The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1908-04-30
ANNALS OF FORT JENKINS, COL.
UMBIA COUNTY.

Extract from Statement of Nathan Beach
'In the year 1869 my father re-
moved with his family from the
State of New York, to the valley
of Wyoming, now Luzerne county,
State of Pennsylvania, where he
continued to reside within the linn
its of the said county, until the 4th
day of July, 1878, the day after the
Wyoming massacre, so called.
When the inhabitants, to wit, all
those who had escaped the toma-
hawk and scalping knife, fed in
every direction to places of security
about the first of August follow
ing returned with my father and
Thomas Dodson, to secure our har-
vest which we had lett in the fields.
While we were engaged in securing
our harvest as aforesaid, I was taken
prisoner by the Indians and tories;
made my escape the day following.
In the fall of the same year, 1878,
my father and family went to live
at Fort jenkins, columbia County,
Pa.) / was there employed, with
others of the citizens, and sent out
on scouting parties by Capt. Swee.
ny, commander of the fort, and be-
longing to Col. Hartley's regiment
of the Pennsylvania line. continued
at said fort until about the first of
June. 1879, during which time had
a number of skirmishes with the
Indians. In May, 1879, the Indians,
thirty ive in number, made an at
tack on some families that lived one
mile from the fort, and took three
families, twenty-five in number,
prisoners. Information having been
received at the fort. Ensign Thorn
bury was sent out by the captain in
pursuit of the Indians, with twenty
soldiers. myself and three others of
the citizens also went, making
twenty-four. We came up with
them at (near Columbia park "a
sharp engagement took place, which
lasted about thirty minutes, during
which time we had four men killed
and FIVE wounded out of the twen-
ty-four. AS we were compelled to
retreat to the fort, leaving our dead
on the ground, the Indians took
their scalps. During our engage
ment with the Indians the twenty
four prisoners before mentioned
made their escape and got safe to
the fort. The names of the heads
of those families taken prisoners as
aforesaid, were Bartlett Ramey,
Christopher Farrow and Joseph
Dewey; the first named, Bartlett
Ramey. was killed by the Indians.
Soon after the aforesaid engage
ment, in June I entered the boat
department. Boats having been
built at Middletown, Dauphin coun-
ty called continental boats, made
for the purpose of transporting
the baggage, provisions, etc., of
Gen. Sullivan's army, which was
on its march to destroy the Indian
towns in the lake country, in the
State of New York. l steered one
OF those boats to 1'ioga Point, where
we discharged our loading and l
returned to Fort Jenkins in August,
where l found our family. The
Indians still continued to be trou-
blesome; my father thought it adj
visable to leave the country and go
to a place of more safety; we left
the Susquehanna, crossed the noun
tains to Northampton county, in
the neighborhood of Bethlehem;
this being in the fall of 1879. In
May, 1880, the Indians paid visit
to that country, took and carried
away Benjamin Gilbert and family,
and several of his neighbors,
amounting to eighteen or twenty
in all. Said Gilbert was a public
friend, of the society called Quak-
ers. 1t was then thought eXpedi-
ent to raise a certain number of
militia men, and establish line of
blockhouses north of the Blue
n