Outdoor Life and Indian Stories: Making open air life attractive to young Americans by telling them all about woodcraft, signs and signaling, the stars, fishing, camping, camp cooking, how to tie knots and how to make fire without matches, and many other fascinating open air pursuits. Also, stories of noted hunters and scouts, great indians and warriors, including Daniel Boone, Kit Carson, General Custer, Pontiac, Tecumseh, King Philip, Black Hawk, Brandt, Sitting Bull, and a host of others whosEllis, Edward Sylvester
History
Outdoor Life and Indian Stories: Making open air life attractive to young Americans by telling them all about woodcraft, signs and signaling, the stars, fishing, camping, camp cooking, how to tie knots and how to make fire without matches, and many other fascinating open air pursuits. Also, stories of noted hunters and scouts, great indians and warriors, including Daniel Boone, Kit Carson, General Custer, Pontiac, Tecumseh, King Philip, Black Hawk, Brandt, Sitting Bull, and a host of others whos
Ellis, Edward Sylvester
Camping; Indians of North America
Some of the settlers were too wise to trust their lives to the plighted
word of a Tory or Indian, and plunged into the forests on their way to
the settlements of the Upper Delaware. Many sank down and died in the
dismal solitudes which have ever since borne the name of the "Shades of
Death." A few succeeded in reaching Stroudsburg and other points, but
the awful woe suffered by Wyoming in the early days of July, 1778, will
give the place a sad distinction so long as the history of our country
is chronicled.
It was only four months later, that a body of seven hundred, most of
whom were under Brandt, set out for Cherry Valley. Colonel Ichabod
Alden was in command of this post, and was blamable for what followed.
He was warned of the approach of Brandt and his men, and the settlers
asked for shelter in the fort. He replied that he did not believe the
danger was serious, and would send out scouts that would keep him
informed of the movements of the enemy. The principal of these scouts
found the November weather so chilly, that, after going a little way
they kindled a fire, lay down and went to sleep. Brandt's scouts were
drawn to the spot by the light, and captured every one of the men, who
were compelled to give exact information of the fort and settlement. In
the cold mist of the morning the enemy approached the post. Among the
first victims was Colonel Alden, who was quartered outside the fort.
The latter repelled several attacks, and the assailants took their
departure with about forty prisoners, while fully as many had been put
to death or mortally wounded.
When peace came and the independence of the United States was secured,
Colonel Brandt did what he could to prevent hostilities by the Indians
on the southern and western frontier. Much trouble resulted from the
failure properly to fix the boundary between the United States and the
Indian tribes. Brandt urged making the Ohio and the Muskingum such
boundary, and, declared that, unless it was done, the Indians would go
to war. He even said he would join them, but this must have been in
the nature of intimidation, for though the red men took up the hatchet
again, Brandt was at no time with them.
The king of England did not forget the services of his ally. He gave
him a fine tract of land on the western side of Lake Ontario, where
he made his home and lived after the English fashion. He had married
a half-breed woman in the winter of 1779, by whom he had several
children. She remained more of an Indian, however, than a white woman,
and refused to conform to civilized life. After her husband's death
(November 24, 1807), she removed to Grand River and spent the remainder
of her days in a wigwam, taking some of her children with her and
leaving others at their former home.
A remarkable piece of work by Brandt was the translation of John's
Gospel and the Book of Common Prayer into the Mohawk language. Copies
of these works may be found in the library of Harvard University.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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