Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1849-09-13
MISCELLANY.
Historical Sketch Of TryOn County.
from the Shirt of the TSuues.1

struck by the beauty Of the scenery from
the valley of the Mohawk even to the
borders Of Lake George. All this par
adlse of country was at one time emf
braced within the limits of Tryon eount
ty; and it was the great battle field Of
the patriots Of the revolution and thei3
tory and Indian enemies. 1t was called
'Tryon county, in honor Of Wnr. Tryoa!
who, in 1872, vas the p puaar governor
Of the province. Afterwards, in 1884,
when the independence Of this country
had been acknowledged, and peace pro-
claimed, the name was changed to Mont.
! gomery, in honor Of the brave General
who fell in the battle Of Quebec. Since
then this territory has been divided into
many counties, and named in honor of
other men, such as Fulton, Herkimer,
&c.
Previous to the settlement Of the white
men, the regions round about here con-
stituted the territory and fishing grounds
and the homes Of the famous Mohawk
Indians; and Headriek, their great king,
held absolute sway. Their principal vii
lagos occupied both sides Of the Scho-
harie creek at its mouth. The Five ma
tons were warlike and rude people, and
were constantly engaged ia broias and
war. They had three castles between
the Little Falls and the Cahoes Falls, on
the banks Of the Mohawk; one was near
Little Falls, another at Canajoharie, and
the other at Schenectady. Thetwo low.
est being nearest to their friends and al
lies, the English and Dutch, at Albany,
were not fortified, but the one furtherest
west was strongly fortified aud garrison
ed. In 1898 the French and Indians
combined in Canadr, in the war with these
Five Nations, then raging, and sent forth
an expedition against those castles. The
combined army amounted to seven hun
dred. They set out in January, when
the snow was unusually deep. and came
by the way Of lake G. orge down the
Hudson to the Mohawk, and thence to
the castles. Owing to the violence of
the winter, no scouts were abroad to dis.
cover their approach.
The two cas-, les were Surprised and Ia
ken without much difficulty, but a bloody
battle was fought at the upper castle.
The Mohawk Indians made noble resis-
tence before they surrendered, as they
were finally compelled to do to superior
numbers. They sent to their allies, the
inhabitants Of Albany. Cor assistance, 70
pursue them as soon as possible; and as.
sistance anne, but not till the Canibals
had laid waste all the valley. Old Col.
Peter Schuyler, with a body of the mill
tia, regulars and Indians, under his COM
mand, however, overlook tie enemy on
the retreat and gave him battle. He kill
led and wounded SO Frenchmen, but the
extremity of the weather and violence of
the snow storm compelled him to give
over the pursuit. The Indians with
Schuyler were so reduced in the want of
provisions on that occasion that they ate
the Frenchmen they killed. The story
is told, that the Indians invited the Col
TO take broth with them, which he did,
not knowing of what game the broth was
made. He ate quite heartily till he put
his ladle into the kettle to draw out more,
when he brought up a Frenchman's
hand ! This put an end to his appetite,
and he ever afterwards declined eating
game broth with his Indian friends, un-
less he first saw the game Of which it was
composed. Hard times then.
The English Episcopal Missionaries
commenced their operations with the
Mohawks as early as i70z, and Queen
Anne of England built them a chapel at
that carly day.
About the year 1918, twenty years
after the Canadians had swept the valley,
few German Paientines, in co-opera-
ton with their friends in Albany and
Seheaectady, venturel along the Mo
hawk, and made the FIRST settlement. In
1929 settlement was formed as high up
the river as German Flats; and in 1925
the settlers obtained the German Flats
patent" But so great was the terror Of
the Indians, and so feeble the colony,
that as late as the breaking out of the
war of the revolution, the whole white
population only amounted to few thou
sand. but these were determined splr-
it,.
The most remarkable man that ever
lived in the valley was Sir William John
son. He was essentially in the rank.
and lived in the style of nobleman.
Go ip what direction you please. within
the range of my eye. and you will find
mementoes of this Sir William. The
village of Johnston, which lies between
me and the Kip hills, on the banks OF
the Cayadutta Greek, was named after
him, and there are no less than three
venerable old mansions still standing,
| built and once occupied by him. He
made his mark en- the time too distinctly
to be readily efaced.
He was nephew ofSir Peter Warren.
distinguished naval commander, and
who having married sister Of Chief Jus