The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1865-11-10

captain JOhn Armstrong, VINO was a
famous Indian-fghter and who COM
manded the expedition which destroy
ed the Indian town Of Kittanning in
1856, gives some account of the differ
ences existing among Forbes officers,
while at Bedford then Raystown) in
regard to the route to be taken by that
General in his march upon Fort Du-
guesne. He writes to Richard Peters,
Secretary of the Province, as follows:
RAYsTowN, Oct. 8, 1853.
Since our QuiXotic expedition you
will, no doubt, be greatly perpleXed
about our fate. God knows what it
may be; but, / assure you, the better
part of the troops are not at all dismay-
ed. The general came here at a critical
and seasOnable juncture; he is weak,
but his spirit is good and his head clear,
firmly determined to proceed as far as
force and provisions will admit, which,
through divine favor, will be far enough.
The road to be opened from our advanc-
ed post is not yet fully determined, and
must be further reconnOitered: its yet
a query whether the artillery will be
carried forward with the army when
within fifteen or twenty miles of the
fort or not. The order of march and
line of battle is under consideration
and there are many different opinions
respecting it. Upon this the general
| will have Il conference with the COM
manders of the sundry corps. About
| four thousand five hundred are yet fit
for duty, five or six hundred of which
may be laid to the account of keeping
of different posts, sickness, accidents,
| &c. We know not the number Of the
enemy, but they are greatly magnitied,
/ by report Of sundry Of the people with
Major Grant, to what we formerly eX-
| pected. The Virginians are much cha
| grined at the opening Of the road thrO'
! this government, and Colonel Washing
| ton has been Il good deal sanguine and
| obstinate upon the occasion; but the
! presence Of the general has been of
/ great use on this as well as other ac-
! counts. We hear that three hundred
wagons are on the road. If this month
! happens to be dry weather, it will be
| greatly in our favor. Ny people are in
! general healthy, and are to he collected
/ together Immediately, except such as
/ are posted on the communication and
in the artillery. Many of them will be
naked by the end Of the campaign, but
| | dare not enter upon clothing them,
not knowing who or how many of the
| troops may be continued. Col B-t
| is a very sensible and useful man; not
| withstanding, had not the general come
| up, the consequences would have been
dangerous. Please to make my com
J nliments to Mr.. Allen, and, if you please
9"'l~ him this letter, as | have not a
. last of this month viii be the Gcsi'itiFcs;ii1
hour. Every thing is vastly dear with
! Us, and the money goes like Old boots,
! The enemy are beginning to kill and
| carry off horses, and every now and
/ then scalp wandering person.
leave this place to-day, as does Col.
Boquet and some pieces of the artillery
One of the early pioneers in Bedford
county, was a certain Garrett Pender-
! grass, who, by permission of the Six
Nations, occupied tract of land near
the site of the present borough of Bed
ford. During the French and English
war, Pendergrass was dispOssessed OF
his home, by the French, but the In
dians afterwards gave him, in lieu there
of, tract of land near Fort Pitt, now
! Tl;t4.I,,-o. rUL;- Il, ,,,-. Z, J,r,roo Of r,o,,
erOsity upon the part Of the savages,
for which history gives them but little
credit. The deed made by them to Pen
dergrass, for the Fort Pitt property, is
of record in the Recorders office, in
Bedford, and is as follows:
Know all men by these presents, that
| whereas a certain Garrett Pendergrass,
| senior, of Bedford settlement, in the
province of Penna. &c. of Cumberland,
| was settled some number of years past,
| by leave Of the chiefs or deputies Of the
| Six Nations of Indians, on a tract OF
land where Bedford dnowis situate, while
the said land was yet the property of us,
| PendergrasS being dispOssessed of said
| land, in time of the war between the
! French and English, and before said
Pendergrass could safely return to live
on said land, it was entered upon by
| people, who have from time to time,
and yet continue to keep said Pender-
| grass from the enjoyment Of said tract
! Of land, said Pendergrass at the last
| treaty held at Fort Pitt with the repre-
sentativeS of the said Six Nations, in
formed our said chiefs, or their repre-
| sentatiyes or deputies, that he was de-
priVed of the above tract of land as a.
| bOve mentioned, WhereupOn we, and
our deputies, did then, at said treaty,
| give him the said Pendergrass our leave
in writing, under our hands, to settle
on a tract of land called the Long Resch,
near the mouth of YOughagain, but the
said last mentioned tract, being at the
time of the said treaty, or before, I'M
! proved by some other person or persons,
contrary to our expectation, for which
| reason, he, the said Pendergrass, has
not obtained possession of the latter
! mentioned tract, and cannot quietly en-
Joy neither of the two above mentioned
| UractS, KNOW We, therefore, UIldG we lIle
under, or within bound subscribers,
who have hereunto caused our names
to be set, and have put our marks; the
first of us, assigning one Of the chiefs
and the other, two deputies of the said
Six Nations, do give and grant, to the
said Garrett Pendergrass, his heirs and
trustees forever, our full leave and lib.
erty of us, and for behalf of the Six
Nations, to settle on tract of land Oh