The Pictorial Field-Book of the Revolution, Vol. 1 (of 2): or, Illustrations, by Pen And Pencil, of the History, Biography, Scenery, Relics, and Traditions of the War for IndependenceLossing, Benson John
History
The Pictorial Field-Book of the Revolution, Vol. 1 (of 2): or, Illustrations, by Pen And Pencil, of the History, Biography, Scenery, Relics, and Traditions of the War for Independence
Lossing, Benson John
United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783
** Traces of this cellar and of th: foundation of the house are still
visible in the garden of Dr. Norton, in Fort Edward village, who is a
relative of the family by marriage.
Flight of the Indians toward Sandy Hill.--Treatment of Mrs. M'Neil.--
Indian Account of the Death of Jane.--The Spring.
099
diately sent out to effect a rescue. They fired several volleys at the
Indians, but the savages escaped unharmed. Mrs. M'Neil said that the
Indians, who were hurrying her up the hill, seemed to watch the flash of
the guns, and several times they threw her upon her face, at the same
time falling down themselves, and she distinctly heard the balls whistle
above them. When they got above the second hill from the village the
firing ceased; they-then stopped, stripped her of all her garments
except her chemise, and in that plight led her into the British camp.
There she met her kinsman, General Fraser, and reproached him bitterly
for sending his "scoundrel Indians" after her. He denied all knowledge
of her being away from the city of New York, and took every pains to
make her comfortable. She was so large that not a woman in camp had a
gown big enough for her, so Fraser lent her his camp-coat for a garment,
and a pocket-handkerchief as a substitute for her stolen cap.
Very soon after Mrs. M'Neil was taken into the British camp, two parties
of Indians arrived with scalps. She at once recognised the long glossy
hair of Jenny, * and, though shuddering with horror, boldly charged the
savages with her murder, which they stoutly denied.
They averred that, while hurrying her along the road on horseback, near
the spring west of the _pine tree_, a bullet from one of the American
guns, intended for them, mortally wounded the poor girl, and she fell
from the horse. Sure of losing a prisoner by death, they took her scalp
as the next best thing for them to do, and that they bore in triumph to
the camp, to obtain the promised reward for such trophies. Mrs. M'Neil
always believed the story of the Indians to be true, for she knew that
they were fired upon by the detachment from the fort, and it was far
more to their interest to carry a prisoner than a scalp to the British
commander, the price for the former being much greater. In fact, the
Indians were so restricted by Burgoyne's humane instructions respecting
the taking of scalps, that their chief solicitude was to bring a
prisoner alive and unharmed into the camp. ** And the probability that
Miss M'Crea was killed as they alleged is strengthened by the fact that
they took the corpulent Mrs. M'Neil, with much fatigue and difficulty,
uninjured to the British lines, while Miss M'Crea, quite light and
already on horseback, might have been carried off with far greater ease.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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