Daily stories of Pennsylvania : $b prepared for publication in the leading daily newspapers of the state...Godcharles, Frederic Antes
History
Daily stories of Pennsylvania : $b prepared for publication in the leading daily newspapers of the state...
Godcharles, Frederic Antes
Pennsylvania -- Biography; Pennsylvania -- History
Brodhead learned, about June 1, that a large band of Seneca and Tories,
under Colonel John Butler was preparing to descend the Allegheny, and he
dispatched three scouts, in canoes as far as Venango, the present
Franklin. The scouts were discovered and pursued, and narrowly escaped
capture, but brought the news which confirmed the report received by
Brodhead.
The savages penetrated into Westmoreland, where they killed and scalped
a solitary soldier, then attacked the little settlement at James Perry’s
Mills, on Big Sewickley Creek, killed a woman and four children, and
carried off two children, many cattle and much plunder.
Two ranging parties were sent after these marauders. One was marched to
the Sewickley settlement and an attempt was made to follow the trail.
The other band consisted of twenty men under Brady, which ascended the
Allegheny River.
As Brady’s detail advanced one evening along the beach within the mouth
of the Big Mahoning where it empties into the Allegheny, they found many
Indian canoes drawn up and hidden among the shrubbery. The Indians had
gone into camp in the woods, on a little knoll north of the creek, and
were preparing the evening meal when discovered by Brady. They had
hobbled their horses and turned them out to graze. The stream was very
high and the scouts were compelled to ascend it two miles before they
could wade across.
After nightfall Brady and his men hid themselves in the tall grass near
the Indian camp. Brady and Chief Nonowland, laying aside their
tomahawks, knives, powder horns and bullet pouches, crept to within a
few yards of the Indian camp to count the savages and ascertain the
position of the captive children.
One of the Indians suddenly cast off his blanket, arose, stepped forth
to within six feet of where Brady lay, stood there awhile, stretched
himself and then returned to his slumber.
Brady and Nonowland then prepared for an attack at daybreak. The whole
party of scouts made their way through the grass and weeds to a position
as near the camp as was considered safe, and lay awaiting the dawn.
As daylight appeared an Indian awoke and aroused the others. They stood
about the fire laughing and chatting when a deadly volley broke forth
from the rifles of the scouts lying in the bushes. The chief and seven
Indian warriors fell dead and the others, almost naked, fled into the
dense forest, two of them severely wounded. Brady’s own rifle brought
down the chief, and with a shout of almost fiendish triumph he sprang
forward and scalped him.
The traditions of the Brady family say that the chief was none other
than Bald Eagle, who had struck down and scalped Brady’s younger
brother, James, ten months before. Brodhead reported to Washington that
the chief was “a notorious warrior of the Munsee nation.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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