Part 6
[87] HANNEYAYE, an Indian town occupied in 1779, located at the foot of Honeoye lake, about half a mile east of the outlet, and south of Mill creek. It contained about twenty houses, one of which was occupied as a fort under command of Capt. Cummings of the 2nd N.J. regiment. Beatty gives the following description of the work which he says was occupied by three hundred men in all: "They was encamped round the house where we had left our stores, and the camp was abbateed in, and round the house they had made a small Fort of kegs, and bags of flour, and had three pieces of artillery in it, and the house they had made full of loop holes, so as to fight out of it in case of necessity, and upon the whole I think they was very safe."
[88] On leaving Hanneyaye the army forded the outlet near the lake, and taking a west course, nearly on the line of the present east and west road leading west from present village of Honeoye, to the summit of the dividing ridge, and thence in a south west course, crossing the outlet of Hemlock lake at its foot, and continuing over the hill on same course to present Foot's corners, in the town of Conesus, where the army encamped on level ground two miles north of the Indian town Adjutoa or Kanaghsaws.
[89] KANAGHSAWS, or Adjutoa according to some Journals, an Indian town of 18 houses, located about a mile north west of Conesus Centre, on the north and south road that passes through the McMillen farm. Between the town and the lake on Henderson's flats were the cornfields. The village appears to have occupied the grounds in the vicinity of the McMillen residence, and extended north across the creek, and southward to the plateau now covered by an orchard which was probably an ancient palisaded site of the town. The main body of the army encamped on the night of the 12th nearly two miles north on the flats, south-west of Foot's corners. A local tradition exists that Hand with the light troops followed the road through Union Corners and encamped on the L.B. Richardson farm, south west of Conesus Centre at the False Faces, but nothing of the kind is found in any of the journals, and is probably incorrect. George Grant says a fine stream of water ran through the town, and that "Captain Sunfish, a negro, resided here, a very bold, enterprising fellow, who commanded the town." Several Journals mention the fact that Big Tree, a noted Indian warrior, also made this his home. President Dwight describes him as a man of lofty character and dignified deportment, and that he had strenuously urged his countrymen to observe strict neutrality, but without success. The chieftain stood on an elevated spot and saw his own possessions destroyed. "You see how the Americans treat their friends," said some of those around him, favorable to Great Britain. "What I see," calmly replied the chief, "is only the common fortune of war. It cannot be supposed that the Americans can distinguish my property from yours, who are their enemies." The army was engaged until near noon in destroying the crops and re-building the bridge which had been destroyed by the enemy.
[90] GROVELAND AMBUSCADE.--This, one of the most important matters connected with Sullivan's campaign, has, for a hundred years, remained a stumbling block and mystery to historians. This has arisen in part from erroneous views as to the location of Gathtsegwarohare and the trails, but mainly from the mistaken idea that Boyd's party was the force against which the efforts of the enemy were originally directed, rather than that it was a formidable attempt to ambuscade the main army.
From Kanaghsaws the trail led south westerly across the low grounds following the line of the present road near the inlet, and crossing it at, or very near the site of the present bridge, about three-fourths of a mile from the head of the lake. North of the bridge, the banks of the inlet are low and marshy, in many places impassable for infantry, and at all points impassable for artillery and pack horses; while south of the bridge, is a wet swamp almost impenetrable from the thick growth of underbrush, west of the lake and Inlet is a steep hillside, the face of which, cut up by numerous ravines, is so steep that with considerable difficulty an army could march directly up it. The trail after leaving the bridge probably continued south westerly up the hill obliquely, nearly on the line of the present highway to the summit of the bluff, and thence turning northwest followed along the heads of the ravines for a mile and thence directly west to Gathtsegwarohare. Directly west of the bridge, between two very deep ravines, is a space nearly half a mile in width, which continues up the hill on very favorable ground for the advance of the army. It appears to be the only point where it could advance in the order of march laid down, which would require a space of nearly a half a mile in width for the several columns.
After the battle of Newtown, Butler and Brant with their demoralized forces, sullenly retired, powerless to prevent the advance of the devastating army. Butler had reached the last Indian village of Canawaugas, located on the west side of the Genesee, twelve miles north of the Great Genesee Castle. Here he received re-inforcements of regulars from Niagara, and determined to make one more effort against the invaders. Gathering all his available forces of regulars, tories, and Indians, he left Canawaugas on the morning of the 12th of September, and probably reached the position on the hill west of Kanaghsaws, on the evening of the same day. Here they posted themselves north of the trail, at the heads of the ravines about three-fourths of a mile west of the bridge, and a mile and a half from Kanaghsaws. This was a most admirable position for an ambuscade, and in many essential particulars of topography and fact, bears a striking resemblance to the fatal ground where Braddock so ingloriously sacrificed his army; and had Sullivan advanced in the same blundering manner, he too, might have met with an equally disastrous defeat. The plan appears to have been, to attack a portion of the army after it had crossed the bridge, or to ambuscade the head of the column while ascending the hill; but whatever may have been the original design, it was completely frustrated by the fortunate movements of the unfortunate Boyd. It will be remembered that the army went into camp on the flats near Foot's Corners two miles north of the village of Kanaghsaws. Boyd and his party left camp at 11 o'clock at night, passed through the abandoned Kanaghsaws, and from thence pursued the direct trail which led south westerly up the hill to Gathtsegwarohare. In the darkness of the night, he passed Butler's right flank, neither party being conscious of the presence of the other, and reached Gathtsegwarohare, which the inhabitants had abandoned early in the morning, without encountering any difficulty. On the morning of the 13th Sullivan advanced to Kanaghsaws, and finding that the enemy had destroyed the bridge over the inlet, he detailed a portion of the army to aid the pioneers in its re-construction, and to repair the roadway over the low grounds leading to it. All of this was directly under the eye of Butler, who, according to a British account, "lay undiscovered though only a musket shot from the rebels, and even within sight." On reaching the town Boyd halted his forces at the suburbs, himself and one of his men reconnoitered the place, then rejoined the party and concealed themselves in the woods near the town. He sent back two of his men to report to General Sullivan, and awaited the light of the day whose morning was just breaking. These two men got through safely and reported. About daybreak four Indians were seen to enter the town by Boyd, one of whom was killed, another wounded, the rest escaped. Boyd then immediately set out to return, expecting to meet the army on the march, and when about half way, despatched two more men to inform the general of his intention to remain "on the path" and await the coming of the army. These men soon encountered five Indians, and returned; the entire party then resumed the march, following and firing on the retreating Indians, who lured them directly into the lines of the enemy. Colonel Butler hearing the firing on his right and rear imagined he was discovered, and that instead of ambuscading the rebels, he was himself to be surprised by this unexpected attack in the rear. No evidence whatever has appeared to confirm the conjecture, that Boyd's presence was either known or suspected in that quarter, by Butler, or any portion of his force, until discovered by the five retreating Indians, and to them, only by accident; but when discovered with true aboriginal cunning they allured their unsuspecting victims to the fatal embrace of the enemy, who came there to surprise an army, but were prevented by the blundering of a scout.
A few of Boyd's party who were acting as flankers escaped, five or six fell near the trail and were found when the army advanced, the remainder retreated a short distance north to a clump of trees, where their bodies were found all near together, and where all the bodies were buried on the return march of the army on the 16th. During the construction of the bridge a guard had been established west of the inlet, and Captain Lodge with his party engaged in making their surveys, had advanced some distance up the hill; the bridge was about completed when the fugitive flankers came rushing down the hill pursued by small parties of the enemy. Hand's brigade immediately advanced up the hill to the position occupied by the enemy in the morning, where he found the packs of the enemy in the position they had left a few minutes previous. He remained here in line of battle until the army had crossed, and formed for the advance up the hill.
[91] Capt. Benjamin Lodge, with a party of assistants accompanied the army and with chain and compass surveyed the entire route of the army from Easton to the great Genesee town. On the return march he accompanied Col. Butler's expedition through the Cayuga country.
[92] CORPORAL CALHAWN, a volunteer, died the next day.
[93] GATHTSEGWAROHARE, so called by Nukerck; _Gaghegwalahale_ by Dearborn; _Cassawauloughly_ by Hardenburgh, was seven miles directly west of Kanaghsaws, on the east side of Canaseraga creek about two miles above its confluence with the Genesee river. Here is a beautiful plateau of about six acres, admirably adapted for an Indian town, at present occupied by the house and surrounding grounds of the widely known "Hermitage," the ancestral home of the Carolls. The town contained twenty-five houses, mostly new, and appears to have been located on both sides of the stream north of the Caroll mansion. The tribe residing here called Squa-tche-gas by Sullivan; by the Onondagas Tchoueragak, signifying wild cats; by Cusic Squakihows, and by others Kah-kwas, were the same that afterward settled at Squakie-Hill, to whom was reserved the two square miles in the Big Tree Treaty of 1797. They were a remnant of one of the tribes of the historic Eries, who occupied the territory to the south and east of Lake Erie whose blood, language, and league did not differ materially from the Iroquois Five Nations. After a terrible conflict, and many bloody battles the Eries were finally overthrown about the year 1655, and a remnant incorporated with the league. They were permitted to live by themselves, to have a separate council fire and keep up a show of tribal rites, but were really vassals to do the bidding of their masters. Boyd and his party reached this town about at the break of day on the morning of the 13th, and found it abandoned. He sent two of his men to report to Gen. Sullivan and concealed his force in the adjacent woods. Soon after four Indians on horseback entered the town, one of whom, Sah-nah-dah-yah, was killed and scalped by Murphy, when Boyd set out for camp. As Sullivan approached the town about dark on the 13th, he found the enemy, both Indians and rangers drawn up in battle array apparently intending to dispute the further advance of the army; but as the advancing columns assumed their positions in line of battle, and the flanking divisions moved to the right and left, threatening their lines of retreat, a few shots from the howitzers caused them to abandon their position, and retreat across the Canaseraga. The army were engaged until noon of the 14th in destroying the cornfields which were very extensive in the vicinity of the town.
[94] CHENUSSIO.--This town, though not in existence at the time of Sullivan's campaign, is intimately connected with its history. It was located on the site of ancient Williamsburg, near the confluence of the Canaseraga and the Genesee, on the east side of the latter river. It appears on the Guy Johnson map of 1771 as Chenussio, on the Pouchot map of 1758 as Connecchio, in both cases at the point described and where Mary Jennison's narrative says it was in her day. In 1750 it was visited by Cammerhoff and Zeisberger, two Moravian missionaries, who called it Connesschio and describe it as then containing forty houses. All of these names are dialectical and orthographical variations of the modern word Genesee, signifying _the beautiful valley_. Gaustarax, a celebrated Seneca Chief, was for many years a leading spirit of this town, and during the French and Indian war, being thoroughly in the interests of the French, it required all the diplomatic ability of Sir William Johnson, and the influence of the other nations of the league, to neutralize his efforts. It was in existence as early as 1750, and as late as 1770, but in 1768 it had ceased to be the western door, which honor was then held by the great town of Chenandoanes, on the west side of the river. At the time of Sullivan's campaign it had ceased to exist or had dwindled into an insignificance unworthy of mention.
This was the town that Boyd was sent to reconnoitre, and which Major Norris says the General expected to find on the east side of the river and two miles north of Gathtsegwarohare. This is the town also, that writers confound with the great town west of the river, and which so perplexed General Sullivan in his examination of the maps.
[95] GENESEE CASTLE.--This was the great village of the Senecas, the western door of the Long House, located between Cuylerville and the west bank of the Genesee river, in the town of Leicester, Livingston County. It appears on Evans' map as Chenandoanes in 1776, is mentioned as early as 1754 as Chenandanah, and is often called Little Beard's town. Sullivan's official report says: "The Castle consisted of 128 houses mostly large and elegant. The place was beautifully situated, almost encircled with a cleared flat, which extended for a number of miles, where the most extensive fields of corn were waving, and every kind of vegetable that can be conceived."
[96] This soldier was named Parker, who with Lieut. Boyd were made prisoners. They were carried to Little Beard's Town, where Boyd after being tortured in a most cruel manner was beheaded. Parker was beheaded without being tortured. The remains of Boyd and Parker were removed to Mount Hope Cemetery in August, 1842.
[97] Several writers claim that Canawaugas, on the west side, and Ohadi and Big Tree on the east side of Genesee river were destroyed in this campaign. No reliable authority has been furnished in support of the theory. Sullivan says distinctly that he went no farther than the great town, beyond which, as he was informed, there was no settlement, and no villages are mentioned in any account as existing on the east side of the river, nor is mention made of any portion of the army being on that side,--on the contrary, several mention the fact, that _all the army_ were engaged in the destruction of the town, and cornfields, which, when completed at 2 o'clock on the afternoon of the 15th, _the whole army_ came to an about face, and returned on the same route and in same order in which they advanced. Butler left Canawaugas on the morning of the 15th for Niagara.
[98] Nathan Davis in his account, before referred to, mentions the incident with additional particulars. Her story was that at the time she and her little boy were taken prisoners, her husband was killed by the savages; that she had lived with the Indians some two years, and when the army entered the town, the day before, the Indians were in such haste to get out it that she could not follow them and finally lost herself in the woods, and thinking it might be Butler's camp she had ventured to show herself. She was taken to the General's Quarters and well provided for. During the march the woman and her boy were furnished with a horse. On the third day of the march the child was taken sick and shortly after died. The boy was wrapped in an old blanket and hastily buried. The scene is described as exceedingly touching. She afterward married Roswell Franklin, the first settler of Cayuga County.
[99] Present Canandaigua Lake in Ontario county, see note 86.
[100] See note 84 for description of this town.
[101] This encampment was on Rose Hill in the town of Fayette.
[102] Lieut. Col. William Butler. See Thomas Grant's account of the march of this detachment.
[103] No account has been found of the exact route taken by this detachment. It is supposed they followed the regular Indian trail, the line of which was afterward substantially adopted for the Seneca Turnpike, which passed through Auburn and Onondaga Hill to Fort Stanwix on the Mohawk, on the site of present Rome in Oneida County. On the way the party passed through the Oneida and Tuscarora towns, where every mark of hospitality and friendship was shown the party. They reached Fort Stanwix on the 25th.
[104] KENDAIA. See note No. 81 for description of this town.
[105] "We lost in this place more than a hundred horses, and it has been called, I suppose, the valley of Horse Heads to this day."--_Nathan Davis' Statement._
[106] During the absence of the army Col. Reid had constructed a palisaded work at the junction of Newtown creek and the Chemung just below Sullivan's Mills in Elmira, called in some accounts Fort Reid.
[107] There were five brigades.
[108] At the same time news was received of "the generous proceedings of Congress in augmenting the subsistence of the officers and men."
[109] Thirteen appropriate toasts were drunk. The last was follows: "May the enemies of America be metamorphosed into pack horses and sent on a western expedition against the Indians."--_Lossing's Field Book Rev., I, 278, note._
[110] "Sept. 27.--A large fatigue party was sent up the river nine miles, where they loaded nine boats with corn and other vegetables and brought them down. This evening Mr. Lodge and five men from Col. Butler came and informed us that the Col. was about 10 miles from camp."--_Jenkins' Journal._
[111] Col. VanCortlandt says he went above Painted Post.
[112] TIOGA POINT, below present Athens. See note 63.
[113] FORT SULLIVAN, built on the narrow isthmus between the two rivers in present village of Athens. See note 70.
[114] VAN DER LIPPES. See note 58.
[115] LACKAWANNA. See Note 55. The site of Coxton, ten miles from Wyoming at the upper end of the valley.
[116] _Wyoming_, fort and village on the east side of the Susquehanna below present Wilkesbarre. See note 44.
[117] BULLOCK'S, deserted house, seven miles from Wyoming at the Great Meadows, and fifty-eight miles from Easton,--called also Sullivan's camp, from his encamping there June 22. Nathan Bullock resided here at the time of the Wyoming massacre. He had two sons, Amos and Asa, one of whom was a lawyer, both killed in the battle. The father was captured and carried to Canada in 1780.
[118] SHADES OF DEATH, so called from being a dense forest. Several places in Pennsylvania bore the same name. See note 31.
[119] WHITE OAK RUN, or RUM BRIDGE, 33 miles from Easton. See note 36.
[120] BRINKER'S MILLS, or Sullivan's Stores, so called "on account of a large house built here, and a quantity of provisions being stored therein for the use of the forces under Major General Sullivan's command."--_Rogers' Journal._ Captain Patterson was in command; 19 miles from Easton in present town of Hamilton, Monroe county.
[121] Encamped near Heller's Tavern at the foot of Blue Mountain, at present Hellerville in town of Plainfield, Northampton county, 12 miles from Easton.
[122] "EASTON consists of about 150 houses. There are but three elegant buildings in it, and about as many inhabitants that are any ways agreeable. Take them in general they are a very inhospitable set--all High Dutch and Jews."--_Shute's Journal._
[123] MARBLETOWN, a town in Ulster Co., N.Y., west of the Hudson. They appear to have taken the road through Warren and Sussex counties, N.J.
[124] WARWICK on Wawayanda creek in south west part of Orange county.
[125] NEW WINDSOR on the Hudson, in Orange county.
[126] NEW PALTZ, a post village, on the Wallkill in Ulster County, N.Y.
GENERAL CLINTON'S MARCH DOWN THE SUSQUEHANNA.
General James Clinton was born in Orange County, New York, August 9th, 1736. He was third son of Colonel Charles Clinton, brother of Governor George Clinton, and father of Governor DeWitt Clinton, of New York. During the French and English war, in 1756, he distinguished himself at the capture of Fort Frontenac, where he was a Captain under Bradstreet. Seven years later he commanded the regiments raised to protect the frontiers of Orange and Ulster counties against Indian incursions. In 1775, with the rank of Colonel, he accompanied the chivalric Montgomery to Quebec. He was appointed a brigadier, August 9th, 1776, and commanded Fort Clinton when it was attacked in October, 1777, by Sir Henry Clinton; his brother, George Clinton, at same time being in command of Fort Montgomery. After a gallant defense against superior numbers, the forts were carried by storm, Gen. Clinton being the last man to leave the works. He was stationed at West Point during the greater part of 1778. In 1779 he commanded the brigade of New York troops under General Sullivan. With a force of 1600 men he ascended the Mohawk to Canajoharie, and thence across to Otsego lake. Here he collected a large number of batteaux, and erecting a dam at the foot of the lake, raised the water several feet. By tearing away the dam, an artificial flood was made, on which the batteaux floated to the place of meeting at Tioga, the army marching alongside by land. The Journals of Lieut. Van Hovenbergh and Major Beatty give an account of this march.
MAJOR ERKURIES BEATTY.