Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1844-05-23
A WAR BETWEEN PENNSYLvA.
MA AND VIRGINIA..

MA AND VIRGINIA.
We nave received through the kindness
of some unknown friend, discourse de.
livered at Pittsburg, December 5. by Ne.
vile B Craig, Esq, upon a topic Of do.
mestic history, which we have read with
deep interest.
AS the author well remarks, there are
many thousands Of intelligent citizens Of
the Ohio country, who are thoroughly
versed in foreign and ancient History con.
corning Persia and Rome who do not kao,c
that Pennsylvania and Virginia were once
brought into state of open war on &C.
count of dispute on the western bounda.
ny OF the former State.
Mr.. Craig is the first person who has
undertaken full detail of this conirover.
sy. 1t arose in this manner: In 1850,
the King Of England made grant to
William Penn OF the lands, between the
beginning of the 40th degree north lati-
tnde, and the competition of the 4ad,
bounded on the east by the Delaware Riv.
er; said lands to extend westward fire de-
grees longitude, to be computed from the
said eastern boundary. On the south
grant had been made to Lord Baltimore
in 1852, including all Of the 40lh degree,
as far west as the meridian of the "frst
fountain" Of the River Potomac, the five
degrees OF west longitude, extending be.
yond the meridian of the Potomac
William Penn, while he yielded the width
Of degree to Baltimore's elder grant,
claimed that portion west OF his meridian
down to the competition Of the 39th de.
gree Of latitude five degrees long, and
from thence 10 line parallel to the Del,
aware River, in all its meanders north
ward TO the AID parallel of latitude.
The difficulty between Maryland and
Pennsylvania was settled by Mason and
Dixon, two English surveyors who ran
the line between those two proprietors in
1869.
Virginia claimed that Pennsylvania's
western boundary, under the true con-
struction of the grant, should oe parak
lei of fue degrees west Of the Delaware,
where the 42d parallel of latitude cut that
stream. The great subject Of the contro.
versy was Fort Pitt, which the Virginians
had garrisoned in 1852. The ensign and
his forty men, whom they had placed
there, were taken by the French; and
they in turn by General Forbes in 1858;
but the British, al the beginning oil their
troubles with the colonists, had evacuat-
cd the post prior TO l773.-ln the latter
part of this year, John Conally, acting
under authority from Lord Dunmore, Gov
ernor of Virginia, took military possession
of the Fort. Arthur st. Clair, afterwards
a General Of the revolution and governor
of the northwestern territory, then jus.
tce of the peace for Westmoreland couB.
ty, Pennsylvania, arrested Conally and
pu, him in Jail at Hannastown, the county
seat.
Dunmore contended that Piitsburg was
fifty miles within the colony of Virginia,
to which the Ohio country was supposed
to belong, and the Governor of PennsyI-
vania proved by surveys that it was sir
miles within the five degrees of longitude
from the Delaware river, due east from
the Fort. Conally, who had been reeas.
ed on bail, returned, in pursuance Of his
bond, 10 the court at lis sitting April 9th,
l771; but brought with him $50 armed
men, and turned the court out of doors.
Troops were raised and mutual arrests
and releases by force followed each 9TH
ey during the season. But, after much
anger and trouble, in which the colony of
Virginia appears to have been clearly in
the wrong, line was agreed upon by
commissioners as it now stands.
The Maryland line was produced TO five
degrees Of longitude, measured upon that
parallel being 80 deg. 43m. 42s. north,
and for the west line of Pennsylvania
meridian ofongtude drawn 10 Lake Erie.
II William PENIS construction Of the
grant TO him had been followed, the State
Of Ohio would have approached within sir
miles Of Plttsburg. Cincinnati Gazette.