Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1892-08-26
BATTLE OF MINISINK
"REMINISCENCES OF BRANDT'S
MURDEROUS VICTORY.
An Old Time Tale OF the PennsylvanhD'
Border Hetold-The Savages That
Devastated the Valley 100
Years Ago.

with crest of bloody steel. swept down
the Delaware Valley. The settlersi
fled before 1t to the crowded stockades
and blockhouses were a legion OF
colonies and majors wrote letters and
dispatched them TO each other. The
savages were led by Brandt. They
burned and pillaged. while the
colonies indited epistles.
When the first of the fugitives re-
ached Goshen. in Orange county N.
Y. Colonel Tusten. who commanded
the local militia rallied his forces.
with as many volunteers as could be
raised and held a council of war.
The Indians. having devastated the
valley and gorged themselves with
| plumber had begun to retreat
Colonel Tusten said in the council
that he doubted the expediency of a
pursuit at that time. for the indians
outnumbered the whites two to one.
But one man cried:
let the brave men follow me.
The towards may stay behind.
1t was impossible for the prudent.
TO say more. So they set out. They
were joined By Colonel Hathorn. of
the Warwick regiment who had a
few men with him. He. being the
senior officer took command. Thirty
| four miles from their starting point
/ they held another council of war.
where the leaders were blistered by
! the words of valiant subordinates. SO.
! Colonel Hathorn decided to try to
/ intercept Brandt at the Lackawaxen
( ford of the Delaware where they uu-
: derstood he was going to cross the
river HathOrl and his men made a.
bod dash for the ford hoping to reach
! 1t first. But Brandt reversed his coll
umn passed down a ravine and came
up on the patriot force in the rear
The battle OF the Minisink 'ollowed.
The Americans were caught like u
lot OF kittens in bag. but Hathorn
was n gallant o.iicer and a sagacious
; leader. lie made stout hearted
/ fight On a plateau near the river
the Americans took their position.
They threw no an irregular breast
work OF stones and logs. They used
every crevice and boulder possible rs
"A means OF protection and lay close TO
the earth. Ninety men. without
water and with no provisions held
this position isOG 10 o'clock until
shutdown on a sultry July day.
Before n shot was fired Brandt ap-
pcarcd in full view OF the Americans
and requested them TO surrender.
He said his force was superior to
theirs and he had them penned in.
II they surrendered he would protect
them. He was interrupted by bull
let He retired. aud the Indians i'm
mediately began furious fire.
Brandt opened the battle with his
usual cautiousness. His men made
no targets OF themselves but crept
warily toward the Americans taking
advantage OF every feature of the
ground and firing at every hand head
or shoulder which appeared above the
rocks on the plateau. The band of
Americans on the plateau had grown
TO manhood with rides in their hands.
II part of the line iiinched even for
a moment they would all die. Each
man felt his responsibility as a link
in the chain OF defense and yielded
not an inch. The powder ran short
OF course, and they had to make every
bullet find n red. bowling mark.
AS the day wore on. and one after
another OF his whooping miniOus was
bowled over without making any gap
in the American line Brandt grew dis
hcartened. 1t is said that there was
one brave hunter who held the key TO
the American position. 1t is not eX-
planned by any one how this could be.
a careful investigation OF the battle
field as il appears to-day fails TO dis
cover any spot where one man could
hold the key to the plateau against
aearly 800 Indians But at any rate,
the tradition runs that way. Near
shutdown the Indians shot this man.
and Brandt with IA body OF warriors
sprang through the gap. Immediate
ly the Americans became democrat
lied. They began retreat Where
The noble red man shines out instrans-
cendent lustre is as pursuer. The
:calping knife and the tomahawk took
the place OF the rifle. The Americans
made frastic rush for the river.
The Indians sank their hatchets in
the body OF every white man they
could overtake Captain Vail OF the
militia. being wounded in the battle,
was unable to retreat While seated
upon rock. bleeding. no was slaugh-
tered by the Indians Seventeen
wounded Americans and a surgeon
were found behind a ledge OF rocks.
they were all killed. The Ameri-
cans scattered and broken worn out
with fighting against overwhelming
numbers fed madly. Many threw
themselves into the Delaware and en-
ieavored to escape by swimming as
much as possible under the water. A
small and decrepit band OF those who
had fought arrived home safely.
There were thirty-three widows In
.he Presbyterian cong egation at
Goshen.
Fatbomies@ sea.