Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1886-01-29

must conclude you are actuated by
a spirit of discord, so prejudicial
to the peace and good order of So
ciety, that the conduct calls for
justice, and due execution thereof
can only check. | must once again
order yon to desist from your per-
nicious designs, and require of you,
if you are an officer of militia, to
send the deserters from this place
back with all expedition, that they
may be dealt with as their crimes
merit.
81 am, sir, your servant,
"JOIIN CONNOLLY
This letter, although short, con.
tains so many things for remark
and animadversion, that we scarce
ly know where to begin. 1t exhi-
bits, however, n real picture of the
man, and a mere superficial glance
at its phraseology will prove that
he is angry, and his nerves in a
tremor. 1t is, in fact, an incoher.
ent tumble of words and sentences,
all in the distinctive.
But it is a perfect original and
anomaly in the epistolary line, and
contains in itself internal marks OF
genuine authenticity.
The first thing in this letter that
calls for our attention is the Ian
guage he uses towards the people
he calls"miltia deserters." That
they may be dealt with, he says, as
their crimes merit. Now | pray
You who were those people, : Doubt
less the respectable farmers and
others in the vicinity of Pittsburgh.
And what does this Mogul of the
west intend to do with them, to be
sure for this IS military law. But
the true state Of this case doubt
less is, that these militia consider
ed themselves free men that they
were not well pleased either with
COnnoly or garrison duty 4; that
viewing their country in danger,
and their wives and children eX-
posed to savage barbarity, they
preferred more active service, and
Joined the standard of Capt. Cresap.
And is this n new thing, or repre-
hensible 4! How often do our mill
tia enter into the regular army,
and whoever dreamed of hanging
them for so doing?
But, secondly, we say it is pos
sible Capt. Cresap did not know
from whence these men came and
if he did, he deserves no consure
for receiving them ; and as to the
charge of inveigling away the mill
tia from the garrison, we know
this must be positively false, be.
cause he was not in Pittsburg in
the year l77l, either personally OF
by proxy.
AS to the general charge against
Capt. Cresap, of attacking the In
dians, and the great injury he had
done them, | need only say that
this charge is refuted again and
again in the course of this history,
and it's unparalleled impudence es-
pecially, or the date Of this letter,
merits the deepest contempt. But
the most extraordinary feature in
this most extraordinary letter is
couched in these words, namely
"That the Indians relied upon the
expressions of friendship he made
them and deported themselves ac
cordingly."
BE astonished, Dye nations Of
the earth, and all ye kindreds oI
people at this For be it remem
! bered this is the lith day of July
1774, when Cohnoly has the un
blnshing impudence to assert thai
the Indians relied upon his ex
pressions of friendship, and deport
ed themselves accordingly, when al
this very time we were engaged in
the hottest part Of Dunmore's war
when DunmOre himself was rails
| ing an army and personally on his
way to take the command when
Lewis was on his march from Au
gusta county, Virginia, to the Ohio
when Cornstalk, with his Indian
army, was in motion TO meet Lewis
and when Capt. Cresap was actual
" raising company to join Dun
more when he arrived. And il
was while engaged in this busi
ness, that he received this letter
from COnnoly.
Now ifany man can account tor
this strange extraordinary letter
upon rational principles, let him dc
so if he can ; he has more ingenui
~ and a more acute discernmenI
than | have.
Soon after receiving this letter
(a) During the government of ConnOll
in this place, be changed the name from
Pitt TO Dunmore; but subsequent event
have blotted ont Dunmore's name.