New Orleans daily crescent., 1866-11-12

VI I 4
the United States which has just made its appear
nnce takes occasion to remark on the unreaphlty :
Of history generally, and refers TO Mr.. bahGfolts
account Of the killing OF Miss Jane Mehea !l1tihs
the revolutionary war, to show that uncertainty OF
history attaches to Banerofts as to all similar pro-
auctions The Journal Of Commerce thus refers
to that melancholy transactions:
Mr.. Baucrofts ninth volume has made Us 10TH
expected appearance. Its style is in keeping With
the former volumes. Its matter is subject to the
same doubts which in these times oyerhang an
history Many sagacious men are found VINO re-
card written history as little better than romance
M one can place confidence in the works of Mr..
Prescott. They are very pleasant reading, oue
very untrustworthy as to facts Many otnef ms
torians are discredited because of the dlscoy-
ery of new historical material showing their errors.
No one who has not made the history OF the
period study is competent to express an opl,l-
ion on the general value Of Mr. Banerofts Nerh.
He labors with great assiduity, and 49, pefhaPs as
accurate as can be expected. IL Is 10 pe leatgu'
however that iii some instances, he accepts tne
verdict of previous historians, and adopts thelf
conclusions without subJectng them 10 tue liSHe
| of newly discovered material. In tuls Volulne We
are struck with one illustration OF this criticism.
1 If fact is worth stating at all IN history, II is
| worth any amount Of labor to verify 1t before
making the statement. 1t will not excuse ms
tnriar for an error to say that it is unimportant.
i Probably no event. eitheEan ancient or modern
] warfare has received so many versions as the
/ killing of Miss Jane McCrea during the reyolution-
| ary war. It has been commemorated IN story
j
i MANY different ways as there have been writers
4 upon the subject. As an incident merely OF me
i revolution, accuracy IN IFS relauon is hot' per
haps, of much moment. When measured; now
ever by its results, it at once assumes an lmpor-
tance which justifies such an investigation as shalL
bring out the truth in all its details.
The Staying of Miss McCrea was to the people
| Of New York what the battle OF Lexington was
to the New England colonies In each case the
effect was to consolidate the inhabitants more
firmly against the invader. The blood OF the IN
fortunate girl was not shed in vain. From every
drop hundreds of armed yeomen arose; ana lshas
been Justly said, her name was passed as q note
of alarm along the banks of the Hudson, and as
.'ralying cry among the green mountains OF Yer
mont, brought down all their hardy sons. IL
thus contributed to Burgoyne's defeat, Whlca pc
came anrecursor and prInclpal cause OF hau0Aul
on account, therefore, of the important place
which this tragedy occupies in American history
it was with considerable interest that we looked at
this narration in the ninth volume OF Mr. Ban
croft's work. Knowing that it would treat Of Bur
goynes campaign-aware that historical scholars
had, within late years, unearthed material com
pistely changing the old traditions respecting this
traeedy-it is with surprise that we find Mr.. Ban
croft falling into substantially the same errors II
respect to this event as some Of his predecessors
The story as told by him is, that as Jane McUrae
was on her way from Fort Edward TO meet hei
lover at the Bfissh camp, under the protection o.
L two Indians, quarrel arose between the lattera a
/. to which should have the promised reward, when
II one OF them, to terminate the dispute, sunk q:
d | Bancroft expresses it, his tomahaWk INTO III
brain Of tile unfortunate charge. This yersionha
"a So often been repeated as to have become
d standing joke among the inhabitants Of Fott Ed
d ward and Sandy Hill--some Of whom are the de
h seendants OF parties lnv0ved-and the remark Il
q often heard upon the revival of the story,
!. want to know if they have started that story
If again!a
II The correct version of the Jane McCrea tragedy
y gathered from the statements made by Mrs NC
/ Neal to Gen. Burgoyne, on the 18th OF July, lTfI
b in the marquee of her husband, Gen. Frazer, ant
{ corroborated by several people well acquainted
Il to Judge Hay, Of Saratoga Springs veraciou
: and industrious historian-and taken down from
y their lips, is different from the version given b,
Z hlr. Bancroft.
H McCrea and Mrs. MacNeal were at the latter
III house in Fort Edward, preparing to ride down tt
j Col. McGreais ferry, for the purpose OF going t
u the fort for greater security as rpmors had beer
h rife of Indians in the vicinity. While thus en-
gagged alarmed by the discharge Of firearms, Mrs
q | McNeaI looked out of the window and saw a sol
p dier running along the military road toward tht
3 fort pursued by several Indians The soldier
i. seeing Mrs. MacNeal, waved his hat as a sign o
e danger, and passed on, which the Indians per
q ceiYing, left off the pursuit aud came toward th
Z house. Seeing their intentions, Mrs. MacNea
& screamed, 9 getdown cellar, toryour liyes!8 "
3 this Jane McUrea and a black woman, Eve, wit
her infant, reueated safely to the cellar, but Mrs
ii MacNeal was caught on the stairs by the Indians
Is and dragged back by the hair by powerful say
se age, who was addressed by his companions as th
then begun, and the result was the discovery onl
IS of Jane McCrea, who was brought up from he
I'll eonceament-the Wyandot eXclaiming :" m
q squaw; me find um agin-me keep um fast no
e foreber, ugh!n By this time the soldier had al
he rived at the fort The alarm drum was beateT
l. and party of soldiers started in pursui
Il Alarmed by the noise of the drum-which they
Ia common with Mrs. MacNeal and Jenny heard-th
NJ Indians hastily the two horse
no which had been in waiting to carry them to til
h. fort, and started offupon the run. Mrs. MacNea
T. however, slipped off her horse, and was carredi
IA the arms of Il savage.
"a "a at this point, Mrs MacNeal lost sight Of HI
in companion, who, to use the language OF Mrs. Ma
an Neal, was then ahead of me, and appeared
&c be firmly seated on the saddle, and held the re
tt while several Indians seemed to guard her--tl
ne Wyandot still ascending the hill and pulling alon
4 . by bride Bit the affrighted horse on which po
Jenny roden The Indians, however, when ha
III way up the hill, were nearly overtaken by Il
Il soldiers, who, at this point began firing. !
Iii every discharge the Indians would fall fat wi
Id Mrs. MacNeai. By the time the top of the Fo
an Edward Hill was gained, not an Indian W
- harmed and one of them remarked TO Mrs. Ma
II Neal, I" Wagh um no kill--um shoot too mu
~ high for hiti' During the firing, two or three
inf the bullets of the pursuing party hit Miss Nicer
m with fatal effect who, falling from her horse, h
an her scalp torn of by her guide, the Wyandot Pa
IL ther in revenge for the loss Of the reward Civ
ia by BurgoYne for&any white prisoner--a rewa
,ai considered equal TO barrel ofrum Her renal
were gathered up by those who would ha
rescued her, and buried, under the supervision
NY Colonel Morgan Lewis {then deputy quartermast
he general1 on the bank of the creek, three mil
lis, south of Fort Edward, and two miles south
ed John McCrea's farm, which was across the Hu
aa son, and directly opposite the principal Sencan
he ment of Gen. Schuyler.
me II thus appears first, that Jane McCrea was &C
ad dentally killed by the Americans; and, second
sss that the American oyalist Gone David Jones,) {
all not send the Indians on their errand.
nd The inconectness of Mr.. Bancroft's stateme
he in relation to the manner of the death, to
Ne. clearly proved, not only by the eorrohorati
ID. statement of the Wyandot Panther. when broug
he into the presence OF Burgoyne-to the effect IL
,ly it was not he but the enemy that had killed hel
III. hut by the statement of General Morgan Lew
ur afterward governor of this State. His occount
-as thus given by Judge Hay:
oe- Several years after Miss Tearse had depart
in. this--to her--eveutful life, conversed lin
Of hearing of Mr. David Banks, at his law book ste
1r in New York; with Governor Lewis. Morg
by Lewis then stated his distinct recollection Il
there were three gun-shot wounds upon Miss
eh Crea's corpse, which on the day Of her death, W
an by direction of hmself-and, in fact, under
he own personal upefgision--remoyed, together W
Ia a subaltern's remains, from hill near Fort /
~ ward to the Three Miles Creek were they were
n ferrad The fact of the bullet Wounds--Of viii