The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1894-07-07

Col. Butler, suspecting the treacherous
designs of his cousin, took with him
force of 400 men, to guard against sur
prise. When the American forces arrived
at the detisnated spot, no one was there
to meet them. Far ahead in the distance,
at the foot of large hill, flag was seen
waving. If Col. Butler had considered
for moment he would have turned back,
for the bearer of the flag fell back as he
advanced with his men. On nearing the
spot where the bearer had stood, he found
himself in dreary and hazy piece of tim
ber Suddenly terrible yell was heard,
followed by heavy discharge of rifles.
They were surrounded by the foe. For
nearly an hour, however, the patriots stood
their ground, dealing blow for blow, and
for a time they appeared to be gaining
ground, but Col Butler in delivering an
order was misunderstood by his men, as
was Col. Dennison in the first engagement,
and the demoralizing word of "retrest,"
was passed along the lines, and the day
was again lost to the patriots. The whole
regiment broke into confusion, and the
enemy with savage yells broke in upon
them in all directions.
A HORRIBLE MASSACRE.
While some of the men begged for quar-
ter, they were cut down and scalped. Seine
were killed in the retreat, and the slaugh-
ter was such that only 20 out of the 400
men engaged escaped across the river to
Wilkesbarre. Col. Butler made his escape
in the direction of Fort Kingston. On the
night succeeding the attack, Col. Zebulon
Butler took boat and with his family,
under the cover of the darkness, escaped
down the river.
On the next day, July 5th, Fort Kings
ton was invested. Col. Dennison, who had
succeeded Col Butler in command, seeing
that he had no chance of making good
defense, sent a flag to Col. Butler, the
Troy commander, to know what terms he
would grant him if he surrendered He
answered ''the hatchet." Dennison i'm
mediately resolved to fight, and the allied
forces advanced to the attack. To frighten
the women and children in the fort, they
hurled over the walls of the fort about 200
fresh and bloody scalps, taken the day
before from the heads of their fathers,
brothers and husbands, who had persisted
in the massacre of Buffers command.
Dennison made brave resistance and de-
Tended the fort until nearly his whole gar
rison was killed and wounded, when he
resolved to surrender at discretion.
He surrendered and "the hatehet" fn-
ished the work. At the time of the sur
render there were about 200 men, women
and children in the fart, of whom only 30
escaped. The enemy thep crossed over
the river and invested Fort Wilkesbarre,
and the garrison, hoping to save their
lives, surrendered at once and without
making any condition for their safety.
AWFUL ToRTUREs.
There we're some 20 Continental soldiers
in the fort, and these were tortured with
all the devilish ingenuity of Indian cum
ming. Some were stripped naked and stuck
full of burning splinters; others tied to
stakes, and their bodies blackened with
loads of powder fred into them at short
range, Others again were roasted to death
by a slow fire, All night long the savages
held possession of the battlefield and tor
tured their prisoners. Capt. Bullock, an
old veteran officer, was thrown alive on
burning Goals and held down with pitch.
forks until he expired. Six prisoners were
ranged on large stone near the river bank
and held by savages, while Queen Esther,
savage old Seneca half-breed, walked
around them in circle, singing the death
song like an iufuriated demon from the
lower regions, and striking the prisoners
with her war club and tomahawk until
every man was killed. To cap the climax
of this terrible slaughter, the women and
children were fastened up in the barracks
of the fort and were deliberately roasted
to death. The ferocity of the demons Of
the internal regions appeared to be mani
Tested and displayed in the persons Of ths
Tories and their savage allies on this mem
orable occasion. Not being contented in
destroying the dwellings of the patriots and
numbering their occupants, they even
glutted their savage thirst on the dRmt
brutes, The tongues Of the horses and
! cattle Of the valley we're cut ont and the