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 enterprize was at fo vaft a diftance, as that the party, in their way, were obliged to traverse no lefs than about 1,200 miles of a boundlefs, uncultivated, and uninhabited wafte, through which they were under a neceffity of conveying every neceffary for fubfiftence, and every 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 thofe 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 mischief 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 those 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 Miffifippi Indians to undertake expeditions against the back fettlements. This conduct was the motive to the prefent diftant expedition.

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 sustenance. We may therefore well credit their affertion, that when they arrived in this hungry ftate, about midnight, at the town of Kafkafkias, they were unanimoufly 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 remotenefs forbade all ideas of danger, it of course fuperfeded all precaution against a furprize. 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 escaped 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 inftructions which he had received from Quebec, Detroit, and Michillimackinack, for fetting on and paying the Indians. The inhabitants were compelled to take an oath of allegiance to the United States; and the fort became the principal citadel and head quarters of the victors.

fifteen

fifteen to about feventy miles farther up the Miffifippi. In all, the inhabitants feem to have transferred their allegiance with great facility; nor were thofe difperfed in the country behind-hand 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 judgment, and executed them with fuch filence and dispatch, that the favages, at length, found their own mode of war effectually turned upon them. Surprized in their inmost retreats, and most fequeftered receffes, at thofe times and feafons when they were fcarcely 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 most fenfible manner, thofe calamities which they were only wont to adminifter, they grew anxious 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 settlements, not only hearing of Clarke's fuccefs, but immediately feeling their benefit, began to thake off their terror, and even feemed by degrees to partake of his fpirit and enterprize.

An expedition, in fome degree of the fame nature, was alfo undertaken, from the remote and upper parts of Pennfylvania in the month of October, under the conduct of a Col. Butler; the prefent being, however, as much directed againft feveral confiderable fettlements 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 seem 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.

But

Without entering into a detail of particulars, it will be fufficient to obferve, that they totally burnt and deftroyed both the Indian caftles or villages in that quarter, and the other fettlements. that, notwithstanding the utmost addrefs and precaution were practifed for the purpofe of a complete furprize, the inhabitants, both Tories and Indians, had the fortune to escape; a deliverance of no fmail moment in their situation; as the vengeance for Wyoming, where they bore a diftinguished part, would undoubtedly have fallen heavy upon them. The deftruction was extended for feveral miles on both fides of the Sufquehanna; in the course of which, the fruits of a plentiful harvest, together with the only faw-mill and grift-mill in that whole country, fhared an equal fate with the houfes and every

other

other article useful or neceffary to

man.

The difficulties, diftreffes, and dangers, which the party encountered in this expedition, were pe. culiar to that part of the world; and required no fmall fhare of that patient fortitude, and hardiness of body and mind, which can scarcely be acquired without long habitude, under certain marked citcumftances of fituation, by any confiderable number of men. Notwithstanding the occafional affiftance which they derived from their pack-horses, 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 circumftances, after the toil of a hard march, and in fome fituations not venturing to make fires for fear of discovery, they were obliged to endure, without cover, the chilling nights and heavy rains peculiar to that climate and feafon; whilft

their arms were rendered useless, at thofe times when they were most liable to the fudden attack of an enraged and cruel enemy, whofe principal effort lay in that fort of furprize. These were, however, only fmall matters, when compared with the danger that awaited their return, and which they This was the hardly efcaped. This fudden rifing of the great rivers in their way, occafioned by the continual rains, whilft they were still in the enemy's country, (who were very ftrong in that quarter) their provifions 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.

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

VOL. XXII.

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CHAP.

had been in fuch direct oppofition to all those measures which were deemed hoftile or oppreffive with regard to the Colonies, that it could fcarcely fail of greatly increafing, inftead of diminishing, any influence which he might then have acquired. Under thefe circumftances he deemed it reafonable to conclude, that the direct applications of friendship, under the covert and freedom of a private correfpondence, together with the fanction of perfonal efteem and opinion, might operate more happily in fmoothing or removing thofe difficulties which stood in the way of an accommodation, than the stiff, tedious, and formal proceedings of public negociation. He was befides well aware, as indeed it was publicly avowed, that the commiffioners laboured under the capital 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 admiration had grown fo long, and was become fo rivet ted and confirmed, that they fufpected every propofal that was made, as held out only to circum• vent, and as the mere offspring of duplicity and treachery. To remove this ill impreffion, would have been evidently an object of the utmost importance towards the opening of a negociation, 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 not be ob tained in a public negociation.

Under fome of these, and perhaps other ideas, he endeavoured to commence or renew a private correfpondence with several mem. bers of the Congrefs, and other perfons of confideration. Thus, in fact, endeavouring to establish a double fyftem of negociation; the one, oftenfible, with the Congress at large; the other, unfeen and private, with individuals whofe influence might not only facilitate, but even in fome degree direct, the proceedings of the former. Some of these letters, which have been publifhed, feem rather of an unufual caft, confidering the peculiar circumftances and fituation of the writer. While, as a common friend to both countries, he pathetically lamented their mutual calamities, he feemed no way spar ing in his cenfure of the conduct and measures on the fide of government which led to the prefent troubles; nor did he any more fupport the juftice of the original claims fet up by the mother coun. try, than he did the prudence or policy of endeavouring to enforce them. Upon the whole, he ufed a freedom with the authority under which he acted, not customary with thofe entrufted with delegated power; and afforded fuch a degree of approbation to the conduct of the Americans in the past refiftance: which they had made to it, as is seldom granted by negociators to

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their