Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1845-01-25

shots, and raised the war yell, they took to
fight in the utmost confusion, but few taking
time TO pick up their rifles. We remained
masters of the ground and all their plumber, and
took several scalps. 1t was n party Of twenty
five or thirty, which had been as low down as
Penn's Creek, and had killed and scaped two
or three families; we found several scalps of
different ages which they had taken, and a
large quantity of domestic cloth which we car
ried to Northumberland and gave to the distress
ed who had escaped the tomahawk and knte
In December, 81, our company was ordered
to Lancaster; we descended the river in boats
to Middletown, where our orders were counter
manded, and were ordered to Reading, Berks
county, where we were joined by part of he
third and fifth Pennsy vania regiments. and
company ofthe Congress regiment. We took
charge of the Hessians taken prisoners with
General Burgoyne. In the latter part Of March,
at the opening of the campaign of 1882. we
were ordered by Congress to our respective
stations. ! marched Robinson's company to
Northumberland, where Thomas Chambers
joined, who had been recently commissioned
as an ensign Of our company. We halted at
Northumberland two or three days for our men
to wash and rest from thence Ensign Cham.
bers and myself were ordered to Muncy, Sam
uel Wallis plantation, there to make stand
and rebuild Fort Muncy, which had been de-
stroyed by the enemy. We reached that sta.
ton and built small block-house for the storage
of our provisions about the 10th and l tn Of A.
pril, Captain Robinson came on with Esquire
Culber,son, James Dougherty, William M'Gra-
dy and Mr.. Barkely 1 was ordered to select
twenty or twenty-five men with these gentle
men, and to proceed up the west branch to the
| Big Island, and thence up the Bald Eagle creek
to the place where a Mr. Culbertson had been
killed. On the 18th Of April, at night, we
reached the place and encamped for the night :;
on the morning Of the 10Th, we were attacked
by eghty.fve Indians. 1t was hard fought
battle; Esquire Culber,son and two others made
their escape; think that we had nine killed,
and the rest of us were made prisoners. We
were all stripped OF our clothing except our
pan,aloons. " hen they took off my shirt they
discovered my commission /; our commissions
were written on parchment, and carried in a
silk case hung with ribbon in our bosom,
several got hold OF il, and one fellow cut the
ribbon with his knife, and succeeded in obtain
ing it. They took us little distance from the
battle ground, made the prisoners sit down in a
small ring, the lndiaos forming another around
us in close ord er: each with his rifle and toma.
hawk in his hand They brought up five lndi.
ans we had killed, and laid them within tneir
circle. Each one reflected for himself; our
time would probably be short, and respecting
myself looking hack TO the year $780, and the
party had killed, if was discovered TO be the
person my case would be hard one The,
prophet or chief warrior made a speech as
was informed afterwards by the British Lieu
tenant, who belonged 10 the party, he wss con
suIting the Great Spirit what to do with tn,
prisoners, whether to kill us on the spot or SPAR
our lives he came to the conclusion that ,hsr
, had been blood enough shed, and as to the mel
they had lost, it was the fate of war, and ",
, n,ust be taken oHd adopted into the families q
vIded among them according TO the number o
fires packs were prepared for us, and they re
. turned across the river at Big Island in bari
, canoes they then made their way across tn
hills, aud came to Pine Creek, above first fork
which they followed up to the third forks, an,
took the most northerly branch to the head of
, and thence to the head waters of the Genncsse,
, river.
. After two days travel down the Gennesse,
river, we came to place called Pigeon Woods
where great number of Indian families, OF
, and young, had come to catch young pigeons
' there We met party of about forty warriors
, on their way to the frontier settlements the
; encamped some little distance apart, the war
t riors of the two parties holding council at OF
, camp. soon perceived that | was the subicc
2 OF their conversational was seized and drag
g gcd 10 the other camp, where the warriors wer
sitting on one side of a large fire. was seat
f ed alone on the opposite side. Every eye wa
T fixed upon me- perceived a man pressn
= through the crowd-he came TO me aud rat dow
e i saw he was a white man painted and in la
dian dress. lie examined me on the stuatlo
, of the frontiers, the strength of our forts, tn
k range of our scouts, &c. After he got throug
h he observed that there vas only one there be
sides himself that knew me. "Do you know IN
G SIR" said |. "i do, you are the man that xii
e ed the Indians" thought OF the fire and tn
\; stake-he observed that he was prisoner an
o | a friend-that his name was J,Ines and he ha