AT 90.
 
 SKETCHES 
 
 OP 
 
 BORDER ADVENTURES 
 
 IN 
 
 THE LIFE AND TIMES * 
 
 OF 
 
 1ZAJOR MOSES YAH CAMPEH. 
 
 BY HIS GRANDSON 
 
 J. NILES HUBBAED, 
 
 AUTHOR OF BED JACKET AND HIS PEOPLE. 
 EDITION OF 1842. 
 
 REVISED AND ENLARGED BY 
 
 THE AUTHOR. 
 
 EDITED BY 
 
 JOHN S. MINARD, 
 
 Who supplements Mr. Hubbard's work, with several chap- 
 ters devoted to his later years ; also treating of him as 
 the Surveyor, Public Official and Prominent Citizen. 
 
 CONCLUDING WITH A 
 
 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 
 
 OP THE LATfi 
 
 JUDGE PHILLIP CHURCH, 
 
 ILLUSTRATED. 
 PUBLISHED BY JNO. S. MINARD, FILLMORE, N. Y. 
 
 1893.
 
 Entered according to Act of Congress, In the year 189$ by 
 
 JNO. S. MINAKD, 
 In the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. 
 
 All rights reserved.
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 
 SANTA BARBARA 
 
 DEDICATION. 
 
 TO THE MEMORY OF 
 
 THE BORDER MEN 
 
 OF THE 
 
 AMERICAN REVOLUTION, 
 
 "whose Valiant Services contributed so largely 
 
 to the success of the Continental Armies, 
 
 and resulting independence of 
 
 OUR COUNTRY ; 
 
 and who later, armed with that 
 "Wondrous Instrument," 
 
 the Axe, opened our 
 dark and silent forests for the 
 
 LIGHT OF CIVILIZATION, 
 
 and the 
 GLORIOUS ARTS OF PEACE. 
 
 This story of the strangely eventful life of one of the 
 bravest of their number, and sketch of one of the 
 
 MOST DISTINGUISHED OF PIONEERS, 
 is respectfully inscribed. 
 
 Fillnure, N. T., March 6, 1893. J. 8. M.
 
 EDITOR'S PREFACE. 
 
 Well do I remember, when but a school-boy, along 
 in the forties, the last years of the era of log school 
 houses, my frequent visits to the School District Library 
 to make selection of books for study and recreation. 
 
 There, side by side, with Rollin, and Gibbon, and 
 Dick, and other venerable tomes, were found Weem's 
 Franklin, Wirt's Patrick Henry, the adventures of 
 Daniel Boone, the great hunter, Indian fighter, and 
 pioneer of Kentucky, a book devoted to the story of 
 Gen. Francis Marion, and the last to name, but by 
 no means the least sought for, a substantial leather 
 bound book, which showed most conclusive evidence of 
 use : The Life of Major Moses Yan Campen. It was 
 not, however, always to be found when sought for ; 
 indeed, it was quite generally out. 
 
 In course of time a decadence of interest in the old 
 School Libraries followed, owing largely no doubt, to 
 the very general diffusion of literature in the way of 
 papers, magazines and periodicals, and later on, the old 
 book disappeared in some mysterious way, and was 
 rarely, if ever, more seen. The Van Campen book 
 always possessed a peculiar charm for me ; mainly per- 
 haps, for the reason that some of the incidents and 
 exploits narrated therein, occurred within the limits 
 of my own county, and also, from the fact that the
 
 VI EDITOR'S PREFACE. 
 
 hero I so much admired, actually lived, and moved, and 
 had his being, right here in " Grand Old Allegany," and 
 was known by, and really had dealings, and personal 
 acquaintance with, our people. 
 
 These considerations commended the book to my 
 youthful mind, and invested the story of his life with an 
 interest which no other book in that old library could 
 excite. 
 
 Some time since, one of the venerable old treasures 
 came under my observation. Its covers were gone, as 
 were also its first and last leaves. It was soiled, worn, 
 torn, begrimmed and dirty ; in a sorry plight indeed. 
 It started, however, a train of thought, reviving most 
 vividly the memory of my boyhood's happy days. I 
 perused its pages (what there were left of them), and 
 the old time interest was awakened, and with this 
 revival of interest came the thought that the old book, 
 I had prized so highly when a boy, was worthy of 
 being reprinted and rounded off with some additional 
 chapters devoted to his later years, and perhaps some inci- 
 dents not known when the old book was put out, and the 
 more I considered the, matter the more I became con- 
 vinced that it would be a very proper thing to do. 
 
 I consulted with friends, for whose judgment in such 
 things I have great respect, and they were unanimous in 
 opinion as to the propriety of such an enterprise. 
 
 Inquiry for the family or decendants of J. N. Hub- 
 bard, the grandson, who wrote this book, was at once 
 commenced. My impression was that he was dead. 
 One to whom I directed my questions was negligent in 
 answering ; another was sick and could not, and so from.
 
 EDITOR S PBEFACE. Vll 
 
 various causes my effort in that direction was for a 
 time fruitless. 
 
 I had, however, resolved to undertake the work, and 
 carry it to completion, if it should be encouraged by 
 subscriptions sufficient to warrant its publication. So, 
 equipped with the old book referred to, and a picture of 
 Major Van Campen, cut from an old Scribner's Maga- 
 zine, I made the experiment of a preliminary canvass, and 
 was agreeably surprised at the alacrity with which people 
 subscribed. 
 
 Pursuing the canvass, mainly in my own town, I 
 soon had a list of three hundred names, when a friend 
 informed me that Mr. Hubbard was still living, and re- 
 sided in Tracy, California. Correspondence was opened 
 with him at once, and soon was revealed the fact, 
 that yielding to the importunities of eastern friends, he 
 had devoted a considerable part of the Winter (1891-2) 
 and Spring to a revision of the old book, adding to, and 
 improving it generally, with a view to republication. 
 
 Th exchange of a few more letters, and the interven- 
 tion of a "mutual friend," resulted in Mr. Hubbard's 
 abandonment of the enterprise of republication, and the 
 turning over to me of all of his manuscript, as well 
 as original data pertaining to the last years of his 
 grandfather, and so, supplementing his work (which 
 comprises the first twenty chapters), with five chapters, 
 bringing his life down to its close in 1849, I have gone 
 on with the work. 
 
 This discovery, correspondence, and resulting arrange- 
 ment, though it has somewhat delayed the publication, 
 has, it is confidently believed, given to the public a 
 .better book, and more general satisfaction.
 
 viii EDITOR'S PREFACE. 
 
 In making proper acknowledgment for assistance in 
 the prosecution of the enterprise, I desire, first of all, to 
 express my obligation to Mr. Hubbard, to whom I am 
 largely indebted, and who has been so wonderfully 
 favored with a long life of usefulness, drawn out to con- 
 siderably more than the alloted " threescore years and 
 ten," and enabled, after the lapse of over half a century, 
 to devote himself to the revision of his old book, which 
 ie indeed remarkable. 
 
 In the matter of illustrations I must thank Mrs. A. R. 
 Dodd, late of Houghton, N. Y., for kindly favoring me 
 with the two designs : " Running the Gauntlet," and 
 " The Encounter with Mohawk," and express my opinion 
 (which I find quite generally shared), that they are his- 
 torically correct ; in other words, that they agree exactly 
 with a strict and literal interpretation of the text. 
 
 The Hon. Wm. P. Letchworth kindly furnished the 
 photographs from which were obtained the fine half- 
 tones of the " Old Council House," and " The Site of the 
 Old Indian Village of Caneadea," (Gah-ah-yah-de-o). 
 
 Moses Burr, Esq., of Angelica, a grandson of Major 
 Van Campen, favored me with the compass, Jacob-staff, 
 rifle, powder horn, etc., from which was obtained the 
 beautiful picture which makes such a pleasant memento' 
 of his grandfather. 
 
 To Major Richard Church, I wish to express my 
 thanks for the loan of the " Book of Surveys," from 
 which was obtained the fac simile of the Major's work 
 in his ninety-first year, regarded by many as, in some re- 
 spects, the finest illustration in the book ; also for the 
 excellent miniature of his father, the late Judge Philip.
 
 EDITOR'S PREFACE. IX 
 
 Church, by the world renowned artist Fagnani. The 
 fine half-tone picture of this historic likeness, accompa- 
 nies the Biographical Sketch of the Judge, which it is 
 thought is appropriately introduced in this connection, 
 for the reason of his long and intimate relations, and 
 close business associations with Major Van Campen, 
 as well as, for the other reason, of his acknowledged 
 prominence as a pioneer of Western New York. Major 
 Church has rendered much other valuable assistance, 
 and his courteous treatment in kindly allowing access to 
 very valuable manuscripts and papers will ever be pleas- 
 antly remembered. 
 
 E. D. Barnum, Esq., lately and for several years the 
 owner and occupant of " The Old Van Campen Place," 
 has my thanks for the fine photo from which was ob- 
 tained the beautiful half-tone of that historic old home. 
 
 To Mr. John B. Chnrch, of Geneva, I am under obli- 
 gations for valuable assistance and timely suggestions. 
 
 To George H. Harris, Esq., of Rochester, N. Y., a 
 kind friend and helpful advisor from the outset, my 
 special obligations should be thankfully acknowledged, 
 for the loan of the photo of the "Historic Hatchet,'* 
 from which was obtained the full page half-tone en- 
 graving of the same, and also for the valued privilege of 
 making excerpts from his forth-coming interesting 
 "Life History of Horatio Jones," which give the his- 
 tory of the hatchet, and throw additional light on 
 an important event in Van Campen's life. 
 
 It was the original intention to have devoted the 
 number of pages necessary, for a list of the subscribers to 
 the first 1,000 copies, and was so set forth in one of my
 
 X EDITOR S PREFACE. 
 
 circulars, and I have to a few persons so stated. Find- 
 ing, however, that the book has grown into larger pro- 
 portions than was at first anticipated or designed, 
 and feeling that the space which it would have been 
 necessary to have devoted to such a list (some sixteen 
 pages at least), has been much better employed, and 
 that all will say so when they see it, I shall beg to be 
 excused from inserting the list. 
 
 And so at last, without any claim to literary merit or 
 excellence on my part, with a deep sense of obligation 
 for generous support and encouragement, this little book 
 is launched upon the public, with a hopeful trust that it 
 will revive such an interest in the Life and Adventures 
 of Moses Van Campen, as will keep green for a long 
 time to come the memory of a distinguished historical 
 character, and also impress upon the youth of our land 
 a higher estimate of the services rendered, the struggles, 
 hardships, sufferings and privations, endured by those 
 patriotic and determined frontiersmen of the Revolution, 
 to whom, under God, we are so largely indebted for the 
 rich inheritance of popular and personal liberty we now 
 
 enjoy. 
 
 JNO. S. MINARD. 
 Mllmore, JV. Y., March, 1893.
 
 PREFACE TO THE EDITION OF 1892. 
 
 Half a century has passed by since an unpretending- 
 little volume, entitled, " Life and Times of Major Moses 
 Van Campen," was presented to the public. 
 
 A large edition was printed and sold, but for many 
 years it has been out of the market. The Author at 
 different times has been requested to publish another 
 edition, but various things have hindered until more 
 recently. t ' 
 
 When considerable progress had been made in the 
 work of revision, his attention was called to the fact 
 that the book was about to be published by Jno. S. 
 Minard, of Fillmore, N. Y. The length of time that 
 had intervened, and the supposition that the Author was 
 not living, led to the prosecution of the undertaking, 
 until it seemed desirable to carry it forward to comple- 
 tion. 
 
 Through the interposition of a friend, who thought 
 the public might be better served by bringing our work 
 together, a satisfactory arrangement has been made 
 to this effect, and the present issue combines the labor 
 of the two persons, J. N. Hubbard of Tracy, Califor- 
 nia, and Jno. S. Minard of Fillmore, 1ST. Y. 
 (xi)
 
 PEEFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION. 
 
 It may, perhaps, be due to the reader to state some of 
 the reasons why another book should make its appear- 
 ance in public, to claim a share of the attention which is 
 paid to whatever is new. 
 
 The Author will render his excuse in due form, and 
 present also the authority upon which rests most of the 
 facts recorded in this book. 
 
 Major Moses Van Campen, the subject of this memoir, 
 has long been known by many in this part of the State, 
 and by many also in the State of Pennsylvania, as 
 one who took an active part in the struggles which gave 
 birth to our National Independence. 
 
 Especially is he known for the severe encounters 
 he has had with the Indians, and for the hardships 
 which he has endured in watching for this wary foe, as 
 he made his sudden and fearful incursions upon what 
 were called the border settlements. 
 
 The service which he has thus rendered his country as 
 a soldier, entitles his name to some remembrance among 
 a free and grateful people. But this claim is not pre- 
 sented as a reason for making this offering to the public. 
 It is rather in compliance with the wishes $f. friends, 
 who have been desirous to preserve some record of the 
 events which are here recorded, 
 (xii)
 
 PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION. Xlll 
 
 Some apology for this work might be gathered too, 
 from considering the fact, that, while the leading events 
 of the Revolution have been recorded in their proper 
 order, and due credit has been given to those whose 
 office gave them a prominent place in the eye of the 
 public, slight notices only have been made of the 
 services rendered by minor officers, who have held posts 
 of extreme danger and have acquitted themselves in such 
 a manner as to impart dignity to American arms. It is 
 but just that these also should receive the honor which 
 is their due, while our countrymen shall hold in sacred 
 remembrance the deeds of those, who, fired with the 
 holy zeal of liberty, have periled their all in the decision 
 of the single question which has resulted in one of the 
 freest and happiest nations that our earth has ever 
 beheld. So far as the following pages may accomplish 
 this design, the Author hopes that it will receive the 
 approbation of the public. 
 
 Another reason for submitting these pages to the 
 press arises from the hope that they may give some new 
 interest to the history of our border warfare, and thus 
 prove to be of permanent benefit, by adding one more 
 chapter to those that have already been written, which 
 shall exhibit in a slight degree,^ few of the hardships 
 and sufferings which were undergone by those who 
 were engaged in the struggles of the Revolution. 
 
 The materials of this memoir have been gathered 
 almost entirely from him who is its subject, and the 
 credibility of those facts which rest entirely upon his 
 own authority, none will question, who are acquainted in 
 the least with his character.
 
 XIV PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION. 
 
 One word in this place about the chapter which 
 has been introduced, giving a brief sketch of the causes 
 which led to the war of the Revolution. Some may 
 think it altogether unnecessary, and others, perhaps, pre- 
 sumptous, that a youth should undertake a task to which 
 the knowledge and experience which belongs to age is 
 only equal. It was written at the suggestion of Major 
 Van Campen, under the impression that many would 
 read this book to whom such a review would be useful. 
 Yet the Author would say in reference to this, and in- 
 deed the whole work, that it is given to the public with 
 a feeling of unaffected diffidence, and it is only from the 
 encouragement of those who have examined parts of his 
 manuscript, that he dares submit it to the press. 
 
 Dansvitte, August, 1841. 
 
 Strongly surmising that the readers of this book would 
 be pleased to know just a little, if not more, about the 
 man who first brought out the Van Campen book, and 
 has survived for over half a century since, retaining his 
 powers and falculties in so remarkable a degree, the 
 editoi on his own motion ventures, right here, the fol- 
 lowing necessarily brief sketch drawn from data quietly 
 drawn from Mr. Hubbard, during quite an extensive cor- 
 respondence. 
 
 John Niles Hubbard was born in the old Van Campen 
 home at Angelica, N. Y., August 27th, 1815. He fitted 
 for college at the . Canandaigua Academy, a school 
 of considerable renown in those days, and entered the 
 Freshman Class at Yale in September, 1835, graduating
 
 PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION. XV 
 
 with honor in 1839. Soon after, determining to enter 
 the ministry, he applied himself to the study of theology, 
 and commenced preaching in 1842, his first settlement 
 being at Hannibal, Oswego Co., N. Y. 
 
 February 18th, 1845, he was united in marriage with 
 Miss Margaret McDougal, of Sterling, Cayuga Co., 
 N. Y. After serving the congregation of Hannibal for 
 eleven years, he received a call from Dansville, Living- 
 ston, Co., N. Y., where he remained four years, when a 
 diseased throat made imperative a rest from public 
 service. This rest from public speaking continued for 
 six months, when his throat having regained its normal 
 healthy condition, he afterwards preached at Belmont 
 and Friendship, Allegany Co., N. Y., until 1861. 
 
 He was then re-called to Hannibal, and remained their 
 pastor for six years, when a request to visit California 
 was entertained, and during the last twenty-five years 
 his time has mostly been given to feeble churches in 
 that State, the larger portion of the time having Tracy 
 as a centre. 
 
 From his labors in school houses, churches have 
 grown up, new towns have appeared, and the region 
 supplied by his labors, has been marked by changes of 
 a hopeful character. 
 
 Scarce any impairment of his Ability is discernable in 
 his writing, and judging only from his correspondence, 
 he is good for years yet to come. May those years 
 be spared to him. 
 
 J. S. M. 
 
 February 20th, 1893.
 
 CONTENTS, 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Van Campen's birth Family connections Removal to Penn, 
 sylvania Early recollections Nicholas Depew School-boy ex- 
 periences First trial of a gun Habits of the people of his time 
 Shooting a deer How disposed of. P. 1. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Hunting excursion Successful shot Experience in boating 
 Anecdote of "Old Simon" Trouble in Wyoming Valley- 
 His acquaintance with Tom Shenap Col. Plunket's expedition. 
 P. 12. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 England's supremacy in America Stamp Act Opposed first 
 in Virginia Resolutions of Patrick Henry Colonies united in 
 their opposition Preparations for war Van Campen enlists in 
 the army Resolves to defend the frontier settlements. P. 22. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Van Cam pen's entrance on the life of a soldier The Six 
 Nations decide to engage in the war Settlements guarded by 
 scouting parties Deficient in supplies Notice of the cam- 
 paigns of '77 Adventure at Reid's Fort. P. 30. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Great Indian Confederacy at the West Meeting of Major 
 Rogers with Pontiak Pontiak invited to meet Commissions in 
 council Indian invasion and captures Great alarm Indian 
 ambuscade Indian strategy Demand to surrender the fort 
 Refused to comply Effort to capture Its failure. P. 40. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Hostilities in 1778 VanCarnpen appointed Lieutenant 
 Ordered to build a fort on Fishing Creek Indians approach the 
 border settlements Alarm Inhabitants gather at Fort Wheeler 
 Houses burned Successful defense Unexpected visit Van. 
 Campen ordered to capture troublesome Tories. P. 47. 
 (xvi)
 
 CONTENTS. XVU 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Valley of Wyoming Its invasion anticipated How discovered 
 Preparations for defense Decision to meet the enemy The 
 Battle Defeat Scenes after the battle Escape of Lebbeus 
 Hammond Adoption of Samuel Carey. P. 57. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Result of the battle of Wyoming Scattering of forces Sur- 
 render of Fort Forty Terms Possession given Indians law- 
 less Removal of some of the settlements on the Delaware 
 Surrender of Fort Wyoming VauCampen's return to North- 
 umberland Ordered to Fort Wheeler Lancaster men act as 
 scouts Comical experience Van Cam pen and Salmon make a 
 trip in disguise Meet with men on their way Col. Hartley's 
 expedition. P. 71. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Gen. Washington's plan of protecting the frontier Gen. 
 Mclntosh ordered to Sandusky Col. Clark looks after the In- 
 dians in Illinois Surprises Kaskaskia and other Indian towns 
 Illinois erected into a county Gov. Hamilton, of Detroit, 
 resolves to capture Col. Clark Occupies Fort Vincent on the 
 way Sends parties to annoy settlements Col. Clark endeavors 
 to reconcile the Indians Preparations to receive Gov. Hamilton 
 Information given by a Spanish merchant Col. Clark's plans 
 changed Expedition against Fort Vincent Fort reduced 
 Gov. Hamilton taken captive Sent to Virginia Gen. Mcln- 
 tosh's expedition Builds Fort Laurens Indian strategy, P. 85. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Invasion of Indian country The Six Nations Gen. Sullivan's 
 campaign Gathering at Wyoming March to Tioga Point 
 Joined by Gen. Clinton Trouble from Indians VanCampen 
 sent to the Indian camp Leads advance guard Indian ambus^ 
 cade Gen. Clinton joins Gen. Sullivan Great flood without 
 rain Indians risk an engagement Battle at New Town Point 
 Indian_visit Interesting meeting of Van Campen and Shongo 
 at Angelica, long afterthe war. " Co-waiwh," " 2 'same Indian." 
 P. 94. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Effect of the Battle of New Town Destruction of Indian 
 villages Route taken by Sullivan Catharine's Town Pass 
 by Seneca Lake Kanadaseaga Honeoye Connissais Lake 
 Oneida Indians Taken captive Brother's address Compari- 
 son Cruel death of Lieut. Boyd. P. 113.
 
 XV111 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 View of Northumberland Hopes of its early projectors^ 
 Names of historic interest Boyd's family Thomas Boyd His 
 burial Close of Sullivan's campaign His return Spring of 
 1780 Capture of Bennett and Hammond Their escape. P. 129. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Van Campen taken prisoner by the Indians His father and i 
 brother killed A fresh cause of alarm Van Campen's thoughts 
 of escape Consults with his fellow prisoners Plans arranged 
 Success Encounter with Mohawk Young Rogers Capture 
 of Capt. Harper Van Campen builds a raft His party sets 
 out for Wyoming Arrive in safety. P. 140. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Van Campen comes to Fort Jenkins And meets with Col. 
 Kelly Interview with his mother Col. Kelly's devotion to 
 the cause of his country Notice of Capt. Salmon Chosen Col. 
 of militia Van Campen chosen major. P. 174. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 Catawissa and Bloomsburg Dangerous inhabitants Settle- 
 ments contrasted Favorable situation Testimony Demon- 
 stration against treasonable inhabitants Capt. Klader to assist 
 Coming of British and Indians Attack on Fort Rice Design 
 to intercept Capt. Klader Situation at Scotch settlement Sugar 
 Loaf massacre Burial of the dead Capt. Robison sent against 
 Tory settlements Van Campen and Salmon surprise the in- 
 habitants Their capture Taken to Northumberland Agree 
 to leave the country. P. 182. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 Opening of the year 1781 Van Cam pen receives the office of 
 Lieutenant Builds a fort Incident Alarm Scouting party 
 Surprise a company of savages Return of the scout Care of 
 Hessian prisoners False alarm Court-martial. P. 197. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 Spring of 1782 Lieut. Van Campen goes to Northumberland 
 With Capt. Robison repairs Fort Muncy Heads a scouting 
 party Discovered by Lieut. Nellis' band of Indians Attack 
 Defense Overcome by a superior force Scene after defeat 
 Saves the life of one of his men Critical situation. P. 210.
 
 CONTENTS. XIX 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 Come near an Indian village Ga-ah-yah-de-o (Caneadea) 
 Running the gauntlet Exciting scene Introduced to Capt. 
 Nellis, the father Dinner party Indian dances Van Campen 
 takes a partner Dispute between young Nellis and Doxtater. 
 P. 230. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Continuation of the year 1782 Van Campen is adopted into 
 the family of Col. Butler The Indians make a discovery Seek 
 to obtain possession of him He is sent to Montreal Scenes in 
 prison Sent to New York, and returns to his friends on parole. 
 P. 244. 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 Van Campen returns to the service of his country in the Spring 
 of 1783 Takes charge of Wilkesbarre Fort Leads a party to 
 intercept the Indians in pursuit of plunder Interesting meet- 
 ing with " Indian Allen " Retires from the service Close of the 
 war Note to the reader. P. 267. 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 December 10, 1783, marries Margaret McClure Assumes the 
 management of the McClure estate Removes to the "Briar 
 Creek" neighborhood Disposes of the " Briar Creek "property 
 Gift to a religious society Migrates to what is now Almond, 
 Allegany County, N. Y. Journey thither Interesting meeting 
 with John Mohawk at Canisteo Is employed by Col. William- 
 son as surveyor Capt. Church pays him a visit And secures 
 his services Exploration of the "Church Tract" Pleasure 
 trip to Niagara Falls (?) Selects a site for his home And erects 
 the first brick house in Allegany Thrilling incident. P. 271. 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 As survey or and public official Sub-division of the "Church 
 Tract " Estimate of his abilities and work by modern surveyors 
 Surveys numerous other tracts And State Roads and high- 
 ways for towns The various offices he held His qualifications. 
 P. 280. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 As first citizen Respect paid to Van Campen in his old age 
 His relations with Capt. Horatio Jones Death of Capt. Jones 
 Van Cam pen's loneliness Removal of the remains of Boy d and 
 Parker and their comrades to Rochester Van Campen called to 
 preside over the exercises at Cuylerville Geneseo names a new 
 brass field piece in his honor, and use it on this occasion Inter- 
 esting remarks of Major Van Campenonsurrenderingthe remains 
 of his comrades in arms. P. 287.
 
 XX CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 Major Van Campen's relations with the Indians in times of 
 peace John Mohawk pays him a visit Visits him again. 
 " Yankee done it. Yankee done it. Peace now." VanCampen 
 and Mohawk meet at Hume Mohawk carves a ladle and pre- 
 sents to a member of Van Cam pen's family Burial place of 
 John Mohawk Relics of VanCampen. P. 295. 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 Major Van Campen's residence in Dansville Methodical habits 
 Is stricken with paralysis Partial recovery Removes to 
 Almond And finally to the "Old Place," at Angelica His death 
 and funeral Inscription on his Tomb-stone Extract from 
 Obituary. P. 299.
 
 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 
 
 OP THE LATE 
 
 JUDGE PHILIP CHURCH, 
 
 OF BELVIDERE, ALLEGANY CO., N. Y. 
 BY JNO. S. MlNARD 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Birth and parentage John B. Church The family coat of 
 arms Commissary to the French army during the American. 
 Revolution Loans a large sum of money to Robert Morris 
 The security Narrow escape of infant Philip John B. Church 
 takes up his residence in Paris Later in England Philip sent 
 to Eton His favorite quotation from Goldsmith Studies law 
 The family return to America Philip resumes his law studies 
 Is admitted to the bar Acts as second to Philip Hamilton in 
 his duel with E. Eckhard Appointed to a captaincy in the in- 
 fantry of the Provisional army As aide-de-camp to Hamilton, 
 attends the Washington obsequies in Philadelphia Letter of 
 Gen. Washington. P. 307 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Preliminary exploration of the "Church Tract" in 1801 A 
 lonesome night in the forest Trip to Niagara Falls Visits 
 Batavia and Geneseo Site selected for the village of Angelica 
 Determines to build the Manor house and makes a choice of 
 its location Builds a saw-mill in 1803 And a grist-mill in 1803 
 In 1804 builds temporary residence, "The White House" The 
 Hamilton and Burr duel The famous duelling pistols Marries 
 Anna Matilda Stewart Erection of the stone mansion Moves 
 into it Is appointed Judge. P. 318. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Visits England Is tendered a public dinner at Yarmouth 
 Visits Mr. Coke And the Duke of Bedford Mrs. Church 
 attends the annual festival of the Indians at Caneadea and is 
 (xxi)
 
 XX11 CONTENTS. 
 
 given a name The Caneadea Indians offer to guard Mrs-- 
 Church's house Judge Church returns Introduction of inv 
 
 E roved cattle and sheep Queer way of transporting a buck 
 ecomes interested in internal improvements Genesee Valley 
 Canal Erie railroad Distinguished visitors at Villa Belvi- 
 dere The Judge's fondness for athletic sports A good marks- 
 man His and VanCampen's wonderful shots Closing years 
 Last sickness and death Funeral Resolutions of respect r 
 The family. P. 327. 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 PAOB 
 
 Portrait of Van Cam pen, 
 
 Van Campen's Encounter with Mohawk, ... - 161 
 
 Present Site of Old Indian Village of Caneadea, - - 221 
 
 Running the Gauntlet, - .... 333 
 
 The Old Council House, 241 
 
 The Van Campen-Mohawk Tomahawk, .... 24$ 
 
 The Van Cam pen Place, Angelica, N. Y., 278 
 
 Van Campen Relics, - - 296 
 
 Fac-Simile of Tables, 304 
 
 Judge Philip Church, 307
 
 LIFE AHD ADVENTURES OF MOSES 
 YAH CAMPEH. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Moses, son of Cornelius Van Campen,* a respectable 
 farmer, was born in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, Jan- 
 uary 21st, 1757. His paternal ancestors, on coming from 
 Holland to this country settled in New Jersey, where 
 they were known as industrious, worthy citizens. His 
 mother's name was Depew, and her descent was from a 
 family of French Protestants, who fled from the perse- 
 cutions of the eighteenth century to this land of reli- 
 gious freedom, and found a home in the State of Penn- 
 sylvania. Her father was a wealthy farmer, living on 
 the Delaware river, noted for his exemplary religious 
 character, as also for his kindness and liberality to the 
 poor. For a number of years he was Justice of the 
 Peace, and in discharging the duties of this office, seemed 
 much like a father consulting the interests, and settling 
 the difficulties of a large family. He would not allow a 
 
 *Van Campen is an ancient and distinguished name in the his- 
 tory of Holland. 
 
 In its early application it signifies land-men men of the fields, 
 or camp-men. Van prefixed, was intended as a designation of 
 distinction or eminence which they, in common with other Dutch 
 families were supposed to have merited. The name in its early 
 spelling was with " K" and was pronounced " Van-Kompe." 
 Ed. 
 
 (1)
 
 2 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 suit between any of his neighbors to come to issue before 
 him, without endeavoring to effect a reconciliation be- 
 tween them, and in this was in almost every instance 
 successful. 
 
 Of other near relatives in the line of Van Campen's 
 ancestry little is known, since no record has been kept, 
 but that in the old family Bible, and this was swept 
 away by a flood that removed many other things of 
 household value. He had brothers and sisters, but their 
 lives were thrown so widely apart that little is known 
 concerning them. Two brothers, Samuel and Benjamin, 
 very worthy men, settled in the same County, Allegany 
 County, N. Y. Samuel a few miles above the residence 
 of Judge Philip Church, on the Genesee River, and 
 Benjamin i the town of Almond. A sister of his also 
 was married and living, when last heard from .in Mem- 
 phis, Tenn. 
 
 Soon after the birth of his son Moses, Mr. Cornelius 
 Van Campen removed to Pennsylvania, and purchased 
 land in Northampton County, on the Delaware river, a 
 little above what was called the Water Gap. Here 
 Moses spent the years of his childhood, and though three- 
 fourths of a century has since intervened, the scenes and 
 impressions of that period still remain, and are readily 
 called to mind. 
 
 He speaks of the old farm house with its grave-look- 
 ing walls, of the barn where he and his brothers used to 
 play " Hide and Seek," and of a thousand things that go 
 to fill up a picture of happy boyhood days. 
 
 A beautiful flat spread its broad green apron for miles 
 to the north and south. It may have been under Indian
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEX. 3 
 
 culture years before, for no indications of its ever having 
 been a forest were to be seen. The Delaware river 
 bounded it on the east, as it came gracefully winding its 
 way around the base of the Blue Mountains, that arose 
 in places very abruptly, presenting to the eye varied and 
 beautiful scenery, and it was skirted on the west by a 
 range of hills that rose gently from the plain, marking 
 out an undulating line on the distant horizon. 
 
 " Here," said he, " my father lived in the immediate 
 vicinity of my mother's relations, many of whom mem- 
 ory recalls with great pleasure." He remembers par 
 ticularly Nicholas Depew, Esq., a cousin of his mother, 
 who in his day was extensively known as a man of large 
 estate, and of great capacity for business. " I love to 
 recall his name," says he " for the happy influence he 
 threw around my boyhood. I never entered his house 
 without receiving a smile, and I seem to see it yet whenever 
 I think of the man ; and the pleasant tones of his voice, 
 calling me his ' little Moses? still linger about me like the 
 floating sounds of distant music. So uniform was his 
 disposition, I never remember seeing him otherwise than 
 in a pleasant mood. Added to this were the still higher 
 graces of the Christian. None ever questioned the reali- 
 ty of his piety. It exerted over him a controlling influ- 
 ence, and whether at home or abroad, he manifested 
 alike his adherence to the principles he professed. He 
 was very systematic in the management of his farm ; 
 the hours of labor, of relaxation, and of rest were so ar- 
 ranged, and so uniformly observed, that any one who 
 understood them, would know what were his engage, 
 ments at any particular part of the day.
 
 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 The buildings on his farm were mostly of stone, and 
 were arranged with the same attention to order that char- 
 acterized whatever he did. His domestics had no occasion 
 to interfere with each other, for each had his appointed 
 labor, and his separate apartment, and things within and 
 without the house went on harmoniously and pleasantly. 
 
 His kindness to the poor was a marked characteristic 
 of the man. They came to him in their need and found 
 him ever ready to administer to their real necessities. 
 Many who were thus assisted he could easily distinguish 
 by their voice ; and happening one day to be passing by 
 a public house, in his neighborhood, he overheard some of 
 them indulging in boisterons wit, and singing bar-room 
 songs. He was much pained with their conduct, and 
 learning that they were accustomed thus to idle away 
 their time, and spend their earnings for what was worse 
 than useless, he began to question the propriety of giving 
 to such men, whether it did not tend to encourage them 
 in their vicious habits, and whether he was not charge- 
 able with ministering to their depravity, instead of doing 
 them good. He resolved therefore to give them no 
 more. But learning that some who were reached by his 
 bounty were worthy and were made to suffer from their 
 connection with these dissolute persons, and condemned 
 their conduct, while unable to prevent it, he receded some- 
 what from his purpose, resolving not to withhold his assist- 
 ance, so long as it was reaching the really deserving. Such 
 was the character of this excellent man, and I can but 
 feel in reviewing it that "the memory of the just is 
 blessed." 
 
 The early history of Van Campen we gather from his
 
 MOSES VA.N CAMPED. 5 
 
 -own lips, and events that were impressed deeply on his 
 own mind, would very naturally assume a more promi- 
 nent place than others, and these might not be alike in- 
 teresting to all. Yet there are influences common to all, 
 gathered around the firesides of our homes, whose ten- 
 dency is not to be mistaken, and so far as they have 
 exerted a permanent effect on the character, deserve 
 more than a passing notice. Of this kind were the influ- 
 ences thrown around Van Campen's early years, by a 
 tender and affectionate mother. These influences 
 though at the time they may have been considered slight, 
 .have no doubt been effective in giving direction to his 
 whole after life. She was a woman of more than ordi- 
 nary force of character, yet this did not embrace anything 
 not appropriate to her sex. Affectionate but at the same 
 time decided, she was admirably fitted to mould the 
 youthful mind, and give to it touches that would retain 
 their impress, even amid the distracting tumults of life. 
 A better illustration of this could not be given, than 
 in the fact that from her he received his earliest impres- 
 sions of religion ; and though these impressions may 
 seem to have been lost amid the rough scenes through 
 which he passed, yet the experience of after years gave 
 ample proof of the power they retained over his mind. 
 She early instilled info his mind the first principles of 
 truth, and taught him to acknowledge and revere the 
 overruling presence and power of the Supreme Being. 
 The first nine years of his life were under her care and 
 tuition. He was then sent to a neighboring school, 
 where after learning the first rudiments of education he 
 was permitted to enter upon the study of surveying. He
 
 6 LIFE AXD ADVENTURES OF 
 
 also gained some knowledge of navigation, in hope of 
 some day sailing on the water ; a hope never realized. 
 
 The boys at the school had a play called Throwing at 
 Suck, which interested him much. A stick ending in 
 three prongs was placed so as to stand upright. The 
 point in the play was to see who by throwing at the top 
 of this could knock it over the greatest number of times. 
 The boys of the school were nearly equally divided be- 
 tween those who came from up the river, called the Up- 
 per School, and those who came from down the river, 
 called the Lower School. The game was usually played 
 by dividing between Upper and Lower schools. In these 
 games the upper school party to which Moses belonged, 
 were more often victorious, which unfortunately gave 
 rise to many unpleasant feelings between the two parties. 
 One side claimed a superiority which was not acknowl- 
 edged by the other, and their disputes at length arose so- 
 high it was decided to try the question of comparative 
 strength by a regular tight. 
 
 The day of battle was appointed, and when it came 
 the boys naturally loitered around the school-house, un- 
 til the teacher was out of sight, and then came up in bat- 
 tle array to commence their scuffle. Moses led his party 
 and advanced with his men, determined on gaining the 
 victory. The reception was warm and the scuffle con- 
 tinued for some time doubtful, but finally the upper 
 school began to gain the ascendency, and soon their an- 
 tagonists fled and left them in possession of the ground. 
 
 The experience of Moses' school-boy days differs little 
 perhaps from that of others attending a public school. 
 There are the same strifes and jealousies, defeats and.
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 7 
 
 victories, animosities and friendships, common to all, 
 which relieve these days of monotony, and impart to 
 them the novelty of adventure. But the time of his 
 boyhood was not wholly given to the school-room, and 
 his physical energies were not impaired by the protracted 
 labor and confinement often given to an extended course 
 of study. His bodily strength was improved by sur- 
 roundings demanding of him constant activity, and it 
 seemed prophetic of the active life that awaited him. 
 
 He speaks thus of himself : " When about twelve years 
 old my father and mother went to meeting on a Sabbath 
 morning in September, and left me at home to watch a 
 field of wheat. My business was to watch this field and 
 drive off the pigeons, which came down upon it in such 
 multitudes as to cover the ground, and threaten to pick 
 up the grain before it had time to sprout. I obeyed the 
 orders given me, and drove off the pigeons till I became 
 tired. For as often as I started them up from one side 
 of the field, they would fly a little way and light down 
 again, and go at picking up the grain. In my perplexity 
 and trouble I thought of my father's gun, a famous old 
 fowling piece brought from Holland, five or six feet long, 
 which hung up in the house, in a place where it was 
 always to be found when not in use. With childlike 
 eagerness I ran to the house climbed up by a chair, and 
 made out to reach the gun, already loaded with a good 
 round charge of powder and pigeon shot ; shouldered it 
 and hurried back to put my new plan on trial. As I 
 came near where the birds were all at work filling their 
 crops and having no thought of danger ; I crept care- 
 fully up to the fence, and putting the trusty old piece
 
 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 between the rails, I fired away at them bravely. The 
 gun kicked me over. I never had fired a gun before, 
 and had as little thought of being served that way, as 
 the poor pigeons I shot at. I had seen my father taking 
 sight when he shot, and trying to do as he did, I put my 
 face down close to the piece just back of the lock, and 
 when I fired, it flew back, knocked me over and raked 
 my nose from end to end. I made havoc however among 
 the birds, killing according to my best recollection about 
 twenty of them. I felt at first highly gratified ; I thought 
 I had performed a great exploit. But this feeling did 
 not last long. I soon began to be troubled, for I knew 
 my father would not approve of what I had done. I had 
 taken his gun without liberty and fired it, and a flogging 
 began to haunt my imagination. I carried my game to 
 the house and deposited it in the cellar, and wished I 
 might in some way escape detection. But I wished in 
 vain, my poor nose betrayed me. 
 
 My mother in the tenderness of her heart would have 
 passed it by, because I was generally obedient, and 
 because she knew when her husband resorted to the rod 
 he did not use it lightly. But my sadly scraped nose 
 and the empty gun were two witnesses that could neither 
 be bribed nor put to silence. The result was a thorough 
 dressing and a charge to take care what I did in the 
 future." 
 
 From this time forward, until he was sixteen, the habits 
 of young Van Campen were those of early rising and of 
 hardy industry. Not being accustomed to effeminacies 
 of any kind he grew up with a vigor of constitution that 
 could brave the inclemencies of the weather without any 
 great inconvenience from the exposure.
 
 MOSES VAX OAMPEN. 9 
 
 In the fall when the people usually plowed the flats 
 for wheat, he was accustomed to be up, have his horses 
 harnessed and be ready to start the plow as soon as it 
 was light enough to trace a furrow. This was the fashion 
 among the thriving farmers in that part of the country, 
 and all the lads of his age grew up fresh and strong, 
 fitted for any kind of labor and resolute to carry it on. 
 The flat land along the Delaware river was generally 
 reserved for grain, while the hills bordering on the west 
 afforded abundant pasturage for cattle. The country 
 was new and deer were often seen sporting or cropping 
 in the woods, or leaping up the hills, or crossing the cat- 
 tle-paths with which the forest abounded. "When Van 
 Campen was between fifteen and sixteen years of age, 
 his father allowed him to carry his loaded rifle when he 
 went to drive up the cows. 
 
 "It was a new thing for me," he says, "I was very 
 anxious to handle a gun and try it on a deer. As I went 
 along I watched with a great deal of solicitude for an 
 opportunity to get a shot, and as I was pursuing my way 
 through the woods, what should meet my eye but a fine 
 large buck ! He was passing along not far away, and 
 when he came opposite to where I was, stood perfectly 
 still, and looked toward me, with his broad side exposed 
 to my view. I rested my piece across a log and fired. 
 The deer darted away furiously and in a moment was 
 out of sight behind the bushes. I was so much of a 
 novice in hunting I did not know whether I had hit him 
 or not, and made no stop to look after my game, but 
 went right on with the cows toward home. 
 
 My father had heard the report of the rifle and as soon 
 as he saw me inquired :
 
 10 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 * "What did you shoot at, my son ?' 
 
 I answered, a deer, but did not know whether I had 
 killed him, or even hurt him at all. 
 
 'How did he act?' said he. 
 
 He jumped into the air, said I, kicked, switched his 
 tail, and was out of sight in a moment. 
 
 ' You must have hit him,' said my father,' can you take 
 me to the place ?' 
 
 I said I could, and went with him to the place, and 
 found a tuft of hair lying on the ground. 
 
 'You have hit him,' said my father.' 
 
 A few steps further and we saw blood, and we tracked 
 him by the blood, and very soon came to where we saw 
 the noble animal lying, stretched out on the ground 
 before us. 
 
 It was the first deer I had ever killed, the first indeed 
 I had ever shot at. I felt myself a man at once, arid 
 nothing would do but I must carry a quarter to our 
 neighbor, Mr. Shoemaker, a connection of my mother by 
 marriage. As soon as it was dressed I shouldered it and 
 marched off, carrying it with a light and joyous heart to 
 his house, happy in being the bearer of the important 
 present myself. I arrived quickly at his door, when he 
 accosted me very abruptly. 
 
 'What have you there on your shoulder?' 
 
 A leg of a deer, sir, said I. 
 
 'Why !' said he, 'You will be prosecuted and sent to 
 jail. Squire Depew is in the house, and if he gets his 
 eye on you, you will be brought up and tried for killing 
 a deer contrary to law. Run with it into the kitchen, 
 and don't let him see you on any account '
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 11 
 
 My high thoughts dropped in an instant. I felt cheap 
 enough The idea of being sent to jail for breaking the 
 law alarmed me greatly, and I hastened home as fast as 
 possible. The fact was I had shot my buck at the time 
 of the year when the law did not allow deer to be killed. 
 The law authorized the hunting of deer only between 
 the first of July and the first of January. I had killed 
 mine in June, and was therefore liable to prosecution. 
 
 My alarm however died away very soon, and I began 
 to feel myself a man again, and of sufficient importance 
 to havo a rifle of my own. I had fired but two shots at 
 any kind of game, and in both instances had done exe- 
 cution. One of my shots however, I did not speak of 
 very often. I had grown to be nearly a man in size and 
 was able to make such a plea for myself as to induce my; 
 father to buy me one."
 
 CHAPTEE II. 
 
 Van Campen was now sixteen years old, the owner of 
 a rifle, and disposed to use it, when occasion presented. 
 A fall of snow afforded a fine opportunity for tracking 
 deer, and invited him forth to try his skill in hunting. 
 Traversing the woods for a time he discovered three ; 
 the leader a doe followed by her two fawns. Aiming at 
 the first he made a wild shot, and hit the last. This part 
 of the story he kept to himself, and carried home his 
 fawn, thinking he would make a fortunute hunter, he 
 had shot but three times, and each time had killed, and 
 a fortunate hunter in his opinion, was quite an important 
 person. 
 
 By his frequent trials of the gun and his wanderings 
 through the forest, young Van Campen was making him- 
 self familiar with the forest, as well as the use of his rifle. 
 Yet this was not the only training he had at this period 
 of his life. His duties as a farmer imposed on him a life 
 of activity, and toil, and occasionally of real danger. 
 
 The farmers living on the Delaware above the Water 
 Gap, were accustomed to send their surplus wheat down 
 the river to Philadelphia, to be sold. They used for this 
 purpose what were called Durham boats. They were 
 large, and capable of carrying ten or twelve tons apiece. 
 Wheat was their staple and much depended on getting 
 it safely into market. 
 (12)
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 1$ 
 
 "In one of the late freshets in the spring of 1770," he 
 says, "my father in company with Mr. Shoemaker fitted 
 out a boat, which was manned by myself, young Shoe- 
 maker and four others including the .pilot. A negro 
 belonging to Mr. Shoemaker's family was one of the 
 number. He had never been down the river, and was 
 attracted by the novelty of a ride upon the water. When 
 everything was ready we pushed off from the shore and 
 were soon moving along at a merry rate down the river. 
 We made very good progress, with little of variety other 
 than a good natured joke, and a hearty laugh from old 
 Simon, the negro, until we came in sight of Trenton Falls. 
 Here our pilot began to express fears about a safe pass- 
 age, remarking that the river had fallen very much within 
 the past few hours. He said f Boys keep your eyes out, 
 for we shall have a pretty close rub here.'" 
 
 The Trenton Falls were rapids where the main body 
 of the water divided, sweeping off to the right and left, 
 and ran between ledges of rocks, the one called the Out- 
 side, the other the Inside Gap. It was quite dangerous 
 to pass over these falls, at high water, extremely danger- 
 ous when the water was low. 
 
 They watched the boat with great anxiety, as she be- 
 gan to move faster and faster, borne along by the rapid, 
 and every heart beat quick as she entered the Gap. 
 When she had passed about half way through, she 
 struck a rock ; a plank was knocked in ; the boat 
 leaked very fast, and they were in danger of losing their 
 whole cargo, if not their lives. 
 
 While in the height of their peril, and they were 
 struggling, as in a case of life and death, old Simon
 
 14 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 called out to young Shoemaker : " Young massa, 
 pray ; we all get drownded ; you never pray ; time 
 you begin now / if old massa here, he pray for us." 
 
 What effect it had on young Shoemaker, is not known ; 
 Van Campen was considerably impressed by it, and it 
 may have led them all to realize their dependence on a 
 higher power for success. As it was they worked hard, 
 ran the boat ashore, and were successful in saving most 
 of the wheat, yet their fortunes were not made by the 
 trip. 
 
 It will not be expected, neither would it be desirable 
 for us to record every event of Van Campen's early life, 
 yet it will be seen from the incidents already given, and 
 which indeed are common to every newly settled coun- 
 try, that they were adapted to foster a bold and enter- 
 prising spirit, arid lay the foundation for that physical 
 endurance demanded by the events that were destined 
 soon to come into his life experience. 
 
 Not far from this period of Van Campen's life, his 
 father, in company with a brother, was led to purchase 
 land in the valley of Wyoming, intending if circum- 
 stances should favor it, to make this his residence. The 
 fame of this valley had been widely circulated among 
 the inhabitants of Pennsylvania. It was called the most 
 beautiful land in the world. In fertility of soil, it was 
 said to surpass all other lands. Hence it was regarded 
 as something very desirable, to obtain possession of so 
 delightful a portion of the earth ; and though the title 
 was unsettled, being in dispute between the States of 
 -Connecticut and Pennsylvania, Mr. Van Campen ven- 
 ured to purchase under the title of his own State, and
 
 MOSES VAN' CAMPEN. 15 
 
 in the spring of 1769, took his son Moses with him to 
 cultivate his newly purchased farm. The other members 
 of the family were left at home, under the impression 
 that it would not be well to bring them into what was 
 then, and what continued to be for many years, a scene 
 of conflict. 
 
 This valley had been a subject of dispute between those 
 two States ever since the year 1753 when the thought 
 of .planting a colony here was first entertained by the 
 people of Connecticut, under the belief that it was in- 
 cluded in the grant of James I., in 1620 to the old Plym- 
 outh Colony. A company formed with a view to the 
 possession and settlement of this valley by Connecticut, 
 and called the Susquehanna Company, was directly op- 
 posed by another formed by the Pennsylvanians, called 
 the Delaware Company, which maintained that the grant 
 from Charles II to William Penn, covered the claim of 
 Connecticut. To strengthan these claims each party 
 bought the land also of the Indians, who were doubtless 
 well pleased with the opportunity of selling the land 
 twice. Still further support was claimed by each, from 
 legal decisions obtained in England. 
 
 Those who came from Connecticut to settle here relied, 
 no doubt, on the validity of the title received from their 
 own State. The Pennsylvanians also had full confidence 
 in the title of their State, and as there appeared to be 
 very little hope of coming to an amicable settlement of 
 the matter, each claimant seemed disposed to maintain 
 his possession by force. Angry feelings gave rise to 
 bitter words, and these in turn to blows, until finally 
 there was a resort to arms. One party retained posses-
 
 16 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 sion until driven away by the other ; and this in turn 
 held its ground, until compelled to yield to the superior 
 numbers, and power, of the opposing Company. 
 
 Such being the condition of things here Van Campen 
 the father, thought it unadvisable to bring his family 
 into this region of turmoil and strife, and hence relin- 
 quished, for the present, the idea of cultivating the 
 beautiful land of Wyoming, and having disposed of his 
 farm on the Delaware, he removed with his family in 
 1773 to Northumberland County on the North Branch 
 of the Susquehanna, and purchased a tract of land on 
 Fishing Creek eight miles above its junction with said 
 river. 
 
 Moses was now in his seventeenth year, and finding 
 here a territory abounding in a variety of game, he was 
 allured more than ever to the use of his rifle. Wild 
 turkeys and deer abounded in the upland wood bordering 
 on the flats, and no pastime was more inviting than the 
 hours he could spend, when released from the labor of 
 the farm, in wandering over hill and dale, until laden 
 with the spoils of the chase, when he would return to 
 share the booty with others. The exercise was healthful 
 and pleasant ; it served to expand and strengthen his 
 frame, and at the same time extended his acquaintance 
 with the region traversed. 
 
 In these excursions he often fell in with parties of In- 
 dians who came here to hunt. They came here often 
 from their settlements along the waters of the Genesee 
 river, and encamping here would spend several weeks in 
 hunting. In his intercourse with the Indians he became 
 acquainted, among others, with a chief belonging to the
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 17 
 
 Seneca tribe, named Ton Shenap. He was a very suc- 
 cessful hunter, and had the name also of being a great 
 warrior. He had a noble, dignified appearance, and 
 seeming to be courteous, and quite accessible, Moses 
 soon established with him a familiar acquaintance. He 
 was invited to his camp, and often hunted with him dur- 
 ing the day, and would stay with him during the night. 
 In these hunts Moses always found him to be his su- 
 perior ; and became anxious to know how it was Shenap 
 excelled him so much in killing deer. He was led to in- 
 quire of the old chief one day, how much he would ask 
 to show him how to kill deer. " I want you to teach me," 
 said Moses. 
 
 Shenap said, "I will tell you how to Mil deer for a 
 quart of rum" 
 
 Moses agreed to give him the quart of rum, and desired 
 him to tell him there and then. But no ; he would not 
 do this before he brought the rum. The rum was 
 obtained, and when handed to him, Shenap said, " Well, 
 now I tell you. You get up early, VEKY EAKLY, in 
 the morning / you go to the head of little streams / 
 there deer feed / walk slow / look sharp ; bime-by 
 you see him / then shoot close, and you kill him / 
 that's all " 
 
 During the two years immediately following the com- 
 ing of the Van Campens into Northumberland county, 
 the events of special interest to young Van Campen were 
 connected with the chase. These were very numerous 
 and so ardently did he engage in this fascinating sport, 
 that he became quite an expert in the use of the rifle, 
 and familiar with the best grounds for its use. With
 
 18 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 this preparation he was coming very near the time when 
 hostilities would commence between Great Britain and 
 her American Colonies. 
 
 At about this time, 1775, the old feuds existing between 
 the rival Companies interested in the settlement of the 
 Valley of Wyoming, arose to their height. During the 
 few years before this time, several encounters had taken 
 place, in which blood was shed on both sides, notwith- 
 standing which the population had increased largely, 
 while the hostility between the two parties had been 
 growing apace, so that the quarrel seemed likely to assume 
 the character of a civil war between the two States claim- 
 ing the ground. It was at a time when every arm should 
 have been nerved in defense of the whole country. 
 
 The weighty interests involved made it desirable that 
 this strife should cease, and the energies of all be concen- 
 trated on the struggle for national independence. One 
 more effort however was made by Pennsylvania to main- 
 tain her right to the soil, which she thonght invaded by 
 the people of Connecticut. For this purpose a company 
 was raised to march under the direction of Col. Plunkct, 
 and as Mr. Van Campen was one of the proprietors, he 
 was called upon by the other owners to enlist in the enter- 
 prise Being young and fond of adventure Moses asked 
 his father if he might not go in his place. His request 
 being granted, he joined the expedition. 
 
 A company consisting of seven hundred men com- 
 menced its march about the first of December. They 
 were well provided with arms, provisions and military 
 stores, conveyed up the river by a large boat, while the 
 little army marched with it along the shore. Their
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 19 
 
 march was slow ; being governed by the progress of the 
 boat, impeded in places by the rapidity of the current, 
 and by the ice thatfloated in the river. 
 
 On the twenty-fourth of December they came to the 
 foot of Nanticoke Falls, a little below the outlet of 
 Wyoming Valley. Here the river was so full of ice it 
 was found impracticable to ascend the falls ; Plunket 
 ordered a halt, and directed his men to take in their 
 knapsacks a supply of provisions and march directly for 
 Fort Wyoming 
 
 Leaving therefore, a small party to guard the boat, he 
 proceeded with his men up the river. Before advancing 
 far, they came in view of an abrupt point of Shawanese 
 Mountain, which extended down toward the river and 
 presented a rough precipitous front. Approaching this 
 they found it strongly fortified, and as they came near, 
 the settlers rose from behind a rampart and discharged 
 at them a volley of musketry. Though this fire did little 
 harm, it sent a sudden panic through Plunket's troops* 
 and led them to retreat, so as to be out of reach of their 
 guns, and here they held a consultation on what was best 
 to be done in this emergency. 
 
 It seemed very clear the colonists had anticipated their 
 ooming and were prepared for a gallant defense. To 
 drive them from their fortification would be a hazardous 
 undertaking, and to march into the valley through the 
 defile, under the rampart would expose themselves to a 
 fearful loss. The only course left for them, seemed to 
 "be to cross the river and march into the valley on the 
 other side. This they resolved to do, and having a bat- 
 teau, they conveyed it by land above the falls, and with
 
 20 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 this expected to gain the Other side of the river. Plun- 
 ket was in the first boat that started across. The settlers- 
 had anticipated them here also, for before they reached 
 the opposite shore they were fired upon from an ambus- 
 cade and one of their number killed. Plunket directed 
 the boat to be steered down the river, and as many as 
 could, to lie down and thus escape the fire of the enemy. 
 Plunket's men who remained on the western shore saw 
 that the fire proceeded from the bushes on the opposite 
 side, and they fired into^them and killed one of the colo- 
 nists named Bo wen. 
 
 Plunket's army was again in consultation. It wa 
 found that the obstacles they would be obliged to sur- 
 mount, were greater than they anticipated ; what they 
 supposed would be an easy conquest, they found could 
 be gained only by a severe, protracted and perhaps 
 doubtful struggle. They were not prepared for a long 
 siege, or for a hazardous encounter, and as winter was 
 threatening soon to close up the river, it was thought 
 best to return without further effort to force their way 
 into the valley. In accordance with this determination 
 they commenced their march homeward and found it 
 easier to go down the river than up. 
 
 Though in this expedition young Van Campen held no 
 conspicuous place, nor performed any daring exploit, it 
 may have proved of some advantage, as it gave him a 
 knowledge of a few of the dangers and hardships of 
 camp-life ; and as at one time he heard the bullet as it 
 whizzed by him, he could judge whether there was some- 
 thing in it so terrifying, as to lead him ever after to 
 shun the field of battle. Such a decision at this time it
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 21 
 
 was important to make ; for the hour had come, when 
 one voice was whispering in the ears of all, bidding 
 them 
 
 " Strike, for their altars and their fires, 
 God, and their native land."
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 The year 1763 is memorable for the dawn of English 
 supremacy on this continent. Peace had been concluded 
 with France, the arms of England, by land and sea, had 
 been crowned with signal success ; never before had 
 .she risen to a higher pitch of dominion and glory. But 
 her achievements had been gained only at great expense, 
 and added largely to her already heavy indebtedness. 
 Her ministry in looking about for means to replenish her 
 treasury, conceived the idea of taxing the American 
 Colonies, that were supposed to have been profited by her 
 warlike enterprises. With this in view the Stamp Act 
 was passed by Parliament to come in force, " from and 
 after the first day of November 1765." 
 
 Notice of the design to tax her American Colonies had 
 been given the year before. It did not come upon them 
 suddenly, there had been time for reflection. When it 
 came it created great opposition. 
 
 It is worthy of note that when those differences began, 
 which resulted finally in the separation of the colonies 
 from the parent country, their germinal influences may 
 be traced to the time, when her achievements had made 
 her the leading power of the world. It is likewise a 
 a deeply suggestive thought, that the fathers of our 
 country were not awed into silence, by this overshadow- 
 ing power ; and were not prevented by it from express^ 
 (22)
 
 MOSES VAX CAMPEIT. 23 
 
 ing their earnest and honest convictions. The thought of 
 resisting it, did not terrify, the idea of meeting it in 
 battle, did not overwhelm them with fear. 
 
 The first note of opposition to the Stamp Act was 
 raised by Patrick Henry in the house of burgesses in 
 Virginia, in May 1765. The resolutions that voiced 
 his sentiments, were strenuously opposed by some who 
 were afterward foremost, in their support of the Revo- 
 lution. Yet after a long and heated debate they were 
 passed by a small majority. These resolutions defined 
 the rights of the colonies as British subjects, established 
 by royal charter, .and justly entitled to all the immunities 
 and privileges of Englishmen, and denied the right of 
 the British Parliament to impose a tax upon them, assert- 
 ing that to the colonies alone, belonged the right of 
 taxing themselves. In his bold and impressive speech in 
 support of the closing resolution, Mr. Henry used these 
 significant words : " Caesar had his Brutus, Charles the 
 First his Cromwell, and George the Third, " Treason !" 
 cried the speaker, "treason, treason," echoed from 
 all parts of the house, without faltering in the least, 
 he assumed a loftier attitude, and in a deeper, more im- 
 pressive tone, added, * may profit by their example ! 
 If this be treason, make the most of it /* 
 
 These resolutions issuing from the heart of Virginia, 
 aroused a kindred spirit in the other colonies, uniting 
 them all, in their opposition. The repeal of the Stamp 
 Act, being followed by measures, alike subversive in 
 their tendency, to the liberty of the colonies, resulted in 
 the call of a Congress, to be composed of delegates from 
 
 *Wirt's life of Patrick Henry.
 
 24 LIFE AND ADVENTUBES OF 
 
 all the colonies. This Congress assembled at Philadel- 
 phia, Sept. 5, IT 74. Peyton Randolph of Virginia, was 
 chosen its President, and when the assembly was organ- 
 ized for business, a deep silence pervaded the house, that 
 seemed like the solemnity of death. The most distin- 
 guished men of the nation were here assembled. Their 
 deliberations would materially affect the condition and 
 prospects of millions of people. Every heart realized 
 the immense interests pending on the occasion. Who 
 would break that silence, more impressive than the power 
 of words to express ? 
 
 Then it was Patrick Henry, justly styled, the orator 
 of the Revolution, " arose slowly, as if borne down by 
 the weight of the subject. After faltering according to 
 his habit, through the most impressive exordium, in which 
 he merely echoed back the consciousness of every other 
 heart, in deploring his ability to do justice to the occa- 
 sion, he launched gradually into a recital of colonial 
 wrongs. Rising as he advanced, with the grandeur of 
 his subject, and glowing at length with the majesty and 
 expectation of the occasion, his speech seemed more than 
 that of mortal man. There was no rant, no rhapsody, 
 no labor of the understanding, no straining of the voice, 
 no confusion of utterance. His countenance was erect, 
 his eye steady, his action noble, his enunciation 
 clear and firm, his mind poised on its centre, his views 
 of his subject comprehensive and great, and his imagin- 
 ation corruscating with a magnificence and variety, which 
 struck even that assembly with amazement and awe. He 
 sat down amidst murmurs of astonishment and applause." 
 
 Such is the admirable portrait drawn by the pen of
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 25 
 
 Wm Wirt of this wonderful man, as he stood on the 
 floor of this Congress of the colonies ; and the few glit- 
 tering fragments of his eloquence, on colonial rights and 
 British oppression that have come down to us, clearly 
 evince how largely instrumental were these utterances 
 in nerving the minds of the American people, for the 
 struggle before them. The excitement passed from one 
 colony and neighborhood to another, until the conviction 
 prevailed in every community, that the only escape from 
 the oppressive measures of the British ministry, must be 
 by an appeal to arms. 
 
 It was at this stage of the dispute between America 
 and Great Britain, that young Van Campen became fired 
 -with the spirit which was carried into the remote settle- 
 ments, of resisting, to the last breath the oppressive 
 measures of England. He had watched the progress of 
 this discussion, had beheld with an indignant feeling, the 
 -oppressive designs of the British Parliament, and was 
 ready when the opportunity came, to cast his feeble might 
 .into the scale of opposition. 
 
 He was residing at this time with his father on his 
 farm on the waters of Fishing Creek, twenty-eight miles 
 above Northumberland He was considerably removed 
 from what then appeared to be a point of danger, yet 
 should the Indian take part in the conflict, he was where 
 this terrible foe would be likely to come. 
 
 As the notes of preparation for the anticipated struggle 
 ontinned to fall more and more distinctly on the ear, 
 the lines of difference became more and more apparent, 
 and friends were readily distinguished from foes. The 
 night ride of Paul Revere to spread the alarm, and arouse
 
 26 LIFE AND ADVENTUBES OF 
 
 men to defend the military stores at Concord, the firing 
 of the British on the men gathered at Lexington, the 
 hasty assembling of men to punish the British on their 
 return from Concord, firing at them from stone walls, 
 trees, rocks, fence-corners, and whatever other rampart 
 they could find, seemed but to echo back the voice of 
 Henry reverberating through the land," " We must fight, 
 I repeat it sir, we must fight" 
 
 Public speakers passed from one settlement to another, 
 setting forth in glaring colors, the imperiled rights of the 
 Americans and infusing the people with the spirit of 
 war. 
 
 To prepare more effectually for the crisis at hand the 
 young men of Van Campen's age, living on the north 
 branch of the Susquehannah, chose him as their captain 
 and met once a week, to practice with the rifle and en- 
 gage in exercises suited to the battle-field. They were 
 already expert in the use of the gun in pursuing game, 
 with which the country abounded. Almost every young 
 man in that region had his gun, and was accustomed 
 to its use. But this skill they deemed insufficient for the 
 struggle in which they were to engage. 
 
 Their preparation contemplated two kinds of warfare. 
 They needed to understand the maneuvers of a discip- 
 lined army, to meet successfully the soldiers of Great 
 Britain. They needed also to have some acquaintance 
 with the wiles of the Indian, and his methods of fighting. 
 
 Their practice was with reference to both kinds of 
 warfare. Besides the regular exercises of the militia 
 service, they engaged in the maneuvers of Indian war- 
 fare, in the thicket and in the wood ; they threw the
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEX. 27 
 
 tomahawk and drew the knife. Concealing themselves 
 with the adroitness of the savage, they practiced a sort 
 of skulking fire on their enemy, and having killed, they 
 went through the ceremony of taking his scalp. 
 
 Sometimes they would draw the figure of an Indian 
 warrior on a board with chalk, representing it as large 
 as life, and then place the board behind rising ground, 
 where, by going a little distance it would be out of sight. 
 Then selecting some part of the figure at which to shoot, 
 they would retreat some distance, and creep up with 
 trailed arms, until they came in sight of the object, when 
 they would rise, fire and retreat. The size of the bullet 
 holes indicated the shot each had made, as the bores of 
 their rifles differed in size. Some other part of the figure 
 might be selected, when the same action would be re- 
 peated, and the same examination take place to see who 
 had made the best shot. This practice would be kept up 
 until their Indian warrior was well nigh shot to pieces. 
 
 A similar practice was undertaken with the tomahawk. 
 The figure of an Indian would be marked out on a tree, 
 then standing a certain distance away, they would throw 
 the hatchet, aiming at the forehead, between the eyes, 
 or any other part selected, and they would very seldom 
 miss the mark. 
 
 Little did the British imagine when sending their 
 troops across the Atlantic to awe into submission a few 
 " rebellious subjects," that the boys of America were trim- 
 ming the woods with their hatchets, and driving naila 
 with their bullets, that they might cope with the Indian, 
 or take the button of a "red-coat" as far as eye could see 
 whenever the soil of freedom should be invaded. A
 
 28 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 nation of such spirits cannot be subdued. Foreign armies 
 may overrun their territory, its inhabitants be driven 
 from one point to another ; to seek refuge in mountain 
 fastnesses, or bury themselves in their forests, but be 
 subdued, they never wilL 
 
 In 1776 a regiment was raised in Northumberland 
 County, under Col. Cook, designed for the continental 
 army under Washington then stationed near Boston. 
 Young Van Campen eagerly enrolled his name in the 
 service of his country, was appointed to the office of 
 Ensign, and prepared to march to any place designated 
 for his company. 
 
 But the Committee of Safety for the county, through 
 the influence of Mr. James McClure, one of their num- 
 ber, and a man of high respectability and of much influ- 
 ence, dissuaded him from leaving the frontier, telling 
 him he was needed where he was, and could make him- 
 self useful there if anywhere, that it was the residence 
 of his friends, where his lot was cast, and it appeared 
 natural and proper for him to stay and defend those en- 
 deared to him by the intimacies and attachments of 
 home. 
 
 He knew that Van Campen had made himself familiar 
 with the Indian modes of warfare, and wanted neither 
 the disposition or skill, to meet them in their own place, 
 and fight them in their own way, and as it was expected 
 they would take part in the war, and join the forces of 
 the British, it became important that the frontier set- 
 tlements should be guarded ; for there the Indians would 
 be likely to come, and there his ravages would be ex- 
 perienced, and the severest injuries inflicted. Mr. Me-
 
 MOSES VAN CAHPEN. 2&. 
 
 Clure therefore used all his influence to persuade him to. 
 remain where he was, and listening to his sound reason* 
 ing and kind persuasions, he resigned his commission, 
 and resolved to remain at home. This decision formed 
 one of the turning points of his life.
 
 CHAPTER IY. 
 
 Though Van Campen had been active in preparation 
 for the impending struggle, it was not until the year 
 1777 that he fairly entered upon the life of a soldier. 
 The war had been begun, the news from Concord, Lex- 
 ington and Bunker Hill, came with electric touch, to a 
 thousand patriotic hearts, and multitudes began to move 
 toward the scene of strife ; from Maine to Georgia men 
 stepped forth to meet, as best they could, the arms of 
 the British. Every royal governor in the colonies had 
 been removed, Independance declared, and sustained by 
 the almost unanimous voice of the people. 
 
 The Indians had hitherto been persuaded to remain 
 neutral ; but by appeals to their cupidity they were in- 
 duced to take part in the war. The Six Nations having 
 assembled in council at Oswego, were to'd by the Royal 
 Commissioners, " that the people of the States were few 
 in number, and could easily be subdued, that because of 
 their disobedience to the King, they justly merited all 
 the punishment it was possible for white men and In- 
 dians to inflict upon them ;" stating at the same time 
 " that the King was rich in money and in men ; that his 
 rum was as plenty as the water in Lake Ontario ; his 
 men as numerous as the sands on its shore ; and that the 
 Indians, if they would assist in the war, and persevere in 
 (30)
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 31 
 
 their friendship for the King, should never want for 
 money or goods." 
 
 Persuaded by this appeal to an appetite, created and 
 fostered by the vices of England, the Chiefs entered into 
 an agreement with the Commissioners, pledging them- 
 selves with their people, to take up arms against the 
 rebels, and continue in his Majesty's service until they 
 were subdued. When the treaty was completed, the 
 Commissioners presented each Indian with a suit of 
 clothes, a brass kettle, a gun and a tomahawk, a scalp- 
 ing knife, a quantity of powder and lead, a piece of 
 gold, and promised a bounty on every scalp they should 
 bring in.* 
 
 Inctian hostilities were now expected by those living 
 in the settlements that bordered on the Susquehanna. 
 Indeed news had already reached them, of one and an- 
 other falling at their lonely habitation in the forest, by 
 the hand of the Indian. 
 
 This part of the frontier had hitherto been protected 
 "by the volunteer scouts, that ranged up and down along 
 the outer settlements ; yet notwithstanding their vigi- 
 lance, the wily Indian had found occasion to rush from 
 his hiding place, and bring sudden and terrible death 
 upon many of the inhabitants scattered along the North, 
 and West branches of the Susquehanna. Some means, it 
 was thought, was necessary to secure more effectually the 
 inhabitants of that region from Indian depredations. To 
 supply them with a regular, instead of a temporary force, 
 acting at intervals, and not sufficient in number to afford 
 effective resistance to the invading foe, the militia was 
 
 *Mrs. Jemison's Narrative.
 
 32 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 brought into the field, and in this Van Campen served as. 
 Orderly Sergeant, in a regiment commanded by Col. 
 John Kelly, and in the company of Thomas Gaskins. 
 
 The regiment was ordered up the river, to take their 
 station at Reid's Fort, built opposite what was called Big 
 Island, in the Susquehanna river. From this point 
 scouting parties were sent in such directions, as were 
 likely to afford the best opportunity of detecting the 
 approaching foe. Constant vigilance was thus main- 
 tained to prevent any sudden attack upon the inhabi- 
 tants within the region they were enabled to traverse. 
 
 The services of the year were mainly of the same charac- 
 ter ; the greatest inconvenience suffered here, was from 
 an occasional failure in their supply of provisions. Yet 
 even at such times they had relief by resorting to the 
 neighboring fields, where they found potatoes. Many 
 of the inhabitants through fear of the Indians had fled 
 from their farms, taking with them what they could of 
 value, but leaving quantities of potatoes in the ground. 
 These proved of great service, for they were often so 
 destitute, that had it not been for these, they would have 
 been in a condition of actual suffering. A small com- 
 pany was detailed to go after them, and a part would 
 dig with a spade and hoe, while a part would stand on 
 guard. In addition to this simple fare, they were some- 
 times favored with a few rounds of fresh pork. Many 
 had left their hogs that ran wild in the woods, living on 
 roots and acorns, and thus they obtained, in their -need, 
 a supply of meat. 
 
 About the only circumstance that seemed to open any- 
 thing like an opportunity for adventure, while Van Cam-
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEX. 33 
 
 pen was stationed here, was the sending out of a com- 
 pany of men to look after a party of Indians reported as 
 having encamped some thirty miles above, on the river, 
 at a place called Young Woman's Town ; from the 
 daughter of a chief, who had once presided there over 
 the remnant of a tribe, occupying this ground. 
 
 Van Campen was ordered to go with his company and 
 rout these Indians. A part of two days were occupied 
 in marching to the place appointed, keeping runners 
 ahead, to report anything they might learn about the 
 enemy. No traces could be found, though the search 
 was continued for several days. They returned to camp 
 by different routes, without making further discoveries. 
 
 Such was the nature of the service rendered by the 
 regiment of Col. Kelley while stationed at Reid's Fort. 
 Scouting parties ranged the country in every direction, 
 yet very few Indian depredations were committed in this 
 part of the frontier, owing doubtless to the fact that these 
 sons of the forest were largely employed in the warlike 
 enterprises going on at the north. A large number of 
 Indians were in the army commanded by General Bur- 
 goyne. This army having obtained possession of Lake 
 Champlain, Crown Point, and Ticonderoga, was pressing 
 its way toward Albany, in pursuance of a design to form 
 a junction with the army then at New York under the 
 command of General Clinton. His army was to move 
 north at the same time, and the two were to come to- 
 gether at or near Albany. The union thus formed would 
 give the British free communication between New York 
 and Canada, and at the same time separate troublesome 
 New England from her sister colonies.
 
 34 
 
 Connected with this was still another scheme, the suc- 
 cess of which would result in a still greater concentration 
 of British troops, at a point favorable for the conquest 
 of the rebellion, as represented by the armies of the 
 North. 
 
 Captain Brant, the distinguished leader of the Indians, 
 was under engagement to meet Col . St. Leger at Oswego 
 and then, with the forces under their command, they 
 were to go down the valley of the Mohawk together, and 
 bring up finally with the forces that were to assemble at 
 Albany. 
 
 Col. St. Leger paused on his way to reduce Fort Stan- 
 wix, afterward named Fort Schuyler. 
 
 This fort was under the command of Col. Gansvoort 
 and the coming of this army of Indians, British regulars, 
 Hessian auxiliaries, and New York loyalists, had been 
 anticipated by such preparations as they had been able 
 to make and as were greatly needed to withstand a siege. 
 
 Col. St. Leger supposing the garrison would readily 
 yield to his superior force, sent in with a flag of truce a 
 very pompous proclamation, lavish with promises in case 
 of a compliance with his wishes, and fearful with threat- 
 ening in case of refusal, demanding a surrender of the 
 fort. 
 
 But there was no thought of surrendering this fort to 
 the enemy. The siege had been anticipated, and officers 
 and men, had determined upon defending it to the last. 
 
 As soon as the advance of Col. St. Leger became 
 .known, the militia of Tryon County were summoned by 
 Gen, Herkimer, to march to the relief of Fort Schuyler. 
 The news of their coming reached the enemy and to
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 35 
 
 arrest its progress, or defeat its design, Brant, with his 
 Indian warriors, was sent forward to meet them. In 
 accordance with their custom an ambuscade was skillfully 
 planned and arranged, and Gen. Herkimer's men, from 
 their impatience to move forward, were suddenly and 
 unexpectedly drawn into it. The result though disas- 
 terous, was saved from defeat by the stubborn bravery 
 of the General, who though severely wounded continued 
 to order the battle, and turned what promised only defeat, 
 into a victory. The Indians were punished so severely 
 as greatly to dishearten them, and render welcome the 
 retreating cry, "Oonah!" as they saw their numbers 
 greatly diminished, and were ready now to fly in every 
 direction, under a shower of bullets from the surviving 
 Provincials. Very soon the siege which had hitherto 
 been vigorously prosecuted was broken up, and the enemy 
 disappeared leaving evidences of having departed in great 
 haste. 
 
 A trick very adroitly played upon them, served to 
 occasion the belief that General Arnold was coming at 
 the head of a large body of soldiers to break up the siege 
 at Fort Schuyler, and that he was near, and would soon 
 be upon them. 
 
 Suddenly, and to the amazement of all, the camp of 
 the besiegers was broken up, and the British and Indians 
 fled in great haste, as when the Syrians were made " to 
 hear the noise of chariots, and the noise of horses, even 
 the noise of a great host, and fled in the twilight, and left 
 their tents and their horses, even the camp as it was, and 
 fled for their life." 
 
 So great was their panic, and such the precipitancy of
 
 36 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 their flight, they left their tents standing, their provisions, 
 artillery, ammunition, their entire camp equipage, and 
 large quantities of other articles enhancing the value of 
 the booty.* 
 
 The campaign of General Burgoyne was equally un- 
 fortunate. Constantly beleaguered by the foes he had 
 conquered, with the necessity of obtaining supplies for 
 his army from a distance, which increased as he continued 
 to advance, by roads well nigh impassable, from continued 
 and copious rains, deficient in the number of horses re- 
 quired for this arduous service, and his men wearied and 
 worn by the discomfort and labor attending their march,, 
 he began to realize that it was not an easy undertaking 
 after all, "with ten thousand men to march through the 
 whole rebel country at pleasure" as he vauntingly de- 
 clared in the presence of his countrymen, before setting 
 out to grapple with the realities of the undertaking. 
 Difficulties continued to increase, and draw their ever 
 tightening folds around him, until he was led to surrender 
 his army on the 17th of October 1777. 
 
 "While Van Campen was at Ried's Fort, an incident oc- 
 curred which serves to illustrate somewhat the customs 
 prevailing at that time, as well as give an idea of his 
 physical strength. He was now twenty years old, his 
 constitution naturally firm, had never been impaired by 
 sickness or by any injurious habit. " Nurtured," as he is 
 wont to say, " in the school of the rifle and tomahawk," he 
 had acquired great power of endurance, with muscles 
 firm and strong. He was about five feet and ten inches 
 
 *Col. Stone, Life of Brant, Vol. I. p. 262.
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 37 
 
 in height, well proportioned, fully developed, standing in 
 the pride and full vigor of youth. 
 
 On the west side of the river, nearly opposite where 
 they were located, was a tract of land settled by what 
 were called squatters, men of great muscular strength 
 and activity. Having derived their title to the land 
 from the Indians they were called, Indian-land-men. 
 The men of the fort were called Northumbrians. They 
 were challenged by the others to a wrestling match. 
 
 Wrestling was a very common exercise at the time 
 and as there had been some dispute between the two in 
 reference to their comparative strength, the Indian-land- 
 men, having a sufficiently high opinion of their own 
 powers, gave the challenge to the Northumbrians to 
 bring on their best man to match the one they would 
 select, and let it be decided by them, which party had 
 the best right to boast of its strength. 
 
 The mode of wrestling then practiced was to stand 
 breast to breast, and each place his hands on the other's 
 hips, clinch his trousers near the waistband and at the 
 word " ready" to put forth all their strength, the one 
 to lift the other off his feet, and throw him off his bal- 
 ance if possible, and he who was the quickest and smart- 
 est, was the best fellow. Captain Gaskins believing he 
 had men in his company equal to the occasion, accepted 
 the challenge. 
 
 Among those considered as likely to prove a sufficient 
 match for the champion selected on the other side Van 
 Campen was chosen. The time and place were appoint- 
 ed, the Indian-land-men attending on one side, and the 
 Northumbrians on the other. The whole party formed
 
 38 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 a ring large enough to allow all to see the sport, when 
 the antagonists stepped into the center. Gentlemanly- 
 arrangements were made so that no unfair advantage 
 should be taken, and requiring that each of the com- 
 batants should have an equal chance. Both were to 
 stand perfectly still till the question was put, " Are you 
 ready ? n When this was* put and answered in the 
 affirmative, the struggle was to commence, and each was 
 at liberty to use his utmost strength to throw the other. 
 
 Van Campen's antagonist was a stout muscular man, 
 McCormick by name, and the elder of the two. He was 
 accustomed to such exercises and seemed to be confident 
 of success. The men on his side were all raised to an in- 
 tensity of feeling that became very manifest, as every 
 movement was anxiously watched, since they no doubt 
 considered their honor was concerned in gaining the vic- 
 tory, after having given the challenge. 
 
 As for Van Oampen, though young he was full-grown, 
 round built, full chested, large limbed, and to the eye of 
 an observer, apparently clumsy and slow motioned, but 
 in reality he could lay out all his strength in an instant,. 
 or throw it into a single twitch. Aware that his Captain, 
 and all of his company were looking on with interest 
 and would feel unpleasantly to have their man defeated, 
 he determined to do his best, and if possible give the 
 first spring. 
 
 With this in view he was careful, after they had 
 taken their position to put the question himself, " Are' 
 you ready . ? " " Yes," said his antagonist, as quick as- 
 a flash, he jerked with all his might, raised him from the 
 ground, took a lock upon him and threw him in the
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 39 
 
 twinkling of an eye, upon his head and shoulders. He 
 rose in a second unhurt, and said, " Sir you can't do that 
 again." Van Campen replied promptly, We'll try it, sir.^ 
 
 They took another hold and the other was then too 
 quick for Van Campen. He attempted to take what at 
 that time was called the " crotch lock ;" Van Campen 
 understood his design very well and partly evaded his 
 hold, but he managed to raise him up from the ground 
 on his breast, carry him to the ring and made a great 
 effort to throAV him on his back, but failed, for while he 
 was laboring to throw him into a horizontal position, 
 Van Campen slipped his lock, and in the struggle made 
 out to get a firm foot hold on the ground, and as soon as 
 it was felt he in turn took the hip lock upon him, that is 
 threw his hip under him, bent forward with his hand 
 clinched in his trowsers near the waistband, raised him 
 and swung him through the air with his feet extended, 
 and hit a tall militia man six feet high, knocked him 
 down and several others at his side, and left his man in 
 their midst kicking and tumbling in a heap. 
 
 This raised a shout of laughter on both sides, and hav- 
 ing thrown him twice out of three times, Van Campen 
 was crowned conqueror by the laws of the game, and his 
 Captain and comrades were highly gratified to find that 
 their man had won the day. But as every thing had 
 been conducted fairly, no ill blood was excited, and no 
 unpleasant circumstances followed.
 
 CHAPTER Y. 
 
 Many of the western tribes also were drawn into 
 the British service. The Miamies, Ottawas, Chippewas, 
 Wyandots, Pottowatomies, Missisagies, Shawanese, Otta- 
 gamies, and Winnebagoes, were united in a confederation 
 more extensive and powerful, than any other known to the 
 whites in this country. The Ottawa as the oldest tribe had 
 precedence in the general councils, and Pontiak their chief 
 was recognized as emperor of a wide domain, extending 
 south and west of the Great Lakes, including also the 
 valley of the Mississippi, and its tributaries. His authority 
 was more extensive than that of any other Indian known 
 to the whites in this country. 
 
 When Major Rogers after the fall of Quebec, came 
 into this region to fulfil his orders, " to displace the 
 French ; Pontiak sent embassadors to say, "Our chief is 
 not far away, and he desires you to halt, until he can see 
 you with his own eyes ; he is the king of this country." 
 
 Pontiak soon met the English officer, and -demanded 
 his business, and how he dared enter his country without 
 permission! 
 
 The Major replied, "I have no design against the In- 
 dians, but have come to remove the French, our common 
 enemy, and the occasion of all our troubles;" at the same 
 time handing him belts of wampum. 
 
 Pontiak replied, " I stand in your path until to-morrow 
 (40)
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 41 
 
 morning. " As much as to say, you must not go further 
 without my leave" 
 
 It was said of Pontiak, " He puts on an air of majesty 
 and princely grandeur, and is greatly revered and honored 
 by his subjects." There was more system in his under^ 
 takings than has been discovered in any other of his 
 countrymen. At a second meeting he presented Major 
 Rogers with a pipe of peace, which both smoked by turns, 
 and then told him he might pass through the country 
 unmolested, and as a pledge of this, sent one hundred 
 warriors to assist and protect him. 
 
 At the beginning of the war of the Revolution, the 
 Americans sent messengers to Pontiak to invite him to 
 meet them in council. Pie was inclined to do so, but was 
 prevented from time to time by Governor Hamilton of 
 Detroit. His influence, had it been exerted, might have 
 prevented the calamities that fell upon the west and 
 northwest portions of Virginia. These were very severe 
 both before and during the war. 
 
 In the early part of 1777 small parties of Indians visited 
 the West Fork of the Monongahela. The family of 
 Charles Grigsby was surprised in the absence of Mr. 
 Grigsby, and his wife and two children were taken cap- 
 tives. Mrs. Grigsby and the younger child, unable to 
 keep up with the rest, were killed, and scalped. Very 
 soon after a daughter of Mr. Coon, engaged in turning 
 flax near Coon's fort, was shot and scalped by Indians 
 that had been lying in ambush near by. About this time 
 mischief of the same kind was done in the neighborhood 
 of Wheeling, by the Indians who were so adroit, as to 
 escape without being observed. Thomas Ryan was killed
 
 42 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 in the field while at work, and a negro with him was. 
 taken captive. 
 
 Hitherto the Indians had not come in force, and the 
 country here, as in Pennsylvania was guarded by scouts 
 ranging up and down where the enemy would be likely 
 to come. The inhabitants thus had a sense of security,, 
 and did not abandon their homes to seek protection in 
 forts. At this time the only places of refuge for the in- 
 habitants, aside from private forts and block-houses, were 
 at Pittsburg, Redstone, Wheeling, and Point Pleasant. 
 These were garrisoned, but not sufficiently strong to send 
 out detachments to meet an invading foe. Their action 
 was confined to repelling assaults, or the expulsion of 
 small parties of the enemy, committing depredations in. 
 their immediate vicinity. 
 
 In August '77 the word was brought to Fort Pitt that 
 a largo Indian force would soon strike a terrible blow on 
 some of the settlements on the Ohio. The inhabitants 
 along the river after being warned of their danger, very 
 generally retired to the forts, and prepared for the ex- 
 pected assault. The enemy very soon made his appear- 
 ance at Fort Wheeling, and came quite unexpectedly. 
 
 The scouting parties sent out were relied upon to give 
 warning of approaching danger. On the night of Sep- 
 tember first, Captain Ogal, who with a party of twelve 
 men, had been watching the paths leading to the settle- 
 ment, and had made no discoveries, came into Wheeling 
 and assured the people that no enemy was near. Yet 
 that very night, three hundred and eighty-nine Indian 
 warriors came near the village, and seeing lights in the 
 Fort, believed the inhabitants were on their guard, and
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 43- 
 
 hence thought it better to form an ambuscade, and await 
 the developments of the morning. A cornfield, through 
 which was a road leading to the fort, admirably suited 
 their purpose. Two lines were formed, at some distance 
 from each other, extending from the river across the 
 point to the creek. This cornfield afforded the desired 
 concealment. Six Indians were stationed near the road 
 for a decoy. They could easily be discovered by any 
 one passing by. 
 
 Early in the morning two men going to a field for 
 horses having no thought of danger, passed the first line, 
 and came near the six Indians, purposely exposed to view. 
 Beholding these Indians they attempted to escape, when 
 one of the men was shot. The other was allowed to 
 give the alarm at the fort The ruse was successful. 
 No sooner was the report given that the attack was by 
 a party of six Indians, than Captain Mason marched out 
 with fourteen men to the place of action, to punish the 
 audacity of these few Indians. He soon came in sight 
 of them, and marched directly toward where they were. 
 A moment after, they were surrounded by a body of 
 Indians, till then unobserved. To contend against over- 
 whelming numbers was vaiu. In their endeavor to regain 
 the fort, they were almost to a man literlly cut to pieces.. 
 
 Captain Mason and his sergeant succeeded in passing 
 the front line, but they were discovered and fired upon, 
 as they were ascending a hill. The sergeant was wounded 
 and fell, unable to rise. Seeing his captain pass with- 
 out a gun, and crippled so that he could move but slowly 
 in advance of his pursuers, he handed him his, and calmly 
 surrendered himself to his fate.
 
 44 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 The Captain enfeebled by the loss of blood from two 
 wounds, had little hope of reaching the fort. An Indian 
 with his hatchet raised, was in hot pursuit. He was 
 aware of this, and expected every moment it would de- 
 scend, and split his skull. He just then bethought him- 
 self of his sergeant's gun, and turning instantly, found 
 the Indian so near, he could not bring the gun to bear 
 upon him. Having the advantage of rising ground, he 
 gave the Indian a push with his hand, which thrust him 
 back and the uplifted tomahawk descended with much 
 force to the earth. Before his antagonist could recover 
 himself, and hurl the hatchet at his enfeebled foe, the 
 gun had done its work, and the Indian fell dead at his 
 feet. The Captain could go but a few steps further. 
 He found concealment by the side of a large fallen tree, 
 and was unobserved while the Indians remained about 
 the fort. 
 
 The discharge of guns and the shrieks of Captain 
 Mason's men, led Captain Ogal to advance with his 
 twelve scouts to their relief. No sooner did they come 
 near the enemy, than they, too, were surrounded, and cut 
 to pieces in like manner. The Captain being in rear of 
 his men, saw the overwhelming force of the enemy, and 
 fortunately escaped, by throwing himself into a little 
 thicket in the corner of a fence. 
 
 While these events were in progress the inhabitants of 
 the village were rushing to the fort, and seeing they 
 were powerless to meet the enemy, prepared to defend 
 themselves as best they could. Scarcely had they come 
 within the walls, and closed its gates, when the enemy 
 with terrific yells came up designing to take the fort by
 
 MOSES VAX CAMPEN. 45 
 
 storm. There was a moment's pause, a voice was heard 
 calling on them to surrender. It was the voice of the 
 notorious renegade, Simon Girty He called to them 
 from the end window of a house near the fort, and said, 
 " I have come with a large army to conduct to Detroit 
 such of the inhabitants of the frontier, as are willing to 
 accept of the terms offered by Governor Hamilton. All 
 who loill renounce the cause of the Colonies, and attach 
 themselves to the interests of Great Britain, are assured 
 of protection. Remember the fealty you owe to your 
 Sovereign, and come and join his standard. But if you 
 refuse, or dare tojire a single gun at his men, you will 
 suffer the unrestrained vengeance of the foe I bring 
 against you" 
 
 Fifteen minutes were allowed for considering this 
 proposition. It was not heeded ; they were ready to de- 
 cide at once. 
 
 Colonel Zane who was present, replied as follows : 
 " We have consulted with our wives and children, and 
 we are all resolved to perish, sooner than abandon the 
 cause of liberty and of the Colonies and place ourselves 
 under the protection of a savage army, led by Simon 
 Girty." 
 
 "But," said Girty, '-what can you do, when there are 
 so many against you ? It is impossible to withstand 
 the assault, and we will not be able to restrain the In- 
 dians, if maddened by your resistance. If you comply 
 with our terms, you will certainly be protected. You 
 had better yield" 
 
 A shot from the fort just then, caused him to with- 
 draw from the window, and the Indians commenced the
 
 46 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 assault. Thirty-three men within, were now all that 
 were left to maintain their ground against three hundred 
 and eighty outside the fort. The contest was vigorous 
 ly maintained for twenty-three hours. The Indians re- 
 sorted to every device their ingenuity could suggest, 
 while a steady and well directed fire met them from 
 within. The women vied with the men in their activity 
 in repelling the assault. The more resolute assisted in 
 reloading the guns, and in running bullets, while others 
 were busy in supplying the men with water and pro- 
 visions. 
 
 The defence was nobly and successfully maintained. 
 The Indians becoming discouraged, fired the houses out- 
 side the fort, killed all the stock they could find, de- 
 stroyed whatever of value they could not remove, and 
 left at an early hour in the morning. The inhabitants 
 though victorious, found themselves in a very destitute 
 condition. Their houses consumed, furniture, clothing, 
 beds and provisions destroyed or carried away, horses, 
 cattle and hogs killed and lying all about, in fine noth- 
 ing left but themselves. Saddest of all was the sight of 
 the slain men, who had gone out to fall before the enemy. 
 Three only of those who had left the fort, on that event- 
 ful day, returned ; and two of these had been seriously 
 wounded.
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Indian hostilities were general during the year '78 all 
 along the frontier settlements of New York, Pennsyl- 
 vania and Virginia. The inability of our government 
 to furnish them with the supplies they were accustomed 
 to receive from Europeans, and which from habit they 
 had learned to prize, was clearly the reason of their be- 
 ing retained by the British. The taking of scalps 
 and prisoners had become a lucrative business, and the 
 trade could be carried on with greater impunity among 
 defenceless and scattered homes of our frontier settle- 
 ments, than in places where a richer booty might have 
 been gained at a greater risk of life. 
 
 Had our government been able to supply the Indians 
 with all the blankets, guns, hatchets, powder and lead 
 they wanted they might have been willing to leave these 
 defenceless settlements undisturbed. Or had they been 
 offered fifty shillings for a scalp, and five pounds for a 
 prisoner, they would have shown the same alacrity, had 
 the opportunity been alike favorable, in surprising, kill- 
 ing, scalping, and capturing British subjects, as they did 
 in spreading terror and desolation throughout our Ameri- 
 can settlements. 
 
 By the ease with which Britain could convey from 
 .Montreal to the home of the Indian, every article suited 
 
 (47)
 
 48 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 to his desire or taste, his favor was gained, and his hos- 
 tility to the American cause secured. 
 
 There were some it is true who maintained their ad- 
 herence to the American people but most of them took 
 up the hatchet on the other side, and increased greatly 
 the severities through which our fathers passed in their 
 way toward liberty. 
 
 Early in 1778 Mr. Van Campen was appointed Lieuten- 
 ant of a company of six month's men, raised under au- 
 thority of the State for the protection of the frontier. 
 They were under the superintendence of Colonel Samuel 
 Hunter, then the military head of the County of Nor- 
 thumberland, a man well fitted for his post, being a true 
 patriot, of sound judgment, thoroughly acquainted with 
 the wants of the country, and prompt in supplying them. 
 
 The service of a lieutenant on the frontier was suited 
 to the tastes and habits of young Van Campen, and 
 moreover he was well acquainted with the region where 
 his services would call him, having traversed it many 
 times when in pursuit of game. His command consisted 
 of about twenty young men, alike familiar with the 
 country, expert in the use of the rifle, and acquainted 
 with the Indian mode of warfare. 
 
 Early in the month of April he was ordered to go with 
 his men up the North Branch of the Susquehanna river, 
 to the mouth of Fishing Creek, and follow up this three 
 miles, to a compact settlement located in that region, 
 and build a fort for the reception of the inhabitants in 
 case of an attack from the Indians. News had come- 
 thus early, of their having visited the outer line of settle- 
 ments, and of their committing depredations, so that
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 49 
 
 terrified messengers were arriving almost daily, bringing 
 the sad news of houses burned, victims scalped, and of 
 families carried into captivity. 
 
 It was no time to be idle ; a few days, it might be a 
 few hours, and the savages might be among those whom 
 he was appointed to guard, and repeat these scenes of 
 cruelty and blood. 
 
 He and his men without delay entered vigorously upon 
 the work ; selecting a site for the fort, on the farm of a 
 Mr. "Wheeler ; hence when completed it was called 
 Wheeler's Fort. It was built of stockades, and suffi- 
 ciently large to accommodate all the families of the 
 neighborhood. Anticipating an early approach of the 
 foe they worked with a will, to bring their fort to com- 
 pletion or at least into a condition that would afford 
 some protection in case of an attack. 
 
 Mr. C. F. Hill, of Hazleton, Pa., who has interested 
 himself in gathering many historical reminiscences, sug- 
 gests that Van Campen may have been influenced by the 
 tender passion in selecting a site for this fort. " His inti- 
 mate friend, Joseph Salmon, was joined with him in this 
 enterprise, and in a short time they completed a stockade 
 fort around the home of Isaiah Wheeler, a settler from 
 New Jersey. Mr. Wheeler had a daughter Ann, for 
 whose hand Major Van Campen and Captain Salmon 
 were rivals ; they conducted their rivalry in a spirit of 
 great friendship : there is not a suspicion that it was on 
 her account Major Van Campen selected her home as a 
 very proper site for a fort. Whatever the Major's motive, 
 it is certain the gallant Captain beat him in the race, and 
 won the hand of Miss Wheeler.
 
 50 LIFE AND ADVENTUBES OF 
 
 But Major Van Campen was not to be out-done, for he 
 built another fort, further down the creek, around the 
 home of the widow of James Me Clure, who had a 
 daughter Margarette, and who later became Mrs. Van 
 Campen." 
 
 The Indians in approaching the border settlements 
 usually came upon the head waters of some of those 
 streams on which settlers were located, and followed them 
 down through valley or mountain defile, until they came 
 near the white man's home, when they would divide, so 
 as to fall in small companies, upon different habitations 
 at the same time. 
 
 Their coming now being anticipated, spies were sent 
 out in every direction to look after them, and give warn- 
 ing of their approach, and thus avoid a sudden attack. 
 Before the fort was completed a runner came flying with 
 the speed of the wind, to announce the approach of a 
 large party of savages. 
 
 The inhabitants now gathered into the fort with quick 
 and hasty rush, taking with them what valuables they 
 could, and leaving their cheerful homes to the undisputed 
 sway of their foes. Very soon the Indians came prowl- 
 ing around under covert of the woods and all at once 
 with wild yells burst forth upon the peaceful farm houses 
 of the settlement. Fortunately the inmates were not 
 there to become victims of the tomahawk and scalping 
 knife. From the elevated position of the fort, the in- 
 habitants could see their dwellings entered, their feather 
 "beds and blankets carried out, and scattered around with 
 frantic cries, and very soon after the flame and smoke 
 1-np to the top of their houses, and finally settle down 
 into a quiet heap of embers.
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN 51 
 
 But the loss that thus caine to them was more than 
 compensated by the thought, that these sights were not 
 mingled with the dying gr.oans, and death shrieks of 
 their wives and children. 
 
 The Indians spent most of the day in pillaging and 
 burning houses ; some of them made an attack on the 
 fort but to little purpose. VanCampen and his men 
 were actively engaged in preparing for a vigorous defense, 
 in case of an attempt to storm their unfinished works. 
 They were successful in surrounding the fort at a dis- 
 tance of four rods, with a barricade made with brush and 
 stakes, the ends sharpened and locked into each other, so 
 that it was difficult to remove them, and almost impossi- 
 ble for one to get through. 
 
 The Indians seeing this obstruction were disposed to 
 fire at them from a distance, and keep concealed behind 
 the bushes. Their shots were promptly returned, and a 
 brisk firing was kept up all the time till evening. 
 
 It was expected that the Indians would renew the at- 
 tack the next morning, and as the ammunition of the fort 
 was nearly expended, Van Campen sent two of his men 
 to Fort Jenkins about eight miles distant, on the Susque- 
 hanna, who returned the next morning before dawn of 
 day, with an ample supply of powder and lead. The 
 remaining hours of darkness were spent in running bullets, 
 and in making needed preparation for the encounter they 
 were looking for on the approaching day. They judged 
 from what they knew of the superior force of the enemy, 
 and from the activity already displayed, that the struggle 
 would be severe. 
 
 The day dawned upon them but no enemy appeared.
 
 52 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 They might come any moment, and it was no time to 
 relax their vigilance. Yet they needed rest and found 
 opportunity for it by watching in turn, some acting a& 
 sentries while others slept, and these in turn serving, 
 after a season of repose. Strict guard was thus kept up 
 during the day, but the enemy did not come, and .there 
 was time for rest, especially grateful to the women and 
 children, after the alarms and fatigues of the preceding 
 day and night. 
 
 This attack was made in the month of May 1778. Had 
 it been but a few days earlier, it might have proved very 
 disasterous. As it was, not a single life was lost or a 
 single person wounded. The Indians not liking the 
 preparations made to receive them, retired leaving blood 
 on the ground, but nothing else that would indicate their 
 loss. Not suited altogether with this visit they made 
 another attempt to surprise this fort during the month of 
 June. The inhabitants who had taken refuge there in 
 the spring, still made it the home of their wives and 
 children. The men continued to cultivate their farm& 
 which were near, and returned to the fort at night. For 
 the pupose of having their cattle more under the protec- 
 tion of the fort, an enclosure was fenced off for them at 
 the head of a small flat near by. 
 
 One evening in June, at the time when the women 
 and girls were milking, a sentinel called the attention of 
 Van Campen to a movement in some bushes not far 
 away. On observing them closely it seemed evident 
 that a party of Indians were making their way to the 
 cattle yard. Van Campen immediately selected ten of 
 his sharp shooters, and under cover of a rise of ground
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 53 
 
 crept up between them and the milkers. On ascending 
 the ridge they found themselves within pistol shot of 
 their lurking foe. Van Campen's fire killed the leader. 
 The rest were panic stricken and fled. A volley from his 
 men did no further execution ; it only made the woods 
 roar with the tremendous report of their rifles. 
 
 Such an unexpected alarm, however, was sounded in 
 the ears of the dairy women, that they were more fright- 
 ened than the Indians. They started up on their feet, 
 screamed aloud, and ran with all their might, as though 
 the enemy were after them. The milk pails flew in 
 every direction, the milk was scattered to the winds ; 
 the best runner got in first. The poor cattle equally 
 frightened, leaped the fence and ran into the woods in 
 every direction, bellowing at a terrific rate. The scene 
 was as wild as can well be imagined, and to those who 
 understood that the danger was all over, laughable in 
 the extreme 
 
 To the women and girls it was a serious fright, for 
 when the party, that had occasioned the alarm, returned 
 they found them trembling with anxiety and pale from 
 fear. But they soon regained their composure when 
 assured there was do danger, and were ready now to 
 laugh at the display they had made of their bravery. 
 
 As the season advanced Indian hostilities increased^ 
 and notwithstanding the vigilance of those on guard, 
 and ranging through the country exposed to the enemy, 
 houses were burned, and families murdered. There 
 were sly and cruel Tories also, as ready to watch their 
 opportunity to plunder and burn, as the savages them- 
 selves, and often came with them painted and dressed
 
 54 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 like Indians, and with difficulty recognized as being other 
 than Indians. Three such men whose families lived on 
 the frontier, and who had been with the British, were 
 accidently discovered by a hunter in one of his excur- 
 sions after game, as he passed by the place where they 
 lodged. It was in a log shanty that had been deserted 
 by its original proprietor, who had made it his tempor- 
 ary residence and left it in pursuit of some more eligible 
 situation. Surrounded on every side by a wild unculti- 
 vated forest, it was well suited to become the retreat of 
 darkly designing men. 
 
 Col. Hunter ordered Van Campen to take a few men, 
 as many as he saw fit, and go to their hiding place and 
 overcome them and bring them in as prisoners. 
 
 Taking with him five men he started soon after at 
 evening, with the intention of surprising them the next 
 morning before they were up. They traveled nearly all 
 night, and just at the dawn of day drew near the house. 
 Yet before they could enter it, they were unfortunately 
 discovered by one of the party, who happened to be on 
 the outside of the house, near the door and saw them. 
 He immediately stepped back into the dwelling and 
 made it fast without loss of time. Van Campen and his 
 men were equally prompt, pressed up close to the door 
 and called upon them to surrender. This they refused 
 to do, declaring that they would defend themselves to 
 the last moment, and that they would blow out the 
 brains of the first man who attempted to cross the 
 threshold. Van Campen was not the man to be intimi- 
 dated by threats. He felt that his duty required him to- 
 take these men at all hazards. He realized likewise the
 
 MOSES VAN OAMPEN. 55 
 
 mischief these men would do if permitted to run at large. 
 He paused not to reflect on the danger, nor did he fear 
 defeat, nor expect to die. No : he expected to force his 
 way in at the head of his men, and with their help take 
 them prisoners, and teach them how to march in good 
 company, toward places whither they had been wont to 
 resort under cover of darkness. A single glance of his 
 eye assured him that there was no alternative but to 
 force a passage. He directed his men, all of them 
 strong, resolute fellows, to take a heavy oak rail lying 
 near by, and drive the end of it against the door until 
 they broke it open ; " Then, my boys," said he, " as soon 
 as there is an opening large enough to admit my body I 
 will enter. Now my lads, let her drive." They did so, 
 and very soon jammed the door to pieces. The next 
 moment Van Campen dashed in among them. They 
 stood with their loaded rifles cocked, prepared to fire 
 and blow out the brains of the first intruder. The first 
 thing that met Van Campen was the muzzle of one of 
 their guns pointing directly in his face. He struck it 
 aside, it went off, the ball passing close to his ear, while 
 the powder exploding in his face, made it black and 
 bloody on one side, burned off the hair about the right 
 ear and temple, and peppered his face to such a degree 
 that many of the grains remained and could be distinct- 
 ly seen till the last day of his life. 
 
 He clinched the fellow that had discharged the gun, 
 and with an energy he could not command at a common 
 time, threw him down. His men followed close upon 
 his heels, and seized the others and wrestled them down 
 after a short but firm resistance. The hands of these
 
 56 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 men were bound behind them, and they were directed to 
 march before, while the others followed with their 
 loaded rifles, and thus they were taken to the civil 
 authorities of the county for imprisonment. 
 
 Thus ended an adventure, in which Van Campen came 
 very near losing his life ; at the time of its occurrence 
 he passed it by with little or no thought, other than self- 
 congratulation for having come out of this skirmish so 
 fortunately ; but in after years he was accustomed to 
 speaking of it as revealing the hand of a kind and over- 
 ruling Providence.
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 We come now to contemplate some of the transactions 
 of 1778, made particularly memorable, because of scenes 
 so ill suited to that beautiful land. 
 
 "On Susquehanna's side, fair Wyoming." The valley 
 of Wyoming, widely celebrated in story and in song, 
 was formed by nature for a second paradise. Two par- 
 allel mountain ranges mark the course of the Susque- 
 hanna, coming down in places so near its waters, as 
 scarcely to leave room for them, and a narrow road up- 
 on its bank : in other places receding and leaving an 
 ample space forming the pleasant valley with its broad 
 green fields, or making an opening for the thriving village, 
 or flourishing city. 
 
 These ranges here depart from their previous tendency 
 to contract, and by a liberal divergence, with many a 
 pleasing indentation and curve, now forming a bold pro- 
 jection with its steep and rugged ascent, and anon reced- 
 ing, and by gentler slopes and less abrupt elevations 
 reaching upward to their usual height of one thousand 
 feet, they go on extending their line of circumference, 
 in all places picturesque and varied, until they approach 
 each other once more, forming a valley lying north-east 
 and south-west, with an average width of three, and a 
 length of twenty-one miles. Such is the valley of Wyo- 
 
 (57)
 
 58 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 mmg a name taken from the Indian, Maugh-wau-wa-me, 
 or extensive plains. 
 
 The British officers in command at Niagara, determin- 
 ing to strike a severe blow on the inhabitants of this 
 region, sent forth a detachment of three hundred men 
 under Colonel John Butler, accompanied by five hundred 
 Indians, who marched to the head waters of the Susque- 
 hanna, where they halted until they could convert two 
 or three hundred pine trees into as many canoes. In 
 these they sailed down the river until they came to a 
 place called the Three Islands. From this point they 
 marched about twenty miles across the wilderness, passed 
 through a gap in the mountain, and entered the valley 
 near its northern boundary. 
 
 They took possession of two forts, surrendered with- 
 out opposition being occupied by Tories. Colonel John 
 Butler established his headquarters in one of them, Fort 
 Wintermoot ; the other was burned. 
 
 The coming of so large a force though sudden, was 
 not unexpected. The enemy had designedly concealed 
 their purpose, and to allay apprehension had sent for- 
 ward runners bearing messages of peace, which were 
 deceptive. One of these Indians meeting in the valley 
 an acquaintance, who received him with much cordiality? 
 was presented with the customary social glass of which 
 both partook, and as they talked over old matters the 
 Indian, at the instigation of the other, drank again and 
 again, until he came into a very happy mood, and quite 
 talkative, when his friend by adroit questioning, drew 
 from him the real design of the enemy, which was to 
 allay the fears of the inhabitants while preparations 
 were making for the contemplated invasion.
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 5 
 
 Suspicions of this had existed before, but now the 
 mask being thrown off, the danger was felt to be real 
 and imminent, and preparations began in earnest for 
 meeting the enemy. 
 
 Messengers were sent to General Washington implor- 
 ing help. Soldiers in the army having families in the 
 valley, were notified of the danger, and requested to 
 hasten home, and the people began to assemble in the 
 forts built for their protection. Colonel Zebulon Butler 
 immediately obtained leave of absence from the army 
 and hastened, as did others, to the relief of the settle- 
 ment. But though quite a delegation was thus obtained, 
 and through the efforts of Colonel Z. Butler, additions 
 to their number were made from the militia, their force 
 was far inferior to that of the enemy, and had they been 
 fully apprised of his strength, they must have questioned 
 the wisdom of meeting him on ground of his own choos- 
 ing. As it was they were divided in opinion, some think- 
 ing it better to await reinforcements. Others maintain- 
 ing it as doubtful about the coming of this hoped for aii 
 and that the enemy was increasing daily. 
 
 The author has been assured by one conversant with 
 these times, that Colonel Butler was in favor of going 
 forth to meet the enemy, while Colonel Dennison as 
 strenuously maintained the expediency of remaining with* 
 in the fort, until reinforcements should arrive. Col. 
 Butler seeing it could be decided only by a bold measure, 
 stepped out in front of the fort, and called on all who 
 would go with him to come out on the parade ground. 
 Thereupon a large number went out with him, leaving 
 Col. Dennison and those of his opinion within the fort..
 
 60 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 While he, regarding it as a bravado, immediately said, 
 " I dare show my head wherever Colonel Butler does y" 
 and marched out and took his place with him, thus decid- 
 ing a point intimately connected with the fate of that 
 day. Their bravery outweighed their prudence. 
 
 Early in the morning of the third of July, the garrison 
 amounting to nearly four hundred, under the command 
 of Colonel Zebulon Butler, left the fort, and commenced 
 its march against the enemy. Proceeding about two 
 miles they made a halt and sent forward a small detach- 
 ment of men to ascertain the position of their foes. They 
 were found in a condition of apparent security, seemingly 
 not expecting an engagement. In returning they came 
 across two Indians who fired upon them, and whose fire 
 was returned, but without effect. 
 
 The settlers moved rapidly forward, but the Indians 
 had evidently given the alarm, for as they came up they 
 found the emeny drawn out in line, and prepared for 
 battle. 
 
 The line was formed a little distance in front of their 
 camp, in a plain thinly covered with pine, shrub-oaks, 
 and undergrowth, and extended from the river about a 
 mile to a marsh at the foot of the mountain. 
 
 On coming in view of the enemy, the Americans im- 
 mediately displayed their ranks in the order of battle, 
 forming a line of equal extent, and attacked from right 
 to left at the same time. Colonel Zebulon Butler com- 
 manded the right wing, and was opposed by Colonel 
 -John Butler, at the head of the British troops on the 
 enemy's left, while Colonel Dennison commanded the left 
 wing of the Americans, and was opposed by the Indians 
 stationed on he enemy's right.
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 61 
 
 They were distant from each other about forty rods 
 when the battle commenced, yet from the obstruction of 
 the woods and brush that intervened, little was effected 
 at the first onset. The militia stood the fire well for 
 three or four shots, and some part of the enemy began 
 to give way ; but suddenly the wild yell of the savage 
 was heard in the rear of the American left, their leader 
 having conducted a large party of his warriors through 
 the woods, and was successful in turning Dennison's 
 flank without being perceived. The Indians in front, 
 being in the secret of this movement, and who had given 
 way somewhat to render it more effective, now pressed 
 forward, pouring in a heavy and destructive fire before 
 which Dennison's brave men fell very rapidly. To gain 
 time and bring his men into a better position, the order 
 was given, "fallback." Amid the confusion which pre- 
 vailed, this command was taken for an order to " re- 
 treat," and immediately his line broke, and every effort 
 to restore order proved to be altogether vain. 
 
 Very nearly at the same time, Colonel John But- 
 ler was enabled to turn the American right wing, and 
 the fire of the British regulars was successful in throw- 
 ing this part of the line also into confusion. 
 
 The irregularity occasioned by mistaking Colonel Den- 
 nison's order on the left, was followed by the Indians 
 springing in with the hatchet and striking down the 
 officers, and making fearful havoc among the men. Thus 
 a general rout was given to the American forces, and the 
 Indians pursuing the retreat with wild terrific yells, 
 served to complete the confusion which prevailed. So 
 dreadful was the slaughter, that nearly all who went out
 
 >62 LIFE AND ADVENTURES ' OF 
 
 in the morning in the full vigor of health, and in hop*, 
 of victory, were before evening overtaken and killed by 
 the cruel Indian, or the more cruel Tory. Of the four 
 hundred, there were scarcely sixty left to return for the 
 protection of the families that had been bereaved, and 
 were well nigh overwhelmed, as one and another returned, 
 to report the disasters of that terrible day. Among the 
 officers of the militia there fell that day one Lieutenant- 
 Colonel, one Major, ten Captains, six Lieutenants, and 
 two Ensigns. Some of the fugitives escaped by swim- 
 ming the river, and others by taking refuge in the moun- 
 tains. As the news of defeat spread through the valley, 
 the women and children sought refuge, some in the woods, 
 and mountains, and different forts, and others still, by 
 passing, in boats down the river. The Indians after sat- 
 isfying their thirst for blood, turned back to secure the 
 spoils of victory. 
 
 In looking over the battle ground, and in wandering 
 through the woods and places adjoining, the Indians not 
 only came across articles left in flight, but also met with 
 stragglers of the defeated army who had not yet found 
 a hiding place, or who were the last to leave the ground 
 where the battle had been fought. These stragglers 
 were taken, a Mr. Lebbens Hammond among the num- 
 ber, to a place where many of the enemy were gathered 
 together, very likely the headquarters of the Indian en- 
 campment. Twenty-eight persons had thus been col- 
 lected, and were made to sit on the ground in a circle 
 with their feet extended toward its center. Many of 
 the warriors were about them, and some of them appeared 
 to be in consultation about something which from theii
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 63 
 
 looks and gestures these prisoners thought must relate 
 to them. They fixed their eyes intently upon them, 
 watching every changing feature of their face, trying to 
 determine by their looks, the tones of their voice, or by 
 their action, something decisive as to their own fate, 
 pending on this consultation. 
 
 While thus anxiously awaiting its issue, an old squaw 
 came in bearing a boy, about twelve or thirteen years of 
 age on her back. He was a young fifer, named William 
 Buck, whose father held the office of Captain in one of 
 the regiments, and he had gone out as a musician in the 
 company under his father. He was a beautiful and 
 sprightly lad, and is said to have been one of the most 
 promising boys in the settlement. While the squaw 
 was thus carrying him along in evident delight on her 
 back, intending no doubt to adopt him into her own fam- 
 ily, another of her own sex came up behind and planted 
 a hatchet in the boy's head. Young Buck fell off the 
 old squaw's back and sank upon the ground dead. Im- 
 mediately after there succeeded a contest between these 
 two females. The one fell upon the other with the fury 
 of a maniac, and others came up and joined in the strug- 
 gle. 
 
 This scene occurring at a distance of about four rods 
 from where the warriors were in consultation, drew their 
 attention from the business before them, and led them 
 to interfere in settling the quarrel. 
 
 Mr. Hammond watched the progress of this squabble 
 with intense Interest, supposing as the event proved, 
 that its issue might have some bearing on his own and 
 his companions' fate. The combatants were soon sep-
 
 64 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 arated, and the warriors returned to their places, but 
 directly after, she who had been the first aggressor, and 
 called Queen Esther, came to the ring and placing her 
 two hands on the shoulders of two of the prisoners, 
 caused them to lean one side as she stepped between 
 them into the ring, and advanced toward its center, with 
 the deadly weapon in her hand. She came directly to- 
 ward Mr. Hammond. He supposed she had marked him 
 for her victim. But as she continued to advance, her 
 eye seemed to turn toward the one a little to his left, 
 and coming up planted the hatchet in his head. He 
 sank back upon the ground without a groan. With 
 Hammond, the next moment was one of awful suspense. 
 On whose head will the next blow fall ? Mine, he 
 thought, may be the one. The squaw moved on a little 
 further toward his left, and kept on going thus about 
 the ring. For a few moments his mind was in a state of 
 unutterable anguish and confusion. He thought that 
 death was just before him. But must I sit here and see 
 each one of my brave companions receive the unerring 
 blow, until my turn comes for the awful stroke ? Shall 
 I make no effort to cling to life ? Can there be any hope 
 of escape, though I make an attempt ? But would it not 
 be better to end life in an attempt to escape, than to sit 
 here in silent gloom, and hear the dread sound of that 
 hatchet as it falls upon one and another of my comrades ? 
 Such were the thoughts that arose one after another in 
 his mind while this awful wretch continued her murder- 
 ous course around the ring. 
 
 "When she had gone about half way round, Mr. Ham- 
 mond resolved to make an effort for his life. He had
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 65 
 
 little thought of being able to escape, for the warriors 
 were standing in a row about three men deep all around 
 them. Yet he resolved to make the trial, even though 
 he might fail, deeming it better to meet death in -a 
 struggle for life, than tamely to submit when a chance 
 was presented for escape. And now that he had formed 
 his resolve, he wondered that the others should sit motion- 
 less and quiet ; why do they not start to their feet, and 
 and dashing the old squaw to the ground contend from 
 hand to hand, with their savage foes, until they were 
 stricken down. All sat in mute expectation of the dread 
 moment, the most of them partly bending over with 
 countenances sad and pale. 
 
 As the unseemly executioner kept on her way, Mr. 
 Hammond perceived that when raising 'the hatchet the 
 eyes of all each time were turned toward her ; he 
 thought that would be his best time to make a start. 
 He drew his feet up, little by little, until he had them 
 pretty nearly under him, and when the hatchet was raised 
 over the third one to his right, he started with a bound, 
 and ran with the utmost speed directly toward the ring 
 of savages, pursuing a line straight forward, and to his 
 surprise, the Indians opened to the right and left, and 
 for a moment seemed bewildered by this unexpected 
 movement. He passed through them without being cut 
 down as he expected, and continued to run at his utmost 
 speed. He had not gone over three or four rods from 
 them before they began to send their hatchets after him. 
 For a few moments the hatchets flew about him in every 
 direction. One just grazed his ear, another passed just 
 before him, and struck quivering in the tree he was pass-
 
 66 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 ing. The thought flashed upon him to grasp it, but a 
 moment's delay might be fatal, and on he sped. When 
 about ten rods distant, he turned and saw three Indians 
 starting out in pursuit. As he was very fleet on foot 
 lie began to think there was a chance for him to escape. 
 Yet at no great distance before him was a swamp ; he 
 might be overtaken there and tomahawked, and he dared 
 not turn to the right or left or they would flank him, he 
 continued to run directly forward. Ten rods further on 
 lie looked around and saw he was gaining on them. He 
 endeavored to increase his speed somewhat. In a few 
 moments he descended into a little hollow. This took 
 Mm out of thier sight. He saw before him a large pine 
 tree partly surrounded by bushes. He sprang in behind 
 it, and stood with his back close against it, hoping to 
 elude observation. 
 
 The next moment the Indians came bounding by him, 
 one on his left, and two on his right ; they went on with- 
 out stopping, and were presently out of sight. But they 
 would soon reach the swamp, and would there be led to 
 think they had left him behind, and would no doubt 
 return in a short time, and might discover his place of 
 concealment. He had no weapon for defense, and after 
 all might become their viatim. He was not satisfied to 
 remain where he was, but looked about for a better place, 
 more especially to find something on which he could lay 
 his hand to offer some resistance to a second capture. 
 He found at a little distance from him the remains of an 
 old pine tree, that had laid on the ground until it was 
 perfectly decayed and from which the knots had fallen 
 out. He found one with quite a lengthy arm, and with
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 67 
 
 -the knot at the end, and placing his knee across it, found 
 it capable of sustaining a heavy blow without breaking. 
 Thus equipped he returned to his secret covert for he 
 saw no better, and felt happy in the consciousness of not 
 being entirely unarmed in case of an attack. He now 
 awaited with some anxiety the return of those in pursuit) 
 intending to keep a good outlook, arid in case he was dis- 
 covered, to rush out and if possible, administer the first 
 blow. It was not long before he saw one of the Indians 
 coming toward him, and examining carefully the thickets 
 in his way. Now, thought he, I shall be discovered, and 
 must be prepared to give him battle. But when within 
 a few rods of his place of concealment, the Indian caught 
 sight of the head of some one raised up from behind a 
 log that lay a few rods to Hammond's right, and he im- 
 mediately turned in that direction. He did not go far 
 before the settler, as it proved to be, arose and shot him 
 through, and dropped back again behind the log. How 
 fortunate this ! thought Mr. Hammond. He was evi- 
 dently spared from a contest that might have been doubt- 
 ful, yet it was not certain whether it would turn to his 
 advantage or not, for the firing might bring other Indians 
 to the place, But there were guns discharging constantly 
 in every part of the forest, so that this particular spot 
 would not be likely to attract attention more than any 
 other, and it gave him more assurance when he found a 
 friend near by, in case of the return of the other two 
 Indians who had started out in pursuit. They did not 
 come ; and if they had, it might not have been well for 
 them, for the friend near by could be distinctly heard 
 reloading his rifle.
 
 68 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 It was now a little after sunset and twilight began to- 
 throw her mellow shades around him. Soon it would be- 
 dark, when he would try and make his way back to the 
 fort. He kept his place until the darkness assured him 
 of comparative safety, and then ventured to address, in 
 a low voice the companion he had found near. He gave 
 him to understand that he was a friend, and that they 
 must come near each other for mutual protection and 
 aid. 
 
 They came together and began to direct their way 
 toward the fort. They proceeded cautiously, every now 
 and then coming upon a dead or wounded soldier. Mr. 
 Hammond searched for a time among the slain for a gun, 
 but the Indians had been over the ground and taken them 
 away. He kept on his way with his war-club, trusting 
 to this in case of danger. Passing off the battle-ground, 
 they soon came to the fort. They did not know but 
 that in the meantime it had come into the hands of the 
 enemy, and they approached it with caution. They 
 crept up silently to the gate, and soon were able to dis- 
 cern voices with which they were familiar. 
 
 On making themselves known they were admitted into 
 the fort, and rejoiced in being able to meet with friends, 
 though in circumstances of deep sorrow and affliction. 
 
 Mr. Hammond, as far as he was able, related to them 
 the scenes that transpired after the battle, and of his 
 marvelous escape, and as there were not men enough to 
 defend the fort, and as it would no doubt have to bs 
 surrendered to the enemy the next day, he was advised 
 to continue on down the river until he was beyond the 
 reach of the Indians. In accordance with this advice,.
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 69 
 
 lie and his companion continued to move further on, and 
 thus made good their escape.* 
 
 Mr. . Hammond's case presents a very remarkable in- 
 stance of daring. It is certainly wonderful that he 
 should have effected his escape, when surrounded by a 
 dense crowd of dusky warriors, and it is not less sur- 
 prising that he should have eluded the three who started 
 out in pursuit, when there were so many chances asrainst 
 him. 
 
 The deliberate murder cf so many prisoners of war, 
 and the other cruelties that have been recorded as hav- 
 ing transpired there at this time, go very far toward 
 justifying the impression, that there were enacted some 
 of the bloodiest and most revolting scenes on record. 
 No wonder there has been an effort to deny them, for 
 they naturally tax our credulity, and lead us to suppose 
 they must have been committed by beings outside of the 
 range of our common humanity. 
 
 We turn with pleasure to an act relieving somewhat 
 the darkness of the picture we have been contemplating. 
 It is of a young man named Samuel Carey, about nine- 
 teen years of age, who was among the few prisoners 
 taken. He had been captured by Roland Montour, an 
 Indian Captain, and was taken by him to a young war- 
 rior who had been wounded and was dying. Montour 
 asked the young warrior if Carey should be slain, or if 
 he should be taken to his father and mother to be adopt- 
 ed into their family in his stead. The young warrior 
 with his expiring breath desired that he should be re- 
 
 *Statements given to the author by the late Amariah Ham- 
 mond, Esq., of Dansville, Livingston Co., N. Y.
 
 70 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 ceived into his father's family in his place. Carey was 
 then painted, and received the dying Indian's name, and 
 when he reached the Indian country, was taken and 
 adopted as had been arranged.* 
 
 *Annals of Luzerne County by Stewart Pierce.
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 It has been said of the battle of Wyoming that " the 
 sun never shed its rays on a bloodier field. From Win- 
 termoot'8 to Fort Forty, the broad plain was strewn with 
 the dead and mangled bodies of one hundred and 
 sixty-one brave men who perished in a conflict which no 
 resource of art, and courage of soul on their part, could 
 render equal."* 
 
 In view of the superior force of the enemy and their 
 own depleted numbers there was no thought of holding 
 the fort against them. To avoid being made prisoner 
 Colonel Zubulon Butler left the valley and retired to 
 Guadenhutten. Fifteen regulars belonging to Captain 
 Hewitt's company retired to Fort Augusta for the same 
 reason. The women and children of the Lacka wanna 
 valley fled toward the upper settlements on the Dela- 
 ware ; those of Pittston and Wilksbarre toiled over the 
 mountains, and through the great swamp to the lower 
 settlement ; while those of Hanover, Plymouth and 
 Newport escaped to Fort Augusta, f 
 
 On the morning of the Fourth of July, Colonel John 
 Butler, with his British and Indian forces appeared be- 
 fore Fort Forty and demanded its surrender. 
 
 Colonel Dennison being in command, gave answer to 
 this summons, and entered into articles of capitulation. 
 
 *Annals of Luzerne Co. fib. 
 
 (71)
 
 72 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 It was stipulated that the settlers should be disarmed 
 and their garrison demolished ; that all the prisoners 
 and public stores should be given up ; that the property 
 of the people called Tories should be made good, and 
 they be permitted to remain peaceably upon their farms. 
 In behalf of the settlers it was stipulated that their lives 
 and property should be preserved, and that they should 
 be left in the unmolested occupancy of their farms. 
 
 The British officer advised that in case there were any 
 spirituous liquors in store, to destroy them, for if the 
 Indians were to get hold of them, he would be unable 
 to restrain them from whatever acts of violence they 
 might choose to commit. 
 
 When the time came, as agreed upon for the surrender 
 of the fort, both British and Indians were in attendance, 
 and the gates being opened, they were allowed to enter 
 and take possession of whatever articles had been given 
 up in the terms of capitulation. The Indians as soon as 
 they came in began to look about with a sort of idle 
 curiosity in every part of the fort. This they continued 
 to do for some time and seemed as much gratified as 
 little children with anything they saw that was new. Yet 
 having become satisfied with this, they began to lay 
 their hands on whatever they could find, and appropria- 
 ted to themselves whatever they chose. They wandered 
 about in a most reckless manner, siezed on everything 
 within their reach and wantonly secured it. 
 
 Large and nice feather beds had been brought into the 
 fort for safe keeping. The feathers, to them seemed of 
 no account, but the ticking they thought had some value, 
 hence the beds were ripped open and the feathers emptied
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 73 
 
 out on the ground. Occasionally gusts of wind would 
 take them up, and whirl them in clouds in the air. This 
 gave them infinite amusement, and each time they were 
 lifted up and whirled around above their heads was hailed 
 with yells of delight and peal after peal of laughter. 
 
 Colonel Butler then said to Col. Dennison that he 
 would not be able to restrain the Indians from pilfering 
 and that if the women had articles of clothing they 
 wished to preserve they had better put them on, for if 
 they were left in sight they would certainly be taken. 
 The women therefore selected whatever they considered 
 of most value and dressed without special regard to the 
 number of garments they had on. But after the savages 
 had plundered everything they could find, they began 
 to examine closely the dress of the inhabitants, and find- 
 ing they had more on than seemed essential for a warm 
 day in July, went to work and stripped off this fine 
 clothing leaving on the women nothing but a couple of 
 under garments, while they tore from the men every- 
 thing but their shirts and pantaloons. They may have 
 thought they did well to escape with their lives. 
 
 For a time they regarded their fate as quite uncertain, 
 since their treatment had been so different from what 
 had been expected in view of the articles of capitulation. 
 Colonel Butler himself seemed to be at a loss what to do 
 with so many women and children ; he could not expect 
 to carry them back to Niagara as prisoners without sub- 
 jecting them to unheard of sufferings, and they could 
 not remain where they were without the means of sub- 
 sistence, he determined therefore to let them remove to 
 the settlements east of them on the Delaware.
 
 74 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OP 
 
 In accordance therefore with this decision the men in- 
 the fort with their families, together with those bereaved 
 of husband and father, amounting to about sixty removed 
 from Fort Forty, and taking a path across the mountains 
 after a journey attended by many hardships, came to the 
 valley of the Delaware where were settlers who met them 
 with kindness and hospitality. 
 
 Such as had taken refuge in Fort Wyoming made a 
 surrender to the enemy on similar terms and shared alike 
 with them in a violation of the articles of capitulation.* 
 
 Van Campen having been sent in another direction, 
 was away when the sad events just related were trans- 
 piring, and on his return was advancing toward the place 
 when he met an express on Shawnee Flatts who said 
 "All was lost, that all the men had been cut off by the 
 
 *In closing his account of the battle of Wyoming, Colonel 
 Stone remarks, "It does not appear that anything like a mas- 
 sacre followed the capitulation. Nor in the events ot the preced- 
 ing day is there good evidence of the perpetration of any specific 
 acts of cruelty, other than such as are usual in the general rout 
 of a battle-field save only the unexampled atrocities of the Tories, 
 thirsting probably for revenge in regard to other questions than 
 that of allegience to the King. In a subsequent work by the 
 same author he says, "During the flight to Fort Forty the scene 
 was that of horrible slaughter. Nor did the darkness put an end 
 to the work of death. No assault was made upon the fort that 
 night ; but many of the prisoners taken were put to death by 
 torture. The place of these murders was about two miles north, 
 of Fort Forty, upon a rock around which the Indians formed 
 themselves in a circle. Sixteen of the prisoners placed in a ring^ 
 around the rock, near the river, were held by stout Indians, while 
 the squaws struck their heads open with a tomahawk. Only one 
 individual, a powerful man named Hammond, by a desperate 
 effort, escaped." My informant whose account is given in the 
 text, thinks there must be a mistake about these men being held 
 by stout Indians. The evidence subsequently given to Col . Stone, 
 must have led him to make this admission. With some little 
 variation it is essentially the same thing we have given, only not 
 quite so circumstantial as that given by the man who was the 
 principal actor in the scence. J. N. H.
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 7&- 
 
 British and Indians and that the fort was about to be 
 surrendered to the invading party." 
 
 Finding he could be of no assistance and that if he 
 advanced he and his party would in all probability fall 
 into the hands of the enemy, he turned about and went 
 back to Northumberland. 
 
 Soon after his return, he was sent to take charge of 
 the garrison at Fort Wheeler ; and directly after an order 
 came from Colonel Hunter, to take charge of a company 
 of militia-men from Lancaster County, and circuit about 
 the settlements and see il any strolling parties of Indians 
 could be discovered in the region. 
 
 These men had come as volunteers from the southern- 
 part of Pennsylvania, and as at present there was no 
 special call for their service elsewhere, it was thought 
 their time would be well employed in guarding the set- 
 tlements from sudden inroad and surprise. They had 
 brought their officers with them and were prepared for 
 any duty, but as they were unacquainted with the woods,, 
 the command was given to Lieut. Van Campen. 
 
 Entering cheerfully on a duty that led him once more- 
 to visit his old haunts, he prepared at once to march 
 through the woods with the men of Lancaster They 
 accordingly set out in fine spirits, and many protestations, 
 of their desire to meet and punish the enemy, that had 
 wrought such disaster among the settlements. 
 
 Captain Salmon a particular friend of Van Campen'fr 
 joined the expedition. He was something of a limb, and 
 he and Van Campen were rarely out together without, 
 finding some occasion for amusement. 
 
 At the close of their first day's march they came to a;
 
 *76 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OP 
 
 house in an open clearing deserted by its proprietors, 
 where they proposed to encamp for the night. As the 
 nights were now becoming cold a large fire was made in 
 the house, and when the time came for taking rest the 
 militia men took their places very near the fire. Capt. 
 Salmon and Van Campen finding the room taken up so 
 that little warmth could be had from the fire, had a 
 place near the door. A large black dog had followed 
 the Lancaster men, and as the room was full without 
 him, he had been left outside to shirk for himself. Very 
 soon after, as all had taken their places on the floor, every- 
 thing became quiet and still. The militia-men soon fell 
 into a profound sleep, as their snoring seemed to indicate, 
 and as during the day they had been on the outlook for 
 Indian warriors, it is not improbable they may have had 
 some thoughts of them in their dreams. They may have 
 thought of them as very near and watching their oppor- 
 tunity to spring from their covert and deliver the death- 
 dealing blow. All seemed to be enjoying the rest of 
 night, with the exception of the poor black dog, who 
 was uneasy, and evidently dissatisfied with his single 
 quarters in the open air. He came to the door and tried 
 to get in. The door was hung on wooden hinges, and 
 when it was opened or shut made a creaking noise that 
 seemed alarmingly loud in a still night. It did not shut 
 very close, but being warped a little, left an opening 
 near the bottom an inch or more in width. The dog in 
 trying to get in thrust his nose into this crack and forced 
 the door a little further open. This movement made, 
 such a creaking it aroused the militia-men from their 
 slumbers. One raised up and said, " What's that, -
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 7Y 
 
 what's that?" Another said, "I heard a noise." A 
 third affirmed,-s-"So did I." Another still, "I believe 
 it's the Indians." 
 
 For a few moments they were very uneasy, listening 
 anxiously with the expectation of hearing something 
 more. They were told by Salmon and Van Campen 
 that it probably was nothing very serious and that they 
 had better lie down again. They very soon settled down 
 once more into a quiet sleep, when Salmon whispered in 
 Van Campen's ear, " The next time the dog attempts to 
 come in, we'll play them a little trick." 
 
 With this in view he watched his opportunity when 
 the dark knight of the chase should put in a second ap- 
 pearance. He soon came and forced his whole head 
 through the opening made. Just at this moment Sal- 
 mon pushed against the door with his foot, and caught 
 the dog by the neck. Old growler finding himself in 
 this plight gave a terrific yell. In an instant the men 
 started to their feet, some of them crying out, " The war- 
 whoop, The war-whoop The Indians are upon us, 
 The Indians are upon us." By this time the dog had 
 been relieved, and an Irishman who was in the company 
 sprang to the door, and placing his back against it, called 
 for help. " Och," said he, " they'll burst the doo-er open, 
 they'll burst the doo-er open / give us some help, men, 
 give us some help, the Engens 'II be arter a comin 
 in." 
 
 To Salmon and Van Campen the scene was comical in 
 the extreme, but they started up as though something 
 must be done, and in a few moments all were under 
 arms and ready for action. The stalwart Irishman was
 
 '78 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 -ordered to leave the door. He jumped as though ex- 
 pecting to be made the first victim. He darted forward 
 with such haste, he stumbled and fell his whole length 
 on the floor. The men were so intent on watching the 
 door, that this mishap occasioned little merriment to any 
 but Salmon and Van Campen. They could not help en- 
 joying it, and with an amused feeling watched the earnest 
 expectation of the men, who looked as though they were 
 expecting the sudden entrance of a party of Indians. But 
 no one came in, they could hear no noise without, not 
 even the tread of a single warrior. 
 
 Van Campen ordered the door to be opened, and to 
 their surprise only one dark visage made its appearance, 
 and this was the face of the old black dog, that came 
 quietly walking in when there was no impediment in the 
 way. Captain Salmon could contain himself no longer ; 
 but laughed outright, telling the men it was their dog 
 that had raised the Indian war-whoop. They seemed a 
 little chagrined at this, but presently as they saw there 
 was no danger, they joined in the laugh, and it passed 
 off as a good joke. 
 
 Starting out again the next morning they proceeded 
 on their way through the woods, and keeping up their 
 march most of the time during the day, penetrated 
 the wilderness to a considerable distance without meet- 
 ing the enemy. Yet they advanced with the same care 
 and circumspection as they would have done had they 
 known their foes were in that region and prepared to 
 meet them. 
 
 When night was coming on they made choice of a 
 low piece of ground, called Eve's swamp, as their en-
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 79 
 
 campment. It was too cold to do without a fire and as 
 the ground was low and surrounded by a thick growth 
 of young trees, the light from their fire would not be 
 seen at a distance and hence would not be likely to at- 
 tract the enemy They built but one fire, partly from 
 necessity in providing for their evening meal, after which 
 Van Campen and Salmon took a stroll around, partly to 
 see if any lurking foe might be near, and partly to ascer- 
 tain the safety of their position, and whether the light 
 of their fire could be seen at any considerable distance. 
 
 Becoming satisfied as to this, they found on their re- 
 turn that the soldiers had disposed themselves quite ad- 
 vantageously about the fire, each one seeking for himself 
 a position of comfort and leaving their officers to do the 
 same. The most comfortable situations the camp afford- 
 ed were now occupied, and Van Campen and Salmon 
 settled themselves upon the best ground they could find 
 and composed their minds for sleep. They were com- 
 fortable for a time, but soon began to be so cold it was 
 impossible to sleep. 
 
 The militia men had recovered from the disturbance of 
 the previous night, and were having a very comfortable 
 time. Van Campen thought there might be a chance if 
 they were startled a little, to gain a more comfortable 
 position. So taking up his hatchet he struck the handle 
 against a small staddle that was near, and the stroke re- 
 sounded with a loud cracking noise. It had the desired 
 effect^ for the men instantly took the alarm and the in- 
 quiry passed from one to another, " Didn't you hear a 
 stick crack just now, there must be some one around." 
 One said he heard it plainly, another, he could hear them 
 walk, meaning the Indians.
 
 80 LIFE AND ADVENTTTBES OP 
 
 After hearing them talk for a few minutes, Van Campen 
 said to them, " You had better lie down / I think no 
 enemy is near, very likely it teas something else that made 
 the noise, you need rest, and may as well try and get 
 what you can " They dropped down again and were 
 soon fast asleep. After waiting awhile to let them all 
 forget their troubles, Van Campen took his tomahawk 
 and gave the tree another stroke. This startled them 
 more than it had done before. Now they felt confident 
 the enemy was lurking about them in the woods. All 
 were wide awake and ready to move. One swore he 
 would not stay where he was ; another said he would 
 not lie near the fire to be shot at, and the agitation 
 seemed to be very general. 
 
 Van Campen and Salmon let them talk until they had. 
 fully opened their minds, and then Van Campen said it 
 might be advisable for them to take a station a little 
 distance from the fire, and keep a good look out, while 
 he and Copt Salmon would camp down near it, and if 
 anything stirred, or showed signs of the approach of the 
 enemy they were to give him notice. 
 
 They kept up a watch, coming occasionally to the fire 
 to warm, while Van Campen and Capt. Salmon remained 
 in their places and were quite comfortable until daylight. 
 Nothing, however, was said about the tomahawk handle, 
 but the soldiers were commended for their good conduct 
 and watchful care during the night. 
 The route pursued by our party after this was the one 
 usually taken by scouts in this section of country. They 
 proceeded first to the head waters of Green Creek, crossed 
 over through Eve's swamp to little Fishing Creek, thence
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 81 
 
 to Chilisquaka, and from this directed their march to the 
 Muncey Mountains and over these to Muncey Creek, up 
 which they followed for nearly a day's travel. 
 
 On their route they discovered no traces which led 
 them to infer the presence of Indians. It was now be- 
 coming late in the season, and the probabilities were be- 
 coming greater that they would not visit this region 
 again before the opening of another season. From this 
 point they commenced their return homeward, taking 
 very nearly the same direction pursued in going out. 
 They returned therefore to their stations, Lieut. Van 
 Campen to Fort Wheeler, and the militia-men to a Mr. 
 McClure's farm where they had their quarters. 
 
 Not long after this Van Campen projected another 
 expedition somewhat different from the one just de- 
 scribed. It was not unusual for parties to disguise them- 
 selves as Indians and go out into parts of the country 
 frequented by them, that in this way they might better 
 ascertain their position and numbers. Fearful that there 
 might yet be some few, still lurking around and ready 
 to commit some depredation. Lieut. Van Campen and 
 his friend Capt. Salmon went out in disguise to see if 
 they could make any discoveries. They were gone longer 
 than had been expected and their friends began to be 
 anxions concerning them, and were fearing they might 
 have been killed or taken prisoners. 
 
 The reason of their long absence was because of their 
 delay with the hope of making some discoveries at a notch 
 in Nob Mountain, through which the Indians were 
 accustomed to pass on their way to attack the settle- 
 ments, or waylay and shoot people on or near the river.
 
 82 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 They lingered around this point until they were satisfied 
 there would be no Indians to make their appearance be- 
 fore another year, and then set out on their return home- 
 ward. 
 
 On their way they ascended the summit of a hill cov- 
 ered by oak trees. They came to an opening whence 
 they had a view of the valley below, through which 
 they were to pass. On observing it carefully they saw 
 a party of men led by some one, and from the course 
 they were taking they concluded this company would 
 ascend the hill and pass right by them. Who they were 
 they did not know ; were they Lancaster men, or were 
 they not ? was the question that arose in their minds. 
 From certain things they observed, they concluded it 
 must be a company of soldiers without much experience, 
 and the thought occurred to them that they would give 
 them a little start. 
 
 Fixing their eye on a large oak tree that appeared to 
 be in the direct line of their march they concluded to 
 await the coming of the company to this tree and then 
 plant a couple of balls two or three feet above their heads 
 in the tree. As soon as the officer at the head of this 
 company came up to this tree, Van Campen and Salmon 
 fired from different stations, then raised the war-whoop 
 and began to jump from tree to tree, so as to make it 
 appear as though a number of Indians were on the ground. 
 These soldiers did not wait for another discharge of 
 guns, but turned and ran with all possible speed back to 
 the fort. It was about five miles distant, and when they 
 arrived there they created a great alarm ; said they had 
 been fired at by a large party of Indians ; they heard
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 83 
 
 their war-whoop, and saw them jump. " Yes," said the 
 officer, " some of their balls struck the. tree over my 
 head, and only just missed me." 
 
 Van Campen and Salmon came in the same day, and 
 great joy was expressed at seeing them alive and safe. 
 There was a hearty shaking of hands and many con- 
 gratulations in view of their escape, and inquiries it thay 
 did not see Indians ? They answered No ; but said they 
 had seen moccasin tracks, meaning their own, and that 
 on the route they were going they heard firing, and sup- 
 posed it must have been from the same party that at- 
 tacked the scout. The real facts in the case they thought 
 i* prudent not to divulge. 
 
 It may be thought that the statements here made are 
 not very creditable for the Lancaster men. They con- 
 ducted no differently from multitudes of others under 
 like circumstances. The truth is they were unaccustomed 
 to the field ; they had not been hardened by exposure to 
 danger. Reports were rife of the terrible and cruel 
 nature of Indian warfare, there was a general and con- 
 stant recital of their bloody deeds and it is not in the 
 least surprising that in coming suddenly upon what they 
 supposed a large party, the most of whom were in am- 
 bush, and the demonstration made simply a feint to 
 lure them into a fight with overwhelming numbers, it is 
 not strange they thought it prudent to retire from what 
 may have been considered a very unequal contest. 
 
 Their flight from what they supposed to be a large 
 party of Indians was not a circumstance without a parallel 
 iu the history of the war. Our brave Washington had 
 "*quently to complain of the instability of the militia-
 
 84 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 men, so much so, he was led to believe they did more in- 
 jury to the service than good. The want of firmness in- 
 the hour of danger did not belong to the militia of Lan- 
 caster any more than to those of any other section of the 
 country. 
 
 Near the close of the season an expedition of about 
 two hundred men under the command of Col. Hartley, 
 set out for the enemy's country. "In our route," says the 
 Colonel, " we met with great rains, prodigious swamps, 
 mountains, defiles, and rocks impeded our march. We 
 waded and swam the river Lycoming upward of twenty 
 times." They marched into the very heart of the enemy's- 
 country, destroyed Queen Esther's town, and put the 
 savages to flight in several engagements. On his return 
 march, Col. Hartley was attacked below Wyalusing by- 
 two hundred Indians, whom he routed, their loss being; 
 fifteen killed and thirty wounded. His own loss was 
 four killed and ten wounded.* 
 
 From the events recorded of this year it will be seen 
 that the sufferings of the people on the frontiers of Penn- 
 sylvania were such as to cast a gloom over the entire 
 region, yet it naturally resulted in stimulating them to 
 greater exertion in providing for their defence in the 
 future. 
 
 This same year also, was fruitful in disaster among 
 the frontier settlements of New York. 
 
 *Annals of Luzerne County.
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 The unexampled barbarities committed by the Indians 
 :and British, led General Washington to turn his thought 
 to this part of the great American conflict. With little 
 outlay of means themselves, an immense destruction of 
 'life and property resulted from their murderous inroads ; 
 leading him to believe that the most effective remedy 
 would be to strike a blow at their homes, and break up 
 if possible, those hives that sent forth these swarms to 
 prey upon the defenceless. 
 
 To effect this one thousand men were ordered to be 
 placed under the command of Gen. Mclntosh who was 
 to proceed directly against the Sandusky towns. Be- 
 tween two and three hundred soldiers were to be under 
 the command of Col. Clark to go against the Indians of 
 Illinois. The success of these two expeditions, it was 
 thought, would tend greatly to diminish the inroads 
 made by the savages coming from these famous recruit- 
 ing grounds for Indian invasions, and contribute much 
 'to the safety of the frontier settlements. 
 
 CoL Clark, with the men that were to go on his ex- 
 pedition, immediately left Fort Pitt and went down the 
 Ohio river as far as the falls where he landed his men, 
 concealed his boats, and marched directly toward Kas- 
 kaskia. The provisions they carried were soon ex- 
 hausted, obliging them to subsist on roots for two days. 
 
 (85)
 
 86 
 
 Their bravery and patriotism equaled the occasion, and 
 they passed on with unabated vigor. Fortunately they 
 met with no opposition, not even a straggling Indian ap- 
 peared in sight. These indications they regarded as 
 omens of success, and elated with the prospect, hastened 
 forward, reaching Kaskaskia in the night. They entered 
 it unseen and without being heard, and took passession 
 of the town and fort without opposition. The inhabi- 
 tants were unconscious of danger until it was upon them. 
 Separated as they were from the American settlements 
 by immense forests, whose stillness seemed to inspire in 
 them a sense of security and peace, they were surprised 
 and taken without dreaming of the impending danger ; 
 and not one was allowed to escape to give the alarm to 
 adjacent towns. 
 
 Col. Clark's sudden and bloodless victory put him in. 
 possession of a band of horses, and mounting on them a 
 detachment of men, he sent them against other towns 
 higher up the Mississippi, three of which were in like 
 manner surprised and taken. The governor of Kaskas- 
 kia had in his possession papers from Quebec, Detroit 
 and Mackinaw, directing him to incite the Indians to 
 war, and promising remuneration for the blood they 
 might shed. These papers were sent with the governor 
 to Virginia ; for though regarded within the limits of 
 that State, yet it was so distant and so occupied by hos- 
 tile savages, that no attempt had hitherto been made to 
 extend her jurisdiction over it, yet as it now became 
 hers by conquest as well as charter, the General Assem- 
 bly erected it into a county to be called Illinois ; ap- 
 pointed for it a temporary government, a regiment of
 
 MOSES VAN CAHPEN. 87 
 
 infantry and a troop of cavalry, and placed it under the 
 command of its intrepid and enterprising conqueror. 
 
 When the news of Col. Clark's achievments reached 
 Detroit, Governor Hamilton resolved to expel him from 
 Kaskaskia, and capture him and his soldiers. Raising 
 an army of six hundred men, principally Indians, he left 
 Detroit, determined to take from Col. Clark his well- 
 earned laurels. Advancing toward Fort Vincent on the 
 Wabash, he arrived there about the middle of December, 
 The fort was considerably out of repair and he imme- 
 diately set about improving its condition, designing it 
 for a repository of warlike implements such as he might 
 need, in carrying out the ambitious projects he had in 
 view. 
 
 Meanwhile to give employment to his men, he sent 
 most of them abroad to harass the settlements border- 
 ing on the Ohio, retaining only a single company for the 
 defense of the fort. 
 
 Col. Clark busied himself in trying to bring the sur- 
 rounding Indian tribes into correspondence with the 
 United States, working on the fears of some, persuading 
 others that their best interest would thus be secured. 
 
 The aid promised him fell far short of what had been 
 contemplated, yet his enterprise and activity seemed in 
 a measure to compensate for his deficiency in numbers. 
 He was in the heart of the Indian country, surrounded 
 by powerful and hostile tribes, yet he not only main- 
 tained his conquest, but by his adroit management, his 
 undaunted courage, and his genius tor exploits of a 
 daring character, he anticipated combinations formed 
 against him, and acted in a way that struck terror to
 
 88 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 the heart of his foes, and caused even the strongest to 
 stand in awe of him. 
 
 Some time passed before the news of Governor Hamil- 
 ton's purpose to take him and his little army reached 
 him. It failed to occasion him any alarm. Its influence 
 might be seen in the preparations he began to make for 
 the coming of the foe. His force was small ; winter 
 was coming on ; he was so far away, and the difficulties 
 so great, he could not expect reinforcements ; what 
 could he do ? He did not despair ; nor had he any 
 thought of abandoning his post. He and his men talked 
 the matter over, and resolved to maintain their ground 
 or die in the attempt. 
 
 The Indians had no doubt received the intelligence, 
 for they began to lurk around and put on airs. But the 
 Colonel gave no sign of uneasiness, and commenced quiet- 
 ly to concentrate his men and prepare for action. 
 
 It so happened that while these preparations were 
 going on, a Spanish merchant called one day at Kaskas- 
 kia, and during his conversation with the Colonel, inci- 
 dentally remarked that he had recently been at St. Vin- 
 cent. 
 
 The Colonel then remarked, "I suppose Governor 
 Hamilton has quite a large force there." " No," said the 
 Spaniard, " his force is not large." " What has be- 
 come of his men? I understood he had a large force 
 and was coming to pay us a visit." " The most of his 
 men have been sent away to different points along the 
 Ohio River. He has not a very large number of 
 men in the fort." " Ah," said the Colonel, " I sup- 
 posed he had." The Colonel was not long in deciding
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 89 
 
 to do. He saw before him a grand opportunity, 
 and embraced it. He made no further preparations to 
 resist an attack, but resolved to become the assailant, 
 and began at once to prepare for the expedition. A gal- 
 ley mounting two four pounders, and four swivels, was 
 furnished with a company of men, and its commander 
 was ordered to ascend the Wabash and station himself 
 a few miles below St. Vincent's, and to allow no one to 
 pass until the arrival of the main army. Then garrison- 
 ing Kaskaskia with militia, and "arranging the inhabitants 
 for the protection of the other towns, Col. Clark set out 
 on his march across the country, on the 7th of February 
 1779, at the head of one hundred and thirty intrepid and 
 brave men. 
 
 Such were the difficulties to be encountered that less 
 :resolute spirits would have quailed before them. The 
 weather was cold, and in crossing the overflowed lands 
 of the Wabash they were obliged to wade through water 
 and ice, in places up to their breasts, making their ad- 
 vance toilsome and slow. Yet strange to say these 
 heroic men toiled on, overcoming every obstacle, and ar- 
 rived at St. Vincent's on the evening of the twenty-third 
 of February, and almost at the same time with the gal- 
 ley sent on before them. The army had not been dis- 
 covered on the way ; the enemy had not been informed 
 of their coming, but here they were with the trial of their 
 jpowers and strength to be put to the test. 
 
 At seven o'clock the next morning they marched up 
 to commence the assault. The inhabitants instead of 
 interposing any obstacle received the troops with glad- 
 ness, and joined in the attack on the fort. For eighteen
 
 90 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 hours the garrison resisted the continued efforts of the 
 assailants. But when night came on, Colonel Clark had 
 an entrenchment thrown up, within rifle shot of the 
 enemy's strongest battery, and in the morning such a 
 well directed fire was poured in upon it from this point, 
 that in fifteen minutes two pieces of cannon were silenced 
 without any loss to themselves. The advantages thus 
 gained induced Hamilton to demand a parley, when he 
 intimated his design to surrender. The terms by which 
 the governor and garrison became prisoners of war, were 
 soon arranged, and a considerable quantity of military 
 stores came into the hands of the conquerors. 
 
 The capture of Governor Hamilton was justly regard- 
 ed as a matter of no small importance. He was a man 
 at once bold and active, and believed to be the chief in- 
 stigator of the Indians in their work of devastation and 
 death. His design in sending out the larger portion of 
 his men to harass the frontier settlements on the Ohio, 
 was but a part of his plan to involve the entire region 
 west of the Alleghany mountains in a bloody and de- 
 structive war. He who had planned all this, and was 
 determined to sweep away all the American settlements 
 in Western Virginia, was now a prisoner in the hands of 
 the enemy. It is not surprising the event created much 
 rejoicing, nor that a man who had rendered himself so 
 obnoxious to the people, should have been treated with 
 more than ordinary rigor. By order of the Governor of 
 Virginia, the Governor of Detroit was manacled with 
 irons and confined in jail. 
 
 While the siege was in progress Col. Clark was in 
 formed that a party of Indians sent out by Hamilton to
 
 MOSES VAX CAMPEN. 91 
 
 harass the frontiers, was returning, and were near St. 
 Vincent's with two prisoners. He at once sent a de- 
 tachment of men to give them battle, which resulted in 
 taking nine Indians and liberating the two prisoners. 
 
 The prompt, energetic, and self-sacrificing action of 
 Colonel Clark excited universal admiration, and it cer- 
 tainly merits the highest praise, evincing a rare genius 
 as a commander, and presenting qualities found only in 
 men of the very first order in generalship. 
 
 The expedition under General Mclntosh was not alike 
 successful, and having been projected at the same time, 
 seems to have been somewhat eclipsed by the brilliant 
 success that attended the other. His command was to 
 consist of a thousand men, not already in the field and 
 prepared to march toward the point designated, but men 
 that were to be enlisted for the service. At a distance 
 from the thickly settled part of the country, to enlist, 
 equip, and organize so large a force was no small under- 
 taking. The time consumed in this wearisome labor, 
 
 O ' 
 
 occupied the season best suited to a successful military 
 movement. 
 
 Hence it being late and anxious to achieve what he 
 could for the security of the frontier, he penetrated the 
 enemy's country as f ai as Tuscarawa where it was resolved 
 to build and garrison a fort, and wait for further opera- 
 tions until the opening of spring. A fort named Laurens 
 was erected on the banks of the Tuscarawa, a garrison of 
 one hundred and fifty men, under the command of Col. 
 John Gibson was left for its protection, while the main 
 army returned to Fort Pitt. 
 
 It was some little time .before the Indians became
 
 '92 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 aware of the erection of Fort' Laurens, and they were 
 not a little disturbed in view of this trespass on their 
 territory, and began immediately to devise schemes to 
 annoy their enemy. Early in January a body of In- 
 dians approached Fort Laurens without being perceived, 
 and during the night succeeded in catching the horses 
 outside the fort, and taking off their bells carried them 
 into the woods some distance away. Concealing them- 
 selves in the prairie grass, along the path leading from 
 the fort, they commenced rattling the bells in the morn- 
 ing, at the farther end of their line of ambush. Sixteen 
 .men were sent out to bring in the horses. Allured by 
 the sound of bells, they followed the path along which 
 the Indians lay concealed. All at once they arose and 
 opened upon them a destructive fire from front and rear. 
 Fourteen were killed and two were taken prisoners. 
 Toward the close of the same day, an army of eight 
 hundred and eighty-seven warriors, painted and equipped 
 for war, marched in single file in full view of the garri- 
 son, and encamped on elevated ground on the opposite 
 side of the river. The Indians thus invested the fort, 
 making little or no demonstrations against it, and re- 
 mained here for six weeks, when they were led to with- 
 draw. Such was the overwhelming force of the enemy 
 that the garrison could do nothing more than maintain 
 their position, and the service they rendered was simply 
 to hold the fort. These two expeditions were dii-ected 
 against the western Indians ; another expedition was 
 now in contemplation to march into the Seneca country, 
 -or Western New York. 
 
 General Sullivan was appointed its leader, and Fort
 
 MOSES VAX CAMPEN. 
 
 Laurens was ordered to be evacuated that its garrison 
 might be added to the force that was being gathered for 
 that expedition.* 
 
 * Archives of Pennsylvania.
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 In accordance with a determination to punish the In- 
 dians, as intimated in the preceding chapter, and as 
 ordered by Congress in the instructions given to the 
 Commander in -chief, " To take the most effectual means 
 for protecting the inhabitants, and chastising the Indians 
 for their continued depredations," an expedition was 
 planned for carrying the war into the very heart of the 
 country occupied by the Six Nations. They were re- 
 garded as very warlike tribes and having been for a long 
 5time in alliance with, and under the care of Great Britain, 
 they rendered her very important service, and served 
 (greatly to increase the severities endured by the people 
 while engaged in the Revolutionary struggle. 
 
 By their enterprise and prowess, they had gained as- 
 cendency over many other tribes, and they laid claim to 
 a very extensive region of country. They were consid- 
 erably removed from barbarism, cultivated the soil to 
 some extent, and in their social regulations, partook of 
 the order which characterizes more civilized communities. 
 The expedition was designed to invade the region occu- 
 pied by this confederation, lay waste their villages, 
 'destroy their crops and whatever else might be found, 
 by which the Indian interests might be afflicted. 
 
 General Sullivan having been appointed to the princi- 
 pal charge of the campaign, entered on the work of 
 (94)
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 95 
 
 preparation and selected Wyoming as the gathering 
 place of a part of his force, and the supplies needed for 
 the enterprise. Here were gathered the troops to march 
 from Pennsylvania, up the Susquehanna Valley to Tioga 
 Point, where they were to meet another portion of the 
 army from the North under the command of General 
 Clinton, and having formed a junction, they were to pro- 
 ceed up the valley of the Chemung to the rich and beau- 
 tiful country of the Seneca and Cayuga tribes. 
 
 The history of Van Campen during the summer of 
 1779, connects him with this campaign, and we shall be 
 led to speak of it somewhat in detail. For two or three 
 months previous to the time of starting, he was occn- 
 pied in collecting military stores. In the capacity of 
 Quartermaster, he attended to the purchase of provisions, 
 obtaining them of the settlers up and down the river by 
 means of boats, and having to oversee the shipping and 
 unshipping of these, was engaged for the most part, with 
 the details of this business. 
 
 On one of his trips with these boats he fell in with 
 a young man whose appearance betrayed a more than 
 ordinary supply of self-conceit. He was not far from 
 twenty years of age, well proportioned, and somewhat 
 above the ordinary stature. He may have heard or 
 known something of Van Campen's engagement with 
 the Indian-land-man ; at all events he seemed to be 
 " spoiling " for some trial of his strength, so, as he was 
 walking on the bank of the river, he came up to Van 
 Campen, who was coming toward his boats, moored near 
 by, and politely inquired, " Would you like to be laid 
 <qn your back, sir?"
 
 96 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 Perceiving that the young man had a somewhat ex- 
 alted idea of his bodily powers, and hoping, though h& 
 had been for sometime out of practice, to give him a 
 lesson he would be likely to remember, and would be of 
 some advantage to him in the future, he replied, "2 
 have no objection, sir, if it can be done fairly '." 
 
 They accordingly prepared to wrestle, and came up 
 and took their hold. It was on a little grass plat near 
 the river, where the bank was considerably high and 
 steep. Van Campen before taking hold, determined 
 what disposition he would make of the fellow and 
 worked, in their maneuvers for this purpose. He man- 
 aged to get him near the edge of the bank, and when he 
 had him in the right position, fell back, raised him with 
 his hands and knees and threw him over his head down 
 the bank, landing him head foremost in the sand and 
 water, and partly under one end of a boat. The unfor- 
 tunate youth gathered in his mouth a goodly supply of 
 sand and water, and might perhaps have been in some 
 danger of being drowned, but there were men by, who 
 helped him out, and though well pleased with the way 
 in which he was served, were disposed to render him 
 what assistance he needed. 
 
 After clearing his mouth so as to be able to speak, he 
 said to his antagonist, " I will remember you for this,, 
 sir." 
 
 To which was replied, " You are welcome to think of 
 me as long as you live." 
 
 The young man had no doubt reason to complain of 
 the treatment he had received as being too harsh, but 
 as he was the aggressor, and as his mishap was occasioned
 
 MOSES VAX CAMPEN. 97 
 
 by his unwonted vanity, he is perhaps not entitled to the 
 sympathy he might otherwise have received. 
 
 On the 31st of July, Gen. Sullivan having completed 
 his arrangements, began to ascend the river from Wyom- 
 ing toward Tioga Point. At the same time a fleet of 
 boats under the command of Commodore John Morrison, 
 sailed up the Susquehanna bearing in them the stores for 
 the army. "His baggage occupied one hundred and 
 twenty boats and two thousand horses, the former of 
 which were arranged in regular order on the river and 
 were propelled against the stream with setting poles, by 
 soldiers, having a sufficient guard of troops to accompany 
 them. The horses which carried the provisions for the 
 daily subsistence of the troops, passed along the narrow 
 path in single file, and formed a line extending about 
 six miles. 
 
 The boats presented a beautiful appearance as they 
 moved in order from their moorings, and as they passed 
 the fort received a grand salute, which was returned 
 by the loud cheers of the boatmen. The whole scene 
 offered a military display surpassing any which had 
 ever been exhibited at Wyoming, and was well calculat- 
 ed to make a powerful impression upon the minds of 
 those lurking parties of savages which still continued to 
 range upon the mountains from which all these move- 
 ments were visible for many miles."* 
 
 Van Campen, being obliged as Quartermaster, to have 
 the care of all the stores, ascended the river in one of 
 the boats. He attended to the distribution of the pro- 
 
 *Chapman's History of Wyoming.
 
 98 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 visions among the several captains and companies of 
 boatmen, and gave an account of the same to the Com- 
 missary General of the Army. 
 
 They reached Tioga on the llth of August, and there 
 halted until General Clinton should join them with the 
 forces under his command. In the meantime the Indians 
 had been concentrating at Chemung, a large village 
 about eleven miles above, on a branch bearing the same 
 name. 
 
 While remaining here they proved very troublesome 
 neighbors. They waylaid every path to watch and cut- 
 off any small party that might be sent out, or any indi- 
 vidual so unfortunate as to stray too far from the 
 army. They inflicted several injuries of this kind, in 
 cutting off small companies sent out to look after the 
 pack horses belonging to the army, that had been suf- 
 fered to run loose in the woods. 
 
 They were wont to wander off to what were called 
 Queen Esther's Flatts, and to a plain about six miles dis- 
 tant, covered with underbrush, and a few large oak 
 trees. 
 
 General Sullivan thought that by sending a small 
 party who should advance with caution to some place in 
 the vicinity of the plain and there form an ambush, the 
 movements of these savages might be discovered, and 
 they would be able to play them the same game in re- 
 turn. Having formed his plan he called on Van Cam- 
 pen, and desired him to head the party and try and carry 
 his design into execution. The plain six miles above 
 was fixed upon as the place of trial. It was proposed to 
 go to this place or near it, station a sentinel in the bushy
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 99 
 
 top of some oak tree, who would indicate by some signal 
 the presence of Indians if seen crossing the plain, to the 
 party in ambush, who would be prepared to give them 
 battle. 
 
 Major Adam Hoops, one of Sullivan's aids brought 
 Van Campen his instructions, directing him to go as 
 near the enemy as he judged prudent, and there make 
 his arrangements for carrying out the plan, which was 
 to let the sentinel in the tree top watch for the Indians, 
 and on discovering any, he was to let down a cord load- 
 ed with "lead, to which was attached a piece of white 
 paper ; this he was to let down a given number of feet 
 for a given number of the enemy, and if passing to the 
 right or left, this was to be indicated by a correspond- 
 ing movement of the paper. 
 
 Having received his instructions Van Campen took 
 with him a small company of men, and proceeding to 
 the appointed place, selected the tree and the ground for 
 his ambnsh. His sentry with the cord prepared for giv- 
 ing the signal, ascended to the point of observation, 
 where seating himself on a limb, and leaning against the 
 the body of the tree, he could overlook the plain, and 
 easily distinguish any movement upon its borders. From 
 their ambush they had a fair view of the sentinel, and 
 they all kept an eye upon him to obtain the first intima- 
 tion of an approaching enemy. 
 
 After watching for about an hour, they saw the paper 
 begin slowly to descend until it fell about five feet and 
 stopped. Van Campen said to his men, " My good f el- 
 lo\vs, we'll soon have sport, there are but five of them." 
 Presently the paper lowered about five feet more. He
 
 100 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OP 
 
 then observed, " We'll have something more to do, 
 there are ten of them." The paper continued gradually 
 to descend until it reached a distance of about fifteen 
 feet. He then added, " We shall now, my brave fel- 
 lows, have enough of it, for we are about equally 
 manned." 
 
 Before the words were fairly out of his mouth, the 
 sentry came tumbling down through the limbs to the 
 ground, and fell near the body of the tree. The cause 
 of the descent of the paper then flashed upon their minds,, 
 and they began to laugh at their mistake. 
 
 It was quite apparent the sentry had fallen asleep,, 
 and had unconsciously let the paper fall, and he himself, 
 losing his balance, had come down headlong with it. 
 The soldiers were disposed to be somewhat mirthful over 
 the event, but to the sentry it was quite a serious disas- 
 ter. One of his shoulders was put out of joint, and in 
 other respects he found himself bruised and injured* 
 Yet when casualties involving so much more, were 
 things of daily occurrence, this was little thought of. 
 
 After remaining some time without making any dis- 
 coveries, Van Campen returned and reported his pro- 
 ceedings to General Sullivan ; the General inquired,, 
 " How do you like the plan ?"- 
 
 To which he replied, " The plan I think is a good one,, 
 but I came very near losing a man by it." 
 
 " How so, sir?" 
 
 " Why, my sentry fell asleep and came down the tree 
 in a hurry, head foremost, and unjointed a shoulder." 
 
 " Why didn't you dispatch the rascal ?" 
 
 " I had no orders, sir, to kill my own men." 
 
 The General and his officers laughed.
 
 MOSES VA.N CAMPEN. 101 
 
 Having performed this service much to the satisfaction 
 of the commanding officer, Van Campen was entrusted 
 with another, more hazardous than the one just related, 
 yet well suited to his adventurous spirit. General Sul- 
 livan contemplated an attack on the Indians, gathered in 
 force some little distance above, and wishing to know their 
 numbers and situation, he desired some one to inspect 
 the enemy while they were encamped for sleep, and as- 
 certain as to these points. 
 
 Van Campen was selected for this dangerous enter- 
 prise. Having no dread about visiting the resting-place 
 of the savage in the still hour of night, and fond of the 
 excitement of adventure, though attended with danger, 
 he cheerfully entered upon the undertaking. He did 
 not anticipate trouble, a buoyant spirit raised him above 
 fear ; and though confident of being able to perform 
 this service, and return in safety, he omitted no care that 
 prudence might suggest as a protection against harm. 
 He obtained an Indian dress, consisting of breech-cloth, 
 leggins", moccasins, and a cap ornamented with feathers, 
 and painting himself a tawny color he donned the savage 
 costume, and with a companion habited in the same way, 
 left the camp after dark and proceeded to execute his 
 commission. 
 
 The two advanced cautiously to a fording place in the 
 Ohemung. It might be guarded, but finding no impedi- 
 ment in the way they crossed over, .and ascended a 
 mountain which brought them in sight of the enemy's 
 fires. For a few moments they stood here, casting their 
 eyes over the plain below, and beholding the lights that 
 here and there gleamed through the surrounding dark-
 
 102 LIFE AND ADVENTUBES OF 
 
 ness. After talking over the hazardous work before 
 them, they began slowly to advance, keeping a good look- 
 out for the foe, knowing full well that if discovered,, 
 their lives would pay the penalty of their temerity. 
 Were there sentinels on the watch to discover them, or 
 wakeful Indians to discern their strange appearance and 
 give the alarm? Fortunately their approach was not 
 discovered, and they waited until all were down and as 
 they believed, asleep, and then drew near the camp. 
 
 Here Van Campen left his companion, directing him 
 to remain until his return, but adding that in case he 
 should hear the report of guns, he might know there wa& 
 trouble, and he should try and get back to the army the 
 best way he could. 
 
 With slow and weary tread Van Campen came within 
 the enemy's encampment. He found there were several 
 fires, and the Indians were lying about them apparently 
 in profound sleep. He saw the dusky forms of warriors: 
 all around him. He heard the low hum that attended 
 the breathing of sleeping men. Every now and then he 
 could see one of them turn over, or move in some way 
 to better his position. It was a dangerous place to be 
 in and prudence suggested that he had better not stay 
 here very long. He remained here long enough, how- 
 ever to count the number of men in that encampment, 
 and the counting the number of fires that indicated the 
 number of encampments he estimated their force at about 
 seven hundred. Having made these observations he 
 silently worked his way back to his companion, and bolJi 
 of them returned to their own camp in safety. It was now 
 about the dawn of day, and their coming was welcomed
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 103 
 
 with joy, and after giving his report to the General, who 
 was gratified with his success, Yan Campen sought rest 
 after the watchings and fatigues of the night. 
 
 On the afternoon of the day of his return, Mr. Adam 
 Hoops, one of General Sullivan's aids, came to Yan 
 Campen's tent, and requested him to wait upon the 
 General. He went, and as he came into the General's 
 presence, saw that he appeared in a very pleasant mood, 
 when he said, " Well sir, you have learned the way to 
 Chemung, what say you about leading the advance 
 guard against the Indians ?" At the same time adding, 
 " It's a post of honor and of danger too." "That will 
 suit me," replied Yan Campen, "I am ready to meet 
 danger." 
 
 "Go, then," said he, "select your men, and be ready.'* 
 In obedience to this order he prepared for the expedition, 
 made choice of his men, and was ready to start at a 
 moment's warning. The order soon came and they took 
 up their line of march a little after sunset. 
 
 General Samuel Hand of the Pennsylvania line, had 
 been appointed to command the detachment, consisting 
 of eleven hundred men. Yan Campen marched on be- 
 fore the main body, at the head of twenty-six men, with 
 orders to advance as far as the Narrows, and halt until 
 the main body came up. 
 
 On coming to this place they waited until the others 
 came up, when they all received the order from General 
 Hand, in a low but emphatic voice, " Soldiers cut your 
 way through, cut your way through." 
 
 They did so, and entered the Indian camp and village 
 at the break of day. The Indians had left, evidently in
 
 104 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 great haste, from the indications betokening their flight. 
 Their trail seemed to lead up the river, and pausing a 
 few minutes for rest they pushed on after them. 
 
 They set fire to the village and followed up the river 
 about two miles where they came to a ridge, called from 
 its shape, Hog Back Hill. 
 
 As they came near this place Yan Campen remarked 
 to his men, " Here we must look out for an Indian am- 
 buscade, it seems so well suited for one." 
 
 " Be on your guard, my brave fellows, we shall be 
 likely to have it as hot as we can sup it." Every eye 
 now turned to the hill, and as they began to ascend, they 
 saw a stir in the bushes at the top, and presently the 
 muzzles of rifles darted out toward them like hatchel 
 teeth. A deadly fire followed a moment after, and six- 
 teen of Van Campen's men, fell at his side, some wounded, 
 the most of them, killed. There was not a moment for 
 reflection. Another fire would sweep away the remain- 
 ing part of the advance guard. They were near the river 
 bank. As quick as thought Van Campen ordered his 
 men to reserve their fire and fall behind the bank of the 
 river. " Quick" said he " they will be out in a moment 
 to scalp, then will be our turn, let every shot tell" No 
 sooner had their position been taken, than six or seven 
 stout fellows rushed out, with knife and tomahawk in 
 hand, to kill the wounded and take the scalps. " Now 
 is our chance, boys." Van Campen took the leader, and 
 his men took care of the others. 
 
 General Hand now came up at quick step, advanced 
 within a few rods of the enemy, and ordered his men to 
 fire and charge with the bayonet.
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 105 
 
 This movement routed the enemy and put him to flight. 
 After this engagement they took up their dead and 
 wounded^ and came back the next night, to their former 
 camp. 
 
 On examining his clothes after the battle Van Campen 
 found that there had been some sharp shooting ; two or 
 three bullet holes had been made through them, and a 
 ball had just grazed his side. They had no further en- 
 counter with the enemy until after the arrival of General 
 Clinton, with the other part of the army. 
 
 General Clinton as we have seen was to descend the 
 Susquehanna and meet General Sullivan at Tioga Point. 
 His preparations were made in view of this and depended 
 on receiving a notice of Sullivan's advance, and on re- 
 ceiving this he set out for the place of meeting. 
 
 General Clinton conceived the idea of conveying his 
 troops in boats down the Susquehanna to Tioga Point. 
 One of its principal branches takes its rise from the 
 waters of Otsego Lake. The General kept back the 
 water by throwing a dam across its outlet, thus accumu- 
 lating a large volume of water and was ready on receiv- 
 ing the order to open his reservoir, and be wafted by its 
 swollen tide into the vicinity of the other army. The 
 order came and he opened his flood-gates, embarked with 
 his troops upon the stream, and was wafted by its proud 
 wave bearing its burden in triumph to its point of des- 
 tination. The sudden and unexpected rise of water with- 
 out any visible cause to produce it occasioned great alarm 
 among the Indians who ascribed the cause of this un- 
 usual inundation to the Great Spirit, who thus manifested 
 Ms displeasure with them and had sent this flood to in-
 
 106 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OP 
 
 undate their fields of corn, and destroy their crop for the 
 year. 
 
 The sudden bursting forth of such a flood, in a dry 
 time, when the river was low and with no heavy rains 
 to precede it, might well occasion surprise and alarm. 
 By means of the flood, this expedition, served by a 
 flotilla of more than two hundred boats, descended the 
 river, through a wild and for the most part uncultivated 
 region, on a stream which heretofore 1 had only been 
 navigated by a little bark canoe. 
 
 To the other division of the army, that had already 
 reached Tioga Point, this sudden rise of the water was 
 alike surprising and unaccountable. They viewed the 
 flood as it came with a rush that filled the channel and 
 swept over the banks that could not hold it, and won- 
 dered what should have occasioned so singular a phe- 
 nomenon. While yet held in astonishment and admira- 
 tion of the sudden grandeur and majesty of the stream' 
 their eyes were greeted by .the appearance of Clinton 
 and his host, as they came quietly floating down on the 
 bosom of the mighty current. 
 
 By the junction of the force under Clinton, with the 
 troops under Sullivan, the whole army that was to march 
 into the Indian country amounted to five thousand. 
 
 This campaign had been in contemplation for so long 
 a time and its object was so generally understood, that 
 the Indians had become advised of its design, and kept 
 themselves informed of its movements. They had col- 
 lected a considerable force, and had made preparations 
 to oppose its progress at a point, selected with much 
 judgment above the Narrows. They were differently
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 107 
 
 estimated at from eight to fifteen hundred, including 
 Indians, British troops, and rangers. Their own author- 
 ity gives the number of five hundred and fifty Indians,, 
 led by their famous warrior Brant, and two hundred and 
 fifty whites, commanded by Colonels John Butler, Sir 
 John and Guy Jackson, Major Walter N. Butler, and 
 Captain McDonald. 
 
 As Sullivan's army advanced they determined to risk 
 a general engagement at the point where they had taken 
 their position. This they had fortified by a breast-work 
 of logs and trees, formed on a rising ground, and extend- 
 ing nearly a mile in length. The river wound about 
 their rear, and protected their right wing, their front 
 and left were only exposed to attack. A little stream 
 now called Baldwin's Creek, ran in front, and on the 
 left was a high ridge nearly parallel with the general 
 course of the river, which terminated a little below the 
 breast-work ; and further on to the left was still another 
 ridge, running in the same direction and leading to the 
 rear of the Americans. 
 
 The ground was covered with pine interspersed with 
 low shrub oaks, many of which to conceal their works, 
 had been cut and stuck in front of them, and had the 
 appearance of trees that had grown there. The road, 
 after crossing a deep brook at the foot of the hill, turned 
 to the right, and ran nearly parallel with the breast- 
 work, so as to expose the entire flank of the army to 
 their fire, if it advanced without discovering their posi- 
 tion. Parties communicating with each other, were 
 stationed on both hills, so as to fall on the flank and rear 
 of Sullivan as soon as the action should commence.
 
 108 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 The position of the enemy was discovered at about 
 eleven o'clock in the morning of the 29th of August, by 
 Major Parr who commanded the advance guard. Gen- 
 eral Hand immediately formed the light infantry in a 
 wood about four hundred yards from the enemy, and 
 waited for the main body of the army. During this 
 time a continual skirmish was kept up between the rifle 
 corps of Parr and the Indians, who sallied forth from 
 their works in small parties, fired and then retreated as 
 though they wished to be incautiously pursued by the 
 enemy. The woods were made alive by the wild yell 
 of the savage which resounded from every point, filling 
 the mind with enlarged ideas of the number of their 
 warriors. 
 
 General Sullivan formed his line on ground rising 
 directly opposite the works of the enemy, where he had 
 .a full view of the preparations made to receive him. 
 Supposing the hills on his right were occupied by the 
 enemy, he ordered Gen. Poor to take possession of them, 
 and by coming in behind to cut off his retreat. 
 
 While Gen. Poor was marching to execute his com- 
 mand, and to give him time to fall in behind the enemy, 
 General Sullivan ordered the riflemen under Major Parr, 
 to move toward their line and keep up a running fire, 
 adopting the cautious mode of warfare peculiar to their 
 foes, of fighting from behind trees, stumps or logs, each 
 one taking care to expose himself as little as possible, 
 and all watching and shooting, whenever they could 
 catch a glimpse of the enemy. 
 
 Van Campen took a station with the rest, as had been 
 directed, and seeing a stump near, threw himself down
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 
 
 behind it. He had not more than fairly taken his place 
 before he heard the report of a gun, from which a ball 
 came whizzing toward him, and entered the stump where 
 he had sought protection. He saw that it came from a 
 large tree directly opposite. 
 
 A few minutes after his antagonist planted another 
 bullet in the stump. Perceiving immediately after this 
 fire that a few hazel bushes obstructed his view, in case 
 he should return the shot, Van Campen sprang out, and 
 with his knife lopped them down, and instantly returned 
 to his position. Directly after another ball struck the 
 stump, and putting his eye out a little behind it he 
 caught a glimpse of the Indian, as he was reloading his 
 rifle. In ramming down the charge he threw out his 
 hips from the tree so far, that Van Campen thought a 
 well directed shot might hit him. Then watching hi& 
 opportunity, with his finger on the trigger of his gu% 
 and aiming close to the bark of the tree, the hips of the 
 Indian again coming in sight, he touched off his rifle? 
 and the ball speeding its unerring course hit the mark. 
 
 The Indian bounded into the air with a yell, halloed 
 " ca-hoo" and sank upon the ground. " No more shots 
 came from that tree," says Van Campen, " and I conclud- 
 ed I had silenced that battery." 
 
 At this time the musketry who had been listening ta 
 the brisk firing of the rifle, mingled with the loud shouts 
 and fierce yells of the Indian, became impatient to be 
 led into action. They feared the riflemen would defeat 
 the enemy, and carry off all the honor. 
 
 Sullivan learning this from his aids, and that the men. 
 could be held back no longer, gave the order for them
 
 110 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 to advance The main body then moved toward the 
 enemy's line, the artillery at the same time opening a 
 fire upon them, so that their works were stormed and 
 carried in a few minutes at the point of the bayonet. 
 
 Meanwhile, Gen Poor pushed up the mountain, which 
 had indeed been possessed by the enemy, and in his course 
 met with much opposition. Yet he continued to advance 
 pressing the Indians back at the point of the bayonet 
 and occasionally opening upon them a brisk fire, but they 
 retreated from one point to another, delaying his pro- 
 gress by an irregular fire, until he gained the summit of 
 the hill. Perceiving that by this movement, their flank 
 was left uncovered, and that they were in danger of be- 
 ing surrounded, the savages fled with the utmost percipi- 
 tation, thus leaving the Americans masters of the field. 
 
 The battle had been contested manfully on the part 
 of the Indians and their allies. No effort had been spared 
 adapted to give them success, or inspire the hope of vic- 
 tory, but their adversaries were equally active, and by 
 their superiority of force, soon gained the ascendency. In 
 vain did the Indian chief fly from place to place to en- 
 courage his trusty braves to resist to the last extremity, 
 the progress of an enemy sent to destroy their corn and 
 lay waste their villages. In vain does he call upon them 
 to nerve their arms to ward off the blow aimed at their 
 homes, and drive away the gaunt and haggard visage of 
 famine. Their well devised plans did not succeed, their 
 utmost endeavor failed. They were driven from their 
 works, they had been met at every point, they were 
 threatened with having the enemy gain their rear and 
 shut off their escape, when they raised the retreat-halloo, 
 precipitately abandoned their works, and fled across the
 
 MOSES VAJf CAMPEX. Ill 
 
 river, leaving many of their packs, tomahawks and scalp- 
 ing knives behind them. The contest had been severe, 
 and their flight was so hurried that they left eleven of 
 their dead on the field, a thing very unusual with the 
 Indians, who use every precaution to hide their loss from 
 their foes. They were pursued in their flight about two 
 miles, yet it was so rapid they suffered but little ; only 
 eight scalps were taken from them. The loss of the 
 Americans has been differently reported. 
 
 Mr. Van Campen says the popular estimation at the 
 time was about seventy. The houses of the village near 
 by were burned and the corn fields destroyed. The 
 Americans held their encampment the "night after the 
 battle on the field where their victory had been won. 
 
 The reader will no doubt be interested with a circum- 
 stance in connection with this battle, which came to light 
 several years after the restoration of peace between the 
 parties engaged in this conflict. 
 
 Mr. Van Campen was often visited at his residence in 
 Angelica, Allegany Co., N. Y., by the Indians who lived 
 In Caneadea, a town of theirs a few miles below on the 
 Genesee River. He was known by them as having been 
 engaged in the Revolutionary war, and as having had 
 something to do with the Indians and they may have 
 had some curiosity to see him. They were kindly re- 
 ceived and well treated and very frequently paid him a 
 visit. The author remembers seeing them there often, 
 when he was but a lad from five to eight years old. 
 
 Among those that used to come and see him was an 
 Indian named Shongo, a war chief, a tall finely built 
 fellow, who called one day on Mr. Van Campen on some 
 .JDUsiness and when this was over, they fell into conversa-
 
 112 LIFE AKD ADVENTURES OP 
 
 tion among other things, about the campaign of Sullivan,, 
 and the battle below Newtown.* Van Campen told him he 
 was there, and with Ma j or Parr's company of riflemen when 
 they fought behind trees and bushes. That he was be- 
 hind a stump that was fired into by a large Indian who 
 stood behind a large oak tree directly opposite, that he 
 shot at him when he was loading his gun, and from the 
 way he jumped he supposed he must have hit him. 
 
 Shongo here interrupted him by exclaiming, Co- 
 waugh, I same^Indian. 
 
 He then turned up his breech cloth, and showed the 
 scar. He said he fell to the ground and had to be carried 
 off, being unable to do anything more during the remain- 
 ing part of the action. 
 
 Mr. Van Campen speaks of him as possessing an un- 
 commonly stout, military figure, about six feet high, fine 
 head, roman nose, full chest, well proportioned limbs, a* 
 dignified and quite pleasant countenance. He says of 
 him, " I have seldom if ever seen a more noble looking 
 fellow of any nation or tribe of men. During the war 
 of 1813, he visited my house more than once to consult 
 with me nbout the course it would be best for the Indians 
 to pursue. He lived to an advanced age and has been 
 dead several years." He must still be remembered by 
 the early settlers of Angelica, and those living below in 
 the neighborhood of Caneadea, on the Genesee river. 
 
 But the brave fellow is now no more and the race of 
 which he was a noble representative, has melted away 
 before the sweeping tide of white immigration until now 
 scarcely a vestige remains behind. 
 
 *Present site of Elmira, N. Y.
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 By the battle of Newtown an important point had 
 been gained. The Indians had here brought together 
 their principal force. Their position had been chosen 
 with judgment, their preparations skillfully made, and 
 they were situated so as to meet the enemy advantage- 
 ously. They no doubt hoped to strike a heavy blow on 
 this campaign, and possibly arrest its progress. Their 
 failure would discourage them from making an effectual 
 resistance at other places. Such indeed was the result of 
 this battle. They were thoroughly routed, and continued 
 their flight until they arrived early the next day at their 
 village, Catherine's Town, at the head of Seneca Lake ; 
 where the warriors said to the women, " We are con- 
 quered and must fly / we have had many killed, and 
 vast numbers wounded."* 
 
 From their encampment at Newtown, the Americans 
 sent back to Tioga, whatever of their baggage, artillery 
 and wagons, were not needed in advancing farther. 
 While remaining here Van Campen was sent with a de- 
 tachment to destroy an Indian village at the head of 
 Baldwin's Creek. 
 
 He found it deserted, and having burned the houses, 
 about twenty, returned to the army. On the 31st of 
 
 *Sullivan's official report, as quoted by Col. Stone. The state- 
 ment is perhaps somewhat exaggerated. 
 
 (113)
 
 114 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 August they marched in the direction of Catherine's 
 Town, destroying cornfields, and whatever other Indian 
 possession they found on the way. 
 
 The route pursued led them through a wild unculti- 
 vated region, over places hitherto traveled only by the 
 wandering savage, making their advance very fatigu- 
 ing and difficult. Had the Indians been less precipitate 
 in their retreat, they might have greatly annoyed our 
 army, as in its course it passed through narrows, and 
 dangerous defiles, and over streams they were obliged to 
 wade ; at any, or all of these places they might have been 
 severely harassed, had the opportunities presented been 
 diligently and persistently improved. But they were 
 thoroughly demoralized, and hastened to remove their 
 families beyond the reach of the invading army. 
 
 The route pursued by Gen. Sullivan led him across the 
 high land that formed the dividing line of waters flow- 
 ing eastward into the Chemung, and those flowing west- 
 ward and emptying into the Seneca Lake. On this high 
 ground was a widely extended hemlock swamp, through 
 which their course lay, very difficult to pass, from the 
 nature of the ground, and because of the fallen trees, 
 tangled vines, and brush-wood in the way. The fre- 
 quent miring of their pack-horses, and the uncertain 
 foot-hold for the men, together with the impediments 
 they were obliged to overcome, rendered their progress 
 a constant scene of anxiety and trouble, and had a wily 
 nemy been present still further to annoy, the climax of 
 their difficulties would have been reached. 
 
 It was late in the afternoon when the army came to 
 this swamp, and the General was advised not to enter it 

 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 115 
 
 the next day, but he rejected the counsel, and 
 pressed on, without reaching the other side, a large part 
 of the army being obliged to pass the night amid the 
 discomforts and gloom of that dismal place. Two 
 streams of water find their way out of this swamp in 
 opposite directions as just intimated. The army after 
 having passed the swamp, followed the course of the 
 stream emptying into the head of Seneca Lake, 
 
 On elevated ground affording a beautiful prospect of 
 woodland and lake, was the Indian village of Catherine's 
 Town, the residence of the notorious Catharine Montour. 
 It was pleasantly situated, surrounded by corn-fields, and 
 orchards, and numbered about thirty houses. Coming 
 to this they found no one to dispute their possession, the 
 Indians, panic-stricken had fled, leaving their homes to 
 be at the disposal of the enemy. It seemed a very stern 
 order that required the destruction of the homes and 
 property of the Indians, but this was required by the 
 Commander-in-chief, and so their houses, cornfields, and 
 orchards were destroyed, and not a vestige left in the 
 track of the army on which the Indian warrior could 
 find subsistence. Every settlement in the region was 
 burned, every cornfield leveled with the ground, and the 
 stately fruit trees cut down. 
 
 From Catherine's Town the army continued its march 
 down along the eastern border of the Seneca Lake, burn- 
 ing Kendaia, a town of about twenty-houses on the way, 
 crossing the outlet on the 7th of September, and advanc- 
 ing to Kanadaseaga, the capital of the Seneca nation. 
 Here General Sullivan expected to find the enemy forti- 
 dfied, and prepared for another engagement, and in ap-
 
 116 LIFE AND AD VENTURES OP 
 
 preaching the town, separated his army into three di- 
 visions, designing to come upon it suddenly from three- 
 points, and take it by surprise. But though the war^ 
 chiefs endeavored to bring their men to make another 
 stand, they could not be persuaded ; declaring it to be 
 utterly useless to contend with such a powerful army. 
 Their capital, therefore, popularly known as the Seneca 
 Castle, and later as the Indian Castle, was found desert- 
 ed, not a man appearing to offer any resistance to the in- 
 vading force. 
 
 This was one of the largest towns the General found 
 in his march through the Indian country. Being the 
 seat of government, the chief men of the nation had 
 their residence here. Their dwellings though rudely 
 constructed, were quite comfortable, and their grounds 
 were laid out in gardens, or planted with corn. In sev- 
 eral of their edifices they aspired to something more 
 than rude log cabins, they were of hewn logs, and were 
 by no means unsightly. The abundance of their fruit 
 trees, and the luxurious growth, and variety of their 
 vegetables were evidences of a people considerably ad- 
 vanced toward civilization. But here, alas ! as well as 
 elsewhere, a ruthless hand was laid on everything be- 
 longing to the Indian, whatever may have been its value 
 as representing his character or culture ; all that could 
 mark the ancient glory of their nation was reduced to 
 ashes, or laid in ruins. 
 
 Tradition still hallows the place where the ancient 
 council fire burned, and where the distinguished men of 
 a noble race met to discuss matters of polity, questions, 
 relating to the interests of their nation, receive embassa-
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 117 
 
 dors, an occasion ever attended with much ceremony, 
 and dignified speech, weigh carefully the subject matter 
 of their mission, resulting often in lengthy debate, 
 marked by passages of superior eloquence, these things 
 presenting still further evidences of their intelligence 
 and culture, have attracted the attention and curiosity 
 of the civilized world, and have led to deep and earnest 
 inquiries after their history. Relics of them have been 
 gathered and preserved, and whatever has tended to 
 throw light upon their origin and history has been treas- 
 ured as a thing of value. 
 
 Often has the regret arisen that these noble trees were 
 cut down, yet some of them had a vitality that made 
 them unwilling to die, and they sprouted again and be- 
 came trees ; long may they live. 
 
 The army having accomplished the destruction of 
 Kanadeseaga, and one or two other towns and settle- 
 ments near, moved forward upon Kanandaigua, and 
 arrived there in two days. This was likewise considered 
 a place of considerable importance, and the houses, 
 twenty-three in number, which some who saw them at 
 this time, regarded as quite elegant, but sad, to say, they 
 were all destroyed. There were large fields of corn de- 
 stroyed here also, and it was regarded then, as it ever 
 lias been since, a very beautiful country. 
 
 From this they proceeded to Honeoye, a town about 
 half the size of Kanandaigua, destroying its houses, and 
 cornfields. A strong garrison was left here in charge of 
 the heavy stores of the army, while it advanced upon 
 the still larger town of Genesee. This was a very im- 
 portant town, the frequent gathering place of large as-
 
 118 LIFE ATSTD AD VENTURES OF 
 
 semblies, and numbering one hundred and twenty-eight 
 houses, many of them large and well built, and being 
 situated in a very fertile region, and one widely culti- 
 vated, their possessions here were highly appreciated 
 and perhaps valued more than any which had hitherto 
 fallen into the hands of the army. 
 
 The Indians being apprised of Sullivan's design to 
 come here also, began to meditate resistance. They felt 
 assurred of the destruction of all their towns, if the 
 enemy should advance farther without being molested j 
 and concluding that defeat would add but little to the 
 extremity of their case, they determined to way-lay the 
 path of the invading army, and strike one more felow in 
 defense of their homes. Sullivan's advance therefore 
 from Honeoye, was very carefully watched. The rifle- 
 men who marched in front and on the flank, when com- 
 ing to high ground, where the Indian had an opportunity 
 to observe their movements, very often caught glimpses 
 of him fleeing, like a deer started up in the track of the 
 hunter, from the place where he had been viewing the 
 progress of the army. These indications led to the sus- 
 picion of some design on the part of the Indians, to make 
 an attack, and led them to advance with caution. 
 
 The army kept on its march, however, without being 
 molested, and soon arrived at the head of Connissius 
 Lake, where it was obliged to halt and devise means to- 
 cross its inlet. An extensive and marshy ground and 
 water of considerable depth, obstructed their farther 
 progress, until a rude bridge should be constructed to 
 enable the army to cross with safety. This place pre- 
 sented an opportunity favorable, and they expected here 
 a severe encounter with the enemy.
 
 MOSES VAX CAMPEN. 119 
 
 A detachment of the army under Gen. Hand gained 
 the opposite side to protect their work, while a small 
 party under Lieut. Boyd was sent to watch the move- 
 ments of the Indians, and reconnoiter the next town. 
 Genesee being a town of much importance, and their last 
 stronghold, it was supposed they would resolutely resist 
 its being taken. Boyd with twenty-six men, and two 
 faithful Oneida Indians as guides, started out on this 
 undertaking late in the afternoon, and having discharged 
 his duty with all secrecy and dispatch, during the hours 
 of night, was on his return to the main detachment, 
 when he discovered two Indians running at a distance 
 before him. He was disposed to pursue them, but was 
 advised by his trusty guides not to follow them, " Since," 
 said they, "it is only an artifice by which they intend to 
 draw us into an ambush, where we shall suddenly be sur- 
 rounded by a large force and shall be cut off.' 1 '' 
 
 These Oneidas well understood the design of the 
 enemy, they had been trained in Indian strategy, and 
 the apparent timidity of the two that started up and fled 
 before them, aroused their suspicions, and they were not 
 mistaken. The Indians by some means had learned of 
 this detachment that had gone out under Boyd and they 
 resolved to prevent its return. Hence they formed an 
 ambuscade on the course they thought would be pursued, 
 and were eagerly watching its approach. 
 
 Boyd notwithstanding the advice that had been given, 
 and anxious to come up with the fugitives, and thinking 
 he might with safety follow a short distance farther 
 after them, kept on, until one of them was killed, and his 
 scalp taken. He was shot by the famous Murphy, one
 
 120 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OP 
 
 of the party, who ran on ahead of the others and by his 
 fleetness came so near his victim, there was no chance 
 for his escape. 
 
 Timothy Murphy was a native of Pennsylvania, of 
 dark complexion, having a keen black eye, and features 
 though well formed, marked by hardihood from much 
 exposure in camp. He was about five feet nine inches 
 high, and his limbs finely turned, gave indications of 
 great muscular activity and strength. He was not a 
 Virginian, as some have represented, was well known to 
 Van Campen, having lived on the farm of Van Campen's 
 father, and was more or less intimate with the family, 
 until his father moved into the vicinity of Northumber- 
 land. Murphy was one of the brave spirits of the revo- 
 lution, and his name is extensively known from his hav- 
 ing taken an active part in border warfare. His adven- 
 turous spirit led him into deeds of daring that were 
 lagely tinctured with the marvellous, and stories of re- 
 markable daring that should properly have been ascribed 
 to other men, have interested and delighted many a bar- 
 room audience, with Murphy as the grand hero of the 
 occasion. The author was once told by Harvey Watson 
 Esq. of Schoharie, N. Y., that in stopping over night at 
 a hotel on one occasion, he heard related among nrany 
 other very remarkable things performed by Murphy, the 
 story of Putnam and the wolf, representing Murphy as 
 the brave actor in the scene. Telling also of the way " 3 
 captured some Indians, one time. He was in the woods 
 splitting a log to make rails, and had the log parf!y 
 opened when the Indians came upon him, and claimed 
 nim as their prisoner. He promised to go with them
 
 MOSES VAK CAMPEN. 121 
 
 shortly, he wanted to split the log open first, and wished 
 they would help him, some to stand on one side and some 
 on the other and pull while he was to drive the wedge 
 home, and finish opening it. While driving the wedge 
 further in, either by accident or design, the wedge flew 
 out and the gap closing up again, fastened their hands 
 firmly in the log, so they could not remove them, and 
 were effectually caught and became his prisoners, instead 
 of he theirs. 
 
 But there was no need of manufacturing incidents ; 
 enough of well authenticated facts can be presented to 
 establish for him the character of almost reckless daring. 
 Having always had the good fortune to escape whenever 
 pursued by the enemy, he never had any fear of falling 
 into his hands. He was so fleet of foot, he could out run 
 the swiftest Indian, ? and having a double-barrelled rifle, 
 so as to be able to shoot twice without reloading, the 
 dusky warriors regarded him with almost superstitious 
 veneration. He never missed his aim, and the fact of 
 his shooting twice in succession was well understood. 
 Frequently making war on his own account, he was 
 often in danger, yet he relied on his trusty rifle, and a 
 nimble foot to bring him off in safety. If Indians 
 staited after him and followed in hot pursuit, he would 
 turn upon the foremost and with one shot bring him to 
 the ground, if still further pressed, he would wheel and 
 hting down another. 
 
 The second fire would generally put an end to all further 
 pursuit. The savages became alarmed, and thought he 
 must possess some wizard power by which he was en- 
 abled to shoot as long as he pleased without having any 
 trouble to reload.
 
 122 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 Learning finally that he could only shoot twice with- 
 out reloading they were sure to wait until they heard 
 the second report before venturing near. On one occa- 
 sion when hotly pursued by several Indians, he ran until 
 he had distanced all but two, and as these followed' 
 hard on, he turned and shot down the leading one, and, 
 catching up the rifle of the expiring warrior, shot down 
 the other. Hearing two reports others came rushing on, 
 and Murphy, with his remaining charge shot down one 
 of his pursuers, when the others turned about, saying, 
 " It is no use to follow a man who can keep on firing all 
 day." 
 
 On the occasion we are now considering, Murphy, as 
 was his custom, scalped the Indian he had killed, and 
 with his usual coolness, took from him the leggins he 
 had on, which were of good cloth, and of bright scarlets 
 color, and appropriated them to his own use. 
 
 Lieutenant Boyd, as his Oneida guides had feared, ad- 
 vanced too far. He had no thought of the enemy until 
 he was in their midst, and saw them rising every where 
 around him. It was a trying moment. No less than 
 five hundred warriors now stood up to prevent his return 
 to the army i What could he do but surrender to the 
 enemy ? What hope could he have of escape ? There 
 was none : Yet he resolved to make a trial. Perceiv- 
 ing it as his only alternative, he selected a point in the 
 enemy's line that he thought weaker than at other 
 places, and determined upon forcing a passage. It was 
 a bold measure ; but he thought he might accomplish it. 
 Directing the fire of his company upon the line of Indian 
 warriors, he saw them fall before the deadly aim of his,
 
 MOSES VAN" CAMPED. 123 
 
 men, and then they rushed into the breach, but were re-> 
 pulsed, yet what was very singular, without the loss of a 
 single man. They made another attempt and were de- 
 feated with loss. But not discouraged, he and his brave 
 comrades made one more trial, and in the desperate 
 struggle most of the party fell ; yet three of them made 
 their escape, among them was the ever fortunate Mur- 
 phy. He was pursued and finding his leggins so small 
 as to impede his flight h,e paused a moment to cut them 
 open ; this done he continued his race and made good 
 his escape. Boyd and one of his soldiers named Parker, 
 together with the two Oneidas, were taken prisoners. 
 Boyd finding himself in the hands of the enemy, solicited 
 an interview with their leader Brant, determining as a 
 last resort to try the honor and fidelity of the Indian 
 chief. This distinguished warrior, Thayendanegea, being 
 near by, immediately presented himself, when Lieutenant 
 Boyd by a signal understood only by the initiated, made 
 himself known as a free mason, thus claiming the sym- 
 pathy and protection of a distressed brother. The ap- 
 peal was recognized by Brant, from whom he received 
 the strongest assurances of the protection of his life. 
 But the fate of one of the Oneidas was very different. 
 His story is one of deep interest. 
 
 He had early enlisted in the American cause, and had 
 already been of great service to the army. He vas ac- 
 tive bold and persevering, and was much beloved by the 
 officers under whom he served. In this expedition he 
 had acted as General Sullivan's guide. He had been 
 faithful to his trust, leading the troops with the utmost 
 fidelity, through the country inhabited by his red breth-
 
 124 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 ren. But now he was a prisoner in the hands of the 
 enemy. 
 
 It appears from the circumstances following his cap- 
 ture that when he entered the American service, he had 
 an elder brother who was about to join himself to the 
 fortunes of the British, and who besought him, with all 
 the earnestness of a brother's love, to go with him and 
 with his people into the service of the crown. His en- 
 treaties were unavailing, the younger brother clave to 
 his choice ; and they parted, each to pursue his own 
 course in the uncertain paths of war. 
 
 They had not met since the time when by mutual con- 
 sent they had left each other ; but now the young 
 Oneida is brought, a captive, into the presence of his 
 brother from whom he had been long separated. They 
 mutually recognized each other, and as the eyes of the 
 elder were rivited in earnest gaze upon the mild features 
 of the younger, they suddenly glowed with unwonted 
 fire, and it was clearly perceived from his changed man- 
 ner that his soul was kindled with revenge. He ap- 
 proached him haughtily, and with a proud and dignified 
 air, and addressed him as follows : 
 
 " Brother ! you have merited death ! The hatchet or 
 the war-club shall finish your career ! When I begged 
 you to follow me in the fortunes of war, you were deaf 
 to my cries ; you spurned my entreaties ! 
 
 " Brother ! you have merited death and shall have 
 your deserts ! When the rebels raised their hatchets to 
 fight their good master, you sharpened your knife, you 
 brightened your rifle, and led on our foes to the fields of 
 our fathers !
 
 MOSES VAX CAMPEN. 125 
 
 " Brother ! you have merited death and shall die by 
 our hands ! When those rebels had driven us from the 
 fields of our fathers to seek out new homes, it was you 
 who could dare to step forth as their pilot, and conduct 
 them to the doors of our wigwams, to butcher our chil- 
 dren, and put us to death ! But though you have mer- 
 ited death, and shall die on this spot, my hands shall not 
 be stained with the blood of a brother ! Who will 
 strike ?" 
 
 There was a moment's pause, and then the bright 
 hatchet of Little Beard, an Indian Sachem, gleamed like 
 a flash of lightning through the air, and the young 
 Oneida chief lay dead at his feet. The other Indian 
 captive who was also an Oneida chief, was then assured 
 by Little Beard, that he need apprehend no fears for his 
 life, that they were fighting against the whites, and that 
 in due time he would be restored to his liberty. Yet 
 through want of confidence in the good faith of the chief,, 
 or from some other cause, he watched his opportunity- 
 and effected his escape. 
 
 The instance just related presenting to view the high 
 sense of honor existing among some, at least of the red 
 men of the forest has been contrasted with one related 
 by Chapman of the pale faced man, that occurred at the 
 close of the battle of Wyoming in "78. At a short dis- 
 tance below the battle ground, is a' large island called 
 Monockonoc, where some fugitives found concealment 
 among the logs and brushwood upon it. They had 
 thrown their arms away in their flight and were without 
 the means of defense. One or more of the enemy in 
 pursuit saw them swimming across to the island and fired
 
 126 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 at them, but without effect, while swimming. Coming 
 still nearer they crossed over bringing their guns. Wip- 
 ing them and reloading they began to look about and 
 discover the hiding place of the fugitives. Passing 
 slowly about and examining every covert one of them 
 discovered his own brother in concealment. They rep- 
 resented different sides of the struggle, the concealed one 
 looking upon his Tory brother and understanding the 
 deep seated hatred borne toward those called rebels, 
 realized his peril when discovered and accosted, in sar- 
 castic tone, with chilling words, " So, it is you, is it f n 
 Leaving his place of concealment and coming forward a 
 few steps he dropped on his knees and begged of his 
 brother to spare his life, declaring his willingness to live 
 with, and serve him, and even to become his slave during 
 all his remaining days, if he would only spare his life. 
 " All this is mighty fine" replied the cruel-hearted 
 brother, " but you are a d d rebel" and deliberately 
 levelled his rifle and shot him. 
 
 Let us now return from this digression. From the 
 field of battle Lieutenant Boyd and his fellow captive, 
 Parker, were conducted to Little Beard's town where 
 they came in company with Colonel Butler and a detach- 
 ment of his rangers. The honor of Brant had been 
 pledged for his safety, and while under his supervision 
 there can be no doubt he would have religiously observed 
 his promise ; but the active habit of this warrior, and 
 the special care devolving on him at this crisis, keeping 
 him constantly in motion he left the camp on duty and 
 placed Boyd under the care of Butler. No sooner had 
 Brant left than Butler began to question the prisoner
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 127 
 
 about the situation, numbers, and intentions of General 
 Sullivan and his troops. 
 
 Boyd unwilling to betray the cause of his country 
 even by a single word, declined giving any answer that 
 would implicate his friends. Butler provoked by the 
 steady and unswerving reticence of his prisoner, threat- 
 ened to deliver him over to the tender mercies of the In-. 
 dians, and Boyd still relying on the kind assurances of 
 the Mohawk chief persisted in refusing ; when his cruel 
 inquisitor, true to his bloody threat delivered him up to 
 Little Beard and his clan, the most ferocious of the 
 Seneca tribe. 
 
 The noble fellow met his fate with a truly manly and 
 independent spirit, facing his tormentors with a look 
 proudly indignant, while they proceed to execute their 
 horrid designs w r ith a refinement of cruelty unparalleled 
 in any of the accounts given of this war. 
 
 They first stripped him of his clothing, then tied him 
 to a sapling, where the Indians gratified their fiendish 
 tastes by throwing the tomahawk at him so near as to 
 strike a little above his head, and by brandishing their 
 scalping knives around him in a most frightful manner, 
 accompanying their motions with terrific yells and danc- 
 ing about him with frantic demonstrations of joy. 
 
 They next proceeded to pull out his nails ; this done 
 they cut off his nose and plucked out one of his eyes. 
 In addition to these enormities they cut out his tongue 
 and stabbed him in several places. Their more than 
 savage cruelty did not end here. As if to tear him from 
 life by the most excruciating pains they made a small 
 incision in his abdomen, took out one of his intestines,
 
 128 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 and fastened it to the tree. The suffering man was then 
 unbound, and with brute force was compelled to move 
 around the tree, until his entrails were literally drawn 
 from his body and wound about its trunk. They ended 
 his torments by severing his head from his body. A 
 tale like this is too agonizing to be read, to horrible to- 
 be written down, and become one of the sober realities 
 of history.
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Northumberland is pleasantly located on the level and 
 fertile bottom lands of the Susquehanna, on a point be- 
 tween its north and west branches, formed by a gentle 
 bend in the river, where these branches unite their waters, 
 and flow on to their final destination. Its position is 
 commanding and beautiful, combining the attractions of 
 mountain and river scenery, pleasing in the variety and 
 grandeur of the prospect afforded. On the opposite side 
 of the river was the village of Sunbury, and Fort Augus- 
 ta, and on the south side of West Branch, was Blue 
 Hill some three hundred feet high, surmounted by John 
 Mason's leaning Tower, built for an observatory, and so 
 placed as to overlook a fearful precipice. The view afford- 
 ed from this tower, in its day, was surpassingly magnifi- 
 cent. The location of this town at the junction of these 
 noble streams, which drained an immense region of rich 
 and valuable land, was regarded at an early day, as 
 affording important facilities for commerce. Immense 
 quantities of lumber passed down these streams. South- 
 ern Pennsylvania and Maryland were not well supplied 
 with trees, the most desirable for building, while above 
 on these streams and their tributaries, the country was 
 covered with immense forests of white pine, whose state- 
 ly forms were crowded into every valley and covered 
 every hill. Finer timber for building purposes never 
 
 (129)
 
 130 LIFE AND ADVENTUBES OP 
 
 grew, and when the war was over and the title to the 
 land settled, men flocked hither in swarms, and sounds 
 of the woodman's axe began to reverberate through the 
 valleys, and along the hills, and the cracking, and loud 
 sweep, and heavy resounding fall of these lords of the 
 forest, were sounds most familiar to the ear. These 
 trees were cut into logs, and the logs were soon convert- 
 ed into lumber, and then followed the busy scene of 
 making rafts, and releasing them at high water, from 
 their moorings ; away they glided, passing with the cur- 
 rent down the river, under the guidance of a skillful 
 pilot and his helpers, until they reached tide- water, where 
 the lumber was sold, and the avails used by the early 
 settler to pay for his land, and provide for his home 
 Northumberland was a pleasant and convenient place to- 
 stop on the way, and many an incident of historic value, 
 if it could be gathered, would be found connected with 
 this grand old town. 
 
 Several, whose names adorn our history, had their 
 homes here. Jonathan "Walker, father of Robert J., 
 Secretary of the United States Treasury ; Robert C- 
 Grier, the well-known Jurist ; Thomas Cooper, the law- 
 yer and philosopher, who in 1820 became president of 
 Columbia College, South Carolina, and Joseph Priestly, 
 the famous chemist and scientist ; all had their homes 
 here. Colonel Williamson, who was connected with 
 large land-holdings, and agent of the Pulteny land- 
 purchase, established his headquarters here, while open- 
 ing up the extensive region he had in charge for settle- 
 ment.* 
 
 *A. J. McCall's Early Hist, of Bath.
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 131 
 
 But among those whose names will be remembered as 
 Tesidents of Northumberland, none are more entitled to 
 _grateful remembrance than that of a woman, Mrs. 
 John Boyd. At the time of the breaking out of 
 the war of the revolution, this widowed mother was 
 living in Northumberland. Her family consisted of her- 
 self and three sons, John, Thomas and William. It was 
 when the spirit of the revolution began to animate the 
 bosoms of the Americans, and when they perceived that 
 everything must be laid on the altar of liberty. The 
 frontier settlements were writhing under the blows in- 
 flicted by the cruel Indian, and Mrs. Boyd like a truly 
 iSpartan mother, devoted her boys to the cause of her 
 country. It was a solemn and noble resolve, and marked 
 by the deep piety of her heart. Calling them before 
 lier she expressed the deep interest she felt in the success 
 of those engaged in the struggle for liberty, and with 
 what pleasure she had beheld the sacrifices which others 
 were willing to make in its behalf; at the same time 
 stating that she was willing to pledge her all, in the 
 sacred cause of freedom. Her sons were dearer to her 
 than any thing of earth, and these she was ready to lay 
 upon the altar of her country's rights. She did so with 
 this solemn injunction, " That they should never disgrace 
 their swords, with the least spot or stain of cowardice" 
 
 They all with an eager spirit, entered the army. 
 William fell in the battle of Brandywine, John was a 
 prisoner to the Indians, at one time, with Mr. Van Cam- 
 pen, and the sad fate of Thomas the younger, which was 
 brought upon him by refusing to dishonor the cause in 
 which he had enlisted, even by a single word, shows but
 
 132 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 too well how he regarded the solemn charge of his noble- 
 hearted mother. How afflicting to her must have been 
 the melancholy intelligence, that was brought back con- 
 cerning her darling boy ! He was a youth of promise ; 
 intelligent, sprightly and brave, the path of honor was 
 before him, and he bid fair to press his way forward, 
 until he should be permitted to bask in the clear light of 
 a well-earned fame. 
 
 He was about six feet high, finely proportioned, rather 
 light of complexion, and possessed an active, vigorous 
 frame. The severity with which he was made to part 
 with life, has enlisted for him an universal sympathy, and 
 his name will ever be remembered as one of the gallant 
 heroes of the revolution. 
 
 As soon as the detachment under Gen. Hand, heard 
 the news of the skirmishing of Boyd's party, it moved 
 rapidly forward, ascended the hill which arose at no 
 great distance from the head of the lake, and in their 
 route fell in with the packs and baggage of the Indians. 
 They concluded from the situation of the place, that the 
 enemy had selected this point, with the design of mak- 
 ing an attack, since it afforded them a sort of central 
 position, whence they could send their parties to harass 
 their foes, and to which they might retreat whenever 
 they were driven back. Not stopping here Gen. Hand 
 pressed on to the scene of action, and soon came to 
 where the enemy had been busy in removing their dead ; 
 but the Indians not awaiting his approach precipitately 
 fled, leaving one of their number with the dead riflemen. 
 
 They then attended to the burial of those who had 
 fallen in the engagement, and waited until they were
 
 MOSES VAX CAMPEX. 133 
 
 joined the next day by the main army, when the whole 
 marched together as far as Fall Brook, where they en- 
 camped for the night. Gen. Sullivan learning here, that 
 the enemy had fled from all their towns, made a dis- 
 position of his army for the destruction of their villages 
 and plantations. Generals Poor and Maxwell were sent 
 to destroy those below, while Generals Hand and Clinton 
 were sent to destroy those that were above the place of 
 their encampment. 
 
 On the next day the work of destruction commenced, 
 each division of the army advancing to its appointed 
 field of operation. Maj. Parr of Gen. Clinton's brigade 
 crossed the Genesee river to burn Little Beardstown, 
 and here found the lifeless bodies of Boyd and Parker. 
 He immediately proceeded to give them the honor of a 
 decent burial, selecting a spot which, from its situation 
 might be easily remembered by those who were their 
 companions in arms. It was on the bank of Little Beard's 
 Creek where a little stream forms a junction with it, in 
 a break of the bank under a clump of wild plum trees. 
 
 This spot has been kept in mifid by tradition and there 
 is now an appropriate mound which marks the place,* 
 that may be seen by every traveler through the region 
 visited by this campaign, on the road leading between 
 Geneseo and Moscow. 
 
 *This mound has of late been encroached upon by the waters 
 of the creek, and a small part taken away. The town of Leicester 
 has lately fortified the bank, in such a manner, it is hoped, as 
 will prevent any farther encroachment. 
 
 A large oak tree standing only a few rods distant from the 
 ;mound, is claimed by some of the old citizens of the neighbor- 
 hood, to have been at the time (1779) the "sapling" to which 
 Lieut. Boyd was tied, and the owner of the ground on which it 
 .stands, guards it with jealous care. ED.
 
 134 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 From the sad offices of the grave, the troops turned 
 again to the work of destruction, and in a few days the 
 beautiful country of the Genesee, was one wide scene of 
 desolation. The territory which had been thus laid 
 waste, was the finest that had been visited by the army. 
 Upon first casting their eyes over it, the soldiers beheld 
 it with astonishment and joy. It presented, then, the 
 same delightful and open view, which it spreads out to 
 the beholder, now. The mind and the heart were feasted, 
 as they ran out in vision over a plain which stretched far 
 into the distance, meeting here and there a beautiful 
 grove, on every side corn-fields, that were bowing to the 
 breeze, and whose broad and ample bosom gave the most- 
 enlarged ideas of plenty. 
 
 The Indians had here come together in great numbers,, 
 and here they had the largest village which Sullivan had 
 met with on his route, and in speaking of it, he uses the* 
 same exaggerated style he employs in describing the 
 other villages he passed through. " The town of Gene- 
 see contained one hundred and twenty-eight houses,, 
 mostly large and very elegant. It was beautifully situ- 
 ated, almost encircled with a clear flat, extending a num- 
 ber of miles ; over which extensive fields of corn were 
 waving, together with every kind of vegetable that could 
 be conceived of.* 
 
 From the glowing colors in which General Sullivan, 
 describes the country he passed through, Col. Stone has- 
 doubtless been led into an error in speaking, of the higk 
 state of civilization to which the Senecas and Cayugas: 
 had arrived. He says, "It is apprehended that but few 
 
 *Sullivan's Report, as quoted by Stone.
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPENT. 135 
 
 of the present generation are aware of the advances which 
 the Indians in the wide and beautiful country of the 
 Cayugas and Senecas, had made in the march of civiliza. 
 tion. They had several towns, and many large villages, 
 laid out with a considerable degree of regularity. They 
 had framed houses, some of them well finished, having 
 chimneys, and painted." Mr. Van Campen says that the 
 story of their framed houses is all & fudge: at least in 
 that part of their country passed through by the army 
 of Sullivan. His own memory may be trusted, upon this 
 point, for, if the houses had been upon the magnificent 
 scale represented, the fact could not not have altogether 
 escaped his recollection. And the reasons which he 
 gives in support of his position tend very much to con- 
 firm his opinion. 
 
 He says that " In a country where there are framed 
 houses, there is generally found such a thing as a saw-mill. 
 But there were no saw-mills on our route. Yet framed 
 houses are sometimes found in a country where there are 
 no saw-mills. Yes ; but it is in a region to which lum- 
 ber can easily be transported, and in one where the in- 
 habitants have advanced considerably in the arts of 
 commerce. At the time of the war there were very 
 few saw-mills in the whole country ; there was but one 
 to my knowledge above Wilksbarre, in the whole region 
 watered by the Susquehanna ; and as for the houses 
 being painted, it couldn't have been with anything but 
 mud: many of them we found daubed over with this." 
 Indeed, it would be contrary to the native indolence and 
 slovenly habits of the Indian, to suppose that he would 
 go to any great labor, or pains in rearing for himself a
 
 138 lira A3TD ADVJCJTL'KJBS OF 
 
 dwelling, other than that which could be formed of ma- 
 terials near at hand, and then too, without any surprising 
 exercise of skill. He delighted more y in his hunting 
 grounds and the chase, than in any great display about his 
 place of living, Mr. Van Campen says that their houses 
 were generally built by frying large posts in the ground, 
 at a convenient distance from each other, between which 
 poles were woven. This formed the covering of the 
 Mk; the roof was made by laying bark upon pofa^ 
 which were properly placed as a support. To afford gn*t~ 
 er warmth, the sides were plastered with mud. The 
 houses that were found on the roote were aH of this de- 
 scription, and if they were framed, this is the manner in 
 which it was done, and the painting was doubtless such as 
 has been described. 
 
 It cannot be denied, however, that the Indians had 
 advanced far, in the arts of peace. Their wide and 
 flourishing corn-fields, and their fine orchards of the 
 apple and peach tree, were no fiction ; they presented 
 evidences of a cultivation, which was extraordinary, 
 when we consider how naturally averse the American 
 Indians were, to any thing like patient industry. Yet 
 the labor which was bestowed upon these,, was, doubt- 
 less, performed by the faithful squaw, since he wa 
 doomed by her lord to bear the principal drudgerie* of 
 fife. 
 
 After laying waste the beautiful country of the Gene- 
 see, Sullivan pursued the Indians no farther. It doubt- 
 less belonged to the original design of this campaign, 
 that the army should proceed as far as Niagara and 
 there strike atbtMire blow upon the Indians and British.
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 137 
 
 But from some cause, which has been left unexplained, 
 the expedition was stopped here, and the Indians were 
 allowed to seek their last resort of strength, without 
 being molested in the least. Niagara remained the 
 head quarters of the British rangers, blood-thirsty Tories, 
 and cruel Indians, whence parties could be still sent out 
 on the work of devastation and death, among the un- 
 certain homes of the frontier settlers. But Sullivan, as 
 though he had accomplished the end of his campaign, 
 relinquished all further enterprise and started home, 
 marching with his army in very much the same route 
 they had come. 
 
 Still, if the destruction of property was the only end 
 of this undertaking, it must be confessed that the work 
 of desolation was well completed. The country which a 
 month previous, appeared like a beautiful and [ionrshing 
 garden, now presented little less than a dreary waste, or 
 2 smoking heap of ruins. A better description of the 
 scene cannot perhaps be given than that from the pen of 
 Stone. " The axe and the torch soon transformed the 
 whole of that beautiful region from the character of a 
 garden to a scene of drear and sickening desolation. 
 Forty Indian towns, the largest containing one hundred 
 .and twenty-eight houses, were destroyed, corn, gathered 
 and ungathered to the amount of one hundred and sixty 
 thousand bushels, shared the same fate ; their fruit trees 
 were cut down ; and the Indians were hunted like wild 
 beasts, till neither house, nor fruit tree, nor field of corn, 
 nor inhabitant remained in the whole country. The 
 gardens were enriched with great quantities of useful 
 vegetables of different kinds. The size of the corn-fields,
 
 138 LIFE AND ADVENTUKES OF 
 
 as well as the high degree of cultivation in which they 
 were kept, excited wonder ; and the ears of corn were 
 so remarkably large, that many of them measured twen- 
 ty-two inches in length." 
 
 " So numerous were the fruit trees, that in one orchard 
 they cut down fifteen hundred of them." 
 
 Several towns were destroyed on their way back, by 
 detachments sent into the region of Cayuga Lake, xhe 
 main body of the army pursuing the most direct route 
 to Tioga, at which place it arrived on the 30th of Sep- 
 tember. In a few days it resumed its return march,, 
 down the Susquehanna, and passing through Wyoming, 
 arrived at Easton, on the 15th of October. It had 
 traversed a large extent of territory, the distance thence 
 to the Genesee Castle being not less than two hundred 
 and eighty miles. Besides the victory at Newtown the 
 army achieved but little, yet it had marched over a 
 broad extent of country, and sorely afflicted the Indian 
 in the destruction of his towns, and in the desolation of 
 his favorite retreats ; but as for himself, he had not been 
 crippled, nor his ferocious spirit subdued. If any thing 
 his spirit was more restless ; like a galled tiger, he had 
 gone back to his lair, and was only waiting for an op- 
 portunity to burst from his retreat, and seize upon his 
 foe with a more deadly grasp. 
 
 The part performed by Mr. Van Cainpen in the expe- 
 dition above Tioga, was only that of a volunteer. Be- 
 longing to the boat department, having to superintend, 
 as we have seen, the military stores, his services ended 
 when he reached that place ; yet he could not bear the 
 inactivity of awaiting the return of the army, he chose
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 13&' 
 
 rather to throw himself in with the fortunes of the cam- 
 paign, and endure its fatigues and dangers, than remain 
 at a distance from the field of strife. 
 
 Upon his return he was taken sick with a fever, and 
 was removed to the fort, which he had built early in the 
 preceding year upon the waters of Fishing Creek. Here 
 his father resided, his house having been burned by the 
 Indians at the time of making their attack upon the 
 settlement, as has already been described, in the spring of* 
 '78. Van Campen recovered his health during the win- 
 ter and was prepared for entering upon the duties of 
 coming year.
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Much reliance had been placed on the campaign of 
 Sullivan, by the inhabitants of the frontier settlements, 
 to afford them protection against further molestation 
 from the Indians. These had been driven back so far 
 from their homes, and had suffered such a complete over- 
 throw it was fondly hoped they would not very soon 
 visit the frontier. It was supposed by some that they 
 had been completely vanquished, and that now it was 
 perfectly safe for the farmer to return to his employ- 
 ments and, as soon as the spring should open, commence 
 the labor of cultivating his soil. 
 
 But the Indian though he had been driven back had 
 not been conquered. On the contrary, he had been 
 wrought up to a spirit of desperation, by the ravages 
 made upon his territory in the destruction of his home, 
 and of the altars of his fathers. 
 
 Many of the settlers, especially those in the vicinity 
 of Wyoming, had been so much interrupted during the 
 preceding years, in their labors on the farm, and the pro- 
 ducts of many had been so completelv destroyed by the 
 Indians and British rangers, that it was deemed neces- 
 sary for the husbandman to engage in an early cultiva- 
 tion of the soil. 
 
 While the inhabitants, therefore, were preparing to 
 Center upon the peaceful occupation of their farms, their 
 (140)
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEIST. 141 
 
 unsubdued foes were meditating designs of mischief, and. 
 ere long were prepared to plant themselves, like so many 
 sentinels, along the outskirts of the settlements, and 
 watch for the favorable opportunity to spring from their 
 hiding places, upon the unarmed laborer, and make him 
 the victim of the tomahawk, or hurry him away as a 
 captive, whose fate was to be entirely at the beck of 
 savage caprice. Instances of plunder, burning, murder 
 and capture began early to circulate along the frontier, 
 so that it was soon apparent, that the enemy was abroad, 
 and intent upon doing all the mischief within his power. 
 But in every instance the Indian did not escape unpun- 
 ished for his deeds of cruelty. 
 
 Among the inhabitants of the territory open to his in- 
 cursions, there were those who possessed a most resolute,, 
 daring spirit, who were not to be intimidated by the 
 enemy, and who were not slow to extricate themselves, 
 from danger. One of these, as we have had occasion 
 already to mention, was Lebbeus Hammond ; and another 
 almost equally fearless, named Bennett, was a brave 
 companion with him, and both of them inhabitants of 
 the beautiful valley of Wyoming. 
 
 This place had been protected after the massacre in 
 '78 by troops of the regular army stationed at Wilksbarre 
 Fort. Some of the inhabitants that remained, removed 
 from this fort early in the succeeding year to the upper 
 part of the valley, and fortified themselves by building 
 a garrison of twenty-eight houses standing in a semi- 
 circle, the base of which was formed by the river, each 
 one being placed three feet within the other, so that the 
 rear of every successive house could be defended, from.
 
 142 LIFE AND ADVENTUKES OF 
 
 the preceding one. In the center of the semi-circle a 
 large gate led into the open space enclosed by the build- 
 ings. The two that were next the river were constructed 
 so as to guard against an attack from Indians, creeping 
 along the bank, all had a communication from one to the 
 other in the upper story, and along on the top was a 
 promenade for sentries. 
 
 Here Bennett and Hammond, with nearly thirty of 
 the settlers, lived during the summer of "79, and culti- 
 vated about one hundred acres of corn, which gave an 
 amply supply of food for the winter. Their fortification 
 appeared quite formidable at a distance, so much so that 
 a large party of Indians, which lay upon the opposite 
 mountain previous to the campaign of Sullivan, did not 
 venture to make an attack upon it as they had designed. 
 It was guarded by three sentinels, twjb of which prome- 
 naded the tops of the houses, and one the bank of the 
 river. Having spent the summer and winter here with- 
 out an attack, Bennett resolved in the spring, to go and 
 cultivate his own farm which lay a few miles above. 
 His friends remonstrated with him upon the danger of 
 going off alone, so far from the garrison, saying that " He 
 would certainly be killed or taken prisoner by the In- 
 dians." Yet he persisted in his determination, affirming 
 that there was no danger, that the Indians would not 
 certainly venture this year to attack the settlements, and 
 if they did, he relied much upon a famous hunting dog 
 of his, to warn him of the approach of the enemy. This 
 dog, he said, could smell an Indian before he was within 
 rifle shot, and would give the alarm. Trusting, there- 
 fore, to the faithfulness of his sagacious old pet, he took
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 143 
 
 with him his son, who was quite a boy, and went up to 
 his farm and commenced ploughing. He placed two 
 rifles at each side of the field where his furrows ended, 
 believing that in case of an attack, his son and himself 
 could reach one of the two rifles. 
 
 Thus they worked for the space of two days without 
 any interruption, returning at night to the garrison. 
 They had been watched, however, by a company of sav- 
 ages, numbering seven, who had inspected their every 
 movement. On the third day they were accompanied on 
 their way back to their work, by Mr. Lebbeus Hammond, 
 who went in pursuit of a pair of horses, which had strayed 
 from their enclosure. He was also warned of the danger 
 of going out alone in the woods, yet he apprehended 
 nothing of the kind, and would allow no company to go 
 with him as a guard. He expected to find his horses in 
 the direction of Bennett's farm and they proceeded on 
 together, each shouldering his rifle. Not meeting vlth 
 the animals of which he was in pursuit, before reaching 
 the farm, Bennett volunteered, with his boy and dog, to 
 go with him further ; but he refused, saying that there 
 was no danger, and that he would soon return. He 
 then proceeded up the river alone, until he found his 
 horses, and having caught them, mounted one and was 
 returning, leading the other. As he came in sight of 
 Bennett's farm, his eyes were fixed in that direction, 
 earnestly watching him and his boy as they were at work 
 in the field. He had no thought of the savage, nor the 
 most distant idea that he was in the vicinity of danger. 
 Yet while he was looking towards his friends, and eager- 
 ly expecting another sight, when they should pass the
 
 144 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 point, which at that moment obscured the view, his path 
 was immediately beset with Indians, who siezed his. 
 horses before he was aware, and afforded him no oppor- 
 tunity for escape. Seeing himself so completely in their 
 power he thought it best to offer no resistance, but to 
 make the best of the circumstances into which he was 
 thrown. They made him dismount, then bonnd him and 
 laid him on the ground. While he was lying here he 
 could see some of them creep along behind the fence, 
 which obscured them from Bennett, and there could see 
 the latter pass and re-pass, where the view was open, 
 while the Indians were watching for the most favorable 
 moment to take him. He wondered where Bennett's 
 dog could be, all this while, and was expecting every 
 moment that he would sound the alarm. But the dog, 
 which had been doted upon so much, proved himself a, 
 coward ; Hammond caught a glimpse of him running 
 away, with his tail down, and at full speed. The In- 
 dians watched Bennett and his boy, as they ploughed 
 round after round, unconscious that the keen eyes of 
 their foes were upon them. But finally, as they were 
 just beginning to cross the field with another furrow, 
 these slipped over the fence, and came behind them with 
 noiseless tread, and placed a hand upon the shoulder of 
 himself and boy. Seeing that there was no opportunity 
 for escape, he also gave up without making any resist- 
 ance, and they were about to take him away, leaving his 
 team standing in the harness. Bennett, with character- 
 istic bravery, swore he would not go with them, until 
 they would allow him to unhitch his horses, so that they 
 might be able to get their living while he was gone-
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 145 
 
 The Indians generously perf ormed this service with their 
 knives, and then led him on till they came to where they 
 had left Hammond. The two recognized each other 
 with a smile, and were not a little gratified that their 
 fortunes were thus thrown together. Unloosing Ham- 
 mond, they began to march with their prisoners, up the 
 river, leading his horses only a short distance with them, 
 for they appeared to be concerned lest their trail would 
 lead to detection. They therefore slipped off the halters 
 and let them go. 
 
 We have seen that Hammond possessed a bold and 
 courageous spirit ; he was gifted with another trait of 
 character, which is not unfrequently found to be the 
 handmaid of bravery. As he walked along by his In- 
 dian guard, he soon forgot his troubles and broke forth 
 into an airy whistle, or made the woods echo to the notes 
 of some playful song. He threw off his cares with as 
 much ease as though they had been no burden, and 
 tripped along with so light and merry a heart, as to im- 
 part to the savages themselves, a high gratification, and 
 make them more at ease concerning their prisoner. 
 
 Bennett, either from the circumstance of his having a 
 family or from some other cause, could not be so light 
 of heart. His boy was with him, and the sympathies of 
 a father were doubtless laden with a deep anxiety for 
 the welfare of his child, and the savages regarded him 
 with a more cautious eye. Yet as they advanced the 
 prisoners had an opportunity to pass a word or two, 
 sufficient to become acquainted with each other's de- 
 signs. Hammond informed Bennett that he did not in- 
 tend to stay long with his company, and when they
 
 146 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 <;ame to a place which favored his design, he spoke and 
 said, " Now, here Bennett, is a spot where I can get 
 away from the Indians as easy, as to turn my hand over. 
 I can start and run and the best of them can't catch me. 
 There are trees in the way and I will risk their bringing 
 me down with a rifle. I can run like a bird." Bennett 
 plead with him not to go that he should have some 
 sympathy with him and his boy that, shoiild he leave 
 them, they would certainly be tomahawked. He begged 
 of him for the sake of his boy, to remain. He said that 
 if they went along peaceably, their lives would in all 
 probability be spared, and that a journey through to 
 Niagara, would not be a very great undertaking, and 
 that they would be likely to get back by winter. Ham- 
 mond told him that he would not go through with them 
 to Niagara, but that, if they would help him kill the 
 party which had taken them, he would go further. To 
 this they assented and determined to embrace the first 
 opportunity to execute their designs ; if possible, during 
 the coming night. They traveled on until darkness 
 overtook them, Hammond cheering their way with a 
 merry whistle or with a song. At night they encamped 
 near a running brook, and after having brought together 
 a sufficient supply of wood and taken supper, they made 
 preparations for the night. The prisoners were tied and 
 made to lie down, each one between two Indians. Thus 
 situated they were presented with little hope of making 
 their escape, yet they had a full opportunity of reflect- 
 ing upon the curious fortunes of the day, and of imagin- 
 ing the depth of anxiety which must be felt by those 
 whom they had left at home. We leave this party here
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEST. 147 
 
 to describe the progress of another, of the same charac- 
 ter, and of similar history. 
 
 There was little apprehension, as we have stated in the 
 commencement of the present chapter, among the set- 
 tlers of the frontier, concerning an attack from the Ind- 
 ians in the spring of 1780. They had been so completely 
 routed the year before, that it was supposed they would 
 not venture again upon their missions of plunder and 
 death. The inhabitants of Fort Wheeler, among oth- 
 ers, entertained the same opinion and Mr. Van Campen 
 having recovered from his sickness, was called upon by 
 his father to go and assist in re-building his house, which 
 had been burned by the Indians, and make preparation 
 for raising grain. He therefore left the fort, late in the 
 month of March, in company with his father, a younger 
 brother, an uncle and cousin, and one Peter Pence, who 
 proceeded to take possession of their farms, his uncle of 
 one, and his father of another. They were about half a 
 mile apart and four miles distant from the fort. Here, 
 each party fixing an encampment, commenced its prepa- 
 rations for making sugar and for rearing their dwellings. 
 Not anticipating danger, they had only two rifles, one 
 with each company, and in other respects, were wholly 
 unprepared for an attack from their foes. 
 
 The Indians in making their descent upon the frontier 
 settlements, usually proceeded in a body until they came 
 into the vicinity of these, where they would separate into 
 small parties, and for the purpose of striking greater 
 terror upon the inhabitants, attack them at different 
 points along the line open to their incursions They usu- 
 ally came as far as the Wyalusing Flats and from that
 
 148 LIFE AXD ADVENTUKES OF 
 
 point, a part would go to the settlements on the Dela- 
 ware, some descend the east branch of the Susquehanna r 
 and others the west branch of the same river. In the 
 present instance, the party of seven which had made 
 prisoners of Bennett and Hammond, was accompanied 
 by ten others, who, as soon as they came into the neigh- 
 borhood of Wyoming, struck off, that they might fall' 
 upon the inhabitants below. The latter party descended 
 the river and in the vicinity of Shawnee Flats, came upon 
 one named Asa Upson, whom they killed, and a boy called 
 Rogers who was taken pi'isoner. They next advanced 
 to the waters of Fishing Creek, where they discovered 
 Van Campen's uncle who with his son and Peter Pence, 
 was at work. His uncle they killed, and took the boy 
 and Peter along with them as prisoners. Taking pos- 
 session of the rifle, they marched on with their prisoners' 
 up the creek, and soon saw before them the appear- 
 ance of other settlers. It was Van Campen with his 
 father and brother. Securing their prisoners, they crept 
 cautiously up, and suddenly burst upon this unsuspecting 
 company. The father was thrust through with a spear, 
 and as he fell, the Indian released his hold and it stood 
 upright, from his transfixed breast. The warrior, taking- 
 his knife from his girdle, scalped his victim, who was 
 lying in the agonies of death, and then cut the throat of 
 the dying man, from ear to ear. The little brother, who 
 stood by Van Campen's side, as he saw this last act, 
 raised his eyes, and with an agonizing look, said, " Father 
 is killed" In an instant the hatchet was gleaming over 
 his head, and the next moment, the little boy, too, wa 
 struggling w T ith his dying pangs. Van Campen was
 
 MOSES VAST CAMPEX. 149 
 
 seized by two warriors, who each laid hold of one of his 
 .arms, and another coming up, took the scalp from his ex- 
 piring brother and threw him across the fire. Then the 
 warrior who had killed and had been scalping his father, 
 placed one foot on the body, and drew out his spear. 
 But his thirst for blood was still unquenched ; with the 
 reeking blade he came towards Van Campen, and aiming 
 at his body made a violent thrust. But the latter per- 
 ceiving the movement, quickly shrank to one side, and 
 the spear passed through his vest and shirt, and made a 
 slight wound in his flesh. The Indians, who had hold of 
 him, then seized the weapon and secured his arms behind 
 him, appearing to be satisfied with the number slain. 
 
 This was a trying scene for Van Campen. His hon- 
 ored father lay before him, a slaughtered victim. The 
 dark smoke which went curling up towards heaven, from 
 the fire near, bore in its deep folds, the incense of a 
 brother's blood, too darling a sacrifice to be met with 
 an unblanched cheek. Yet what could he say or, what 
 do ? His little brother had no doubt fallen, because of 
 the agony he had expressed for his dying father ; should 
 he, too, allow the deep current of his emotions, to break 
 away from their pent up channel, and overwhelm him 
 with a flood of grief ? This would be to expose himself 
 to certain death. Yet he would as soon die, almost, as 
 live, with the deep sorrow that was pressing him down 
 to the earth. But amid the whole, he preserved his coun- 
 tenance erect not a single muscle of his face betrayed 
 the agitation within and there was no sign which gave 
 the least indication of fear. The savages, beholding his 
 .apparent indifference, ceased from the fury of their rage
 
 150 LIFE AND ADVEHTUBES OF 
 
 and the tumultuous wave passed over, leaving him the' 
 lone survivor of the wrecks around. They took him pris- 
 oner and pursued their march up Fishing Creek, leading 
 along two of his father's horses, upon which they had 
 mounted their baggage. 
 
 Upon coming to the vicinity of a place called Hunt- 
 ington, they again discovered inhabitants, and dispatched 
 four of their number to go and take a survey of the 
 scene before them, and then come back and report. 
 They were fortunately discovered by the settlers, who 
 immediately fled, but the Indians shot at them and 
 wounded a Captain Ransom in the shoulder. Proceed- 
 ing on their way they came, the next morning, to the 
 head of what was called Hunlock's Creek, and the In- 
 dians again perceived that they were in the vicinity of 
 inhabitants. It was the place of one Pike, who was with 
 his wife and child at a camp, engaged in making sugar. 
 Here one of the Indians, who could speak a little English, 
 told Van Campen that he must stand out in an open 
 place, and call to those that were near, and have them 
 come towards him, threatening to put him to death if he 
 did not do as he was ordered. All the others concealed 
 themselves and Van Campen, thinking it best to obey 
 them, rather than lose his life, called aloud as though he 
 desired some assistance. He was answered " What do 
 you want ?" " Come here," was the reply. In a moment 
 Pike came running up, and when he was just at hand, 
 the savages rushed out upon him, with their tomahawks, 
 and brandished one over his head. The poor fellow im- 
 mediately dropped on his knees and begged for quarters. 
 They appeared to be pleased with the success of their
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 151 
 
 little stratagem, and with the manner in which they had 
 frightened him, and were willing to spare his life. 
 
 Pike then led them to his camp where they found his 
 wife and child ; these they stripped of all their clothing, 
 except a thin, light garment and one of the savages, more 
 blood-thirsty than the others, took the little child by the 
 heels and swung it around, with the intention of dashing 
 out its brains against a tree. The infant screamed, and 
 the poor mother, with a frantic shriek, flew to its relief, 
 catching hold of the warrior's arm. The Indian chief, 
 Mohawk, who was one of this party, beholding the situ- 
 ation of the woman came up and took away the child 
 from this cruel wretch, and gave it to the agoni/ed 
 mother. He then gave her the clothing which had been 
 torn from her, and taking out his paint box, painted her, 
 and pointing in the direction he wished her to go, said* 
 " Jog go, squaw." She departed and traveling on foot 
 arrived safely at Wyoming, where she gave a report of 
 what had transpired. 
 
 A few extracts from a diary, which was kept by Lieu- 
 tenant Jenkins, of the valley of Wyoming, and which 
 belongs to the time of which we have been speaking 
 may not be uninteresting to the reader.* 
 
 "March 27th. Bennett and son, and Hammond taken 
 and carried off, supposed by the Indians. The same day 
 TJpson scalped near William Stewart's house, and young 
 Rogers taken. 
 
 "March 28th. Several scouting parties sent out, but 
 make no discoveries of the enemy. 
 
 *As quoted by Stone in his History of Wyoming.
 
 152 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 "March 29th. Esquire Franklin went to Huntington, 
 on a scout, and was attacked by the Indians, at or near 
 his own house, and two of his party murdered Ransom 
 and Parker.* 
 
 "March 30th. Mrs. Pike came in this day, and in- 
 formed that she and her husband were in the woods 
 making sugar, and were surrounded by a party of about 
 thirty Indians, (there were only ten,) who had several 
 prisoners with them, and two horses. They took her 
 husband and carried him off with them, and painted her 
 and sent her in. They killed the horses before they left 
 the cabin where she was. One of the prisoners told her 
 that the Indians had killed three or four men at Fishing 
 Creek." 
 
 Taking Pike with them the Indians, after having killed 
 the two horses, as just mentioned, proceeded on their 
 way, crossing the mountain and coming to what was 
 called Little Tunkhannock Creek, in the mouth of which 
 stream, they had concealed their canoes. They embarked 
 in these, crossed over the Susquehanna, and paddled 
 along the edge of the stream until they came to the 
 mouth of Big Tunkhannock Creek ; after passing by 
 which, they went on shore, cutting holes in the bottoms 
 of their little barks and sent them floating down the 
 river. They passed along up through the valley of the 
 Susquehanna, without meeting with any thing worthy 
 
 *Mr. Van Campen says that Ransom was only wounded in the 
 shoulder, and that he recovered his health, and was well after- 
 wards. He does not know that any one was killed at that time, 
 and supposes there was not from the fact that no scalp was taken. 
 They might have killed Parker, however, without taking his 
 scalp.
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 153 
 
 of note, till they came to Meshoppen Creek, where the 
 prisoners discovered something very strange in the ap- 
 pearance of their captors. Their countenances suddenly 
 were lighted up with revenge ; their eyes darted fire, 
 and their every look was kindled w r ith the strong expres- 
 sions of rage. The prisoners saw around them no cause 
 for this unexpected change in their actions, and wondered 
 what could be the matter. They were led to entertain 
 the most fearful apprehensions, concerning their fate, 
 beginning to anticipate a sudden and terrible death. An- 
 other glance at the party, which we have left, is here 
 necessary to explain the reason of these movements. 
 
 Hammond and Bennett were lying- between their cap- 
 tors ; it was the first night after they were taken, and 
 they were in hopes that some opportunity would present 
 itself, for rising upon the party by which they were de- 
 tained. Bennett, who was really a brave man, had some 
 hesitation about acting, for fear that a failure might de- 
 cide the fate of his boy. He did not wish to engage 
 without a strong probability of success. The thoughts 
 of each one was occupied, while the warriors were held 
 in profound sleep ; Bennett, for the reasons given, view- 
 ing their proposed enterprise somewhat reluctantly, and 
 Hammond, watching for the favorable moment to arrive, 
 when they could perform the work of death and escape. 
 
 They continued thus until nearly the break of day, 
 when the Indians arose, and unbinding their prisoners, 
 took them down to a little creek, near which they had 
 encamped, that they might perform their accustomed 
 morning ablution. Upon returning, Hammond whis- 
 pered to Bennett, that now would be their time to watch
 
 154 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 their opportunity for making an attack. Bennett an- 
 swered that they had better not. There was no chance 
 for the other to urge his purpose, and they went back to 
 their places, without saying anything more. The Indians 
 then laid down, and their prisoners with them, to take 
 another nap, but the latter were left unbound As soon 
 as the savages were again in the soft embraces of sleep, 
 Hammond passed the signal over to Bennett, and the 
 latter shook his head. The other could not remonstrate, 
 for their communications must be made in silence, he 
 therefore remained in the greatest anxiety, until the 
 time for action had passed, and the broad light of day 
 soon chased away the dreams which hung around the 
 slumbering warrior. Hammond then gave Bennett to 
 understand, that he would not go one step farther with 
 him, that they had enjoyed as fair an opportunity as 
 they could have desired, for making an escape, and he 
 had not been willing to embrace it, and that now he- 
 should be left to make his way along as best he' could, 
 for he, Hammond, was determined to take his first chance 
 for flight. Bennett well understood the fleetness, .as 
 well as the decision of the other, and was perfectly as- 
 sured that he would make his escape, if he once resolved 
 to do so He therefore besought his companion, that he 
 would go with him one day longer, stating the embar- 
 rassment he felt, on account of his boy, and that the 
 circumstances with which they had been favored, were 
 such as they had not anticipated, and that he was in a. 
 measure unprepared to act ; but he might rely upon it,, 
 that he would not fail to co-operate with him, in any- 
 thing he should propose during the coming night. Ham-
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 155 
 
 mond was persuaded to continue with them another day ; 
 and during their progress, the two prisoners managed to 
 be together as much as possible without incurring sus- 
 picion, so that their plans for the proposed attack, 
 were well matured before it came night. But though 
 they had used great caution in conversing with each 
 other, the savages had observed that they were more 
 than usually intimate, and began to watch them with a 
 more careful eye, every now and then bringing upon 
 them a dark and significant frown. Hammond resorted 
 again to his music, but it failed of producing its wonted 
 effect. The melody of his voice passed over them, as 
 though it had been unheard, and the clear and lively 
 notes of his whistle, fell upon their ears without starting 
 any thing, which even bordered upon a smile. They all 
 looked gruffly and sullen, not excepting the one with 
 whom Hammond had become quite a favorite, on ac- 
 count of his pleasing songs and insinuating manners. 
 The latter finding that his efforts to please were in vain, 
 relaxed into his accustomed careless manner, and stepped 
 along as though he was beyond the reach of trouble. 
 
 Bennett, on the contrary, bore upon him the marks of 
 anxiety. It was but too apparent from his looks, that 
 he apprehended another failure, and the Indians conceiv- 
 ing, perhaps, some dislike, treated him rather roughly, 
 placing upon him, in addition to his own, the pack which 
 had before been carried by Hammond. 
 
 When it came night they were pinioned more closely 
 than than they had been before, and the hope of destroy- 
 ing these savages, began to desert them. Yet they 
 looked forward to the morning, when they expected to>
 
 156 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 be unloosed, as they were on the one previous. Their 
 encampment was near Meshoppen Creek, and they anx- 
 iously awaited the time when the savages would go 
 down to the creek to wash, trusting that they would be 
 left unbound, when they returned. 
 
 Soon the first light of morning began to send up a few 
 timorous rays in the east, and the Indians, true to their 
 habit, arose, unloosed their prisoners, and went down 
 to the creek, as had been anticipated. But when they 
 came back they were careful to make fast their captives 
 between two warriors, leaving the boy only, unbound. 
 They were thus disappointed, and began to give up all 
 ideas of making an escape. Hammond, especially, was 
 impatient, and was tossed about with restless anxiety. 
 He was lying near the Indian who had been rather pre- 
 possessed in his favor, and this fellow, who was called 
 English, spoke to him and said, " Lie still, Yankee ; 
 Yankee sleep." Hammond answered that he couldn't 
 sleep the cord hurt him so. With this the Indian slipped 
 out his knife to him, that he might loosen his fetters a 
 little, and be able to obtain more rest. Hammond was 
 very careful to use the knife in relieving himself from 
 bondage, and having silently cut himself loose, handed 
 the instrument over to Bennett, who used it with equal 
 success. 
 
 It had been previously agreed upon, in case of their 
 being free to make an attack, that Hammond should 
 take a war-spear, Bennett the wood-hatchet, having 
 been careful to observe where it was placed, and the 
 little boy was to stand by the guns, that had been stacked 
 .against a tree. He was not to fire unless a warrior
 
 MOSES VAX CAMPEN. 15 7 
 
 should attempt to take possession of them. One of the 
 Indians, upon returning from the creek, had not laid 
 down with the others, but sat by the fire with his blanket 
 paztly over his head, and was engaged in picking and 
 eating the roasted head of a deer. He sat with his face 
 turned partly from them, and they were in hopes of 
 creeping out from their places without being discovered. 
 When all the rest were asleep, t hey began slowly to 
 draw themselves out from between the warriors, and 
 were so happy as to remove, without causing them to 
 awake. Hammond then took one of the spears that 
 were sticking in the ground at the head of where each 
 one lay, and motioning to Bennett to be ready, came up 
 behind the Indian that was taking his repast, and aiming 
 for his heart, plunged the "spear through his body. He 
 sprang forward with a yell, upon the fire immediately 
 before him. This started the other warriors, and as 
 they arose up, Bennett sank his hatchet into the heads 
 of four. Hammond had been detained in endeavoring 
 to extricate his spear. He had made such a violent 
 thrust, that this passed through the Indian's breast bone, 
 which closed in upon, and fastened it so that he could 
 not draw it out. 
 
 Two of the party made their escape. The boy stand- 
 ing by the guns attempted to fire at them, but finding 
 the first, second, and third rifles he took up unloaded, 
 they were so far away when the fourth, containing a 
 charge was taken, it was in vain to fire. It was supposed, 
 however, that one of them had been wounded by Ben- 
 nett, who caught up a spear and hurled at him, striking 
 him in the back.
 
 158 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 They were thus left masters of the field, five of their 
 enemies lying dead on the ground. Yet it was danger- 
 ous to remain long where they were, and selecting from 
 their booty what they chose, they threw the remainder 
 on the burning logs, as also the bodies of the Indians 
 slain, and directed their course toward Wyoming and 
 reached their homes in safety. 
 
 It was at this place that the Indians, .who were leading 
 along the company of prisoners, of which Mr. Van Cam- 
 pen was one, became so much altered in their manners 
 and aspect. They were expecting to meet the warriors 
 from whom they had parted, as soon as they should reach 
 the Wyalusing Flats, which were a few miles above. 
 But here they undoubtedly saw the marks of death, and 
 were led to entertain fears concerning the fate of their 
 companions. How much they saw, we cannot tell, yet 
 they must hare seen enough to have revealed a part, if 
 not the whole of the secret of the sad disaster which was 
 brought upon their friends ; for Mr. Van Campen says 
 that, " When they came to this place, they showed signs 
 of great anger, and their eyes darted fire, as they looked 
 at one another, and at the prisoners." 
 
 But Van Campen like Hammond, did not fancy the 
 idea, even if his life should be spared, of a journey 
 through to Niagara, the head-quarters of the Indians. 
 The night after Pike was taken, he began to meditate an 
 attack upon his captors. Himself,, with other prisoners 
 they pinioned, and while they were thus lying around 
 their night-fire, he began to reflect upon the scenes 
 through which they had been hurried. These arose one 
 after another to his mind, and prevented him from ob-
 
 MOSES VAX CAMPEX. 159 
 
 taining sleep, which seemed to settle on all but him. The 
 scene of a murdered father, and of a tomahawked brother, 
 was presented to his view, and he was now lying with 
 the perpetrators of these horrid acts. The prospect be- 
 fore him was uncertain ; he might die by a lingering and 
 cruel death after he reached the end of their journey, or 
 he might fall under the hatchet by the way. In either 
 event, it would be far better for him to make some effort 
 to escape, even though that effort should cost him his 
 life. The only probable way of escape, that presented it- 
 self to his mind, was to consult with his fellow prisoners, 
 and resolve upon the destruction of the whole party. 
 
 He had an opportunity of communicating his designs 
 to them during the next day. They regarded it, however, 
 as a scheme entirely visionary, for three men to think of 
 dispatching ten Indians. Yet he spread before them the 
 advantages which three men, awake, and active, would 
 have over ten that were asleep stated to them further, 
 that as they were the first prisoners which would be taken 
 in, after the destruction of the Indian villages and com 
 by Sullivan, the summer before, they would in all proba- 
 bility be tied to the stake^and subjected to a cruel and lin- 
 gering death. He told them that now they had an inch 
 of ground upon which to fight, and they might perhaps 
 gain their point; but if they failed, it would only be 
 death, and they might as well die one way as another. 
 
 That day passed and at night, the Indians encamped 
 and secured their prisoners as before. The morning 
 came, and as they proceeded on their way, Van Campen 
 renewed his suggestions to dispatch them on the coming 
 night, and urged them to decide the question without
 
 160 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 any further delay. They were removing continually 
 from their home, into the heart of the enemy's country,, 
 and if they should advance too far, they might not be 
 able to return again, even if they should effect their es- 
 cape. The prisoners agreed to make a trial, but they 
 were at a loss to know how it should be done. Van 
 Campen said, " Disarm them, and take each a tomahawk, 
 and come to close work at once. There are three of us, 
 and if we plant our blows with judgment, three times 
 three will make nine. The tenth we can kill at our 
 leisure." They were suited with this proposal in part; 
 but were not decided about using the tomahawk alto- 
 gether. One of them proposed to fire at those on one 
 side, with a gun, while two of the three were using the 
 hatchet. Van Campen urged in opposition to this, that 
 it would be a very uncertain way of making an attack; 
 the first shot fired might give the alarm, and their ene- 
 mies might rise, and see that it was only the prisoners, 
 and defeat .them before they carried their project into 
 execution. 
 
 He was obliged, however, to yield to tneir plan. Peter 
 Pence was to take charge of the guns, Pike and Van 
 Campen were to wield the tomahawk. When it came 
 night the prisoners cut and carried a goodly supply of 
 wood so that the Indians might have a large fire, and 
 then they were tied as usual, and laid in their places. 
 While they were lying here one of the savages had occa- 
 sion to use his knife and dropped it at Van Campen's 
 feet, and he immediately turned one foot over it, thus 
 hiding it from view. Presently they all laid down, and 
 were soon in the soft embraces of sleep. About mid-
 
 ^Designed by Mre. A. R. Dodd.] 
 
 VAN CAMPEN'S ENCOUNTER WITH MOHAWK.
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 161 
 
 night, Van Campen arose and looked around. Every 
 thing appeared favorable, and he began to think of enter- 
 ing upon the work of death. He had few misgivings of 
 heart; a father's and a brother's blood was calling for 
 vengeance, and this steeled his mind to sympathy and 
 nerved his arm for action. He immediately went with 
 the knife to Pence whom he cut loose, and he in turn 
 performed the same office for him He then cut Pike 
 loose, and they all forthwith began silently to disarm the 
 Indians. The guns were stationed against a tree near 
 the encampment. Pence then prepared himself to shoot r 
 Pike and Van Campen took their places with the toma- 
 hawk. The latter was to kill three on the right wing, 
 the former two on the left. That moment Pike's two- 
 awoke, and were getting up; Pike proved a coward, and 
 laid down. It was a critical moment. Van Campen 
 saw that there was no time to be lost; their heads were 
 turned up fair, and he planted the hatchet ' deep into 
 them and then turned to the destruction of his own three 
 men. As he was striking his tomahawk in the head of 
 the last, Pence fired and did good execution, killing four. 
 The only one left, started with a bound away from the 
 fire, but perceiving that the attack was from the prison- 
 ers, he gave the war-whoop, and darted for the guns. 
 Van Campen was quick to intercept him, and the contest 
 then turned between the two. As the latter raised the 
 hatchet, the other quickly turned to run from him, yet 
 he followed and struck at his head, but missed his aim,, 
 the tomahawk entering the back of the Indian's neck,, 
 who immediately fell; and Van Campen's foot slipping,, 
 he, too, came down by his side, and they both clinched^
 
 162 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 each as they were, on the ground. The warrior with his 
 naked arm, caught Van Campen around the neck, and 
 hugged him so close that he could hardly breathe. They 
 had a most violent and doubtful struggle, Van Campen 
 at one moment being uppermost, and then the Indian, 
 from whose wound the blood ran freely into the face of 
 the other, getting into his eyes, and almost obscuring 
 his sight. During the whole scuffle, the warrior kept 
 feeling around behind him for his scalping knife, which, 
 if he had obtained, would have shortly ended the strife. 
 Van Campen perceiving this, and being almost suffocat- 
 ed with blood, was wrought up to an agony of feeling, 
 and bringing one of his feet up, caught his toes in the 
 warriors belt, and gave a violent spring, which threw 
 them several feet apart. Thev both rose at the same 
 time and the savage took to his heels and ran. It was a 
 minute or more before Van Campen cleared his eyes so 
 that he could see; he was a little time in hunting the 
 tomahawk, which had fallen from the wound, and had 
 been partly covered up during the scuffle, so that when 
 he was prepared for pursuit, the other had gone too far 
 to be overtaken. He was the only one who escaped, and 
 made out to return to his own people. This fact Mr. 
 Van Campen learned from the Indian's own mouth, sev- 
 eral years after the war. The warrior's name was Mo- 
 hawk. He was a stout, active, and daring fellow, and 
 and held the office of Chief in one of his tribes. * 
 
 As soon as Van Campen ended his struggle with Mo- 
 hawk, he returned to his fellow prisoners. Pike, how- 
 ever, was powerless. He was found on his knees endeav- 
 oring to pray, while Pence was cursing and swearing at 
 
 *See Appendix, Note "A."
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 163 
 
 Mm most furiously, charging him with being a rascally 
 coward, and telling him that it was no time to pray, 
 when he ought to be fighting. Nine Indians were lying 
 dead upon the ground, and the season of strife had ended, 
 leaving the prisoners masters of the field. They took 
 possession of all the guns, blankets and match-coats. 
 There were twelve guns, ten owned by the party, and 
 two that had been taken from Van Campen and his uncle. 
 They then scalped the warriors they had killed, and re- 
 covered those that had been taken from their friends, 
 Van Campen stringing them all on his belt for safe 
 keeping. 
 
 This scene was performed in less time, perhaps, than 
 has been occupied in describing it, and as there were sev- 
 eral hours of the night yet remaining, Van Campen 
 thought best to remove from the fire, and be on their 
 guard lest the Indian who had escaped might fall in with 
 another parrty of warriors, and lead them back to recover 
 what had been lost. 
 
 The two little boys, who were also prisoners, had taken 
 the alarm and fled from the scene of action. While Van 
 Campen was at his station, eagerly watching for the ap- 
 pearance of day, his attention was arrested by hearing 
 the tread of some one, not far distant, and turning his 
 eye in the direction whence the sound proceeded, he 
 could just distinguish the outlines of some one who was 
 coming towards him. He immediately cocked his rifle, 
 and held it to the tree, behind which he was standing, 
 with his eye upon the object, which he supposed to be an 
 Indian, and waited for its appearance, with his finger on 
 the trigger of his gun. It came nearer and nearer, and
 
 164 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 just as he was on the point of firing, the thought struck 
 him that he might be aiming at one of the little boys. 
 He immediately called out " Who's there ?" Young 
 Rogers answered " It's me." The answer, in a voice 
 that was known, came upon him like an electric shock. 
 His arms dropped powerless by his side, and if, but a few 
 moments before, he had shown himself equal to^the most 
 daring act of bravery, he now seemed to manifest the 
 trepidation of fear. The thought that he was just upon 
 thfe point of firing at the young innocent by his side, al- 
 most unmanned him ; the effect, which the slaughter he 
 had just made, produced on his mind, was nothing in 
 comparison. But fortunately the boy was unharmed, and 
 Van Campen was spared the painful thoughts which he 
 must have endured, had he taken the life of the lad at 
 whom he was aiming. 
 
 The prisoners kept possession of the battle-ground un- 
 til morning, and then gathering whatever of the Indian 
 baggage they could carry, began to thread their way 
 towards home. 
 
 There is another scene of interest, growing out of the 
 one which we have been describing, which gives us some 
 further insight to the history of the Indian Chief, Mo- 
 hawk, and which will serve to impress the reader with a 
 just idea of the number of depredations that occurred at 
 that period. While the two parties of Indian warriors, 
 whose progress we have been describing, were executing 
 the purpose of their mission, the celebrated war-chief, 
 Brant, was decending with a company of Tories and 
 Indians, into the region of Schoharie. On his way he 
 came across a company of fourteen men, who had been
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 165 
 
 sent out under the command of Captain Alexander Harp- 
 er, to inspect the movements of the suspicious Tory, 
 who, it was susposed, was about commencing the labor 
 of making maple sugar, and to engage himself in the 
 manufacture of the same article. While in the execution 
 of the command, and without a thought of the presence 
 of the lurking savage, he was approached by the party 
 under Brant, the first monition of whose coming, he had 
 in the loss of three of his men who were engaged at work. 
 Next appeared the Mohawk chief, who immediately 
 rushed in with the uplifted tomahawk, and advancing to 
 Capt. Harper, observed, " Harper I am sorry to find you 
 ,here !" " Why are you sorry Captain Brant ?" was the 
 reply. " Because," replied the chief, " I must kill you, 
 although we were school-mates in our youth " at the 
 same time raising the hatchet, as though about to strike. 
 But his arm suddenly dropped, and fixing his keen eye 
 upon Harper he inquired, " Are there any regular troops 
 at the fort in Schoharie ?" Harper, as quick as thought, 
 determining in his answer, to startle the Indian chief, 
 and prevent, if possible, his descent upon the settlements, 
 told him, though contrary to the truth, that the forts had 
 been strengthened a few days before, by the arrival of 
 three hundred Continental troops. This information, 
 given with a look of the utmost assurance, served to dis- 
 concert, for a moment, the noble warrior, and, preventing 
 the further shedding of blood, he called a council of his 
 subordinate chiefs. The fate of the prisoners was made 
 the subject of debate. Long and earnestly did the In- 
 dians contend that they should be put to death, yet Brant, 
 whose word was regarded as law, decided in their favor, 
 -and they were permitted to live.
 
 166 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 The conviction produced on the mind' of this warrior, 
 of the presence of so large a force, determined him to- 
 retrace his steps to Niagara, and taking his prisoners he 
 commenced his return march. It was not, however,, 
 without again questioning Harper, giving him to under- 
 stand that he strongly suspected the truth of his state- 
 ment, yet the prisoner bore so well, the severe scrutiny 
 of the Indian's eye, that the warrior was once more mis- 
 led by the sincerity which was apparent in every look of 
 his informant, and abandoned the idea of striking his in- 
 tended blow upon the settlements of Schoharie. The 
 warriors, disappointed in their expectation of plunder,, 
 demanded the lives of the little band they had taken, yet. 
 the Mohawk chief promised them safety, if they would 
 be conducted by him to Niagara as prisoners of war. 
 
 Their march was commenced, attended with pain y 
 difficulty and adventure. Having to carry along the 
 spoils, which the Indian had taken on his route, the pris- 
 oners found themselves subjected to the most oppressive 
 burdens, and were ready at times, to sink under the fa- 
 tigues of the way. But a resolute mind sustained their 
 drooping spirits, and enabled them to keep pace-, though 
 with much effort, with the progress of their foes. As 
 they proceeded on their course, Brant fell in with a Tory,, 
 who was well acquainted with the party he had taken,, 
 and who urged him to give them all to the tomahawk 
 and the scalping knife, stating that their news respecting 
 the arrival of troops was nothing but a fabrication. Har- 
 per was then made to pass through the trying ordeal of 
 another examination, yet so well did he counterfeit the 
 signs of sincerity and truth that the glittering tomahawk 
 was again withdrawn from over his head.
 
 MOSES VAX CAMPEN. 167 
 
 The party of warriors continued their march, descend- 
 ing the Delaware a sufficient distance, then crossing over 
 to Oghkwaga, where they constructed floats, with which 
 they sailed down the Susquehanna as far as Tioga Point. 
 Here the prisoners were visited with a new and unex- 
 pected trial. * " During his march from Niagara on this 
 expedition, Brant had detached eleven of his warriors 
 to fall upon the Minisink settlements for prisoners, f 
 This detachment, as it subsequently appeared, had suc- 
 ceeded in taking captive five athletic men, whom they 
 secured and brought with them as far as Tioga Point. J 
 The Indians sleep very soundly, and the five prisoners 
 had resolved at the first opportunity to make their es- 
 cape. While encamped at this place during the night, 
 one of the men succeeded in extricating his hands from 
 the binding cords, and with the utmost caution unloosed 
 his four companions. The Indians were locked in the 
 arms of deep sleep -around them. Silently, without caus- 
 ing a leaf to rustle, they each snatched a tomahawk from 
 the girdles of their unconscious enemies, and in a mo- 
 ment nine of them were quivering in the agonies of 
 
 *See Stone's Life of Brant, Vol. 2, page 59. 
 
 fHis warriors did not, as we have seen, descend the Delaware 
 for prisoners, but fell upon the settlements bordering upon the 
 Susquehanna, and the original party consisted of seventeen in- 
 stead of eleven. Whenever the Indians invaded the settlements on 
 the Delaware, it was usually with a larger company than eleven, 
 since the inhabitants living along this river were quite numer- 
 ous, and an incursion among them was attended with consider- 
 able danger, while on the contrary, the scouts dispatched into the 
 valley of the Susquehanna, a more thinly settled region, did not 
 often exceed the number mentioned. 
 
 fThe number taken agrees exactly with that of the captives, 
 among whom was Mr, Van Campen, three of them men, and two 
 boys. The party advanced till within about fifteen miles of Ti- 
 oga Point,
 
 168 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 death. The two others were awakened, and springing 
 upon their feet attempted to escape. One of them was 
 struck with a hatchet between the shoulders, but the 
 other fled."* The narrative continues "As Brant and 
 .his warriors approached this point of their journey, some 
 of his Indians having raised a whoop, it was instantly re- 
 turned by a single voice with the death yell! Startled 
 :at this unexpected signal, Brant's warriors rushed for- 
 ward to ascertain the cause. But they were not long in 
 doubt, the lone warrior met them, and soon related to 
 his brethren the melancholy fate of his companions. The 
 effect upon the warriors who gathered in a group to hear 
 the recital, was inexpressibly fearful. Rage, and a de- 
 sire for revenge seemed to kindle every bosom, and light 
 every eye, as with burning coals. They gathered round 
 the prisoners in a circle, and began to make unequivocal 
 preparations for hacking4;hem to pieces. Harper and his 
 men of course gave up for lost not doubting that their 
 doom was fixed and irreversible. But at this moment 
 deliverance came from an unexpected quarter. While 
 their knives were unsheathing, and their hatchets glit- 
 tering as they were flourished in the sunbeams, the only 
 survivor of the murdered party rushed into the circle." 
 Himself a chief, he waved his hand as a signal by which 
 to command attention and notify them of his desire to 
 
 *This story agrees, in time, place, and circumstance, as per- 
 fectly "with the one which has been related of Mr. Van Campen, 
 as is possible for stories to agree which come from different au- 
 thorities. The number of prisoners is the same, and the manner 
 in which the escaping warrior was wounded is also the same ; 
 but as the number of the party was stated as being eleven, it 
 was necessary to account for the good fortune of one who was 
 not there.
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 169 
 
 speak. The warriors immediately turned their eyes upon 
 their unfortunate comrade, and were anxiously awaiting 
 the first words that should break from his lips. He com- 
 menced his speech with all the authority and dignity of 
 an Indian sachem ; but what was their surprise to find, 
 that as he advanced, his plea was in favor of the unfor- 
 tunate victims upon whom they were about to let loose 
 the fury of their rage. The prisoners, too, could under- 
 stand from the changed looks of those around them, that 
 the noble chief was making his address in their behalf, 
 and Harper, who was somewhat acquainted with the In- 
 dian tongue, understood its import as follows : " War- 
 riors, your looks are changed ! The tale of our butch- 
 ered brothers, has fired you to take revenge. But where 
 the hands that are stained with blood? Are these 
 men guilty of the slain warriors ? Take no blood from 
 the innocent ! The Great Spirit will be angry ! " His 
 appeal produced the desired effect. The burning eye of 
 the warrior ceased to shoot forth the deep fire of revenge, 
 and the savage looks, that had encompassed the prison- 
 ers with the terrific forms of vengeance, suddenly died 
 away, and gave to their agonized spirits the feeble wings 
 of hope. 
 
 It so happened, that this chief, who must have been 
 Mohawk, had years before been acquainted with the 
 prisoners, whom he saw when he was brought to the 
 main body of Indians, and beholding their situation, he 
 generously interposed in their favor. 
 
 The biographer of Brant justly says of this deed, "It 
 was a noble action, worthy of the proudest era of chivahy, 
 and, in the palmy days of Greece and Rome, would have
 
 170 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 insured him almost ' an apotheosis and rites divine.' The 
 interposition of Pocahontas, in favor of Captain Smith, 
 before the rude court of Powhattan, was perhaps more 
 romantic ; but when the motive which prompted the 
 generous action of the princess is considered, the trans- 
 action now under review, exhibits the most genuine be- 
 nevolence. Pocahontas was moved by the tender passion 
 the Mohawk sachem by the feelings of magnanimity, 
 and the eternal principles of justice. It is a matter of 
 regret that the name of this high-souled warrior is lost, 
 as, alas ! have been too many that might have served to 
 relieve the dark and vengeful portraitures of Indian 
 character, which it has so well pleased the white man to 
 draw ! The prisoners themselves, were so impressed 
 with the manner of their signal deliverance, that they 
 justly attributed it to a direct interposition of the provi- 
 dence of God." 
 
 Harper and his men, were taken to Niagara, and after 
 an imprisonment of three years, by an exchange of pris- 
 oners were permitted to return to their own country and 
 homes. 
 
 That the noble actor in this scene, was the warrior who 
 escaped from the hatchet of Van Campen, there can be 
 but little doubt, for the story of each is the same in every 
 particular, excepting the number of Indians in the party, 
 one account given it as ten, the other, as eleven. The 
 deed seems, too, to be characteristic of the chief, Mohawk, 
 for we have seen him before, generously interposing in 
 behalf of Mrs. Pike's child, whose brains one of his men 
 was about to dash out against a tree ; at the same time, 
 freely surrendering her clothing, and sending her in the
 
 MOSES VAX CA1EPEN. 171 
 
 direction of safety, with this mark upon her, to shield 
 her from the violence of any savages whom she might 
 meet. 
 
 We will return again to the party of Mr. Van Campen, 
 which had rendered itself free by the slaughter of its 
 captors. They remained in safety, each one at his station 
 until the approach of morning light, when they constrcted 
 a raft, and having placed upon it, the Indian baggage 
 which fell into their hands, set sail for Wyoming the 
 nearest settlement on the river. They had not gone far, 
 however, before their raft began to give way, and after 
 using their utmort endeavors to keep it together, they 
 were obliged to run the crazy thing ashore and betake 
 themselves to the more laborious journey by land. They 
 left behind, a great portion of their baggage, but took 
 with them, the guns and ammunition. Late in the after- 
 noon they arrived at Wyalusing, and marching thence, 
 came to the Narrows at evening. 
 
 Near this place, they discovered a smoke before them, 
 rising from the low ground bordering on the river, and 
 saw also a raft lying at the shore, by which appearances, 
 they were led to conclude, that a party of Indians had 
 passed them during the course of the day, and had halted 
 for the night. They had no other alternative than to 
 rout them, or go over a mountain, which lay before them, 
 and in crossing which they would be obliged to encounter 
 the deep snow that was still lying upon the north side. 
 Yet they might incur some danger in making an attack 
 upon the enemy, but they concluded, from the size of 
 the raft that the party must be small, and as they had 
 made the first discovery, they supposed that the ad- 
 v antage would be on their side. They were well armed,
 
 172 LIFE AXD ADVENTURES OF 
 
 *each being supplied with two rifles, and the only fear 
 that entered Van Campen's mind, was, that Pike would 
 prove a coward as he had done before. Yet he thought- 
 it best to ascertain the numbers and situation of the 
 enemy, and if every thing was favorable, he was to give 
 the signal for attack. He crept down the hill silently, 
 and came so near as to behold the fire and packs, but 
 saw no Indians. Concluding that they had gone out to 
 hunt for meat, he motioned his men to come on. They 
 came, and taking the packs from the deserted camp, 
 threw them on the raft, that was near by, and with pad- 
 dles and setting poles drove her briskly for the opposite 
 ide of the river. When they had passed nearly out of 
 the reach of gun-shot, two Indians came up to the bank, 
 whence the raft had been taken, and beholding it merrily 
 conveying off another party, drew up their rifles and 
 fired, but without doing any injury. They soon passed 
 under cover of an island, and coasted along its border, 
 leaving the Indians out of sight. They descended the 
 -river several miles, until they supposed themselves out 
 of the reach of the enemy, and drew up to the shore. 
 They landed on an island, and being damp and cold, 
 began to look about for some means of making a fire. 
 Having collected the materials they kindled one in a deep 
 hole, where they were out of sight and could imagine 
 themselves perfectly shielded from being discovered by 
 the enemy. 
 
 They had jiot been long at their encampment before 
 their attention was arrested by the breaking of snow 
 crust near by, which sounded like the noise of some one 
 stepping. Pike was the first to take the alarm. He said 
 sthat the Indians had followed them, and they would cer
 
 MOSES VAtf CAMPEN. 
 
 tainly be shot down where they were. He became quite- 
 annoying, with his anxiety and his fears, so much so that 
 Van Carnpen, with a view to make him quiet, threatened 
 to shoot h m if he did not keep still. He was silent for 
 a moment, and the stepping began to be heard more 
 distinctly, and seemed to be approaching nearer and 
 nearer the fire. Van Campen took his position and stood 
 with his rifle cocked, and prepared to put a ball through 
 the unknown assailant as soon as he should come in sight. 
 At length the enemy, which had been the occasion of so 
 much alarm, presented itself in the form of a noble 
 raccoon, and, as it came within the gleaming of the fire- 
 light, was a fair object for the rifle. Van Campen shot 
 and hit him. The animal gave a squeal, and Pike, misT 
 taking it, perhaps, for the yell of an Indian, was fright^ 
 ened out of his wits, jumped up, and halloed at the 
 utmost stretch of his voice, "Quarters ! quarters ! gentle- 
 men ; for heaven's sake, quarters !" Van Campen, tak- 
 ing up the raccooji by one of its legs, threw it down near 
 the fire and said, "Here, you cowardly rascal ! skin that, 
 and let's have the quarters for supper." Pike was better 
 at cooking than he was at fighting, and soon had the 
 animal ready for the coals upon which it was laid to 
 broil. It was a fine treat for them, and they ate it with 
 many a hearty laugh, and a good joke at Pike, for his 
 excellent "quarters" They rested during the night with- 
 out any further alarm, aud in the morning, embarked 
 upon their float, and began to sail down the river. They 
 pursued their course along the silent stream, without 
 interruption, and reached Wyoming at evening. They 
 were received with many demonstrations of joy, their 
 coming being as little anticipated, as life from the dead.
 
 CHAPTEE XIV. 
 
 After resting at Wyoming a day, Van Campen pro- 
 - cured a canoe, and with Pence and his little cousin be- 
 gan to go down the river toward Northumberland, going 
 by night, it being more safe than journeying by day 
 He arrived before dawn at Fort Jenkins. 
 
 " Fort Jenkins was situated on the north bank, of the 
 north branch of the Susquehanna, five miles below the 
 town of Berwick, on the public road leading to Blooms- 
 burg, in Columbia county, Pa. at that time in Wyom- 
 ing township, Northumberland county. It was situated 
 on a high plateau of ground overlooking the river, and 
 from the southern bank must have formed a prominent, 
 and imposing sight. 
 
 The tract of land on which it stood was surveyed by 
 Charles Stewart, Depty Surveyor in Oct. 1774, for Daniel 
 Reese, who afterward lived and died at or near the town 
 of Lewisburg, on the west branch. He conveyed the 
 tract of land about four hundred acres, Feb. 25th, 1775, 
 to James Jenkins a merchant of Philadelphia, who built 
 a house upon it and made substantial improvements. 
 After the war broke out the Indian depredations which 
 followed, made it necessary in the spring of 1778, to 
 surround this block-house with palisades of hewn logs, 
 set upright in the earth, twelve feet in height, forming 
 a structure which was called Fort Jenkins. It was sixty 
 (174)
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 175 
 
 feet in width and eighty feet in length, and enclosed a 
 substantial block-house, supplied with a hearth of brick 
 brought up the river in boats for that purpose. The 
 well inside the fort was a very substantial one seventy- 
 five feet in depth and walled up. It still remains and 
 does duty as a farm house well."* 
 
 Near this point Van Campen found Col. Kelly en- 
 camped with about one hundred men. In view of the 
 late Indian depredations he had raised this company and 
 gone out in pursuit of the enemy. He had been up the 
 west branch of the Susquehanna, and had thence crossed 
 over to the north branch, and the head of the Chilisquaka, 
 to Fishing Creek. Passing through the gap at the end 
 of Nob Mountain, he came to where Van Campen's father 
 and uncle had been killed. He found their bodies as 
 the savages had left them. That of his brother had 
 nearly been consumed by the fire, yet the parts left were 
 committed to the earth with the remains of the other 
 two. 
 
 From Col. Kelley, Van Campen learned that his mother 
 and her surviving family, were safely lodged in the fort. 
 To him the anticipated meeting with his dearest earthly 
 friend, was a subject of joy ; how much more to her, 
 who, with the deep love of a mother's heart, was to clasp 
 in her arms the form of her first born child ; a son whom 
 she had wept over as dead, and whom she expected never 
 more to behold. But though an ardent desire impelled 
 him to seek an immediate entrance into the fort, pru- 
 dence would not allow him to rush directly into the 
 
 *C. F. ffill Esq. from the "Wilksbarre Record
 
 176 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 presence of his mother. Her grief at the loss of a hus- 
 band who had been so inhumanly slain, of a son that had 
 fallen under the Indian's tomahawk, and of another car- 
 ried away captive, to be the subject, perhaps, of more 
 excruciating pain, was too overwhelming for her feelings, 
 and she well nigh sank under the weight of her sorrow. 
 
 Supposing that the interview would be overpowering 
 to her, the Colonel was sent in to prepare the way for 
 his coming, and laying aside his belt of scalps, he soon 
 after went in himself. The meeting, though introduced 
 with the utmost caution, produced almost the anticipated 
 effect. It was one of mingled joy and woe, in which 
 every feeling of delight at seeing her returning son, was 
 immediately met and driven back, by an opposing cur- 
 rent of sorrow, at the thoughts of those, whose remem- 
 brance still drew forth the tears of grief. 
 
 As soon as these emotions subsided sufficiently to al- 
 low of the inquiries, she questioned him concerning his 
 capture, and the way in which he had escaped. These 
 he related to her in the manner in which the several 
 events took place, and as the reader has already been 
 acquainted with the facts, they need not be repeated. 
 
 Before Mr. Van Campen's return, the commission of 
 ensign, in the continental service, had been sent him of 
 a company to be commanded by Capt. Thomas Robison. 
 He had no knowledge of this^ before it came, yet as he 
 was led by his disposition to follow the life of a soldier, 
 he accepted of the office, and spent most of the ensuing 
 summer in obtaining recruits, to fill out the company to 
 which he belonged, and formed a part of the quota that 
 Pennsylvania was to raise for the army. Leaving Fort
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 177 
 
 Jenkins he proceeded to Northumberland where he re- 
 ceived his papers and prepared to enter upon the duties 
 of his office. 
 
 We have had occasion to speak of CoL Kelly more 
 than once, and as he was very prominent in the region 
 where the scenes we have been contemplating transpired, 
 some further account of him will no doubt be very ac- 
 ceptable to the reader. 
 
 John Kelly was a native of Lancaster Co., Pa., and 
 was born in February, 1744. He was a noble stalwart 
 man, resolute and fearless, six feet two inches in height, 
 strong, active and insensible to fatigue. After the pur- 
 chase from the Indians by the Proprietaries of Pennsyl- 
 vania, in 1768 he left his native county and settled in 
 Buffalo Valley, and endured the hardships common to 
 settlers in a new country. 
 
 He served in the Revolutionary war and distinguished 
 himself in the battles of Trenton and Princeton. While 
 on one of their retreats Colonel Potter sent an order to 
 Major Kelly to have a certain bridge cut down to pre- 
 vent the advance of the British, who were then in sight. 
 Kelly sent for an axe, but represented that the enterprise 
 would be hazardous. Still the British advance must be 
 stopped, and the order was not withdrawn. 
 
 He said he would cut down the bridge, for he would 
 not order another to do what some would say he was 
 afraid to do himself. Before all the logs on which the 
 bridge rested were cut off, he was within the range of 
 British fire, and several balls struck the log on which he 
 was standing. The last log broke down sooner than he 
 expected, and he fell with it into the swollen stream.
 
 178 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 The American soldiers moved on, not believing it possi- 
 ble for him to make his escape. But by great exertions 
 he reached the shore through high water and floating 
 timber and followed the troops. The fact is noted in 
 history that our retreating army was saved by the de- 
 struction of that bridge but the way it was done and the 
 man who did it are not mentioned. 
 
 After his discharge Major Kelly returned to his farm 
 and family, and during the three succeeding years In- 
 dians were very troublesome to the settlements on the 
 west branch. He became Colonel of a regiment and 
 his duty required him to guard the valley against the in- 
 cursions of the savages. When the " Big Runaway" oc- 
 curred he was one of the first to return. For at least 
 two harvests, reapers took their rifles to the field and 
 some watched while others wrought. 
 
 At one time Col. Kelly had command of scouting 
 parties in the valley, and very often was out in person. 
 Many nights he has laid on the branches of trees to 
 keep out of the mud, without a fire, because it would in- 
 dicate his position to the enemy. He became well skilled 
 in Indian warfare and was a terror to their marauding 
 bands. 
 
 So greatly was he feared by the savages that they re- 
 solved on his destruction, but being too cowardly to at- 
 tack him openly, sought his life by stealth. He had 
 reason to believe they were prowling around one night, 
 and rising early and looking through the crevices of his 
 log house he saw two lying with their arms in a position 
 to shoot him when he opened the door. Being of a quick 
 turn of mind, he determined to thwart their design,
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 179 
 
 fixed his own rifle and arranged to open the door with a 
 string and watch them at the same time. The moment 
 he pulled the door open two balls came into the house and 
 the Indians arose to advance. He immediately fired and 
 wounded one, when they both retreated. After waiting 
 to see if there were others, he followed them by the 
 blood, but they escaped. 
 
 For many years Col. Kelly held the office of Justice 
 of the Peace, and in the administration of justice, exhib- 
 ited the same anxiety to do right, that had characterized 
 him in his military service. At any time he would fore- 
 go his own fees, and if the parties were poor, pay the 
 constable's cost to bring about a compromise. 
 
 He was a Presbyterian and a devout Christian, but 
 entertained much hatred toward the Indians. At one 
 time a movement was set on foot by the Presbytery of 
 Northumberland to evangelize the savages. When Col. 
 Kelly was called on for a contribution he said he would 
 not give one cent to send preachers among them, but he 
 would give any sum required to buy ropes to hang them. 
 
 He died February 18, 1832, at the age of eighty-eight, 
 greatly respected by his neighbors and friends, and was 
 laid to rest in the Presbyterian burying ground in Lewis- 
 T^urg. On the 8th of April, 1835, amid great military 
 display, a plain monument to his memory was unveiled, 
 and an appropriate oration delivered by James Merrill, 
 Esq. Early in the spring of 1856 the monument, to- 
 gether with his remains, were removed to the new cem- 
 etery on the western borders of the borough. 
 
 Sarah Kelly, his wife, died suddenly Jan. 2d, 1831.* 
 
 *Taken from the Biographical Annals of the "West Branch. 
 T. F. Meginuis, Williamsport, Pa.
 
 180 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 We will present also what few items we have of the 
 history of Capt. Joseph Salmon. Van Campen and he 
 had been companions from childhood. When the war 
 of the Revolution was about to be declared, they en- 
 gaged with one heart in practicing with the rifle for the 
 British they expected to meet on the sea-board, and 
 with the tomahawk to be prepared to meet the Indian 
 on the frontier. They seemed to be so well suited to 
 each other that their companionship was ever a source 
 of pleasure, and they were never more happy, than when 
 as soldiers they were out on duty together. The reader 
 has already become acquainted with some of their ex- 
 ploits as they were called to lead scouting parties through 
 the woods in guarding the frontier settlements. 
 
 It will be remembered that he accompanied those sent 
 to capture the inhabitants af Catawissa, suspected of 
 betraying the cause of the Colonies, and how adroitly he 
 and Van Campen effected their capture. 
 
 Capt. Salmon was living at this time on the north 
 branch below Danville on the main road, where he was 
 taken prisoner by a party of Indians, on a Sabbath 
 day, March 8, 1781. After traveling four days, his 
 captors turned him over to another party, among whom 
 was an acquaintance of Salmon's called Shenap, who said 
 to the Captain, " Solly, you shan't be hurt." They soon 
 fell in with a large body of savages, who had another 
 prisoner named Williamson. 
 
 On coming to where they were to run the gauntlet, 
 Williamson refused and was beaten to death. The cap- 
 tain understanding the thing better started rapidly and 
 plunged through fearlessly, receiving but a few trifling
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 181 
 
 bruises. After the race Shenap came up, and shaking 
 him by the hand laughingly said, " Solly you run like 
 debill, you run like hoss." He was exchanged in a 
 short time and returned to his home in safety. 
 
 After the war and upon the first organization of the 
 militia which was directly after the termination of hos- 
 tilities, Mr. Salmon was chosen to fill the office of Col- 
 onel. Mr. Van Campen's name was mentioned as an 
 opposing candidate, but he declined to enter the lists 
 against his old friend, and accepted the nomination as 
 first major, and was elected almost unanimously, three 
 votes only out of about five hundred being cast against 
 him. This was the title by which afterwards the was 
 universally recognized. 
 
 Colonel Salmon continued to reside for a long time in 
 the neighborhood of his early conflicts, and married, as is 
 supposed, Miss Anna Wheeler, the girl of his choice, and 
 left a very respectable family. He died universally re- 
 spected and beloved.
 
 CAAPTER XV. 
 
 On the left bank of the Susquehanna, at the mouth of 
 Catawissa Creek, is the large and flourishing village of 
 Catawissa, containing a population of more than two 
 thousand. Some four miles above, on Fishing Creek, 
 which forms its northern and western boundary, is the 
 town of Bloomsburg. These towns are pleasantly and 
 beautifully located, and from elevations near present 
 scenery, so varied by mountain, valley, and river, as to- 
 hold the attention of the beholder in long and rapt ad" 
 miration. For many a mile upward he will behold the 
 winding and silvery line of the wide and beautiful Sus- 
 quehanna, gleaming in the sunlight, and. forming an ever 
 radiant border, of wide, green, and fertile fields ; beyond 
 them on the south, rising up in its grandeur, the Cata- 
 wissa Mountain, to the north the conspicuous form of 
 Nob Mountain, and the valley of Fishing Creek, loosing 
 itself as it becomes enveloped in forest and mountain 
 scenery, while about him on every side will bespeak evi- 
 dences of thrift, and bustle of a large and growing town. 
 
 Strange that amid scenes where nature has been so 
 lavish in her gifts, there should have lurked darkly de- 
 signing men, intent on fighting against freedom and the 
 right. Yet here at an early day were settlers, belonging 
 to the Society of Friends, and others called Tories, the 
 two supposed to be. more or less affiliated in their views,, 
 (182)
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 183 
 
 and conduct, who were strongly suspected of favoring 
 the cause of the British, and of holding treasonable cor- 
 respondence with them. 
 
 In a region where unparalled suffering had been en- 
 dured from British and Indian invasions, the aid and 
 comfort afforded by these people to the enemy, would 
 naturally arouse attention, and compel observation. The 
 different condition of things in this neighborhood when 
 contrasted with those of adjoining neighborhoods, could 
 hardly fail of attracting attention While others had to 
 leave their homes, and seek protection within the shel- 
 tering walls of neighboring forts ; these would remain 
 unmolested, and enjoy quiet and peace. While other 
 neighborhoods were severely harassed, the people killed, 
 if found outside of their forts, their property destroyed, 
 and themselves subject to captivity and death ; these 
 would suffer no loss, and carry on the labor of their 
 farms without being annoyed, or distressed by the dis- 
 asters that universally prevailed elsewhere. The most 
 casual observer would not fail to note this difference. 
 
 It was likewise very apparent that their situation was 
 quite favorable for carrying on a treasonable correspond- 
 ence with the enemy without being discovered, They 
 were surrounded by mountains on one side, and by the 
 Susquehanna River on the other, so that the enemy could 
 reach them, and they the enemy, without being abserved. 
 " But murder will out" and a chain of circumstances be- 
 gan ai length to be formed, so linked tegether, that the 
 minds of patriotic men were well convinced of the pres- 
 ence of an enemy among them. In addition to the cir- 
 cumstances already mentioned we may note one or two
 
 184 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 others, proper to be added as links, to the chain above 
 referred to. 
 
 Justice Hewitt, in a letter to the president ot the 
 Council of Safety for Columbia County, (Aug. 20, 1780.) 
 says that the " disaffected families " in every incursion 
 of the enemy into this county, fly to them, (viz. inhab- 
 itants of Catawissa and Fishing Creeek,) for protection, 
 whilst the well affected are obliged to vacate the county, 
 or shut themselves up in garrison" He also states, by 
 the confession of Casper Reaney, Duncan Beeth, and 
 others, that they were sent to Niagara by David Fowler 
 and others, and that the Indians came to that place in a 
 peaceable manner last spring : " Together icith many 
 more circumstances which might be produced." " He 
 therefore prays the Honorable Council to grant such re- 
 lief as in their wisdom they may think proper" 
 
 From a deposition by Henry O'Neill before this same 
 justice, (Thomas Hewitt), evidence is given of the cor- 
 respondence and familiarity of the Indians with the peo- 
 ple of Catawissa. 
 
 Thus ample testimony is afforded that the settlements 
 named were more or less implicated in the disasters and 
 sufferings endured by the others, and that the safety of 
 the country demanded their removal. 
 
 The Hon. Win. McClay, addressing President Reed, 
 from Sunbury, April 2nd, 1780, writes, "I will not trouble 
 you with the distresses of this county. They will no 
 doubt be painted to the Council in lively colors, and in- 
 deed the picture cannot be overcharged, nor should I at 
 this time write to you, but for a strong belief and per- 
 suasion that a body of Indians are lodged about the head
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 185 
 
 <of Fishing and Muncy creeks. They were with us to 
 the very beginning of the deep snow last year, they are 
 with us now before the snow is quite gone. This coun- 
 try might be examined. This is what we wish. Many 
 of our hunters who went late last fall into that country 
 (which is a fine one for hunting) were so alarmed with 
 constant reports of guns, which they could not believe 
 were white men's, that they returned suddenly back. 
 We are not strong enough to spare men to examine this 
 country and dislodge them." * 
 
 Col. Hunter had decided on making a demonstration 
 on this Tory Settlement, and had arranged with Captain 
 Klader of Northampton county to join him in the enter- 
 prise. The Tories learning of this design, had no doubt 
 sent word to their British and Indian friends to aid them 
 at this juncture. And they had come on the ground in 
 large force, before the arrival of Captain Klader and his 
 men. On the 6th of Sept. 1780, the British and Indians 
 to the number of two hundred and fifty or three hundred 
 men appeared before Fort Rice, and made a vigorous 
 attack, which was kept up until after night, when they 
 set fire to the buildings and haystacks in the neighbor- 
 hood. The garrison at Fort Jenkins was sent to the 
 relief of Fort Rice. Col. Kelly with one hundred men 
 and Col. Purdy from the Juniata with one hundred and 
 ten men arrived upon the scene. The enemy having de- 
 stroyed Bosley's mills near Fort Rice, now broke up into 
 smaller bodies, and retreated in different directions. One 
 body of not less than forty British and Indians, left Fort 
 
 * Col. Freeze's Hist, of Columbia County.
 
 186 LIFE AND ADVENTUBES OF 
 
 Rice, went by the way of Knob mountain, passing near 
 where Van Campen's father, uncle, and brother had been 
 killed the previous spring, thence by way of Cabin Kun 
 to Fort Jenkins, which had been evacuated and destroyed 
 the fort and all the buildings in the vicinity. The well 
 inside the fort was filled with the chared remains of the 
 logs and buildings. All at Fort Jenkins was utterly de- 
 stroyed except the young orchard, planted by James 
 Jenkins, and just beginning to bear. 
 
 This party evidently understood that Captain Klader 
 would soon be expected to meet Col. Hunter, and pro- 
 ceeded up the river to what is now the town of Berwick, 
 where they crossed over, and followed the path leading 
 from the Susquehanna to Northampton, a distance of 
 about seven miles from Nescopeck, here they lay in am- 
 bush, awaiting the arrival of Capt. Klader and his com- 
 pany. At high noon on the 10th of Sept. 1780, four 
 days after the attack on Fort Rice, these unfortunate 
 patriots, while taking their noonday repast were sur- 
 rounded by this murderous band and were nearly all 
 either killed, or taken prisoners. 
 
 Their concealed and terrible enemies had hovered 
 about their track, ready to take advantage of the first 
 unguarded moment. As the soldiers drew near the end 
 of their journey they supposed themselves safe, and were 
 elated with the hope of soon joining with their brethren 
 in arms, to assist in defending the invaded, and distressed 
 frontier to the north and west. They had come to what 
 had been a Scotch settlement, but now, because of the 
 border troubles, wholly deserted. Here were open and 
 cleared fields, covered with a luxuriant growth of grass,.
 
 MOSES VAX CAMPEN. 187 
 
 and beautiful with wild and fragrant flowers. Before 
 them were pastures rich with the green coloring of early 
 summer, sprinkled here and there with the snowy heads 
 of the modest white clover. 
 
 Here was a place too inviting to be passed by without 
 pausing to e ijoy the luxury of the scene.. It was especi- 
 ally tempting to men weary from the fatigues and hard- 
 ships of the long march. They needed relaxation and 
 refreshment, since they had been for days before tearing 
 their way through thickets of brush and briers, clamber- 
 ing over rocks, and logs, and opening as they did on 
 what appeared an earthly paradise, they would naturally 
 cast aside every thought of danger, and give themselves 
 up to the luxury of needed repose. 
 
 What enemy could invade so delightful a place ? Its 
 very appearance one would think sufficient to lull to peace 
 the rough elements of war. They surrendered them- 
 selves to the enjoyment of the hour in a very thoughtless 
 unguarded manner. One went one way, another went 
 another, as suited him, each following his own fancy, 
 without order, without placing a sentinel. Their guns 
 scattered here and there, some leaning against stumps, 
 or logs, some perhaps stacked, others lying flat on the 
 ground. The position of the men resembled much that 
 of their fire-arms. Some were lying on the ground in- 
 dulging in a smoke, one man was leaning against a tree 
 with his shoes off and cleaning them out, others had 
 gone off for grapes, which were there in abundance, and 
 one had climbed a tree and was picking and eating grapes. 
 
 Such was the condition these men were in, when the 
 enemy came suddenly upon them, and with hatchet and
 
 188 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 gun, hewed and shot them down. Some escaped and one or 
 two were taken prisoners, but most of them were killed. 
 A great uncle of the Engle brothers now living in Hazleton 
 and vicinity, escaped over Nescopec mountain. Abraham 
 Klader, brother of the officer in command, concealed 
 himself in little Nescopec Creek, by clinging to a tree, 
 that had fallen across the stream, and keeping his face 
 only above the water until the enemy disappeared, when 
 he emerged from his concealment, and succeeded in 
 reaching his home. Frederick Shickler also escaped on 
 Buck mountain by avoiding the Indian trail, leaving it 
 to his right and by keeping out of sight of the Indians, 
 whose yells he could hear as they followed on in pursuit. 
 
 Lieut. Moyer, Ensign Scoby, "and a private soldier 
 were taken prisoners ; the Lieutenant escaped, the other 
 two were taken through to Niagara. 
 
 As soon as the result of this action became known, at 
 the instance of Col. Balliet a large company of men was 
 raised who went to this place and burned ten of the 
 bodies of those that had fallen. At a later period Col. 
 Hunter directed Van Campen to take a company of men, 
 and go and see what discoveries he could make, and bury 
 what dead he could find. 
 
 He was not aware of the service already performed, 
 and reported to his superior officer, that he had buried 
 their dead. Some have detected a discrepancy in the 
 two statements referring to the same transaction. The 
 author conceives them both to be true. It will be re- 
 membered that Catain Klader's men were widely scat- 
 tered ; they were doubtless left where they had fallen. 
 The man in the tree after grapes, was shot and fell
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 189' . 
 
 heavily on the ground beneath. Others were shot or 
 killed one in one place, and another in another, while a. 
 number may have been killed and their bodies disfigured 
 as represented in the account of Col. Balliet, and their 
 bodies lying near each other. It is said of Capt. Klader 
 that he performed prodigies of valor, killing of the 
 enemy four, and according to others seven, before yield- 
 ing to the superior force of the enemy. They in turn 
 inflicting upon him, and his companions perhaps, every 
 indignity possible, these forming the ten bodies no doubt 
 buried by Col. Balliet's company. 
 
 The author supposes the coming of Van Campen to- 
 have been later than that of the other party. He remem- 
 bers distinctly that in giving his account, Van Campen- 
 said the only way they could bury the men found there, 
 was by taking a blanket and fastening the sides securely 
 to two poles ; that without handling them the bodies 
 were rolled on to this blanket, and emptied into the- 
 grave prepared to receive them ; two men acting as. 
 bearers, and holding in their hands the ends of these poles. 
 
 They were evidently in a state of decomposition, quite 
 in advance of those bodies found and cared for by the 
 other party. 
 
 C. F. Hill, Esq., of Hazleton, Pa., to whom the author 
 is indebted for the facts contained in this chapter, in 
 speaking of Capt. Klader, says, "That after performing 
 deeds of valor that caused his name to be viewed with 
 feelings akin to veneration, he was finally killed and 
 scalped, and subsequently buried, as were others also of 
 the party, on what is now the farm of Samuel Wagner, 
 about half a mile from Conyngham. We visited Wag-
 
 190 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 ner's farm a few days since, in the company of S. D. 
 Engle, of this borough, and were conducted by Anthony 
 Fisher, a man whose locks are whitened by the frosts of 
 ninety winters, to the spot where the brave Klader rests, 
 but no traces of the grave can now be seen. The oak 
 tree under whose branches he lay, and upon which were 
 the initials of his name, D. K., was sacriligiously cut 
 down fifteen years ago, and even the stump is decayed 
 and gone. Mr. Fisher many years ago was intimately 
 acquainted with with John Wertz, who had belonged 
 to the party that buried the slain, and marked their 
 leader's grave by cutting the initials spoken of above. 
 As the old man leaned on his staff and surveyed the 
 spot, he gave expression to feelings of deep regret, that 
 the tree was not permitted to stand as a memorial of the 
 heroic deeds of those by-gone days. "Well might they 
 have exclaimed, who revered the memory of the hero of 
 Sugarloaf Valley, 
 
 " Woodman spare that tree 1 
 Touch not a single bough !" 
 
 Colonel Hunter, the commanding officer of the county 
 of Northumberland, intent on putting an end to the 
 sufferings endured by the people, and originating in this 
 neighborhood, directed Capt. Robison to go with his 
 company and bring in its inhabitants, saying, " If they 
 were not friendly to the British cause, it would be better 
 for them to be removed, and if they were, it was vastly 
 important they should be taken from a point where they 
 had the opportunity of causing so much mischief to the 
 country." 
 
 Captain Robison therefore made his preparations and
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 191 
 
 started with his men to execute this commission. Van 
 Campen, as he belonged to the company, was one of 
 the number and his friend Salmon, went as volunteer, 
 though not having any command. A Lieutenant Hays, 
 also a volunteer, went with them and on their setting out, 
 was very profuse in his professions of bravery, and en- 
 gaged the attention of the men in telling them what he 
 would do, if he had the command ; how he would hunt 
 the enemy in eveiy hiding place, and drive them from 
 every refuge, until they were exterminated; in short 
 he would accomplish wonders. 
 
 Salmon and Van Campen were considerably amused 
 with his bravado style, declaring even in the hearing of 
 his superior officers what he would achieve, if he only 
 were in command, and they thought it would not be 
 amiss to apply some test to his professed bravery. 
 
 Having formed their plan, they communicated the 
 same to Capt. Robison. They told him they had brought 
 with them their Indian dress, and proposed that as soon 
 as they should arrive at the house of a Mr. Gaskin, which 
 was nine miles above Northumberland, he should halt 
 and allow them sufficient time to change their dress, and 
 paint, and requested him after this to send Hays to the 
 river, to examine and see if he could see any moccasin 
 tracks. Their plan was approved, and as soon as they 
 came to the place appointed, Capt. Robison ordered his 
 men to halt, when Van Campen and Salmon slipped away 
 from the company unobserved, and under cover of the 
 river bank, arrayed themselves in the Indian costume, 
 and having taken upon each other the tawny color, they 
 awaited the coming of the boasting Lieutenant, each se-
 
 192 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 
 
 lecting a tree behind which they stood until he came inr 
 sight. 
 
 Captain Robison after waiting a sufficient time, allow- 
 ing his men to rest and slake their thirst, requested 
 Lieutenant Hays to go to the river, and see if he could 
 discover any moccasin tracks in the sand. In a moment he 
 was on his way, and the Captain whispered to his men 
 that they might look for a little sport, as Van Campen 
 and Salmon in their Indian dress, were going to try the 
 Lieutenant's courage. 
 
 Hays was a tall, red-headed man, and as he came up 
 and began to bend his lank form over the bank, with a 
 rather suspicious look, Van Campen and Salmon thrust 
 their tawny faces from behind the trees, gave the In- 
 dian war-whoop, and fired their rifles over his head. 
 Hays was greatly frightened, and turned on his heel 
 and began to run, crying as loud as he could yell, 
 " Boys in the house, Soys in the house ! Engens f 
 Engens ! Boys in the house ! Engens /" He contin- 
 ued to run with all his might, not stopping before enter- 
 ing the house, and in his haste stubbed his foot against 
 the door sill, which threw him, with his whole length on 
 the floor. 
 
 The soldiers instead of being pale, through fear, were 
 convulsed with laughter, which continued, peal after 
 peal, without any sign of coming to an end. The In- 
 dians, too. who had occasioned the alarm, came in direct- 
 ly after, and joined in the sport. Hays perceiving his 
 mistake, appeared exceedingly mortified. But he made 
 no further boast of his bravery. 
 
 The company continued on its way, and reaching the
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPE5T. 193 
 
 Mahoning, crossed the river, and marched up toward the 
 settlement. They proceeded as far as Roaring Creek 
 where Van Campen and Salmon proposed again to try 
 and see what they could effect with their Indian dress. 
 They volunteered to go into the settlement, disguised as 
 Indians, and thus test the friendship of the people. They 
 told him of a hunter by the name of Wilkison, who 
 lived not far distant, and proposed to try him first. The 
 Captain though pleased with the idea, apprehended dan- 
 ger in visiting Wilkison, as it was uncertain which party 
 he favored, and as he was known to be a brave man, one 
 or the other of them might be shot. Yet assuring him 
 that they were willing to risk their lives in the attempt, 
 he gave them permission to go, while the main body 
 were to proceed to a certain point and await their re- 
 turn. Arraying themselves in the Indian war-dress, and 
 painting themselves so as to appear like them in color, 
 Van Campen and Salmon started on their undertaking. 
 As they drew near Wilkison's house, they proceeded 
 with great caution, creeping along behind the bushes 
 that hid them from observation. They could perceive 
 from the smoke just beginning to ascend, that he was at 
 home, and probably kindling a fire. The bushes were 
 thick until they came within about a rod of the house 
 and having crept along as far as they could, and remain 
 concealed, they arose and ran across the open space, burst 
 the door open, and raised the tomahawk over Wilkison's 
 head. Supposing they were savages indeed, he dropped 
 on his knees, and begged for his life, assuring them that 
 he was a king's man and a friend to Indians. They 
 ceased to manifest further hostility, but appeared sullen,
 
 194 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 not wishing to be drawn into conversation for fear of be- 
 ing discovered. Wilkison on the other hand appeared at 
 his best, hastened his fire, began to broil venison and 
 show himself an accomplished host. Having prepared a 
 repast he invited his Indian guests to sit by his board, 
 and served to them a bountiful meal. They then assumed 
 a look of greater satisfaction, and their host gaining con- 
 fidence, began to express his friendship for the royal 
 cause, saying that the settlement which was on their 
 path, belonged to King^s men, and were friendly to the 
 Indians, having often supplied them with provisions. 
 
 Van Campen and Salmon then spoke in broken English, 
 imitating as near as possible, the Indian mode of speak- 
 ing, and supplying with gestures, the ideas they seemed 
 unable to express. They declared in broken terms their 
 pleasure in meeting with friends, that they were glad 
 to hear of so many King's men, and desired him to go 
 with them and show them King^s men. 
 
 He readily gave his consent and they went together 
 through the settlement. True enough they here met 
 with a very kind reception; the settlers appeared very 
 glad to see them, and were willing to show them any 
 favor. They again resorted to their broken English, 
 and gestures, giving the inhabitants to understand that 
 they belonged to a large party . of warriors, not far dis- 
 tant, who were in want of provisions. They were then 
 taken to every house in the neighborhood, at each place 
 receiving additions to their supply, until the three were 
 laden with as much food as they could carry. They 
 then retraced their steps, Wilkison continuing to assist 
 in carrying the provisions to the army. They kept up
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 195 
 
 their march until they came to the point selected as the 
 place of meeting. Captain Robison and his men were 
 lying in ambush, and as the party came trudging along, 
 well nigh wearied out with the burden they were bear- 
 ing, their hostile friends allowed them to advance until 
 completely within their power, when they arose and 
 fired over their heads, and rushed in upon them with up- 
 lifted tomahawk 
 
 Wilkison threw down his pack and attempted to es- 
 cape, but finding it impossible, was willing to surrender. 
 The treatment he received was a little more severe than 
 that shown to his dusky companions. They not being 
 placed under the hatchet, but he threatened with death, 
 if he would not promise to lead the company to every 
 family, from which the provisions had been received. 
 Choosing the latter alternative he marched back to the 
 settlement, as guide to those by whom he had been 
 taken. He performed his duty faithfully, conducting 
 the party as he had agreed to every house of the 
 neighborhood, thus affording the opportunity of captur- 
 ing those who had shown themselves so friendly to the 
 cause of the King. 
 
 Having thus successfully accomplished the object of 
 the expedition, Captain Robison set out on his return to 
 Northumberland, taking with him the inhabitants against 
 whom he had been sent. Tan Campen and Salmon, 
 though they marched for a time as prisoners, as soon as 
 the opportunity was presented, laid aside their Indian 
 dress and removed the color from their face and hands, 
 and it was quite apparent from the chagrined looks of 
 the settlers that they now understood the strategem laid 
 for their capture.
 
 196 
 
 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 Arriving at Northumberland their case was laid before 
 the commanding officers, and Col. Hunter disp9sed to 
 treat them with lenity, gave them their liberty, after 
 having received from them a pledge, to leave the fron- 
 tier settlements, and not return again until after the 
 war. 
 
 Much praise was no doubt due to Van Campen and 
 Salmon for the happy result of this expedition. The 
 officers were saved the trouble of entering into a lengthy 
 examination of the charges against these settlers, who 
 stood before them, self -convicted and self-condemned, it 
 being perfectly evident that the suspicions entertained 
 against them were just.
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 The eye that now glances over the past, sees but par- 
 tially, the rough storms that assailed the bark of freedom, 
 as she was slowly struggling her way along to her des- 
 tined harbor, now threatened to be stranded on fearful 
 rocks, now ready herself almost to unjoint, and yield her 
 fragments to the wild fury of the wave, and now scarcely 
 clearing the hidden shoals that promised to her a sudden 
 and awful shipwreck. Distance seems to shed light on 
 the impending cloud, the tumult of clashing elements 
 have lost their rough sounds, ere their notes fall upon 
 the ear, and the calm features of a far removed prospect, 
 seems to spread over it, a mildness, which deceives even 
 the minutest observer. The winter of 1780 '81, cast 
 over the American forest, a gloom, which was relieved 
 by no cheering ray. The army, rent with factions, re- 
 duced t starvation, meeting the keen blasts from the 
 north', with tatered garments, there was little in the 
 future to encourage the patriot's heart, and bid him look 
 forward with the least assurance of hope. But honor 
 and fortune had been pledged, the resolution -had been 
 taken, and the brave spirits, that had at first encircled 
 the banner of freedom, gathered around it still, and their 
 feeble purpose, aided by Heaven, was yet destined to 
 rise into strength, and triumph in the infancy of its 
 might, By none was a greater spirit of determination 
 
 (197)
 
 198 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OP 
 
 shown, than by those who were compelled to bear the 
 chief horrors of the war. The bold woodsman of the 
 frontier, was not disheartened, though he held his life 
 by the most uncertain tenure, and, though he had been 
 most sorely afflicted, in the disasters that had been spread 
 through his territory, he did not shrink from the duties 
 of renewed hostilities. From the activity of the Indians, 
 in the previous year, it was anticipated they would be 
 equally zealous, in the service of the crown, during the 
 coming season, and as a means of defense, the company 
 of Captain Rodison, was retained on the frontier. In 
 February of this year, Mr. Van Campen was promoted, 
 to the office of Lieutenant, and immediately entered upon 
 active service. For the protection of the settlements, a 
 line of scouts, kept continually traversing the territory 
 usually visited by small parties of Indians, and the route 
 they generally pursued was a circuitous one, leading from 
 the North to the West Branches of the Susquehanna, by 
 the head waters of Little Fishing, Chilisquaka and Mun- 
 cey Creeks. As Captian Robison was little acquainted 
 with the woods, and not a very good marksman, Lieut. 
 Van Campen usually led these parties upon their several 
 excursions. The service was arduous, yet it was in ac- 
 cordance with his tastes, and the absence of incident,, 
 other than that, which is apt to occur in marching through 
 the forests, leads us to give this part of his history, only 
 a few passing remarks. 
 
 For the accommodation of his men, and that he might 
 have a convenient place to occupy as head-quarters, he 
 built a fort on the Susquehanna, about one mile above 
 the mouth of Fishing Creek. It was built on the farm
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 199 
 
 of a Mrs. McClure, and from that circumstance was 
 named McClure's Fort. Here he gathered his stores, 
 and from this point proceeded on his excursions through 
 the woods. 
 
 In the early part of this year, there occurred a little 
 incident in his history, which brought him into danger, 
 the extent of which he did not learn until some time 
 after its occurrence. It was while he was on his way to 
 Wilksbarre, upon some business connected with the 
 army. The journey he had to perform led him through 
 an uninhabited region, mostly covered with woods. 
 Taking with him a guard of six men, he accomplished 
 most of his journey without observing any thing to ex- 
 cite more than ordinary remark ; but at length as they 
 were pursuing their path, which led along the Susque- 
 hanna, at a place called Rocky Island, where the stream 
 could be forded, they saw the marks of a party of Indi- 
 ans, which had apparently but just crossed over, for the 
 water that had dropped from their leggins, was still 
 standing in their footsteps. 
 
 Van Campen, who was well acquainted with Indian 
 maneuvers, said to his men, "Here are the marks of 
 quite a large party of Indians ; their tracks wear the 
 appearance of having been just made. Our foes cannot 
 be far off ; they may have their eye upon us now ; we 
 had better press on, with all speed to our journey's end r 
 for they will be apt to send runners ahead and waylay 
 our path." 
 
 They did send runners ahead. From a rising point of 
 ground they saw Van Campen on horseback, and, sup- 
 posing him to be alone they dispatched four of their
 
 200 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 number to bring his scalp. These ran through the 
 woods, and getting before him, concealed themselves be- 
 hind a log, which lay near the path, and putting their 
 guns over it, waited for his approach. They cocked 
 their rifles, and were just going to fire, as they saw that 
 he was attended by others, and thinking the company 
 too strong for them, they allowed him to pass without 
 molestation. He was unconscious, while passing, of the 
 danger he was in, but learned the circumstances, while 
 a prisoner in '82. A sprightly Indian after eyeing him 
 closely, then came up to him and said : 
 
 " I, seen you before." 
 
 " Ah ! " said he, " Where ?" 
 
 " On the Susquehanna," naming the place, " when," 
 (motioning with his hand raised about four feet from 
 the ground,) "corn was about so high. You wore a 
 suit of bottle green turned up with red." 
 
 Yes." 
 
 " You wore a large cap with a cockade, part white, 
 part black, and a feather in the top." 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " You rode a large bay horse." 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " Six men with you." 
 
 Yes." 
 
 After telling him of his narrow escape, he said, " We 
 let you go then ; but we catch you now." 
 
 The company hastened its march to Wilksbarre, and 
 reported what they had seen, that the inhabitants might 
 be on their guard. The Indians contented themselves, 
 however, with, surprising one or two families, within 
 the borders, and then fled into their own territory.
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 201 
 
 Van Campen's principal engagements during 
 the year, were at McClure's Fort, whence he directed 
 his movements for the protection of the inhabitants liv- 
 ing upon the North Branch of the Susquehanna. While 
 remaining here, news was brought, by a man who had 
 effected his escape from the enemy while his keepers 
 were off their guard, who reported that there were three 
 hundred Indians on the Sinnemahoning, that were hunt- 
 ing and laying in provisions, with the intention of mak- 
 ing a descent upon the frontier. He said that they had 
 formed a plan by which they were to divide their num- 
 ber into several small companies, and lay waste all the 
 settlements on the same day. This intelligence was 
 communicated to Colonel Hunter, who selected a party 
 of five, who were to go out in disguise, reconnoiter the 
 ground and ascertain their movements. This company 
 consisted of Capt. Campbell, Peter and Michael Groves, 
 and Lieutenants Cranmer and Van Campen, to the latter 
 of whom was given the command. It was called the 
 Grove Party. 
 
 They assumed the Indian dress and color, and taking 
 with them an ample supply of provisions, gave the war- 
 whoop, and started out on their expedition. They soon 
 reached the waters of the Sinnemahoning, yet made no 
 discoveries, save a few half obliterated tracks. They 
 proceeded up the stream some distance, until they were 
 satisfied that there could be no party of the number that 
 had been mentioned, anywhere in that region, and then 
 began to retrace their steps. Upon coming a little be- 
 low the Sinnemahoning one day, they discovered, near 
 night, as they stood on an elevated piece of ground,
 
 202 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 a smoke, whiph struggled up through the trees, in the- 
 valley below them, and ascended in spiral and wavy 
 lines, through the thick and heavy atmosphere above. 
 They were certain it must come from a party of Indians. 
 They had no idea of the number, only as they could 
 judge from the appearance of the smoke which indicated 
 only one fire. They determined at all events to wait 
 until the Indians should be laid to rest in the repose of 
 night, and then ascertain their number, and if it was 
 not too formidable, they resolved to hazard an attack. 
 Waiting, therefore, until the time arrived, in which 
 they supposed the savages had all sunk into their first 
 sound slumbers, they advanced cautiously, towards the 
 fire, as they saw it now and then gleaming through the 
 bushes. 
 
 As they drew near to where the savages were asleep, 
 Van Campen went on before the others to inspect the 
 ground, with the understanding that they should come 
 immediately after, and be guided by him in making the 
 attack. He crept along with great caution, carrying 
 the tomahawk in one hand, and the rifle in the other. 
 The night was rather warm, and the warriors had rolled 
 to a considerable distance from the fire, and before they 
 were aware, Van Campen and his men began to tread 
 upon them, which awakened them. As they rose up, 
 the Grove party used their tomahawks, but finding that 
 they were rising in such numbers as to overpower them, 
 they fired upon them with their rifles, and then raised a 
 tremendous yell. The savages supposing that they were 
 attacked by a large force, fled with the utmost precipi- 
 tation, most of them forgetting their guns, and leaving
 
 MOSES YAN CAMPEST 203 
 
 their packs and baggage upon the ground. Van Camp- 
 en and his men, thus came into possession of a number 
 of rifles, and a considerable quantity of goods that the 
 Indians had plundered. They found several scalps 
 which had been taken from families, that were murdered 
 on the borders of what was called Penn's Creek. There 
 were six Indians killed in this little skirmish, and hav- 
 ing scalped these and secured their baggage by secreting 
 whatever they found themselves unable to carry, they 
 directed their march towards Northumberland. 
 
 Upon coming near this place they determined to en- 
 ter it in Indian dress. But as they were obliged to pass 
 by a number of families before reaching the village, 
 they were fearful lest they should occasion unnecessary 
 alarm, and as they were about to abandon the idea, they 
 discovered one of the inhabitants coming toward them 
 on the path that they were traveling. They concealed 
 themselves in some bushes near by, and waited his ap- 
 proach. As soon as he came up they rose upon him, 
 and he supposing himself about to be given up to the 
 tender mercies of the savage, began to plead for his life. 
 His entreaties were not in vain. They assured him he 
 might pass unharmed, if he would go and inform the 
 families on their way to Northumberland, that a scoutr 
 ing party was returning to its head quarters in the Indi> 
 an dress. Glad to make so fortunate an escape, he joy- 
 fully ran forward and prepared the way for their kind 
 reception. As they marched along, their every look 
 wearing the appearance of the savage, bearing in triumph 
 the scalps they had taken from the enemy, which they 
 strung upon poles, as the highest trophy of a warrior.
 
 204 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 they met on every side a welcome look, and were re- 
 ceived with the loud and cheering huzza. They pro- 
 ceeded to the public square, laid their packs upon the 
 ground, and planted around them the poles that were 
 waving the symbols of victory. The citizens gathered 
 around this little company in crowds, and were express- 
 ing by their looks, the deepest interest in the scene be- 
 fore them, sedmingly waiting for the history of the re- 
 cent exploits of the party. 
 
 A part of their story was told in the spoils that were 
 taken out of the packs, and brought into open view. 
 Among them were found the scalps of women, fathers 
 and children, that had fallen victims to the cruel and 
 relentless foe that had just swept over their borders, 
 leaving in their track the bodies of the slain. As these 
 were brought out and placed under the eager eye of the 
 populace, they were beheld by the women that had 
 gathered around to witness the scene, with the sympa- 
 thizing tear. 
 
 Much of the property that had been taken, belonged 
 to settlers whom the Indians had plundered, and this as 
 far as it could be identified, was returned to its original 
 owners; if these were not living, to their nearest rela- 
 tives. 
 
 As soon as the public curiosity had been sufficiently 
 gratified, Van Campeii and his men retired to a public 
 house, near by, where by the aid of a little soap and 
 water, they soon exchanged their swarthy complexions, 
 for their own healthy color, and laying aside the Indian 
 dress, appeared in their own uniform. The same even- 
 ing they received an invitation from Colonel Hunter, to
 
 MOSES VAX CAMPEN. 205- 
 
 be in attendance, -with their Indian scalps, on the next 
 day at a dinner party, at his own house. 
 
 When the appointed hour arrived, they appeared to 
 pay their respects to Col. Hunter and his lady, carrying 
 with them the tokens of blood and strife. Here the 
 elite of the town and of the neighboring place, Sunbury, 
 were brought together to meet this brave little company, 
 and show by their looks and words of encouragement, 
 how much they prized the valor and decision of their 
 countrymen, in the midst of the distressing scenes that 
 were every day transpiring around them. Here, too, 
 the smile of beauty met them, as if to pay a grateful 
 acknowledgment, for the security felt when with such 
 defenders, in the very heart of war. The recital of their 
 late adventure called forth, especially from the fair ones, 
 expressions of the utmost surprise. Many of the young 
 ladies appeared very anxious to learn every minute cir-- 
 cumstance, and as Van Campen had been the leader of 
 the party he wasobliged to answer the various questions 
 that met him on every side. 
 
 The Indian scalps were laid in one corner of the draw- 
 ing room, and many of the ladies who went to view 
 them, taxed their wits severely to find inquiries enough 
 to gratify their curiosity. One especially was so very 
 particular in wishing for a detail of every slight circum- 
 stance of the event, that Van Campen became rather 
 impatient of the rigid examination he was compelled to 
 undergo. He was asked, in reference to the Indian 
 camp, " And how many fires had they ? and how many 
 Indians did you see ? and how were they lying ? and 
 whereabouts did you come up to them ? and how did
 
 206 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 you feel ?" Finding that the young Miss was beginning 
 to put him to his trumps, he thought that he would take 
 the lead of the conversation a little more into his own 
 hands, and gave an answer, which, from the peculiar 
 circumstances of the lady, was well understood. He 
 said, " Feel ! why, madam, when I found myself 
 among them, and asked myself whether or no I should 
 kill them, my heart went so much as a young lady's 
 often does pitte-pat, pitte-pat that I was almost in- 
 clined to answer no. But again I was so much in love 
 with the service of my country, that I was compelled to 
 answer yes." The company smiled, and there were no 
 further questions. 
 
 Lieut. Van Campen soon after returned to his head^ 
 quarters at McClure's Fort, and entered again upon the 
 service of conducting scouts around the line of the set-- 
 tlements. But, after the party mentioned, he found no 
 other Indians this year, during his marches through the 
 forest. From the vigilance with whioh this part of the 
 frontier was guarded, there were very few savages found 
 in this region, during the remainder of the year. 
 
 Having been occupied in this service until late in fall, 
 Van Campen was ordered with his company to Lancaster. 
 He descended the river in boats, as far as Middletown,* 
 where the order was countermanded by another, direct- 
 ing him to march to Reading, Berkshire county, where 
 he was joined by a part of the third and fifth Pennsyl- 
 vania regiments, and a company of the Congress regi- 
 ment. Their principal duty while here, was to take care 
 of a large body of Hessians, that had been taken pris- 
 
 *About ten miles below what is at present Harrisburg.
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEX. 207 
 
 oners with Gen. Burgoyne. These had been under the 
 guard of a company of militia-men whose time had not 
 yet expired. 
 
 The march which YanCampen's soldiers had per- 
 formed, was, on account of lateness of the season and 
 bad roads, extremely fatiguing, and as the time for which 
 the militia were engaged continued them in service a 
 little longer, he allowed them the space which intervened, 
 as a season of rest. This proved grateful to the soldiers, 
 and it no doubt served to invigorate their spirits, for in 
 the approaching Christmas holidays, they were suffi- 
 ciently recruited to engage in sport. In that company 
 were a number of mad wags and roystering blades, full 
 of fun and frolic, that danger could not terrify, nor 
 hardships sober. 
 
 They looked upon the city fellows as milk sops whose 
 cowardly legs would run away with them at the first 
 sign of danger. Some sixteen of these wild frontiers- 
 men stole out of their camp into the woods, put on their 
 war paint, donned their hunting shirts and moccasins 
 and rushed upon the Hessian's camp with terific war- 
 whoops, at the same time discharging their rifles. 
 
 On the instant the citizen soldiers threw down their 
 guns without firing a shot and fled, shouting, " Indians! 
 Indians !" The prisoners caught up the cry and bolted 
 also, having a reasonable fear of their savage allies who 
 wanted nothing but scalps, it mattered not whether of 
 friend or foe. 
 
 The alarm reached the village and aroused sudden 
 consternation. " All Niagara is let loose" it was said, 
 " and our camp has been attacked by hundreds of In? 
 dians, and we have just escaped with our lives."
 
 208 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 Yan Campen of course was summoned for the defense,, 
 and marched at once, with as many of his company as 
 he could muster, to meet as best he could the overwhelm- 
 ing numbers of the greatly dreaded enemy. They had 
 not gone very far, before they were met by some of the 
 soldiers, who assured them that it was a false alarm, and 
 who gave an account of the manner it was occasioned, 
 and of the display the militia men had made of their 
 bravery. 
 
 " Captain," said Van Campen to the militia officer by 
 his side, who had heard the story, " I don't think it 
 necessary for me to proceed any further, I suppose most 
 of your prisoners who don't freeze to death, will come 
 back to their camp before morning; Good night. About 
 face. March." 
 
 So with roars of laughter, as their truant comrade* 
 pantomimically described the panic of the militia men,, 
 the Continentals marched back to quarters. 
 
 But more than a laugh was to come of it. In a few 
 days Van Campen had orders from Philadelphia to place 
 his sky-larking soldiers under arrest, and to form one of 
 a court-martial convened to try them. 
 
 The militia officers refused to look upon the matter as 
 a joke even for Christmastide. They had been exposed 
 to ridicule themselves, put to much trouble in collecting 
 the runaway prisoners, and moreover their men who had 
 left their farms and shops for the irksome and almost 
 unpaid guard duty, demanded redress at their hands. 
 
 So the court-martial sat, and the evidence of accusers 
 and accused pointed all in one direction. The militia 
 sheepishly acknowledged that they had run away, with- 
 out firing a shot, from sixteen Continentals, with guns
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 209 
 
 double charged but empty of ball. The Continentals, 
 no longer mirthful, also sheepishly admitted that they 
 were the sixteen men. The only question now was the 
 degree of punishment. 
 
 The militia officers were unanimous that the offenders' 
 should be flogged, and so found. Van Campen read the 
 finding over, laid it down, bowed and said gravely: 
 " Very well, gentlemen. This is law, but the finding is- 
 incomplete. We must also find, according to the Arti- 
 cles, that the men who ran away from their posts with- 
 out firing a musket, shall be shot. I won't go so far as- 
 to say hanged only shot." 
 
 For three weeks the court-martial wrangled over the 
 Lieutenant's contention, and sought to break down his 
 argument, while the story of the queer dead-lock made 
 post and garrison gossip clear out to the out-posts around 
 Clinton's beleaguered and weakened host on Manhattan 
 Island. 
 
 Van Campen would not budge an inch. He said, in 
 fact, the militia had much the best of the bargain. His 
 men would prefer shooting to flogging. 
 
 At the end of the third week the remainder of the 
 board persuaded him to find for the breaking of the ser- 
 geant in the surprise party. This was done, but strange 
 to say, the sergeant was reduced to the ranks over night r 
 to be restored again the next morning.* 
 
 Directly after this Van Campen and his men entered 
 upon the care of the Hessian soldiers, remaining in this 
 service until the next spring, when they were relieved 
 by the militia, who again took them in charge. 
 
 *As given by my friend, A. J. McAll of Bath, Steuben Co.,
 
 CHAPTEK XVII. 
 
 In the latter part of March, just at the opening of the 
 campaign of 1782, the companies that had been stationed 
 during the winter at Reading, were ordered back by 
 Congress to their respective stations. Lieut. Van Camp- 
 en marched at the head of Capt. Robison's company, to 
 Northumberland, where he was joined by Mr. Thomas 
 Chambers, who had recently been commissioned as En- 
 sign of the same company. Here he halted for a few 
 days to allow his men to rest, after which he was 
 directed to march to a place called Muncey, and there 
 rebuild a fort which had been destroyed by the Indians 
 in the year '79. Having reached his station, he threw 
 up a small block house, in which he placed his stores, 
 and immediately commenced rebuilding the fort, being 
 joined shortly after by Capt. Robison, in company with 
 several gentletaan, among whom was a Mr. Culbertson, 
 who was anxious to find an escort up the West Branch 
 of the Susquehanna, into the neighborhood of Bald 
 Eagle Creek. Here his brother had been killed by the 
 Indians, and being informed that some of his property 
 had been buried and had thus escaped the violence of 
 the enemy, he was desirous of making search to obtain it. 
 
 Arrangements were made, by which Lieut. Van Camp- 
 en was to go with him, at the head of a small party of 
 men as a guard, and after he had been permitted to ex- 
 .(210)
 
 MOSES VAX CAMPKX. 211 
 
 amine his brother's premises, the company was directed 
 to take a circuitous route around the settlements, and 
 waylay the Indian paths, since it was about the time 
 when the return of hostilities was expected. In form- 
 ing this party, Van Campen selected his men according 
 to his usual custom, taking in his hand a small piece of 
 board, on the end of which was a mark of white paper, 
 and standing a few rods in front of his men, who would 
 fire at the mark, as it was held up before them and 
 every man who hit the paper, was permitted to hare his 
 name enrolled as one of the scouts. He did not usually 
 go far before he would thus find a sufficient number for 
 his party. 
 
 Having selected his men, twenty in number, he took 
 with him a supply of provisions and marched along the 
 bank of the river, while Culbertson and four others ad- 
 vanced up the stream in a boat. Arriving at a place 
 called Big Island, the boat was pulled on shore and all 
 the party proceeded together by land, until they reached 
 Culbertson's farm. They came to this at evening, and 
 encamped for the night. It was now about the middle 
 of April, and the Indian being expected every hour to 
 pay his annual visit to the settlements, they could not 
 observe too much caution in their movements, and hav- 
 ing selected their resting place for the night with wis- 
 dom, placed their sentinels to give the first alarm of the 
 -enemy. They were not disturbed, however, during the 
 night, but early the next morning, were awakened by 
 the appearance of their foes. 
 
 While Van Campen with his company, was ascending 
 the river, a large party of Indians, not far from eighty-
 
 212 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 five were on their way down, paddling along in their 
 little bark canoes and were intending when they came 
 into the vicinity of the settlements to separate into 
 small companies, commit their depredations and return 
 home. As they were floating down with the current of 
 the river, they came to where the boat had been drawn 
 on shore. Informed by this of the presence of inhabi- 
 tants, they secured their canoes, and followed the trail 
 of those who had, but a short time before, left the river. 
 
 It is almost impossible to escape the practiced eye of 
 the Indian. So carefully is he trained to all the wind- 
 ings of the chase, that circumstances which elude the in- 
 spection of the common observer, are to him the key 
 which unlocks the secret hiding places of his enemy. 
 The bent twig, the bowed grass, or the broken leaf all 
 speak to him, with an unerring voice, of the path hi& 
 victim has taken, and beckons him onward with the sure 
 hope of success. 
 
 Such being the character of the foe that is to follow 
 Van Campen and his men, it was not to be expected 
 that they should elude its pursuit. The Indians crept 
 along the path that had been taken, and by the morning 
 light, concealed by the bushes, approached very near to 
 the sentries, and burst so unexpectedly upon them they 
 had only time to run to the camp, crying, " The Indian, 
 the Indian," before the savages were in their midst, with 
 the tomahawk and scalping knife. Van Campen and his 
 men started upon their feet and in a moment were ready 
 for action. The enemy had a warm reception. The 
 combat was at first, from hand to hand, and so well sus- 
 tained was the resistance that the Indians were obliged
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 213 
 
 to retire ; but they came up on all sides, and one after 
 another Van Campen's men were cut down with the 
 rifle. Perceiving that the party of warriors was so large 
 as to offer them no hope of escape, and beholding their 
 number every moment growing smaller, they determined 
 though reluctantly, to surrender themselves to the ene- 
 my, under the belief that their lives would be spared. 
 The Indians were commanded by a Lieut. Nellis, who 
 was in the British service, and often led the savages in 
 their descent upon the frontier settlements. To him 
 they made their surrender ; nine of their number had 
 Iseen killed, several were wounded and three in the early 
 part of the action, effected their escape. 
 
 The Indians, thus becoming masters of the ground, 
 came up and took possession of the prisoners and their 
 arms, after which they began to dispatch those that had 
 'been, wounded. Two of Van Campen's men, Wallace 
 and Stewart, were killed with the tomahawk, immedi- 
 ately before him. Another by the name of Craton, was 
 placed on a large stone, and as he sat bending over half 
 unconscious of what was transpiring around him, was 
 made the mark of four or five savages, who took their 
 position a few rods from him, and all aiming their rifles 
 at his head, fired at once, and with their balls tore the 
 top of his skull from his head. Poor Craton fell over, 
 and his brains rolled out and lay smoking upon the 
 ground. 
 
 The blood coursed quick through Van Campen's veins 
 as he saw his brave soldiers treated thus, and it was not 
 the least of his suffering, to be obliged to witness the 
 scene, without the means in his power of affording them
 
 214 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 aid. He was obliged to stand as insensible as a rock, 
 for had he shown the least signs of sympathy or disap- 
 proval, it would have been at the peril of his life. Him- 
 self, and his men that were not wounded were taken in- 
 to the custody of Indian warriors, and one of them had 
 tied a cord around his arm, and stood holding it, while 
 the executioners were dispatching those that had been 
 hurt in the battle. Near him, stood one of his men who 
 had received a shot through his arm when raised in 
 the attitude of firing; the ball having entered his elbow, 
 had passed up his arm, and gone out near his shoulder 
 blade. His name was Burwell. Van Campen seeing 
 him, spoke and said, "Burwell, you are losing blood 
 pretty fast, are you not ?" " Yes," said he, " I can't 
 hold out much longer." " Stand as long as you can, 
 my brave fellow, your wound is such that if they pass 
 you by now, they. may perhaps spare your life." 
 
 Just then an executioner saw that one more remained 
 to finish his duty, and he came up towards Burwell, 
 with the tomahawk raised to strike him in the head. 
 Van Campen perceiving this movement, jerked from the 
 warrior who was holding him by the ami, sprang for- 
 ward with his right hand clenched, and gave the Indian 
 executioner a blow in the breast, which sent him reeling 
 backward, until he fell upon the ground, like one dead. 
 The warriors then turned with their hatchets upon Van 
 Campen. But a part who had witnessed the scene were 
 highly pleased with the bravery that had been shown 
 by their prisoner, and as the tomahawk was gleaming 
 over his head, they leaped forward to rescue him from 
 death. For a few moments, Van Campen could hear
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPED. 215 
 
 nothing but the clashing of tomahawks as the warriors 
 engaged in a fierce struggle for his life. He was pushed 
 about in the scuffle, a part of the time, his body bent 
 over, by those who endeavored to shield him from the 
 threatened blow, expecting every moment to have the 
 hatchet enter his head. But at length the fortune of the 
 contest turned in his favor, the majority being deter- 
 mined to spare his life. When the strife ceased, they 
 gathered around him with looks of exultation and delight, 
 and he could discover, from the pleasure which beamed 
 from their every look, that his life would be protected 
 from any further injury. This well timed blow was the 
 means of sparing Burwell from falling under the hatchet 
 of the executioner, for as they came around Van Campen 
 repeating one after another, " Brave warrior, brave war- 
 rior," they seemed by common consent, to yield the life 
 of the one, as a tribute to the noble deed of the other. 
 This instance of generosity in the savage warrior, is 
 enough to give him some claim to indulgence, ere we 
 pronounce upon him an unqualified censure. The blow 
 that had been given to their executioner in the discharge 
 of his duty might have been construed into an insult. 
 It was so well directed and powerful, that he lay upon 
 the ground a few moments, gasping for breath ; but 
 admiring bravery even in an enemy, they would not 
 allow Van Campen to be injured for the protection he 
 had given to one of his soldiers. It is but just to remark 
 that if the Indians deserve rebuke for the excessive 
 cruelty they sometimes practice in war, they at the same 
 time possess other traits of character, which can but win 
 for them the highest admiration. That so many virtues.
 
 216 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 should appear prominent in the midst of a multitude of 
 vices, that a noble generosity should be brought into 
 close alliance with a blood-thirsty spirit of revenge, and 
 that kindness should burst forth from the breast of 
 cruelty, are incongruities so strangely and wonderfully 
 combined in the Indian character, that we are led to 
 view it almost as we would a verdant mead, which 
 breaks upon the eye, in the midst of a barren and deso- 
 late soil; the strength of the contrast imparts a beauty 
 to the scene, which is not really its own, and we are 
 willing to excuse the sterility of the surrounding land, 
 because of the surprising beauty that comes in to relieve 
 it from an entire waste. 
 
 Immediately after the struggle for Van Campen's life, 
 the prisoners were stripped of all their clothing except 
 pantaloons, and taken a short distance from the battle 
 ground, where they were made to sit down, in the form 
 of a circle while the Indians made a larger one around 
 them and bringing up five Indians, who had been killed 
 during the engagement, laid them down near the pris- 
 oners. In their movements they observed the stillness 
 and solemnity of death, and as the captives eyed their 
 motions and beheld the dead warriors stretched out be- 
 fore them, they felt that the ceremonies that were in 
 progress, deeply concerned themselves. And though 
 their minds had in a measure become callous to the 
 thoughts of death, by familiarity with the field of strife, 
 still the voice of silence whispered even into their ears, 
 lessons of the tomb which they could not help but regard. 
 Under the present circumstances it was very natural for 
 the prisoners to turn from the slaughtered warriors to
 
 MOSES VAK CAMPEN. 217 
 
 themselves, and each one began to reflect upon the des- 
 tiny which should await him. Van Campen anticipated 
 little short of a cruel and lingering death, especially if 
 he was discovered to be the one who had killed so many 
 Indians, while effecting his escape in the year '80. 
 
 When everything was arranged, and the warriors 
 were standing in a large circle around the prisoners and 
 the slain, an Indian chief came forward into the ring, 
 and commenced making a speech. Every eye was turned 
 upon the speaker, and as he advanced, Van Campen 
 watched the countenances of the Indians, and could see 
 them alternately swell with rage, and with the stern and 
 awful looks of revenge, and then melt away with the 
 voice of the orator, into expressions of pity and compas- 
 sion. He said to his men in a low tone of voice, that 
 their fate would probably be decided by the speech of 
 the warrior, and that they had better prepare them- 
 selves for the last extremity. Said he " If the conclu- 
 sion is unfavorable, it can be but death at any rate, and 
 we had better part with our lives as dearly as possible. 
 Let us fix upon the weakest point of their line, and if 
 Nve are condemned to die, let us run upon it with all our 
 might, snatch their weapons from them and engage from 
 hand to hand ; it may be that some of us will be able to 
 effect our escape during the struggle." He kept his eye 
 Upon the speaker, and carefully watched the effect of 
 his words until he was through, and happily for them, 
 his conclusion was brightened by a smile, which was the 
 token of mercy. There Avas left no ill boding cloud be- 
 hind to warn them of coming evil. 
 
 Directly after, the Indians proceeded to bury those
 
 218 LIFE AND ADVENTTJBES OF 
 
 who had fallen in battle, which they did by rolling arr 
 old log from its place and laying the body in the hollow 
 thus made, and then heaping upon it a little earth. 
 They then divided the prisoners among them according 
 to the number of their fires, Van Campen being placed 
 with the party which encamped with Lieut. Nellis, who 
 having the first choice of prisoners, chose him because 
 he was an officer. From him he learned the substance 
 of the warrior's speech, who, as he said, had been con- 
 sulting the Great Spirit as to what should be done with 
 those that had fallen into their hands. He presented 
 arguments on the one hand, to show that the prisoners 
 should be immediately killed, and again he proceeded 
 to remark that they should be treated with lenity. At 
 one time, pointing to the lifeless bodies before him, he 
 exclaimed, " These call for vengeance, the blood of the 
 red man has been spilled, and that of the white man 
 must flow." Yet he represented again that enough 
 blood had been shed, that vengeance had been taken 
 in those of their enemies that had been killed, and 
 that such of their own party as had fallen, met only 
 the common fate of war. He suggested finally, that 
 the lives of the prisoners should be spared, and 
 they adopted into the families of those that had been 
 slain. 
 
 In accordance with this recommendation the prisoners 
 were unharmed, and put in readiness to march with the 
 Indians. Packs were prepared for them and having 
 shouldered these, they began to march towards the 
 place where the warriors had first seen the marks which 
 led them in pursuit, and having reached this they en-
 
 MOSES VAX CAMPEN. 219 
 
 tered their little bark canoes, rowed across the river and 
 sent them adrift down the stream. 
 
 The Indians then took up their line of march back to 
 Niagara, proceeding up the valley of the Susquehanna 
 and its tributary streams. On the morning of the 
 second day of their march, as Van Campen passed by 
 one of the fires, he saw one of his soldiers named Hen- 
 derson, seated upon a billet of wood, and two Indians 
 standing by his side. His countenance was sad and 
 pale, indicating the presence of anxious and painful 
 thoughts. He had been wounded in the battle, by a 
 ball which struck his left hand, as it was raised for the 
 purpose of firing, and cut off four of his fingers. Van 
 Campen supposing that the fate of this soldier had been 
 decided, beheld him with mingled pity and concern ; 
 yet there was no remedy, and he passed on, bearing his 
 mournful countenance before him. He did not go far 
 before he heard a noise like the sound of a tomahawk 
 entering the head, and in a few moments saw the two 
 Indians, who had been standing by Henderson, run 
 along by bearing a scalp, and carrying a hatchet drip- 
 ping with blood. The sight filled him with maddening 
 thoughts, yet he did not reveal his emotions, by action 
 or look, but continued to march on reckless of every 
 event that should befall him. 
 
 Their march during the day was continued without 
 provisions, till they arrived at Pine Creek, where they 
 halted while the Indian hunters went out in pursuit of 
 game. In a short time they returned, bringing along a 
 noble elk. This was soon dressed and prepared for 
 roasting. The prisoners were allowed the same liberty
 
 220 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 that was taken by the warriors themselves ; they cut 
 from the animal as much fresh meat as they wished, and 
 roasted it on the coals, or held it on the end of a sharp- 
 ened stick to the fire. This made them an excellent 
 supper, and was quite a relief to their keen appetites. 
 
 Burwell whose life had been spared, marched with 
 the Indians as a prisoner ; but his wound in a few days 
 became very much inflamed and painful to such a de- 
 gree that it was with great difficulty he proceeded on 
 his march ; and though he promised to give them no 
 trouble, they did not seek to rid themselves of his care 
 in the summary manner in which they generally treated 
 their wounded prisoners, but exercised their skill to re- 
 store him to health and soundness. Having collected a 
 parcel of suitable herbs, theyjboiled them in water thus 
 making a strong decoction, in which they dipped the 
 feather of a quill, and ran it through his wound. When- 
 ever this was done, Van Campen, who had been quar- 
 tered with a different company, was brought to see the 
 attention which was given to his soldier, a very simple 
 but flattering token of the respect they paid to his brav- 
 ery. The operation was exceedingly painful, and as 
 Van Campen stood by, he encouraged him to bear up 
 bravely under his treatment, saying that he must prove 
 himself a man, and that, if he suffered the keenest an- 
 guish, he should not manifest it by a single sign. The 
 Indians, who were by, seemed to understand the instruc- 
 tions that were given, and were highly pleased with 
 them as well as the manner in which the soldier endured 
 the pain. In a short time the inflammation was removed, 
 and the wound healed under the harsh but salutary 
 treatment.
 
 PRESENT APPEARANCE OF THE SITE OF THE OLD INDIAN 
 VILLAGE OP GA-O-YAH-DE-O (CANEADEA). 
 
 [See Page 230.]
 
 MOSES VAJST CAMPEN. 221 
 
 Bur well lived to enjoy many a pleasant day after the 
 revolution, yet whenever he has told the story of the 
 blow which Van Campen gave to the Indian executioner 
 whose hatchet was raised to destroy his life, and when 
 he has described the fierce and doubtful struggle that 
 followed, it has always been with tears in his eyes. 
 Several years since, he paid Mr. Van Campen a visit at 
 his residence in Angelica, saying that he was about to 
 remove to one of the Southern States, and that he had 
 come to see, once more, the man who had saved his life 
 at the risk of his own. He paid him an affectionate and 
 grateful farewell, and since then Mr. Van Campen has 
 not heard from him, and in all probability, he is now 
 numbered with the departed sons of the revolution. 
 
 Upon starting on their march, the remains of the elk 
 were divided among the warriors and prisoners, each 
 carrying his portion as a supply against further need. 
 Pursuing up the valley, they soon came to the head of 
 Pine Creek, thence striking across the country, they 
 reached in half a day's travel, the head waters of the 
 Genesee river, and, in a journey of two days down this 
 stream, came to a place called Pigeon Woods, where a 
 great number of Indian families, old and young, had 
 come to catch pigeons, which were found here in great 
 abundance, and were important as one of their principal 
 means of living. They here met with about forty war- 
 riors, who were on their way to the frontier settlements, 
 and their encampment was not far distant from that of 
 the returning party. Some of the warriors from the ad- 
 vancing party, came from their quarters to hold a con- 
 sultation with those who had Van Campen in charge,.
 
 222 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 and he soon perceived from the glances that were every 
 now and then bestowed upon him, that he was the sub- 
 ject of their conversation. In this he was not mistaken, 
 for they very soon came up to him, and giving him a 
 tap on the shoulder, said, "Jogyo." (March.) In obedi- 
 ence to this order, he arose and went with* them, and in 
 their path came to a deep ravine, w T hich lay between the 
 two camps. It was crossed by a tree which had been 
 made to fall so that the ends rested upon each side of the 
 gulf, leaving a deep and dangerous chasm beneath. As 
 the Indians came upon this with their prisoner, they be- 
 gan to jostle him and shake the log, at the same time ex- 
 pressing great delight with the ease in which they could 
 dance over the huge rocks that were lying many feet 
 below them. Had Van Campen been a novice in such a 
 situation, he would certainly have fallen into the deep 
 gulf beneath. But he was as well acquainted as they, 
 with a path like this, and as he tripped along over, him- 
 self joining in the motion of their slender bridge, the 
 savages were rather pleased than otherwise, with the 
 manifest dexterity of their prisoner. 
 
 Upon coming up to the warriors, Van Campen was 
 made to sit upon one side of the fire, where he could be 
 seen by all, who wished to gratify their pride or curiosi- 
 ty in beholding him as a trophy of their artful warfare. 
 But he was no less curious than they, in surveying the 
 forms which met his eye, for he was interested in know- 
 ing whether, among those that were before him, there 
 could be found the Indian with whom he had a severe 
 encounter, when making his escape from captivity. Yet 
 he no where saw any thing of the warrior Mohawk, and 
 began to feel a* little more at his eas e.
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 223 
 
 On either side of him there was a row of cabins ex- 
 tending about fifty feet, in a line with each other, and 
 were so formed as to present an open front to the fire. 
 They were constructed by driving crotches into the 
 ground and laying poles upon them, which served to 
 support slabs of bark, one end of which rested on these, 
 and the other on the ground, forming at the same time 
 both covering and sides. The two rows faced each 
 other, and a long fire was made between them. While 
 Van Campen was sitting by the side of this, with his 
 eyes directed to the scene around him, the warriors 
 were in earnest consultation, the subject of which he 
 supposed to be concerning himself. They were convers- 
 ing together in a group not far distant, and presently 
 the crowd opened, and a figure of noble proportions 
 came toward him. He was an Indian in dress and 
 color, but these were all that gave him claim to be 
 a savage warrior. He came to Van Campen and com- 
 menced examining him concerning the condition of that 
 part of the frontier, from which he had been taken. 
 He inquired concerning the number and condition of the 
 inhabitants, the manner in which they were defended, 
 and about the number and vigilance of their scouts. 
 To all these questions he gave a correct answer, except 
 to the one respecting the strength of the force by which 
 they were guarded ; this he represented as being much 
 greater than it really was, to discourage them if possi- 
 ble, from visiting the frontier. He said that the coun- 
 try about Northumberland, was very strongly garrisoned 
 with troops, and that large scouts were sent in every 
 direction, for the purpose of waylaying and discovering
 
 224 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 the Indians who might be sent against them. He was 
 next directed to mark out with a coal, upon a bark, the 
 course of the streams emptying into the Susquehanna, 
 the situation of the forts and the path pursued by the 
 scouts. In marking down the course of the streams and 
 the situation of the forts, he observed the accuracy of 
 truth, for the Indians were as well acquainted as himself 
 with these, and his exactness in this, would lead them to 
 give the more credit to that part of his story in which 
 he designed to exaggerate. He executed his work 
 promptly and truly, showing them on his little bark 
 map, the situation of the forts, and the route pursued 
 by the scouting parties, but gave them a very enlarged 
 idea of the number of soldiers and of the preparation 
 of the settlers to receive an attack. This part of his 
 story produced the desired effect ; the Indians did not, 
 in this incursion, go into the neighborhood of Northum- 
 berland, but invaded another portion of territory which 
 they supposed to be less guarded. 
 
 Immediately after this examination, the Indian inter- 
 preter by whom he had been questioned, came up to him 
 and said in rather a low tone of voice, " There is only 
 one besides myself in this company that knows anything 
 about you." Van Campen replied rather sternly, "And 
 what do you know of me, sir ?" " Why," said he, " you 
 are the man who killed the Indians." VanCampen's 
 thoughts were then turned to the fire and the tomahawk, 
 supposing that since he was known, he would certainly 
 fall a victim to savage barbarity. He inquired the name 
 of him who was standing by his side, and was answered 
 that it was Jones, and that he might be assured of his
 
 MOSES VAX CAMPEN. 225 
 
 friendship, for he too was a prisoner, as well as himself. 
 Van Campen then began to take a little more courage, 
 and as Jones proceeded to give him assurances of secrecy, 
 and promised to exert his utmost influence to have him 
 pass through to Niagara in safety, he began to feel him- 
 self in the presence of a friend, in whom he could repose 
 the utmost confidence. Jones said to him, that if he 
 could pass through to Niagara undiscovered, he would 
 then be safe, but if the Indians discovered who he was, 
 they would certainly put him to death in a cruel manner, 
 for they had been informed concerning him, by the 
 Tories, and they need only learn his name, to make his 
 life atone for his activity and success in savage warfare. 
 
 The other who was acquainted with the history of 
 Van Campen, was a Dutchman by the name of Houser, 
 and to him Jones immediately repaired to enjoin upon 
 him the utmost secrecy. Upon coming to him, he found 
 him talking aloud to himself in the most ungarded 
 manner, and swearing about, " Van Camp, vot kilt de 
 Enchens. He's come among us and we'll all be burnt, 
 every tarn bugger of us ; yes ve will, dots vot oney vay." 
 
 " Tut, tut," said Jones, in a low voice, " what's the 
 matter Houser ?" 
 
 " Vy, Van Camp's here, vot kilt de Enchens, un ve'll 
 all be burnt to de stake, so sure as mine gun's a firelock, 
 oney vay." 
 
 " Stop, stop," continued Jones, " how do you know 
 that he killed the Indians ?" To this he answered, that 
 Elisha Hunt, one of Van Campen's men, had just told 
 him. " Well," said Jones, "if any one asks you about 
 this, you must tell them that you know nothing of it
 
 226 LIFE AND ADVENTUKES OF 
 
 you must lie like the duce, and swear to it too." iJy this 
 timely injunction, the report was prevented from Deing 
 spread farther, and the Indians were kept ignorant oi 
 circumstances that would have inevitably resulted in the 
 death of Van Campen.* 
 
 *Mr. George H. Harris of Rochester, N. Y., who has just spent 
 fifteen years collecting data for a "Life History of Horatio 
 Jones," which will soon be published, has kindly permitted me 
 to excerpt the following from his manuscript. 
 
 "Upon the arrival at Pigeon Woods of Nellis' party with 
 Van Campen and his men, Jones who was at a distance, and 
 coming leisurely to camp, ran upon Houser, the weak minded 
 Dutchman, who was talking aloud to himself in an excited and 
 unguarded manner. ' Votfor dot Van Camp wt kilt de Injuns 
 comes among us ? Now ve'll all pe purnt, every darn bugger of us; 
 yes ve mil, dots vot, ony way f" 
 
 " Stop ! Stop 1 1" said Horatio, looking cautiously around to 
 see if others were near, ' ' How do you know the man who killed 
 the Indians is here ?" Houser answered, " that a war party had 
 just come in with prisoners, that he went to see the captives, 
 and recognized one as an old acquaintance named Elisha Hunt. 
 He spoke to 'Lisha, who said he belonged to Van Cam pen's com- 
 pany, and that that officer was here with the prisoners." 
 
 Jones was astonished with the information. He was familiar 
 with the story of Van Campen's marvelous escape, and had by 
 direction of the chiefs, asked questions of prisoners regarding 
 the redoubtable frontiersman, but of late the topic had not been 
 mentioned. As he stood for a moment in deep thought, Houser 
 said, " Dots 'Lisha Hunt vot stands by der dree yonder," at the 
 same time pointing to one of the group of prisoners who were 
 surrounded by men, women and children, all staring at the 
 wretched militiamen. 
 
 "See here Houser," said Horatio, with an earnestness that 
 startled the Dutchman, ", Don't stir a foot, or speak a loud word, 
 till I come back." Then he walked over to the group, and ap- 
 proached Hunt who was a little apart from his comrades. 
 
 " There was nothing in the appearance of Jones to distinguish 
 him from the Indians about him. He was clad in a full suit of 
 native costume, and his bronzed features were as dark as the 
 faces of many of his red associates. Without seeming to notice 
 the soldiers, he addressed the latter in a low voice: "'Lisha 
 Hunt, if you men do not want to be all instantly burned alive, 
 do not tell any one the name of your captain." 
 
 Before the surprised militiaman could speak, Jones disappeared 
 in the crowd and returned to Houser. The latter was in great 
 fear, and Horatio purposely increased his distress. " I don't
 
 MOSES VAX CAMPEN. 227 
 
 Mr. Van Campen has ever since regarded this act of 
 kindness, which was shown him by Capt. Jones, as the 
 only means which spared him his life at this period ; and 
 so strong was the friendship which they then contracted 
 for each other, and so intimate has been their acquaint- 
 ance since, that we cannot pass without giving him a 
 short biographical sketch, which we are enabled to do, 
 by a communication from a near, relative of Mr. Jones. 
 
 Capt. Horatio Jones was born in Chester county, Penn- 
 sylvania, Nov. 19, 1763. When quite young he removed 
 with his parents to Bedford county of the same State, 
 and, at the early age of sixteen, enlisted as a volunteer, 
 under Capt. John Boyd. It was when the Indians, led 
 on by the notorious Butler, Brant and Nellis, were com- 
 mitting their atrocious massacres among the settlers of 
 the frontier, sparing neither age nor sex, from the toma- 
 hawk and scalping knife. While yet in boyhood he was 
 
 believe the man who killed the Indians is here, Houser," he said, 
 "but if our people once get that idea in their heads, they will 
 surely kill all of us. Now, if any one speaks to you about these 
 men, you must lie like the deuce, and stick to it too, or you will 
 all be burned to death. You keep close to me, where I can see 
 you every minute, and when the Indians ask you any questions, 
 answer, De-qua, (I don't know) and do not speak another word." 
 "Houser," continued Jones, stepping close to the Dutchman, 
 and speaking in a depressed yet stern tone, that caused the un- 
 happy fellow to start as though struck with a blow, " if you 
 erer tell a person of this conversation, I will kill you!" 
 
 The look and tone produced the desired effect upon the simple 
 minded man, who promised to strictly obey Jones in every par- 
 ticular. The incident had occupied but a few moments, with- 
 out attracting the attention of others, and Horatio closely fol 
 lowed by Houser, proceeded hastily to the camp where "the 
 man who killed the Indians " had previously been taken. " 
 
 (It would appear from the account given by Mr. Harris, that 
 the interview with Houser occurred prior to Jones' examination 
 of Van Campen, and that the interpreter was aware of Van 
 Campen's identity during the examination. ED.)
 
 228 LIFE AND ADVENTUBES OF 
 
 an active and brave soldier, and accompanied Capt. Boyd 
 on many important and dangerous expeditions, in which 
 himself and commander had the good fortune to escape 
 unhurt. 
 
 At length in the spring of '81 while Capt. Boyd and 
 his men, numbering thirty -two, were in pursuit of Nellis, 
 they were surprised by a large party of Indians, who 
 killed about half of them and took eight prisoners, among 
 whom was Mr. Jones and his commanding officer. They 
 were brought to the Indian towns in the valley of the 
 Genesee, and there made to run the gauntlet, after which, 
 they came very near losing their lives in a savage frolic. 
 The warriors, upon returning from their excursion, gave 
 themselves up to drinking and merriment. Partaking 
 freely of spirits, they became intoxicated and all the 
 hidden ferocity of their natures began to be aroused. 
 They tomahawked one of the prisoners, severed his head 
 from his body, and sticking it upon the end of a pole,, 
 carried it around with wild and frantic yells. They 
 next meditated the death of Boyd and Jones, and while 
 they were disputing about the manner in which they 
 would make them .suffer, a few squaws conveyed these 
 two prisoners away and secreted them until the passion 
 of the warriors had subsided. Their lives were thus 
 spared, and Jones was subsequently adopted into an In~ 
 dian family, and was their interpreter when Mr. Van 
 Campen met with him at Pigeon Woods. He was re- 
 tained as a captive until after the treaty of 1*784, when 
 he was appointed by General Washington, interpreter 
 of the Six Nations, the duties of which office he continued 
 to discharge until within a few years of his death, which
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPED. 229 
 
 took place at his residence in Geneseo, on the 18th of 
 August, 1836. 
 
 Mr. Jones was of about the ordinary stature, firmly 
 built, and from his nature, fitted to throw energy and 
 decision into every act of his life. By his bravery, 
 physical strength, and the manly traits of his character, 
 he gained great influence over the Indians with whom 
 he was associated, and having their entire confidence, 
 was enabled to render the government an invaluable 
 service in her treaties with the northern and western 
 tribes. He was the favorite interpreter of the celebrated 
 Red Jacket, and his style on all occasions was said to 
 l)e chaste, graphic and energetic. During the latter 
 part of his life, Mr. Van Campen and he were in the 
 habit of visiting each other once every year, and never 
 did two old patriots .en joy themselves more, at these an- 
 nual meetings, than they. He descended to the grave 
 full of years, and with the pleasant consciousness of 
 having served well the generation in which he lived.* 
 
 *Charles Jones, Esq,. of Geneseo, N. Y. , a son of Horatio Jones, 
 informs the writer that when a boy, on occasions of his father's 
 and VanCampen's visits, he has often heard the incident at 
 Pigeon Woods talked over. Van Campen said that when in the 
 midst of this throng of Indians, all so curious and inquisitive 
 concerning him, he heard behind him a slight noise, when look- 
 ing around, he saw them making way for the approach of a 
 man with a white face, who bounding into the ring, came at 
 once to his side. Van Campen who supposed his fate was about 
 to be determined, hastily inquired of Jones, ' ' What are they 
 going to do with me ?" Jones replied, " I don't know. I can't 
 tell; but they don't know you." Van Campen would always con- 
 clude his account of the incident by saying, ' ' Those were the 
 .happiest words I ever heard from human lips." ED.
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 We will return to our narrative. After spending two 
 days at Pigeon Woods, the Indians took with them a 
 supply of provisions and continued their march down 
 the Genesee river till they came to a place called Canea- 
 dea, which was the first village on their route. Upon 
 coming within two or three miles of this, they began to 
 raise the war-whoop, and as they drew near they made 
 the air ring continually with their shouts. These were 
 heard by the inhabitants of the village, who, warned by 
 this means of the return of a victorious party of war- 
 riors, hastened forth, both old and young, to give them 
 a joyful reception. They met each other with shouts of 
 congratulation, and as the inhabitants came up, the war- 
 riors halted to give the others an opportunity of learn- 
 ing the result of the campaign. The villagers then 
 went around among them to look after the spoils, but 
 their chief attention was directed in search of those who 
 had been taken prisoners. They were interested in find> 
 ing these, for the purpose of making them run the 
 gauntlet, a trial which the American aboriginals were in 
 the habit of exacting from the prisoners that were re-* 
 turned by a war party to any of their camps or villages. 
 This ceremony was well suited to gratify a savage 
 taste, for it often placed the subject in circumstances oi, 
 extreme danger, as well as pain. It afforded them an 1 
 (230)
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEST. 231 
 
 opportunity to gratify any private pique or animosity, 
 by inflicting the severest blows upon the prisoner and 
 subjecting him, it might be, to the loss of life. Yet it 
 was not always a scene of cruelty, but was often made 
 the source of high amusement to the Indians, without 
 causing any great suffering to the captive. The prison- 
 er was obliged to run the distance of some thirty or 
 forty robs, to a point fixed upon as the termination of 
 his race, between two parallel lines of people men, 
 women and children armed with hatchets, knives, 
 sticks and other offensive weapons, and in passing 
 through, they were at liberty to strike as often and as 
 severely as they pleased, until he arrived at the end 
 of his course, where all their fury was made to cease, 
 and the victim was considered safe from any further in- 
 jury until his case should receive a final decision.* 
 Much of his success depended upon the manner in which 
 the prisoner conducted himself before the warriors. 
 Should he present a fearless, independent spirit, it might 
 perhaps win for him the admiration of his captors, and 
 they would allow him to pass unharmed. But should 
 he appear cowardly and timid, he would be most surely 
 treated with the utmost severity. 
 
 It was to this trying ordeal that Van Campen and the 
 few that were with him had now come ; and as the vil- 
 lagers came in among the warriors, they pushed the 
 prisoners around as though they were the most worth- 
 less kind of baggage led them out in front of the war- 
 riors, and then prepared to put to the test their nimble- 
 ness of foot. The apparent satisfaction with which they 
 
 *Stone's life of Brant.
 
 232 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 were received, both by old and young, assured Van 
 Campen that the time so much dreaded by the prison- 
 ers had now arrived, and that he must be subjected to 
 the trial of a scene which was justly regarded with ap- 
 prehension. The Indian ladies were furnished with 
 long whips, and as they stood lightly tapping them on 
 the ground, it was certain that they were designing to 
 use them upon other backs than those of their own 
 truant offspring. 
 
 Van Can^pen was placed in front of the other pris- 
 oners, all of whom stood a short distance before the 
 warriors. Thus stationed, everything was put in readi- 
 ness for them to run, whenever the word should be 
 given. The warriors took no active part, but remained 
 spectators of the scene, while the villagers formed them- 
 selves on the sides, and their smartest runners in the 
 rear of the prisoners. 
 
 While Van Campen was standing in front of his men, 
 he amused himself by observing the movements of those 
 around him. He could see his fellow prisoners straight- 
 ening their muscles and nerving themselves for a vigorous 
 effort, with their attention directed at one time to the 
 ground that stretched out before them, at another to 
 the forms and limbs of those by whom they were to be 
 pursued. The Indians did not form themselves in lines 
 parallel with the course he was to run, neither were they 
 armed with weapons any more formidable than the 
 cudgel and the whip. Having furnished themselves 
 with these the young Indians and squaws arranged them- 
 selves, and awaited with an impatient zeal the time 
 when they should bring them into requisition. Before
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPED. 233 
 
 the word was given for them to start, Nellis came to Van 
 Campen, and pointing to the council house,* which was 
 
 *The Council House, here referred to, it is ascertained upon 
 what is regarded as good authority on such matters, to have 
 been constructed about the year 1780, and in building it the In- 
 dians were assisted by a detachment of troops sent out for the 
 purpose, by the commandant at Fort Niagara, by order of Guy 
 Johnson. The nicely hewn logs so neatly dovetailed together at 
 the corners, show the work of artisans of more than ordinary skill. 
 
 In size it must have been about 20x50 feet, and so low that a 
 person of ordinary height could easily reach the eaves, and it 
 was covered with "shakes" bound and held in place by long 
 poles which were secured at the ends by withes. 
 
 When left by the Indians, and the country came to be settled 
 by the whites, it was found to be on a farm purchased by Joel 
 Seaton. He soon proceeded to take it down and remove it to a 
 position by the roadside, some thirty or forty rods distant from 
 Its original location. 
 
 In reconstructing it he added three or four logs to its height, 
 as readily appears in the picture. It stood for many years by 
 the roadside, an object of curiosity to passers by, especially to 
 strangers; was used successively as dwelling, barn and stable, 
 the logs in time rotting away at the south end, that part settling 
 Considerably as shown, when about 1870, Hon. "Wm. P. Letch- 
 worth becoming interested in its history, which he had taken 
 considerable pains to learn, purchased it, and removing it to his 
 beautiful country seat at Glen Iris, (Portage Falls) re-erected it 
 under the personal direction and supervision of Dr. John Shanks, 
 an aged Indian, who was well acquainted with the structure in 
 his boyhood, restoring it as nearly- as practicable to its original 
 condition. 
 
 Oct. 1, 1872, it was re-dedicated with appropriate and impos- 
 ing ceremonies, which were largely attended, ex-President Fill- 
 more gracing the occasion with his presence, and presiding over 
 the exercises. 
 
 Immediately after the ceremony of re-dedication, "The Last 
 Council of the Senecas on the Genesee " was held, and in its 
 deliberations, descendents of Joseph Brant, Red Jacket, Corn 
 Planter, Mary Jemison and others of note took part. 
 
 It is indeed from its historic associations a venerable old 
 structure, supposed by those well informed on such matters, to 
 be the only one of its kind and antiquity, now left, and the idea 
 was at one time seriously entertained of (if Mr. Letchworth's 
 consent could be obtained) removing it to Chicago, and there 
 putting it up as a head-quarters for the Indian exhibit for the 
 State of New York at the Columbian Exposition. The project 
 -was however for some good reason abandoned. 
 
 Much credit is due Mr. Letchworth for his praiseworthy efforts
 
 234 
 
 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 about forty rods distant, said "Yonder is the place 
 you are to reach in your race, if you can get there with- 
 out a whipping you will be safe, look out for your heels 
 and if you ever made them fly put them through now." 
 Just before the word was given, Van Campen saw two 
 young squaws, who appeared 'to have been left behind, 
 coming along from the village very leisurely, to join the 
 sport. They had their whips in their hands and having 
 come about half way from the council house, to the war- 
 riors, stood still with their whips raised, and awaited 
 the coming of the prisoners. Presently the word 
 " jgg " was given, and the captives sprang forward 
 to the race. The Indian whippers started at the same 
 time, with a bound, and made the utmost exertion to 
 reach them with the lash. Van Campen had not yet 
 received a single blow, and was drawing near, in his 
 rapid flight, to the two young squaws who had their 
 whips raised, ready to strike, and he did not expect to 
 pass them without suffering the weight of their descend- 
 ing arms. Just before he reached them, the thought 
 struck him, and as quick as lightning he gave a spring, 
 and raised his feet, which hit them in the breast, and 
 sent them, as if by a whirlwind, in the same direction 
 in which he was running. They all came down together, 
 tumbling heels over head, and Van Campen found him- 
 self between the two squaws, who were kicking and 
 squabbling about, endeavoring to gain a more favorable 
 position, yet he did not wait to help the ladies up, but 
 sprang upon his feet, and made good his race. 
 
 to rescue the " Old Council House " of the Senecas from an early 
 oblivion, and if proper care be exercised in the future, it will 
 survive yet many years. ED.
 
 MOSES VAX CAMPEN. 235 
 
 The warriors who were spectators of this scene, beheld 
 it with the utmost delight. Their eyes had been intently 
 fixed upon the runners, and as they saw Van Campen 
 draw near the two squaws, they were interested with 
 their success in giving him the lash. But when they 
 saw him spring and take them along with him, and as 
 they beheld them all thrown together in a heap, they 
 were filled with merriment and made the air ring with 
 shouts of laughter. Some threw themselves upon the 
 ground, and rolled and laughed, as though they were 
 ready to burst, and long and loud was their enjoyment 
 of this little maneuver. The prisoners by means of this 
 diversion had all of them an easy race, arriving safely 
 at the end of their course. Immediately after, several 
 of the young warriors, who were exceedingly diverted 
 with the manner in which Van Campen had cleared him- 
 self, came up to him and patted him on the shoulder say- 
 ing, "Shenawana" " Cajena" brave man good fellow. 
 The whole party soon came up to the council house and 
 the prisoners were then quartered with the families of 
 the warriors. 
 
 Directly after, Van Campen was introduced to the 
 father of young Nellis, by whom he had been taken. 
 He had formerly lived in the valley of the Mohawk, but 
 had joined the British as a refugee and had received 
 the office of Captain in the Indian Department. His 
 son was a Lieutenant in the same service. When young 
 Nellis led Van Campen forward, he addressed his father 
 thus " I will make you acquainted with one who fought 
 me manfully, and who, if we had been equally manned, 
 would have beaten me, but as my party was thp
 
 236 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 .-strongest, I overcame him. Since he has been a prisoner 
 he has conducted himself like a gentleman, and I wish 
 him treated as one, so long as he continues with us." 
 
 The old Captain bowed and scraped and made a variety 
 of very awkward motions, in attempting to show him- 
 self extremely polite, and taking Van Campen by the 
 hand, expressed great satisfaction at the pleasure of see- 
 ing him. Van Campen returned the compliment as well 
 as he could, yet if he had made known the true feelings 
 of his heart, he would not probably have said that it 
 was with any great feelings of joy that, as a prisoner, 
 -he clasped the hand of a British officer. He was invited 
 to sit, and after conversing for awhile upon the common 
 topics of the day, arose to depart, when the old gentle- 
 man requested his presence at the dinner table on the 
 morrow, at twelve. Signifying his assent, Van Campen 
 returned with Lieut. Nellis to their Indian quarters. 
 
 The fatigues of the campaign were such that both 
 warriors and prisoners spent the first day and night after 
 their arrival as a season of repose. The relaxation was 
 grateful to their wearied limbs, and with invigorated 
 spirits, Van Campen and Lieut. Nellis repaired to the 
 old Captain's dwelling, to fulfill the engagement they 
 had made on the day before. While on their way Van 
 Campen enquired of Nellis, if his father had a wife ; to 
 which he was answered, " Yes." He immediately began 
 to imagine the kind of lady that would soon greet his 
 presence, and concluded that in the wife of a British 
 Captain, he would see a woman of fashion in her satin 
 <or silk. 
 
 Upon entering the house and paying his respects to
 
 MOSES VAX CAMPEN. 2 37" 
 
 Capt. Xellis, his eyes wandered about in search of his- 
 anticipated hostess; yet he saw no one that could an- 
 swer his ideal picture. The only female in the room, 
 was an old squaw, who was sitting in one corner of the 
 cabin, having a broad face, high cheek bones, and in 
 every respect very ill featured this certainly could not 
 be the fancied lady, and he dismissed his curiosity for a 
 time, supposing that the Captain's wife would probably 
 make her appearance soon. His attention was next 
 drawn to the dining table. It was one of a truly primi- 
 tive style, being formed of a plank that had been hewn 
 out of a large log and was supported by the trunks of 
 four young saplings that were cut the proper length and 
 driven into holes that had been bored in the plank. It 
 was relieved by no covering, and the only dishes that 
 appeared upon it were one large wooden bowl and a 
 few plates of the same material. Soon the old squaw 
 served up the dinner in a large bowl, their meal consist- 
 ing of a goodly supply of pigeons and Indian dumplings. 
 These were smoking on the table, and their host observed 
 " Come, gentlemen, draw up and we'll take our din- 
 ners." They drew up their chairs to the board, leaving 
 the squaw sitting in one corner by the fire, with her back 
 partly turned toward them, and as the old gentleman 
 took his seat he spoke to her and said, " Come, my dear, 
 won't you sit at the table with us ?" The dusky lady 
 obeyed the request of her lord, and drawing up her chair 
 placed it very near his, and sat in motionless silence. 
 Van Campen then began to think seriously that she must 
 be the mistress of the house, and as the dinner was served 
 out to each one, he amused himself very much with his 
 situation.
 
 238 LIFE AND ADVEN" TUBES OF 
 
 He thought that the scene before him would make a 
 fine study for a painter, and his highest wish would have 
 been gratified could his friends at home have been ap- 
 prised of the company in which he was placed. It was 
 as motly an assemblage as was ever, perhaps, brought 
 around one board, there was a Tory Captain, a Tory 
 Lieutenant, a rebel officer, and an old squaw, a rare 
 party even for those times that were rich in every variety 
 of incident. 
 
 Mr. Van Campen was well pleased with his entertain- 
 ment, and was afterwards informed that the warriors 
 were going to spend the evening in dancing, and that 
 they expected him to take part, that he might thus be- 
 come acquainted with some of the Indian customs. But 
 his only articles of dress were a pair of pantaloons that 
 were left on him at the time of his capture, and an old 
 blanket that was given him during his march, to protect 
 his arms and shoulders from the brush and briers through 
 which they were obliged to pass. Nellis had the kind- 
 ness to add to his wardrobe a calico shirt and blanket, 
 which was rather more respectable in its appearance 
 than the one he wore, and with these he was quite well 
 prepared to take his place among the dancers. 
 
 The signal for assembling the warriors, and for com- 
 mencing the ceremonies, was given at evening. It was 
 the wild and romantic whoop, and as it was heard echo- 
 ing along the little huts of their village, and penetrat- 
 ing the dark bosom of the surrounding forest, the old 
 and young, the warrior and the prisoner, started out 
 from their places and came together upon a level plot of 
 ground, where a few bright fires were sending up a clear
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 239 
 
 itad steady blaze into the still air of night. Around 
 these the dancers paraded with light and airy tread, to 
 make their arrangements for the evening's entertain- 
 ment, which they determined to open with the war- 
 dance. In this, Van Campen took no part ; it was per- 
 formed chiefly by the warriors. 
 
 The war-dance is a sort of pantomime, in which the 
 Indians represent all the maneuvers to which they are 
 accustomed in the field of strife. They begin with the 
 song of exultation, and in their movements represent the 
 delight with which they go forth to meet their foes. 
 Their singing and actions for a time illustrate their 
 march to the battle-ground. As they draw near the 
 enemy, the song seems to die away, they became sly 
 and cautious in their movements, some perhaps will 
 shelter themselves behind trees ; others will form an 
 ambuscade under the cover of bushes, while a third 
 party is creeping along, carrying the rifle in trail, or 
 bearing the hatchet, and as they draw near some post 
 or stump, which may represent the object upon which 
 they mean to vent their rage, they rise upon it with all 
 the fury of assailants, and having applied the tomahawk, 
 or discharged the gun, they imagine their victim slain, 
 and perform the ceremony of taking the scalp. The 
 tune and movement are then changed ; the song be- 
 comes one of triumph mingled with the loud yell and 
 the exulting bound of victory. But should they en- 
 counter defeat, or should any of their numbers be slain, 
 their melody would assume a subdued and melancholy 
 tone, and in their cries for the loss of friends, the shout 
 of victory would be changed to the death-yell. By this
 
 240 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OP 
 
 means the young are instructed in their mode of war- 
 fare, and as its mimic cruelties are brought into scenes 
 of pleasure, they are suited to make them cherish an 
 early passion for the field of conflict. 
 
 This was followed by the turtle dance, so called per- 
 haps from the manner in which the music, by which 
 they timed their movements, was made. Two Indians 
 spread upon the ground a couple of deer skins, on which 
 they seated themselves, each holding in the hands a 
 box made of the turtle shell, which enclosed several ker- 
 nels of corn. They shook these and made them rattle 
 so as to chime with a tune, which they began to sing in 
 a low voice, as a signal for the dance to commence. It 
 was opened by an aged Indian, who came slowly for- 
 ward, and as he advanced into the open space, joined 
 in a low hum in the tune that was singing, and began to 
 dance, making the movements principally on his heels. 
 The next one that came forward was an elderly looking 
 squaw, she had her blanket drawn partly over her head, 
 and commenced dancing with a great deal of modesty, 
 her movements being much less violent, than those of 
 the Indian who preceded her. Others followed on after 
 them promiscuously, forming themselves into a ring, 
 with their heads most of the time facing the center. 
 Soon the greater part had taken their places in the dance, 
 and as they began to move towards it from the place 
 where Van Campen was sitting, a young warrior who 
 was by him and who could speak English, remarked 
 that it would soon be his turn to take a place with the 
 dancers.
 
 THE "OLD COUNCIL HOUSE" TO WHICH VAN CAMPEN RAN 
 THE GAUNTLET, AS IT STOOD BY THE KOADSIDE ON THE "SEA- 
 TON PLACE," CANEADEA, AFTER ITS REMOVAL FROM ITS ORIG- 
 
 INAL SITE AND RECONSTRUCTION BY SfiATON. 
 
 [Sec Page 233.]
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 241 
 
 Van Campen replied that in his country the young 
 men always had girls to dance with them. 
 
 " Do you want a girl ?" the young warrior replied. 
 
 "Yes," said he, " I wish to dance in proper style." 
 
 The young Indian then left him, and in a few mo- 
 ments returned, leading forward a beautiful young squaw. 
 Van Campen was somewhat at a loss at first as to what 
 attention he could pay to an Indian lady, yet as she had 
 been brought at his request, he showed her all the polite- 
 ness in his power, leading her forward to the dance, 
 where they joined with the movements of the rest, who 
 one time observed a very steady motion on their heels, 
 then wheeled around, all the while humming the tune 
 which was sung by the musicians, accompanied by the 
 regular beat of the turtle shells. 
 
 Van Campen and his partner continued to dance to- 
 gether for some time, in silence, except as they would 
 now and then join in a low voice, with the notes of their 
 music. At length as they were whirling around he 
 happened to throw his arm around the neck of the In- 
 dian lady, and the wind at the same time blowing up, 
 'threw his blanket partly over her head and face. The 
 young squaw, unaccustomed to any extra display of po- 
 liteness, and seemingly frightened, gave a slight scream 
 and darted from him, leaving him to dance alone. 
 
 On the next day the warriors, with their prisoners, 
 took up their line of march, following a path which led 
 to some Indian settlements on Buffalo Creek, and after 
 a journey of about two days along this stream, encamped 
 at its mouth. Here they met with a Captain Hilyer and 
 Lieutenant Doxstadter, who had charge of the British
 
 242 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 stores, sent to this place for the supply of their troops. 
 They hailed the arrival of this body of warriors with 
 demonstrations of joy. Nellis presented Van Campen to 
 them, as an officer whom he had taken, and they, imme- 
 diately bringing forward wine upon an old oaken table, 
 which was standing in their room, invited him to join 
 them in a social glass. Van Campen declined, saying 
 that they would probably propose toasts which his prin- 
 ciples would not allow him to reciprocate, and he there- 
 fore begged to be excused. They urged him however 
 to become one of their party, saying that after a fatigu- 
 ing march through the woods, a little wine could not be 
 otherwise than refreshing, and Doxstadter pledged his 
 honor that no toasts should be given which would be in 
 the least offensive to his feelings. To this the others 
 agreed, and he took a seat with them at the table. 
 
 They drank first to each other and next to the health 
 and prosperity of their friends at home, which passed 
 without the slightest objection. Others were given of 
 very much the same character, and every thing seemed 
 to promise the greatest harmony of feeling. But as 
 they continued to drink, their spirits began to rise, and 
 Doxstadter, glowing at length with unusual warmth, 
 proposed a " Health to King George and damnation to 
 his foes." The company drank except Van Campen, 
 who brought down his hand so heavily upon the table 
 as to break his glass. 
 
 Nellis immediately accused Doxstadter of forfeiting 
 his honor, upon which many harsh and abusive expres- 
 sions followed; one accusing the other of taking the 
 rebel's part, and the other replying that the principles
 
 MOSES VA>T CAMPEN. 243 
 
 of honor were the same whether exercised towards a 
 prisoner, or a fellow officer, and that he felt himself 
 bound to regard the rights of one who had unfortunately 
 been thrown under his protection. They were sitting 
 on different sides of the table, Doxstadter with his back 
 to the fire-place, by the side of which^ was a little pen 
 filled with ashes. Becoming considerably excited they 
 both rose upon their feet, and Doxstadter giving Nellis 
 the lie, was answered by a blow, which was so well 
 directed and powerful that it threw him backwards, and 
 his feet catching against a bench, tumbled him heels 
 over head into the ash-bed. He came out with his scarlet 
 coat looking as though he had been in a meal chest, and 
 he flew at Nellis more infuriated than ever. The latter 
 warded him off as well as he could, and watching his 
 opportunity, whispered to Van Campen, telling him that 
 be had better withdraw, for, as the Indians were begin- 
 ning to come up, his antagonist who had great influence 
 with them, might engage one of them to thrust him 
 through. He therefore left the ground and the quarrel 
 nded, as he afterwards learned, with a challenge which 
 was accepted by Nellis, to fight a duel on the following 
 morning. 
 
 Morning came, but Doxstadter not appearing to fulfill 
 his engagement, Nellis marched on with his warriors to 
 Fort Niagara, where he arrived in safety and gave up 
 Ms prisoners into the hands of the British.
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Upon arriving safely at Fort Niagara, Van Camper* 
 could with pleasure reflect that he had passed through 
 the Indian territory, and had not been discovered as the 
 one who had before escaped from captivity. He hoped 
 now to be delivered into the hands of the British, and 
 when once their prisoner, he supposed himself safe, even 
 though the Indians should afterwards learn that he had 
 been within their power. He was conducted into a long 
 council hall, on each side of which were benches extendT 
 ing the whole length, and upon these the warriors with 
 their prisoners, sat down and awaited the arrival of some 
 of the British officers. Soon one of them appeared, and 
 his name passed along the ranks of the Indian warriors 
 Col. Butler, and as Van Campen was informed that 
 they were about to go through the ceremony of adopting 
 him into the Colonel's family, he began to congratulate 
 himself upon the security he could now feel ; for his life 
 would no longer hang upon the slight tenure of Indian 
 caprice or favor, but ne would now probably be detained 
 as a prisoner until an exchange should take place between 
 American and British captives. We will relate the 
 ceremony of his adoption. 
 
 Col. Butler and his party stood on one side of the 
 council house ; the Indian warriors and prisoners on the 
 other, when the chief warrior stepped forward a little 
 (244)
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEX. 245 
 
 in front of his men and made a speech. As this was 
 % given in the Indian language, Van Campen did not un- 
 derstand its import, yet there was something in the 
 manner and voice of the warrior, which chained his at^ 
 tention, and led him strictly to observe all of his move- 
 ments. After speaking awhile he went across the room, 
 took Col. Butler by the hand and made him a short 
 address, then retiring a little, he lighted a pipe and 
 began to smoke. This was so constructed as to serve 
 the double purpose of a pipe and hatchet the bowl being 
 attached to the eye, and the handle being so formed as 
 to admit the smoke to pass through to the end, which 
 was taken into the mouth. After smoking, the warrior 
 made another speech and then conducting Van Campen 
 across the room, placed his hand in Col. Butler's and 
 .after briefly addressing him, led Van Campen again to 
 his seat among the warriors. Butler and the Indian 
 chief then took their pipes and smoked again, after which, 
 the chief presented Butler with a large belt, called the 
 wampum belt, and returned to his place and continued 
 his harrangue. When he had finished this, Butler con- 
 ducted Van Campen to his side of the room, where pipes 
 were given them and they smoked together as the 
 Colonel and Indian chief had done before. After smok- 
 ing, Butler informed him that he had adopted him into 
 Ms family to make good the loss of his son who had 
 been killed by the rebels on the waters of the Mohawk, 
 and that he would have to be conducted to the British 
 guard-house. 
 
 Van Campen immediately replied, " My dear sir, if I 
 .have been adopted into your family, I trust you will not
 
 246 LIFE AND ADVENTUKES OF 
 
 disgrace me so much as to place me under a British: 
 guard." 
 
 The Colonel seemed to be pleased with the reply, and 
 remarked that he would give him a more pleasant situa- 
 tion, and accordingly gave him a very respectable room, 
 that was occupied by a physician, named Stewart, in 
 whom Van Campen found a very agreeable companion. 
 He had not been long, however, at his new quarters be- 
 fore the Indians received the intelligence that he was 
 the very same person who had killed a small party of 
 warriors in the year 1780. 
 
 Not long after the party of warriors had left Pigeon 
 Woods, where Van Campen was examined by the Indi- 
 an interpreter, Jones, Mohawk himself came in and in- 
 formed the warriors who still remained at that place, 
 that Van Campen from whom he had once but just es- 
 caped with his life, had passed through as a prisoner^ 
 with the war-party that had gone to Niagara. He then 
 showed them the scar, which he bore on the back of hi& 
 neck, saying : "This was made by his tomahawk.'* 
 Their eyes were immediately lighted up with revenge, 
 and they brought forward their interpreter and began 
 to inquire : " Did you not know that it was Van Camp- 
 en whom you examined ?" 
 
 Jones with his usual adroitness replied : " How should 
 I know ? Here I have been with you going on two 
 years, and how could I tell any better than you, who 
 Van Campen was ? But besides, do you want me to lie ? 
 If I had known him do you suppose I would now tell 
 you and have you kill me ?" 
 
 Jones was a universal favorite with the Indians, and
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEX. 247 
 
 the bold, collected manner in which he spoke, allayed 
 their suspicions and he was suffered to pass without be- 
 ing questioned further.* 
 
 The news was soon carried to the Indians at Niagara, 
 
 *Mr. Harris says in his " Life of Horatio Jones," "Jones re- 
 mained at the Pigeon Woods with the company from Corn- 
 Planters settlement, and the out-going war party also lingered 
 there, engaged in the sport of catching pigeons. One day an 
 Indian, travel-stained and exhausted with fatigue, arrived in 
 camp. The warriors were hastily summoned to his presence, 
 and recognized the brave chieftain Mohawk. 
 
 "He informed them that while on an expedition near Bald 
 Eagle Creek, he had learned of the defeat of Van Campen's 
 company, and the capture of that officer and several of his men. 
 
 " Leaving his own party, Mohawk started on the trail of Nel- 
 lis, and followed the latter to the Pigeon Woods, hardly stop- 
 ing for rest or food on the way. Standing up before the aston- 
 ished warriors, Mohawk related the thrilling story of the massa- 
 cre of his men, described the terrific stiuggle between Van 
 Campen and himself, and striding back and forth like a caged 
 tiger, his black eyes glowing with anger, he tore the blanket 
 from his back, and pointed to a deep scar on his left shoulder, 
 saying, ' This was made by Van Campen with my own axe, 
 and this,' holding a tomahawk up to view, ' is the weapon.' 
 
 "Mohawk was too exhausted by his forced march from the 
 Susquehanna to the Genesee, to proceed further than the Pigeon 
 Woods, where he remained in camp several days awaiting news 
 from the runners sent out from Niagara. 
 
 "Jones talked with the chief regarding his struggle with 
 Van Campen, obtained his version of the affair, and ingratiated 
 himself in Mohawk's good graces. The tomahawk that had 
 borne so fearful a part in the massacre, possessed a peculiar fas- 
 cination for the interpreter, and as the handle was broken, 
 he finally induced Mohawk to sell it. 
 
 " The weapon was of French manufacture, had been obtained 
 by Mohawk in the old French War, and carried through many 
 a bloody fray. 
 
 " Unlike the usual form of Indian belt axes, it was of the 
 knife blade pattern. The top was hollow forming the bowl of 
 a pipe, and the handle was bored to serve as a stem. Jones re- 
 placed the broken handle with a new one, and thereafter the 
 tomahawk adorned his own belt." 
 
 (He preserved the old weapon with care, and left it to his son, 
 Col. William Jones, as an heirloom. From the latter it passed 
 to the youngest and only surviving son of Horatio, Charles 
 Jones, of Genesee, N. Y. ED.)
 
 248 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 that Van Campen had been their prisoner, and, anxious 
 to avenge the death of their countrymen, went to Col. 
 Butler and informed him of the circumstances which 
 they had heard, and demanded that their prisoner should 
 be surrendered up to them. He put them off for a long 
 time by saying that he would examine the case and let 
 them know in a few days what should be done. 
 
 But they were not to be driven from their purpose ; 
 they urged their request with renewed ardor, demand- 
 ing the surrender of Van Campen, and promising in his 
 place fourteen other prisoners. So earnest were their 
 petitions that Col. Butler was induced to send the Adju- 
 tant of his regiment to make inquiries of his prisoner in 
 reference to the charges brought against him, and from 
 him Van Campen learned the critical situation in which 
 he was placed. After informing him of the accusations 
 which had been brought against him, and of the desire 
 of the Indians to obtain satisfaction for the number 
 supposed to have been slain by his hand, he asked 
 him whether the reports were true, whether he was in- 
 deed the person who had been taken prisoner, and had 
 effected his escape, by destroying the Indians who had 
 taken him in the year '80. 
 
 Van Campen replied that for one placed in his circum- 
 stances, this was a very serious question to answer. 
 
 The Adjutant enquired further : " Were you brought 
 into Niagara as a prisoner ?" 
 
 Van Campen said : "No." 
 
 " Did you escape and run away from the Indian wai- 
 riors ?" 
 
 "No, sir, they ran away from me."
 
 MOSES VAX CAMPEN. 249 
 
 Not wishing to equivocate further, Van Campen re- 
 ^plied : "Why, sir, I never am accustomed to deny the 
 truth, and if your Colonel is so very anxious to know 
 about this, he can. I was taken prisoner by the Indians, 
 in the year 1780, was in company with two others, who 
 were in the same predicament with myself, and we took 
 .advantage of their sleep to dispatch them with the gun 
 and tomahawk. Five of them I killed with my own 
 hand, and wounded another in the neck as he was flee- 
 ing from me." 
 
 The officer then remarked that he recollected the cir- 
 cumstance of a warrior's coming in, wounded in the 
 manner he described. 
 
 Van Campen continued further i "I consider myself 
 .a prisoner of war to the British, and I trust they have 
 more honor than to deliver me up, to be tortured to 
 death by the savages. But your Colonel must be aware 
 that, if my life is taken we have i\ in our power to retali- 
 ate ; for we have the officers of two of your armies, who 
 have submitted to American valor, and from these it 
 will be easy to repay any indignity which may be paid 
 to her officers by the opposing power." 
 
 The officer replied that this was a question which his 
 'Colonel would decide, and taking his hat to depart, Van 
 Campen detained him, saying that he had a request to 
 make. " What is it, sir ?" he replied. 
 
 " I wish you to furnish me with a scalping knife, a 
 scabbard and string." 
 
 " What do you mean to do with them ?" 
 
 " I will hang the string around my neck, and conceal 
 the knife in my bosom, and then if any of your Indian
 
 250 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 warriors come to pay me a visit I shall know their er- 
 rand, and if it is to make me the victim of their ragre, it 
 
 * O ' 
 
 will be at the expense of their lives or mine, for I would 
 rather die the death of a soldier, than be tortured at the 
 stake." 
 
 The officer replied that the Indians were his allies and 
 he dared not do it, because should he be discovered he 
 would forfeit his honor and lose his commission. Van 
 Campen rejoined : " If they kill me it will forever re^ 
 main a secret, and if my life is spared I will pledge my 
 honor that you shall never be exposed." Making no 
 promise he immediately departed. 
 
 Van Campen's feelings at this period would be poor- 
 ly represented by a description. Certain it was that 
 the savages were intent upon taking his life, and that by 
 no easy process. Should his hold upon the things of 
 earth be torn from him by piece meal, as in the case of 
 the unfortunate Boy4, how excruciating would be his 
 pangs ! His fate hung upon the decision of the British 
 Colonel, and could he have the hardihood to give him 
 up to torture ? But for fourteen prisoners in his stead 
 what might he not be tempted to do ? Such were some 
 of Van Campen's thoughts as he paced his little apart-* 
 ment revolving in his mind the uncertainty of his pres- 
 ent situation. 
 
 In a short time, however, the officer returned bringing 
 with him the articles for which Van Campen had made 
 a request, and setting a bottle of wine on the table, in- 
 vited him to take a glass with him, at the same time 
 remarking that he had brought back a favorable report^ 
 
 Van Campen expressed his gratification and inquired
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 251 
 
 what the report was. To which he answered that Col. 
 Butler had directed him to say that there was no alter- 
 native for him to save his life, but to abandon the rebel 
 service and join the British. " If you will do so," said 
 he> "the Colonel will give you the same rank in the 
 British army that you hold in the rebel cause." 
 
 Van Campen replied indignantly, " Xo SIR, NO. GIVE 
 
 ME THE STAKE, THE TOMAHAWK, OB THE SCALPING KNIFE, 
 SOONER THAN A BRITISH COMMISSION." 
 
 Their conversation ended here, and Van Campen was 
 left several days in suspense, not knowing at what 
 moment he might be summoned before an Indian tri- 
 bunal, or how soon he should behold the torch and fagot 
 lighted around him. But discovering that a British 
 guard had been placed at his door, h*e supposed that it 
 was sent there for his protection, and he began to in- 
 dulge himself with the hope of greater security. 
 
 He next received a visit from the wife of a British 
 officer by the name of Pry. Hearing a rap against the 
 door, he sprang upon his feet, brought his hand to his 
 bosom, and was ready to seize his knife should the oc- 
 casion demand it; then giving the word, " Come in," 
 awaited the appearance of his guests. As the door 
 opened his eyes rested upon a female very prettily dressed, 
 followed by a British officer. Apprehending no danger 
 from such visitants, he withdrew from the attitude of 
 defense, and as the lady approached him and drew aside 
 her veil, he recognized an old acquaintance and school- 
 mate. He expressed his pleasure at this unexpected 
 meeting, and she in turn represented her joy in seeing 
 him, but added her regret that it should be under such
 
 2/>2 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 trying circumstances. She remarked that the Indians 
 had brought very weighty accusations against him, that 
 ,he had been to her Colonel, to intercede for his life, 
 . and that she was permitted to say from him, that his 
 life would be spared, in case of his submission to the 
 terms that had been offered him before. 
 
 Van Campen replied that he could not consent to 
 make such a disposal of himself; that his life belonged 
 to his country, and that he would sooner suffer all the 
 cruelties and indignities which the unrelenting savages 
 could inflict upon him, than accept of the terms on which 
 his life had been promised. 
 
 The lady regretted his obstinacy in not complying with 
 the liberal terms that had been proposed, and set forth 
 in glowing colors* the dignity of the royal army, repre- 
 senting it as being far more honorable to hold a com- 
 mission in the British service than to be an officer among 
 the rebels. 
 
 Van Campen replied that his views and hers were 
 very different, and that with his present feelings the 
 knife, the tomahawk, or the stake, would be far more 
 -acceptable than all the honors of a British commission. 
 With this the conversation ceased, and he was left to 
 muse in silence, over the probable course that would be 
 taken in his case, and as he reflected upon the determined 
 , spirit of the Indian, and upon the avidity with which he 
 is accustomed to pursue his desire of revenge, he felt 
 that nothing would be left untried, to obtain possession of 
 his person, and their point once gained, he could easily 
 imagine the events that would follow. No punishment 
 Would be too severe ; no inhumanity too great to be ex-
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 25 
 
 ercised against one who had slain a fellow warrior. He 
 heard indeed, that their preparations of torture were 
 already made, that sharpened fagots had been prepared to 
 drive into his body and then set them on fire, under the 
 expectation that he would be delivered into their hands. 
 
 But fortunately he was not delivered over to the tender 
 mercies of the savage. In a few days he was placed on 
 board of a vessel bound for Montreal. A guard accom- 
 panied him from his lodgings to the wharf, to prevent 
 his being retaken by the Indians, who began to collect 
 in great numbers around the garrison, as soon as it was 
 rumored that he was to be sent away. Yet he reached 
 the vessel in safety, and among those who treated him 
 with kindness, was Capt. Pry and his lady, by whom he 
 was favored with an introduction to the captain of the 
 boat, recommending him to his attention as one for whom 
 they had an especial regard, and who furnished him 
 with an ample supply of provisions until he should be 
 quartered among the prisoners at Montreal. 
 
 On the next morning after entering the vessel, her 
 anchor was weighed, her sails unfurled, and as she gently 
 bowed to the breeze, and began to move down the lake, 
 Van Cam pen stood upon her deck, and with a joyful 
 heart saw himself wafted from a scene which to him 
 had been one of extreme danger and trial. 
 
 Arriving at Montreal he was ushered into the presence 
 of about forty of his countrymen, who were, like him- 
 self, prisoners. They were assembled in what was called 
 the guard -house, a large building some seventy or eighty 
 feet in length, and about thirty or forty in width, and 
 was appropriated to the use of the prisoners and of
 
 254 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 British soldiers, who had them in charge. Within the 
 dark walls of a prison, shut out from the light of day, only 
 as it came struggling through iron grates, Van Campen 
 found a company of men possessing spirits congenial 
 with his own, and he soon formed an acquaintance which 
 from a similarity of fortunes, ripened into the warmest 
 attachment. There were men here from several of the 
 different States, some of whom had been taken, like 
 himself, by the Indians, in their sudden and wary attacks 
 upon the border settlements. Van Campen's coming 
 among them was regarded with no little interest ; all 
 gathered around the new prisoner to learn the story of 
 his capture. 
 
 They did not, however, surrender themselves to the 
 ill-bodings of despair. The success of their country's 
 arms inspired them with hope, and led them with joy to 
 think of the day as not far distant, when the American 
 banner would wave in triumph over the proud pennon 
 which held in the gale the boasted strength of the British 
 Lion. They began to anticipate the return of peace, 
 and as if to place at defiance the forms existing around 
 them, this little band of prisoners, in the very heart of 
 British authority, proposed the establishment of a Re- 
 publican Government. They determined to regulate 
 their affairs so long as they remained in prison, accord- 
 ing to the pure principles of democracy. They chose 
 from their number seven representatives, who met in a 
 body by themselves to consult for the interests of the 
 whole, and the principal subjects that came before them 
 for their consideration, were such as related to the in- 
 ternal regulations of the prison.
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 255 
 
 One thing, among others, upon which they brought 
 their skill of legislation to bear, was the enactment of 
 laws concerning the preparation of their diet. This 
 consisted of a given quantity of peas and pork a day for 
 each one of the prisoners, who were obliged to act as 
 their own cooks. It was very gravely presented to the 
 body, which was called to preside over the affairs of this 
 little community, that the preparation of their meals 
 was a subject which demanded an immediate and serious 
 attention. Several plans were proposed, and advocated 
 with all the warmth of eloquence, in the presence of the 
 people; but that which seemed to receive the highest 
 favor was one which corresponded the most perfectly 
 with their ideas of equality. It was that each one 
 should act as cook in turn, beginning with those who 
 held the lowest rank as officers, and ascending to the 
 highest until all had been made to serve. It had been 
 found by experience, that if the peas and pork were put 
 on to boil at the same time, the latter, which required 
 much less time in cooking, would be boiled to pieces 
 before the peas would be in an eatable condition. It 
 Was therefore enacted as a solemn law, that the peas 
 should be put over the fire first, and that after they had 
 boiled a given length of time, the pork should also be 
 subjected to the operation of heat. But it was further 
 ascertained that the pork was somewhat rusty, and it 
 was made the duty of the cook to cut this off before 
 boiling. A failure to comply with these laws or any 
 delinquency in the acting cook, subjected the offender 
 to a trial and to such punishment as the people thought 
 proper to pronounce in his case.
 
 256 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 Under the operation of these laws their culinary affairs 
 advanced prosperously, and not until it came to be the 
 turn of one who had held the office of Major, was there 
 the least opposition to the regulations that had been 
 made. He began to plead exemption from performing 
 the duties of cook, on account of his being a field officer. 
 In answer to this he was reminded of the fact that he 
 was under a Republican Government, that all were on 
 an equality and that he could have no excuse for not 
 peforming his duty. 
 
 He therfore complied with the regulations, but it was 
 evidently with great reluctance, and so miserably did he 
 act his part that when that little Democracy assembled 
 around the dinner table, their fare was in such a wretched 
 condition that none of them could eat. 
 
 It was found that the Major had not regarded the rule 
 about putting the peas into the kettle first, but had 
 tumbled in peas and pork at the same time. Neither 
 had the rust been removed from the pork, and besides, 
 he had allowed the dinner to get burnt, so that the ac- 
 cusations against the Major were quite numerous, and 
 he was immediately arraigned before the appointed tri- 
 bunal. The charges were tabled and after hearing the 
 statements on both sides, the evidence appeared to be 
 decidedly against him, the verdict was brought in 
 " Guilty" he was sentenced to be cobbed, and was ac- 
 cordingly laid across a bench with his face downwards, 
 and the magistrate taking hold of one end of his shoe, 
 proceeded to administer the given number of blows. 
 
 The Major complained bitterly of his treatment; he 
 was so much dissatisfied that he entertained serious
 
 3IOSES VAN CAMPEN. 257 
 
 thoughts of rebelling against the government, and as 
 there was no one discontented but himself, he resolved 
 on forming an aristocracy in the midst of this nest of 
 republicans. He nailed his blanket up between a couple 
 of joists in the prison, and throwing himself into this, 
 remained most of the time alone, not mingling with the 
 common herd, and being emphatically above the majesty 
 of the sovereign people. 
 
 While the Major was occupying his chosen quarters 
 in his suspended blanket, removed from the bustle and 
 turmoil of the little world below, yet not so far as to be 
 unacquainted with what was transpiring around him, 
 there was a plan formed by the prisoners to effect their 
 escape by rising upon the British guard. They matured 
 their purpose, so far as to engage some of the Canadians, 
 who were favorable to the American cause, to furnish 
 them with boats to conduct them across the river St. 
 Lawrence, intending after they had gained the opposite 
 shore, to enter the State of Vermont by the way of Lake 
 Champlain, and thence to proceed to their several homes. 
 
 The day and hour were appointed, and the parties for 
 attack selected one to fall upon the sentries, another 
 to dispatch or secure the guard. Just as they were 
 about to put their designs into execution, the courage 
 of one who was to act a conspicuous part, failed him, 
 and receiving the signal to withdraw, instead of the one 
 for attack, Van Campen and a few others with him, who 
 were appointed to take care of the sentries, returned 
 with chagrin to inquire into the cause of this change in 
 their anticipated movements. They were told by a 
 Capt. White, who had been appointed to lead the other
 
 258 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 party, " that it was too hazardous and it had better be 
 abandoned." 
 
 This scheme was followed by another, somewhat dif- 
 ferent in its character, but more intimately connected 
 with the Major, who still swung in his blanket. The 
 political birthday of American freedom was drawing 
 near, and the prisoners determined to celebrate the an- 
 niversary of their National Independence. But they 
 were destitute of the means of observing it according to 
 their ideas of propriety. This difficulty was removed 
 by one of the number, who informed them that if they 
 would provide him with some quicksilver and a few 
 old coppers, he would give them a coin that would pass 
 for an English shilling. A Canadian friend supplied 
 these, and whenever their market boy went to purchase 
 provisions, he took of the new coin to buy a small quant- 
 ity of vegetables and receiving change in return, ex- 
 pended it for brandy, which he brought into the prison 
 by concealing it in his basket. In this way the prison- 
 ers had collected a good sized keg full of liquor, and 
 kept it in readiness for their anticipated holiday. 
 
 Only ten of them, Van Campen among the number, 
 dared enter upon the plan of celebration, and these de- 
 termined to carry it through, even though their im- 
 prisonment should, on this account, be attended with 
 ten-fold rigor. The others feared the consequences of 
 the undertaking, and declined having any part in the 
 festivities which had been prepared for the occasion. 
 
 The Fourth of July at length came, and it was never, 
 perhaps, hailed with more heart-felt expressions of joy, 
 than by that small party, who, within the dark walls of
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 259 
 
 a Canadian prison, hailed the feeble light that came 
 streaming in through the iron casements as the herald 
 of a brighter day, whispering the mild accents of hope. 
 
 This small company of avowed patriots brought for- 
 ward their entertainment at an early hour, and it was 
 not long before their joy began to expend itself in the 
 loud and merry laugh, and the Hessian soldiers, who 
 were that day on guard, very often sent some of their 
 number into the upper room where the prisoners were 
 assembled to command order. These commands be- 
 coming at length rather too frequent and troublesome, 
 one of their number was stationed at the trap door by 
 which their apartment was entered, with the direction 
 to shut it upon the first man who attempted to come 
 with order of " Silence" Beginning soon to grow noisy, 
 one or two soldiers came running up, and as they began 
 to rise above the floor, the keeper slammed the door 
 upon their heads and knocked them down the stairs. 
 The next order that came was from the mouth of the 
 Hessian guns, several of which were discharged up 
 through the floor, but fortunately without injury to 
 the prisoners. 
 
 Splinters from the fractured floor were thrown about 
 the room at so lively a rate that the unruly prisoners 
 began to think seriously of observing greater silence. 
 They were therefore, for a time, quite orderly, and as 
 night began to draw near, Van Campen proposed that 
 they should invite the suspended Major down to their 
 evening's entertainment. The suggestion was approved 
 by the others, and the inquiry was made, " How shall 
 it be done?" "In military style, of course," replied
 
 260 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 Van Campen. Directing two of them, therefore, to 
 sharpen their knives, and being prepared, he gave the 
 order " MAKE READY, TAKE AIM, FIRE !" As the 
 last word was pronounced, the two who were holding 
 their knives, applied them to the sides of the blanket, 
 and out came the Major, head first, to join the party at 
 the table. The Major was received with loud shouts of 
 applause ; the prison rang with acclamations, and mer- 
 ry cheers resounded from every quarter. But to the 
 poor Major it proved a more serious disaster than they 
 had anticipated. Falling upon a bench in the room one 
 or two of his ribs were somewhat fractured, and he was 
 taken away to the hospital to receive medical attention. 
 It was not, however, without leaving a threat to expose 
 all who had been the actors in this scene. 
 
 He was true to his word ; on the next morning an 
 officer came into the prison with a list of names upon a 
 piece of paper, the first of which was Van Campen's. 
 As the ten who had been engaged in celebrating the 
 Fourth were called out together, the others began to 
 congratulate themselves that they were not of the party, 
 and as they were led out of the prison, they followed 
 them with an anxious look, anticipating the most serious 
 consequences. They were brought into a Court Martial 
 of British officers, and Van Campen, being requested by 
 the others to represent their case for them, determined 
 if their conspiracy should have been revealed to deny it, 
 unequivocally, since it would at once decide their fate. 
 
 When paraded before the officers, Van Campen's name 
 was called, and upon answering, he was told that he and 
 his party had been arraigned for misconduct in prison,.
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 261 
 
 and that the first charge against them was for a conspira- 
 cy to destroy the British guard. 
 
 Van Campen, believing that the crisis demanded a 
 denial of the fact, answered firmly, " It's a lie, there is 
 not a word of truth in it." 
 
 The British officer then proceeded to enumerate the 
 charges consequent upon the celebration of the Fourth 
 of July. He replied there was a little more truth in 
 this, that himself and some of his comrades had thought 
 it proper not to pass over their National Holiday with- 
 out giving it some little attention, and they had accord- 
 ingly done all that, under the circumstances, they could 
 to keep it in remembrance. He then related the story 
 of their celebration, the regulations they had made in 
 their Republican Government, the manner in which the 
 Major had been punished for not conforming to the laws, 
 the offence he had taken, described his abode in the 
 blanket, and in short, gave such a comic history of the 
 whole affair, that all of the officers were thrown from 
 their gravity as judges, and began to laugh, regarding 
 it as a subject of the utmost merriment. 
 
 While he was engaged in the narration, a young Hes- 
 sian officer, who seemed to take a deep interest in the 
 story, came around and stood close by Van Campen, that 
 he might hear every word that was uttered, and when 
 he had ended, Van Campen turned to him and inquired 
 if he was acquainted with any of the Hessian officers 
 taken with the army of Burgoyne, who had been 
 stationed in Berks County, Pennsylvania. To which he 
 answered in the affirmative. Van Campen then informed 
 him that while an officer there, he had often invited
 
 262 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 them to dine with him, that others had paid the same- 
 attention, they being allowed the honor of a parole, and 
 that he thought the same privilege should be allowed to 
 the American officers. 
 
 The young officer then represented the case to his 
 General and was informed that it would be taken into 
 consideration, and an answer given on the next day. 
 Without giving them any censure, therefore, the pris- 
 oners were told that they might appear before them 
 again, and they would then be informed whether they 
 could be allowed the privilege of a parole. Upon return- 
 ing to the prison they resolved not to inform their fellows 
 of the result of this summons, but to keep it as a secret 
 among themselves, revealing only this that their case 
 would be decided on the morrow. 
 
 On the next day, when the officer came to conduct 
 Van Campen and his comrades from the prison, they 
 assumed the appearance of concern, and bade their com- 
 panions farewell, as though they never expected to meet 
 them again in this world. The others sympathized 
 deeply with their fate, at the same time feeling that 
 they had themselves happily escaped a sentence, which 
 they supposed would be death. Upon coming before 
 the British officers, Van Campen and his comrades were 
 informed that they would have the privilege of the 
 streets of Montreal during the day, if they would con- 
 sider themselves in honor bound to return to the guard- 
 house for lodgings at night. To this they readily agreed, 
 and were happy in the thoughts of again breathing the 
 open air of heaven, without receiving it through the iron 
 grates of a prison. Thus ended this tragic affair, but it
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 263 
 
 was not without chagrin that those who through fear 
 of punishment, refused to participate in the honors paid 
 to the hallowed day, of freedom, beheld their companions 
 who had the hardihood to commit so great an offence, 
 permitted on this very account, to enjoy a liberty denied 
 to themselves. 
 
 Soon after this, Van Campen and the nine who were 
 with him on parole, were sent to the island of Orleans, 
 five miles below Quebec, and remaining here until 
 November, were placed on board of a vessel bound for 
 New York, and after a dangerous voyage of five weeks, 
 arrived in safety at their place of destination. Here a 
 British commissary came on board of their vessel and 
 began to inquire of the prisoners concerning the treat- 
 ment they had received. All of them told in turn a 
 very doleful story, finding much fault with their treat- 
 ment and making a great variety of complaints, until he 
 came to Van Campen, the last whom he examined. As 
 he came up to him he said rather impatiently, " Well, sir, 
 have YOU any complaints to make . ? " 
 
 Supposing it to be altogether useless to offer any, even 
 though he had been treated ever so ill, he replied, " Not 
 at present, sir; but I soon may have." 
 
 " Ah, upon what grounds will you make your com- 
 plaint ?" 
 
 " Why, sir, if you don't send us on board, ten gallons 
 of wine, a quarter of fresh beef, and a good supply of 
 fresh bread, I shall complain of you." 
 
 The officer took him by the hand, and shaking it 
 heartily, replied, " If this is all, you shall have it, sir 
 you shall have it;" and, true to his word, he soon sent
 
 264 LIFE AND ADVEJSTTUKES OF 
 
 him the articles he had named. As long as the wine 
 and beef lasted, the prisoners found no fault with their 
 fare. 
 
 Gen. Carleton then proposed to let them go to their 
 own country on parole, they pledging themselves not to 
 take up arms against His Majesty, the King, and that 
 they would repair to whatever point or place his Generals 
 should call them, and placing them on board of a cartel-, 
 ship, sent them up the North river to the American 
 lines. The officer of this vessel, perceiving that they 
 had a good supply of wine with them, began to treat 
 them very civilly, inviting them into his own cabin, 
 and becoming a guest with them. They here enjoyed 
 themselves exceedingly, and having permission to sing 
 some of their songs, they sung several which were replete 
 with burlesque upon the British arms, and as these drew 
 forth the loud and merry laugh, the Captain would join 
 in with the rest, and before he placed his passengers on 
 shore, he was so much pleased with the company of the 
 prisoners, that he was willing himself almost to be called 
 a rebel. 
 
 Upon coming on shore and into the society of their 
 own countrymen, Van Campen and his fellow prisoners 
 found themselves at some distance from their immediate 
 friends, with scarcely a penny in their pockets to bear 
 the expenses of a journey. They each had a blanket, 
 however, and disposing of these, raised a little money, 
 and with this began to proceed on foot towards their 
 homes. In passing through New Jersey they staid over 
 night at a public house, where the landlord requested 
 them to leave their names before starting in the morn-
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 265 
 
 ing, stating that inquiries were often made concerning 
 prisoners who were returning home, and that he wished 
 to have it in his power to gratify any friend who might 
 desire information about them. 
 
 They had been gone but about an hour, when one of 
 the inhabitants came in, and began to inquire of the 
 landlord, if there was any news. " None," said he, " but 
 the passing by of a few prisoners, who staid with me 
 the last night." 
 
 " Can you give me their names ?" 
 
 He presented him with a list of these, and upon be- 
 holding Van Campen's, declared that he must see him, 
 " For," said he, " I was at Northumberland soon after 
 one by that name was taken prisoner, and every man, 
 woman and child was lamenting his loss, and this must 
 be the same person; if I can be of any assistance to him, 
 I will." Learning that they had been gone but a short 
 time, he mounted his horse and pursued on after them. 
 
 Upon coming in sight of the prisoners, he called to 
 them, requesting them to halt, and as he drew near, in- 
 quired for Van Campen. Answering to his name, Van 
 Campen stepped forward and demanded his wish. 
 
 Upon receiving from him the name of the place where 
 he had been taken captive, the stranger informed him of 
 his having heard of him before, and inquired if he had 
 with him what money he wanted to bear his expenses on 
 his way home. Van Campen replied that money was at 
 that time a very scarce article with him, and thereupon 
 the stranger handed him half a joe (about eight dollars), 
 saying that it was all he had with him, and that as he 
 had a family to support, and was expecting to remove
 
 266 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 into the vicinity of Northumberland, he might have the 
 privilege of returning it to him again if he chose. Van 
 Campen thanked him for his kindness, and promised to 
 do so with interest, as he afterwards did. With this ad- 
 dition to their funds, the prisoners proceeded on their 
 way with lighter hearts, and upon arriving at Princeton, 
 the Free Masons learning their history and apprised of 
 the fact that one or two of them belonged to their fra- 
 ternity, called a meeting at which they raised funds suffi- 
 cient to hire a carriage, in which they were conveyed to 
 Philadelphia. They were a rare looking company for 
 the elegant vehicle in which they rode and were amazed 
 by the curiosity excited on the way by their singular ap- 
 pearance. 
 
 At Philadelphia Lieut. Van Campen received his 
 quarter's pay, procured a suit of uniform for which he 
 exchanged his Canadian dress, and returning to Northum- 
 berland, was received by his friends with demonstrations 
 of joy.
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 From the time of Lieut. Van Campen's return home, 
 which was in the month of January, 1783, until early in 
 the spring, he was mostly occupied in visits, which this 
 season allowed him to make among his friends. While 
 journeying in the upper part of Pennsylvania for this 
 purpose, he received a letter from Capt. Robison inform- 
 ing him that an exchange had been made between prison- 
 ers, so that he could enter into service, and that he must 
 now return to duty. Making his preparations therefore 
 he immediately directed his course towards Northum- 
 berland, and upon arriving there was sent with a com- 
 pany of men to take charge of Wilksbarre Fort. 
 
 He was stationed here to protect the inhabitants from 
 the continued depredations of the Indians, who, though 
 peace had been established between America and Britain, 
 still continued to infest the region of the border settle- 
 ments, that they might plunder whatever objects came 
 within their reach. But the mere presence of a military 
 force was not sufficient to prevent the mischief of these 
 troublesome neighbors, who crept cautiously up to the 
 quiet farm-house, and watching their opportunity, drove 
 away cattle and horses. 
 
 Soon after Van Campen had taken charge of Wilks- 
 barre Fort, Capt. Robison arrived to receive the com- 
 mand himself, while he directed the former to proceed 
 (267)
 
 268 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OP 
 
 up the Susquehanna as far as Queen Esther's Flatts, 
 with a company of men and there lay in wait, that he 
 might intercept parties of Indians who were infesting 
 the country for the purpose of plunder. Selecting his 
 men, he proceeded up the river in a boat, with provisions 
 and the equipages of the camp and soon pitched his tent 
 at the appointed place. Remaining here a few days 
 without making any discoveries, curiosity led him one 
 day to go and examine his old battle-ground, at Hog- 
 back Hill, which was but a few miles above, on the 
 river. He was accompanied by none of his party and 
 had gone about five miles when he heard, at a short dis- 
 tance from him, the tramping of a horse. Supposing an 
 enemy to be near, he threw himself under the cover of a 
 thick growth of bushes and awaited his approach. Just 
 then there hove in sight a beautiful horse, mounted by 
 one of elegant appearance, in the British dress. The 
 first notice he had of the presence of Van Campen, was 
 as he saw him in the path before him, aiming his rifle at 
 his head, giving the order, " Halt /" He checked his 
 horse and his hand dropped immediately upon a holster 
 pistol. " Draw a pistol" said Van Campen, " and you 
 are a dead man /" He then received the order, " Dis- 
 mount, sir !" 
 
 The rifle was still pointing towards him and he obeyed. 
 " Tie your horse /" 
 
 The horse was tied. " Right about face, march ! " 
 He wheeled and marched. "Halt!" He halted. 
 
 Van Campen then went to his horse, untied him and 
 with his rifle in one hand and the reins in the other, 
 mounted. He then took one of the pistols from its
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 269 
 
 place, and finding it loaded, cocked it and directed his 
 prisoner to march in front. As he passed, he gave a 
 wishful look at the bridle, as though he would seize the 
 reins. Van Campen said : " Touch the reins, sir, and 2 
 will blow your brains out /" Submitting quietly, he be- 
 gan to march on before Van Campen, and the latter in- 
 quiring his name and business, the other replied Allan, 
 and that he was on his way to Congress, from the Six 
 Nations, for the purpose of making a treaty of peace. 
 
 Upon coming to the Flatts, Van Campen's soldiers 
 discovered him riding an elegant grey horse, marching 
 his man before him. The Sergeant paraded his soldiers 
 immediately in front of the tents, and as he came up 
 gave him the military salute and inquired " Where did 
 you get that bird ?" Van Campen replied that he caught 
 him on the waters of the Chemung, a little below their 
 old battle-ground. Dismounting, he gave the horse 
 into the care of one of his soldiers, and found that he 
 had given a true account of his business. He then 
 remarked to him " Allan, your name is regarded with 
 so much infamy by the inhabitants of the country 
 through which you are to pass, on account of your more 
 than savage cruelty, exercised among the defenseless 
 families of the frontiers, that when once they hear of 
 your presence, they will certainly put you to death; and 
 that you may go on your business in safety, I will break 
 up my camp and conduct you beyond Wilksbarre." 
 
 He therefore made his arrangements in accordance 
 with this determination, descended the river to Fort 
 Wilksbarre and conducted Allan into the Fort. He had 
 not been here long however, before the intelligence was
 
 270 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 spread among the inhabitants that Allan had been cap- 
 tured and was in the Fort; and coming up in a mass 
 they demanded that he should be surrendered. So 
 determined were they upon getting possession of Allan, 
 that though Van Campen used his utmost influence to 
 dissuade them from their purpose, showing them the 
 importance of an Indian treaty, and that until one was 
 formed they could not expect to occupy their farms in 
 safety, it was with the greatest reluctance that they 
 withdrew from the Fort. 
 
 On the next day Van Campen accompanied Allan with 
 a guard until he was beyond the probable reach of danger, 
 and proceeding on his way, he arrived safely at Congress, 
 and made arrangements by which a treaty was concluded 
 with the Indians, during the succeeding summer. 
 
 Lieutenant Van Campen returned to Fort Wilksbarre, 
 where he continued in command until the month of 
 November, when upon receiving news that the terms of 
 peace had been ratified, the army was disbanded and he 
 retired from military life to engage in the duties of a 
 private citizen.* 
 
 *As there are only six or seven pages more of Mr. Hubbard's 
 text, which are devoted chiefly to a brief survey of his life, and 
 deal somewhat with matters introduced in my part of the work, 
 I have thought best for this reason, and also to avoid any un- 
 necessary repetitions, to suppress them, and continue as nearly 
 unbroken as may be, the story of Van Campen's life and adven- 
 tures to the end, ED.
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 Very soon after his retirement from the service, Lieut. 
 Van Campen married Margaret, the daughter of Mr. 
 James McClure, a wealthy farmer who formerly resided 
 in the vicinity of Northumberland, and had recently died. 
 Van Campen at once undertook the management of 
 the estate, and " carried on " the farm for several years. 
 The writer has not been able to learn of any important 
 or unusual occurrence with which he was in any way 
 connected, during that period, which is considered worthy 
 of note. 
 
 Left to the quiet and peaceful occupation of the 
 " broad acres " of the McClure place, it is safe to pre- 
 sume that he prosecuted farming operations, as he did 
 every thing else he undertook, with zeal and energy, 
 and, as his marital relations were most pleasant, and 
 three daughters were born to him during his stay on the 
 place, it is also safe to conclude, that he was for the 
 times, a " model husband." 
 
 Mary, who afterwards became the wife of George 
 Leckhart, and the mother of Alfred, James, Joseph and 
 Mary Leckhart, was born on the 10th of October, 1784. 
 Anna, who married Alvin Burr, and was the mother 
 of Moses Burr, was born October 29, 1786, and Priscilla, 
 afterwards Mrs. Samuel Mulholland, was born September 
 15, 1789. 
 
 (271)
 
 2*72 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 About this time (1789) he purchased a large tract of 
 land in the neighborhood of Briar's Creek, to which he 
 soon after removed, and resided there for about five 
 years, when a good opportunity offering, he sold out, 
 reserving however, a lot of sixty acres, which he promised 
 to an evangelical society, upon the condition that they 
 should build a church, which they afterwards did, when 
 the terms being complied with, he executed a convey- 
 ance of the land as he had proposed. 
 
 It was during the residence of the family in the " Briar 
 Creek " neighborhood, that their two last children were 
 born; Elizabeth, who married Rev. Robert Hubbard, 
 and became the mother of Rev. J. N. Hubbard, the 
 author of the preceding part of this book, on April 3, 
 1792, and Lavina, who became Mrs. Dr. Samuel South- 
 worth, on March 3, 1794. 
 
 In 1795 or 1796, more likely however in 1796, although 
 he might in 1 795 have made a preliminary reconnoissance, 
 and felled some trees and girdled others preparatory to 
 further improvements, he left the " Briar Creek " neigh- 
 borhood, and settled in what was soon afterwards, and 
 is now known, as " McHenry Valley," in what is now 
 Almond, Allegany Co., N. Y. 
 
 The journey from Briar Creek to Almond must of 
 necessity have been attended with many interesting, and 
 quite likely some exciting incidents, involving as it did, 
 the poling up the Chemung and Canisteo rivers of flat 
 bottomed boats or arks,* laden with their household 
 
 *Guy H. McMaster, in his interesting history of Steuben county, 
 page 75, refers to a meeting between Van Campen and Mohawk, 
 which, without doubt, occurred during the progress of this 
 journey, thus : "Major Moses VanCampen, well known to the
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 273 
 
 effects, and other property which they needed to make 
 a start with in the " new country " to which they were 
 going. 
 
 Of a necessity it must have been laborious, annoying, 
 and attended with more or less danger ; and the five 
 little girls, the eldest eleven years of age, and the young- 
 est a babe in its mother's arms, certainly afforded suffi- 
 cient objects for maternal concern and anxiety. 
 
 It seems to be a conceded historical fact, that in Mc- 
 Henry Valley in 1796, were built three log houses, one 
 on the " old Sanders farm," by Major Moses Van Camp- 
 en,* one by Henry McHenry, and one by William 
 Gray. 
 
 They were of course, of the most primitive style, 
 quite likely for awhile, with blankets hung in the door 
 openings, and " factory " cloth or oiled paper stretched 
 
 Six Nations, as a powerful, daring and sagacious ranger in the 
 border wars of Pennsylvania, moved up the river with a colony 
 destined for Allegany county, and offered to land at the settle- 
 ment on Canisteo Flats. VanCampen was especially obnoxious 
 to the Indians for the part he had taken, as a leader of a bold 
 and destructive attack made in the night by himself and two 
 others. * * * The savages recognized Tan Campen on his 
 -arrival at Canisteo, as ' the man that lent John Mohawk the 
 hatchet.' Captain Mohawk himself was there, and had a special 
 cause of grievance to exhibit, in a neck set slightly awry from 
 a blow of the tomahawk. The settlers rallied for the defence 
 of VanCampen. There was every prospect of a bloody fight; 
 but after much wrangling it was agreed that the two parties 
 should divide, while VanCampen and Mohawk advanced 
 between them to hold a 'talk.' 
 
 " This was done, and in a conference of considerable length 
 between the two old antagonists, the causes of difficulty were 
 discussed, and it was finally decided that each was doing his 
 duty tTien, but that now, war being ended, they ought to forget 
 past injuries, Mohawk offered his hand. The threatened fight 
 became a feast." 
 
 *This farm is now owned by Abizor Phillips.
 
 274 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OP 
 
 across the window openings, and they managed through 
 the warm weather to get along without chimneys, as, 
 tc in the fall they all united, and in one week built three 
 chimneys,* and killed thirty-six deer," so stated Major 
 Van Campen to John McNitt, who as late as 1879 was 
 living at Almond. 
 
 The knowledge which Van Campen had acquired of 
 the surveyor's art, and his skill with the compass, which 
 he attained by ins practice in the Northumberland and 
 Briar Creek regions, soon became known in this new 
 neighborhood, and new settlers coming in, and frequent 
 purchases being made, his services in laying out land 
 and setting up boundaries were soon in frequent de- 
 mand. 
 
 It was not long before his fame had spread beyond 
 the limits of his immediate " settlement," and became 
 known to Col. "Williamson, the accomplished agent of 
 the Pulteney Estate, who gave him considerable em- 
 ployment, and ^ustly appreciated his ability and judg- 
 ment. 
 
 Soon Philip Church, then quite a young man, made 
 his appearance in these western wilds. He had just 
 made a purchase of 100,000 acres, not very far distant 
 from this new settlement, and desiring to place it on the 
 market, was soon in need of a surveyor. 
 
 Col. Williamson, who had become acquainted with 
 Mr. Church and was aware of his requirements, took 
 occasion to recommend Van Campen as the man he 
 wanted. Accordingly Church determined to visit him, 
 
 *It is said a part of the old Van Campen chimney is still, 
 standing.
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 2*75 
 
 and made the journey through the woods to McHenry 
 Valley, and the two men met for the first time.* 
 
 The impressions made by this first meeting were 
 mutually favorable ' f the acquaintance thus formed soon 
 ripened into the strongest friendship, and except by 
 death, was never for a moment, even, interrupted. 
 
 Van Campen's stay in McHenry Valley was short. 
 His acquaintance with Church and employment in his 
 service, which required the greater part of his time, and 
 the scene of his operations being so far distant from his 
 habitation, all conspired to make his location quite in- 
 convenient. So it was soon deemed necessary to make 
 another remove, which was soon after accomplished, 
 locating this time, on what afterwards turned out to be 
 the eastern limits of the village of Angelica, a site 
 selected with rare good judgment. 
 
 In August, 1801, he was employed by Mr. Church to 
 make a thorough exploration of his whole tract. In 
 company with Evart Van Wickle, John Lewis, John 
 Gibson, and Stephen Price, Mr. Church met him at 
 Almond, then the settlement nearest the Church Tract, 
 and from thence proceeded directly to a point near the 
 south-east corner of the tract, following very nearly the 
 route afterwards adopted for the Erie Rail Road. 
 
 *Before me lies a letter from Miss Mary Leckhart, a grand- 
 daughter of Major Van Cam pen, in which speaking of this visit 
 she says : " * * * Philip Church came to secure his services to 
 survey his large tract of land. * * * It was in the latter part of 
 summer, and the family observed a person in the corn field, 
 very vigorously shaking his clothing, which they learned after- 
 wards, was to divest himself of fleas, as he had been much ex- 
 posed to them while in the woods. It was but an hour or so after- 
 wards when he came to the house, and introducing himself, stated 
 -the object of his visit."
 
 276 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 Just here it maybe well, for a brief moment, to pause- 
 and study the character and make-up of this party. 
 
 Van Campen at that time was in the full meridian of 
 life, in possession to the fullest extent of all his powers 
 and faculties, physical and mental, not one in the least 
 impaired, all at their best ; his varied experiences dur- 
 ing the eventful years of the war had given him such a 
 knowledge of life in the woods, such a familiarity with 
 nature in her grand old solitudes, as was well calculated 
 to render his service of great practical value in such an 
 undertaking ; Church, a young man of twenty-three, 
 alert, resolute, courageous, and inspired with a zeal born 
 of the enterprise he was engaged in, having of course 
 a personal interest which no one else could have, and 
 the other members of the party stout, athletic, daring 
 fellows, and dressed, of course, in such plain, convenient 
 garb, as was suited for the enterprise ; taken all in all 
 they must have made a group which we of today would 
 fain look upon, a party in fact, just suited to the busi- 
 ness in hand. 
 
 The work was at once begun, prorecuted with dili- 
 gence, and continued until they became thoroughly 
 acquainted with the whole tract; with its streams, its 
 hills and valleys, its peculiarities of soil, its timber and 
 herbage, the facilities its streams afforded for dams and 
 mill privileges, and possible sites for villages; in shprt, 
 they made such a study of the territory, as became of 
 great value in prosecuting the work of subdivision, which 
 was soon afterwards commenced. 
 
 Terminating their reconnoissance near the north-west 
 corner of the tract, Church and Van Campen made up
 
 MOSES VAX CAMPEN. 277 
 
 their minds to take a pleasure trip to Niagara Falls. 
 Dismissing the other members of the party, who departed 
 in an opposite direction for their homes, they took an 
 Indian trail that bore off in the desired direction. This 
 they pursued for two days, when they arrived at the 
 Seneca Indian village. Proceeding on their way they 
 soon made their appearance in the little white settlement 
 of "New Amsterdam" (Buffalo), in a very sorry plight; 
 with clothes badly torn, beards unshaven, features tanned 
 .and camp smoked. 
 
 They visited the falls, returned to Buffalo and took 
 the " white man's trail "* on their return to Bath. As 
 no such a tramp had been contemplated, soon after leav- 
 ing Buffalo, money and provisions were exhausted, with 
 the exception of a surplus of chocolate, which they 
 managed to exchange with the settlers for meals. Mr. 
 Ellicott had just got his land office built at Batavia. 
 At Ganson's there was a militia training, the first ever 
 :had west of the Genesee river. One of the officers, 
 Richard W. Stoddard, supplied Mr. Church with money, 
 and they resumed their journey improved in purse and 
 spirits, halting at Geneseo for a brief visit with Mr. 
 Wadsworth, with whom Mr. Church had become ac- 
 quainted in New York, and finally arriving at Bath much 
 fatigued in body, well pleased however with their adven- 
 turous " trip to Niagara Falls." 
 
 It is safe to say that this expedition involved as much 
 
 ' *The early settlers were wont to call the first track made 
 through the forest, which by any means could be followed, with 
 the rudest conveyance even, " the white man's trail," to distin- 
 guish it from the "Indian trail," and such a road had been cut 
 through to Batavia.
 
 278 . LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 personal discomfort and peril as were encountered later 
 in Sherman's famous "march to the sea." 
 
 Van Campen's foresight in selecting the location for 
 his home, was afterward proven by the location of the 
 Bath and Olean turnpike, which passed the place just 
 in front of his house. 
 
 Clearing off a small piece of groumd, and the erection 
 of some rude teriements in which to live during the time 
 to be devoted to the construction of the large brick 
 house he soon after put up, was the first work which 
 engaged his attention. Making an excavation at the 
 base of the hill a few rods in the rear of the site selected 
 for his dwelling he discovered material of the proper 
 consistency to make a good* article of brick. Stone well 
 adapted for building purposes, were found in abundance 
 conveniently near, and soon in the midst of that forest 
 of pine and oak prevailing, arose as it were by magic, 
 in grand proportions, a house whose walls at this writ- 
 ing (1892), after the lapse of eighty-four years, are still 
 intact, whose foundations show no signs of settling, a 
 house indeed whose salient features typify the substan- 
 tial character of the man who reared it. 
 
 It wad during the erection of this house that a thrill- 
 ing incident occurred. The Major was at the time called 
 away on business, which detained him for several days. 
 He had in his employ a colored man, whom he held in 
 servitude under the then existing laws of the State. 
 One night as Mrs. Van Campen and a domestic were 
 about to retire, they, with true feminine instinct, looked 
 under the bed, when lo ! and behold ! there laid the 
 brute of a negro, with a butcher knife in his hand.
 
 o
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 279 
 
 Screams of the most violent kind of course were in order, 
 which quickly aroused the laborers, who slept in a small 
 structure conveniently near. They immediately made 
 their appearance upon the scene, and secured the ugly 
 creature. Upon the Major's return he at once sold him 
 to Gen. Cruger, of Bath, and never after owned such 
 property.
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 In the search for material for the proper treatment of 
 "Van Campen as surveyor, the author has not, in some 
 respects, been rewarded with results commensurate with 
 his expectations. 
 
 For instance, nothing can be learned of the Churches 
 as to the terms upon which he prosecuted the work, 
 whether by the day, acre or mile, for length of lines 
 run ; all who constituted his party of assistants have 
 long since been numbered with "the great majority," 
 and it is not learned that any one has been sufficiently 
 interested in the matter, to gather up any data or de- 
 tails and preserve them for possible future use. 
 
 His "Field Notes" have, however, been carefully 
 preserved by the Churches and Burrs, and. an act has 
 been passed by the Legislature which is now a law, 
 under which they may be authenticated, for use in 
 Court, when lines are in dispute on the Church Tract, 
 and copies of them have at different times been made by 
 surveyors for use in their immediate practice upon the 
 lands which he subdivided, and a careful inspection of 
 them affords good facilities to the practical surveyor for 
 a reasonably fair estimate of his ability in that line of 
 work, and inferentially, of certain peculiarities in the 
 prosecution of his surveys. 
 
 Consulting the " Book of Surveys " of the Church 
 (280)
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 281 
 
 Tract, and his " Field Notes," one is at once struck with 
 the neatness of his chirography, the case with which he 
 made all his figures, and the excellence of his plots ; he 
 is in fact drawn irresistibly and rapidly to the conclu- 
 sion that he is inspecting the work of a man of a good 
 deal more than ordinary ability. 
 
 His method of describing and perpetuating " corners,'' 
 was of uniform application, as well as the way in which 
 he caused his lines to be " marked " or " blazed." An 
 instrument was carried along by some member of the 
 party with which to mark the " corner posts " and 
 " corner trees " with the numbers of the adjacent lots, 
 and the course and distance of the " corner trees " from 
 the " corner posts " were carefully noted in his " Field 
 Book." " Corner posts," in his surveys subsequent to 
 the subdivision, were invariably referred to as being 
 marked with a " blaze and three notches, two above and 
 one below." 
 
 His party of assistants must have numbered five at 
 least, and possibly six, and it is known that a pack-horse 
 laden with camp equipage and commissary stores ac- 
 companied them ; so, wherever night overtook them, 
 they would make their camp, selecting of course a place 
 conveniently accessible to water. It is a matter of 
 tradition that his chief axeman for most of the time, 
 was a half-breed Indian, whose name cannot be given, 
 who was remarkably expert with the " wondrous instru- 
 ment." Of more than ordinary height, his striding 
 abilities were first-class, and his stout arms and hands 
 cleared away with remarkable celerity the obstructions 
 to sight which came in their way. Quick of perception,
 
 282 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OP 
 
 he knew just what, and how much, to cut, which great- 
 ly facilitated their progress. 
 
 The extreme low prices of the lands which he sub- 
 divided, precluded the taking of as much pains as are 
 now taken in laying out and dividing land ; the lines he 
 ran in the prosecution of these original subdivisions 
 were " needle lines," and about six miles per day was 
 the average of work done. 
 
 Taking all these things into consideration, the author 
 is, from the observations which he has of necessity been 
 called to make upon his work, in a practice of nearly 
 forty years, during which time he has had frequent 
 occasion to retrace his lines, in some instances where 
 roads have been laid, extending nearly across a town- 
 ship, led to the conclusion that his work as a whole 
 was well done, indeed so well done as to justly excite 
 surprise that it was so well done, and admiration for the 
 ability displayed in its prosecution. 
 
 In support of this conclusion, I am pleased to quote 
 the following from so good an authority as Leander 
 Gorton, the veteran and accomplished surveyor of Bel- 
 mont, N. Y. 
 
 " Of all the early surveyors I have followed in this re- 
 gion, I long ago learned to know and like his work the 
 best, and have cherished a feeling of acquaintance and 
 comradeship with him, derived from my knowledge of 
 his work." 
 
 One of the objects incidental to the subdivision of a 
 tract of wild land, is to obtain the data from which to 
 make a reasonable estimate of the amount, character, 
 and variety of timber on the several lots, obtain inform-
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 283 
 
 ation as to soil, herbage, surface configuration, streams, 
 springs, ponds, swamps, etc., so as to make an intelli- 
 gent appraisal of the land upon the different lots, pre- 
 paratory to sales. . 
 
 For this business Van Campen, from his habits of 
 close observation, and long experience in border war- 
 fare, which of necessity made him familiar with the 
 primitive woods which covered this country, was emi- 
 nently qualified. So with mind and eye intent upon the 
 business in hand, equipped with compass and Jacob- 
 staff, Field Book and pencil, he carefully directed the 
 course, and with the progress of his chain-bearers, noted 
 the distances at which brooks, creeks and rivers crossed 
 his lines, made mention of their width and directions, 
 ascents and descents, the exact distance at which they 
 attained the summit of some hill or ridge, the base of 
 some steep bank, and the character of soil, whether 
 "open flats," " 1st qual. uplands," "2nd qual. uplands," 
 " highlands," etc., etc.* 
 
 The extent of his subdivisional work was considerable. 
 In addition to the 100,000 acres embraced in the " Church 
 Tract," which he surveyed in 1810-11 he subdivided T. 
 1., R. 7, of the Pulteny Estate (Phelps and Gorham), 
 which is now the town of Independence, in 1815. In 
 1817 he surveyed the "Patterson Tract," in TPS. 1, & 
 2, R. 2, and in 1818, the "Cazenovia Tract," now West, 
 Almond. Besides all this work which covered about 
 
 *In many of his reports to Judge Church, the term " strict 
 measure " is introduced after giving the number of acres, and 
 the names of the chain-bearers and other persons present. It is 
 supposed that in those instances more than ordinary impor- 
 portance was attached to the work.
 
 '284 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 150,000 acres, he did a great deal of work for Judge 
 Church in measuring off land for settlers, as appears by 
 the voluminous " Book of Surveys," so long kept in the 
 land office at the Church Manor House. 
 
 He was also called in various instances to act as Com- 
 missioner and surveyor of roads laid and opened by the 
 State. 
 
 April 10, 1810, by act of the Legislature, he was 
 appointed surveyor, and with Valentine Brother of Can- 
 andaigua and George Hornell (afterward Judge Hornell), 
 of Hornellsville, Commissioners, to lay out and open a 
 road, " from Canandaigua, by the head of Conesus Lake, 
 by the mOst eligible route to the mouth of Olean river." 
 
 In 1813 he was placed at the head of a commission of 
 which Christopher Hurlbut, of Arkport, and Jedadiah 
 Strong, of Olean, were the other members, to lay out a 
 road " from the termination of the ' Pine Creek Road,' 
 at Crestown, Pa., to Hamilton (Olean), and thence to 
 the outlet of Chautauqua Lake." 
 
 "With Joseph Ellicott, Robert Troup, Charles Carroll, 
 Philip Church, Dugald Cameron, Seymour Bouton, Syl- 
 vanus Russell and William Higgins, he was appointed 
 in 1819 to lay out a road from Angelica by way of Van 
 Campen's Creek, to the village of Olean (Hamilton). 
 
 When the " turnpike," from Bath to Olean came to 
 be located and constructed, Van Campen was a leading 
 spirit, and helpful from the inception of the project, to 
 the completion of the work. Judge Church was an 
 interested co-ad jutor in the turnpike enterprise. With 
 this brief recapitulation of his services as surveyor, to 
 which of course must be added the surveys of various
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 
 
 roads for his own and other towns, which work he con- 
 tinued to do even after his removal to Dansville (1831), 
 and the original survey of the plat of Angelica and other 
 villages, the reader will readily conclude that his life 
 during the years mainly devoted to this work, must 
 have been one of unusual activity, and required a degree 
 of endurance seldom equalled, and very rarely excelled. 
 
 Whether Major VanCampen held any civil office in 
 Pennsylvania, is not known to the author, nor is it im- 
 portant. It is known that he was Assessor during his 
 brief sojourn in what is now Almond, and Excise Com- 
 missioner in Angelica in 1805. As these offices were of 
 minor importance, it will be assumed for the purpose of 
 this resume that the years covered by Major Van Camp- 
 en's incumbency of civil office, began with 1807, and 
 ended probably in 1831. 
 
 Aug. 12, 1807, he was appointed Judge of the Court 
 of Common Pleas, along with Philip Church as first 
 Judge, and Evart Van Wickle and Thaddeus Bennett 
 as associates. From the records in the Allegany County 
 Clerk's Office, it appears that he was appointed " Judge 
 and Justice of the Peace," June 13, 1810, and was suc- 
 cessively "sworn in" as such officer, in 1811-13-14-15 
 19 and 21. He was County Treasurer "from 1814 to 
 1826 inclusive of both years;" so says our present 
 incumbent, the veteran and venerable Daniel D. Gardiner. 
 From the records it therefore appears that during some 
 of the time he must have held two offices at the same 
 time, and next to Mr. Gardiner, he held the office of 
 County Treasurer longer than any other man. 
 
 June 25, 1828, he was " sworn in" as Deputy County
 
 286 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 Clerk; just how long he filled that place is not now pre- 
 cisely known. November 12, 1830, he "qualified" as* 
 Commissioner of Deeds, an office corresponding very 
 nearly to our present Notary Public, and held that office 
 until his removal to Dansville the next year, and it was 
 quite likely the last public office he ever held. 
 
 Assuming his first civil office in 1807, at the mature 
 age of fifty years, possessed of a naturally vigorous mind, 
 enriched by such varied experiences as very seldom fall 
 to the lot of one individual, a knowledge of affairs drawn 
 from large intercourse with the world, in almost every 
 phase conceivable, rare perceptive faculties, and strict 
 integrity, combined with sound judgment, he brought 
 to the discharge of official duties, a competency of quali- 
 fications which eminently fitted him for their intelligent 
 discharge and administration. 
 
 NOTE. He was also for several years Commissioner of High- 
 ways of the town of Angelica, and records of surveys of roads by 
 him made, are found in the Angelica Town Clerk's Office, as early 
 -as 1805.
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 It had for years, previous to his removal from Angeli- 
 ca in 1831, been the custom, on public occasions which 
 failed to command the attendance of Major Van Camp- 
 en, to form in procession in the public square, and keep- 
 ing step to the inspiring music of fife and drum, with 
 the dear old colors flying, march to his residence nearly 
 a mile distant, pay their respects, and receive his cordial 
 greeting, accompanied with words of cheer, and some- 
 times of kind advice and encouragement. His presence 
 alone was a benediction. 
 
 Horatio Jones, the long ago captive with the Indians, 
 whose strategic maneuvers at the Pigeon Woods, in the 
 spring of 1782, saved Van Campen's life, afterwards for 
 many years the renowned interpreter, possessing and 
 wielding great influence over the Indians, highly re- 
 spected also by the whites, and better known in his time 
 throughout the whole Genesee river country than any 
 other man, was yet spared to spend the evening of his 
 days at "Sweet Briar," on his extensive farm near 
 Genesee. 
 
 These two old patriots had for years been in the habit 
 of each paying the other a visit at least once a year, 
 and these occasions had come to be regarded as impor- 
 tant in the calendar of yearly events. They were great- 
 ly enjoyed by themselves, and others would somehow 
 (287)
 
 288 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 time their work or business so as to listen to their leg- 
 ends, hear them recount their exploits, their hair-breadth 
 escapes, their varied experiences with the Indians, and 
 other reminiscenses of the Revolutionary period, and 
 feel that they were richly rewarded for the time thus 
 spent. 
 
 These visits were continued, and with more frequency 
 after the Major's removal to Dansville, as the distance 
 between them was made considerably less. 
 
 In 1836, Capt. Jones died. It was a hard blow for 
 Van Campen, who felt his loss very keenly. Mr. San- 
 burn and Capt. Elnathan Perry were still left. His ac- 
 quaintance with them since the Revolutionary war wa& 
 not however so intimate as with Capt. Jones, and he 
 was deeply impressed with his loneliness. 
 
 In the summer of 1841, the people of Rochester, which 
 place had just merged into city proportions, moved 
 thereto by feelings of patriotism, inspired quite likely 
 by some recent utterances in regard to one of the most 
 cruel episodes of the Revolution, conceived the idea that 
 it would be a very proper thing, indeed the proper 
 thing, to remove the remains of Lieut. Boyd and his 
 companion Parker, and their comrades, who were so 
 cruelly slain by the merciless savages when Sulivan's 
 army invaded the Seneca country in 1779, from Livings- 
 ton County, where they had so long lain, "unwept, 
 unhonored, and unsung," give them appropriate funeral 
 services, and with imposing ceremonies, elaborate eulogy, 
 and labored panegyric, consign them to proper and re- 
 spectful interment, in a certain elevated section of the 
 then newly opened and beautiful cemetery of Mt. Hope,
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 289 
 
 which, should be set apart forever for the interment of 
 soldiers of the Revolution, dignify the sacred place 
 with the name of " Revolutionary Hill," or " Patriot 
 Hill," and mark it with an appropriate monument ; and 
 with promises of such a nature, obtained not only the con- 
 sent, but the approval and co-operation of the people of 
 Livingston County in the enterprise. 
 
 Accordingly meetings were held, not only at Roches- 
 ter and Genesee, but at other places as well, along the 
 beautiful Genesee Valley, for the purpose of preparing 
 to take part in the imposing demonstration with which 
 it was thought best to accompany the patriotic under- 
 taking, and committees were appointed to whom were 
 confided the arrangement of all the details of the funer- 
 al pageant. 
 
 Gov. Seward accepted an invitation to attend and 
 grace the ceremonies with his presence, and prominent 
 citizens from different parts of the State signified their 
 intention to be present. Promising to be an occasion to 
 be made memorable in the history of the Lower Genesee, 
 not only on account of its nature, but also from the 
 character and position of those who were to participate 
 in the exercises, and appealing as it did to the patriotic 
 element so dominant at the time, great care was taken 
 by the committee having the matter in charge, to make a 
 proper selection of a person to preside at the ceremonies. 
 
 With remarkable unanimity the minds of the commit- 
 teemen met upon one man. All eyes were turned to 
 the venerable patriot, the brave soldier, the eminent 
 civilian, Major Moses Van Campen, then residing at 
 Dansville, N. Y. He was appealed to, and kindly con-
 
 290 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 sented to preside at the exercises to be held at Cuyler- 
 ville, but was in too feeble a condition to think of ac- 
 companying the cortege to Rochester. 
 
 Judge Hosmer, of Avon, in consideration of his years, 
 prominence as a citizen, and known ability, was selected 
 to deliver the oration at Cuylerville, and accepted the 
 invitation, but about a week before the event, he in- 
 formed -the committee that he could not comply with 
 their wishes. 
 
 In this extremity, a promising young man, of con- 
 ceded ability and good attainments, who has since for 
 many years worn with honor, and shed lustre on the 
 judicial ermine in St. Louis, then principal of the Tem- 
 ple Hill school at Geneseo, and who had at the recent 
 Fourth of July celebration at Geneseo, delivered a very 
 acceptable oration, was appealed to, and at a late hour 
 pressed into service. 
 
 On the afternoon of August 19th, a flotilla of five 
 canal boats, upon which embarked as many military com- 
 panies, invited guests and members of the General Com- 
 mittee of Arrangements, left Rochester, while the Mayor 
 and several members of the Common Council took car- 
 riages, all arriving at Mt. Morris early the next morning. 
 After partaking of a bountiful breakfast, prepared by 
 the citizens of Mt. Morris; and a parade of the troops 
 through the principal streets, they returned to Cuyler- 
 ville, where great crowds had already assembled. 
 
 Geneseo was awake. A long procession of carriages 
 was formed. Dirges were played by bands of music. 
 A new brass field piece,* upon which was appropriately 
 
 *On a visit to Geneseo in September, 1892, Judge Abbott (who
 
 MOSES VAX CAMPED. 291 
 
 engraved its name, " Major Moses Van Campen" was 
 brought out, a salute fired, and the long line moved in 
 solemn procession for the grove at Col. Cuyler's, bearing 
 with them in a beautiful sarcophagus, the remains of 
 the comrades exhumed at Groveland. 
 
 Arriving at the mound from whence had been taken 
 the relics of Boyd and Parker, they were placed in an 
 urn, and from thence appropriately surmounted the sar- 
 cophagus; and soon was reached the place selected for 
 the exercises. 
 
 On the platfonn, seated beside Major Van Campen, 
 who was then eighty-five years of age, were Capt. Elna- 
 than Perry, aged eighty-one, and Mr. Sanburn, seventy- 
 Tiine, all three actively engaged in, and the only known 
 survivors at that time of, Sullivan's historic army. 
 
 After appropriate religious services, Mr. Treat was 
 introduced, and addressed the assemblage in strains of 
 eloquence eminently fitting to the occassion, and highly 
 creditable to him as a scholar and historian. 
 
 After specially addressing the military companies 
 present, he turned to the venerable Van Campen, and 
 thus concluded his remarks. " * * * * Yours has 
 been an eventful life, but you have been kindly spared 
 to receive the grateful tributes of your admiring country- 
 men, and to witness the unparalleled growth of your 
 country, and the success of her free institutions." 
 
 by the way is a staunch Democrat) kindly conducted the author 
 to the Park to see the old gun, where it was found on the ground, 
 wrong side up, the carriage in a terribly shattered condition, 
 in fact mostly " broken to pieces." Said the Judge " The Re- 
 publicans took the old gun out to ratify the renomination oi 
 Harrison, loaded it to the muzzle, and touched it off result 
 carriage all in pieces, and gun ' tother side up.' The old fellow 
 was indignant and kicked the whole business over, you see !"
 
 292 LIFE AXD ADVENTURES OF 
 
 Then again turning to the military he said, " Soldiers t 
 One of the few surviving" officers, Major Moses Van 
 Campen, our presiding officer, and the old schoolmate 
 and companion in arms of the gallant Boyd, is now stand- 
 ing before you, to perform in behalf of himself and his 
 venerable comrades, and in the name of Livingston 
 County, the sacred duty of committing to you these 
 honored relics. 
 
 " Listen to his words, and call to mind his own match- 
 less heroism and virtues, those of one worthy of this 
 high duty, the brave soldier and patriot, surrendering 
 to the soldiers of another age, the precious remains of 
 his own patriotic and lion-hearted comrades, that they 
 may receive at the hands of a grateful posterity, the 
 honors which are ever the just due of heroism and 
 virtue." 
 
 Impressed with a deep sense of the solemnity of the 
 occasion, in a voice which betrayed the emotions which 
 required an effort to suppress, Major .Van Campen, as. 
 President of the day, then addressed the vast concourse 
 of people by whom he was surrounded. Said he: "Fel- 
 low Citizens, We no longer hear the war-whoop of the 
 savages. We are no longer alarmed by the martial drum 
 calling us to arms. We no longer hear the roar of canon, 
 nor the din of small arms. We are no longer shocked by 
 the cries of the wounded, nor the groans of the dying. 
 We no longer see the fertile fields of our country stained 
 with the blood of your fathers, and of my companions 
 ill arms. But we see the relics of those patriotic youths^ 
 who shed their blood for the rights of man, deposited 
 in that sacred urn before you.
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEX. 293 
 
 " Gentlemen of the Committees ! Citizens and soldiers 
 <of the counties of Monroe and Livingston ! You have 
 -conferred upon me the honor of presiding upon this day 
 on this important and interesting occasion. 
 
 " I confess I want ability to discharge the duties con- 
 nected with the deep interest felt on this occasion ; yet I 
 feel happy in doing what I can to commemorate the scenes 
 which are this day brought before us. It will not be 
 necessary for me to say much after the interesting 
 address which we have just heard. Yet I must say 
 that I little expected to see the time when the remains 
 of some of my companions in arms, whose blood was 
 shed in the glorious struggle for the liberty and inde-. 
 pendence of our country, and shed on the soil of Livings- 
 ton County, and whose patriotic remains for sixty -two 
 years have been mouldering in her dust, should here this 
 day be presented to the view of this great assembly. 
 
 " How different do they appear to me now, from what 
 they did sixty-two years ago, when I saw them in the 
 vigor of life, and in the bloom of youth. 
 
 " Aye ! my noble Boyd ! could your immortal spirit 
 witness the scenes of this day, methinks it would rejoice 
 to see your old friend and companion making a surrender 
 of your mortal remains and those of your brave men, 
 who fell a sacrifice to the tomahawk and scalping knife 
 of the savage, surrendering you to the honorable com- 
 mittee and associations from Rochester, who have pre- 
 pared for you a resting place, till you are called from 
 the slumbering dust by the voice of your God. 
 
 " And you, gentlemen, who have taken so honorable 
 .a part in the scenes of this day, your names are worthy
 
 294 LIFE A1STD ADVENTURES OF 
 
 of a pagfc in the iistory of our country, for this act of 
 patriotism. 
 
 " Gentlemen, I now with these my worthy companions 
 and the only two surviving members present, of the 
 army of Gen. Sullivan, and in the name of the Committee 
 of the County of Livingston, surrender to you these 
 sacred relics for an honorable interment at Mt. Hope, 
 where you will pay to them the highest tribute of respect. 
 Gentlemen, they are yours." 
 
 Hon. E. F. Smith, Mayor of the city of Rochester, 
 then appropriately responded, saying among other things, 
 that "he was confident the citizens of Rochester would 
 sacredly discharge the duty of rendering their last rest- 
 ing place in Mt. Hope Cemetery, an appropriate mauso- 
 leum for those whose services in the cause of freedom 
 entitled them to honor in death as in life." 
 
 The imposing cortege re-embarked and returned to 
 the city of Rochester, where they arrived on the 21st in 
 the morning, when a grand procession being formed, 
 Gov. Seward and many others joining them, they pro- 
 ceeded to Mt. Hope, where with appropriate exercises 
 and patriotic speeches of the Governor and others, the 
 sarcophagus and urn containing the sacred relics, were 
 left on " Revolutionary Hill," and thus ended the most 
 imposing pageant, the really most patriotic demonstra- 
 tion, thus far happening in the history of the young city 
 of Rochester.
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 . * 
 
 As had been well attested in many a bloody fray, 
 Van Campen's conduct during the war of the Revolution 
 was well calculated to inspire terror among the Indians, 
 and yet his relations with them in subsequent years were 
 generally of a pleasant nature. 
 
 Up to the time of his removal to Dansville (1831), 
 and for some time after, even, the Indians from the Can- 
 eadea, Tonawanda, and Buffalo Reservations, used fre- 
 quently to visit him. Some of these visits, no doubt, 
 were prompted by mere curiosity to see the man; some 
 to renew old acquaintanceship, some to barter baskets, 
 needlework, ladles, etc., for articles which they wanted, 
 and had good reason to suppose he might have, and it is 
 known that some came to him for advice and counsel in 
 matters of importance. 
 
 John Mohawk, then an aged chief, formerly a warrior 
 of renown, was still living on the Caneadea Reservation, 
 about twenty miles below Angelica. (This must have been 
 along in the twenties.) His famous encounter with Van 
 Campen was known " far and wide," and he had frequent 
 occasion to exhibit the scar which he bore, as a sort of 
 souvenir of that interesting event. 
 
 Meeting Capt. Horatio Jones one day, (it is hardly 
 known where, though his son Charles Jones thinks it must 
 have been at " Sweet Briar," Jones' home, near Geneseo; 
 (295)
 
 296 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 the fact is Capt. Jones was in those days quite a ubiq- 
 uitous character; he was here, he was there, he was 
 everywhere, and anywhere, and all pretty much at the 
 'same time, and more extensively known than any other 
 man in the Genesee country,) Jones told him he ought 
 to go and see Van Campen. Mohawk said, " Van Campen 
 would not want to see me." Jones said, " Van Campen 
 is a warrior. It is peace now; he will be glad to see 
 you." 
 
 Mohawk finally yielded to his persuasions, and soon 
 after went to see him. Some one accompanied him to 
 Van Campen's house. The Major was sick and confined 
 to his room and bed. It was warm weather, and just at 
 dusk. Their errand was made known. A daughter of 
 Van Campen, who answered the call, went and told her 
 father there was an Indian there, whom she thought, from 
 his appearance, was John Mohawk, who wanted to see 
 him. Said the Major, " Tell him to come in." Said she, 
 " Are you not afraid ?" He said, " No, tell him to come 
 in." Mohawk then came in. Van Campen then said, "Are 
 you John Mohawk ?" Mohawk said, " Yes." Then Van 
 Campen said, " Come here." The Indian came up to 
 the bed. Van Campen placed his hand on his neck, and 
 running it down under the clothing, very plainly felt 
 the scar made by the hatchet, and said, " Yes, you are 
 John Mohawk, that's my mark." 
 
 Some time after, Mohawk came to Van Campen's for 
 some corn. Geo. Lockhart, who had recently married 
 one of the Van Campen girls, was present. He knew all 
 about the hatchet affiair, but from curiosity to know
 
 RELICS OF VAN CAMPEN, NOW IN POSSESSION OF MOSES BURK, 
 
 OF ANGELICA, N. Y. RIFLE, COMPASS, JACOB'S STAFF, 
 
 CHAIN, &c., &c. (See Page 298.)
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPBN. 297 
 
 low Mohawk would take it, upon observing the scar, 
 innocently (?) asked him how he came by it. When 
 Mohawk answered, " Yankee done it, Yankee done it. 
 Peace now !" and said no more about it. 
 
 Mr. N. A. Pettee, of Wiscoy, New York, says his 
 father, the late Ebenezer Pettee, of Pike, N. Y., used 
 frequently to tell of witnessing a meeting between Van 
 Campen and Mohawk, which occurred at a public house, 
 at Cold Creek (Hume), very likely the one kept by the 
 late " Uncle Chauncey G. Ingham," when they talked 
 over "war times." The famous encounter was gone 
 over with, when Mohawk asked Van Campen to drink 
 with him, remarking, " White man too much for Indian 
 that time /" 
 
 The good feeling existing between Mohawk and Van 
 Campen, during those later years, was feelingly attested 
 by Mohawk's carving a very fine ladle and giving it to 
 a daughter of Van Campen, Mrs. George Lockhart, as 
 a pledge or token of friendship. 
 
 This ladle was for many years used in the dairy oper- 
 ations of the Lockhart family, and is now carefully pre- 
 served by a daughter, Miss Mary Lockhart, of Almond, 
 N. Y., though the real custodian of this interesting old 
 relic at this writing, is Hon. Wni. P. Letchworth, who is 
 deeply interested in everything pertaining to Mohawk 
 and Van Campen.* 
 
 *John Mohawk, alias "Old Wayne Washington," by which 
 name many of the early settlers in this vicinity knew him, was 
 buried on what came afterward to be known as Lot Twenty-six, 
 of Joseph Jones' subdivision of the Caneadea Indian Reservation, 
 (Town of Hume, Allegany Co., N. Y.,) a few rods to the rear of 
 the present farm house of Delos Benjamin, Esq. He must have 
 died late in the twenties.
 
 298 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 Moses Burr, of Angelica, N. Y., a grandson of Van 
 Campen, still has the favorite rifle of the Major, a 
 beautiful piece of workmanship, made to order, and 
 elaborately embellished with silver and it is said, a 
 remarkable good shooter in its day, in the hands of its- 
 owner his compass, Jacob-staff, chain, drafting instru- 
 ments and various other things he left, most of which, 
 are shown in the picture, " Relics of Van Campen." 
 
 Hon. Wm. P. Letchworth, at his beautiful country 
 seat, Glen Iris (Genesee Falls), last summer showed "the 
 author an old traveling trunk, which Major Van Campen 
 once, and probably for long years, owned and used. . 
 Compared with some of our modern " Saratogas," it is 
 of quite diminutive proportions. Its material is leather, 
 over a steel or iron frame, lined with bed ticking, and it 
 is now quite badly " demoralized." 
 
 On the inside is still to be seen the business card, or 
 advertisement of the house from which it was obtained,, 
 which reads: 
 
 " McKENZIE, 
 
 CORNER BROADWAY AND WALL ST., 
 TRAVELING TRUNKS OF EVERY DESCRIPTION." 
 
 And on the outside is an oval brass plate upon which ia 
 neatly engraved the name, 
 
 MOSES VAN CAMEEN.
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 After removing to Dansville (1831), Major Van; 
 Campen did some work in the line of surveying, and 
 continued to be quite active for some years. He lived 
 on Ossian St., in a house which is still standing, but haa 
 been removed to Seward St., and is now owned by Misa 
 Anna Adams. The place on Ossian St. is now occupied 
 by a furniture establishment. 
 
 In a recent interview with Mrs. Dr. Branch, a daughter 
 of the late Gen. Mills, of Mt. Morris, she informed me 
 that he used frequently, while living in Dansville, to 
 visit her father, and they would return the visits. She- 
 was quite young at the time, and her recollections of the 
 Major are remarkably distinct. She speaks especially 
 of his methodical habits. At precisely eight o'clock 
 every evening he would wind up the clock, then read a 
 portion of Scripture and have family worship, after- 
 which anyone was at liberty to retire or remain up 
 longer for reading or conversation, as they might elect.- 
 
 He was of a cheerful nature, somewhat of a humorist, 
 enjoyed greatly the jokes, anecdotes and stories of others, 
 and could, as occasion seemed to require, contribute his 
 full share toward making pleasant a social gathering. 
 Many came, some from long distances, to gaze upon his 
 features and listen to his conversation, which, for their- 
 gratification, was largely made up of stories, anecdotes,, 
 (299)
 
 300 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 incidents and reminescences of Revolutionary days. He 
 could accommodate himself to any society, whether 
 learned or illiterate; was equally at home in the draw- 
 ing-room of the rich, or the humble cabin of the " set- 
 tler," and his character and attainments were such as to 
 command universal respect, and even admiration. 
 
 In February, 1845, he was stricken with paralysis a 
 severe shock and during the next month his wife died. 
 Afflicted in body and bereaved in spirit, his fourth 
 daughter, Mrs. Hubbard, then a widow, came and kept 
 his house, affectionately caring for him, ministering to 
 his necessities, and relieving, as much as possible, his 
 distress. Faithfully attended to, he made partial re- 
 covery, became so much improved in 1847 that he en- 
 joyed a reasonable degree of health for one of his years, 
 in fact, his body was so much restored and faculties so 
 recovered as to enable him, in the exuberancy of his 
 spirits, and with a kind of old man's pride, to execute 
 those examples of computation of areas, of which is so 
 neatly given a reduced fac simile, in such a style and 
 manner as would do credit to a much younger man. 
 
 In May, 1848, he removed to Almond, and took up 
 his abode with Joseph Lockhart, a son of his daughter 
 Mary, Mrs. Geo. Lockhart. As the debility of age and 
 increasing infirmities became more and more apparent, 
 he frequently expressed a desire to get back to the " old 
 place " to die.* 
 
 *The "old place" had many years before been sold on a 
 judgment obtained against him on paper he had endorsed, and 
 obligations he had incurred for others, and the well earned ac- 
 cumulation of years of hard labor was thus swept away. His 
 son-in-law, Alvin Burr, was the purchaser, and so for a long time 
 it was kept in the family.
 
 MOSES VAX CAMPEX. 301 
 
 This wish was gratified, as in June, 1849, he made his. 
 last remove, this time, indeed, to the " old place," to- 
 live with his daughter Anna, wife of Alvin Burr, who 
 
 now owned it. He was feeble, his constitution broken 
 
 > 
 
 his body suffering with pain, so distressing at times aa 
 to throw dark shadows over his naturally cheerful spirits. 
 
 Slowly moving around as best he could on crutches, 
 he passed the remainder of his days mostly indoors, and 
 when October came, with "meadows brown and sere,' 
 when the rich autumnal tints fell upon the forest foliage, 
 giving hint that the season was ended and the harvest 
 had come, it became painfully apparent that his end was 
 near, that this golden sheaf was soon to be garnered in. 
 
 So, slowly the candle of life burned down in its socket. 
 The tongue lost its cunning, the eye its luster, the faintly 
 nickering light went out on the loth inst., and his spirit 
 departed to be forever at rest with his Maker. 
 
 Previous to his death he had expressed a wish that 
 the Rev. Thomas Aitken, of Sparta, might preach his 
 funeral sermon. A messenger was dispatched for his. 
 friend, and he came. 
 
 After the burial, which was on Sunday, the 17th, the 
 services were conducted in the Presbyterian church. " I 
 have fought a good fight," was the text used as the 
 foundation of an able discourse, which was listened to- 
 by a large concourse of people, notwithstanding the 
 weather, which was very rainy. 
 
 In the. beautiful village cemetery at Angelica, not far 
 back from the street, and at a distance of only about 
 twenty feet from where now repose the remains of his
 
 302 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 lifelong friend and early patron, Judge Philip Church, 
 can be seen a plain marble slab, bearing this inscription: 
 
 IN MEMORY OF 
 
 MOSES VAN CAMPEN, 
 
 A BRAVE OFFICER OF THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR, 
 -AN EMINENT CITIZEN AND AN ENLIGHTENED CHRISTIAN. 
 
 DIED OCTOBER 15, 1849, 
 AGED 92 YEARS AND 9 MONTHS. 
 
 " The notes of war are hushed, 
 
 The rage of battle o'er, 
 The warrior is at rest, 
 
 He hears our praise no more." 
 
 " The soldier nobly fought 
 
 For all we dearly love, 
 He fought to gain a heavenly crown, 
 
 And now he reigns above." 
 
 In religious faith and convictions Major Van Campen 
 was a devoted Presbyterian. He was one of the six 
 who united in organizing the Presbyterian church at 
 Angelica, in 1812, and was the first, and for many years 
 the only, ruling elder. 
 
 In the language of his obituary, written by Rev. Mr. 
 Aitken, who also prepared the inscription for his tomb- 
 stone, " His Christianity was pure, his views of religion 
 sound and scriptural, and his fidelity and integrity of char- 
 acter were like his own well aimed rifle, true to the 
 mark."
 
 APPENDIX. 
 "NOTE A. 
 
 Pearce, in his " Annals of Luzerne County," speaking 
 of this transaction, as related by Rogers, a boy at that 
 time, and taken prisoner with the others, says (using 
 Rogers' language), " Pike proposed to kill the Indians. 
 The prisoners were all pinioned but myself, and it was 
 agreed that I should procure a knife, which I did. Pike 
 cut himself loose, and while the Indians were sleeping 
 he took away their guns, and then cut the other men 
 loose. One Indian awakened and immediately Pence 
 fired at him. Major Van Campen took a hatchet and 
 tilled two Indians before they arose ; the rest ran. The 
 prisoners all escaped and arrived safely at Wilkesbarre." 
 
 " Jonah Rogers was thirteen years of age, and was 
 known as a person of truth. His statement conflicts 
 materially with that of Van Campen, who says the In- 
 dians were killed chiefly by his own hand, and that 
 Pike was an arrant coward. We have also found Van 
 dampen's stories of other matters to be erroneous, and 
 we are disposed to receive the account of Rogers as un- 
 qualifiedly true." 
 
 Col. John G. Freeze in his " History of Columbia 
 County " says : 
 
 " Mr. Pearce says that Capt. Walker erected Fort Jen- 
 kins, and charges that Van Campen claims that honor. 
 (303)
 
 304 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 Certainly no such claim is made in the " Life of Van 
 Campen," and I cannot account for this inadvertance. 
 
 " Mr. Pearce asserts that Fort Muncey was built by 
 Capt. Walker. It was so built in 1778, under Col. Hartr 
 ley, but it was also as certainly abandoned, and substan- 
 tially destroyed, and remained so in December, 1779.. 
 Major Van Campen says that "in March, 1782, at the 
 head of Capt. Robison's company, he was ordered to 
 march to a place called Muncey, and there rebuild a 
 fort, which had been destroyed by the Indians in the 
 year 1779." 
 
 " I see no reason to question Major Van Campen's ver- 
 acity in this matter. He was certainly with Capt. 
 Robison in June, 1781, and in September, 1781 ; and in 
 April, 1782, Col. Hunter writes to Vice President Potter 
 that Capt. Robison is then at Muncey, and is repairing 
 the fort. Besides Van Campen's narrative was written 
 and published at a time when, if false, it could and 
 would have been contradicted by many living witnesses. 
 
 " I am furnished the following letter by a gentleman 
 who shows himself competent to speak on the subject : 
 " You are no doubt aware that certain sapient historians 
 have endeavored to make Abraham Pike the hero of the 
 killing of the Indian captors, instead of the hated and 
 despised Pennamite, Van Campen. Abraham Pike was 
 a rather worthless fellow, doing but little good for him- 
 self and still less for others ; wandering around from 
 house to house, retailing his Munchausen tales, thereby 
 securing his whisky, bread, and a warm place by the fire, 
 on the strength of his wonderful exploits as related by 
 himself. I have heard of an incident related of him, for
 
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 MOSES VAN CAMPEN. 305 
 
 which at this distant day I cannot vouch. He had pro- 
 cured the services of some one of the many historians of 
 the Wyoming Valley to write his " Memoirs ;" the ready 
 writer proceeded until he came to a case of sheep steal- 
 ing in which Pike had been engaged. The writer, as an 
 honest man, insisted on inserting the transaction, while 
 Pike swore roundly that it should not be put down, 
 which cut the " Memoirs " of this wonderful man short, 
 and deprived the world at large of a full knowledge of 
 his heroic deeds. 
 
 " My father was well acquainted with the boy Rogers, 
 who Van Campen relates was captured from the Wyo- 
 ming settlements, and was present at the killing of the 
 Indians. He told the same story that Van Campen did, 
 and, furthermore, said he did not contradict Pike, unless 
 specially appealed to, as the poor old fellow's whisky and 
 living depended in a great measure upon his self-glorifi- 
 cation. Pike died as he lived, a pauper. The absurdity 
 of Pike's claim to killing the Indians, in ordinary times 
 would have been hooted at, but at that time the passions 
 of Yankee and Pennamite ran so high, that almost any 
 tale reflecting to the discredit of the Pennamite, was re- 
 ceived without question." (By those, of course, of Yan- 
 kee proclivities or antecedents. ED.) THE AUTHOR. 
 
 In a recent letter from an eminent historian who has 
 spent much time in investigating this interesting matter, 
 as well as occurrences and incidents bearing more or less 
 directly upon it, he says : 
 
 " Regarding the Pike story, I have not a shade of 
 doubt that Van Campen told the truth. Horatio Jones
 
 306 LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF 
 
 often confirmed the story. Stone's Life of Brant reports 
 the main facts. The Pennsylvania Historical Collec- 
 tions confirm it in a dozen ways. * * * Pence was one 
 of the noted historical characters of the Pennsylvania 
 border, a fearless, reckless, backwoodsman, a fit comrade 
 for Van Campen in such a frightful enterprise, while 
 Pike passes out of history with the ending of his exis- 
 tence. 
 
 " If Van Campen's story was false, why should the In- 
 dians place a price on his head and utterly ignore Pike ? 
 for in all references to the affair in that day, Van Camp- 
 en was regarded as the leader of the party. There is 
 every probability that Van Campen spoke truly regard- 
 ing Pike." 
 
 The meetings of Van Campen and Mohawk, as well 
 as the interesting episode attending the meeting of 
 Chief Shongo with Van Campen, elsewhere related, and 
 which was witnessed by quite a number of reputable 
 men, give the best of reasons for crediting Van Camp- 
 en's story. 
 
 It has always been claimed that " Mohawk was the 
 Indian to whom Van Campen lent his hatchet," and it is 
 the editor's opinion, that he in some way got away with 
 the hatchet, and that it was in fact his, having been 
 stolen away the same as the guns were. Mr. Hubbard's 
 text does not state that Van Campen found it. Care- 
 fully read Mr. Harris' note, found in its proper place. 
 
 ED.
 
 JUDGE PHILIP CHURCH 
 AT 81. 
 
 if Half Tone from Miniature by Fagnani,]
 
 SKETCH OF JUDGE PHILIP CHURCH. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Philip Church was born in Boston, April 14, 1778. 
 His mother was Angelica, the eldest daughter of Gen. 
 Philip Schuyler; his father, John Barker Church, an 
 English gentleman of considerable means, and liberal 
 education. Mr. Church, entertaining a profound sym- 
 pathy for the people of the colonies, resolved to espouse 
 their cause, and made his way to Amenca. 
 
 Under the assumed name of Carter,* he was Commis- 
 
 *This change of name has always to the author, and presum- 
 ably to others, been enshrouded in mystery. Two different ver- 
 sions of the cause or -reason for assuming this alias are given by 
 his descendants, in substance that although his sympathies for 
 the colonists were ardent from the outset, it is now by his de- 
 scendants considered reasonably well settled, that the immediate 
 cause of his leaving England at the particular time he did, was 
 that " he had fought a duel with a man of rank, and supposing 
 he had killed him he fled to this country to avoid the conse- 
 quences, assuming the name of John Carter. * * * Some 
 time during the war of the Kevolution he met an old friend 
 from England, who informed him that his supposed victim was 
 not dead, and he then assumed, or rather resumed, his right 
 name." Others think another explanation more entitled to 
 credit, which is this: John Barker, who married his father's 
 sister, was a very prominent merchant, and noted for his kind- 
 ness to the poor. He was a man of large wealth, and John 
 Barker Church was named after him, and would, if he had 
 remained in England and adhered to the crown, have inherited 
 it, as his uncle had no children, and was disposed to bequeath 
 it to him. John Barker Church had, however, expressed his 
 opinion as to the on-coming struggle with the American colonies 
 
 (307)
 
 308 SKETCH OF JUDGE PHILIP CHURCH. 
 
 sary to the French army during the Revolution, aud un- 
 der this nom de guerre, he made the acquaintance of 
 many of the officers of the American army, prominent 
 among whom were Alexander Hamilton and Philip 
 Schuyler. With the Schuyler family he became socially 
 intimate, and with Angelica, the eldest daughter, he 
 was deeply impressed, and a friendship resulted, which, 
 in becoming time, ripened into love, and the twain were 
 made one on the 23d of July, 1777. 
 
 It is supposed that " John B. Church must have 
 brought quite a handsome sum into this country, which 
 was largely increased by his business partnership with 
 Col. Jeremiah Wadsworth, of Hartford, Conn., they 
 having charge of the subsistence of the French army." 
 
 His duties made it necessary for him to be .in Boston, 
 New York, Philadelphia, Albany, and other places. To 
 show the esteem in which his amiable wife was held by 
 those whose sympathies were with the crown, in other 
 words, " Loyalists," and their estimation also of him, 
 the following quotation from a book entitled, " Men and 
 Manners in America, One Hundred Years Ago," edited 
 by H. E. Scudder, is introduced. The article from 
 
 too emphatically to retract it, nor did he desire to, so coming to 
 America where he could have opportunity to express his sym- 
 pathies in a practical way, he assumed the name John Carter, 
 thinking that perhaps his uncle, who was very much displeased 
 with his political utterances, might not discover it, and he there- 
 by might still inherit the fortune. His uncle, however, found 
 it out, and directly bestowed his wealth in other ways, cutting 
 him off entirely. The nephew becoming apprised of this, im- 
 mediately resumed his own name, by which he was ever after- 
 ward known. While these two versions of this matter may not 
 effectually clear up whatever of mystery there may be connected 
 with it, it is thought best after maturely considering the matter 
 to introduce them.
 
 SKETCH OF JUDGE PHILIP CHURCH. 309 
 
 vhich this quotation is made, was written by the Baroness 
 Hiedesel, and the reader should keep in mind the excited 
 state of feeling which then existed, which should go far 
 toward excusing extravagant expressions. 
 
 Says the Baroness : " Curiosity and desire urged me 
 to pay a visit to Madame Carter, the daughter of Gen. 
 Schuyler, and I dined at her house several times. The 
 city throughout is pretty, but inhabited by violent 
 patriots, and full of wicked people. The women, espec- 
 ially, were so shameless that they regarded me with 
 repugnance, and even spit at me when I passed by them. 
 Madame Carter was as gentle and good as her parents, 
 but her husband was wicked and treacherous. She came 
 often to visit us, and also dined at our house with the 
 other generals. We sought to show them by every 
 means our gratitude. They seemed, also, to have much 
 friendship for us, and yet, at the same time, this miser- 
 able Carter, when the English general Howe, had burned 
 many hamlets and small towns, made the horrible propo- 
 sition to the Americans, to chop off the heads of our 
 generals, salt them down in small barrels, and send over 
 to the English, one of these barrels for every hamlet or 
 little town burned down; but this barbarous suggestion 
 fortunately was not adopted." 
 
 Philip, while yet an infant, was present during a visit 
 of his mother at her father's, when the memorable at- 
 tempt was made by John Waltemeyer, a tory refugee, at 
 the head of a party of tones, Canadians, and Indians, to 
 capture Gen. Schuyler, and remove the powerful influ- 
 ence he was exerting against the success of the banded 
 tones and Indians.
 
 310 SKETCH OF JUDGE PHILIP CHUBCH. 
 
 Gen. Schuyler, looking out of a window, saw that Wis 
 house was surrounded by armed men. Immediately 
 posting himself with his servants at the foot of the 
 stairs with the best weapons they could lay their hands 
 on, he resolved at least to protect the family. 
 
 The banditti soon forced an entrance into the house. 
 At this juncture Margaret Schuyler (afterwards the wife 
 of Gen. Stephen Van Rensselaer), discovered that her 
 sister's infant had been left asleep in the cradle upon the 
 ground floor. Rushing down stairs and passing her father 
 against his remonstrances, she seized the child, and was 
 passing the besiegers, when John Waltemeyer, mistak- 
 ing her for a servant maid, demanded of her " Wench, 
 where is your master f " " Gone to call the guard," she 
 replied, with remarkable presence of mind, and made a 
 safe retreat with the child, not however, without receiv- 
 ing some disagreeable attention from an Indian, who 
 hurled his tomahawk at them, which fortunately did no 
 further harm than to tear Miss Schuyler's dress, slightly 
 graze the infant's forehead, and finally spend its futile 
 force in making a cut in the stair casing or railing. 
 Judge Church, in later life, used to exhibit the scar, and 
 the mark of the tomahawk on the casing, for ought the 
 author knows, may be seen today ; it could at least only 
 a few years ago. 
 
 The rare presence of mind exhibited by the daughter, 
 was only equalled by the ruse resorted to by the father, 
 who suddenly raising a window, as if a host had come to 
 his rescue, called out at the top of his voice, which no 
 friends were there to hear : " My friends, my friends, 
 quickly surround the house, and let not one of the rascals
 
 SKETCH OF JUDGE PHILIP CHUKCH. 311 
 
 escape ! " The banditti were panic striken, ran down 
 stairs, sweeping the silver from, the sideboard as they 
 passed out, hurrying off with them in their retreat to 
 the woods as captives, two slaves, the first armed rescue 
 perhaps of " persons held to service," that ever occurred 
 in this State. 
 
 Soon after the close of the Revolution, John B. 
 Church and his partner, Col. Wadsworth, went to Paris, 
 where they remained for about eighteen months, a good 
 share of the time being devoted to settling up matters 
 pertaining to the Commissary business. 
 
 Mr. Church's family accompanied him, and while re- 
 siding in Paris, the celebrated American artist, Col. 
 Trumball, was employed to paint a portrait of the boy 
 Philip, which picture has always been regarded by the 
 family as a treasure of inestimable value. 
 
 In Paris Mr. Church renewed his old time close rela- 
 tions with La Fayette, and made the acquaintance of 
 Tallyrand and many other eminent statesmen of France. 
 
 Leaving Paris, he took up his residence in London, and 
 at " Down Place," his country residence, on the Thames, 
 about four miles from Windsor Castle. The house of" 
 Mr. Church in London was the frequent resort of Fox 
 and Pitt ; of prominent Americans who visited that 
 city ; and, on the breaking out of the French Revolu- 
 tion, when the refugees fled to London, he had as guests, 
 Tallyrand and many of his companions, with most of 
 whom he had become acquainted in America and Paris.* 
 
 *The family coat of arms impressed in wax lies before the 
 author, who confesses to not being familiar with heraldic em- 
 blms and devices, and therefore is unable to decipher or explain 
 the peculiar significance of the three open hands (sinister) shown
 
 312 SKETCH OF JUDGE PHILIP CHURCH. 
 
 On his return to England, John B. Church, having 
 been a decided partisan in the Revolution, and moreover 
 having connected himself by marriage with so notorious 
 a " rebel " family as the Schuylers, found himself not in 
 good repute with the high tory party, and had especially 
 the disfavor of his patron uncle. Fortunately, however, 
 the American adventurer was as independent in his 
 purse as in his politics, and soon grew in favor with Fox 
 and Pitt and their party. He was elected a member of 
 the British Parliament from Wendover, warmly espoused 
 the liberal party, and adhered to Mr. Fox, when it was 
 said in derision that " his party could go to the House of 
 Commons in a hackney coach." 
 
 Mr. Church's family physician was the physician of 
 George the Third, and long before it transpired publicly, 
 the physician informed Mr. and Mrs. Church of the 
 king's abberration of mind, and did not hesitate, confi- 
 dentially, to attribute the development of hereditary 
 tendency, to the loss of the American Colonies. 
 
 As is well known, Robert Morris, the " financier of the 
 Revolution," soon after the termination of the war for 
 independence, engaged largely in land speculations, and 
 soon became the largest individual land holder in the 
 States; and as sometimes occurs, he did not realize so 
 rapidly, nor so much, as he anticipated from his invest' 
 ments. 
 
 This, together with his liberal advances to support 
 
 on the tipper part of the shield ; but the mailed arm, the hand 
 grasping a truncheon of command, would certainly imply, to & 
 novice at least, the idea of a good degree of importance, and as- 
 sign to the family a position of prominence, and commanding 
 influence or power.
 
 SKETCH OF JUDGE PHILIP CHURCH. 313 
 
 the Continental army, which were not promptly restored, 
 caused him serious embarrassment, and he was com- 
 pelled to borrow money from different individuals, giv- 
 ing for security mortgages on his property. John B. 
 Church loaned him a considerable sum of money, taking 
 security in the name of Alexander Hamilton, a brother- 
 in-law, as trustee, on property in the city of Philadelphia, 
 being the square between 8th and 9th Sts. and Chestnut 
 and Sansom Sts., on a part of which square the Conti- 
 nental Hotel now stands. 
 
 Some time in the latter part of 1795, or early in 1796, 
 Mr. Morris having determined to erect a palatial resi- 
 dence on ground encumbered by this mortgage, proposed 
 to Gen. Hamilton, to change the security to 100,000 acres 
 of his land in the Genesee Country. Gen. H. wrote to 
 John B. Church, who was then in London, stating the 
 proposition, and advising him to accede to his request, 
 stating that he thought the security good, and if not 
 good, Mr. Morris' bond was good for the amount. 
 
 In accordance with this advice, the mortgage on the 
 Philadelphia property was discharged and another exe- 
 cuted, bearing date May 31st, 1796, for the sum of 
 $81,679.44, which amount was quite likely inclusive of 
 some interest, taken on the 100,000 acres. Mr. Church 
 still being an alien, this was also given, running to Gen. 
 Hamilton. (More of this mortgage further on.) 
 
 At the proper age Philip was sent to Eton, where he 
 pursued his studies for six consecutive years. It is a 
 proverbial saying that " Harrow makes Scholars, West- 
 minster, Blackguards, and Eton, Gentlemen," and Mr. 
 Church was no exception to the truth last mentioned.
 
 314 SKETCH OF JUDGE PHILIP CHURCH. 
 
 All his manners proclaimed the dignified and polished 
 gentleman, and in this respect he was a worthy repre- 
 sentative of that justly celebrated school, one of the 
 glorious institutions of Old England. 
 
 At Eton he formed intimacies with many who became 
 eminent in English history. During vacations he re- 
 turned to his father's house in London, and there met 
 many prominent statesmen of the day. On one occasion 
 he met the Prince of Wales, afterward George IV.. 
 The Prince was always friendly, but George . Ill could 
 never forget the part his father had taken during the 
 Revolution, and as the King rode by " Down Place," 
 he would sneeringly point to it as the residence of the 
 " American Commissary." 
 
 Philip, as the eldest son of a member, was entitled to- 
 the privilege of attending the Parliamentary debates^ 
 and often listened to Sheridan, and that wonderful trio- 
 of illustrious English statesmen, Pitt, Fox, and Burke r 
 the most brilliant galaxy of orators that ever convened 
 at any one period in the world's history, and though 
 quite young at the time, he ever remembered the tinsel 
 of, Sheridan's eloquence, the impetuosity of Fox r and the 
 grandeur of Burke. 
 
 The latter he seldom mentioned without speaking of 
 the empty benches when the great orator was delivering- 
 his stately sentences to the business-like House of Com- 
 mons, and usually concluded by quoting Goldsmith's, 
 well-known lines: 
 
 " Here lies our good Edmund, whose genius was such 
 We scarcely can praise it, or blame it too much - r 
 Who for the universe narrowed his mind, 
 And to party gave up what was meant for mankind.
 
 SKETCH OF JUDGE PHILIP CHURCH. 315 
 
 Who too deep for his hearers still went on refining, 
 
 And thought of convincing while they thought of dining ; 
 
 Though equal to all things, for all things unfit, 
 
 Too nice for a statesman, too proud for a wit ; 
 
 In short, 'twas his fate, unemployed or in place, sir, 
 
 To eat mutton cold, and cut blocks with a razor." 
 
 In 1797 John Barker Church removed with his family 
 from England, and resumed his residence in New York. 
 At that time, he was considered as one of the richest 
 men in the country. Philip accompanied the family, 
 resumed his law studies* in the office of Nathaniel Pen- 
 dleton, Esq., and was admitted to the Bar, receiving his 
 license from Morgan Lewis, Justice of the Supreme 
 Oourt, dated July 14, 1804. 
 
 During his law studies, in 1801, he acted as second to 
 Philip Hamilton in his duel with E. Eckhard, in which 
 young Hamilton fell mortally wounded on the same 
 ground where his father subsequently met his melancholy 
 fate. 
 
 Previous to his admission to the Bar, the prospect of 
 serious difficulty with France made necessary the organ- 
 ization of the provisional army, under the administration 
 of John Adams. Washington was appointed Commander- 
 in-Chief, and on the 28th day of July, 1798, Alexander 
 Hamilton was appointed Major General and Inspector 
 General of the army. 
 
 On the very day of his appointment, Hamilton ad- 
 dressed the following to James McHenry, the then Sec- 
 retary of War : 
 
 *After leaving Eton, Philip entered the Middle Temple and 
 commenced the study of law,
 
 316 SKETCH OF JUDGE PHILIP CHURCH. 
 
 "January 25th, 1798. 
 
 " Allow me to remind you of my nephew, Philip 
 Church, whom I warmly recommend for a Captaincy in 
 the infantry. He is the eldest son of his father, has a 
 good education, is a young man of sense, of genuine 
 spirit and worth, and of considerable expectations in 
 point of fortune. I shall esteem his appointment to this 
 grade a personal favor, while I believe it will consist 
 with every rule of propriety. A. HAMILTON." 
 
 Washington at first declined to approve the appoint- 
 ment, owing to his youth, but afterwards, in deference ( 
 to the wishes of Gens. Schuyler and Hamilton, and be- 
 ing favorably impressed by the efficiency and prompti- 
 tude of young Church, who had been frequently em- 
 ployed as a medium of communication between himself 
 and Gen. Hamilton, he gave his approbation, and the 
 appointment was made. 
 
 Immediately thereafter he received from Hamilton the 
 appointment as his Aide-de-camp, as appears by the fol- 
 lowing commission, the original still in possession of 
 Major Church : 
 
 " To Philip Church, Esq., Captain in the regiment of 
 Infantry, whereof William Smith, Esq., is Lieut. Col one] 
 Commanding : 
 
 " In virtue of the privilege and authority to me given. 
 by law, I do hereby appoint you to be my Aide-de-camp, 
 to have and to hold all the compensations, rights and 
 authorities to the said office annexed or appertaining, so 
 long as you shall continue therein, and I do hereby re- 
 quire all persons to whom it may concern, to obey and 
 respect you accordingly. Given under my hand at the
 
 SKETCH OF JUDGE PHILIP CHURCH. 317 
 
 New York, the 12th day of January, in the year 
 of our Lord 1799. ALEXANDER HAMILTON." 
 
 To show the progress that Mr. Church was making in 
 the esteem of Washington, while the application for the 
 appointment to the Captaincy was pending, the follow- 
 ing copy of a letter is introduced. It is copied direct, 
 from the original in the hand writing of Washing- 
 ton, which has been carefully preserved. Mr. Church 
 had just delivered despatches to Washington, and the 
 enclosures referred to were letters addressed to Mr. 
 Church's father and grandfather, Gen. Schuyler : 
 
 " Sir : I beg leave to commit the enclosed letters ta 
 your care. If business, duty, or inclination, should ever 
 call you into the State of Virginia, I shall be very 
 happy to see you at Mt. Vernon, the place of my retreat. 
 Being with esteem, sir, 
 
 Your most o'bt. and h'ble servant, 
 Go. WASHINGTON. 
 Philadelphia, 4th December, 1798." 
 
 Precisely one year and ten days after the date of the 
 foregoing, viz., Dec. 14th, 1799, the immortal spirit of 
 Washington passed from the stirring scenes of earth to 
 his glorious reward. Capt. Church (as it is now proper 
 to call him), as Chief of the Staff, accompanied Hamil- 
 ton to Philadelphia to take part in the solemn obsequies, 
 and to pay the last tribute of respect to the great de- 
 parted.* 
 
 *Capt. Church also acted as Hamilton's private secretary, and 
 held the situation through the year 1800. He remembered hav- 
 ing filed away during this period, among the papers of Gen. 
 Hamilton, the original of the Farewell Address of Washington.
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 In 1799, Capt. Church visited Canandaigua to attend 
 the sale under foreclosure of the 100,000 acres, previous- 
 ly spoken of, Mr. Morris having become unable to pay 
 off the mortgage. He bid in the property and took 
 a deed in his own name, dated May 6th, 1800. The 
 property, however, was really purchased on joint ac- 
 count with his father, who offered him a half interest 
 if he would assume the management, and conduct tha 
 subdivision and sales of the tract. 
 
 Capt. Church having enlisted in this land enterprise, 
 and public attention being attracted to it, he at once be- 
 came very much interested in it. Absorbing his atten- 
 tion almost entirely to the exclusion of other pursuits, 
 he soon abandoned a brief practice of his profession, in 
 order to give personal attention to bringing it into 
 market, conducting the sales and business generally. 
 
 So in 1801, he left the city on an exploring expedition, 
 stopping for a day or two at Geneva for the purpose of 
 obtaining the necessary camp equipage and provisions, 
 and plunged into the wilderness which then, almost un- 
 broken, covered all of Western New York. By pre- 
 vious arrangement he had engaged the services of 
 Major Moses Van Campen as surveyor, and John Gibson, . 
 John Lewis, and Stephen Price. They all met by ap- 
 pointment at Almond, which was the settlement nearest 
 the tract. (318)
 
 SKETCH OF JUDGE PHILIP CHFECH. 319 
 
 This point was eighteen miles distant from the proper- 
 ty, and had not as yet been dignified with a name. 
 
 The company at once applied themselves to the busi- 
 ness in hand. Proceeding along the route which was 
 designated partly by the course of an Indian trail, and 
 part of the way by blazed trees, with now and then 
 a log removed to admit the passage of a pack-horse, 
 they made their advent upon the tract at a point about 
 one-half a mile north of the present village of Wellsville, 
 substantially at the south-east corner, and pursued a 
 route from Almond, nearly identical with the subsequent 
 location of the Erie Railroad. They at once commenced 
 an active and thorough exploration of the entire tract. 
 
 They encountered fatigue, hunger, hardships and 
 privations. This opened a new and startling chapter of 
 adventures to Capt. Church. And indeed it was a 
 great transformation, from the City of New York to 
 this primeval forest, peopled with bears, deer, wolves, 
 and other wild animals, and certainly called into requisi- 
 tion courage, energy and endurance of a high order 
 to execute the undertaking, and in after life he frequent- 
 ly related an exciting incident which occured, and with 
 which he was strongly impressed. 
 
 Capt. Church had cut his foot, and was confined to 
 the camp. The rest of the party had been out all day, 
 and in making their way back became bewildered. He 
 heard their shouts afar off. They were evidently going 
 in the wrong direction. He endeavored to get their at- 
 tention. He called into service a good pair of lungs, 
 and shouted at the top of his voice, but all to no pur- 
 pose ; they heard him not, and finally their shoutings
 
 320 SKETCH OF JUDGE PHILIP CHURCH. 
 
 died away in the distance, and as the sombre shades of 
 evening came spreading over the grand old woods, with 
 strangely impressive stillness, he described the sensation 
 of loneliness as almost intolerable. The night at length 
 wore away, and with the arrival of morning the lost 
 party returned. 
 
 The reconnoissance was soon after completed, not 
 however until their stock of provisions was well nigh 
 exhausted. 
 
 This exploration afterward proved of great value to 
 Major Van Campen in the subdivision of the tract, 
 which he made a few years later. Nothing daunted by 
 these rough experiences, Capt. Church determined to 
 visit Niagara before his return. So selecting Van 
 Campen to accompany him, the two started on their 
 journey, pursuing an Indian trail westward, their com- 
 panions taking an opposite direction for their homes. 
 
 Major Van Campen was a remarkably athletic man, 
 with a vigorous constitution and indomitable spirit, dis- 
 tinguished alike for his daring feats in Indian warfare 
 and his skillful forest strategy, and from this time on 
 he became an important co-adjutor to Capt. Church, and 
 continued in his service more or less for the remainder 
 of his active life. 
 
 After a tramp of three days through the forest, the 
 last forty-eight hours without food, other than was 
 afforded by primitive woods, they reached the village of 
 New Amsterdam, now Buffalo, with torn garments, 
 nearly shoeless, and almost famished. 
 
 They visited the falls and gazed in rapture upon the 
 stupendous cataract, surrounded as it then was by
 
 SKETCH OF JUDGE PHILIP CHURCH. 321 
 
 an almost unbroken forest, returned to Buffalo, and 
 after a brief rest resumed their trip by the " White 
 Man's Trail," a road having been opened to Batavia, 
 shoeless and moneyless, but with renewed physical 
 powers and full of youthful vigor, for the village of 
 Bath, about one hundred miles distant. 
 
 They passed through Batavia, where the Holland Land 
 Company had just built their office. Here Capt. Church 
 borrowed some money from a Mr. Stoddard, and with 
 replenished finances, well shod and comfortably, if not 
 fashionably clad, they proceeded cheerfully on their way. 
 At Geneseo they visited Mr. Wadsworth, a friend of 
 Capt. Church, and finally reached Bath in safety. 
 
 Capt. Church soon after returned to New York, and 
 set himself earnestly at work to commence the settle- 
 ment of his lands. In 1802 he sent as his agent Evart 
 Van Wickle, to select the site for the village. It was 
 accordingly done, and he named the place Angelica, after 
 his mother. 
 
 As one of the means employed in advertising these 
 lands, a map was published showing the relative situation 
 of the tract, in the margin of which appears an announce- 
 ment, from which the following extracts are made. 
 
 " This tract of land contains 100,000 acres, and is 
 situated on the Geneseo River, twenty-two miles south 
 of Williamsburgh, one hundred east of Presque Isle, 
 eight north of the Pennsylvania line, and sixteen west 
 of the navigable waters of the Susquehannah. The land 
 is of an excellent quality, and there is every reason to 
 believe, from the purity and abundance of the streams 
 with which it is watered, as well as from the healthiness
 
 322 SKETCH OF JUDGE PHILIP CHUECH. 
 
 of the inhabitants in the adjoining settlements, that the- 
 country is remakably healthy. 
 
 " A town called Angelica is laid out near the center 
 of the tract, with four lots in the middle of it, upon 
 which churches and schools are to be erected; for the 
 building and supporting of which, 200 acres are reserved 
 near the town, and as the settlement advances, 200 acres 
 on the north and 200 acres on the south part of the tract 
 will be appropriated for a like purpose. 
 
 The proposed State Road from Catskill to Presqne 
 Isle and New Connecticut, is now opened as far as this; 
 tract, upon which a settlement was made in October 
 1802, since when a store has been established near the 
 center of the tract, and a grist and saw-mill erected. 
 
 " The lands will be sold at a moderate price on the 
 following terms, which are calculated particularly to- 
 accommodate actual settlers. 
 
 Those purchasing 100 acres and under, to pay 1-5 cash > 
 1-5 in two years without any in- 
 terest, and the remainder in three 
 equal annual payments, with in- 
 terest. 
 
 " " from 100 to 200 acres, 1-5 cash, 
 
 and the remainder in four equal 
 
 annual payments, with interest. 
 
 " " from 200 to 300 acres, 1-4 cash, 
 
 and the remainder in four equal 
 
 annual payments, with interest, 
 
 " " from 300 to 400 acres, 1-3 cash, 
 
 and the remainder in two equal 
 
 annual payments, with interest.
 
 SKETCH OF JUDGE PHILIP CHUECH. 323 
 
 " As an assistance to settlers building good houses, 
 ^boards will be sold to them at a low price for their notes, 
 payable in nine months, and should the proprietor, on 
 visiting the lands, be satisfied with their houses, he will, 
 -to those who may wish it, extend the payment of their 
 notes nine months longer."- 
 
 " For further particulars, apply to the subscriber, re- 
 siding at Angelica Town, who is the real agent for sell- 
 ing and disposing of the said lands. 
 
 EVAKT VAN WICKLE." 
 
 In the same year he made another personal visit to 
 the country, and selected the lands for his farm, and the 
 .site of his future residence, on the banks of the beautiful 
 Genesee. In making this selection he exercised sound 
 judgment and a high order of taste. Indeed, were one 
 to make the selection now, with an open cleared up 
 country spread out before him, he could not in any par- 
 ticular improve upon the choice then made. 
 
 The 2,000 acres set apart is the finest land in the whole 
 tract, and the situation of the house is incomparably the 
 finest in the whole country. The wonder is that he 
 should so readily have made such a strikingly favorable 
 selection, so encompassed as he was with the intermin- 
 able woods, when the sight was so circumscribed, and 
 he could only form his judgment from a knowledge 
 
 obtained from personal explorations. 
 
 This place he very properly named Belvidere. 
 
 In 1804 he built his temporary residence at Belvidere, 
 
 called " The White House " by early explorers, from its 
 -being. the only painted structure in western New York.
 
 324 SKETCH OP JUDGE PHILIP CHUECH. 
 
 This building is still standing (1892), and in a tolerably 
 good state of preservation. 
 
 During this year Capt. Church received a severe shock,. 
 by the arrival of a messenger from Canandaigua, bring- 
 ing him the intelligence of the meeting between his 
 uncle, Alexander Hamilton, and Col Burr. 
 
 He immediately started for New York, not knowing 
 whether the wound would prove fatal or not. He soon, 
 however, learned the melancholy result, and on his arriva 
 home found that the remains were taken to his father's 
 house, and thence carried to their last resting place in 
 Trinity church-yard. His father was appointed one of 
 Hamilton's executors. 
 
 Two letters from "William Stewart to Capt. Church, 
 the first announcing the meeting and probable fatal 
 effect on Gen. Hamilton, the second penned the follow- 
 ing day, communicating the particulars of the " affair" 
 and his death, are still preserved by Major Richard 
 Church. They are directed to "Philip Church, Esq., 
 Angelica, near Bath;" Bath as then being the nearest 
 post-office. 
 
 Although slightly foreign to the subject of this sketchl 
 it is thought, in view of its connection, and as an item 
 of historic interest, that the following digression is per- 
 missable. 
 
 Col. Burr had previously, in the summer of 1799,, 
 fought a duel with John B. Church on the same ground 
 where Hamilton fell. At a dinner given by Chancellor 
 Livingston, Mr. Church, after the cloth had been removed, 
 remarked that he had heard that the Holland Land Com- 
 pany had cancelled a bond for $20,000 against Burr for
 
 SKETCH OF JUDGE PHILIP CHURCH. 325 
 
 services rendered in the Legislature. This reached the 
 ears of Col. Burr, and he demanded an apology. Mr. 
 Church declined, further than to say that perhaps he 
 had been indiscreet in repeating the accusation without 
 fuller authority. This was not accepted. A challenge 
 was sent, accepted, and they met, exchanging shots with- 
 out effect, the ball from Mr. Church's pistol striking a 
 button from Col. Burr's coat, and passing through his 
 vest. Col. Burr then received the explanation which 
 Mr. Church had previously made, remarking that " an 
 explanation might be received as satisfactory after shots 
 had been exchanged, that would not have been admis- 
 sible before." 
 
 The pistols used in this duel are now in the possession 
 of Major Church, notwithstanding, every now and then, 
 the public is regaled with an account of the pistols with 
 which they fought, sometimes located in Illinois and 
 sometimes elsewhere, with every detail in particular. 
 
 The pistols were the property of John B. Church, and 
 were the same used by himself and Burr, and by Philip 
 Hamilton and Eckhard. They were of London make, 
 the barrels about twelve inches long, hair trigger with 
 flint, set locks, the vents bushed with gold, of fine work- 
 manship, in a fine wood case lined with soft green flannel. 
 From John B. Church they came into the hands of 
 Philip Church, and thence into the hands of Major 
 Richard Church. 
 
 On the 4th of February, 1805, Capt. Church was 
 united in marriage with Anna Matilda, eldest daughter 
 of Gen. Walter Stewart, of Philadelphia, and the next 
 June the youthful pair started for the home prepared 
 for them in the wilderness.
 
 326 SKETCH OF JUDGE PHILIP CHUKCH. 
 
 The " White House " was ready for their reception, 
 and they reached it by riding from Bath to Belvidere, a 
 distance of forty-four miles, on horse-back, most of the 
 way following a bridle path cut through the woods. 
 
 Gen. Stewart was an intimate friend of Washington, 
 and when in Philadelphia, as he frequently was, he was 
 much of the times a guest at Gen. Stewart's. A desk at 
 which Washington was in the habit of writing, while 
 there, is now in possession of Major Church. Another 
 valued treasure, highly prized by Major Church and 
 other members of the family, is a miniature of Wash^ 
 ington, accompanied by the following note written by 
 himself. 
 
 " Wednesday, 16th March, 1796. 
 
 " Not for the representation or the value, but because 
 it is the production of a fail lady, the President takes 
 the liberty of presenting the enclosed, with his best re- 
 gards, to Mrs. Stewart, praying her acceptance of it." 
 
 Capt. Church lived in the " White House " until 1810, 
 when the stone mansion now standing on the banks of 
 the Genesee, was ready for their reception. They were 
 soon established in their new residence, and there spent 
 the remainder of their days. 
 
 On the 8th of June, 1807, he was appointed by Gov. 
 Morgan Lewis, First Judge of the Court of Common 
 Pleas for Allegany County, the county having been or, 
 ganized the year before. This office he retained until 
 1821, and it was the only office he ever held. For the 
 remainder of this sketch he will therefore be spoken of 
 as Judge.
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 In April, 1811, Judge Church visited England. Arriv- 
 -ing in London at a season when most of his old friends 
 and acquaintances were in the country, he, in company 
 ~with Mr. Russell, the American Minister to the Court 
 of St. James, visited Norfolk. At Yarmouth, a public 
 dinner was tendered him by the old friends of his father. 
 He also visited Mr. Coke, afterwards the Earl of Lei- 
 cester, at Holkam Hall, and was present at the annual 
 <c Sheep Shearing." 
 
 Here he met with four or five hundred of the landed 
 gentry from every part of England and Ireland. He 
 used frequently to speak of the pleasure of this visit. 
 He remained two days after the guests had departed, 
 and Mr. Coke rode with him about his beautiful and 
 highly cultivated estate, and explained to him his im- 
 proved methods of cultivation. 
 
 By invitation of the Duke of Bedford, the father of 
 Lord John Russel, he visited Woburn Abbey, the Duke's 
 mansion. This visit also happened at the time of the 
 Duke's annual " Sheep Shearing " and cattle show. 
 
 He staid at the Abbey with about twenty noblemen 
 and gentlemen. On the last day of the fair, the Duke 
 reserved a seat for him next to himself at the table, in 
 consideration of his being from America. Sii Philip 
 Francis, the reputed author of the letters of " Junius," 
 (327)
 
 328 SKETCH OF JUDGE PHILIP CHURCH. 
 
 addressed a letter to him, containing an invitation to> 
 pay him a visit at Tunbridge "Wells, where he was going- 
 to stay for a few days. 
 
 This letter of one of the most distinguished literary 
 men of his age, amusing and characteristic, is carefully 
 preserved by Major Church. It was for many years 
 mislaid and supposed to have been lost. 
 
 On his return to London, he had the honor of receiving- 
 a kind invitation to visit the distinguished statesman, 
 Lord Grenville. Judge Church was much pleased with 
 his visit and enjoyed, with high relish, the kind hospi- 
 talities of his distinguished friend. He was enraptured 
 with the beauty of the country part of England, yet it 
 did not in any degree lessen his love for his own country, 
 as is manifest from the following extract from one of 
 his letters while there : " Although I am delighted with 
 the beauties of England, my visit has a contrary effect 
 from what I expected ; it has increased my attachment 
 to Angelica." 
 
 Upon one occasion during the Judge's absence, Mrs. 
 Church attended one of the annual festivals of the Indi- 
 ans at Caneadea, contributing to its feast out of her 
 stores, and enjoyed very much their rude sports and 
 pagan rites and dances. 
 
 They received her very kindly and were much pleased 
 with her visit, which was also evinced by the fact of 
 their giving her a name, " Ye-nun-ke-a-wa," which sig- 
 nified that she was "the first white woman that has 
 come." 
 
 The Judge being in England at the breaking out 
 of the war of 1812, a party of Caneadea Indians went
 
 SKETCH OF JUDGE PHILIP CHURCH. 320 
 
 to Belvidere, and in gratitude to Mrs. Church for her 
 kindness to their people, offered to place.a guard around 
 her house to protect her from the British Indians, but 
 regarding herself as secure from invasion in the woods 
 of Allegany, she thanked them kindly, and declined 
 their proffered gallantry. 
 
 Judge Church returned from England in 1813. The 
 following spring he received a letter, which is here in- 
 troduced for the purpose of showing the interest he 
 took and the deep concern he felt in the improvements 
 then being inaugurated in this new country. 
 
 "New York, April 19, 1814. 
 
 Sir : I had the honor of presenting, in your name, to 
 the Common Council of this city, at their meeting on the 
 18th inst,, the drawings of the sewers of London, togeth- 
 er with the explanatory documents on that subject, 
 which you had the goodness to procure on your late 
 visit to Europe. I am instructed, sir, by the Common 
 Council, to present to you their thanks for your zealous 
 attention to the interests of this city, in procuring these 
 documents, so interesting and important to its future 
 regulations. 
 
 I am, sir, with great personal regard, 
 
 Your humble servant, 
 
 PHILIP CHURCH, Esq. J. MORTON, C. C. C." 
 
 This system was adopted, and for thirty years or more 
 his grandson, Benjamin S. Church, was chief engineer of 
 the Croton Water Works, and was also Chief Engineer 
 of the new aqueduct. 
 
 One of the principal objects of his visit to England
 
 330 SKETCH OP JUDGE PHILIP CHURCH. 
 
 to learn from personal observation the system O A 
 English agriculture. He devoted himself to a careful 
 :study of the most improved methods of husbandry em- 
 ployed by the most intelligent and enterprising practical 
 agriculturists of that country, and collected a number of 
 works on the subject, which he studied on his return. 
 
 It is however questionable whether these studies, ow- 
 ing to the largely differing circumstances of soil and 
 climate of the two countries, contributed very much to 
 his success as a farmer ; yet the country is placed under 
 a lasting debt of gratitude to him for the introduction 
 of a very superior stock of cattle and sheep. 
 
 The difficulties encountered in the enterprise of intro- 
 ducing improved stock into what was at that early day 
 an isolated frontier settlement, are forcibly portrayed by 
 the expedient resorted to for the purpose of transporting 
 a Merino buck from Albany. 
 
 The services of a wagon maker were engaged and an 
 ingenius arrangement whereby a crate was suspended be- 
 neath the Judges gig, or sulky, which of course was of 
 the style peculiar to those days, the most striking feature 
 of which was the extremely large wheels, was adopted, 
 and so the father of future generations of sheep in Alle- 
 gany was carried thus suspended from Albany to Belvi- 
 dere. 
 
 This buck was purchased of Chancellor Livingston, 
 who imported it from Spain, and the price paid was 
 eighty dollars. 
 
 This novel method of transportation of course brought 
 into exercise a good degree of care and patience, and 
 when we consider the condition of the roads at that time,
 
 SKETCH OF JUDGE PHILIP CHUKCH. 331 
 
 we are constrained to concede that it was quite a for- 
 midable, as well as commendable enterprise, and award 
 him the credit he so richly deserves, for the interest he 
 took in such matters so clearly conducive to the comf ort,. 
 convenience and material prosperity of the people of 
 this country.* 
 
 As previously stated, John B. Church married Angel- 
 ica Schuyler. A distinguishing characteristic of Gen. 
 Schuyler's descendants is the more or less strongly 
 marked family resemblance, which appeared in some 
 members of Judge Church's family. This incident in 
 proof. 
 
 In 1824 La Fayette visited this country, and as is well 
 known, his progress through the States was marked by a 
 continuous series of ovations. His visit to Rochester 
 was no exception. Judge Church and some of his- 
 family were there, and when a daughter (Angelica, no 
 doubt), was presented, before her name could be spoken, 
 La Fayette exclaimed, " There comes a Schuyler," or 
 " there is Schuyler blood in her veins." So well was he 
 acquainted with the general, and so strong was the family 
 resemblance, though two generations intervened.! 
 
 *In 1805 Judge Church purchased and drove to Belvidere 
 twenty-four sheep. Arriving late in the evening, they were 
 folded close by the house. In the morning, a brother-in-law 
 from New York being his guest, he invited him out early to see 
 them. To their surprise they found nineteen out of the number 
 lying dead. The wolves had tracked them in and made the 
 havoc. Such were some of the hardships and discouragements 
 attending the introduction of sheep into Allegany. 
 
 fin a letter to Judge Church, dated at LaGrange in 1826, La- 
 Fayette thus alludes to this incident: "Happy I am in the op- 
 portunity to remind you of the old friend of your beloved pa- 
 rents, to present my respects to Mrs. Chuf*ch, doubly dear to my 
 most precious recollections, and to your amiable daughter, whom
 
 332 SKETCH OF JUDGE PHILIP CHURCH. 
 
 The greatest advantage derived from Judge Church's 
 visit to England, and which proved to be one of the 
 initial forces which started the wheels of progress and 
 development in Western New York, is found in the 
 light obtained, and the impulse given to his mind by the 
 study of the subject of internal improvements, especially 
 that of the Railroad system, which was just then 
 beginning to attract the attention of speculative and 
 enterprising minds. 
 
 By common consent he has been accredited with first 
 conceiving the idea of the Genesee Valley Canal, and 
 .afterwards exerted no slight influence in formulating 
 that conception and hastening its completion. It may 
 be proper to remark, however, that it was his opinion 
 freely expressed at the time, that a railroad would 
 better subserve the purpose to be achieved. In this 
 preference he was overruled, but in the light of recent 
 developments the wisdom of his opinion is clearly estab- 
 lished. 
 
 But the great work to which, for a number of years, 
 over and above all other things, he devoted his time and 
 applied his energies, and where he met and finally over- 
 came the most formidable obstacles, was the New York 
 and Erie Railroad. Few knew how long, and with 
 what heavy odds to contend with, he fought for this 
 project, which he himself had originated, and which he 
 was determinated to carry through. Step by step he 
 obtained the necessary appropriations for surveys, and 
 
 a friendly image engraved on my heart, made me recognize be- 
 fore she was named to me. Your affectionate friend, 
 
 LAFAYETTE."
 
 SKETCH OF JUDGE PHILIP CHUECH. 333 
 
 finally the charter, with the requisite powers and restric- 
 tions to carry out the stupendous project. Two points 
 lie watched with utmost vigilance, one that the route 
 should be confined to the southern tier of counties, and 
 the other that the work should not stop short of, nor be 
 diverted from, the two extremes. 
 
 He left in his office, letters, notices, petitions, memori- 
 als, papers and memoranda, proving that he was one of 
 the chief and earliest of the originators and advocates 
 of that immense undertaking. 
 
 His life was spared to see it completed and witness 
 the marvelous transformation of this vast region of 
 desert solitudes to a wonderful landscape of varied 
 beauty, dotted with cities, villages and hamlets, and 
 teeming with a population of industrious, thrifty and 
 patriotic inhabitants. 
 
 Doubtless it was a consoling thought, and a source 
 of pure satisfaction to him, to observe the many and 
 pleasing evidences of the prosperity of his immediate 
 neighborhood, and to reflect that he had done well his 
 whole part in hastening the day-dawn of a prosperity so 
 plainly visible on every hand. 
 
 Judge Church was blessed with a vigorous constitu- 
 tion, which he retained in a remarkable degree until he 
 reached more than fourscore years. He was accustomed 
 to athletic sports, excelled in fleetness, and has been 
 known to outrun some of the swiftest of the Indians 
 with whom he had several contests. He was passion- 
 ately fond of cricket, and, in advanced years, frequently 
 engaged in the game, at which he was quite expert. 
 
 He was a good marksman. Major Church relates a
 
 334 SKETCH OF JUDGE PHILIP CHURCH. 
 
 trial of his skill with the rifle, with Major VanCampen.. 
 It was on the occasion of a " General Training," when: 
 one of them, fastening a little piece of white paper on a 
 tree with a pin, paced off a reasonable distance, and 
 turning, took deliberate aim and fired, driving the pin 
 into the tree, the paper still adhering; handing the gun 
 to the other, he requested him to beat it, which, of ' 
 course, was impossible. It was, however, taken, loaded, 
 and fired, when, upon examination, no new ball hole 
 could be found. It was claimed by some of the by- 
 standers that he did not even hit the tree. He claimed 
 that he did, and it was only settled by chopping into 
 the tree, when it was found that both balls had entered 
 the same hole. 
 
 The villa Belvidere was, for many years, the seat of 
 the kindest hospitality, and many distinguished men; 
 have visited the place and been royally treated and 
 sumptuously entertained. From its stately southern, 
 porch, the beautiful valley of the Genesee could, for a 
 long distance, be seen; only a few rods distant the river 
 bank was gently laved by its waters on their " wind- 
 ing way to the sea," while to the southwest reclined the 
 pleasant valley of Van Campen Creek, gently reposing 
 in the receding distance, the grand old hills on either 
 side of creek and river presented a beautiful back' 
 ground, their summits crowned, as they were, with much 
 of this primitive forest, everything considered made a 
 picture, one of the most beautiful and attractive to be 
 seen in Western New York. 
 
 The scene from this historic old porch, when the foliage 
 is colored with autumnal tints, is, indeed, almost entranc- 
 ing.
 
 SKETCH OF JUDGE PHILIP CHUECH. 335* 
 
 The eastern part of this stately mansion was devoted 
 to the purposes of an office, a genuine land office, equipped 
 with desks, drafting tables, and other furniture proper 
 for the business, and has been preserved intact as it was 
 first opened for use in 1810. 
 
 It was the writer's privilege to meet Major Church 
 in this old room, one day in the winter of 1891-2. The 
 country was covered with a depth of fifteen inches of 
 snow. A cheerful fire blazed upon the old hearth, as of 
 yore. Over the mantle hung the portrait of the Judge, 
 by the celebrated artist, Fagnani, and those historic 
 pistols before spoken of. The walls were hung with 
 pictures of various kinds, including some illustrating 
 English sports and pastimes, fine sheep and blooded 
 cattle, and the shelves were loaded with venerable old 
 law books, books of surveys, and records of land sales, 
 covered with the accumulating dust of antiquity; and 
 there were letters from Washington, La Fayette, Gen. 
 Greene, the English statesman Fox, and official papers 
 bearing the signature of Jefferson, Hamilton, Adams,, 
 and others. 
 
 Shades of the dead past seemed to fold him in their 
 loving embrace, and he fancied, as it were, he could see 
 the ghosts, and hear the tread of those bronzed faced, 
 horny handed pioneers, who were wont to come to that 
 old office to get their " articles," see to having their 
 boundaries adjusted, make their payments, and so forth.. 
 
 Lengthy as this sketch already is, many more interest? 
 ing facts and incidents might have been recorded relating 
 to his long and varied life. Limited space, however, 
 will prevent further amplification, yet it is hoped that
 
 336 SKETCH OF JUDGE PHILIP CHURCH. 
 
 enough has been set forth to challenge the attention, 
 and even the special interest and admiration of our 
 younger people, while to the older ones, who were more 
 nearly cotemporaneous with Judge Church, it will cer- 
 tainly revive the memory of old time associations and 
 events, and cause their minds to revert more frequently 
 to the happenings and incidents connected with the 
 most interesting period of our history. 
 
 At the close of 1859, the Judge laid aside as much as 
 possible all business cares and sought ease and comfort, 
 devoting much of his time to reading the general news 
 of the day, in which he was deeply interested. 
 
 Books of a religious character also received a good 
 share of his attention. 
 
 In the summer of 1860, an attack of disease much en- 
 feebled him, and though confined to his house during 
 the fall and winter, he retained all of his faculties and 
 enjoyed the many comforts of his cheerful and happy 
 home. 
 
 His last illness was brief. He dressed himself as 
 usual on Monday morning, but about noon he was sud- 
 denly seized with severe pain. His devoted friend and 
 faithful physician, Dr. Charles, of Angelica, who had 
 attended the family for more than thirty years, was 
 hastily summoned. The doctor came at once. His case, 
 however, defied his skill and the efficacy of. medicine. 
 
 On Tuesday morning his pain was relieved, but he 
 continued to fail until Thursday, when at a little past 
 two, in the most perfect consciousness, he departed this 
 life without a struggle, in the faith and hope of the 
 Christian religion.
 
 SKETCH OF JUDGE PHILIP CHURCH. 337 
 
 On Saturday a public meeting of the citizens of An- 
 gelica was held, at which resolutions of respect, briefly 
 setting forth his virtues and expressing their high es- 
 teem and sorrow for his loss, were reported and adopted 
 by his fellow townsmen. On Sunday, the 10th of Jan- 
 uary, 186 1 , his f unreal was very largely attended at St. 
 Paul's Church, Angelica, and his remains deposited in 
 the village cemetery. 
 
 The public journals made honorable and becoming 
 mention of his death, and recounted his public services. 
 
 Nine children were born unto Philip Church and Anna 
 Matilda Stewart, and Mrs. Church was almost the ideal 
 mother. Her kindness to the poer was such as to excite 
 comment, and her benevolent deeds are remembered with 
 pleasure by elderly, long resident people of the neighbor- 
 hood. Her benefactions were many and judiciously be- 
 stowed. 
 
 The children were Angelica, who married John War- 
 ren, now living in New York ; John Barker, who married 
 Maria Trumball Silliman, and died in 1875 ; Sophia 
 Harrison, who married X. P. Hoosack, and died in 1891 ; 
 "Walter Stewart, who died in 1890 ; Philip, Avho died in 
 1874 ; Mary, who died in 1822 ; Elizabeth, who married 
 Rev. Robert Horwood, and is now living near Londoi^ 
 England, Richard, still living at Belvidere, N. Y. ; and. 
 "Win. Henry, who died in 1860.
 
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