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The REGALIA of SCOTLAND

and the two-handed Sword and Helmet of KING ROBERT BRUCE.

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HISTORY 1779 continued. [39.]

Retrospective view continued.

The fufferings of the refugees, confifting moftly of women and children, (the broken parts and fcattered relics of families, who had escaped to the woods during the different fcenes of this devaftation), were little lefs deplorable than thofe of their friends who had perished in the ruins of their houfes. Difperfed and wandering in the forefts, as chance and fear directed their fleps, without any mutual knowledge or com. munication, without provifion or covering, they had a long tract of deferts to traverse, without guide or direction. They accordingly fuffered every degree of diftrefs. Several women were delivered alone in the woods, at a great diftance from every poffibility of relief. If thefe, through vigour of mind, or ftrength of constitution, escaped, undoubtedly others, in fimilar and in different circumftances, perifhed.

Although the fate of Wyoming, and the lamentations of the furvivors, had ferved alternately to freeze every breat with horror, and to melt it with compaffion; yet the various objects and exigen cies of the war rendered the Americans incapable, for the prefent, of executing that vengeance on their favage enemy, which was, however, fully intended at a proper feafon. Some small expeditions were, indeed, undertaken, which, from the difficulties attending them, and the fpirit of enterprise under which they were conducted, were not deftitute of merit, and confequently are not unworthy of obfervation, in the narrative of a campaign not diftinguished by any activity in the great and fplendid operations of war.

Of this fort was an expedition undertaken in the course of the fummer from Virginia, under the conduct of a Col. Clarke, with a small party of between two and three hundred men. It cannot but appear aftonishing to those who have been generally used to contemplate military operations only as they are circumfcribed within the narrow confines of European countries, that the object of this enterprise was at fo vaft a diftance, as that the party, in their way, were obliged to traverfe no less than about 1200 miles, of a boundless, uncultivated, and uninhabited wafte, through which they were under a neceffity of conveying every neceffury for fubfiftence, and every VOL. XLIII.

equipment for action. It is, however, to be obferved, that their conveyance, for much the greater part of the way, was by water.

Their object was the reduction of those French fettlements which had been planted by the Canadians on the Upper Miffifippi, in that fine and fertile region, as it is defcribed, which taking its name from a noted nation of Indians, is called the Illinois country. It appears that much of the mifchief which had fallen upon the fouthern and middle colonies. from the incurfions of the favages, had been attributed to the activity of the governor of thofe fettlements, who, fince the commencement of the troubles, acting as an agent for government, and paying large rewards for fcalps, had befides been indefatigable in his continual endeavours of exciting the Ohio and Mif. fifippi Indians, to undertake expeditions against the back fettlements. This conduct was the motive to the prefent diftant expedition.

The party, after a long course down the Monongahela, and what might be confidered, in point of extent, as a voyage on the Ohio, arrived at length at the great falls of the latter, within about fixty miles of its mouth; where they hid their boats, and bent their courfe by land to the northward. In this ftage of the expedition, after confuming all the provifion which they had been able to carry on their backs, they endured a hard march of two days without any fuftenance. We may, therefore, well credit their affertion, that when they arrived in this hungry ftate, about midnight, at the town of Kafkafkias, they were unanimously determined to take it, or to perish in the attempt.

This town contained about 250 houses, and was fufficiently fortified to have withstood a much stronger enemy; but as the imagined fecurity which the people derived from their remoteness, forbid all ideas of danger, it of courte fuperfeded all precaution against a furprife. This was accordingly as complete as poffible. The town and fort were taken, without noife or oppofition, before the people were well awake; and the inhabitants were fo effectually fecured, that not fo much as a fingle perfon efcaped to alarm the neighbouring fettlements. The governor, Philip Rocheblave, who was confidered as fo inimical to the Americans, was fent to Virginia, with all the written

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written inftructions which he had received from Quebec, Detroit, and Michilmackinack, for fetting on and paying the Indians. The inhabitants were com pelled to take an oath of allegiance to the United States; and the fort became the principal citadel and head quarters of the victors.

A fmall detachment which was pufhed forward from this place on horseback, furprised and took with as little difficulty three other French towns, which lay from fifteen to about feventy miles far. ther up the Miffifippi. In all, the inhabitants feem to have transferred their allegiance with great facility. Nor were thofe difperfed in the country behindhand with them; who, without waiting for any operation of force or neceffity, flocked in by hundreds to take the new oath.

The fituation of this fmall party, in the heart of the Indian country, at the back of fome of their most cruel and hoftile tribes, in the track of many others, and more or lefs in the way of all, was converted to peculiar advantage, by the extraordinary activity and unwearied fpirit of their commander. He directed and timed his attacks with fuch judgement, and executed them with fuch filence and difpatch, that the favages at length found their own mode of war effectually turned upon them. Surprifed in their inmoft retreats, and moft fequeftered recefies, at thofe times and feafons when they were scarcely lefs indifpofed for action than unprepared for defence, they experienced in their own huts and families, that unexpected flaughter and deftruction which they had fo frequently carried home to others. Thus feeling, in the moft fenfible manner, thofe calamities which they were only wont to adminifter, they grew cautious and timid; and the continual danger to which their families were expofed, damped, for a while, the ardour of the warriors in undertaking expeditions. In the mean time the Americans in the back fettlements, not only hearing of Clarke's fucceffes, but imme. diately feeling their benefit, began to shake off their terror, and even feemed by degrees to partake of his fpirit and enterprise.

An expedition, in fome degree of the fame nature, was alfo undertaken, from the remote and upper parts of Pennfyl. vania in the month of October, under the conduct of a Col. Butler; the pre

fent being, however, as much directed againft feveral confiderable settlements belonging to those people whom they called Tories (and who, from the violence of their past hoftilities, had become particularly obnoxious) as against the Indians, with whom they feem to have been intermixed as one people. This party, which confifted of a Pennfylvania regiment, covered by riflemen and rangers, took its departure from Schoharie, and having gained the head of the Delaware, marched down that river for two days; from whence, turning off to the right, they ftruck across the mountains to the Sufquehanna, which was the scene of action.

Without entering into a detail of particulars, it will be fufficient to obferve, that they totally burnt and destroyed both the Indian caftles or villages in that quarter, and the other fettlements. But that, notwithstanding the utmost addrefs and precaution were practifed for the purpofe of a complete furprise, the inhabitants, both Tories and Indians, had the fortune to escape: a deliverance of no fmall moment in their fituation, as the vengeance for Wyoming, where they bore a diftinguished part, would un doubtedly have fallen heavy upon them. The deftruction was extended for several miles on both fides of the Susquehanna; in the course of which the fruits of a plentiful harveft, together with the only faw-mill and grift-mill in that whole country, fhared an equal fate with the houfes and every other article useful or necessary to man.

The difficulties, diftreffes, and dangers, which the party encountered in this expedition, were peculiar to that part of the world, and required no fmall thare of that patient fortitude and hardinefs of body and mind, which can scarcely be acquired without long habitude, under certain marked circumflances of fituation, by any confiderable number of men. Notwithstanding the occafional affiftance which they derived from their pack horfes, they were under a neceffity of carrying fix days provifions on their backs, and, thus loaded, continually to wade through rivers and creeks of fuch a depth and magnitude, that they would fcarcely appear paffable, without any incumbrance to men unufed to fuch fervice. In thefe circumstances, after the toil of a hard march, and in fome fituations not venturing to make fires for fear

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of difcovery, they were obliged to endure, without cover, the chilling nights and heavy rains peculiar to that climate and seafon; whilst their arms were ren-` dered ufelefs, at thofe times when they were moft liable to the fudden attack of an enraged and cruel enemy, whofe principal effort lay in that fort of furprife. Thefe were, however, only fmall matters, when compared with the danger which awaited their return, and which they hardly escaped. This was the fudden rifing of the great rivers in their way, occafioned by the continual rains, whilft they were ftill in the enemy's country, (who were very strong in that quarter), their provisions nearly expended, and every moment affording fresh room for apprehenfion that their return would become totally impracticable. A ftrenuous and bold exertion, to which fortune was, at leaft, negatively favourable, prevented the fatal confequences of that event.

la this manner the favage part of the war was carried on in America with mutual boldness and perfeverance; and wafte and cruelty inflicted and retorted, with infinite variety of scenes of horror and difguft.

It affords no fmall degree of pleafing relaxation, to return from all the rage of war,-and all the horrid ferocity of favages, and once more to tread in the pleafing paths of civil life. We have indeed beheld the first in its most shocking and degraded form. Stripped of all that "pomp, pride, and circumftance," which ferve fo ftrongly to fafcinate the imagination, and divested of that glare of glory which throws a fhade over its deformities, the ghaftly carcafs has not only been expofed in all its nakedness, but polluted and diftained by the bloody hands of barbarians. From fo horrid a fcence we naturally turn with pleasure to trace the tranquil mazes of negotiation, and to review the acts and conduct of men in the most refined state of society.

We briefly stated in our laft volume [42. 237.], the infuperable difficulties which the Congrefs had thrown in the way of that conciliatory fyftem with which the commiffioners had been charged from England to America; and that an acknowledgement of independency, or the total withdrawing of the military force, were the peremptory and only conditions held out by the former upon which they would admit the opening of any negotiation. Qne of the gentlemen

who was appointed in the commiffion, having ferved in the navy, on the American coaft, and afterwards been governor of a province there, had formed confiderable connections, and an extenfive acquaintance in that country; and he now hoped that thefe circumftances might be of effential fervice, by ufing them as means to facilitate the attainment of the great object in view. This feemed the more feasible, as his parliamentary conduct, fince that time, had been in fuch direct oppofition to all those measures, which were deemed hoftile or oppreffive with regard to the colonies, that it could scarcely fail of greatly increasing, inftead of diminifhing, any influence which he might then have acquired. Under thefe circumftances he deemed it reasonable to conclude, that the direct applications of friendship, under the covert and freedom of a private correfpondence, toge ther with the fanction of personal efleem and opinion, might operate more happily in fmoothing or removing thofe difficulties which ftood in the way of an accommodation, than the ftiff, tedious, and formal proceedings of public negotiation. He was befides well aware, as indeed it was publicly avowed, that the commiffioners laboured under the capi tal impediment, of the Americans with whom they were to treat, placing no manner of confidence in the faith or equity of the authority under which they acted, but that, on the contrary, their diftruft of administration had grown fo long, and was become fo rivetted and confirmed, that they fufpected every propofal that was made, as held out only to circumvent, and as the mere offfpring of duplicity and treachery. To remove this ill impreffion, would have been evidently an object of the utmoft importance towards the opening of a negotiation, and the hope of entering into a treaty. But if the accomplishment of this appeared to be an impracticability, it did not feem a very unreasonable expectation, that the character which this gentleman had acquired in his political capacity, of being an avowed friend to the rights and conftitutional liberties of America, further strengthened and confirmed by the known principles of the oppofition in general, with whom he had fo long acted in parliament, might produce that neceffary degree of confidence in a private, which unhappily could

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