military stores. This was a most gallant exploit-few if any were more so, during the revolutionary struggle. It was looked upon as among the most brilliant achievements of the American arms, Wayne (it was said) when passing through a deep morass, previous to his gaining the bottom of the ledges of rocks up which a portion of the detachment passed, sunk deep into the mire and in pulling his foot up, pulled it out of his boot, he then stooped down and plucked his boot out of the mud and carried it in his hand and pushed his men forward in his stocking foot, not even taking time to draw it on. In taking this post General Wayne was slightly wounded in the attack, but recovered and pushed forward and animated his men by bold language, as well as by the undaunted courage he displayed. "Remember the Paoli" was their watch-word, in addition to the watch-word of Major Posey, uttered when he first mounted the works, "the Fort's our own." The conduct of General Wayne, his officers and men under his command reflected a proud honor and shed a lustre of hallowed glory around the occasion. The cold and bloody massacre at the Paoli was fresh in their recollections, and although the retaliaing watch-word "remember the Paoli," was reiterated by officers and men, yet glorious to say, not a man was injured in his person by Wayne, his officers and soldiers after resistance ceased.

A short time after this success another followed, that of the capture of Paulus-Hook. The expedition against this post was entrusted to General Lee, and it was an enterprise equally hazardous with that of Stoney Point. Lee with several detachments amounting in all to about 1100 men, the most of whom were posted at different rods as covering parties to secure his retreat. The works were strongly constructed and were well guarded, but Lee with his brave companions in the enterprise entered their works by storm and captured 160 prisoners with a loss of two Americans killed and three wounded.

These brilliant achievements elevated the spirits of

the American soldiery every where and elevated their character greatly. They braced the friends of Liberty throughout the colonies and gave spring to their actions; elevated the fame of our military in the eyes of our enemies and taught them, that although we were "buckskin boys," we could go as far and as boldly and fearlessly to the work voluntarily, without proper pay, proper food and clothing for Liberty's sake, as they "invincibles (as they often styled themselves) could for the crown or for the love of conquest with pay and an "unequalled discipline," and the "most skilful and unsurpassed officers" of their British legions; in short, these bold exploits animated officers and men, they stimulated Congress to a more enlarged action, they gave us confidence at home and they elevated us abroad, and reduced our enemy's force; they taught them lessons of honor and humbled their pompous and stinking pride.

On the 22d of August, '79, General Sullivan marched with a large detachment against the Indians of the val ley of the Wyoming, then engaged in the most horrid and fearful destruction of the frontier settlers-the Indians were instigated to these savage barbarities by the British. Among these were six whites that for savage and awfully malignant propensities, inciting them to bloody and murderous deeds could scarcely have been equalled or possessed by the red men of the forest whom they led on and instigated to commit the most appalling atrocities. General Sullivan penetrated their territory with an army of about 5,000 men and encountered about 1500 Indians, including 200 whites, lodged behind a breast-work of nearly half a mile in length constructed upon an eminence with its right extending to a river. General Sullivan having disposed of his troops in proper order gave the signal for an attack; Major Par led the advance and a continual skirmishing was kept up between this corps and those of the Indians that ventured out of their works.

General Hand with the infantry aided by the artillery, made a vigorous and spirited attack on the works in front, whilst General Poor with infantry and riflemen

rushed up the hill and turned the enemy's left and made a mighty charge upon them in his rear. The conflict was a severe one, although the American loss did not exceed thirty. The loss of the Indians on the occasion was much less than could have been expected. General Sullivan, however, pushed his conquest until he drove them to some considerable distance beyond their settlements, enforcing as he went the very severe and (seeming) cruel but highly called for necessary orders he had received from government, "to render the country completely uninhabitable for the present." He destroyed their "houses, corn-fields, gardens and fruittrees."

My view of the course I beheld, so fully expressed by Mr. Marshall in his most excellent work, the life of General Washington; a work that all families, able to possess should lose no time in procuring, it is a rich textbook of revolutionary doings-I take the liberty of presenting his views in an extract. I do it the more willingly in my desires, to aid in silencing what I consider a false clamor raised against the course pursued by our young Republic towards the aborigines of the vast wilderness wilds of America. I could not, nor would I knowingly dare for a moment to back injustice against innocence. Nor would I dare for a moment to back that injustice, or that unjust course which would give to the foreign enemies of my birth-land even a temporary foothold within my country-the employment of an Indian ally, or a hiding place therein through their trinket purchased instrumentality. It must be remembered that the year before (1778,) had been marked by one among the most awful Indian massacres that perhaps ever fell to the the lot of any historian to record.

"The devastation of the country has been spoken of with some degree of disapprobation; but this sentiment is the result rather of an amiable disposition in the human mind to condemn whatever have the appearmay ance of tending to aggravate the miseries of war, than of reflection; circumstances existed which reconciled to

humanity this seeming departure from it. Great Britain possessed advantages which ensured a controlling influence over the Indians, and kept them in almost continual war with the United States. Their habitual ferocity seemed to have derived increased virulence from the malignity of the whites, who had taken refuge among them; and there was real foundation for the opinion that an annual repetition of the horrors of Wyoming could be prevented only by disabling the savages from perpetrating them. No means in the power of the United States promised so certainly to effect this desirable object, as the removal of neighbors whose hostility could be diminished only by terror, and whose resentments were to be assuaged only by fear.

General Sullivan after remaining some time in the Indian country and endeavoring to overawe the savages to an implicit submission, returned to Easton, Pa. This expedition had a direct tendency to cripple the Indians in that quarter and deter them from committing any very great depredations for some considerable time thereafter.

History informs us that in the region-of country on the Alleghany river above Pittsburgh, a strong force was despatched in order to overawe the Indians and protect the whites from the scalping knife and tomahawk of the ruthless hoardes of savages that were cutting off the inhabitants of that quarter.

I do not recollect any thing that transpired worthy of notice after I returned to Van Zandt's until I was again transferred from there by the orders of Colonel Humpton, sometime during the fall of 1779, to some military post not far distant from West Point, where I remained for the most part (except when detached for a time to Crown Point) until after the execution of Major Andre, Adjutant General of the British army, who was hanged as a spy in the fall of 1780.

CHAPTER IX.

When we arrived at West Point, it seemed to me that there was nothing in the country but encampments and none other inhabitants but soldiers. It was a strong

and important Military Post. Here the Commander had concentrated a very great force. Soldiers were often arriving and often departing. There were a number of Forts in the vicinity of West Point, Forts Lee, Putnam, Arnold, Defiance.

*

These Forts were situated on high bluffs near to and commanding the North river. Our encampment was on the high or level land nearly a mile from the river.There were two or three brigades of soldiers laid here. New Windsor (now perhaps called Newbury) was about 5 miles up the river, and was a great apple market, and to which many of us (soldiers) often repaired to purchase apples.

The parade ground attached to our encampment at this post, was the prettiest I ever saw any where during the Revolution. The soldiers quartered in log huts. These huts were built in two rows, with 15 or 20 feet space between the rows, and extended for more than a mile. Very many of these huts were built at the time I was there with my father in 1777. The duty of the "Camp-colour men" were to level the parade ground and keep it swept clean every day. West Point was a strong military post. It is true it might have been captured by a very strong force even at this time, with all the military force concentrated there, but in consequence of there being so many forts along the river and other almost impregnable barriers, it could justly have been termed a strong position. Below or opposite to the lower forts a great iron chain was stretched across the river from shore to shore, and rested upon buoys or upon timbers to bear it up to within a proper distance of the surface of the water. The object of placing this chain across the river, was to bar the enemy's shipping from