 
 Schoharie County. They discovered, near the bor- 
 ders of that settlement, an Indian trail, and followed 
 it in the direction the Indians had gone. The scout 
 
 stone and lime, about fifteen feet higla ; had all round a platform of 
 timber, boarded with thick plank, on which their cannon were mounted ; 
 the embrasures were too narrow to admit of the cannon to be brought 
 to bear on one point. The situation was bad, for it stood in a low 
 place, and rising ground northwest of it; and little hollows, by which 
 we made our approaches with so little loss. The first day we made 
 no intrenchments, but from behind one of these little heights fired with 
 our cannon upon them. It was well supplied with all sorts of warlike 
 stores ; had above sixty pieces of cannon, and a vast number of beauti- 
 ful small-arms, and powder and ball of all sorts. We brought otT from 
 it a large quantity of powder, but the garrison, not expecting the En- 
 glish would ever venture to pay them a visit there, had sent their men 
 to other places of more danger. I cannot tell how many was in it; we 
 saw but about a hundred; but when they found that the place would 
 be taken, the Indians (and no doubt many of the French) went away, 
 as did the men on board tlie brig and schooner. I believe the garrison 
 might consist of 200. The destruction of this place, and of the ship- 
 ping, artillery, and stores, is one of the greatest blows the Fj-ench have 
 met with in America, considering the consequence of it ; as it was the 
 store out of which all the forts to the southward were supplied, and 
 the shipping destroyed those they employed in that service. 
 
 " It was concerted and agreed upon in an instant, (though looked 
 upon by some as a chimerical, wild, improbable undertaking,) carried on 
 so secretly that the French never heard of our coming till they saw us 
 where we came to at an island, the evening before we landed. The 
 
206 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OH,, 
 
 fell in file alongside of the path made by the Indians, 
 and by this means ascertained that the force of the 
 enemy was very considerable. Three men were sent 
 on to make further discoveries. After pursuing the 
 trail a short distance, they arrived upon the border of 
 a thick cedar swamp, five or six miles to the north- 
 east of Cherry Valley ; here they found the camp of 
 the enemy, in which a few sentinels only were sta- 
 tioned. The main body of the enemy were out on 
 some expedition. One of the men stole up and took 
 a blanket from beneath a tent, without being dis- 
 
 siege was carried on so vigorously that we invested the place the 26th 
 of August, and took it the 27th, about the same time. Here I must ob- 
 serve, that the governor of Fort Frontenac was let go home in exchange 
 for Col. Schuyler ; and for the other prisoners, they are to send us as 
 many of ours from Canada, in exchange. — 28th. Having the evening 
 before put our plunder on board our shipping and batteaux, we set sail, 
 and left that neat, handsome garrison and good buildings (where the 
 French lived well) in a heap of rubbish. By this we paid them for the 
 demolition of Oswego, which they served the same way, with this dif- 
 ference, that we neither insulted nor injured any one of the prisoners, 
 but rather treated them with more humanity than that nation deserved 
 whose ambition has embroiled all Europe in war for many years. 
 
 *' I will conclude my narrative of the taking of Frontenac, by relating 
 a piece of papist superstition, told us by a young man, one of Captain 
 Oglevie's m«n, who was taken by the Indians, and sold to the gover- 
 nor of Fort Frontenac, and was in his service when he took the place : 
 He says, that when we invested the place, the priests, or some of their 
 people, set the Lady Mary's image on a table, standing, and a num- 
 ber of the people were praying earnestly to her to deliver and save 
 them and the garrison from us heretics ; but in the height of their de- 
 votion a bomb fell near the place, burst, and broke into the windows, 
 and, without any regard to the image, drove it in pieces off the table. 
 This struck them with such terror, they all looked up, and cried, Mon 
 Dieu ! mon Dieu ! all was lost, the Virgin Marj^ was gone, the here- 
 tics would take the place." 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 207 
 
 covered. Having made the necessary observations, 
 they followed the remainder of the scout back to Fort 
 Plain. It was almost night when the scout arrived, 
 but Col. Willet added seventy men, and ordered an 
 immediate march. They were joined by Major Rob- 
 ert M'Kean, with about thirty men, making their 
 force one hundred and fifty. M'Kean informed Col. 
 Willet that the enemy were about three hundred 
 strong, principally Indians, under the command of a 
 Tory, by the name of John Doxtader; and that the 
 day previous they had destroyed Curry town, a small 
 settlement near the Mohawk, a short distance above 
 Schenectady. The night was very dark, and there 
 was no road, nothing but a path through the woods. 
 Their progress was very slow. About daylight they 
 came in sight of the camp. A scout sent forward 
 reported that the enemy had just returned. Col. Wil- 
 let drew up his men in two parallel lines, and then 
 ordered them to fall back and conceal themselves 
 behind the trees. His plan was favored by the thick 
 cedar swamp in the neighborhood of the enemy's 
 camp. Major M'Kean with fifty men occupied the 
 right, and Col. Willet commanded the left body, com- 
 posed of his one hundred men. Two men were then 
 sent forward to pass over a piece of open ground in 
 sight of the enemy. When discovered, they were 
 directed to lead in between the two lines. The ex- 
 pectations of Col. W^illet were realized ; the Indians, 
 as soon as they saw these men, raised their war-cry 
 and commenced an immediate pursuit. As they fol- 
 lowed in, the troops of Major M'Kean opened a gall- 
 ing and destructive fire upon them, which was warmly 
 
208 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 seconded by Col. Willet's men on the left. The In- 
 dians were beaten at their own game ; they sought 
 shelter behind the trees, but were driven back and 
 routed at the point of the bayonet. Col. Wiilet led 
 the van, and waving his hat cheered on his men. 
 The camp of the enemy and all their plunder was 
 taken. They retreated down toward the Susque- 
 hanna, and were pursued with considerable loss. 
 Shortly after the first fire. Major M4<ean received two 
 severe wounds, but he continued his command until 
 the rout of the enemy was complete. His faithful 
 soldiers carried him back to Fort Plain, where he 
 survived but a day or two. The victory was dearly 
 won by the loss of this brave and hardy chieftain. 
 
 In August following. Major Ross and Walter But- 
 ler came from Canada by the way of Sacondaga to 
 Johnstown, with 607 men — 477 British and Tories, and 
 130 Indians. They encamped on the elevated ground 
 a little to the north of Johnson Hall. This edifice, 
 erected by Sir William Johnson, and in which he re- 
 sided at the time of his death, is situated about one 
 mile distant from the court-house, in the centre of the 
 village, and upon ground descending gradually from 
 the northwest to the south and southeast. The vil- 
 lage plot descends to the north, thus forming a small 
 valley between the Hall and village. To a person in 
 the village, Johnson Hall appears to be situated on a 
 lawn, beyond which no prospect opens to the sight. 
 When arrived at the Hall, he perceives in an easterly 
 direction, about nine miles distant, the range of 
 Mayfield hills or mountains, wliile to the south are 
 seen Anthony's Nose, on the Mohawk ; beyond that 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 209 
 
 Charleton, and, still further on, the hills between Ca- 
 najoharie and Cherry Valley ; and, at a distance of 
 between thirty and forty miles, the blue, cloud-like 
 mountains leading to tlie Catskill and Delaw^are. 
 
 Col. Willet moved from Fort Plain with about 300 
 levies. On the 22d of August he determined to at- 
 tack the enemy in their camp. He detached 100 men 
 under Colonel Harper to make a circuit through the 
 woods and fall upon the enemy's rear, while he should 
 attack them in front. A short distance above the Hall, 
 Col. Wiliet was met by Ross with all his force, and 
 his men on the first fire gave way and retreated, 
 Willet endeavored to rally them at the Hall, but failed. 
 At the village he succeeded in stopping them ; here 
 he was joined by 200 militia just arrived. The de- 
 tachment under Harper had gained the rear, and had 
 now opened a fire upon the enemy. The attack was 
 now renewed by Colonel Willet, and the enemy were 
 finally driven from their ground with loss. Thirteen 
 Americans, and seventeen British and Indians were 
 killed. 
 
 Major Ross retreated up the noith side of the Mo- 
 hawk, marching all night, after the battle. In the 
 morning he was pursued by Col. Willet, but was not 
 overtaken. The region of country over which Ross 
 retreated after he had passed the settlements, lies 
 twenty or thirty miles north of Fort Schuyler, and at 
 that time was uncultivated and desolate ; his army 
 suffered much from hunger. 
 
 It w^as on this retreat that Walter Butler was killed ; 
 he was pursued by a small party of Oneida Indians ; 
 when he arrived at West Canada Creek, about fifteen 
 10 
 
210 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 miles above Herkimer, he swam his horse across the 
 stream, and then turning round, defied his pursuers, 
 who were on the opposite side. An Oneida immedi- 
 ately discharged his rifle, and wounded him, and he 
 fell. Throwing down his rifle and his blanket, the In- 
 dian plunged into the creek and swam across ; as soon 
 as he had gained the opposite bank, he raised his tom- 
 ahawk, and with a yell, sprang, like a tiger, upon his 
 fallen foe; Butler supplicated, though in vain, for 
 mercy ; the Oneida, with his uplifted axe, shouted in 
 his broken English : '' Sherry Valley ! remember 
 Sherry Valley !" and then buried it in his brains. He 
 tore the scalp from the head of his victim, still quiver- 
 ing in the agonies of death, and ere the remainder of 
 the Oneidas had joined him, the spirit of Walter But- 
 ler had gone to give up his account. The place where 
 he crossed is called Butler^ s Ford to this day. 
 
 Col. John Butler had some good traits of character, 
 and in his calmer moments would regret the ravages 
 committed by the Indians and Tories ; but Walter 
 Butler was distinguished from youth for his severe, 
 acrimonious disposition. After the massacre at Cherry 
 Valley he went to Quebec ; but Gen. Haldiman, gov- 
 ernor of Canada, gave out that Jie did not wish to see 
 him.* 
 
 " Col. Stone, in his Life of Brant, has in one or two instances attempted 
 a justification or rather palliation of the conduct of Walter Butler, and 
 says that the history of the events was written too soon to be entirely 
 impartial. One of the letters of Butler, which he gives as proof, and 
 which will be found in Vol. I,^ pages 377, 378, 'closes with this tlTreat: 
 
 " Cut be assui'cd that if you persevere in detaining my father's family 
 
AxNNALS OF TRVO^; COUNTY. 211 
 
 It may be remarked here, that many of tlie British 
 officers did not approve of the conduct of the Indians 
 and Tories. In that war, though we had many a bit- 
 ter, we had also many a generous and warm-hearted 
 foe. They said it was"a disgrace to the English army, 
 thus to carry on this predatory warfare, and to make 
 prisoners of women and children. 
 
 In the winter of 1781-2, Col. Willet* undertook a 
 
 with you, that we shall no longer take the same pains to restrain the 
 Indians from prisoners, women and children, that we have heretofore 
 done. I am your humble servant, 
 
 "Walter K Butler, 
 General Schuyler." Capt. Com. of the Rangers. 
 
 The language of that letter needs no comment. ~ It was written the 
 day after the massacre at Cherry Valley, and it was answered by 
 Gen. James Clinton. Gen. Clinton in his reply says : 
 
 " Do not flatter yom'self, sir, that yom- father's family have been de- 
 tained on account of any consequence they were supposed to be of, or 
 that it is determined they should be exchanged in consideration of the 
 threat contained in your letter. I should hope for the sake of human 
 nature, and the honor of civilized nations, that the British officers had 
 exerted themselves in restraining the barbarity of the savages." 
 
 The wife of Col. John Bvitler was, with some of her children, de- 
 tained as a hostage by the committee of safety, and they were after- 
 ward exchanged for the wife and children of Col. Samuel Campbell, 
 who were taken prisoners at Cherry Yalley. 
 
 * Col. Marinus Willet died at ]S"ew York, August 22, 1830— the 
 anniversary of his battle with Major Ross and Walter Butler — aged 
 yo years. The following notice appeared in one of the city papers : 
 
 " The coffin of Col. Willet, who died recently in the city of K'ew 
 York, was made of pieces of wood collected by himself, many years 
 ago, from different revolutionary battle-grounds. The corpse, in com- 
 pliance with a written request of the deceased, was habited in a com- 
 plete suit of ancient citizen's apparel, including an old-fashioned three- 
 cornered hat, which had been preserved for that purpose. It is estima- 
 ted that several thousand persons passed through the house for the 
 purpose of viewing the remains." 
 
212 BORDiai WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 haziirdons expedition — an expedition suited to his 
 bold, persevering genius. He marched a body of his 
 men, in the dead of winter, from Fort Plain to Oswe- 
 go, passing up the Mohawk on the ice, and using 
 snow-shoes the remainder of the way ; his object was 
 the capture of Fort Oswego ; but on his arrival near 
 the fort, he learned that the preliminary treaty of 
 peace had been signed ; he therefore immediately 
 abandoned the enterprise. 
 
 The incursion of Ross and Butler was the last 
 made into the county of Tryon. Indeed, there was 
 no longer anything to destroy. The inhabitants lost 
 all but the soil which they cultivated ; their beautiful 
 county, except in the vicinity of the forts, was turned 
 into a wilderness. During the war, famine some- 
 times appeared inevitable, and it was with difficulty 
 that they preserved from the ravages of the enemy 
 efficient grain to support their families during the 
 winter. The resistance of the inhabitants of the fron- 
 tier settlements, however unimportant it may seem, 
 because no great battles were fought, or important 
 victories won, was of very considerable moment in 
 the cause for which they struggled ; they kept back 
 the enemy from the towns on the Hudson, and thus 
 frustrated the plan of the British for establishing a line 
 of posts along that river. And while we admire the he- 
 roism and patriotism of those worthies of the Revolution 
 whose names have come down to us surrounded with a 
 halo of glory, we should not withhold our praise from 
 those obscure individuals in the frontier settlements, 
 who, amid the most appalling dangers, surrounded on 
 all sides by enemies and traitors, still refused to submit 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 213 
 
 to oppression and arbitrary exactions, though allured 
 by assurances of safety and promises of reward. Many 
 left their homes ; many fell in battle in the regular 
 army, and in skirmishes and battles with the enemy 
 at home; and many fell silently, by the rifle, the 
 tomahawk, and the scalping-knife of the Indian, 
 
 « Their ashes flew, no marble tells us whither " 
 
214 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; 01!, 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 " 'Tis faith thus wrought, whose fearful mysteries 
 Yield e'en weak women strength for deeds like these." 
 
 It has been stated in a preceding chapter, that 
 Mrs. Campbell and her children were carried captives 
 into the Indian country. Soon after her arrival at 
 Canadaseago, the capital of the Seneca nation, she 
 was given to a family to fill the place left vacant by 
 the death of one of its members. This family was 
 composed of females, with the exception of one aged 
 warrior, who no longer went forth either to the chase 
 or to war ; this circumstance enabled her to render 
 herself useful to them. The Indians knew little of 
 the most common arts of life ; few of the Indian 
 women could make even an ordinary calico garment. 
 She made garments not only for the family to whi(^ 
 she belonged, but also for the neighboring families, 
 who in return sent corn and venison for their support. 
 By reason of these services, she was under no restraint, 
 but was free to come or go as she pleased. 
 
 The Indians paid no regard to the Sabbath, but 
 pursued their usual avocations on that day; on her 
 informing them that she kept that day sacred, they 
 did not ask her to do any work, and gave strict orders 
 to the children to remain silent while in her presence. 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 215 
 
 An Indian one day came into the house where she 
 was, and asked her why she wore caps, saying, " In- 
 dians do not do so." She replied it was the custom 
 of her countrywomen. '' Well, come to my house, 
 and I will give you a cap." Her adopted mother 
 motioned to her to follow him. As soon as they had 
 entered the house, he pulled from behind a beam a 
 cap of a smoky color, and handed it to her, saying 
 in English, '' I got that cap in Cherry Valley ; I took 
 it from the head of a woman." On examination she 
 recognized it as having belonged to the unfortunate 
 Jane° Wells; and was no doubt the one she had on 
 when she was so barbarously murdered, as it had a 
 cut in the crown made by the tomahawk, and was 
 spotted with blood. She could not but drop a tear to 
 her memory, for she had known her from infancy — 
 a pattern of virtue and loveliness. In the Indian 
 who stood before her she perceived the murderer of 
 her friend. She turned from him with hoiror. Re- 
 turning to her cabin, she tore off the lace border, and 
 washing it carefully, though she could not efface 
 the stains of blood, laid it away with the intention of 
 giving it to some of the friends of Miss Wells, if any 
 had been fortunate enough to escape. She afterward 
 gave it to Miss Ramsay, a cousin, whom she found at 
 Fort Niagara, and who, together with her mother, 
 melted into tears as they beheld this little relic, spot- 
 ted with the blood of their kinswoman. 
 
 Early in the winter the nation assembled at Cana- 
 daseago to hold a general council, and to celebrate 
 their late successes. This village was laid out with 
 some regularity, and in almost a circular form, en- 
 
216 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 closing a large green. The houses were generally 
 built of bark, after the rude style of the Indians. A 
 few were of hewn logs. The ceremony was com- 
 menced by a sacrifice. A white dog was killed and 
 borne along in procession to a large fire kindled in 
 the centre of the village. In the mean time others 
 went round to ev^ry house with a basket, in which 
 each individual was required to deposit something. 
 This basket, with all its contents, was first cast into 
 the fire. Afterward the'dog was laid on and thoroughly 
 roasted, and was then eaten. This was followed by 
 eating, drinking and dancing, which continued for 
 several days.* 
 
 When Col. Butler went to Canada he left his wife 
 and children in the county. The committee after- 
 ward refused permission to them to join him. Captain 
 Walter Butler, her son, wrote a letter by the prison- 
 ers who returned to Cherry Valley, to Col. Campbell, 
 proposing an exchange of Mrs. Campbell and her 
 children for his mother and brothers. This letter was 
 laid by him before Gov. Clinton and Gen. Schuyler, 
 and the proposed exchange was agreed to by them. 
 
 Early in the spring Col. Campbell dispatched an 
 Indian messenger to Col. Butler at Fort Niagara, in- 
 forming him that the proposition was acceded to. 
 Col. Butler soon after came to Canadaseago to confer 
 with the Indians in reference to their giving up their 
 prisoners. When prisoners have been given to a 
 family, that family return them with great reluctance. 
 They usually fill the places of deceased relatives. To 
 
 * See Appendix — Note K. 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 21*7 
 
 return them for money, or any other compensation, 
 would be equivalent to selling their relatives. A 
 council was called, which continued sitting for several 
 days. Col. Butler urged with great earnestness the 
 Indians to give up the prisoners in exchange for his 
 wife and children. The assent of the council was 
 finally obtained. The residence of Mrs. C. was 
 intended to have been only temporary at Canada- 
 seago. This spring she was to have been placed in a 
 family in the Genesee village, who were kinsfolk of 
 the family with whom she lived at this time, and also 
 of Guyanguahta, or, as he was usually called, Grahta, 
 the Seneca king. It was necessary to obtain their 
 assent, and the old king himself set out on this er- 
 rand. Having succeeded, he returned to Canadase- 
 ago, and immediately informed Mrs. C. that she was 
 now free. The good old king had always been kind 
 to her. Though considerably advanced in life, so 
 that he did not join in the war, yet he performed this 
 journey on foot. Before her departure for Niagara, 
 he came up from his residence near the outlet of the 
 Seneca Lake, to bid her adieu, and to wish her success 
 on her journey. ''You are now about to return to 
 your home and friends, I rejoice. You live a great 
 way, many days' journey from here. I am an old 
 man, and do not know that I shall live to the end of 
 this war ; if I do, when the war is over I will come 
 and see you." This was spoken through an inter- 
 preter. A circumstance occurred about the same time, 
 which deserves notice. It has been observed that the 
 Oneidas passed through the country of the other na- 
 tions unmolested. One of them came into the village 
 12* 
 
218 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 of Canadaseago. Among the prisoners in the village 
 was a Mr. Piper, who had been taken in the valley 
 of the Mohawk. He sought an interview with the 
 Indian. The Indian, informed of this, called upon 
 him, and addressed him in English in a very grave 
 tone : '' You wished to see me — I have come — what 
 do you want?" ^'I wished to request you, when you 
 return, to go to my family and inform them that I am 
 alive." '^ Is that all ?" said the generous Oneida; '^ I 
 supposed you wanted me to conduct you back to your 
 home." '' I dare not leave," was the reply ; ^'I 
 would be pursued and overtaken, and probably 
 killed." ''lean lead yon safe, by paths which they 
 do not know. If you will go with me, I am sure I 
 can conduct you home in safety." Mr. Piper was 
 advanced in life, and preferred waiting until some 
 exchange should be made, to hazarding his life by an 
 attempt to escape. This conversation had been over- 
 heard. Col. Butler, fearing lest he might escape, 
 ordered him forward to Niagara. Col. Butler remained 
 in the Indian country with his rangers. He was 
 joined by Brant and the Indians, in all about 800, 
 who made a stand, as before mentioned, at Newtown. 
 Mrs. Campbell, shortly after the return of the old 
 king, was also sent to Niagara, where she arrived in 
 June, 1779. Soon after the British at that fort re- 
 ceived information of the march of Gen. Sullivan. 
 The fort at this time was in a poor condition to resist 
 an attack. A regiment was ordered up from Canada 
 to aid in repairing and garrisoning it. The men 
 were almost constantly on fatigue duty during tlie 
 summer. The most vigorous preparations were made 
 
ANNALS OF TllYON COUNTY. 219 
 
 to give Gen. Sullivan a warm reception, should the 
 capture of this fort be the object of the campaign. 
 
 Among the persons driven into the fort by the 
 American army, was Catrine Montour, who had sig- 
 nalized herself by her inhumanity at Wyoming. She 
 had two sons, who were the leaders of bands, and 
 who consequently imparted additional consequence to 
 her. This creature was treated with considerable at- 
 tention by some of the officers. It has already been 
 remarked j however, in justice to that body of men, 
 that the indiscriminate war which was carried on 
 along the border was not generally sanctioned or ap- 
 proved of by them. 
 
 A son of Catrine Montour took prisoner, in Cherry 
 Valley, Mr. Cannon, the father of Mrs. Campbell. 
 Mr. Cannon was severely wounded by a musket ball, 
 and was also advanced in life ; but he had been a 
 committee-man, and had taken an active part in the 
 war. He was therefore taken along a prisoner, for 
 the purpose of exchange. On the return of the party 
 into the Indian country, Catrine addressed her son in 
 English, and, in the presence of Mr. Cannon, re- 
 proached him for having acted hnmanely. " Why 
 did you bring that old man a prisoner ? Why did 
 you not kill him when you first took him 1" An- 
 other person was Molly, the sister of Joseph Brant, 
 and mistress of Sir William Johnson. Lieut. Col. 
 Stacia, who had been taken prisoner at Cherry Val- 
 ley, was also at the fort. Molly Brant had, from 
 some cause, a deadly hostility to him. She resorted 
 to the Indian method of dreaming. Sbe informed 
 Col. Butler that she dreamed she had the Yankee's 
 
220 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 head, and that she and tlic Indians were kicking it 
 about the fort. Col. Butler ordered a small keg of 
 rum to be painted and given to her. This for a short 
 tune appeased her, but she dreamed the second time 
 that she had the ^ Yankee's head, with his hat on, 
 and she and the Indians were kicking it about the 
 fort for a football. Col. Butler ordered another keg 
 of rum to be given to her, and then told her, decided- 
 ly, that Col. Stacia should not be given up to the In- 
 dians. Apart from this circumstance, I know noth- 
 ing disreputable of Molly Brant ; on the contrary, she 
 appears to have had just views of her duties. She 
 was careful of the education of her children, some of 
 whom were respectably married. 
 
 The Indians having been driven into Fort Niagara, 
 Col. Butler was enabled to get from them all Mrs. 
 Campbell's children. She was sent down to Mon- 
 treal in June, 1780, a year after her arrival at the 
 fort. Here she found Mrs. Butler and children, and 
 one of her own sons, a child about seven years of 
 age.* He had been with the Caughnawagas, a 
 branch of the Mohawk tribe, settled in Canada. Mrs. 
 Butler had taken "off his Indian dress, and had clad 
 him in the green uniform of Col. Butler's Rangers. It 
 was, however, only the appearance of the child which 
 she had altered ; for he could speak nothing but the 
 
 * James S. Campbell, Esq. was the second son of Col. Samuel 
 Campbell, and is still living at Clicny Valley, on the oh] homestead 
 which he inherited from his father. He has long since foj-gotteu the 
 Indian tongue. Indeed, a=' he has often stated to me, he forgot it as 
 readily as he learned it 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 221 
 
 Mohawk tongue, having entirely forgotten the Eng- 
 lish. Mrs. C. had not seen him since the day of their 
 captivity at Cherry Valley. Though his habits had 
 changed with his language, she rejoiced, for he had 
 not forgotten her. 
 
 At Montreal, several other prisoners were collect- 
 ed, previous to their being exchanged. They were 
 detained here several months waiting for their pass- 
 ports. They repeatedly made inquiries of, and re- 
 monstrated to Gen. Haldiman, the Governor. He 
 said it was not in his power to grant them, but he 
 would write to the commander-in-chief at Quebec ; 
 which he accordingly did. The passports were soon 
 after obtained, and the prisoners were sent to Crown 
 Point, where a batteaux lay which had brought from 
 the States several loyalist families. Before their ar- 
 rival, a British vessel had come into the port from 
 Canada, and the sailors commenced telling the peo- 
 ple on the wharf, and in the other vessels, that expe- 
 ditions were fitting out in Canada against Fort George 
 and Fort Ann. The Americans in the batteau over- 
 heard this conversation. When the prisoners left 
 St. John's, the commander at that place WTOte 
 to Crown Point, ordering the commander there 
 to permit the batteau to return. This letter was to 
 have been carried by them ; but by accident it was 
 sent forward and reached Crown Point before they 
 did, and the batteau immediately departed. They 
 were then sent back to Port Affair and detained (here. 
 They saw the expedition going down the lake, and 
 though at that time they did not know that the sailors 
 on board the battenu had overheard the conversation 
 
222 .BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 relative to it, yet they consoled themselves with the 
 idea that they must have received some intimation of 
 it, and would apprise the inhabitants. But the spies 
 returned, saying all was silent and no attack was ap- 
 prehended. Shortly after the batteau returned with 
 another cargo of loyalist families. The batteaumen 
 had given no intimation of the contemplated invasion. 
 It was supposed they preferred the hard dollars which 
 they received in pay for their labor, to the welfare of 
 their country. They excused themselves by saying 
 they considered it a sailor's story, and entitled to no 
 credit. 
 
 One party of Indians and Tories in this expedition 
 was commanded by Captain Johnson, a brother of 
 Guy Johnson, who, on account of his ferocious con- 
 duct, was called '' Savage Johnson." When this ex- 
 pedition returned, poles were erected in the sterns of 
 the boats, from which were suspended the scalps of 
 persons whom they had killed. According to the ac- 
 count given by them, the number killed was about 
 fifty. 
 
 The prisoners were now sent down to Crown 
 Point — the batteau was dismissed, and they passed 
 the lake. In their passage they were the cause of 
 alarm to the inhabitants who had so recently been 
 visited. The men were clad in blanket coats, and 
 some of the women wore red cloaks. A scout had 
 discovered them on the lake, and taking them for a 
 party of Indians and Tories, gave the alarm, and be- 
 fore their arrival more than a thousand militia had 
 collected, under Col. Ethan Allen. While stopping 
 at a small fortress, eight mik\'5 from Cnstleton, it was 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 223 
 
 announced that a flag was approaching. It was sup- 
 posed to be sent to demand the surrender of the for- 
 tress. Col. Herrick, of the militia, struck his sword 
 upon the ground with such force that he broke it in 
 pieces, saying it should not be surrendered. Col. Al- 
 len told the prisoners that they should not again fall 
 into the hands of the enemy, and immediately mount- 
 ing them upon horseback, sent them off toward Alba- 
 ny, with an escort of a hundred men. This flag was 
 sent for the following reason. It had been rumored 
 that the inhabitants in that section had said that 
 if they were not protected from the incursions of the 
 Indians and Tories, they would seek protection else- 
 where. It is perhaps needless to add, that this flag 
 was sent to ofTer them the protection of Great Britain, 
 which was indignantly rejected. 
 
 Shortly after her arrival at Albany, Mrs. Campbell 
 was joined by Mr. Campbell, who had been in Fort 
 Schuyler during most of the time since 1778. They 
 removed up the river to where now is situated the 
 village of West Troy. On the east side of the river 
 there were but two houses, where is now situated the 
 beautiful city of Troy. 
 
 It was not until the spring of 1784, that they re- 
 turned to Cherry Valley. They were now almost 
 penniless, their lands had gone to waste, and were 
 covered with underbush, and overrun with wild beasts. 
 With a large family, and without a shelter, save a lit- 
 tle log cabin, hastily put up, they felt for a time that 
 their lot had been a hard one. But the consciousness 
 that they had done their duty to their country, and 
 that that country was now free, l^ore them up under 
 
224 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 their misfortunes. Toward the close of summer, Mr. 
 C. had succeeded in erecting a comfortable log-house, 
 and his farm began to assume again the aspect of cul- 
 tivation. He received information that General Wash- 
 ington and several other distinguished persons were 
 passing up the Mohawk, and would visit Cherry 
 Valley. When they arrived, he had no place, save 
 his log-house, in which to receive them. But most of 
 them had been accustomed to the camp, and dreaded 
 no inconvenience from this source. General Wash- 
 ington was accompanied by Gov. George Clinton, 
 Gen. Hand, and many officers of the New York line. 
 Gov. Clinton immediately inquired for Robert Shank- 
 land, who had married a distant connection of his, 
 and with whom he was acquainted. Before intro- 
 ducing him, it may be well to give some account of 
 this brave and hardy borderer. From the first he had 
 espoused the colonial cause ; and being an Irishman 
 by birth, maintained it with the characteristic warmth 
 of his countrymen. He lived in a remote part of the 
 town, but while the garrison Avas kept, he came al- 
 most daily to inquire as to the state of affairs at home 
 and abroad. He was accustomed to pass by the farm 
 of a Mr. Coonrad, a townsman, whom he found 
 always engaged in his usual farming business. Be- 
 lieving that a man could not be a good Whig, who 
 appeared so indifferent to what was doing in the coun- 
 try, he one day accosted him. Armed, as was his 
 custom, with a musket and a large basket-hilted 
 sword, he drew up before him, when the following 
 dialogue was held : " Mr. Coonrad, are you a 
 Whig?" he asked, sternly. " Yes, Mr. Shankland 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 225 
 
 I am as good a Whig- as you are." '' And why don't 
 you arm yourself in defense of your country, as I do, 
 then ?" Throwing up his musket and striking his 
 hand upon his sword, he marched toward the fort, 
 leaving Mr. Coonrad somewhat surprised at this, 
 though not unusual, yet searching question. Mr. 
 Coonrad was afterward an active partisan soldier. 
 
 When Cherry Valley was destroyed, the house of 
 Mr. Shankland, by renson of its remoteness, was not 
 burned. He fled, how^ever, with his family to the 
 Mohawk River. The following summer he returned 
 with his son Thomas, a lad about fourteen years of 
 age. They were awakened one morning a little be- 
 fore daylight by a violent pounding at the door, with 
 a demand of admittance, made in broken English. 
 Mr. Shankland arose, and taking down his guns, di- 
 rected his son to load them as fast as they should be 
 discharged by him. Upon listening, he ascertained 
 that the demand was made by Indians, who were en- 
 deavoring to hew down the door with their toma- 
 hawks. W^ith a spear in his hand he now carefully 
 unbarred his door and charged upon them. Surprised 
 by this sudden and unexpected attack, they fell back. 
 One of the Indians whom he pursued in his retreat 
 fell over a log which lay near the door and into which 
 he struck his spear. He drew it back suddenly, when 
 the blade parted from the handle and remained in the 
 wood. He seized the blade in his hand and wrested 
 it out, and then retreated into the house. Not a gun 
 was fired nor a tomahaw^k thrown at him in this sortie. 
 The Indians now commenced firing through the door 
 and in the windows, which was returned by Mr. S., 
 
226 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK ; OR, 
 
 llioiigh with no effect on the part of the Indians, and 
 with little on his. One or two of the Indians were 
 slightly wounded. His son, who was frightened, made 
 his escape through the window, and ran toward the 
 woods. He was discovered, pursued and taken. 
 When Mr. S. learned from their shouts that this was 
 the case, he determined to sally out again and sell his 
 life as dearly as possible. But upon reflection, fearing 
 it might endanger the life of his son, whom they 
 might otherwise save alive, he concluded to remain 
 and defend his house to the last. The Indians, who 
 were few in number, finding themselves unable to 
 effect an entrance into the house, hit upon another 
 method of attack. The}^ gathered combustible ma- 
 terials, and placing them at a side of the houte 
 where there were no windows, and where they could 
 not be annoyed by Mr. S., set fire to them. In a few 
 minutes the whole side of the house was enveloped in 
 flames. There was but one way of escape. He had 
 sown a field of hemp, which came up to his house on 
 one side, and luckily the side in which was the cellar 
 door. The prospect of a successful defense being 
 now over, he went into the cellar, and having gained 
 the woods through the hemp, made his way to the Mo- 
 hawk in safety. The Indians waited until the house 
 was burned down, supposing him to have been burned 
 in it, and then, raising their shout of victory, departed, 
 taking their prisoner along with them into the western 
 part of the State. 
 
 When Mr. Shankland had been introduced to the 
 company, he was requested to relate some of his ad- 
 ventures, and the foregoing was apart of his narration. 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 227 
 
 He stood np in the centre of the little log-cabin, and 
 so far as space would allow, '^ fought his battle o'er." 
 His audience listened with great attention, though 
 their faculties were occasionally excited by his drol- 
 leries. Such a group would form no mean subject 
 for the pencil. 
 
 An object of some interest also to the party, was a 
 gun which formerly belonged to Joseph Mayall, and 
 the notice of which arose from the following circum- 
 stance. Mayall lived in the town of Laurens, in the 
 now count}^ of Otsego. Though an Englishman by 
 birth, he had sided with the colonies. He had returned 
 home during the summer, and was hunting, when he 
 was accosted by three men, who requested him to 
 pilot them a short distance down the Susquehanna to 
 the fording place. He did so ; but the men, abusing 
 his confidence, took his gun from him, and having 
 taken off the lock returned it to him. They then in- 
 formed him that he must accompany them to Canada. 
 He remonstrated, saying that peace had been declared, 
 and they had no right to detain him a prisoner. Find- 
 ing argument unavailing he concluded to submit until 
 an opportunity to escape should offer. When crossing 
 a branch of the Susquehanna, the better to secure 
 their prisoner, one of the men passed to the opposite 
 side of the stream — one stationed himself in the mid- 
 le, and one was to accompany Mayall. Seizing up- 
 on this advantage, Mayall struck the man who was 
 with him on the bank a violent blow with his gun, 
 which felled him to the earth ; and then seizing quickly 
 his gun, fired at and wounded the one in the stream. 
 The third fired at, but missed Mayall, and then fled. 
 
228 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 Mayall returned and came to Cherry Valley, bringing 
 the guns of the two men, together with his own, 
 which he deposited with Mr. Campbell. Mayall was 
 a stout, athletic man, and the barrel of his gun was 
 bent almost to a semicircle by the violence of the blow. 
 
 The ensuing morning, Gov. Clinton, seeing several 
 boys, inquired of Mrs. C. how many children slie had : 
 having told him, he added, " they will make fine sol- 
 diers in time." She replied, '' she hoped her country 
 would never need their services." '' I hope so too, 
 madam," said Gen. Washington, ^' for I have seen 
 enough of war." They visited Otsego Lake and outlet, 
 where Gen. Sullivan threw a dam across, and afterward 
 passed down to join Gen. Sullivan. The following 
 letter was written by Gen. Washington to the Marquis 
 of Chastelleux, a foreigner who was in pursuit of lit- 
 erary and military fame. 
 
 " I have lately made a tour through the lakes 
 George and Champlain as far as Crown Point, then 
 returning to Schenectady I proceeded up the Mohawk 
 River to Fort Schuyler, crossed over to Wood Creek, 
 which empties into the Oneida Lake, and affords the 
 water communication with Ontario. I then traversed 
 the country to the head of the eastern branch of the 
 Susquehanna, and viewed the Lake Otsego and the 
 portage between tliat lake and the Mohawk River at 
 Canajoharie. Prompted bythese actual observations, I 
 could not help taking a more contemplative and exten- 
 sive view of the vast inland navigation of these United 
 States, and could not but be struck with the immense 
 diffusion and importance of it, and with the goodness 
 of that Providence w4iich has dealt his favors to us 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 229 
 
 with so profuse a hand. Would to God we may have 
 wisdom enough to improve them. I shall not rest 
 contented until I have explored the western country, 
 and traversed those lines (or great part of them) which 
 have given bounds to a new empire." 
 
 At the close of the war most of the surviving inhab- 
 itants of Cherry Valley, and of the valley of the Mo- 
 hawk, returned to their former homes.* Many of 
 them had been scattered in different provinces and 
 along the sea-board. The places of some were not 
 occupied, and many a tear was shed as their friends 
 lamented their death, 
 
 " Recalling with a sigh 
 
 Dim recollected pleasures of the days of youth, 
 And early love." 
 
 Many of the soldiers who were at the close of the 
 war without homes, and who had been stationed along 
 the frontier, returned and settled upon the places of 
 their former trials and sufferings. The fertility of the 
 western part of the State had been discovered by Sul- 
 livan's expedition. These and other subsequent cir- 
 cumstances produced a tide of emigration to the west, 
 which has not yet ceased to flow, which still pours on 
 its flood into the far unbroken wilderness. Who that 
 looked upon central and w^estern New York then, 
 would have dreamed of its sudden growth and pros- 
 
 *0n the 4th day of July, 1840, the inliabitants of Cherry Valley 
 celebrated the anniversary of the one hundredth year of their settlement- 
 The centennial discom-se of the author will be found in the Appendix ; 
 and with it the writer feels that he has done with the history of his native 
 town. The men of other generations must continue it. 
 
230 BORDER WARFARE OF NEW YORK; OR, 
 
 perity — that in fifty years it would teem with more 
 than a million of inhabitants, rich in education, rich 
 in morals, rich" in enterprise, both civil and religious, 
 in all that adorns a State ! When however I look 
 over this land, the domain of the once proud and 
 noble Iroquois, and remember how in the days of 
 their glory they defended this infant colony from the 
 ravages of the French, and contrast their former state, 
 numerous, powerful, and respected, with their present 
 condition, I feel almost disposed to blot out the record 
 which I have made of their subsequent cruelties. 
 They are passing away from among us, without leav- 
 ing upon the land which they inhabited any memen- 
 toes of their greatness. No Brant has written the his- 
 tory of the Six Nations, and left for our perusal '^ the 
 story of their wrongs." 
 
 " Their yell of vengeance "was their trump of fame, 
 Their monument, a grave without a name." 
 
 I here close this little sketch of our border warfare. 
 Every person will readily perceive how difficult it is 
 to collect materials for even such a sketch, where the 
 few tattered and moth-eaten documents are to be 
 sought for among many persons, and when the au- 
 thenticity of many events, long gone by, rests upon 
 the frail basis of human memory. It is very possible, 
 therefore, yea, very probable, there are omissions, per- . 
 haps errors, in this volume of Annals. I shall be sat- 
 isfied, however, if I shall have succeeded in rescuing 
 from oblivion any materials, however few or small, 
 which shall be useful and important for the future his- 
 torian of this State ; for that architect whose lot it shall 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 231 
 
 be to rear a monument more durable than those of 
 stone — '^ that loftier monument on which, not the 
 rays of the setting sun, but the rays of a nation's 
 glory, as long as letters shall endure, will continue to 
 ' play and linger on its summit.' " 
 
 Since 1776, revolution has followed revolution ; but 
 however splendid in their commencement, or success- 
 ful in their termination, in the eye of the American, 
 they eclipse not that which terminated in his country's 
 independence. Far from becoming stale, it increases 
 in interest as we recede from it. As our numbers and 
 resources increase, we wonder that so much was done ; 
 and when the few remnants of those times shall be 
 gathered to their companions in peace, we shall regret 
 but too late that we had not honored them more. 
 
 [ - 
 
APPENDIX 
 
 11 
 
APPENDIX 
 
 Note A. 
 
 *' The most remarkable difference existed between 
 the confederates and the other Indian nations with 
 respect to eloquence. You may search in vain in the 
 records and writings of the past, or in events of the 
 present times, for a single model of eloquence among 
 the Algonkins, the Abenaquis, the Delawares, the 
 Shawanese, or any other nation of Indians, except 
 the Iroquois. The few scintillations of intellectual 
 light; the faint glimmerings of genius, which are 
 sometimes to be found in their speeches, are evidently 
 derivative, and borrowed from the confederates." 
 
 Speech of the Mohawk Chiefs to the Magistrates of AU 
 hamjj on the 26th of March ^ 1689-90, after the 
 destruction of Schenectady. 
 
 *' Brethren f — The murder of our brethren at 
 Schenectady by the French, grieves us as much as if 
 
236 APPENDIX TO 
 
 it had been done to ourselves, for we are in the same 
 chain ; and no doubt our brethren of New England 
 will be likewise sadly affected with this cruel action 
 of the French. The French on this occasion have 
 not acted like brave men, but like thieves and rob- 
 bers. Be not therefore discouraged. We give this 
 belt to wipe away your tears. 
 
 '^ Brethren ! — We lament the death of so many of 
 our brethren, whose blood has been shed at Schenec- 
 tady. We don't think that what the French have 
 done can be called a victory ; it is only a farther proof 
 of their cruel deceit. The governor of Canada sends 
 to Onondaga, and talks to us of peace with our whole 
 house, but war was in his heart, as you may now see 
 by woful experience. He did the same formerly at 
 Cadarackui, and in the Senecas country. This is the 
 third time he has acted so deceitfully. He has broken 
 open our house at both ends, formerly in the Senecas 
 country, and now here. We hope, however, to be 
 revenged of them. One hundred of our bravest 
 young men are in pursuit of them ; they are brisk 
 fellows, and they will follow the French to their 
 doors. We will beset them so closely, that not a man 
 in Canada shall dare to step out of doors to cut a stick 
 of wood ; but now we gather up our dead to bury 
 them by this second belt. 
 
 *' Brethren ! — We came from our castles with tears 
 in our eyes, to bemoan the blood shed at Schenectady 
 by the perfidious French. While we bury our dead 
 murdered at Schenectady, we know not what may 
 have befallen our own people that are in pursuit of 
 the enemy; tl.ey n.ay be dead. What has befallen 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 237 
 
 you may happen to us ; and therefore, we come to 
 bury our brethren at Schenectady with this third 
 belt. 
 
 '^ Great and sudden is the mischief, as if it had 
 fallen from Heaven upon us. Our forefathers taught 
 us to go with all speed to bemoan and lament with 
 our brethren, when any disaster or misfortune hap- 
 pens to any in our chain. Take this belt of vigilance, 
 that you may be more watchful for the future. We 
 give our brethren eye-water to make them sharp- 
 sighted. (Giving a fourth belt.) 
 
 " We now come to the house where we usually 
 renew the chain; but alas! we find the house pollu- 
 ted with blood. All the Five Nations have heard of 
 this, and we are come to wipe away the blood, and 
 clean the house. We come to invite Corlear, and 
 every one of you, and Quider, (calling to every one 
 of the principal men present by their names,) to be 
 revenged of the enemy, by this fifth belt. 
 
 '' Brethren ! — Be not discouraged ; we are strong 
 enough. This is the beginning of your war, and the 
 whole house have their eyes fixed upon you at this 
 time, to observe your behavior. They wait your mo- 
 tion, and are ready to join in any resolute measures. 
 
 *' Our chain is a strong chain ; it is a silver chain ; 
 it can neither rust nor be broken. We, as to our parts, 
 are resolute to continue the war. 
 
 ^' We will never desist, so long as a man of us re- 
 mains. Take heart; do not pack up and go away;* 
 
 * This was spoken to the English, who were about removing from 
 Albany. 
 
238 APPENDIX TO 
 
 this will give heart to a dastardly enemy. We 
 are of the race of the bear ; and a bear, you know, 
 never yields, while one drop of blood is left. We 
 must all be bears. (Giving a sixth belt.) 
 
 '' Brethren ! — Be patient; this disaster is an afflic- 
 tion which has fallen from heaven upon us. The 
 sun, which hath been cloudy, and sent this disaster, 
 will shine again with its pleasant beams. Take 
 courage, courage. (Repeating the word several times 
 as they gave a seventh belt.) 
 
 {To the English.) 
 
 '^ Brethren ! — Three years ago we were engaged 
 in a bloody war with the French, and you encouraged 
 us to proceed in it. Our success answered our expect- 
 ation ; but we were not well begun, when Corlear 
 sfopped us from going on. Had you permitted us to 
 go on, the French would not now have been able to 
 do us the mischief they have done ; we would have 
 prevented their sowing, planting, or reaping. 
 
 '' We would have humbled them effectually, but 
 now we die. The obstructions you then made now 
 ruin us. Let us after this be steady, and take no such 
 false measures for the future, but prosecute the war 
 vigorously. (Giving a beaver skin.) 
 
 *' The brethren must keep good watch, and if the 
 enemy come again, send more speedily to us. Don't 
 desert Schenectady. The enemy will glory in seeing 
 it desolate. It will give them courage that had none 
 before. Fortify the place ; it is not v/ell fortified 
 now ; the stockadoes are too short ; the Indians can 
 jump over them. (Gave a beaver skin.) 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 239 
 
 " Brethren / — The mischief done at Schenectady 
 cannot be helped now ; but for the future, when the 
 enemy appears any where, let nothing hinder your 
 sending to us by expresses, and fire great guns, that 
 all may be alarmed. We advise you to bring all the 
 River Indians under your subjection, to live near Al- 
 bany, to be ready on all occasions. 
 
 *'Send to New England; tell them what has hap- 
 pened to you. They will undoubtedly awake, and 
 lend us their helping hand. It is their interest, as 
 much as ours, to push the war to a speedy conclusion. 
 Be not discouraged ; the French are not so numerous 
 as some people talk. If we but heartily unite to push 
 on the war, and mind our business, the French will 
 soon be subdued." 
 
 The magistrates having returned an answer on the 
 twenty-seventh, to the satisfaction of the Indians, 
 they repeated it all over, word by word, to let the 
 magistrates see how carefully they minded, and then 
 added — 
 
 '^ Brethren ! — We are glad to find you are not dis- 
 couraged. The best and wisest men sometimes make 
 mistakes. Let us now pursue the war vigorously. 
 We have a hundred men out ; they are good scouts. 
 We expect to meet all the sachems of the other na- 
 tions, as they come to condole with you. You need 
 not fear our being ready at the first notice. Our axe 
 is always in our hands ; but take care that you be 
 timely ready. Your ships, that must do the principal 
 work, are long a fitting out. We do not design 
 to go out with a small company, or in skulking par- 
 ties ; but as soon as the nations can meet, we shall 
 
240 APPENDIX TO 
 
 be ready with our whole force. If you would bring 
 this war to a happy issue you must begin soon — before 
 the French can recover the losses they have received 
 from us, and get new vigor and life ; therefore send 
 in all haste to New England. Neither you nor we 
 can continue long in the condition we are now in ; 
 we must order matters so that the French be kept in 
 continual fear and alarm at home ; for this is the only 
 way to be secure, and in peace here. 
 
 ''The Scatikok Indians, in our opinion, are well 
 placed where they are, (to the northward of Albany ;) 
 they are a good out-guard ; they are our children, and 
 we must take care that they do their duty : but you 
 must take care of the Indians below the town ; place 
 them near the town, so as they may be of more ser- 
 vice to you." 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 241 
 
 Note B. 
 
 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF SIR WILLIAM JOHNSON. 
 
 A CONSIDERABLE part of the following sketch of the 
 life of Sir William Johnson is taken from the travels 
 of Dr. Dwight. In the main, it is believed to be cor- 
 rect, though perhaps he has not done him justice in the 
 remarks which he makes relative to his command at 
 Lake George. He is supported, however, by an arti- 
 cle supposed to have been written by Gov. Livingston, 
 and published in the seventh volume of the Collec- 
 tions of the Massachusetts Historical Society. 
 
 '' The sight of Sir William Johnson's mansion, in 
 this vicinity, awakened in my mind a variety of inter- 
 esting reflections. This gentleixian was born in Ire- 
 land, about the year 1714. Sir Peter Warren having 
 married an American lady, purchased a large estate 
 on and near the Mohawk. In the year 1734 he sent 
 for Mr. Johnson, who was his nephew, to come and 
 superintend the property. To fulfill the duties of the 
 commission Mr. Johnson seated himself in this spot — 
 here he became, of course, extensively acquainted 
 with the Six Nations. He studied their character, and 
 acquired their language ; carried on an extensive 
 trade with them, and by a course of sagacious mea- 
 11* 
 
242 APPENDIX TO 
 
 sures made himself so agreeable and useful to them, 
 that for many years he possessed an influence over 
 them, such as was never gained by any other white 
 man. 
 
 " His constitution was unusually firm, and his 
 mind hardy, coarse and vigorous. Unsusceptible of 
 those delicate feelings by which minds of a softer 
 mould are in a great measure governed, destitute of 
 those refined attachments v/hich are derived from a 
 correspondence with elegant society, and unconfined 
 by those moral restraints which bridle men of tender 
 consciences, he here saw the path open to wealth and 
 distinction, and determined to make the utmost of 
 his opportunity. In troublesome times, an active, 
 ambitious man hardly ever fails to acquire some de- 
 gree of consequence. Such were the times in which 
 Mr. Johnson resided at this place, and so persevering 
 and successful was he in turning them to his advan- 
 tage, that he rose from the station of a common sol- 
 dier to the command of an army, and from the class 
 of yeomen to the title of baronet. 
 
 '^ In the year 1757 he led the provincial army to 
 Lake George, where was achieved the first victory 
 gained on the British side in the war commencing at 
 that period. For this victory, toward which he did 
 little more than barely hold the place of commander- 
 in-chief, he received from the House of Commons 
 ^£5,000 sterling, and from the King the title of baro- 
 net and the office of superintendent of Indian affairs. 
 
 *' In the year 1759, being at the head of the pro- 
 vincial troops employed under Brigadier Gen. Pri- 
 deaux to besiege Fort Niagara, he became, upon the 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 243 
 
 death of that officer, commander-in-chief of the whole 
 army, and directed the siege with activity and skill. 
 On the 24th of July a body of French and Indian 
 assailants approached to raise the siege ; Sir William 
 marched out to meet them and gained a complete 
 victory. The next morning the fort itself surrender- 
 ed, and the garrison were made prisoners of war. 
 
 '^ In 1760 he led 1000 Iroquois to join the army of 
 Gen. Amherst at Oswego. With this body he pro- 
 ceeded under the command of that illustrious man to 
 Montreal. Here he concluded his military career 
 with honor, being present and active in a distinguished 
 station at the surrender of Canada. 
 
 " The services which he rendered to the British 
 colonists were important, and will be long as well as 
 deservedly remembered. The property which he 
 amassed here was very great. At the time when he 
 came into America a considerable part of the culti- 
 vated, and much of the uncultivated land in the prov- 
 ince of New York, was divided into large manorial 
 possessions, obtained successively from the govern- 
 ment by men of superior sagacity and influence. Sir 
 William followed the custom of the country, and by 
 a succession of ingenious and industrious exertions 
 secured to himself vast tracts of valuable land.* 
 
 * The following story of Sir Vv'^illiam's ingenuity has been frequently 
 related. Old King Hendrick, of the Mohawks, was at his house at the 
 time Bir WUliam received two or three rich suits of military clothes. 
 The old king, a short time afterward, came to Sir WilUiam and said : 
 " I dream." " Well, what did you dream ?" " I dream you give me 
 one suit of clothes." " Well, I suppose you must have it," and ac- 
 cordingly he gave him one. Some time after Sir William met Hen- 
 
244 APPENDIX TO 
 
 " As these were always exposed to French and In- 
 dian incursions, thev w^ere obtained for trifling sums, 
 
 drick, and said, " I dreamed last night." " Did you ; -what you dream ?" 
 "I dreamed you gave rae a tract of land," describing it. After a 
 pause, " I suppose you must have it, but," and he raised his finger sig- 
 nificantly, " you must not dream again." This tract of land extended 
 from the East to West Canada Creek, in the now county of Herkimer, 
 and was about twelve miles square. The title was afterward con- 
 firmed by the King of England, and it was justly called the "Royal 
 Grant." 
 
 Old King Hendrick, or as he was sometimes called, the great Hen- 
 drick, lived in the now town of Minden in Herkimer County, and near 
 the upper Mohawk castle. " The site of his house," says Dr. Dwight, 
 "is a handsome elevation, commanding a considerable prospect of the 
 neighboring country. It will be sufficient to observe here, that for 
 capacity, bravery, vigor of mind, and immovable integrity united, he 
 excelled all the Aboriginal inhabitants of the United States of whom 
 any knowledge has come down to the present time. A gentlemtm of 
 a very respectable character, who was present at a council held with 
 the Six Nations, by the Governor of New York, and several agents of 
 distinction from New England, informed me that his figure and counte- 
 nance were singularly impressive and commanding ; that his eloquence 
 was of the same superior character, and that he appeared as if born to 
 con rol other men, and possessed an air of majesty unrivalled within 
 his knowledge." In the French wars he led forth his Mohawk warri- 
 ors and fought side by side with Sir William Johnson. Through all 
 the intrigues of the French he remained faithful to his alliance. He 
 was also highly esteemed by the white inhabitants. During some of 
 the negotiations with the Indians of Pennsylvania and the inhabitants 
 of that state, Hendrick was present at Philadelphia. His likeness 
 •was taken, and a wax figure afterward made, which was a very good 
 imitation. After the death of Hendrick, an old friend, a white man, 
 visited Philadelphia, and among other things was shown this wax 
 figure. It occupied a niche, and was not observed by him until he 
 had approached within a few feet. The friendship of former days 
 came fresh over his memory, and forgetting for the moment Hendrick's 
 death, he rushed forward and clasped in lii<» nrnis the frail, icy image 
 of the chieftain. 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. £45 
 
 being considered by most men as of very little value. 
 In consequence of the peace of Paps, and the subse- 
 quent increase of the settlements in the province, 
 they rose, as he had foreseen, from being of little 
 value to such a price as to constitute an immense for- 
 tune. 
 
 *' By Lady Johnson he had three children ; two 
 daughters, one married to CoL Claus, the other to 
 Col. Guy Johnson, and a son afterward, Sir John 
 Johnson. Of the first of these gentlemen I have no 
 further information. The two last took the British 
 side of the question in the Revolutionary war. 
 
 ^' Sir William built a house at the village of Johns- 
 town, where he chiefly lived during the latter part of 
 his life. The house which he built on this road 
 (along the Mohawk River) was occupied by Sir John. 
 Colonel Guy Johnson built a house on the opposite 
 side of the road a little further down the river. Here 
 these men lived, essentially in the rank, and with not 
 a small part of the splendor of noblemen. But when 
 they joined the British standard their property van- 
 ished in a moment, and with it their consequence, 
 their enjoyments, and probably their hopes." 
 
 Many accounts are still given of the rustic sports 
 encouraged by Sir William, and of the influence which 
 he exerted over the Indians and white inhabitants. 
 He died July 11th, 1774, aged 59 years. There is 
 something still mysterious connected with his death. 
 He had been out to England, and returned the pre- 
 vious spring. During a visit which he made shortly 
 after to Mr. Campbell, an intimate friend of his at 
 Schenectady, the conversation turned upon the sub- 
 
246 APPENDIX TO 
 
 ject of the disputes between the colonies and the 
 mother country. He then said he should never live to 
 see them in a state of open war. At a court held in 
 Johnstown for Tryon County, he received a foreign 
 package. He was in the court-house when it was 
 handed him. He immediately left the house and 
 walked over to the Hall. This package was after- 
 ward understood to have contained instructions to him 
 to use his influence in engaging the Indians in favor 
 of England, in case a war should break out. If such 
 were the instructions to Sir William, his situation was 
 indeed trying. On the one side was the English 
 government, which had so highly honored and en- 
 riched him, and on the other his own adopted country, 
 whose armies he had led to victory, with many warm 
 personal friends who entertained a great respect for 
 him, and who had fought by his side during the pre- 
 vious wars. A spirit like his could not but have fore- 
 seen the dreadful consequences of employing such a 
 a force as the Indians in such a war. His death 
 followed immediately before the rising of the court. 
 Rumor said he died by poison, administered by him- 
 self; but perhaps extreme excitement of mind thus 
 suddenly put an end to a life already protracted to a 
 middling old age. He was buried under the old stone 
 church at Johnstown. His bones were taken up in 
 1808, and redeposited. In the coffin was found the 
 ball with which he was wounded at Lake George, 
 which had never been extracted, and which ever after 
 occasioned lameness. His most valuable papers, in- 
 chiding his will, (said to he a very singular document,) 
 were buried in an iron chest in his garden, where 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 247 
 
 they were much injured by the dampness of the 
 earth. They were taken away by his son, Sir John, 
 during the war. 
 
248 APPENDIX TO 
 
 Note C. 
 
 SKETCH OF THE LIFE AND CHARACTER OF* 
 JOSEPH BRANT. 
 
 Joseph Brant, whose name has so often been men- 
 tioned in the foregoing pages, was a Mohawk sachem, 
 of great celebrity and influence in his tribe. The 
 time of his birth I do not know. In July, 1761, he 
 was sent, by Sir William Johnson, to the " Moor's 
 Charity School," at Lebanon, Connecticut, established 
 by the Rev. Dr. Wheelock, which was afterward 
 removed to Hanover, and became the foundation of 
 Dartmouth College. The following mention of him 
 is made in the memoirs of that gentleman : 
 
 " Sir William Johnson, Superintendent of Indian 
 Affairs in North America, was very friendly to the 
 design of Mr. Wheelock, and, at his request, sent to 
 the school, at various times, several boys of the Mo- 
 hawks to be instructed. One of them was the since 
 celebrated Joseph Brant; who, after receiving his 
 education, was particularly noticed by Sir William 
 Johnson, and employed by him in public business. 
 He has been very useful in advancing the civilization 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 249 
 
 of his countrymen, and for a long time past has been 
 a military officer of extensive influence among the 
 Indians in Upper Canada.'' 
 
 In confirmation of one of the statements in the 
 above notice, it may be here added, that in 1787 he 
 translated the book of Mark into the Mohawk tongue ; 
 and, as is mentioned in the letter hereafter inserted, 
 contemplated writing a history of the Six Nations. 
 
 The movements of Brant during the war have been 
 detailed, at considerable length, in the foregoing his- - 
 torical sketch of Tryon County. Combining the nat- 
 ural sagacity of the Indian with the skill and science 
 of the civilized man, he was a formidable foe. He 
 was a dreadful terror to the frontiers. His passions 
 were strong. In his intercourse he was affable and 
 polite, and communicated freely relative to his con- 
 duct. He often said that during the war he had killed 
 but one man in cold blood, and that act he ever after 
 regretted. He said he had taken a man prisoner, 
 and was examining him; the prisoner hesitated, and, 
 as he thought, equivocated. Enraged at what he 
 considered obstinacy, he struck him down. It turned 
 out that the man's apparent obstinacy arose from a 
 natural hesitancy of speech. 
 
 The following is the account, given by an European 
 traveller, Mr. Weld, which is alluded to in the letter 
 of Thomas Campbell. <^ With a considerable body 
 of his troops, he joined the forces under the command 
 of Sir John Johnson. A skirmish took place with a 
 body of American troops ; the action was warm, and 
 Brant was shot by a musket ball in his heel, but the 
 Americans in the end were defeated, and an officer. 
 
250 APPENDIX TO 
 
 with sixty men, were taken prisoners. The officer, 
 after having delivered up his sword, had entered into 
 conversation with Sir John Johnson, who commanded 
 the British troops, and they were talking together in 
 the most friendly manner, when Brant, having stolen 
 slily behind them, laid the American officer low with 
 a blow of his tomahawk. The indignation of Sir 
 John Johnson, as may be readily supposed, was 
 roused by such an act of treachery, and he resented 
 it in the warmest terms. Brant listened to him un- 
 concernedly, and when he had finished, told him, 
 that he was sorry for his displeasure, but that indeed 
 his heel was extremely painful at the moment, and 
 he could not help revenging himself on the only chief 
 of the party that he saw taken. Since he had killed 
 the officer, he added, his heel was much less painful 
 to him than it had been before." There were doubt- 
 less some grounds for such statements as that above ; 
 though probably very much exaggerated. I have 
 heard a story somewhat similar told of him, but it 
 was said that the officer was killed to prevent his 
 being retaken by the Americans, who were in pursuit 
 of the Indians. In the retreat he would not keep up 
 with them. 
 
 Brant stated, and it is believed to be true, that on 
 the morning of the day on which Cherry Valley was 
 destroyed, he left the main body of the enemy, and, 
 by a different route, endeavored to arrive tirst at the 
 house of Mr. Wells, for the purpose of protecting the 
 family; but that he found on his route, and a little 
 way from the house, a large ploughed field to cross, 
 which hindered him, so that he did not arrive until it 
 was too late. 
 
ANNALS OF TKYON COUNTY. 251 
 
 In person, Brant was about the middling size, of a 
 square, stout build, fitted rather for enduring hardships 
 than for quick movements. His complexion was 
 li^;hter than that of most of the Indians, which result- 
 ed, perhaps, from his less exposed manner of living. 
 This circumstance, probably, gave rise to a statement, 
 wliich has been often repeated, that he was of mixed 
 origin. He was married in the winter of 1779 to a 
 daughter of Col. Croghan by an Indian woman. The 
 circumstances of his marriage are somewhat singular. 
 He was present at the wedding of Miss Moore from 
 Cherry Valley, who had been carried away a prisoner, 
 and who married an officer of the garrison at Fort 
 Niagara. 
 
 Brant had lived with his wife for some time previ- 
 ous, according to the Indian custom, without mar- 
 riage ; but now insisted that the marriage ceremony 
 should be performed. This was accordingly done by 
 Col. Butler, who was still considered a magistrate. 
 After the war he removed, with his nation, to Can- 
 ada. There he was employed in transacting impor- 
 tant business for his tribe. He went out to England, 
 after the war, and was honorably received there. He 
 died about ten or fifteen years since, at Brantford, 
 Haldiman County, Upper Canada, where his family 
 now reside. One of his sons, a very intelligent man, 
 has been returned to the Colonial Assembly. This 
 son, a few years since, when in London, in company 
 with Capt. Robert Carr, a grandson of Sir William 
 Johnson, laid before Thomas Campbell written docu- 
 ments, which changed Mr. Campbell's opinion of his 
 father, and led to an eocpose of his views, in a letter 
 to him. 
 
252 APPENDIX TO 
 
 For the correct understanding of the following let- 
 ter, by those who have not read that beautiful poem, 
 '^ Gertrude of Wyoming," (if there are any such,) and 
 who may not have a copy at hand, I will insert the 
 objectionable stanzas — one of them has already been 
 given in part. The speech is that of an Oneida chief, 
 who is made to say, immediately preceding the bat- 
 tle or massacre at Wyoming : 
 
 " But this is not a time — he started up, 
 And smote his breast with wo-denouncing hand — 
 This is no time to fill the joyous cup ; 
 The mammoth comes — the foe — the monster, Brant, 
 With all his ho-wling, desolating band ; 
 These eyes have seen their blade, and burning pine; 
 Awake at once, and silence half your land. 
 Red is the cup they drink ; but not with wine : 
 Awake, and watch to-night, or see no morning shine. 
 
 " Scorning to wield the hatchet for his tribe, 
 'Gainst Brant himself I went to battle forth : 
 Accm'sed Brant ! he left of all my tribe 
 Nor man, nor child, nor thing of living birth : 
 !N"o ! not the dog that watched my household hearth, 
 Escaped that night of blood upon our plains : 
 All perished ! I alone am left on earth ! 
 To whom nor relative, nor blood remains — 
 [ "No, not a kindi-ed drop that runs in human veins." 
 
 Letter to the Mohawk Chiefs Ahyonwaeghs^ commonly 
 called John Brant, Esq. of the Grand River, Upper 
 Canada, from Thomas Campbell, 
 
 ^' London, January 20, 1822. 
 '^ Sir, 
 *' Ten days ago I was not aware that such a person 
 existed as the son of the Indian leader. Brant, who is 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 253 
 
 mentioned in my poem, ^' Gertrude of Wyoming." 
 Last week, however, Mr. S. Bannister, of Lincoln's 
 Inn, called to inform me of your being in London, 
 and of your having documents in your possession 
 which he believed would change my opinion of your 
 father's memory, and induce me to do it justice. Mr. 
 Bannister distinctly assured me that no declaration of 
 my sentiments on the subject was desired, but such 
 as should spontaneously flow from my own judgment 
 of the papers that were to be submitted to me. 
 
 '' I could not be deaf to such an appeal. It was 
 my duty to inspect the justification of a man* whose 
 memory I had reprobated, and I felt a satisfaction at 
 the prospect of his character being redressed, which 
 was not likely to have been felt by one who had wil- 
 lingly wronged it. As far as any intention to wound 
 the feelings of the living was concerned, I really knew 
 not, when I wrote my poem, that the son and daugh- 
 ter of an Indian chief were ever likely to peruse it, or 
 be affected by its contents ; and I have observed 
 most persons to whom I have mentioned the circum- 
 stance of your appeal to me, smile with the same sur- 
 prise which I experienced on first receiving it. With 
 regard to your father's character, I took it as I found 
 it in popular history. Among the documents in his 
 favor, I own that you have shown me one which I 
 regret that I never saw before, though I might have 
 seen it ; viz. the Duke of Rochefoucault's honorable 
 mention of the chief in his travels.* Without mean- 
 
 * The following testimony is borne to his fair name by Rochefou- 
 cault, vrhose ability and means of forming a correct judgment will not 
 
254 APPENDIX TO 
 
 ing, however, in the least to invalidate that noble- 
 man's respectable authority, I must say, that even if 
 I had met with it, it would have still offered only a 
 general and presumptive vindication of your father, 
 and not such a specific one as I now recognize. On the 
 other hand, judge how naturally I adopted accusations 
 against him which had stood in the Annual Register 
 of 1779, as far as I knew, uncontradicted, for thirty 
 years. A number of authors had repeated them with 
 a confidence which beguiled at last my suspicion, and 
 I believe that of the public at large. Among these 
 authors were Gordon, Ramsay, Marshall, Belsham, 
 and Weld. The most of them, you may tell me, 
 perhaps, wrote with zeal against the American war. 
 Weil, but Mr. John Adolphus was never suspected of 
 any such zeal, and yet he had said in his history of 
 England, &c. (Vol. Ill, p. 110,) ' a force of sixteen 
 hundred savages and Americans in disguise, headed 
 by an Indian, Col. Butler, and a half-Indian of extra- 
 ordinary ferocity, named Brant, lulling the fears of 
 
 be denied. " Colonel Brant is an Indian by birth. In the American 
 war he fought under the English banner, and he has since been in 
 England, where he was most graciously received by the king, and met 
 with a kind reception from all classes of people. His manners are 
 eemi-European. He is attended by two negroes ; has estabHshed him- 
 self in the English way ; has a garden and a farm ; dresses after the 
 European fasliion, and, nevertheless, possesses much influence over the 
 Indians. He assists at present (1V95) at the Miami treaty, which the 
 United States are concluding with the western Indians. He is also 
 much respected by the Americans ; and, in general, bears so excellent 
 a name, that I regret I could not see and become acquainted with 
 him." — RochefoucauU" i Travels in North America. 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 255 
 
 the inhabitants (of Wyoming) by treachery, suddenly 
 possessed themselves of two forts and massacred the 
 garrison.' He says farther, ^ that all were involved 
 in unsparing slaughter, and that even the devices of 
 torment were exhausted.' He possessed, if I possessed 
 them, the means of consulting better authorities ; yet 
 he has never, to my knowledge, made any atonement 
 to your father's memory. When your Canadian 
 friends, therefore, call me to trial for having defamed 
 the warrior Brant, I beg that Mr. John Adolphus may 
 be also included in the summons. And, after his own 
 defense and acquittal, I think he is bound, having 
 been one of my historical misleaders, to stand up as 
 my gratuitous counsel, and say — ' Gentlemen, you 
 must acquit my client, for he has only fallen into an 
 error which even my judgment could not escape.' 
 
 '' In short, I imbibed my conception of your father 
 from accounts of him that were published when I 
 was scarcely out of my cradle. And if there were 
 any public, direct, and specific challenge to those ac- 
 counts in England, ten years ago, I am yet to learn 
 where they existed. 
 
 " I rose from perusing the papers you submitted to 
 me, certainly with an altered impression of his charac- 
 ter. I find that the unfavorable accounts of him were 
 erroneous, even on points not immediately connected 
 with his reputation. It turns out, for instance, that he 
 was a Mohawk Indian, of unmixed parentage. This 
 circumstance, however, ought not to be overlooked 
 in estimating the merits of his attainments. He spoke 
 and wrote our language with force and facility, and 
 had enlarged views of the union and policy of the In- 
 
256 APPENDIX TO 
 
 dian tribes. A gentleman who had been in America, 
 and from whom I sought information respecting him 
 in consequence of your interesting message, told me, 
 that though he could not pretend to appreciate his 
 character entirely, he had been struck by the naivete 
 and eloquence of his conversation. They had talked 
 of music, and Brant said, ' I like the harpsichord well, 
 and the organ still better ; but I like the drum and 
 trumpet best of all, for they make my heart beat 
 quick.' This gentleman also described to me the 
 enthusiasm with which he spoke of written records. 
 Brant projected at that time to have written a history 
 of the Six Nations. The genius of history should be 
 rather partial to such a man. 
 
 '^ I find that when he came to England, after the 
 peace of 1783, the most distinguished individuals of 
 all parties and professions treated him with the utmost 
 kindness. Among these were the late Bishop of Lon- 
 don, the late Duke of Northumberland, and Charles 
 Fox. Lord Rawdon, now Marquis of Hastings, gave 
 him his picture. This circumstance argues recom- 
 mendations from America founded in personal friend- 
 ship. In Canada the memorials of his moral charac- 
 ter represent it as naturally ingenuous and generous. 
 The evidence afforded induces me to believe that he 
 often strove to mitigate the cruelty of Indian warfare. 
 
 '^Lastly, you affirm that he was not within many 
 miles of the spot when the battle which decided the 
 fate of Wyoming took place, and from your offer of 
 reference to living witnesses, I cannot but admit the 
 assertion. Had I learned all this of your father when 
 I was writing my poem, he should not have figured 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 257 
 
 in it as the hero of mischief. I cannot, indeed, an- 
 swer by anticipation what the writers who have either 
 to retract or defend what they may have said about 
 him, may have to allege; I can only say that my 
 own opinion about him is changed. I am now in- 
 clined exceedingly to doubt Mr. Weld's anecdote, and 
 for this reason : Brant was not only trusted, consulted, 
 and distinguished by several eminent British officers 
 in America, but personally beloved by them. 
 
 '' Now I could conceive men in power, for defensi- 
 ble reasons of state politics, to have officially trust- 
 ed, and even publicly distinguished at courts or 
 levees, an active and sagacious Indian chief, of whose 
 private character they might nevertheless still enter- 
 tain a very indifferent opinion. But I cannot imagine 
 high-minded and high-bred British officers, forming 
 individual and fond friendship for a man of ferocious 
 character. It comes within my express knowledge 
 that the late Gen. Sir Charles Stuart, fourth son of 
 the Earl of Bute, the father of our present ambassador 
 at Paris, the officer who took Minorca and Calvi, and 
 who commanded our army in Portugal, knew your 
 father in America, often slept under the same tent 
 with him, and had the warmest regard for him. It 
 seems but charity to suppose the man who attracted 
 the esteem of Lord Rawdon and Gen. Stuart, to have 
 possessed amiable qualities, so that I believe you 
 when you affirm that he was merciful as brave. And 
 now I leave the world to judge whether the change 
 of opinion, with which I am touched, arises from false 
 delicacy and flexibility of mind, or from a sense of 
 honor and justice. 
 
 12 
 
258 APPENDIX TO 
 
 ^' Here, properly speaking, ends my reckoning with 
 you about your father's memory ; but, as the Cana- 
 dian newspapers have made some remarks on the sub- 
 ject of Wyoming, with which I cannot fully coincide, 
 and as this letter will probably be read in Canada, I 
 cannot conclude it without a few more words, in case 
 my silence would seem to admit of propositions which 
 are rather beyond the stretch of my creed. I will 
 not, however, give any plain truths which I have to 
 offer to the Canadian writers, the slightest seasonings 
 of bitterness, for they have alluded to me, on the 
 whole, in a friendly and liberal tone. But when 
 they regret my departure from historical truth, I join 
 in their regret only in as far as I have unconsciously 
 misunderstood the character of Brant, and the share 
 of the Indians in the transaction, which I have now 
 reason to suspect, was much less than that of the 
 white men. In other circumstances, I took the liberty 
 of a versifier, to run away from fact into fancy, like 
 a school-boy, who never dreams that he is a truant 
 when he rambles on a holyday from school. It seems, 
 however, that I falselj'- represented Wyoming to have 
 been a terrestrial paradise. It was not so, say the 
 Canadian papers, because it contained a great number 
 of Tories ; and undoubtedly that cause goes far to ac- 
 count for the fact. Earthly paradises, however, are 
 but earthly things, and Tempe and Arcadia may have 
 had their drawbacks on happiness as well as Wyo- 
 ming. I must, nevertheless, still believe that it w^as a 
 flourishing colony, and that its destruction furnished 
 a just warning to human beings against war and re- 
 venge. But the whole catastrophe is affirmed in a 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTS. 2^0 
 
 Canadian newspaper to have been nothing more than 
 a fair battle. If this be the fact, let accredited signa- 
 tures come forward to attest it, and vindicate the in- 
 nocence and honorableness of the whole transaction, 
 as your father's character has been vidicated. An 
 error about him by no means proves the whole ac- 
 count of the business to be a fiction. Who would not 
 wish its atrocities to be disproved? But who can 
 think it disproved by a single defender, who writes 
 anonymously, and without definable weight or autho- 
 rity? 
 
 ^'In another part of the Canadian newspapers, my 
 theme has been regretted as dishonorable to England. 
 Then it was, at all events, no fable. But how far 
 was the truth dishonorable to England? American 
 settlers, and not Englishmen, were chiefly the white 
 men, calling themselves Christians, who were engaged 
 in this affair. I shall be reminded, perhaps, that they 
 also called themselves Loyalists. But for Heaven's 
 sake, let not English loyalty be dragged down to pal- 
 liate atrocities, or English delicacy be invoked to con- 
 ceal them. I may be told that England permitted the 
 war, and was therefore responsible for its occurrences. 
 Not surely, universally, nor directly. I should be un- 
 willing to make even Lord North's administration 
 answerable for all the actions of Butler's Rangers ; 
 and I should be still more sorry to make all Enir- 
 land amenable either for Lord Nortli's adminis- 
 tration or for Butler's Rangers. Was the Ameri- 
 can war an unanimous and heartfelt war of the 
 people? Were the best patriots and the brightest 
 luminaries of our senate for, or against it? Chat- 
 
260 APPENDIX TO 
 
 ham declared, that if America fell she would fall like 
 the strong man — that she would embrace the pillars 
 of our constitution, and perish beneath its ruins. 
 Burke, Fox, and Barre kindled even the breasts of 
 St. Stephen's Chapel against it ; and William Pitt pro- 
 nounced it a war against the sacred cause of Liberty. 
 If so, the loss of our colonies was a blessing, compared 
 with the triumph of those principles that would have 
 brought Washington home in chains. If Chatham 
 and Pitt were our friends in denouncing the injustice 
 of this war, then Washington was only nominally our 
 foe in resisting it ; and he was as much the enemy of 
 the worst enemies of our constitution, as if he had 
 fought against the return of the Stuarts on the banks 
 of the Spey or the Thames. I say, therefore, with full 
 and free charity to those who think differently, that 
 the American war was disgraceful only to those who 
 were its abettors, and that the honor of Englishmen 
 is redeemed in proportion as they deprecate its princi- 
 ples and deplore its details. Had my theme even in- 
 volved English character more than it does, I could 
 still defend it. If my Canadian critic alleges that a 
 poet may not blame the actions of his country, I 
 meet his allegation and deny it. No doubt a poet 
 ought not forever to harp and carp upon the faults 
 of his country, but he may be her moral censor, and 
 he must not be her parasite. If an English poet un- 
 der Edward III. had only dared to leave one generous 
 line of commiseration to the memory of Sir William 
 Wallace, how much he would have raised our estima- 
 tion of the moral character of the age ! There is a 
 present and a future in national character, as well as 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 261 
 
 a past ; and the charactei* of the present age is best 
 provided for by impartial and generous sentiments re- 
 specting the past. The twentieth century will not think 
 the worse of the nineteenth for regretting the Ameri- 
 can war. I know the slender importance of my own 
 works. I am contending, however, against a false 
 principle of delicacy, that would degrade poetry itself 
 if it were adopted ; but it will never be adopted. 
 
 '' I therefore regret nothing in the historical allu- 
 sions of my poem, except the mistake about your fa- 
 ther. Nor, though I have spoken freely of American 
 affairs, do I mean to deny that your native tribes may 
 have had a just cause of quarrel with the American 
 colonists. And I regard it as a mark of their grati- 
 tude that they adhered to the royal cause, because 
 the governors acting in the king's name had been 
 their most constant friends, and the colonial subjects 
 possibly, at times, (heir treacherous invaders. I could 
 say much of European injustice toward your tribes, 
 but in spite of all that I could say, I must still de- 
 plore the event of Christians having adopted their 
 mode of warfare, and, as circumstances then stood, 
 of their having invoked their alliance. If the Indians 
 thirsted for vengeance on the colonists, that should 
 have been the very circumstance to deter us from 
 blending their arms with. ours. I trust you will un- 
 derstand this declaration to be made in the spirit of 
 frankness, and not of mean and inhospitable arro- 
 gance. If I were to speak to you in that spirit, how 
 easily and how truly could you tell me that the 
 American Indians have departed faster from their old 
 practices of warfare, than Christians have departed 
 
262 APPENDIX TO 
 
 from their habits of religious persecution ! If I were 
 to preach to you about European humanity, you 
 might ask me how long the ashes of the Inquisition 
 have been cold, and whether the slave-trade be yet 
 abolished 1 You might demand how many — no, how 
 few generations have elapsed since our old women 
 were burned for imaginary commerce with the devil, 
 and whether the houses be not yet standing from 
 which our great grandmothers may have looked on 
 the hurdles passing to the place of execution, whilst 
 they blessed themselves that they were not witches ? 
 A horrible occurrence of this nature took place in 
 Scotland during my own grandfather's lifetime. As 
 to warlike customs, I should be exceedingly sorry if 
 you were to press me even on those of my brave old 
 ancestors, the Scottish Highlanders. I can neverthe- 
 less recollect the energy, faith, hospitality of those 
 ancestors, and at the same time I am not forgetful of 
 the simple virtues of yours.* 
 
 * " Considering the filial motives of the young chief's appeal to me, 
 I am not afraid that any part of this letter, immediately relating to 
 him, will be thought ostentatious or prolix. And, if charitably judged, 
 I hope that what I have said of myself and my poem will not be felt 
 as offensive egotism. Tlie public has never been troubled with any de- 
 fense of mine against any attacks on my poetry that were merely lit- 
 erary, although I may have been as far as authors generally are from 
 bowing to the injustice of hostile criticism. To show that I have not 
 been over-anxious about publicity, I must mention a misrepresentation 
 respecting my poem on Wyoming, which I have suffered to remain 
 imcorrected for ten years. Mr. Washington Irving, in a biographical 
 sketch jorefixed to it in an American edition, described me as having 
 mjured the composition of the poem, by showing it to friends, who 
 struck out its best passages. N"ow I read it to very few friends, and 
 to none at whose suggestion I ever struck out a single line. Nor did 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 263 
 
 *^ I have been thus special in addressing you, from 
 a wish to vindicate my own consistency, as well as to 
 do justice to you in your present circumstancesj^vhich 
 are peculiarly and publicly interesting. The chief of 
 an aboriginal tribe now settled under the protection of 
 our sovereign in Canada, you are anxious to lead on 
 your people in a train of civilization that is already 
 begun. It is impossible that the British community 
 should not be touched with regard for an Indian stran- 
 ger of respectable private character, possessing such 
 useful and honorable views. Trusting that you will 
 amply succeed in them, and long live to promote im- 
 provement and happiness amidst the residue of your 
 ancient race, 
 
 I remain your sincere well-wisher, 
 
 Thomas Campbell." 
 
 I ever lean on the taste of others with that miserable distrust of my 
 own judgment which the anecdote conveys. I knew that Mr. Irving 
 was the last man in the world to make such a misrepresentation in- 
 tentionally, and that I could easily contradict it ; but from aversion to 
 bring a petty anecdote about myself before the world, I forbore to say 
 anything about it. The case was diflferent when a Canadian writer 
 hinted at the patriotism of my subject. There he touched on my 
 principles, and I have defended them, contending that on the supposi- 
 tion of the story of Wyoming being true, it is a higher compliment to 
 British feelings to reveal, than palliate or hide it." 
 
264 APPENDIX TO 
 
 Note D. 
 SKENANDO. 
 
 The following account of the death of this chief 
 was published in the Utica Patriot, March 19, 1816 : 
 
 '' Died at his residence, near Oneida Castle, on 
 Monday, 11th inst., Skenando, the celebrated Oneida 
 chief, aged 110 years ; well known in the wars 
 which occurred while we were British colonies, and 
 in the contest which issued in our independence, as 
 the undeviating friend of the people of the United 
 States. He was very savage and addicted to drunk- 
 enness* in his youth, but by his own reflections and 
 the benevolent instruction of the late Rev. Mr. Kirk- 
 land, missionary to his tribe, he lived a reformed man 
 for more than sixty years, and died in Christian hope. 
 From attachment to Mr. Kirkland he had ahv^ays ex- 
 pressed a strong desire to be buried near his minister 
 
 * In the year 1755, Skenando was present at a treaty made in 
 Albany. At night he was excessively drunk, and in the morning 
 foimd himself in the street, stripped of all his ornaments and every 
 article of clothing. His pride revolted at his self-degradation, and he 
 resolved that he would never again deliver himself over to the power 
 of strong water. 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 265 
 
 and father, that he might (to use his own expression) 
 ' go up vAth him at the great resurrection,^ At the 
 approach of death, after listening to the prayers 
 which were read at his bedside by his great grand- 
 daughter, he again repeated the request. According- 
 ly, the family of Mr. Kirkland having received infor- 
 mation by a runner that Skenando was dead, in com- 
 pliance with a previous promise sent assistance to 
 the Indians, that the corpse might be carried to the 
 village of Clinton for burial. Divine service was 
 attended at the meeting-house in Clinton on Wednes- 
 day at two o'clock, P. M. An address was made to 
 the Indians by the Rev. Dr. Backus, President of Ham- 
 ilton College, which was interpreted by Judge Deane, 
 of Westmoreland. Prayer was then offered and ap- 
 propriate psalms sung. After service, the concourse 
 which had assembled from respect to the deceased 
 chief, or from the singularity of the occasion, moved 
 to the grave in the following order : 
 
 STUDENTS OF HAMILTON COLLEGE, 
 
 CORPSE, 
 
 INDIANS, 
 
 MRS. KIRKLAND AND FAMILY, 
 
 JUDGE DEANE, REV. DR. NORTON, REV. MR. AYRE, 
 
 OFFICERS OF HAMILTON COLLEGE, 
 
 CITIZENS. 
 
 '^ After interment, the only surviving son of the de- 
 ceased, self-moved, returned thanks, through Judge 
 Deane as interpreter, to the people for the re,spect 
 12*^ 
 
266 APPENDIX TO 
 
 shown to his father on the occasion, and to Mrs. Kirk- 
 land and family for their kind and friendly attention. 
 
 '' Skenando's person was tall, well made, and robust. 
 His countenance was intelligent, and displayed all 
 the peculiar dignity of an Indian chief. In his youth 
 he was a brave and intrepid warrior, and in his riper 
 years one of the noblest counsellors among the North 
 American tribes ; he possessed a vigorous mind, and 
 was alike sagacious, active and persevering. As an 
 enemy he was terrible. As a friend and ally he was 
 mild and gentle in his disposition, and faithful to his 
 engagements. His vigilance once preserved from 
 massacre the inhabitants of the little settlement at 
 German Flats. In the Revolutionary war his influ- 
 ence induced the Oneidas to take up arms in favor of 
 the Americans. Among the Indians he was distin- 
 guished by the appellation of the ' white man's 
 friend.' 
 
 '' Although he could speak but little English, and in 
 his extreme old age was blind, yet his company was 
 sought. In conversation he was highly decorous, 
 evincing that he had profited by seeing civilized and 
 polished society, and by mingling with good compa- 
 ny in his better days. 
 
 '*' To a friend who called on him a short time since, 
 he thus expressed himself by an interpreter : ' I am 
 an aged hemlock. The winds of an hundred winters 
 have whistled through my branches ; I am dead at the 
 top. The generation to which I belonged have run 
 away and left me ; why I live the great Good Spirit 
 only knows. Pray to my Jesus that I may have pa- 
 tience to wnit for my appointed time to die.' 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 267 
 
 "Honored chief! His prayer was answered; he 
 was cheerful and resigned to the last. For several 
 years he kept his dress for the grave prepared. Once 
 and again, and again he came to Clinton to die; 
 longing that his soul might be with Christ, and his 
 body in the narrow house near his beloved Christian 
 teacher. 
 
 " While the ambitious but vulgar great look princi- 
 pally to sculptured monuments and to riches in the 
 temple of earthly fame, Skenando, in the spirit of 
 the only real nobility, stood with his loins girded, 
 waiting the coming of the Lord. His Lord has come, 
 and the day approaches when the green hillock that 
 covers his dust Avill be more respected than the Pyra- 
 mids, the Mausolea, and the Pantheons of the proud 
 and imperious. His simple turf and stone will be 
 viewed with veneration when their tawdry ornaments 
 shall awaken only pity and disgust. 
 
 ' Indulge my native land, indulge the tear 
 That steals impassioned o'er a nation's doom ; 
 To me each twig from Adam's stock is dear, 
 And sorrow* fall upon an Indian's tomb." 
 
 Clinton^ March I4th, 1816." 
 
268 APPENDIX TO 
 
 Note E. 
 
 MOSES YOUNGLOVE. 
 
 Dr. Younglove, after his return from captivity, 
 wrote a poem describing some of the scenes which he 
 had witnessed, and detailing his wanderings and suf- 
 ferings. I shall make some extracts from this poem, 
 not that they contain many poetic beauties, but be- 
 cause they delineate some striking customs of the 
 Indians. The poem comes from the pen of the hero 
 himself, who might with truth exclaim, *^pars magna 
 fui." The first extract is a description of the battle 
 of Oriskany. 
 
 The time and place of our unhappy fight. 
 
 To you at large were needless to recite ; 
 
 When in the wood our fierce, inhuman foes, 
 
 With piercing yell from circling ambush rose : 
 
 A sudden volley rends the vaulted sky ; 
 
 Their painted bodies hideous to the eye ; 
 
 They rush like hellish furies on our bands. 
 
 Their slaughter weapons brandished in their hands. 
 
 Then we with equal fury join the fight. 
 Ere Fhaihus efained his full meridian heie:ht ; 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 269 
 
 Kor ceased the horrors of the bloody fray. 
 Till he had journeyed half his evening way. 
 Now hand to hand, the contest is for hfe, 
 "With bayonet, tomahawk, swoTd, and scalping-knife ; 
 No more remote? the work of death we ply. 
 And thick as hail the showering bullets fly : 
 Full many a hardy warrior sinks supine, 
 Yells, shrieks, groans, shouts, and thundering volleys join ; 
 The dismal din the ringing forest fills. 
 The sounding echo roars along the hills. 
 Our friends and foes he struggling in their blood, 
 An undistinguished carnage strews the wood ; 
 And every streamlet drinks the crimson flood. 
 True valor, stubbornness, and fury here, 
 There fell revenge, despair, and spite appear ; 
 Long raged surrounding death, and no deliverance near ; 
 While mangled friends, not fated yet to die, 
 Implore our aid in vain with feeble cry. 
 
 Of two departments were the assailing foes : 
 Wild savage natives lead the first of those ; 
 Their almost naked frames, of various dyes. 
 And rings of black and red surround their eyes. 
 On one side they present a shaven head. 
 The naked half of the vermilion red ; 
 In spots the party-colored face they drew. 
 Beyond description horrible to view ; 
 Their ebon locks in braid, with paint overspread ; 
 The silvered ears depending from the head ; 
 Their gaudery my descriptive power exceeds, 
 In plumes of feathers, glittering plates and beads. 
 
 With them, of parricides a bloody band, 
 Assist the ravage of their parent land ; 
 With equal dress, and arms, and savage arts. 
 But more than savage rancor in their hearts. 
 
270 APPENDIX TO 
 
 These for tlie first attack their force unite. 
 And most sustain the fury of the fight,- 
 Their rule of warfare, devastation dire, 
 ~ By undistinguished plunder, death, and fire ; 
 They torture man and beast with barbarous rage, 
 Nor tender infant spare, nor reverend sage. 
 
 O'er them a horrid monster bore command. 
 Whose inauspicious birth disgraced our land ; 
 By malice urged to every barbarous art ; 
 Of cruel temper, but of coward heart. 
 
 The second was a renegado crew. 
 Who arm and dress as Christian nations do, 
 Led by a chief who bore the first command ; 
 A bold invader of his native land. 
 
 Such was the bloody fight, and such the foe ; 
 Our smaller force returned them blow for blow, 
 By turns successfully their forced defied. 
 And conquest wavering seemed from side to side. 
 
 V 
 
 The following is a description of a scene the night 
 after the battle : 
 
 Not half the savages returned from fight ; 
 They to their native wilds had sped their flight : 
 Those that remained a long encampment made, 
 And rising fires illumined all the shade ; 
 In vengeance for their numerous brothers slain, 
 For torture sundry prisoners they retain ; 
 And three fell monsters, horrible to view, 
 A fellow-prisoner from the sentries drew ; 
 The guards before received their chief's command. 
 To not withhold us from the slaughtering band ; 
 But now the sufferer's fate they sympathize, 
 And for him supplicate witli earnest cries. 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 271 
 
 I saw the General slowly passing by ; 
 The sergeant on his knees, with tearful eye, 
 Implored the guards might wrest him from their hands. 
 Since now the troops could awe their lessened bands. 
 With lifted cane the General thus replies, 
 (While indignation sparkles from his eyes,) 
 " Go, sirrah ! mind your orders given before, 
 And for infernal rebels plead no more !" 
 For help the wretched victim vainly cries. 
 With supphcating voice and ardent eyes ; 
 With horror chilled, I turn away my face, 
 While instantly they bear him from the place. 
 Dread scene ! with anguish stung I inly groan, 
 To think the next hard lot may be my own ; 
 And now I poring sit, now sudden start, 
 Through anxious agitation of my heart ; 
 In every bush the coming foe appear, 
 Their sound in every breeze I seem to hear. 
 
 Noctmiial shades at length involve the sky, 
 The planets faintly glimmer from on high ; 
 When through the grove the flammg fires arise. 
 And loud resound the tortured prisoners' cries ; 
 Still as their pangs are more or less extreme, 
 The bitter groan is heard, or sudden scream ; 
 But when their natures failed, and death drew near. 
 Their screeches faintly sounded in the ear. 
 
 Tremendous night of woe beyond compare ! 
 I beg for death, in anguish of despair ; 
 IsTo gleam of hope, no rest my soul could find ; 
 Approaching torture gnr.wing on my mind ; 
 Until Aurora purpled o'er the skies. 
 Then gentle slumber sealed awhile my eyes ; 
 
2^2 APPENDIX TO 
 
 But troubled dreams arising in my head, 
 
 My fancy to the scene of battle led. 
 
 The fatal wood my weeping eyes sui-vey, 
 
 Where pale in death my slaughtered neighbors lay ; 
 
 A long adieu, I cried, my brethren slain ; 
 
 No more to joy my longing soul again ! 
 
 Who shall protect your wives with guardian care, 
 
 And babes abandoned to the rage of war ? 
 
 Decrepit parents, with the feeble groan, 
 
 Shall wail your fate, their country's, and their own ; 
 
 While, lost to all, you here unburied lay. 
 
 To feast the ravens and the beasts of prey ; 
 
 Yet, by your slaughter, safe arrived on shore, 
 
 The storms of war shall break your peace no more ; 
 
 Each honest soul your memory shall revere. 
 
 And pay the tribute of a tender tear. 
 
 Oh ! had I too partook your calm repose. 
 
 In safe retreat, beyond the power of foes, 
 
 I had avoided, by a milder fate. 
 
 Dread horrors past, and tortures that await. 
 
 His own day of trial and suffering at length came 
 on, and he thus describes it : 
 
 JSTow did the dreadful morn at length arise. 
 
 And Sol through mists reluctant climbed the skies, 
 
 When savages, for horrid sport prepared. 
 
 Demand another prisoner from the guard. 
 
 We saw their feared approach with mortal fright. 
 
 Their scalping-knives they sharpened in our sight ; 
 
 Beside the guard they sat them on the ground. 
 
 And viewed, with piercing eyes, the prisoners round. 
 
 As when a panther grim, with furious eye. 
 
 Surveys the tender lad he dooms to die ; 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 2l3 
 
 The lad beholds him, shivering with affright. 
 Sees all resistance vain, despairs of flight ; 
 So they on me their glaring eyelids roll, 
 And such the feelings of my suddering soul. 
 At length one, rising, seized me by the hand ; 
 By him drawn forth, on trembling knees I stand ; 
 I bid my fellows all a long adieu ; 
 With answering grief my wretched case they view. 
 
 They led me, bound, along the winding flood. 
 Far in the gloomy bosomof the wood ; 
 There (horrid sight !) a prisoner roasted lay, 
 The carving-knife had cut his flesh away. 
 Against a tree erect I there was bound. 
 While they regaled themselves upon the ground ; 
 ■ Their shell of spirits went from hand to hand, 
 Their friends collecting still, a numerous band. 
 
 So passed the day. What terrors in me reign ! 
 I supplicate for instant death in vain. 
 I think upon this breach of nature's laws, 
 My family, my friends, my country's cause ; 
 Around me still collect my bloody foes. 
 Still in my mind approaching torture rose ; 
 The skeleton in open prospect lay. 
 Chaos of woful thought employed my wretched day. 
 
 Now on a neighboring green, high jutting o'er, 
 Where underneath the rapid waters roar. 
 There, round a fire, their heaps of fuel rise, 
 Nocturnal shadows thickening in the skies. 
 Beside the fire I tremble at the stake ; 
 The numerous herd a spacious circle make ; 
 And as the flames, advancing, rise in air. 
 Within the ring my torturers repair ; 
 
274 APPENDIX TO 
 
 With whoop and dance they tunc the deathful song, 
 
 Along the margin crowd the sportive throng ; 
 
 When lo ! the faihng bank, beneath the load, ^ 
 
 Broke short and plunged us headlong in the flood. 
 
 In transport down the stream my course I made ; 
 
 With dismal cries resounds the gloomy shade ; 
 
 The floating stake adhering by a thong. 
 
 With nose above the stream I steal along. 
 
 Through all the vale a fruitless search they made, 
 And fearful bowlings rung along the shade. 
 When to the camp again their way they steer, 
 Their distant clamor murmuring in my ear, 
 Far down the stream, where lies a naked strand, 
 With shivering limbs, I softly crept to land. 
 The stake upon the shore I trailed along ; 
 Then joyfully unbound each fettering thong, 
 And for the neighboring road in haste depart, 
 The hope of freedom dawning in my heart. 
 Through gloomy thickets, far, I grope my way. 
 And briery heaths, where pines extended lay ; 
 Now thoughts of home my ravished soul delight. 
 Now distant, savage yells my mind aflright ; 
 Still I my way with all my power pursued. 
 Still did the road my anxious search elude. 
 Long time I groped the rough, uncertain way ; 
 Through erring course, I wandered far astray ; 
 Nor moon, nor star, would lend a friendly ray ; 
 Then laid me down, dejected and forlorn. 
 To rest my weary limbs, and wait the morn ; 
 Ere long my leafy couch I there had pressed. 
 Exhausted nature sunk to quiet rest. 
 
 He was retaken and carried to the far west by a 
 diflTerent tribe. The following is a description of the 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 276 
 
 arrival of the tribe at their village, and of his running 
 the gauntlet : 
 
 Their glad retiu^n through all the place was told ; 
 Next morning they convene both young and old. 
 The band, equipped in all their war parade, 
 Into the town a formal entry made ; - 
 They led me up, triumphing with delight, 
 With all their spoils and trophies of the fight. 
 Except the scalps ; for these they had their pay, 
 From British agents ere they came away, 
 
 They end their march, where, high upon the green, 
 A numerous crowd of every age was seen ; 
 The hoary parent bowing down with years. 
 The mother with her tender train appears ; 
 The youthful archer bends his little bow. 
 And sportive striplings gambol in the row ; 
 Warriors and hunters tricked in best array. 
 And youthful maids their tawny charms display, 
 With scarlet cloth, rings, beads, and ribbons gay. 
 
 I trembled when I to the crowd was brought. 
 The stake and flames arising in my thought ; 
 But soon my guard, approaching to my ear. 
 Bid me confide in him, and nothing fear. 
 
 There, in a spacious hut, on either hand, 
 Two lengthy rows with sticks and weapons stand; 
 Then stripped I was to pass between the rows. 
 And each inflict at pleasure wounds and blows ; 
 My keeper gently struck, then urged my flight ; 
 Between the ranks I fled with all my might. 
 
 As when some farmer, blest with plenteous yield, 
 His crop of buckwheat thrashes in the field, 
 The men and boys with flail in hand around. 
 Clap after clap loud constant clatterings sound, 
 
276 APPENDIX TO 
 
 The straw all crushed in broken pieces he, 
 The grains around the thrashers' faces fly ; 
 So, as with naked frame I pass along, 
 Resound the strokes of all the furious throng ; 
 So by their blows my mangled skin is broke. 
 And so the sputtering blood pursues the stroke. 
 
 Two female furies at the further end. 
 Their brother slain in fight, my death intend ; 
 Enraged, they maul with clubs my bleeding head, 
 And doubtless would erelong have laid me dead ; 
 But quickly did their father interpose, 
 And then my keeper fended off their blows. 
 I blessed the thought that once his death withstood. 
 And checked my hand, when raised to shed his blood. 
 The aged sire adopts me for his son ; 
 Rejoiced, I put the savage habit on; 
 With honorary paint, in blanket dressed, 
 I stand installed an Indian with the rest. 
 The sire in gayest fashion shaved my head. 
 Then to his home, rejoicing, I was led. 
 
 They used me tenderly, my wounds they healed. 
 But deeper wounds within remain concealed ; 
 My wife, my country, friends, and blooming child ; 
 Exchanged for captive bands in regions wild ; 
 These thoughts incessant did my bosom rend. 
 And often did the painful tear descend. 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 277 
 
 Note F. 
 
 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF GOVERNOR GEORGE 
 CLINTON. 
 
 George Clinton, formerly Governor of the State 
 of New York, and Vice President of the United States, 
 was born on the 26th July, 1739, in the county of 
 Ulster, in the colony of New York. He was the 
 youngest son of Colonel Charles Clinton, an emigrant 
 from Ireland, and a gentleman of distinguished worth 
 and high consideration. 
 
 He was educated, principally, under the eye of his 
 father, and received the instruction of a learned min- 
 ister'of the Presbyterian church, who had graduated 
 in the university of Aberdeen ; and, after reading law 
 in the office of William Smith, afterward chief justice 
 of Canada, he settled himself in that profession in the 
 county of his nativity, where he rose to eminence. 
 
 In 1768, he took his seat as one of the members of 
 the Colonial Assembly for the county of U ster, and 
 he continued an active member of that body until it 
 was merged in the Revolution. His energy of char- 
 acter, discriminating intellect, and undaunted courage, 
 placed liim nmong the chiefs of the Wbi? parly ; and 
 
278 APPENDIX TO 
 
 he was always considered possessed of a superior mind 
 ' and master spirit, on which his country might rely, 
 as an asylum in the most gloomy periods of her for- 
 tunes. 
 
 On the 22d of April, 1775, he was chosen by the 
 Provincial Convention of New York one of the dele- 
 gates to the Continental Congress, and took his seat 
 in that illustrious body on the 15th of May. On the 
 4th of July, 1776, he was present at the glorious 
 declaration of independence, and assented with his 
 usual energy and decision to that measure ; but hav- 
 ing been appointed a brigadier general in the militia, 
 and also in the army, the exigencies^ of his country, 
 at that trying hour, rendered it necessary for him to' 
 take the field in person, and he therefore retired from 
 Congress immediately after his vote was given, and 
 before the instrument was transcribed for the signature 
 of the members ; for which reason his name does not 
 appear among the signers. 
 
 A constitution having been adopted for the State of 
 New York, on the 20th April, 1777, he was cliosen, 
 at the first election under it, both governor and lieu- 
 tenant governor, and he was continued in the former 
 ofiice for eighteen years, by triennial elections ; when, 
 owing to ill health, and a respect for the republican 
 principle of rotation in office, he declined a re-elec- 
 tion. 
 
 During the Revolutionary war, he cordially co-op- 
 erated with the immortal Washington, and, without 
 his aid, the army would have been disbanded, and 
 the northern separated from the southern States, by 
 the intervention of British troops. He was always at 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY* 2*79 
 
 his post in the times that tried men's souls ; at one 
 period repelling the advances of the enemy from 
 Canada, and at another meeting them in battle 
 when approaching from the south. His gallant de- 
 fense of Fort Montgomery, with a handful of men, 
 against a powerful force commanded by Sir Henry 
 Clinton, was equally honorable to his intrepidity and 
 his skill. 
 
 The following are the particulars of his gallant con- 
 duct at the storming of Forts Montgomery and Clin- 
 ton, in October, 1777 : 
 
 '^ When the British reinforcements, under General 
 Robertson, amounting to nearly two thousand men, 
 arrived from Europe, Sir Henry Clinton used the 
 greatest exertion, and availed himself of every favor- 
 able circumstance, to put these troops into immediate 
 operation. Many were sent to suitable vessels, and 
 united in the expedition, which consisted of about 
 four thousand men, against the forts in the Highlands. 
 Having made the necessary arrangements, he moved 
 up the North River, and landed on the 4th of Octo- 
 ber at Tarry town, purposely to impress General Put- 
 nam, under whose command a thousand continental 
 troops had been left, with a belief that his post at 
 Peekskill was the object of attack. At eight o'clock 
 at n'ght the general communicated the intelligence to 
 Governor Clinion, of the arrival of the British, and 
 at the same time expressed his opinion respecting their 
 destination. The designs of Sir Henry were imme- 
 diately perceived by the governor, who prorogued the 
 Assembly on the following day, and arrived that night 
 at Fort Montgomery. The British troops, in the 
 
230 APPENDIX TO 
 
 mean time, were secretly conveyed across the river, 
 and assaults upon our forts were meditated to be made 
 on the 6th, which were accordingly put in execution, 
 by attacking the American advanced party at Doodle- 
 town, about two miles and a half from Fort Mont- 
 gomery. The Americans received the fire of the 
 British, and retreated to Fort Clinton. The enemy 
 then advanced to the west side of the mountain, in 
 order to attack our troops in the rear. Governor Clin- 
 ton immediately ordered out a detachment of one 
 hundred men toward Doodletown, and another of 
 sixty, w4th a brass field-piece, to an elegible spot on 
 another road. They were both soon attacked by the 
 whole force of the enemy, and compelled to fall back. 
 It has been remarked that the talents, as well as the 
 temper of a commander, are put to as severe a test in 
 conducting a retreat, as in achieving a victory. The 
 truth of this Governor Clinton experienced, when, 
 with great bravery, and the most perfect order, he re- 
 tired till he reached the fort. He lost no time in 
 placing his men in the best manner that circum- 
 stances would permit. His post, however, as well as 
 Fort Clinton, in a few minutes were invaded on every 
 side. In the midst of this disheartening and appalling 
 disaster he was summoned, when the sun was only 
 an hour high, to surrender ; but his gallant spirit 
 sternly refused to obey the call. In a short time after 
 the British made a general and most desperate attack 
 on both posts, which was received by the Americans 
 with undismayed courage and resistance. Officers and 
 men, militia and continentals, all behaved alike brave. 
 An incessant fire was kept up till dusk, when our 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 281 
 
 troops were overpowered by numbers, who forced the 
 lines and redoubts at both posts. Many of the Ameri- 
 cans fought their way out ; others accidentally mixed 
 with the enemy, and thus made their escape effectu- 
 ally; for, besides being favored by the night, they 
 knew the various avenues in the mountains. The 
 Governor, as well as his brother, General James Clin- 
 ton, who was wounded, were not taken." 
 
 The administration of Governor Clinton was char- 
 acterized by wisdom and patriotism. He was a re- 
 publican in principle and practice. After a retire- 
 ment of live years, he was called by the citizens of 
 the city and county of New York to represent them 
 in the Assembly of the State ; and to his influence 
 and popularity may be ascribed, in a great degree, 
 the change in his native State, which finally produced 
 the important political revolution of 1801. 
 
 At that period, much against his inclination, but 
 from motives of patriotism, he consented to an elec- 
 tion as governor and in 1805 he was chosen Vice 
 President of the United States, in which office he con- 
 tinued until his death, presiding with great dignity in 
 the Senate, and evincing, by his votes and his opinions, 
 his decided hostility to constructive autliority, and to 
 innovations on the established principles of republican 
 government. 
 
 He died at Washington, when attending to his 
 duties as Vice President, and was interred in that city, 
 where a monument was erected by the filial piety of 
 his children, with this inscription, written by his 
 nephew : 
 
 '^ To the memory of George Clinton. He was born 
 13 
 
282 APPENDIX TU 
 
 in the State of New York on the 26th of July, 1739, 
 and died in the city of Washington, on the 20th of 
 April, 1812, in the seventy-third year of his age. He 
 was a soldier and statesman of the Revolution. Emi- 
 nent in council, and distinguished in war, he filled 
 with unexampled usefulness, purity, and ability, 
 among many other offices, those of Governor of his 
 native State, and of Vice-President of the United 
 States. While he lived, his virtue, wisdom, and 
 valor were the pride, the ornament, and security of his 
 country ; and when he died, he left an illustrious ex- 
 ample of a well-spent life, worthy of all imitation. 
 
 " There are few men who will occupy as renowned 
 a place in the history of his country as George Clin- 
 ton ; and the progress of time will increase the public 
 veneration, and thicken the laurels that cover his 
 monument."* ♦ 
 
 * American Biographical Dictionary. 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUMV. 
 
 2b3 
 
 Note G. 
 
 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF GENERAL PHILIP 
 SCHUYLER. 
 
 The following Biographical Sketch of Gen. Philip Schuyler is taken 
 from the Address of Chancellor Kent before the JS^ew York Histori- 
 cal Society. It is a beautiful outline of the life of that distinguished 
 man ; and I trust that no apology is necessary for inserting it at 
 length. 
 
 The Dutch family of Schuyler stands conspicuous 
 in our colonial annals. Col. Peter Schuyler was 
 mayor of Albany, and commander of the northern 
 militia in 1690. He was distinguished for his probity 
 and activity in all the various duties of civil and mili- 
 tary life. No man understood better the relation of 
 the colony with the Five Nations of Indians, or had 
 more decided influence with that confederacy. He 
 had frequently chastised the Canadian French for 
 their destructive incursions upon the frontier settle- 
 ments ; and his zeal and energy were rewarded by a 
 seat in the provincial council ; and the House of As- 
 sembly gave their testimony to the British court of his 
 faithful services and good reputation. It was this 
 same vigilant officer who gave intelligence to the in- 
 
284 
 
 APPENDIX TO 
 
 habitants of Deerfield, on Connecticut River, of the 
 designs of the French and Indians upon them, some 
 short time before the destruction of that village in 
 1704. In 1720, as president of the council, he became 
 acting governor of the colony for a short time, previ- 
 ous to the accession of Gov. Burnet. His son. Col. 
 Philip Schuyler, was an active and efficient member of 
 Assembly, for the city and county of Albany, in 1743. 
 But the Philip Schuyler to whom I particularly allude, 
 and who in a subsequent age shed such signal 
 lustre upon the family name, was born at Albany in 
 the year 1733, and at an early age he began to dis- 
 play his active mind and military spirit. He was a 
 captain in the New York levies at Fort Edward, in 
 1755, and accompanied the British army in the expe- 
 dition down Lake George, in the summer of 1758. 
 He was with Lord Howe when he fell by the fire of 
 the enemy, on landing at the north end of the lake, 
 and he was appointed (as he himself informed me) to 
 convey the body of that young and lamented noble- 
 man to Albany, where he was buried, with appropri- 
 ate solemnities, in the Episcopal Church. 
 
 We next find him under the title of Col. Schuyler, 
 in company with his compatriot, George Clinton, in 
 the year 1768, on the floor of the House of Assembly, 
 taking an active share in all their vehement discus- 
 sions. Neither of them was to be overawed or seduced 
 from a bold ond determined defense of the constitu- 
 tional rights of the colonies, and of an adherence to 
 the letter and spirit of the councils of the union. The 
 struggle in the House of Assembly between the min- 
 isterial and the whig parties, was brought to a crisis 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 285 
 
 in the months of February and March, 1775 ; and in 
 that memorable contest, Philip Schuyler and George 
 Clinton, together with Nathaniel Woodhull, of Long 
 Island, acted distinguished parts. On the motions to 
 give the thanks of the House to the delegates from 
 the colony in the Continental Congress of September, 
 1774, and to thank the merchants and inhabitants of 
 the colony for their adherence to the non-importa- 
 tion, and the association recommended by Congress, 
 those patriots found themselves in the minority. But 
 their courage and resolution gained strength from de- 
 feat. 
 
 On the 3d of March, Col. Schuyler moved declara- 
 tory resolutions that the act 4 Geo. III. imposing du- 
 ties for raising a revenue in America; and for the ex- 
 tending the jurisdiction of Admiralty courts; and for 
 depriving his majesty's subjects in America of trial 
 by jury; and for holding up an injurious discrimina- 
 tion between the subjects of Great Britain and those 
 of the colonies, were great grievances. The govern- 
 ment party seem to have fled the question, and to 
 have left in the House only the scanty number of nine 
 members, and the resolutions were carried by a vote 
 of seven to two. But their opponents immediately 
 rallied, and eleven distinct divisions, on different mo- 
 tions, were afterwards taken in the course of that sin- 
 gle day, and entered on the journal ; and they related 
 to all the momentous points then in controversy be- 
 tween Great Britain and the United Colonies. It was 
 a sharp and hard-fought contest for fundamental prin- 
 ciples ; and a more solemn and eventful debate rarely 
 ever happened on the floor of a deliberative assembly. 
 
28C APPENDIX TO 
 
 The House consisted on that day of twenty-fonr mem- 
 bers, and the ministerial majority was exactly in the 
 ratio of two to one ; and the intrepidity, talents, and 
 services of the three members I have named, and espe- 
 cially of Schuyler and Clinton, were above all praise, 
 and laid the foundation for those lavish marks of honor 
 and confidence which their countrymen were after- 
 ward so eager to bestow. 
 
 The resistance of the majority of the House was 
 fairly broken down, and essentially controlled by the 
 efforts of the minority and the energy of public opin- 
 ion. A series of resolutions, declaratory of American 
 grievances, were passed, and petitions to the King and 
 Parliament adopted, not indeed in all respects such as 
 the leaders of the minority wished, (for all their 
 amendments were voted down,) but they were Hever- 
 theless grounded upon the principles of the American 
 Revolution. They declared that the claims of taxa- 
 tion and absolute sovereignty, on the part of the Brit- 
 ish Parliament, and the extension of admiralty juris- 
 diction, were grievances, and unconstitutional meas- 
 ures ; and that the act of Parliament, shutting up the 
 port of Boston, and altering the charter of that colony, 
 also was a grievance. 
 
 These were the last proceedings of the General 
 Assembly of the colony of New York, w^hich now 
 closed its existence forever. More perilous scenes, 
 and new and brighter paths of glory, were opening 
 upon the vision of those illustrious patriots. 
 
 The delegates from this colony to the first Continen- 
 tal Congress in 1774, were not chosen by the General 
 Assembly, but by the suffrages of the people, mani- 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 037 
 
 fested in some sufficiently authentic shape in the 
 several counties. 
 
 The delegates to the second constitutional Congress, 
 which met in May, 1775, were chosen by a Provincial 
 Congress, which the people of the colony had already 
 created, and which was held in this city, in April of 
 that year, and had virtually assumed the powers of 
 government. The names of the delegates from this 
 colony, to this second congress, were John Jay, John 
 Alsop, James Duane, Philip Schuyler, George Clin- 
 ton, Lewis Morris, and Robert R. Livingston ; and 
 the weight of their talents and character may be in- 
 ferred from the fact, that Mr. Jay, Mr. Livingston, 
 Mr. Duane, and Mr. Schuyler were early placed 
 upon committees, charged with the most arduous and 
 responsible duties. We find Washington and Schuy- 
 ler associated together in the committee, appointed on 
 the 14th of June, 1775, to prepare rules and regula- 
 tions for the government of the army. This associa- 
 tion of those great men, commenced at such a critical 
 moment, was the beginning of a mutual confidence, 
 respect, and admiration, which continued with unin- 
 terrupted and unabated vividness during the remainder 
 of their lives. An allusion is made to this friendship 
 in the memoir of a former president of this society, 
 and the allusion is remarkable for its strength and 
 pathos. After mentioning General Schuyler, he adds, 
 " I have placed thee, my friend, by the side of him 
 who knew thee; thy intelligence to discern, thy zeal 
 to promote thy country's good, and knowing thee, 
 prized thee. Let this be thy eulogy. I add, and with 
 
288 APPENDIX TO 
 
 truth, peculiarly thine — content it should be mine to 
 have expressed it." 
 
 The congress of this colony, during the year 1775 
 and 1776, had to meet difficulties and dangers almost 
 sufficient to subdue the firmest resolution. The popu- 
 lation of the colony was short of 200,000 souls. It 
 had a vast body of disaffiicted inhabitants within its 
 own bosom. It had numerous tribes of hostile sav- 
 ages on its extended frontier. The bonds of society 
 seemed to have been broken up, ajid society itself 
 resolved into its primitive elements. There was no 
 civil government, but sucli as had been introduced by 
 the Provincial Congress and county committees, as 
 temporary expedients. It had an enemy's province 
 in the rear, strengthened by large and well-appointed 
 forces. It had an open and exposed sea-port without 
 any adequate means to defend it. In the summer of 
 1776, the state was actually invaded, not only upon 
 our Canadian, but upon our Atlantic frontier, by a 
 formidable fleet and arm}^, calculated by the power that 
 sent them to be sufficient to annihilate at once all our 
 infant republics. 
 
 In the midst of this appalling storm, the virtue of 
 our people, animated by a host of intrepid patriots, 
 the mention of whose names is enough to kindle 
 enthusiasm in the breast of the present generation, 
 remained glowing, unmoved, and invincible. It 
 would be difficult to find any other people who have 
 been put to a severer test, or on trial gave higher 
 proofs of courage and capacity. 
 
 On the ]9lh of June, 1775, Philip Schuyler w^as 
 appointed by Congress the third major general in the 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 
 
 289 
 
 armies of the United Colonies; and such was his sin- 
 gular promptitude, that, in eleven days from this 
 appointment, we find him in acual service, correspond- 
 ing with Congress from a distance, on business that 
 required and received immediate attention. In July, 
 1775, he was placed at the head of a board of com- 
 missioners for the northern department, and empow- 
 ered to employ all the troops in that department at 
 his discretion, subject to the future orders of the com- 
 mander-in-chief. He was authorized, if he should 
 find it practicable and expedient, to take possession of 
 St. Johns and Montreal, and pursue any other mea- 
 sure in Canada having a tendency, in his judgment, 
 to promote the peace and security of the United 
 Colonies. 
 
 In September, 1775, Gen. Schuyler was acting 
 under positive instructions to enter Canada, and he 
 proceeded, with Generals Montgomery and Wooster 
 under his command, to the Isle au Noix. He had at 
 that time become extremely ill, and he w^as obliged to 
 leave the command of the expedition to devolve upon 
 Gen. Montgomery. The latter, under his orders, 
 captured the garrisons of Chambly and St. Johns, 
 and pressed forward to Montreal and Quebec. Mon- 
 treal was entered on the 12th of November, 1775, by 
 the troops under the immediate orders of Montgomery, 
 and in the same month a committee from Congress 
 was appointed to confer with General Schuyler, 
 relative to raising troops in Canada for the possession 
 and security of that province. His activity, skill, 
 and zeal shone conspicuously throughout that ardu- 
 ous northern campaign ; and his unremitting corres- 
 13* 
 
290 APPENDIX TO 
 
 pondence with Congress received the most prompt and 
 marked consideration. 
 
 While the expedition under Montgomery was em- 
 ployed in Canada, Gen. Schuyler was called to exer- 
 cise his influence and power in another quarter of his 
 military district. On the 30th of December, 1775, he 
 was ordered to disarm the disaffected inhabitants of 
 Tryon County, then under the influence of Sir John 
 Johnson ; and on the 18th of January following, he 
 made a treaty with the disaffected portion of the 
 people in that western part of the state. The Conti- 
 nental Congress w^ere so highly satisfied with his con- 
 duct in that delicate and meritorious service, as to 
 declare, by a special resolution, that he had executed 
 his trust with fidelity, prudence and dispatch ; and 
 they ordered a publication of the narrative of his 
 march in depth of winter into the regions bordering on 
 the middle and upper Mohawk. The duties imposed 
 upon that officer were so various, multiplied, and inces- 
 sant, as to require rapid movements, sufficient to distract 
 and confound an ordinary mind. Thus, on the 30tli 
 of December, 1775, he was ordered to disarm the 
 Tories in Tryon County. On the 8th of January, 
 1776, he was ordered to have the river St. Lawrence, 
 above and below Quebec, well explored. On the 
 25th of January, he was ordered to have the fortress 
 of Ticonderoga repaired and made defensible, and on 
 the 17th of February he was directed to take the 
 command of the forces, and conduct the military 
 operations at the city of New York. All these cumu- 
 lative and conflicting orders from Congress, were 
 made upon him in the course of six weeks, and they 
 
AxNNALS OF TKYON COUNTY. 291 
 
 were occasioned by the embarrassmerrts and distresses 
 of the times. 
 
 In March, 1776, Congress changed their plan of 
 operation, and directed Gen. Schuyler to establish his 
 head -quarters at Albany, and superintend the army 
 destined for Canada. He was instructed to take such 
 orders as he should deem expedient, respecting the 
 very perplexing and all-important subject of the sup- 
 plies for the troops in Canada, and those orders as to 
 the supplies were repeated in April, and again in 
 May, 1776. The duty of procuring supplies, though 
 less splendid in its effects, is often more effectual to the 
 safety and success of an army than prowess in the field. 
 Gen. Schuyler, by his thorough business habits, his 
 precise attention to details, and by his skill and science 
 in every^ duty connected with the equipment of an 
 army, was admirably fitted to be at the head of the 
 commissariat; and he gave life and vigor to every 
 branch of the service. His versatile talents, equally 
 adapted to investigation and action, rendered his 
 merits as an officer of transcendent value. 
 
 On the 14th of June, 1776, he was ordered by 
 Congress to hold a treaty with the Six Nations, and 
 engage them in the interest of the colonies, and to 
 treat with them on the principles, and in the decisive 
 manner, which he had suggested. His preparations 
 for taking immediate possession of Fort Stanwix, and 
 erecting a fortification there, received the approbation 
 of Congress, and their records afTord the most satis- 
 factory evidence that his comprehensive and accurate 
 mind had anticipated and suggested the most essential 
 measures, which he afterward diligently executed 
 
292 APPENDIX TO 
 
 ihronghout the whole northern department. But 
 within three days after the order for the treaty, Con- 
 gress directed his operations to a different quarter of 
 his command. He was ordered, on the 17th of June, 
 to clear Wood Creek, and construct a lock upon the 
 creek at Skeenshorongh, (now Whiteliall,) and to take 
 the level of the waters failing into the Hudson at Fort 
 Edward, and into Wood Creek. There can be no 
 doubt that those orders were all founded upon his 
 previous suggestions, and they afford demonstrative 
 proof of the views entertained by him, at that early 
 day, of the practicability and importance of canal 
 navigation. He was likewise directed to cause 
 armed vessels to be built, so as to secure the mastery 
 of the waters of the northern lakes. He was to judge 
 of the expediency of a temporary fortification or in- 
 trenched camp on the heights opposite Ticonderoga. 
 Captain Graydon visited Gen. Schuyler early in the 
 summer of 1776, at his head-quarters on Lake 
 George ; and he speaks of him, in the very interesting 
 memoirs of his own life, as an officer thoroughly 
 devoted to business, and being, at the same time, a 
 gentleman of polished, courteous manners. On the 
 1st of August following, he was on the upper Mohawk, 
 providing for its defense and security, and again in 
 October we find him on the upper Hudson, and call- 
 ing upon the Eastern States for their militia. 
 
 There can be no doubt that the northern frontier, 
 in the campaign of 1776, was indebted for its extraor- 
 dinary quiet and security to the ceaseless activity of 
 Gen. Schuyler. At the close of that year he was 
 further instructed to build a floating battery on the 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 293 
 
 lake, at the foot of Mount Independence, and also to 
 strengthen the works at Fort Stanwix. 
 
 In the midst of such conflicting and harassing 
 services, he had excited much popular jealousy and 
 ill will, arising from the energy of his character, and 
 the dignity of his deportment. He was likewise dis- 
 gusted at what he deemed injustice, in the irregularity 
 of appointing other and junior officers in separate and 
 independent commands within what was considered 
 to be his military district. He accordingly, in Octo- 
 ber, 1776, tendered to Congress the resignation of 
 his commission. But when Congress came to inves- 
 tigate his services, they found them, says the historian 
 of Washington, far to exceed in value any estimate 
 which had been made of them. They declared that 
 they could not dispense with his services, during the 
 tlien situation of affairs ; and they directed the presi- 
 dent of Congress to request him to continue in his 
 command, and they declared their high sense of his 
 services, and their unabated confidence in his attach- 
 ment to the cause of freedom. 
 
 A governor and legislature were chosen in the sum- 
 mer of 1777, and in that trying season there was not 
 a county in this State, as it then existed, which escaped 
 a visit from the arms of the enemy. To add to the 
 embarrassment of our councils in the extremity of their 
 distress, the inhabitants of the northeast part of the 
 State, (now Vermont,) which had been represented in 
 the convention, and just then ingrafted into the con- 
 stitution, under the names of the counties of Cumber- 
 land and Gloucester, renounced their allegiance, and 
 set up for an independent state. On the 30th of 
 
294 ' APPENDIX TO 
 
 June, in that year, they were knocking at the door of 
 Congress for a recognition of their independence, and 
 an admission into tlie Union. 
 
 The memorable campaign of 1777 was opened by 
 an expedition of the enemy from New York to Dan- 
 bury in Connecticut, and the destruction of large 
 quantities of provisions, and military means collected 
 and deposited in that town. In the northern quarter, 
 Gen. Burgoyne advanced from Canada through the 
 lakes, with a well-appointed army of 10,000 men; 
 and for a time he dissipated all opposition, and swept 
 every obstacle before him. Gen. Schuyler was still 
 in the command of the whole northern department, 
 and he made every exertion to check the progress of 
 the enemy. He visited in person the different forts, 
 and used the utmost activity in obtaining supplies, to 
 enable them to sustain a siege. While at Albany, 
 (which was his head-quarters, as previously fixed by 
 Congress,) busy in accelerating the equipment and 
 march of troops, Ticonderoga being assailed, was 
 suddenl}^ evacuated by Gen. St. Clair. Gen. Schuy- 
 ler met on the upper Hudson the news of the retreat, 
 and he displayed, says tlie candid and accurate histo- 
 rian of Washington, the utmost diligence and judg- 
 ment in that gloomy state of things. He effectually 
 impeded the navigation of Wood Creek. He rendered 
 the roads impassable. He removed every kind of 
 provisions and stores beyond the reach of the enemy. 
 He summoned the militia of New York and New 
 England to his assistance, and he answered the procla- 
 mation of Burgoyne by a counter proclamation, equally 
 addressed to the hopes and fears of the country. Con- 
 
ANNALS OF TIIYON COUNTY. 295 
 
 gress, by their resolution of the 17th of July, 1777, 
 approved all the acts of Gen. Schuyler, in reference 
 ' to the army at Ticonderoga. But the evacuation of 
 that fortress excited great discontent in the United 
 States, and Gen. Schuyler did not escape his share of 
 the popular clamor, and he was made a victim to ap- 
 pease it. It was deemed expedient to recall the 
 general officers in the northern army, and in the 
 month of August he was superseded in the command 
 of that department by the arrival of Gen. Gates. The 
 laurels which he was in preparation to win by his 
 judicious and distinguished efforts, and which he 
 would very shortly have attained, were by that re- 
 moval intercepted from his brow. 
 
 General Schuyler felt acutely the discredit of being 
 recalled in the most critical and interesting period of 
 the campaign of 1777 ; and when the labor and ac- 
 tivity of making preparations to repair the disaster of 
 it had been expended by him ; and when an oppor- 
 tunity was opening, as he observed, for that resistance 
 and retaliation which might bring glory upon our 
 arms. If error be attributable to the evacuation of 
 Ticonderoga, says the historian of Washington, no 
 portion of it was committed by Gen. Schuyler. But 
 his removal, though unjust and severe as respected 
 himself, was rendered expedient, according to Chief 
 Justice Marshall, as a sacrifice to the prejudices of 
 New England. 
 
 He was present at the capture of Burgoyne, but 
 without any personal command; and the urbanity of 
 his manners, and the chivalric magnanimity of his 
 character, smarting as he was under the extent and 
 
296 APPENDIX TO 
 
 severity of his pecuniary losses, was attested by Gen. 
 Burgoyne himself, in his speech in 1778, in the 
 British House of Commons. He there declared, that^ 
 by his orders, " a very good dwelling-house, exceed- 
 ing large storehouses, great saw^-mills, and other out- 
 buildings, to the value altogether, perhaps, of 10,000/. 
 belonging to Gen. Schuyler, at Saratoga, were de- 
 stroyed by fire, a few days before the surrender." 
 He said further, that one of the first persons he saw 
 after the convention was signed, was Gen. Schuyler, 
 and when expressing to him his regret at the event 
 which had happened to his property, Gen. Schuyler 
 desired him " to think no more of it, and that the 
 occasion justified it, according to the principles and 
 rules of war. He did more," said Burgoyne ; '' he 
 sent an aid-de-camp to conduct me to Albany, in order, 
 as he expressed it, to procure better quarters than a 
 stranger might be able to find. That gentleman con- 
 ducted me to a very elegant house, and, to my great 
 surprise, presented me to Mrs. Schuyler and her fam- 
 ily. In that house I remained during my whole stay 
 in Albany, with a table with more than twenty covers 
 for me and my friends, and every other possible de- 
 monstration of hospitality." 
 
 I have several times had the same relation, in sub- 
 stance, from Gen. Schuyler himself, and he said that 
 he remained behind at Saratoga, under the pretext of 
 taking care of the remains of his property, but in 
 reality to avoid giving fresh occasions for calumny and 
 jealousies, by appearing in person with Burgoyne, at 
 his own house. It was not until the autumn of 1778, 
 that the conduct of Gen. Schuyler, in the campaign 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 297 
 
 of 1777, was submitted to the investigation of a court- 
 martial. He was acquitted of every charge with the 
 highest honors, and the sentence was confirmed by 
 Congress. He shortly afterward, upon his earnest 
 and repeated solicitations, had leave to retire from the 
 army, and he devoted the remainder of his life to the 
 service of his country in its political councils. 
 
 If the military life of Gen. Sclmyler was inferior in 
 brilliancy to that of some others of his countrymen, 
 none of them ever surpassed him in fidelity, activity, 
 and devotedness to the service. The characteristic of 
 his measures was utility. They bore the stamp and 
 unerring precision of practical science. There was 
 nothing complicated in his character. It was chaste 
 and severe simplicity ; and, take him for all in all, 
 he was one of the wisest and most efficient men, both 
 in military and civil life, that the state or the nation 
 has produced. 
 
 He had been elected to Congress in 1777, and he 
 was re-elected in each of the three following years. 
 On his return to Congress, after the termination of his 
 military life, his talents, experience, and energy were 
 put in immediate requisition ; and in November, 1779, 
 he was appointed to confer with General Washington, 
 on the state of the southern department. In 1781, he 
 was in the senate of this State ; and wherever he was 
 placed, and whatever nn'ght be the business before 
 him, he gave the utmost activity to measures, and 
 left upon them the impression of his prudence and 
 sagacity. In 1789, he was elected (o a seat in the 
 first senate of the United States, and when his term 
 of service expired in Congress, he was replaced in the 
 
298 APPENDIX TO 
 
 senate of this State. In 1792, he was very active in 
 digesting and bringing to maturity that early and 
 great measure of State policy, the establishment of 
 companies for inland lock navigation. Tlie whole 
 suggestion was the product of his fertile and calcu- 
 lating mind, ever busy in scliemes for the public wel- 
 fare. He was placed at the head of tbe direction of 
 both of the navigation companies, and his mind was 
 ardently directed for years towards the execution of 
 those liberal plans of internal improvement. In 1796, 
 he urged in his place in the Senate, and afterward 
 published in a pamphlet form, his plan for the im- 
 provement of the revenue of this State, and, in 1797, 
 his plan was almost literally adopted, and to that we 
 owe the institution of the office of Comptroller. In 
 1797, he was unanimously elected by the two houses 
 of our Legislature, a Senator in Congress; and he 
 took leave of the Senate of this State in a liberal and 
 affecting address, which was inserted at large upon 
 their journals. 
 
 But the life of this great man was drawing to a 
 close. I formed and cultivated a personal acquaint- 
 ance with General Schuyler, while a member of the 
 Legislature, in 1792, and again in 1796; and from 
 1799 to his death, in the autumn of 1804, I was in 
 habits of constant and friendly intimacy with him, 
 and was honored with the kindest and most grateful 
 attentions. His spirits were cheerful, his conversation 
 most eminently instructive, his manners gentle and 
 courteous, and his whole deportment tempered with 
 grace and dignity. His faculties seemed to retain 
 their unimpaired vigor and untiring activity ; though 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 299 
 
 he had evidently lost some of his constitutional ardor 
 of temperament and vehemence of feeling. He was 
 sobered by age, chastened by affliction, broken by 
 disease ; and yet nothing could surpass the interest 
 excited by the mild radiance of the evening of his days. 
 
300 APPENDIX TO 
 
 Note H. 
 
 WYOMING. 
 
 Among the claims set up by the State of Connecti- 
 cut was the following : that by their charter they 
 owned all lands lying between those parallels of lati- 
 tude forming the northern and southern boundary of 
 their State, and extending west to the Pacific Ocean. 
 This claim, it will readily be perceived, would cover 
 a large portion of the southern part of New York, and 
 of the northern parts of Pennsylvania and Ohio. In 
 prosecution of this claim, a colony from Windham, in 
 Connecticut, obtained a State grant for a large tract 
 of land lying along the Susquehanna in the State of 
 Pennsylvania, whither they removed. The valley 
 they occupied was called Wyoming ; said to mean 
 " Field of blood ;" so called on account of a bloody bat- 
 tle fought in the neighborhood of the settlement by the 
 Indians at a period anterior to the removal of the whites. 
 
 The following account of the battle and massacre 
 is taken from an interesting history of Wyoming, writ- 
 ten by Isaac Chapman, Esq., late of VVilkesbarre. 
 Judge Chapman lived upon the spot, and could hardly 
 have failed to collect accurate materials, and to give a 
 correct narrative of the events which transpired there 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY, 301 
 
 during- the Revolutionary war. The inhabitants had 
 collected in Forty Fort — the principal fort in the val- 
 ley. The number of men in the fort was three hun- 
 dred and sixty-eight. 
 
 <' On the morning- of the 3d of July, 1778, the offi- 
 cers of the garrison at Forty Fort held a council to 
 determine on the propriety of marching from the fort, 
 and attacking the enemy wherever found. The de- 
 bates in this council of war are said to have been con- 
 ducted with much warmth and animation. The ulti- 
 mate determination was one on which depended the 
 lives of the garrison and safety of the settlement. On 
 one side it was contended that their enemies were 
 daily increasing in numbers ; that they would plun- 
 der the settlement of all kinds of property, and would 
 accumulate the means of carrying on the war, while 
 they themselves would become weaker; that the 
 harvest would soon be ripe, and would be gathered or 
 destroyed by their enemies, and all their means of sus- 
 tenance during the succeeding winter would fail ; that 
 probably all their messengers were killed, and as there 
 had been more than sufficient time, and no assistance 
 arrived, they would probably receive none, and conse- 
 quently now was the proper time to make the attack. 
 On the other side it was argued, tiiat probably 
 some or all the messengers may have arrived at head- 
 quarters, but that the absence of the commander-in- 
 chief may have produced delay ; that one or two 
 weeks more may bring the desired assistance, and that 
 to attack the enemy, superior as they were in number, 
 out of the limits of their own fort, would produce al- 
 most certain destruction to the settlement and them- 
 
302 APPENDIX TO 
 
 selves, and captivity, and slavery, perhaps tortnre, to 
 their wives and children. While these debates were 
 progressing-, five men belonging to Wyoming, but 
 who at that time held commissions in the continental 
 army, arived at the fort ; they had received informa- 
 tion that a force from Niagara had marched to destroy 
 the settlements on the Susquehanna, and being una- 
 ble to bring with them any reinforcement, they re- 
 signed their appointments, and hastened immediately 
 to the protection of their families. They had heard 
 nothing of the messengers, neither could they give 
 any certain information as to the probability of relief. 
 
 " The prospect of receiving assistance became now 
 extremely uncertain. The advocates for the attack 
 prevailed in the council, and at dawn of day, on the 
 morning of the 3d of July, the garrison left the fort, 
 and began their march up the river, under the com- 
 mand of Col. Zebulon Butler. Having proceeded 
 about two miles, the troops halted for the purpose of 
 detaching a reconnoitering party, to ascertain the 
 situation of the enemy. 
 
 '' The scout found the enemy in possession of Fort 
 Wintermoot, and occupying huts immediately around 
 it, carousing in supposed security ; but on their re- 
 turn to the advancing column, they met two strolling 
 Indians, by whom they were fired upon, and upon 
 whom they immediately returned the fire without 
 effect. The settlers hastened their march for the at- 
 tack, but the Indians had given the alarm, and the 
 advancing troops found the enemy already formed in 
 order of battle a small distance from their fort, 
 with their right flank covered by a swamp, and 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 303 
 
 their left resting upon the bank of a river. The set- 
 tlers immediately displayed their column and formed 
 in corresponding- order, but as the enemy was much 
 superior in numbers, their line was much more 
 extensive. Pine woods and bushes covered the bat- 
 tle-ground, in consequence of which the movements 
 of the troops could not be so quickly discovered, nor 
 so well ascertained. Col. Zebulon Butler had com- 
 mand of the right, and was opposed by Col. John 
 Butler at the head of the British troops on the left; 
 Col. Nathan Denison commanded the left, opposed 
 by Brant at the head of his Indians on the enemy's 
 right. The battle commenced at about forty rods dis- 
 tant, and continued about fifteen minutes through the 
 woods and brush, without much execution. At this 
 time Brant with his Indians, having penetrated the 
 swamp, turned the left flank of the settlers' line, and 
 with a terrible war-whoop and savage yell made a 
 desperate charge upon the troops composing that wing, 
 which fell very fast, and were immediately cut to 
 pieces with the tomahawk. Col. Denison having as- 
 certained that the savages were gaining the rear of 
 the left, gave orders for that wing to fall hack. At 
 the same time Col. John Butler, finding that the line 
 of the settlers did not extend as far towards ihe river 
 as his own, doubled that end of his line which was 
 protected by a thick growth of brushwood, and liav- 
 ing brought a party of his British regulars to act in 
 column upon that wing, threw Col. Zebulon Butler's 
 troops into some confusion. The orders of Col. Deni- 
 son for his troops io fall back, having been understood 
 by many to mean a retreat, the troops began to retire 
 
304 APPENDIX TO 
 
 in much disorder. The savages considered this a 
 flight, and, commencing a most hideous yell, rushed 
 forward with their rifles and tomahawks, and cut the 
 retiring line to pieces. In this situation it was found 
 impossible to rally and form the troops, and tlie rout 
 became general throughout the line. The settlers 
 fled in every direction, and were instantly followed 
 by the savages, who killed or took prisoners whoever 
 came within their reach. Some succeeded in reach- 
 ing the river, and escaped by swimming across ; others 
 fled to the mountains, and the savages, too much oc- 
 cupied with plunder, gave up the pursuit. When the 
 first intelligence was received in the village of Wilkes- 
 barre tliat the battle was lost, the women fled with 
 their children to the mountains, on their way to the 
 settlements on the Delaware, where many of them at 
 length arrived after suffering extreme hardships. 
 Many of the men who escaped the battle, together 
 with their w^omen and children, who were unable to 
 travel on foot, took refuge in Wyoming fort, and on 
 the following day, (July the 4th,) Butler and Brant, at 
 the head of iheir combined forces, appeared before 
 the fort, and demanded its surrender. The garrison 
 being without any efficient means of defense, surren- 
 dered the fort on articles of capitulation, by which the 
 settlers, upon giving up their fortifications, prisoners, 
 and miltary stores, were to remain in the country un- 
 molested, provided they did not again take up arms, 
 
 ^'In this battle about three hundred of the settlers 
 were killed or missing, and from a great part of whom 
 no intelligence was ever afterward received. 
 
 '' The conditions of the capitulation were entirely 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 305 
 
 disregarded by the British and savage forces, and after 
 the fort was delivered up, all kinds of barbarities were 
 committed by them. The village of Wilkesbarre, 
 consisting of twenty-three houses, was burned; men 
 and their wives were separated from each other, and 
 carried into captivity ; their property was plundered, 
 and the settlement laid waste. The remainder of the 
 inhabitants were driven from the valley, and compell- 
 ed to proceed on foot sixty miles through the great 
 swamp, almost without food or clothing. A number 
 perished in the journey, principally women and chil- 
 dren ; some died of their wounds ; others wandered 
 from the path in search of food, and were lost, and 
 those who survived called the wilderness through 
 which they passed the shades of death .^ an appellation 
 which it has since retained." 
 
 Catrine Montour, who might well be termed a 
 fury, acted a conspicuous part in this tragedy. She 
 followed in the train of the victorious army, ransack- 
 ing the heaps of slain, and, with her arms covered 
 with gore, barbarously murdering the wounded, who 
 in vain supplicated for their lives. 
 
 Halleck, in allusion to the massacre at Wyoming, 
 has the following interesting lines : 
 
 " There is a woman, widowed, gray, and old, 
 Who tells you where the foot of battle stept 
 Upon their day of massacre. She told 
 Its tale, and pointed to the spot, and wept, 
 Whereon her father and five brothers slept 
 Shroudless, the bright dreamed slumbers of the brave, 
 When all the land a funeral mourning kept. 
 And there wild laurels planted on the grave, 
 By Nature's hand in air their pale red blossoms wave." 
 
 14 
 
306 APPENDIX TO 
 
 " MASSACRE OF WYOMING. (Pa.) 
 
 " Perhaps the last survivor of this event, which has 
 been made the subject of the interesting poem of the 
 gifted Campbell, is the person whose death is recorded 
 in the annexed notice. The actual horrors of the 
 scene of death and conflagration, or the dramatic inci- 
 dent embodied in the fiction founded upon it, must be 
 vivid in the recollection of our readers. 
 
 " A MOTHER OF WYOMING 
 
 " We find in a Connecticut paper, an account of the 
 recent decease of Mrs. Esther Skinner, of Torringford, 
 in the one hundredth year of her age. Mrs. S. lost a 
 husband, a brother, and two sons, in the war of the 
 American Revolution. She, with her family, was a 
 resident of Wyoming, at the massacre of its inhabit- 
 ants by D. and T. and the Indians and Tories. Her 
 two sons fell beneath the tomahawk, but the mother, 
 almost by miracle, escaped with six of her children. 
 Her son-in-law was the only man that escaped out of 
 twenty, who threw themselves into the river, and 
 attempted to hide themselves beneath the foliage that 
 overhung the banks. All the others were succes- 
 sively massacred as they hung by the branches in the 
 river. He alone was undiscovered. The mother 
 travelled back to Torringford, where she has led a 
 useful life ever since — often cheerful, though the 
 cloud of pensiveness, brought on by her sorrows, was 
 never entirely dissipated. But one of her children 
 survives her." — Journal of Commerce^ Aug. 16, 1831. 
 
AN.NALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 307 
 
 Note I. 
 
 Extract of a Letter from Captain Courish, of the JYew 
 England militia j dated Albany, March lth,l'7S2, 
 
 The following interesting document was origi- 
 nally copied by the aiuhor from a newspaper pub- 
 lished in the county of Dutchess during the Revolu- 
 tion. It appeared in the paper without further note 
 or comment than is given below. It was long sup- 
 posed to be authentic. It seems, however, that the 
 article was written by Dr. Franklin. Still it embodies 
 only statements, the counterparts of which were con- 
 stantly occurring on the frontier. The grand motlier 
 of the author, who was an Indian prisoner, and was 
 also detained nearly a year a prisoner at Fort Niagara, 
 saw, while in that fort, large bundles of scalps brought 
 in by the Indians. 
 
 The peltry taken in the expedition will, as you 
 see, amount to a good deal of money. The possession 
 of this booty at first gave us pleasure ; but we were 
 struck with horror to find among the packages eight 
 large ones, containing scalps of our unhappy folks 
 taken in the three last years by the Seneca Indians, 
 from the inhabitants of the frontiers of New York, 
 
308 APPENDIX TO 
 
 New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, and sent by 
 them as a present to Col. Haldiman, Governor of 
 Canada, in order to be by him transmitted to England. 
 They were accompanied by the following curious 
 letter to that gentleman : 
 
 '' Tioga, January Zd, 1782. 
 '' May it please your Excellency — . 
 '' At the request of the Seneca chiefs, I send here- 
 with to your Excellency, under the care of James 
 Boyd, eight packs of scalps, cured, dried, hooped, and 
 painted with all the Indian triumphal marks, of which 
 the following is invoice and explanation. 
 
 No. 1. Containing 43 scalps of Congress soldiers, 
 killed in different skirmishes ; these are stretched 
 on black hoops, four inch diameter ; the inside 
 of the skin painted red, with a small black spot 
 to note their being killed with bullets. Also 62 
 of farmers, killed in their houses ; the hoops red ; 
 the skin painted brown, and marked with a hoe ; 
 a black circle all round to denote their being sur- 
 prised in the night ; and a black hatchet in the 
 middle, signifying their being killed with that 
 weapon. 
 
 No. 2. Containing 98 of farmers, killed in their 
 houses ; hoops red ; figure of a hoe, to mark 
 their profession ; great white circle and sun, to 
 show they were surprised in the daytime ; a little 
 red foot, to show they stood upon their defense, 
 and died fighting for their lives and families. 
 
 No. 3. Containing 97 of farmers ; hoops green, to 
 show they were killed in their fields ; a large 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 309 
 
 white circle with a little round mark on it for the 
 sun, to show that it was in the daytime ; black 
 bullet mark on some — hatchet on others. 
 
 No. 4. Containing 102 of farmers, mixed of the seve- 
 ral marks above ; only 18 marked with a little 
 yellow flame, to denote their being of prisoners 
 burnt alive, after being scalped, their nails pulled 
 out by the' roots, and other torments ; one of these 
 latter supposed to be of a rebel clergyman, his 
 band being fixed to the hoop of his scalp. Most 
 of the farmers appear by the hair to have been 
 young or middle-aged men ; there being but 67 
 very grey heads among them all ; which makes 
 the service more essential. 
 
 No. 5. Containing 88 scalps of women ; hair long, 
 braided in the Indian fashion, to show they were 
 mothers ; hoops blue ; skin yellow ground, with 
 little red tadpoles, to represent, by way of tri- 
 umph, the tears of grief occasioned to their rela- 
 tions ; a black scalping-knife or hatchet at the 
 bottom, to mark their being killed with those 
 instruments ; 17 others, hair very gray ; black 
 hoops ; plain brown color, no mark but the short 
 club or cassetete, to show they were knocked 
 down dead, or had their brains beat out. 
 
 No. 6. Containing 193 boys' scalps of various ages ; 
 small green hoops ; whitish ground on the skin, 
 with red tears in the middle, and black bullet 
 marks, knife, hatchet, or club, as their deaths 
 happened. 
 
 No. 7. 211 girls scalped, big and little ; small yellow 
 hoops; white ground; tears, hatchet, club, scalp- 
 ing-knife, &c. 
 
810 APPENDIX TO 
 
 No. 8. This package is a mixture of all the varieties 
 abovementioned, to the number of 122; with a 
 box of birch bark, containing 29 little infants' 
 scalps of various sizes ; small white hoops ; white 
 ground. 
 *^ With these packs the Chiefs send to your excellen- 
 cy the following speech, delivered by Coneiogatchie, 
 in council, interpreted by the elder Moore, the trader, 
 and taken down by me in writing. 
 
 " Father! — We send you herewith many scalps, 
 that you may see that we are not idle friends. A blue 
 belt. 
 
 ^'Father! — We wish you to send these scalps 
 over the water to the great King, that he may regard 
 them and be refreshed ; and that he may see our faith- 
 fulness in destroying his enemies, and be convinced 
 that his presents have not been made to ungrateful 
 people. A blue and white belt with red tassels. 
 
 " Father! — Attend to what I am now going to say ; 
 it is a matter of much weight. The. great King's 
 enemies are many, and they grow fast in number. 
 They were formerly like young panthers ; they could 
 neither bite nor scratch ; we could play with them 
 safely ; we feared nothing they could do to us. But 
 now their bodies are become big as the elk, and strong 
 as the buffalo; they have also gotgreat and sharp claws. 
 They have driven us out of our country by taking part 
 in your quarrel. We expect the great King will give 
 us another country, that our children may live after 
 uSj and be his friends and children as we are. Say 
 this for us to the great King. To enforce it we give 
 this belt. A great white belt with blue tassels. 
 
 *' Father! — We have only to say further, that your 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY, 
 
 811 
 
 traders exact more than ever for their goods ; and our 
 hunting is lessened by the war, so that we have 
 fewer skins to give for them. This ruins us. Think 
 of some remedy. We are poor, and you have plenty 
 of everything. We know you will send us powder 
 and guns, and knives, and hatchets ; but we also 
 want shirts and blankets. A little white belt." 
 
 " I do not doubt but that your excellency will think 
 it proper to give some further encouragement to those 
 honest people. The high prices they complain of, 
 are the necessary effect of the war. Whatever pres- 
 ents may be sent for them through my hands shall 
 be distributed with prudence and fidelity. I have the 
 honor of being, 
 
 Your excellency's most obedient, 
 
 And most humble servant, 
 
 JAMES CRAUFURD." 
 
312 APPENDIX TO 
 
 Note J. 
 
 CHRISTIAN SHELL. 
 
 Among the persons who distinguished themselves by 
 their personal courage was Christian Shell, of Shell's 
 Bush, in the now county of Herkimer. He refused 
 to go into any of the forts, but built a blockhouse 
 upon his farm. These houses were usually built of 
 hewn timber. The first story had no windows, but 
 several loop-holes, through which those within could 
 fire upo'i tl e enemy. The second story projected over 
 the first two or three feet. Through this projection 
 there were likewise apertures, through which the 
 persons within could fire upon, or cast down missiles 
 upon the assailants if they approached the house to 
 force an entrance. The statements contained in the 
 following specimen of rude poetry are true. The 
 .year following this rencontre, the Indians stole the 
 march upon Shell, and shot him while engaged in 
 his work on his farm. His wife and children then 
 removed to some of the forts. 
 
 A story, a story, 
 
 Unto you I will tell, 
 Concerning a brave hero, 
 
 One Christian Shell, 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 313 
 
 Who was attacked by the savages 
 
 And Tories, as is said. 
 But for this attack 
 
 Most dearly they paid. 
 
 The sixth day of August, 
 
 He went to his field. 
 Determined if the enemy 
 
 Came, never to yield. 
 
 Two sons he had along with him. 
 
 Resolved were the same ; 
 About the middle of the afternoon, 
 
 These invaders, they came. 
 
 He fled unto his blockhouse. 
 
 For to save his life, 
 Where he had left his arms 
 
 In the care of his wife. 
 
 The enemy took prisoners, 
 
 Two sons that were twins, 
 About eight years of age ; 
 
 Soon the battle it begins. 
 
 They advanced upon him. 
 
 And began to fire. 
 But Christian with his blunderbuss 
 
 Soon made them retire. ^ 
 
 He wounded Donald McDonald, 
 
 And drew him in the door, 
 Who gave an account 
 
 There was strength sixty-four. 
 
 They fought from two in the afternoon 
 Until the closing of the light ; 
 14* 
 
S14 ^ APPENDIX TO 
 
 Shell's son was slightly wounded 
 Before that it was night. 
 
 The old woman she has spoiled 
 
 Five guns, as I have since been told, 
 
 With nothing but a chopping axe, 
 Which shows that she was bold. 
 
 Six there was wounded. 
 
 And eleven there was killed. 
 
 Of this said party, 
 
 Before they quit the field. 
 
 The Indians were forty-eight. 
 
 And Tories full sixteen, 
 By old Shell and his two sons, 
 
 Oh, the like was never seen. 
 
 Not like to get assistance, 
 
 Nor any body's help. 
 They thought for to affright him 
 
 By setting up their yelp. 
 
 But God was his assistant. 
 His buckler and his shield, 
 
 He dispersed this cruel enemy. 
 And made them quit the field. 
 
 Come all you Tryon Coimty men. 
 And never be dismayed, 
 
 But trust in the Lord, 
 And he will be your aid. 
 
 Trust in the Lord with all your might. 
 And call upon his name, 
 
 And he will help you as he did Shell 
 To his immortal fame, 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 31 5 
 
 An account similar to the foregoing was related to 
 me by Col. Nicholas Fish. In the spring of 1779, 
 and a few days before the army broke up its encamp- 
 ment near the Hudson, the Indians and Tories burned 
 the settlement of Warwarsing. A detachment from 
 the army was sent to the assistance of the place. 
 Before their arrival it was mostly destroyed. They 
 succeeded, however, in relieving a part of the inhabi- 
 tants, and especially one man, who had defended 
 himself bravely. His house was in the woods, and in 
 advance of all the others in the settlement. He fled 
 into his house with his wife on the approach of the 
 Indians. Here he defended himself with such spirit 
 that he drove the party who had attacked him back, 
 and forced them to seek shelter behind the trees. 
 The Indians then collected combustibles, and setting 
 them on fire, rushed up, and threw them on the house. 
 The flames caught. He then took two pails, and ran 
 to a spring several rods distant, and filling them hastily 
 with water, returned to the house. The Indians 
 again rushed up, determined to take him, and threw 
 their tomahawks, and were at the door almost the 
 same instant that it was closed. He succeeded in extin- 
 guishing the fire. At this juncture the detachment 
 came up, and the Indians fled . The ofiicers, as a tes- 
 timony of their admiration of his courage, made a 
 liberal present of money to him, which they raised by 
 contribution. 
 
316 APPENDIX TO 
 
 Note K. 
 
 THE SACRIFICE OF THE SENECAS. 
 
 The following account of the sacrifice of the Sene- 
 cas, is taken from the 4th volume of Dwight's Travels, 
 and was communicated to him hy the Rev. Mr. Kirk- 
 land. 
 
 " At the time when the Senecas return from hunt- 
 ing in January or February, they annually keep a 
 feast seven days ; the professed object of which is, to 
 render thanks to the Great Spirit for the benefits 
 they have received from him during the preceding 
 year, and to solicit the continuance of them through 
 the year to come. On the evening before the feast 
 commences they kill two dogs, and after painting 
 them with various colors, and dressing them with or- 
 naments, suspend them in the centre of the camp, or 
 in some conspicuous place in the village. 
 
 *^ The whole of this solemn season is spent in feast- 
 ing and dancing. Two select bands, one of men, and 
 another of women, ornamented with a variety of 
 trinkets, and furnished each with an ear of corn, 
 which is held in the right hand, begin the dance at 
 the council house. Both choirs, the men leading 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 317 
 
 the way, dance in a circle around the council-fire, 
 which is kindled for the occasion, and regulate their 
 steps by music. Hence they proceed to every house 
 in the village, and in the same manner dance in a 
 circle around each fire. 
 
 " On one of the festival days they perform a pe- 
 culiar religious ceremony, for the purpose of driving 
 away evil spirits from their habitations. Three men 
 clothe themselves in the skins of wild beasts, and 
 cover their faces with masks of a hideous appearance, 
 and their hands with the shell of the tortoise. In this 
 garb they go from house ^to house, making a horrid 
 noise, and in every house take the fuel from the fire 
 and scatter the embers and ashes about the floor with 
 their hands. 
 
 " Toward the close of the festival they erect a fu- 
 neral pile, place it upon the two dogs, and set it on 
 fire. When they are partly consumed, one of them 
 is taken off and put into a large kettle, with vegeta- 
 bles of every kind which they have cultivated during 
 the year. The other dog is consumed in the fire. 
 The ashes of the pile are then gathered up, carried 
 through the village and sprinkled at the door of every 
 house. When this ceremony is ended, which is al- 
 ways near the close of the seventh day, all the inhab- 
 itants feast together upon the contents of the kettle ; 
 and thus the festival is terminated. 
 
 " This mode of exhibiting their gratitude is cer- 
 tainly far from gratifying the feelings of a Christian, 
 yet I think several of the American States might learn 
 from these savages the important lesson, that it be- 
 comes a people possessing the light of revelation, to 
 
318 APPENDIX TO 
 
 render annually a public tribute of thanksgiving to 
 the Great Benefactor of Mankind for the blessings 
 which they have received during the year from his 
 bountiful hand. 
 
 " This, however, is not the only religious service 
 which has existed among the Six Nations. Mr. Kirk- 
 land informed me that while he was crossing the 
 Oneida Lake with a fleet of canoes, a violent storm 
 arose, from which the fleet was in the utmost danger 
 of perishing. The chief sachem, in Wliose canoe Mr. 
 Kirkland was, took from a box in the stern a small 
 quantity of fine powder, made of a fragrarit herb un- 
 known to Mr. Kirkland, and scattered it on the 
 water. This he found was intended as an oblation 
 to the Deity acknowledged by the sachem." 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 319 
 
 Note L. 
 
 NUMBER OF INDIAN WARRIORS EMPLOYED IN 
 THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 
 
 An estimate of the Indian nations employed by 
 the British in the Revolutionary war, with the num- 
 ber of warriors annexed to each nation ; by Captain 
 Dalton, superintendent of Indian affairs for the United 
 States, who, after being several -years a prisoner with 
 the enemy, arrived at Philadelphia, where he pub- 
 lished the following account, 5th August, 1783. 
 
 Choctaws - - . 600 Tuscaroras - - - 200 
 
 Chickasaws - - 400 Onondagas - - - 300 
 
 Cherokees - - - 500 .Cayugas - - - - 230 
 
 Creeks - - - 700 Jeneckaws (Senecas)* 400 
 
 Plankishaws - - 400 Sues and Sothuse - 1300 
 
 Oniactmaws - - 300 Putawawtawmaws - 400 
 
 Kackapoes - - 500 Tulawin - - - - 150 
 
 Munseys - - - 150 Muskulthe, or Nation 
 
 Delawares - - - 500 of Fire - - - 250 
 
 Shawanaws - - 300 Reiners, or Foxes - 300 
 
 * In 1783 Mr. Kirkland estimated the whole number of fighting 
 men in the Seneca tribe at 600. 
 
320 
 
 APPENDIX TO 
 
 Mohickons - 
 Uchipweys 
 Ottaways - 
 Mohawks 
 Oneidas* - 
 
 60 
 
 3000 
 
 300 
 
 300 
 
 150 
 
 Puyon - - - 350 
 Sokkie - - - - 450 
 Abinokkie, or the St. 
 Lawrence - - 200 
 
 Warriors 
 
 12,690 
 
 * The Rev. Mr. Kirkland informed Dr. Stiles that there were 410 
 souls before the war, and that 120 joined the enemy. 
 10th vol. Mass. Collections, page 123. 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 32 1 
 
 Note M. 
 
 The Direct Agency of the English Government in the 
 employment of the Indians in the Revolutionary War. 
 By William W. Campbell, Read by Mr. Campbell, 
 October 7th, 1645, before the J\^ew York Historical 
 Society. 
 
 Nearly forty j^ears before the commencement of 
 the Revolutionary war, a young man arrived in the 
 valley of the Mohawk, who was destined to exert a 
 greater influence than any other individual since the 
 settlement of the province of New York, over the 
 Indians who dwelt within its borders. He was in 
 early manhood, but little over twenty years of age, 
 and was entrusted with an extensive and important 
 agenc3^ He was of a good family — an Irishman by 
 birth — a nephew of Sir Peter Warren, and had charge 
 of a large landed property belonging to his uncle, 
 which was situated in that vicinity. He rose rapidly 
 in public estimation, for he had talent and opportu- 
 nity for its exercise. He early entered the provincial 
 army — leading sometimes the provincial troops, and 
 sometimes the warriors of the Six Nations. In 1755 
 he gained a signal victory over the French on the 
 northern frontiers of New York. The English gov- 
 ernment created him a baronet, and granted him five 
 
822 APPENDIX TO 
 
 thousand pounds, and he was appointed a superin- 
 tendent of Indian affairs for the northern provinces, 
 with a salary of a thousand pounds a year. The 
 fame and the fortune of Sir William Johnson were 
 made. 
 
 He continued in the exercise of his important du- 
 ties down to the period of his death. He was a man 
 of stern and determined purpose, but urbane and con- 
 ciliatory when necessary, and held a controlling influ- 
 ence over the Indians and most of the inhabitants of 
 the frontier. For nearly twenty years he resided at 
 his place, called Fort Johnson, and which is situated 
 in the valley of the Mohawk, about three miles west 
 of Amsterdam. He afterwards removed to Johnsoa 
 Hall, near the village of Johnstown, and where he 
 spent the remaining years of his life. In the month 
 of July, 1774, an Indian council was called at John- 
 son Hall, and besides a large number of the Six Na- 
 tions, there assembled at his house. Governor Frank- 
 lin of New Jersey, the judges of the Supreme Court 
 of New York, and other gentlemen of consideration 
 and influence in the province. During the sitting of 
 this council, on the 11th July, 1774, Sir William died 
 suddenly. He had been, it is^aid, previously unwell, 
 and the exertion which he made was greater than he 
 could bear. It was alleged at the time, by those who 
 espoused the American cause, that he purposely has- 
 tened his death, having determined never to lead his 
 Indian warriors against a people with whom he had 
 so long dwelt on the most friendly terms ; and at the 
 same time, being unwilling to disregard the instruc- 
 tions and wishes of a government which had so highly 
 honored and enriched him. 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 323 
 
 An eye-witness, under date of 13tb of July, 1774, 
 thus writes : " The corpse of the late Sir William 
 Johnson was carried from Johnson Hall to Johnstown, 
 and deposited in the family vault in the church which 
 he erected, attended by upwards of two thousand 
 persons from the neighboring country, with the In- 
 dians, who all behaved with the greatest decorum, 
 and exhibited the most lively marks of real sorrows 
 The pall was supported by his Excellency, the Gov- 
 ernor of New Jersey,- the Judges of the Supreme 
 Court of New York, and other persons of note who 
 happened to be at Johnstown at that time ; and on 
 their return from the funeral to Johnson Hall, the 
 Indians acquainted Colonel Johnson that they would 
 perform the ceremony of condolence the next day." 
 They wished, they said, *' to kindle up anew the fires 
 at Johnstown and Onondaga." 
 
 Johnson Hall, the residence of Sir William at the 
 time of his death, was situated upon an eminence, and 
 overlooked the village and the church, from which it 
 was distant about one mile ; and the scene must have 
 been one of an imposing character, as the long fune- 
 ral procession moved slowly down the winding ave- 
 nue, conveying to its last resting-place all that re- 
 mained of him who had for so many years been the 
 first man upon the borders. They who were soon 
 after to be 'known as patriot and loyalist, as Whig 
 and Tory, walked side by side, and mingled their 
 tears together. The dusky Indian warrior bowed his 
 head in sorrow by the side of the pale face, with whom 
 he was not to meet again, except in the fierce and 
 bloody contests which were soon to be waged. Some, 
 
324 APPENDIX TO 
 
 perhaps, met for the first time afterwards in bloody 
 strife upon the same ground over which they bore the 
 corpse of the good old chieftain. 
 
 Thus died Sir William Johnson; and he died as he 
 had lived, surrounded by Indian warriors. The In- 
 dian superintendency was to pass into other hands, 
 and new and perilous scenes were preparing for the 
 inhabitants of the frontiers of New York. 
 
 Sir William Johnson left one son. Sir John John- 
 son, and two daughters, one of whom was married to 
 Colonel Daniel Claus, and the other to Colonel Gu}^ 
 Johnson. The latter was a distant relative of Sir 
 William, and for thirty years had been also intimately 
 acquainted with Indian affairs. In 1762, then being 
 a lieutenant in the British army, he was appointed by 
 Sir William, a deputy superintendent. For some 
 time previous to his death, Sir William seems to have 
 felt that his life was precarious, and deemed it a mat- 
 ter of great importance that a successor should be 
 appointed. In April, 1774, a few months before his 
 death, he w^rote a pressing letter to the English gov- 
 ernment, strongly urging such an appointment at 
 once, and recommending Colonel Guy Johnson. He 
 spoke of the duties and fatigues growing out of his 
 civil and military employments, and observed that 
 they had drawn upon him a train of infirmities which 
 had often threatened his life, and at best had rendered 
 it precarious. '' I have often," said he, '' carried the 
 most important points merely through personal influ- 
 ence, when all other means had failed. If, therefore, 
 I have the least claim to indulgence in support of the 
 application of the Indians, I cannot withhold my 
 
AxNNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 325 
 
 warmest recommendation in favor of the gentleman 
 they wish for; and whilst I assure your lordship that 
 I rate my present reputation and future fame too high 
 to prostitute it for interest or partiality, would rather 
 hazard the imputation of both than refuse my testi- 
 mony towards a measure that may benefit the public 
 when I am no more." 
 
 The recommendation of Sir William Johnson pro- 
 cured the appointment of Colonel Guy Johnson as his 
 successor. The place was one of great power and 
 responsibility. There were within the department at 
 that time, 130,000 Indians, of whom 25,420 were 
 fighting men. The Six Nations numbered about 
 10,000, and had two thousand bold and skillful war- 
 riors. The whole population of the province of New 
 York in 1774 was 182,251, and an estimate of the 
 militia was 32,000. In 1771, the county of Albany, 
 then embracing all the northern and western part of 
 the province, and extending from the banks of the~ 
 Hudson on to the great cataract of Niagara, contained 
 only 38,829 inhabitants. 
 
 In 1772, the county of Tryon, named after the then 
 governor of the province, was formed, and it embraced 
 the whole section of the State west of a north and 
 south line running nearly through the centre of the 
 present county of Schoharie. It contained, probably, 
 a population of 10,000. Johnstown was the county 
 town. There was no section of the country which 
 felt so deep an interest in the movements and opera- 
 tions of the Indians as the inhabitants of this latter 
 county. The population was sparse, and they were 
 exposed upon the south, the west, and the north, and 
 
326 APPENDIX TO 
 
 had in their midst, and immediately around them, an 
 Indian population equal in number to their own. If 
 we consider that there were more than twenty-five 
 thousand Indian warriors, in some measure under the 
 control of the superintendent, located in the valley of 
 the Mohawk, it will at once be seen that if the Indians 
 should be prevailed upon to take part in the contest 
 then about commencing, the situation of the inhabit- 
 ants would be one of extreme peril. It was with feel- 
 ings of deep interest, therefore, that they learned that 
 the new superintendent had called an Indian coun- 
 cil, to be held at Guy Park, his place of residence, in 
 the month of May, 1775. 
 
 The political elements were all in motion. Tories 
 and Whigs were arraying themselves and preparing 
 for the issue. As early as August, 1774, the inhab- 
 itants, at a meeting held at Palatine, had resolved, 
 among other things, that they deeply sympathized 
 with the inhabitants of Boston, who were suffering 
 imder the oppressive act for blocking up the port, 
 and they added, ''we will join and unite with our 
 brethren of the rest of this colony in any thing tend- 
 ing to support and defend our rights and liberties." 
 
 On the 20th of May, 1775, and just previous to the 
 Indian council at Guy Park, Col. Guy Johnson, the 
 superintendent, addressed the following letter to the 
 magistrates and committees of the western districts : 
 " Gentlemen, I have lately had repeated accounts 
 that a body of New Englanders, or other men, were 
 to come and seize and carry away my person, and 
 attack our family under color of malicious insinua- 
 tions, that I intended to set the Indians upon the peo- 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 327 
 
 pie. Men of sense and character know that my 
 office is of the highest importance to promote peace 
 amongst the Six Nations, and prevent their entering 
 into any such disputes. This I effected last year, 
 when they were much vexed about the attack made 
 upon the Shawnese, and I last winter appointed them 
 to meet me this month to receive the answer of the 
 Virginians. All men must allow that if the Indians 
 find their council-fire disturbed and their superintend- 
 ent insulted, they will take a dreadful revenge. It 
 is therefore the duty of all people to prevent this, and 
 to satisfy any who may have been injured, and that 
 their suspicions and the allegations they have col- 
 lected against me are false, and inconsistent with my 
 character and office. I recommend this to you as 
 highly necessary at this time, as my regard for the 
 interest of the country and self-preservation has 
 obliged me to fortify my house, and keep men armed 
 for my defense, till these idle and malicous reports 
 are removed." 
 
 The committee, to whom this letter was addressed, 
 observed very truly, that they had an open enemy 
 before their faces, and treacherous friends at their 
 back, but they resolved that the conduct of Col. John- 
 son was alarming, arbitrary and unwarrantable, inas- 
 much as he was stopping and searching travellers 
 upon the king's highway, and they added that they 
 would ^'defend their freedom with their lives and 
 fortunes." 
 
 On the 25th of May, 1775, the Indian council con- 
 vened at Guy Park, but the Mohawks alone were in 
 attendance. A delegation from the Committee of 
 
328 APPENDIX TO 
 
 Safety was also present, and contradicted the report 
 which had been freely circidated among the Indians, 
 that there was an intention to seize the superin- 
 tendent. 
 
 Dissatisfied with the council which had been held 
 at his house, yet professing to be desirous to promote 
 peace between the Indians and the inhabitants, Guy 
 Johnson had called another council to meet in the 
 western part of the county. Under pretense of meet- 
 ing the Indians in this council, he removed his whole 
 family and retinue to Cosby's Manor, a little above the 
 German Flats. Here he was waited upon byanother 
 delegation from the committee, and in answer to a 
 communication they addressed to him, among other 
 things he observed : '^ I am glad to find my calling a 
 congress on the frontier gives satisfaction. This was 
 principally my design, though I cannot sufficiently ex- 
 press my surprise at those who have either through 
 malice or ignorance misconstrued my intentions^ and 
 supposed me capable of setting the Indians on the peace- 
 able inhabitants of this county. The interest our 
 family has in this county and ray own is considera- 
 ble, and they have been its best benefactors ; and 
 malicious charges, therefore, to their prejudice are 
 highly injurious, and ought to be totally suppressed ;" 
 and he concluded by stating, '' 1 am very sorry that 
 such idle and injurious reports meet with any en- 
 couragement. I rely on you, gentlemen, to exert 
 yourselves in discontinuing them, and am happy in 
 this opportunity of assuring the people of a county I 
 regard, that they have nothing to apprehend from 
 my endeavors, but I shall always be glad to promote 
 their true interest.^' 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 329 
 
 The Provincial Congress of New York addressed 
 a letter to Col. Johnson on the same subject, and in 
 his reply, written from Fort Stanwix, he says: "I 
 trust I shall always manifest more humanity than to 
 promote the destruction of the innocent inhabitants of 
 a colony to which I have been always warmly at- 
 tached; a declaration that must appear perfectly suita- 
 ble to the character of a man of honor and principle." 
 Among the documents obtained by the historical 
 agent of this State, are copies of three letters, taken 
 from drafts and originals in the State Paper Office at 
 London, and which throw much light upon the ques-- 
 tion of the agency of the government in the em- 
 ployment of the Indians. 
 
 One of these is a letter from Guy Johnson to Lord 
 Dartmouth, the Secretary, dated at Montreal, 12th 
 October, 1775, and after reading the letters of the su- 
 perintendent to the Committee of Tryon County, and 
 to the Provincial Congress, we might exclaim, with 
 Hamlet, '^ook here on this picture, and on this." 
 After enumerating his difficulties and embarrass- 
 ments, and repealing to his lordship the reports, that 
 it was determined to seize upon his person at Guy 
 Park, and that he had convened an Indian council 
 there in May, he adds : " And having then received 
 secret instructions from General Gage respecting the 
 7neasures I had to take, I left home the last of that 
 month, and by the help of a body of white men and 
 Indians arrived with great difficulty at Ontario, where 
 in a little time I assembled 1455 Indians, and adjust- 
 ed matters with them in such a manner that they 
 agreed to defend the communication and assist his 
 15 
 
330 APPENDIX TO 
 
 majestyh troops in their operations. The beginning of 
 July I set out for this place with a chosen body of 
 them, and rangers to the number of 220, not being 
 able to get any craft or even provisions for more, and 
 arrived here the 17th of that month, and soon after 
 convened a second body of the northern confederacy, 
 to the amount of 1700 and upwards, who entered into 
 the same arrangement, notwithstanding they had 
 declined coming in some time before on Gov. Carle- 
 ton's requisition, their minds having been corrupted 
 by New England emissaries." 
 
 And thus, at the very time he was writing the let- 
 ters to the committees, and protesting that he had no^ 
 intentions of engaging the Indians in the contest, he 
 had in his possession the secret instructions of Gen. 
 Gage, under which he was acting, and in pursuance 
 of which he arranged with more than three thousand 
 warriors to take up the hatchet. 
 
 The other two letters to which I have alluded, 
 were from Lord Dartmouth to Col. Johnson, and 
 they settle the question as to the active agency of the 
 English government in the employment of the Indi- 
 ans. The first letter is dated 5th July, 1775, and is 
 as follows : *' I have received your letter of the 17th 
 of March, No. 7, and have laid it before the king. 
 The present state of affairs in his majesty's colonies, 
 in which an unnatural rebellion has broke out that 
 threatened to ')verturn the constitution, precludes all 
 immediate consideration in the domestic concerns of 
 the Indians under your protection. Nor is it to be ex- 
 pected that any measures which the king may think 
 fit to take, for redressing the injuiiesthey complain of 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 33 1 
 
 respecting- their lands, can, in the present moment, be 
 attended with any effect. It will be proper, however, 
 that you should assure them in the strongest terms of 
 his majesty's firm resolution to protect them and pre- 
 serve them in all their rights, and it is more than ever 
 necessary that you should exert the utmost vigilance 
 to discover whether any artifices are used to engage 
 them in the support of the rebellious proceedings of 
 his majesty's subjects, to counteract such treachery, 
 and to keep them in such a state of affection and 
 attachment to the king, as that his majesty may rely 
 upon their assistance in any case in which it unay be ne- 
 cessary to require if.^^ 
 
 On the 24th of July Lord Dartmouth wrote the 
 second letter, nineteen days after writing the first, and 
 during which time the news of the battle of Bunker 
 Hill had reached London. 
 
 '^ Sir, t have already in my letter to you of the 5th 
 inst. hinted that the time might possibly come when 
 the King, relying upon the attachment of his faithful 
 allies, the Six Nations of Indians, might be under the 
 necessity of calling upon them for their aid and assist- 
 ance in the present state of America. The unnatu- 
 ral rebellion now raging there calls for every effort 
 to suppress it, and the intelligence his majesty has 
 received of the rebels having excited the Indians to 
 take a part, and of their having actually engaged a 
 body of them in arms to support their rebellion, justi- 
 fies the resolution his majesty has taken of requiring 
 the assistance of his faithful adherents, the Six Na- 
 tions. 
 
 ^* It is J therefore^ his majesty's pleasure, that you do 
 
332 APPENDIX TO 
 
 lose no time in taking such steps as may induce them to 
 take up the hatchet against his majesty's rebellious sub- 
 jects in America^ and to engage them in his majesty's 
 service J upon such 'plan as shall be suggested to you by 
 Ge7ieral Gage, to whom this letter is sent, accompanied 
 with a large assortment of goods for p>resents to them, 
 upon this important occasion, 
 
 " Whether the engaging the Six Nations to take 
 up arms in defense of his majesty's government, is 
 most likely to be effected by separate negotiations with 
 the chiefs, or in a general council assembled for the 
 purpose, must be left to your judgment, but at all 
 events, as it is a service of very great importance, you 
 will not fail to exert every effort that may tend to ac- 
 complish it, and to use the utmost diligence and 
 activity in the execution of the views I have now the 
 honor to transmit to you. I am, &c., 
 
 Dartmouth." 
 
 These letters settle the question as to the direct 
 agency of the English government in the employ- 
 ment of the Indians. The directions are peremptory 
 in their language, and admit of no discretion. It was 
 the command of George the Third, tliat the Indians 
 should be employed, and the Secretary lays the com- 
 mand upon the Indian Superintendent. With how 
 much faithfulness and zeal that Superintendent exe- 
 cuted the command, is known to all who have looked 
 into the history of the war, as it was carried on upon 
 the borders. 
 
 But it is alleged, in justification, that the rebels had 
 instigated the Indians to take up the hatchet in their 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 333 
 
 behalf. A few of the Stockbridge tribe did early join 
 the continental army ; but they were few in number 
 and comparatively a civilized people. I havefsearch- 
 ed the records of the Committee of Safety, and of the 
 Provincial Congress of New York, but have not been 
 able to find a letter or a speech or even a secret re- 
 solve in favor of the employment of the Indians, but 
 there are letters, and speeches, and resolves innumer- 
 able in favor of a strict neutrality. 
 
 At the council of Guy Park in May, 1775, the gen- 
 tlemen who attended on the part of the Committee of 
 Safety of Tryon County stated in their speech, that 
 they desired peace with the Indians, and in the reply, 
 the Indians said, ^« Brothers, we are very glad to hear 
 you speak and hear you confirm the old friendship of 
 our forefathers, which we intend to abide by and thank 
 you for the same." 
 
 At the same time, the magistrates and committees 
 of Schenectady and Albany, in a reply to a speech of 
 the piincipal Mohawk chief, made in behalf of his 
 tribe, said : 
 
 '' Brothers, we are extremely well satisfied to hear 
 that you have no inclination or purpose to interfere 
 in the dispute between Old England and America, 
 for you must not understand that it is with Boston 
 alone, it is between Old England and all her colonies. 
 The people here are oppressed by Old England, and 
 she sends over troops among us, to destroy us. This 
 is the reason our people are all in alarm to defend 
 themselves. They intend no hostilities against you. 
 Do you continue peaceable, and you need apprehend 
 no danger. It is a dispute wherein you have nothing 
 
334 APPENDIX TO 
 
 to do. Do not you disturb any of our people, and de- 
 pend upon it they will leave you in peace." 
 
 In a communication to Guy Johnson, under the 
 same date, May 23d, the Albany committee say — 
 " We are not ignorant of the importance of your of- 
 fice as Superintendent, and have been perfectly easy, 
 with respect to any suspicions of the Indians taking 
 a part in the present dispute between Great Britain 
 and her colonies, knowing them to be a people of too 
 much sagacity to engage with the whole continent 
 in a controversy that they can profit nothing by." 
 
 On the 2d of September, 1775, a conference was 
 was had at Albany, between the committees and a few 
 of the Six Nations, and at which commissioners on 
 the part of the Continental Congress were present. 
 In their reply to the speech of the Indians, the com- 
 mittee among other things say : 
 
 '' Brothers, attend ! In your speech you further ob- 
 served, that you had long since taken a resolution to 
 take no active part in the present contest for liberty. 
 We do not offer to censure you for your conduct, but 
 admire your wisdom, praise your pacific disposition, 
 and hope that you will have fortitude to maintain and 
 persevere in it." 
 
 On the 10th day of June, 1775, the delegates from 
 New York in the Continental Congress, Philip Living-' 
 ston, Francis Lewis, James Duane, William Floyd, 
 and John Alsop, addressed a letter from Philadelphia 
 to the Provincial Congress of New York, in which 
 they say : ''We shall not fail to attend to what you 
 suggest concerning the Indians. This is an object to 
 our colony of the highest moment, and we hope in 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 335 
 
 due time it will be considered by Congress. We tbink 
 the Indians will not be disposed to engage in this un- 
 happy quarrel, unless deceived and deluded by mis- 
 representation, and this with vigilance and care on our 
 part can be prevented. As one step towards it which 
 we much applaud, are the assurances you have given 
 the Superintendent of his safety." 
 
 The proof could be multiplied, if necessary, by many 
 such extracts from the letters, speeches and proceed- 
 ings of the various public bodies, which were called 
 into existence by the exigencies of the times. The 
 English government understood the mode of Indian 
 warfare, and could not have failed to foresee, that their 
 employment would make the war one almost of ex- 
 termination upon the borders. That the tomahawk, 
 the scalping-knife, and the fire-brand would do their 
 fearful work, not alone on the field of battle, where 
 armed men meet, but also among the women and 
 children in the homes of the unarmed and defenseless. 
 
 Such reflections must have forced themselves upon 
 the attention of the English Secretary, when he penned 
 his letter of the 19th of July, 1775, and he felt called 
 upon to give some excuse for the course which his 
 king and government had determined to pursue. 
 
 I have already spoken of the departure of the In- 
 dians with General Johnson in the summer of 1775. 
 Few of the Mohawks ever returned to dwell in their 
 homes upon the banks of that river which bears their 
 name. The graves of their ancestors were abandon- 
 ed. Their council -fires were extinguished. That 
 they should remain attached to the English govern- 
 ment is by no means strange, for they had been their 
 
336 APPENDIX TO 
 
 allies ill war, and dependents in peace, and the 
 chain of friendship had been brightened by constant 
 use for more than an hundred years. They returned 
 however as enemies, and with the other confederated 
 tribes laid waste the frontier settlements of New York 
 and Pennsylvania. Year after year they swept over 
 the valleys of the Schoharie, the Mohawk, and the 
 Susquehanna, until there was scarcely a spot remain- 
 ing, where the destroyer had not left the impression 
 of his footsteps. It is impossible now to say what 
 would have been the fate of the Six Nations, had they 
 remained neutral in the revolutionary contest. There 
 can be little doubt, however, that their final removal 
 from the land they had so long inhabited would have 
 been delayed. If their employment by the English 
 government was disastrous to the inhabitants of the 
 frontier, it was equally so to the Indians themselves. 
 A considerable portion of the Oneidas refused to take 
 up the hatchet against the Americans. When hostili- 
 ties commenced on the part of the other tribes, the 
 bond of union w4iich had for so long a time bound to- 
 gether the Six Nations was severed, never more to be 
 reunited. The great council-fire which had burned so 
 long at Onondaga went out, never again to be rekin- 
 dled. The fame and the power of that distinguished 
 confederacy w4iich had been known and felt over the 
 whole of North America, were thereafter to be num- 
 bered with the things that were. Tbeir country was 
 overrun by invading armies ; their villages were de- 
 stroyed ; and their cultivated fields were laid waste. 
 During the long years of tlie war, many a warrior fell 
 in battle ; others died from want and its consequent 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 337 
 
 diseases. Their pleasant homes, alike with those of 
 the pale faces, were made desolate. 
 
 With the restoration of peace, the tide of emigra- 
 tion set in upon their country with resistless force ; 
 and, like the other aborigines, they have gradually 
 faded away before its advance. 
 
 Some found a home in Canada under the protection 
 of that government which had prevailed upon them 
 to take up the hatchet, and there their descendants are 
 still found. 
 
 A few yet remain upon the soil of their fathers, but 
 they are imperfect representatives of that proud and 
 warlike people, who, by their prowess and skill, 
 earned from the early colonist the appellation of the 
 Romans of North America. 
 
 15^ 
 
338 APPENDIX TO 
 
 Note N. 
 
 LIFE AND SERVICES OF GENERAL JAMES 
 CLINTON. 
 
 Lecture on the Life and Military Services of General 
 James Clinton. Read before the JVew York Histori- 
 cal Society^ Feb, 1839. By William W. Campbell. 
 
 It was beautifully and truly said by Montgomery, 
 that it is difficult to convey to others an accurate im- 
 pression of an impassioned speaker ; that it is like 
 "gathering up dew-drops, which appear indeed jew- 
 els and pearls in the grass, but run to water in the 
 hand. The essence and the elements remain, but 
 the grace, the sparkle, and the form are gone." He 
 who has attempted the task will have realized the 
 force and the truth of the poet's observation, and 
 will have felt regret and disappointment when he 
 perceives that his description is comparatively tame 
 and spiritless, of events, and scenes, and efforts which 
 charmed him as a beholder, and produced impressions 
 which are glowing and fresh in his memory. But if 
 the speaker possessed the power of conveying to this 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 339 
 
 audience correct impressions of eloquent men, he 
 would not be called upon to exercise that power in 
 discharging the duty which he has assumed this even- 
 ing. The individual, whose biograph}^ he proposes 
 briefly to sketch, was a plain, blunt soldier, born upon 
 the frontiers, and who spent no inconsiderable portion 
 of a long life amid the toils and perils of border wars — 
 a true patriot, who, if not first, was prominent among 
 the men who sustained the heat and the burden of 
 the revolutionary contest in this state. I mean Gen- 
 eral James Clinton. A brief sketch of his family, 
 and especially of his father, Colonel Charles Clinton, 
 may not be uninteresting. The name of Clinton has 
 been prominent for the last hundred years, both in 
 the colonial and State history of New York. For 
 nearly forty years of that period, individuals of that 
 name have held the high and responsible trust of gov- 
 ernor, besides filling many other offices of a military, 
 legislative, and judicial character. The different 
 branches of the family were originally from England. 
 The first of the name who was distinguished here was 
 the colonial governor, George Clinton, who was the 
 youngest son of Francis, sixth Eari of Lincoln, and 
 who was governor of the province of New York from 
 1743 to 1753. He returned to England, and was af- 
 terwards appointed governor of Greenwich Hospital. 
 He was the father of Sir Henry Clinton, who was in 
 command of the English army during a part of the 
 Revolution. 
 
 General James Clinton was a descendant of Wil- 
 liam Clinton, who was an adherent to the cause of 
 royalty in the civil wars of England, and an officer 
 
340 
 
 APPENDIX TO 
 
 in the army of Charles I. After the death of that 
 monarch he went to the continent, where he remained 
 a long time in exile. He afterwards passed over to 
 Scotland, where he married a lady of the family of 
 Kennedy. From Scotland he removed to Ireland, 
 where he died, leaving one 'Son. This son, James 
 Clinton, on arriving at manhood, made an unsuccess- 
 ful effort to recover his patrimonial estates in Eng- 
 land. While in England he married a Miss Smith, a 
 daughter of a captain in the army of Cromwell, and 
 with his wife returned and settled in Ireland. 
 
 Charles Clinton, the son of this marriage, and the 
 father of Gen. James Clinton, was born in the county 
 of Longford, in Ireland, in 1690. In 1729 he deter- 
 mined to emigrate to America. Being a man of in- 
 fluence, he prevailed upon a large number of his 
 neighbors and friends to remove with him. He sailed 
 from Dublin in a vessel called the George and Anne, 
 in May, 1729, and, by a receipt preserved among his 
 papers, it seems that he paid for the passages of nine- 
 ty-four persons. 
 
 They were unfortunate in the selection of a vessel. 
 The captain was a violent and unprincipled villain. 
 They were poorly supplied with stores, and, the voy- 
 age proving long, they suffered from disease and fam- 
 ine. A large number of passengers died, including 
 a son and daughter of Mr. Clinton. They were final- 
 ly landed upon the coast of Massachusetts, the captain 
 refusing to go to New York or to Pennsylvania, the 
 latter having been his original place of destination. 
 Charles Clinton remained in Massachusetts until 1731, 
 when he removed to the province of New York, and 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 341 
 
 settled at a place called Little Britain, in a region de- 
 signated as the precincts of the Highlands, afterwards 
 a part of Ulster, and now a part of Orange County. 
 Though within a few miles of the Hudson River, and 
 within sixty or seventy miles of the city of New York, 
 the residence of Mr. Clinton was on the frontier of 
 civilization. The virgin wilderness was around him. 
 In the language of some of the inhabitants of Ulster 
 County after this period, in a petition to the colonial 
 legislature^ asking for protection, they say that they 
 are bounded on the west by the desert — a desert 
 where, instead of the roaming Arab, the wild Indian 
 erected his cabin, and '' made his home and his 
 grave." The inhabitants of that district were com- 
 pelled to fortify their houses in order to guard against 
 inroads of the savages. In the subsequent Indian and 
 French w^ars Charles Clinton took an active and eiFi- 
 cient part. In 1758 we find him in command of a 
 regiment of provincial troops, stationed in the valley 
 of the Mohawk, and in'the summer of that year he 
 joined the main army under General Bradstreet, on 
 his way to Canada, and was present with him at the 
 capture of Fort Frontenac. Colonel Charles Clinton 
 was a good mathematical scholar, and frequently act- 
 ed as surveyor of lands, an employment of considera- 
 ble 'importance and emolument in a new country. 
 He was also a judge of the court of common pleas 
 of Ulster County. He sustained a pure and elevated 
 character, was neat in his person and dignified in his 
 manners, and exerted a great influence in the district 
 of country where he lived. 
 
 In a letter to his son James, who was in the army, 
 
34 2 APPENDIX TO 
 
 dated June, 1759, he says : '' M}^ advice to you is, to 
 be diligent in your duty to God, your king and coun- 
 try, and avoid bad company as much as in your pro- 
 vince lies ; forbear learning habits of vice, for they 
 grow too easily upon men in a public station, and are 
 not easily broke off. Profane habits make men con- 
 temptible and mean. That God may grant you grace 
 to live in his fear, and to discharge your duty with a 
 good conscience, is the sincere desire of your affec- 
 tionate father, Charles Clinton." Among his papers 
 carefully preserved and written upon parchment, I 
 found the following certificate. It. was his Christian 
 passport, which he carried with him when he embark- 
 ed for the New World : 
 
 " Whereas the bearer, Mr. Charles Clinton, and 
 his wife Elizabeth, lived within the bounds of this 
 Protestant dissenting congregation from their infancy, 
 and now design for America ; this is to certify, that 
 all along they behaved themselves soberly and inof- 
 fensively, and are fit to be received into any Christian 
 congregation where Providence may cast their lot, 
 > Also, that said Charles Clinton was a member of our 
 session, and discharged the ofidce of ruling elder very 
 acceptably; this, with advice of session, given at 
 Corbay, in the county of Longford, Ireland. Joseph 
 Bond, minister." 
 
 I need scarcely add that Charles Clinton took an 
 active part in the advancement of the cause of religion 
 and good morals. He sometimes also courted the 
 muses, and I find in the commonplace-book of De 
 Witt Clinton the following stanzas, with this caption i 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 
 
 343 
 
 Lines written by my grandfather, Charles Clinton, and spoken over the 
 grave of a dear departed sister, who had often nursed and taken car& 
 of him in his younger days. 
 
 " Oh, canst thou know, thou dear departed shade, 
 The mighty sorrows that m j soul invade ; 
 Whilst o'er thy mouldering frame I mourning stand, 
 And view thy grave far from thy native land. 
 With thee my tender years were early trained ; 
 Oft have thy friendly arms my weight sustained ; 
 And when with childish fears or pains oppressed, 
 You with soft music lulled my soul to rest." 
 
 He concludes his last will, made in 1771, and a 
 short time before his decease, with the following- direc- 
 tions : '' It is my will I be buried in the grave-yard on 
 my own farm, beside my daughter Catharine ; and it is 
 my will, the said grave-yard be made four rods square, 
 and open free road to it at all times when it shall be 
 necessary ; and I nominate and appoint my said three 
 sons, Charles, James and George, executors of this 
 my last will, to see the same'^executed accordingly; 
 and T order that my said executors procure a suitable 
 stone to lay over my grave, whereon I would have 
 the time of my death, my age, and coat of arms cut. 
 I hope they will indulge me in this last piece of vani- 
 ty." He died on the I9th of November, 1773, at his 
 own residence, in the 83d year of his age, and in the 
 full view of that Revolution in which his sons were to 
 act such distinguished parts. In his last moments he 
 conjured them to stand by the liberties of America. 
 
 His wife, Elizabeth Denniston, to whom he was 
 married in Ireland, was an accomplished and intelli- 
 gent woman. Her correspondence with her husband, 
 
344 APPl^NDIX TO 
 
 as far as it has fallen under my observation, exhibits 
 her in an interesting and commanding light. She 
 appears to have been well acquainted with the mili- 
 tary operations of the times, and to have shared largely 
 in the patriotic ardor of her husband and her sons. 
 She died at the residence of her son James, on the 25th 
 of December, 1779, in the 75th year of her age. 
 
 They left four sons, Alexander, Charles, James 
 and George. The two former were physicians of con- 
 siderable eminence. Charles was a surgeon in the 
 British navy at the capture of the Havana. Of George 
 Clinton, it will not of course be expected that I should 
 speak at length. He was the youngest son. He was 
 a soldier and a statesman. He was engaged in the 
 French war and in the Revolution ; he was a mem- 
 ber of the Provincial Assembly just before the Revo- 
 lution, and in that body was a fearless advocate of his 
 country's liberty. He was the first governor of the 
 State of New York, and for twenty-one years was con- 
 tinued in that high and responsible office, and exert- 
 ed, perhaps, a larger influence than any other man 
 over the then future destinies of the Empire State. 
 He closed his eventful life while filling the chair of 
 Vice President of the United States. 
 
 James Clinton, the third son, and the father of De 
 Witt Clinton, was born on the 9th of August, 1736, 
 at the family residence in Little Britain. It has truly 
 been said of him, that he was a warrior from his youth 
 upward. Born upon the frontiers, with a hardy and 
 vigorous constitution ; accustomed to alarms and In- 
 dian incursions, he became in early life attached to 
 the profession of arms. As early as 1757 he was 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 345 
 
 commissioned an ensign, and in the following year 
 he was commissioned first lieutenant by James Delan- 
 cey, lieutenant governor of this, then, province, and 
 empowered to enlist troops ; and in 1759, being then 
 twenty-three years of age, he attained the rank of 
 captain in the provincial army. In 1758 a conside- 
 rable army, under General Bradstreet, passed up the 
 Mohawk valley, and thence to -Lake Ontario, and, by 
 a well-directed attack, captured Fort Frontenac, from 
 the French. Colonel Charles Clinton was at this 
 time in command of Fort Herkimer, near the German 
 Flats, in the Mohawk valley, and, as I have hereto- 
 fore mentioned, joined General Bradstreet with his 
 regiment. James Clinton was also in this expedi- 
 tion, and he commanded a company, his brother 
 George being lieutenant. At the attack upon Fort 
 Frontenac he exhibited an intrepidity of character 
 which gained him great credit. He and his brother 
 were instrumental in capturing one of the French ves- 
 sels. The capture of this fort was one of the brilliant 
 exploits of the French war. 
 
 Colonel Charles Clinton states in his journal, that 
 the '' destruction of this place, (meaning Fort Fronte- 
 nac,) and of the shipping, artillery and stores, is one 
 of the gretitest blows the French have met with in 
 America, considering the consequences of it, as it was 
 the store out of which all the forts to the southward 
 were supplied ; and the shipping destroyed there, they 
 employed in that service." The expedition was con- 
 ducted with secrecy, and the French were taken un- 
 prepared. The fort contained but a small garrison, 
 and was carried the second day after the commence- 
 
346 APPENDIX TO 
 
 ment of the siege. Similar expeditions were common 
 in that war. Armies plunged into the wilderness and 
 forced their way up streams and over morasses with 
 great labor and difficulty. The province of New 
 York was the principal battle-ground. Fortresses 
 were erected on the whole then northern frontier, 
 extending from Lake George through the valley of 
 the Mohawk, and along the shores of Lake Ontario 
 to the vicinity of the great cataract itself. The Eng- 
 lishman and the Anglo-American fought side by side 
 against France and her dependencies, and it seemed 
 at times as if the fate of nations three thousand miles 
 removed, was to be decided by the hot contests of their 
 armies amid the green forests of this western world. 
 
 It is to be hoped that the persevering and able au- 
 thor of the life of the great captain of the Six Nations 
 will follow out his original plan, and give to the 
 world a full and accurate narrative of the thrilling 
 scenes and romantic incidents of these early border 
 wars. 
 
 From 1758 to 1763, James Clinton continued in 
 the provincial arm}", now stationed upon the frontier 
 posts engaged in the border skirmishes, and now en- 
 listing new recruits under orders from the colonial 
 governors. Sir Charles Handy, James Delancey, and 
 Cadwallader Colden. In the latter year, 1763, he 
 raised and commanded a corps of two hundred men, 
 who were designated as guards of the frontier. He 
 continued in the army until the close of the French 
 war, and seems to have enjoyed, in ix large degree, 
 the confidence of the government and of his fellow- 
 soldiers. 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 347 
 
 After the close of the war he retired to his farm at 
 Little Britain, and married Mary De Witt, a daugh- 
 ter of Egbert De Witt, a }^oung lady of great re- 
 spectability, whose ancestors were from Holland. He 
 had four sons by this marriage : Alexander, who was 
 private secretary to his uncle George ; Charles, who 
 was a lawyer in Orange County ; De Witt, the third 
 son, born in March, 1769 ; and George, wlio was also 
 a lawyer and a member of Congress, all of whom are 
 now deceased. 
 
 James Clinton, however, in time of peace, could 
 not entirely forsake the tented field. He entered 
 with zeal into the militia organization, and was a 
 lieutenant colonel of a regiment in Orange County. 
 At the commencement of the Revqlutionary war he 
 entered warmly into the continental service. His 
 brother George, as has been related, had been for 
 many years a representative in the colonial assembly 
 from his native county, and had, from the first, advo- 
 cated his country's cause with that fearlessness and 
 energy of character for which he was distinguished. 
 
 The two brothers were not unmindful of the dying 
 injunctions of their patriotic sire, and hand in hand, 
 at the first moment of outbreak, they entered the arena 
 and joined their pledges of faith and support to the 
 colonial cause. 
 
 In 1775 James Clinton was appointed colonel of 
 the third regiment of New York troops, raised by the 
 order .of the Continental Congress ; and in 1776 he 
 was promoted to the rank of brigadier general. In 
 the summer of this year he was employed in the ex- 
 pedition against Canada, under General Montgomery, 
 
348 APPENDIX TO 
 
 and was before the walls of Quebec at the time of the 
 fall of that brave and gallant general. In the sum- 
 mer of 1777, that gloomy period when almost the 
 Avhole force of the British armies in America was con- 
 centrated upon the State of New York, General Clin- 
 ton was stationed at Fort Montgomery, upon the 
 Hudson River, and, together with his brother the 
 governor, made a firm though unsuccessful resistance 
 to the advance of the enemy, under Sir Henry Clin- 
 ton. 
 
 The attack upon this fort, and also upon Fort Clin- 
 ton, separated only by a creek, was made on the 6th 
 of October, 1777, by an army of three thousand men. 
 Some outposts had been carried during the day. 
 
 '' As tlie night was approaching," says Sir Henry 
 Clinton in his official dispatch, ''I determined to 
 seize the first favorable instant. A brisk attack on 
 the Montgomery side ; the galleys with their oars ap- 
 proaching, firing, and even striking the fort ; the 
 men-of-war that moment appearing, crowding all sail 
 to support us ; the extreme ardor of the troops ; in 
 short, all determined me to order the attack." The 
 attack was continued until eight o'clock in the even- 
 ing, when the enemy carried the forts by storm, and 
 at the point of the bayonet. General Clinton, in the 
 midst of the darkness and confusion, though wound- 
 ed, succeeded in making his escape. These forts 
 were intended to guard the navigation of the river, 
 and to prevent the ascent of the -enemy's ships, and 
 were said not to have been well protected on the 
 land side. Be this as it may, they were not sufficiently 
 garrisoned. As early as Marcli, General Clinton 
 
ANx\ALS OF TRYON COUxNTY. 340 
 
 wrote to General McDoLigal, saying, '' I understand 
 the committee are uneasy at the want of stores in this 
 fort, but I think they have more reason to be uneasy 
 that w^e are not reinforced with more troops, as we 
 have not a sufficiency to do tlie usual duty of the gar- 
 rison on each side of the creek." It is presumed that 
 they were better supplied with troops at the time of 
 the attack, but there was still a deficiency. The time 
 of service of many of the troops had expired, and 
 they were with difficulty prevailed upon to remain. 
 The campaign of the north also required the flower of 
 the army. The conduct of George Clinton and 
 James Clmton, in this defense, received the approba- 
 tion of Congress. 
 
 During the greater part of 1778 General Clinton 
 was stationed at West Point, and for a portion of that 
 year was engaged in throwing a chain across the 
 Hudson to prevent the ascent of the river by the ene- 
 my's ships. The summer of that year has been 
 rendered memorable upon the then frontiers, by rea- 
 son of the massacres of Wyoming and Cherry Valley, 
 under armies of Indians and Tories, led on by the 
 Butlers and Brant. On the 16th of November, 1778, 
 and just after the massacre at Cherry Valley, which 
 occurred on the 11th of that month. General Wash- 
 ington wrote to General Hand, acknowledging the 
 receipt of his letter containing the information of the 
 destruction of that place, and adds : ^' It is in the 
 highest degree distressing to have our frontiers so con- 
 tinually harassed by this collection of banditti under 
 Brant and Butler." He then inquires whether offen- 
 sive operations could not be carried on against them 
 
360 APPENDIX TO 
 
 at that season of the year, and if not then, when and 
 how. This letter was prohably referred to General 
 Clinton, as it has been preserved among his papers ; 
 and it contains the first intimation which I have seen 
 of that expedition against the Six Nations in the fol- 
 lowing year, known as Sullivan's expedition, in which 
 General Clinton was called to act a distinguished 
 part. 
 
 It was determined to '' carry the war into Africa." 
 In other words, it. was resolved to overrun the whole 
 Indian country, and thus, if possible, put an end to 
 the constant and harassing inroads of the enemy 
 upon the frontier settlements. For this purpose ex- 
 tensive preparations were made, and after some diffi- 
 culty in obtaining a commander, the expedition was 
 intrusted to General Sullivan. It was decided that 
 the army should move early in the spring of 1779. 
 General Sullivan was to cross to Easton, in Pennsyl- 
 vania, and into the valley of the Susquehanna, 
 while General Clinton was to pass up the Moha^^k 
 valley, and either unite with Sullivan in the Indian 
 country, or else cross over from the Mohawk River to 
 Lake Otsego, and proceed thence down the eastern 
 branch of the Susquehanna. The latter route wa3 
 finally determined upon, though General Washington 
 preferred the former, as did General Clinton. The 
 latter gave as his reasons, that the army could move 
 up the Mohawk valley and enter the Indian coun- 
 try with niore ease and less delay, and that a move- 
 ment in that direction would be more decisive and 
 fatal to the Indians. The ^vhole expedition was, 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY, 351 
 
 however, under the control of General Sullivan, who 
 preferred the other route, and it was adopted. 
 
 On the 1st of June, 1779, General Clinton's de- 
 tachment, consisting of about two thousand troops, 
 moved from Albany and proceeded up the Mohawk 
 valley as far as Canajoharie. Here they pitched 
 their camp, and with great labor carried over their 
 boats and stores to the head of Lake Otsego, a dis- 
 tance of nearly twenty miles. 
 
 While encamped at Canajoharie, two spies were 
 arrested, and a court-martial ordered to try them. 
 Their names were Hare and Newberry. They were 
 both natives of that section of country, and had been 
 with the parties of Indians and Tories who had laid 
 waste the settlements. Newberry was a sergeant in 
 one of the organized companies of Tories, and was 
 engaged in the massacre at Cherry Valley, where he 
 killed a daughter of a Mr. Mitchell under circum- 
 stances of cruelty almost unparalleled. 
 
 A party of Indians had plundered the house, and 
 murdered his wife and children. After they left, 
 Mitchell returned to the house and found one child, a 
 little girl about eleven or twelve years of age, who 
 was still alive. He carried her to the door, and 
 while engaged in endeavoring to restore her to con- 
 sciousness, he saw another party approaching. He 
 cigain retreated, and from his hiding-place saw New- 
 berry, with a blow of his hatchet, extinguish the little 
 spark of life that remained in his child. Retributive 
 justice often follows close on the heels of crime. At 
 this court-martial for tne trial of Newberry, Mitchell 
 was railed as a witness. 
 
352 APPENDIX TO 
 
 If I possessed the wand of tlie great magician, 1 
 might draw aside the curtain and present to your view 
 this court-martial scene. I might show to you the 
 rough sokher brushing away a tear, and the pale 
 cheek and quivering lip of the guilty Newberry, as 
 the witness related the simple and affecting story of 
 his sufferings, of the destruction of all his earthly 
 hopes, of that massacre which had widowed him, and 
 sent him forth upon the world homeless and childless. 
 
 Both Hare and Newberry were found guilty and 
 hung as spies, and their execution, says General 
 Clinton, gave great satisfacti ^-^ ♦^ the. inhabitants.' 
 Their bodies were giv( a to their friends lor interment, 
 and were placed in cc fins, which were laid upon the 
 ground-floor of a Iiot ^ near the place of execution. 
 While the bodies were lying m Jiat situation, it was 
 alleged that a large black snake ran hissing from luv. 
 wall of the house, and, passing around or over the 
 body of Newberry, glided away and disappeared in 
 the opposite wall. The tradition was current a few 
 years since, and I have myself heard the statement 
 from the lips of the living actors of that period. The 
 story is also alluded to by De Witt Clinton, in his 
 journal which he kept when exploring the canal route 
 in 1810. The report of this, as was supposed, ap- 
 pearance of his Satanic majesty himself, to convey 
 away the soul of Sergeant Newberry, produced a 
 strong impression upon the minds of many of the 
 unlettered and superstito*as Germans of the Mohawk 
 valley. 
 
 I cannot forbear, in this place, to pay a passing 
 tribute to some of these Germans, whose advice Gen- 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 353 
 
 eral Clinton was requested to take, who were educa- 
 ted men, and who supported the iVmerican cause with 
 great zeal and courage. 
 
 Among them was the Rev. Dr. Gross, the clergyman 
 at Canajoharie, and Christopher P. Yates and John 
 Frey, both lawyers, and residents in that vicincity. 
 After the war, the Rev. Dr. Gross was chosen one of 
 the professors of Columbia College, and I cannot 
 present to you so correct and beautiful an outline of 
 his character as is drawn by De Witt Clinton, in his 
 address before the alumni of that college, w^hich has 
 never been printed, and which was the last of his 
 literary efforts. 
 
 " The Rev. Dr. Gross," says Governor Clinton, ^^ a 
 native of Germany, and who had received a finished 
 education in her celebrated schools, was a professor of 
 the German language and geography, and afterwards 
 a professor of moral philosophy. He had emigrated 
 to this country before the Revolution and settled near 
 the banks of the Mohawk, in a frontier country, 
 peculiarly exposed to irruptions from Canada and the 
 hostile Indians. When war commenced, he took the 
 side of America, and, enthroned in the hearts of his 
 countrymen, and distinguished for the courage which 
 marks the German character, he rallied the despond- 
 ing, animated the wavering, confirmed the doubtful, 
 and encouraged the brave to more than ordinary 
 exertion. W^ith the Bible in one hand and the sword 
 in the other, he stood forth in the united character of 
 patriot and Christian, vindicating the liberties of man- 
 kmd, and amidst the most appalling dangers, ana the 
 16 
 
354 APPENDIX TO 
 
 most awful vicissitudes, like the Red Cross Knight of 
 the Fairy Queen, 
 
 ' Riglit faithful true he was, in deed and word; " 
 
 Such was the Rev. Dr. Gross, at the time of which 
 we have been speaking. 
 
 Another of the Germans of the Mohawk valley was 
 Christopher P. Yates, an early and ardent friend of 
 the Revolution. He was a lawyer by profession, and 
 some of the resolutions drawn up by him, and adopted 
 by the committees of safety, were patriotic in senti- 
 ment and fearless in tone, and would have done no 
 discredit to any provincial assembly, or even to the 
 Continental Congress itself. 
 
 Another of these Germans was Major John Frey, 
 a brother-in-law of Christopher P. Yates, and the last 
 chairman of the Tryon County committee. He was 
 one of the most prominent and active of the revolu- 
 tionary patriots of the Mohawk valley ; and I trust I 
 shall be excused, by an indulgent auditory, for sketch- 
 ing the interview which it was my good fortune to 
 have with him several years since. 
 
 It was in tlie winter of 1830, that I presented my- 
 self at the mansion of Major Frey, and desired an in- 
 terview for the purpose of conferring with him, and of 
 obtaining such manuscripts as he might have pre- 
 served. 
 
 Age and infirmity then sat heavily upon him. In the 
 language of the good old Oneida chief, Skenando, 
 he was like an aged pine,' through whose branches had 
 whistled the winds of an hundred winters. Like Ske- 
 
Ax\NALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 355 
 
 nando, also, the generation which had acted with him 
 had gone and left him. 
 
 My own ancestors had sat in committee with liim, 
 and had shared in the toils, and in the fearful and 
 bloody contests of the border. I never shall forget ihe 
 appearance of this gray-haired sire as I entered his 
 room, and was kindly introduced to him by his son, 
 as a descendant of one of his co-laborers in the Revo- 
 lution. His son explained to him at the same time, 
 briefly, the object of my visit. He was entirely blind, 
 and nearly deaf, so much so tliat it required a loud 
 voice to rouse him. As soon as he understood his 
 son fully, like a patriarch of old, he rose np, and ex- 
 tending his trembling hand, requested that I would 
 draw near to him that he might touch me. His 
 fervent language was, '' God bless you, my son, and 
 prosper you in your undertaking. Your grandfather 
 and myself fought side by side in the Revolution. I 
 have somewhere several papers which may assist you. 
 They are yours — keep them." In a neglected spot 
 in the garret, from a mass of unimportant and 
 moth-eaten papers, I selected several documents of 
 great interest, and which were of much service in 
 throwing light upon the history of the valley, espe- 
 cially many of the proceedings of the Committee of 
 Safety during the early part of the war. 
 
 A few years after this interview, the good old 
 patriot was called to his rest, but the impression will 
 pass away from my memory only with the decay of 
 the faculty itself. 
 
 But^I am wandering too much from my subject. 
 On the 1st of July, General Clinton broke up his 
 
356 APPENDIX TO 
 
 camp at Canajoharie, and crossed over to Lake 
 Otsego, where his boats and stores had previously been 
 carried, and, launching his boats, passed down to the 
 outlet, and again encamped upon the spot where now 
 is built the beautiful village of Cooperstown, the 
 Templeton of the Pioneers. Two hundred and eight 
 batteaux, and a large amount of provisions and mili- 
 tary stores, had been carried across from the Mohawk 
 River. Here, under date of 13th of July, General 
 Clinton writes to Mrs. Clinton, saying that she proba- 
 bly expects that the army is in the midst of the Indian 
 country, but that he is still waiting orders to move ; 
 that he is impatient for them, but that his situation is 
 by no means unpleasant ; that he can catch perch in 
 in the lake and trout in the streams, and hunt the deer 
 upon the mountains. Lake Otsego is a beautiful lit- 
 tle lake, about nine miles long, and varies in breadth 
 from one to three miles. Its elevation is about twelve 
 hundred feet above tide water, and it is almost embo- 
 somed by hills ; the water is deep and clear. The 
 scenery from many points is highly picturesque and 
 wild. 
 
 " Tall rocks and tufted knolls, their face 
 Could on the dark blue mirror trace." 
 
 At this period, save in one or two places, no mark of 
 civilization was visible. And though 
 
 " Each boatman bending to his oar, 
 With measured sweep the burthen bore," 
 
 they could not but gaze at times with delight upon 
 the natural beauties which surrounded them. 
 
 The outlet of this lake is narrow. General Clinton 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 357 
 
 having- passed his boats through, caused a dam to be 
 thrown across ; the lake was raised several feet ; a 
 party was sent forward to clear the river of drift-wood ; 
 when ready to move, the dam was broken up, and 
 the boats glided swiftly down with the current. 
 
 On the 22d of August, this division arrived at 
 Tioga, and joined the main army under General Sul- 
 livan. 
 
 On the 26th of August, the whole army moved 
 from Tioga up the river of that name, and on the 
 29th fell in with the enemy at Newtown. Here a 
 spirited engagement took place, in which the enemy 
 was routed ; this was the only battle. "When it was 
 first announced that an army was marching into their 
 country, the Indians laughed at their supposed folly, 
 believing it impossible for a regular army to traverse 
 the wilderness and drive them from their fastnesses. 
 
 On the 14th of September the army arrived at the 
 Genesee River ; and the rich alluvial bottom lands, 
 w^hich now constitute the garden of this State, had 
 even then been extensively cultivated by the Indians. 
 Scarcely a tree was to be seen over the whole extent. 
 Modern curiosity and enterprise had not then ren- 
 dered familiar the mighty valleys and prairies of the 
 West ; and officers and soldiers gazed alike with sur- 
 prise and admiration upon the rich prospect before 
 them. The army, as it emerged from the woods, and 
 as company after company filed off and formed upon 
 the plain, presented an animated and imposing spec- 
 tacle. 
 
 The whole country of the Onondagas, the Cayugas 
 and Senecas was overrun by this expedition. Vast 
 
858 APPENDIX TO 
 
 quantities of grain were destroyed ; all the Indian 
 villages were laid waste ; and it was fondly hoped 
 that the Indians, driven back, and having lost their 
 provisions and stores, would be prevented from 
 making further inroads into the border settlements. 
 This was not considered merely as a retaliatory meas- 
 ure. The western part of New York was the gran- 
 ary from whence the Indians and Tories drew their 
 supplies. Cut off from these, it was thought they 
 would be driven back into Canada, and that a stop 
 would be put to further incursions. 
 
 Such, however, unfortunately for the frontier set- 
 tlements, was not the effect. In the following summer 
 these incursions were renewed ; and they were con- 
 tinued throughout the war. For nearly eight years 
 the inhabitants were kept in almost constant alarm, 
 and were the victims of this barbarous w^arfare until 
 they became a peeled and scattered people. The 
 whole valley of the Mohawk, including the valley of 
 Schoharie, and all the settlements to the south upon 
 the head-waters of the Susquehanna, were entirely 
 destroyed. There was not a spot which had escaped 
 the ravages of the enemy. 
 
 ''It was the computation," says the author of the 
 Life of Brant, '' two years before the close of the war, 
 that one third of the population had gone over to the 
 enemy, and that one third had been driven from the 
 country or slain in battle, and by private assassina- 
 tion. And yet among the inhabitants of the other 
 remaining third, in June, 1783, it was stated at a 
 public meeting held at Fort Plain, that there were 
 three hundred widows and two thousand orphan chil- 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 359 
 
 dren." In great justice and truth he has added, 
 '' that no other section or district of country in the 
 United States, of like extent, suffered in any compara- 
 ble degree as much from the war of the Revolution 
 as did that of the Mohawk. It was the most fre- 
 quently invaded and overrun, and that too by an 
 enemy far more barbarous than the native barbarians 
 of the forest." 
 
 In the early part of 1780, the year following the 
 expedition against the Six Nations, General Clinton 
 was stationed upon the Hudson River. In October, 
 of that year, and after the discovery of the treason of 
 Arnold, General Washington wrote to General Clin- 
 ton, then at West Point, as follows : 
 
 ^' As it is necessary there should be an officer in 
 whom the State has confidence to take the general 
 direction of affairs at Albany and on the frontier, I 
 have fixed upon you for this purpose, and request you 
 will proceed to Albany without delay, and assume the 
 command. You will be particularly attentive to the 
 post of Fort Schuyler, and do everything in your 
 power to have it supplied with a good stock of pro- 
 visions and stores, and you will take every other pre- 
 caution the means at your command will permit, for 
 the security of the frontier, giving the most early ad- 
 vice of any incursions of the enemy." 
 
 General Clinton repaired to Albany, and took the 
 direction of affairs in the northern department, accord- 
 ing to the instructions of the commander-in-chief. 
 That post had been one of great responsibility during 
 the whole of the war, and at the time of General 
 Clinton's appointment it had not lost its importance. 
 
360 APPENDIX TO 
 
 The spring of 1781 found the American army, and 
 especially that portion of it stationed at the north and 
 west, almost destitute of provisions. This arose in 
 part from some defective arrangement in the com- 
 missary department, and in part from the fact, that 
 the whole Mohawk valley had been laid waste, 
 which was one of the best sources of supplies in the 
 earlier part of the war. General Clinton communi- 
 cated intelligence of ,the destitute condition of the 
 army to General Washington, early in the spring of 
 that year, and, under date of May 4th, the comman- 
 der-in-chief replied, saying, "he had received and 
 read his letter, and transmitted it to Congress to aid 
 in enforcing his own suggestions. That measures 
 must be taken to procure provisions, and where per- 
 suasion, entreaty and requisition fail, coercion must 
 be used, rather than the garrison of Fort Schuyler 
 shall fall, and the frontier be again desolated and laid 
 waste. I am persuaded the State will make a great 
 effort to afford a supply of flour for the troops in that 
 quarter ; and I confess I see no other alternative 
 under our present circumstances." 
 
 Coercion was used in order to procure supplies of 
 provisions, and coercion saved the American army 
 from dismemberment during the summer of 1781. 
 
 In a letter of a subsequent date. General Washing- 
 ton says, " whenever any quantity arrives you may 
 depend upon having a full proportion of it, being de- 
 termined to sliare our last morsel with you, and sup- 
 port your posts, if possible, at all hazards and extremi- 
 ties." 
 
 The situation of the army at the north was deplo- 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 361 
 
 rable indeed. The different detachments were sta- 
 tioned not where they were needed for defense, but 
 where they could procure supplies of provisions. The 
 enemy, taking advantage of the trials and sufferings 
 of the soldiers, made great efforts to produce disaffec- 
 tion and desertion in their ranks. Emissaries were 
 sent among them, and the Tories, especially, were 
 active in their efforts. In this they were but too suc- 
 cessful, and General Clinton, in a letter dated in 
 May, says, that unless the army is relieved, so preva- 
 lent is the spirit of desertion, every post must be 
 abandoned and the country depopulated. 
 
 Under this impression, General Clinton determined 
 upon taking decisive measures, which should strike 
 terror into the hearts of the disaffected and Tories, and 
 by executing summary punishment, to prevent, at 
 least, their active interference in causing the deser- 
 tion of the soldiers. 
 
 The following letter to Captain Du Bois, under 
 date of June 1st, 1781, will more fully convey his 
 views : 
 
 '^ Sir : I have received your letter of yesterday. 
 From good information, I am well convinced that 
 parties of the enemy are out on the recruiting service, 
 and that they are protected, harbored, and subsisted, 
 by the disaffected people on the frontiers. I am 
 informed by a letter this morning received from the 
 commanding officer at Johnstown, that several Tories 
 have been apprehended at that place for encouraging 
 our soldiers to desert, and for subsisting them in their 
 habitations until they can have an opportunity to join 
 16* 
 
362 APPENDIX TO 
 
 the enemy. I therefore desire, that as soon as you can 
 be thoroughly convinced of any disaffected persons 
 in your quarter being guilty of either seducing any of 
 our soldiers to desert, or subsisting or harboring them 
 when deserted, you will noi be at the pains of taking 
 them prisoners, but kill them on the spot. If, also, 
 you should find any of them to harbor parties from 
 the enemy, by which means any of our good frontier 
 inhabitants do in person get killed, you will also 
 retaliate vengeance on them, life for life. 
 
 '' I have issued and forwarded these orders to the 
 different posts, which you may promulge, and not 
 secrete, that the Tories may know their fate for their 
 future misbehavior. 
 
 '^ I soon expect better supplies of men and provis- 
 
 These measures, it is believed, had a salutary effect. 
 
 General Clinton continued in command at Albany 
 until August, 1781, when he lembarked the troops 
 immediately under his command, for the purpose of 
 joining the commander-in-chief, and was succeeded 
 in the command of the northern army by General 
 Stark. 
 
 In the winter or spring of 1782, some promotions 
 were made by the Continental Congress, by which a 
 junior officer took precedence over General Clinton. 
 The veteran soldier could not brook what he deemed 
 a great injury. He solicited and obtained leave to 
 withdraw from the active duties of the «amp. In a 
 letter dated April 10, 1782, General Clinton says : 
 
 *^ At an early period of the war I entered into the 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 363 
 
 service of my country, and I have continued in it 
 during all the vicissitudes of fortune, and am conscious 
 that I have exerted my best endeavors to serve it 
 with fidelit}^ I have never sought emolument or 
 promotion, and as the different commands I have held 
 were unsolicited, I might have reasonably expected, 
 if my services were no longer wanted, to have been 
 indulged at least with a decent dismission." 
 
 He did not retire from the army entirely, but joined 
 again the commander-in-chief, and was present at 
 the evacuation of New York, where he took leave of 
 General Washington, and retired to his farm at Little 
 Britain. The war was happily terminated, and peace 
 again reigned along the borders. 
 
 Then followed what has been well denominated the 
 night of the confederation. In the midst of war, and 
 while pressed by foes from without, the inefficiency of 
 the articles of confederation were not so fully realized. 
 But now darkness shrouded the future, or if that fu- 
 ture portended aught, it portended a broken and dis- 
 membered confederacy. 
 
 The convention which assembled at Philadelphia 
 in May, 1787, for the purpose of forming a federal 
 constitution, arose like the day-star upon this benight- 
 ed land. The convention of New York, called to 
 ratify this constitution presented by the convention of 
 Philadelphia, assembled at Poughkeepsie in June, 
 1788, and it embraced men, in themselves a host, and 
 the mention of whose names should excite emotions 
 of patriotism and of pride in the bosom of every New 
 Yorker. There were Jolin Jay, Alexander Hamilton, 
 George Clinton, John Lansing, Robert R. Livingston, 
 
364 APPENDIX TO 
 
 James Clinton, Melancthon Smith, James Duane, 
 Samuel Jones, with others of less note, but well 
 known in those times for their sterling patriotism. 
 Among the number were Christopher P. Yates and 
 John Frey, to whom I have heretofore alluded, and 
 who represented in convention the then county of 
 Montgomery. 
 
 George Clinton and General James Clinton were 
 delegates from Ulster County. George Clinton was 
 unanimously chosen president of the convention. 
 The debates were continued for six weeks, with all 
 the talent and address of the distinguished speakers 
 whose names I have mentioned. 
 
 On the side of the constitution were John Jay, 
 Alexander Hamilton and Robert R. Livingston, and 
 opposed to its unconditional adoption were George 
 Clinton, Melancthon Smith and John Lansing. 
 General James Clinton united with his brother 
 George, and to the last they both persisted in their 
 opposition, even when many of those who at first 
 acted with them had joined the other party, and were 
 in favor of an unconditional adoption of the constitu- 
 tion. 
 
 George Clinton stated, that in times of trouble and 
 difficulty men were always in danger of passing to 
 extremes ; that while he admitted the confederation to 
 be weak and inefficient, and entirely inadequate for 
 the purposes of union, he at the same time feared that 
 the new constitution, proposed to be adopted, would 
 give too much power to the federal government. 
 Tlie sturdy democrat foresaw that powers were confer- 
 red upon the executive of the Union by that constitu- 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 355 
 
 tion which could be used, with ahnost irresistible 
 force, for good or for evil ; and had his life been 
 spared to have witnessed its operation until the close 
 of the first half century of its existence, he would have 
 learned that his prophesy, to some extent at least, 
 had become history. It was under the views above 
 stated that both the Clintons voted in convention 
 against the unconditional adoption of the present fede- 
 ral constitution. They were in favor of a modifica- 
 tion, or of only a qualified adoption. 
 
 When the constitution was adopted and became the 
 supreme law of the land, they both supported and 
 cherished it with their usual decision and energy of 
 character. 
 
 General James Clinton was afterwads called to fill 
 several imporant stations. He was elected a member 
 of the State Senate, a member of the convention to 
 revise the constitution, and was appointed a commis- 
 sioner to run the boundary line between New York and 
 Pennsylvania. While engaged in this latter service 
 he was treated with marked attention by the Indians 
 in the western part of New York, in consequence of 
 his having been, as they considered, a brave soldier. 
 They recollected him as having been engaged in Sul- 
 livan's expedition, and described his dress and the 
 horse which he rode in the battle of Newtown ; and 
 they offered to bestow upon him a tract of land, and 
 desired his permission to apply to the legislature for 
 liberty to make a conveyance to him. Their offer 
 was declined, but it was a flattering compliment, com- 
 ing as it did from those who had been enemies, and 
 
366 APPENDIX TO 
 
 whose country had been laid waste partly by his 
 instrumentality. 
 
 With the exceptions above mentioned, the residue 
 of General Clinton's life, after the war, was spent in 
 peaceful retirement upon his estate at Little Britian. 
 
 He died at his residence in 1812, just at the com- 
 mencement of another war. He had seen his coun- 
 try under all the vicissitudes of good and evil fortune. 
 
 The pen of his illustrious son has recorded his 
 epitaph, and thus beautifully sums up his character : 
 
 " His life was principally devoted to the military 
 service of his country, and he had filled with fidelity 
 and honor several distinguished civil ofl^ces. 
 
 *' He was an officer in the revolutionary war, and 
 the war preceding, and at the close of the former 
 was a major general in the army of the United States. 
 He was a good man and a sincere patriot, performing 
 in the most exemplary manner all the duties of life, 
 and he died, as he had lived, without fear and without 
 reproach." 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. S6l 
 
 Note O. 
 
 CENTENNIAL ADDRESS, 
 
 Delivered at Cherry Valley^ Otsego County^ JV. F., 
 July 4th, 1840, by William W. Campbell. 
 
 The announcement that the great poet, novelist, 
 and historian of Scotland was no more, produced a 
 thrilling emotion throughout the civilized world. Gift- 
 ed pens in hoth hemispheres paid noble tributes to his 
 memory, and the beautiful idea was conceived of 
 grouping together and presenting at a single glance the 
 most prominent characters, both fictitious and histori- 
 cal, which had been created and adorned by the genius 
 of the immortal Scott. While he lay in state in the 
 proud halls of Abbotsford, there passed in long pro- 
 cession the monarch with his retinue, displaying the 
 pomp and pageantry of the Middle Ages — the belted 
 knight clad in steel, marching with a warrior's step, 
 and accompanied by his lady love — old men and 
 maidens— noble and ignoble, the Jew, the Christian, 
 and the Pagan — each in their turn, as they moved 
 past, casting a last look upon the mortal remains of 
 
368 APPENDIX TO 
 
 him whose name, as long as letters endure, can never 
 perish from the earth. But as they come up in review 
 before our own minds, do we not intuitively select 
 some of the most humble and lowly as objects of im- 
 itation and of love. Forgetting the proud array of 
 titles and of names, we call up with earnest and ad- 
 miring feelings the artless simplicity and heroic forti- 
 tude of that noble specimen of female character, the 
 Jeanie Deans in the Heart of Mid-Lothian. 
 
 My fellow citizens, we are assembled this day at 
 the close of the first century since the settlement of 
 Cherry Valley. We are here on the anniversary of 
 our nation's birthday to mark down the closing hours 
 of that century, and, ere they are all numbered, to 
 sketch out and place on record the scenes, and actions, 
 and events, and characters to which it has given birth 
 in our little valley. It has become my duty, as it is 
 my pleasure, to make up that record which may aid 
 in fixing this day as a landmark for the guidance and 
 direction of those who may come after us. If in the 
 brief review of the century which is just passing away 
 I shall present no gorgeous spectacle — no long train 
 of titled lords and warrior knights, I may be able to 
 sketch characters which shall commend themselves 
 by their intelligence, their morals, their courage, and 
 their undying patriotism. Plain and humble though 
 they may have been, and confined within a narrow 
 sphere of action, they were eminent in their respec- 
 tive stations — they discharged with ability the duties 
 which devolved upon them, and have passed away 
 and left their impress upon this the place of their and 
 vour habitntion. 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 869 
 
 Most of the first settlers of this valley, though 
 originally from Scotland, emigrated to North America 
 from Ireland. Some of them came in what was 
 called the Londonderry emigration. A portion of this 
 body of emigrants landed in the spring of 1719, at 
 Casco Bay, near the present city of Porland, in Maine. 
 Like most of the New England colonists, they songlit 
 a home and a place to worship God. Immediately 
 upon landing from their vessel, under the open heaven, 
 and upon the sea-shore, they commenced the wor- 
 ship of their Creator. The sands of a new continent 
 were beneath their feet. The waves of the Atlantic 
 were dashing around them. The sky of the new world 
 was over them. 
 
 " The perfect world by Adam trod, 
 Was the first temple built by God ; 
 His fiat laid the corner-stone, 
 And heaved its pillars one by one." 
 
 In this temple our fathers first worshipped God in 
 this western land. Standing on the shore of the ocean, 
 with their little bark riding near them, they raised 
 their voices and sung the 137th psalm of the sweet 
 singer of Israel. As they looked back upon the 
 homes of their youth — upon the friends and kindred 
 left behind — upon the blessings and comforts of civil- 
 ization, well might they sing: ''By the waters of 
 Babylon^ there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we 
 rememhered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the wil- 
 lows in the midst thereof. ^^ 
 
 But they looked forward with hope and constancy, 
 and as they remembered their covenant vows, and 
 
370 APPENDIX TO 
 
 their determination to observe and maintain their re- 
 ligious duties, they also united and sung", in the sub- 
 lime lang-uage of the Psalmist : '^ If I forget thee, 
 
 Jerusalem^ let my right hand forget her cunning. If 
 
 1 do not rernember thee, let 7ny tongue cleave to the roof 
 of my mouth ; if I 'prefer not Jerusalem above my chief 
 joy.'' 
 
 On application made by this colony to the Supreme 
 Judicial Court of Massachusetts, a tract of land was 
 granted them, to which they removed in the sum- 
 mer of the same year. The settlement was named 
 after the place from whence they sailed, and still re- 
 tains the name of Londonderry, now in the southern 
 part of New Hampshire. The colonists immediately 
 organized a society, settled a minister, and commenced 
 laying broad and deep the foundations of religion 
 and of civil order. Many of the early settlers of 
 Cherry Valley removed from this Londonderry colony 
 in 1741-2; the first actual settlement having been 
 made by Mr. Lindesay, one of the patentees, in 1740. 
 
 The patent of Cherry Valley was granted in 1738, 
 by George Clark, then lieutenant governor of the 
 province of New York, with consent of the council, 
 to John Lindesay, Jacob Roseboom, and others. The 
 patentees probably re-leased a portion of the land to 
 Governor Clark, as we find tiers of lots still owned by 
 his lineal descendants in this county. 
 
 It has been cause of speculation and inquiry, why 
 the patentees sought a patent of land so remote as this 
 place then was, lying, as it did, beyond unoccupied 
 lands more eligibly situated and of greater value. It 
 has been said tljat Mr. Lindesay, the principal paten- 
 
ANNALS OB^ TRYON COUNTY. SVl 
 
 tee, was pleased with the wild and romantic featnres 
 of the country, which were not unlike his native 
 Scotland. We can easily imagine that at that early 
 day, ere the woodman's axe had broken into the for- 
 est, the scene which our little valley presented was 
 one of quiet and picturesque beauty. Here was the 
 purling brook, the cascade, the rock and dell, the 
 the beautiful forest tree, the blossoming cherry, and 
 the wild mountain flower. The tall and graceful elm 
 rose conspicuous in the valley, while the dark foliage 
 of the rock maple and the evergreen marked the eleva- 
 tion of the surrounding hills. From the summit of those 
 hills the eye took in at a glance a large part of the 
 valley of the Mohawk, and, stretching on beyond, were 
 seen the Sacondaga mountains on the north, and far 
 away in the northeast the Green Mountains of Ver- 
 mont. A few German families were scattered along 
 the banks of the Mohawk, but on leaving that river 
 the emigrant or settler found himself at once in the 
 midst of the virgin forest. The whole country called 
 by us the great west, the vast valley of the Mississippi, 
 was almost a terra incognita^ an unknown land. An 
 occasional adventurer had made his way into the inte- 
 rior, and had engaged in traffick with the aboriginal 
 inhabitants, who claimed as owners, and roamed over 
 the wide valleys and prairies. A few others, less 
 hardy and enterprising, had passed along the shores of 
 the great lakes, and, like Moses upon Mount Pisgah, 
 caught a distant view of the promised land. A few 
 French from Canada had intermarried with the native 
 population, and introduced some slight features of 
 civilization among the red men of the forest. With 
 
3*72 APPENDIX TO 
 
 these exceptions, the whole country west of Cherry 
 Valley, reaching on to the Pacific Ocean, was one un- 
 broken wilderness. 
 
 Attracted more perhaps by the beauty of the scenery 
 than by the fertility of the soil, here Mr. Lindesay 
 took up his abode in the summer of 1740. An Indian 
 foot-path afforded him communication with the Mo- 
 haw^k River. The winter which follow"ed was one of 
 great severity. Long ere spring revisited the valley 
 his provisions were exhausted. The snow had fallen 
 to a great depth, and had entirely interrupted his 
 intercourse with the settlements of the Mohawk. The 
 fierce winds howled around his frail dwelling. The 
 gigantic forest trees glistened witli the frosts of win- 
 ter. The beauty of the summer scene had faded 
 away. He realized in their greatest extent the dan- 
 gers and trials of a borderer. A lingering death for 
 himself and family by starvation was before him. At 
 this critical period an Indian arrived from the Mohawk 
 River on snow-shoes. This Indian returned and pro- 
 cured provisions, which he carried to Mr. Lindesay 
 upon his back, and thus saved the lives of the first 
 family which settled in this valley. 
 
 About the time of his first settlement, Mr. Linde- 
 say conferred with the Rev. Samuel Dunlop, a native 
 of Ireland, and a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin, 
 upon the subject of adding to the settlement through 
 his influence with his countrymen at home and in this 
 country. Mr. Dunlop went to Ireland and returned 
 in 1742. He was married in Ireland, and his young 
 wife came with him to pitch their tents in the wilder- 
 ness. At the same time Mr. Dickson and Mr. Gait, 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 373 
 
 and families, arrived in company with Mr. Diinlop 
 from Ireland, and Mr. Ramsey and James Campbell 
 with their families, in the same year arrived from 
 Londonderry in New Hampshire. Mr. Dickson and 
 Mr. Gait purchased farms in the south part of the 
 patent ; Mr. Ramsey in the western part, and James 
 Campbell purchased a farm north of the village, now 
 owned by his grandson James S. Campbell, Esq. 
 Mr. Dunlop purchased the farm formerly owned and 
 occupied by Dr. Joseph White, and now owned and 
 occupied by his son-in-law Jacob Livingston, Esq. 
 
 It may here be observed, that one of the first move- 
 ments of this little colony was the organization of a 
 church, under the pastoral charge of Mr. Dunlop, and 
 the erection of a rude edifice of logs, in which they 
 assembled to worship the God of their fathers. In 
 his own house Mr. Dunlop opened a classical school, 
 and there educated some young men from the Ger- 
 man families on the Mohawk, who afterward, and 
 especially during the Revolution, acted conspicuous 
 parts. Among the number were Col. Henry and Ma- 
 jor John Frey. It is worthy of especial remembrance 
 that in this valley the first regular society was organ- 
 ized for religious worship in the English language, 
 and the first classical school established in central or 
 western New York. I have not been able to find ah 
 account of any other church or school at that early 
 day, between this place and the immediate vicinity 
 of the Hudson River, though there may have been 
 classical schools at Schenectady. The church organ- 
 ized under the patronage of Sir William Johnson, at 
 Johnstown, was not founded until about 1765. 
 
374 APPENDIX TO 
 
 The conduct of our fathers in the establishment of 
 churches and schools, is the best evidence of the spirit 
 with which the foundations of this settlement were 
 laid. Virtue and knowledge, the two great pillars of 
 republican institutions, were in the very commence- 
 ment the object of their pursuit. They sought to 
 plant here, in the centre of the wilderness, the seeds of 
 Christianity and civilization. Their aim was noble — 
 their enterprise was worthy, and deserved success. 
 Their numbers were small — their means were lim- 
 ited. But their hearts were undaunted — their cour- 
 age did not forsake them — their minds had been 
 made up for the undertaking — they resolved to be, 
 and they were, successful. 
 
 Settlements were not then, as now, thrown forward 
 almost with the rapidity of the earth's own motion, so 
 that a frontier hamlet of to-day becomes a city with a 
 densely peopled country around it to-morrow. On 
 the contrary, the encroachments upon the wilderness, 
 and upon the home of the red man, previous to the 
 Revolution, were made slowly and with great caution. 
 The white population advanced along the banks of 
 the rivers and the margins of the tributary streams. 
 Occasionally, as was the case with this settlement, a 
 few families, more adventurous, might plunge further 
 into what was then termed the desert^ and relying for 
 protection on the God of hosts and their own right 
 arm, plant tliere the foundations of the white man's 
 home. But the increase of these frontier settlements 
 was very slow. In 1752, twelve }^ears after the first 
 settlement of Cherry Valley, there were but eight 
 families in tlie place. In 1765, they liad increased to 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 375 
 
 forty families. The number in 1775, and at the com- 
 mencement of the war, I do not know, but probably 
 it did not exceed sixty families. 
 
 In 1744, Mr. John Wells removed to Cherry Val- 
 ley. He purchased of Mr. Lindesay the farm occu- 
 pied by him, and called Lindesay 's Bush, being the 
 same farm now owned and occupied by Mr. Joseph 
 Phelon. Mr. Wells was a man of fine character, 
 and was highly respected in the settlement. He was 
 appointed the first justice of the peace. His son 
 Robert iutermarried with a daughter of the Rev. Mr. 
 Dunlop, and of this marriage, among other children, 
 was John Wells, one of the most distinguished and 
 able lawyers whom the State of New York has pro- 
 duced. His history, I trust, is familiar to all who 
 hear me. You have heard of the destruction of his 
 whole family, of his subsequent labors, his compara- 
 tive obscurity in his profession, until an opportunity 
 was afforded for a display of his talents and genius, 
 in his defense of the celebrated James Cheatliam, 
 editor of the American Citizen; when, as it were, 
 with a single bound, he rose from that comparative 
 obscurity to professional eminence. That distinguish- 
 ed lawyer always cherished a warm affection for this 
 the place of his birth, and it w^as his intention, had his 
 life been spared for a few years longer, to have pur- 
 chased the property of his ancestors, and to have re- 
 tired from his profession, and spent here the closing 
 years of his life amid the scenes of his boyhood. 
 
 From 1740 down tD 1775, (as has already been 
 stated,) the population of Cherry Valley increased 
 
376 APPENDIX TO 
 
 slowly. That period bad been one of considerable 
 excitement, alarm and trial. 
 
 The long and bloody wars between England and 
 France had been carried forward. The battle-lield 
 was transferred from Europe to America, and the con- 
 test for national supremacy was maintained with re- 
 newed vigor amid the forest homes of our fathers, and 
 upon their inland seas. Most of the Indian tribes at 
 the north, allured away by the French Jesuits, and 
 by the liberal presents of the so-styled Grand Monarch 
 of France, took up the hatchet against the English 
 and Americans. The frontier inhabitants were kept 
 under almost constant apprehension, and though the 
 settlement of Cherry Valley escaped destruction, yet 
 the inhabitants were called into service, and exchang- 
 ed the peaceable pursuits of agriculture for the ex- 
 citements and dangers of the camp, and were engaged 
 in distant and hazardous expeditions. When the 
 war of the Revolution commenced. Cherry Valley 
 was still a frontier settlement. A few inhabitants 
 were settled in the present town of Springfield ; a few 
 in Middlefield, then called Newtown Martin. Along 
 the banks of the Susquehanna, and in the valley of 
 Unadilla and Otego creeks, a few settlers were found, 
 and the brave and hardy family of Harpers had gone 
 out from Cherry Valley and planted a little colony at 
 Harpersfield ; but Cherry Valley was considered the 
 centre and gathering-place of all these settlers. 
 
 When the period arrived that the united colonies of 
 North America were compelled to take up arms to 
 maintain their rights, the announcement produced 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 377 
 
 necessarily a deep emotion through the frontier set- 
 tlements. 
 
 War at all times is to be deprecated, and, if possible, 
 avoided. In the case of our Revolution, war became 
 justifiable on our part. Th^ great principles of civil 
 and religious liberty, for which our ancestors contend- 
 ed in tlie old world, and which they sought to plant 
 here in the new, were invaded. The crisis had arrived 
 when their rights must be surrendered, or the ques- 
 tion must be tried by a long and bloody civil war. 
 The minds of men were early made up for the con- 
 test. In this section of country, the perils and trials 
 of the inhabitants were probably greater than in any 
 other section of the Union. The Six Nations of In- 
 dians, who early joined the English, were the most 
 powerful and warlike of the aboriginal inhabitants. 
 Yet, in defiance of danger, and undismayed by threats 
 of vengeance, the inhabitants of Tryon County ral- 
 lied together when the indications of the gathering 
 storm were seen only in the distance. 
 
 If you will consider what was then the situation of 
 that county, sparsely populated, and separated from 
 the Hudson River and the Eastern States by a power- 
 ful tribe of Indians, and a large body of men attached 
 to the English cause, organized and commanded by 
 influential and experienced men, and will then look 
 at the early proceedings of their committee of safety, 
 you will find exhibited a fearlessness and determina- 
 tion of spirit almost unparalleled even in that day of 
 self-sacrificing and heroic devotion to country. Read 
 the proceedings of the Palatine committee, as early 
 as 27th August, 1774, two years before the Declara- 
 17 
 
378 APPENDIX TO 
 
 lion of Independence, when they asserted fearlessly 
 their rights, and bound themselves together to abide 
 by all the regulations of the first Continental Con- 
 gress. Read the resolutions of the same committee, 
 passed May 21st, 1775, when, in answer to the threats 
 of Guy Johnson, then Indian superintendent, they 
 resolved, '^ that as we abhor a state of slavery, we do 
 join and unite together under all the ties of religion, 
 honor, justice, and a love of freedom, never to become 
 slaves, and to defend our freedom with our lives and 
 fortunes." 
 
 When the time, the place, and the circumstances 
 are considered under which that comnnttee met and 
 passed the resolutions referred to, I think you will 
 conclude with me that they are unparalleled. In 
 their tone and sentiment they would have done credit 
 to any provincial assembly, or even to the Continen- 
 tal Congress itself. The original draft of these reso- 
 lutions I found many years since in a neglected spot 
 in the garret of the house of Major John Frey, and I 
 have deposited the manuscript among the archives 
 of the New York Historical Society, that it may re- 
 main as a memorial of the noble spirit of Tryon Coun- 
 ty. It is in the handwriting of Christopher P. Yates, 
 who was an eminent and able patriot. But if he had 
 done nothing besides being the author and advocate of 
 these resolutions, his name and his memory should be 
 warmly cherished in this section of country where 
 you dwell. 
 
 Here, in Cherry Valley, the leading citizejis early 
 embraced the colonial cause. In May, 1775, the 
 common article of association was circulated, in which 
 
ANxNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 379 
 
 the signers pledged themselves to support the Conti- 
 nental Congress. It is unnecessary here, and indeed 
 I have not time to detail the progress of the war, dur- 
 ing the first years of-»its continuance. A fort was 
 erected which occupied a portion of the present burial 
 ground, and which was garrisoned by a regiment of 
 continental troops under the command of Col. Alden. 
 Alarms and rumors were the order of the day. This 
 region of country seems early to have been marked 
 out for destruction, and the settlement of Cherry Val- 
 ley, after repeated alarms, was destined to share the 
 common fate of the frontier hamlets of New York. 
 
 The 11th of November, 1778, has been rendered 
 memorable by the sacrifices and sufferings, and death 
 of many of the early settlers of this valley. On the 
 morning of that day no bright sun gilded the moun- 
 tain tops with his beams, nor was the eye gladdened 
 with the view of the rich tints of autumn. Clouds 
 and mists were round about the homes of our fathers, 
 as if veiling the horrid scenes which on that day were 
 to be enacted. The gun from the fort early in the 
 morning announced that the enemy was near. The 
 scouts had been surprised and taken, and the yell of 
 the Indian, and the report of his rifle, heralded his 
 approach to the garrison. The scattered inhabitants, 
 most of them, unarmed, strove to gain places of actual 
 or fancied security, but generally in vain. Some 
 reached the fort and were saved, others were pursued 
 and slain by the wayside, and the tomahawk and 
 scalping-knife drank the blood of others at their o\vn 
 fireside, and even while kneeling in prayer before 
 their Maker. Others were retained as hostages or 
 
380 AITEMJIX TO 
 
 prisoners, to l)e borne away through the wilderness 
 to take up their abode with savages, and to sufifer a 
 tedious and dreadful captivity. I have endeavored, in 
 the history which I have heretofore presented to my 
 fellow citizens, of the border wars of this State, to give 
 a picture of this valley on the night succeeding the 
 day of the massacre. The place chosen for encamp- 
 ment of tlie enemy was about two miles south of the 
 village, and near the site of the dwelling-house of 
 James Dickson. The prisoners were gathered around 
 the watch-fires, drenched with the rain and sleet, and 
 shivering with cold, with no protection from the storm. 
 Thick darkness covered the valley, except when some 
 gust of wind kindled a flame for a moment amid the 
 dying embers, and thus marked the spots where once 
 had been their homes. The mangled corpses of rela- 
 tives and neighbors lay unburied around the ashes of 
 their dwellings. Their own fate was hid from them. 
 They knew not whether a long captivity awaited 
 them, or whether on the morrow they should be offer- 
 ed up as sacrifices to appease the wrath or gratify the 
 passions of their enemies. I can imagine no state of 
 suspense more awful. Mercy, however, in a measure 
 triumphed, and a portion of the prisoners were releas- 
 ed, and the rest were carried into captivity, and ena- 
 bled to return after the lapse of many years. Be- 
 tween thirty and forty of the inhabitants were killed 
 on the 11th of November. It is unnecessary at this 
 time to give their names. 
 
 On the following day their corpses were gathered 
 together, and under the protection of the garrison 
 were deposited m a common grave. It would liave 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 381 
 
 been very gratifying if, on this occasion, we could have 
 laid the corner-stone of a moninnent to mark the 
 place of their burial, and which, while it commemo- 
 rated the death of those who perished on the 11th of 
 November, 1778, might have endured also as a me- 
 morial of the anniversary which we this day cele- 
 brate. 
 
 This destruction of the settlement closed the Revo- 
 lutionary drama at Cherry Valley. The small fort 
 was abandoned in the following summer, and the 
 troops joined General James Clinton's detachment, 
 when on his way to join Gen. Sullivan, in the famous 
 expedition against the Six Nations in 1779. This 
 whole region of country was swept over by an ever 
 active and vindictive enemy. At the close of the 
 Revolution, and when peace was once more restored, 
 the remnant of the inhabitants returned to their former 
 homes, but war, and disease, and poverty had done 
 their fearful work, and many a once familiar face was 
 never again seen round the domestic hearth. In 
 1784 a few log houses were built by the inhabitants 
 who had returned, and in the same year the immortal 
 Washington honored our little valley with a visit. 
 He came up from the Mohawk River for the purpose 
 of visiting this place, and also examining the outlet of 
 Lake Otsego, where, in 1779, Gen. James Clinton 
 threw a dam across the Susquehanna, preparatory to 
 his descent of that river. 
 
 It has already been stated that the first inhabitants 
 of Cherry Valley were mostly religious people. Like 
 the Puritans of New England they w^re watchful and 
 jealous of any infraction of Christian duties. Many 
 
382 APPENDIX TO 
 
 of my hearers will have read the letter addressed by 
 the committee of safety of Cherry Valley to the general 
 committee of Tryon County. It was as follows: 
 
 '^ Cherry Valley, June 9th, 1775. 
 *' Sirs, 
 '^We received yours of yesterday relative to the 
 meeting of the committee on Sunday, which surprised 
 us not a little, inasmuch as it seems not to be on 
 any alarming circumstance, which, if it was, we should 
 readily attend. But as that does not appear to us to 
 be the case, we think it very improper ; for unles the 
 necessity of the committee sitting superexceed the 
 duties to be performed in attending the worship of 
 God, we think it ought to be put off till another day ; 
 and therefore we conclude not to give our attendance 
 at this time, unless you adjourn the sitting of the com- 
 mittee till Monday morning, and in that case we will 
 give our attendance as early as you please. But 
 otherwise we cannot allow ourselves to be cut short of 
 attending on the public worship, except the case be 
 so necessitous as to exceed sacrifice. We conclude 
 with wishing success to the common cause, and sub- 
 scribe ourselves the free-born sons of liberty. 
 
 John Moore, 
 Samuel Clyde, 
 Samuel Campbell." 
 
 I have introduced this letter for the purpose of call- 
 ing attention more particularly to a meeting of the 
 inhabitants in 1785, after the storm of war had passed 
 over, and when quiet and peace once more rested 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 383 
 
 upon the borders. Neither war, nor exile, nor pov- 
 erty had caused them to forget their Christian duties, 
 or the importance of religious societies. 
 
 On the 5th of April, 1785, a public meeting of the 
 citizens was held, the objects of which will be best 
 explained by the record made at the time. It is as 
 follows : 
 
 '^ We, the ancient inhabitants of Cherry Valley, in 
 the county of Montgomery, and State of New York, 
 having returned from exile, find ourselves destitute of 
 our church officers, viz : deacons and elders. In con- 
 sequence of our difficulties, and other congregations 
 in similar circumstances, our Legislature thought 
 proper to pass a law for the relief of these, viz : ' An 
 act to incorporate all religious societies,' passed April 
 6th, 1784. In compliance of said act we proceeded 
 follows : 
 
 " ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 *' At a meeting of a respectable number of the old 
 inhabitants of Cherry Valley, it was agreed upon that 
 an advertisement should be set up, to give notice to all 
 the former inhabitants that are returned to their re- 
 spective habitations, to meet at the meeting-house yard 
 on Tuesday, the fifth day of April next, at ten o'clock, 
 before noon, then and there to choose trustees, who 
 shall be a body corporate for the purpose of taking 
 care of the temporalities of their respective Presbyte- 
 rian congregation, agreeable to an act of the Legis- 
 lature of the State of New York, passed April sixth, 
 one thousand seven hundred and eighty-four. 
 
 Samuel Clyde, 
 Justice of the Peace. 
 
 Cherry Valley, March 19/A, 1785." 
 
38-4 ^ APPENDIX TO 
 
 " Cherry Valley, April bth, 1785. 
 ''' 1st. The congregation being met agreeable to 
 the above advertisement, proceeded as follows, viz : 
 The congregation having no minister, nor elders, or 
 deacons, at present, by reason of death and removal of 
 such in the late war, we, the people at large, did 
 nominate and elect the following two members of the 
 congregation to be the returning officers and judges of 
 the qualification of the electors of said meeting : 
 Col. Samuel Campbell, 
 William Dickson. 
 
 ''2d. Proceeded as follows at the said meeting, and 
 have nominated Col. Samuel Clyde, John Campbell, 
 Jr., and James Wilson, to be the trustees for said con- 
 gregation. The trustees appointed James Cannon as 
 clerk for said board." 
 
 '' Cherry Valley, April bth, 1785. 
 " At a meeting of the inhabitants of Cherry Valley 
 this day, the undermentioned were elected trustees for 
 the Presbyterian congregation : 
 
 Samuel Clyde, Esq. 
 John Campbell, Jr. 
 James Wilson. 
 
 ^' Electors^ JYames. — Robert Shankland, William 
 Thompson, Samuel Ferguson, James Moore, Jr., 
 John Campbell, Jr., Hugh Mitchell, William Gault, 
 James Cannon, Samuel Campbell, Jr., Samuel Clyde, 
 Esq., Samuel Campbell, William Dickson, James 
 Dickson, Daniel McCollum, John McKillip, Israel 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. ggS 
 
 Wilson, Luther Rich, James Wilson, Thomas Whita- 
 ker, Benjamin Dickson, John Dunlop." 
 
 '' Cherry Valley, Jlpril bth, 1785. 
 
 " To all whom it doth or may concern. Greeting: 
 We, Samuel Campbell and William Dickson, return- 
 ing officers, by virtue of the law of this State, entitled 
 an act to enable all the religious denominations in this 
 State to appoint trustees, who shall be a body corpo- 
 rate for the purpose of taking care of the temporalities 
 of their respective congregations, and for other pur- 
 poses therein mentioned ; passed the sixth day of 
 April, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-four, 
 of the Presbyterian congregation of Cherry Valley, in 
 the county of Montgomery, do hereby certify that 
 Samuel Clyde, John Campbell Jr., and James Wil- 
 son, were duly and legally elected trustees of said 
 congregation, and that the said trustees and their suc- 
 cessors shall forever hereafter he a body corporate, and 
 he called, distinguished, and known by the name and 
 title of Trustees of the Presbyterian Church in Cherry 
 Valley, in the County of Montgomery. 
 
 ^' Given under our hands and seals this fifth day of 
 April, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-five. 
 Samuel Campbell. [L.S.] 
 William Dickson. [L.S.]" 
 
 Measures were soon after taken for buildiner a 
 church edifice, but it was not completed until some 
 years after. The plan adopted seems to have been 
 to sell pew ground, and with the proceeds to erect 
 the building, each purchaser ^of pew ground stipula- 
 17* 
 
386 APPENDIX TO 
 
 ling to construct his own pew thereon, according to a 
 uniform plan, after the building should be enclosed. 
 The purchaser of pew ground was to pay partly 
 in money, and partly in produce at the market price. 
 Many of my hearers will recollect the old church, with 
 its square, high-back pews, which occupied a part of the 
 burying-ground, or meeting-house yard, as it is styled 
 in the foregoing proceedings, and which was taken 
 down about twelve or thirteen years ago, when the 
 present Presbyterian church edifice was erected. 
 
 The meeting of the inhabitants of Cherry Valley 
 on the 5th of April, 1785, is deserving of particular 
 attention. The remnant of the ancient inhabitants, 
 as they styled themselves, had returned to their former 
 homes. They had returned, they say, from exile. 
 The long and bloody war through which they had 
 passed, had thinned their ranks and whitened the 
 heads, and furrowed the cheeks of the survivors. 
 They had once more a home, but it was again a forest 
 home. 
 
 The wild beast had made its lair amid the ruins of 
 their former dwellings. The briar, the thistle and 
 the sapling grew rank upon their garden spots. In 
 the autumn of 1784 a few log huts had been built, but 
 in the spring of 1785, Avhen this meeting was called, 
 there was no building in the settlement where the in- 
 habitants could assemble together. They met, there- 
 fore, like their fathers, under the open heavens. 
 
 The place where they gathered together was hal- 
 lowed ground. It had been set apart for the burial of 
 their dead. The graves of their kindred and friends 
 were round about them. It was the place which had 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. ^^1 
 
 been consecrated by tbeir patriotism, for there stood 
 their little fort. 
 
 On that same spot the inhabitants assembled to- 
 gether and organized anew, on the 5th day of April, 
 1785, that Presbyterian society which has continued 
 to this day. 
 
 The first regular pastor was settled in 1796, and he 
 was our reverend and distinguished guest,* who has 
 this day honored our little valley with his presence, 
 and who, nearly half a century ago, commenced here 
 his sacred ministrations, and preached here the gos- 
 pel to our fathers. Long may his valuable life be 
 spared to the church, and to the literary institution 
 over which he has long presided with so much ability 
 and success. 
 
 From 1785 down to the present time, our valley 
 has not been signalized by any remarkable changes. 
 The increase of population has been gradual though 
 constant. It has not increased in this town and 
 county as in that vast country west, which has since 
 that period sprung into being, and is now teeming 
 with millions of people. Our own little valley has 
 contributed to swell that western tide, and she num- 
 bers there many engaged in the various pursuits of 
 life, and among the learned professions many who 
 received here their academical or professional edu- 
 cation. 
 
 Of the first settlers, the late Col. Samuel Campbell 
 was the last survivor. Of his character I shall not 
 speak at length, but I may be permitted to say that 
 
 * Rev. Dr. Nott, President of Union College. 
 
388 APPENDIX TO 
 
 he was a true patriot and an excellent citizen. He 
 served in the French war, and was with Sir William 
 Johnson at Fort Edward in 1757, at the time of the 
 massacre at Fort William Henry. During the stormy 
 period of the Revolution he was an active and efficient 
 friend of his country, and at its close found himself 
 stripped of most of his property. Again he com- 
 menced his laborious life, and lived to see a large and 
 prosperous family around him. He was but three 
 years old when he came with his father to this town 
 in 1741. He closed his eventful life in September, 
 1824, at the age of 86. 
 
 While he was the last of the first settlers, his aged 
 consort, who died a few years since, at the age of 92, 
 may be said to have been the last survivor of the fe- 
 male actors in the Revolutionary drama of our valley. 
 
 She was born near the Giant's Causeway in Ire- 
 land, ^id when about ten years of age she removed 
 with her father, Matthew Cannon, to this country. 
 Her settlement, her marriage, her heroic fortitude and 
 attachment to her country, her long and severe In- 
 dian captivity, are circumstances upon which I need 
 not dwell ; her friends and her descendants cherish 
 her memory with ardent affection. 
 
 Col. Samuel Clyde was an able and efficient co- 
 worker in the Revolutionary struggle. He was a 
 stern and inflexible patriot, and exerted a large influ- 
 ence in this district of country. He was appointed the 
 first justice of the peace after the war. He, too, in 
 in his Revolutionary toils, was aided and supported 
 by his courageous and patriotic wife. 
 
 John Moore was another sterling man. While na- 
 
ANNALS OF Til YON COUNTY. 389 
 
 ture had been sparing in her physical gifts, she had 
 endowed him with a strong and vigorous intellect, 
 which liad been well cultivated, considering the cir- 
 cumstances in which he was placed. 
 
 Of the Rev. Samuel Dunlop I have already spoken. 
 He was an educated man, and for nearly forty years 
 ministered to the early settlers. 
 
 At the time of the massacre his family were slain. 
 He alone with one daughter escaped. Under the 
 protection of an Indian chief he stood and beheld the 
 destruction of his earthly hopes, his home, and the 
 homes of his friends, melt away with the flames. 
 
 " Calm, opposite, the Christian father rose ; 
 Pale on his venerable brow its rays 
 Of martyr light the conflagration throws ; 
 One hand upon his lovely child he lays. 
 * * « * * 
 
 He for his bleeding country prays to Heaven — 
 Prays that the men of blood themselves may be forgivip." 
 
 He survived the massacre but a short time. The 
 misfortunes of that day carried down his grey hairs 
 with sorrow to the grave. 
 
 Of the brave and determined Captain Robert 
 M'Kean, what shall we say ; of him who knew no 
 danger and feared no man ; who challenged to the 
 combat the great chieftain and captain of the Six Na- 
 tions, Jospeh Brant Thayendanagea? What shall 
 we say of the eccentric though fearless Robert Shank- 
 land, who defended his house single-handed, with the 
 exception of his son,* a lad of 14, against a consid- 
 
 * The late Thomas Shankland, of Cooperstown. 
 
390 APPENDIX TO 
 
 erable body of Indians, and who abandoned it only 
 when it was about to be consumed over him by the 
 flames? Where are they all, with the Gaults and the 
 Dicksons, and the Ramseys and the Wilsons, who 
 first planted here the seeds of civilization ? These 
 are questions of a solemn nature, which crowd them- 
 selves upon our minds upon occasions like the present. 
 The century has rolled away and left its impress for 
 good or for evil. Of the early settlers not one sur- 
 vives. Their children and their children's children 
 occupy the places of some, and the voices of strangers 
 are heard in the dwellings of others. Tliey have all 
 been gathered to their resting-places, and the ashes 
 of most of them sleep quietly in yonder grave-yard. 
 The clods of the valley are upon them, to be removed 
 only at the general resurrection. 
 
 "The breezy call of incense-breathing morn, 
 
 The swallow twittering from her straw-built shed, 
 The cock's shrill clarion and the echoing horn, 
 No more shall rouse them from their lowly bed." 
 
 In the last ten years, what ravages has death made 
 in our little valley ! I miss, amid the scenes of my 
 childhood, many of the familiar faces of those who 
 once greeted my return to the home of my fathers. 
 They are also numbered with the great host of the 
 departed, and their places are fast filling with those 
 who knew them not. Among the leading men we 
 might mention the elder and younger Drs. White, 
 both eminent physicians; Col. .Tames Cannon ; Isaac 
 Seelye, Esq., and James O. Morse, Esq., both able 
 lawyers ; Jesse Johnson, Erastus Johnson, William C. 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 391 
 
 Dickson, William Story, Alfred Crafts, with many 
 others who but a clay since were living, and whose 
 faces it seems as if I ought now to see before me. 
 
 James 0. Morse, Esq. alwa3'S took a deep interest 
 in the liistory of this place, and in the character of its 
 early inhabitants. He was born in Marlboro', in the 
 county of Middlesex, Massachusetts, in 1788, and re- 
 moved with his parents, when five years of age, to the 
 county of Oneida, in this State, and when that county 
 was almost a wilderness. Familiar as he was with 
 the biographies of most of the frontier inhabitants who 
 had in any way distinguished themselves, his conver- 
 sation, in relation to such subjects was peculiarly 
 interesting and instructive. Many years ago he spoke 
 to me of this anniversary, and had his life been spared 
 he would have taken a deep interest in the proceed- 
 ings of this day. 
 
 Allow me to mention another name connected di- 
 rectly with the first settlement of Cherry Valley ; I 
 mean Deacon John Gault. Humble w^as his sphere 
 of life. Poverty, and many of the ills which flesh is 
 heir to, sickness and decrepitude, were his portion on 
 the earth. But with a Christian spirit which rose 
 above them all, he drank with cheerfulness the cup 
 given him to drink in life, and looked forward with 
 peace and joy to that better world where sorrow and 
 sighing are no more ; where the wicked cease from 
 troubling, and the weary are at rest. Who has not 
 observed his cheerful and contented countenance, as 
 he entered the sanctuary on a Sabbath morn, leaning 
 on his staff, his only aid while plodding along over 
 the tedious miles which intervened between his resi- 
 
392 APPENDIX TO 
 
 dence and that sanctuary ? Who has not listened to 
 his truly eloquent and appropriate prayers? If he was 
 a Christian, he was also a patriot. This day he would 
 have delighted to honor. But he, too, our old and 
 familiar friend, has heen gathered to his fathers in 
 peace. His virtues should be imitated, for they were 
 great, and it is but fitting that on this occasion this 
 passing tribute should be paid to his memory. 
 
 We miss also many others who commenced with 
 us the race of life. A part of them still live, and are 
 plirsuing their various occupations either in our own 
 wide-spread country, or in distant lands. Many of 
 them also have gone the way of all the living. Some 
 died at home in the presence of their friends, and 
 sleep now quietly beside those who gave them being. 
 Others have been cut oft' in the prime of life, and have 
 fallen far away from their kindred ; and one,* endear- 
 ed to many of us by her talents, her piety, and her 
 moral courage, has recently departed, and her re- 
 mains repose in the cemetery of the Nestorian Chris- 
 tians, within the sacred precincts of the first Christian 
 Church planted by the Magi of Persia, and within 
 the confines of that city in Central Asia, where the 
 far-famed Zoroaster, in ages gone by, first lit up the 
 fires of philosophy. 
 
 We might add many other names to the list. As we 
 run over the catalogue of departed relatives and friends, 
 we are forcibly reminded how frail and brittle is the 
 cord which binds us to life. In the morning we see 
 
 * Mrs. Grant, adopted daughter of Dr. William Campbell, of Cherry 
 Valley, and late missionary at Oroomiah, Persia. 
 
ANNALS OF TKYON COUiNTY. 393 
 
 our friends around us, and in health, and ere the sun 
 goes down, the golden bowl is broken at the cistern, 
 the dust returns to the dust from whence it was taken, 
 and the spirit unto God who gave it. 
 
 Of this large assembly now before me, in all human 
 probability not one will open his eyes upon the morn- 
 ing of the 4th of July, 1940. Long ere that, even the 
 inscriptions upon our tombstones may be obliterated, 
 and our descendants may look in vain for the green 
 hillocks which mark our resting-places. 
 
 But as those who gave us being, labored and toiled 
 for our best interests, so our duty is to transmit to those 
 who shall come after us, the inheritance which we 
 have received, of a free government, religious liberty, 
 and all the blessings of civilization. To discharge 
 that duty successfully, we should, as far as it is in our 
 power, labor to advance the cause of virtue and edu- 
 cation, find in this respect to follow in the footsteps of 
 our fathers. 
 
 The age in which we live, is an age of bustle, toil 
 and enterprise. But it is by no means a merely use- 
 ful or a superficial age. The great principles of civil 
 liberty, of the rights of conscience, and of freedom of 
 opinion, were never better understood, or more prac- 
 tically enforced. 
 
 It is an age, too, when much is required of us all. 
 Yes, of us, a part and parcel of that great Anglo- 
 Saxon race, which now bids fair to carry our own 
 native language and its literature over a great part of 
 the world. Over all the North American continent — 
 along the shores of the Pacific, in the West Indies, in 
 Great Britain, over the eastern cpast of Africa, at the 
 
394 ' APPENDIX TO 
 
 Cape of Good Hope, throughout many of the islands 
 of the Pacific, and along the southern part of Asia, 
 the language which we speak is fast spreading itself, 
 and bids fair to become in these regions the only lan- 
 guage. Like Aaron's rod it is swallowing up the 
 rest. 
 
 What changes have been produced during the last 
 hundred years ! Society has been revolutionized 
 throughout the greater part of the civilized world. 
 The political elements of all Europe have been vio- 
 lently agitated, and though the forms of government 
 have not been materially altered, the freedom of the 
 citizen has been in many instances greatly enlarged. 
 In our own country, the changes, as we run over them 
 with a rapid glance, appear to have been magical. 
 Our own Empire State, which in 1740 was an Eng- 
 lish colony, and numbering little more than one hun- 
 dred thousand souls, now tells her children »by mil- 
 lions. The scattered English colonies of North 
 America, then feeble, and with some million and a 
 half of people, stretching for thousands of miles along 
 the sea-board, and looking up to England for support 
 and protection, as infant children to a mother, now 
 present the proud spectacle of a united nation, stand- 
 ing in the front rank, with her canvass whitening 
 every sea, with vast resources, with gigantic internal 
 improvements in the separate States, and with nearly 
 twenty millions of freemen reposing in security be- 
 neath the folds of her star-spangled banner. 
 
 Could we be permitted to draw aside the curtain 
 which veils futurity and look into coming years — 
 could we cause to pass before us, as a moving pano- 
 
ANNALS OF TRYON COUNTY. 395 
 
 rama, our country as it will present itself a hundred 
 years hence, what an interesting view should we be- 
 hold ! For myself, I can but believe that we shall 
 continue a united people, that the strong ties of inter- 
 est which have hitherto bound us together, will con- 
 tinue unbroken, and be strengthened by the continu- 
 ally increasing facilities of communication between 
 the distant parts of our widely extended country. In 
 that event this nation, judging from the past, will in 
 all probability occupy the greater part of all North 
 America; will number at least fifty millions of inhabi- 
 tants, and stand in the van of the civilized nations of 
 the earth. 
 
 We are here a small community, and our influence 
 and our elTorts may not be widely felt; but while we 
 live, we can labor in our various circles to promote 
 peace and harmony among the different States of our 
 Union, and, dying, we can leave the injunction to our 
 children. We can urge upon them to look back upon 
 their common descent, to consider their common in- 
 heritance, and to look forward to a common destiny. 
 
 And standing here, and looking back upon the cen- 
 tury which has just ended, and upon its history, which 
 is certain ; and looking forward to the century before 
 us, whose history is uncertain ; may I not in the name 
 of this assembly invoke and enjoin the rising genera-: 
 tion, our children, and our children's children, to 
 preserve unimpaired the institutions which we com- 
 mit to them, and to maintain unbroken our glorious 
 Union ? 
 
 To them T would say, as you enter into possession 
 of this goodly land ; as you walk forth and look upon 
 
396 APPENDIX &C. 
 
 the hill and upon ihe valley, upon the river rolling 
 in power, and upon the hrook that sparkles at your 
 feet ; as you listen to the sighing of the breeze as it 
 moves gently thiough the forest, and to the music of 
 the feathered songsters, as they warble forth their 
 notes of praise — when the breath of the morning fans 
 you, and you inhale the scented air as it comes to 
 you over the green meadow and the opening flower — 
 remember that these blessings, though in some degree 
 common to all mankind, are no less the special gift 
 to you from your Creator, and that for the same bless- 
 ings your fathers returned thanks to the great Giver 
 of t-hem all. 
 
 As you enter upon the glorious inheritance of civil 
 and religious liberty, upon the blessings and enjoy- 
 ments of Christianity and civilization, and behold the 
 proud monuments of your country's greatness, may 
 you remember that in by-gone times your ancestors 
 toiled and sacrificed their property and their lives in 
 the purchase of that inheritance, and that they thus 
 consecrated it by their tears, their prayers, and their 
 blood ! 
 
 We commit then that inheritance to your keeping. 
 It is your as well as our birthright. And may he who 
 at the close of another hundred 3^ears shall be permit- 
 ted to stand up and deliver over to his fellow-citizens 
 the record of that century, be enabled to say, as we can 
 this day. Blessed be the land of our birth, and bless- 
 ed be the memory, and honored be the names of those 
 who have entrusted that inheritance to us !