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 Book 
 
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THE 
 
 POETRY AND HISTORY 
 
 WYOMING: j^JlZ 
 
 CONTAINING 
 
 CAMPBELL'S GERTRUDE, 
 
 BY WASHINGTON IRVING, 
 
 AND THE 
 
 HISTORY OF WYOMING, 
 
 FROM IT9 DISCOVERY TO THE BEGINNING OF THE PRESENT CENTURT, 
 
 BY WILLIAM U' STONE. 
 
 NEW- YORK & LONDON : 
 
 WILEY AND PUTNAM. 
 1841. 
 
Entered according to Act of Congress, by 
 
 Wiley &. Putnam, 
 
 In the Clerk's Office of the Southern District of New- York, 
 
 in the year 1841. 
 
 WEW-YORK: 
 
 Hopkins & Jennings, Printers, 
 
 1|] FuUoD-streel. 
 
 l-lo^3l 
 
PREFACE 
 
 The "Happy Valley" to which the illustrious author of 
 Rasselas introduces his reader in the opening of that charm- 
 ing fiction, was not much more secluded from the world than 
 is the Valley of Wyoming. Situated in the interior of the 
 country, remote from the great thorough-fares of travel, either 
 for business, or in the idle chase of pleasure, and walled on 
 every hand by mountains lofty and wild, and over which long 
 and rugged roads must be travelled to reach it, Wyoming is 
 rarely visited, except from stern necessity. And yet the im- 
 agination of Johnson has not pictured so lovely a spot in the 
 vale of Amhara as Wyoming. 
 
 Much has been said and sung of the beauty of Wyoming ; 
 yet but comparatively little is actually known to the public 
 of its history. That a horrible massacre was once perpetrated 
 there, and that the fearful tragedy has been commemorated 
 in the undying numbers of Campbell, every body knows. 
 But beyond this, it is believed that even what is called the 
 reading public is but inadequately informed ; and there are 
 thousands, doubtless, who would be surprised on being told 
 that, independently of the event from which the poet has 
 woven his thrilling tale of Gertrude, Wyoming has been the 
 theatre of more historical action, and is invested with more 
 historical interest, than any other inland district of the United 
 States of equal extent. The revolutionary occurrence, sup- 
 plying the Muse's theme in the beautiful tale just referred to, 
 
IV PREFACE. 
 
 forms but a single incident in a course of fifty years of various 
 and arduous conflict between belligerent parties of the same 
 race and nation, each contending for the exclusive possession 
 of that fair valley, and for the expulsion of the rival claim- 
 ants. Added to which is its antecedent Indian history, ex- 
 tending back more than fifty years prior to the intrusion 
 of the white man, and perhaps a hundred. The dusky In- 
 dians were engaged in bloody strife with each other there, 
 hand to hand and foot to foot. All that is fierce and brutal, 
 selfish and unrelenting, bitter and vindictive, in the passions 
 of men embroiled in civil strife, has been displayed there. 
 All that is lofty in patriotism — all that is generous, noble, 
 and self-devoted in the cause of country and liberty, has been 
 proudly called into action there. All that is true, confiding, 
 self-denying, constant, heroic, virtuous, and enduring, in 
 woman, has been sweetly illustrated there. 
 
 Nevertheless the remark may be repeated that but com- 
 paratively little of the actual history of this secluded dis- 
 trict, — a history marked by peculiar interest, and a district 
 upon which nature has bestowed beauty with a lavish hand, — 
 is known to the general reader. True, indeed, Wyoming is 
 mentioned in almost every book of American history written 
 since the Revolution, as the scene of the massacre ; but for 
 the most part, that is the only occurrence spoken of ; the 
 only fact that has been rescued from the rich mine of its his- 
 toric lore. The reader of poetry has probably dreamed of 
 Wyoming as an Elysian field, among the groves of which 
 the fair Gertrude was wont to stray while listening to the 
 music of the birds and gathering wild-flowers ; and the super- 
 ficial reader of every thing has regarded it as a place existing 
 somewhere, in which the Indians once tomahawked a number 
 of people. 
 
 And yet Wyoming has had its own historian. More than 
 twenty years ago a gentleman resident there, Mr. Isaac Chap- 
 
PREFACE. V 
 
 man, undertook the preparation of a history, but he died 
 before his work was completed. His manuscripts, however, 
 were edited and published some years after his death ; but 
 the work was very incomplete. The preliminary Indian his- 
 tory was merely glanced at, while lliat of the revolutionary 
 war was hurried over in the most imperfect and unsatisfac- 
 tory manner possible. It was not written in a popular style, 
 nor published in an attractive form. The author, morever, 
 in regard to the protracted controversy between the Connec- 
 ticut settlers and the Pennsylvanians, was governed by strong 
 partialities in favour of the former. Proud's History of Penn- 
 sylvania comes down no later than 1770 ; and from this it 
 could scarcely be gathered that there was any such spot as 
 Wyoming known. Gordon's late History only comes down 
 to the Declaration of American Independence. He has, in- 
 deed, devoted some twenty or thirty pages to the early stages 
 of the civil contest in Wyoming, but he writes as though he 
 had been a paid counsellor of the old Ogden Land Company, 
 which so long and vainly strove to dispossess the Connecticut 
 settlers. An impartial history, therefore, was a desideratum, 
 and such I have attempted to supply, written in the style of 
 popular narrative, confined to facts without speculation, and 
 divested entirely of documentary citations. 
 
 My own attention was directed to Wyoming as a field of 
 historical investigation only about three years ago, when en- 
 gaged in preparing for the press the Border Wars of the 
 Revolution, as connected with the Life of the Mohawk chief- 
 tain. Brant. It became necessary, in executing the plan of 
 that work, to examine the history of Wyoming, so far at least 
 as it had been connected, — most erroneously, — with the 
 name of that distinguished warrior of the woods ; and I soon 
 discovered so much of interest in the tales and traditions of 
 the valley — its history, written and unwritten, — indepen- 
 dently of the war of the revolution, — that I resolved upon 
 
the institution of farther investigations at some more conve- 
 nient season. 
 
 Keeping this object uppermost in my mind, I made a visit 
 of relaxation and pleasure to Wyoming in the summer of 
 1839, the result of which, through the kind assistance of my 
 friend Charles Miner, and also of his nephew, Doctor Miner, 
 was a collection of authentic materials suflncient for a small 
 volume appertaining to the history of that valley alone. 
 
 The name of Mr. Miner will frequently appear in the notes 
 and references of the present volume. He is an able man, a 
 native of Norwich, Connecticut, and emigrated to the Valley 
 of Wyoming in the year 1799 — being then nineteen years 
 of age. He first engaged in school teaching. Having a bro- 
 ther, a year or two older than himself, who w^as a practical 
 printer, he invited him to join him in his sylvan retreat, and 
 establish a newspaper. The brother did so ; and the twain 
 conjointly established the " Luzerne Federalist." This paper 
 was subsequently superseded by " The Gleaner," but under 
 the same editorial conduct — that of Charles Miner. It was 
 through the columns of the Gleaner that Mr. Miner, for a 
 long series of months, instructed and amused the American 
 people by those celebrated essays of morals and wit, of fact 
 and fancy, and delicate humour, purporting to come " From 
 the Desk of Poor Robert the Scribe," and which were very 
 generally republished in the newspapers. The Gleaner and 
 its editor became so popular, that the latter was invited to 
 Philadelphia, as associate editor of the "Political and Com- 
 mercial Register," so long and favourably known under the 
 conduct of the late Major Jackson. 
 
 Not Hking the metropolis as well as he did the country, 
 Mr. Miner soon retired to the pleasant town of Westchester, 
 eighteen miles from Philadelphia, where, in connexion with 
 his brother Asher, who had also removed from Wilkesbarre, 
 he established the Village Record — a paper which became 
 
PREFACE. Vll 
 
 as popular for its good taste, and the delicacy of its humour, 
 as the Gleaner had been aforetime. Poor Robert here wrote 
 again under the signature of " John Harwood." While a 
 resident of Westchester, Mr. Miner was twice successively- 
 elected to Congress, in a double district, as a colleague of the 
 present Senator Buchanan. 
 
 While in Congress Mr. Miner showed himself not only a 
 useful, but an able member. In the subject of slavery he 
 took a deep interest, labouring diligently in behalf of those 
 rational measures for its melioration which were doing great 
 good before a different feeling was infused into the minds of 
 many benevolent men, and a different impulse imparted to 
 their action on this subject. There is another act for 
 which Mr. Miner deserves all praise. It was he who awa- 
 kened the attention of the country to the silk-growing busi- 
 ness. He drew and introduced the first resolution upon the 
 subject, and wrote the able report which was introduced by 
 the late General Stephen Van Rensselaer, as chairman of 
 the committee on agriculture, to whom that resolution had 
 been referred. 
 
 It is now about eight years since Mr. Miner relinquished 
 business in Westchester, and, with his brother, returned to 
 Wyoming, where both have every promise of spending the 
 evening of their days most happily. 
 
 But to return from this digression : A farther illustration 
 of the history of Wyoming having been determined on, the 
 next question presented, was the manner in which it should 
 be brought out. The idea occurred to me, when about to 
 commence the composition of the historical portion of the 
 present volume, six weeks ago, to prefix to the history, the 
 poetry of Campbell — thus comprising, in a single portable 
 volume, the Poetry and History of Wyoming. This sug- 
 gestion was approved by Messrs. Wiley and Putnam, who 
 
Vlll PREFACE. 
 
 are to be the publishers ; and in addition to all, Mr. Wash- 
 ington Irving has kindly furnished a biographical sketch of 
 the author of Gertrude. 
 
 It is but justice to both publishers and printers to add, that 
 neither pains nor expense have been spared to present the 
 volume in a form that will reflect no discredit upon their 
 respective branches of the art of book-making. The result 
 of the experiment is before the reader. 
 
 W. L. S. 
 
 New-york, Dec. 25th, 1840. 
 
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 
 
 THOMAS CAMPBELL, 
 
 BY 
 
 WASHINGTON IRVING. 
 
 It has long been admitted as a lamentable truth, that authors 
 seldom receive impartial justice from the world, while living-. 
 The grave seems to be the ordeal to which in a manner their 
 names must be subjected, and from whence, if worthy of im- 
 mortality, they rise with pure and imperishable lustre. Here 
 many, who through the caprice of fashion, the influence of 
 rank and fortune, or the panegyrics of friends, have enjoyed 
 an undeserved notoriety, descend into oblivion, and it may 
 literally be said "they rest from their labours, and their 
 works do follow them." Here likewise many an ill-starred 
 author, after struggling with penury and neglect, and starv- 
 ing through a world he has enriched by his talents, sinks to 
 rest, and becomes an object of universal admiration and re- 
 gret. The sneers of the cynical, the detractions of the envi- 
 ous, the scoffings of the ignorant, are silenced at the hallowed 
 precincts of the tomb ; and the world awakens to a sense of 
 his value, when he is removed beyond its patronage for ever. 
 Monuments are erected to his memory, books are written in 
 
X BIOGKAPHICAL SKETCH 
 
 his praise, and mankind will devour with avidity the biogra- 
 phy of a man, whose life was passed unheeded befcTre their 
 eyes. He is like some canonized saint, at whose shrine 
 treasures are lavished and clouds of incense offered up, 
 though while living the slow hand of charity withheld the 
 pittance that would have relieved his necessities. 
 
 But this tardiness in awarding merit its due, this prefer- 
 ence continually shown to departed authors, over living ones 
 of perhaps superior excellence, may be ascribed to more 
 charitable motives than those of envy and ill-nature. Of the 
 former we judge almost exclusively by their works. We 
 form our opinion of the whole flow of their minds and the 
 tenor of their dispositions from the volumes they have left 
 behind ; without considering that these are like so many 
 masterly portraits, presenting their genius in its most auspi- 
 cious moments, and noblest attitudes, when its powers were 
 collected by solitude and reflection, assisted by study, stimu- 
 lated by ambition and elevated by inspiration. We witness 
 nothing of the mental exhaustion and languor which follow 
 these gushes of genius. We behold the stream only in the 
 spring-tide of its current, and conclude that it has always 
 been equally profound in its depth, pure in its wave, and ma- 
 jestic in its course. 
 
 Living authors, on the contrary, are continually in public 
 view, and exposed to the full glare of scrutinizing familiarity. 
 Though we may occasionally wonder at their eagle soarings, 
 yet we soon behold them descend to our own level, and often 
 sink below it. Their habits of seclusion make them less 
 easy and engaging in society than the mere man of fashion, 
 whose only study is to please. Their ignorance of the com- 
 mon topics of the day, and of matters of business, frequently 
 makes them inferior in conversation to men of ordinary ca- 
 pacities, while the constitutional delicacy of their minds and 
 irritability of their feelings, make them prone to more than 
 
OF THOMAS CAMPBELL. XI 
 
 ordinary caprices. At one time solitary and unsocial, at an- 
 other listless and petulant, often trifling among the frivolous, 
 and not unfrequently the dullest among the dull. All these 
 circumstances tend to diminish our respect and admiration of 
 their mental excellence, and sliow clearly, that authors, like 
 actors, to be impartially critized, should never be known be- 
 hind the scenes. 
 
 Such are a few of the causes that operate in Europe to de- 
 fraud an author of the candid judgment of his countrymen, 
 but their influence does not extend to this side of the Atlantic. 
 We are placed, in some degree, in the situation of posterity. 
 The vast ocean that rolls between us, like a space of time, 
 removes us beyond the sphere of personal favour, personal 
 prejudice, or personal familiarity. An European work, there- 
 fore, appears before us depending simply on its intrinsic mer- 
 its. We have no private friendship nor party purpose to 
 serve by magnifying the author's merits, and in sober sadness 
 the humble state of our national literature places us far be- 
 low any feeling of national rivalship. 
 
 But while our local situation thus enables us to exercise the 
 enviable impartiality of posterity, it is evident we must share 
 likewise in one of its disadvantages. We are in as complete 
 ignorance respecting the biography of most living authors of 
 celebrity, as though they had existed ages before our time, 
 and indded are better informed concerning the character and 
 lives of authors who have long since passed away, than of 
 those who are actually adding to the stores of European 
 literature. Few think of writing the anecdotes of a dis- 
 tinguished character while living. His intimates, who of 
 course are most capable, are prevented by their very inti- 
 macy, little thinking that those domestic habits and peculiar- 
 ities, which an every day's acquaintance has made so trite 
 and familiar to themselves, can be objects of curiosity to all 
 the world besides. Thus then we who are too distant to 
 
Xll BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 
 
 gather those particulars concerning foreign authors, that are 
 circulated from mouth to mouth in their native countries, 
 must content ourselves to remain in almost utter ignorance ; 
 unless perchance some friendly magazine now and then gives 
 us a meagre and apocryphal account of them, which rather 
 provokes than satisfies our curiosity. A proof of these asser- 
 tions will be furnished in the following sketch, which, unsat- 
 isfactory as it is, contains all the information we can collect, 
 concerning a British poet of rare and exquisite endowments. 
 
 Thomas Campbell was bom at Glasgow on the 27th Sep- 
 tember, 1777. He was the youngest son of Mr. Alexander 
 Campbell, a merchant of that city, highly spoken of for his 
 amiable manners and unblemished integrity ; who united the 
 scholar and the man of business, and amidst the engrossing 
 cares and sordid pursuits of business, cherished an enthusias- 
 tic love of literature. 
 
 It may not be uninteresting to the American reader to 
 know that Mr. Campbell, the poet, had near connexions in 
 this country. His father passed several years of his youth 
 at Falmouth, in Virginia, but returned to Europe before the 
 revolutionary war. His uncle, who had accompanied his 
 father across the Atlantic, remained in Virginia, where his 
 family uniformly maintained a highly respectable station in 
 society. One of his sons was district attorney under the ad- 
 ministration of Washington, and was celebrated for his de- 
 meanor. He died in 1795. Robert Campbell, a brother of 
 the poet, settled in Virginia, where he married a daughter of 
 the celebrated Patrick Henry. He died about 1807. 
 
 The genius of Mr. Campbell showed itself almost in his 
 infancy. At the age of seven he displayed a vivacity of im- 
 agination and a vigour of mind surprising in such early youth. 
 He now commenced the study of Latin under the care of the 
 Rev. David Alison, a teacher of distinguished reputation. A 
 strong inclination for poetry was already discernible in 
 
O*" THOMAS CAMPBELL. Xlll 
 
 him, and it was not more than two years after this that, as 
 we are told, " he began to try his wings." None of the first 
 flutterings of his muse, however, have been preserved, but 
 they had their effect in rendering him an object of favour 
 and attention, aided no doubt by his personal beauty, his 
 generous sensibility.^nd the gentleness and modesty of his 
 deportment. At twelve he entered the university of Glasgow, 
 and in the following year gained a bursary on Bishop Leigh- 
 ton's foundation, for a translation of one of the comedies of 
 Aristophanes, which he executed in verse. This triumph was 
 the more honourablefrom being gained after a hard contest 
 over a rival candidate of nearly twice his age, who was con- 
 sidered one of the best scholars in the university. His second 
 prize-exercise was the translation of a tragedy of vEschylus, 
 likewise in verse, which he gained without opposition, as 
 none of the students would enter the lists with him. He 
 continued seven years in the university, during which time 
 his talents and application were testified by yearly academical 
 prizes. He was particularly successful in his translations 
 from the Greek, in which language he took great delight ; 
 and on receiving his last prize for one of these performances, 
 the Greek professor publicly pronounced it the best that had 
 ever been produced in the university. 
 
 He made equal proficiency in other branches of study, 
 especially in Moral Philosophy; he attended likewise the 
 academical course of Law and Physic, but pursued none of 
 these studies with a view to a profession. On the contrary, 
 the literary passion, we are told, was already so strong with 
 him, that he could not endure the idea of devoting himself to 
 any of the dull and sordid pursuits of busy life. His father, 
 influenced by his own love of litcratare, indulged those way- 
 Ward fancies in his son, building fond hopes on his early dis- 
 play of talent. At one time, it is true, a part of the family 
 expressed a wish that he should be fitted for the Church, but 
 
 B 
 
XIV BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 
 
 this was overruled by the rest, and he was left without fur- 
 ther opposition to the impulses of his genius, and the seduc- 
 tions of the muse. 
 
 After leaving the university he passed some time among 
 the mountains of Argyleshire, at the seat of Colonel Napier, 
 a descendant of Napier Baron Merchester, the celebrated in- 
 ventor of logarithims. It is suggested that he may have im- 
 bibed from this gentleman his taste and knowledge of the 
 military arts, traces of which are to be seen throughout his 
 poems. From Argyleshire he went to Edinburgh, where the 
 reputation he had acquired at the university gained him a 
 favourable reception into the literary and scientific circles of 
 that intellectual city. Among others he was particularly 
 noticed by professors Stewart and Playfair. To the ardour 
 and elevation of mind awakened by such associates may we 
 ascribe, in a great measure, the philosophical spirit and moral 
 sublimity displayed in his first production, "The Pleasures 
 of Hope," written during his residence in Edinburgh, when 
 he was but twenty years of age. 
 
 Inexperienced in authorship, and doubtful of success, he 
 d!lsposed of the copy-right of his poem for an inconsiderable 
 sum. It was received by the public with acclamation, and 
 ran through two editions in the course of a few months, when 
 his bookseller permitted him to publish a splendid edition for 
 himself, by which means he was enabled in some measure, to 
 participate in the golden harvest of his talent. liis great 
 reward, however, was the bright and enduring reputation 
 which he instantly acquired, as one of the legitimate line of 
 British poets. 
 
 The passion for German literature which prevailed at this 
 time in Great Britain, awakened a desire in Mr. Campbell to 
 study it at the fountain head. This, added to a curiosity to 
 visit foreign parts, induced him to embark for Germany in 
 the year 1800. He had originally fixed upon the college of 
 
OF THOMAS CAMPBELL. XV 
 
 Jena for his first place of residence, but on arriving at Ham- 
 burgh he found, by the public prints, that a victory had been 
 gained by the French near Ulm, and that Munich and the 
 heart of Bavaria were the theatre of an interesting war. 
 " One moment's sensation," he observes in a letter to a rela- 
 tion in this country, «' the single hope of seeing human na- 
 ture exhibited in its most dreadful attitude, overturned my 
 past decisions. 1 got down to the seat of war some weeks 
 before the summer armistice of 1800, and indulged in what 
 you will call the criminal curiosity of witnessing blood and 
 desolation. Never shall time efface from my memory the 
 recollection of that hour of astonishment and suspended breath, 
 when I stood with the good monks of St. Jacob, to overlook a 
 charge of Klenaw's cavalry upon the French under Grennier 
 encamped below us. We saw the fire given and returned^ 
 and heard distinctly the sound of the French pas de charge, 
 collecting the lines to attack in close column. After three 
 hours' awaiting the issue of a severe action, a park of artil- 
 lery was opened just beneath the walls of the monastery, and 
 several wagoners that were stationed to convey the wounded 
 in spring wagons, were killed in our sight. My love of novel- 
 ty now gave way to personal fears. I took a carriage in com- 
 pany with an Austrian surgeon back to Landshut," &c. This 
 awful spectacle he has described with all the poet's fire, in 
 his Battle of Hohenlinden ; a poem which perhaps contains 
 more grandeur and martial sublimity, than is to be found any 
 where else in the same compass of English poetry. 
 
 From Landshut Mr. Campbell proceeded to Ratisbon, where 
 he was at the time it was taken possession of by the French 
 and expected as an Englishman to be made prisoner, but he 
 observes " Moreau's army was under such excellent discipline, 
 and the behaviour both of officers and men so civil, that I soon 
 mixed ' among them without hesitation, and formed many 
 agreeable acquaintances at the messes of their brigade eta- 
 
XVI BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 
 
 tioned in town, to which their chef de brigade often invited 
 me. This worthy man, Colonel Le Fort, whose kindness 1 
 shall ever remember with gratitude, gave me a protection to 
 pass through the whole army of Moreau." 
 
 After this he visited different parts of Germany, in the 
 course of which he paid one of the casual taxes on travelling, 
 being plundered among the Tyrolese mountains, by a scoun- 
 drel Croat, of his clothes, his books, and thirty ducats in gold* 
 About midwinter he returned to Hamburgh, where he re- 
 mained four months, in the expectation of accompanying a 
 young gentleman of Edinburgh in a tour to Constantinople. 
 His unceasing thirst for knowledge, and his habits of indus- 
 trious application, prevented these months from passing 
 heavily or unprofitably. « My time at Hamburgh," he ob- 
 serves, in one of his letters, " was chiefly employed in read- 
 ing German, and, I am almost ashamed to confess it, for 
 twelve successive weeks in the study of Kant's Philosophy. 
 I had heard so much of it in Germany, its language was so 
 new to me, and the possibility of its application to so many 
 purposes in the different theories of science and belles-lettres 
 was so constantly maintained, that I began to suspect Kant 
 might be anotherBacon, and blamed myself for not perceiving 
 his merit. Distrusting my own imperfect acquaintance with 
 the German, I took a disciple of Kant's for a guide through 
 his philosophy, but found, even with all this/air play, nothing 
 to reward my labour. His metaphysics are mere innovations 
 upon the received meaning of words, and the coinage of new 
 ones convey no more instruction than the distinction of Dun 
 Scotus and Thomas Aquinas. In belles-lettres, the German 
 language opens a richer field than in their philosophy. I 
 cannot conceive a more perfect poet than their favourite 
 Wieland." 
 
 While in Germany an edition of his Pleasures of Hope was 
 proposed for publication in Vienna, but was forbidden by the 
 
OF THOMAS CAMPBELL. XVH 
 
 court, in consequence of those passages which relate to Kos- 
 ciusko, and the partition of Poland. Being disappointed in 
 his projected visit to Constantinople, he returned to England 
 in 1801, after nearly a year's absence, which had been passed 
 much to his satisfaction and improvement, and had stored his 
 mind with grand and awful images. " I remember," says he, 
 *' how little I valued the art of painting before I got into the 
 heart of such impressive scenes ; but in Germany, I would 
 have given anything to have possessed an art capable of con- 
 veying ideas inaccessible to speech and writing. Some par- 
 ticular scenes were indeed rather overcharged with that de- 
 gree of the terrific which oversteps the sublime, and I own 
 my fiesh yet creeps at the recollection of spring wagons and 
 hospitals — but the sight of Ingolstadt in ruins, or Hohenlin- 
 den covered with fire, seven miles in circumference, were 
 spectacles never to be forgotten." 
 
 On returning to England, he visited London for the first 
 time, where, though unprovided with a single letter of intro- 
 duction, the celebrity of his writings procured him the imme- 
 diate notice and attentions of the best society. The following 
 brief sketch which he gives of a literary club in London, will 
 be gratifying to those who have felt an interest in the anec- 
 dotes of Addison and his knot of beaux esprits at Button's cof- 
 fee house, and Johnson and his learned fraternity at the 
 Turk's head. — " Mackintosh, the Vindiciae Gallicse was par- 
 ticularly attentive to me, and took me with him to his conviv- 
 ial parties at the King of Clubs, a place dedicated to the 
 meetings of the reigning wits of London, and, in fact, a lineal 
 descendant of the Johnson, Burke, and Goldsmith society, con- 
 stituted for literary conversations. The dining table of these 
 knights of literature was an arena of very keen conversational 
 rivalship, maintained, to be sure, with perfect goodnature, but 
 in which the gladiators contended as hardly as ever the 
 French and Austrians in the scenes I had just witnessed. 
 
XVUl BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 
 
 Much, however, as the wit and erudition of these men pleases 
 an auditor at the first or second visit, this trial of minds be- 
 comes at last fatiguing, because it is unnatural and unsatis- 
 factory. Every one of these brilliants goes there to shine ; 
 for conversational powers are so much the rage in London, 
 that no reputation is higher than his who exhibits them. 
 Where every one tries to instruct, there is in fact but little in- 
 struction : wit, paradox, eccentricity, even absurdity, if deUv- 
 ered rapidly and facetiously, takes priority in these societies 
 of sound reasonings and delicate taste. I have watched 
 sometimes the devious tide of conversation, guided by ac- 
 cidental associations, turning from topic to topic and satis- 
 factory upon none. What has one learned? has been my 
 general question. The mind, it is true, is electrified and 
 quickened, and the spirits finely exhilarated, but one grand 
 fault pervades the whole institution ; their inquiries are 
 desultory, and all improvements to be reaped must be acci- 
 dental." 
 
 The friendship of Mrs. Siddons was another acquisition, of 
 which Mr. Campbell spoke with great pleasure ; and what 
 rendered it more gratifying was its being unsought for. It 
 was the means of introducing him to much excellent society 
 in London. "The character of that great woman," he ob- 
 serves, "is but little understood, and more misrepresented 
 than any living character I know, by those who envy her rep- 
 utation, or by those of the aristocracy^ whom her irresistible 
 dignity obliges to pay their homage at a respectable distance. 
 The reserve of her demeanour is banished toward those who 
 show neither meanness in flattering her, nor forwardness in 
 approaching her too familiarly. The friends of her fireside 
 are only such as she talks to and talks o/with affection and 
 respect. 
 
 The recent visit of Mr. Campbell to the continent had 
 increased rather than gratified his desire to travel. He now 
 
OF THOMAS CAMPBELL. xix 
 
 contemplated another tour, for the purpose of improving him- 
 self in the knowledge of foreign languages and foreign man- 
 ners, in the course of which he intended to visit Italy and pass 
 some time at Rome. From this plan he was diverted, most 
 probably by an attachment he formed to a Miss Sinclair, a dis- 
 tant relation, whom he married in 1803. This change in his 
 situation naturally put an end to all his wandering propensi- 
 ties, and he established himself at Sydenham in Kent, near 
 London, where he devoted himself to literature. Not long 
 afterward he received a solid and flattering token of the royal 
 approbation of his poem of the Pleasures of Hope inapension 
 of 200Z. What made this mark of royal favour the more grat- 
 ifying was, that it was granted for no political services render- 
 ed or expected. Mr. Campbell was not of the court party» 
 but of the constitutional whigs. He has uniformly, both be- 
 fore and since, been independent in his opinions and wTitings ; 
 a sincere and enthusiastic lover of liberty, and advocate for 
 popular rights. 
 
 Though withdrawn from the busy world in his retirement 
 at Sydenham, yet the genius of Mr. Campbell, like a true 
 briUiant, occasionally flashed upon the public eye in a num- 
 ber of exquisite little poems, which appeared occasionally in 
 the periodical works of the da}'". Among these were Hohen- 
 lenden and Lochiel, exquisite gems, sufficient of themselves 
 to establish his title to the sacred name of poet : and the 
 Mariners of England and the Battle of the Baltic, two of the 
 noblest national songs ever written, fraught with sublime 
 imagery and lofty sentiments, and delivered in a gallant swell- 
 ing vein, that lifts the soul into heroics. 
 
 In the beginning of 1809, he gave to the public his Ger- 
 trude of Wyoming, connected with the fortunes of one of our 
 little patriarchal villages on the banks of the Susquehanna, 
 laid desolate by the Indians during our revolutionary war. 
 There is no great scope in the story of tl;is poem, nor ?.ny very 
 
XX BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 
 
 skilful development of the plan, but it contains passages of 
 exquisite grace, and tenderness, and others of spirit and gran- 
 deur ; and the character of Outalissi is a classic delineation 
 of one of our native savages : — 
 
 A stoic of tJie woods, a man without a tear. 
 
 What gave this poem especial interest in our eyes at the time 
 of its appearance, and awakened a strong feeling of good-will 
 toward the author, was, that it related to our own country, 
 and was calculated to give a classic charm to some of our own 
 home scenery. The following remarks were elicited from us 
 at the time, though the subsequent lapse of thirty years has 
 improved the cogency of many of them. 
 
 **We have so long been accustomed to experience little 
 else than contumely, misrepresentation, and very witless rid- 
 icule from the British press ; and we have had such repeated 
 proofs of the extreme ignorance and absurd errors that pre- 
 vail in Great BritEtin respecting our country and its inhabit- 
 ants, that we confess, we were both surprised and gratified to 
 meet with a poet, sufficiently unprejudiced to conceive an idea 
 of moral excellence and natural beauty on this side of the 
 Atlantic. Indeed even this simple show of liberality has 
 drawn on the poet the censures and revilings of a host of 
 narrowrainded writers, with whom liberality to this country is 
 a crime. We are sorry to see such pitiful manifestations of 
 hostility towards us. Indeed we must say, that we consider 
 the constant acrimony and traduction indulged in by the Brit- 
 ish press, toward this country, to be as opposite to the inter- 
 est as it is derogatory to the candour and magnanimity of the 
 nation. It is operating to widen the difference between two 
 nations, which, if left to the impulse of their own feelings, 
 would naturally grow together, and among the sad changes 
 of this disastrous world, be mutual supports and comforts to 
 each other. 
 
 "Whatever may be the occasional collisions of etiquette 
 
OF THOMAS CAMPBELL. XXI 
 
 and interest which will inevitably take place between two 
 great commercial nations, whose property and people are 
 spread far and wide on the face of the ocean ; whatever may 
 be the clamorous expressions of hostility vented at such times 
 by our unreflecting populace, or rather uttered in their name 
 by a host of hireling scriblers, who pretend to speak the sen- 
 timents of the people ; it is certain, that the well educated 
 and well informed class of our citizens entertain a deep root- 
 ed good-will, and a rational esteem for Great Britain. It is 
 almost impossible it should be otherwise. Independent of 
 those hereditary affections, which spring up spontaneously 
 for the nation from whence we have descended, the single 
 circumstance of imbibing our ideas from the same authors, 
 has a powerful effect in causing an attachment. 
 
 " The writers of Great Britain are the adopted citizens of 
 our country, and, though they have no legislative voice, ex- 
 ercise a powerful influence over our opinions and affections. 
 In these works we have British valor, British magnanimity, 
 British might, and British wisdom continually before our 
 eyes, portrayed in the most captivating colors, and are thus 
 brought up, in constant contemplation of all that is amiable 
 and illustrious in the British character. To these works like- 
 wise we resort, in every varying mood of mind, or vicissitude 
 of fortune. They are our delight in the hour of relaxation ; 
 the solemn monitors and instructors of our closet ; our com- 
 forters under the gloom of despondency. In the season of 
 early life, in the strength of manhood, and still in the 
 weakness and apathy of age, it is to them we are indebted 
 for our hours of refined and unalloyed enjoyment. When we 
 turn our eyes to England, therefore, from whence this boun- 
 teous tide of literature pours in upon us, it is with such feel- 
 ings as the Egyptian, when he looks towards the sacred 
 source of that stream, which, rising in a far distant country, 
 
XXll BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 
 
 flows down upon his own barren soil, diffusing riches, beaut}% 
 and fertility. 
 
 " Surely it cannot be the interest of Great Britain to trifie 
 with such feelings. Surely the good-will, thus cherished 
 among the best hearts of a country, rapidly increasing in 
 power and importance, is of too much consequence to be 
 scornfully neglected or surlily dashed away. It most cer- 
 tainly therefore would be both politic and honorable, for 
 those enlightened British writers, who sway the sceptre of 
 criticism, to expose these constant misrepresentations and 
 discountenance these galling and unworthy insults of the 
 pen, whose effect is to mislead and to irritate, without serv- 
 ing one valuable purpose. They engender gross prejudices 
 in Great Britain, inimical to a proper national understanding, 
 while with us they wither all those feelings of kindness and 
 consanguinity, that were shooting forth, like so many tendrils, 
 to attach us to our parent country. 
 
 " While therefore we regard the poem of Mr. Campbell 
 with complacency, as evincing an opposite spirit to this, of 
 which we have just complained, there are other reasons like- 
 wise, which interest us in its favour. Among the lesser evils, 
 incident to the infant state of our country, we have to lament 
 its almost total deficiency in those local associations produced 
 by history and moral fiction. These may appear trivial to 
 the common mass of readers ; but the mind of taste and sensi- 
 bility will at once acknowledge it, as constituting a great 
 source of national pride, and love of country. There is an 
 inexpressible charm imparted to every place, that has been 
 celebrated by the historian, or immortalized by the poet ; a 
 charm that dignifies it in the eyes of the stranger, and endears 
 it to the heart of the native inhabitant. Of this romantic at- 
 traction we are almost entirely destitute. While every insig 
 nificant hill and turbid stream in classic Europe has been 
 
OF THOMAS CAMPBELL. XXIU 
 
 hallowed by the visitations of the muse, and contemplated 
 with fond enthusiasm ; our lofty mountains and stupendous 
 cataracts excite no poetical feelings, and our majestic rivers 
 roll their waters unheeded, because unsung", 
 
 "Thus circumstanced, the sweet strains of Mr. Campbell's 
 muse break upon us as gladly as would the pastoral pipe of 
 the shepherd, amid the savage solitude of one of our trackless 
 wildernesses. We are delighted to witness the air of capti- 
 vating romance, and rural beauty our native fields and wild 
 woods can assume under the plastic pencil of a master ; and 
 while wandering with the poet among the shady groves of 
 Wyoming, or along the banks of the Susquehanna, almost 
 fancy ourselves transported to the side of some classic stream, 
 in the «• hollow breast of x\ppenine." This may assist to con- 
 vince many, who were before slow to believe, that our own 
 country is capable of inspiring the highest poetic feelings and 
 furnishing abundance of poetic imagery, though destitute of 
 the hackneyed materials of poetry ; though its groves are not 
 vocal with the song of the nightingale ; though no naiads 
 have ever sported in its streams, nor satyrs and driads gam- 
 boled among its forests. Wherever nature displays herself 
 in simple beauty or wild magnificence, and wherever tlie hu- 
 man mind appears in new and striking situations, neither the 
 poet nor the philosopher can want subjects worthy of his 
 genius." 
 
 As we before remarked, the lapse of thirty years has mate- 
 rially impaired the cogency of the foregoing remarks. The 
 acrimony and traduction of the British press produced the 
 effect apprehended, and contributed to hasten a war between 
 the two nations. That war, however, made us completely a 
 nation, and destroyed our mental dependence on England 
 forever. A literature of our own has subsequently sprung 
 up and is daily increasing with wonderful fecundity ; pro- 
 mising to counteract the undue influence of British literature. 
 
XXIV BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THOMAS CAMPBELL. 
 
 and to furnish us with productions in all departments of 
 taste and knowledge, illustrative of our country, its history 
 and its people, and in harmony with our condition and the 
 nature of our institutions. 
 
 We have but a word or two to add concerning Mr. Camp- 
 bell. In 1810 he published " O'Connor's Child, or Love lies 
 Bleeding," an uncommonly spirited and affecting little tale. 
 Since then he has given at intervals a variety of minor poems 
 to the public, all possessing the same beauty of thought and 
 delicacy of finish that distinguished his early productions. If 
 some disappointment has been experienced by his admirers, 
 that he has afTected any of those grand achievements in poetry 
 which had been anticipated from his juvenile performances, 
 they should congratulate himself that he has never sank from 
 the pure and elevated height to which he so suddenly attain- 
 ed. Many years since we hailed the productions of his muse 
 as "beaming forth like the pure lights of heaven, among the 
 meteor exhalations and paler fires with which our literary 
 atmosphere abounds ;" since that time many of those meteors 
 and paler fires that dazzled and bewildered the public eye, 
 have fallen to the earth and passed away, and still we find 
 his poems like the stars shining on, with undiminished lustre. 
 
GERTRUDE OF WYOxMING, 
 
 PART I. 
 
 /^ lo±> 3^ 
 
ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 Most of the popular histories of England, as well as of 
 the American war, give an authentic account of the desola- 
 tion of Wyoming, in Pennsylvania, which took place in 1778, 
 by an incursion of the Indians. The scenery and incidents of 
 the following Poem are connected with that event. The tes- 
 timonies of historians and travellers concur in describing the 
 infant colony as one of the happiest spots of human existence, 
 for the hospitable and innocent manners of the inhabitants, 
 the beauty of the country, and the luxuriant fertility of the 
 soil and climate. In an evil hour, the junction of European 
 with Indian arms converted this terrestrial paradise into a 
 frightful waste. Mr. Isaac Weld informs us that the ruins 
 of many of the villages, perforated with balls, and bearing 
 marks of conflagration, were still preser\'ed by the recent in- 
 habitants, when he travelled through America, in 1796.. 
 
GERTRUDE OF WYOMING. 
 
 PARTL 
 
 I. 
 
 On Siisquehannah's side, fair Wyoming ! 
 Although the wild-fiower on thy ruin'd wall 
 And roofless homes, a sad remembrance bring 
 Of what thy gentle people did befall : 
 Yet thou wort once the loveliest land of all 
 That see the Atlantic wave their morn restore. 
 Sweet land ! may I thy lost deliglits recall, 
 And paint thy Gertrude in her bowers of yore, 
 Whose beauty was the love of Pennsylvania's 
 shore ! 
 
 II. 
 
 Delightful Wyoming ! beneath thy skies, 
 The happy shepherd swains had nought to do 
 But feed their flocks on green declivities. 
 Or skim perchance thy lake with light canoe, 
 From morn till evening's sweeter pastime grew, 
 With timbrel, when beneath the forests brown, 
 Thy lovely maidens would the dance renew ; 
 
4 GERTRUDE OF WYOMING. 
 
 And aye those sunny mountains half-way down 
 Would echo flagelet from some romantic town. 
 
 III. 
 Then, where of Indian hills the daylight takes 
 His leave, how might you the flamingo see 
 Disporting like a meteor on the lakes — 
 And playful squirrel on his nut-grown tree : 
 And every sound of life was full of glee, 
 From merry mock-bird's song, or hum of men ; 
 While hearkening, fearing nought their revelry, 
 The wild deer arch'd his neck from glades, and 
 
 then 
 Unhunted, sought his woods and wilderness again. 
 
 IV. 
 
 And scarce had Wyoming of war or crime 
 Heard, but in Transatlantic story rung. 
 For here the exile met from every clime. 
 And spoke in friendship every distant tongue : 
 Men from the blood of warring Europe sprung, 
 Were but divided by the running brook ; 
 And happy where no Rhenish trumpet sung, 
 On plains no sieging mine's volcano shook, 
 The blue-eyed German changed his sword to pru- 
 ning-hook. 
 
 v. 
 
 Nor far some Andalusian saraband 
 
 Would sound to many a native roundelay — 
 
^ 
 
 
GERTRUDE OF WYOMING. 6 
 
 But who is he that yet a dearer land 
 Remembers, over hills and far away 7 
 Green Albin !* what though he no more survey 
 Thy ships at anchor on the quiet shore, 
 Thy pellochsf rolling from the mountain bay. 
 Thy lone sepulchral cairn upon the moor, 
 And distant isles that hear the loud Corbrechtan 
 roar ! J 
 
 VI. 
 
 Alas ! poor Caledonia's mountaineer, 
 That want's stern edict e'er, and feudal grief, 
 Had forced him from a home he loved so dear ! 
 Yet found he here a home, and glad relief, 
 And plied the beverage from his own fair sheaf, 
 That fired his Highland blood with mickle glee : 
 And England sent her men, of men the chief, 
 Who taught those sires of Empire yet to be, 
 To plant the tree of life, — to plant fair Freedom's 
 tree ! 
 
 VII. 
 
 Here were not mingled in the city's pomp 
 Of life's extremes the grandeur and the gloom ; 
 Judgment awoke not here her dismal tromp. 
 Nor seal'd in blood a fellow-creature's doom, 
 
 * Scotland. 
 
 tThc Gaelic appt-llation for the i)orpoise. 
 
 J The great wliirlpool of the VVostcrn Hebrides. 
 
 1* 
 
b GERTRUDE OF WYOMING. 
 
 Nor mourn'd the captive in a living tomb. 
 One venerable man, beloved of all, 
 Sufficed, where innocence was yet in bloom, 
 To sway the strife that seldom might befall: 
 And Albert was their judge in patriarchal hall. 
 
 VIII. 
 
 How reverend was the look, serenely aged, 
 He bore, this gentle Pennsylvanian sire, 
 Where all but kindly fervours were assuaged, 
 Undimm'd by weakness' shade, or turbid ire ! 
 And though, amidst the calm of thought entire. 
 Some high and haughty features might betray 
 A soul impetuous once, 'twas earthly fire 
 That fled composure's intellectual ray, 
 As iEtna's fires grow dim before the rising day. 
 
 IX. 
 
 I boast no song in magic wonders rife. 
 But yet, oh Nature ! is there nought to prize, 
 Familiar in thy bosom scenes of life ? 
 And dwells in daylight truth's salubrious skies 
 No form with which the soul may sympathize ? 
 Young, innocent, on whose sweet forehead mild 
 The parted ringlet shone in simplest guise. 
 An inmate in the home of Albert smiled, 
 Or blessed his noon-day walk — she was his only 
 child. 
 
GERTRUDE OF WYOMING. 7 
 
 X. 
 
 The rose of England bloom'd on Gertmde*s 
 
 cheek — 
 What though these shades had seen her birth, her 
 
 sire 
 A Briton's independence taught to seek 
 Far western worlds ; and there his household fire 
 The light of social love did long inspire. 
 And many a halcyon day he lived to see 
 Unbroken but by one misfortune dire, 
 When fate had 'reft his mutual heart — but she 
 Was gone — and Gertrude climb'd a widow'd fa- 
 ther's knee. 
 
 XI. 
 
 A loved bequest, — and I may half impart, 
 
 To them that feel the strong paternal tie, 
 
 How like a new existence to his heart 
 
 That living flower uprose beneath his eye, 
 
 Dear as she was from cherub infancy. 
 
 From hours when she would round his garden 
 
 play. 
 To time when as the ripening years went by, 
 Her lovely mind could culture well repay, 
 And more engaging grew, from pleasing day to day. 
 
 XII. 
 
 I may not paint those thousand infant charms ; 
 (Unconscious fascination, undesigned !) 
 
8 
 
 GERTRUDE OF WYOMING. 
 
 The orison repeated in his arms, 
 For God to bless her sire and all mankind ; 
 The book, the bosom on his knee reclined, 
 Or how sweet fairy-lore he heard her con, 
 (The playmate ere the teacher of her mind :) 
 All nncompanion'd else her heart had gone 
 Till now, in Gertrude's eyes, their ninth blue sum- 
 mer shone. 
 
 XIII. 
 
 And summer was the tide, and sweet the hour, 
 When sire and daughter saw, with fleet descent, 
 An Indian from his bark approach their bower, 
 Of buskin'd limb, and swarthy lineament ; 
 The red wild feathers on his brow were blent. 
 And bracelets bound the arm that help'd to light 
 A boy, who seem'd, as he beside him went. 
 Of Christian vesture, and complexion bright. 
 Led by his dusky guide, like morning brought by 
 night. 
 
 XIV. 
 
 Yet pensive seem'd the boy for one so young — 
 The dimple from his polish'd cheek had fled ; 
 When, leaning on his forest-bow unstrung, 
 Th' Oneida warrior to the planter said, 
 And laid his hand upon the stripling's head, 
 " Peace be to thee ! my words this belt approve ; 
 The paths of peace my steps have hither led : 
 
^^: 
 
GERTRUDE OF WYOMING?. Vl 
 
 This little nursling, take him to thy love, 
 And shield the bird unfledged, since gone the pa- 
 rent dove. 
 
 XV. 
 
 " Christian ! I am the foeman of thy foe ; 
 Our wampum league thy brethren did embrace : 
 Upon the Michigan, three moons ago. 
 We launch'd our pirogues for the bison chase, 
 And with the Hurons planted for a space. 
 With true and faithful hands, the olive stalk ; 
 But snakes are in the bosoms of their race, 
 And though they held with us a friendly talk, 
 The hollow peace-tree fell beneath their toma- 
 kawk ! 
 
 XVI. 
 
 '• It was encamping on the lake's far port, 
 A cry of Areouski* broke our sleep, 
 Where storm'd an ambush'd foe thy nation's fort, 
 And rapid, rapid whoops came o'er the deep ; 
 But long thy country's war-sign on the steep 
 Appear'd through ghastly intervals of light. 
 And deathfully their thunder seem'd to sweep, 
 Till utter darkness swallow'd up the sight, 
 As if a shower of blood had quench'd the fiery 
 fight! 
 
 *The Indian God of War. 
 
10 (Gertrude of Wyoming. 
 
 XVII. 
 
 " It slept — it rose again — on hig-h their tower 
 Sprang upward like a torch to light the skies. 
 Then down again it rain'd an ember shower, 
 And louder lamentations heard we rise ; 
 As when the evil Manitou* that dries 
 Th' Ohio woods, consumes them in his ire, 
 In vain the desolated panther flies. 
 And howls amidst his wilderness of fire : 
 Alas ! too late, we reach'd and smote those Hurons 
 dire ! 
 
 XVIII. 
 
 " But as the fox beneath the nobler hound, 
 So died their warriors by our battle brand : 
 And from the tree we, with her child, unbound 
 A lonely mother of the Christian land : — 
 Her lord — the captain of the British band — 
 Amidst the slaughter of his soldiers lay. 
 Scarce knew the widow our delivering hand ; 
 Upon her child she sobb'd, and swoon'd away, 
 Orshriek'd unto the God to whom the Christians 
 pray. 
 
 XIX. 
 
 "Our virgins fed her with their kindly bowls 
 Of fever-balm and sweet sagamite : 
 But she was journeying to the land of souls. 
 And lifted up her dying head to pray 
 
 * Manitou, Spirit or Deity. 
 
GERTRUDE OF WYOMING. 11 
 
 That we should bid an ancient friend convey 
 Her orphan to his liome of England's shore ; — 
 And take, she said, this token far away, 
 To one that will remember us of yore, 
 When he beholds the ring that Waldegrave's Ju- 
 lia wore. 
 
 XX. 
 
 " And I, the eagle of my tribe,* have rush'd 
 With this lorn dove." — A sage's self-command 
 Had quel I'd the tears from Albert's heart that 
 
 gush'd ; 
 But yet his cheek — his agitated hand — 
 That shower'd upon the stranger of the land 
 No common boon, in grief but ill-beguiled 
 A soul that was not wont to be unmann'd ; 
 " And stay," he cried, " dear pilgrim of the wild, 
 Preserver of my old, my boon companion's 
 
 child ! — 
 
 XXI. 
 
 '' Child of a race whose name my bosom warms, 
 On earth's remotest bounds how welcome here ! 
 Whose mother oft, a child, has fill'd these arms, 
 Young as thyself, and innocently dear, 
 
 ♦The Indians are distinguished, both personally and by tribes, by the 
 name of particular animals, whose qualities they affect to resemble, either 
 for cunning, strength, swiftness, or other qualities -. — as the eagle, the serpent, 
 the fox, or bear. 
 
12 GERTRUDE OF WYOMING. 
 
 Whose gmndsire was my early life's compeer. 
 Ah, happiest home of Eno^land's happy clime ! 
 How beautiful e'en now thy scenes appear, 
 As in the noon and sunshine of my prime ! 
 How gone like yesterday these thrice ten years of 
 time ! 
 
 XXII. 
 
 "And, Julia! when thou wert like Gertrude 
 
 now. 
 Can I forget thee, favourite child of yore ? 
 Or thought I, in thy father's house, when thou 
 Wert lightest hearted on his festive floor, 
 And first of all his hospitable door 
 To meet and kiss me at my journey's end ? 
 But where was I when Waldegrave was no more? 
 And thou did'st pale thy gentle head extend 
 In woes, that e'en the tribe of deserts was thy 
 
 friend !" 
 
 XXIII. 
 
 He said — and strain'd unto liis heart the boy : — 
 
 Far differently, the mute Oneida took 
 
 His calumet of peace, and cup of joy •* 
 
 As monumental bronze unchanged his look; 
 
 A soul that pity touch'd, but never shook ; 
 
 * Calumet of peace. — The calumet is the Indian name for the orna- 
 mental pipe of friendship, which they smoko as a pledge of amity. 
 
GERTRUDE OF WYOMING. 13 
 
 Train'd from his tree-rock'd cradle* to his bier 
 The fierce extremes of good and ill to brook 
 Impassive — fearing but the shame of fear — 
 A stoic of the woods — a man without a tear. 
 
 XXIV. 
 
 Yet deem not goodness on the savage stock 
 Of Outalissi's heart disdain'd to grow ; 
 As lives the oak nnwither'd on the rock 
 By storms above, and barrenness below ; 
 He scorn'd his own, who felt another's wo ; 
 And ere the wolf-skin on his back he flung. 
 Or laced his moccasins, in act to go, 
 A song of parting to the boy he sung. 
 Who slept on Albert's couch, nor heard his friend- 
 ly tongue. 
 
 XXV. 
 
 " Sleep, wearied one ! and in the dreaming land 
 Shouldst thou to-morrow with thy mother meet, 
 Oh ! tell her spirit, that the white man's hand 
 Hath pluck'd the thorns of sorrow from thy feet ; 
 While I in lonely wilderness shall greet 
 Thy little footprints — or by traces know 
 The fountain, where at noon I thought it sweet 
 
 * Tree-rock'd cradle. — The Indian mothers suspend their children in 
 their cradles from the boughs of trees, and let them be rocked by the 
 wind. 
 
14 GERTRUDF. OF WYOMING. 
 
 To feed thee vvith the quarry of my bow. 
 And pour'd the lotus-horn,* or slew the mountain 
 roe. 
 
 XXVI. 
 
 " Adieu ! sweet scion of the rising sun ! 
 
 But should affliction's storms thy blossom mock, 
 
 Then come again — my own adopted one ! 
 
 And I will orraft thee on a noble stock : 
 
 The crocodile, the condor of the rock, 
 
 Shall be the pastime of thy sylvan wars ; 
 
 And I will teach thee, in the battle's shock, 
 
 To pay with Huron blood thy father's scars, 
 
 And gratulate his soul rejoicing in the stars !" 
 
 XXVII. 
 
 So finish'd he the rhyme (howe'er uncouth) 
 That true to nature's fervid feelings ran ; 
 (And song is but the eloquence of truth :) 
 Then forth uprose that lone wayfaring man ; 
 But dauntless he, nor chart, nor journey's plan 
 In woods required, whose trained eye was keen 
 As eagle of the wilderness, to scan 
 His path, by mountain, swamp, or deep ravine, 
 Or ken far friendly huts on good savannas green. 
 
 * From a flower shaped like a horn, which Chateaubriand presumes to be 
 of the lotus kind, the Indians in their travels through the desert often find a 
 draught of dew purer than any other water. 
 
GERTRUDE OF WYOMING. 15 
 
 XXVIII. 
 
 Old Albort saw him from the valley's side — 
 His pirogue launch'd — his pilgrimage begun — 
 Far, like the red-bird's wing he seem'd to glide ; 
 Then dived, and vanished in the woodlands dun. 
 Oft, to that spot by tender memory won, 
 Would Albert climb the promontory's height, 
 If but a dim sail glimmer'd in the sun ; 
 Rut never more, to bless his longing sicrht. 
 Was Outalis^i hail'd, with bark nnd plnmage 
 briofht. 
 
GERTRUDE OF WYOMING. 
 
 PART II. 
 
GERTRUDE OF WYOMING. 
 
 PART II. 
 
 A VALLEY from the river-shore withdrawn 
 Was Albert's home, two quiet woods between, 
 Whose lofty verdure overlook'd his lawn ; 
 And waters to their resting-place serene 
 Came freshening, and reflecting all the scene, 
 (A mirror in the depth of flowery shelves ;) 
 So sweet a spot of earth, you might (I. ween) 
 Have guess'd some congregation of the elves, 
 To sport by summer moons, had shaped it for 
 themselves. 
 
 II. 
 
 Yet wanted not the eye far scope to muse, 
 Nor vistas open'd by the wandering stream; 
 Both where at evening Allegany views, 
 Through ridges burning in her western bcim, |^ 
 Lake after lake interminably gleam : 
 And past those settler's haunts the eye might roam 
 Where earth's unliving silence all would seem ; 
 
20 GERTRUDE OF WYOMING. 
 
 Save where on rocks the beaver built his dome, 
 Or buffalo remote low'd far from human home. 
 
 III. 
 
 But silent not that adverse eastern path, 
 Which saw Aurora's hills th' horizon crown ; 
 There was the river heard, in bed of wrath, 
 (A precipice of foam from mountains brown,) 
 Like tumults heard from some far distant town ; 
 But softening in approach he left his gloom, 
 And murmur'd pleasantly, and laid him down 
 To kiss those easy curving banks of bloom, 
 That lent the windward air an exquisite perfume. 
 
 IV. 
 
 It seem'd as if those scenes sweet influence had 
 On Gertrude's soul, and kindness like their own 
 Inspii'ed those eyes affectionate and glad. 
 That seem'd to love whate'er they look'd upon ; 
 Whether with Hebe's mirth her features shone, 
 Or if a shade more pleasing them o'ercast, 
 (As if for heavenly musing meant alone,) 
 Yet so becomingly th' expression past, 
 That each succeeding look was lovelier than the 
 last. 
 
 v. 
 
 Nor guess I, was that Pennsylvanian home, 
 With all its picturesque and balmy grace, 
 
GERTRUDE OF "WYOMING. 21 
 
 And fields that were a luxury to roam, 
 
 Lost on the soul that look'd from such a face ! 
 
 Enthusiast of the woods ! when years apace 
 
 Had bound thy lovely waist with woman's zone, 
 
 The sunrise path, at morn, I see thee trace 
 
 To hills with hio^h magnolia overgrown, 
 
 And joy to breathe the groves, romantic and alone. 
 
 VI. 
 
 The sunrise drew her thoughts to Europe forth, 
 
 That thus apostrophized its viewless scene : 
 
 <' Land of my father's love, my mother's birth ! 
 
 The home of kindred I have never seen ! 
 
 We know not other — oceans are between : 
 
 Yet say ! far friendly hearts, from whence we came, 
 
 Of us does oft remembrance intervene? 
 
 My mother sure — my sire a thought may claim ; 
 
 But Gertrude is to you an unregarded name. 
 
 VII. 
 
 " And yet, loved England ! when thy name I trace 
 In many a pilgrim's tale and poet's song, 
 How can I choose but wish for one embrace 
 Of them, the dear unknown, to whom belong 
 My mother's looks, — perhaps her likeness strong? 
 Oh, parent ! with what reverential awe, 
 From features of thine own related throng. 
 An image of thy face my soul could draw ! 
 And see thee once again whom I too shortly saw!" 
 
22 GERTRUDE OF WYOMING. 
 
 VIII. 
 
 Yet deem not Gertrude sigh'd for foreign joy ; 
 To soothe a father's couch, her only care, 
 And keep his reverend head from all annoy : 
 For this, methinks her homeward steps repair, 
 Soon as the mornins^ wreath had bound her hair ; 
 While yet the wild deer trod in spangling dew, 
 While boatmen caroU'd to the fresh-blown air, 
 And woods a horizontal shadow threw. 
 An early fox appeared in momentary view. 
 
 IX. 
 
 Apart there was a deep untrodden grot, 
 Where oft the reading hours sweet Gertrude wore ; 
 Tradition had not named its lonely spot ; 
 But here (methinks) might India's sons explore 
 Their father's dust,* or lift perchance of yore, 
 Their voice to the great Spirit: — rocks sublime 
 To human art a sportive semblance bore, 
 And yellow lichens colour'd all the clime. 
 Like moonlight battlements, and towers decay'd 
 by time. 
 
 But high in amphitheatre above, 
 
 Gay tinted woods their massy foliage threw : 
 
 * It is a custom of tlic Indiiin tribes to visit tlie tombs of their ancestors 
 in the cultivated parts of America, who liavc been buried for ui>\vnrds of a 
 century. 
 
V' 
 
 •1- 
 
 i^^. 
 
 ■ i^'.' '''-^'•^ 
 
 P ' ^ W- 
 
 ^' "'l 
 
 
GERTRUDE OF WYOMING. 23 
 
 Breathed but an air of heaven, and all the grove 
 As if instinct with livinor spirit grew, 
 Rolling its verdant gulfs of every hue ; 
 And now suspended was the pleasing din, 
 Now from a murmur faint it swell'd anew, 
 Like the first note of organ heard within 
 Cathedral aisles, — ere yet its symphony begin. 
 
 XI. 
 
 It was in this lone valley she would charm 
 The lingering noon, where flowers a couch had 
 
 strewn ; 
 Her cheek reclining, and her snowy arm 
 On hillock by the palm-tree half o'ergrown : 
 And aye that volume on her lap is thrown, 
 Which every heart of human mould endears; 
 With Shakspeare's self she speaks and smiles 
 
 alone, 
 And no intruding visitation fears. 
 To shame the unconscious laugh, or stop her 
 
 sweetest tears. 
 
 XII. 
 
 And nought within the grove was seen or heard 
 But stock-doves plaining through its gloom pro- 
 found. 
 Or winglet of the fairy humming-bird, 
 Like atoms of the rainbow fluttering round ; 
 When, lo ! there enter'd to its inmost ground 
 
24 GERTRUDE OF WYOMING. 
 
 A youth, the stranger of a distant land ; 
 He was, to weet, for eastern mountains bound ; 
 But late th' equator suns his cheek had tann'd, 
 And California's gales his roving bosom fann'd. 
 
 XIII. 
 
 A steed, whose rein hung loosely o'er his arm, 
 He led dismounted ; ere his leisure pace. 
 Amid the brown leaves, could her ear alarm, 
 Close he had come, and worshipp'd for a space 
 Those downcast features: — she her lovely face 
 Uplift on one, whose lineaments and frame 
 Wore youth and manhood's intermingled grace ; 
 Iberian seem'd his boot — his robe the same. 
 And well the Spanish plume his lofty looks be- 
 came. 
 
 XIV. 
 
 For Albert's home he sought — her finger fair 
 Has pointed where the father's mansion stood. 
 Returning from the copse, he soon was there : 
 And soon has Gertrude hied from dark greenwood ; 
 Nor joyless, by the converse^ understood 
 Between the man of age and pilgrim young. 
 That gay congeniality of mood, 
 And early liking from acquaintance sprung; 
 Full fluently conversed their guest in England's 
 tongue. 
 
GERTRUDE OF WYOMING. 25 
 
 XV. 
 
 And well could he his pilgrimage of taste 
 
 Unfold, — and much they loved his fervid strain, 
 
 While he each fair variety retraced 
 
 Of climes, and manners, o'er the eastern main. 
 
 Now happy Switzer's hills, — romantic Spain, — 
 
 Gay lilied fields of France, — or, more refined, 
 
 The soft Ausonia's monumental reign ; 
 
 Nor less each rural image he designed 
 
 Than all the city's pomp and home of human kind. 
 
 XVI. 
 
 Anon some wilder portraiture he draws ; 
 Of Nature's savage glories he would speak, — 
 The loneliness of earth that overawes, — 
 Where, resting by some tomb of old cacique. 
 The lama-driver on Peruvia's peak 
 Nor living voice nor motion marks around ; 
 But storks that to the boundless forest shriek, 
 Or wild-cane arch high flung o'er gulf profound,* 
 That fluctuates when the storms of El Dorado 
 sound. 
 
 XVII. 
 
 Pleased with his guest, the good man still would 
 
 ply 
 Each earnest question, and his converse court; 
 
 ♦The bridges over narrow streams in mnny parts of Spanish America are 
 said to be built of «anc, which, however strong to support the passenger, aro 
 
26 GERTRUDE OF AVYOMING. 
 
 But Gertrude, as she eyed him, knew not why 
 A strange and troubling wonder stopt her short. 
 " In England thou hast been, — and, by report, 
 An orphan's name (quoth Albert) may'st have 
 
 known. 
 Sad tale ! — when latest fell our frontier fort, — 
 One innocent — one soldier's child — alone 
 Was spared, and brought to me, who loved him 
 
 as my own. — 
 
 XVITI. 
 
 "Young Henry Waldegrave ! three delightful years 
 These very walls his influit sports did see : 
 Bat most 1 loved him when his parting tears 
 Alternately bedew'd my child and me : 
 His sorest parting, Gertrude, was from thee ; 
 Nor half its grief his little heart could hold ; 
 By kindred he was sent for o'er the sea. 
 They tore him from us when but twelve years old. 
 And scarcely for his loss have I been yet con- 
 soled !" 
 
 XIX. 
 
 His face the wanderer hid — but could not hide 
 A tear, a smile, upon his cheek that dwell ; — 
 "And speak! mysterious stranger!" (Gertrude 
 cried) 
 
 yet waved in the ngitation of thn storm, affd frequently add to the eftcct of 
 a mountainous and picturesque scenery. 
 
GERTRUDE OF AVYOMING. 27 
 
 " It is ! — it is ! — 1 knew — I knew him well ! 
 'Tis Waldcgrave's self, of Waldegrave come to 
 
 tell !" 
 A burst of joy the father's lips declare, 
 But Gertrude speecliless on his bosom fell ; 
 At once his open arms embraced the pair. 
 Was never group more blest, in this wide world 
 
 of care. 
 
 XX. 
 
 " And will ye pardon then (replied the youth) 
 Your Waldegrave's feigned name, and false attire? 
 I durst not in the neighbourhood, in truth, 
 The very fortunes of your house inquire. 
 Lest one that knew me might some tidings dire 
 Impart, and I my weakness all betray ; 
 For had I lost my Gertrude and my sire, 
 I meant but o'er your tombs to weep a day. 
 Unknown I meant to weep, unknown to pass away. 
 
 XXI. 
 
 " But here ye live, — ye bloom, — in each dear 
 
 face, 
 The changing hand of time I may not blame ; 
 For there, it hath but shed more reverend grace. 
 And here, of beauty perfected the frame : 
 And well I know your hearts are still the same — 
 They could not change — ye look the very way 
 As when an orphan first to you I came. 
 
28 
 
 GERTRUDE OF WYOMING. 
 
 And have ye heard of my poor guide, I pray ? 
 Nay, wherefore weep ye, friends, on such a joy- 
 ous day ?" 
 
 XXII. 
 
 " And art thou here ? or is it but a dream ? 
 And wilt thou, Waldegrave, wilt thou, leave us 
 
 more ?" — 
 "No, never ! thou that yet dost lovelier seem 
 Than aught on earth — than e'en thyself of yore — 
 I will not part thee from thy father's shore ; 
 But we will cherish him with mutual arms. 
 And hand in hand again the path explore. 
 Which every ray of young remembrance warms, 
 While thou shalt be my own, with all thy truth 
 
 and charms !" 
 
 XXIII. 
 
 At morn, as if beneath a galaxy 
 Of overarching groves in blossoms white. 
 Where all was odorous scent and harmony, 
 And gladness to the heart, nerve, ear, and sight : 
 There, if, oh, gentle Love ! I read aright 
 The utterance that seal'd thy sacred bond, 
 'Twas listening to these accents of delight, 
 She hid upon his breast those eyes, beyond 
 Expression's power to paint, all languishingly 
 fond. 
 
L^ 
 
 
 
GERTRUDE OF WYOMING. 29 
 
 XXIV. 
 
 " Flower of my life, so lovely, and so lone ! 
 Whom I would rather in this desert meet. 
 Scorning, and scorn'd by fortune's power, than 
 
 own 
 Her pomp and splendours lavish'd at my feet ! 
 Turn not from me thy breath, more exquisite 
 Than odours cast on heaven's own shrine — to 
 
 please — 
 Give me thy love, than luxury more sweet, 
 And more than all the wealth that loads the breeze, 
 When Coromandel's ships return from Indian 
 
 XXV. 
 
 Then would that home admit them — happier far 
 
 Than grandeur's most magnificent saloon. 
 
 While, here and there, a solitary star 
 
 Flush'd in the darkening firmament of June, 
 
 And silence brought the soul-felt hour, full soon, 
 
 Inefi^ible, which I may not portray ; 
 
 For never did the hymenean moon 
 
 A paradise of hearts more sacred sway. 
 
 In all that slept beneath her soft voluptuous ray. 
 
 3* 
 
GERTRUDE OF WYOMLNG. 
 
 PART III. 
 
GERTRUDE OF WYOMING. 
 
 PART III. 
 
 O Love ! in such a wilderness as this, 
 Where transport and security entwine, 
 Here is the empire of thy perfect bUss, 
 And here thou art a god indeed divine. 
 Here shall no forms abridge, no hours confine 
 The views, the walks, that boundless joy inspire ! 
 Roll on, ye days of raptured influence, shine ! 
 Nor, blind with ecstasy's celestial fire, 
 Shall love behold the spark of earth-born time 
 expire. 
 
 II. 
 
 Three little moons, how short ! amidst the grove 
 
 And pastoral savannas they consume ! 
 
 While she, beside her buskin'd youth to rove, 
 
 Delights, in fancifully wild costume, 
 
 Her lovely brow to shade with Indian plume ; 
 
 And forth in hunter-seeming vest they fare ; 
 
 But not to chase the deer in forest gloom ; 
 
34 GERTRUDE OF WYOMING. 
 
 'Tis but the breath of heaven — the blessed air — 
 And interchange of hearts, unknown, unseen to 
 share. 
 
 III. 
 What though the sportive dog oft round them 
 
 note, 
 Or fawn, or wild bird bursting on the wing ; 
 Yet who, in love's own presence, would devote 
 To death those gentle throats that wake the spring, 
 Or writhing from the brook its victim bring? 
 No ! — nor let fear one little warbler rouse ; 
 Bat, fed by Gertrude's hand, still let them sing, 
 x4cquaintance of her path, amidst the boughs, 
 Tiiat shade e'en now her love, and witness'd first 
 
 her vow^s. 
 
 IV. 
 
 Now labyrinths, which but themselves can pierce, 
 Methinks, conduct them to some pleasant ground, 
 Where welcome hills shut out the imiverse. 
 And pines their lawny walk encompass round ; 
 There, if a pause delicious converse found, 
 'Twas but when o'er each heart th' idea stole, 
 (Perchance awhile in joy's oblivion drown'd,) 
 That come what may, while life's glad pulses 
 
 roll, 
 Indissolubly thus should soul be knit to soul. 
 
GERTRUDE OF WYOMING. 35 
 
 V. 
 
 And ill the visions of romantic youth, 
 What years of endless bliss are yet to flow? 
 But, mortal pleasure, what art thou in truth ? 
 The torrent's smoothness, ere it dash below ! 
 And must I change my song? and must I show, 
 Sweet Wyoming ! the day when thou wert doom'd. 
 Guiltless, to mourn thy loveliest bowers laid low ! 
 When where of yesterday a garden bloom'd. 
 Death overspread Iiis pall, and blackening ashes 
 gloom'd ! 
 
 VI. 
 
 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 birth-star was the light of burning plains ;* 
 
 Her baptism is the weight of blood that flows 
 
 From kindred hearts— the blood of British veins — 
 
 And famine tracks her steps, and pestilential pains. 
 
 VII. 
 
 Yet, ere the storm of death had raged remote, 
 Or siege unseen in heaven reflects its beams, 
 Who now each dreadful circumstance shall note, 
 
 * Alluding to the miseries that attended the American civil war. 
 
36 GERTRUDE OF WYOMING. 
 
 That fills pale Gertrude's thoughts, and nightly- 
 dreams ? 
 Dismal to her the forge of battle gleams 
 Portentous light ! and music's voice is dumb; 
 Save where the fife its shrill reveille screams, 
 Or midnight streets re-echo to the drum, 
 That speaks of maddening strife, and bloodstain'd 
 fields to come. 
 
 VIII. 
 
 It was in truth a momentary pang ; 
 
 Yet how comprising myriad shapes of wo ! 
 
 First when in Gertrude's ear the summons rang, 
 
 A husband to the battle doom'd to go ! 
 
 " Nay, meet not thou (she cries) thy kindred foe, 
 
 But peaceful let us seek fair England's strand ;" 
 
 " Ah, Gertrude ! thy beloved heart, I know, 
 
 Would feel like mine the stigmatizing brand ! 
 
 Could I forsake the cause of Freedom's holy band ! 
 
 IX. 
 
 " But shame — but flight — a recreant's name to 
 
 prove, 
 To hide in exile ignominious fears ; 
 Say, e'en if this I brook'd, — the public love 
 Thy father's bosom to his home endears : 
 And how could 1 his few remaining years, 
 My Gertrude, sever from so dear a child ?" 
 So, day by day, her boding heart he cheers ; 
 
GERTRUDE OF WYOMING. 37 
 
 At last that heart to hope is half beguiled, 
 And, pale through tears suppress'd, the mournful 
 beauty smiled. 
 
 Night came, — and in their lighted bovver, full 
 
 late, 
 The joy of converse had endured — when, hark ! 
 Abrupt and loud a summons shook their gate ; 
 And heedless of the dog's obstreperous bark, 
 A form had rush'd amidst them from the dark. 
 And spread his arms, — and fell upon the floor : 
 Of aged strength his limbs reiain'd the mark : 
 But desolate he look'd, and famish'd poor, 
 As ever shipvvreck'd wretch lone left on desert 
 
 shore. 
 
 XI. 
 
 Uprisen, each wondering brow is knit and arch'd : 
 
 A spirit from the dead they deem him first : 
 
 To speak he tries ; but quivering, pale, and parch'd, 
 
 From lips, as by some powerless dream accursed, 
 
 Emotions unintelligible burst ; 
 
 And long his fihiied eye is red and dim ; 
 
 At length the pity-proifered cup his thirst 
 
 Had half assuaged, and nerved his shuddering 
 
 limb, 
 When Albert's hand he grasp'd ;— but Albert knew 
 
 not him — 
 
 4 
 
38 GERTRUDE OF WYOMING. 
 
 XII. 
 
 " And hast thou then forgot," (he cried forlorn, 
 And eyed the group with half-indignant air,) 
 " Oh ! hast thou. Christian chief, forgot the morn 
 When I with thee the cup of peace did share/ 
 Then stately was this head, and dark this hair, 
 That now is white as Appal achia's snow ; 
 But, if the weight of fifteen years' despair, 
 And age hath bow'd me, and the torturing foe, 
 Bring me my boy — and he will his deliverer 
 know !" 
 
 XIII. 
 
 It was not long, with eyes and heart of flame. 
 
 Ere Henry to his loved Oneida flew : 
 
 " Bless thee, my guide !" — but backward, as he 
 
 came. 
 The chief his old bewildered head withdrew, 
 And grasped his arm, and look'd and look'd him 
 
 through. 
 *Twas strange — nor could the group a smile 
 
 control — 
 The long, the doubtful scrutiny to view : — 
 At last delight o'er all his features stole, 
 '•It is — my own," he cried, and clasp'd him to 
 
 his soul. 
 
GERTRUDE OF WYOMING. 39 
 
 XIV. 
 
 " Yes ! thou recall'st my pride of years, for then 
 The bowstring of my spirit was not slack, 
 When, spite of woods, and floods, and ambush'd 
 
 men, 
 I bore thee like the quiver on my back, 
 Fleet as the whirlwind hurries on the rack ; 
 Nor foeman then, nor cougar's crouch I fear'd,* 
 For I was strong as mountain cataract : 
 And dost not thou remember how we cheer'd, 
 Upon the last hill-top, when white men's huts 
 
 appear'd ? 
 
 XV. 
 
 "Then welcome be my death song, and my death. 
 Since I have seen thee, and again embraced." 
 And longer had he spent his toil-worn breath, 
 But with affectionate and eager haste. 
 Was every arm outstretch'd around their guest, 
 To welcome and to bless his aged head. 
 Soon was the hospitable banquet placed ; 
 And Gertrude's lovely hands a balsam shed 
 On wounds with fever'd joy that more profusely 
 bled. 
 
 XVI. 
 
 "But this is not a time," — he started up, 
 
 And smote his breast with wo-denouncing hand — 
 
 * Cougar, the American tiger. 
 
40 GERTRUDE OF WYOMING. 
 
 "This is no time to fill the joyous cup; 
 
 The Mammoth comes, — the foe^ — the Monster 
 
 Brant,* — 
 With all his howling 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 ! 
 
 XVII. 
 
 " Scorning to wield the hatchet for his bribe, 
 'Gainst Brant himself 1 went to battle forth : 
 Accursed Brant ! he left of all my tribe 
 Nor man, nor child, nor thing of living birth : 
 No ! not the dog, that watch'd my household 
 
 hearth. 
 Escaped that night of blood, upon our plains ! 
 All perish'd ! — I alone am left on earth ! 
 To whom nor relative nor blood remains, 
 No ! — not a kindred drop that runs in human 
 
 veins ! 
 
 XVIII. 
 
 " But go ! — and rouse your warriors ; — for, if right 
 These old bevvilder'd eyes could guess, by signs 
 
 ■* l?rant was the leader of those Moliawka, and other savages, who laid 
 waste this part of Pennsylvania. Vide the note at the end of this poem. 
 
GERTRUDE OF WYOMING. 41 
 
 Of Striped and starred banners, on yon height 
 Of eastern cedars, o'er the creek of pines — 
 Some fort embattled by your country shines : 
 Deep roars th' innavigable gulf below 
 Its squared rock, and palisaded lines. 
 Go ! seek the light its warlike beacons show ; 
 Whilst I in ambush wait, for vengeance and the 
 foe !" 
 
 XIX. 
 
 Scarce had he utter'd — when heaven's verge ex- 
 treme 
 Reverberates the bomb's descendins: star, — 
 And sounds that mingled laugh, — and shout, — 
 
 and scream, — 
 To freeze the blood, in one discordant jar, 
 Rung to the pealing thunderbolts of war. 
 Whoop after whoop with rack the ear assail'd ! 
 As if unearthly fiends had burst their bar ; 
 While rapidly the marksman's shot prevail'd : — 
 And aye, as if for death, some lonely trumpet 
 wail'd. 
 
 XX. 
 
 Then look'd they to the hills, where fire o'erhung 
 The bandit groups, in one Vesuvian glare : 
 Or swept, far seen, the tower, whose clock unrung. 
 Told legible that midnight of despair. 
 She faints, — she falters not, — th' heroic fair, — 
 4* 
 
42 GERTRUDE OF WYOMING. 
 
 As he the sword and plume in haste array'd. 
 One short embrace — he clasp'd his dearest care- 
 But hark ! what nearer war-drum shakes the 
 
 glade ? 
 Joy, joy ! Columbia's friends are tramping through 
 
 the shade ! 
 
 XXI. 
 
 Then came of every race the mingled swarm, 
 Far rung the groves and gleam'd the midnight 
 
 grass. 
 With flambeau, javelin, and naked arm ; 
 As warriors wheel'd their culverins of brass, 
 Sprung from the woods, a bold athletic mass. 
 Whom virtue fires, and liberty combines : 
 And first the wild Moravian yagers pass, 
 His plumed host the dark Iberian joins — 
 And Scotia's sword beneath the Highland thistle 
 
 shines. 
 
 XXII. 
 
 And in, the buskin'd hunters of the deer, 
 
 To Albert's home, with shout and cymbal throng : 
 
 Roused by their warlike pomp, and mirth, and 
 
 cheer. 
 Old Outalissa woke his battle-song, 
 And, beating with his war-club cadence strong, 
 Tells how his deep-stung indignation smarts. 
 Of them that wrapt his house in flames, ere long 
 
GERTRUDE OP WYOMING. 43 
 
 To whet a dagger on their stony hearts, 
 
 And smile avenged ere yet his eagle spirit parts. 
 
 XXIII. 
 
 Calm, opj)Osite 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. 
 And one th' uncover'd crowd to silence sways ; 
 While though the battle flash is faster driven, — 
 Unawed, with eye unstartled by the blaze, 
 He for his bleeding country prays to Heaven — 
 Prays that the men of blood themselves may be 
 foro^iven. 
 
 XXIV. 
 
 Short time is now for gratulating speech : 
 
 And yet. beloved Gertrude, ere began 
 
 Thy country's flight, yon distant towers to reach, 
 
 Look'd not on thee the rudest partisan 
 
 With brow relax'd to love? And murmurs ran, 
 
 As round and round their willing ranks they 
 
 drew, 
 From beauty's sight to shield the hostile van. 
 Grateful, on them a placid look she threw. 
 Nor wept, but as she bade her mother's grave 
 
 adieu ! 
 
44 GERTRUDE OF WYOMING. 
 
 XXV. 
 
 Past was the flight, and welcome seem'd the tower, 
 That like a giant standard-bearer frown'd 
 Defiance on the roving Indian power. 
 Beneath, each bold and promontory mound 
 With embrasure emboss'd, and armour crown'd, 
 An arrowy frieze, and wedged ravelin. 
 Wove like a diadem its tracery round 
 The lofty summit of that mountain green ; 
 Here stood secure the group, and eyed a distant 
 scene, — 
 
 XXVI. 
 
 A scene of death ! where fires beneath the sun. 
 And blended arms, and white paviUons glow ; 
 And for the business of destruction done 
 Its requiem the war-horn seem'd to blow : 
 There, sad spectatress of her country's wo ! 
 The lovely Gertrude, safe from present harm, 
 Had laid her cheek, and clasp'd her hands of 
 
 snow 
 On Waldegrave's shoulder, half within his arm 
 Enclosed, that felt her heart, and hush'd its wild 
 
 alarm ! 
 
 XXVII. 
 
 But short that contemplation — sad and short 
 The pause to bid each much-loved scene adieu ! 
 
^'..^>^'^' 
 
GERTRUDE OF WYOMING. 45 
 
 Beneath the very shadow of the fort, 
 
 Where friendly swords were drawn, and banners 
 
 flew, 
 Ah ! who could deem that foot of Indian crew 
 Was near ? — yet there, with hist of murderous 
 
 deeds, 
 Gleam'd like a basilisk, from woods in view, 
 The ambush'd foeman's eye — his volley speeds, 
 And Albert — Albert — falls ! the dear old father 
 
 bleeds ! 
 
 XXVIII. 
 
 And tranced in giddy horror Gertrude swoon'd ; 
 Yet, while she clasps him lifeless to her zone, 
 Say. burst they, borrow'd from her father's wound, 
 These drops ? — Oh, God ! the life-blood is her 
 
 own 
 
 And falt'ring, on her Waldegrave's bosom thrown, 
 " Weep not, O love !" — she cries, " to see me 
 
 bleed — 
 Thee, Gertrude's sad survivor, thee alone 
 Heaven's peace commiserate ; for scarce I heed 
 These wounds ; — yet thee to leave is death, is 
 
 death indeed ! 
 
 XXIX. 
 
 '' Clasp me a little longer on the brink 
 Of fate ! while 1 can feel thy dear caress : 
 
46 GERTRUDE OF WYOMING. 
 
 And when this heart hath ceased to beat — oh 
 
 think, 
 And let it mitigate thy v.o's excess, 
 That thou hast been to me all tenderness, 
 And friend to more than human friendship just. 
 Oh ! by that retrospect of happiness, 
 And by the hopes of an immortal trust, 
 God shall assuage thy pangs when I am laid in 
 
 dust! 
 
 XXX. 
 
 •' Go, Henry, go not back, when I depart ; 
 
 The scene thy bursting tears too deep will move, 
 
 Where my dear father took thee to his heart, 
 
 And Gertrude thought it ecstasy to rove 
 
 With thee, as with an angel, through the grove 
 
 Of peace, imagining her lot was cast 
 
 In heaven ; for ours was not like earthly love. 
 
 And must this parting be our very last ? 
 
 No! I shall love thee still, when death itself is past. 
 
 XXXI. 
 
 "Half could I bear, methinks, to leave this earth, 
 And thee, more loved than aught beneath the sun. 
 If I had lived to smile but on the birth 
 Of one dear pledge; — but shall there then be 
 
 none. 
 In future times — no gentle little one, 
 
GERTRUDE OF WYOMING. 47 
 
 To clasp thy neck, and look, resembling me ? 
 Yet seems it, e'en while life's last pulses run, 
 A sweetness in the cup of death to be. 
 Lord of my bosom's love ! to die beholding thee !" 
 
 XXXII. 
 
 Hush'd were his Gertrude's lips ! but still their 
 
 bland 
 And beautiful expression seem'd to melt 
 With love that could not die ! and still his hand 
 She presses to the heart no more that felt. 
 Ah, heart ! where once each fond affection dwelt, 
 And features yet that spoke a soul more fair. 
 Mute, gazing, agonizing, as he knelt, — 
 Of them that stood encircling his despair. 
 He heard some friendly words ; — but knew not 
 
 what they were. 
 
 XXXIII. 
 
 For now, to mourn their judge and child, arrives 
 A faithful band. With solemn rites between, 
 'Tvvas sung, how they were lovely in their lives, 
 And in their deaths had not divided been. 
 Touch'd by the music, and the melting scene. 
 Was scarce one tearless eye amidst the crowd : — 
 Stern warriors, resting on their swords, were seen 
 To veil their eyes, as pass'd each much-loved 
 
 shroud — 
 While woman's softer soul in wo dissolved aloud. 
 
48 GERTRUDE OF WYOMING. 
 
 XXXIV. 
 
 Then mournfully the parting bugle bid 
 
 Its farewell, o'er the grave of worth and truth ; 
 
 Prone to the dust, afflicted Waldegrave hid 
 
 His face on earth ; — him watch'd, in gloomy ruth. 
 
 His woodland guide : but words had none to 
 
 soothe 
 The grief that knew not consolation's name : 
 Casting his Indian mantle o'er the youth, 
 He watch'd, beneath its folds, each burst that came 
 Convulsive, ague-like, across his shuddering frame! 
 
 XXXV. 
 
 " And I could weep ;" — th' Oneida chief 
 
 His descant wildly thus begun : 
 
 " But that I may not stain with grief 
 
 The death-song of my father's son, 
 
 Or bow this head in wo ! 
 
 For by my wrongs, and by my wrath ! 
 
 To-morrow Areouski's breath, 
 
 (That fires yon heaven with storms of death,) 
 
 Shall light us to the foe ; 
 
 And we shall share, my Christian boy ! 
 
 The foeman's blood, the avenger's joy ! 
 
 XXXVI. 
 
 " But thee, my flo\/er, whose breath was given 
 By milder genii o'er the deep. 
 

 
GERTRUDE OF WYOMING. 49 
 
 The spirits of the white man's heaven 
 
 Forbid not thee to weep : — 
 
 Nor will the Christian host, 
 
 Nor will thy father's spirit grieve. 
 
 To see thee, on the battle's eve, 
 
 Lamenting, take a mournful leave 
 
 Of her who loved thee most : 
 
 She was the rainbow to thy sight ! 
 
 Thy sun — thy heaven — of lost delight ! 
 
 XXXVII. 
 
 " To-morrow let us do or die ! 
 
 But when the bolt of death is hurl'd, 
 
 Ah ! whither then with thee to fly, 
 
 Shall Outalissi roam the world ? 
 
 Seek we thy once-loved home ? 
 
 The hand is gone that cropt its flowers : • 
 
 Unheard their clock repeats its hours ! 
 
 Cold is the hearth within their bowers ! 
 
 And should we hither roam. 
 
 Its echoes, and its empty tread, 
 
 Would sound like voices from the dead ! 
 
 XXXVIII. 
 
 " Or shall we cross yon mountains blue, 
 Whose streams my kindred nation quafi^d, 
 And by my side, in battle true, 
 A thousand warriors drew the shaft? 
 
 5 
 
50 GERTRUDE OF WYOMING. 
 
 Ah ! there in desolation cold, 
 
 The desert serpent dwells alone, 
 
 Where grass o'ergrows each mouldering bone, 
 
 And stones themselves to ruin grown, 
 
 Like me, are death-like old. 
 
 Then seek we not their camp, — for there 
 
 The silence dwells of my despair ! 
 
 XXXIX. 
 
 " But hark, the trump ! — to-morrow thou 
 In glory's fires shalt dry thy tears : 
 E'en from the land of shadows now 
 My father's awful ghost appears. 
 Amidst the clouds that round us roll ! 
 He bids my soul for battle thirst — 
 He bids me dry the last — the first — 
 The only tears that ever burst 
 From Outalissi's soul ; 
 Because I may not stain with grief 
 The death-song of an Indian chief!" 
 
WYOMING. 
 
WYOMING, 
 
 ITS HISTORY. 
 
 •MUCH YET REMAINS UNSUNG. 
 
 BY WILLIAM L. STONE. 
 
 NEW- YORK : 
 
 WILEY & PUTNAM. 
 
 1841. 
 
WYOMING. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Preliminary remarks — Travelling — its facilities — Route to the Valley of 
 Wyoming from New- York. — Muskonetcong Mountain, —Delaware Wa- 
 ter-Gap,— Stroudsburg,— Kakatchlanamin Hills or Blue Mountains,— 
 the Wind-Gap, — Pokono Mountains. 
 
 The passion for travelling, so often and so habit- 
 ually spoken of as a characteristic of the English 
 people, seems to have been transmitted, with many 
 other of their national peculiarities, to their Ameri- 
 can descendants ; stimulated, moreover, to increas- 
 ed activity, by the vast extent, the enlarged commu- 
 nity of interests and feelings, and the unequalled fa- 
 cilities for conveyance, which are united in our 
 country. The magnificent steamboats and mul- 
 titudinous rail-roads which this tendency of the 
 American people, and the necessities of their un- 
 bounded commercial enterprise, have called into 
 existence, afford sufficient evidence, in their num- 
 ber and extent, of the great amount of travel at 
 all times in progress ; but to obtain a full concep- 
 tion of the locomotive propensity by which the 
 
56 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 citizens are animated, it is necessary to be a pas- 
 seno^er, during either of the summer months, on 
 board one or another of the sfio-antic steamboats 
 that ply along the principal thoroughfares of in- 
 land navigation — such, for instance, as the Hud- 
 son, the Delaware, or the Mississippi. If the boat 
 in which the adventurous observer entrusts his 
 person should happen to be one of a line engag- 
 ing at the moment in competition with a rival, 
 and therefore presenting the temptation of a charge 
 reduced almost to nothing, his understanding of 
 the eagerness for travel which animates all classes, 
 sexes, and occupations, will be all the more en- 
 larged and enlightened. 
 
 A natural consequence of this universal appetite 
 is the zeal with which new scenes and localities 
 are sought out, as the objects of touring indus- 
 try — a zeal displayed in astonishing activity by 
 the rich and novelty-loving travellers of England, 
 and only in a less degree by their fellow-explorers 
 of America. Of late years we have seen the former 
 pushing tlieir researches into the remotest quar- 
 ters of the globe — the trackless deserts of Africa, 
 the wild steppes and mountains of Central Asia, 
 the sterile plains of Russia, the dark forests of 
 Norway, the savage prairies of our Western Con- 
 tinent, and the far distant isles of the Pacific ; 
 and the latter, in the same spirit though with 
 means more limited and time less entirely at their 
 command, pushing their summer expeditions to 
 the British Provinces and the great lakes of the 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 57 
 
 Northwest — not to mention the frequency with 
 which Americans are seen or heard of among the 
 splendid capitals of Europe, or the relics of the 
 wonderful past in Africa and Asia. 
 
 Touching these last, no man of intelligence or of 
 enlaro^ed understandinsr will think for a moment 
 of censuring the spirit in which journies to behold 
 them are undertaken, probably, in the great ma- 
 jority of instances ; the spirit, doubtless, of liberal 
 curiosity and of desire for knowledge. Neverthe- 
 less, it is worthy of remark that, familiar as the 
 principal resorts of home tourists may be to thou- 
 sands upon thousands of Americans — perfectly 
 at home as they may find themselves in Washing- 
 ton, New- York, Philadelphia, Boston, duebec and 
 Montreal, and generally well informed as to the 
 main features of the country in its different re- 
 gions — there are yet very many places worthy 
 to be visited, either on account of natural attrac- 
 tions, or events of which they have been the 
 scene, or perhaps of both these causes in combi- 
 nation ; places rarely included within the range 
 of annual excursions, yet rich in scenery or in re- 
 collections, worthy to be noted by the curious in- 
 quirer, and to be enjoyed by him who seeks in 
 travel refreshment for his mind and gratification 
 for his refined and cultivated tastes. 
 
 Such is the Valley of Wyoming — exquisitely 
 beautiful in scenery, and invested by the history 
 of the past and the genius of poesy with attrac- 
 tions not less strong or enduring. Such it was 
 
68 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 found to be, greatly to his own enjoyment, by the 
 author of this unpretending volume, in an excur- 
 sion performed during the summer of 1839 ; and 
 in the hope of inducing others to procure for them- 
 selves pleasures like those which he enjoyed, he 
 has ventured to draw up from his notes a brief de- 
 scription of the scenes and objects by which he 
 was deeply interested, and which, in his humble 
 judgment, fairly entitle the lovely and far-famed 
 Valley of Wyoming to a place in the " itineraries " 
 of the United States, not less distinguished than 
 many other localities have long possessed, whose 
 claims, though more generally recognized, are 
 neither more valid nor more numerous. 
 
 Another consideration has had much to do with 
 the production of this volume — one which the 
 author has some diffidence in statins:, as its avowal 
 may subject him, though erroneously, to the 
 charge of literary presumption. The reader has 
 seen in the preceding pages, that the name of 
 Wyoming has been illustrated and adorned by 
 the genius of a great poet, and in his lay of per- 
 fect music embalmed for everlasting fame. In ex- 
 tent, wherever the English language is read or 
 spoken — in time, so long as that language shall 
 exist, either as living or dead — the Wyoming of 
 Campbell is and will be a creation lovely to the 
 heart and imagination of mankind. But the poet 
 has given to the world a creation that is only im- 
 aginary. His Wyoming is not the Wyoming of 
 prosaic reality, nor is the tale to which he has 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 59 
 
 married it in accordance with the facts of history. 
 Of course no reproach is meant for him in making 
 this declaration. His choice of materials and the 
 use he made of them were governed by the pur- 
 poses and necessities of his own art — not by 
 those of the historian ; and as the requirements of 
 his own art would have been perfectly well satis- 
 fied by a total invention of incidents, so there was 
 no obligation upon him to use any thing more 
 than such a partial foundation of reality as would 
 be sufficient for the ends he had in view. 
 
 But though no exception be taken to the poet 
 for tlie fanciful colouring he has given to events 
 so full of interest, it is perhaps not unwarrantable 
 to presume that thousands of his admiring readers 
 would desire to know the real features of that pic- 
 ture which, with his embellishments, appears so 
 lovely. Such desire would almost unavoidably 
 spring up from the natural propensity of men to 
 seek after truth ; and it would be stimulated, 
 doubtless, by curiosity to compare the real with 
 the imagined. 
 
 In this belief the author has found encourage- 
 ment to prepare his little volume for the public ; 
 while motive was furnished by the injustice done, 
 however innocently, in the poem, to a personage 
 of no mean celebrity, in whose character and life 
 the author has long felt a deep interest. It will 
 be understood, probably, that reference is made to 
 the famous Mohawk chieftain Brant — designa- 
 ted in the poem, with equal wrong to his morals 
 
60 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 and his patronymic, " the monster Brandt." Co- 
 extensive with the knowledge of the poem is the 
 wrong done to his memory by ascribing to him 
 cruelties in which he had no share, and at the 
 perpetration of which he was not even present ; and 
 although to the later editions of his poem Camp- 
 bell has appended a note, acknowledging his er- 
 ror in this respect, the Thayendanegea of history 
 is still '' the monster Brandt " to thousands who 
 derive all their knowledge of him from the death- 
 less " Gertrude of Wyoming." 
 
 A desire to contribute something toward the 
 rescue of the Indian warrior's fame, was promi- 
 nent among the considerations that led to the 
 production of the present work ; while, indepen- 
 dently of the interest with which the Yalley of 
 Wyoming has been invested by Campbell, it is 
 believed that the actual history of that beautiful 
 region, limited though it be in its geographical di- 
 mensions, is sufficiently rich in incident to war- 
 rant at least a passing notice from the muse of 
 history. In the preparation of these pages, for 
 the sake of convenience, the popular style of the 
 tourist has occasionally been adopted. 
 
 Wyoming is a section of the valley of the Sus- 
 quehanna river, situated due west of the city of 
 New- York, distant, in a direct line, about one 
 hundred miles. The usual route is across New- 
 Jersey to Easton, and the Delaware river, and 
 thence by the Wilkesbarre turnpike, through the 
 *' Wind-Gap " of the Blue Mountains, and across 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 61 
 
 the wild and far-famed Pokono. A less direct but 
 more romantic route was chosen by the writer for 
 the purpose of visiting the stupendous scenery of 
 the Delaware " Water-Gap." 
 
 From New- York to Morristown by rail-road, 
 passing through Newark, Orange, Millville and 
 Chatham. The country is agreeably diversified 
 with highland and plain — orchards and cultiva- 
 ted fields — verdant groves crowning the hills, or 
 stretching down their sides to the Passaic river 
 and its tributaries ; their superb vegetation run- 
 ning down the dales, where the rich elms and 
 willows bend their branches over the streams and 
 fountains, affording landscape-glimpses of surpas- 
 sing beauty. On the side of one of these hills, of 
 moderate elevation, sheltered from the northwest, 
 and looking into the valley of the sinuous Pas- 
 saic, stands the modest country retreat of the 
 Hon. James Kent, formerly Chief Justice, and 
 afterward Chancellor of the State of New- York. 
 The country thence to the base of Schooley's 
 Mountain — anciently called the Muskonetcong — 
 rapidly assumes a rougher aspect. The hills of- 
 ten aspire to a more respectable size, and with the 
 increasing altitude the farms appear less produc- 
 tive. Still, there are meadows and pastures "full 
 of fresh verdure," while there is beauty to be de- 
 scried in many a "winding vale" below. A brisk 
 stream laves the eastern base of the Muskonet- 
 cong. flowing to the south, and affording abundant 
 water-power for mills and manufactories. The 
 6 
 
62k HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 ascent of the mountain is by a winding road suf- 
 ficiently steep to remind one of Beattie's pathetic 
 exclamation : — 
 
 " How hard it is to climb !" 
 
 and affording a broad and beautifully variegated 
 landscape, as the traveller occasionally stops to 
 breathe and look behind. The height of the 
 mountain is probably eight hundred or a thou- 
 sand feet — not above the level of the sea, but 
 from the steppe on which it stands. At the point 
 where it is crossed by the turnpike, the top of the 
 mountain presents the surface of a plain, of per- 
 haps a mile and a half in breadth. It is suffi- 
 ciently rocky to require strength and patience in 
 its cultivation, and in its primitive condition its 
 aspect must have been most forbidding. Never- 
 theless the energies of man have triumphed over 
 its original sterility, and worse looking farms may 
 often be seen in a less rugged country. 
 
 This elevated spot has enjoyed some celebrity 
 for more than half a century, as a watering-place, 
 from the circumstance that a mineral spring flows 
 from its rocks, the waters of which are esteemed 
 excellent for bathing. There are two public 
 houses, of ancient and respectable aspect, for the 
 accommodation of boarders — those who desire to 
 apply the waters of the fountain, and those who 
 visit this place for the benefit of the elastic and 
 invigorating mountain air. The first of the two 
 large houses approached from the east, is Belmont 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 63 
 
 Hall^ generally patronised by the New-Yorkers. 
 The house is embosomed in a noble grove of oaks 
 affording a broad and grateful shade. The other 
 hotel is called the Heath House. It stands upon 
 a delightful site, and also, like its rival, wears an 
 aspect of patrician comfort. This house is the fa- 
 vourite resort of the Philadelphians. From both, 
 and indeed from the whole mountain table, the 
 prospect, on every hand, but especially toward the 
 west, affords a broad and magnificent picture — 
 extending over many a deep green valley and 
 laughing hill, even to the Blue Mountains beyond 
 tlie Delaware. 
 
 The spring gushes from a rock — or rather 
 oozes, for it has not power to gush — in a wild 
 glen three-quarters of a mile below, toward the 
 west. It is a lonely, romantic place, and a small 
 bathing-house shelters the spring. The waters 
 are slightly tinctured with iron, and are suffi- 
 ciently insipid to the taste of those who have just 
 been quaJSing from, the sparkling fountains of Sar- 
 atoga. 
 
 The descent is along the ravine already men- 
 tioned, which is deep and shadowy, and at times, 
 as wild as nature can make it. Emerging from 
 the glen, the charming valley of the Muskonetcong 
 river welcomes the traveller with a scene of pla- 
 cid beauty. Here, crossing the stream, the route 
 that had been chosen diverges toward the north, 
 through the pleasant village of Hackettstown. 
 This section of INew- Jersey is not only beautiful 
 
64 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 to the eye, but evidently fertile. As the tourist 
 leaves the valley, climbing another range of hills, 
 overlooking other magnificent pictures, and again 
 descending to the bed of another clear mountain 
 stream, the varying prospects, the free air and the 
 bright sun, with here and there a flitting mass of 
 cloud darkening for a moment a wood-girt hill, 
 afford a succession of objects for delighted con- 
 templation. 
 
 In ascending from one of these valleys, between 
 Hackettstown and Vienna, the road crosses the 
 Morris Canal, leading from Easton to Jersey City, 
 opposite to New-York. It is an important work 
 for New- York, opening, as it does, a direct pas- 
 sage by water to the coal mines of the Lehigh in 
 Pennsylvania. 
 
 At the distance of some eight or ten miles from 
 the valley of the Muskonetcong, after crossing the 
 Pequest river, and ascending a hill which aspires 
 to the character of a mountain, a landscape opens 
 to the north, of singular grandeur and magnifi- 
 cence. The Delaware Water-Gap must be more 
 than twenty miles distant, yet the eye, overlook- 
 ing many a beautiful hill and romantic valley in 
 the foreground, at once catches the bold outline 
 of the cleft mountains in the distance, strongly 
 relieved against the hoary crests of the mountains 
 yet more remote. On the left, from the same el- 
 evation, as the eye stretches over the hills beyond 
 the Delaware, the noble range of the Blue Moun- 
 tains rises in glorious prospect. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 65 
 
 At the next resting place, which is the town of 
 Hope, the notice of the stranger is attracted by the 
 peculiar construction of the inn, an ancient stone 
 edifice, unusually large for such a purpose, and 
 having a wide hall across either end, with a flight 
 of steps ascending to the second story in each. 
 It was once a Moravian Church — the United 
 Brethren having originally planted that town, as 
 a missionary post — and hence its name. The 
 feet of Zeisberger, and Zinzendorf, of Buettner, 
 and Rauch, have trodden that soil, and perhaps 
 this band of self-denying apostles themselves have 
 partaken of the sacramental cup within the very 
 walls now affording shelter and refreshment to 
 any that may choose to call. This, too, was 
 within the missionary region traversed by holy 
 Brainerd, whose principal station, while enga- 
 ged as a missionary among the Indians, was at 
 the "Forks of the Delaware," as the junc- 
 tion of the Delaware and Lehigh was called. 
 And where, now, are the dusky congregations of 
 the Aborigines to whom they preached the ever- 
 lasting Gospel?- Echo answers — ^'' Where T^ 
 The most war-like and noble of the New- Jersey 
 Indians, some of whom were of the Five Nations, 
 were planted in this section of New- Jersey when 
 the white men came. Nor was the most sao^acious 
 among them without gloomy forebodings of what 
 was to be their fate, after the pale faces should 
 obtain a permanent foothold. A sachem of one 
 of these Jersey clans, being observed to look with 
 6* 
 
66 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 solemn attention upon the great comet which ap- 
 peared in October, 1680, was asked what he 
 thought was the meaning of that prodigious and 
 wonderful object. He answered gravely — ^^ It 
 signijies that we Indians shall melt away^ like 
 the S71010 in spring, and this country he inhabi- 
 ted hy another people.''^ The forest king was a 
 prophet as well as hunter. 
 
 Five miles from Hope is Autun's ferry, over 
 which travellers are conveyed by a flat boat ; and 
 from hence it is yet seven miles to the Water- 
 Gap, over a rugged road, but through scenery 
 most beautifully wild and romantic. The course 
 of the road is for the most part upon the elevated 
 margin of the river, bright glimpses of which of- 
 ten appear through the trees, like tiny lakes of li- 
 quid silver, below. At length the traveller enters 
 the gorge of the mountains — the road winding 
 along their base, beneath their frowning peaks — 
 narrow, and often upon the very verge of a gulf, 
 rendered more appalling by the dimness of the 
 light, and his ignorance of its depth. 
 
 Geologists suppose the deep, winding chasm 
 through this stupendous range of mountains to 
 have been wrought by some mighty convulsion 
 of nature, by which the rocks were cloven, and a 
 passage formed for the river, the waters of which 
 must have previously flowed through some other 
 channel. The distance from the southern en- 
 trance of tlic pass to tlic hotel, which stands upon 
 a subdued jutting promontory, toward its northern 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 67 
 
 termination, is only two miles, but at least an hour 
 is general 1 y employed in overcoming it, and at night 
 the time seems two. The tourist, however, can- 
 not enjoy to the full the grandeur of the scene, 
 and the feelings of elevated though chastened de- 
 light incident to its contemplation, without study- 
 ing it by night, as well as by day. Sensations of 
 solemn grandeur are awakened by threading a 
 chasm profound and solitary like this, in the 
 gloom of night, studying the sharp outlines of the 
 mountains against the sky, and occasionally catch- 
 ing a glimpse of a precipice beetling over the gulf, 
 by the aid of a casual mass of light thrown against 
 it by the fitful moon, and rendering the shadows 
 below denser and more palpable. 
 
 Less thrilling, though not less sublime, and 
 more beautiful, is the view of this wild Alpine 
 landscape in the early morning of a bright day. 
 The masses of naked rocks, on the eastern side of 
 the river toward the southern gorge, rising to an 
 elevation of eight hundred or a thousand feet, in 
 some places as upright and smooth as though a 
 creation of art, and at others spiked, ragged and 
 frowning, are comparatively undistinguishable 
 while obscured by the raven wing of night. But 
 their dusky sublimity is greatly enhanced when 
 revealed to the eye in their unclouded majesty 
 and grandeur by the light of day. In the gray 
 of the morning, before yet the sun has gilded their 
 tops, standing upon the jutting point already men- 
 tioned as the site of the hotel, almost the entire 
 
68 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 section comprising" this remarkable passage is dis- 
 tinctly in view, — gloomy from the yet nnretreat- 
 ing shade, — and disclosing the abrupt sinuosities 
 of the river, together with all the irregularities of 
 rock and mountain incident to such a formation ; 
 — the mountains, for the most part, clothed with 
 wood to their summits, and the whole scene as 
 wild and fresh as though just from the hand of 
 nature. Low in the gulf, at the base of the moun- 
 tains, a cloud of milk-white vapor sleeps upon 
 the bosom of the river. In the course of half 
 an hour, with a change of temperature in the su- 
 perincumbent atmosphere, the vapor begins to 
 ascend, and a gentle current of air wafts it, as by 
 the sweet soft breathing of morn herself, without 
 breaking the cloud, to the western side of the 
 river. There, for a while, it hangs in angel white- 
 ness, like a zone of silver belting the mountain. 
 Below, along the whole course of the gulf, the 
 sides of the mountains are yet clad in solemn and 
 shadowy drapery, while in bright and glorious 
 contrast the sun havihor at lensfth bcmni climb- 
 ing the sky in good earnest, their proud crests are 
 now glittering with golden radiance. 
 
 By climbing a mountain behind the hotel to the 
 northwest, and looking into the chasm toward the 
 south, a fine view of the zig-zag course of the 
 river is aflbrded, down to the second turn, where 
 its deep narrow volume is apparently brought to 
 an end by the intervention of the buttress of rock 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 69 
 
 on the Jersey shore, already adverted to. But the 
 best position for surveying the whole pass, and 
 enjoying its sublimity to entire satisfaction, is 
 from a small boat paddled along leisurely upon 
 the river through the gulf The maps furnish 
 no just idea of the channel of the river through 
 the gap — the actual course resembling the sharp 
 curvatures of an angry serpent before he is coiled, 
 or rather, perhaps, this section of the river would 
 be best delineated by a line like a letter m . The 
 general height of the mountain barriers is about 
 sixteen hundred feet. They are all very precipi- 
 tous ; and while sailing along their bases in a 
 skiff, their dreadful summits, some of them, seem 
 actually to hang beetling over the head. This is 
 especially the case with the Jersey mountains — 
 the surfaces of which, next the river, as already 
 stated, are of bare rock, lying in regular blocks, in 
 long ranges, as even as though hewn, and laid in 
 stratifications, like stupendous masonry — "the 
 masonry of God !" 
 
 Not far from the hotel, among the mountains 
 above, is a small lake, which has been dammed 
 at the foot, and converted into a trout-pond. By 
 opening a sluice-gate, an artificial cataract can at 
 any time be formed by the waters of the lake, 
 which come rushing down a precipitous rock two 
 or three hundred feet into the embrace of the 
 river, as though leaping for joy at their liberation. 
 The scene of the Water-Gap, as a whole, and as 
 
70 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 a point of attraction for the lovers of nature in 
 her wildness and grandeur, by far transcends the 
 highlands of Hudson's river, or even the yet more 
 admired region of the Horicon.* 
 
 Unless the tourist descends by the course of the 
 river, twenty miles, to Easton, the route from the 
 Water-Gap to Wyoming is by Stroudsburg, flank- 
 ing the Kittaninny,f or Bkie Mountains ; thence 
 southwest, travelling: alonor their western side to 
 intersect the Easton and Wilkesbarre turnpike, at 
 a notch through that range of mountains, called 
 the Wind-Gap. The coarse is north, two and a 
 half miles along the Delaware, to the estuary of 
 a considerable and rapid stream, called Brod- 
 head's Creek, by the moderns, from the name of 
 one of the first white settlers of the country. The 
 Indian name, far more euphonious, is Analomink. 
 Thence west to Stroudsburg. This is a pleasant- 
 ly situated village, the planting of which was 
 commenced by a gentleman named Stroud, before 
 the war of the American revolution. It stands 
 upon a sweet plain, having a mountain for an ev- 
 erlasting prospect on the south, between which 
 and the village flows the Pokono Creek, descend- 
 ing from the mountain range of that name, and 
 uniting with the Analomink in its neighbour- 
 hood. Stroudsburg is the shire town of Munroe 
 
 ♦ The Indian name of Lake George. 
 
 t Kiltaninny is the modern orthography. The ancient was " the Kakatch- 
 lannniin Hills." Rut Uio name is sptit in almost as many different ways 
 aa there are books and manuscripts in which the range is mentioned. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 71 
 
 County. The settlements at this place, during 
 the French war of 1755 — 1763, formed the north- 
 ern frontier of Pennsylvania, and were within the 
 territory of the Minisink Indians, or Monseys, as 
 they were sometimes called. The chain of mili- 
 tary posts erected by the colony of Pennsylvania, 
 extending from the Delaware to the Potomac, was 
 commenced at this point ; and the celebrated chief 
 of the Lenelenoppes, or Delaware Indians, Teed- 
 yuscung, was occasionally a resident here. This 
 chieftain was an able man, who played a distin- 
 guished but subtle part during the border troub- 
 les of the French war, particularly toward the 
 close of his life. He was charged with treachery 
 toward the English, and perhaps justly: and yet 
 candour demands the acknowledgment, that he 
 did not take up the hatchet against them without 
 something more than a plausible reason ; while 
 by so doing, he was the means of restoring to his 
 people something of the dignity characteristic of 
 his race, but which had almost disappeared under 
 the oppression of the Six Nations. He was pro- 
 fessedly a convert to the Moravian Missionaries ; 
 but those who have written of him have held that 
 he reflected little credit upon the faith of his new 
 spiritual advisers. But whether injustice may not 
 have been done him in this respect also, is a ques- 
 tion upon which much light will be thrown in a 
 subsequent chapter. He came to a melancholy 
 end : but it is not necessary to anticipate the pro- 
 
72 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 gress of events, soon to be unfolded for consider- 
 ation in their regular order. 
 
 The country immediately west of the Blue 
 Mountains, at least as far in either direction as it 
 could be viewed from the ancient tavern in the 
 vicinity of the Gap of iEolus, is exceedingly wild 
 and forbidding. A deep and gloomy ravine, 
 
 " Tangled with fern and intricate with thorn," 
 
 interposes between the base of the mountain and 
 the partially cultivated land beyond, and the Kit- 
 taninny itself is darkly wooded, on that side, to 
 its crest. During the first ten miles of the dis- 
 tance toward Wyoming, the country is exceed- 
 ingly hilly, and for the most part but indifferently 
 cultivated — albeit an occasional farm presents an 
 exception. Several of the hills are steep, and 
 high, and broad. In the direction of Pokono 
 Mountain the country becomes more wild and 
 rugged — affording, of course, at every turn, and 
 from the top of every hill, extensive prospects, and 
 ever-changing landscapes, diversified with wood- 
 lands, cornfields, farm houses, rocks and glens. 
 
 When the summit of Pokono is attained, the 
 traveller is upon the top of that wild and desolate 
 table of Pennsylvania, extending for upward of 
 a hundred miles, between and parallel with the 
 Delaware and Susquehanna rivers, and from twen- 
 ty to thirty-five miles in breadth. Behind Iiim is 
 a noble landscape of wooded hills and cultivated 
 valleys, bounded eastward and south, by the Blue 
 
HISTORY OE WYOMING. 73 
 
 Mountains, which form a branching range of the 
 Alleghanies. The Wind-Gap is distinctly and 
 beautifully in sight. But facing westwardly, and 
 glancing toward the north, and the south, the 
 prospect is as dreary as naked rocks, and shrub 
 oaks, and stunted pines, and a death-like solitude 
 can make it. The general surface is rough and 
 broken, hills rising, and valleys sinking, by fifties, 
 if not by hundreds, over tlie whole broad moun- 
 tain surface. In many places, for miles, there is 
 no human habitation in view, and no one bright 
 or cheerful spot upon which the eye can repose. 
 The gloom, if not the grandeur, of a large portion 
 of this inhospitable region, is increased by the cir- 
 cumstance that it is almost a continuous morass, 
 across which the turnpike is formed by a cause- 
 way of logs, insufficiently covered with earth, and 
 bearing the appropriate name of a corduroy road.* 
 The next stopping place is in the valley of the 
 Tobyhanna, a black looking tributary of the Le- 
 hiofh — eio:ht miles. Now and then, sometimes 
 
 CO ' 
 
 at the distance of one mile, and again at the dis- 
 tance of three or four, is passed a miserable hu- 
 man dwelling : but the country presents the same 
 sullen, rude, uncultivable character. From the 
 Tobyhanna to Stoddardsville, on the dreary banks 
 of the Lehigh itself, is another eight miles of most 
 enormous length. There are ravines, and more 
 
 *This route was first cut through by General Sullivan, for the passage of 
 hie army in the celebrated campaign against the country of the Six Nations) 
 in 1779. 
 
 7 
 
74 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 gentle valleys, but they are not fertile. There are 
 hills, but they are sterile and forbidding — shag- 
 ged with brambles, or destitute of all comely veg- 
 etation. The waters of the Lehigh, oozing from 
 fens and marshes, are dark and angry as the Styx. 
 The axes of the lumbermen, and the fires repeat- 
 edly kindled to sweep over the mountains by the 
 ruthless hunters, have long since destroyed the 
 native forest-pines ; and in their stead the whole 
 country has been covered with dwarfs — oak and 
 pine — among which, standing here and there in 
 blackened solitude, may be seen the scathed trunk 
 of a yet unfallen primitive. In the contemplation 
 of such an impracticable mass of matter as this 
 extended mountain range presents, one cannot 
 but apply the language of Dr. Johnson relative to 
 some portions of the highlands of Scotland, who 
 characterizes it as matter which has apparently 
 been the fortuitous production of the fighting ele- 
 ments ; matter, incapable of power and usefulness, 
 dismissed by nature from her care, or quickened 
 only by one sullen power of useless vegetation. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 VVilkesbarre — The landscape — Indian names of Wyoming — The Dola- 
 warcs and their origin — Ancient remains — The Shawanese sent lo Wyo- 
 ming — Kelations between the Delawares and Six Nations — Indian Coun- 
 cil at Philadelphia, in 1742 — Canassateego — his speech — The Delawares 
 driven to Wyoming — Tradition of the Delawares respecting their submis- 
 sion to the Six Nations — Refutation by General Harrison. 
 
 The first glance into the far-famed Valley of Wy- 
 oming, travelling westwardly, is from the brow of 
 the Pokono mountain range, below which it lies 
 at the depth of a thousand feet, distinctly defined 
 by the double barrier of nearly parallel mountains, 
 between which it is embosomed. There is a beet- 
 ling precipice upon the verge of the eastern bar- 
 rier, called "Prospect Rock," from the top of which 
 nearly the entire valley can be surveyed at a sin- 
 gle view, forming one of the richest and most 
 beautiful landscapes upon which the eye of man 
 ever rested. Through the centre of the valley 
 flows the Susquehanna, the winding course of 
 which can be traced the whole distance. Several 
 green islands slumber sweetly in its embrace, while 
 the sight revels amidst the garniture of fields and 
 woodlands, and to complete the picture, low in the 
 
76 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 distance may be dimly seen the borough of Wilkes- 
 Barre* ; especially the spires of its churches. 
 
 The hotel at which the traveller rests in Wilkes- 
 barre is upon the margin of the river, the waters 
 of which are remarkably transparent and pure, ex- 
 cepting in the seasons of the spring and autumnal 
 floods. But a few rods above a noble bridge spans 
 the river, leading from Wilkesbarre to the opposite 
 town of Kingston. From the observatory of the 
 hotel a full view of the whole valley is obtained — 
 or rather, in a clear atmosphere, the steep wild 
 mountains, by which the valley is completely shut 
 in, rise on every hand with a distinctness which 
 accurately defines its dimensions, — while the val- 
 ley itself, especially on the western, or opposite side 
 of the river, presents a viev/ of several small towns, 
 or scattered villages, planted along, but back from 
 the river, at the distance of a few miles apart, — 
 the whole intervening and contiguous territory 
 beins: divided into farms, and orardens. with fruit 
 and ornamental trees. Comfortable farm-houses 
 are thickly studded over the valley ; among which 
 are not a few more aml)itious dwellings, denoting 
 by their air, and the disposition of their grounds, 
 both wealth and taste. Midway through the val- 
 ley winds the river, its banks adorned with grace- 
 ful and luxuriant foliage, and disclosing at every 
 turn some bright spot of beauty. On the eastern 
 
 * Tins compound was formed, and bestowed upon this borough as its 
 name, in honour of John Wilkes and Colonel Barre — names famous in tho 
 anuals of British politics at the time when it was planted by the whites. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 77 
 
 side, in the rear of the borough, and for a few miles 
 north, the dead level of the valley is rendered still 
 more picturesque, by being broken into swelling 
 elevations and lesser valleys, adorned in spots with 
 groves and clumps of trees, with the ivy and other 
 creeping parasites, as upon the river's brink, cling- 
 ing to their branches and adding beauty to the 
 graceful foliage. The village or borough of Wilkes- 
 barre, so far as the major part of the buildings are 
 to be taken into the account, is less beautiful than 
 it might be. Nevertheless there are a goodly num- 
 ber of well built and genteel houses, to which, and 
 the pleasant gardens attached, the pretty couplet 
 of the poet might be applied : — 
 
 Tall trees o'ershade them, creepers fondly grace 
 Lattice and porch, and sweetest flowers embrace. 
 
 The people are for the most part the sons and 
 daughters of New-England, and have brought with 
 them into this secluded region the simple manners 
 and habits, and the piety of their fathers. 
 
 This valley of Wyoming is rich in its historical 
 associations, even of days long preceding the events 
 of the American revolution, which were the occa- 
 sion of its consecration in the deathless song pre- 
 fixed to the present narrative. The length of the 
 valley, from the Lackawannock Gap, where the 
 Susquehanna plunges into it through a narrow de- 
 file of high rocky mountains at the north, to a like 
 narrow pass called the Nanticoke Gap, at the south, 
 is nearly twenty miles — averaging about three 
 miles in width. As already mentioned, it is walled 
 7* 
 
78 HISTORY OF -WYOMING. 
 
 in by ranges of steep mountains of about one thou- 
 sand feet in height upon the eastern side, and eight 
 hundred feet upon the western. These mountains 
 are very irregular in their formation, having eleva- 
 ted points, and deep ravines, or openings, which are 
 called gaps. They are in general yet as wild as 
 when discovered, and are clothed with pines, dwarf 
 oaks and laurels, interspersed with other descrip- 
 tions of woods — deciduous and eversfreen. 
 
 Like many other places of which the red man 
 has been dispossessed, and which may previously 
 have belonged to different clans or tribes of the 
 same race, this valley has been known by a vari- 
 ety of names. By the Lenelenoppes, or Delawares, 
 its original proprietors, so far as its history is 
 known, the valley was called Maugh-ioaii-wa-me^ 
 or The Large Meadows. The Five Nations, who 
 conquered it from the Delawares, called it tS^gah- 
 on-to-wa-Jio, or The Large Flats. The early 
 German missionaries, Moravians, catching the 
 sound as nearly as they could, wrote the name ik/'- 
 chioeiiivami. Other corruptions and pronuncia- 
 tions succeeded, anlong which were Wiomic^ Wa- 
 jomic/c, Wf/o?)iin/Cj and lastly Wyoming^ which 
 will not soon be changed. 
 
 The territory forming the states of Pennsylvania, 
 New- Jersey, Delaware, and part of Maryland, was 
 principally in the occupancy of the Lenelenoppes, 
 consisting of many distinct tribes and sub-divi- 
 sions, at the time of the settlement of the country 
 by the Europeans. The name Delaware was 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 79 
 
 given them by the English, after the name they 
 had bestowed upon the river along which their 
 larger towns were situated, in honour of Lord De 
 la Warr* There were indeed clans or military 
 colonies of the Aquanuschioni,or "United People;' 
 the Maquas or Mengwes of the Datch, and the Iro- 
 quois of the French, but chiefly known in Amer- 
 ican history as the Five, and afterward the Six 
 Nations, already among them, both within the ter- 
 ritory now forming New- Jersey and Pennsylvania. 
 But these were not large, and the Lenelenoppes, 
 or Original People^ as the name denotes, com- 
 posed the great majority. f 
 
 It is said by those who are skilled in Indian re- 
 searches, that the Lenelenoppes, although claim- 
 ing thus to be the original people, were not original- 
 ly the occupants of the country in the possession of 
 which they were found ; but that they came hither 
 from toward the setting sun — that terra incognita 
 " the great west." According to their own tradi- 
 tions, when on their way they found strong na- 
 tions, having regular military defences, in the 
 country of the Mississippi, whom they conquered. 
 Pursuing their course toward the east, Ihey took 
 possession of the sea coast from the Hudson river 
 to the Potomac, including the country of the Dela- 
 
 * The [ndian name of the Delaware was Maku-isk-kiskan. 
 
 ■f The Lenelenoppes, at that time, consisted of the Assumpinks, Rankokas, 
 (Ln.mikas, or Chickaquaas,) Andastakas, Neshaminies, Shackmaxons, Man-- 
 tas, Minisinks, and Mandes ; and within what is now Nevv-Jersey, the Narra- 
 licongs, Capitinasscs, Gachcos, Munseyg, and Pomptons. — Vide Proud's 
 Pennsylvania. 
 
80 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 ware and Susquehanna rivers, to their sources. 
 In the allotment of their newly acquired territory, 
 one of their tribes, the Mnnseys, or Minisinks, 
 planted themselves in the region between the 
 Kittatinnunk,* or Blue Mountains, and the Sus- 
 quehanna. One large division of their tribe kin- 
 dled their council fire at Minisink, and another in 
 the valley of Wyoming — formerly occupied by 
 the Susquehannocks, — once a powerful nation 
 which had been exterminated by the Aquanuschi- 
 oni. Whether there be any just foundation for 
 the legends of the Delawares, as to their battles 
 and conquests over a people so far in advance of 
 themselves in the art of war as to have reared 
 strong and extensive military works, or not, it is 
 nevertheless certain, from the character and extent 
 of the tumuli existing in the valley of Wyoming 
 when taken possession of by the pale faces, and 
 from the fact that large oaks were growing upon 
 some of the mounds, that the country, centuries 
 before, had been in the possession of a race of men 
 far in advance of the Delawares in the arts of civ- 
 ilization and war. 
 
 There was a time when the Shawanese Indians, 
 who had been driven from their own country, in 
 what is now Georgia and Florida, by a nation or 
 nations more powerful than themselves, occupied, 
 by permission, a portion of territory at the forks of 
 the Delaware ; but finding them to be troublesome 
 
 * Anolhcr variation in the orthography of these mountains. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 81 
 
 neighbours, the Delawares, then in their gi'eatest 
 numbers residing farther down the river, com- 
 pelled them to remove — assigning to their use the 
 valley of Wyoming, (whence the Munseys had re- 
 tired back to the Delaware,) and a portion of the 
 territory farther down the Susquehanna, at Sha- 
 mokin. Thither the Shawanese removed — plant- 
 ing themselves anew at both points. In Wyoming 
 they built their town upon the west side of the 
 river, below the present town of Kingston, upon 
 what are to this day called the Shawanese Flats. 
 It is difficult to determine the question as to 
 the exact relations subsisting between the Dela- 
 wares and the Five Nations, at the period under 
 consideration. The latter, it is well known, had 
 carried their arms south to the Tennessee, and 
 claimed the jurisdiction of the entire country from 
 the Sorel, in Canada, south of the Great Lakes, to 
 the junction of the Ohio with the Mississippi, and 
 to the Atlantic coast, from the Santee to the estu- 
 ary of the Hudson, by the right of conquest. Over 
 tlie Delawares they claimed, and, at times, exer- 
 cised, sovereign power, in the most dictatorial 
 and arbitrary manner, although the venerable and 
 excellent ireckewelder, ever the champion of the 
 Delawares, labours hard to show that the lat- 
 ter were never conquered by them. Brant, the 
 celebrated Mohawk chieftain, than whose au- 
 thority there is none better upon such a subject, 
 in a letter to the Rev. Dr. Miller of Princeton, 
 never yet published, claimed but a quasi sove- 
 
82 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 reignty for the Aquanuschioni over the Dela- 
 wares. But there was a transaction in 1742, 
 which shows that the latter were at that time in 
 a situation of the most abject subordination to the 
 Six Nations ;* and Proud says this confederacy 
 " had held sovereignty over all the Indians, both 
 in Pennsylvania and the neighbouring provinces, 
 for a long series of years."f Though apparently 
 a digression, yet the transaction referred to is 
 nevertheless intimately connected with the histo- 
 ry of Wyoming, and a rapid review of the inci- 
 dent referred to cannot be out of place. 
 
 In the summer of 1742, an Indian council was 
 convened in Philadelphia, upon the invitation of 
 Lieutenant Governor George Thomas, at that 
 time administerins: the gfovernment of the Pro- 
 prietaries, as William Penn and his successors 
 were styled. The council was numerously at- 
 tended, large delegations being present from each 
 of the Six Nations, excepting the Senecas. Of 
 these there were but three chiefs at the council — 
 that nation having been prevented sending a 
 stronger deputation by reason of a famine in their 
 country, '' so great that a father had been com- 
 pelled to sacrifice a part of his family, even his 
 own children, for the support and preservation of 
 
 * Early in the eighteenth century the Five Nations were increased to Six, 
 
 by the addition of tlie Tuscaroras, from North Carolina. The Five Nations 
 
 adopted and transplanted them on account of a similarity in their language 
 
 to their own, inducing the belief that they were originally of the same stock. 
 
 t Proud's Pennsylvania, vol. ii. p. 293. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 83 
 
 himself and the other part."* There seem like- 
 wise to have been no Mohawks present.f But 
 the Delawares, several tribes of them, were repre- 
 sented. The chief object for the convocation of 
 this council was " to kindle a new fire," and 
 "strengthen the chain of friendship " with the In- 
 dians, in anticipation of a war with France- Oth- 
 er subjects were brought before the council for 
 consideration. Among them, the Governor pro- 
 duced a quantity of goods — being, as he remark- 
 ed in his speech, a balance due the Indians for a 
 section of the valley of the Susquehanna, "on 
 both sides of the river," which had been purchased 
 of the Six Nations six years before. Canassatee- 
 go, a celebrated Onondaga chief, who was the 
 principal speaker on the part of the Indians dur- 
 ing the protracted sittings of the council, recog- 
 nised the sale of the land. But in the course of 
 their discussions, he took occasion to rebuke the 
 whites for trespassing upon the unceded lands 
 northward of the Kittochtinny Hills, and also up- 
 on the Juniata. " That country," said Canassa- 
 teego, " belongs to us, in right of conquest ; we 
 havinof bousfht it with our blood, and taken it 
 from our enemies in fair war." J 
 
 * Opening speech of Governor Tboraas to the Six Nations. Vide Colden'8 
 Canada, Appendix, p. 59. 
 
 t To illustrate, in part, the changes which Indian names undergo, in the 
 process of writing them by different hands, it may be noted that at this coun- 
 cil, Onondagas was spelt Onontorros ; Cayugas, Caiyoquoa ; Oneidas, ^noy- 
 ints ; Senecas, Jenontowanos ; Tuscaroras, Tuscaroros. 
 
 tin regard to this complaint of the encroachments of the white settlers 
 upon their lands, it appears that it had been preferred before. Gov. Thomas, 
 
84 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 This, however, was not the principal transac- 
 tion of the council establishing the fact that the 
 Six Nations were in the exercise of absolute pow- 
 er over the Delawares. On the fourth day of the 
 council, the acting Governor called the attention 
 of the Six Nations to the conduct of " a branch of 
 their cousins, the Delawares," in regard to a sec- 
 tion of territory, at the Forks of the river, which 
 the Proprietaries had purchased of them fifty-five 
 years before, but from which the Indians had re- 
 fused to remove. The consequence had been a 
 series of unpleasant disturbances between the 
 white settlers and the red-men ; and as the latter 
 were ever prompt in calling upon the Proprie- 
 taries to remove white intruders from their lands, 
 the acting Governor now in turn called upon the 
 Six Nations to remove those Indians from the 
 lands at tiie Forks, which had been purchased 
 and paid for in good faith such a long while ago. 
 
 After three days' consideration, the Indians 
 came again into council, when Canasseteego 
 opened the proceedings by saying that they had 
 carefully examined the case, and " had seen with 
 their own eyes," that their cousins had been " a 
 very unruly people," and were " altogether in the 
 wrong." They had therefore determined to re- 
 move them. Then turning to the Delawares, and 
 
 in reply, stated tliat the Proprietaries had endeavoured to prevent those intra • 
 sions, and had sent magistrates expressly to remove them. To which Ca- 
 nasseteego rejoined — "They did not do their duty ; so far from removing 
 tho people, they leagued with the trespassers, and made surveys for them- 
 selves !" Tliua has it been with the poor Indians always. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 85 
 
 holding a belt of wampum in his hand, he spoke 
 to them as follows : 
 
 " Cousins ! Let this belt of wampum serve to 
 chastise you ! You ought to be taken by the hair 
 of the head and shaken severely, till you recover 
 your senses and h&eome sober. You don't know 
 what ground you stand on, nor what you are do- 
 ing. Our brother Onas's* cause is very just and 
 plain, and his intentions are to preserve friend- 
 ship. On the other hand, your cause is bad ; 
 your heart far from being upright ; and you are 
 maliciously bent to break the chain of friendship 
 with our brother Onas, and his people. We have 
 seen with our eyes a deed signed by nine of your 
 ancestors above fifty years ago, for this very land, 
 and a release signed, not many years since, by 
 some of yourselves and chiefs now living, to the 
 number of fifteen or upward. But how came 
 you to take upon you to sell land at all ? We 
 conquered you ; we made women of you ; you 
 know you are women, and can no more sell land 
 than women. Nor is it fit you should have the 
 power of selling lands, since you would abuse it. 
 This land that you claim has gone through your 
 bellies ; you have been furnished with clothes, 
 meat and drink, by the goods paid you for it ; 
 and now you want it again, like children — as you 
 are ! But what makes you sell land in the dark? 
 
 * Onasy in the Indian tongue, signifies Pen, and was the name by which 
 they always addressed the Governors of Pennsylvania, in honour of its foun- 
 der. 
 
 8 
 
86 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 Did you ever tell us that you had sold this land ? 
 Did we ever receive any part, even the value of 
 a pipe-shank, from you for it ? You have told 
 us a blind story,* that you sent a messenger to 
 us to inform us of the sale ; but he never came 
 among us, nor did we even hear any thing about 
 it. This is acting in the dark, and very different 
 from the conduct our Six Nations observe in the 
 sales of land. On such occasions they give pub- 
 lic notice, and invite all the Indians of their Uni- 
 ted Nations, and give them all a share of the 
 presents they receive for their lands. This is the 
 behaviour of the wise United Nations. But we 
 find you are none of our blood : you act a dis- 
 honest part, not only in this, but in other matters: 
 your ears are ever open to slanderous reports 
 about your brethren : you receive them with as 
 much greediness as lewd women receive the em- 
 braces of bad men. And for these reasons, we 
 charge you to remove instantly. We don't orive 
 you the liberty to think about it. You are wo- 
 men. Take the advice of a wise man, and re- 
 move immediately. You may return to the other 
 side of the Delaware, where you came from. But we 
 do not know whether, considering how you have 
 demeaned yourselves, you will be permitted to 
 live there ; or whether you have not swallowed 
 that land down your throats, as well as the land 
 on this side. We therefore assign you two places 
 
 * Referring, probably, to explanations the Dclawarcs had attempted to give 
 in their private consultations. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 87 
 
 to go to — either to Wyoming, or Shamokin. 
 You may go to either of these places, and then we 
 shall have you more under our eye, and shall see 
 how you behave. Don't deliberate, but remove 
 away, and take this belt of wampum." 
 
 This speech having been translated into Eng- 
 lish, and also into the Delaware tongue, Canassa- 
 teego took another string of wampum, and pro- 
 ceeded : — 
 
 "Cousins ! After our just reproof and absolute 
 order to depart from the land, you are now to 
 take notice of what we have farther to say to you. 
 This string of wampum serves to forbid you, 
 your children and grand-children, to the latest 
 posterity, forever, meddling with land affairs. 
 Neither you, nor any that shall descend from you, 
 are ever hereafter to presume to sell any land : 
 for which purpose you are to preserve this string 
 in memory of what your uncles have this day 
 given you in charge. We have some other busi- 
 ness to transact with our brethren, and therefore 
 depart the council, and consider what has been 
 said to you."* 
 
 * Canassateego was famous as an orator and counsellor among the Onon- 
 dagas, and his counsels and memory were cherished by the people of the Six 
 Nations, for a long number of years. Dr. Franklin has somewhere related an 
 amusing anecdote of him, the point of which lies in the circumstance of his 
 visiting Albany once, to sell his furs, and going to church with Hans Jansen. 
 the merchant to whom he expected to sell them. Canassateego took it into 
 his head, during the service, that the minister was preaching about him and 
 his furs. And he was confirmed in this opinion after church, from the fact 
 that Jansen offered him six pence per pound less, than he had done before 
 the service. Everybody else, moreover, to whom he afterward offered to sell 
 his furs, would only give him three and sLxpence per pound after church, in- 
 
88 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 There was no diplomatic mincing of words in 
 the speech of the Onondaga chieftain. He spoke 
 not only with the blimtness of unsophisticated 
 honesty, but with the air of one having authority, 
 nor dared the Delawares to disobey his peremp- 
 tory command. They immediately left the coun- 
 cil, and soon afterward removed from the disput- 
 ed territory — some few of them to Shamokin,* 
 but the greater portion to Wyoming. The whole 
 tenour of the speech, moreover, goes to establish 
 the fact that the Delawares were the depend- 
 ants — indeed the abject subjects — of the Aqua- 
 nuschioni, or Mengwe, as the Six Nations have 
 been frequently called by modern writers. But 
 the questions how, and at what time, the Lenele- 
 noppes were brought into such a humiliating con- 
 dition, cannot be answered with precision. The 
 Delawares themselves pretend that they were be- 
 guiled into a surrender of their national and poli- 
 tical manhood, and Mr. Heckewelder has attempt- 
 stead of four shillinjTs per pound, as Iiad been oflTererl before. The old chief 
 therefore concluded that the minister had been preaching down the price of 
 bis beaver-skins, and he had no good opinion of the "black coats" after- 
 ward. It is stated by some authoritios, that he was accompanied by two 
 hundred and thirty warriors on his visit to Philadelphia to attend the coun- 
 cil spoken of in the text. 
 
 ♦Shamokin was an Indian town at the junction of the cast and west 
 branches of the Susquehanna, sixty miles below Wyoming. It was a sort of 
 military colony of the Six Nations, and the residence of;he celebraied Cay- 
 uga chief Shickcalamy, or ShikeUimus, the father of the yet more celebrated 
 Logan, the chief who has been immortalized by Mr. Jefferson in his Notes on 
 Virginia. Shamokin stood upon the site of the present town of Northuraber. 
 land, where Dr. Priestley spent the latter days of his life, and died. Logan 
 was named after James Logan, the companion of Penn — a learned man — 
 for a long time secretary of the colony, and greatly beloved by the ludians. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 89 
 
 ed to sustain the pretension. According to their 
 tradition, the Mengwe and Lenelenoppes had long 
 been at war, and the advantages were with the 
 latter, until for their own common safety the 
 league of the Five Nations was formed. Strength- 
 ened by this union, the fortunes of war began to 
 turn in their favour — especially as they were 
 soon afterward supplied with fire-arms by the 
 Dutch, who were now engaged in colonizing the 
 country of the Hudson river. By the aid of fire- 
 arms the Mengwe were enabled for a time to con- 
 tend both with the Lenelenoppes and their new 
 enemies on the north — the French ; but finding 
 themselves at length severely pressed, they hit 
 upon the stratagem by which their older enemy 
 was caught with guile, and disarmed by reason 
 of his own magnanimity. Among the Indians it 
 is held to be cowardly for a warrior to sue for 
 peace. Having taken up the hatchet, he must 
 retain it, however weary of the contest, until his 
 enemy is humbled, or peace restored by some for- 
 tuitous means other than a direct application for 
 a truce by himself. It is not so, however, with their 
 women, who frequently become mediators, else 
 their wars would be interminable. They often 
 throw themselves as it were between contending 
 tribes, and plead for peace with great pathos and 
 effect ; for notwithstanding the common opinion 
 to the contrary, there is no people on earth among 
 whom woman exercises greater influence than she 
 does upon the aboriginals of America. <' Not a 
 8* 
 
90 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 warrior," they would say, on such occasions, — 
 " but laments the loss of a son, a brother, or a 
 friend. And mothers, who have borne with 
 cheerfulness the pangs of child-birth, and the anx- 
 iety that waits upon the infancy and ripening ma- 
 turity of their sons, behold their promised bles- 
 sings laid low upon the war-path, or perishing at 
 the stake in unutterable torments." ''In the depth 
 of their grief, they curse their wretched existence, 
 and shudder at the idea of child-bearing. They 
 were wont, therefore, to conjure their warriors, on 
 account of their suffering wives, their helpless 
 children, their homes and their friends, to inter- 
 change forgiveness, to throw down their hatchets, 
 and, smoking together the pipe of peace, embrace 
 as friends those whom they had regarded only as 
 enemies."* Appeals like these would naturally 
 find a response, even from the most savage heart ; 
 and the Delawares allege that the Six Nations, 
 availing themselves of this humane characteristic 
 of the Indian race, by artful appeals to their hu- 
 manity and benevolence, persuaded them, as the 
 only means of saving the red-men from utter ex- 
 tinction by reason of their own frequent and bloody 
 wars, to assume the character of women, in order 
 that they might be qualified to act as general me- 
 diators. In reply to their objections, it was urged 
 upon them by their dissembling foes, that although 
 it would indeed be derogatory for a small and fee- 
 
 * Heckcwclder, and Gordon's History of Pennsylvania. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 91 
 
 ble nation to assume the feminine character, yet a 
 great and strong nation, of approved valour, like 
 the Delawares, could not only take that step with 
 impunity, but win immortal renown for their 
 magnanimity. In an evil hour, and in a moment 
 of blind confidence, the Delawares yielded to the 
 importunity of the Mengwe, and formally as- 
 sumed the petticoat. The ceremony, as the Del- 
 awares affirm, was performed at Albany, or rather 
 Fort Orange, about the year 1617, in the presence 
 of the Dutch garrison — whom they charge as 
 having aided the Mengwe in their artful scheme 
 to subdue without conquering them. The arro- 
 gance of the Six Nations, and the rights which 
 they assumed over them of protection and com- 
 mand, soon taught the Delawares the extent of 
 the treachery that had been practised against 
 them. But it was then too late. 
 
 Such is the clumsy manner in which the Del- 
 awares endeavour to account for the degraded re- 
 lation in which they so long stood in respect to 
 the Six Nations. But " Credat Judceus Apellay 
 The story of the Six Nations has always been 
 consistent upon the subject, viz : that the Dela- 
 wares were conquered by their arms, and were 
 compelled " to this humiliating concession, as the 
 only means of averting impending destruction." 
 General William Henry Harrison, after a brief 
 rehearsal of the tradition, and the efforts of Mr. 
 Heckewelder to establish its triUh, thus summari- 
 ly and effectually disposes of the question: — "But 
 
92 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 even if Mr . Heckewelder had succeeded in mak- 
 ing his readers believe that the Delawares, when 
 they submitted to the degradation proposed to 
 them by their enemies, were influenced, not by 
 fear, but by the benevolent desire to put a stop to 
 the calamities of war, he has established for them 
 the reputation of being the most egregious dupes 
 and fools that the world has ever seen. This is 
 not often the case with Indian sachems. They 
 are rarely cowards, but still more rarely are they 
 deficient in sagacity or discernment to detect any 
 attempt to impose upon them. I sincerely wish I 
 could unite with the worthy German, in remov- 
 ing this stigma upon the Delawares. A long and 
 intimate knowledge of them in peace and war, as 
 enemies and friends, has left upon my mind the 
 most favourable impressions of their character for 
 bravery, generosity, and fidelity to their engage- 
 ments."* 
 
 * Discourse of Gen. William Flciiry Harrison, on the Aborigines of the Val- 
 ley of the Ohio. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 Arrival of the Delawares at Wyoming — The Nanticokes — The Moravian 
 Missions — Count Zinzendorf — The Assassins and the Rattle-snake — 
 French and Indian relations — The Grass-hopper War — Shawancse flee 
 from Wyoming to the (Jhio — Teedyiiscung chosen chief of the Delawares 
 — Removes to Wyoming — Massacre at Gnaddenhutten — Shawanese and 
 Delawares join the French — Interposition of the Quakers for the restora- 
 tion of peace — Indian Council at Easton — Speech of Teedyuscung — 
 Story of Weekquehela — Treaty of peace with Teedyuscung — The embas- 
 eies of Christian Frederick Post — Efforts of Sir William Johnson — Equi- 
 vocal conduct of the Six Nations — Mistake of the French — General I'eaco 
 with the Indians. 
 
 The removal of the Delawares from the Forks 
 to Wyomhig was as speedy as the order to that 
 end had been peremptory. It has been stated in 
 a preceding page, that some years before the Wy- 
 oming Yalley had been allotted by the Delawares, 
 to a strong clan of the Shawanese. These latter 
 had planted themselves upon the flats on the west 
 bank of the river ; and on their arrival at the same 
 place, the Delawares selected as the site of the 
 town they were to build, the beautiful plain on the 
 eastern side, nearly or quite opposite to the Shaw- 
 anese town, a short distance only below the present 
 borough of Wilkesbarre. Here was built the town 
 of Maugh-wau-wa-me ; the original of Wyoming. 
 Meantime the Nanticoke Indians had removed 
 
94 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 from the eastern shore of Maryland to the lower 
 part of the Wyoming Yalley, which yet retains 
 their name. "Nanticoke Falls" is a rapid on the 
 Susquehanna, almost precipitous at one place, 
 where tlie river forces its passage through a nar- 
 row gorge of the mountains, and escapes from the 
 beautiful valley in which it had been lingering for 
 upward of twenty miles, into a region wild with 
 rock and glen. The Shawanese made no opposi- 
 tion to the arrival of their new neighbours. In- 
 deed both clans were but tenants at will to the Six 
 Nations, and for a season they lived upon terms 
 sufficiently amicable. 
 
 It was during the same year that the soil of 
 Wyoming was first trodden by the feet of a mis- 
 sionary of the Christian religion. The Moravians, 
 or "United Brethren," had commenced their mis- 
 sions in the new world several years before — in 
 Georgia as early as 1734. Their benevolent la- 
 bours were extended to Pennsylvania and New- 
 York six years afterward. In 1742, their great 
 founder and apostle, Count Zinzendorf, visited 
 America, to look after their infant missions. He 
 arrived at Bethlehem, near the Forks of the Dela- 
 ware, in the following year. Affecting represen- 
 tations of the deplorable moral condition of the In- 
 dians, had reached the count before he left Ger- 
 many, and his attention was early directed to their 
 situation, and their wants, while visiting the mis- 
 sionary stations along the Delaware. He made 
 several journies among the Indians deeper in the 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 95 
 
 interior, and succeeded without difficulty in esta- 
 blishing a friendly intercourse with various tribes. 
 In one of these journies he plunged through the 
 wilderness into the valley of Wyoming, for the 
 purpose of establishing a missionary post in the 
 town of the Shawanese. It was here, during the 
 autumn of that year, that one of those beautiful 
 and touching incidents occurred, which add a 
 charm to the annals of the missionary enterprise. 
 The count had expected to be accompanied by 
 an interpreter, celebrated in all the Indian nego- 
 tiations for many years of that age, named Con- 
 rad Weiser, whose popularity was equally great 
 among the Indians of all nations by whom he was 
 known. But Weiser was unable to go. Inflexi- 
 ble in his purpose, however, the count determined 
 to encounter the hazards of the journey, with no 
 other companions than a missionary, named Mack, 
 and his wife. On their arrival in the valley, they 
 pitched their tents on the bank of the river, a short 
 distance below the town of the Shawanese ; at that 
 period the most distrustful and savage of the Penn- 
 sylvania Indians. A council was called to hear 
 their errand of mercy, but the Indians were not 
 exactly satisfied as to the real object of such an 
 unexpected visit. They knew the rapacity of the 
 white people for their lands ; and they thought it 
 far more probable that the strangers were bent upon 
 surveying the quality of these, than that they were 
 encountering so many hardships and dangers, 
 without fee or reward, merely for the future well- 
 
96 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 being of their souls. Brooding darkly upon the 
 subject, their suspicions increased, until they re- 
 solved upon the assassination of the count ; for 
 which purpose executioners were detailed, who 
 were instructed to carry their purpose into effect 
 with all possible secrecy, lest the transactions com- 
 ing to the ears of the English, should involve them 
 in a yet graver difficulty. 
 
 The count was alone in his tent, reclining upon 
 a bundle of dry weeds, designed for his bed, and 
 engaged in writing, or in devout meditation, when 
 the assassins crept stealthily to the tent upon their 
 murderous errand. A blanket-curtain, suspended 
 upon pins, formed the door of his tent, and by 
 gently raising a corner of the curtain, the Indians, 
 undiscovered, had a full view of the venerable 
 patriarch, unconscious of lurking danger, and with 
 the calmness of a saint upon his benignant features. 
 They were awe-stricken by his appearance. But 
 this was not all. It was a cool night in Septem- 
 ber, and the count had kindled a small fire for his 
 comfort. Warmed by the flame, a large rattle- 
 snake had crept from its covert, and approaching 
 the fire for its greater enjoyment, glided harm- 
 lessly over one of the legs of the holy man, whose 
 thoughts, at the moment, were not occupied upon 
 the grovelling things of earth. He perceived not 
 the serpent, but the Indians, with breathless atten- 
 tion, had observed the whole movement of the poi- 
 sonous reptile ; and as they gazed upon the aspect 
 and attitude of the count, and saw the serpent of- 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 97 
 
 fering him no harm, they changed their minds as 
 suddenly as the barbarians of Malta did theirs in 
 regard to the shipwrecked prisoner who shook the 
 viper from his hand without feeling even a smart 
 from its venomous fang. Their enmity was im- 
 mediately changed into reverence ; and in the be- 
 lief that their intended victim enjoyed the special 
 protection of the Great Spirit, they desisted from 
 their bloodypurpose and retired.* Thenceforward 
 the count was regarded by the Indians with the 
 most profound veneration. The arrival of Conrad 
 Weiser soon afterward afforded every facility for 
 free communication with the sons of the forest, 
 and the result was the establishment of a mission 
 at the place, which was successfully maintained 
 for several years, and until broken up by troubles 
 as extraordinary in their origin, as they were fatal 
 to the Indians engaged in them. 
 
 The treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, which, in 1748, 
 put an end to the French war in Europe, proved 
 to be only a truce between France and Great 
 Britain ; and from the movements of the former, 
 it required no remarkable degree of sagacity to 
 foresee that the sword would soon be drawn again, 
 and the contest chiefly waged, and perhaps decided, 
 in the wild woods of America. It was even so. 
 
 * This interesting incident was not published in the count's memoirs, lest, 
 as he states, the world should think that the conversions that followed among 
 the Indians were attributable to their superstitions. Mr. Chapman, in his 
 history of Wyoming, has preserved the story — having, as he says, received 
 it from one who was a companion of the count, and who accompanied him, 
 [the author] to Wyoming. 
 
 9 
 
98 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 The storm broke forth upon the banks of the 
 Ohio in 1754, and was ended on those of the St. 
 Lawrence in 1763. Preparatory to this contest, 
 the arts of the French, and their Jesuit missiona- 
 ries, were all put in requisition to secure the 
 friendship and alUance of the Indians. Tlie in- 
 fluence of the Jesuits, among the Indians of the 
 Ohio and upper lakes, was unbounded ; and the 
 Shawanese of the Ohio, always haters of the Eng- 
 lish, were easily persuaded to take up the hatchet 
 at the first sound of the bugle. In anticipation of 
 hostilities, they early invited their brethren, settled 
 in the valley of Wyoming to join them. These 
 latter were little better disposed toward the Eng- 
 lish than their brethren deeper in the woods ; and 
 but for the new ties that bound the INIoravian con- 
 verts to their church, the invitation would have 
 been promptly accepted. 
 
 It was not long, however, before an incident oc- 
 curred, which not only sundered their Christian 
 relations, but facilitated the removal of all who 
 were able to get away. This incident was a sud- 
 den out-break of hostilities between this secluded 
 clan of the Shawanese, and their Delaware neigh- 
 bours on the other side of the river, the immediate 
 cause of which was the most trivial that can be 
 imagined, and its effects the most bloody, for the 
 numbers engaged, of any war, probably, that was 
 ever waged. It happened thus : — On a certain 
 day, the warriors of both clans being engaged in the 
 chase upon the mountains, a party of the Shawa 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 99 
 
 iiese women and children crossed to the Delaware 
 side to gather wild fruit. In this occupation they 
 were joined by some of the Delaware squaws, with 
 their children. In the course of the day, the har- 
 mony of the children was interrupted by a dispute 
 respecting the possession of a large grass-hopper, 
 probably with parti-coloured wings. A quarrel 
 ensued, in which the mothers took part with their 
 children respectively. The Delaware women 
 being the most numerous, the Shawanese were 
 driven home, several being killed upon both sides. 
 On the return of their husbands from hunting, the 
 Shawanese instantly espoused the cause of their 
 wives, and arming themselves, crossed the river to 
 give the Delawares battle. The latter were not 
 unprepared, and a battle ensued, which was long 
 and obstinately contested, and which, after great 
 slaughter upon both sides, ended in the defeat of 
 the Shawanese, and their expulsion from the val- 
 ley. They retired among their more powerful 
 brethren on the Ohio, by whom, as already men- 
 tioned, they had been invited to remove thither, 
 with them to espouse the cause of the French. 
 
 This exploit of the Delawares, becomins: noised 
 abroad, went far to relieve them of the reproach 
 under which they had so long been lying, of be- 
 ing "WOMEN." They were now the principal oc- 
 cupants of the valley — entirely so, indeed, with 
 the exception of the small community of Nanti- 
 
 cokes who were settled at its lower extremity 
 
 and their numbers were rapidly increased by those 
 
100 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 of their own people who were retreating before 
 the onward march of civilization in the Minisink 
 country of the Delaware. Among these acces- 
 sions to their community were many from the vi- 
 cinity of Friedenshal, Bethlehem, Guadenthal, 
 Nazareth, Nain, and Gnaddenhutten,* the Mora- 
 vian settlements in the region of the junction, or 
 Forks, of the Delaware and Lehigh. Some of them 
 were converts to the Moravian church ; and a 
 constant intercourse was thereafter maintained by 
 way of what is to this day known as the " Indian 
 Walk" across the mountains, between the Indians 
 living at and in the vicinity of Gnaddenhutten, 
 and those of Wyoming. As the storm of war 
 with the French drew near, the Indians in their 
 interest began to hover upon the borders of the 
 white settlements, and particularly upon those of 
 the Delaware tribes, which yet adhered to the in- 
 terests of the English. The Delaware chief at 
 Wyoming was Tadame, of whom, at this day, but 
 little is known. He was however treacherously 
 murdered by some of the hostile Indians from the 
 northwest ; whereupon a general council of the 
 Delawares was convened, and Teedyuscung, of 
 whom mention has already been made, was cho- 
 sen chief sachem, and duly proclaimed as such. 
 He was residing at Gnaddenhutten at the time of 
 his advancement, but immediately removed to 
 Wyoming, which then became the principal seat 
 
 * " Huts of Mercy," n scttlcinont founded by the Moravians cliiefly for the 
 accommodation and protection of tlioso Indians who embraced their faith. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 101 
 
 of the Delawares. Not long afterward a small 
 fort upon the Lehigh, in the neighbourhood of 
 Gnaddenhutten, was surprised by a party of In- 
 dians, and white men disguised as such, its little 
 garrison massacred, the town of Gnaddenhutten 
 sacked and burnt, — manyof its inhabitants, chiefly 
 Christian Indians, being slain. Numbers of them 
 perished in the flames, while the survivors escap- 
 ed and joined their brethren at Wyoming.* 
 
 It was not long after the actual commence- 
 ment of hostilities between the English colonists 
 aiid the French troops, and their Indian allies 
 upon the banks of the Ohio, before Shamokin 
 was attacked by the Indians, and the white settle- 
 ment destroyed. Fourteen whites were killed, 
 several made prisoners, and the houses and farms 
 plundered. The Delawares now began to waver 
 under the smarting of ancient grievances, and the 
 artful appliances and appeals of the French ; and 
 with the fall of General Braddock and the de- 
 struction of his army, they revolted in a body, 
 and went over to the common enemy. They were 
 immediately induced to change their relations, 
 by the strong assurances of the French that 
 
 * Chapman. It was at about this period of time, according to the same au- 
 thor, thattlic Nanticokcs, never particularly friendly to the English, removed 
 from Wyoming farther up the river to a place called Chemunk [Chemung?] 
 After this removal, hearing that the graves of their fathers, on the eastern 
 shore of Maryland, were about being invaded by the plough-shares of the 
 pale- faces, they sent a deputation back to their native land, who disinterred 
 the remains of their dead, and conveyed them to their new place of residence, 
 where they were again buried with all the rites and ceremonies of savage 
 sepulture. This is a beautiful instance of filial piety, deserving of remem- 
 brance. 
 
 9* 
 
102 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 the war was in fact undertaken in their behalf, 
 for the purpose of driving away the EngUsh, and 
 restoring the red man once more to the full and 
 entire possession of the country of which he had 
 been robbed.* 
 
 A sanguinary war, upon the borders both of 
 Pennsylvania and Virginia, immediately followed 
 the secession of the Delawares, and if they were 
 "women," in the popular Indian acceptation, be- 
 fore, they wielded no feminine arms in the new 
 attitude they had so suddenly assumed. Their 
 blows fell thick and fast ; their hatchets were red ; 
 and their devastations of the frontier settlements 
 were frequent and cruel. The storm was as fear- 
 ful as it was unexpected to the Pennsylvanians ; 
 for however much familiarized Virginia and most 
 of the other colonies had become to savao^e war- 
 fare, Pennsylvania, until now, had been compar- 
 atively and happily exempt. For more than sev- 
 enty years a strict amity had existed between the 
 early English settlers and their successors in Penn- 
 sylvania andNew-Jersey,-]- and the breaking forth 
 of the war created the greater consternation on 
 that account. 
 
 It appears that the Quakers, — a people, by the 
 way, who have at all times manifested a deep so- 
 licitude for the welfare of the Indians, and whose 
 benevolent principles and gentle manners have, 
 
 * Chapman. Si-c, also, an interesting journal of Christian Frederick Post, 
 while ou a pacific mission to the Dcinwares and Sbawaucse, wliich has been 
 preserved in the appendix to Proud. 
 
 t Proud. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 103 
 
 in all critical emergencies, more than any thing 
 else won the red man's confidence, — had pre- 
 viously discovered some uneasiness among the 
 Indians, connected with certain land questions, 
 in respect of which they were not quite clear that 
 injustice had not heen done their red brethren of 
 the forest. While, therefore, the government was 
 making such preparations as it could for the com- 
 mon defence, great and persevering efforts were 
 made, under the urgent advisement of the Qua- 
 kers, to win back the friendship of the Delawares, 
 as also that of the Shawanese. It was the opin- 
 ion of these good people, as has already been in- 
 timated, that in their revolt the Delawares had 
 been moved by wrongs, either real or fancied, — 
 and if the latter, not the less wrongs to their 
 clouded apprehensions, — in regard to some of their 
 lands. A pacific mission to the Delawares and 
 Shawanese was therefore recommended and strong- 
 ly urged by them, and the project was acceded to 
 by Governor Morris ; but he refused to set the 
 mission on foot until after he had issued a formal 
 declaration of war.* Difficulties meantime in- 
 creased, and the ravages of the frontiers were con- 
 tinued, until the war-path flowed with blood. — 
 The influence of Sir William Johnson and of the 
 Six Nations, with the Delawares, was invoked by 
 the Pennsylvanians, and several of the Chiefs of 
 
 * Memorial of the Quakers to Governor Denny, who had succeeded Mr. 
 Morris in the government of the Proprietaries in 1756. See Proud, vol. ii. 
 Appendix. 
 
104 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 the confederacy, with Colonel Claus, and Andrew 
 Montour, Sir AVilliam's Secretary and Interpre- 
 ter, visited Philadelphia upon that business.* The 
 parent government likewise urged the represen- 
 tatives of the Proprietaries to renew their Indian 
 negotiations, and if possible arrive at a better un- 
 derstanding with them, by defining explicitly the 
 lands that had been actually purchased. f 
 
 These pacific dispositions were so far atten- 
 ded with success that two Indian councils were 
 held at Easton, in the Summer and Autumn of 
 1756. The first, however, was so small that it 
 broke up without proceeding to business. The 
 second, which was holden in November, was 
 more successful, although it appears to have been 
 confined to the Delawares of the Susquehanna — 
 those of that nation who had previously emigrated 
 to the Ohio, and the Shawanese, not being repre- 
 sented. The council was conducted by Gover- 
 nor Denny on the part of the colon^, and by 
 Teedyuscung on behalf of the Indians; and he 
 appears to have managed his cause with the en- 
 ergy of a man, and the ability of a statesman. If 
 his people had cowered like cravens before the re- 
 bukes of the Six Nations, in the council of 1742, 
 their demeanor was far otherwise on this occa- 
 sion, t Having, by joining the Shawanese and 
 
 * Memorial of tlio Quakers, already cited. t Chapman. 
 
 t At this council, Teedyuscung insisted upon having a secretary of his own 
 sclqction appointed, to take down the proceedings in behalf of the Indians. 
 The demand was considered extraordinary, and was opposed by Governor 
 Denny. The Delaware chief, however, persisted in liis demand, and it was 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 105 
 
 the French, thrown off the vassalage of the Six 
 Nations, and become an independent, as well 
 as a belligerent power, they now met the pale 
 faces, and a deputation of the Six Nations who 
 were present, with the port and bearing of men. 
 On being requested by the Governor to state the 
 causes of their uneasiness and subsequent hostili- 
 ties, Teedyuscung enumerated several. Among 
 them were the abuses committed upon the Indians 
 in the prosecution of their trade ; being unjustly 
 deprived of portions of their lands ; and the exe- 
 cution, long before, in New- Jersey, of a Delaware 
 chief, named Wekahelah, for, as the Indians al- 
 leged, accidentally killing a white man — a trans- 
 action which they said they could not forget.* 
 
 finally acceded to. Teedyuscung therefore appointed Cliarles Thompson, 
 Master of the Free Quaker School in Philadelphia, as the Secretary for the 
 Indians. This was the same Charles Thompson who was afterward Secreta- 
 ry to the Old Congress of the revolution — who was so long continued in 
 that station — and who died in the year 1824, aged 94 years — full of years 
 and honours. The Indians adopted him and gave him a name signifying — 
 "The Man of Truth." 
 
 * Weekwcela, Wekahela, or Weekquehela, was an Indian of great con- 
 sideration, both among the Christian and Pagan Indians. He resided, with his 
 clan, upon South river, near Shrewsbury, in East Jersey, and lived in a style 
 corresponding with that of affluent white men. He had a large farm, which 
 was well cultivated and stocked with cattle and horses ; his house was large, 
 and furnished after the English manner, with chairs, feather beds, curtains, 
 &c., &c. He had also servants, and was the owner of slaves. He likewise 
 mingled with good society, and was the guest of governors and other distin- 
 guished men. Unfortunately, about the year 1728, Captain John Leonard 
 purchased a cedar swamp of some other Indians, which Weekquehela claimed 
 as belonging to him. Leonard disregarded his claim, and persisted in occu- 
 pying the land. A quarrel ensued, and Weekquehela shot him dead as a 
 trespasser — not, however, upon the disputed territory, but while he was walk- 
 ing one day in his garden. The chief was arrested by the civil authorities, and 
 tried and executed for murder at Amboy. Such is substantially the story as 
 related in Smith's History of New-Jersey. The Indians claimed that Week- 
 
106 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 When the Governor desired specifications of the 
 alleged wrongs in regard to their lands, Teedy- 
 uscung replied: — '• I have not far to go for an 
 instance. This very ground that is under me, 
 (striking it with his foot,) was my land and inheri- 
 tance ; and is taken from me by fraud. When I 
 say this ground, 1 mean all the land lying between 
 Tohiccon Creek and Wyoming, on the river Sus- 
 quehanna. 1 have not only been served so in this 
 government, but the same thinor has been done to 
 me as to several tracts in New-Jersey, over the 
 river." AVhen asked what he meant hy fraud j 
 Teedyuscung gave him instances of forged deeds, 
 under which lands were claimed which the In- 
 dians had never sold. •' This," said he, ''is fraud." 
 " Also, when one chief has land beyond the river, 
 and another chief has land on this side, both 
 bounded by rivers, mountains, and springs, which 
 cannot be moved, and the Proprietaries, ready to 
 purchase lands, buy of one chief what belongs to 
 another. This likewise is fraud." He said the 
 Delawares had never been satisfied with the con- 
 duct of the latter since the treaties of 1737, when 
 their fathers sold them the lands on the Delaware. 
 He said that although the land sold was to have 
 gone only ^^ as far as a man could go in a day 
 and a half from Nashamony Creek ^^^ yet the 
 
 quclinla's gun went off by accident ; and tlie Six Nations, in a speech delivered 
 at Lancaster in the year 1757, not only atfirmed this, but maintained that the 
 Indian went himself and with great grief communicated the circumstance to 
 the widow — surrendering himself up voluntarily to the civil authorities. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 107 
 
 person who measured the ground, did not icalk^ 
 but ran. He was, moreover, as they supposed, to 
 follow the winding bank of the river, whereas he 
 went in a straight line. And because the Indians 
 had been unwilling to give up the land as far as 
 the walk extended, the Governor then having the 
 command of the English sent for their cousins the 
 Six Nations, who had always been hard masters 
 to them, to come down and drive them from their 
 land. When the Six Nations came down, the 
 Delawares met them at a great treaty held at the 
 Governor's house in Philadelphia, for the purpose 
 of explaining why they did not give up the land ; 
 but the English made so many presents to the Six 
 Nations, that their ears were stopped. They would 
 listen to no explanation ; and Canassateego had 
 moreover abused them, and called them women. 
 The Six Nations had, however, given to them and 
 the Shawanese, the lands upon the Susquehanna 
 and the Juniata for hunting grounds, and had so 
 informed the Governor ; but notwithstanding this, 
 the whites were allowed to go and settle upon 
 those lands. * Two years ago, moreover, the Gov- 
 
 * In a speech delivered by one of ihe chiefs of the Six Nations, at a coun- 
 cil held with them at Lancaster, in 1757, this assertion of Teedy^scung was 
 confirmed, as follows : — " Brothers : You desired us to open our hearts, and 
 inform you of every thing we know, that might give rise to the quarrel be- 
 tween you and our nephews and brothers : — That, in former times our fore- 
 fathers conquered the Delawares, and put petticoats on them ; a long timo 
 after that they lived among you, our brothers ; but upon some difference be- 
 tween you and them, we thought proper to remove them, giving them lands 
 plant and to hunt on, at fVyoming and Juniata, on the Susquehanna ; but you, 
 covetous of land, made plantations there, and spoiled their hunting grounds ; 
 
108 HISTORY OF AVYOMING. 
 
 ernor had been to Albany to buy some land of the 
 Six Nations, and had described their purchase by 
 points of comjmss^ which the Indians did not 
 understand, including lands both upon the Juni- 
 ata and the Susquehanna, which they did not 
 intend to sell. When all these things were known 
 to the Indians, they declared they would no longer 
 be friends to the English, who were trying to get 
 all their country away from them. He however 
 assured the council that they were nevertheless 
 glad to meet their old friends the English again, 
 and to smoke the pipe of peace with them. He 
 also hoped that justice would be done to them for 
 all the injuries they had received."* 
 
 The council continued nine days, and Governor 
 Denny appears to have conducted himself with so 
 much tact and judgment, as greatly to conciliate 
 the good will of the Indians. By his candid and 
 ingenuous treatment of them, as some of the 
 Mohawks afterwards expressed it, "he put his 
 hand into Teedyuscung's bosom, and was so suc- 
 cessful as to draw out the secret, which neitlier 
 Sir William Johnson nor the Six Nations could 
 do."t The result was a reconciliation of the Del- 
 awares of the Susquehanna with the English, and 
 
 tlicy then complained to us, and wc looked over those lands, and found their 
 complaints to be true." 
 
 * In the outline of this speech, I have quoted Proud, but chiefl}' followed 
 Chapman, who lias given the most particular account of this council with 
 which I have met. He, however, mistoerk in supposing it to be a general 
 council, and that the Ohio Indians were included in the peace. 
 
 t Memorial of the Quakers to Governor Denny. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 109 
 
 a treaty of peace, upon the basis that Teedyuscung 
 and his people were to be allowed to remain upon 
 the Wyoming lands, and that houses were to be built 
 for them by the Proprietaries.* There were, how- 
 ever, several matters left unadjusted, although the 
 Governor desired that every difficulty should then 
 be discussed, and every cause of complaint, as far 
 as he possessed the power, be removed. But Teedy- 
 uscung replied that he was not empowered, at the 
 present time, to adjust several of the questions 
 of grievance that had been raised, nor were all the 
 parties interested properly represented in the coun- 
 cil. He therefore proposed the holding of another 
 council in the following spring, at Lancaster. This 
 proposition was acceded to ; and many Indians 
 collected at the time and place appointed. Sir 
 William Johnson despatched a deputation of the 
 Six Nations thither, under the charge of Colonel 
 Croghan, the Deputy Superintendent of the Indians ; 
 but for some reason unexplained, neither Teedy- 
 uscung nor the Delawares from W^yoming attended 
 the council, though of his own appointment. Col. 
 Croghan wrote to Sir William, however, that the 
 meeting was productive of great good in checking 
 the war upon the frontier ; and in a speech to Sir 
 William, delivered by the Senecas in June follow- 
 ing, they claimed the credit, by their mediation, of 
 the partial peace that had been obtained. The 
 conduct of Teedyuscung on that occasion was 
 
 Jouraal of Christian Frederick Post — note by Proud. 
 
 10 
 
no HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 severely censured by Sir William, in a speech to 
 the Onondagas, Cayugas, and Senecas ; and the 
 latter were charged by the baronet to take the sub- 
 ject in hand, and " talk to him," and should they 
 find him in fault, " make him sensible of it."* 
 
 But the Delawares and the Shawanese of the 
 Alleghany and Ohio were yet upon the war-path, 
 and although the horrors of the border warfare were 
 somewhat mitigated by the peace with Tcedyus- 
 cung, they were by no means at an end. More 
 especially were the frontiers of Virginia exposed 
 to the invasions of the Shawanese. Efforts for a 
 more general pacification were therefore continued, 
 under the auspices of the Gluakers. But the 
 French were strongly posted at Yenango and Fort 
 Du Q^uesne ; and they were assiduous and plausi- 
 ble in cultivating the friendship of the Indians, 
 and lavish in their presents. It was consequently 
 a difficult matter to obtain access to the Indian 
 towns thickly studding the more western rivers, 
 or to induce the tribes to open their ears to any body 
 but the French. 
 
 A most fitting and worthy agent to bear a mes- 
 sage of peace to those Indians, was, however, 
 found in the person of Christian Frederick Post 
 He was a plain, honest German, of the Moravian 
 sect, who had resided seventeen years with the 
 Indians, a part of which period had been passed 
 in the valley of Wyoming, and he had twice mar- 
 
 * Manuscripts of Sir William Johnson in tho author's possession. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. Ill 
 
 ried among them. He was therefore well ac- 
 quainted with the Indian character, and was inti- 
 mately known to many, both Shawanese and De- 
 lawares, who had also resided at Wyoming. The 
 service required of him was alike severe and 
 arduous. A dreary wilderness Avas to be traversed, 
 ravines threaded and mountains scaled ; and when 
 these obstacles were surmounted, even if he did not 
 meet with a stealthy enemy before, witli his life 
 in his hand he was to throw himself into the heart 
 of an enemy's country — and that enemy as trea- 
 cherous and cruel, when in a state of exasperation, 
 as ever civilized man has been doomed to en- 
 counter. But Christian Frederick Post entered 
 upon the perilous mission with the courage and 
 spirit of a Christian. Accompanied by two or 
 three Indian guides, he crossed the rivers and 
 mountains twice in the summer and autumn of 
 1758, visited many of the Indian towns, passed 
 and repassed the French fort at Venango, and held 
 a council with the Indians almost under the guns 
 of Fort Du Q,uesne, where was a garrison, at that 
 time, of about ten thousand men. Sar the greater 
 part of the Indians received him with friendship, 
 and his message of peace with gladness. They 
 had such perfect confidence in his integrity and 
 truth, that every effort of the French to circum- 
 vent him was unavailing. They kept a captain 
 and more than fifteen soldiers hanging about him 
 for several days, watching his every movement, 
 and listening to all that was said ; and various 
 
112 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 schemes were devised at first to make him pri- 
 soner, and ultimately to take his life ; but al- 
 though one of his own guides had a forked tongue, 
 and was seduced from him at fortDu Quesne, yet 
 the Indians upon whom he had thrown himself, 
 with so much confidence and moral courage, 
 interposed for his counsel and protection in every 
 case of danger, and would not allow a hair of his 
 head to be injured. He was charged with messa- 
 ges both from Teedyuscung and Governor Denny. 
 To the former they would not listen for a mo- 
 ment. Indeed that chieftain seemed to be the ob- 
 ject of their strong dislike, if not of their positive 
 hate. They would therefore recognise nothing 
 that he had done at Easton ; but they received 
 the messages of the Governor with the best possible 
 feeling. It was evident from all their conversa- 
 tions with Christian Post, whose Journal is as art- 
 less as it is interesting, that they had been deceived 
 by the representations of the French, and deluded 
 into a belief that, while it was the intention of the 
 English to plunder them of all their lands, the 
 French were#themselves actuated solely by the 
 benevolent motive of driving the English back 
 across the water, and restoring the Indians to all 
 the possessions which the Great Spirit had given 
 them.* Convinced by Post of the fraud that had 
 
 • In tho course of the speech by one of the Six Nations, delivered at 
 the Council at Lancaster in 1757, cited in a preceding note, it was said in re- 
 ference to tho influence which the French had acquired over the Delawares 
 and Shawancse : " At this time our cousins the Delawares carried on a cor- 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 113 
 
 been practised upon their understandings, their 
 yearnings for peace gathered intensity every day. 
 Several times, during his conversations with the 
 chiefs of different towns, as he undeceived them 
 in reofard to the real designs of the French, their 
 minds seemed filled with melancholy perplexity. 
 A conviction of what was not wide of the truth, 
 flashed upon them, and once at least, the apprehen- 
 sion was uttered, that it was but a struggle between 
 the English and French, which should possess 
 their whole country, after the Indians had been 
 exterminated between them. " Why do not the 
 great kings of England and France," they inquir- 
 ed, " do their fighting in their own country, and 
 not come over the great waters to fight on our 
 hunting grounds ?" The question was too deep 
 for honest Christian Frederick Post to answer. 
 However, the inclination of the Indians was deci- 
 dedly toward the English, and the result of his 
 second embassy, in the autumn of 1758, after en- 
 countering fresh difliculties and dangers, was a 
 reconciliation with the Indians of the Ohio coun- 
 try, in consequence of which the French were 
 obliged to abandon the whole of that territory to 
 
 respondcnce with the French ; by which means the French became acquaint- 
 ed with all the causes of complaint they had against you ; and as your people 
 were daily incroaching their settlements, by these means you drove them 
 back into the arms of the French; and they took the advantage of spiriting 
 them up against you, by telling them, ' Children, you see, and we have often 
 told you, how the English., your brothers, would serve you ; they plant all the 
 country, and drive you back ; so that in a little time, you will have no land .' 
 it is not so with us ; though wc build trading-houses on your land, we do aot 
 plant it, we have our provisions from over the great water.' " 
 
 10* 
 
114 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 General Forbes, after destroying with their own 
 hands the strong fortress of Dn diiesne. 
 
 Great, however, as was the influence of Chris- 
 tian Frederick Post with the western Delawares 
 and Shawanese, he is by no means entitled to 
 the entire credit of bringing about a peace. The 
 efforts of Sir William Johnson were incessantly 
 directed to the same end, and were not without 
 their effect. The fact was, the French were 
 omitting no exertions to win the Six Nations 
 from their alliance with the English. In this de- 
 sign they were partially successful, and the Brit- 
 ish Indian Superintendent, great as was his influ- 
 ence with the red men, had his hands full to pre- 
 vent the mass of the Six Nations from deserting 
 him, during the years 1756 and 1757, and join- 
 ing the French. True, the Mohawks, Oneidas 
 and Tuscaroras maintained their allegiance to the 
 British crown, and were not backward upon the 
 war-path ; but the Onondagas, Cayugas and Se- 
 necas, against the strongest remonstrances of Sir 
 William, declared themselves neutral ; while large 
 numbers of the Senecas and Cayugas actually 
 took up the hatchet with the western Indians, in 
 alliance with the French.* 
 
 The defection probably would have been great- 
 er, but for circumstances that occurred at Fort 
 Du Quesne, late in the year 1757, and in the be- 
 ginning of the following year. These circum- 
 
 * MSS. of Sir William Johnson. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 116 
 
 Stances, which will be presently explained, while 
 they evinced the absence, for a time, of the usual 
 tact and sagacity of the French, had admirably 
 opened the way for Christian Post's mission, while 
 they had the effect of at once relievinor Sir William 
 Johnson from his embarrassing position in regard 
 to the equivocal attitude of three of the Six Na- 
 tions. It has been seen that Sir William had in- 
 terposed, not only directly but through the means 
 of some of his Indians, in producing the partial 
 peace with the Delawares and Teedyuscung. The 
 baronet had also succeeded in forming an alli- 
 ance with the Cherokees, some of whom had gone 
 upon the war-path in the neighbourhood of Fort 
 Du duesne. They were likewise exerting them- 
 selves to detach the western Indians, as far as 
 might be, from the French.* 
 
 It was in this posture of affairs that, late in the 
 year 1757, a war-party of the Twightwees, (Mi- 
 amies,) in a frolic close by the fortress of Du 
 Gluesne, killed a number of the cattle belonging to 
 the French in the fort. In a moment of exaspe- 
 ration, without pausing to reflect upon the conse- 
 quences, the French fired upon the aggressors, 
 and killed some ten or twelve of their number. 
 The Twightwees were deeply incensed at this 
 outrage, and the western Indians sympathized at 
 the loss of their braves. It was not long, proba- 
 bly, before their resolution was taken, not only to 
 
 * MSS. of Sir William Johnson. 
 
116 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 withdraw from tlie French service, but to avenge 
 the untimely fall of their warriors.* 
 
 While the Twiorhtwees were thus broodinor over 
 this wrong, the Delawares intercepted a French 
 despatch, in which the project was proposed and 
 discussed, of cutting off and utterly exterminating 
 the Six Nations — forming, as they did, so strong 
 a barrier between the French and English colo- 
 nies. The Indians found some one among them 
 to read the document, and they no sooner under- 
 stood its full purport, than they repaired to the 
 fortress in a body, and charged the project home 
 upon the commander. That officer was either 
 confused, or he attempted to dissemble. He likewise 
 tried, but without success, to obtain the document 
 from them. They kept it, and its contents were 
 the occasion of wide- spread consternation among 
 the Indians. But this is not all. In March, 1758, 
 a deputation of the Senecas waited upon Sir Wil- 
 liam Johnson, with a message from the Dela- 
 wares, the purport of which was, that the French 
 had recently convened a great council of the north- 
 western Indians at Detroit, at which the same 
 project of exterminating the Six Nations was pro- 
 posed and discussed. The pretext urged upon 
 them by the French was, that the Six Nations 
 were wrongfully claiming the territory of their 
 western brethren, and were they to be crushed 
 and extinguished, there would be no more diffi- 
 
 * MSS. of Sir William Johnson. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 117 
 
 culty upon the subject. The western Indians 
 would come into the full enjoyment of their own 
 again, without question as to jurisdiction. They 
 therefore proposed that all the Indians should join 
 them "in cutting off the Six Nations from the face 
 of the earth." This proposition startled the Del- 
 awares, who, after the council, determined to ap- 
 prize the Senecas of the plot, and send to them 
 tlie hatchet which they had received from the 
 French to use against the English. They desir- 
 ed the Senecas to keep the hatchet for them, as 
 they were determined not to use it again, unless 
 by direction of their cousins. Having received 
 the message and the hatchet, the Senecas called a 
 council to deliberate upon the subject. The 
 hatchet they had resolved to throw into deep wa- 
 ter, where it could not be found in three centu- 
 ries, and they now came to Sir William with the 
 information, and for counsel. It was a favoura- 
 ble moment for the baronet, and the opportunity 
 was not suffered to pass unimproved. It so hap- 
 pened that the information was in full confirma- 
 tion of the predictions which Sir William had 
 many times uttered to the Indians, in his efforts 
 to prevent any friendly intercourse between them 
 and the French. These predictions the Senecas, 
 in their present troubles, remembered with lively 
 impressions of the baronet's sagacity ; and the re- 
 sult of the interview was an entire alienation of 
 the Senecas and Cayugas from the French.* 
 
 *MSS. of Sir William Johnson. 
 
118 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 On the 19th of April following, the Shawanese 
 and Delawares of Ohio, sent a message of peace 
 to Sir William. A council of the Mohawks was 
 immediately convened, at the suggestion of the 
 superintendent, and it was determined, in the event 
 of war, that the Shawanese and Delawares should 
 find an asylum from the French at Yenango and 
 Fort Du Q^uesne, once more in the valley of Wy- 
 oming. But the evacuation, by the French, of 
 the Ohio country, soon afterward, as already men- 
 tioned, rendered no such formal removal necessa- 
 ry.* Meantime another and much larger council 
 was holden at Easton, late in the autumn of 1758, 
 at which all the Six Nations, and most of the 
 Delaware tribes, the Shawanese, the Miamies, 
 and some of the Mohickanders were represented. 
 The number of Indians assembled was about five 
 hundred. Sir William Johnson was present, and 
 the governments of Pennsylvania and New-Jer- 
 sey were likewise represented. Teedyuscung as- 
 sumed a conspicuous position as a conductor of 
 the discussions, at which the Six Nations were 
 disposed for a time to be oflended — reviving 
 again their claim of superiority. But the Dela- 
 ware chief was not in a humour to yield the dis- 
 tinction he had already acquired, and he sustained 
 himself throughout with eloquence and dignity.-f 
 
 The object of this treaty was chiefly the ad- 
 justment of boundaries, and .to extend and bright- 
 en the chain of friendship, not only between the 
 
 *MSS of Sir William Johnson. i Chapman. 
 
HISTORY OE WYOMING. 119 
 
 Indians themselves, but between their nations col- 
 lectively and the whites. It was a convention of 
 much iiarmony toward the close, and after nine- 
 teen days' sittings, every difficulty being adjusted, 
 they separated with great cordiality and good 
 will.* 
 
 * There was yet another council of the Indians held at Easton, in 1761, in 
 which Teedyuscung took an active and eloquent part. He was dissatisfied 
 at Wyoming, although the government of Pennsylvania appear to have ful- 
 filled their contract to build houses for the Indians at considerable expense. 
 Teedyuscung, however, threatened to leave the place, against which resolu- 
 tion he was strongly urged. The proceedings of this council, at length, are 
 among Sir William Johnson's manuscripts. The results were of but little 
 importance. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Indefinite grants of lands by the Crown, — Early claim of Connecticut to 
 western lands, — Conflicting grants, — Organization of the Susquehanna 
 Company, — Project of colonizing Wyoming, — Objections of the Pennsyl- 
 vanians, — Conflicting purchases of the Indians, — First attempt to colonize 
 Wyoming, — Frustrated by the Indian Wars, — Resumed in 17G2, — First 
 arrival of settlers, — Friendship with the Indians, — Return to Connecticut 
 for the winter, — Opposition of the Proprietaries, — Removal with their 
 families, — Treacherous assassination of Teedyuscung, — First Massacre 
 at Wyoming, — Flight of the survivors, — Case of Mr. Hopkins, — Expe- 
 dition against the Indians, — Their departure from the valley, — Massacre 
 of the Conestogoe Indians by the Paxtang zealots, — Disgraceful proceed- 
 ings that ensued, — Moravian Indians settle in Wyalusing, — Remove to 
 Ohio. 
 
 Events of a different character now crowd upon 
 the attention. " The first grants of lands in Ame- 
 rica, by the crown of Great Britain, were made 
 with a lavishncss which can exist only where ac- 
 quisitions are without cost, and their value un- 
 known ; and with a want of provision in regard 
 to boundaries, which could result only from en- 
 tire ignorance of the country. The charters of 
 the great Western and Southern Virginia Compa- 
 nies, and of the colonies of Massachusetts Bay 
 and Connecticut, were of this liberal and uncer- 
 tain cliaracter. The charter of the Plymouth 
 Company covered the expanse from tlic fortieth 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 121 
 
 to the forty-sixth degree of Northern latitude, ex- 
 tendinor from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean."* 
 This charter was granted by King James I., un- 
 der the great seal of England, in the most ample 
 manner, on the 3d of November, 1620, to the 
 Duke of Lenox, the Marquis of Buckingham, the 
 Earls of Arundel and Warwick and their asso- 
 ciates, "for the planting, ruling, ordering, and 
 governing of New-England, in America." The 
 charter of Connecticut was derived from the Ply- 
 mouth Company, of which the Earl of Warwick 
 was President. This grant was made in March, 
 1621, to Viscount Say and Seal, Lord Brook, and 
 their associates. It was made in the most ample 
 form, and also covered the country west of Con- 
 necticut, to the extent of its breadth, being about 
 one degree of latitude, from sea to sea.f This 
 grant was confirmed by the King in the course of 
 the same year, and again in 1662. New- York, or, 
 to speak more correctly in reference to that period, 
 the New-Netherlands, being then a Dutch posses- 
 sion, could not be claimed as a portion of these 
 munificent grants, if for no other reason, for the 
 very good and substantial one, that in the grant 
 to the Plymouth Company an exception was made 
 of all such portions of the territory as were "then 
 
 ♦Gordon's History of Pennsylvania. 
 
 t Trumbull's History of Connecticut. Colonel Timothy Pickering, in hit 
 letter to his son, giving the i)articulars of the highhanded outrage committed 
 upon him in Wyoming, in 1788, in speaking of these grants, remarks : — 
 "It seems natural to suppose by the terms of these grants, extending to th« 
 western ocean, that in early times the continent was conceived to be of com- 
 paratively little breadth." 
 
 11 
 
122 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 actually possessed or inhabited by any other Chris- 
 tian prince or State." But the round phraseology 
 of the charters opened the door sufficiently wide 
 for any subsequent claims, within the specified 
 parallels of latitude, which the company, or its 
 successors, misfht afterward find it either con- 
 venient or politic to interpose. And it appears 
 that even at the early date of 1651, some of the 
 people of Connecticut were already casting long- 
 ing eyes upon a section of the valley of the Dela- 
 ware. It was represented by these enterprising 
 men that they had purchased the lands in ques- 
 tion from the Indians, but that the Dutch had in- 
 terposed obstacles to their settlement thereon. In 
 reply to their petition, the commissioners of the 
 United Colonies asserted their right to the juris- 
 diction of the territory claimed upon the Dela- 
 ware, and the validity of the purchases that had 
 been made by individuals. " They protested 
 against the conduct of the Dutch, and assured 
 the petitioners that though the season was not 
 meet for hostilities, yet if within twelve months, 
 at tlieir own charge, they should transport to the 
 Delaware one hundred armed men, with vessels 
 and ammunition approved by the magistrates of 
 New-Haven, and should be opposed by the Dutch, 
 they should be assisted by as many soldiers 
 as the commissioners might judge meet ; the 
 lands and trade of the settlement being charged 
 with the expense, and continuing under the gov- 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 123 
 
 emment of New-Haven."* The project, however, 
 was not pressed during the designated period, nor 
 mdeed does it seem to have been revived for more 
 tlian a century afterward. Many changes of po- 
 litical and other relations had occurred during this 
 long lapse of time. Disputes had arisen between 
 the people of Connecticut and the New Nether- 
 lands, in regard to boundaries, which had been 
 adjusted by negotiation and compromise. The 
 colony of New-Netherlands had moreover fallen, 
 by the fortunes of war, under the sway of the 
 British crown. The colonies of New- Jersey and 
 Pennsylvania had also been planted. Various ad- 
 ditional grants had been given by the crown, and 
 other questions of territorial limits had been raised 
 and adjusted. But in none of these transactions 
 had Connecticut relinquished her claims of juris- 
 diction, and the pre-emptive right to the lands of 
 the Indians, lying beyond New- York, and north 
 of the fortieth degree of latitude, as defined in the 
 original grant to the Plymouth Company. The 
 grant of the Plymouth Company to Lord Say and 
 8eal and Lord Brook had been made fifty years 
 before the grant of the crown to William Penn, 
 and the confirmation of that grant to Connec- 
 ticut by royal charter, nineteen years prior to 
 
 *This quotation is from Gordon. Colonel Pickering, in the letter already 
 cited in a preceding note, addressed to his son, and privately printed for the 
 usoofhis own family only, supposed that Connecticut did not set up any 
 formal claim to lands west of New- York and New- Jersey, until just prior to 
 the revolution. He was in error. 
 
124 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 that conveyance.* Unfortunately, moreover, from 
 the laxity that prevailed among the advisers of 
 the crown, in the granting of patents, as to boun- 
 daries, the patent to William Penn covered a 
 portion of the grant to Connecticut, equal to one 
 degree of latitude and five of longitude; and 
 within this territory, thus covered by double 
 grants, was situated the section of the Delaware 
 country heretofore spoken of ;-|- as also the yet rich- 
 er and more inviting valley of Wyoming, toward 
 which some of the more restless if not enterpris- 
 ing sons of the Pilgrims were already turning their 
 eyes with impatience. Hence the difficulties, and 
 feuds, and civil conflicts, an account of which 
 will form the residue of the present, and the suc- 
 ceeding chapter. 
 
 The project of establishing a colony in Wyo- 
 ming was started by sundry individuals in Con- 
 necticut in 1753, during which year an association 
 was formed for that purpose, called the Susque- 
 hanna Company, and a number of agents were 
 commissioned to proceed thither, explore the 
 country, and conciliate the good will of the Indians. 
 This commission was executed ; and as the val- 
 ley, though at that time in the occupancy of the 
 Delawares, was claimed by the Six Nations, a 
 purchase of that confederacy was determined upon. 
 To this end, a deputation of the company, the as- 
 
 * Trumbull. 
 
 f Tho specific claim of the Delaware Company, was to the lands between 
 the ranges of the north and south lines of Connecticut, westward by the Dela- 
 ware river, to within ten miles of tho Sujiquohanna. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 125 
 
 sociates of which ah'eady numbered about six 
 hundred persons embracing many gentlemen of 
 wealth and character, was directed to repair to Al- 
 bany, where a great Indian Council was to be as- 
 sembled in 1754, and if possible to effect the pur- 
 chase. Their movements were not invested 
 with secrecy, and the Governor of Pennsylvania, 
 — James Hamilton, — becoming acquainted with 
 them, was not slow in interposing objections to the 
 procedure — claiming the lands as falling within 
 the charter of Penn, and of course belonging, the 
 pre-emptive right at least, to the Proprietaries 
 for whom he was administering the government. 
 Hamilton wrote to Governor Wolcott upon the 
 subject, protesting strongly against the designs of 
 the company. To this letter Wolcott replied, that 
 the projectors of the enterprise supposed the lands 
 in question were not comprised within the grant 
 to William Penn ; but should it appear that they 
 were, the Governor thought there would be no 
 disposition to quarrel upon the subject. Governor 
 Hamilton also addressed General (afterward Sir 
 William) Johnson in relation to the matter, pray- 
 ing his interposition to prevent the Six Nations 
 from making any sales to the agents of the Con- 
 necticut Company, should they appear at Albany 
 for that purpose. 
 
 But these precautionary measures on the part 
 
 of Governor Hamilton did not defeat the object 
 
 of the Connecticut Company, although a strong 
 
 deputation to that end was sent from Pennsylva- 
 
 11* 
 
126 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 nia to Albany.* A purchase was made by the 
 Connecticut agents, of a tract of land extending 
 about seventy miles north and south, and from a 
 parallel line ten miles east of the Susquehanna, 
 westward two degrees of longitude.f This 
 purchase included the whole valley of Wyo- 
 ming, and the country westward to the sources 
 of the Alleghany. J The Pennsylvania delegates 
 did all in their power to circumvent the agents of 
 the Susquehanna Company, holding several pri- 
 vate councils with the chiefs of the Six Nations, 
 and endeavouring to purchase the same lands them- 
 selves. In the course of their consultations, Hen- 
 drick, the last of the Mohawk kings,§ thinking 
 that some reflection had been cast upon his cha- 
 racter, became excited, and declared that neither 
 of the parties should have the land. But the Con- 
 necticut agents succeeded, as already stated, and 
 the Pennsylvanians also effected the purchase of 
 " a tract of land between the Blue Mountains and 
 the forks of the Susquehanna river."|| Strong 
 efforts were subsequently made by the Pennsylva- 
 
 * The Delegates from Connecticut were, William Pitkin, Ro^^cr Wolcott, 
 and Elisha Williams. Those from Pennsylvania were, John and Richard 
 Penn, Isaac Norris, and Benjnmin Franklin. 
 
 t Trumbull. 
 
 t Chupnian. Another a.ssociiition was sub-icqucnllj- formed in Connecti- 
 cut, calk'd the Delaware Company, which ])nrchasod tlie liind of the IndiauK, 
 east of the Wyominj^ tract, to tlie Delaware river. Tliis cotnpnny commenc- 
 ed a settlemcnl on the Delaware at a place caUed Coshu'unk in IT.'i?, which 
 was the first settlement founded by thn people of Connecticut within the ter- 
 ritory claimed by them west of New- York. 
 
 $ IIo fell, bravely fighting under UiMieral Johnson, in the battle of L.ike 
 George, the following year. 
 
 II Chapman. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 127 
 
 nia government, aided by the influence of General 
 Johnson, to induce the Indians to revoke the sale 
 to the Susquehanna Company, and Hendrick was 
 induced by Johnson to make a visit to Philadel- 
 phia upon that business. And in justice to the 
 Pennsylvanians it must be allowed, that they al- 
 ways protested against the legality of this purchase 
 by their rivals — alleging that the bargain was not 
 made in open council, that it was the work of a 
 few of the chiefs only, and that several of them 
 were in a state of intoxication when they signed 
 the deed of conveyance.* It is farthermore true 
 that in 1736 the Six Nations had sold to the Pro- 
 prietaries the lands upon both sides of the Susque- 
 hanna, — -'from the mouth of the said river up to 
 the mountains called the Kakatchlanamin hills, 
 and on the west side to the setting of the sun."f 
 But this deed was held by the advocates of the 
 Connecticut purchase, to be quite too indelinite; 
 and besides, as the '■'hills" mentioned, which are 
 
 * Gordon. In this opinion Gordon is supported by Colonel Pickering, who 
 remarks: — "These purchases were not made, I am well satisfied, at any 
 public council, or open treaties of the Indians to whom they belonged, but of 
 little knots of inferior and unauthorized cliiefs, indifferent about the conse- 
 qu. nces, provided they received some present gratifications, of comi)aratively 
 email value." 
 
 t "The lands hud already been sold, to Ihe Proprietaries of Pennsylvania in 
 1730, and that sale enlarged and confirmed by a public deed whose seals were 
 scarce dry. The Indian councils at all times afterward denied the sale (at Al- 
 bany in 1754.) They disclaimed it in January, 1755, and in lyovember, 1758, 
 at Phi'adelidiiu ; and, in 1703, they sent a deputation to Connecticut, on 
 hear-ng timt three hundred lamilies proposed to settle those lands, to remon- 
 strate against their intrusion, and to deny the alleged sale ; and, in 1771, the 
 Delawarcs and their derivative tribes, also protested that they had never sold 
 any right to the Connecticut claimants." — Gordon. 
 
J 28 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 none other than the Blue Mountams, formed the 
 northern boundary not only of that purchase, but 
 in the apprehension of the Indians, of the Colony 
 of Pennsylvania itself, Wyoming valley could not 
 have been included. 
 
 Having succeeded in their purchase, the Sus- 
 quehanna company procured a charter from the 
 government of Connecticut, upon a memorial pray- 
 ing "that they might be formed into a distinct 
 commonwealth, if it should be his Majesty's plea- 
 sure to grant it, with such privileges and immu- 
 nities as should be agreeable to the royal pleasure." 
 The company now consisted of six hundred and 
 seventy-three associates, ten of whom were resi- 
 dents of Pennsylvania ; and it was beyond doubt 
 their design to form a separate state or colony. 
 But the course of subsequent events defeated that 
 object. Still, it was not immediately abandoned, 
 and a meeting of the company was called at Hart- 
 ford, at which the purchase was divided into 
 shares and distributed among the associates. A 
 messenger had been previously despatched to Penn- 
 sylvania, to summon the attendance of the share- 
 holders residing in that province, but he was ar- 
 rested by the civil authorities, and after the Gov- 
 ernor, Morris, had been apprized of the circum- 
 stance, and the fresh movements of the company, 
 a messenger was sent to Hartford with a remon- 
 strance against tlieir farther proceedings. What 
 became of the messenger who was arrested does 
 not appear. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 129 
 
 Nothing daunted by the remonstrance, the com- 
 pany pushed forward a number of colonists, ac- 
 companied by surveyors and agents, in order to 
 the immediate commencement of the new republic. 
 Unhickily for the enterprise, however, the com- 
 pany arrived in the valley just as the Indians, un- 
 der the influence of the French, as related in a 
 former chapter, and encouraged by the defeat of 
 Braddock and the fall of Oswego, were beginning 
 to manifest a hostile disposition toward the Eng- 
 lish. The Nanticokes were the most belligerent 
 in their feelings, and would probably have detained 
 the new comers as prisoners, had it not been for 
 the friendly interposition of Teedyuscung, who 
 had not yet determined to take up the hatchet, 
 although he did so soon afterward. In conse- 
 quence of this interposition, no injury was inflicted 
 upon the strangers, and they judged wisely in 
 abandoning the enterprise for the time, and re- 
 turning to Connecticut. The attempt was not 
 renewed until after the general peace with the 
 Indians, concluded at Easton, as heretofore stated, 
 in 1758, nor indeed until after the fall of Canada 
 before the valour of the English and Provincial 
 arms. 
 
 The Delaware company commenced a settle- 
 ment, under flivourable circumstances, at a place 
 called Cushetunk, on the river whence the name 
 of their association was derived, in 1757 ; and in 
 1758 the Susquehanna Company resumed their 
 preparations for planting their colony in Wyoming. 
 
130 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 But the unsettled condition of the frontier, not- 
 withstanding the peace then just concluded with 
 the Indians, seemed to render it inexpedient, if 
 not hazardous, for those intending to become col- 
 onists to venture at that time so far into the wil- 
 derness. These dangers being apparently removed, 
 in the year 1762 a body of settlers to the number 
 of about two hundred pushed forward to the val- 
 ley, so long the object of their keen desire. They 
 planted themselves down upon the margin of the 
 river, a short distance above its intersection by a 
 fine stream of water, called Mill Creek, flowing 
 from the east ; and at a suflicient distance from 
 the Indian towns to prevent any immediate col- 
 lision of their agricultural interests. The greater 
 part of the valle^'- was yet covered with wood, ex- 
 cepting for short distances close around the Del- 
 aware and Shawanese towns, where the trees had 
 been cut away in the slender progress of Indian 
 husbandry. But the new colonists set themselves 
 vigorously at work ; a sufficient number of log 
 houses and cabins were erected for their accom- 
 modation ; and before the arrival of winter, ex- 
 tensive fields of wheat had been sown upon lands 
 covered witli forest trees in Auo-ust. 
 
 These adventurers had not taken their families 
 with them ; and having now made so favourable a 
 beginning, they secured their agricultural imple- 
 ments and returned to Connecticut.* It has been 
 
 ♦ Chapman. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 131 
 
 asserted that the Indians were opposed to this in- 
 trusion of the pale-faces among them, and that 
 their chief, Teedyuscung, strongly remonstrated 
 against it.* This may be true, but if so, it is 
 equally true that they must have soon laid aside 
 tlieir prejudices, inasmuch as they speedily came 
 to live upon terms of daily intercommunication, 
 and great apparent harmony. But it was not thus 
 with the Pennsylvanians. They looked with dis- 
 pleasure upon such a bold encroachment upon ter- 
 ritories claimed as their own, and a series of 
 unheeded proclamations followed the powerless 
 remonstrances of the sheriff and magistracy resid- 
 ing in Northampton county, on the Delaware, to 
 which the valley of Wyoming was held to belong, 
 and the seat of justice of which was at Easton. 
 Nor was this all. In the course of the same year, 
 the Proprietaries of Pennsylvania made a case, 
 and took the opinion of the Attorney General of 
 the crown,-]- as to the right of Connecticut to the 
 territory she was claiming. That officer was 
 clear in his opinion against Connecticut — holding 
 that, by virtue of her adjustment of boundaries 
 with New- York, she was precluded from advanc- 
 ing a step beyond. But the Susquehanna com- 
 pany likewise made a case, which was presented 
 to the consideration of eminent counsel in Eng- 
 land, who came to a directly opposite conclusion. 
 Each party, therefore, felt strengthened by those 
 
 • Gordon. t Mr. Pratt— afterward Lord Camden. 
 
132 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 conflicting legal opinions, and both became the 
 more resolute in the prosecution of their claims. 
 
 Meantime fresh scenes were opening in the dis- 
 puted territory itself, as painful as unexpected. 
 The pioneers who in the summer of 1762 had 
 commenced their operations in Wyoming, returned 
 to the valley to resume their labours, early in the 
 ensuing spring, accompanied by their families, and 
 with augmented numbers of settlers. They were 
 furnished with an adequate supply of provisions, 
 and took with them a quantity of live stock, black 
 cattle, horses, and pigs. Thus provided, and cal- 
 culating to draw largely from the teeming soil in 
 the course of the season, they resumed their la- 
 bours with light hearts and vigorous arms. The 
 forests rapidly retreated before their well-directed 
 blows, and in the course of the summer, they com- 
 menced bringing the lands into cultivation on the 
 west side of the river. Their advancement was 
 now so rapid, that it is believed the jealousies of 
 the Indians began to be awakened. At least, not- 
 withstanding the claims which the Six Nations 
 had asserted over the territory, by virtue of which 
 they had sold to the Susquehanna Comj)any, Teed- 
 yuscung and his people alleged that they ought 
 themselves to receive compensation also. 
 
 Thus matters stood until early in October, when 
 an event occurred which broke up the settlement 
 at one fell blow. It has already been seen that at 
 the great council held at Easton, in 1758, the Six 
 Nations had observed with no very cordial feelings, 
 
HISTORY OP WYOMING. 133 
 
 the important position which Teedyuscung had 
 attained in the opinion of the whites, by the force 
 of his talents and the energy of his character. 
 Long accustomed to view the Delawares and their 
 derivative tribes as their subjects, the haughty 
 Mengwes could not brook this advancement of a 
 supposed inferior, and the reflection had been rank- 
 ling in their bosoms ever since the meeting of that 
 council, until it was determined to cut off the ob- 
 ject of their hate. For this purpose, at the time 
 above mentioned, a party of warriors from the Six 
 Nations came to the valley upon a pretended visit 
 of friendship, and after lingering about for several 
 days, they in the night time treacherously set fire 
 to the house of the unsuspecting chief, which, with 
 the veteran himself, was burnt to ashes. The 
 wickedness of this deed of darkness was height- 
 ened by an act of still greater atrocity. They 
 charged the assassination upon the white settlers 
 of Connecticut, and had the address to inspire the 
 Delawares with such a belief. The consequences 
 may readily be anticipated. Teedyuscung was 
 greatly beloved by his people, and their exaspera- 
 tion at "the deep damnation of his taking off," was 
 kindled to a degree of corresponding intensity. 
 
 The white settlers, however, being entirely inno- 
 cent of the transaction, — utterly unconscious that it 
 had been imputed to them. — were equally uncon- 
 scious of the storm that was so suddenly to break 
 upon their heads. Their intercourse with the In- 
 dians, during the precedingyear, had been so entire- 
 12 
 
134 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 ly friendly, that they had not even provided them- 
 selves with weapons for self-defence ; and although 
 there had been some slight manifestations of jea- 
 lousy at their onward progress, among the Indians, 
 yet their pacific relations, thus far, had not been 
 interrupted. But they were now reposing in false 
 security. Stimulated to rev^enge by the represen- 
 tations of their false and insidious visiters, the De- 
 lawares, on the 14th of October, rose upon the 
 settlement, and massacred about thirty of the 
 people, in cold blood, at noonday, while engaged 
 in the labours of the field. Those who escaped 
 ran to the adjacent plantations, to apprize them of 
 what had happened, and were the swift messen- 
 gers of the painful intelligence to the houses of 
 the settlement, and the families of the slain. It was 
 an hour of sad consternation. Having no arms 
 even for self-defence, the people were compelled 
 at once to seize upon such few of their effects as 
 they could carry upon their shoulders, and flee to 
 the mountains. As they turned back during their 
 ascent to steal an occasional glance at the beauti- 
 ful valley below, they beheld the savages driving 
 their cattle away to their own towns, and plun- 
 dering their houses of the o^oods that had been 
 left. At nightfall the torch was applied, and the 
 darkness that hung over the vale was illuminated 
 by the lurid flames of their own dwellings — the 
 abodes of happiness and peace in the morning. 
 Hapless indeed was the condition of the fuqiiives. 
 Their number amounted to several hundreds — 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 135 
 
 men, women and children — the infant at the 
 breast — the happy wife a few brief hours before 
 — now a widow, in the midst of a group of or- 
 phans. The supplies, both of provisions and cloth- 
 ing, which they had seized in the moment of their 
 flight, were altogether inadequate to their wants. 
 The chill winds of autumn were howling with 
 melancholy wail among the mountain pines, 
 through which, over rivers and glens, and fearful 
 morasses, they were to thread their way sixty miles, 
 to the nearest settlements on the Delaware, and 
 thence back to their friends in Connecticut, a dis- 
 tance of two hundred and fifty miles. Notwith- 
 standing the hardships they were compelled to en- 
 counter, and the deprivations under which they 
 laboured, many of them accomplished the journey 
 in safety, while many others, lost in the mazes of 
 the swamps, were never heard of more. 
 
 Thus fell Teedyuscung, who, with all his faults, 
 was nevertheless one of the noblest of his race, — 
 and thus washis death avenged upon the innocent.* 
 
 Among the individual incidents marking this 
 singular tragedy was the following: — Some 
 of the fugitives were pursued for a time by a por- 
 
 * Major Parsons, who acted as secretary to the conference withTeedyus 
 cung in 1755, described him as "a lusty raw-boned man, haughty, and very 
 desirous of respect and command." He was ho\vever,someth ng of a wit. A 
 tradition at Shroudsburg, states, th it he thsra met one day a blacksmith named 
 Wm. Mc.Nabb, a rather worthless fellow, who accosted him with, " Well 
 cousin, how do yon do 1" " Cousin, cousin !" repeated the haughty red man, 
 "how do you make that out ?" "Oh! we are all cousns from Adam." 
 " Ah! then, I am glad it is no nearer !" was the cutting reply of the chief. 
 
136 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 tion of the Indians, and among them was a settler 
 named Noah Hopkins, — a wealthy man from the 
 county of Duchess, in the State of New- York, bor- 
 dering upon Connecticut. He had disposed of a 
 handsome landed patrimony in his native town, 
 Amenia, and invested the proceeds as a share- 
 holder of the Susquehanna Company, and in mak- 
 ing preparations for moving to the new colony. 
 Finding, by the sounds, that the Indians were upon 
 his trail, after running a long distance, he fortu- 
 nately discovered the trunk of a large hollow tree 
 upon the ground, into which he crept. After lying 
 there several hours, his apprehensions of danger 
 were greatly quickened by the tread of foot-steps. 
 They approached, and in a few moments two or 
 three savages were actually seated upon the log 
 in consultation. He heard the bullets rattle 
 loosely in their pouches. They actually looked 
 into the hollow trunk, suspecting that he might 
 be there ; but the examination must have been 
 slight, as they discovered no traces of his presence. 
 The object of their search, however, in after-life, 
 attributed his escape to the labours of a busy spider, 
 which, after he crawled into the log, had been 
 industriously engaged in weaving a web over the 
 entrance. Perceiving this, the Indians supposed, as 
 a matter of course, that the fugitive could not have 
 entered there. This is rather Vifine-sjmn theory of 
 his escape ; but it was enough for him (hat he was 
 not discovered. After remaining in his placeof con- 
 cealment as long as nature could endure the con- 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 137 
 
 finement, Hopkins crept forth, wandering in the 
 wilderness without food, until he was on the point 
 of famishing. In this situation, knowing that he 
 could but die, he cautiously stole down into the 
 valley ao^ain, whence five days before he had fled. 
 All was desolation here. The crops Avere de- 
 stroyed, the cattle gone, and the smouldering 
 brands and embers were all that remained of the 
 houses. The Indians had retired, and the still- 
 ness of death prevailed. He roamed about for 
 hours in search of something to satisfy the crav- 
 ings of nature, fording or swimming the river 
 twice in his search. At length he discovered the 
 carcass of a wild turkey which had been shot on 
 the morning of the massacre, but which had been 
 left in the flight. He quickly stripped the bird 
 of its feathers, although it liad become somewhat 
 offensive by lying in the sun, dressed and washed 
 it in the river, and the first meal he made there- 
 from was ever afterward pronounced the sweetest 
 of his life. Upon the strength of this turkey, with 
 such roots and herbs as he could gather in his way, 
 he travelled until, — after incredible hardships, 
 his clothes beins: torn from his limbs in the thickets 
 he was obliged to encounter, and his body badly 
 lacerated, — he once more found himself among 
 the dwellinijs of civilized men."*" 
 
 But this out-break of the Indians put an end 
 
 * The facts of this little incidental narrative, were communicated to the iiu- 
 thor by Mr. G. F. Hopkins, the printer of this present volume and a nephew 
 of the sufferer, who died at Pittsfield, (Mass.) at a very advanced age, about 
 thirty years ago. He was a very respectable man. 
 
 12* 
 
138 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 to their own residence in Wyoming. On the 
 receipt of the tidings at Philadelphia, Governor 
 Hamilton directed Colonel Boyd, of Harrisburgh, 
 to march at the head of a detachment of militia, 
 and disperse the authors of the massacre. The 
 savages, however, had anticipated the arrival of 
 the troopsj — those of them at least who had par- 
 ticipated in the murderous transaction, — and with- 
 drawn themselves farther up the river, to the In- 
 dian settlements in the vicinity of Tioga. The 
 Moravian Indians resident there, who had taken 
 no part in the massacre, removed toward the Del- 
 aware, to Gnaddenhutten. But their residence at 
 this missionary station was short. The horrible 
 massacre of the Canestogoe Indians, residing upon 
 their own reservation in the neighbourhood of 
 Lancaster, in December of the same year, by the 
 infuriated religious zealots of Paxtang and Don- 
 negal, filled them with alarm. They repaired to 
 Philadelphia for protection ; and as will presently 
 appear, were only with great difficulty saved from 
 the hatchets of a lawless band of white men, far 
 more savage than themselves. 
 
 The transaction here referred to was a most 
 extraordinary event, the recoi-d of which forms 
 one of the darkest pages of Pennsylvanian history. 
 It took place in December 1763. It was during that 
 year that the great Pontiac conceived the design, like 
 another Philip, of driving the Europeans from the 
 continent. Forming a league between the great in- 
 terior tribes of Indians, and summoning their forces 
 in unison upon the war-path, he attacked the garri^ 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 139 
 
 sons upon the frontiers, and the lakes, which were 
 simultaneously invested, and many of them taken. 
 The borders of Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Vir- 
 ginia, were again ravaged by scalping parties, and 
 the frontier settlers of Pennsylvania in particular 
 suffered with great severity. But although the 
 fragments of the Delawares and Six Nations still 
 residing in that Colony did not join in the war of 
 Pontiac, yet, either from ignorance or malice, sus- 
 picions were excited against one of the Indian 
 Moravian communities. Availing themselves of 
 this pretext, a number of religionists in the towns 
 of Paxtang and Donnegal, excited to a pitch of the 
 wildest enthusiasm by their spiritual teachers, 
 banded together for the purpose of exterminating 
 the whole Indian race. Their pretext was the 
 duty of extirpating the heathen from the earth, 
 as Joshua had done of old, that the saints might 
 possess the land. The Canestogoes were the re- 
 mains of a small clan of the Six Nations, residing 
 upon their own reservation, in the most inoffensive 
 manner, having always been friendly to the Eng- 
 lish. The maddened zealots fell upon their little 
 hamlet in the night, when, as it happened, the 
 greater portion of them were absent from their 
 homes, selling their little wares among the white 
 people. Only three men, two women, and a boy, 
 were found in their village. These were dragged 
 from their beds, and stabbed and hatcheted to 
 death. Among them was a good old chief named 
 Shehaes, who was cut to pieces in his bed. The 
 
140 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 dead were scalped, and their houses burnt. This 
 infamous procedure took place on the 14th of the 
 month. 
 
 Hearing of the deplorable act, the masfistrates 
 of Lancaster collected the residue of the helpless 
 clan, men, women, and children, and placed them 
 in one of the public buildinfrs of the town for their 
 protection. But on the 27th, a band of fifty of 
 the fanatics went openly into the borough, and 
 proceeding to the work-house where the Indians 
 had been placed, broke open the doors, and with 
 fury in their countenances recommenced the work 
 of death. Nor did the people of Lancaster lift a 
 finger, or the magistrates interfere, for their de- 
 fence. "When the poor wretches saw they had 
 no protection, and that they could not escape, and 
 being without the least weapon of defence, they 
 divided their little families, the children clinofinof 
 to their parents ; they fell on their fiices, protested 
 their innocence, declared their love to the English, 
 and that, in their whole lives, they had never 
 j3one them any injury ; and in this posture they 
 all received the hatchet. Men, women, and chil- 
 dren — infants clinging to the breast — were all 
 inhumanly butchered in cold blood."* 
 
 But the vengeance of the fanatics was not sati- 
 ated. Like the tigers of the forest, bavins: tasted 
 blood, they became hungry for more ; and having 
 heard that the fugitives from Wyoming, feeling 
 
 * Proud. Vide also Gordon. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 141 
 
 themselves unsafe at Gnaddenhutten, had repaired 
 to Philadelphia, the zealots set their faces in that 
 direction, and marched upon the capital for the 
 avowed purpose of putting those Indians to death 
 also. Their numbers increased to an insurgent 
 army. Great consternation prevailed in Philadel- 
 phia on their approach. The poor Indians them- 
 selves prayed that they might be sent to England 
 for safety ; but this could not be done. An at- 
 tempt was then made by the government to send 
 them to the Mohawk country, via New- York, for 
 the protection of Sir William Johnson ; but the 
 civil authorities of New- York objected, and the 
 fugitives were marched back to Philadelphia. 
 Whereupon the insurgents embodied themselves 
 again, and marched once more upon that capital 
 in greater numbers than before. Another season 
 of peril and alarm ensued, and the Governor hid 
 himself away in the house of Doctor Franklin ; 
 but the legislature being in session, and the peo- 
 ple, the (Quakers even not excepted, evincing a 
 proper spirit for the occasion^ the insurgents were 
 in the end persuaded to listen to the voice of rea- 
 son, and disband themselves. It is a singular fact, 
 that the actors in this strange and tragic affair 
 were not of the lower orders of the people. They 
 were Presbyterians, comprising in their ranks 
 men of intelligence, and of so much consideration 
 that the press dared not disclose their names, nor 
 the government attempt their punishment.* 
 
 * Troud — Gordon. 
 
142 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 After these disorders were quieted, and the 
 Indian Moravians had had time to look about for 
 a place of retreat, they removed to a place called 
 Mahackloosing — Wyalusino:,in later times — situ- 
 ated upon the Susquehanna, several miles above 
 Wyoming valley. Here "they built a considera- 
 ble village, containing at one period more than 
 thirty good log houses, with shingled roofs and 
 glazed windows, a church and school-house, not in- 
 ferior to many erected by wealthy farmers." They 
 also turned their attention earnestly to agricultural 
 pursuits, clearing and enclosing large tracts of up- 
 land and meadow. They resided at this place 
 several years very happily ; but were ultimately 
 induced to join the Moravian Indians beyond the 
 Ohio.* 
 
 * Proud — Gordon. 
 
CHAPTER y. 
 
 Attempt of the Susquehanna Company to recolonize, — Pennsylvania clainns 
 the territory again, and leases the valley to Ogden and his associates, — Ki- 
 val settlements, — Civil War, — Ogden besieged, — Arrests of the Connec- 
 ticut people, — Situation, — Hostilities resumed, — Ogden draws off, — The 
 Colony advances, — Propositions for an adjustment, — Rejected by Gover- 
 nor Penn, — Expedition of Colonel Francis, — His retreat, — Additional 
 forces raised by Penn, — Ogden captures Colonel Durkee, — Connecticut 
 settlers negotiate, and leave the valley, — Bad Faith of Ogden, — Lazarus 
 Stewart, — Susquehanna Company reoccupy the valley, — Ogden returns 
 with forces, — Both parties fortify, — (Jgden besieged, — Surrenders, — 
 Penn applies to General Gage, — Request denied, — Reinvaded by Ogden, — 
 Yankees taken by surprise, — Captured in the field. — Their fort taken, — 
 Arrest of Lazarus Stewart, — Rescued, — Returns to Wyoming and recap- 
 tures the fort, — Ogden reappears, — Both parties fortify, — A skirmish, — 
 Nathan Ogden killed, — Sensation among the Pennsylvanians, — Lazarus 
 Stewart draws off, and Ogden retains the valley, and commences planting 
 a colony, — Sudden descent of Zebulon Butler with a strong force, — Ogden 
 again besieged, — Escapes to Philadelphia by stratagem for succours. — 
 His reinforcements defeated, — Ogden is wounded, — The fort surrenders 
 to the Yankees. 
 
 Six years intervened before the Susquehanna 
 Company attempted to resume their operations in 
 the fair valley of Wyoming. But in the mean- 
 time the Proprietaries of Pennsylvania, takuig ad- 
 vantaofe of a orrand Indian council assembled at 
 Fort Stanwix, in the autumn of 1768, had attempt- 
 ed to strengthen their claim to the disputed terri- 
 tory by a direct purchase from the Six Nations. 
 This object was ol no difficult attainment, as the 
 
144 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 Indians might doubtless have been persuaded to 
 sell that, or almost any other portion of disputed 
 territory, as many times over as white purchasers 
 could be found to make payment. In a word, the 
 Pennsylvanians were successful, and took a deed 
 of the territory from some of the chiefs, in Novem- 
 ber, 1768. 
 
 But, nothing daunted by this movement, the Sus- 
 quehanna Company called a meeting, and resolved 
 to resume the settlement, by throwing a body of 
 forty pioneers into the valley in the month of Feb- 
 ruary 1769, to be followed by two hundred more 
 in the Spring. Indeed the association, in order to 
 strengthen their power as well as their claims, and 
 to expand their settlements, now appropriated five 
 townships, each five miles square, and divided into 
 forty shares, as free gifts to the first forty settlers 
 in each township.* Many parts of the flats, or 
 bottom lands, were of course already clear of wood, 
 and ready for cultivation. An appropriation of 
 two hundred pounds was made for the purchase 
 of agricultural implements ; regulations for the 
 government of the colony were drawn up, and a 
 committee appointed to carry them into effect.f 
 
 The Pennsylvanians, for once, anticipated the 
 people of Connecticut. No sooner had they heard 
 of the renewed movements of the Susquehanna 
 Company, than they made preparations for the 
 
 * Letter of Colonel Pickering to his son. 
 
 t This committee consisted of Isaac Tripp, Benjamin Follett, John Jonkins' 
 William Buck, and Benjamin Shoemaker. 
 
HISTORY OP WYOMING. 145 
 
 immediate occupation of the valley themselves. 
 To this end, a lease of the valley for seven years 
 was given to Charles Stewart, Amos Ogden, and 
 John Jennings, conditioned that they should es- 
 tablish a trading-house, for the accommodation of 
 the Indians, and adopt the necessary measures for 
 defending themselves, and those who might pro- 
 ceed thither under their lease. Mr. Stewart* 
 was a surveyor, and by him the valley was di- 
 vided and laid out into two manors, that portion 
 of it lying upon the eastern side, including the 
 Indian town of Wyoming, being called the "Ma- 
 nor of Stoke," and the western division the " Ma- 
 nor of Sunbury." In January, 1769, the lessees, 
 with a number of colonists, proceeded to the val- 
 ley, took possession of the former Connecticut 
 improvements, and erected a block-house, for their 
 defence, should their title and proceedings be 
 disputed. The party of forty from Connecticut 
 pressed close upon the heels of Stewart and Og- 
 den, and sat down before their little garrison on 
 the 8th of February. It was a close investment, 
 all intercourse between the besieged and their 
 friends, if they had any, in the surrounding coun- 
 try, being cut off*. Having heard of the approach 
 of the Connecticut party, however, Ogden and 
 Stewart despatched a messenger to Governor 
 Penn, stating that they had but ten men in the 
 block-house, and requesting assistance. But af- 
 
 » Afterward Colonel Stewart, of the revolutionary army, and an aid-do- 
 camp of Washington. 
 
 13 
 
146 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 ter waiting" a sufficient length of time without 
 receiving reinforcements, the besieged had re- 
 course to stratagem to accomplish what they 
 could not effect by power. Under the pretext of 
 a consultation, to the end of an amicable adjust- 
 ment of the question of title, three of the Connec- 
 ticut party, viz : Isaac Tripp, Vine Elderkin, and 
 Benjamin Follett, were induced to enter the gar- 
 rison, where they were immediately arrested by 
 Jennings, who was sheriff of Northampton Coun- 
 ty, conveyed to Easton, and there thrown into 
 prison. Their rescue would have been attemp- 
 ted, but for the fear of endangering their lives. 
 However, the prisoners were accompanied to Eas- 
 ton by the whole of both parties ; and the key of 
 the prison was scarcely turned upon them before 
 bail was given for their good behaviour, and the 
 Connecticut party retraced their steps to Wyom- 
 ing, where their labours were resumed with char- 
 acteristic energy. Finding that the numbers of 
 the emigrants were increasing, Jennings made 
 another effort to arrest their persons and proceed- 
 ings in March. The posse of the county, to- 
 gether with several magistrates, were ordered 
 upon the service, and they again marched upon 
 Wyoming in an imposing array. The Connecti- 
 cut people had prepared a block-house hastily for 
 defence ; but the doors were broken by Jennings, 
 who succeeded in arresting thirty-one persons, all 
 of whom, with the exception of a few who cilected 
 their escape while marching through a swamp, 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 147 
 
 were taken to Eastoii, cast into prison as be- 
 fore, — and again admitted to bail, just in season 
 to return once more to Wyoming with a party of 
 two hundred recruits who now joined them from 
 the Susquehanna Company. Thus reinforced, 
 their first work was to build a fort upon a con- 
 venient site, protected by the river on one side, 
 and a creek and morass upon another. It was a 
 regular military defence, consisting of a strong 
 block-liouse, surrounded by a rampart and en- 
 trenchuient. In the immediate neighbourhood of 
 the fortress, — called Fort Durkee, in honour of 
 the officer elected to its command, — they erected 
 about thirty log-houses, with loop-holes through 
 which to fire in the event of an attack. But they 
 had no immediate cause to try the strength of 
 their defences, although Jennings and Ogden were 
 at the moment raising forces to march against 
 them. They arrived in the valley on the 24th of 
 May; but the works of the Connecticut boys ap- 
 peared too formidable to justify an attack by so 
 small a number of men as they had the honour to 
 command. Jennings and Ogden therefore re- 
 turned to Easton, and reported to the Governor 
 that the power of the county was inadequate to 
 the task of dispossessing the Connecticut settlers, 
 who now numbered three hundred able-bodied 
 men. 
 
 For a short season the latter were left to push 
 forward their improvements without molestation, 
 during which state of repose the company com- 
 
148 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 missioned Colonel Dyer and Major Elderkin to 
 proceed to Philadelphia and endeavour to nego- 
 tiate a compromise on the question of title. But 
 the proposition, which was for a reference of the 
 whole matter in dispute, either to an arbitrament 
 or a court of law, was rejected by Governor 
 Penn ;, and an armed force, under the command 
 of Colonel Francis, was detached to Wyoming, 
 with orders to demand a surrender of the fort and 
 garrison. The summons was not obeyed ; and 
 the Colonel, as the Sherift' of Northampton had 
 done before him, after surveying the works, and 
 the other preparations for his reception, should he 
 attempt an assault, arrived at the conclusion that 
 his force likewise was inadequate to the enterprise. 
 He therefore retreated, and upon a representation 
 of the facts to the Governor, a more formidable 
 expedition was immediately set on foot. Mr. 
 Sheriff Jennings was directed to assemble the 
 power of Northampton county in stronger array 
 than before, and to march against the intruders, 
 well furnished with small arms, a four-pounder, 
 and an abundant supply of fixed ammunition. 
 He was carefully instructed by Governor Penn, 
 however, to avoid, if possible, an effu.sion of blood. 
 Having knowledge of the approach of Jennings, 
 Ogden, with a band of forty armed men, antici- 
 pated his arrival by dashing suddenly among the 
 houses of the settlement, and making several pri- 
 soners — among whom was Colonel Durkee. 
 These he secured and carried away — thus weak- 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 149 
 
 ening the forces of the settlers, and perchance dis- 
 heartening them by the loss of their principal 
 officer. Darkee was taken to Philadelphia and 
 closely imprisoned. Two days after his capture, 
 Jennino-s arrived before the fort with two hundred 
 men in arms, and commenced a parley with the 
 garrison, during which Ogden and his company 
 were busy in driving away their cattle and horses 
 found grazing in the fields. On the following 
 day Jennings commenced the erection of a battery 
 upon which his ordnance was to be mounted. 
 These preparations beginning to wear a more se- 
 rious aspect, the garrison proposed a negotiation. 
 The result was a capitulation, by which the set- 
 tlers agreed to surrender the fort and contiguous 
 buildings. All the colonists from Connecticut, 
 but seventeen, were to return. These seven- 
 teen men, with their families, were to be allow- 
 ed to remain and harvest the crops upon the 
 ground. They were likewise to hold posses- 
 sion of the lands and improvements in the name 
 of the Company, until the pleasure of his Mtijesty 
 should be known in regard to the rival claims of 
 the parties. The articles of capitulation, drawn 
 out in due form, were carried into effect by the 
 settlers ; but Ogden behaved in bad faith. The 
 people, with the exception of the seventeen who 
 were to remain, as before mentioned, had no 
 sooner departed from the valley than Ogden 
 commenced an indiscriminate system of plunder. 
 All their live stock was seized and driven away ; 
 13* 
 
150 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 their houses were stripped ; and, in a word, de- 
 prived of the means of subsistence, the seventeen, 
 with their families, were compelled to wend their 
 way back to Connecticut. 
 
 Early in the ensuing year, demonstrations of a 
 yet more belligerent character were put forth by 
 the claimants under the Susquehanna Company. 
 It has been noted at a former page, that there were 
 several share-holders of the Company residing in 
 Pennsylvania. In the month of February, 1770. 
 therefore, a gentleman named Lazarus Stewart led 
 a number of men from Lancaster into the Wy- 
 oming valley, who were joined on their progress by 
 a body of people from Connecticut. They were 
 all armed, and Fort Durkee, garrisoned by only 
 eight or ten men, was taken without opposition. 
 Ogden himself was absent at the time, and the 
 victors proceeded to his house and captured the 
 piece of ordnance already mentioned. On hearing 
 of these transactions, Ogden hastened back to 
 Wyoming, accompanied by about fifty men, by 
 whom he garrisoned his own house, (a formida- 
 ble block-house,) and commenced adding to its 
 strength. On the 2Sth a detachment of fifty men 
 was sent against him, with a view of carrying the 
 stockade by assault and taking him prisoner. He 
 had a deputy sheriff with him, however, who, at 
 the head of a strong party, sallied out for the pur- 
 pose of arresting the assailants. A smart skirmish 
 ensued, during which several of the Connecticut 
 people were wounded, and one man killed. Find- 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 151 
 
 ing that Ogden's people could fire upon them 
 from his house, without exposing themselves to 
 danger, the Connecticut people retreated, and as 
 Colonel Durkee had returned from Philadelphia, 
 a reg^ular sieo:e of Oo^den's fortress was determined 
 upon, A battery was erected over against him 
 on the opposite bank of the river, upon which the 
 four-pounder was mounted, and briskly played 
 upon Ogden for several days, without making 
 much impression on his defences. Durkee's men 
 then determined to bring the enemy to closer 
 quarters, for which purpose they were arranged 
 in three divisions, and marched out with drums 
 beating and colours flying, to within musket shot 
 of the block-house. Three breast-works were ra- 
 pidly constructed, from which the firing was again 
 commenced, and briskly returned. After five 
 days of desultory firing on both sides, a party of 
 the besiegers advanced under Ogden's guns, with 
 great intrepidity, and set fire to one of his out- 
 works, which was consumed, together with a large 
 quantity of goods contained therein. Ogden had 
 again called upon Governor Penn for reinforce- 
 ments ; but as these were not forthcoming, the 
 contest relaxed. Colonel Durkee despatched a 
 flag to Ogden, requesting a conference, which was 
 acceded to, and he surrendered upon terms simi- 
 lar to those which had been granted to the Con- 
 necticut people the season before. He had no 
 improvements or land to protect ; but the stipula- 
 tion was that he should withdraw himself and all 
 
152 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 his party from the valley, excepting six men, who 
 were to remain to guard his house and preserve 
 his property. After his retreat, however, the evil 
 which he had done the people from Connecticut, 
 the season before, was requited upon his own 
 head. His property was seized by the Yankees, 
 and his house burnt.* It was believed that Gov- 
 ernor Penn would have attempted his relief but 
 for his own unquiet position just at that time — 
 the Boston massacre having given an impulse to 
 the spirit which not long afterward broke forth in 
 the war of the Revolution. Thus situated, the 
 Governor called upon General Gage, then com- 
 manding the forces of the crown at New- York ; 
 but the General replied that he thought the cha- 
 racter of the dispute was such that it would be 
 highly improper for the King's troops to interfere. 
 Failing in the application for the aid of his 
 majesty's troops, Governor Penn issued another 
 proclamation on the 2Sth of June, forbidding any 
 settlers from planting themselves down upon the 
 disputed territory, unless by consent of the lessees, 
 Stewart and Ogden. The energies of the govern- 
 ment were likewise put in exercise to raise a force 
 adequate to the work of carry in 2: the proclamation 
 into effect. It appears to have been a hard matter, 
 however, to enlist troops for the service. The 
 
 * Among the prieonorg found in the block-house after tlic capitulation, 
 were eight men from Now -England, and three Germans, who hail never 
 before been in Wyoming, and who mistook Ogden's liouso for the fort of 
 the opposite party. The number of killed and wounded during the siege is 
 not known.— Chapman. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 153 
 
 summer passed away before the expedition was 
 on foot, and the entire body numbered only one 
 hundred and forty men.* But the deficiency of 
 numbers was made up by the courage and skill 
 of their leader, who was none other than Captain 
 Ogden himself. Taking the route of the Lehigh, 
 and the old '•' Indian Walk," this enterprising man 
 arrived with his forces upon the crest of the moun- 
 tain overlooking the settlement, on the 22d of 
 September. He was well aware that his band of 
 one hundred and forty men would stand but a 
 poor chance with 'the Connecticut boys, unless 
 he could take them by surprise. To this end, 
 therefore, he had advanced with so much circum- 
 spection that the colonists were entirely ignorant 
 of his approach. By the aid of his telescope he 
 observed the movements of the settlers in the 
 morning, until, utterly unconscious of danger, 
 they went forth in small squads, to engage in 
 the labour of their field. Then separating his own 
 men into divisions equal to the number of the 
 labouring parties, Ogden descended into the valley, 
 and stole upon them with such admirable caution, 
 that many of them were made prisoners almost 
 before they knew of their danger. Those who 
 escaped ran to the fort and gave the alarm. The 
 women and children from the houses immediately 
 collected within the fort for safety, while Ogden 
 
 * Colonel Pickering attributes the difficulty of raising troops to march 
 against Wyoming, on every application, not only to the unpopularity of the 
 Proprietaries, but to the influence of the (iuakers, to whom war was always 
 abhorrent. Vide, letter to his son. 
 
154 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 drew off into a gorge of the mountain, where his 
 prisoners were made secure and sent off to Easton 
 under a strong escojt. Within the garrison all 
 was confusion during the day, while Ogden, yet 
 too weak to hazard another attack, kept in his 
 concealment, trusting to chance or strataorem to 
 direct his next movement. Every thing worked 
 entirely to his satisfaction. The garrison, finding 
 that they had provisions for a siege, resolved to 
 send an express, under cover of the night, to their 
 brother colonists of Coshutunk for aid. But the 
 messengers detached upon this service, supposing 
 that Ogden would guard the path leading to the 
 Delaware colony, resolved upon taking a route 
 less exposed — and by doing so they threw them- 
 selves directly into his camp. From these unfor- 
 tunate messengers Ogden extracted such informa- 
 tion touching the situation of affairs within the for- 
 tress, as determined him at once to make a night 
 attack. It was a wise resolution. Crowded with 
 men, women, and children, the little fort was in 
 no condition for repelling an assault, and the re- 
 sult was, a surprise and complete success. The 
 movements of the assailants were conducted with 
 so much secrecy, that the sentinel was knocked 
 down before he saw aught of alarm ; the door of 
 the block-house was easily forced ; and after a 
 short affray, in which the belligerents were tum- 
 bling over women and children, and during which 
 several persons of the garrison were killed, the 
 fort surrendered. In the course of the melee. 
 
HISTORY OF AVYOMING. 155 
 
 Captain Zebulon Butler would have been killed 
 by a bayonet, but for the interposition of Captain 
 Craig, one of Ogden's officers, who arrested the 
 weapon, and prevented farther bloodshed. The 
 greater portion of the prisoners were sent to Eas- 
 ton for imprisonment, while Butler and a few of 
 the chief men were ordered to Philadelphia. 
 Ogden then plundered the fort, and all the houses 
 of the settlement, of whatever he could find of 
 value, and withdrew to the larger settlements be- 
 yond the mountains — leaving a garrison to retain 
 possession of the fort during the winter. 
 
 But it was shortly determined by the fortunes 
 of war, that this oft-contested position should 
 again change hands. After the burning of Og- 
 den's house, as already mentioned, warrants were 
 issued by the Judges of the Supreme Court of 
 Pennsylvania, directing the arrest of Lazarus 
 Stewart, Zebulon Butler, and Lazarus Young, 
 for the crime of arson. Stewart was arrested at 
 Lebanon ; but some of his partizans in the neigh- 
 bourhood, hearing of his arrest, immediately re- 
 paired thither for his rescue. On their approach 
 he knocked down the officer in whose charge he 
 had been placed, and joined his friends, whom he 
 shortly led back to Wyoming, though, as it would 
 appear, in profound secrecy. Meantime, as the 
 settlers from Connecticut had been completely 
 dispersed by Ogden in the autumn, the garrison 
 left by him at Fort Durkee saw no necessity for 
 keeping an over-vigilant watch. The result of 
 
156 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 their negligence should serve as a caution to sol- 
 diers as well in peace as in war ; since it happen- 
 ed that at about three o'clock on the morning of 
 December 18th, this little isolated garrison was 
 awakened from a deep and quiet slumber by an 
 unceremonious visit from Stewart, at the head of 
 twenty-three Lancastrians, and half a dozen Con- 
 necticut boys, who had already taken possession 
 of the fort, and were shouting " Huzzah for King 
 George !" The garrison consisted of but eigh- 
 teen men, exclusive of several women and chil- 
 dren. Six of the former leaped from the parapet 
 and escaped naked to the woods. The residue 
 were taken prisoners ; but were subsequently 
 driven from the valley, after being relieved of 
 such of their movables as the victors thought 
 worth the taking. Stewart and his men remain- 
 ed in the fort. 
 
 These bold and lawless exploits of Stewart 
 created a strong sensation in the minds of the 
 Proprietaries' government. Another warrant for 
 the arrest of Stewart was issued by the Supreme 
 Court, and the Sheriff of Northampton was di- 
 rected to proceed with the power of his county 
 once more to Wyoming, and execute the writ. 
 He arrived before the fort with his forces on Sat- 
 urday the 18th of January, 1771, and demanded 
 admittance, which was refused — : Stewart declar- 
 ing that Wyoming was under the jurisdiction of 
 Connecticut, to whose laws and civil officers only 
 he owed obedience. The parley continued until 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 157 
 
 nightfall, when the sheriff retired to a new block- 
 house which Amos Ogden and his brother Na- 
 than, with their followers, were building. This 
 work was completed on Sunday ; and on Mon- 
 day Nathan Ogden accompanied the sheriff" and 
 his posse once more in front of Fort Durkee, to 
 demand the surrender of Stewart. Another refu- 
 sal ensued, whereupon Ogden commenced firing 
 upon the fort, which was promptly returned. Og- 
 den fell dead, and several of his men were woun- 
 ded. The body being secured, the party returned 
 to the block-house, and the residue of the day was 
 occupied by Amos Ogden and the sheriff in de- 
 vising what next was to be done. But the entire 
 aspect ofthe siege was changed the ensuing night, 
 by the silent evacuation of the fort by Stewart 
 and forty of his men, leaving only twelve men 
 behind, who quietly surrendered to the sheriff 
 the next day, and were marched across the moun- 
 tains to Easton. Amos Ogden remained in the 
 fort, and persuaded many of his former associates 
 again to join him, and attempt once more to col- 
 onize this vale of beauty and trouble. The death 
 of Nathan Ogden was regarded by the authorities 
 of Pennsylvania as the greatest outrage that had 
 thus far marked this most singular and obstinate 
 contest ; and a reward of three hundred pounds 
 was offered for the apprehension of Lazarus Stew- 
 art. But he was not taken. 
 
 The valley now had rest for the comparatively 
 long period of six months, during which time the 
 
 14 
 
158 HISTORY OF WYOxMING. 
 
 settlers of Ogden had increased to the number of 
 eighty-two persons, incUiding women and chil- 
 dren. Their repose and their agricultural occupa- 
 tions wercj however, suddenly interrupted on the 
 6th of July, by the descent from the mountains 
 of seventy armed men from Connecticut, under 
 the command of Captain Zebulon Butler, who 
 had been joined by Lazarus Stewart at the head of 
 another party. Their object was to regain the 
 possession of the valley, and they set themselves 
 at work like men who were in earnest. During 
 the season of repose which Ogden had enjoyed, 
 he had abandoned Fort Durkee, and built ano- 
 ther and stronger defence, which he cfilled Fort 
 Wyoming. The forces of Butler and Stewart 
 were rapidly augmented by recruits from Connect- 
 icut ; and several military works were commenced 
 by the besiegers, to hasten the reduction of Og- 
 den's garrison. For this purpose two redoubts 
 were thrown up, one of them upon the bank be- 
 low Fort Wyoming, and the other upon a bold 
 eminence above, projecting almost into the river, 
 and entirely commanding the channel. Two en- 
 trenchments were likewise opened, and the fort 
 was so completely invested that communication 
 with the surrounding country was entirely cut 
 off. But Ogden's garrison was well supplied with 
 provisions and ammunition ; and his work too 
 strong to be taken without artillery. Thus cir- 
 cumstanced, he conceived the bold design of es- 
 caping from the fort by stratagem, and proceed- 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 159 
 
 ing in person to Philadelphia for reinforcements — 
 instructing his troops in any event to retain the 
 post until his return. His plan was executed with 
 equal courage and skill. On the night of July 
 12th he made up a light bundle to float upon the 
 surface of the river, upon which he secured his 
 hat. Connecting this bundle to his body by a 
 cord of several yards in length, he dropped gently 
 into the stream, and floated down with the cur- 
 rent — the bundle, which presented much the most 
 conspicuous object, being intended to draw the 
 fire should it be discovered. It was discovered 
 by the sentinels, and a brisk fire directed upon it 
 from the three redoubts. But as it appeared to 
 hold the even tenor of its way without interrup- 
 tion from the bullets, the firing ceased, and the 
 bundle and its owner escaped — the latter un- 
 touched, but the former and less sensitive object 
 pierced with several bullets. 
 
 John Penn having retired from the colony, the 
 oflice of the Executive had now devolved upon 
 the Honourable James Hamilton, President of the 
 Council. Ogden arrived at Philadelphia without 
 delay, and on a representation of the situation of 
 affairs at Wyoming, vigorous efl'orts were set on 
 foot for the succour of the besieged. A detach- 
 ment of one hundred men was ordered to be raised, 
 to march upon the rebellious settlers, with the 
 sheriff" of Northampton, but under the command 
 of Colonel Asher Clayton. The detachment was 
 to be divided into two companies, the one com- 
 
160 HISTORY OF "\VYOIVIING. 
 
 manded by Captain Joseph Morris, and the other 
 by Captain John Dick. They were to march to 
 the scene of action by different routes, and at dif- 
 ferent times. But, as before, great difficuUy was 
 experienced in raisincr the men ; and Captain Dick, 
 who was to march first, was compelled to advance 
 with only thirty-six men, encumbered by pack- 
 horses and provisions not only for the whole di- 
 vision, but also for the relief of the besieged. The 
 Connecticut forces, however, although maintain- 
 ing the siege closely, were too vigilant to be taken 
 by surprise. They had become aware of Ogden's 
 escape and movements, and were apprised of the 
 advance of Captain Dick, for whose reception every 
 needful preparation was made. Suddenly, there- 
 fore, on approaching the fort he was to relieve, he 
 found himself in the midst of an ambuscade. At 
 the first fire his men ran to the fort for protec- 
 tion, but sixteen of them together with the en- 
 tire stock of provisions, fell into the hands of the 
 Connecticut forces. Ogden was of the number 
 who succeeded in entering the fort, as also did 
 Colonel Clayton. This affair happened on the 
 30th of July. Elated by their success, the assail- 
 ants now pressed the siege more closely than be- 
 fore, until the 10th of August, keeping up a daily 
 fire wlienevcr any persons of the garrison appeared 
 in view. 
 
 On the 11th Captain Butler sent a flag, de- 
 manding a surrender; but as the besieged had 
 contrived to despatch another messenger to Phila- 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 161 
 
 delphia, with an account of Dick's misfortune, and 
 praying for farther assistance, and as the govern- 
 ment was endeavouring to raise and send forward 
 another body of one hundred men, they refused 
 the summons, and the firing was resumed. But- 
 ler had no artillery, and a wooden cannon was 
 constructed from a gnarled log of pepperidge, by a 
 colonist named Carey, and mounted upon his bat- 
 tery. But it burst asunder at the second discharge. 
 Still, the contest was closely maintained until the 
 14th, when, having been long upon short allow- 
 ance, disappointed in not receiving the promised 
 reinforcements, and their provisions being entirely 
 exhausted, the garrison surrendered. The articles 
 of capitulation were signed by Zebulon Butler, 
 Lazarus Stewart and John Smith, on the part of 
 the besiegers, and by Colonel Asher Clayton, Jo- 
 seph Morris and John Dick, in behalf of the Pro- 
 prietaries. The stipulations were, " that twenty- 
 three men might leave the fort armed, and with 
 the remainder unarmed, might proceed unmolested 
 to their respective habitations; that the men hav- 
 ing families might abide on the debateable land 
 for two weeks, and might remove their effects with- 
 out interruption ; and that the sick and wounded 
 might retain their nurses, and have leave to send 
 for a physician."* 
 
 It afterward appeared that at the time of the 
 surrender, a detachment of sixty men had arrived 
 
 Gordon. 
 
 14* 
 
162 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 within ten miles of the fort, commanded by Cap- 
 tain Led lie ; but having heard of the surrender, 
 the Captain wisely conchided to make a different 
 disposition of his company. Numbers of the gar- 
 rison were wounded during the siege, among 
 whom was Amos Ogden, severely. While he was 
 leaning upon the arm of one of his subalterns, 
 William Ridyard, the latter was struck by a ball, 
 and killed instantly. The loss of the Connecticut 
 forces, in killed and wounded, was a matter which 
 appears not to have been divulged. By the terms 
 of the capitulation, Ogden and his party were all 
 to remove from Wyoming.* 
 
 In the month of September following, Mr. Ham- 
 ilton gave a detailed account of these proceedings 
 to the legislature — informing that body that the 
 intruders had burnt the block-house, and were 
 fortifying themselves upon a more advantageous 
 position. It was determined by the council that 
 a correspondence should be opened with the Gov- 
 ernor of Connecticut upon the subject, which was 
 accordingly done. The President informed Gov- 
 ernor Trumbull thattlic intruders had assumed to 
 act under the authority of the state of Connecticut. 
 The latter replied cautiously, denying that the 
 Connecticut people were acting under any direc- 
 tions from him, or from the General Assembly — 
 
 * Gordon asserts that during this sicgo, Butler proposed to Colonel Clayton 
 that the rights of the respective claimants should be determined by combat, 
 between thirty men to be chosen from each side. But the proposition was 
 rejected. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 163 
 
 neither of whom would countenance any acts of 
 violence for the maintenance of any supposed 
 rights of the Susquehanna Company. 
 
 Thus closed the operations of the respective par- 
 ties for the year 1771. The Connecticut colonists 
 increased so rapidly, and prepared themselves so 
 amply for defence, that the Pennsylvania forces 
 were all withdrawn, and the Susquehanna Com- 
 pany left in the quiet possession of the valley. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Government of Wyoming — Thoroughly democratic, — Attempted mediation 
 with the Pennsylvanians — Failure — Opinions of English counsel, — Con- 
 necticut asserts jurisdiction, — Opposition of Governor Penn, — Proclama- 
 tions, — Season of repose, — Another Civil War, — Destruction of the Con" 
 necticut settlement on the West Branch, — Interposition of Congress, — Not 
 heeded, — Expedition and repult^e of Colonel Plunkett, — Relinquishment 
 of the contest, — War of the Revolution, — Letting loose of the Indians, — 
 Defenceless situation of Wyoming, — Invasion by the tories and Indians, — 
 Hasty preparations for defence, — Tlie colonists resolve to attack, — The 
 Battle and Massacre, — The Capitulation, — Ravaging of the valley, — Vin- 
 dication of Brant, — Cruelties of the tories, — Flight of the people, — Vin- 
 dication of Colonel Zebulon Butler, — His character, — Vindication of Co- 
 lonel Dennlson, — Captain Spalding, — Second invasion, — Afl'air of Colo- 
 nel Powell, — Sullivan's Expedition, — Subsequent battles and skirmishes 
 with the Indians. 
 
 Thus far the government of the Connecticut set- 
 tlers — that is to say, all the government that was 
 exercised, — had been of a voluntary and military 
 character. But the cessation of all opposition to 
 the proceedings of the Susquehanna Company, for 
 the time, on the part of Pennsylvania, rendered the 
 longer continuance of martial law inexpedient, 
 while by the rapid increase of the population it 
 became necessary that some form of civil govern- 
 ment should be adopted. The increasing irritation 
 existing between the parent government and the 
 colonies, already foreshadowing an approaching 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 165 
 
 appeal to the 7dti7iia ratio regiurij had taught the 
 directors of the company that a charter for a new 
 and distinct colonial government from the crown, 
 was not to be expected. In this exigency, the com- 
 pany applied to the General Assembly of Connect- 
 icut, to have Iheir Wyoming settlements taken lui- 
 der the protection of the colony until the pleasure 
 of his majesty should be known. But the General 
 Assembly was in no haste to extend its aegis over 
 so broad a territory, at so great a distance from 
 home.* They therefore advised the company in 
 the first instance to attempt an amicable adjustment 
 of their difficulties with the Proprietaries of Penn- 
 sylvania ; offering to undertake the negotiation in 
 tlieir behalf. In case of a failure to obtain a just 
 and honourable arrangement, the General Assem- 
 bly next suggested a reference of the whole sub- 
 ject to the king in council. Meantime, while they 
 wished the colony God speed, they advised them 
 to govern themselves by themselves, in the best 
 manner they could. 
 
 Pursuant to this advice, the inhabitants of the 
 valley proceeded to elect a government of their 
 own ; and the institutions established by them 
 were the most thoroughly democratic, probably, of 
 any government that has ever existed elsewhere 
 among civilized men. '' They laid out townships, 
 founded settlements, erected fortifications, levied 
 and collected taxes, passed laws for the direction 
 
 * Tlie territory claimed by the Susquehanna Company, extended one hun- 
 dred miles north and south, and one hundred and ten miles west of the river. 
 
166 HISTORY OP WYOMING. 
 
 of civil suits, and for the punishment of crimes 
 and misdemeanourSj established a militia, and pro- 
 vided for the common defence and general welfare 
 of the colony."* The supreme legislative power 
 was vested directly in the people, not by represen- 
 tation, but to be exercised by themselves, in their 
 primary meetings and sovereign capacity. A ma- 
 gistracy was appointed, and all the necessary ma- 
 chinery for the government of towns, according to 
 the New-England pattern, organized and put in 
 motion. Three courts were instituted, all having 
 civil and criminal jurisdiction : but the Court of 
 Appeals, called the Supreme Court, to which every 
 case might be carried, was formed, like their legis- 
 lature, of the people themselves in solemn assem- 
 bly convened. 
 
 Under this government the people lived very 
 happily, and the colony advanced with signal pros- 
 perity for two years. During this time the Gene- 
 ral Assembly of Connecticut had made an honest 
 effort to negotiate a settlement between the Com- 
 pany and the Proprietaries of Pennsylvania, but 
 in vain. An able commission had been sent to 
 Philadelphia, consisting of Colonel Dyer, Doctor 
 Johnson and J. Strong; but Governor Penn would 
 not listen to their propositions, although they were 
 of the most equitable description. Upon this re- 
 fusal, even to acknowledge the commission, the 
 General Assembly caused a case to be made up 
 and transmitted to England for the ablest legal 
 
 * Chapman. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 167 
 
 opinions that could be obtained. This case was 
 submitted to Edward, afterward Lord Thurlow, 
 Alexander Wedderburn, Richard Jackson, and J. 
 Dunning — all famous for their learning in the 
 law, who gave a united opinion in favor of the 
 Company. Thus fortified, the General Assembly 
 of Connecticut took higher ground, and perceiv- 
 ing how greatly the colony was flourishing, in 
 October, 1773, they passed a resolution asserting 
 their claim to the jurisdiction of the territory, and 
 their determination in some proper way to support 
 the claim.* The Company now renewed their 
 application to be taken into the Colony of Con- 
 necticut, in which request the General Assembly 
 acquiesced, and the entire territory was erected 
 into a chartered tovv^n, called Westmoreland, and 
 attached to the county of Litchfield. The laws 
 of Connecticut were extended over the settlement ; 
 representatives from Westmoreland were admitted 
 to sit in the General Assembly ;-t- and Zebulon- 
 Butler and Nathan Denniston were regularly com- 
 missioned justices of the peace. All necessary re- 
 gulations for the due administration of the local 
 affairs of the settlements were made ; new town- 
 ships were opened and entered upon by emigrants, 
 and the colony advanced with unprecedented 
 prosperity. Governor Penn and his Council be- 
 held these movements with high displeasure, and 
 sundry proclamations were issued forbidding the 
 
 * Trumbull. t Idem. 
 
168 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 people to obey the laws and authorities of Con- 
 uecticut ; but these paper missives were no more 
 regarded than would have been an equal number 
 of vermilion edicts from the Emperor of China. 
 
 Two years more of repose were enjoyed by the 
 colonists of the Company, during which they 
 flourished to a degree that could scarcely have 
 been anticipated by their founders. The valley 
 was laid out into townships five miles square, and 
 under the hand of industry, the teeming soil soon 
 made the valley to smile in beauty like a litde 
 paradise. The town immediately adjoining the 
 Wyoming Fort was planted by Colonel Durkee» 
 and named Wilkesbarre, in honour of John 
 Wil/ces and Colonel Barre, as heretofore men- 
 tioned. But in the autumn of 1775, just at the 
 moment v/hen the Hercules of the new world was 
 grappling with the giant power of Great Britain, 
 the torch of civil war was again lighted by the 
 people of Pennsylvania. Among the settlements 
 of the Connecticut people, vv^hich had been pushed 
 beyond the confines of the valley of Wyoming, 
 was one upon the West Branch of the Susque- 
 hanna, uniting with the main stream at Northum- 
 berland, about sixty miles below. On the 2Sthof 
 September, 1775, this plantation was attacked by 
 a body of the Northumberland militia, who, after 
 killing one man, and wounding several others, 
 made prisoners of the residue of the settlers, and 
 conducted tliem to Sunbury, where they were 
 thrown into prison. At about the same time, a 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 169 
 
 number of boats, trading down the river from 
 Wyoming, were attacked and plundered by the 
 Pennsylvanians. Tliese acts of course produced 
 immediate and extreme indignation on the part of 
 the Connecticut colonists. 
 
 But instead of seizing their arms at once, and 
 rushing to the liberation of their imprisoned 
 friends, they petitioned the Provincial Congress, 
 then in session, to interpose for the adjustment of 
 the controversy. On the 9th of November the 
 petition was considered by Congress, and a con- 
 ciliatory resolution, with a suitable preamble, was 
 adopted, setting forth the danger of internal hos- 
 tilities in that critical conjuncture of the affairs of 
 the colonies, and urging the governments of Penn- 
 sylvania and Connecticut to the adoption of the 
 most speedy and effectual measures to prevent 
 such hostilities.* 
 
 The voice of Congress, however, was unheeded, 
 and the imprisonment of the settlers from the West 
 Branch was rendered more rigid than before. Ap- 
 prehensions were moreover excited among the 
 people of Northumberland, that the chafed inha- 
 bitants of Wyoming might make a descent upon 
 Sunbury, liberate their friends and fire the town. 
 Whether these apprehensions were caused by 
 actual threats, or by a sense of their own wrong- 
 doino^, cannot be predicated ; but one of the conse- 
 quences was a proposition, by a Colonel Plunkett 
 
 Journals of the old Congress. 
 
 15 
 
170 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 of Northumberland, to raise a force and march 
 against Wyoming for its immediate conquest and 
 subjugation. The proposal was listened to by the 
 Governor, and orders were issued to Plunkett to 
 raise the necessary forces, and execute his purpose 
 by the expulsion of the Connecticut settlers. 
 
 Plunkett was himself a civil magistrate, as well 
 as a colonel ; but in order to impart to the expe- 
 dition a civil rather than a military character, 
 the army was called the " Posse" of the county, 
 and the colonel was accompanied by the sheriff. 
 The number of men raised for the service was 
 seven hundred, well provisioned, and amply fur- 
 nished with mihtary stores, which latter were em- 
 barked upon the river in boats. 
 
 These formidable preparations gave no small 
 degree of uneasiness to Congress, yet in session 
 in Philadelphia, and resolutions were immediate- 
 ly passed, urging tlie Pennsylvanians at once 
 to desist from any farther hostile proceedings, to 
 liberate the prisoners that had been taken, and re- 
 store all private property that had been detained : 
 and in a word to refrain from any and every hos- 
 tile act, until the dispute between the parties could 
 be legally decided.* But these resolutions com- 
 manded no more respect from the Pennsylvanians, 
 either the government or the people, than the 
 others. Plunkett, who had already commenced 
 his march, pursued his course. Winter, liowever, 
 was approaching ; the boats were impeded in their 
 
 * Journals of Congress. 
 
HISTORY OP WYOMING. 171 
 
 progress by a swollen torrent, bearing masses of 
 ice upon its surface ; and the troops could not of 
 course proceed in advance of their supplies. The 
 progress of the invaders, therefore, was as deliber- 
 ate as those who were to be attacked could desire. 
 It was near the close of December when Colo- 
 nel Plunkett reached the Nanticoke rapids, in 
 the narrow mountain defile through which the 
 Susquehanna rushes on its escape from Wyoming, 
 and the obstructions of which were so great, that 
 the boats could not be propelled any farther. De- 
 taching a guard, therefore, for the protection of 
 his supplies, the Colonel continued his march by 
 the road on the west side of the river, which winds 
 along by the bases of the mountains, whose rocky 
 battlements at times hang impending over it. Af- 
 ter emerging from the gorge, and entering the 
 valley, the prospect, on that side of the river, is at 
 one point nearly intercepted by a large rock pro- 
 jecting from a spur of the Shawanese Mountain, 
 and extending nearly to the edge of the river. 
 
 Entering the valley from the south, this rock, 
 or ledge, presents a formidable perpendicular front, 
 as even as though it were a structure of hewn 
 mason-work. The road winds along at the base 
 of the ledge, turning its projection close by the 
 river. The Colonel was somewhat startled as he 
 came suddenly in view of this gigantic defence ; 
 nor was his surprise diminished by a second 
 glance, which taught him that the extended brow 
 of the rock had been fortified, while a volley of 
 
172 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 musketry told him farther, that this most unex- 
 pected fortification was well garrisoned. 
 
 The whole passage of the defile at the Naiiti- 
 coke falls presents exactly such a geological con- 
 formation as it would delight a Tyrolese popula- 
 tion to defend ; and the Yankees of Wyoming had 
 not been blind to the advantages which nature had 
 here supplied for arresting the approach of the in- 
 vader. The fire had been given too soon for 
 much eflfect ;* but it served to throw the forces 
 of Plunkett into confusion, and an immediate re- 
 treat behind another mountainous projection, for 
 consultation, was the consequence. The hazard 
 of turning the point of the battlemented Shaw- 
 anese rock, defended by an enemy of unknown 
 strength, thus securely posted, was too great to be 
 entertained. It was therefore determined, by the 
 aid of a batteau brought past the rapids by land for 
 that purpose, to cross the river and march upon 
 the fort of Wyoming along the eastern shore. 
 
 Immediate dispositions were made for executing 
 this change in the plan of the campaign ; but on 
 the approach of the batteau to the opposite shore 
 with the first detachment of the invaders, headed 
 by Colonel Plunkett himself, a sharp fire from an 
 ambuscade gave unequivocal evidence that their 
 every possible movement had been anticipated. 
 
 ♦Gordon affirms that this volley killed one man, and dangerously wounded 
 three others of Plunkett's party. He also states that Colonel Plunkett was at 
 first rnetin an amicable manner, by a party of the settlers, under one of their 
 leaders, and that ho assured them his only object was to arrest the persona 
 named in his warrants, protesting that he would offer violence to no one sub- 
 mitting to the laws. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 173 
 
 This ambuscade was commanded by Lieutenant 
 Stewart, who had reserved his fire until the in- 
 vaders were leaping on shore. One man was 
 killed by the first fire, and several others wounded. 
 So warm a reception upon both sides of the river 
 had not been foreseen. The boat was therefore 
 instantly pushed from, the land, and without at- 
 tempting to regain the shore whence they had 
 embarked, was suffered to drift down the stream 
 and over the rapids, to the fleet of provision boats 
 below. The chivalrous Colonel, being a peace 
 officer, lay down in the bottom of the boat to 
 avoid the shots that were sent after him. His 
 troops on the western side, however, attempted to 
 cover his retreat, by firing at random into the 
 thicket where Stewart had posted his men. By 
 one of these chance shots a man named Bowen 
 was killed. 
 
 Plunkett's entire force now fell back upon the 
 boats, where another council of war took place. 
 To attempt to force the passage of the terrific 
 rock, frowning in its own strength, and bristling 
 with bayonets besides, was evidently impractica- 
 ble. It could not be carried by assault, for want 
 of two articles, — courage and scaling ladders. — 
 To march around the point the garrison would 
 not allow them. And to avoid the difficulty by 
 threading the ravines of the mountains in the rear 
 on either side, would be a yet more dangerous 
 undertaking, inasmuch as the Yankees might not 
 only use their fire-arms, but also tumble the rocks 
 15* 
 
174 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 down upon their heads and ignominoiisly crush 
 them to death. In addition to all which, it was 
 now evident that even should they be successful 
 in sitting down before the fort of Wyoming, and 
 opening their entrenchments, the works would 
 not be very easily taken ; while their own situa- 
 tion, by the destruction of their boats, and the 
 cutting off of their supplies, and in sundry other 
 respects, might be rendered exceedingly uncom- 
 fortable. Under such an accumulation of unto- 
 ward circumstances and forbidding prospects, dis- 
 cretion was wisely esteemed the better part of 
 valour, and the expedition was abandoned. 
 
 With this unsuccessful effort "terminated the 
 endeavours of the Executive of Pennsylvania to 
 expel, by force, her troublesome inmates. They 
 had become very numerous, and had extended 
 themselves over a large tract of country, upon 
 which they had planted and built with great suc- 
 cess. Possession, by lapse of time, was growing 
 into right, to preserve which, it was obvious, the pos- 
 sessors had resolved to devote their lives. Forcible 
 ejection would therefore be followed with much 
 bloodshed, and wide-extended misery, which would 
 tend greatly to weaken the efforts of the two colo- 
 nies in the common cause against Great Britain.''* 
 ******* 
 
 For a season after the breaking out of the war 
 of the revolution, Wyoming was allowed a state 
 of comparative repose. The government of Penn- 
 
 * Gordon. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING.. 175 
 
 sylvania was changed by the removal of the Pro- 
 prietaries, or successors of Penn, and the forma- 
 tion of a new constitution ; and both Connecticut 
 and Pennsylvania had other and more important 
 demands upon their attention than the disputes of 
 rival claimants for a remote and sequestered terri- 
 tory. A census was taken, and the whole popula- 
 tion of the several towns of the valley, now ac- 
 knowledging the jurisdiction of Connecticut, was 
 computed at about two thousand five hundred 
 souls.* Two companies of regular troops were 
 raised, under resolutions of Congress, commanded 
 by Captains Ransom and Durkee, of 82 men each. 
 These companies were mustered and counted as 
 part of the Connecticut levies, and attached to the 
 Connecticut line. They were, moroever, efficient 
 soldiers, having been engaged in the brilliant affair 
 of Millstone, the bloody and untoward battles of 
 Brandywine and Germantown, and in the terrible 
 cannonade of Mud- bank. 
 
 Notwithstanding the remoteness of its position, 
 
 * Chapman, who resided in Wyoming at the time he wrote his history, 
 twenty five years ago, states the number of inhabitants at five thousand, and 
 so does Marshall. Dut in a recent appeal to the legislature of Connecticut, 
 by a committee from Wyoming, drawn up by the Hon. Charles Miner, for 
 more than forty years a resident of that place, the population at that period 
 is stated at 2500. Considering the number of soldiers raised for the regular 
 service there, and the number killed in the massacre, twenty-five hundred 
 seems too small ; but in answer to an objection raised by the author, Mr. Mi- 
 ner writes — " In 1773 there were 430 taxables ; allowing five inhabitants to 
 each taxable, will give 2150. In 1777, a new oath of allegiance was required 
 by Connecticut of every freeman. We have the recorded list returned by all 
 the justices ; the number is 269. Add for these with the army 100, for many 
 in the service were not of age, and it will make 369. Multiply this by six 
 gives 2214 inhabitants. The number did not exceed 2500." 
 
176 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 and its peculiar exposure to the attacks of the en- 
 emy, rendered more perilous from its contiguity to 
 the territory of the Six Nations, and the readiness 
 with which a descent could be made upon them 
 by the way of the Susquehanna, tlie people of 
 Wyoming were prompt to espouse the cause of 
 their country, and as early as the first of August, 
 1775, in town meeting, they voted " that we will 
 unanimously join our brethren of America in the 
 common cause of defending our country." In the 
 month of August in the following year it was 
 voted '' that the people be called upon to work on 
 the forts, without either fee or reward from the 
 town." And in 1777 the people passed a vote 
 empowering a committee of inspectors " to supply 
 the soldiers' wives, and the soldiers' widows, and 
 their families, with the necessaries of life."* 
 
 But the unanimity asserted in the first resolu- 
 tion cited above must have been a figurative 
 expression, since, unhappily, there were loyalists 
 in Wyoming, as elsewhere. The civil wars, 
 moreover, had left many bitter feelings to rankle 
 in the bosoms of such as had been actively en- 
 2fao^ed in those feuds. Added to which, in the 
 exuberance of their patriotism, between twenty 
 and thirty suspected citizens were seized by the 
 Whiofs, and draaaed over the woods and moun- 
 tains into Connecticut, for imprisonment. Nine of 
 these men were discharged immediately, and in a 
 
 *MS. records of Westmoreland, in the possession of Charles Miner. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 177 
 
 few days the residue were set at liberty for want 
 of proof to warrant their detention. They all 
 speedily thereafter found their way into the ranks 
 of the enemy in Canada — among the Tory 
 rangers of Sir John Johnson and Colonel John 
 Butler. These points are stated thus minutely, be- 
 cause they are essential to a just understanding of 
 the darker features of the history that is to follow. 
 The Indians of the Six Nations were not 
 brought actively into the field against the colonies 
 until the summer of 1777. From that moment, 
 the whole extended frontiers of the colonies, 
 reaching from Lake Champlain round the North- 
 west and South to the Floridas, were harassed 
 by the savages. Wyoming, however, did not im- 
 mediately suffer so severely as many other border 
 settlements. Some straggling parties of Indians, 
 it is true, hung about the valley, while General 
 St. Leger was besieging Fort Stanwix ; but af- 
 ter a few skirmishes with the inhabitants, they 
 withdrew, and the people were not again disturb- 
 ed during that year. But no small degree of un- 
 easiness was created early in 1778, by the conduct 
 of the loyalists yet remaining in the valley. 
 These apprehensions, however, were allayed for 
 a time, by messages of peace received from the 
 Indians. But these messages were deceptive, as 
 was ascertained in March by the confessions of 
 one of them, who, while in a state of partial intox- 
 ication, revealed their real purposes. They had 
 sent their messengers to Wyoming merely to lull 
 
178 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 the inhabitants into such a state of security as 
 would enable them to strike a surer blow. The 
 party to which the drunken Indian belonged, was 
 thereupon arrested and detained, while the women 
 were allowed to depart. It was not long before 
 the inhabitants of the outer settlements, — especi- 
 ally those some thirty miles distant, upon the 
 river north, — were grievously annoyed, and many 
 of them clustered in upon the older and larger 
 towns. In April and May, the savages hanging 
 upon the outskirts became yet more numerous, 
 and more audacious, committing frequent rob- 
 beries, and in June several murders. Thencefor- 
 ward, " their pathways were ambushed, and mid- 
 night was often red with the conflagration of their 
 dwellings."* 
 
 There were no settlements contiguous to Wy- 
 oming, upon which they might call for aid in 
 case of sudden emergency. It was not merely an 
 outpost, but was an isolated community, almost em- 
 bosomed in the country of a savage enemy. To 
 Sunbury, the nearest inhabited post down the Sus- 
 quehanna, it was sixty miles ; through the great 
 swamp, and over the Pokono range of mountains 
 to the settlements on the Delaware, a pathless wil- 
 derness, it was also sixty miles. The Six Na- 
 tions, ever the most to be dreaded upon the war- 
 path, occupied all the upper branches of the Susque- 
 hanna, and were within a few hours' sail of the 
 
 * Momorial to the Legislature of Connecticut. 
 
HISTORY OP WYOMING. 179 
 
 plantations.* Thus situated, there had been a 
 conventional understanding between the govern- 
 ment and the people of Wyoming, that the regu- 
 lar troops enlisted among them should be station- 
 ed there, for the defence of the valley ; but the 
 exigencies of the service required their action 
 elsewhere, and not only were they ordered away, 
 but other enlistments were made, to the number, 
 in all, of about three hundred. The only means 
 of defence remaining consisted of militia-men, the 
 greater proportion of whom were either too old or 
 too young for the regular service. And yet upon 
 these men devolved the duties of cultivating the 
 lands to obtain subsistence for the settlements, and 
 likewise of performing regular garrison duty in 
 the little stockade defences which were dignified 
 by the nauie of forts, and of patrolling the out- 
 skirts of the settlements, and exploring the thick- 
 ets, in order to guard against surprise from the 
 wily Indians, and their yet more vindictive tory 
 allies. 
 
 There were some six or seven of those defences 
 called forts, but consisting only of stockades, or 
 logs, planted upright in the earth, and about four- 
 teen feet hio^h, the enclosures within which served 
 also as places of retreat for the women and chil- 
 dren in seasons of alarm. They had no artillery 
 save a single four-pounder, kept at Wilkesbarre, as 
 an alarm-gun, and their only means of defence, 
 
 * Memorial to the Legislature of Connecticut. 
 
180 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 therefore, consisted of small arms, not always in 
 the best order, as is ever the case with militia. 
 Thus weakened by the absence of its most effi- 
 cient men, and otherwise exposed, Wyoming 
 presented a point of attack too favourable to 
 escape the attention of the British and Indian 
 commanders in the country of the Six Nations, 
 and in Canada. They were also, beyond doubt, 
 stimulated to undertake an expedition against it 
 by the absconding loyalists, who were burning 
 with a much stronger desire to avenge what they 
 conceived to be their own wrongs, than with 
 ardour to serve their king. 
 
 Under these circumstances, the ever memorable 
 expedition of Colonel John Butler, with his own 
 Tory Rangers, a detachment of Sir John John- 
 son's Royal Greens, and a large body of Indians, 
 chiefly Senecas, was undertaken against Wyoming 
 early in the summer of 1778, and, alas ! was but 
 too successful. The forces of the invaders are 
 estimated by some ailthorities at eleven hundred, 
 seven hundred of whom were Indians. Other ac- 
 counts compute the Indians at four hundred. Op- 
 posed to these forces were a company of some 
 forty or fifty regulars, under Captain Hewitt, and 
 such numbers of the militia, heretofore described, 
 as could be hastily collected. Boys and old men, 
 fathers and sons, aged men and grandfathers, 
 were obliged to snatch such weapons as were at 
 hand, and take the field at the warning of a mo- 
 ment. Nor were the so-called regulars under 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 181 
 
 Captain Hewitt, regulars in the proper acceptation 
 of the term. The Captain had but recently re- 
 ceived his commission, with directions to recruit 
 at Wyoming. He had enlisted these forty or fifty 
 men, who were obliged to find their own arms ; 
 and having had but a short and indifferent expe- 
 rience in martial exercise, when the enemy came 
 they were militia men yet, though not such in 
 name. The expedition of the enemy moved from 
 Niagara, across the Genesee country, and down 
 the Chemung to Tioga Point, whence they em- 
 barked upon the Susquehanna, and landed about 
 twenty miles above Wyoming — entering the val- 
 ley through a notch from the west, about a mile 
 below the head of the valley, and taking possession 
 of a small defence called Wintermoot, after the 
 name of its proprietor, an opulent loyalist of that 
 town.* Colonel John Butler established his head 
 quarters at this place, and thence, ' for several 
 days, scouts and foraging parties were sent out, 
 for observation and to collect provisions. The 
 
 * Among the papers of Colonel Zebulon Butler, Mr. Miner has discovered 
 a document labelled, " A list of Tories who joined the Indians." There are 
 sixty-one names on the list, but of these there were but three New-England 
 men. Mo^t of them were transient persons, or labourers ; or men who had 
 gone to Wyoming as hunters and trappers. Six arc of one family — the Win- 
 tcrmoots ; four were named Sccord ; three were Paiclings ; three Lanaways^ 
 and four Van Alstijnes. It is not believed that there were more than twenty 
 or twenty-five tory families. Nine of them were from the Mohawk valley 
 who were probably sent thither by the Johnsons to poison the settlement if 
 possible, or as spies. Four of them were from Kinderhook ; six from the 
 county of Westchester, (N. Y.) The Wintermoots were from Minisink. 
 There were not ten tory families who had resided two years in Wyoming. — 
 Letter to the Author from Charles Miner. 
 
 16 
 
182 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 • 
 
 enemy's arrival at Fort Wintermoot, which stood 
 on the bank of the river, was on the 2d of July. 
 
 The dark and threatening sayings of a drunken 
 Indian, as ah'eady stated, had awakened some sus- 
 picions that an attack was meditated by the enemy 
 in the course of the season, and a message had been 
 sent to the head quarters of the continental army 
 early in June, praying for a detachment of troops 
 for their protection. To this request no answer had 
 been received. To fly, however, with their women 
 and children, with an agile enemy upon their very 
 heels, was impossible, even had the thought been 
 entertained. But it was not. "Retirement or 
 flight was alike impossible, and there was no 
 security but in victory. Unequal as was the con- 
 flict, therefore, and hopeless as it was in the eye of 
 prudence, the young and athletic men, fit to bear 
 arms, and enlisted for their special defence, being 
 absent with the main army ; yet the inhabitants, 
 looking to their dependent wives, mothers, sisters, 
 little ones, took counsel of their courage, and 
 resolved to give^the enemy battle."* Having such 
 treasures to defend, in addition to the great pend- 
 ing quest ion of National existence and liberty, they 
 felt strong confidence that they should be able to 
 repel the invader. No sooner, therefore, was 
 the presence of the enemy known, than the mili- 
 tia rapidly assembled at the old defence, " Fort 
 Forty," so frequently mentioned in the preced- 
 ing narrative of the civil wars, which was situ- 
 
 * Memorial to the Legislature of Connecticut. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 183 
 
 ated immediately on the west bank of the river, 
 some three miles north of Fort Wyoming. Small 
 garrisons of aged men were left in the other 
 feeble forts of the colonistS; for the protection of 
 the women and children assembled therein, while 
 the majority of those capable of bearing arms, old 
 men and boys, fathers, strand-fat hers and grand- 
 sons, assembled at Fort Forty, to the number of 
 nearly four hundred. 
 
 Colonel Zebulon Butler, heretofore mentioned 
 as a soldier in the French war, and as being placed 
 in the commission of the peace, was now an officer 
 in the continental army, and happening to be at 
 home at the time of the invasion, on the invitation 
 of the people he accepted the command. A coun- 
 cil of war was called on the morning of the 3rd ot 
 July, to determine upon the expediency of march- 
 ing out and giving the enemy battle, or of await- 
 ing his advance. There were some who preferred 
 delay, in the hope that a reinforcement would ar- 
 rive from the camp of General Washington. Oth- 
 ers maintained that as no advices had been received 
 thence in reply to their application, the mes- 
 senger had probably been cut off; and as the 
 enemy's force was constantly increasing, they 
 thought it best to meet and repel him at once if 
 possible. The debates were warm ; and before 
 they were ended, five commissioned officers, who, 
 hearing of the anticipated invasion, had obtained 
 permission to return for the defence of their fami- 
 lies, joined them. Their arrival extinguished the 
 
184 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 hope of present succour by reinforcements from the 
 main army, and the result of the council was a 
 determination for an immediate attack. 
 
 As soon as the proper dispositions could be 
 made. Colonel Zebulon Butler placed himself at 
 the head of the undisciplined force, and led them 
 forward, the design being to take the enemy by 
 surprise. And such would probably have been 
 the issue but for the occurrence of one of those 
 untoward incidents acrainst which human wisdom 
 cannot guard. A scout, having been sent forward 
 to reconnoitre, found the enemy at dinner, not 
 anticipating an attack, and in high and frolick- 
 some glee. But on its return to report the fact 
 the scout was fired ilpon by a straggling Indian, 
 who gave the alarm. The consequence was, that 
 on the approach of the Americans, they found the 
 enemy in line ready for their reception. Colonel 
 Zebulon Butler commanded the right of the Ameri- 
 cans, aided by Major Garratt. The left was com- 
 manded by Colonel Dennison, of the Wyoming 
 militia, assisted by Lieut. Colonel Dorrance. Op- 
 posed to the right of the Americans and also rest- 
 ing upon the bank of the river, was Colmiel John 
 Butler, with his rangers. The right of the enemy, 
 resting upon, or rather extending into, a marsh, 
 was composed principally of Indians and tories, 
 led by a celebrated Seneca chief named Gi-en- 
 gwah-tofi ; or, He-wJio-gocs-in-the-Sjiioke. The 
 field of battle was a plain, partly cleared and 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 185 
 
 partly covered with shrub oaks and yellow pines. 
 The action began soon after four o'clock in the 
 afternoon, and was for a time kept up on both 
 sides with great spirit. The right of the Ameri- 
 cans advanced bravely as they fired, and the best 
 troops of the enemy were compelled to give back. 
 But while the advantages were thus promising 
 with the Americans on the right, far different was 
 the situation of affairs on the left. Penetrating 
 the thicket of the swamp, a heavy body of the In- 
 dians were enabled, unperceived, to outflank Col. 
 Dennison, and suddenly like a dark cloud to fall 
 upon his rear. The Americans, thus standing 
 between two fires, fell fast before the rifles of the 
 Indians and tories, but ^ret they faltered not, until 
 the order of Colonel Dennison to "fallback," for 
 the purpose only of changing position, was mis- 
 taken for an order to retreat. The misconception 
 was fatal. The confusion instantly became so 
 great that restoration to order was impossible. The 
 enemy, not more brave, but belter skilled in the 
 horrid trade of savage war, and far more numer- 
 ous withal, sprang forward, and as they made the 
 air resound with their frightful yells, rushed upon 
 the Americans, hand to hand, tomahawk and spear. 
 But the handful of regulars and those who were 
 not at first thrown into confusion did all that men 
 could dare or achieve to retrieve the fortunes of 
 the day. Observing one of his men to yield a 
 little ground. Colonel Dorrance called to him with 
 the utmost coolness — " Stand up to your work, 
 16* 
 
186 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 sir ! " The Colonel immediately fell.* As the 
 enemy obtained the rear, an officer notified Cap- 
 tain Hewitt of the fact, and inquired, "Shall we 
 retreat, sir?" "I'll be d — d if I do," was his re- 
 ply — and he fell instantly dead at the head of his 
 little command. The retreat now became a flight, 
 attended with horrible carnage. ''We are nearly 
 alone," said an ofiicer named Westbrook — "shall 
 we go?" "I'll have one more shot," said a Mr. 
 Cooper, in reply. At the same instant a savage 
 sprang toward him with his spear, but was brought 
 to the ground in his leap, and Cooper deliberately 
 re-loaded his piece before he moved. He was one 
 of the few who survived the battle. On the first 
 discovery of the confusion on the left, Colonel 
 Zebulon Butler rode into the thickest of the melee, 
 exclaiming — " Don't leave me, my children ! 
 The victory will yet be ours." But numbers and 
 discipline, and the Indians besides, were against 
 the Americans, and their rout was complete. 
 
 During the flight to Fort Forty, the scene was 
 that of horrible slaughter. Nor did the darkness 
 put an end to the work of death. No assault was 
 made upon the fort that night ; but many of the 
 prisoners taken were put to death by torture. The 
 place of these murders was about two miles north 
 of Fort Forty, upon a rock, around which the In- 
 dians formed themselves in a circle. Sixteen of 
 the prisoners, placed in a ring around a rock, near 
 
 * The Rev. John Uorrance, paslor of ilie Presbyterian churcli in Wilkcsbarre 
 [in 1839] is a grand-soQ of Colonel Dorrance. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 187 
 
 the river, were held by stout Indians, while the 
 squaws struck their heads open with the toma- 
 hawk. Only one individual, a powerful man 
 named Hammond, by a desperate effort, escaped. 
 In a similar ring, a little farther north of the rock, 
 nine persons were murdered in the same way.* 
 It has been said, both in tradition and in print, 
 that the priestess of this bloody sacrifice was the 
 celebrated Catharine Montour, sometimes called 
 Glueen Esther, whose residence was at Catharines- 
 town, at the head of Seneca Lake. But the state- 
 ment is improbable. Catharine Montour was a 
 half-breed, who had been well educated in Canada. 
 Her reputed father was one of the French s^overn- 
 ours of that province when appertaining to the 
 crown of France, and she herself was a lady of 
 comparative refinement. She was much caressed 
 in Philadelphia, and mingled in the best society.f 
 Hence the remotest belief cannot be entertained 
 that she was the Hecate of that fell niofht. A nisfht 
 indeed of terror, — described with truth and power 
 by the bard of Gertrude, as the dread hour when — 
 
 — "Sounds that mingled laugli, and shout, and scream 
 
 To freeze the blood in one discordant jar, 
 
 Rung the pealing thunderbolts of war. 
 
 Whoop after whoop with rack the ear assailed, 
 
 As if unearthlj' fiends had burst their bar ; 
 
 While rapidly the marksman's shot prevailed ; — 
 
 And aye, as if for death, some lonely trumpet wailed !" 
 
 When the numbers are taken into the account, 
 the slaughter on this occasion was dreadful. The 
 
 * Note in ? lUman's Journal, vol. xviii. 
 t Vide Whitham Marshe's Journal of a treaty with the Six Nations at Lan- 
 caster, in 1744. 
 
188 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 five officers who arrived from the continental 
 army on the morning of the battle were all slain. 
 Captain Hewitt, who fell, had a son in the battle 
 with him, aged eighteen. Captain Aholiah Buck 
 and his son, aged only fourteen, were both slain. 
 Anderson Dana, the representativeof the valley in 
 the Connecticut legislature, had returned from the 
 session just in season to fight and fall. His son- 
 in-law, Stephen Whiting, who had been married 
 to his da.ughter but a few months before, went in- 
 to the battle with him, and was also slain. Two ' 
 brothers, named Perrin and Jeremiah Ross, were 
 slain in the battle.* There was a large family 
 named Gore, one of whom was with the conti- 
 nental army. Those at home, five brothers and 
 two brothers-in-law, went into the battle, and of 
 these, five were dead upon the field at night, a 
 sixth was wounded, and one only escaped unhurt. 
 Of the family of Mr. Weeks, seven went into the 
 battle, viz : five sons and sons-in-law, and two in- 
 mates. Not one of the number escaped. These 
 are but a few instances of many, selected merely 
 for the purpose of showing how general was the 
 rush to the field, and how direful the carnage.t 
 The Hon. Charles Miner has thus eloquently 
 
 * Brothers of General William Ross, vho is yet livinj^, (1840,) in Wyoming. 
 
 t Among the oificerfi killed in the battle, tlic following names havo been 
 ) reserved. liieutenant Colonel Goorce Dorrance ; — IMajor Wait Garrett ; — 
 Captains Dottrick Hewitt, Robert Durkee,* Aholiah Buck, Asa Whittlcseyj 
 
 Lazarus Stewart, Samuel Ransom,* James Bidlack, Geere, ■ 
 
 M'Kanachin, Wigdon ; — Lieutenants, Timothy Tierce,* .Tames 
 
 Welles,* Elijah Shoemaker, Lazarus Stewart, 2d,Perin Ross,* Asa Stevens ; 
 
 Ensigns, Asa Gore, Avery. ^fCT" Tiiose marked (*) were the five 
 
 who arrived from the Continental army on the morning of the battle. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 189 
 
 described the closing scene of that day, as toward 
 nightflill the fugitives came flying for shelter to 
 the little forts. "The ravenous vulture was seen 
 wheeling aloft, ready to pounce on the nest of 
 the peaceful dove. The war-whoop and the scalp- 
 yell of the savage Mohawk resounded through 
 the valley. These were fiends who rip up, with 
 merciless cruelty, the teeming mother, — who 
 strike the gray-haired father to the earth, and dash 
 out the infant's brains on the door-post. This 
 was the terrible enemy that came down upon us 
 in overwhelming numbers. Naked, panting and 
 bloody — a few who had escaped came rushing 
 into Wilkesbarre Fort, where, trembling with 
 anxiety, the women and children were gathered, 
 waiting the dread issue. The appalling ^'-Allis 
 losty^ proclaimed their utter destitution. They fly 
 to the mountains — evening is approaching — the 
 dreary swamp and " The Shades of Death"* be- 
 fore them, — the victorious hell-hounds are open- 
 ing on their track. They look back on the valley — 
 all around the flames of desolation are kindling ; 
 they cast their eye in the range of the battle field ; 
 numerous fires speak their own horrid purpose. 
 They listen ! The exulting yell of the savage 
 strikes the ear ! Again — a shriek of agonizing 
 wo! Who is the sufferer? It is the husband of 
 one who is gazing ! the father of her children ! ! 
 
 " O God who art the widow's friend 
 Be thou her comforter." 
 
 ♦ A dismal swamp among the mountains, so called in consequence of the 
 numbers who perished there in the flight. 
 
190 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 The fair fields of Wyoming presented a melan- 
 choly spectacle on the morning of the 4tli. The 
 pursuit of the Indians had ceased the preceding 
 evening with the nightfall, and the work of death 
 was completed by the tragedy at the Bloody Rock. 
 But the sun arose upon the carcasses of the dead 
 — not only dead but horribly mangled — strewn 
 over the plain, from the point where the battle be- 
 gan to Fort Forty. A few stragglers had at first 
 taken refuge in that defence, but they did not re- 
 tain it long; and by the morning light, all who 
 had not been slain, or who had not betaken them- 
 selves to the mountains, had collected at Fort 
 Wyoming, before which Colonel John Butler 
 with his motley forces appeared at an early hour, 
 and demanded a surrender. It appears that some 
 negotiations upon the subject of a capitulation had 
 been interchanged the preceding evening, but at 
 what point is uncertain — probably at Fort Forty. 
 Be that as it may, it was understood that no terms 
 would be listened to by the enemy but that of the 
 uncond'tional surrender of Colonel Zebulon But- 
 ler, and the small handful of regular troops, num- 
 bering only fifteen, who had escaped the battle, to 
 the tender mercies of the Indians. Under these 
 circumstances, means of escape for the Colonel 
 and these fifteen men were found during the night. 
 The former succeeded in making his way to one 
 of the Moravian settlements on the Lehigh, and 
 the latter fled to Shamokin. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 191 
 
 The little fort being surrounded by a cloud of 
 Indians and tories, and having no means of de- 
 fence, Colonel Dennison, now in command, yield- 
 ed to the force of circumstances, and the importu- 
 nities of the women and children, and entered 
 into articles of capitulation. By this it was mu- 
 tually agreed that the inhabitants of the settle- 
 ment should lay down their arms, the fort be de- 
 molished, and the continental stores be delivered 
 up. The inhabitants of the settlement were to be 
 permitted to occupy their farms peaceably, and 
 without molestation of their persons. The loyal- 
 ists were to be allowed to remain in the undis- 
 turbed possession of their farms, and to trade 
 without interruption. Colonel Dennison and the 
 inhabitants stipulated not again to take up arms 
 during the contest, and Colonel John Butler agreed 
 to use his utmost influence to cause the private 
 property of the inhabitants to be respected. 
 
 But the last-mentioned stipulation was entirely 
 unheeded by the Indians, who were not, and per- 
 haps could not be, restrained from the work of 
 rapine and plunder. The surrender had no sooner 
 taken place than they spread through the valley. 
 Every house not belonging to a loyalist was plun- 
 dered, and then laid in ashes. The greater part 
 of the inhabitants, not engaged in the battle, men, 
 women, and children, had fled to the mountains 
 toward the Delaware ; and as the work of de- 
 struction was re-commenced, many others follow- 
 ed the example. The village of Wilkesbarre con- 
 
192 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 sisted of twenty-three houses. It was burnt, and 
 the entire population fled. No lives were taken 
 by the Indians after the surrender ; but numbers 
 of women and children perished in the dismal 
 swamp on the Pokono range of mountains, in the 
 flight which will be presently described. The 
 whole number of people killed and missing was 
 about three hundred. 
 
 Until the publication, year before last, of the 
 Life of Brant, by the writer of the present work, 
 it had been asserted in all history that that cele- 
 brated Mohawk chieftain was the Indian leader at 
 Wyoming. He himself always denied any parti- 
 cipation in this bloody expedition, and his asser- 
 tions were corroborated by the British officers, 
 when questioned upon the subject. But these 
 denials, not appearing in history, relieved him not 
 from the odium; and the "monster Brant" has 
 been denounced, the world over, as the author of 
 the massacre. In the work referred to above, the 
 author took upon himself the vindication of the 
 savage warrior from the accusation, and, as he 
 thought at the time, with success. A reviewer of 
 that work, however, in the Democratic Magazine, 
 who is understood to be the Hon. Caleb Gushing 
 of Massachusetts, disputed the point, maintaining 
 that the vindication was not satisfactory. The 
 author thereupon made a journey into the Seneca 
 country, and pushed the investigation among the 
 surviving chiefs and warriors of the Senecas en- 
 gaged in that campaign. The result was a tri- 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 193 
 
 umphant acquittal of Brant from all participation 
 therein. The celebrated chief Captain Pollard, 
 whose Indian name is Kaoundoowand^ a fine old 
 warrior, was a young chief in that battle. He 
 gave a full account of it, and was clear and posi- 
 tive in his declarations that Brant and the Mo- 
 hawks were not engaged in that campaign at all. 
 Their leader, he said, was Gi-en-gioah-toh^ as 
 already mentioned, who lived many years after- 
 ward, and was succeeded in his chieftaincy by 
 the late Young King. That point of history, 
 therefore, may be considered as conclusively set- 
 tled. 
 
 Colonel Benjamin Dorrance, yet a resident of 
 Wyoming, a gentleman of character and affluence, 
 was a lad in Fort Forty at the time of its surren- 
 der to Butler and the Indians, and remembers 
 freshly the circumstances. He states that after 
 the capitulation, the British regular troops march- 
 ed into the fort by the northern or upper gate- 
 way, while Gi-en-gwah-toh and his Indians en- 
 tered at the southern portal. Colonel Dorrance 
 recollects well the look and conduct of the In- 
 dian leader. His nostrils distended, and his burn- 
 ing eyes flashing like a basilisk's, as he glanced 
 quickly to the right, and to the left, with true 
 Indian jealousy and circumspection, lest some 
 treachery or ambuscade might await them with- 
 in the fort. But the powerful and the brave had 
 fallen. Old age was there, tottering upon his 
 crutches, and widowed women, with their help- 
 17 
 
194 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 less children clinging to their garments — sobbing 
 in all the bitterness of a woe at which the ruthless 
 savages mocked.* 
 
 But after all, the greatest barbarities of this cele- 
 brated massacre were committed by the tories. Ma- 
 ny loyalists, as has been already seen, had months 
 before united themselves with the enemy at Ni- 
 agara ; and on his arrival at the head of the val- 
 ley, many more of the settlers joined his ranks. 
 These all fought with the most brutal ferocity 
 against their former neighbours, and were guilty 
 of acts of which even this distant contemplation 
 curdles the blood. Of these acts a single one 
 must suffice. During the bloody fight of the 3d, 
 some of the fugitives plunged into the river and 
 escaped to the opposite shore. A few landed 
 upon Monockonock Island, having lost their arms 
 in the flight, and were pursued thither. One of 
 them was discovered by his own brother, who had 
 espoused the side of the crown. The unarmed 
 Whig fell upon his knees before his brother and 
 ofiered to serve him as a slave forever, if he would 
 but spare his life. But the fiend in human form 
 was inexorable; he muttered "yo?^ are ad — d 
 
 ♦The Hazlcton Travellers," by Charles Miner. I shall have frequent oc- 
 casion to repeat this reference in the succeeding chapter, and it may be well 
 to explain what is the work referred to. It is not a book, but a series of his- 
 torical essays, or rather colloquies, published by Mr. Miner in the village 
 paper of Wyoming, during the years 1837 and 1838. In these papers, the 
 author introduces a party of strangers from Hazlcton, who accompany him in 
 an imaginary journey through the valley, and to whom the author is supposed 
 to recount its history in a series of familiar conversations. These papers have 
 been of great value to the author. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 195 
 
 rehel^' and shot him dead. This tale is too hor- 
 rible for belief; but a survivor of the battle, a 
 Mr. Baldwin, whose name will occur again, con- 
 firmed its truth to the writer with his own lips. 
 He knew the brothers well, and in August, 1839, 
 declared the fact to be so.* The name of the 
 brothers was Pensil. 
 
 The fugitives generally crossed the mountains 
 to Stroudsburg, where there vvas a small milita- 
 ry post. Their flight was a scene of wide-spread 
 and harrowing sorrow. Their dispersion being 
 in an hour of the wildest terror, the people were 
 scattered, singly, in pairs, and in larger groups, 
 as chance separated them or threw them together 
 in that sad hour of peril and distress. Let the 
 mind picture to itself a single group, flying from 
 the valley to the mountains on the east, and climb- 
 ing the steep ascent — hurrying onward, "filled 
 with terror, despair and sorrow ; — the aff'righted 
 mother, whose husband has fallen ; — an infant 
 on her bosom — a child by the hand — an aged 
 parent slowly climbing the rugged steep behind 
 them; — hunger presses them severely — in the rust- 
 ling of every leaf they hear the approaching sav- 
 age, — a deep and dreary wilderness before them, — 
 the valley all in flames behind, — their dwellings 
 and harvests all swept away in this spring-flood 
 of ruin, — the star of hope quenched in this blood- 
 shower of savage vengeance. "f There is no work 
 of fancy in a sketch like this. Indeed it cannot 
 
 * Vide also Chapman. fThe Hazleton Travellers. 
 
196 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 approach the reality. There were in one of these 
 groups that crossed the mountains — those of them 
 that did not perish by the way, — one hundred 
 women and children, and but a single man to aid, 
 direct, and protect them. Their sufferings for 
 food were intense. One of the surviving officers 
 of the battle, who escaped by swimming the river, 
 crossed the mountains in advance of many of 
 the fugitives, and was active in meeting them 
 with supplies. " The first we saw on emerging 
 from the mountains," said a Mrs. Cooper, one of 
 the fugitives, "was Mr. Hollenbach riding full 
 speed from the German settlement with bread: 
 and O ! it was needed ; we had saved nothing, 
 and were near perishing ; my husband had laid 
 his mouth to the earth to lick up a little meal 
 scattered by some one more fortunate." 
 
 Mr. William Searle, whose father, Constant 
 Searle, an aged man, was slain in the battle, being 
 himself unable to go into the engagement because 
 of a wound received in a skirmish with a party of 
 Indians a few days before, was nevertheless obli- 
 ged to make his way across the mountains, as the 
 conductor of a party of twelve women and children. 
 Captain Hewitt, commanding the company of new 
 levies in the engagement, who bravely fell, refu- 
 sinor to retreat, was the son-in-law of Constant 
 Searle. Many of the fugitives continued their jour- 
 ney back to Connecticut, ascending the Delaware 
 and crossing over to the Hudson at Poughkeepsie. 
 It was at this place that the first account of the 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 197 
 
 massacre was published. It was collected from 
 the lips of the panic-stricken and suffering fugi- 
 tives, and was full of enormous exaggerations, such 
 as the alleged massacre of women and children, the 
 burning of forts full of people, &c. None of these 
 tales were true, albeit they found their way into 
 Dr. Thatcher's Military Journal, written at the 
 time, and even into the histories of Gordon, Ram- 
 say, Botta and others. A venerable old lady, Mrs. 
 Bidlack, yet living in August 1839, was one of the 
 captives surrendered at the fort, being then about 
 sixteen years old. She stated that the Indians 
 were kind to them after they were taken, except 
 that they plundered them of every thing but the 
 clothes upon their backs. They marked them 
 with paint to prevent them from being killed by 
 other Indians — a precaution often adopted by the 
 red men, by whom such marks are always res- 
 pected. 
 
 Great injustice has been done to the character 
 and conduct of Colonel Zebulon Butler in connec- 
 tion with this tragic affair of Wyoming, by some 
 ill-informed historians who have written upon the 
 subject, as well because he did not attempt to rally 
 the survivors, and make another stand before Fort 
 Wyoming, as on account of his flight. But the 
 idea is preposterous in the mind of any intelligent 
 man who duly considers the circumstances in 
 which he was placed. Who was there to rally? 
 Could the fiife and drum pierce the ears of the slain? 
 Could the dead be raised — the ashes of those who 
 17* 
 
198 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 had been put to the torture in the flames be revivi- 
 fied by the reading of a regimental order ? Full 
 one half of the males of the colony lay stiff" in 
 death on the field. Had there been any body to 
 rally, with the least possible chance of success, 
 Zebulon Butler would have been the last man to 
 fly. But there was not, and the enemy had refu- 
 sed quarter to all who belonged to the continental 
 army. It was therefore the duty of Colonel Butler 
 to save himself and the fifteen brave survivors of 
 Captain Hewitt's company. 
 
 Zebulon Butler was not an accidental soldier. 
 He had served in the old French war, with gal- 
 lantry, and his associations with European offi- 
 cer, had added to his imposing form and carriage 
 the manners of a gentleman. His courage and 
 fortitude had moreover been illustrated in the civil 
 wars, for the possession of the territory he was 
 now defending from foreign invasion. An idea 
 of his spirit may be formed by the following inci- 
 dent, connected with the very service that had 
 now resulted so disastrously. It must be borne in 
 mind that he was the commander of a continental 
 regiment in the Connecticut line. When the peo- 
 ple of Wyoming began to be alarmed in the 
 spring, he was directed to repair thither, and look 
 into their condition. On the receipt of his report, 
 setting forth the destitution of the valley, at head- 
 quarters, it was alledged that his account was ex- 
 aggerated. " It is impossible," exclaimed one of 
 the officers, — '' it cannot be so." The officer's 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 199 
 
 incredulity was reported to Colonel Butler, who 
 replied, in his next despatch, " A gentleman who 
 had a just regard for his own honour, would not 
 so lightly suspect the honour of another." 
 
 When the invasion actually occurred, he was 
 not only unprepared, but he was compelled to 
 meet the enemy, greatly superior in numbers, con- 
 trary to his own better judgment. The rashness 
 of the brave but undisciplined men hastily col- 
 lected together compelled him to the hazard of 
 the die. His dispositions for the battle were those 
 of a soldier, his conduct during the battle that of 
 a brave man and skillful officer ; and but for the 
 untoward circumstance of the mistaken order 
 which threw his left wing into confusion, the for- 
 tunes of the day, notwithstanding the disparity of 
 their relative forces, might yet have been different. 
 He lost no character in the eyes of those who saw 
 the transaction, or in the estimation of those who 
 knew him ; and a long and useful life, during 
 which he enjoyed richly the public confidence, is 
 the most unerring test of his character.* 
 
 So also has it been with Colonel Dennison, the 
 second in rank on that fatal day. who was in com- 
 mand of the left win or when it broke and fled. 
 
 * The grave of Colonel Butler is occasionally visited by strangers. The 
 stone has been embellished by some "poet of the wilderness," with the fol- 
 lowing rustic but pious rhymes : — 
 
 " Distinguished by his usefulness, 
 At home and when abroad ; 
 In court, in camp, and in recess, 
 Protected still by God." 
 
200 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 He, too, has been censured in history, if not for 
 his conduct in the battle, at least for the capitu- 
 lation. But as in the case of his commander, these 
 censures have been most unreasonable. The cir- 
 cumstances in which he found himself, when, from 
 the necessary flight of Colonel Zebulon Butler, 
 the command had devolved upon him, were of the 
 most trying description. 
 
 It must not be forgotten that they were only the 
 fragments of a shattered and broken militia, and 
 not regular troops, of whom he was in accidental 
 command. By the result of the battle, the entire 
 force and population of the valley were broken 
 and crushed. The thought of farther resistance 
 would have been more than folly — it would have 
 been madness. It would not have checked for an 
 hour the victorious enemy, but on the other hand 
 would only have exasperated to additional mur- 
 ders. And what officer ever yet succeeded in 
 rallying, and bringing again into line, a band of 
 flying militia with a cloud of savages upon their 
 heels ? When he capitulated, he was in a defence- 
 less stockade fort, filled with women and children, 
 and surrounded by a savage and victorious enemy. 
 But it was not true, as is stated in the books, that 
 when he demanded upon what terms he might 
 be allowed to surrender, the reply was " The 
 Hatchet" — and that he thereupon capitulated 
 unconditionally, leaving the women and children to 
 a merciless horde of barbarians. On the contrary, 
 the terms he made were honorable, and it was not 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 201 
 
 his fault that the articles were violated in resfard 
 to the plunderings and burnings of the Indians. 
 Colonel Dennison has been farther censured, and 
 charged with bad faith in joining the expedition of 
 Colonel Hartley, who, having been ordered to Wyo- 
 ming soon after the devastation, proceeded against 
 the Indian towns farther north upon the Susque- 
 hanna. CqIoucI Dennison, who had stipulated in 
 the capitulation not again to bear arms against his 
 English Majesty, was an active officer under Co- 
 lonel Hartley ; and the circumstance was used as 
 a pretext by the bitter and bloody-minded Walter 
 Butler, for the invasion and massacre of Cherry 
 Yalley in the autumn of the same year.* But it 
 was only a pretext. With the single exception 
 that an end was put by Colonel John Butler and 
 Gi-en-gwah-toh to the effusion of blood, every 
 other provision of the terms of that capitulation 
 was disregarded. Every thing, as has been seen, 
 was plundered, the entire settlement subjected to 
 pillage, and instead of the inhabitants being al- 
 lowed to remain at peace in their possessions, the 
 whole was given up to rapine, and finally to the 
 flames. So that Colonel Dennison, on principles 
 of the most scrupulous honor, and the most delicate 
 propriety, was fully justified in resuming his arms. 
 Colonel Dennison was one of the early emi- 
 grants to Wyoming. He was a native of New- 
 London county ; and on the extension of the 
 
 * Life of Brant, Vol. I., Chap. xvii. 
 
202 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 jurisdiction of Connecticut over the extensive do- 
 main comprehended within the town of West- 
 moreland, a regiment of miUtia being organized, 
 he was commissioned its colonel. He was a g-en- 
 tleman of highly respectable talents, and of liberal, 
 and, it is believed, collegiate attainments. He 
 was regarded by all who served with or knew him, 
 as a brave and faithful officer. After*the close of 
 the war, he held various important civil appoint- 
 ments under the authority of Pennsylvania, and 
 died at a very advanced age — as eminent for his 
 sweet and unaffected piety as he had ever been 
 for his patriotism — honored, loved, and wept by 
 all. He had two sons, one of whom yet resides in 
 the valley. The other died a few years ago, after 
 having served his country in the state legislature 
 and in Congress, with ability and honor. 
 
 The fields of AYyoming were waving with heavy 
 burdens of grain, ripening for the harvest, at the 
 time of the invasion, and no sooner had the enemy 
 retired than considerable numbers of the settlers 
 returned to secure their crops. In the course of 
 their flight across the mountains, a party of the 
 fugitives fell in with Captain Spalding, of the 
 Continental army, at the head of a company of 
 regulars, on their way to assist in the defence of 
 the valley. Being apprized of the melancholy 
 catastrophe that had befallen it, and having no 
 force adequate to engage the invaders who had 
 been left rioting upon the spoils of their conquest. 
 Captain Spalding retraced his steps to Strouds- 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 203 
 
 burg, where he remained for a month, and until 
 it was ascertained that the enemy had retired. 
 The captain then advanced and took possession of 
 the vale of desolation, where he was soon after- 
 ward joined by Colonel Zebulon Butler, who as- 
 sumed the command of the station, and under 
 whose direction, aided by the returning inhabit- 
 ants, another fort was erected on the bank of the 
 river, a short distance below the present borough 
 of Wilkesbarre. This fort was occupied by Cap- 
 tain Spalding, with a small garrison, for upward 
 of two years, during which period many of the 
 inhabitants who had escaped came back, rebuilt 
 their houses, and resumed their stations in the 
 settlement. 
 
 There was, however, but little repose for the 
 settlement until the close of the war. The In- 
 dians were frequently hovering upon the outskirts, 
 by straggling scouts, and in larger parties, in quest 
 of scalps, prisoners, and plunder. Sometimes they 
 appeared in considerable numbers. In the month 
 of March, 1779, Captain Spalding's fort was sur- 
 rounded by about two hundred and fifty Indians 
 and painted tories. They commenced an attack 
 upon the fort, but fled upon the discharge of a field- 
 piece — destroying such property as came in their 
 way. The strength of the garrison was too small to 
 allow of pursuit. But the enemy did not get away 
 without being obliged to engage in some sharp 
 skirmishes with parties of the inhabitants, as will 
 be seen in a subsequent chapter. In the succeed- 
 
204 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 ing month of April, as Major Powell was leading 
 a detachment of troops to reinforce the garrison 
 of Wyoming, while threading a defile so narrow 
 that but a single man could pass at a time, and 
 utterly unconscious that a subtle enemy was 
 lurking about his path, he was fired upon from an 
 Indian ambuscade in Laurel Run, near the crest 
 of the first mountain, and six of his men killed, of 
 which number were Captain Davis and Lieutenant 
 Jones. Taken thus fatally by surprise, Powell 
 retreated for a short distance, to bring his men into 
 order of battle, — for they had been marching at 
 their ease, without any organization, or much cir- 
 cumspection. The ambuscade was then charged, 
 and after a few scattering fires the Indians dis- 
 persed. The troops immediately entered the val- 
 ley, taking with them the bodies of the ofiicers who 
 had fallen, which were interred with the honours 
 of war, and an appropriate though rude memorial 
 placed upon their graves. 
 
 Toward the close of June, 1771, General Sul- 
 livan arrived in Wyoming, with his division of the 
 army destined for the memorable expedition of that 
 year against the country of the Six Nations — that of 
 the Cayugas and Senecas in particular. After re- 
 maining there a while, all things being ready, Sul- 
 livan moved up the river to the mouth of the 
 Tioga, where he was joined by General Clinton's 
 division from the north. General Sullivan's bag- 
 gage " occupied one hundred and twenty boats, 
 and two thousand horses, the former of which 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 205 
 
 were arranged in regular order upon the river, 
 and were propelled against the current by soldiers 
 with setting-poles, the whole strongly guarded. 
 The horses, laden with provisions for the daily 
 subsistence of the troops, having to march singly 
 in a narrow path, formed a line six miles in length. 
 The flotilla upon the river formed a beautiful 
 spectacle, as they moved in order from their an- 
 chorage, and as they passed the fort they exchan- 
 ged salutes. The whole scene formed a military 
 display surpassing any which had previously been 
 seen in Wyoming, and was well calculated to make 
 a deep impression upon the minds of those lurk- 
 ing parties of savages that still continued to 
 prowl about the mountains, from the tops of which 
 t?ie pageant was visible for many miles."* 
 
 But these wily warriors were neither driven 
 away, nor awed into inaction. It was not long 
 after Sullivan's departure before a brisk action 
 was fought between a detachment of Pennsylvania 
 militia, moving to the north for the protection of 
 the Lackawaxen settlements, and a party of one 
 hundred and fifty Indians, in which the former 
 were defeated, with the loss of between forty and 
 fifty men killed and taken. Having ravaged the 
 Genesee country, and laid the Indian towns waste 
 by fire and sword, General Sullivan returned to 
 Wyoming in October, and thence to Easton. The 
 Indians, however, followed close upon his rear. 
 
 * Chapman. 
 
 18 
 
206 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 and hung upon the borders of Wyoming until the 
 close of the Wcir. Shortly after Sullivan's depar- 
 ture, a detachment of militia from Northampton 
 county, raised for the protection of the borderers, 
 were attacked while on their march to the Sus- 
 quehanna, and eleven of their number killed out- 
 right, and two others mortally wounded. The 
 men were surprised while refreshing themselves 
 at a brook, by a party of about forty Indians, led 
 by a white loyalist. The former were command- 
 ed by Captain Moyer, whose good conduct after 
 the first fire in part atoned for the high miUtary 
 offence of allowing himself to be surprised. Ten 
 of the Indians were killed, and an eleventh mor- 
 tally wounded. Still they succeeded in carrying 
 away three white prisoners, all of whom con- 
 trived to effect their escape on the following 
 night. 
 
 Incidents of a kindred character might be mul- 
 tiplied to an almost indefinite extent ; but their 
 recital, from general sameness, might become tedi- 
 ous ; suffice it to say, that until the final close of 
 that great struggle for liberty, from the invasion of 
 1778, Wyoming seemed the object of inextinguish- 
 able rancour — of unappeasable hate. There was 
 not an hour's security for the people. Revenge 
 upon Wyoming seemed a cherished luxury to the 
 infuriated savages hovering upon her outskirts on 
 every side. It was all a scene of war, blood, and 
 suffering — owing, in the main, to the unpardon- 
 able neglect of the Continental Congress, who, 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 207 
 
 having drawn off the flower of the population for 
 the regular service, neglected, in return, to afford 
 the valley any adequate protection. In the old 
 town records of Westmoreland, at a public meet- 
 ing, in the latter part of April, 1780, it is recorded 
 that a committee was appointed to aid the people 
 in protecting their settlements, in consequence of 
 tlie attacks of the enemy. In 1781, a committee 
 was appointed to obtain an abatement of the state 
 tax at Hartford, in consequence of the continued 
 distress. And in 1782, wheat being taken for 
 taxes in the town treasury, it was ordered to be 
 ground and baked into biscuit to be ready for the 
 scouting parties kept up by the town. There was 
 therefore no repose for the inhabitants, but frequent 
 fightings and continual fears. In the course of 
 this harassing warfare there were many severe 
 skirmishes — several heroic risings of prisoners 
 upon their Indian captors — and many hair- 
 breadth escapes — some of which, together with 
 various details of family and individual heroism 
 and suffering, on the great day of slaughter and 
 afterward, will be found narrated in the succeed- 
 ing chapter. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Anecdotes and biographical sketches of the living and the dead of Wyontiing, 
 
 — Ueneral Ross, and liis family, — Visit to'tlie Field of Battle, — The Mon- 
 ument, — Inspection of the Bones of the Slain, — Process of Tomahawk- 
 ing, — Visit to Mrs. Myers, — Her Recollections, — Messrs. Bennett and 
 Hammond, — Heroic Exploit, — Visit to Rev. Mr. Bidlack, — Mrs. Bidlack, 
 
 — Recollections of both — The Gore /amily, — Story of the Inman fami- 
 ly, — The Jenkins family, — Lieut. John Jenkins, — His captivity, — Ex- 
 tracts from his Diary, — Mrs. Jenkins, his widow, — Her recollections, — 
 The Wintermoots, — Mrs. Jenkins's visit to the battle field, — The Black- 
 man family, — Story of :?amuel Carey and Zibbcra Hibbard, — Story of John 
 Abbott, — 'J'ho VVilliams family — Heroic exploit of Sergeant Williams, 
 
 — Story of the Weeks family, and of the Indian Anthony Turkey, — Story 
 of Major Camp, — Life of Mrs. Phtbe Young, — The Slocum family, — 
 Story of Frances Slocum, the " Lost Sister." 
 
 Considering the extent of the slaughter in the 
 massacre of Wyoming, the number of the survi- 
 vors of that fatal day yet hngering this side of the 
 grave is much greater than might have been ex- 
 pected. And the still larger number of the imme- 
 diate descendants of those who fell, yet inhabiting 
 the valley, is also a source of surprise. Both cir- 
 cumstances speak well for the place and the people 
 — proving the salubrity of the climate, and the 
 good taste and domestic habits of those who en- 
 joy it. It is the author's design in the present 
 chapter, agreeably to an intimation in the last, to 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 209 
 
 bring out, in bolder relief than could well be done 
 in a general historical narrative, some of the ex- 
 ploits and sufferings both of individuals and fami- 
 lies, who were engaged in the scenes that have 
 been described. And of those thus to be noticed, 
 there are several persons of both sexes yet among 
 the living. 
 
 One of the most opulent, as well as respectable 
 citizens yet enjoying a green old age in Wilkes- 
 barre, is General William Ross. He is a native 
 of Montville, in the State of Connecticut, and was 
 removed to Wyoming with his father's family, 
 while yet in his childhood, before the war of the 
 Revolution. At the time of the invasion William 
 Ross was sixteen years old. He was not, how- 
 ever, ensfasred in the battle which resulted so 
 disastrously, having the day before marched 
 with a small scouting party, twelve miles up the 
 river, to a settlement in which the Indians had 
 just committed a savage butchery. In this expe- 
 dition they killed two Indians, and buried five 
 bodies of their fellow colonists, which had been 
 sadly mangled. But young Ross had two brothers, 
 older than himself, Jeremiah and Perrin, engaged 
 in the battle, the latter of whom was an officer, 
 and both of whom fell. Their father was already 
 dead. On William, therefore, devolved the care 
 of an aged mother, several sisters, and the widow 
 and children of his brother Perrin. These all 
 made their escape across the mountains to a place 
 of safety, whence, however, the noble-spirited 
 18* 
 
210 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 youth returned to the scene of rapine, to save 
 whatever, if any thing, might be left, and in all re- 
 spects to perform his duty. He, among others, 
 was charged with visiting the field of slaughter 
 and burying the dead. It was more than a month 
 after the event, and he assured Professor Silliman, 
 in the year 1829, that owing to the intense heat 
 of the weather, and probably the dryness of the 
 air, the bodies were shrivelled, dry, and inof- 
 fensive, but with a single exception they could not 
 be recognised. They were buried in a common 
 grave upon the farm now belonging to Mr. Gay.* 
 Everything from his father's farm had disappear- 
 ed, that the invaders could destroy or carry away. 
 But being the only male of his family left, he re- 
 solved to honour his name; and the consequence 
 was, that he not only bore up with heroic fortitude 
 against the flood of calamities that had rolled over 
 the valley, but he overcame and rolled them back. 
 The widows and orphans were taken care of; the 
 fortunes of his house retrieved ; and he has lived 
 long in the enjoyment of many public honours 
 from the state of his adoption, and discharging 
 every public or private trust confided to him with 
 fidelity. 
 
 A visit to the field where the battle commen- 
 ced is no farther of special interest than that it 
 enables one to test the descriptive accuracy of the 
 books. The position of the enemy's line when 
 receiving the attack may be traced, and the tan- 
 gled morass still exists through which the Indians 
 
 * Silliman'3 Journal, vol. xviii. p. 310. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 211 
 
 penetrated to gain the rear of the left wing of the 
 Americans, commanded by Colonel Dennison. 
 
 Returning from the battle field, an interesting 
 object for a visit is the monument which the peo- 
 ple of Wyoming have commenced building, in 
 honour of their patriotic ancestors who fell upon 
 this consecrated aceldama. It stands upon the 
 eastern side of the highway, about half a mile 
 south of the village of Troy, and near the line 
 where the fury of the battle ceased — not far, 
 moreover, from the spot where, some weeks after 
 the conflict, the remains of the dead were collected 
 and buried. The monument is to consist of a 
 simple obelisk, of perhaps twenty feet diameter 
 atthe base, to be carried up to the height of fifty 
 or sixty feet. The material is an inferior species 
 of granite, quarried in the neighbourhood. The 
 foundation has been deeply and substantially laid, 
 and the superstructure carried up some ten or 
 twelve feet above the ground. And here the work 
 rests for want of funds. An application was made 
 by' the people of Wyoming to the Legislature of 
 Connecticut, for aid in the completion of this work 
 of piety and patriotism. The case was ably 
 presented to, and enforced upon that body, by 
 a committee from Wyoming, at the head of which 
 was Charles Miner — but without present suc- 
 cess. It is to be hoped, however, that a renew- 
 ed application will be more fortunate. The towns 
 in Wyoming during the whole of the war of 
 the Revolution, though not exactly an integral 
 
212 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 part of Connecticut, yet as much belonged to that 
 state as did New-London, Norvvalk, Danbury, or 
 Fairfield. These towns, which were burnt and 
 desolated by the enemy, received remuneration 
 from the state. But neither of them suffered the 
 horrors of Wyoming; and although Wyoming 
 contributed her full proportion of revenue to the 
 treasury of the state, and raised a goodly number 
 of the " Connecticut line," and poured out her 
 best blood like water, and almost swelled the tor- 
 rent of the Susquehanna with her tears, yet of 
 compensation she never received a dollar. And 
 now that she appeals for a few thousand dollars 
 to perpetuate the remembrance of the martyrs who 
 bled, and ofthe cause in which they fell, it would 
 be a burning shame — a disgrace which every son 
 of Connecticut should forever feel — to have the 
 petition denied. 
 
 At a bouse near by the monument, preserved, 
 as they should be, with holy care, are such of the 
 bones of the slain as have been from time to time 
 collected. These are to be deposited in a cham- 
 ber ofthe monument. 
 
 Several ofthe larger bones — of thighs, and arms, 
 and shoulder-blades, are perforated with bullet- 
 holes — rifle balls, evidently, by the size. Every 
 skull save one bears the mark of the deadly tom- 
 ahawk, and exhibits the process of the savage ope- 
 ration. The Indians seem not to have struck ver- 
 tically downward, but by a glancing side blow, 
 chipping out a piece from the crown, of two or three 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 213 
 
 inches diameter. One of the skulls received two 
 strokes of the hatchet; a cut as just described upon 
 the crown, and a second in the side of the head, 
 just by the ear. 
 
 About midway between the site of Fort Forty 
 and the place where the conflict was began is the 
 pleasant village of Troy. This is an interesting 
 place, as the enemy appear to have halted in this 
 neighbourhood at the close of the massacre. In 
 a field about sixty rods east of the highway is the 
 bloody rock upon which the prisoners were exe- 
 cuted by the Indians, during the night of the bat- 
 tle, as heretofore described. It has a red, or rather 
 brick-dust appearance on one side, believed by the 
 superstitious to have been caused by blood which 
 winter storms cannot wash nor time wear away. 
 
 Fort Forty stood upon the bank of the river, and 
 the spot is preserved as a common — beautifully 
 carpeted with green, but bearing no distinctive 
 marks denoting the purposes for which the ground 
 in those troublous times was occupied. Near the 
 site of the fort, is the residence of Mrs. Myers, a 
 widow lady of great age, but of clear mind and 
 excellent memory, who is a survivor of the Wyo- 
 ming invasion, and the horrible scenes attending 
 it. Mrs. Myers was the daughter of a Mr. Ben- 
 nett, whose family was renowned in the domestic 
 annals of Wyoming, both for their patriotism and 
 their courage. She was born in 1762, and was of 
 course sixteen years old at the time of the invasion. 
 
214 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 She was in Fort Forty when Colonel Zebulon But- 
 ler marched out at the head of the provincials 
 against the enemy. Her recollections of all that 
 passed beneath her eye on that occasion are remark- 
 ably vivid. The column marched forth three or 
 four abreast, in good spirits, though not uncon- 
 scious of the danger they were to encounter.* Still, 
 they were not apprized of the odds against them 
 since the enemy had most skilfully concealed their 
 strength. 
 
 Soon after the departure of the provincials, seve- 
 ral horsemen galloped up from below, their steeds 
 in a foam, and the sweat dripping from their sides. 
 They proved to be Captain Durkee, Lieutenant 
 Pearce, and another officer, who, having heard of 
 the invasion, had left the detachment of troops to 
 which they belonged, then distant fifty miles, and 
 ridden all night to aid in the defence of their wives, 
 their children, and their homes. "A morsel of 
 food and we will follow," said these brave men. 
 The table was hastily spread, and they all partook 
 of their last meal. Before the sun went down they 
 were numbered with the dead. The inmates of 
 the fort could distinctly hear the firing, from the 
 commencement of the battle. At first, from its 
 briskness, they were full of high hopes. But as 
 it began to change into a scattered fire, and the 
 sounds grew nearer and nearer, their hearts sank 
 with the apprehension that the day was lost, and 
 
 * One of the settlors, a man named Finch, had been shot and scalped two 
 days before, in a gorge of the mountains near the upper section of the valley. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 215 
 
 their defenders on the retreat. The suspense was 
 dreadful, and was sustained until nearly night-fall, 
 when a few of the fugitives rushed into the fort, 
 and fell down, wounded, exhausted and bloody ! 
 
 Mrs. Myers was present at the capitulation on 
 the following day, and saw the victorious entrance 
 of the enemy, six abreast, with drums beating and 
 colours flying. The terms of capitulation were fair 
 and honourable, but as the reader has already seen, 
 the Indians regarded them not, and immediately be- 
 gan to rob, plunder, burn, and destroy. Col. Den- 
 nison, according to the relation of Mrs. Myers, sent 
 for Colonel John Butler, the British commander. 
 They sat down together by a table on which the ca- 
 pitulation had been signed, (yet carefully preserv- 
 ed by Mrs. Myers.) She and a younger girl were 
 seated within the fort close by, and heard every 
 word they uttered. Colonel Dennison complained 
 of the injuries and outrages then enacting by the 
 savages. " I will put a stop to it, sir — I will put a 
 stop to it," said Colonel Butler. But the plunder- 
 ing continued, and Butler was again sent for by 
 Colonel Dennison, who remonstrated sharply with 
 him at the violation of the treaty. " We have sur- 
 rendered our fort and arms to you," said Colonel 
 Dennison, " on the pledge of your faith that both 
 life and property should be protected. Articles of 
 capitulation are considered sacred by all civilized 
 people." " I tell you what, sir," replied Colonel 
 Butler, waving his hand emphatically, " I can do 
 
216 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 nothing with them: I can do nothing with them." 
 And probably he could not, for the Indians, in the 
 end, had the audacity to strip Colonel Dennison 
 himself of his hat and rifle-frock, (a dress then 
 often worn by the officers.) Colonel D. was not 
 inclined to submit peaceably to this outrage, but 
 tlie brandishing of a tomahawk over his head com- 
 pelled his acquiescence — not, however, until, dur- 
 ing the parley, the colonel had adroitly transferred 
 his purse to one of the young ladies present, un- 
 observed by the Indians. This purse contained 
 only a few dollars — but it was in fact the whole 
 military chest of Wyoming. 
 
 Mrs. Myers represents Colonel John Butler as 
 a portly, good looking man, of perhaps forty-five, 
 dressed in green, the uniform of his corps, with a 
 cap and plumes. On the capitulation of Fort 
 Forty, as the victorious Butler entered it, his 
 quick eye rested upon a sergeant of the "Wyo- 
 ming troops, named Boyd, a young Englishman, 
 a deserter from the royal ranks, who had been 
 serviceable in drilling the American recruits. 
 " Boyd !" exclaimed Butler on recognising him, 
 " Go to that tree !" " 1 hope your honour," re- 
 plied Boyd, " will consider me a prisoner of war." 
 " Go to that tree !" repeated Butler with emphasis. 
 The deserter complied with the order, and at a 
 siofnal was shot down. Butler drew his white 
 forces away from the valley shortly after the ca- 
 pitulation. But the Indians remained about the 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 217 
 
 settlements, and finished the work of destruction.* 
 In about a week after the battle the torch was ap- 
 plied to most of the dwelling houses then remain- 
 ing, and Mrs. Myers saw that of her father, Mr. 
 Bennett, in flames among the number. He, with 
 his family, thereupon fled from the valley to a place 
 of greater security — Mrs. Myers and her sister, 
 Mrs. Tuttle, being among the fugitives. 
 
 Mr. Bennett returned to Wyoming early in the 
 following spring, and was soon afterward captured 
 by a party of six Indians, with his son, then a lad, 
 and Mr. Hammond, a neighbour, while at work in 
 the fleld. The Indians marched them toward the 
 North, but during the night of the second or third 
 day, their expedition was brought to a sudden and 
 most unexpected close. From a few words dropped 
 by one of the Indians, Mr. Bennett drew the in- 
 ference that it was their design to murder them. 
 Having requested of the Indian the use of his 
 moccasin awl to set a button, '' No want button 
 for one night," was the gruff" and laconic reply. 
 He therefore resolved, if possible, to effect an es- 
 cape, and while the captors had left them a few 
 moments to slake their thirst at a spring, a plan 
 
 * It has been stated by several authors, that the British Colonel Butler 
 was a kinsman of Colonel Zcbulon Butler. But the fact is not so. Colonel 
 John Butler was an opulent gentleman residing in the Mohawk valley, a 
 neighbour and personal friend of Sir William, and afterward of Sir John 
 Johnson. It was his misfortune to be engaged in a branch of the service 
 which has covered his name, in history, with any thing but honour. Still he 
 was a very respectable man, as were many other loyalists. After the close 
 of the war of the revolution, ho was retained in the British Canadian ser- 
 vice, and died at an advanced age, much respected by those who knew him. 
 
 19 
 
218 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 for that purpose was concerted. Mr. Bennett, 
 being in years, was permitted to travel unbound. 
 Hammond and the boy were pinioned. At night 
 they all lay down to sleep, except one of the In- 
 dians and Mr. Bennett. The latter, having ga- 
 thered the wood to keep up the fire for the night, 
 sat down, and soon afterward carelessly took 
 the Indian's spear in his hand, and began to play 
 with it upon his lap. The Indian now and then 
 cast a half-suspicious glance upon him, but con- 
 tinued his employment — picking the scanty flesh 
 from the head of a deer which he had been roast- 
 ing. The other Indians, wearied, had wrapped 
 themselves in their blankets, and by their snoring 
 gave evidence of being in a deep slumber. 
 
 The Indian left upon the watch, moreover, be- 
 gan to nod over his supper as though half asleep. 
 Watching his opportunity, therefore, Mr. Bennett 
 by a single thrust transfixed the savage with his 
 own spear, who fell across the burning logs with 
 a groan. Not an instant was lost in cutting loose 
 the limbs of Hammond and the lad. The other 
 Indians were in the same breath attacked by the 
 three, and the result was that five of the tawny 
 warriors were slain, and the sixth fled howling 
 with the spear sticking in his back. The victors 
 thereupon returned in triumph to the valley, bear- 
 ing as trophies the scalps of the slain. 
 
 In the pleasant town of Kingston, on the west 
 side of the river, opposite the borough of Wilkes- 
 barre, resides the Rev. Benjamin Bidlack, a clergy- 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 219 
 
 man of the Methodist denomination, who, and his 
 lady, are survivors of the memorable scenes of 
 1778, already described. This venerable man is 
 between eighty and ninety years of age, and of 
 clear and sound mind. He is of a tall and athletic 
 form, of intellectual and strongly marked features 
 and in the full pride of manhood his presence 
 must have been commanding. Mr. Bidlack was 
 not himself in the battle of Wyoming, not being 
 at home at the time of its occurrence. But 
 he had a brother. Captain James Bidlack, Jr.. in 
 that bloody affair, who bravely fell at the head of 
 his company, only eight of whom escaped the 
 horrors of that day. He entered the field with 
 but thirty-two rank and file, twenty-four of whom 
 were slain. His station was near the left wing, 
 but he refused to move from his post, although 
 the greater portion of his comrades had broken 
 and were in full flight. Their father, James Bid- 
 lack, senior, was one of the fathers of the settle- 
 ment ; and when the middle-aged portion of their 
 population was drawn away by enlistment in the 
 continental army, the old gentleman commanded 
 a corps of aged men, exempts, and kept garrison 
 in one of their little forts, called Plymouth. Ben- 
 jamin went early into the regular service. He 
 was with Washington in the vicinity of Boston, 
 in the summer of 1775, and saw the evacuation 
 of the " rebel town" by General Sir William Howe. 
 His term of enlistment expired in 1777, where- 
 upon he returned to his parental home, and for a 
 
220 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 season engaged in the most hazardous and fa- 
 tiguing service of the border. Engaging again in 
 the regular service, he continued in the army 
 until the effectual conclusion of the war by the 
 brilliant conquest of Lord Cornwallis, at York- 
 town, in the siege of which fortress he partici- 
 pated. Speaking of the affair one day, Mr. Bid- 
 lack said, " Our batteries i)layed night and day : 
 it was an incessant blaze and thunder — roar and 
 flash. Midnight was lighted up so that you might 
 pick up a glove, almost any where about the 
 works." 
 
 In the course of the war he once became a pri- 
 soner to the enemy. Like Hamlet's Yorick, he 
 was, when younsf, a fellow of infinite humour — 
 and as strong and athletic, at least, as the shorn 
 Samson. And as with Samson, the Philistines 
 into whose hands he fell would fain, from day to 
 day, bring Bidlack forth to make them sport. He 
 sang capital songs, among which was one called 
 "The Swaggering Man," each verse ending — 
 
 " And away went tlie swaggering man." 
 
 This was a favourite song with the captors, and 
 they urged him repeatedly to sing it — which he 
 very cheerfully did — for he was as full of fun as 
 any of them — insisting, however, that they must 
 enlarge their circle, and give him space "to act 
 the part." And this he did to admiration — at 
 least in one instance. Having by his conduct 
 allayed all suspicion of sinister intentions, and in- 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 221 
 
 duced his guards to give him ample room where- 
 in to exercise his limbs while singing their favour- 
 ite songj as he sang the last line — 
 
 " And away went the swaggering man," 
 
 suiting the action to the words, he sprang from 
 the circle like a leaping panther, and bounded 
 away with a fleetness that distanced competition, 
 and gained his liberty. 
 
 In 1779, the year subsequent to the massacre, 
 during a sudden irruption of the Indians, Mr. 
 James Bidlack, the father, was seized and carried 
 into captivity, and did not obtain a release until 
 the close of the war. He also lost another son in 
 battle before the close of the contest. The old 
 gentleman died about thirty years ago. It is 
 many years since Benjamin became a minister of 
 the gospel. From his great age he no longer offi- 
 ciates in that capacity, but it is said of his preach- 
 ing " that he spoke as he had fought, with impres- 
 sive earnestness and ardent sincerity." 
 
 The venerable consort of Mr. Bidlack was 
 eighty-one years of age in the year 1839, and of 
 course must have been twenty at the time of the 
 battle. Her maiden name was Gore, a member of 
 the brave family so many of whom fell in the 
 massacre, as related in a preceding chapter. Five 
 of her brothers and two brothers-in-law went into 
 the battle, and her father, who had been commis- 
 sioned a magistrate in the preceding spring, by 
 Governor Trumbull, was one of the aged men 
 19* 
 
222 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 left for the defence of Fort Forty, while Colonel 
 Butler marched forth to meet the enemy. Five 
 of her brothers were left dead on the field, and a 
 sixth was wounded. She was herself taken pri- 
 soner in Fort Wyoming, and one of the Indians 
 placed his mark upon her as a protection. She 
 stated* that after the capitulation the Indians 
 treated the prisoners kindly, although they plun- 
 dered them of every thing except the clothes they 
 had on. Some of the females, in order to save 
 what they could, arrayed themselves in three or 
 four dresses. On discovering the artifice, how- 
 ever, the Indians compelled them to disrobe, by 
 threats of having their throats cut. 
 
 But although enjoying the protection of her In- 
 dian captors, such were their apprehensions for 
 the future that Mrs. Bidlack fled from the valley 
 nine days afterward, and crossed the fearful forests 
 and fens of the Pokono mountains to Strouds- 
 burg, taking an infant, or younger sister, with 
 her. Two of her brothers who fell, Asa and 
 Silas, were ensigns. The one who escaped, 
 Daniel, was the lieutenant in Captain Durkee's 
 company, the station of which was the right wing, 
 " a few rods below Wintermoot's fort, close to the 
 old road that led up through the valley. Stepping 
 into the road, a ball struck him in the arm ; tearing 
 from his body a portion of his shirt, he applied 
 a hasty bandage. Just at that moment Captain 
 
 ♦ To tho author, on a visit made to Mr. and Mrs. Bidlack, in 1839. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 223 
 
 Durkee stepped into the road at the same place. 
 *Look out !' said Mr. Gore, ' there are some of the 
 savages concealed under yonder heap of logs.' 
 At that instant a bullet struck Captain Durkee in 
 the thigh. When retreat became inevitable, Mr. 
 Gore endeavoured to assist his captain from the 
 field but found it impossible ; and Durkee said, 
 *Save yourself, Mr. Gore — my fate is sealed.' 
 Lieutenant Gore then escaped down the road, and 
 leaping the fence about a mile below, lay couched 
 close under a bunch of bushes. While there, an 
 Indian sprang over the fence and stood near him. 
 Mr. Gore said he could see the white of his eye, 
 and was almost sure he was discovered. A mo- 
 ment after a yell was raised on the flats below, 
 when the Indian drew up his rifle and fired, and 
 instantly ran off" in that direction."* In the gray of 
 twilight, after the fury of the enemy seemed to 
 have spent itself. Gore heard two persons in con- 
 versation near the road where he was lying, one 
 of whom, by his voice, he judged to be Colonel 
 John Butler, the enemy's leader. " It has been a 
 hard day for the Yankees," said one of them. 
 " Yes," replied the other, " there has been blood 
 enough shed." 
 
 The name of one of Mrs. Bidlack's brothers-in- 
 law, who fell, was Murfee. In the evening the 
 distress of his wife was very great — and rendered 
 still more poignant by the apprehension that he 
 
 • Hazletoa Travellers. 
 
224 HISTORY OF WVOMING. 
 
 might have been captured, and would be put to 
 the torture. It was some relief to the bitterness of 
 her anguish to learn on the following day that he 
 had been killed outright. Mrs. Murfee, too, fled 
 to the mountains, and wandered back to her na- 
 tive place, — Norwich, in Connecticut, — where a 
 few days after her arrival among her friends, she 
 gave birth to an infant. 
 
 This case of the Gore family is certainly one of 
 the most remarkable in the history of man. 
 Rarely, indeed, if ever in the progress of the most 
 bloody civil conflicts, has it happened before, or 
 since, that a father and six sons have been en- 
 gaged in the same battle-field. Five corpses of a 
 single family sleeping upon the cold bed of death 
 together, upon the self same night. What a price 
 did that family pay for liberty ! 
 
 There was, however, another case nearly par- 
 allel, and equally interesting. A brave family re- 
 sided in the valley named Inman, consisting of 
 the father, mother, and seven sons. The former 
 was too old to 2:0 into the fiorht. Five of the sons 
 went ; and two others, one of whom was nineteen 
 years old, and the other quite a lad, would have 
 gone but for the want of arms. It was one of the 
 many untoward circumstances under which the 
 people were suflering, that by the terms of enlist- 
 ment prescribed by Congress, the regular troops 
 raised in Wyoming were obliged to supply their 
 own arms. Hence, at the time of the invasion, all 
 the best arms of the valley were with the soldiers 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 226 
 
 attached to the continental army. Two of the 
 younger Inmans, therefore, were compelled to re- 
 main at home with their aged parents. Two of 
 those who went forth, Elijah and Israel, went to 
 return no more — both having been slain. " Two 
 escaped without injury ; and the fifth, hotly pur- 
 sued, plunged into the river, overheated with ex- 
 ertion, and hid himself under the willows. He 
 might as well have fallen in the fight ; for a cold 
 settled upon his lungs, and carried him in a few 
 weeks to his grave."* Of the two brothers who 
 escaped, one, Richard, had the satisfaction of 
 saving the life of his neighbour, Rufus Bennett, 
 from the tomahawk of a stalwart Indian, when in 
 the act of leaping upon him. Bennett and the In- 
 dian had both fired without eftect, and the latter, 
 with his uplifted tomahawk flashing in the air, 
 was in the act of springing upon him, when the 
 rifle of Richard Inman brought him with a con- 
 vulsive bound dead within a few feet of his in- 
 tended victim. But the tale of sorrow in this pa- 
 triotic family is not yet ended. In common with 
 the other surviving inhabitants of the valley, the 
 parents with their remaining sons escaped to the 
 Delaware. With others, however, toward winter, 
 they returned for the purpose of sowing their fields 
 with wheat. Soon after the season of snows had 
 set in, one of the young men, Isaac, aged nineteen, 
 imao-inino- that he heard the rustling of a flock of 
 
 * Hazleton Travellers, 
 
226 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 wild turkeys in a neighbouring forest, sallied 
 forth with his fowling-piece to bring some of them 
 in — not anticipating that danger was lurking so 
 near. He had not been long in the forest before 
 the discharge of a musket was heard, and the fa- 
 mily were shortly expecting his return, laden with 
 the prize of his skill. He came not. A sleepless 
 night was passed, but there was no return. The 
 hearts of his fond parents sank within them at 
 the tidings that the trail of an Indian scouting 
 party had been discovered in the neighbourhood. 
 Still hope ever whispered the flattering tale that 
 their young and promising son, — for he was in- 
 deed a youth of uncommon grace and beauty, — 
 had been taken a captive, and would perhaps find 
 his way back in the spring. But, alas ! the spring 
 came, and the dissolving snow revealed a sadder 
 tale. The body of the youth was found in the 
 edge of a little creek passing through the farm. 
 He had been shot, and an Indian's war-club lay 
 by his side. His body was cruelly mangled and 
 his light silken hair was yet stained with blood, 
 drawn by the hatchet and scalping-knife.* 
 
 " Death found strange beauty on his manly brow, 
 And dashed it out." 
 
 Thus perished four of this devoted family in the 
 course of that memorable year.j- 
 
 The name of Colonel John Jenkins has more 
 
 * Hazleton Travellers. 
 
 t One of the survivors of these melancholy scenes, Colonel Edward In- 
 man, a man of wealth and character, yet, (1839,) resides in the valley, a few 
 miles below Wilkesbarr6. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 227 
 
 than once occurred in the preceding pages. This 
 gentleman was an early emigrant to the valley, 
 and presided at the meeting of the inhabitants 
 in the beginning of the revolutionary troubles, 
 when the patriotic resolutions mentioned in a for- 
 mer chapter, in opposition to the unconstitutional 
 acts of Parliament, were adopted. The old gentle- 
 man was an active patriot until after the massa- 
 cre, when he removed to Orange county in the 
 State of New- York ; closing there an honourable 
 and well-spent life. He had a son, Lieutenant 
 John Jenkins, no less a patriot than himself, who 
 had been married shortly previous to the massa- 
 cre, and who did the cause good service. He was 
 taken prisoner by a band of Indians, while on a 
 reconnoitring party, near Wyalusing, several 
 miles above Wyoming, in ]November,1777, and car- 
 ried to Niagara. It happened that, at the same time, 
 the Americans he.'d captive at Albany a distin- 
 guished Indian warrior, for whom Colonel John 
 Butler determined to exchange Mr. Jenkins. For 
 this purpose he sent the latter to the American 
 lines, under a strong escort of Indians. But the 
 party was short of provisions, and from the fa- 
 tigues of the march, and other privations, Mr. Jen- 
 kins almost perished. Nay, he came near being 
 murdered in one of the drunken carousals of the 
 Indians, and was only saved by the fidelity 
 of a young warrior, whom he had succeeded 
 in securing as his friend. This faithful savage 
 kept himself perfectly sober, in order to the more 
 effectual preservation of the life of his prisoner. 
 
228 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 On the arrival of the party in the neighbourhood 
 of Albany, it was ascertained that the chief for 
 whom Jenkins was to be exchanged had died of 
 the small pox. The Indians, greatly incensed at 
 this loss of a favorite warrior, were resolved upon 
 taking Jenkins back with them into captivity, and 
 Jenkins himself believed it was their intention to 
 murder him as soon as they should have with- 
 drawn beyond striking distance from Albany. His 
 release, however, was ultimately negotiated, and 
 he made his way back to Wyoming, to the com- 
 pany of his friends, and to the embrace of his 
 young wife, whom he had recently married. 
 
 During the latter years of the war, Lieutenant 
 Jenkins was in the habit of keeping a diary, or re- 
 cord of current events in the valley. From this 
 diary a few extracts have been made, which show 
 how constantly the settlers were harassed by the 
 subtle and ever-active enemy with whom they 
 were obliofed to contend : — 
 
 " January Wth^ 1780. A party of men set out 
 to go through the swamp, (across the Pokono 
 range) on snow-shoes, the snow about three feet 
 deep. 
 
 ^^ Feb. 2d. — Two soldiers went to Capowes, 
 and froze themselves badly. 
 
 " Feb. 7th. — Colonel Butler set out for New- 
 England. 
 
 " March 27th. — Bennett and son, and Ham- 
 mond taken and carried oif — supposed to be done 
 by the Indians. The same day Upson killed and 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 229 
 
 scalped near William Stewart's house, and young 
 Rogers taken. 
 
 " March 28//i. — Several scouting parties sent 
 out, but made no discoveries of the enemy. 
 
 " March 29th. — Esquire Franklin went to Hun- 
 tington on a scout, and was attacked by the In- 
 dians, at or near his own house, and two of his 
 party murdered — Ransom and Parker. 
 
 " March 30th, — Mrs. Pike came in this day, 
 and informed that she and her husband were in 
 the woods making sugar, and were surrounded by 
 a party of about thirty Indians, who had several 
 prisoners with them, and two horses. They took 
 her husband and carried him off with them, and 
 painted her and sent her in. They killed the 
 horses before they left the cabin where she was. 
 One of the prisoners told her that the Indians had 
 killed three or four men at Fishing Creek. 
 
 " Captain Spaldmg set out for Philadelphia this 
 morning, (fcc. This day the Indians took Jones-, 
 Avery, and Lyon, at Cooper's. 
 
 *' April ith. — Pike, and two men from Fishing 
 Creek, and two boys that were taken by the In- 
 dians, made their escape by rising on their guard 
 often Indians — killed three — and the rest took 
 to the woods naked, and left the prisoners with 
 twelve guns and about thirty blankets, <fcc. These 
 the prisoners got safe to the fort. 
 
 " May \7th. — Sergeant Baldwin went to 
 Lackawana, and found a man which ran away 
 from the Indians, and brought him in. He in- 
 20 
 
230 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 formed that he was taken by a party often Indians 
 and one tory, near Fort Allen.* This day the peo- 
 ple were alarmed on both sides of the river. Wil- 
 liam Perry came in from Delaware in the evening, 
 and informed that about sunrise this morning he 
 saw a party of Indians near the Laurel Run, and 
 several parties between that and the fort, by rea- 
 son of which he was detained until that time in 
 coming in. 
 
 '■^ May ISth. — Several reconnoitring parties 
 sent out, but made no discoveries except a few 
 tracks in the road near the mountain. 
 
 "/?me lOih. — A party of our men brought in 
 three tories, which they took at Waysock's. 
 These set out from New- York with the intent to 
 travel through the country to Niagara — Bowman 
 and son, Hover and Philip Buck in company, but 
 (the latter) made their escape when the others 
 were taken. 
 
 "////y llth. — Bowman, Hover, and Sergeant 
 Leaders, sent to head-quarters in order for trial. 
 
 " Monday^ Sept. Ath. — Sergeant Baldwin and 
 Searle came in from a scout, and brought in a 
 horse and a quantity of plunder of different kinds, 
 which they took from a party of Indians near 
 Tunkhannock creek, on Saturday before. 
 
 ^^ Thursday Sept. Mth. — Lieutenant Myers, 
 from Fort Allen, came into the Fort, and said he 
 had made his escape from the Indians the night 
 before, and that he had been taken in the Scotch 
 
 * Fort Allen was upon the Lcliigh river, in tlie neiglibourhood of the Mo- 
 ravian settlements, fifty miles south, or southeast of Wyoming. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 231 
 
 Yalley, and that he had thirty-three men with him, 
 which he commanded. He was surrounded by 
 the Indians, and thirteen of his men killed, and 
 three taken. This day we heard that Fort Jen- 
 kins and Hervey's Mills were burnt. 
 
 " December ^th. — In the morning a party of 
 tories and Indians took some prisoners from Shaw- 
 wanee — [west of the river, two miles below 
 Wilkesbarre.] Did no other damage, except 
 taking a small quantity of plunder. 
 
 ^^ Deceinhcr 6th. — A party of our men sent 
 after them, and pursued them three days, and 
 gave out. 
 
 "/a?i. 23d, 1781. — Captain Mitchell came to 
 Wyoming in order to release Colonel Butler. 
 
 " January 2ith. — Captain Selin and myself 
 set out for Philadelphia." 
 
 Lieutenant Jenkins was an active officer during 
 the whole contest, and signalized himself in sev- 
 eral brisk affairs with the Indians. When Gen- 
 eral Sullivan marched from Wyoming to lay 
 waste the Genesee country, he selected Lieuten- 
 ant Jenkins as his guide or conductor. He fought 
 bravely in the battle of Newtown, and after the 
 close of the war, was for many years a surveyor 
 in the Susquehanna and Genesee countries. He 
 became an influential citizen in Wyoming, and 
 held various important offices, — sometimes repre- 
 sentins: the County of Luzerne in the Legisla- 
 ture of Pennsylvania. He was the leader of the 
 democratic party in that county, and died only 
 
232 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 about twelve years ago, — greatly respected by 
 all who knew him. 
 
 The widow of Lieutenant, or rather Colonel 
 Jenkins — for, like his father, he had long worn 
 the latter title before his death — Mrs. Berthia 
 Jenkins, yet survives, at the age of eighty six. — 
 For a lady of her years, she is remarkably active, 
 and her mind and memory are still unclouded. 
 It will be borne in mind that on entering the val- 
 ley, the first halt of Colonel Butler and his Indian 
 allies, was at Fort Wintermoot, upon the west 
 bank of the river perhaps a mile above the bat- 
 tle field. Mrs. Jenkins, then just married, was 
 in Fort Jenkins, at the time of Butler's arrival, 
 about a mile yet farther to the north. The fideli- 
 ty of the Wintermoots to the cause of the revolu- 
 tion, had been questioned previous to the arrival 
 of Colonel John Butler, and the erection of their 
 little fort had caused some remark, inasmuch as 
 Fort Jenkins was so near that this additional 
 stockade was hardly deemed necessary. But on 
 the arrival of the enemy, all disguise was thrown 
 off by the Wintermoots, and Colonel Butler with 
 his troops and Indians were received as friends, — 
 showing that there had been a perfect understand- 
 ing between the parties, and that the suspected 
 family had in fact been plotting the destruction of 
 their own neigrhbours. A detachment was imme- 
 diately sent against Fort Jenkins, with a demand 
 for its surrender, — a demand which could not be 
 resisted, as there were only nine or ten persons in 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 233 
 
 the little defence, old and young. Mrs. Jenkins 
 of course became a prisoner. This was on the 2d 
 of July. The battle was on the 3rd, and the 
 moment it was known that the Yankees were 
 marching up to the attack from Fort Forty, the 
 detachment which had taken Fort Jenkins was 
 recalled to the main body. Mrs. Jenkins follow- 
 ed to the distance of half way between the forts, 
 and sat down upon a stump in the field, with 
 an anxious heart, to await the issue. She heard 
 the firing as it commenced and ran along the 
 line from right to left, until it became general. — 
 iShe also heard the war-whoops of the Indians. 
 By and bye the whoopings became more fierce, 
 and the firing broken. Then it was less frequent 
 and more distant, while the yells of the savages 
 grew more frightful, giving " signs of wo that all 
 was lost." The next morning the prisoners from 
 Fort Jenkins were taken down to Wintermoot's. 
 Among them was a Mrs. Gardiner, whose hus- 
 band had been taken in the skirmish at Exeter 
 two days before. She was now permitted to go 
 down to the enemy, to take leave of him. Mrs. 
 Jenkins, and a Mrs. Baldwin, whose husband was 
 in the battle, with an old man, her father-in-law, 
 carrying a flag, were allowed to go in company 
 with Mrs. Gardiner. Mrs. Baldwin could obtain no 
 tidinsfs of her husband, and returned with a hea- 
 vier heart than she went. This visit enabled Mrs. 
 Jenkins to take a survey of the battle field ; and 
 her descriptions are as vivid as they are shocking. 
 20* 
 
234 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 She discovered numbers among the dead, of her 
 late friends and neighbours. In one place there 
 was a circle of the dead, lying as they had fallen, 
 scalped and mangled. In another, were the 
 smouldering embers of a fire, around which were 
 strowed the half-burnt limbs of those who had been 
 put to death by torture.* By some means the lib- 
 eration of Mrs. Jenkins was effected, and she fled 
 the valley with other fugitives, returning thither 
 eighteen months afterward. It is an interesting 
 fact related by Mrs. Jenkins, that the people of 
 Wyoming were in part dependent upon themselves 
 for their own gun-powder, which the women 
 rudely manufactured by leeching the earth for 
 the salt-petre, and then compounding it with char- 
 coal and sulphur as best they could with such 
 means as were at hand. 
 
 There was a brave family named Blackman 
 residents of the valley, two of whom, then young 
 men, now far down the vale of years, are yet liv- 
 ing, — farmers of wealth and character. Their 
 father, being too old to go out upon the war-path, 
 remained within Fort "Wyoming during the ac- 
 tion, performing his duty, however, as an officer 
 of a veteran corps previously instituted, called 
 the Reformadoes. Mr. Blackman's eldest son, 
 Eleazer, went into the battle, with a young man 
 named David Spofford, who, two months before, 
 
 * Scarse could he footing find in that fowle way, 
 For many corses, like a great lay-stall, 
 Which murdered men, which therein s^roir cd lay 
 Without remorse, or decent funcrall. 
 
 Spencer's Faerie Quecne. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 235 
 
 had been married to his sister, — Louisa Black- 
 man. The two young men together with a 
 brother of SpofFord, named Phineas, fought side 
 by side, until David received his death-wound. 
 Falling upon his brother's arm, he said, — "I am 
 mortally hurt, — take care of Louisa!'' These 
 were his last words. Other members of the Black- 
 man family did good service during the war, in 
 the valley and elsewhere. 
 
 x\mong the survivors of the massacre, yet lin- 
 gering in the valley, are Mr. Samuel Carey and 
 Mr. Baldwin. The former was nineteen years 
 old at the time of the battle. He belonged to Cap- 
 tain Bidlack's company, forming a part of the left 
 wing of the line, which was first out-flanked and 
 thrown into confusion. In the flight that ensued 
 he was accompanied by Zippera Ilibbard, his file- 
 leader in the line. Hibbard was also a young 
 man, remarkable for the height and beauty of his 
 form, as well as for his great strength and superior 
 agility. In all the athletic sports among the set- 
 tlers he was a leader, and such were his muscu- 
 lar powers, and his feats of running and leaping, 
 that had he lived to engage in the Olympic games 
 of classic Greece, he would doubtless often have 
 won the crown. 
 
 He had just been married at the lime of the 
 invasion, and tradition reports the parting scene 
 from his youthful bride to have been one of ten- 
 der interest. Fear was. a stranger to his breast; 
 but there were tics binding him to his home which 
 could not be severed without a severe struggle. 
 
236 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 He knew, from the superiority of the enemy's 
 force, that the battle would be fought upon un- 
 equal terms, and perhaps his mind was clouded 
 with a presentiment that he should not return 
 from the field he was preparing to enter. After 
 adjusting his arms, therefore, he yet for a moment 
 lingered — stepped forward, and back again — 
 paused — and musingly hesitated. At length he 
 ran back to the embrace of his bride, imparted 
 another parting kiss upon her pale and trembling 
 lips — but spoke not a word, as he tore himself 
 finally away. '' The next hour," to quote the 
 words of Charles Miner, " there was not a soldier 
 that marched to the field with more cheerful alac- 
 rity." 
 
 But alas! If he had entertained any gloomy 
 forebodings, they were but too fatally realized. 
 In their flight, Hibbard and Carey took to a field 
 of rye, tall, and ready for the sickle. The former 
 being in advance, broke the path for his junior 
 comrade ; and in doing so, by the time they had 
 crossed the field, he became fatigued almost to 
 exhaustion. Their object was to escape to the 
 island already mentioned ; but the Indians were 
 in hot pursuit, and Hibbard was overtaken just 
 as he had gained the' sandy beach, and ere he 
 could reach the stream. He turned to defend 
 himself, but in the same instant fell transfixed by 
 the spear of his dusky pursuer. 
 
 Young Carey was more fortunate. Having 
 been less fatigued in the rye field than his com- 
 panion who had broken the way, he was enabled 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 237 
 
 to continue his flight farther down the river, he- 
 fore he attempted crossing to the island. The 
 Indians, however, watchincr his movements, swam 
 the river above more rapidly than himself, and he 
 reached the island only to become their prisoner. 
 He was then compelled to rccross the riv^er by 
 swimming-, and carried back to Fort Wintermoot. 
 This defence had been fired by the enemy them- 
 selves, and was yet in flames when Carey reached 
 it. The painfulncss of the scene was increased 
 by the sight of the bodies of one or more of his 
 neighbours, which had been thrown upon the 
 burmng pile — 
 
 " By the smoke of their ashes to poison the gale : " 
 
 but whether they had been thus disposed of be- 
 fore or after death, he could not tell. He had been 
 stripped to his skin previous to leaving the island, 
 and was threatened with menacing strokes of the 
 scalping knife. 
 
 But his life was reserved for another desthiy. 
 It appeared that his captor was Captain Roland 
 Montour, of whose mother an account has already 
 been given. After passing the night, bound to the 
 earth, he was accosted the next morning by Col. 
 John Butler himself, who reminded the stripling 
 of a threat he had made on the preceding day, 
 that '■'• he would comb the Colonel's hair," which 
 threat had been repeated to the Tory commander. 
 Montour then came and unbound him, and after 
 giving him some food, led him to a young Indian 
 warrior who was dying. A conversation ensued 
 
238 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 between the captor and the dying warrior, which 
 Carey did not then understand. It afterward ap- 
 peared that Montour was negotiating with the 
 young warrior for the adoption of Carey by the 
 Indian's parents, after the custom of those people, 
 as a substitute for the son they were then losing. 
 The dying Indian assented to the arrangement, 
 and the life of the prisoner was saved. He was 
 painted, and received the name of him whose place 
 he was destined to take in the Indian family — 
 Co-con-e-un-quo — of the Onondaga tribe. 
 
 On the retreat of the enemy, Carey was taken 
 into the Indian country with them, and handed 
 over to the family of which he had now become 
 a member. But though treated with kindness by 
 the Indians, he was too old to be broken into 
 their habits of life. He sighed for his liberty and 
 the associations of his own kindred and people. 
 His new parents saw that he was not likely to be- 
 come a contented child, and as consequently the 
 place of the one they had lost was not filled, they 
 mourned their own son even as David mourned for 
 Absalom. Mr. Carey gives a touching account of 
 their sorrow. Often did he hear them, as they 
 awoke at day-break, setting up their pitiful cry 
 for their son. And as the sun sank to rest behind 
 the purple hills at evening, they would repeat the 
 same wailing lament. 
 
 He resided with this family in the Indian coun- 
 try more than two years, after which he was taken 
 to Niagara, where he remained until the end of 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 239 
 
 the war, and the surrender of the prisoners. It 
 was on the 29th of June, 17S1, that he once more 
 found himself in the bosom of the vale of Wy- 
 oming. He subsequently married Theresa Gore, 
 a daughter of Captain Daniel Gore, who was him- 
 self in the battle, and five of whose brothers and 
 brothers-in-law were slain, as the reader has al- 
 ready been informed. He has resided in the val- 
 ley ever since, and although the morning of his 
 life was stormy and sad, yet, surrounded by his 
 sons and daughters and their descendants, its 
 evening is tranquil and serene. There were two 
 other Careys engaged in the action, Joseph and 
 Samuel, both of whom fell. But they were of 
 another family. The family of the Samuel Carey, 
 of whom some account has been given already, 
 were from the county of Dutchess in the State of 
 New- York. 
 
 A brief history of another family of sufferers 
 will perhaps be interesting. Among the early 
 settlers of the valley was a respectable man named 
 John Abbott, who, at the time of the invasion, had 
 a family consisting of a wife and nine children. 
 As has already been stated, more than once, there 
 was but a single field-piece in the valley, which 
 was kept at the little fort of Wilkesbarre, to be 
 used as an alarm gun. On the approach of dan- 
 ger, it was announced from its brazen throat, and 
 the inhabitants obeyed the signal by rallying for 
 the common defence. When the news of the in- 
 vasion by the Tories and Indians reached Wilkes- 
 
240 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 barre, Abbott was at work with his oxen upon the 
 flats, whence he was summoned by the well- 
 known sound of alarm. Though the husband 
 and parent of nine young children, the eldest of 
 whom was but eleven years old, all depending 
 upon his labour for support, might well have been 
 excused from going into battle, yet he sought no 
 exemption. The danger was imminent, and with 
 as much alacrity as his neighbours he hastened 
 to the battle-field. In the retreat he succeeded, 
 by the aid of a comrade, for he could not swim, 
 in crossing to Monockonock Island, and thence to 
 the main land on the east of the river, and was 
 thus enabled to effect his escape. 
 
 In the flight of the inhabitants, Mr. Abbott re- 
 moved his family down the Susquehanna to Sun- 
 bury ; but having left his property behind — his 
 flocks and herds — for he was an opulent farmer 
 for those days — and his fields waving with a rich 
 burden of grain nearly ready for the harvest, he 
 returned to look after the fruit of his labours. 
 This measure was indeed necessary, for the pro- 
 duct of his farm was his only dependence for the 
 support of his family. But sad was the spectacle 
 that met his view on his return. His house and 
 his barn had been burnt, his cattle slaughtered or 
 driven away, and his fields ravaged. The glean- 
 ings only remained to require his attention. These 
 he attempted to gather, but in doiui^ so, while en- 
 gaged in the field with a neighbour named Isaac 
 Williams, a young man, or rather youth of eigh- 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 241 
 
 teen years, of line promise, they were shot by a 
 party of Indians who stole upon them unawares, 
 scalped, and left dead upon the spot.* 
 
 The widow, with her helpless charge, being 
 now entirely destitute, was compelled to seek her 
 way back to Hampton, an eastern town in Con- 
 necticut, whence they had emigrated, a distance 
 of more than three hundred miles, on foot — pen- 
 nyless, heart-broken, and dependent upon charity 
 for subsistence. But the journey was effected 
 without loss of life or limb ; and the widowed 
 Naomi was not more kindly received by the peo- 
 ple of Bethlehem, on her return from the land of 
 Moab, than were Mrs. Abbott and her infant charge 
 by their former friends and neighbours. She re- 
 mained at Hampton several years after the trou- 
 bles were over, and until her sons were grown up. 
 Returning then to the valley, and reclaiming suc- 
 cessfully the estate of her husband, she settled 
 thereon with her family, married a celebrated wit 
 named Stephen Gardiner, and continued to live 
 there until her decease. Her son, Stephen Abbott, 
 an independent and respectable farmer, still re- 
 sides upon the eastern margin of the Susquehanna, 
 opposite the site of Fort Forty. 
 
 The Williams family, to which Isaac, the 
 young man whose murder in connection with that 
 of Mr. Abbott has just been related, was distin- 
 guished for its patriotism and bravery. The fa- 
 
 • This Mr. Abbott built the first house in the borough of WilkeBl)arr6. 
 
 21 
 
242 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 ther was Thaddeus Williams, and his house stood 
 not far from Fort Wyoming^ in the borough of 
 Wilkesbarre. He had a son, Thomas, who was a 
 sergeant in the regular service, and who, with short 
 intermissions, served with distinguished gallantry 
 during the greater part- of the war. It was men- 
 tioned in the preceding chapter, that in the month 
 of March, 1779, while Captain Spalding was in 
 command of Fort Wyoming, a sudden irruption 
 of tories and Indians took place, by whom the fort 
 was surrounded. Happily, however, a few dis- 
 charges of the only field-piece in the fortress put 
 them to flight. But the severest battle fou2:ht dur- 
 ing this irruption was between the Indians and 
 Sergeant Thomas Williams, who happened to be 
 at home on furlough. His father, who had re- 
 moved back to the valley, with others, after the 
 general desolation the year before, was at this 
 time indisposed, and in bed. The only otlier male 
 in the house, besides the sergeant, was a younger 
 brother twelve or thirteen years old. The posi- 
 tion of Williams's house was such, that the In- 
 dians determined to take and destroy it previous 
 to their meditated attack upon the garrison. There 
 were three loaded muskets in the house, and plenty 
 of ammunition. Seeing the Indians approaching 
 his castle, the sergeant made his dispositions for 
 defence. He barricaded the doors, and getting his 
 guns ready, gave his little brother the necessary 
 directions for loadincr them as often as he fired. 
 He was a man of too much coolness and expe- 
 
HISTORY OF AVYOMING. 243 
 
 rience to waste his ammunition. Waiting, there- 
 fore, until the Indians had approached very near, 
 AViUiams took deliberate aim between the logs of 
 which the house was constructed, and brought 
 their leader dead to the ground. With a hideous 
 yell his comrades retreated, dragging away the 
 body. They advanced again, and assaulted the 
 door, which was too well secured easily to yield. 
 Their numbers were now increased, and they in 
 turn fired into the house, through the interstices 
 between the logs. By one of these shots Mr. 
 Williams, the fatlier, was severely wounded in his 
 bed ; but the sergeant kept up as brisk a fire as 
 his little brother, who acted his part manfully, 
 could enable him to do, and a second and third of 
 the savages fell. They again retreated, taking 
 away their slain, and raising their customary death 
 howls. Maddened by their loss, however, they 
 again approached, one of them bearing a flaming 
 brand, with which they were resoU^ed to fire the 
 house. But with deliberate aim the sergeant 
 brought the incendiary to the ground, whereupon 
 the Indians seized his body and drew off, without 
 again returning to the assault. How many more 
 than the four enumerated were slain by the brave 
 sergeant was not known, because the Indians 
 always carry otf their dead. Beyond doubt, the 
 lives of the whole family were saved by his intre- 
 pidity, and that of his heroic little brother. The 
 sergeant is yet living in the valley, an opulent 
 and respectable farmer. 
 
244 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 Another family upon whom the blow fell with 
 great force and severity, was that of Mr. Jonathan 
 Weeks. He resided upon a laro-e farm, with his 
 sons and sons-in-law, about a mile below the 
 borough of Wilkesbarre. He had living with 
 him, at the time of the alarm, his three sons, Phil- 
 ip, Jonathan, and Bartholomew ; Silas Benedict, a 
 son-in-law; Jabel Beers, an uncle ; Josiah Carman, 
 a cousin; and a boarder, named Robert Bates. — 
 These seven men from a single household all 
 seized their arms and hurried to the field. And 
 they all fell with their Captain, whose name was 
 M'Carrican, a man of letters and teacher of the 
 hamlet school. Two days after the battle, a party 
 of twenty Indians visited the house of Mr. Weeks, 
 and demanded breakfast. Having obtained their 
 demand, they next informed Mr. Weeks that he 
 must quit the valley forthwith. The old man 
 remonstrated. ''AH my sons have fallen," said 
 he with emotion ; '' and here am I left with four- 
 teen grand-children, all young and helpless." But 
 the dusky conquerors were inexorable : never- 
 theless, having gorged themselves with blood al- 
 ready, and having moreover satisfied tiieir appetites 
 for the morning, they did not wantonly apply the 
 tomahawk again. The leader of this party was 
 an Indian named Anthony Turkey, — a fellow 
 who had been well known to the settlers as one 
 of the former residents of the valley, when both 
 races lived together in friendship. The appear- 
 ance of Turkey among the invaders was a source 
 of surprise, because of his former friendship. But 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 245 
 
 he proved as savage as tlie wildest of his race ; and 
 notwithstanding his former acquaintance with 
 Mr. Weeks, he would not allow the bereft old 
 man to remain upon his farm. Still, in driving 
 him away, the Indians so far tempered their de- 
 cree with mercy as to allow him his oxen and 
 wagon, with Avhich he took the sobbing women 
 and their little ones back to the county of Orange, 
 (New- York,) whence they had emigrated to Wy- 
 oming. But the Indian leader, Turkey, afterward 
 met the fate he deserved, in this place. Returning 
 with the party of tories and Indians who invaded 
 the valley a second time in March, 1779, as just 
 related in the case of the Williams family, he was 
 shot through the thigh in the engagement which 
 took place on the flats, and before his people could 
 carry him away he was surrounded by the Wy- 
 oming boys, who called out to him — " Surrender, 
 Turkey, — we won't hurt you." But he refused, 
 and resisted like a chafed tiger, until it became 
 necessary to make an end of him. After the ene- 
 my were gone, the lads took the body of Turkey, 
 and set it up-right in a canoe, all painted to their 
 hands, and grinning horribly with the muscular 
 contortions of death. They then placed a bow 
 and arrows in his hand, and sent him adrift, 
 amidst the cheers of men and boys. The canoe, 
 thus freighted, created some sensation as it passed 
 below, and was the cause of several amusing in- 
 cidents. In one case a man put off in a canoe to 
 take the straggler ; but catching a glimpse of the 
 21* 
 
246 HISTORY OF WYOMIKG. 
 
 ferocious countenance of the Indian, and fancy- 
 ing that he was drawing his bow to let fly a 
 poisoned arrow, he paddled back to the shore 
 with all convenient expedition. 
 
 Yet another case will be briefly related. It is 
 that of a Mr, Skinner, whose baptismal name has 
 not been preserved. Mrs. Esther Skinner died in 
 Torringford, Connecticut, in the year 1831, aged 
 one hundred years. She had been one of the 
 earliest white residents of Wyoming. In the mas- 
 sacre she lost her husband, two sons, and a bro- 
 ther, all of whom fell beneath the tomahawk, — 
 she herself escaping, with six of her children, as 
 it were by a miracle. Her son-in-law was almost 
 the only man of twenty who threw themselves 
 into the river, and attempted to hide them- 
 selves beneath the foliage depending from the 
 banks into the water, that escaped. All the others 
 were successively massacred while sustaining 
 themselves in the water by the branches of 
 the trees that dipped into it. He alone was un- 
 discovered. The lone mother travelled back to 
 Torringford, where she led a useful life to its 
 close. She was sometimes cheerful, though a 
 cloud of heaviness, brought on by her sorrows, 
 was never entirely dissipated. 
 
 In one of these savage incursions, a man named 
 Camp — afterward Major Camp, of Alleghany 
 County, in the State of New- York — another man 
 and a boy, engaged with him in the field, were 
 taken prisoners by a party of Indians, and carried 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 247 
 
 into the wilderness. They were ofiven in charge 
 to five Senecas living toward the sources of the Ge- 
 nesee river, some ten or fifteen miles south of An- 
 gelica. After a long day's march, the party came to 
 a halt for the night ; and on lying down to sleep, 
 each of the grown prisoners was made fast to one 
 of the Indians by a cord tied round the bodies of 
 both, in order that the captors might be instantly 
 aroused on any attempt being made to escape. 
 The same precaution was not taken with the boy. 
 Camp had reason to dread the worst at the hands 
 of the Indians on their arrival at their village, and 
 he determined if possible to make any, even 
 'the most desperate effort, to gain his liberty. He 
 therefore remained awake, until satisfied that a 
 deep sleep had fallen upon all the Indians. Per- 
 ceiving that the boy was also awake. Camp whis- 
 pered him to take cautiously from the girdle of one 
 of the Indians his knife, and as silently as possible 
 sever the cords binding himself and the other 
 man. This being done, the guns of the Indians 
 were removed from their sides by the boy and the 
 other man, and secreted behind a tree. Then 
 seizing a tomahawk from the side of the Indian 
 to whom he had been bound, Camp sprang to his 
 feet, and with the rapidity of lightning, by well 
 directed blows, planted the instrument so deep 
 in the heads of the slumbering savages that they 
 awoke not in this world. The disturbance of this 
 movement awakened the two remaining Indians, 
 one of whom took to his heels, while Camp was 
 
248 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 encountering the other. His name was Mohawk. 
 Unfortunately Camp missed his blow, and a grap- 
 ple ensued. But he proved too athletic for Mo- 
 hawk, who relinquished his hold and attempted 
 to fly — being severely wounded by a blow from 
 Camp's hatchet in the back of his neck. The In- 
 dian fled. Camp, however, felt that it was not safe 
 to linger in the enemy's country, — not knowing 
 how soon the Indian who had escaped might re- 
 turn, with a cloud of the red men at his heels. 
 Taking possession of the arms of the dead, there- 
 fore, he hastened away with his companions. 
 The boy only had rendered Camp any assistance 
 during the afl'ray, the man being paralysed by his 
 fears. The Indian, Mohawk, recovered from his 
 wound, and in process of time, by the removal of 
 Camp into the neighbourhood of his village, they 
 became acquainted. The effect of the wound 
 was such as to contract, or perhaps to destroy, 
 some of the muscles of Mohawk's neck, by reason 
 of which he could never carry his head erect af- 
 terward. He was for a time shy of seeing Major 
 Camp; but finding that the latter cherished no 
 hostility toward him, he subsequently became his 
 frequent visiter.* 
 
 Among the residents of Wyoming who long sur- 
 vived the scenes that have been faintly sketched, 
 was Mrs. Phebe Young, a lady eminent for her 
 
 * Major Camp was a man of respectability, and communicated tlic jiartic 
 ulars of this inciiient to Major James Cochran, now of Oswego, hy whom 
 tbcy have been furnished tu the author. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 249 
 
 piety and worth, who died in August, 1839, at the 
 advanced age of ninety years. She retained her 
 facuhies of mind and memory until her decease, 
 and as lier temperament was cheerful, and her col- 
 loquial powers pleasing, her society was courted 
 until she was summoned to depart from tlie bright 
 spot which for so long a period in her youth she 
 had known literally as a vale of tears. Mrs. Young 
 was a native of the ancient Dutch town of ^Eso- 
 pus, in the state of New- York, whence she emi- 
 grated to Wyoming at the age of twenty, in the 
 year 1769. There were in Wyoming, at that pe- 
 riod, only five white females, including lierself. 
 The Indians were then in the quiet possession of 
 the circumjacent country, excepting the sections 
 that had been entered upon by the whites; and the 
 relations of Mrs. Young and her friends with them, 
 were of the most friendly character. Having taken 
 up her residence there thus early, Mrs. Young was 
 of course a participator in all the hardships and 
 deprivations incident to the commencement of a 
 settlement in the woods at a distance so remote 
 from the abodes of civilization. She was also a 
 spectator of, and consequently a sufferer in, the bit- 
 ter civil feuds which for so many years distracted 
 the valley. On the day of the battle and massacre, 
 while the men were preparing themselves for the 
 contest, and making such hasty dispositions as 
 they could for the security of their families, she, 
 and her children, were furnished by her husband 
 with a canoe, and advised to hasten from the val- 
 
250 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 ley down the Susquehanna at once ; but she was 
 unwilling to depart until she could learn the re- 
 sult of the impending contest. She therefore took 
 refuge, with her children, in a small house near 
 the river, at the distance of several miles below 
 the battle ground. A portion of the family of Co- 
 lonel Dennison were with her. As the evening 
 of the fatal day approached, she lulled her chil- 
 dren to sleep, and with her friends watched, with 
 a solicitude that cannot be described, until mid- 
 night. Then was heard the approaching tramp of 
 horses at full speed. They hastened to the door to 
 receive them, and the tidings were, "all is lost, 
 and the Indians are sweeping down the valley !" 
 Gathering her children from the tioor upon which 
 they were dreaming in happy unconsciousness of 
 what had passed, she placed them in a canoe, and 
 launched forth upon the river, to be wafted by its 
 current whither it might. The moon shone sweet- 
 ly upon the water, and in passing her own liouse, 
 all was quiet, and the cow stood ruminating by 
 the door. She kept in her canoe, borne rapidly 
 along by the stream, until she arrived in Lancas- 
 ter county, where resided the friends of her hus- 
 band, among whom she remained until after the 
 campaign of General Sullivan against the Indian 
 country in 1779. Her return was to a valley of 
 desolation — every person she met was a mourner 
 — the relics of " a people scattered and peeled." 
 Mrs. Young never afterward left Wyoming; nor 
 for many years previous to her decease had she 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 251 
 
 moved beyond the limits of the borough of Wilkes- 
 barre, except on the interesting occasion, three 
 or four years ago, when the common grave of those 
 who fell in the massacre was opened "for the pur- 
 pose of founding a monument to their memory. 
 All the survivors of the times of Indian troubles 
 were assembled, and Mrs. Young was sent for as 
 one of them. The spectators of what took place 
 on that occasion can never forget it. The bones 
 of slaughtered brothers and fathers, marked with 
 the tomahawk and the scalping-knife and the ri- 
 fle, were opened to view; and as the vast assembly 
 marched around the grave, the old, who had shared 
 in the sorrows of the first settlers of the valley, 
 wept at the recollection of what they had known, 
 and the young wept in sympathy because they 
 had heard from their fathers' lips the unhappy story 
 of their native valley. Mrs. Young could share 
 largely in the feelings of that occasion, for many 
 of those whose bones were there collected she had 
 personally known as neighbours; but she did not 
 seek to be present. It was only the urgent solici- 
 tations of a respected neighbour, who was liimself 
 a survivor of the 'Indian troubles,' and the rem- 
 nant of a family cut off in the massacre, that pre- 
 vailed and induced her to go. She never left the 
 town again."* For sixty years Mrs. Young never 
 looked upon the world beyond the narrow bar- 
 riers of Wyoming. 
 
 •Tribute to the memory of Mrs. Young, by the Rev. Mr. May, her pastor, 
 published in the London Episcopal Recorder. 
 
252 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 The S locum family of Wyoming were distin- 
 guished for their sufferings during the war of the 
 revolution, and have been recently brought more 
 conspicuously before the public in connection 
 with the life of a long lost but recently discovered 
 sister. The story of the family opens with trage- 
 dy, and ends in romance without fiction. 
 
 Mr. Slocum, the father of the subject of the 
 present narrative, was a non-combatant, — being 
 a member of the society of Friends. Feeling 
 himself therefore safe from the hostility even of 
 the savages, he did not join the survivors of the 
 massacre in their flight, but remained quietly 
 upon his farm, — his house standing in close 
 proximity to the village of Wilkesbarre. But the 
 beneficent principles of his faith had little weight 
 with the Indians, notwithstanding the aflection 
 with which their race had been treated by the 
 founder of (Quakerism in Pennsylvania, — the il- 
 lustrious Pcnn, — and long had the family cause 
 to mourn their imprudence in not retreating from 
 the doomed valley with their neighbours. 
 
 It was in the autumn of the same year of the 
 invasion by Butler and Gi-en-gwah-toh, at mid- 
 day, when the men were labouring in a distant 
 field, that the house of Mr. Slocum was suddenly 
 surrounded by a party of Delawarcs, prowling 
 about the valley, in more earnest search, as it 
 seemed, of plunder than of scalps or prisoners. — 
 The inmates of the house, at the moment of the 
 surprise, were Mrs. Slocum and four young chil- 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 253 
 
 dren, the eldest of whom was a son aged thirteen, 
 the second a daughter, aged nine, the third, Fran- 
 ces Slocum, aged five, and a httle son aged two 
 years and a half. Near by the house, engaged in 
 grinding a knife, was a young man named Kings- 
 ley, assisted in the operation by a lad. The first 
 hostile act of the Indians was to shoot down 
 Kingsley, and take his scalp with the knife he 
 had been sharpening. 
 
 The girl nine years old appears to have had 
 the most presence of mind, for while the mother 
 ran into the edge of a copse of wood near by. and 
 Frances attempted to secrete herself behind a 
 stair-case, the former at the moment seized her 
 little brother, the youngest above mentioned, and 
 ran off in the direction of the fort. True, she 
 could not make rapid progress, for she clung to 
 the child, and not even the pursuit of the savages 
 could induce her to drop her charge. The In- 
 dians did not pursue her far, and laughed hearti- 
 ly at the panic of the little girl, while they could 
 not but admire her resolution. Allowing her to 
 make her escape, they returned to the house, and 
 after helping themselves to such articles as they 
 chose, prepared to depart. 
 
 The mother seems to have been unobserved by 
 them, although, with a yearning bosom, she had 
 so disposed of herself that while she was screened 
 from observation she could notice all that occur- 
 red. But judge of her feelings at the moment they 
 were about to depart, as she saw little Frances 
 22 
 
254 
 
 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 taken from her hiding phice, and preparations 
 made to carry her away into captivity, with her 
 brother, already mentioned as being thirteen years 
 old, (who, by the way, had been restrained from 
 attempted flight by lameness in one of his feet,) 
 and also the lad who a few moments before was 
 assisting Kingsley at the grindstone. The sight 
 was too much for maternal tenderness to endure. 
 Rushing from her place of concealment, therefore, 
 she threw herself upon her knees at the feet of 
 her captors, and with the most earnest entreaties 
 pleaded for their restoration. But their bosoms 
 were made of sterner stuff than to yield even to 
 the most eloquent and affectionate of a mother's 
 entreaties, and with characteristic stoicism they 
 began to remove. As a last resort the mother ap- 
 pealed to their selfishness, and pointing to the 
 maimed foot of her crippled son, urged as a reason 
 why at least they should relinquish him, the de- 
 lays and embarrassments he would occasion them 
 in their journey. Being unable to walk, they 
 would of course be compelled to carry him the 
 whole distance, or leave him by the way, or take 
 his life. Although insensible to the feelings of 
 humanity, these considerations had the desired 
 effect. The lad was left behind, while deaf alike 
 to the cries of the mother, and the shrieks of the 
 child, Frances was slung over the shoulder of a 
 stalwart Indian with as much indifference as 
 though she was a slaughtered fawn. 
 
 The long, lingering look which the mother 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 256 
 
 gave to her child, as her captors disappeared in 
 the forest, was the last glimpse of her sweet fea- 
 tures that she ever had. But the vision was for 
 many a long year ever present to her fancy. As 
 the Indian threw her child over his shoulder, her 
 hair fell over her face, and the mother could never 
 forget how the tears streamed down her cheeks, 
 when she brushed it away as if to catch a last sad 
 look of the mother, from whom, her little arms 
 outstretched, she implored assistance in vain. — 
 Nor was this the last visit of the savages to the 
 domicil of Mr. Slocum. About a month thereaf- 
 ter, another horde of the barbarians rushed down 
 from the mountains, and murdered the aged grand- 
 father of the little captive, and wounded the lad, 
 already lame, by discharging a ball which lodged 
 in his leof, and which he carried with him to his 
 grave more than half a century afterward. 
 
 These events cast a shadow over the remaining 
 years of Mrs. Slocum. She lived to see many 
 bright and sunny days in that beautiful valley — 
 bright and sunny, alas, to her no longer. She 
 mourned for the lost one, of whom no tidings, at 
 least during her pilgrimage, could be obtained. — 
 After her sons grew up, the youngest of whom, by 
 the way, was born but a few months subsequent 
 to the events already narrated, obedient to the 
 charge of their mother, the most unwearied elibrts 
 were made to ascertain what had been the fiite of 
 the lost sister. The forests between the Susque- 
 hanna and the great lakes, and even the more 
 
256 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 distant wilds of Canada, were traversed by the 
 brothers in vain, nor could any information re- 
 specting her be derived from the Indians.* In 
 process of time these efforts were relinquished as 
 hopeless. The lost one might have fallen beneath 
 the tomahawk, or might have proved too tender a 
 flower for transplantation into the wilderness. — 
 Conjecture was baffled, and the mother, with a sad 
 heart, sank into the grave, as also did the father, 
 believing with the Hebrew patriarch that "the 
 child was not." 
 
 The years of a generation passed, and the me- 
 mory of little Frances was forgotten, save by two 
 brothers and a sister, who, though advanced in 
 the vale of life, could not forget the family tradi- 
 tion of the lost one. Indeed it had been the dy- 
 ing charge of their mother that they must never 
 relinquish their exertions to discover Frances. A 
 change now comes over the spirit of the story. It 
 happened that in the course of the year 1835, 
 Colonel Ewing, a gentleman connected with the 
 Indian trade, and also with the public service 
 of the country, in traversing a remote section of 
 Indiana, was overtaken by the night, while at a 
 distance from the abodes of civilized man. When 
 
 * In the Narrative of Colonel Thomas Proctor, a Commissioner deputed 
 by Gen. Knox, then Secretary of War, upon a mission to the Norihwestern 
 Indians, in 1791, under date of March 28th, is this entry: — "I was joined by 
 Mr. George Siocum, who followed us from Wyoming, to place himself under 
 our prot3ction and assistance, until he should reach the Cornplanter's settle- 
 ment, on the head waters of the Alleghany, to the redeeming of his sister 
 from an uiipleising captivity of twelve years, to wliicli end he begged our 
 immediate interposition."— ^ide Indian State Papers. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 257 
 
 it became too dark for him to pursue his way, he 
 sought an Indian habitation, and was so fortunate 
 as to find shelter and a welcome in one of the 
 better sort. The proprietor of the lodtre was in- 
 deed opulent for an Indian, — possessing horses 
 and skins, and other comforts in abundance. He 
 was struck in the course of the evening by the 
 appearance of the venerable mistress of the lodge, 
 whose complexion was lighter than that of her 
 family, and as glimpses were occasionally dis- 
 closed of her skin beneath her blanket-robe, the 
 Colonel was impressed with the opinion that she 
 was a white woman. Colonel Ewing could con- 
 verse in the Miami language, to which nation his 
 host belonged, and after partaking of the best of 
 their cheer, he drew the aged squaw into a con- 
 versation, which soon confirmed his suspicions 
 that she was only an Indian by adoption. Her 
 narrative was substantially as follows : — 
 
 " My father's name was Slocum. He resided on 
 the banks of the Susquehanna, but the name of 
 the village I do not recollect. Sixty winters and 
 summers have gone since I was taken a captive 
 by a party of Delawares, while I was playing be- 
 fore my father's house. I was too young to feel 
 for any length of time the misery and anxiety 
 which my parents must have experienced. The 
 kindness and affection with which I was treated 
 by my Indian captors, soon efi'aced my childish 
 uneasiness, and in a short time I became one of 
 them. The first night of my captivity was passed 
 22* 
 
258 HISTORY OP WYOMING. 
 
 in a cave near the summit of a mountain, but a 
 little distance from my father's. That night was 
 the unhappiest of my life, and the impressions 
 which it made were the means of indelibly stamp- 
 ing on my memory my father's name and resi- 
 dence. For years we led a roving life. I became 
 accustomed to, and fond of their manner of living. 
 They taught me the use of the bow and arrow, 
 and the beasts of the forest supplied me with food. 
 I married a chief of our tribe, whom I had long 
 loved for his bravery and humanity, and kindly 
 did he treat me. 1 dreaded the sight of a white 
 man, for I was taught to believe him the impla- 
 cable enemy of the Indian. I thought he was 
 determined to separate me from my husband and 
 our tribe. After I had been a number of years 
 with my husband, he died. A part of my people 
 then joined the Miamis, and I was among them. 
 I married a Miami, who was called by the pale 
 faces the deaf man. I lived with him a good 
 many winters, until he died. I had by him two 
 sons and two daughters. 1 am now old, and have 
 nothing to fear from the white man. My husband 
 and all my children but these two daughters, my 
 brothers and sisters, have all gone to the Great 
 Spirit, and 1 shall go in a few moons more. Until 
 this moment I have never revealed my name, or 
 told the mystery that hung over the fate of Fran- 
 ces Slocum." 
 
 Such was the substance of the revelation to 
 Colonel Ewing. Still, the family at Wyoming 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 259 
 
 were ignorant of the discovery, nor did Colonel 
 Ewing know any thing of them. And it was 
 only by reason of a peculiarly providential cir- 
 cumstance that the tidin2:s ever reached their ears. 
 On Colonel E wing's return to his own home, he 
 related the adventure to his mother, who, with 
 the just feelino^s of a woman, uri^ed him to take 
 some measure to make the discovery known, and 
 at her solicitation he was induced to write a nar- 
 rative of the case, which he addressed to the Post- 
 master at Lancaster, with 'a request that it might 
 be published in some Pennsylvania newspaper. 
 But the latter functionary, having no knowledge 
 of the writer, and supposing that it might be a 
 hoax, paid no attention to it, and the letter was 
 suffered to remain among the worthless accumu- 
 lations of the office for the space of two years. 
 It chanced then, that the post-master's wife, in 
 rummaging over the old papers, while putting 
 the office in order one day, glanced her eyes upon 
 this communication. The story excited her in- 
 terest, and with the true feeHngs of a woman, 
 she resolved upon giving the document publicity. 
 With this view she sent it to the neighbouring 
 editor. And here, again, another providential 
 circumstance intervened. It happened that a 
 Temperance Committee had engaged a portion 
 of the columns of the paper to which the letter of 
 Colonel Ewing was sent, for the publication of 
 an important document connected with that cause, 
 and a laro^e extra number of papers had been or- 
 
260 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 dered for ofeneral distribution. The letter was 
 sent forth with the temperance document, and it 
 yet again happened that a copy of this paper was 
 addressed to a clergyman who had a brother re- 
 siding in ^Yyoming. Having, from that brother, 
 heard the story of the captivity of Francis Slo- 
 cum, he had no sooner read the letter of Colonel 
 Ewing, than he enclosed it to him, and by him 
 it was placed in the hands of Joseph Slocum,Esq., 
 the surviving brother. 
 
 Any attempt to describe the sensations produced 
 by this most welcome, most strange, and most un- 
 expected intelligence, would necessarily be a fail- 
 ure. This Mr. Joseph S locum was the child, two 
 years and a half old, that had been rescued by 
 his intrepid sister, nine years old. That sister 
 also survived, as did the younger brother, living 
 in Ohio. Arrangements were immediately made 
 by the former two, to meet the latter in Ohio, and 
 proceed thence to the Miami country, and reclaim 
 the long lost and newfound sister. "I shall 
 know her if she be my sister," said the elder sis- 
 ter now going in pursuit, " although she may be 
 painted and jewelled off, and dressed in her In- 
 dian blanket, for you, brother, hammered off her 
 finger nail one day in th blacksmith's shop, when 
 she was four years ol I." In due season they 
 reached the designated place, and found their sis- 
 ter. But, alas ! how changed ! Instead of the 
 fair-haired and laughing girl, the picture yet liv- 
 ing in their imaginations, they found her an aged 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 261 
 
 and thorou2:hbrecl squaw in every thing but com- 
 plexion. But there could be no mistake as to 
 her identity. The elder sister soon discovered 
 the finger-mark. '' How came the nail of that 
 finger gone?" she inquired. "My older brother 
 pounded it ofFwhen I was a little girl, in the shop," 
 she replied. This circumstance was evidence 
 enough, but other reminiscences were awakened, 
 and the recognition was complete. But how dif- 
 ferent were the emotions of the parties! The 
 brothers paced the lodge in agitation. The civil- 
 ized sister was in tears. The other, obedient to 
 the affected stoicism of her adopted race, was as 
 cold, unmoved, and passionless as marble. 
 
 It was in vain that they besought their sister 
 to return with them to her native valley, bringing 
 her children with her if she chose. Every offer 
 and importunity was declined. She said she was 
 well enough off, and happy. She had, moreover, 
 promised her husband on his death-bed never to 
 leave the Indians. Her two daughters had both 
 been married, but one of them was a widow. The 
 husband of the other is a half-breed, named Brouil- 
 lette, who is said to be one of the noblest looking 
 men of his race. They all have an abundance of 
 Indian wealth, and her daughters mount their 
 steeds, and manage them as well as in the days of 
 chivalry did the rather masculine spouse of Count 
 Robert of Paris. They live at a place called The 
 Deaf Man's Village, nine miles from Peru, in In- 
 diana. But notwithstanding the comparative 
 
262 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 comfort in which they live, the utter ignorance 
 of their sister wa^, a subject of painful contem- 
 plation to the Slocums. She had entirely forgot- 
 ten her native language, and was completely a 
 pagan — having no knowledge even of the white 
 man's Sabbath. 
 
 Mr. Joseph Slocum has since made a second 
 visit to his sister, accompanied by his two daugh- 
 ters. Frances is said to have been deliahted with 
 the beauty and accomplishments of her white 
 nieces, but resolutely refuses to return to the 
 abodes of civilized man. She resides with her 
 daughters in a comfortable log building, but in all 
 her habits and manners, her ideas and thoughts, 
 she is as thoroughly Indian as though not a drop 
 of white blood flowed in her veins. She is rep- 
 resented as having manifested, for an Indian, an 
 unwonted degree of pleasure at the return of her 
 brother: but both mother and daughters spurned 
 every persuasive to win them back from the coun- 
 try and manners of their people. Indeed as all 
 their ideas of happiness are associated with their 
 present mode of life, a change would be produc- 
 tive of little good, so far as temporal aflliirs are 
 concerned, while, unless they could be won from 
 Paganisim to Christianity, their lives would drag 
 along in irksome restraint, if not in pining sorrow. 
 
CH.iPTER YIII. 
 
 Continuation of tho History, — The State Government succeeds thatofth« 
 Proprietaries,— Conduct of the State to the heirs of Penn, — The Siate 
 claims the title to the Wyoming lands,— Appeals to Congress,— A Com- 
 mission appointed,— Decision in favour of Pennsylvania, — Dissatisfac- 
 tion of the people,— State troops sent to Wyoming,— Arrogant and dis- 
 graceful conduct of magistrates and soldiers, — Appeal of the people f) 
 Congress, — Terrible Inundation, — Sufferings of the people,— Rapacity 
 of the soldiers, — Sympathy of the public excited in their behalf, — Ban- 
 ditti,— Renewal of the Civil War, — The State troops besieged, — Siege 
 raised, — Commissioners again sent to Wyoming, — Ineffectual negotia- 
 tions,— Movement of troops against the valley, — Colonel Armstrong ap- 
 pointed to the command,— Repulse of Major Moore, —The people sie/.ed, 
 disarmed, and imprisoned by treachery, — Armstrong plunders the fields, — 
 Resistance of the people,— His troops defeated, — The people re-take their 
 arms, — Armstrong returns to Philadelphia, — Another expedition, — Sym- 
 pathy for the people, — Interposition of the Council of Censors, — Gloomy 
 Bituationof affairs in the valley, — Armstrong makes a final retreat,— 
 Better state of feeling, — Mediation of Colonel Pickering,— Compromise 
 Law, — opposed by John Franklin and some of the people,— Affray,— 
 Franklin's arrest and imprisonment for treason, — Insurrection, - Flight 
 of Colonel Pickering, — His return and extraordinary captivity, — Release 
 — Final adjustment of the controversy,- Conclusion. 
 
 Unfortunately for Wyoming, its troubles ceas- 
 ed not with the war of the Revokition. That 
 contest was in foot ended by he fall of Yorktown, 
 and the surrender of CornwaUis, in October, 1781, 
 though not by official acknowledgement until the 
 treaty of 1783. There ^ as, however, a conven- 
 tional cessation of active hostilities ; and with the 
 
264 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 disappearance of danger from the Indians on the 
 frontier. Connecticut again poured her hundreds 
 of emigrants into the beautiful vale which nature 
 had destined as the paradise of the Susquehanna. 
 But in regard to the proprietorship of the lands, 
 although the government of Pennsylvania had 
 changed hands, no change had been wrought in 
 favour of the Connecticut claimants; and the 
 swarms of Yankees now alighting in the valley 
 were looked upon with an evil eye. The govern- 
 ment of the Proprietaries had been abolished at 
 the commencement of the revolution. The prin- 
 cipal heirs to the grant of William Penn already- 
 resided in England, and the others, John and 
 Richard Penn, had also retired thither. Both 
 Richard and John had administered the colonial 
 government. The administration of Richard, who 
 was superseded by John in 1773, had been very 
 popular, especially with the merchants. John 
 Penn was at the head of the Proprietaries' gov- 
 ernment at the breaking out of the rebellion, and 
 his feelings and sympathies were for a season sup- 
 posed to be in unison with those of the colonists, 
 until after the adoption of the address to the 
 crown, by the Congress of 1775, v/hen Governor 
 Penn attempted to persuade the colonial legislature 
 to adopt a separate address, of a more conciliatory 
 character. But the Assembly was not disposed to 
 separate Pennsylvania from the united action of 
 the CO nies. The differences between the Gov- 
 ernor and his refractory legislature increased, until 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 265 
 
 the latter, with the people of Pennsylvania, thor- 
 oughly espoused the cause of the revolution, and 
 the government of the Proprietaries expired on 
 the 2Gth of September, 1776. About the year 
 1778, the legislature of the State enacted a law 
 stripping the heirs of William Penn of all the 
 vacant lands within its territory, leaving them 
 only a few tracts of unsettled land, called Manors, 
 which had been actually located and surveyed. 
 As an acknowledgement of the merits and claims 
 of the family of Penn, however, the sum of one 
 hundred and thirty thousand pounds sterling was 
 voted them as an indemnification, in addition to 
 the Manors. But there was at the same time due 
 those heirs about five hundred thousand pounds, 
 for lands they had sold the inhabitants, and for 
 quit-rents.* It has been held that the State might 
 have considered the proprietary claims as a royal- 
 ty, to which an independent government might 
 lawfully succeed.f Still no such claim was pre- 
 ferred ; and the pretext for what has been consid- 
 ered by some an act of violence against the just 
 rights of those heirs, was, that so large a property 
 in the hands of a few individuals endangered the 
 liberties of the people.J 
 
 Having thus made itself the successor to the 
 Proprietaries, the State of Pennsylvania was not 
 slow in the interposition of its claim to the torri- 
 
 * Pickering's Letter to his son. The amount of Lands thus seized was 
 about six millions of acres, according to Mr. Pickering. 
 t Encyclopaedia Americana. Art. Pennsylvania. 
 I Pickering's Letter. 
 
 23 
 
266 
 
 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 tory of Wyoming, and the entire domain of the 
 Susquehanna and Delaware companies. Tiie ar- 
 ticles of confederation having made provision for 
 the adjustment of difficulties arising between states, 
 and Connecticut insisting upon the jurisdiction it 
 had so long exercised over the Wyoming settle- 
 ments, Pennsylvania now applied to Congress for 
 the appointment of a commission to hear the par- 
 ties, and determine the question. Commissioners 
 were accordingly appointed, who met at Trenton, 
 in the State of New- Jersey, late in the Autumn of 
 1782.* After a session of five weeks, the com- 
 missioners, on the 30th of December, came to the 
 unanimous decision that Connecticut had no right 
 to the land in controversy, and that the jurisdic- 
 tion and preemption of all the lands within her 
 chartered limits belonged to Pennsylvania. 
 
 The people of Wyoming viewed the proceed- 
 ings of the commission of Congress with com- 
 parative indifference — considering, or affecting 
 to consider, that the question at issue before it 
 was one oi jurisdiction only. Their allegiance 
 might as well be rendered to Pennsylvania as to 
 Connecticut, so that they were left in the undis- 
 
 * The State of Connecticut appointed Colonel Dj'cr, Doctor Johnson, and 
 Jesse Root, as agents to attend the Board of Commissioners on her behalf; and 
 Messrs. Bradford, Reed, Wilson, and Sergeant, were appointed on the part 
 of Pennsylvania. The Colonel Dyerhere named, had been concerned in the Sus- 
 quehanno Company from the first, and had been its agent in London. He was 
 alawyer in Windham, and was the same gentleman whohas been immortalized 
 in the celebrated tradition of the invasion of Windham by the frogs. One 
 of the Elderkins, also named in the same tradition, was for a time an early 
 resident of Wyoming. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 267 
 
 turbed enjoyment of their farms ; and even the 
 explicit phraseology of the decree of the commis- 
 sion, declaring that Connecticut had " no right 
 to the land in controversy," gave them little con- 
 cern, supposing, as they subsequently contended, 
 that it meant no more than the fact that the Stale 
 of Connecticut had conveyed all her right to the 
 soil^ to the Susquehanna Company, from which 
 latter their title was derived. They therefore, 
 under this mental construction, acquiesced at once 
 in the decision, and by a formal memorial to the 
 General Assembly, signified their willingness to 
 conform to the laws and obey the constituted 
 authorities of Pennsylvania.* 
 
 Far different, however, was the construction of 
 that decree by the Pennsylvanians. They con- 
 tended not only for the jurisdiction, but the soil, 
 and the General Assembly took immediate meas- 
 ures preparatory to a sweeping ejectment of the 
 settlers. The decree from Trenton having been 
 received, the General Assembly passed a resolu- 
 tion, on the 20th of February, declaring the peo- 
 ple then settled in Wyoming, on yielding obedi- 
 ence to the laws, to be entitled to protection, and 
 the benefits of civil government, in common with 
 other citizens of the State. On the 25th of the 
 same month, three Commissioners were appointed, 
 who were to act as magistrates, in Wyoming, in- 
 quire into the state of the country, and recommend 
 
 * Chapman. 
 
268 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 proper measures for adoption toward the settlers,* 
 These Commissioners were directed to repair to 
 Wyoming in April ; meantime, in the month of 
 March, under the transparent pretext of affording 
 protection to the settlement, the Council ordered 
 two companies of rangers to be raised and sta- 
 tioned there, under the command of Captains 
 Thomas Robinson and Philip Shrawder. These 
 companies arrived on the 21st and 24th of March, 
 and taking possession of Fort Wyoming, changed 
 its name to Fort Dickinson, in honour of the Pres- 
 ident of the Council of State. f 
 
 It was very natural that this military demon- 
 stration, the object of which, the war being over, 
 could not be misconceived, would create great 
 uneasiness ; which feeling, when the Commis- 
 sioners came to report, was at once aroused to 
 the verge of insurrection. They reported that a 
 reasonable compensation in land should be made 
 to the families of those who had fallen in arms 
 against the common enemy, and to such other 
 settlers holding under proper Connecticut titles, 
 as were actual residents of Wyoming at the date 
 of the Trenton decree; conditioned that they 
 should relinquish all claim to the soil then in their 
 possession, and make a full and entire surrender 
 of their tenures. In other words, they were to 
 relinquish all their present lands and improve- 
 
 * These Commissioners were William Montgomery, Moses M'Lean, and 
 John Montgomery. 
 
 t Under the first State Constitution of Pennsylvania, there was no Governor 
 or Senate. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 269 
 
 ments, purchased by unheard-of sufferings, and 
 consecrated by the blood of their kindred ; in 
 lieu of which they were to receive an indefinite 
 compensation, at the option of their enemies, in 
 the wild lands of some region unknown. Condi- 
 tions like these they were in no temper to brook, 
 more especially as the arrogant conduct of the 
 troops stationed there had already exasperated 
 them almost to a point beyond which endurance 
 ceases to be a virtue. The summer of that year, 
 (1782,) was therefore passed in a state of high 
 excitement, — the troops deporting themselves in 
 a spirit of tyrannical domination, and commit- 
 ting many outrages, disgraceful to the character 
 of civilized men. 
 
 In the month of September, Captain Robinson's 
 company was relieved by another detachment of 
 State troops, under Captain Christie, the command 
 of the station at the same time being conferred 
 upon a militia Major named James Moore. Two 
 special Justices of the Peace were likewise ap- 
 pointed for the district, the names of whom were 
 Patterson and West, with directions to repair to 
 the disputed territory, with Major Moore, and by 
 the aid and protection of the military, form a tri- 
 bunal for the adjudication of all questions arising 
 under the civil law. The immediate object of 
 constituting this tribunal, the authority of which 
 was to be sustained by the bayonet, very soon be- 
 came apparent. It was none other than to dispos- 
 sess the Connecticut settlers of their plantations: 
 23* 
 
270 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 per fas aut nefas. and award them to such claim- 
 ants as might present themselves under the Penn- 
 sylvania title. They began their judicial labours 
 in the most arbitrary and oppressive manner, and 
 the military executed their decrees in a spirit of 
 cruelty and vindictiveness which would have re- 
 flected discredit upon the hordes led into that 
 afflicted region four years before by Gi-en-gwah- 
 toh himself. The people were not only subjec- 
 ted to insult, but their crops were destroyed in 
 the fields, their cattle were seized and driven 
 away, and in some instances their houses were 
 destroyed by fire, and the females rendered the 
 victims of armed licentiousness.* The real ob- 
 ject of this rigorous treatment was not only to 
 strip the people of their possessions, but by weary- 
 ing them of their "promised land," drive them 
 from the valley. f 
 
 Considering the indomitable and fiery spirit 
 characterizing the Connecticut emigrants during 
 the severe trials they had encountered in preceding 
 years, it is a subject of surprise that these oppres- 
 sive acts were submitted to, even for a single 
 week ; and it can only be accounted»for upon the 
 supposition, that, wearied by the harassing con- 
 tentions of years, they were now earnestly seek- 
 ing repose. Instead, therefore, of an immediate 
 appeal to arms, they now sought redress by an 
 appeal to the Legislature of Pennsylvania for pro- 
 
 * Chapman. t Pickering's Letter. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 271 
 
 tection. Their first memorial, which ought to 
 have been acted upon in December, seeming to be 
 unheeded, the people next spread their case be- 
 fore Congress, and prayed for the intervention of 
 that body, by the appointment of a commission, 
 under the ninth Article of the Confederation, to 
 hear and determine the question as to the right of 
 soil. The memorial was favourably received, and 
 it was ordered on the 23d of January, 17S4, that 
 Congress, or a committee of the States, should 
 hear the parties on the fourth Monday of the then 
 ensuing month of June. But greatly to the dis- 
 appointment of the people, neither Congress nor 
 a committee of the states was in session at the 
 time designated, " and the controversy came to no 
 determination." 
 
 Meantime, however, the inhabitants had been 
 doomed to suffer from a calamity of a different 
 character, inflicted by an arm more powerful than 
 that of man. The winter of 1783-84 was one of 
 uncommon severity. The weather was so in- 
 tensely cold that the ice upon the surface of the 
 river formed to an unusual thickness, and the 
 snow fell to an extraordinary depth. Protected 
 from the gradual action of the sun by the dense 
 forests overspreading almost the entire country, 
 the snow lay upon the mountains, and was piled 
 up in the ravines, in immense masses, when sud- 
 denly a warm rain set in on the 13th of March, 
 which continued falling until the 15th. A rapid 
 dissolution of the snow caused a corresponding 
 
272 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 swelling of the streams tributary to the Susque- 
 hanna, and a premature breaking up of the ice 
 was the consequence. The first breaking was at 
 the successive rapids, from each of which the ice 
 was borne along in masses over the still sections 
 of the river yet sleeping beneath its frozen chains, 
 until arrested by trees, or some other intervening 
 obstacles, against which it lodged. By this pro- 
 cess several dams were formed in the valley, espe- 
 cially at the lower end, where it is almost cut off 
 by the approximating points of the mountains 
 upon either side. These dams caused the waters 
 to flow back and accumulate, until the entire val- 
 ley was overflowed, and the inhabitants compelled 
 to flee to the little hills rising in the valley,* and 
 to the mountains, for their lives, leaving their cattle 
 and flocks, their provisions, and the greater part of 
 their household goods to the mercy of the flood. 
 Some of them had more than once been compelled 
 to look back upon the valley from the same moun- 
 tains, when blazing like a sea of fire. Equally 
 appalling, and if possible more dreary, was the 
 spectacle, now that the valley resembled a hyper- 
 
 * One of tliese elevations which impart an agreeable variety to tJie aspect 
 of the valley, juts out shari)ly almo>t into the river, not far above the inter* 
 section of Mill Creek. It was the site of one of the Yankee defences against 
 Ogflen, heretofore mentioned. From its crest, tlio landscape is as beantiful 
 as fancy can paint. Upon the summit of tiiis hill sleep the remains of the Rev. 
 Mr. Johnstone, the first clergyman of Wyoming. He was a good scholar and a 
 man of talents — greatly beloved by the flock over which he watched for 
 many years. He was, however, a n eccentric man, entertaining some peculiar 
 views in theology. He believed in the second coming and personal reign of 
 Christ upon earth ; and insisted upon being buried here, facing the ea.st, so 
 that he could see the glorious pageant of the Messiah iu his second descent. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 273 
 
 borean lake, the ice of which had been broken 
 into floating masses by a tempest. The waters 
 continued to accumulate for many hours, up- 
 raising houses, barns, and fences upon their bo- 
 som, until at length a large dam in the mountain- 
 gorge above the valley gave way, causing at once 
 a mighty increase, and a tremendous rush of the 
 flood, which, as it hurried impetuously down, 
 swept every thing before it. The fetters of the 
 more tranquil sections of the river gave way at 
 the same time, the ice heaving up in ponderous 
 masses, and making the valley to echo with their 
 thunder as they broke. It was a scene of terrific 
 grandeur, to behold the maddened floods rolling 
 onward in their irresistible strength, and bearing 
 upon their bosom the wrecks of houses and barns, 
 with stacks of hay, and huge trunks of trees, and 
 broken fragments of timber, with piles of ice and 
 drowned cattle, all mingled in destructive confu- 
 sion together, and hurrying forward as though 
 anxious to escape such a region of desolation for 
 the more tranquil repose of the ocean. But it was 
 a heart-rending spectacle to the poor settlers, thus 
 again to look upon the entire destruction of their 
 earthly goods, with the certainty that when the 
 flood should abate, they could only return to wan- 
 der in destitution amidst the " wreck of matter," 
 while even the sunny face of hope had become 
 almost as dark as despair. As the waters subsided, 
 huge piles of ice were deposited upon the plain of 
 Wilkesbarre, so thick that the fervid heat of al- 
 
274 
 
 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 most the whole summer was required for its dis- 
 solution.* 
 
 Disheartened, but not broken, the people re- 
 turned as soon as the floods would permit, and 
 with the opening spring commenced once more 
 the labour of repairing their dilapidated fortunes, — 
 with which the never-ending still-beginning la- 
 bours of the fabled Sisyphus were but as child's 
 play in comparison, and, judging from the past, 
 scarcely less promising for the future. The de- 
 struction of their cattle and provisions had been 
 so general, that gloomy apprehensions of a famine 
 pressed upon their minds, and there must have 
 been great suffering but for the assistance re- 
 ceived from abroad. And what little of food had 
 been preserved, or was furnished to thftm, was 
 snatched almost from their mouths by the sol- 
 diers, sent thither to guard and torment them, 
 and who now became more ungovernable and 
 rapacious than before. Such an accumulation of 
 calamities was well calculated to awaken the sym- 
 pathies of the people wherever the story was re- 
 hearsed, and those sympathies, generally, were 
 not appealed to in vain. Mr. Dickinson, the Pre- 
 sident of the Council of State, spontaneously in- 
 vited the attention of that body to the subject, 
 and recommended the adoption of measures for 
 the immediate relief of the sufferers ; but the Ge- 
 neral Assembly looked coldly upon a people whose 
 
 ♦ Chapman. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 275 
 
 coming into the state had been without leave, and 
 whose presence had caused them so much trouble. 
 The efforts of the President were therefore not se- 
 conded by those holding the keys of the treasury. 
 ^ The sufferers, however, sustained by the all- 
 conquering spirit of their race, recommenced their 
 labours with their wonted energy ; and but for 
 the conduct of the soldiery, the valley might again 
 have become the home of peace, smilinj^ once 
 more in beauty. But the magistrates sent thither 
 for that purpose revived their oppressive mea- 
 sures, and countenanced the outrages of the sol- 
 diers, until the people, chafed beyond longer en- 
 durance, determined upon forcible resistance to 
 their mandates. Enraged at this resolution, the 
 magistrates proceeded against the settlers as 
 though they were insurgents. On the r2th of 
 May the soldiers of the garrison were sent to dis- 
 arm the people, and in the progress of the work 
 " one hundred and fifty families were turned out of 
 their newly constructed dwellings, many of which 
 were burnt, and all ages and sexes reduced once 
 more to a state of destitution. After being plun- 
 dered of their little remaining property, they were 
 driven from the valley, and compelled to proceed 
 on foot through the wilderness by the way of the 
 Lackawaxen river to the Delaware — a distance 
 of eighty miles. During this journey the un- 
 happy fugitives suffered all the miseries which 
 human nature appears capable of enduring. Old 
 men, whose sons had been slain in battle, widows. 
 
276 HISTORY OP WYOMING. 
 
 with their infant children, and children without 
 parents to protect them, were here companions 
 in exile and sorrow, and wandering in a wilder- 
 ness where famine and ravenous beasts daily re- 
 duced the number of the sufferers. One shock- 
 ing instance of suffering is related by a survivor 
 of this scene of death: it is the case of a mother, 
 whose infant having died, she was driven to the 
 dreadful alternative of roasting the body by piece- 
 meal for the daily subsistence of her remaining 
 children !"* 
 
 It must not be supposed that atrocities like these 
 would be sanctioned by the government of any 
 civilized community. The General Assembly, in 
 refusing a vote of supplies for the sufferers by the 
 flood, were believed to have been acting under 
 the influence of the Pennsylvania claimants to the 
 lands of Wyoming ; and the instigations of these 
 avaricious men, beyond doubt, had prompted Jus- 
 tices Patterson and West, and the soldiers under 
 them, to the course of wrong and outrage that had 
 been pursued. When, however, the naked facts 
 came to be known to the government, great indig- 
 nation was produced. A commission was des- 
 patched to Wyoming, to inquire into the state of 
 the settlement, and their report was such as to 
 cause the discharge of the troops, with the excep- 
 tion of a small guard left at Fort Dickinson. A 
 proclamation was likewise issued, inviting the 
 
 * Chapman. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. ^* 
 
 people who had been driven away, to return to 
 their homes, with a promise of protection on a due 
 submission to the hiws. To a considerable ex- 
 tent tills proclamation produced the desired effect, 
 and the people returned. 
 
 But the valley was not yet destined to become 
 a place of quiet. The discharged soldiers had 
 become partisans of the Pennsylvania land claim- 
 ants. Many of them were, moreover, dissolute ; 
 and after being disbanded, they hung around the 
 settlements, living like banditti upon plunder. 
 By the middle of July, so many of them had re- 
 joined the guard in Fort Dickinson, that the gar- 
 rison was becoming formidable, and the inhabi- 
 tants, for self-pro ection, repaired and garrisoned 
 Fort Forty. On the 20th of July, a party of the 
 people in that fort, having occasion to visit their 
 fields of grain five miles below, were fired upon 
 by a detachment of thirty of Justice Patterson's 
 men, from Fort Dickinson, commanded by a man 
 named William Brink, and two of the people, 
 Chester Pierce and Elisha Garrett, young men of 
 promise, were killed. The loss of these distin- 
 guished young men was deeply lamented, and the 
 inhabitants determined that their death sho Id be 
 avenged. Three days afterward, the garrison of 
 Fort'^Forty marched upon Wilkesbarre in the 
 night, for the purpose of making prisoners of Pat- 
 ter^'son and his men, who were in the habit of 
 lodging without the fort, when not apprehensive 
 of danger ; but having been apprized of the inten. 
 24 
 
278 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 tion of the people, they had disposed themselves 
 again for the night within the fort, and made pre- 
 parations for defence. Not being prepared to in- 
 vest their defence immediately, the people took 
 possession of the flouring mill, which had been 
 occupied by Patterson and his retainers, and 
 havins: laid in a store of provisions for themselves 
 at Fort Forty, they retired thither for the pur- 
 pose of counsel and preparation for ulterior mea- 
 sures. 
 
 Three days afterward the fort was invested by 
 the people. The garrison consisted of about sixty 
 men, provided with four pieces of ordnance, and 
 one hundred and sixty muskets. For the cannon 
 there was no ammunition : but having a good 
 supply for their small arms, and having despatch- 
 ed an express to Philadelphia for assistance, they 
 determined to hold out until the arrival of rein- 
 forcements. The leader of the besiegers in this 
 insurrection — if such it might be properly called 
 — was Jolin Franklin, a native of Connecticut — 
 an influential and resolute man — prime agent of 
 the Susquehanna Company, and a colonel by po- 
 pular election.* On the 27th of July, it having 
 been determined to attempt carrying the fort by 
 storm, Franklin, " in the name and on the behalf 
 of the injured and incensed inhabitants holding 
 their lands under the Connecticut claim," sent a 
 formal summons to the garrison to surrender, not 
 
 • Letter of Colonel Pickering. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 279 
 
 the fortress only, bat likewise the possessions and 
 other property of the besiegers, which had been 
 taken from them " in a hostile and unconstitu- 
 tional manner." It was added ihat if the sum- 
 mons should be complied with, they " should be 
 treated with humanity and commiseration — other- 
 wise, the consequences would prove fatal and 
 bloody to every person found in the garrison." 
 Two hours were allowed them for an answer. But 
 before these two hours had elapsed, information 
 was received from below, that the magistrates of 
 the county of Northumberland, (to which Wy- 
 oming had been attached.) at the head of a body 
 of troops, were marching to the succour of the 
 garrison ; whereupon the siege was immediately 
 raised, and the assailants returned to Fort Forty, 
 resolving to remain there until the magistrates 
 should arrive. 
 
 The belligerent proceedings of the inhabitants 
 in this emergency can the more readily be justi- 
 fied, when it is considered that the party in the 
 fort, at the head of which was Justice Patterson, 
 was now making war upon them in behalf of the 
 Pennsylvania claimants, on their own account. 
 Under these circumstances, the people liad a right, 
 not only to protect themselves, but to repel force by 
 force. That such was the fact appears from the 
 official proceedings of the Council of the State. 
 On hearing of the affair of the 20th, in which 
 two of the inhabitants had been wantonly mur- 
 dered, the Council forthwith appointed a com- 
 
280 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 mission with instructions to proceed to Wyom- 
 ing, and restore peace by disarming both par- 
 ties. And it happened to be the approach of the 
 commissioners under this resoUition, that caused 
 the raising of the siege of Fort Dickinson. They 
 arrived on the 29th, and on the following day a 
 conference was held between both parties, but 
 without any reconciliation being effected. The 
 commissioners* next made a demand, under the 
 authority of the State, for the mutual surrender of 
 the arms of the parties, and also of a suitable num- 
 ber of persons as hostages, for the preservation of 
 the peace. 
 
 But neither persuasion nor demand produced 
 the slightest effect upon either party. The truth 
 was, both had heard that after the arrival of the 
 express in Philadelphia, announcing the belea- 
 guerment of the fort by the people, the Council of 
 State had directed the Lieutenant of the county 
 of Northampton to call forth a body of three hun- 
 dred infantry, with a squadron of dragoons, to 
 march for the subjugation of the people of Wy- 
 oming. A simultaneous order was also given to 
 the Sheriff of Northumberland to proceed with 
 the power of his county, to the aid of the Lieuten- 
 ant of Northampton. On the same day, viz : the 
 29th of July, the Honourable John Boyd and 
 Colonel John Armstrong were appointed commis- 
 sioners for concerting and executing such measures 
 
 * Chapman is tlic aulliorify for these details. The commissioners were 
 Thomas Hewitt, Duvid Mead, and Robert Martin. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 281 
 
 as they should judge necessary for establishing 
 the peace and jrood order of the disaffected dis- 
 trict. Under these circumstances, neither party 
 would listen to the proposition for disarming. 
 ThePennamites* counted upon adequate military 
 support, while the Yankees were not disposed to 
 surrender their arms, at a moment when a larger 
 military force than any they had yet encountered 
 was marching for their subjugation. 
 
 Colonel Armstrong proceeded to Easton on the 
 1st of August, where his forces were already col- 
 lecting. On the 3d he advanced to the eastern 
 verge of the Pokono mountain. He had, how- 
 ever, previously detached Colonel Moore, with a 
 party of volunteers, to a station called Locust Hill, 
 about midway of the mountains, which the Major 
 was directed to hold for the purpose of keeping 
 the passage clear. Hearing of this advance of 
 Moore, the people of Wyoming sent forward a 
 company under the command of Captain Swift, 
 to meet and repel him. This enterprise was ex- 
 ecuted with tidelity. Swift took the party of 
 Moore by surprise early on the morning of the 
 2d of August, and after a brisk attack upon the 
 log-house in which they were sheltered, Moore 
 retreated with the loss of one man killed, and sev- 
 eral wounded. Swift thereupon returned to Wy- 
 oming, where Colonel Armstrong soon appeared 
 
 * Pennamites was the name given the Pcnnaylvanians by the Connccticol 
 settlers, who in turn were designated as Yankees, — Intruders, — Insurgentd, 
 &c. Those civil broils are still called the Pennamite tours in Wyoming. 
 
 24* 
 
282 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 at the headj all told, of about four hundred men, 
 including Patterson's troops, and a few militia-raea 
 from Northumberland. 
 
 The armed forces of the people were so strongly- 
 entrenched in Fort Forty, that Armstrong dared 
 not hazard an attack. He therefore had recourse 
 to stratagem. A plausible manifesto was issued, 
 declaring that he had come merely for the dispen- 
 sation of justice, and the pacification of the valley. 
 His object was the protection of the peaceable in- 
 habitants, to which end it was necessary that both 
 parties should be disarmed. For a time his pro- 
 fessions were distrusted by the people ; but ulti- 
 mately the earnestness and apparent sincerity of 
 his protestations overcame their scruples, and 
 numbers of them repaired to Fort Dickinson, to 
 comply with his terms, and also to make reclama- 
 tion of the property of which they had been plun- 
 dered. But they had ample cause to lament their 
 credulity, being arrested by scores, pinioned with 
 strong cords, and marched off, in pairs, strongly 
 guarded, to the prisons of Easton and Sunbury. 
 Forty-two were sent to the latter prison, ten of 
 whom, however, escaped on the morning after 
 their arrival. In both prisons they were treated 
 with inhumanity ; but the imprisonment at Eas- 
 ton was of short duration. On the morning of 
 September 17th, as the jailor was conveying their 
 breakfast to them, he was knocked down by a 
 young man named Inman, and the whole body 
 made their escape. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 283 
 
 On the departure of the prisoners, Armstrong 
 had discharged the principal part of his forces, and 
 made preparations with the residue to gather the 
 crops planted to his hands by those whom he had 
 dispossessed. But jiis army had been prematurely 
 disbanded. With the return of the self-liberated 
 prisoners, the residue of the inhabitants took arms, 
 and being strengthened by a body of emigrants 
 from Vermont, Fort Forty was again occupied, 
 and dispositions promptly made to protect what 
 remained unharvested of their crops. On the 
 20th of September, a party of Armstrong's men, 
 engaged in harvesting grain that did not belong 
 to them, were attacked and driven into Fort Dick- 
 inson. A strong detachment was immediately 
 despatched in pursuit of the ^^ Insurgents, ^^ as 
 Armstrong now called the people in arms ; but 
 the latter took refuge in a log-house, which they 
 defended with such spirit as to repulse their as- 
 sailants, who bore away, as their only trophies, 
 two wounded men. 
 
 The people were suffering greatly by reason 
 of the surrender of their fire arms ; and hearing 
 that Colonel Armstrong had sent to Philadelphia 
 for reinforcements, they resolved to make an eflbrt 
 for the recovery of those arms, before any more 
 troops should arrive. Having ascertained the par- 
 ticular block-house in which the arms were de- 
 posited, they made an attack on the night of the 
 25th. but were repulsed; On the following day 
 Colonel Armstrong proceeded to Philadelphia; 
 
284 HISTORY OF WYOxMING. 
 
 and on the next, the block-house was carried by 
 the people under John Franklin, two of the Pen- 
 namite magistrates, Reed and Henderson, mortally 
 wounded, and the arms recovered. A full state- 
 ment of the transaction was forwarded to the gov- 
 ernment by Franklin, acting for the people, in 
 which it was declared that they had not been 
 prompted by any disposition to disregard the laws, 
 but only to be avenged upon Patterson and Arm- 
 strong for their treachery.* 
 
 Another military expedition against the " insur- 
 gents " was immediately determined upon by the 
 Council, to consist of two companies of fifty men 
 each. The command was again entrusted to 
 Colonel Armstrong, who was simultaneously pro- 
 moted to the office of Adjutant General of the State. 
 The President, Mr. Dickinson, made a strong re- 
 monstrance against this proceeding, in writing ; 
 but the Council was resolutely bent upon perse- 
 verance, f The people of the state, however, were 
 by this time becoming weary of the contest. Nor 
 was this all : they were beginning to look upon the 
 settlers of Wyoming as the persecuted party, and 
 
 ♦ Chapman. 
 
 t Pennsylvania, at that time, had no officer bearing the title of governor. 
 Under its first independent state cons»itution, the government of the com- 
 monwealth was vested in a House of Representatives, a President, and a 
 Council. There was also another branch of the government instituted by that 
 constitution, called a Board of Censors, chosen by the people, and directed 
 to meet once in seven years, to inquire whether the constitution had in the 
 meantime been violated; whether the legislative and executive branches had 
 performed their duties faithfully ; whether the laws had been duly and equal- 
 ly executed, &c. &c. They could also try impeachments, and recommend 
 the repeal of unwholesome laws, ice. 
 
HISTORY OB^ WYOMING. 
 
 285 
 
 their sympathies were kindling in tlieir favour. 
 With all his efforts, therefore, the new Adjutant 
 General was enabled to raise only forty men, at 
 the head of whom he reappeared in the valley 
 on the 16th of October. Fort Forty was im- 
 mediately garrisoned by seventy men, under Mr. 
 Franklin. These Armstrong did not feel strong 
 enough to attack, and he called loudly upon the 
 counties of Northampton, Berks, and Bucks, for 
 assistance ; but in vain. Neither the Council, nor 
 the leaders of the Pennsylvania claimants, could 
 mduce a single recruit more to engage in a service 
 now beconiUig iiui nupupular nitiely,bLit udiuus. 
 Meantime the period for the septennial meeting 
 of the Council of Censors had arrived, and the feel- 
 ings of that body had become warmly enlisted in 
 regard to the Wyoming proceedings. Having 
 cognizance of the case, the Council called upon 
 the General Assembly for the papers and docu- 
 ments connected with the controversy. The As- 
 sembly disregarded the call, and a mandamus was 
 issued, which was received and treated with per- 
 fect contempt. Finding their authority thus con- 
 temned and utterly disregarded, the Council open- 
 ly espoused the cause of the Connecticut settlers, 
 and passed a public censure upon the government 
 of the state, couched in strong language, for its con- 
 duct toward those people — not indeed sanctioning 
 the claim of the latter to the soil, but condemning 
 allthe military and pretended civil proceedings that 
 had been adopted against them — especially for the 
 
286 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 reasoiij that after becoming subjects of Pennsyl- 
 vania, the settlers had not been left to prosecute 
 their claims in the proper course, without the in- 
 tervention of the legislature. 
 
 The stand thus taken by the Censors strength- 
 ened the hands of the colonists, and also those of 
 their friends in other parts of the state. The decla- 
 ration of the Censors also furnished a reasonable 
 excuse to the people to disobey alike the orders of 
 the Council of State, and of Colonel Armstrong. 
 Not another recruit, therefore, could be obtained ; 
 and Armstrong found himself shut up in a block- 
 house with a force too weak for offensive action, or 
 even to forage for supplies. But the people them- 
 selves, even had they not been annoyed by the 
 presence of the soldiery, were in a deplorable con- 
 dition. All their movable possessions had been 
 swept away by the flood in March, and the labours 
 of the spring and summer had been subjected to 
 such incessant interruptions, while a large portion 
 of their crops had been taken to glut the rapacity 
 of their enemies, that they looked forward to the 
 approachins^ winter with gloomy forebodings. 
 They again petitioned Congress, and likewise 
 made an affecting appeal for the friendly interpo- 
 sition of the Legislature of Connecticut. In this 
 latter appeal they stated "that their numbers 
 were reduced to about two thousand souls, most 
 of whom were women and children, driven, in 
 many cases, from their proper habitations, and 
 living in huts of bark in the woods, without pro- 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 287 
 
 visions for the approaching winter, while the 
 Pennsylvania troops and land claimants were in 
 possession of their houses and farms, and wasting^ 
 and destroying their cattle and subsistence." The 
 legislature of Connecticut, acknowledging their 
 want of jurisdiction, could only express their sym- 
 pathy, and promise the exertion of their friendly 
 offices in behalf of the memorialists, both with 
 Congress and the government of Pennsylvania. 
 Happily, however, the settlers were speedily reliev- 
 ed from the presence of the military, and that by 
 no farther effort of iheir own. As winter ap- 
 proached, finding that he could obtain neither 
 recruits nor supplies. Colonel Armstrong dis- 
 "charged his troops, and returned to Philadelphia. 
 But although this was the last military de- 
 monstration of Pennsylvania against Wyoming, 
 the controversy was not yet ended. The people, 
 it is true, were left to the quiet pursuit of their 
 labours during the two succeeding years ; still, 
 the question of their land titles was unadjusted, 
 and they knew not how soon farther attempts 
 mio;ht be made to dispossess them. There was 
 indeed a kindlier feeling arising mutually between 
 the parties; but every effort of the people to ob- 
 tain a tribunal before which their title question 
 should be submitted for a final decision, during 
 these two years, was nevertheless unavailing. The 
 population, however, continued to increase rapid- 
 ly, not only in their own valley, but also above, 
 below, and around it ; and in the autumn of 
 
288 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 1786, the legislature, on the petition of the people 
 of Wyoming, and the region north of it, to whom 
 it was a great inconvenience to attend the court 
 sixty and a hundred miles distant, at Sunbury, 
 formed their territory into a new county, named 
 *' Luzerne," in honour of the Chevalier De La 
 Luzerne, who had just at that period returned to 
 France from his embassy to the United States. In- 
 deed the indications, upon both sides, rendered it 
 obvious that a compromise was desired by each. 
 
 It happened at about the same period that Colonel 
 Timothy Pickering of Massachusetts, but at that 
 time a resident of Pennsylvania, made a journey 
 throuo^h Wyoming, to visit a tract of land in which 
 he was interested, in and about the Great Bend 
 of the Susquehanna, near the New- York line. 
 While in Wyoming, Colonel Pickering embraced 
 every opportunity to learn the feelings of the peo- 
 ple in regard to the protracted dispute, and to as- 
 certain the terms upon which their peaceable sub- 
 mission to Pennsylvania might be effected. Being 
 convinced that the settlers were entirely satisfied 
 with the constitution of the state, and were willing 
 to submit to its government, provided they could 
 be quieted in the possession of their farms, on 
 his return to Philadelphia he reported the result 
 of his inquiries and convictions to several distin- 
 guished gentlemen, among whom were Doctor 
 Rush, and Mr. Wilson, an eminent lawyer, and 
 afterward a judge of the Supreme Court of the 
 United States. The idea was then suggested to the 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 289 
 
 minds of the Pennsylvanians, that being a New- 
 England man, of high characterj the services of 
 Colonel Pickering might be of great importance 
 in effecting an arrangement between the parties. 
 The subject was proposed to Mr. Pickering by Dr. 
 Rush, with the proffer of an appointment to the 
 five principal county offices, if he would remove 
 to Wyoming with a view of exerting himself to 
 put an end to the inveterate and disastrous con- 
 troversy. After taking time for consideration, the 
 proposition was accepted upon the basis already 
 indicated, — viz: that he might assure the Con- 
 necticut settlers that the Pennsylvania legislature 
 would pass a law quieting them in their posses- 
 sions. With this understanding, Colonel Picker- 
 ing took the offices, and, clothed with the neces- 
 sary power by the legislature, to hold elections 
 and organize the county, proceeded to Wyoming in 
 January, 1787. After spending a full month in 
 visiting the people, the Colonel succeeded in per- 
 suading them to apply to the legislature for a com- 
 promise law, upon the principle heretofore sug- 
 gested. His object, however, had well nigh been 
 defeated, at one of the preliminary meetings, by a 
 suggestion from INIajor John Jenkins, — known to 
 the reader in a former chapter as Lieutenant Jen- 
 kins, — who rose and remarked that they had too 
 often experienced the bad faith of Pennsylvania, to 
 place confidence in any new measure of its legis- 
 lature ; and that if they were to enact a quieting 
 law, they would repeal it as soon as the Connect- 
 25 
 
290 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 icut settlers submitted and were completely sad- 
 dled with the laws of the state. Colonel Picker- 
 ing, not anticipating any such act of Punic faith, 
 repelled the suggestion with great earnestness, and 
 at length succeeded in procuring the application. 
 The proposition of the memorial was, that in case 
 the commonwealth would grant them the seventeen 
 townships which had been laid out, and in which 
 settlements had been commenced previous to the 
 decree of Trenton, they would on their part re- 
 linquish all their claims to any other lands within 
 the limits of the Susquehanna purchase/'^ The 
 towns were represented to be as nearly square as 
 circumstances would permit, and to be about live 
 miles on a side, and severally divided into lots of 
 three hundred acres each. Some of these lots 
 were set apart as glebes, some for schools, and 
 others for various town purposes, &c. 
 
 Colonel Pickering proceeded to Philadelphia 
 with the memorial, and aided, by his advice and 
 counsel, the passage of the law. The case was 
 environed with difficulties, not the least of which 
 was the fact that many of the best lands, occupied 
 by the Connecticut claimants, had likewise been 
 granted by the Government of Pennsylvania to 
 its own citizens. It was of course necessary that 
 these claims should be quieted likewise. But as 
 the state had three years before extinguished the 
 
 Chapman. Theao townships were, Salcm, Newport, Hanover, VVilkes- 
 barre, Pittston, Westmoreland, Putnam, Braintrcc, Springfield, Claverack, 
 Ulster, Eieter, Kingston, Plymouth, Bedford, Huntington, and Providence. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 29! 
 
 Indian title to several millions of acres of land, 
 there was no lack of means for making new grants 
 to those who might suffer in the arrangement 
 with the Connecticut settlers. Be that as it might, 
 the difficulties were surmounted ; a law, which it 
 was supposed would answer every purpose in- 
 tended, was passed ; under which commissioners 
 were appointed to examine the claims on both 
 sides ;* those of the Connecticut settlers to ascer- 
 tain who were entitled to hold by tlie terms of the 
 law ; those of the Pennsylvanians, to ascertain 
 the quality, and appraise the value of each tract. 
 The commissioners met in Wyoming in May, 
 and made their arrangements preliminary to a for- 
 mal examination and adjustment of such claims 
 as might be presented to them at another session. 
 to be held in August and September. The law 
 gave general satisfaction to the people within the 
 seventeen townships embraced in its provisions : 
 and the commissioners entered upon their labours, 
 at the time appointed, with a fair prospect of com- 
 pleting the work within a reasonable time. But 
 fresh difficulties arose in another quarter. The 
 Connecticut settlements had been extended, in se- 
 veral directions, considerably beyond the limits of 
 the towns designated, and the people of those set- 
 tlements were greatly dissatisfied because they 
 were not included in the arrangement. It is be- 
 lieved, moreover, that pending the negotiations for 
 
 • The commissioners were Timothy Pickering, William Montgomerr, and 
 Stephen Balliott. 
 
292 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 the compromise, the Susquehanna Company had 
 been exerting themselves to pour as many settlers 
 into those unincluded districts as possible. Co- 
 lonel Pickering asserts positively, that " they in- 
 vited and encourao'cd emiffrafions from the states 
 eastward of Pennsylvania, of all men destitute of 
 property, who could be tempted by the gratuitous 
 offer of lands, on the single condition that they 
 should enter upon them armed, ' to man their 
 rights,' according to the cant phrase of the day. 
 By this arrangement the Company hoped to pour 
 in such a mass of young and able-bodied men as 
 would appear formidable to the Pennsylvania 
 government, to subdue and expel whom would 
 require a considerable military force, to be raised 
 and maintained at a heavy expense of treasure, 
 and perhaps of blood ;" to avoid which evils they 
 hoped that Pennsylvania would ultimately be 
 brought to their own terms. John Franklin had 
 exerted himself, beyond doubt, for that object ; and 
 he now became the leader of a new party, de- 
 termined to defeat the execution of the law. He 
 was a man of activity, shrev/dness, and great 
 energy and influence ; and by visiting the people 
 of the settlements, he soon stirred up a commo- 
 tion that compelled the commissioners to flee 
 from the coimtry for safety. Evidence of his 
 practices having been ^communicated to Chief 
 Justice M'Kean, his warrant was issued for the 
 arrest of Franklin on a charge of treason. It was 
 not judged advisable to direct the sherifi'of Lu- 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 293 
 
 zerne, who had just been elected, and whose resi- 
 dence was among the turbnlent men under the 
 influence of Franklin, to serve the writ, and it 
 was therefore directed to four gentlemen of known 
 fortitude, two of whom had served in the army of 
 the revolution. Franklin was at the time absent 
 on an incendiary mission, thirty-five miles farther 
 down the valley. On his return, every necessary 
 preparation having been made for his safe conduct 
 to Philadelphia, he was arrested. He resisted tiie 
 special officers, however, to the utmost, and would 
 unquestionably have effected his escape, or been 
 rescued, — for the people were already assembling 
 with that design. — had it not been for the exer- 
 tions and the courage of Colonel Pickering. Ob- 
 serving the commotion from the window, he 
 rushed out with a pair of loaded pistols, and 
 caused Franklin to be secured by cords, and 
 bound upon the horse prepared for his journey. 
 He was then conducted off", and taken in safety to 
 Philadelphia, and thrown into prison. 
 
 Colonel Pickering always avowed that he 
 should not have interfered in the case but for the 
 conviction that the welfare of the people and the 
 public peace depended upon securing the person 
 of that daring man. Deeply, however, did he 
 incur the resentment of Franklin's partisans. 
 Their leader had scarcely disappeared in the di- 
 rection of Philadelphia, before symptoms were 
 discovered that vengeance was to be wreaked 
 upon the head of Colonel Pickering, and he was 
 25* 
 
294 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 admonished by his friendly neighbours that it 
 would be wise for him to leave his domicil for a 
 short pericd, until their passions had time to cool. 
 He listened to the- admonition, just in time to se- 
 crete himself in a neighbouring wood before " the 
 Philistines were upon him." Returning to his 
 family in the evening, some of his neighbours as- 
 sembled in arms for his protection ; but before he 
 had finished his supper, tidings came tliat Frank- 
 lin's men were embodying in arms on the oppo- 
 site side of the river, and were even then pre- 
 paring to cross over and attack him. Taking a 
 loaded pistol with him, and a few small biscuits, 
 the Colonel retired to a neighbouring field, and 
 was soon apprized by the yells of the insurgents 
 that he had not effected his escape a moment too 
 soon. The noise subsiding, he correctly judged 
 that the neighbours who had armed for his de- 
 fence, and had fastened the house, had been com- 
 pelled to surrender. Such proved to be the fact, 
 and the insurgents made a thorough search of the 
 house in the hope of findinir the object of their 
 vengeance. Having been joined by Mr. Evan 
 Griflith, Secretary of the Commissioners, and an 
 inmate of Colonel Pickering's house, the two re- 
 tired to the mountains, where they passed the night. 
 Through a German friend occupying one of his 
 farms, the Colonel was enabled on the following 
 day to communicate with his family. Ascertain- 
 ing in this way that it would be unsafe for him 
 to return, and that the search for him was yet con- 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 295 
 
 tiiiued, Colonel Pickering determined to make his 
 way to Philadelphia, and from the distance watch 
 the course of events. It was near the middle of 
 October. He was without provisions, and thinly- 
 clad ; but no time was to be lost, and he was com- 
 pelled to direct his course through the deep forests 
 and over the mountains heretofore described. 
 There was, indeed, an indifferent road leading in 
 the proper direction ; but by attempting to travel 
 upon this, he had well nigh fallen into the hands 
 of a party of the insurgents who were on the watch 
 to intercept his flight. Yet, after a severe journey, 
 the Colonel arrived in safety at Philadelphia, 
 about a month after the convention that formed 
 the Constitution of the United States had ad- 
 journed. 
 
 Franklin had arrived there before liim, and was 
 in jail. Deprived of his counsel and leadership, 
 his insurgent partizans, reflecting upon the rash- 
 ness of their conduct, and also upon its illegality, 
 began to relent, and sent a petition to the Council, 
 acknowledging their oflence, and praying for a par- 
 don. This was readily granted, and conveyed to 
 them by Colonel Dennison, member of the Council 
 from Luzerne. Colonel Pickering now supposed 
 of course that he could join his family in safety; 
 but having arrived within twenty-five miles of 
 Wyoming, a messenger whom he had despatched 
 in advance, to ascertain the popular feeling, met 
 him with a message from liis friends that it would 
 yet be unsafe for him to come into the valley. 
 
296 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 Upon the receipt of these advices, he returned to 
 Philadelphia, where he remained until January. 
 Meantime a state convention had been called to 
 deliberate upon the draft of a constitution submit- 
 ted to the people of the United States by the na- 
 tional convention on the 17th of September, — to 
 which state convention Colonel Pickering was 
 chosen a delegate by the people of that very county 
 from which he was kept in banishment I What a 
 striking illustration does this fact present, of the 
 inconsistencies into which the people may be hur- 
 ried by passion and caprice ! They would select 
 Colonel Pickering, of all others, to sit in judgment 
 upon an instrument, which, if adopted, was to be- 
 come the grand regulating machine of their politi- 
 cal and religious principles, — the charter of their 
 liberty, and that of their posterity, in all time to 
 come, — while they would not trust the same in- 
 dividual to decide for them in the matter of a 
 contested title to a few hundred dollars' worth of 
 land! 
 
 Havinof attended to his duties in the conven- 
 tion. Colonel Pickering presented himself among 
 his constituents in January, 1788. Franklin yet 
 remained in prison. Next to his confinement, the 
 out-and-out opponents of the compromise law 
 deemed the presence of Colonel Pickering within 
 the disputed territory, as working the greatest 
 detriment to their schemes. There were various 
 indications, therefore, for several weeks, that a con- 
 spiracy was on foot to drive him from the county. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 297 
 
 Indeed it was menacingly intimated to iiim by 
 Major Jenkins, in the month of April, that such 
 was the fact. But the Colonel was neither dis- 
 posed to relinquish the cause of pacification in 
 which he had engaged, nor to abandon his farms 
 and improvements. He therefore pursued his oc- 
 cupations as usual, until the night of the 26th of 
 June, when he was awaked from his sleep by a 
 violent opening of the door of his apartment.— 
 "Who is there?" he demanded. "Get up," was 
 the answer. " Don't strike," said Colonel Picker- 
 ing ; " I have an infant on my arm." Then roll- 
 ing the child from his arm, the Colonel arose and 
 dressed, while Mrs. Pickering slipped out of bed 
 on the other side, and throwing on a few clothes 
 groped her way to the kitchen for a bght. on re- 
 turning with which they saw the room filled with 
 men, aniied with guns and hatchets, with black- 
 ened faces, and handkerchiefs tied around their 
 heads. Their first act was to pinion the Colonel 
 by tying his arms across his back with a strong 
 cord, — long enough for one of the party to hold 
 in order to prevent an escape,— having in the 
 course of their proceedings admonished Mrs. Pick- 
 ering that they would tomahawk her if she made 
 any noise. Having thus secured his person, they 
 advised him to take a blanket, or a thick outer 
 garment with him, as he would be a long time in 
 a situation to need it. Mrs. Pickering thereupon 
 handed the Colonel his surtout, and they depart- 
 ed with their captive. It appeared that there 
 
298 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 were fifteen of the ruffians. Not a word more 
 than was necessary was spoken, and their march 
 in the darkness and stillness of the niirht was 
 along the valley north to Pittstown, ten miles, 
 Vv^here they halted at a tavern for a few minutes. 
 After refreshing themselves with whiskey, — not 
 omitting to offer some to their captive, which was 
 declined, — they pursued their journey, while it 
 was yet dark as Erebus. They had not proceed- 
 ed far from the tavern, before one of the ruflians 
 marching by the Colonel's side broke silence by 
 saying: — 
 
 " Now, if you will only write two or three lines 
 to the Executive Council, they will discharge Co- 
 lonel Franklin, and we will release you." 
 
 The object of the abduction was at once dis- 
 closed. But the ruffians had mistaken their man. 
 The instant reply of the Colonel was, — 
 
 " The Executive Council better understand 
 their duty than to discharge a traitor to procure 
 tlie release of an innocent man." 
 
 " Damn him !" exclaimed one of the party, 
 marching as a guard in the rear, whose wrath had 
 been excited by the application of the epithet 
 "traitor" to Franklin, "why don't you toma- 
 hawk him?" 
 
 Their march was then continued in the same 
 sullen silence as before. Bad as they were, how- 
 ever, these misguided men were not altogether 
 destitute of civility, or kind feelings. On their 
 arrival at the Lackawannock river, finding the 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 299 
 
 water so low that the canoe grounded in crossing 
 it, one of the party waded to the shore, and divest- 
 ing himself of his pack, returned and carried the 
 Colonel over on his back. 
 
 In the course of the morning they crossed to the 
 west side of the Susquehanna, by a ferry, and pur- 
 sued their journey thirty miles from Wilkcsbarre, 
 to a log-house, near the river, at which they 
 halted, and cooked some victuals, of which they 
 all made a hearty meal — it being the first food 
 they had tasted since the night before. Seeing a 
 bed in the room. Colonel Pickering lay down to 
 rest, and found himself unpinioned when he arose. 
 While he was on the bed, and, as the party sup- 
 posed, asleep, they were overtaken by a man from 
 Joseph's Plains, two miles from VVilkesbarrc, who 
 informed them that the militia had turned out, and 
 were in pursuit. The insurgents immediately 
 disturbed the repose of their prisoner, and retired 
 back from the river about a quarter of a mile, en- 
 camping behind a hill in tlie woods. Here they 
 remained during the night, encountering a severe 
 thunder-storm. In the morning, finding all quiet 
 at the river, they returned to the house, where 
 they obtained breakfast. At about ten o'clock, a 
 man was descried on the opposite side of the river, 
 leading his horse, at which one of the party ex- 
 claimed — " There goes Major Jenkins, now, — a 
 
 d — d stinking: son of a !" It was obvious 
 
 from this remark, that Jenkins had been prompt- 
 ing the outrage, but with more cunning than bold- 
 
300 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 ness, had avoided any direct participation in its 
 execution. He was indeed at that time leaving 
 Wyoming for the state of New- York, where he 
 employed himself as a land surveyor until tran- 
 quility had been restored. 
 
 Preparations were now making to cross to the 
 eastern side of the Susquehanna ; and as the 
 blacking began by this time to disappear from the 
 faces of the captors, Colonel Pickering discerned 
 among the party two sons of a near neighbour, 
 named Dudley — Gideon and Jacob. These were 
 the only persons of the gang whom he knew. 
 Before entering the canoe, one of them attempted 
 to manacle the prisoner with a pair of handcuffs, 
 against which he remonstrated ; and at the inter- 
 position of a man named Earl, who also had two 
 sons of the party, the Colonel was spared that in- 
 convenience and deo^radation. Havingf crossed 
 the river, after an hour's march, the leader of the 
 party despatched all but four of his men upon 
 separate duty. With these four to guard the pri- 
 soner, the leader struck ofl' directly into the woods. 
 The Colonel's apprehensions were somewhat ex- 
 cited by this movement, — more so from the cir- 
 cumstance that he had heard the leader described 
 as a bold, bad man. But his apprehensions of 
 personal injury were groundless. They had not 
 travelled more than an hour before a fawn was 
 started, " and as he bounded along, this leader, 
 who was an expert hunter, shot him, and in five 
 minutes he had his skin off, and the carcass slung 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 301 
 
 upon his back." At the distance of tliree or four 
 miles from the river, on arriving at a brook that 
 came dancing across their coarse, they halted, 
 struck a fire, and began to cook some of their 
 venison. " The hunter who had killed it, — their 
 leader, — took the first cut. They sharpened small 
 sticks at both ends, running one into a slice of 
 the fawn, and setting the other into the ground, 
 the top of the stick being so near the fire as to 
 broil the flesh." Being hungry, the Colonel bor- 
 rowed one of their knives and began cooking 
 for himself. He observed that the hunter was 
 tending his steak with great nicety, — sprinkling 
 it with salt, — and as soon as it was done, with a 
 very good grace, he presented it to their captive. 
 They erected a booth with branches of trees, 
 and remained at this place about a week — most 
 of the time upon short allowance of food, and that 
 of a coarse quality. In the course of their con- 
 versations, they had informed the Colonel that 
 they were to be supported by a body of four hun- 
 dred men. He assured them that they were de- 
 ceiving themselves, and that they would be sorry 
 for what they were doing, since, so for from being 
 supported, they would be abandoned to their fate. 
 From this station they removed to another, in a 
 narrow sequestered valley, not more than two or 
 three miles from the river. Here they produced 
 a chain five or six feet long, having at one end a 
 fetter for the anckle. They said they were re 
 luctant to put the chain upon him, but Colonel 
 26 
 
302 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 Franklin had been put in irons, and " their great 
 men required it." The chain was then made fast 
 to the prisoner's leg, and the other end fastened to 
 a tree by a staple. Escaps was now impossible. 
 Another booth was erected, and when they lay 
 down for the night, one of the guards wound the 
 chain around one of his own legs. But the Colo- 
 nel had no design of attempting an escape. Sa- 
 tisfied that they did not intend to take his life, he 
 determined in his own mind to await the course 
 of events with as much patience as he could com- 
 mand. 
 
 They had been at this place but two or three 
 days, when, one morning, before his guards were 
 awake, the Colonel heard a brisk firing, as of 
 musketry, in the direction of the river. But of 
 this circumstance he said nothing to his keepers, 
 not doubting, in his own mind, that it was a skir- 
 mish between the insurgents and the militia, sent 
 after them, and for his rescue. Such proved to 
 be the fact. After breakfast one of his keepers 
 went down to a house in their interest by the 
 river, but returned in haste, to inform his com- 
 rades that "the boys," as they called their asso- 
 ciates, had met the militia, and that Captain Ross, 
 who commanded the latter, was mortally wound- 
 ded.* They were now at Black Walnut Bottom, 
 
 * Happily fliis statement was erroneous. The Captain Ross l.cre spoKen 
 of, is the present General Ross of Wilkesbarru. " A company of about fif- 
 teen men under Captain William Ross pursued the rioters, but as they had 
 concealed themselves in the woods, among the mountains of Mahoojieny, the 
 place of their retreat was not easily aECcrtained, particularly as tlicir move- 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 303 
 
 forty-four miles above Wilkcsbarre. During the 
 whole time, the guards of Colonel Pickering were 
 in comm nication with thei; comrades in the vi- 
 cinity ; and after this ; flair with Captain Ross, 
 they were evidently becoming more uneasy every 
 hour. They changed their stations several times, 
 and again crossed to the west side of the river, 
 undercover of the night. On the 15th of July, 
 Gideon Dudley, who seemed to have become the 
 leader of the party, visited the station where Co- 
 lonel Pickering was kept, and attempted to renew 
 the negotiation for his influence in behalf of 
 Franklin. But the Colonel positively refused to 
 purchase his own liberty in that manner. He 
 was then asked by Dudley if he would intercede 
 for their pardon, in the event of his release. He 
 told them he would answer no questions until 
 they knocked off his chain. It was instantly 
 taken ofl*. The Colonel then said to them, that in 
 the belief that they had been deluded and de- 
 ceived, — that they had been acting in obedience 
 to the orders of those whom they called tlieir 
 " great men," — he would exert his influence for 
 their pardon, if they would give him their names ; 
 adding, that he entertained no doubt of being able 
 to obtain it. The demand of names was not rea- 
 
 ments were only in the night ; for during the day thoy lay concealed to guard 
 their prisoner, who was kept bound to a tree. About the dawn of the day, 
 Captain Ross's company fell in with a company of the rioters, near llic mouth 
 of Meshoppen Creek, and a skirmisli ensued in which Captain Rosa wa» 
 wounded. Colonel Myers and Captain Schotts also proceeded with & 
 portion of the militia, in pursuit of the rioters. A sword was afterward pre - 
 Bented to Captain Ross, by the Supreme Executive Couucil, for hij gallinlrjr 
 in this affair." — Chapman. 
 
304 HISTORY OP WYOMING. 
 
 dily assented to, causing the delay of a day in the 
 negotiation. On the 16th they removed to the 
 house of a man named Kilburne, father of two of 
 the party. The Colonel, who had been nineteen 
 days without a razor for his beard, or a change 
 of clothes, was here provided with shaving ap- 
 paratus and a clean shirt and stockings, and then 
 informed that he was at liberty. A comfortable 
 dinner was next prepared, after which '' the boys " 
 importunately renewed their application in behalf 
 of Franklin. This request was again peremptorily 
 refused. In regard to themselves, — thirty-two 
 of the party being then present, — the Colonel 
 again proifered his influence in their behalf, on 
 condition that the names of their "great men" 
 should be given up. But after a side consulta- 
 tion they rejected the terms, declaring that the 
 severest punishment in the world to come ought 
 to be meted to any one of their number who 
 should betray them. 
 
 Their last request to Colonel Pickering was, 
 that he would write a petition for them to the Ex- 
 ecutive Council, and be the bearer of it himself to 
 Wilkesbarre, whence he might forwcud it for them 
 to Philadelphia. To this request he assented ; 
 and forthwith took his departure for his own 
 home, where he arrived on the following day 
 without farther molestation. 
 
 The sequel to this singular outrage upon Colo- 
 nel Pickering is briefly told. Without waiting 
 for the result of their petition to the Council, most 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 305 
 
 of the actual perpetrators of the outrage fled north- 
 ward, taking refuge in the State of New-York. 
 On their way thither they encountered a de- 
 tachment of militia, under the command of Cap- 
 tain Roswell Franklin, who had been sent out in 
 pursuit of them, and with whom they exchanged 
 several shots. By one of them Joseph Dudley 
 was badly wounded. The others escaped. Dud- 
 ley was conveyed to Wilkesbarre, a distance of 
 sixty or seventy miles, in a canoe. The physician 
 who was sent for had no medicine, and the wants 
 of the wounded man were supplied from the med- 
 icine chest of Colonel Pickering, which had been 
 made up by Dr. Rush. He survived but a few 
 days, and Mrs. Pickering supplied a winding- 
 sheet for his burial. 
 
 At the Oyer and Terminer held in Wilkesbarre 
 in the succeeding autumn, several of the rioters 
 were tried and and convicted. " They were fined 
 and imprisoned, in different sums, and for differ- 
 ent lengths of time, according to the aggravation 
 of their offence. But they had no money where- 
 with to pay their fines, and the jail at AVilkes- 
 barre was so insufiicient, that they all made their 
 escape, excepting Stephen Jenkins, brother of Ma. 
 jor John Jenkins." Although concerned in the 
 plot, he was not in arms with the insurgents ; and 
 when the others escaped, he preferred to remain 
 and trust to the clemency of the government. 
 The consequence was that he soon afterward re- 
 ceived a pardon. 
 
 26* 
 
306 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 Captain Roswell Franklin, whose name has just 
 been mentioned, is pronounced by Colonel Pick- 
 ering to ha.ve been a worthy man, but he came to 
 a melancholy end. " Wearied with the disorders 
 and uncertain state of things at Wyoming, he re- 
 moved with his family into the State of New- 
 York, and sat down upon a piece of land to which 
 he had no title. Others had done the same. The 
 country was new and without inhabitants. They 
 cleared land, and raised crops, to subsist their fam- 
 ilies and stock. In two or three years, after all 
 their crops for the season were harvested, their 
 hay and grain in stack, and they anticipated pass- 
 ing the approaching winter comfortably, Governor 
 George Clinton sent orders to the sheriff of the 
 nearest county to raise the militia and drive off 
 the untitled occupants. These orders were as se- 
 verely as promptly executed, and the barns and 
 crops all burnt. Reduced thus to despair, Cap- 
 tain Franklin shot himself"* John Franklin, so 
 often mentioned, and whose arrest and imprison- 
 ment for his treasonable practices was the cause 
 for the abduction of Colonel Pickering, was in- 
 dicted and remained in prison for a considerable 
 period. He was ultimately liberated on bail : and 
 after all opposition to the government in Luzerne 
 county had ceased, he was fully discharged. His 
 popularity with the people remained, and lie was 
 afterward, for several years, a member of the Penn- 
 
 *■ Pii-kcring's Letter to his Son. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 307 
 
 sylvania Legislature. Meeting with Colonel 
 Pickering in subsequent years, they interchanged 
 the ordinary civilities that pass between gen- 
 tlemen.* 
 
 The prediction of Major John Jenkins to Colo- 
 nel Pickering, at the time when the latter gentle- 
 man undertook the pacification of the valley, that 
 even should the General Asseml)ly pass the de- 
 sired compromise act, they would repeal it at their 
 own pleasure, was verified, sooner, perhaps, than 
 the prophet himself anticipated. But the turbu- 
 lent settlers had themselves to thank for this vio- 
 lation of the public faith, if a violation of faith it 
 could be called which was superinduced by the 
 bad conduct of many of those for whose chief be- 
 nefit the law had been originally designed. The 
 law was suspended in the year succeeding the 
 transactions detailed in the present chapter, and 
 was afterward entirely repealed. " Thus the 
 question of title was again thrown into its former 
 position, and during the succeeding ten years 
 continued to retard the settlement of the country, 
 and to create continual contention and distrust 
 between the respective claimants. But the situa- 
 tion of the inhabitants was very different from 
 what it had been in former stages of the contro- 
 
 * In closing this narrative of the captivity of Colonel Pickering in Wy- 
 oming, it is proper to say that the facts have been drawn immediately from 
 the letter to his son, cited occasionally in the notes to some of the preceding 
 chapters. For a copy of this letter, which was first rend by the author about 
 ton years ago, he is indebted to VV»lliam M'llhennoy, Es«|., Librarian of the 
 Philadelphia Athenajiim, who found it in Hazard's Pennsylvania Rfgistcr, 
 wh.;re it was published in the spring of 1831. 
 
308 HISTORY OF WYOMING. 
 
 versy. They were represented in the General 
 Assembly by one of their own mimber, and were 
 the executors of the laws within their own district. 
 Pennsylvania had adopted a new constitution, and 
 was governed by a more liberal policy. Petitions 
 were again presented to the legislature for the 
 passage of another law, upon the principles of the 
 one which had been repealed, and, in April, 1799, 
 an act was passed in conformity to the prayer of 
 the petition, so far as it regarded the seventeen 
 townships contemplated by the original law."* 
 The difficulties connected with the settlement of 
 that portion of the Susquehanna Company's claim 
 not included by the act, were continued two or 
 three years longer, during which the Company 
 exerted itself as before, in sending forward clouds 
 of adventurous sj)irits to plant themselves upon 
 the disputed territory ; nor did they desist until 
 the Legislature of Pennsylvania had provided 
 against farther intrusions by a bill of severe pains 
 and penalties. Ultim.ately the claims were all 
 quieted, and the Pennsylvania titles fairly estab- 
 lished. 
 
 The population of tliat portion of Pennsylvania 
 is chiefly from INew-England ; and for the last 
 thirty-five years the valley of Wyoming has been 
 as remarkable for its tranquillity, as for the fifty 
 preceding years it had been for its turbulence. 
 It is indeed a lovely spot, which, had Milton seen 
 
 * Chapman. 
 
HISTORY OF WYOMING. 309 
 
 it before the composition of his immortal Epic, 
 might well have suggested some portions of his 
 gorgeous description of Paradise. The lofty and 
 verdant mountains which shut the valley from the 
 rest of the world correspond well with the great 
 poet's 
 
 " enclosure f reen, 
 
 Of a stpcp wilderness ; whose hairy sides 
 With thicket overgrown, grotesque and wild, 
 Access deni'd ; wliile overhead up grew 
 Insuperable height of loftiest shade, 
 Cedar, and pine, and fir, and branching palm, 
 A sylvan scene ; and as the ranks ascend, 
 Shade above shade, a woody theatre 
 Of stateliest view." 
 
 Wyoming is larger, by far, than the Thessalian 
 vale which the poets of old so often sang, though 
 not less beautiful. If its mountain-barriers are 
 not honoured by the classic names of Ossa and 
 Olympus, they are much more lofty. Instead of 
 the Peneus, a mightier river rolls its volume 
 through its verdant meadows ; and if the gods of 
 the Greek Mythology were wont to honour Tempp: 
 with their presence, in times of old, they would 
 prove their good taste, and their love of the ro- 
 mantic and beautiful, in these modern days, by 
 taking an occasional stroll among the cool shades 
 and flowery paths of Wyoming. 
 
NOTES 
 
 TO GERTRUDE OF WYOxVIlNG 
 
 PART 1. 
 
 Stanza 3,1. 6. 
 From merry mock-bird' s song. 
 
 The mocking-bird is of the form, but larger, than the thrush ; and the co- 
 lours are a mixture of black, white, and gray. Wliat is said of the nightin- 
 gale by its greatest admirers, is, what may with more propriety apply to thii 
 bird, who, in a natural state, sings with very superior taste. Towards eve- 
 ning I have heard one begin softly, reserving its breath to swell certain notes, 
 which, by this means, had a most astonishing effect. A gentleman in Lon- 
 don had one of these birds for six years. During the space of a minute he 
 was heard to imitate the woodlark, chatiinch, blackbird, thrush, and sparrow . 
 In this country (America) I have frequently known the mocking-birds so en- 
 gaged in this mimicry, that it was with much difficulty 1 could ever obtain an 
 opportunity of hearing their own natural note. Some go so far as to say, that 
 they have neither peculiar notes, nor favourite imitations. This may he de- 
 nied. Their few natural notes resemble those of the (European) nightingale. 
 Their song, however, has a greater compass and vohime than the nightin- 
 gale, and they have the faculty of varying all intermediate notes in a man- 
 ner which is truly delightful. — Ashe's Travels in America, vol. ii. p. 73. 
 
 Stanza 5, 1. 9. 
 And distant isles that hear the loud Corbrcchtan roar. 
 The Corybrechtan, or Corbrcchtan, is a whirlpool on the western coa«t of 
 Scotland, near the island of Jura, which is heard at a prodigious distanre. 
 Its name signifies the wiiirlpool of the Prince of Denmark ; and there ia a 
 tradition that a Danish Prince once undertook, for a wager, to cast anchor 
 in it. He is said to have used woollen instead of hempen ropen, for greater 
 Btrength, but perished in the attempt. On the shores of Argylcshiro, I hare 
 often listened with groat delight to the sound of this vortex, at iho disUoc* 
 
312 NOTES TO GERTRUDE OF WYOMING. 
 
 of many leagues. When the weather is calm, and the adjacent sea scarcely 
 heard on these picturesque shores, its sound, wliich is like the sound of innu- 
 merable chariots, creates a magnificent and fine effect. 
 
 Stanza 13, 1. 4. 
 Of huslciii'd limb and swarthy lineament. 
 In the Indian tribes there is a great similarity in their colour, stature, &c. 
 They are all, except the Snake Indians, tall in stature, straight, and robust. 
 It is very seldom they are deformed, which has given rise to the supposition 
 that they put to death their deformed children. Their skin is of a copper 
 colour ; their eyes large, bright, black, and sparkling, indicative of a subtle 
 and discerning mind ; their hair is of the same colour, and prone to belong, 
 seldom or never curled. Their teeth are large and white ; I never observed 
 any decayed among them, which makes their breath as sweet as the air they 
 inhale. — Travels through America by Capts. Leiois and Clarke^ in 1804 — 
 5—6. 
 
 Stanza 14, 1. 6. 
 Peace be to thee ! my words this belt approve. 
 The Indians of North America accompany every formal address to stran- 
 gers, with whom they form or recognise a t»-eaty of amity, with a present of a 
 string or belt of wampum. Wampum (says Cadwallader Colden) is made of 
 the large whelk shell, Buccinum, and shaped liked long beads ; it is the cur- 
 rent money of the Indians. — History of the Five Indian J^''ations, p. 34. — 
 JVeio- York edition. 
 
 Stanza 14, 1. 7. 
 The paths of peace my steps have hither led. 
 In relating an interview of Mohawk Indians with the Governor of New- 
 York, Colden quotes the following passage as a specimen of their metaphor- 
 ical manner : "Where shall I seek the chair of peace 1 Where shall I find 
 it but upon our path? and whither doth our path lead us but unto this 
 house ?" 
 
 Stanza 15, 1. 2. 
 Our wampum league thy brethren did embrace. 
 When they solicit the alliance, offensive or defensive, of a whole nation, 
 they send an embassy with a large belt of wampum and a bloody hatchet, 
 inviting them to come and drink the blood of their enemies. The wampum 
 made use of on these and other occasions, before their acquaintance with the 
 Europeans, was nothing but small shells which they picked up by the sea- 
 coasts, and on the banks of the lakes; and now it is nothing but a kind of 
 cylindrical beads, made of shells, white and black, which are esteemed 
 among them as silver and gold are among us. The black they call the most 
 valuable, and both together are their greatest riches and ornaments ; these 
 
NOTES TO PART 1. 313 
 
 among them answering all the end that money does amongst us. They have 
 the art of stringing, twisting, and interweaving them into their belts, collars, 
 blankets, and moccasins, ice, in ten thousand dillLrent sizes, forms, and fig- 
 ures, so as to bo ornaments for every part of dresn, and expressive to them 
 of all their important transactions. They dye the wampum of various colours 
 and shades, and mix and dispose them with great ingenuity and order, and 
 Bo as to be significant among themselves of almost every thing they please ; 
 so that by these their words are kept, and their thoughts communicated to 
 one another, as ours arc by writing. The belts that pass from one nation to 
 another in all treaties, declarations, and important transactions, are very 
 carefully preserved in the cabins of their chiefs, and serve not only as a kind 
 of record or history, but as a public treasure. — Major Rogers's Account of 
 J^orth America. 
 
 Stanza. 17, 1. 5. 
 
 As when the evil Manitou. 
 
 It is certain that the Indians acknowledge one Supreme Being, or Giver of 
 Life, who presides over all things ; that is, the Great Spirit ; and they look 
 up to him as the source of good, from whence no evil can proceed. They 
 also believe in a bad Spirit, to whom they ascribe great power ; and suppose 
 that through his power all the evils which befall mankind are inflicted. To 
 him, therefore, they pray in their distresses, begging that he would either avert 
 their troubles, or moderate them when they are no longer unavoidable. 
 
 They hold also that there are good Spirits of a lower degree, who have 
 their particular departments, in which they are constantly contributing to the 
 happiness of mortals. These they suppose to preside over all the extraordi- 
 nary productions of Nature, such as those lakes, rivers, and mountains, that 
 are of uncommon magnitude ; and likewise ihe beasts, birds, fishes, and even 
 vegetables or stones, that exceed the rest of their species in size or singulari- 
 ty. — Clarke's Travels among- the Indians. 
 
 The Supreme Spirit of good is called by the Indians Kitchi ilanitou ; and 
 the Spirit of evil, Matchi Manitou. 
 
 Stanza 19, 1. 2. 
 Fever-balm and meet tagnmiti 
 The fever-balm is a medicine used by iheso tribes ; it is a decoction of a 
 bush called the Fever Tree. Sagamite is a kind of soup administered to 
 their sick. 
 
 Stanza 20, 1. 1. 
 And /, tAe eagle of iru/ ttibe,havt riuk'd with thit lorn dov*. 
 The testimony of all travellers among the American Indiana who montioo 
 their hieroglyphics, authorizes m« in putting thi.t figurative language in tho 
 mouth of Outttlissi. The dove is among them, us elsewhere, an emblem of 
 meekness ; and the eagle, tlialof a bold, noble, and liberal mind. When the 
 Indians speak of a warrior who sours above tlio multitude in person and en- 
 
 27 
 
314 GERTRUDE OF WYOMING. 
 
 dowments, they say, "he is like the eagle, who destroys his enemies, and 
 gives protection and abundance to the weak of his own tribe." 
 
 Stanza 23, 1. 2. 
 Far differently, the mute Oneida took, etc 
 They are extremely circumspect and deliberate in every word and action ; 
 nothing hurries them into any intemperate wrath, but that inveteracy to their 
 enemies, which is rooted in every Indian's breast. In all other instances they 
 are cool and deliberate, taking care to suppress the emotions of the heart. 
 If an Indian has discovered tliat a friend of his is in danger of being cut off 
 by a lurking enemy, lie does not tell him of his danger in direct terms, as 
 though he were in fear, but he first coolly asks him which way he is going 
 that day, and having his answer, with the same indifference tells him that he 
 has been informed that a noxious beast lies on the route he is going. This 
 hint proves sufficient, and his friend avoids the danger with as much caution 
 as though every design and motion of his enemy had been pointed out to 
 him. 
 
 If an Indian has been engaged for several days in the chase, and by acci- 
 dent continued long without food, when he arrives at the hut of a friend, 
 where he knows his wants will be immediately supplied, he takes care not to 
 show the least symptoms of impatience, or betray the extreme hunger tnat he is 
 tortured with ; but on being invited in, sits contentedly down and smokes his 
 pipe with as much composure as if his appetite was cloyed, and he was perfect- 
 ly at ease. He does the same if among strangers. This custom is strictly ad- 
 hered to by every tribe, as they esteem it a proof of fortitude, and think tho 
 reverse would entitle them to the appellation of old women. 
 
 If you tell an Indian that his children have greatly signalized themselves 
 against an enemy, have taken many scalps, and brought home many prisoners, 
 ho does not appear to feel any strong emotions of pleasure on the occnsion; 
 his answer generally is — they have "done well," and he makes but very 
 little inquiry about the matter ; on the contrary, if you inform him that his 
 children are slain or taken prisoners, he makes no complaints: he only re- 
 plies, " It is unfortunate : — and for some time asks no questions about how 
 it happened. — Lewis and Clarke's Travels. 
 
 Stanza 23, 1. 3. 
 
 Jlis calumet of peace, Sfc. 
 Nor is the calumet of less importance or less revered than the wampum, in 
 many transactions relative both to peace and war. The bowl of this pipe is 
 made of a kind of soft red stone, which is easily wrought and hollowed out ; 
 tlie stem is of cane, alder, or some kind of light wood, painted with different 
 colours, and decorated with the heads, tails, and feathers of the most beauti- 
 ful birds. The use of the culumot is to smoke either tobacco, or some bark, 
 leaf, or herb, which they often use instead of it, when they enter into an al- 
 liance, or any serious occasion, or solemn engagements ; this being among 
 them the most sacred oath that can be taken, the violation of which is es- 
 
NOTES TO PART 1. 315 
 
 teemed most infamous, and deatTvinj; of severe punishment from lloavoo. 
 When they treat of war, the whole pipe and all its ornamenu are red ; loroe 
 times it is only red on one side, and by the disposition of the feathers, Ac. 
 one acquainted with their customs will know at tirsl sight what the natioa 
 who presents it intends or desires. Smoking tiie calumet is also a rcliKiout 
 ceremony on some occasions, and in all treaties is considered as a witness 
 between the parties, or rather as an instrument by which they invoke the nun 
 and moon to witness their sincerity, and to be, as it were, a guarantee of the 
 treaty between them. This custom of the Indinns, though to appearance 
 somewhat ridiculous, is not without its reasons ; for as they find that smok- 
 ing tends to disperse the vapours of the brain, to raise the spiriu, and to 
 qualify them for thinking and judging properly, they introduced it into their 
 councils, where, after their resolves, tliejjipe was considered as a seal of their 
 decrees, and as a pledge of their performance thereof, it was mut to those 
 they were consulting, in alliance or treaty with ; so that smoking among them 
 at the same pipe, is equivalent to our drinking together, and out of the same 
 cup. — Major Rogers's Account of J^orth America, ITlJti. 
 
 The lighted calumet is also used among them for a purpose still more in- 
 teresting than the expression of social friendship. The austere manners of 
 the Indians forbid any apjiearancc of gallantry between the sexes in daytime ; 
 but at night the young lover goes a-calumetmg, as his courtship is called. 
 As these people live in a state of equality, and without ft-ar of internal vio- 
 lence or theft in their own tribes, they leave their doors o|>on by night as well 
 as by day. The lover takes advantage of this liberty, lights his calumet, en- 
 ters the cabin of his mistress, and gently presents il to her. If she extinguish • 
 es it, she admits his addresses ; but if she suffer it to burn unnoticed, ho re- 
 tires with a disappointed and throbbing heart. — Jishe's IVaveU. 
 
 Stanza 23, I. 6. 
 Train'd from hit tree rock' d cradle to hit bier. 
 An Indian child, as soon as he is born, is swathed with clothes, or skins ; 
 and being laid upon his back, is bound down on a piece of thick board, spread 
 over with soft moss. The board is somewhat larger and broader than the 
 child, and bent pieces of wood, like jiieces of hoops, are placed over its face 
 to protect it, so that if the machine were suffered to fall, the child probnbljr 
 would not be injured. When the women have any businesi to transact at 
 home, they hang the board on a tree, if there be one at hand, and set them ■- 
 swinging from side to side, like a pendulum, in order to exercise the chil- 
 dren.— IVddf vol. ii. p. 24G. 
 
 Stanza 23,1.7. 
 
 T)ie fierce extremei of gooda/td ill to brook 
 
 Impassive 
 
 Of the active as well as passive fortitude of the Indian character, the'fol- 
 lowing is an instance related by Adair, in his Travels : — 
 A party of the Seneca Indians came to war against the Katahba, bitter cne- 
 
316 
 
 GERTRUDE OF WYOMING. 
 
 mies to oach other. In tho woods the former discovered a spriglitly warrior 
 belonging to the latter, hunting in their usual light dress: on his perceiving 
 them, ho sprang oiT for a hollow rock four or five miles distant, as they in" 
 tercepted him from running homeward. He was so extremely swift and skil- 
 ful with tho gun, as to kill seven of them in the running fight, before they 
 were able to surround and take him. They carried him to their country in 
 sad triumph ; but thougii he had filled them with uncommon grief and shame 
 for tho lossof so ninny of their kindred, yet the love of martial virtue induced 
 them to treat him during their long journey, with a great deal more civility 
 than if ho had acted the part of a coward. The women and children, when 
 they met him at their several towns, beat him and whipped him in as severe 
 a manner as tho occasion required, according to their law of justice, and at 
 last he was formally condemned to die by the fiery torture. It might reasona- 
 bly be imagined that what ho had for some time gone through, by being fed 
 with a scanty hand, a tedious march, lying at night on the bare ground, ex- 
 posed to the changes of the weather, with his arms and legs extended in a 
 pair of rough stocks, and suffering such j>unishment on his entering into their 
 hostile towns, as a prelude to those sharii torments for which he was destined, 
 would have so impaired his health and afi'ected his imagination, as to have 
 sent him to his long sleep, out the way of any more sufferings. — Probably 
 this would have been tho case with tho major part of white people under simi- 
 lar circumstances ; but I never knew this with any of the Indians : and this 
 oool-headcd, brave warrior, did not deviate from their rough lessons of mar- 
 tial virtue, but ho acted his part so well as to surprise and sorely vex his nu- 
 merous enemies : — for when they were taking him, unpinioned, in their wild 
 parade, to the place of torture, which lay near to a river, he suddenly dashed 
 down those who stood in his way, sprang off, and plunged into the wateri 
 swimming underneath like an otter, only rising to take breath, till ho reached 
 tho opposite shore, lie now ascended the steep bank, but thougli he had good 
 reason to bo in a hurry, as many of the enemy were in the water, and others 
 running very like bloodhounds, in pursuit of him, and the bullets flying around 
 him from tho time he took to the river, yet his heart did not allow him to leave 
 them abruptly, without taking leave in a formal manner, in return for the ex- 
 traordinary favours they had done, and intended to do him. After slapping 
 a part of his body, in defiance to them, (continues tho author,) he put up the 
 shrill warwhoop, as his last salute, till some more convenient opportunity of- 
 fered, and darted otV in the manner of a beast broke loose from its torturing 
 enemies. lie continued his s])eed, so as to run by about midnight of the same 
 day as far as his eager inirsuers were two days in reaching. There he rested 
 till he happily discovered five of those Indians who had pursued him : — he 
 lay hi I a little way oft* their camp, till they were sound asleep. Every cir- 
 cumstance of his situation occurred to him, and inspired him with heroism* 
 He was naked, torn, and hungry, and his enraged enemies were come up with 
 him ; but there was now every thing to relieve liis wants, and a fair opjiortu- 
 nity to save his lifi;, and get great honour and sweet revenge, by cutting them 
 off. Resolution, a convenient spot, and sudilen surprise, would eftect the main 
 object of all his wishes and hopes. He accordingly creeped, took one of their 
 
NOTES TO PART I. !il7 
 
 twmnhawks,nml killed thorn all on ihe spot, — clotliod himiioir, took a choir* 
 gun, anil as murii ammunition and provisions as he could well carry in a run* 
 ning march. Ho sot ofl'at'rosli with a light heart, and did notilecplor acvcrai 
 successive nights, only when ho reclined as usual, a little before dny, with hit 
 tack to a tree. As it were by instinct, when he found ho wa« Irco from Iho 
 pursuing enemy, he made directly to the very i)laco where he had killed seven 
 of his eucniies, and was^aken by tlicni for liio licry torture. He dipged ibera 
 up, burned their bodies to ashes, and wont home in triumph. Other pumuin^ 
 enemies came, on the evening of the second day, to the camp of their dead 
 people, when the sight gave them a greater shock than they Iiad ever known 
 before. In their chilled war-council they concluded, that as he had don«< (tuch 
 fiurjirising things in his defence before he was captivated, and since that in 
 his naked condition, and now was well-armed, if they continued the pursuit 
 he would spoil them all, for surely he was an enemy wizard, and therefore 
 they returned home. — Adair's General Observaticnit on the American In- 
 dians, p. :{94. 
 
 It is sMrprising, says the same author, to see the long continued speed of 
 the Indians. Though some of us have often run the swiftest of them out of 
 eight for about the distance of twelve miles, yet afterward, without any seem- 
 ing toil, they would stretch on, leave us out of jight, and outwiud any horse.— 
 Ibid. p. 318. 
 
 If an Indian were driven out into the extensive woods, with only a knife 
 and a tomahawk, or a small hatchet, it is not to be doubted but he would fatten 
 even where a wolf would starve. He would soon collect fire by rubbing two 
 dry pieces of wood together, make a bark hut, earthen vessels, and a bow and 
 arrows ; then kill wild game, fish, fresh-water tortoises, gatJier a plentiful va- 
 riety of vegetables, and live in affluence, — Ibid. p. -110. 
 
 Stanza 24. 1. 7. 
 Moccasins is a sort of Indian buskins. 
 
 St.vnza 25. 1.1. 
 
 Sleep, wearied one ! nnti in the lircnming Ian! 
 S/iou>d3l thou to morrote vil/t thy mother mett. 
 
 There is nothing (says Charlevoix) in which these barbarians rnrry tiieir »u- 
 perstitions further, than in what rt-gurds dreams ; but they vary greatly in their 
 manner of explaining themselves on this point. 'Sometimes it is the reasonable 
 soul which ranges abroad, while the sensitive continues to animate the body. 
 Sometime.^ it is the familiar genius who gives salutary counsel with respect 
 to what is going to happen. Sometimes it is a visit made by the soul of the 
 object of which he dreams. But in whatever manner the dream is conceived 
 it is always looked upon as a thing sacred, and as the most ordinary way in 
 which the gods make known their will to men. Filled with this idea, they 
 cannot conceive how we should \y.\y no regard to them. For the most part 
 they look upon them either as a desire of the soul, inspired by some genius, of 
 an order from him, and in consequence of this principle they hold it a reli- 
 gious duty to obey thtm. An Indian having dreamt of having a finger cut 
 
 27* 
 
318 GERTRUDE OF WYOMING. 
 
 off, had it really cut of as soon as he awoke, having iirst prepared himself for 
 this important action by a feast. Another having dreamt of being a prisoner, 
 and in the hands of his enemies, was much at a loss what to do. He consulted 
 the jugglers, and by their advice caused himself to be tied to a post, and burnt 
 in several parts of the body. — Charlevoix, Journal of a Voyage to JVorth 
 Jimerica. 
 
 Stanza 26. 1. 5. 
 
 77ie crocodile, the condor of the rock — 
 The alligator, or American crocodile, when full grown, (says Bertram,) ia 
 a very large and terrible creature, and of prodigious strength, activity, and 
 swiftness in the water. I have seen them twenty feet in length, and some are 
 supposed to.be twenty-two or twenty-three feet in length. Their body is aa 
 large as that of a horse, their shape usually resembles tliat of a lizard, which 
 is flat, or cuneiform, being compressed on each side, and gradually diminish- 
 ing from the abdomen to the extremity, wliich, with the whole body, is cov- 
 ered with horny plates, of squamoe, impenetrable when on the body of the 
 live animal, even to a rifle bail, except about their head, and just behind their 
 fore-legs or arms, where, it is said, they are only vulnerable. The head of a 
 full-grown one is about three feet, and the mouth opens nearly the same 
 length. Their eyes are small in proportion, and seem sunk in the head, by 
 means of the prominency of the brows ; the nostrils are large, inflated, and 
 prominent on the top, so that the head on the water resembles at a distance, 
 a great chunk of wood floating about : only the upper jaw moves, which they 
 raise almost perpendicular, so as to form a right angle with the lower one. 
 In the forepart of the upper jaw, on each side, just under the nostrils, are two 
 very large, thick, strong teeth, or tusks, not very sharp, but rather the shape 
 of a cone ; these are as white as the finest polished ivory, and are not covered 
 by any skin or lips, but always in sigiit, which gives the creature a frightful 
 appearance ; in the lower jaw are holes opposite to these teeth to receive 
 them ; when they clap their jaws together, it causes a surprising noise, like 
 that which is made by forcing a heavy plank with violence irpon the ground, 
 and may be heard at a great distance. But what is yet more surprising to a 
 stranger, is the incredibly loud and terrifying roar which they are capable of 
 making, especially in breeding-time. It most resembles very heavy distant 
 thunder, not only shaking the air and waters, but causing the earth to trem- 
 ble ; and when hundreds are roaring at the same time, you can scarcely be 
 persuaded but that the whole globe is violently and dangerously agitated. An 
 old champion, who is, perhaps, absolute sovereign of a little lake or lagooDi 
 (when fifty less than himself arc obliged to content themselves with swelling 
 and roaring in little coves round about,) darts forth from the reedy coverts, 
 all at once, on the surface of the waters in a right line, at first seemingly as 
 rapid as lightning, but gradually more slowly, until he arrives at the centre 
 of the lake, where ho stops. He now swells himself by drawing in wind and 
 water through his mouth., which causes a lond sonorous rattling in the throat 
 for near a minute ; but it is iuimediufely forced out again through liis mouth 
 and nostrils with a loud nose, brandishing his tail in the air, and the vapour 
 
NOTES TO PART I. 319 
 
 running from his nostrils like smoko. At othor times, wlion itwoln to nn ex. 
 tent ready to hurst, iiis licad nnd tail lifted up, he spins or twirls round on tho 
 surfuco of the water. lie act« liis ])art like an Indian rhief, when rehcnrsinf 
 his feats of war. — Bertram's Travels in Korth America. 
 
 Stanza 27. 1. 4. 
 
 TTien forth uprose ihat lone vnyfaring man. 
 They discover an amazing sagacity, and acquire, with the grcatrit readi- 
 ness, any thing that depends upon the attention of the mind. By experience, 
 and an acute observation, they attain many perfections to which Americans 
 are strangers. For instance, they will cross a forest or a plain, wliich ii two 
 hundred miles in breadth, so as to reach, with greet exactness, the point at 
 which they intend to arrive, keeping, during the whole of that space, in a di- 
 rect line, wiihout any material deviations ; and this they will do with tho same 
 ease, let the weather be fair or cloudy. With equal acutencss they will point 
 to that part of the heavens tiic sun is in, tliough it bo intercepte«l by clouds or 
 fogs. Besides this, they are able to pursue, with incredible facility, the tracea 
 of man or beast, either on leaves or grass ; and on this account it is with great 
 difficulty they escape discovery. They arc indebted for these talents, not only 
 to nature, but to an extraordinarycommandof the intellectual qualities, which 
 can only be acquired by an unremitted attention, and by lung experience. 
 They are, in general, very happy in a retentive memory. They can recapitu- 
 late evciy particular that has been treated of in council, and remember tho 
 exact time when they were held. Their belts of wampum preserve the »ub- 
 stance of the treaties they have concluded with the neighbouring tribei for 
 ages back, to which they will appeal and refer with as much perspicuity and 
 readiness as Europeans can to their written records. 
 
 The Indians are totally unskilled in geography, as well as all tho other 
 sciences, and yet they draw on their birch-bark very exact charts or mapiiof 
 the countries they arc acquainted with. The latitude and longitude only are 
 wanting to make them tolerably complete. 
 
 Their sole knowledge in astronomy consists in being able to point out tho 
 polar star, by which they regulate their course when they travt-l in the nieht. 
 They reckon the distance of places, not by miles or lcngue«, but by a tlay'i 
 journey, whirh, according to the best calculation I could make, oppenrt to 
 be about twenty English miles. These they also divide into halves and quar- 
 ters, and will demonstrate them in their maps with great cxaclneM by the 
 hieroglyphics just mentioned, when they regulate in council their war-parlivs 
 or their most distant hunting excursions — Lewis and Clarke's IVavtls. 
 
 Some of the French missionaries have (supposed that the Indinn* are guided 
 by instinct, and have pretendeii that Indian children can find their way 
 through a forest as easily as a person of maiurer yeart ; but thin in a most 
 absurd notion. It is unquetitionably by a close attention to the growth ofihe 
 trees, and position of the sun, that they find their way. On tho northern side 
 of a tree there is generally the most moss ; and tho bark on that side, in gen- 
 eral, differs from that on tho opposite one. The branches towards the south 
 are, for the most part, more luxuriant than those on the other sides of trees 
 
320 GERTRUDE OF WYOMING. 
 
 and several other distinctions also subsist between the northern and southern 
 sides, conspicuous to Indians, being taught from their infiincy to attend to 
 them, which a common observer would, perhaps, never notice. Being accus- 
 tomed from tlieir infancy likewise to pay great attention to the position of the 
 sun, they learn to make the most accurate allowance for its apparent motion 
 from one part of the heavens to another ; and in every part of the day they 
 will point to the part of the heavens where it is, although the sky be obscured 
 by clouds or mists. 
 
 An instance of their dexterity in finding their way through an unknown coun- 
 try came under my observation when I was at Staunton, situated behind the 
 Blue Mountains, Virginia. A number of the Creek nation had arrived at that 
 town on their way to Philadelphia, whither they were going upon some affairs 
 of importance, and had stopped there for the night. In the morning, some cir- 
 cumstance or other which could not be learned, induced one half of the In- 
 dians to set off without their companions, who did not follow until some 
 hours afterward. When these last were ready to pursue their journey, se- 
 veral of the towns-people mounted their horses to escort them part of the 
 way. They proceeded nlong the high road for some miles, but, all at once, 
 hastily turning aside into the woods, though there was no path, the Indians 
 advanced confidently forward. The people who accompanied them, surprised 
 at this movement, informed tliom that they were quitting the road to Phila- 
 delphia, and expressed their fear lest they should miss their companions who 
 had gone on before. They answered that they knew better, that the way 
 through the woods was the shortest to Philadelphia, and that they knew very 
 well that their companions had entered the wood at the very place where 
 they did. Curiosity led some of the horsemen to go on ; and to their aston- 
 ishment, for there was apparently no track, they overtook the other Indians 
 in the thickest part of the wood. But what appeared most singular was, that 
 the route which they took was found, on examining a map, to be as direct 
 for Piiiladelphia as if they had taken the bearings by a mariner's compass. 
 From others of their nation who had i)een at Philadel|)hia at a former period, 
 they had probably learned the exact directionof that city from their villages, 
 and had never lost sight of it, although they had already travelled three hun- 
 dred miles through the woods, and had upwards of four hundred miles more 
 to go before they could reach the place of their destination. — Of the exact- 
 ness with which fthey can find out a strange place to which they have been 
 once directed by their own peoi)le, a striking example is furnished, I think, by 
 Mr. Jeflfcrson, in his account of the Indian graves in Virginia. These graves 
 are nothing more than large mounds of earth in the woods, which, on being 
 opened, are found to contain skeletons in an erect posture : the Indian mode 
 of sepulture has been too often described to remain unknown to you. But to 
 come to my story. A party of Indians that were passing on to some of the sea- 
 ports on the Atlantic, just us the Creeks, above mentioned, were going to Phi- 
 ladelphia, were observed, all on a sudden, to quit the straight road by which 
 they were proceeding, and without asking any questions, to strike through 
 the woods, in a direct line, to one of these graves, which lay at the distance 
 of some miles from the road. Now very near a century must have passed 
 
NOTES TO PART I. 
 
 321 
 
 over since the part of Virginia in wliich this grave wan iiitnatod, had boon 
 inhabited by Indians, and these Indian travellers, who were to vinit it by 
 themselves, had unquestionably never been in that part of the country before : 
 they must have found their way to it simply frorn the description of its situa- 
 tion, that had been handed down to them by tradition. — Weld's IVatels in 
 J^orth America, vol. ii. 
 
NOTES 
 
 TO GERTRUDE OF WYOMING. 
 
 PART III. 
 
 Stanza 16, 1. 4. 
 
 The Mammoth comes 
 
 That I am justified in making the Indian chief allude to the mammoth as an 
 emblem of terror and destruction, will be seen by the authority quoted be- 
 low. Speaking of the mammolh, or big buffalo, Mr. Jefferson states, that a 
 tradition is preserved among the Indians of that animal still existing in the 
 northern parts of America. 
 
 "A delegation of warriors from the Delaware tribe having visited the gov- 
 ernor of Virginia during the revolution, on matters of business, the governor 
 asked them some questions relative to their country, and among others, what 
 they knew or had heard of the animal whose bones were found at the Salt- 
 licks, on the Ohio. Their chief speaker immediately put himself into an at- 
 titude of oratory, and with a pomp suited to what he conceived the elevation 
 of his subject, informed him, that it was a tradition handed down from their 
 fathers, that in ancient times a herd of these tremendous animals came to 
 the Big-bone-licks, and began a universal destruction of the bear, deer, elk, 
 buffalo, and other animals which had been created for the use of the Indians. 
 That the Great Man above looking down and seeing this, was so enraged, 
 that he seized iiis lightning, descended on the earth, seated himself on a 
 neighbouring mountain on a rock, of which his seat and the prints of his 
 feet are still to be seen, and hurled his bolts among them, till the whole were 
 slaughtered, except the big bull, who, presenting his forehead to the shafts, 
 shook them off as they fell, but missing one, at length it wounded him in the 
 side, whereon, springing round, he bounded over the Ohio, over the Wa- 
 bash, the Illinois, and finally over the great lakes, where he is living at this 
 day." — Jefferson's JVotes on Virginia. 
 
 Stanza 17, 1. 1. 
 
 lo weld the hatchet J 
 trant himself I went tc 
 took the character of Brant in the poem of Gertrude from the common 
 
 Scorning to weld the hatchet for hig bribe, 
 'Gainst Brant himself I uent to battle forth- 
 
NOTES TO PART III. 
 
 323 
 
 Histories of Engluiid, all of wliirli rciireveiitod hitn an a liloodyand bad man, 
 (even uniong saviipcs,) and chief Ofjiiit in thn horrible denolation of Wyo- 
 ming. Some years aftrr tliii* poem appeur*-d, thi* mou of Hrant, a nwtot iiitur- 
 csting and intelligent youth, came over to England, and I formed an acquain- 
 tance with him, on which I still look back with pleasure, llo appeuhd to 
 my sense of honour and justice, on his own part and on that of hia ■isl<-r, to 
 retract the unfair aspersions which, unconscious of iu unfairness, I had cast 
 on his father's memory. 
 
 He then referred me to documents which completely satisfied mo that the 
 common accounts of Brant's cruelties at Wyoming, which I had found in 
 books of Travels, and in Adolphus's and similar Histories of En^lvnd, wi-ru 
 gross errors, and that, in point of fact, Brant was nut even present at lliat 
 scene of desolation. 
 
 It is, unhappily, to Biitons and Anglo-Americans that wo must rcft-r tha 
 chief blame in this horrible business. I published a letter expressing this be- 
 lief in the JVcw Monthly Magazine, in the year 1822, to which I must refer 
 the reader — if he has any curiosity on the subject — for an antidote to my 
 fanciful description of Brant. Among other expressions to young Brnnt, I 
 made use of the following words : "Had I learnt all this of your father 
 when I was writing my poem, he should not have figured in it as liio hero 
 of mischief." It was but bare justice to say thus much of a Muhawk In- 
 dian, who spoke English fluently, and was thought capable of having written 
 a history of the Six Nations. I ascertained also that he often strove to miti- 
 gate the cruelty of Indian warfare. The name of Brant, therefore, remains 
 in my poem a pure and declared character of fiction. 
 
 Sta.nza 17, 1. 8 and 9. 
 
 To ickom nor relative nor blood reinairu. 
 
 No, ttol a kiudred drop thai tutu in human vein*. 
 
 Every one who recollects the specimen of Indian eloquence given in tbo 
 speech of Logan, a Mingo chief, to the Governor of Virginia, will percciro 
 that I have attempted to paraphrase its concluding ond most striking expres- 
 sion : — "There runs not a drop of my blood in the veins of any living crea- 
 ture." The similar salutation of the fictitious personage in my story, ami 
 the real Indian orator, makes it surely ullowuble to borrow such an expres- 
 sion ; and if it appears, as it cannot but appear, to less advantage than in ti|« 
 original, I beg the reader to reflect how difficult it is to trani>)Hi«e such c*- 
 (juisitely simple words without sacrificing a portion of ttieir effect. 
 
 In the spring of 1774, a robbery and murder were committed on an inhabi- 
 tant of the fro{itiors of Virginia, by two Indians of the Shawanec tribe. Tbo 
 neighbouring whites, according to their custom, undertook to punish thu 
 outrage in a summary manner. Colonel Cresap, a man iul'anious fur the ma- 
 ny murders he had committed on those much injured people, collected • 
 jiarty and proceeded down tJio Kanoway in quest of vengeance : unfortu- 
 nately, (I canoe with women and children, with one man only, was seen com- 
 ing from the opposite shore, unarmed, and unsuspecting an attack from tho 
 whites. Cresap and his party concealed themselves on the bank >)( th« 
 
324 GERTRUDE OF WYOMING. 
 
 river, and the moment the canoe reached the shore, singled out their objects, 
 and at one fire killed every person in it. This happened to be the family of 
 Logan, who had long been distinguished as a friend to the whites. This un- 
 worthy return provoked his vengeance; he accordingly signalized himself in 
 the war which ensued. In the autumn of the same year a decisive battle 
 was fought at the mouth of the great Kanaway, in which the collected forces 
 of the Shawances, Mingoes, and Delawares, were defeated by a detaclmient 
 of the Virginia militia. The Indians sued for peace. Logan, however, dis- 
 dained to be seen among the supplicants ; but lest the sincerity of a treaty 
 should be disturbed, from which so distinguished a chief abstracted himself, 
 he sent, by a messenger, the following speech to be delivered to Lord Dun- 
 more : — 
 
 " I appeal to any white man if he ever entered Logan's cabin hungry, and 
 he gave him not to eat ; if ever he came cold and hungry, and he clothed 
 him not. During the course of the last long and bloody war, Logan remain- 
 ed idle in his cabin, an advocate for peace. Such was my love for the whites, 
 that my countrymen pointed as they passed, and said, Logan is the friend of 
 white men. I have even thought to have lived with you, but for the injuries of 
 one man. Colonel Cresap, the last spring, in cold blood, murdered all the 
 relations of Logan, even my women and children. 
 
 "There runs not a drop of my blood in the veins of any living creature: — 
 this called on me for revenge. I have fought for it. I have killed many. 1 
 have fully glutted my vengeance. For my country, I rejoice at the beams of 
 peace ; — but do not harbour a thought that mine is the joy of fear. Logan 
 never felt fear. He will not turn on his heel to save his life. Who is there 
 to mourn for Logan ? not one !" — Jefferson's JVotes on Virginia. 
 
 THE END. 
 
 L6Je14