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
The children captured at Sewickley were recovered unharmed and Brady and
his men returned to Fort Pitt with the stolen horses and plunder, the
blankets, guns, tomahawks and knives of the savages and many scalps.
----------
Settlers Attack Pack Trains Near Fort
Loudoun, March 6, 1765
The period immediately following Colonel Bouquet’s successful expedition
against the Indians at Muskingum October, 1764, was one of comparative
peace, but this did not long continue.
A most interesting episode occurred about this time in the Conococheague
Valley, from the North to the South Mountain. The people who had been
driven off had gradually returned and were now determined to make a
better stand against the enemy. They raised a sum of money and recruited
a company of riflemen, of which James Smith was elected captain. They
dressed in Indian fashion and painted their faces red and black like the
Indian warriors.
Two of the officers had long been in Indian captivity, and they drilled
their men in Indian discipline, and so expert did this company become
that it was recognized by the British Government and Captain Smith
received a commission in the regular service under King George III, and
the following year was with Bouquet’s expedition against Muskingum.
George Croghan, the deputy agent for Indian affairs, went to Fort Pitt
in February, 1765, and brought about the meeting with Sir William
Johnson, whereby on May 8, 1765, a definite treaty of peace was made
with the Delaware.
When Croghan set out from Philadelphia for Fort Pitt, March 1, 1765, he
gave a pass for a large number of wagons belonging to Boynton and
Wharton, of Philadelphia, loaded with merchandise, which was intended as
presents for the Indians at Fort Pitt.
But the people of Cumberland County took the law into their own hands to
prevent warlike stores being supplied to savages recently in arms
against them. These goods were hauled to Henry Collins, at
Conococheague, and there he contracted to pack them on eighty-one
horses, by which they were to be delivered into Fort Pitt.
This large transaction alarmed the country and William Duffield raised
and armed about fifty of the trained men of that valley and marched to
Fort Loudoun, where Duffield made a request that this consignment of
goods be stored up until further orders, but this was refused, and on
March 6 the pack train proceeded on its journey.
The same morning a large company started from the house of William
Smith, one of the Justices of Cumberland County. They came up with this
pack train at Sideling Hill, about seventeen miles beyond Fort Loudoun,
when sixty-three of the horse loads were burned or pillaged.
A sergeant and twelve men of the Highlanders sent from the fort, went
through the neighborhood, saved the balance of the goods, captured
several persons, five rifles and four smooth bore guns.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account