The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-12-09

he could safely do sos tnOuSn SUN eA-
ceedingly i'll provided to carry through
the extensive expedition he struck out
for Tioga. The days of waiting had
been not without their events. Active
drill was kept up and the organization
of the army perfected. Every detail OF
march and battle was carefully studied.
Large dctachments were sent out 10
hasten the horses. cattle, ammunition,
and other supplies.
There was occasion for discipline and
one soldier was executed. TWO We're
shot and scalDed by Indians. lnde-
pendence day was duly celebrated Ser
mons We're heard Sundays. Saturday
evening was time of gathering OF
officers to toast their sweethearts and
wives. Following is an extract from
the journal of one of the surgeons:
July 14th-Nothing new. 15th-Played
shinney with General Maxwell, colonel
Dayton, and a number Of gentlemen.
16th-Played as yesterday. General
Sullivan attended and was much pleased
with our activity in the performance
l1th-Dined with General sullivan, u
very considerable number of gentle
men were present and we We're enter
tained with a great plenty of good
punch. 1Sth-Being Sunday Mr.. Hun
ter gave us a sermon from John q: 6S.
In the evening wrote letters to send to
Newark in the morning. For the
most part the weather was wet ana
rainy during July. July 81, at noon, a
cannon from the fort answered from
the boats was the signal for the march
With flags flying, band playing, ana
cannon sounding, the army marched
away. The first night was spent on
the north bank of the Lackawanna
ha M reached AngnSt Z
and Tioga ON the 11th. 1t would be in
teresting to follow the army along this
country which is familiar to us, but
time forbids. OF TunkhannOck we Will
speak again. General Clinton pro-
ceeding from Albany with (nominally)
800 men and three months provis-
ions (reckoning from the middle or
June); transported the whole, together
with 2OS boats by land to Schenectady,
from thence by water to CannaJoharie
on the Mohawk river; then by land to
Lake Otsego. Is or 20 miles of very bad
road, where he continued six weeks
waiting for General Sullivan's orders
on the 9Th of August he marched
about half his troops, the rest he en-
'barked on board the boats, and pro-
ceeded down the river. those by land
Keeping pace with them as guard
The water in the river by this time
mad become so low as to render the
navigation. totally impracticable with
out having resort to arti1Ce. There
fore. previous to his quitting the lake
he built dam at its mouth till the wa
ter was raised three feet higher than
was natural. The night before EN-
barkation he hoisted his gates which
afforded a Sufficiency of water for his
purpose. Junction with the main army
was effected on the 22d of August.
This added five regiments of New
York, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania
troops besides some unassigned compa-
nies and volunteers.
Just one week later, on the 39th. the
principal battle was fought at New
town. now Elmira. The Indians and
British had concealed themselves be-
hind line of breastworks nearly a
mile in extent and carefully hidden by
scrub oaks. Other forces We're disposed
with much tactical skill. Had General
Sullivan advanced heedlessly as did
Braddock he. must certainly have met
with crushing defeat notwithstanding
his superior numbers, but his scouts
discovered the intrenched enemy from
a tree top and the attack was intelli-
gently and deliberately planned. The
engagement was a complete triumph
for General Sullivan who lost but two
killed and twenty wounded. The In
dian loss was greater but l have not
been satisfied as to it's number. The
enemy from that time avoided any en-
gagement. Forty towns We're wiped
| out: vast orchards of apple and peach
es We're cut down or girdled one hun
dred and sixty thousand bushels of
corn We're destroyed, and the whole
country from the Susquehanna to the
4 ,,.Ix a Sal
and prosperous, was left desolate in
deed. This seems like terrible work
for one kin to have been engaged in,
but war Is necessarily cruel. Our arm
les in the late war conducted such cam
paigns, and this expedition was intend
ed to prevent repetition of such heart
less inhuman cruelties as had been its
direct occasion. The entire loss to
General Sullivan's army in the whole
campaign is said not to have exceeded
forty men.
The life of a soldier calls for cour-
age, extraordinary .eXertion and endur-
ance, and that was true in this cam
paign especially. They had no roads
the strongest efforts sometimes car
ried them forward but few miles a
day. Mountains had to be climbed
rivers fOrded. windfalls crossed
swamps traversed. 1t was necessary
to carry provisions for a long cam
paign, ammunition and ordnance for
| meeting not only Indians in force. hut
British. And all the while the stealthy
foe was about them. The country was
as familiar to their foe as it was
strange to them. If ever scouts and
guides and sentinels and eternal Wig
lance were necessary they We're so
hprn Som pnt iInpc a q n rTinpa bn
forded the river linked together as
protection against it's deep. strong
current. Again they struggled weari-
ly through swamDs where they Of
ten sank in mud to their knees
They had in one place nine miles of
swamp to traverse. Horses, cattle, and
provisions were lost, frequently not to
he recovered; sometimes i'm such guam
titles that the army rested while so
much of it as possible should be secur-
ed. For twenty-five successive days
the army went on part rations. /. e..
one half pound flour and one half pound
salt beef per day. Men died of exhaus-
tion and fever. General Sullivan him
self was sick and resumed command
| in the presence of danger, when one less
soldierly might well have excused HIM
self. Returning, the army reached TiO-
ga September 30, and was received by
| the garrison which had been left there
| with the best demonstrations possible
| The three days Of preparation there for
going home seem to have been happy
| ones. Major Burrowes under date of
| Saturday, oct. 2, writes: I'VE spend
this day in wishing each other joy for
our safe return and convert the evening
| to celebrate as usual wives and sweet
hearts. which We do in plenty of grOg
Heretofore have been Obliged to keep
| in plenty of cold water.' The army
| started from Tioga, Monday. Oct 4,
reaching Tunkhannock the 9Th, and
Wyoming the 7th. They brought with
| them In their appearance and uniforms
| the evidences of the hardest service,
but they came elated with the success