The Pennsylvania evening post — Philadelphia, Pa., 1776-06-22 00:00:00, page 3

HARTFORD, June 17.
Last Friday the General Assembly of this colony met in
this place, purfaant to a special warrant issued by his Honor
Governor Trumbull, in consequence of a request from the
Hop. Continental Congress for several regiments to be imme
diately raised for the defence of this and the neighbouring
colonies.„
The General Assembly of this colony, in their present fel
fion, have repealed the aft paged in May last for immediately
inlifting or drafting a part of the militia to be held as minute
men, and have (in consequence of a request from the Hon.
Continental Congress) voted eight regiments of troops to be
immediately raised for the defence of this and the other colo
nies, and have appointed the Hon. David Waterbury, and
James Wadfwortl, Efqrs. Brigadiers General., The other,
officers are not yet fettled.
By a letter from a gentleman at Albany we are informed
that the Hon. General Thomas died of the smallpox at Cham
blee, about a fortnight since..
Since our last, advice has been received in this town from
Albany, that a large number of the Mowhawk tribe of Indi
ans, headed by Sir John Johnson, had come down the Mow
hawk river in a hoftiie manner, and that General Schuyler
had marched with a body of troops to meet them. We have,
not vet received any farther particulars.
N E W-Y OR K, June 20.
The following authentic account is communicated by an
officer of the detachment it principally concerns.
Op advice that a reinforcement was necessary-at the.Cedars,
a 'mail fort forty-five miles south-west from Montreal, where
a party of four hundred men, under the command of Major
Butterfield, were polled. On the 16th of May one hundred
and forty men, under the command of Major Henry Sher-,
burre, were detached from Montreal, He met with great
difficulties at the lake, .which after crossing he was obliged to
repafs and cross again, so that it was the 20th before he could
proceed from thence with one hundred men, including him
felf, the rest being left for guards and other necessary services.
About eleven or twelve .o'clock they set out for the Cedars,
distant nine miles, and having marched about five, they
were attacked by a large body, of Savages and Canadians,,
who, under cover of a wood, fired upon them. Our people,
though intirely exposed, without flutter, maintained an ob-
Anace engagement for one hour and forty minutes; when
the Savages, having surrounded, rushed upon and disarmed.
them ; then a scene of Savage barbarity ensued, and many,
of our people were faciificed to their fury, butchered with
tomahawks and other instruments. of murder. The enemy
confided of about one hundred Canadians and four hundred
Savages, who immediately. ftrjpped. the prisoners almost
naked, and drove them to the fort, where they were deli-.
vered to Capt. Foster, of the Bth regiment, who had with
him about forty regulars, and then commanded the fort,,
which had been the day before surrendered to him, with lit
tle if any refinance, by Major Butterfield, an event which
was neither known, nor in the lead suspected, by Major
Sherburne.
Capt. Foster and the regulars, kept within the lines, and
were not of the party who surrounded and so barbarously uGd
our people; but after they were brought to the fort, hey
were repeatedly again and again dripped of the small re
mainder of their clothes, till many of them had not fuffici
ent to hide their nakedness. Our loss in the whole action
was about twenty-eight, viz. killed and wounded in the
a&ion, and killed afterwards in cold blood about twenty,
carried off by the Savages seven or eight. Of the enemy
313
PHILAbELEHI A, June 22.
We hear, by a letter from New-York, that intelligence was
received there of the 19th inst. of the armed sloop Schuy
ler, having taken about fifty miles from that city, on the
south fide of Long Island, a ship and a (loop bound to Sandy-
Hook. The ship from Glasgow with a company of the forty
fecond regiment had been taken by one of Commodore Hop
kins's fleet, who took the soldiers out and ordered her to
Rhode-Inland ; after which she was retaken by the Cerberus ;
and put under convoy of the sloop. As Capt. Pond informs,
there were five commissioned officers, two ladies, and four pri
vates on board.
A letter from Salem in New- England, fays, "By a num- -
ber of ship-masters who have very lately made their escape:
from Halifax, we are informed that twenty transports with
troops and three frigates, are gone into the Bay of Fuudy to
fortify a pass there, and prevent the Continental forces fromx
attacking their main body at Halifax."
This, day the Conference of Committees fixed the election
of the Provincial Convention to be on the eighth of July next.
Wehear that the intended Provincial Convention will meet .
the fifteenth of next month, in this city.
LIST of de Members of the Provincial Conference of
COMMITTEES, now fitting at Carpenters-hall in this
city.
Philadelphia city and liberties. Benjamin Franklin, Tho
mas M'Kean, Sharp Delany, John Cox, John Bayard, Jo. a
than B. Smith, George jchlofTer, Joseph Dean, Francis Gur
ne , Christopher Ludwig, Christopher Marfhaf, Jacob Barge,
James Millegan, Benjamin Rush, Samuel C. Morris, Joseph
Moulder, Joseph Blewer, Benjamin Loxley, Jacob Shriner,
Wiliiam Coates, Timothy Matlack, amuel Bruder, William
Robinson, George Goodwin, William Loman.
were killed twenty-two, whose deaths were ascertained, and
among them a chief warrior of the Seneca tribe, on whose
account our prisoners were probably used with the more cru
elty, insult and abuse. Major Sherburne and the other offi
cers were sent to an Indian town called Connafadoga, at the
lake of the two mountains ; the private men to a desolate
island in the middle of the lake, where they were scantily
supplied with provision barely fufficient to keep them from
starving, and though the weather was cold without any
clothes, and without any covering but the canopy of heaven,
for eight days, when they were released on a cartel agreed to
between Gen. Arnold and Capt. Foster, viz. That there
should be an equal exchange of prisoners, within two months,
allowing for casualties, and for the performance on our part
were pledged the bodies of four Captains, who were left as
hostages,. viz. Capt. Sullivan (brother to the General) Capt.
Bliss, of Major Sherburne's party, Capts. Stephens and
Green, of Major Butterfield's party.
General Arnold, with a party of about eight or nin e hun
dred men, arrived the 26th, and though with about five hun
dred he appeared upon the lake, happily for the prifoners.he
did not cross it.. If he had, it appeared from every circum
stance, that they would have been all murdered, dispositions
having been made for that purpose ; nor was it certain, con
sidering the difficulty of access to the enemy, that he could
have obtained any considerable advantage over them, or if he
had, that he could possibly have cut of their retreat.
Lately arrived here from Philadelphia, Col. Jpfeph Reed,
who is appointed Adjutant Gen. and Stephen Moylan, Esq;.
Quarter Matter General to the Continental army.
Yederday, under an escort commanded by Capt. William
Bradford, arrived here.from Philadelphia, twenty thousand
Spanish dollars, gefigned for Canada.