manner in which three troops of horfe, and as many companies of infantry, all belonging to that corps, were cantoned, at only a few miles diftance, that the commanding officers by fea and land, judged it a fufficient ground for undertaking an expedition to furprize and beat up their quarters. The advantage of conveying the troops by water to within a fmall diftance of their deftination, together with the information given by the deferters of an unguarded bridge, which lay a little on their fide of the scene of action, the poffeffion of which would ferve in cafe of neceffity, effectually to cover the retreat back to their veffels, added much to the apparent eligibility of the defign. The deferters spoke truth in this inftance, and the fuccefs was ac cordingly anfwerable to the expectation. 250 men were embarked, who after rowing ten miles, were landed long before day-light, within a mile of the bridge and defile we have mentioned; thefe being feized without difcovery, and a proper guard left to fecure the poffeffion, the reft of the detachment pushed forward, and fo completely furprized Pulafki's light infantry in the houfes where they lay, as nearly to cut them to pieces without refiftance. The victors numbered above fifty dead bodies. Several officers, and among them, the Baron de Bofe, a lieutenant colonel, with a captain, and an adjutant, perished in this flaughter. Capt. Ferguson obferves in his report, that it being a night attack, little quarter could be given, fo that only five prifoners were taken. Though fome attempt was made by Pu lafki's horfe, and the remains of his infantry, to harrass the detachment on their retreat, the good countenance which they kept, and the poffeffion of the bridge, rendered it totally ineffectual. Civil wars are unhappily distinguished from all others, by a degree of rancour in their profecution, which does not exift in the hoftilities of diftinct nations, and abfolute ftrangers. They are of courfe fruitful in circumstances grievous to humanity. In fuch cafes, the moft trifling occafions, the most vague and abfurd rumours, will irritate the multitude in all armies, to acts of great rigour and cruelty. An account given by the deferters, that Pulafki had iffued public orders, forbidding his corps to grant any quarter to the British troops, afforded a new edge to the fury of the foldiers, and shut up their bofoms against every feeling of pity or remorfe. This tale, totally unfupported, as it should feem, by any former, concurrent, or fubfequent circumftance, might well be attributed to the malice of the de ferters; and perhaps on all fuch occafions, it were better not to credit too haftily, thofe reports which urge to acts of unusual feverity, by charging a like intention to the enemy. This and the former expedition afforded an opportunity for a renewal of thofe complaints, which the Americans had fo loudly and repeatedly made, of the inhumanities and cruelties exercifed by fome corps of the British troops, as well as by their auxiliaries. A number of real or fuppofed facts, were now particularly fupplied by the furprize of Baylor's regiment, which was reprefented as a coldblood maffacre of naked men, furprized in their fleep; and who, from a reliance on the laws of war and cuftoms of nations, being in full expectation of quarter when they made no refiftance, would not leffen or hazard that fecurity, by even an attempt to lay hold of their arms, or the fmalleft motion of defence. The depofitions of feveral of the foldiers who had been left as dead, or who had otherwife unaccountably efcaped, were taken upon oath, authenti cated in the ufual forms, and published by authority. Some of the witneffes who appeared upon this occafion, afforded fuch extraordinary inftances of the tenacioufnefs of human nature, in fome particular cafes and circumftances, with respect to life, that a recital of the facts as they are ftated, may poffibly be confidered by fome as a matter of phyfical curiofity. Of about a dozen wounded foldiers who appeared to give their evidence, three had received, in a regular gradation, from nine to eleven ftabs each, of bayonets, in the breaft and trunk of the body, befides feveral wounds in other parts. Two others had received, the one five, and the other fix, ftabs in the body. It will undoubtedly excite the admiration of whoever confiders the nature of the weapon, and the force which it derives, as well from the weight of the mufket to which it is fixed, as from the manner in which it is used, and the strength of the operator, that thefe men were not only able to give their teftimony at a confiderable distance of time, but that no doubt feems then to have been entertained of their recovery. Although fome tribes of the Indians, particularly of thofe commonly called the Six Nations, had fent congratulations to General Gates on his fuccefs at Saratoga, and feemed to enjoy great fatisfaction in that event, and that others took different opportunities of expreffing fimilar fentiments, yet the prefents which they continually received from England, the industry of the British agents, and the influence of the great number of American refugees which had taken fhelter amongst them, all operating in conjunction upon their own native and unconquerable paffion for rapine, foon led them to contradict in act, their fentiments or profeffions upon that occafion. The fuccefs which attended the fmall expeditions undertaken by individuals of diffe rent tribes, under the guidance of the refugees, who knew where to lead them directly to fpoil, and how to bring them off without danger, foon fpread the contagion of havock through the adjoining nations, fo that, in a little time, deftruction raged very generally through the new fettlements, on the back of the northern and mid. dle Colonies. Colonel Butler, whofe name we havc feen, as an Indian agent and commander, in the wars on the fide of Canada, and who had great influence with fome of the northern nations of that people, together with one Brandt, an half Indian by blood, a man of defperate courage, but, as it is faid by the Americans, ferocious and cruel beyond example, were the [4] + princi principal leaders in these expeditions. The vaft extent of the frontiers, the fcattered and remote fituation of the fettlements, the nature of the combined enemy, which feemed to coalefce in one point of action, all the properties of British, American, and favage warfare, together with the exact knowledge which the refugees poffeffed of every object of their enterprize, and the immediate intelligence which they received from their friends on the fpo, afforded them fuch advantages in thefe expeditions, that the wretched fettlers, found all perfonal refistance as ineffectual, as public protection was impracticable. To complete their calamity, fubmiffion could procure no mercy, nor was age, fex, or condition, in too many inftances, capable of allaying the fury of their enemy. In this courfe of havock, the deftruction of the fine, new, and flourishing fettlement of Wyoming, was particularly calamitous to the Americans. That diftrict, fituated on the eastern branch of the Susquehanna, in a moft beautiful country, and delightful climate, although claimed by, and in the natural order of things feeming properly to appertain to Penfylvania, was notwithstanding, fince the last war, fettled and cultivated with great ardour, by a numerous fwarm from the populous hive of Connecticut. This measure was, however, fo much oppofed and refented by Penfylvania, and fo obftinately fupport ed by its antagonist, that after much altercation, it became at length the foundation of an ac. tual war between the two Colo nies, in which they engaged with fuch earneftnefs, that it was not even terminated by the conteft with the mother country, until the danger grew fo near and fo imminent to both fides, as of neceffity to fuperfede for the prefent all other confiderations." Their refpective charters, and the grants of land under them, interfered ftrangely with each other. It may be prefumed, that the crown in thofe days did not take much trouble in fettling the geography of boundless wastes, which afforded no immediate value, and whose future cultivation, or any disputes about their limits, appeared to be matters of fo remote and uncertain a fpeculation, as to excite no great degree of prefent attention. The Colony of Connecticut obtained by their grant, all the lands weftward, within their proper degrees of latitude, to the South Seas, which were not already occupied by other powers. New York, and New Jersey, were then within that exception, being both foreign, and they ftretched directly acrofs, in the way. of that grant. Penfylvania was afterwards granted to its proprietors, lying on the farther fide, and in a parallel line, with these two provinces, The Connecticut men acknow→ ledged the validity of the exception with refpect to New York and Jerfey; but infifted, that their right emerged on the western boundary of thofe provinces, in the courfe of the fuppofed line, and could not in any degree be affected by a later grant made to Penfylvania. A claim, which, if eftablished, would narrow the limits of the laft province to a degree, which would most materi ally ally affect its power and interefts; and which lying open, as it ftill does, may poffibly be productive of very material confequences with respect to the future ftate of America. The fettlement of Wyoming confifted of eight townships, each containing a fquare of five miles, beautifully fituated on both fides of the Sufquehanna. In fuch a country, fituation, and climate as we have defcribed, and bleft with a foil luxuriantly fertile; where every man poffeffed an abundance, which was, however, the fruit of moderate labour and induftry; where no man was very rich, nor very great; the inhabitants exhibited upon the whole, fuch a picture of primeval happiness, as has feldom been equalled; and fuch, indeed, as humanity in its present state seems scarcely capable of exceeding. The fettlement increafed and throve accordingly. And not withstanding its infant ftate, and the oppofition they met from Philadelphia, population was already become fo vigorous amongst them, that they had fent a thousand men to ferve in the Continental army. Yet, with this exceffive drain from the cultivation of a new Colony, their farms were ftill fo loaded with plentiful crops of every kind, and their paftures fo abundantly covered with cattle, that their fupplies to the army in thofe refpects, were at leaft in full proportion to that which they afforded in men, Nor had they been deficient in providing against thofe dangers, to which, from their remote fituation, they were particularly expofed; and had accordingly constructed for that purpofe no lefs than four forts, which feemed, at leaft, fully fufficient to cover the fettlement from the irruptions of the favages. But neither the happiness of climate, the fertility of foil, nor the remoteness of fituation, could prevent the evils of party and political difcord from fpringing up amongst them. It might indeed appear from the fupply of men which they had fent to the army, that only one political principle pervaded the fettlement; a fupply fo ill fuited to the ftate and ftrength of an infant colony, that it feems difficult whether to admire more, the excefs of zeal from which it proceeded, or the total want of prudence, policy, and wifdom, under which it was directed. But notwithstanding this appearance, they had no inconfiderable mixture of loyalifts among themselves, and the two parties were actuated by fenti ments of the moft violent animofity. Nor were these animofities confined to particular families or places, or marked by any line of diftinction; but creeping within the roofs, and to the hearths and boards where they were leaft expected, ferved, as it afterwards fatally appeared, equally to poifon the fources of domestic fecurity and happiness, and to cancel the laws of nature and humanity. It would feem extraordinary, if fuch inftances had not occurred upon other occafions, that this devoted people had frequent and timely warnings of the danger to which they were exposed by fending all their beft men to fo great a diftance, without their taking any timely measures for their re call, call, or even for procuring a fub ftitute of defence or protection. Their quiet had been interrupted by the favages, joined with marauding parties of their own countrymen, in the preceding year; and it was only by a vigorous oppofition, in a courfe of fuccefsful skirmishes, that they had been driven off or difperfed. Several of those whom they called Tories, and others who had not before been fufpected, had at that time and fince abandoned the fettlement, and along with a perfect, and confequently dangerous knowledge of all the particulars of their fituation and circumftances, were well known to have carried along with them fuch a ftock of private refentment, from the abafement and infults they had fuffered from the prevailing party, as could not fail to give a direction to the fury, and even a new edge to the cruelty, of their favage and in veterate enemies. A fort of public act which had taken place in the fettlement fince the last invafion, was preceded with, and productive of circumftances, which afforded caufe for the greatest alarm, and for every poffible defenfive precaution. An unufual number of ftrangers had, under various pretences, and the fanction of that univerfal hofpitality which once fo much diftinguished America from the old world, come into the Colony, where their behaviour became fo fufpicious, that they were at length taken up and examined, when fuch evidence appeared against feveral of them, of their acting in direct concert with the enemy, on a fcheme for the deftruction of the fettlements, that about twenty were fent off under a ftrong guard to Con necticut, in order to be there imprifoned and tried for their lives. The remainder of thefe ftrange Tories, against whom no fufficient evidence could be precured, were only expelled. It was foon well known, that this measure of fending their fellows to Connecticut, had excited the rage of those called Tories, in general, whether in arms on the frontiers, or otherwife, in the most extreme degree; and that all the threats which had ever been denounced against this people, were renewed with aggravated vengeance. now As the time approached for the final catastrophe, the Indians practifed a more refined diffimulation, if not greater treachery, than had been customary with them. For feveral weeks previous to the intended attack, they repeatedly fent small parties to the fettlement, charged with the ftrongest profeffions of friendship, declarations, of the fullest defire and intention to preferve the peace inviolate on their fide, and requefts, that the fame favourable and pacific difpofition might be entertained and cultivated on the other. Thefe parties, befides lul ling the people in their prefent deceitful fecurity, answered the purposes, of communicating with their friends, and of obferving the immediate state of affairs in the Colony. Some alarm, or sense of their danger, began, however, to spread among the people, and letters were fent to General Washington, and to others in authority, reprefenting their fituation, and demanding immediate affiftance. As the time more nearly approached |