Proceedings of the New York Historical Association [1906]New York State Historical Association. Meeting
History
Proceedings of the New York Historical Association [1906]
New York State Historical Association. Meeting
New York (State) -- History -- Periodicals; New York State Historical Association -- Periodicals
The army arrived at Tioga on the 13th. Here they remained until the
25th, awaiting the arrival of General Clinton's detachment. In the
meantime Fort Sullivan was erected, and a detachment sent up the Chemung
River to destroy an Indian town of the same name, consisting of about
fifty houses, with more than 100 acres of cultivated fields of grain and
other Indian produce. Some of the troops under General Hand, as they
pursued the Indians who were fleeing from the village, fell into an
ambush, whereby six were killed and nine wounded, with slight loss to
the enemy. While destroying the crops, one other man was killed and
three more wounded by some of the enemy who were concealed across the
river. The houses here destroyed were built of split and hewed timber,
covered with bark, and in the center of the town were two large
buildings, presumably council houses. None of the buildings had chimneys
or floors. While herding the stock in the camp at Tioga, the Indians
succeeded in killing and scalping several of the pack-horse men and
wounding some others.
Meantime a detachment under Generals Hand and Poor were sent up the
Susquehanna to meet General Clinton.
Gen. Sullivan had written Clinton from Wyoming on July 30th, "I wish you
to set out on the 9th of next month (marching moderately), as some
allowance is to be made for bad weather, which will probably detain us
some time. On my arrival at Tioga, I will immediately detach a
considerable body of light troops to favor and secure your march."
Previous to this date Clinton had gathered his forces at Canajoharie and
transported them to the shore of Otsego Lake, the level of which he had
raised about two feet by erecting a dam, for the purpose of causing a
flood which would float his expedition in boats over the shallows of the
Susquehanna head-waters.
Breaking the dam, he left Otsego Lake, according to Sullivan's
instructions, on the 9th of August, and proceeding down the river with
little difficulty, destroyed such Indian dwellings and crops as came in
his path.
Lieut.-Colonel Pawling, with a detachment, was marching from Kingston
_via_ Shandakin, under orders to join Clinton on August 16th. at
Annaquaga, which, before it was destroyed by Col. William Butler, in
the fall of 1778, was quite a large Indian settlement, occupying an
island and both sides of the river, where the little village of Onaquaga
now stands. Clinton arrived at this place on the 15th, and remained
there until the 17th, awaiting the arrival of Pawling. In the center of
the island he found the cellars and wells of about sixty houses, also
fine orchards. Most of these buildings had been log houses, with stone
chimneys and glass windows.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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