HISTORY: Warner Beers, 1886, Part 2, Chapter 5, Cumberland County, PA
Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Judy Bookwalter
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
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History of Cumberland and Adams Counties, Pennsylvania.
Containing History of the Counties, Their Townships, Towns, Villages,
Schools, Churches, Industries, Etc.; Portraits of Early Settlers and
Prominent Men; Biographies; History of Pennsylvania; Statistical and
Miscellaneous Matter, Etc., Etc. Illustrated. Chicago: Warner, Beers
& Co., 1886.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/cumberland/beers/beers.htm
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PART II.
HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY. PENNSYLVANIA.
CHAPTER V.
MILITARY - CUMBERLAND COUNTY IN THE REVOLUTION - THE WHISKEY
INSURRECTION - THE WAR OF 1812.
FOR more than ten years after the close of the Indian wars the
inhabitants of the county gave their attention to peaceful pursuits.
Agriculture flourished and the population increased. Great Britain
finally attempted to force her American colonies to comply with all her
outrageous demands without giving them any voice in the Government.
They naturally objected. The famous "Boston port bill" roused their
ire. This county had few citizens who stood by the mother country in
such proceedings. July 12, 1774, a public meeting was called, of which
the following are the minutes:
"At a respectable gathering of the freeholders and freemen from
several townships of Cumberland County in the province of Pennsylvania,
held at
78 HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY.
Carlisle, in the said county, on Tuesday, the 12th day of July, 1774,
John Montgomery, Esq., in the chair -
1. Resolved, That the late act of the Parliament of Great Britain,
by which the port of Boston is shut up, is oppressive to that town and
subversive of the rights and liberties of the colony of Massachusetts
Bay: that the principle upon which the act is founded is not more
subversive of the rights and liberties of that colony than it is of all
other British colonies in North America; and, therefore, the
inhabitants of Boston are suffering in the common cause of all these
colonies.
2. That every vigorous and prudent measure ought speedily and
unanimously to be adopted by these colonies for obtaining redress of
the grievances under which the inhabitants of Boston are now laboring;
and security from grievance of the same or of a still more severe
nature under which they and the other inhabitants may, by a further
operation of the same principle, hereafter labor.
3. That a congress of deputies from all the colonies will be one
proper method for obtaining these purposes.
4. That the same purpose will, in the opinion of this meeting, be
promoted by an agreement of all the colonies not to import any
merchandise from nor export any merchandise to Great Britain, Ireland,
or the British West Indies, nor to use any such merchandise so
imported, nor tea imported from any place whatever, till these purposes
be obtained; but that the inhabitants of this country will join any
restriction of that agreement which, the general Congress may think it
necessary for the colonies to confine themselves to.
5. That the inhabitants of this county will contribute to the relief
of their suffering brethren in Boston at any time when they shall
receive intimation that such relief will be most seasonable.
6. That a committee be immediately appointed for this county to
correspond with the committee of this province or of the other
provinces upon the great objects of the public attention; and to co-
operate in every measure conducing to the general welfare of British
America.
7. That the committee consist of the following persons, viz.: James
Wilson, John Armstrong, John Montgomery, William Irvine, Robert
Callender, William Thompson, John Calhoon, Jonathan Hoge, Robert Magaw,
Ephraim Blane, John Allison, John Harris and Robert Miller, or any five
of them.
8. That James Wilson, Robert Magaw and William Irvine be the
deputies appointed to meet the deputies from other counties of this
province at Philadelphia on Friday next, in order to concert measures
preparatory to the General Congress.
JOHN MONTGOMERY, Chairman.
This meeting was held in the Presbyterian Church at Carlisle, and the
chairman (Montgomery) was an elder in the church. The meeting was
called on receipt of a letter from the Assembly, under action of June
30, calling upon each county to provide arms and ammunition and men to
use them from out their associated companies, also to assess real and
personal estates to defray expenses. The Assembly encouraged military
organizations, and promised to see that officers and men called into
service were paid. We quote Dr. Wing's notes upon the men composing
the committee:
"James Wilson was born in 1742 in Scotland; had received a finished
education at St. Andrews, Edinburgh and Glasgow, under Dr. Blair in
rhetoric and Dr. Watts in logic, and in 1766 had come to reside in
Philadelphia, where he studied law with John Dickinson, from whom he
doubtless acquired something of the spirit which then distinguished
that eminent patriot. When admitted to practice he took up his
residence in Carlisle. In an important land case, which had recently
been tried between the proprietaries and Samuel Wallace, he had gained
the administration of the most eminent lawyers in the province, and at
once had taken rank second to none at the Pennsylvania bar. At the
meeting of the people now held in Carlisle, he made a speech which drew
forth the most rapturous applause. Robert Magaw was a native of
Cumberland County, belonging to a family which had early settled in
Hopewell Township, and was also a lawyer of some distinction in
Carlisle. The career on which he was now entering was one in which he
was to become known to the American people as one of their purest and
bravest officers. William Irvine was a native of Ireland from the
neighborhood of Enniskillen; had been
79 HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY.
classically educated at the University of Dublin, and had early evinced
a fondness for military life, but had been induced by his parents to
devote himself to the medical and surgical profession. On receiving
his diploma he had been appointed a surgeon in the British Navy, where
he continued until the close of the French war (1754-63), when he
resigned his place, removed to America and settled in Carlisle, where
he acquired a high reputation and an extensive practice as a physician.
William Thompson had served as a captain of horse in the expeditions
against the Indians (1759-60), had been appointed a justice of the
peace in Hopewell Township, and had lately been active in the relief of
the inhabitants in the western part of the province in their
difficulties with Virginia on the boundary question. Jonathan Hoge and
John Calhoon had been justices of the peace and judges in the county,
and belonged to two of the oldest and most respectable families in the
vicinity of Silvers' Spring. Ephraim Blaine we have known for his
brave defense of a fort at Ligonier, and was now the proprietor of a
large property and mills on the Conodoguinet, near the cave, about a
mile north of Carlisle. John Allison, of Tyrone Township; John Harris,
a lawyer of Carlisle, and Robert Miller, living about a mile northeast
of Carlisle in Middleton Township; John Montgomery, a member of the
Assembly, and Robert Callender, formerly an extensive trader with the
Indians, a commissary for victualing the troops on the western campaign
and the owner of mills at the confluence of the Letort with the
Conodoguinet, were all of them active as justices, judges and
commissioners for the county."
The three delegates from Cumberland County were at Philadelphia a few
days later, when the delegates from the various counties of the
province assembled, and James Wilson was one of the committee of eleven
which brought in a paper of "Instructions on the present situation of
public affairs to the representatives who were to meet in the Colonial
Assembly next week." The proceedings of this meeting, the subsequent
steps of the Assembly, and all the proceedings up to the opening of
hostilities, are matters of record not necessary to introduce here.
The committee of thirteen which had been appointed at Carlisle, July
12, 1774, kept busy, and through their efforts a "committee of
observation" was chosen by the people who had general oversight of
civil affairs, and few counties were more fortunate than Cumberland in
their choice of men. About this time the terms "whig" and "tory" began
to be heard, and the bitterness the two partisan factions held toward
each other after the declaration by the colonies of their independence,
was extreme, leading to atrocious crimes and terrible murders by the
tories when they could strike like cowards, knowing their strength.
"Few such," says Dr. Wing, "were found among the native population of
this valley. There were indeed some both in civil and in
ecclesiastical life who questioned whether they had a right to break
the oath or vow of allegiance which they had taken on assuming some
official station. Even those were seldom prepared to go so far as to
give actual aid and comfort to the enemy, or to make positive
resistance to the efforts of the patriots. They usually contented
themselves with a negative withdrawal from all participation in efforts
at independence. Many of them were earnest supporters of all movements
for redress of grievances, and paused only when they were asked to
support what they looked upon as rebellion. These hardly deserved the
name of "tories," since they were not the friends of extreme royal
prerogative, and only doubted whether the colonies were authorized by
what they had suffered to break entirely away from the crown to which
they had sworn allegiance, and whether the people were yet able to
maintain this separate position. Among these who deserved rather to be
ranked as non-
80 HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY.
jurors were one of the first judges of the county, who had recently
removed over the mountain to what is now Perry County, and two
clergymen who held commissions as missionaries of the 'Venerable
Society in England for the Propagation of Religion in Foreign Parts.'"
James Wilson, of Cumberland County, was in December, 1774, appointed
one of nine delegates to a second Congress to be held the next year in
Philadelphia, and held the position until 1777. Both he and Robert
Magaw were members from this county of the provincial convention which
met at Philadelphia January 23, 1775, and continued in session six
days, during which time much business of great importance was
transacted.
Upon receipt of the news of the battle of Lexington (April 19, 1775),
Congress resolved to raise an army, and the quota of Pennsylvania was
figured at 4,300. Word was sent to the committee of Cumberland County,
and they proceeded at once to organize companies of "associators," many
of which were already formed on the old plan in use since the days of
the Indian troubles. A letter from this county dated May 6, 1775,
said: "Yesterday the county committee met from nineteen townships, on
the short notice they had. About 8,000 men have already associated.
The arms returned amount to about 1,500. The committee have voted 500
effective men, besides commissioned officers, to be immediately
drafted, taken into pay, armed and disciplined to march on the first
emergency; to be paid and supported as long as necessary, by a tax on
all estates real and personal in the county; the returns to be taken by
the township committees, and the tax laid by the commissioners and the
assessors; the pay of the officers and men as in times past. This
morning we met again at 8 o'clock; among other subjects of inquiry the
mode of drafting or taking into pay, arming and victualing immediately
the men, and the choice of field and other officers, will among other
matters be the subjects of deliberation. The strength or spirit of
this county perhaps may appear small if judged by the number of men
proposed, but when it is considered that we are ready to raise 1,500 or
2,000, should we have support from the province, and that independently
and in uncertain expectation of support we have voluntarily drawn upon
this county a debt of about 27,000L. per annum, I hope we shall not
appear contemptible. We make great improvement in military discipline.
It is yet uncertain who may go."
From July 3, 1775, to July 22, 1776, John Montgomery, Esq., of
Carlisle, was an active and a prominent member of a committee of
safety, consisting of twenty-five men from different parts of the
province, sitting permanently at Philadelphia, and having management of
the entire military affairs of the province. The first troops sent out
from Cumberland County, were under the call of Congress in May, 1775,
and were from the association companies, the call by the committee of
safety not being made until some months later. To furnish arms and
ammunition for the soldiers was the greatest difficulty, especially in
Cumberland County. "Each person in the possession of arms was called
upon to deliver them up at a fair valuation, if he could not himself
enlist with them. Rifles, muskets, and other fire-arms were thus
obtained to the amount of several hundred, and an armory was
established for the repairing and altering of these, in Carlisle. On
hearing that a quantity of arms and accoutrements had been left at the
close of the Indian war at the house of Mr. Carson, in Paxtang
Township, and had remained there without notice or care, the
commissioners of Cumberland County, regarding them as public property,
sent for them and found about sixty or seventy muskets or rifles which
were capable of being put to use, and those were brought to Carlisle,
repaired
81 HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY.
and distributed. Three hundred pounds were also paid for such arms and
equipments as were collected from individuals who could not themselves
come forward as soldiers. All persons who were not associated, and yet
were of the age and ability for effective service, were to be reported
by the assessors to the county commissioners and assessed, in addition
to the regular tax, 2L. 10s. annually, in lieu of the time which others
spent in military training. The only persons excepted were ministers
of the gospel and servants purchased for a valuable consideration of
any kind. It was assumed that those who had conscientious scruples
about personally bearing arms ought not to hesitate to contribute a
reasonable share of the expense for the protection they received."
The first troops going out from Cumberland made up eight companies
of, generally, 100 each, and nearly all from the county. The regiment,
which became the First Rifle Regiment of Pennsylvania, was formed of
men already associated, and therefore the more easily organized for
immediate service. It was formed within ten days after the news of the
battle of Bunker Hill had been received. The companies rendezvoused at
Reading, where the regiment was fully organized by the election of
officers as follows: Col. William Thompson, a surveyor who lived near
Carlisle and had served with distinction as an officer in the Indian
war; Lieut. Col. Edward Hand, of Lancaster; Maj. Robert Magaw, of
Carlisle. The captains of the several companies were James Chambers,
of Loudon Forge, near Chambersburg; Robert Cluggage, of Hamilton
Township; Michael Doudel, William Hendricks, of East Pennsborough; John
Loudon, James Ross, Matthew Smith and George Nagle. Surgeon - Dr.
William Magaw, of Mercersburg, a brother to Robert. Chaplain - Rev.
Samuel Blair. The regiment marched directly to Boston, reaching camp
at Cambridge in the beginning of August, 1775, when it consisted of 3
field officers, 9 Captains, 27 lieutenants, 1 adjutant, 1
quartermaster, 1 surgeon, 1 surgeon's mate, 29 Sergeants, 13 drummers
and 713 privates fit for duty, or 798 men all told. The officers were
commissioned to date from June 15, 1775; term of enlistment, one year.
This was the first regiment from west of the Hudson to reach the camp,
and received particular attention. They were thus described by a
contemporary: "They are remarkably stout and vigorous men, many of
them exceeding six feet in height. They are dressed in white frocks or
rifle shirts and round hats. They are remarkable for the accuracy of
their aim, striking a mark with great certainty at 200 yards distance.
At a review a company of them, while on a quick advance, fired their
balls into objects of seven inches in diameter at a distance of 250
yards. They are stationed in our outlines, and their shots have
frequently proved fatal to British officers and soldiers who exposed
themselves to view even at more than double the distance of a common
musket shot." Col. Thompson, with two of his companies under Capts.
Smith and Hendricks, went with the expedition to Canada, being probably
part of the troops who went on the eastern route with Arnold. December
31, 1775, they were in the assault on Quebec, carried the barriers, and
for three hours held out against a greatly superior force, being
finally compelled to retire. Of the body to which this regiment
belonged, Gen. Richard Montgomery said: "It is an exceedingly fine
corps, inured to fatigue and well accustomed to common shot, having
served at Cambridge. There is a style of discipline amongst them much
superior to what I have been accustomed to see in this campaign."
By subsequent promotions Col. Thompson became a brigadier-general;
Lieut.-Col. Hand succeeded to the command of the regiment; Capt.
Chambers became lieutenant-colonel, and James Armstrong Wilson, of
Carlisle, major, in place of Robert Magaw, transferred. Part of the
regiment was captured at
82 HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY.
Trois Rivieres and taken to New York, while Col. Hand barely escaped
with the balance. Gen. Thompson was finally paroled and sent home to
his family in 1777, but was not exchanged until October 26, 1780, when
he and others were exchanged for Maj.-Gen. De Reidesel, of the
Brunswick troops. He died on his farm near Carlisle September 3, 1781,
aged forty-five years, and his death was undoubtedly hastened by
exposure while in a military prison.
Upon the expiration of the term of enlistment of this regiment, June
30, 1776, most of the officers and men re-enlisted "for three years or
during the war," under Col. Hand, and the battalion became the first
regiment of the Continental line. The two separated parts of the
regiment, one from Cambridge and the other from Canada, were reunited
at New York, though some of its officers, like Magaw, were transferred
by promotion to other portions of the army. It was at Long Island,
White Plains, Trenton and Princeton under Hand. In April, 1777, Hand
was made a brigadier, and James Chambers became the colonel. Under him
the regiment fought at Brandywine, Germantown, Monmouth and in every
other battle and skirmish of the main army until he retired from the
service, January 1, 1781, and was succeeded by Col. Daniel Broadhead
May 26, 1781. With him the first regiment left York, Penn., with five
others into which the line was consolidated under the command of Gen.
Wayne, and joined Lafayette at Raccoon Ford on the Rappahannock June
10; fought at Green Springs on July 6, and opened the second parallel
at Yorktown, which Gen. Steuben said he considered the most important
part of the siege. After the surrender the regiment went southward
with Gen. Wayne, fought the last battle of the war at Sharon, Ga., May
24, 1782, entered Savannah in triumph on the 11th of July, Charleston
on the 14th of December, 1782; was in camp on James Island, S. C., on
the 11th of May, 1783, and only when the news of the cessation of
hostilities reached that point was embarked for Philadelphia. In its
services it traversed every one of the original thirteen States of the
Union. Capt. Hendricks fell during the campaign in Canada. A few of
the original members of the regiment were with it through all the
various scenes of the eight years of service. Col. Chambers and Maj.
Wilson both retired from the service because of wounds which
incapacitated them from duty. The regiment had a splendid record.
Additional regiments from Pennsylvania were called for by Congress in
the latter part of 1775, and the Second, Third and Fourth Battalions
were raised and placed under the command of Cols. Arthur St. Clair,
John Shea and Anthony Wayne. The Fifth Battalion was commanded by
Robert Magaw, who had been major in the First, and was composed of
companies principally from Cumberland County. It was recruited in
December, 1775, and January, 1776, and in February, 1776, some of its
companies were in Philadelphia, though the main body of the regiment
that Cumberland County in March. It departed from Carlisle March 17,
1776, on which occasion Rev. William Linn, who had been licensed to
preach by the Presbytery of Carlisle, and had been appointed Chaplain
of the Fifth and Sixth Battalions of Pennsylvania militia, delivered a
stirring patriotic sermon, which has been preserved in print to the
present day. The command proceeded to Long Island, assisted in the
construction of defenses, and upon the retreat assisted other
Pennsylvania regiments in covering the same. They were afterward
placed in Fort Washington at the head of Manhattan Island, with other
Pennsylvania troops, commanded by such officers as Cols. Cadwallader,
Atlee, Swope, Frederick Watts (of Carlisle) and John Montgomery, the
whole commanded by Col. Robert Magaw. Gen. Howe demanded the surrender
of the fort, threatening dire consequences if it had to be carried by
assault. Col. Magaw replied that "he doubted
83 HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY.
Portrait of Wm. W. Dale, M. D.
84 HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY.
Blank Page
85 HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY.
whether a threat so unworthy of the General and of the British nation
would be executed." "But," said he, "give me leave to assure your
excellency that, actuated by the most glorious cause that mankind ever
fought in, I am determined to defend this post to the very last
extremity." And that he did, Washington witnessing part of the
operations from the opposite side of the Hudson. Finally, however,
November 19, 1776, the gallant colonel was compelled to capitulate, and
the strong position, with 2,818 men, fell into the hands of the
British. Col. Magaw remained a prisoner on parole until October 25,
1780, when, with Gens. Thompson and Laurens he was exchanged for the
British major-general, De Reidesel. Many of Magaw's men suffered
greatly in the British prisons, but they refused all temptations held
out to induce them to desert and enlist in the royal service. A few
were exchanged in 1777, but most remained prisoners until nearly the
close of the war.
The committee of correspondence for Cumberland County wrote to
Congress about the middle of August, 1775: "The twelfth company of our
militia has marched to-day, which companies contain in the whole, 833
privates; with officers, nearly 900 men. Six companies more are
collecting arms, and are preparing to march." This committee of
correspondence included, among others, John Armstrong, John Byers,
Robert Miller, John Agnew and James Pollock; all but Byers residents of
Carlisle. (Mr. Miller, in 1768 until 1782, and later, according to the
records, owned a tan-yard, and he also is said to have been a merchant.
He was an elder in the church and held numerous offices. His daughter,
Margaret, married Maj. James Armstrong Wilson.) The committee reported
in December, to the committee of safety, that they expected to be able
to raise an entire battalion in the county, and hoped they might be
allowed to do so, in order to do away with the discords generally
prevalent among bodies of men promiscuously recruited. They
recommended as officers for such a regiment, colonel, William Irvine;
lieutenant-colonel, Ephraim Blaine; major, James Dunlap; captains,
James Byers, S. Hay, W. Alexander, J. Talbott, J. Wilson, J. Armstrong,
A. Galbreath and R. Adams; lieutenants, A. Parker, W. Bratton, G.
Alexander, P. Jack, S. McClay, S. McKenney, R. White and J. McDonald.
The Sixth Regiment was accordingly organized, and William Irvine
received his commission as colonel, January 9, 1776. Changes were made
in the other officers, and they were as follows: lieutenant-colonel,
Thomas Hartley, of York; major, James Dunlap, who lived near Newburg;
adjutant, John Brooks; captains, Samuel Hay, Robert Adams, Abraham
Smith (of Lurgan), William Rippey (resided near Shippensburg), James A.
Wilson, David Grier, Moses McLean and Jeremiah Talbott (of
Chambersburg). The regiment marched in three months after Col. Irvine
was commissioned, and joined the army before Quebec, in Canada. It was
brigaded with the First, Second and Fourth Regiments; the brigade being
commanded first by Gen. Thomas, and after his death, by Gen. Sullivan.
The latter sent Col. Irvine and Gen. Thompson on the disastrous Trois
Rivieres campaign, when, June 8, 1776, so many of the men were
captured, together with the commanders. The portion of the regiment
that escaped capture fell back to Lake Champlain and wintered under
command of Lieut.-Col. Hartley. Most of the men re-enlisted after
their original term of service had expired (January 1, 1777), and the
broken Sixth and Seventh Regiments were consolidated into a new one
under the command of Col. David Greer. Col. Irvine, like the others on
parole, was exchanged May 6, 1777, and appointed colonel of the Second
Pennsylvania Regiment. May 12, 1779, he was made a brigadier-general,
and served one or two years under Gen. Wayne. In 1781 he was stationed
at Fort Pitt. He died at Philadelphia July 29, 1804. Capt. Rippey,
who was captured at Trois Rivieres,
86 HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY.
succeeded in making his escape. After the war he resided at
Shippensburg, where he kept a hotel.
May 15, 1776, Congress passed a resolution recommending "to the
respective assemblies and conventions of the United Colonies, where no
government sufficient to the exigencies of their affairs has been
hitherto established, to adopt such government as shall, in the opinion
of the representatives of the people, best conduce to the happiness and
safety of their constituents in particular and America in general." On
the 3d of June, that body also devised measures for raising a new kind
of troops, constituting them the "flying camp," intermediate between
militia and regulars, to consist of 10,000 men from the States of
Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware. The quota of Pennsylvania was
6,000 men, but as 1,500 had already been sent into the field, the
immediate demand was for 4,500, and it was finally settled that the
quota of Cumberland county was 334, as so many had already been sent
out from said county. Meantime, the Assembly having dissolved, and the
committee of safety declining to act, it became necessary for the
people to organize some form of government, and on recommendation the
several county committees met and sent delegates, for that purpose, to
a meeting held at Carpenter's Hall, Philadelphia, June 18, 1776.
Cumberland County was represented by James McLane, of Antrim Township;
John McClay, of Lurgan; William Elliot, Col. William Clark and Dr. John
Calhoon, of East Pennsborough; John Creigh and John Harris, of
Carlisle; Hugh McCormick and Hugh Alexander, of Middle Spring. This
conference continued in session one week, approved the resolutions of
Congress, declared the existing government in the province incompetent,
and appointed the 15th of July as the date for holding a convention at
Philadelphia to frame a new government based upon the authority of the
people. Voting places for delegates from Cumberland County, were
established at Carlisle, with Robert Miller and James Gregory, of that
town, and Benjamin Blyth, of Middle Spring, as judges of election; at
Chambersburg, with John Allison and James Maxwell and John Baird as
judges; at Robert Campbell's, in Hamilton Township, with William Brown,
Alex Morrow and James Taylor as judges. The election was held July 8,
and William Harris, then practicing law at Carlisle, William Clark,
William Duffield (near Loudon); Hugh Alexander, of Middle Spring;
Jonathan Hoge and Robert Whitehill, of East Pennsborough; James Brown,
of Carlisle, and James McLane, of Antrim, were chosen delegates. The
convention met per appointment, July 15, and adopted a constitution,
which in spite of some informalities, was acquiesced in by the people
for a number of years. Among other acts of the convention it appointed
a council of safety, of which William Lyon was a member from Cumberland
County.
George Chambers, in an excellent work upon the "Irish and Scotch and
Early Settlers of Pennsylvania," published at Chambersburg in 1856,
says of the period at which we have now arrived: "The progress of the
war and the oppressive exactions of the British Government after a few
months unsettled public opinion on this question [that of separation
from the mother country, Ed.] and the necessity and policy of
independence became a debatable question with the colonists in their
social meetings. At this time there were no newspapers published in
Pennsylvania, we believe, west of York. The freemen of the County of
Cumberland, in this province, were amongst the first to form the
opinion that the safety and welfare of the colonies did render
separation from the mother country necessary. The first public
expression of that sentiment and its embodiment in a memorial emanated
from the freemen and inhabitants of that county to the assembly of the
province and is among the national archives." Mr. Chambers in further
speaking of this memorial says: "The me-
87 HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY.
morial from Cumberland County bears evidence that the inhabitants of
that county were in advance of their representatives in the Assembly
and in Congress, on the subject of independence. The considerations
suggested to them had their influence on the Assembly, who adopted the
petition of the memorialists and withdrew the instructions that had
been given to the delegates in Congress in opposition to independence.
As the Cumberland memorial was presented to the Assembly on the 23d* of
May, 1776, it probably had occupied the attention and consideration of
the inhabitants of the Cumberland Valley early in that month. As there
was no remonstrance from this district by any dissatisfied with the
purposes of the memorial we are to suppose that it expressed the public
sentiment of that large, respectable and influential district of the
province which had then many officers and men in the ranks of the
Continental Army."
When in Congress the motion for independence was finally acted upon,
the vote of Pennsylvania was carried for it by the deciding vote of
James Wilson, of Cumberland County, and of him Bancroft says (History
of the United States Vol. VIII, pp. 456-459): "He had at an early day
foreseen independence as the probable, though not the intended result
of the contest: he had uniformly declared in his place that he never
would vote for it contrary to his instructions; nay, that he regarded
it as something more than presumption to take a step of such importance
without express instructions and authority. 'For' said he, 'ought this
act to be the act of four or five individuals, or should it be the act
of the people of Pennsylvania?' But now that their authority was
communicated by the conference of committees he stood on very different
ground." Mr. Chambers says: "The majority of the Pennsylvania
delegates remained inflexible in their unwillingness to vote for the
measure, at the head of which opposition was the distinguished patriot,
John Dickinson, who opposed the measure not as bad or uncalled for, but
as premature. But when on the 4th of July the subject came up for
final action, two of the Pennsylvania delegates, Dickinson and Morris,
who voted in the negative, absented themselves, and the vote of
Pennsylvania was carried by the votes of Franklin, Wilson and Morton
against the votes of Willing and Humphreys. The men who voted in
opposition to this measure were esteemed honest and patriotic men but
were too timid for the crisis. They faltered and shrank from
responsibility and danger when they should have been firm and brave."
The Declaration of Independence though adopted on the 4th of July was
not signed until August 16 following. The name of James Wilson was
affixed to the document with those of the other delegates, and
Cumberland County has the satisfaction of knowing that her citizens and
foremost men had an important voice in the formation of the Republic
which is now so dear to more than 50,000,000 people.
After this step had been taken by the colonies there was no way of
honorable retreat from the ground they had taken. The struggle was
upon them, and many were the dark and trying hours before it closed in
their favor and the nation was firmly established. It was with
difficulty the ranks were kept full. Many had enlisted for only one
year, and some as emergency soldiers for as short a period as three
months. The appeals of the recruiting officers are described as most
stirring, and the county of Cumberland, like others, was kept in a
constant state of excitement. By strenuous efforts the flagging energy
of the people was renewed. October 16, 1776, William Lyon, who that
day took his seat as member from Cumberland County of the council of
safety, proposed to the board of war to continue a larger force in the
State, to protect it both against British troops and "the growing party
of disaffected persons which unhappily exists at this time," also to
carry on the necessary
*Other authority says May 28.
88 HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY.
works of defense. It was resolved to raise four battalions of 500 men
each (for the immediate defense of the State), of militia from the
counties of York, Cumberland, Lancaster and Berks - one battalion for
each county. The news from Trenton (December 3, 1776) and Princton
(January 3, 1777) encouraged the people and recruiting became more
lively. July 4, 1776, a military convention representing the fifty-
three associated battalions of Pennsylvania, met at Lancaster and chose
two brigadier-generals to command the battalions and forces of
Pennsylvania (Daniel Robardeau, of Philadelphia, and James Ewing, of
York). Cumberland County was represented at this convention by Col.
John Armstrong; Lieut.-Cols. William Blair, William Clark and Frederick
Watts, Maj. James McCalmont; Capts. Rev. John Steel, Thomas McClelland,
John Davis, James McFarlane and George Robinson, and privates David
Hoge, Ephraim Steel, Smith, Pauling, Brown, Sterrett, Hamilton, Read,
Finley, and Vance. When the "Flying Camp" was formed, two regiments
had been organized in Cumberland County under Cols. Frederick Watts and
John Montgomery, of Carlisle, and sent to Washington at Long Island;
they were captured with others at Fort Washington, but the officers
were soon exchanged and later commanded regiments under a new
arrangement. We quote at considerable length from Dr. Wing:
"When Gen. Howe appeared to be about crossing New Jersey to get
possession of Philadelphia by land (June 14, 1776), messengers were
dispatched to the counties to give orders that the second class of the
associated militia should march as speedily as possible to the place to
which the first class had been ordered, and that the third class should
be got in readiness to march at a moment's notice. These orders were
at once complied with, but before the companies from this county had
started, the order was countermanded on account of the return of the
British troops to New York. It soon, however, became known that the
approach to Philadelphia was to be by transports up Chesapeake Bay and
Delaware River, and a requisition was made upon the State for 4,000
militia in addition to those already in the field. One class,
therefore, was again ordered from the county. On the 5th of October,
1776, the council of safety resolved to throw into the new continental
establishment two of the three Pennsylvania battalions, before in that
service, to serve during the war, and the third was to be retained in
the service of the State until the 1st of January, 1778, unless sooner
discharged, and to consist of ten companies of 100 men each, including
officers. The privates of the three battalions were to continue in the
service of the State, the officers according to seniority to have the
choice of entering into either, and the two battalions to be recruited
to their full complement of men as speedily as possible. By this new
arrangement Pennsylvania was to keep twelve battalions complete in the
Continental service. Of course this broke up all previous
organizations, and renders it difficult to trace the course of the old
companies. We have seen that on the 16th of August thirteen companies
fully officered and equipped had left the county for the seat of war,
and six others were preparing to go. The regiments of Cols. Thompson,
Irvine and Magaw, we have noticed, and two or three others must have
been in existence about this time. One of these was commanded by Col.
Frederick Watts and Maj. David Mitchell, and another by John
Montgomery, who after the dissolution of the committee of safety, July
22, 1776, appears to have taken charge of a regiment. Both of these
regiments were at the taking of Fort Washington and were then captured.
One of the volunteer companies under Col. Watts, after the latter had
been set at liberty and been put again at the head of a regiment, was
commanded by Capt. Jonathan Robinson, of Sherman's Valley, the son of
George Robinson, who suffered so much in the
89 HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY.
Indian war, and who now, though above fifty years of age, had entered
the patriot army. This company was in the battle of Princeton, and was
for some time stationed at that town to guard against the British and
to act as scouts to intercept their foraging parties. Near the close
of the year 1776, or the beginning of 1777, battalions began to be
designated by numbers in their respective counties and are made of the
First, Second, Third, etc., of Cumberland County. This was under the
new organization of the militia of the State. The first was organized
in January, 1777, when 'Col. Ephraim Blaine of the First Battalion of
Cumberland County militia is directed to hold an election for field
officers in the said battalion, if two-thirds of the battalion, now
marched and marching to camp, require the same.' Accordingly the
Colonel was furnished with blank commissions to fill when the officers
should be chosen. Capts. Samuel Postlethwaite, Matthias Selers, John
Steel, William Chambers and John Boggs are mentioned in the minutes of
the council of safety as connected with this regiment. Col. Blaine's
connection with the regiment must have been brief, for he was soon
transferred to the commissary department, and we find it under the
command of Col. James Dunlap (from near Newburg, and a ruling elder in
the congregation of Middle Spring), Lieut.-Col. Robert Culbertson, and
connected with three companies from what is now Franklin County, viz.:
those of Capts. Noah Abraham of Path Valley, Patrick Jack of Hamilton
Township and Charles McClay of Lurgan. The Second Battalion was at
first under the command of Col. John Allison, a justice of the peace in
Tyrone Township, over the mountains, and a judge of the county, but
after his retirement (for he was now past middle life) it was for
awhile under the command of Col. James Murray, and still later we find
it under John Davis, of Middleton, near the Conodoguinet. Under him
were the companies of Capts. William Huston, Charles Leeper (of the
Middle Spring congregation), James Crawford, Patrick Jack (sometimes
credited to this regiment), Samuel Royal and Lieut. George Wallace.
While this regiment was under marching orders for Amboy, near January
1, 1777, they took from such persons as were not associated, in Antrim
and Peters Township, whatever arms were found in their possession, to
be paid for according to appraisement by the Government. The Fourth
Battalion was under Col. Samuel Lyon, and had in it the companies of
Capts. John Purdy, of East Pennsborough, James McConnel, of
Letterkenny, and, in 1778, of Jonathan Robinson, of Sherman's Valley;
Stephen Stevenson, who was at first a lieutenant but afterward became a
captain. The Fifth Battalion was commanded by Col. Joseph Armstrong, a
veteran of the Indian war and of the expedition to Kittanning, and in
1756-57, a member of the Colonial Assembly. Most of this regiment was
raised in Hamilton, Letterkenny and Lurgan Townships, and its companies
at different times were under Capts, John Andrew, Robert Culbertson
(for a time), Samuel Patton, John McConnel, Conrad Snider, William
Thompson, Charles McClay (at one period), James McKee, James Gibson,
John Rea, Jonathan Robinson, George Matthews and John Boggs. John
Murphy was a lieutenant and John Martin ensign. Capt. McClay's men are
said to have been over six feet in height and to have numbered 100, and
the whole regiment was remarkable for its vigor and high spirit. It
suffered severely at the battle of "Crooked Billet," in Berks County,
May 4, 1778, when Gen. ____y was surprised and many of his men were
butchered without mercy. The Sixth Battalion was commanded by Col.
Samuel Culbertson, who had been a lieutenant-colonel in the First but
was promoted to the command of the Sixth. John Work was the
lieutenant-colonel; James McCammont, major; John Wilson, adjutant;
Samuel Finley, quartermaster, and Richard Brownson, surgeon, and
Patrick Jack, Samuel Pat-
90 HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY.
ton, James Patterson, Joseph Culbertson, William Huston, Robert McCoy
and John McConnel were at some periods captains.
"As the period for which the enlistments about this time, when the
invasion of Pennsylvania was imminent, was usually limited to six
months and sometimes even to three and two months, we need not be
surprised to find that at different times the same men and officers
served in two or three different regiments. As an instance J. Robinson
says that he entered the service a number of times on short enlistments
of two or three months, and was placed in different regiments and
brigades. The Seventh Battalion is believed to have consisted of
remnants of the old Fifth and Sixth Continental Regiments, and was
commanded by Col. William Irvine. These soldiers re-entered the
service as the Seventh Battalion in March, 1777, and were under the
command of its major, David Grier, until the release of Irvine from his
parole as a prisoner of war (May 6, 1777). In 1779 Col. Irvine was
commissioned a brigadier, and served under Gen. Wayne, but before this
(July 5, 1777) Abraham Smith, of Lurgan Township, was elected colonel.
Among the captains were William Rippey; Samuel Montgomery, who became
captain of Smith's company when the latter was promoted; John
Alexander, before a lieutenant in Smith's company; Alexander Parker;
Jeremiah Talbott, who in the latter part of the year 1777 was promoted
a major in the Sixth, and served in that position until the close of
the war. He was the first sheriff of Franklin County (October, 1784)
and was twice re-elected. The Eighth Battalion was commanded by
Abraham Smith, who was chosen July 6, 1777, probably from Lurgan, and a
member of the congregation of Middle Spring. Its officers were largely
taken from a single remarkable family in Antrim Township. The head of
this family had settled very early, about 1735, two and a half miles
east of where Greencastle now is, and had died near 1755, leaving a
large property and four sons. Each of these sons entered the army.
The eldest, James, was a lieutenant-colonel of the Eighth Battalion,
but afterward was the colonel of a battalion during a campaign in New
Jersey. John, the youngest, was the major, and Thomas, the second son,
was adjutant, and was present at the slaughter at Paoli, September 20,
1777, but survived to be promoted to a colonelcy and lived till about
1819. Dr. Robert, the other brother, was a surgeon in Col. Irvine's
regiment, was in the South during the latter years of the war, was at
the surrender of Yorktown, in October, 1781, and in 1790 was an excise
collector for Franklin County. Terrence Campbell was the
quartermaster. The captains were Samuel Roger, John Jack, James Poe
and John Rea, who afterward became a brigadier-general.
"Besides these we have notices of several companies, regiments and
officers, whose number and position in the service is not given in any
account we have seen. Early in the war James Wilson and John
Montgomery were appointed colonels, and in the battalion of the former
are mentioned the companies of Capts. Thomas Clarke and Thomas Turbitt.
Montgomery was in the army at New York in 1776, and was at the
surrender of Fort Washington, but both he and Wilson were soon called
into the civil department of the service, and do not appear in the army
after that year. Besides them were Cols. Robert Callender, of
Middlesex, now in advance life, whose death early in the war deprived
his country of his valuable services; James Armstrong, Robert Peoples,
James Gregory, Arthur Buchanan, Benjamin Blythe, Abraham Smith, Isaac
Miller and William Scott. Among the captains, whom we are unable to
locate in any particular regiment, at least for any considerable time,
were Joseph Brady, Thomas Beale, Matthew Henderson, Samuel McCune
(under Col. William Clarke for awhile, and at Ticonderoga), Isaac
Miller, David Mc-
91 HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY.
Knight, Alexander Trindle, Robert Quigley, William Strain, Samuel
Kearsley, Samuel Blythe, Samuel Walker, William Blaine, Joseph Martin,
James Adams, Samuel Erwin and Peter Withington. One of the companies
which were early mustered into the service was that of Capt. William
Peebles. The officers' commissions were dated somewhere between the
9th and the 15th of March, near the time at which Magaw's regiment left
the county. The company was in Philadelphia August 17, and was then
said to consist of eighty-one riflemen. It was in the battle of Long
Island, August 27, when a portion was captured, and the remainder were
in the engagements at White Plains, Trenton and Princeton. On his
return from the war Capt. Peebles resided on Peebles' Run, a little
distance from Newburg, and was for many years an elder in the
congregation at Middle Spring. He was promoted to be a colonel
September 23, 1776. Matthew Scott was the first-lieutenant, and among
the captured at Long Island, but he was exchanged December 8, 1776, and
promoted captain, April 18, 1777. He married Peggy, the daughter of
Samuel Lamb, a stonemason near Stony Ridge, who long survived him and
was living in Mechanicsburg in 1845. The family of Mr. Lamb was
distinguished for its ardent patriotism. The second lieutenant was
Robert Burns, promoted to be a captain in Col. Hazen's regiment
December 21, 1776. The third lieutenant was Robert Campble, also
promoted to be a captain at the same time in the same regiment, and
when wounded was transferred to an invalid regiment under Lewis
Nichola. The sergeants were Samuel Kenny, William McCracken, Patrick
Highland (captured), and Joseph Collier. James Carson, drummer and
Edward Lee, fifer, were also captured at Long Island August 27, 1776.
The privates were William Adams, Zachariah Archer, William Armstrong,
James Atchison (captured), Thomas Beatty, Henry Bourke, William Boyd,
Daniel Boyle (enlisted for two years, discharged at Valley Forge July
1, 1778, and in 1824 resided in Armstrong County), James Brattin, John
Brown, Robert Campble, John Carrigan, William Carson, William Cavan,
Henry Dibbins, Pat Dixon, Samuel Dixon (captured), Barnabas Dougherty,
James Dowds, John Elliott, Charles Fargner, Daniel Finley, Pat Flynn,
James Galbreath, Thomas Gilmore, Dagwell Hawn, John Hodge, Charles
Holder, Jacob Hove, John Jacobs, John Justice, John Keating, John Lane,
Peter Lane, Samuel Logan, Robert McClintock, Alexander McCurdy, Hugh
McKegney, Andrew McKinsey, Charles McKowen, Niel McMullen, Alex.
Mitchell, John Mitchell, (justice of the peace in Cumberland County in
1821), Laurence Morgan, Samuel Montgomery, William Montgomery, David
Moore, James Moore, John Moore, James Mortimer, Robert Mullady, Patrick
Murdaugh, John Niel, James Nickleson, Robert Nugent, Richard Orput,
John Paxton, Robert Pealing, James Pollock, Hans Potts, Patrick
Quigley, John Quinn, Andrew Ralston, James Reily, Thomas Rogers
(captured on Long Island, died in New Jersey, leaving a widow, who
resided in Chester County), James Scroggs, Andrew Sharpe, Thomas
Sheerer, John Shields, John Skuse, Thomas Townsend, Patten Viney, John
Walker, John Wallace, Thomas Wallace, William Weatherspoon (captain),
Peter Weaver, Robert Wilson and Hugh Woods. Total of officers ten, and
of privates, eighty.
"A company of rangers from the borders of this county, who had been
accustomed in the Indian wars to act under James Smith, also deserves
notice. He had now removed to the western part of the State, and was a
member of the Assembly from Westmoreland. While attending on that body
early in 1777, he saw in the streets of the city some of his former
companions in forest adventure, from this region, and they immediately
formed themselves into a company under him as their commander.
Obtaining leave of absence for a short
92 HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY.
time from the assembly, he went with them to the army in New Jersey,
attacked about 200 of the British, at Rocky Hill, and, with only
thirty-six men, drove them from their position; and on another occasion
took twenty-two Hessions with their officers' baggage-wagons, and a
number of our Continental prisoners they were guarding. In a few days
they took more of the British than there were of their own party.
Being taken with the camp fever Smith returned to the city, and the
party was commanded by Maj. McCammont, of Strasburg. He then applied
to Gen. Washington for permission to raise a battalion of riflemen, all
expert marksmen, and accustomed to the Indian method of fighting. The
council of safety strongly recommended the project, but the General
thought it not best to introduce such an irregular element into the
army, and only offered him a major's commission in a regular regiment.
Not fancying the officer under whom he was to serve, he declined this,
and remained for a time with his companions in the militia. In 1778 he
received a colonel's commission, and served with credit till the end of
the war, principally on the western frontier.
"Another partisan leader was Samuel Brady, originally from near
Shippensburg, and among those who went first to Boston. Though but
sixteen years of age when he enlisted, in 1775, in a company of
riflemen, he was one of the boldest and hardiest of that remarkable
company. At the battle of Monmouth he was made captain; at Princeton
he was near being taken prisoner, but succeeded in effecting an escape
for himself and his colonel, and in many places displayed an
astonishing coolness and steadiness of courage. He so often acted on
special commissions to obtain intelligence that he became distinguished
as the 'captain of the spies.' In 1778 his brother, and in 1779 his
father were cruelly killed by the Indians, and from that time it was
said of him, 'this made him an Indian killer, and he never changed his
business. The red man never had a more implacable foe or a more
relentless tracker. Being as well skilled in woodcraft as any Indian
of them all, he would trail them to their very lairs with all the
fierceness and tenacity of the sleuth hound.' During the whole
sanguinary war with the Indians he gave up his whole time to lone
vigils, solitary wanderings and terrible revenges. He commenced his
scouting service in 1780, when he was but twenty-one years old, and
became a terror to the savages and a security to a large body of
settlers. He did not marry until about 1786, when he spent some years
at West Liberty, in West Virginia, where he probably died about 1800.
[See McKnight's "Western Border," pp. 426-442.]
"The Patrick Jack who is mentioned more than once above as connected
at different times with several regiments, was probably the same man
who afterward became famous as the 'Wild Hunter, or Juniata Jack the
Indian Killer.' He was from Hamilton Township, and is said by George
Croghan in 1755 to have been at the head of a company of hunter
rangers, expert in Indian warfare, and clad, like their leader, in
Indian attire. They were therefore proposed to Gen. Braddock as proper
persons to act as scouts, provided they were allowed to dress, march
and fight as they pleased. 'They are well armed,' said Croghan, 'and
are equally regardless of heat and cold. They require no shelter for
the night and ask no pay.' It is said of him as of Brady that he
became a bitter enemy of the Indians by finding his cabin one evening,
on his return from hunting, 'a heap of smoldering ruins, and the
blackened corpses of his murdered family scattered around.' From that
time he became a rancorous Indian hater and slayer. When the
Revolutionary war began he was among the first to enlist, and he
afterward enlisted several times on short terms in various companies.
He was of large size and stature, dark almost as an Indian, and stern
and relentless to his foes. John Armstrong in his ac-
93 HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY.
Portrait of R. Lowry Sibbet
94 HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY.
Blank Page
95 HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY.
count of the Kittanning expedition, calls him 'the half Indian,' but he
could have had no Indian blood in his veins. His monument may been
seen at Chambersburg, with this inscription: 'Colonel Patrick Jack, an
officer of the Colonial and Revolutionary Wars - died January 25, 1821,
aged ninety-one years.'"
We shall now give a few of the important events of the war as
relating to Cumberland County without going further into details. In
1778 George Stevenson, John Boggs, Joseph Brady and Alexander McGehan
were appointed a committee to attend to estates forfeited for treason,
and the commissioners for the county, James Pollock and Samuel Laird,
were required to collect from non-associators the amounts they owed the
State as a fair equivalent for military services, also to collect such
arms and ammunition as may be found in their possession. In September,
1777, information had been given of plots by "tories" to destroy public
stores at York, Lancaster, Carlisle and other points, and several
prominent persons in the region were implicated. "By a proclamation of
the Supreme Executive Council, June 15, 1778, John Wilson, wheel-wright
and husbandman, and Andrew Fursner, laborer, both of Allen Township;
Lawrence Kelley, cooper; William Curlan, laborer; John M. Cart,
distiller and laborer, and Francis Irwin, carter, of East Pennsborough;
George Croghan, Alexander McKee, Simon Girty and Matthew Elliott,
Indian traders were said severally to have aided and assisted the enemy
by having joined the British Army, and were therefore attainted of high
treason and subject to the penalties and forfeitures which were by law
attached to their crime. The committee on forfeited estates rendered
an account of several hundred pounds which they had handed over to the
proper officers to be used in the purchase of arms, provisions, etc.,
from which it would appear that some persons had been found guilty of
treason in the county. The names which have come down to us either by
tradition or documentary evidence were usually of persons of no
prominence, or of such as were then residing beyond the limits of the
present county of Cumberland." -[Wing.]
An act of the Supreme Executive Council passed March 17, 1777,
provided for the appointment of one or more lieutenants of militia in
each city or county, also of sub-lieutenants, with duties which the act
prescribed. John Armstrong and Ephraim Blaine were successively
appointed lieutenants for Cumberland County, but both declined for
sufficient reasons. April 10, 1777, James Galbreath, of East
Pennsborough Township, was appointed, and finally accepted the position
and performed its duties faithfully. He was succeeded by John
Carothers, and he by Col. James Dunlap, in October, 1779. Abraham
Smith held the office in April, 1780. The sub-lieutenants were Col.
James Gregory, of Allen Township; Col. Benjamin Blythe, near Middle
Spring; George Sharpe, near Big Spring; Col. Robert McCoy (died in May
1777); John Harris of Carlisle; George Stewart, James McDowell, of
Peters Township (in place of Col. McCoy), all appointed in 1777, and
Col. Frederick Watts, Col. Arthur Buchanan, Thomas Buchanan, John
Trindle, Col. Abraham Smith and Thomas Turbitt appointed in 1780.
In June, 1777, the Supreme Executive Council appointed an entirely
new board of justices for Cumberland County, as some of the old ones
had failed to take the oath of allegiance required of them and several
of the positions were vacant. Those newly appointed were John Rannels
(Reynolds), James Maxwell, James Oliver, John Holmes, John Agnew, John
McClay, Samuel Lyon, William Brown, John Harris, Samuel Royer, John
Anderson, John Creigh, Hugh Laird, Andrew McBeath, Thomas Kenny,
Alexandria Laughlin, Samuel McClure, Patrick Vance, George Matthews,
William McClure, Samuel Cul-
96 HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY.
bertson, James Armstrong, John Work, John Trindle, Stephen Duncan,
Ephraim Steel, William Brown (Carlisle), Robert Peebles, Henry Taylor,
James Taylor, Charles Leeper, John Scouller, Matthew Wilson and David
McClure. November 5, 1777, John Agnew, on the nomination of these
justices, was appointed a clerk of the peace, and February 20, 1779, a
commissioner for the exchange of money. These justices were required
to "administer the oath of allegiance to every person who should vote
for officers or enter upon any office either under the State government
or under the Continental Congress." From 1777 to 1779 Col. William
Clark was paymaster of troops in Cumberland County. In 1777 he
reported concerning the destitute condition of the militia, and a
committee was appointed consisting of John Boggs, Abraham Smith, John
Andrew, William McClure, Samuel Williamson, James Purdy and William
Blair "to collect without delay from such as have not taken the oath of
allegiance and abjuration, or who have aided or assisted the enemy with
arms or accoutrements, blankets, linen and linsey-wolsey cloth, shoes
and stockings for the army." Besides this committee, George Stevens,
John Boggs and Joseph Brady were appointed commissioners "to seize upon
the personal estates of all who have abandoned their families or
habitations, joined the army of the enemy, or resorted to any city,
town or place within the commonwealth in possession of the enemy, or
supplied provisions, intelligence or aid for the enemy, or shall
hereafter do such things; and they shall as speedily as possible
dispose of all the perishable part thereof, and hold possession of all
the remainder subject to the future disposition of the Legislature."
Large numbers of wagons and teams and teamsters were employed to
transport the great quantities of stores and supplies from place to
place as necessary, and a special department was maintained for the
organization and management of this service. Cumberland County was
required to furnish a large proportion of supplies, wagons and teams,
and sent out at one time 200, at another 800, and at various times
smaller numbers of wagons. Hugh McCormick was appointed wagon-master
in 1777, Matthew Gregg in 1778 and Robert Culbertson in 1780. Dr. Wing
states: "In November, 1777, the assessment was upon East Pennsborough,
Peters and Antrim Townships, each for twelve wagons and teams; Allen
for eleven, Middleton, West Pennsborough, Newton, Hopewell, Lurgan,
Letterkenny, Guilford and Hamilton each for ten. Each wagon was to be
accompanied by four horses, a good harness and one attendant, and the
owner was paid thirty shillings in specie or forty in currency,
according to the exchange agreed upon by Congress."
Early in 1776 a number of British prisoners captured on the northern
frontier and in the east were confined at Lancaster, but by order of
congress they were removed in March, half to York and half to Carlisle.
At that time Lieuts. Andre, Despard and Anstruther were taken to
Carlisle; and, as stated by early writers, were confined in a stone
building which stood on the east side of Hanover Street, on Lot 161.
These prisoners were exchanged in the latter part of the same year,
most of them being sent to New York, November 28, "under the escort of
Lieut.-Col. John Creigh and Ephraim Steel, two members of the committee
of inspection, with their servants and their servants' wives and their
baggage, by way of Reading and Trenton to the nearest camp of the
United States in New Jersey." With the subsequent fate of Andre,
promoted to captain and then to major, everybody is familiar. A large
number of the Hessians captured at Trenton, December 25, 1776, were
sent to Carlisle, and while here were set at work building barracks,
which became noted in later years as a school for cavalry training and
in other ways, and stood on the site now occupied by the Indian school.
97 HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY.
"About the 1st of August, 1777," says Dr. Wing, "John Penn, James
Hamilton, Benjamin Chew, and about thirty others who had been officers
under the royal and proprietary government, and declined to take the
oath of allegiance to the new government, were arrested in
Philadelphia, received by the sheriff of Reading and by the sheriff of
Cumberland County, and escorted through this valley to Staunton, Va.,
where they were detained until near the conclusion of the war."
In April, 1777, Gen. Armstrong, of Carlisle, was placed in command of
the militia of the State; resigning his position as first brigadier-
general in the Continental Army, he was appointed first brigadier-
general and a month afterward major-general of the State of
Pennsylvania. Though advanced in years he entered vigorously upon the
work of protecting the state against the enemy, and erected and
maintained defensive works along the Delaware River. Portions of his
command did splendid service at Brandywine and Germantown. Five
hundred men or more enlisted and went to the fort from Cumberland
County early in 1778. The county was nearly bereft of men to carry on
necessary business or to guard the prisoners which from time to time
were sent to Carlisle. It was difficult to provide arms and ammunition
until France came to the aid of the colonies in 1778. "Hence the
efforts in the beginning of the conflict to establish at every
available town shops for the manufacture of rifles, muskets and even
cannon. Old arms were repaired and altered so that even fowling-pieces
could be used for deadlier purposes, and bayonets were prepared.
Armories are spoken of in Carlisle and Shippensburg at which hundreds
of rifles were got in readiness at one time. A foundry was started at
Mount Holly and perhaps at Boiling Springs, at which cannon were cast,
and at which William Denning [Deming?] was known to have worked at his
inventions. Aware of the many failures which had followed all previous
attempts, under the most favorable conditions, to make cannon of
wrought iron; he is said to have persevered until he constructed at
least two of such uniform quality and of such size and caliber as to
have done good service in the American Army. One of them is reported
to have been taken by the British at the battle of Brandywine, and now
kept as a trophy in the Tower of London, and another to have been for a
long time and perhaps to be now, at the barracks near Carlisle.
(William Denning was a resident of Chester County when the war broke
out; enlisted in a company and was its second lieutenant for nine
months; was a blacksmith by trade, and very ingenious; was placed at
head of a band of artificers at Philadelphia, but removed to Carlisle
upon the approach of the British Army; iron from the South Mountain was
made into gunbarrels, bayonets, etc., and Denning had a chance to
exercise his ingenuity to his greatest desire. In welding the heavy
bars of iron for bands and hoops to his wrought iron guns, few could be
induced to assist him on account of the great heat. He made four and
six-pounders and attempted a twelve-pounder, but never completed it.
He resided at Big Spring after the war, and died December 19, 1830,
aged ninety-four years). So great was the destitution of lead for
bullets, that the council of safety requested all families possessing
plates, weights for clocks or windows, or any other articles made of
lead, to give them up the collectors appointed to demand them, with the
promise that they should be replaced by substitutes of iron. Payments
were acknowledged for considerable quantities of lead thus collected in
this county. Every part of the county was explored to obtain Sulphur
and other substances in sufficient quantities for the manufacture of
gunpowder. Jonathan Kearsley, of Carlisle, was for some months
employed in learning the art and in the attempt to manufacture
saltpeter out of earths impregnated with nitrous particles in
98 HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY.
Dauphin County. After nearly three months of experiments he wrote that
the amount obtained was not sufficient to warrant his continuance at
the work in that vicinity. Common salt finally became so scarce that
Congress took upon itself the business of supplying the people as well
as the soldiers. Before the construction of those vast establishments
which have since been created for the manufacture of these articles,
the whole population was dependent on foreign countries, and now were
cut off from all importation of it. Near the close of 1776 a law was
passed against those who endeavored to monopolize the sale of salt, and
a large purchase of it was made by Congress itself. A certain portion
was delivered to each householder who applied for it with an order from
the county committee, 'on his paying the prime cost of 15 shillings a
bushel, expenses of carriage only added.'"
August 17, 1776, by authority of a resolution of the Assembly passed
a month previous, the committee of inspection and observation for
Cumberland County drew an order on the council of safety for 200L. for
the relief of the poor families of associators called into service.
The greater part of the grain raised in the county was sent away for
supplies or distilled into liquor, and the men were so scarce it was
difficult to harvest and thresh the grain. Gen. Armstrong, noting this
condition of affairs, wrote on the 17th of February, 1777: "From the
best information that I can get, the rye in both this and the county of
York is almost all distilled, as is also considerable quantities of
wheat, and larger still of the latter bought up for the same purpose;
nor can we doubt that Lancaster and other counties are going on in the
same destructive way, so that in a few months Pennsylvania may be
scarce of bread for her own inhabitants. Liquor is already 10
shillings per gallon, wheat will immediately be the same per bushel,
and if the complicated demon of avarice and infatuation is not suddenly
changed or cast out, he will raise them each to twenty!"
To Col. Ephraim Blaine, of Cumberland County, as assistant
quartermaster-general, under Gen. Greene, quartermaster-general, was
due great praise and much credit for his aid in times of financial
depression during the war. His flouring-mill on the Conodoguinet, near
Carlisle, was enlarged and kept in operation to its utmost capacity for
the benefit of the suffering army and without profit to himself. His
extensive fortune was ever at the disposal of his country, and by his
earnest and careful management he kept the soldiers from actual
starvation, more than once in the face of pronounced opposition to his
measures. His name became dear to his countrymen. The schemes of
Congress to provide money led to disastrous results, and many
inhabitants of Cumberland County were very seriously embarrassed or
completely broken up financially for years. Many dark days were
experienced by the people of the struggling republic during the war,
and at times even mutiny and violence were advocated or attempted; the
Indian troubles of 1778 and succeeding years brought to mind the
terrible scenes of days gone by, and soldiers from the county were sent
with others for the punishment of the marauding murderers. The sad end
of the expedition of Col. Crawford, in 1782 against the western
Indians, called numbers into the service for vengeance, for Crawford
was known and loved in the valley, but the British recalled their
Indian allies from the frontiers of the northwest, and the troops
organized to march against them under Gens. Irvine and Potter were
disbanded. The peace of 1783 brought relief to the land, and the war
cloud was lifted.
99 HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY.
March 3, 1781, Samuel Laird and William Lyon were appointed auditors
of depreciated accounts, "to settle with officers and soldiers in the
county the amount which should be allowed on their pay for the
depreciated value of the notes paid them." Gen. William Irvine, of
Carlisle, was made one of the board of censors October 20, 1783, from
Cumberland County, as was also James McLene, of Chambersburg. The only
meeting was at Philadelphia November 10, 1783, for the new constitution
(1790) abolished it.
The Whiskey Insurrection, 1794. - When it became evident that some
source of revenue must be looked to besides the duties on imported
goods, and congress decided to levy a tax (of 4 pence per gallon) on
distilled spirits (March 3, 1791), believing that article to be of the
least necessity, the tax was violently opposed by people in the
interior; and western parts of Pennsylvania, where it bore with most
severity. There had been no market for the great quantities of grain
raised, and it was largely used to fatten cattle and hogs upon. When
distilled it was more easily transported over the mountains and found a
ready market, and in numerous sections every fifth or sixth farmer had
a still-house. [The consumption was not all away from home, either. -
Ed.] The excise law was felt to be oppressive, as most of the money
brought into the region was sent out in the shape of excise duties.
The people hoped the law would be unexecuted and finally repealed, and
the collectors were often threatened, intimidated, and as in the
instance of Pittsburgh, roughly handled and their property destroyed.
The excitement spread and the fury grew by the aid of mass meetings,
pole raisings, and the like, and steps were taken for an armed
resistance to the authorities should a force be sent against the
disturbers. Braddock's Field, ten miles east of Pittsburgh, was
designated as a place of rendezvous for the rebellious troops. The
general sympathy of even the most prominent men was with those who
openly opposed the law, but they did not, as the end shows, believe in
a resort to arms. President Washington issued proclamations, September
15, 1792, and August 7, 1793, requiring insurgents to disperse and
directing that troops should be raised to march at a moment's warning
before the 15th of September in the latter year. Those who had been
opposed to the law, but hoped a few trials of aggressors would lead to
its repeal, now joined hands with the Government. An army of 12,900
men was called for from the four States most interested, and the quota
of Pennsylvania was 5,200. Gen. William Irvine, of Carlisle, was one
of a number of commissioners appointed to confer with such deputies as
the deputies might appoint, but they returned with an adverse or
unfavorable report, though they were followed by commissioners from the
insurgents who were more reasonable than those with whom they had
conferred. The army was put in motion and finally reached Carlisle.
The softened commissioners met the President and commander-in-chief at
that point October 10, 1794, and assured him that it was unnecessary to
send the military to obtain submission and order, but he declined to
stay the march of the army, though promising that no violence would be
offered if the people would return to their allegiance. Carlisle was
the place of rendezvous for the army. Cumberland County furnished 363
men and officers who were brigaded with others from York, Lancaster and
Franklin Counties, under Brig.-Gen. James Chambers, of Franklin County.
They encamped on "an extensive common near the town (Carlisle) said to
be admirably fitted for the purpose."
A large number of distilleries then undoubtedly existed in Cumberland
County, where those opposed to the law had not been over-cautious in
making remarks or in demonstrations of disfavor. A liberty pole had
been erected in the Public Square on the night of September 8, 1794,
with the words,
100 HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY.
"Liberty and No Excise, & Whisky," thereon. A few friends of law and
order out it down the next morning, and the excitement was great. A
large number of country people, some bearing arms, came in a few days
later, on afternoon, and put up a large pole with the words, "Liberty
and Equality." They were mostly of the poorer class, although the
county treasurer was a leader among them and distributed money to buy
whisky. Deeds of violence were offered occasionally, the insurgents
patrolling the town to prevent the pole being taken down. Col. Ephraim
Blaine was pursued and fired upon by three of them while conducting his
sister, Mrs. Lyon, out of town, but fortunately without injury.
Threats were made against the militia should they turn out, and affairs
were rather desperate. Gen. Irvine, as commissioner, attended strictly
to the business of his office, saying, "I make a rule of doing what I
think is right, and trust to events for consequences." The presence of
troops in Carlisle brought the people to their senses. Gov. Mifflin
arrived on the 1st of October, and in the evening delivered a stirring
address in the Presbyterian Church. His arrival was in advance of the
army, which reached Carlisle October 3. A writer says "the beloved
Washington" approached in a traveling dress, attended by his secretary,
Alexander Hamilton, and proceeds: "As he passed our troops he pulled
off his hat and, in the most respectful manner, bowed to the officers
and men, and in this manner passed the line, who were (as you may
suppose) affected by the sight of their chief, for whom each individual
seemed to show the affectionate regard that would have been paid to an
honored parent. As he entered the town the inhabitants seemed anxious
to see this very great and good man; crowds were assembled in the
streets, but their admiration was silent. The President passed to the
front of the camp, where the troops were assembled in front of the
tents; the line of artillery, horse and infantry appeared in the most
perfect order; the greatest silence was observed. The spectacle was
grand, interesting and affecting; every man as he passed along poured
forth his wishes for the preservation of this most valuable of their
fellow-citizens. Here you might see the aged veteran, the mature
soldier and the zealous youth assembled in defense of that government
which must (in turn) prove the protection of their persons, family and
property." The court house was illuminated in the evening, and a
transparency was prepared, bearing the inscriptions: "Washing is ever
triumphant." "The reign of the laws," and "Woe to Anarchists."
President Washington while here was the guest of Col. Ephraim Blaine.
A number of the principal inhabitants presented him the following
address on Monday of the week following:
CARLISLE, October 17, 1794.
TO GEORGE WASHINGTON, ESQ., PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES:
Sir: We, the subscribers, inhabitants of this borough, on behalf
of ourselves, our fellow-citizens, friends to good order, government
and the laws, approach you at this time to express our sincere
admiration of those virtues which have been uniformly exerted with so
much success for the happiness of America, and which at this critical
period of impending foreign and domestic troubles have been manifested
with distinguished luster.
Though we deplore the cause which has collected in this borough
all classes of virtuous citizens, yet it affords us the most heartfelt
satisfaction to meet the father of our country and brethren in arms,
distinguished for their patriotism, their love of order and attachment
to the constitution and laws; and while on the one hand we regret the
occasion which has brought from their homes men of all situations, who
have made sacrifices unequaled in any other country of their private
interests to the public good, yet we are consoled by the consideration
that the citizens of the United States have evinced to our enemies
abroad and the foes of our happy constitution at home and they not only
have the will but possess the power to repel all foreign invaders and
to crush all domestic traitors.
The history of the world affords us too many instances of the
destruction of free governments by factious and unprincipled men. Yet
the present insurrection and opposition
101 HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY.
to government is exceeded by none, either for its causeless origin or
for the extreme malignity and wickedness with which it has been
executed.
The unexampled clemency of our councils in their endeavors to bring
to a sense of duty the western insurgents, and the ungrateful returns
which have been made by that deluded people, have united all good men
in one common effort to restore order and obedience to the laws, and to
punish those who have neglected to avail themselves of and have spurned
at the most tender and humane offers that have ever been made to rebels
and traitors.
We have viewed with pain the great industry, art and
misrepresentations which have been practiced to delude our fellow-
citizens. We trust that the efforts of the General Government, the
combination of the good and virtuous against the vicious and factious,
will cover with confusion the malevolent disturbers of the public
peace, and afford to the well-disposed the certainty of protection to
their persons and property. The sword of justice in the hands of our
beloved President can only be considered an object of terror by the
wicked, and will be looked up to by the good and virtuous as their
safeguard and protection.
We bless that Providence which has preserved a life so valuable
through so many important scenes, and we pray that He will continue to
direct and prosper the measures adopted by you for the security of our
internal peace and the stability of our Government, and that after a
life of continued usefulness and glory you may be rewarded with eternal
felicity.
There was no doubt of the sincerity of the foregoing address, and
Washington, whom it could not fail to touch with a feeling of pleasure,
responded as follows:
GENTLEMEN: I thank you sincerely for your affectionate address.
I feel as I ought what is personal to me, and I can not but be
particularly pleased with the enlightened and patriotic attachment
which is manifested towards our happy constitution and the laws.
When we look around and behold the universally acknowledged
prosperity which blesses every part of the United States, facts no less
unequivocal than those which are the lamented occasion of our present
meeting were necessary to persuade us that any portion of our fellow-
citizens could be so deficient in discernment or virtue as to attempt
to disturb a situation which, instead of murmurs and tumults, calls for
our warmest gratitude to heaven, and our earnest endeavors to preserve
and prolong so favored a lot.
Let us hope that the delusion cannot be lasting, that reason will
speedily regain her empire, and the laws their just authority where
they have lost it. Let the wise and the virtuous unite their efforts
to reclaim the misguided, and to detect and defeat the arts of the
factious. The union of good men is a basis on which the security of
our internal peace and the stability of our government may safely rest.
It will always prove an adequate rampart against the vicious and
disorderly.
In any case in which it may be indispensable to raise the sword of
justice against obstinate offenders, I shall deprecate the necessity of
deviating from a favorite alm, to establish the authority of the laws
in the affections rather than in the fears of any.
GEORGE WASHINGTON.
Before Washington arrived at Carlisle, the accidental discharge of a
soldier's pistol killed the brother of a man whom a party of soldiers
were pursuing because of his action in conjunction with the insurgents,
and another countryman was killed in a quarrel with a soldier. The
circumstances were regretted by the president and his secretary (Gen.
Hamilton). Several who had acted with the insurrectionists were
arrested and lodged in jail at Carlisle, but they appeared to be little
concerned at the consequences of their proceedings.
Andrew Holmes, Esq., a member of a company from Carlisle, in the
command of Gen. Chambers, kept a private journal in which he recorded
the movement of the troops, and under date of Sunday, October 11, 1794,
2 o'clock P. M., he wrote as follows: "The Carlisle Light Infantry,
together with from 3,000 to 4,000 troops, cavalry, rifle and infantry,
marched from Carlisle to Mount Rock. The officers of the Carlisle
Infantry were as follows: Captain, George Stevenson; first-lieutenant,
Robert Miller; second-lieutenant, William Miller; ensign, Thomas
Creigh; orderly sergeant, William Armor; sergeant-major, George
Hackett; drum-major, James Holmes; and fifty-two privates, among whom
were Thomas Duncan, David Watts, Robert Duncan,
102 HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY.
John Lyon, Nathaniel Weakley, George Pattison, Charles Pattison,
William Andrew, Abraham Holmes, Archibald Ramsey, Joseph Clark, William
Dunbar, Archibald McAllister, William Crane, Jacob Fetter, Archibald
Loudon, Thomas Foster, Jacob Housenet, George Wright, Thomas Wallace,
Francis Gibson, Joseph and Michael Egolf, Robert McClure and William
Levis. At Sideling Hill Capt. Stevenson was made a major, and William
Levis, quartermaster."
The following brigade order, December 4, 1794, is from the same
journal:
The General congratulates the troops which he has the honor to
command, on their arrival at Strasburg,* and feelingly anticipates the
pleasure which the worthy citizen soldiers and himself shall have in
the company of their nearest connections. He also has the pleasure of
announcing to the brigade the entire approbation of the commander-in-
chief for their orderly conduct, and strict discipline, which reflects
the highest honor on both officers and soldiers. He is likewise happy
in assuring his fellow-citizens that their soldierly behavior during
the whole campaign has merited his highest acknowledgments and as they
have supported the laws of their country he rests assured that they
will, when they have retired to private life, support civil society in
every point of view. As the worthy men who stepped forward in support
of the happiness of their country and the support of the commanding
officers of the regiments composing the brigade will see that fair
inventories of every article are made to Mr. Samuel Riddle, brigade
quartermaster, who is to give receipts for such delivery. And the
quartermaster of the brigade is to detain a sufficient number of wagons
to transport the arms to the place pointed out in the orders of the
commander-in-chief of the 17th ult. The officers commanding the
several corps will meet tomorrow morning to certify to the men as to
their time of service and the balance due and to become due, agreeable
to General Irvine's orders of the 30th of November.
By order of GEN. CHAMBERS.
WILLIAM ROSS, Adjutant.
The company of Carlisle infantry was mustered out of service and
arrived at home December 5, 1794. Thus ended the famous "Whiskey
Insurrection of 1794."
The following account of Washington's visit is from a recent account
published by George R. Prowell in the Gettysburg Compiler"
"Much has been written that is inaccurate concerning the visit of
Gen. Washington to western Pennsylvania for the purpose of quelling the
so-called Whisky Insurrection in that section of our State in 1794. An
original record of the facts and incidents of that famous trip having
lately come into my possession, and in a condensed form, I feel a
pleasure in hereby furnishing them to the readers of the Compiler.
"President Washington, accompanied by a portion of his cabinet, left
Philadelphia, then the capital of the United States, for the west via
Reading, on Wednesday, October 1, 1794. He reached Harrisburg on the
afternoon of Friday, October 3, when he was presented with an address
by the burgesses, to which he replied the next morning. He reached
Carlisle at 12 o'clock, noon, October 4. The town was the place of
rendezvous for the Pennsylvania and New Jersey troops, and he remained
in Carlisle from Saturday, October 4, to Saturday, October 11,
reviewing the troops. On the last named date he left for the West,
dined at Shippensburg and reached Chambersburg the same evening. At
this place tradition says he stopped and spent Sunday with Dr. Robert
Johnson, a surgeon of the Pennsylvania line during the Revolution. He
passed through Chambersburg, and arrived at Williamsport, Maryland, on
the evening of October 13, Monday. Early the next morning he set out
for Fort Cumberland, where he arrived on Thursday, October 16, and the
next day reviewed the Virginia and Maryland troops under command of
Gen. Lee.
"On Sunday, October 19, Gen. Washington arrived at Bedford, where he
remained until Tuesday, October 21. The approach of the armed troops
soon
*A village ten miles northwest of Chambersburg, where the troops were
then encamped.
103 HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY.
Portrait of A. J. Herman M. D.
104 HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY.
Blank Page
105 HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY.
caused a cessation of hostilities. On the last named date he set out
on his return, spending the night of Friday, October 24, at
Shippensburg, and the following night (Saturday) with Gen. Michael
Simpson, in Fairview Township, York County, who then owned the ferry
across the river and what is now known as the "Haldeman property" below
New Cumberland. At this place he is supposed to have spent a quiet
Sunday, as he arrived in Philadelphia on the following Tuesday morning.
"One time in the history of this great man's life he crossed the
southern border of Adams County. The facts of this trip I will be
pleased to furnish at some future time, giving exact facts and data
from original documents, which are the only true sources of history."
In the Northwestern Indians wars of 1790-94, under Gens. Harmar, St.
Clair and Wayne, Cumberland County was represented by a number of
daring men, though no companies were raised or called for in
Pennsylvania except west of the Allegheny Mountains. Dr. William
McCoskry, then of Carlisle but afterward of Detroit, served as surgeon
in the expeditions of St. Clair and Wayne; and Robert McClellan, son of
a pioneer in East Pennsborough, distinguished himself as a scout,
winning the title "Fleet Ranger" by his exploits and daring.
In 1798, when a war with France was threatened, companies of militia
were by order of Gov. Mifflin held in readiness for immediate service,
and quite a speck of war cloud was visible above the horizon. Some of
the people sympathized with the French, and affairs might have become
very serious but for the accession of Napoleon Bonaparte to power in
France, by which event the aspect was changed and France withdrew from
her offensive attitude. To meet any emergency the Tenth Regiment of
Pennsylvania troops was organized under Thomas L. More, of
Philadelphia, as colonel, and William Henderson and George Stevenson,
of Cumberland County as majors. These men had been active in the
Revolution. Maj. Stevenson had command of the recruiting service in
that portion of the state west of the Allegheny Mountains. Alexander
McComb - afterward a major-general and noted in the war of 1812-15 -
was an ensign in this Tenth Regiment, and Hugh Brady, also a general
afterward, was a lieutenant.
War of 1812 - 15. - Upon the call of the President for troops at the
breaking out of the second war with Great Britain in June, 1812,
Pennsylvania responded quickly, and Cumberland County hastened to
furnish her quota of soldiers. There was little opposition to the war
in the county, and four full companies were speedily mustered and
equipped at Carlisle, generally for six months' service, ready to march
wherever ordered.
Principal among these was the "Carlisle Light Infantry," which, as
seen, took part in the campaign against the whisky insurrectionists in
1794. It was originally organized in 1784, by soldiers who had served
in the Revolution, and after its service in the second war it continued
to exist until some time in 1854. From its organization its commanders
were Capts. Magaw, George Stevenson, Robert Miller, William Miller,
William Alexander (who was captain when the second war began, and had
been, since July 1, 1802, printer and editor of the Carlisle Herald,
established that year), Lindsey, Thompson, Spottswood, Edward Armor
(1823), George D. Foulke (1827), John McCartney (1829), William
Sterrett Ramsey (1835), William Moudy (1839), Jacob Rehrar (1840),
George Sanderson (1842) and Samuel Crop (from November 24, 1845, to
1854).
Two small companies of riflemen - one from Carlisle commanded by
Capt. George Hendall, and the other from Mechanicsburg under Capt.
Coover - were
106 HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY.
united into one company, George Hendall was chosen captain, and they
went with the Light Infantry to the Niagara frontier in 1814. It is
said of them: "Both companies participated in most of the battles and
sorties of that hard fought campaign. In the battle of Chippewa they
were a part of the detachment of 250 Pennsylvanians under the command
of Col. Bull, of Perry County, who were sent with fifty or sixty
regulars and 300 Indians, into the woods to strike the Chippewa Creek
about a half mile above the British works. Here they were attacked by
a party of 200 militia with some Indians, but so impetuous was the
charge with which our troops met them that they were compelled to give
way in every direction and were pursued with great slaughter up to the
very guns of the fort. This little band of Pennsylvanians here found
themselves forsaken by the Indians, and in the face of the enemy's main
force and assailed by four companies on the left and flank. They were
of course compelled to retire, but having gone about 300 yards they
reformed and kept up a heavy fire for about ten minutes, when, being
raked by a cannon on the right, outflanked and almost surrounded by the
entire four companies now brought against them they were obliged to
retreat. They had depended on and every moment expected a support from
the main army, but as this was not given them in season they retired in
good order and keeping up a fire upon their assailants. They had
fought more than an hour, had chased their enemies a mile and a half,
and when exhausted by their exertions and extreme heat they rejoined
their regiment, which they met entering the field under Col. Fenton.
They then re-entered the field and bore their part as if they had been
fresh from their tents. Not more than twelve men (and these on account
of extreme exhaustion) were absent from this second encounter. Eight
of their men had been killed in the woods and the number of their
wounded was in the usual proportion. One hundred and fifty of the
enemy's militia and Indians were left dead on the field. Col. Bull was
treacherously shot down by the enemy after his surrender, and Maj.
Galloway and Capt. White were taken prisoners. These two officers on
their return home were received by their former companions with great
rejoicings. The time of enlistment for these companies was short,
being not over six or nine months, but whether they continued during
another term we are not informed."
Besides these Cumberland County troops there were other men from the
county connected with the regular army on the same (Niagara) frontier.
Among them were George McFeely and Willis D. Foulke. The former became
a lieutenant-colonel in the Twenty-second United States Infantry, July
6, 1812, and colonel of the Twenty-fifth April 15, 1814. He had in the
early part of 1812 been in charge of the recruiting service at the
Carlisle Barracks. He left that place October 5, 1812, and proceeded
to the Niagara frontier, with 200 men of the Twenty-second Regiment.
With his men he was sent to the old Fort Niagara to relieve Col. Winder
in the command of that station, arriving November 14. In the artillery
duel with Fort George on the 21st the British had the worst of the
game. May 27, 1813, Lieut. Col. Winfield Scott ("to whom he yielded
precedence") invited him to lead the vanguard in the movement into
Canada. Col. McFeely was second in command in that expedition and had
about 650 men under him. They routed a superior force of the enemy and
captured Fort George, and subsequently suffered greatly during the
campaign. Lieut.-Col. McFeely was sent to Lake Champlain later, and in
June, 1814, was promoted to colonel, to rank from April previous.
Reported to Maj.-Gen. Jacob Brown on the Niagara frontier again, and
joined his new regiment under Gen. Scott. Held several responsible
commands until close of war. "He was an excellent disciplinarian, had
his troops under admirable
107 HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY.
control, and was remarkable for his coolness under the enemy's fire and
his patient hardihood under the severest sufferings."
The "Patriotic Blues" was another company, commanded by Capt. Jacob
Squier; first lieutenant, Samuel McKeehan; second lieutenant, Frederick
Fogle; and ensign, Stephen Kerr. The company was sent to Baltimore to
assist in repelling the British attack upon that city, and was attached
to the Forty-ninth Maryland Militia under Lieut. Col. Veazy. Took an
important part in the actions of September 12-15, 1814, and on the
16th, danger being apparently over, left for home with the assurance
that they had performed their duty honorably and well.
"There were other companies," says Dr. Wing, "which went to Baltimore
from the eastern towns in the county, and from what is now Perry
County. It is said that these were in the detachment which was sent to
lie in ambush by the route on which the British troops were expected to
advance on its way to Baltimore. As Gen. Ross, the commander of these
troops, was riding by the spot where they were concealed, it is said
that two sharpshooters raised their pieces and were about to fire. An
order was given them to desist, but before one of them, whose name was
Kirkpatrick, from over the mountains, could understand the order, he
fired his gun and the British general fell. The result was that a
tremendous volley was fired into the thicket where they were concealed;
but confusion was thrown into the plans of the invading party by the
loss of their commander, and the idea of occupying Baltimore was given
up."
In order to protect Philadelphia from possible violence at the hands
of an invading force, a large body of troops was massed at that point,
and among them was a company known as the "Carlisle Guards," who
marched under Capt. Joseph Halbert early in September, 1814, and were
encamped on Bush Hill, near Philadelphia, for nearly a month, drilling,
constructing intrenchments, etc. They saw no enemy, but were subjected
to as strict discipline as troops at the front. Capt. Halberd, on the
3d of August, 1811, had been commissioned by Gov. Snider, a major of
the Second Battalion, Twelfth Regiment Pennsylvania Militia, in First
Brigade, Second Division, including militia of Cumberland and Franklin
Counties. His commission was for four years from that date.
THE MEXICAN WAR.
When the Mexican war broke out Carlisle Barracks was in command of
Capt. J. M. Washington, Battery D, Fourth United States Artillery.
This company of light artillery received recruits from various portions
of the country, and finally left Carlisle for the seat of war June 23,
1846. The organization was as follows: Captain, J. M. Washington;
first lieutenant, J. P. J. O'Brien; second lieutenant, Henry L.
Whiting; acting assistant quartermaster, Thos. L. Brent; surgeon, C. M.
Hitchcock.
The company did valiant service with Taylor's army in Mexico. At the
battle of Buena Vista the battery was divided into sections, one of
which, consisting of three guns, under charge of Lieut. O'Brien, was
captured, but not till every man was shot down and every horse killed.
Lieut. O'Brien was wounded, but continued steadfast at his post till
the last. In this engagement the casualties to the section were as
follows: Killed, privates, Edwin Holley, Green, Weakley, Rinks and
Doughty. Wounded: first lieutenant, J. P. J. O'Brien; sergeant,
Queen; lance sergeant, Pratt; privates, Hannams, Puffer, Beagle,
Berrin, Floyd, Hannon, Baker, Brown, Birch, Butler, Clark and Robbins.
On the 18th of January, 1847, an election of officers for an
independent
108 HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY.
company of volunteers occurred at Carlisle, resulting as follows:
Captain, John F. Hunter; first lieutenant, Marshall Hannon; second
lieutenant, Wm. H. Gray; third lieutenant, Geo. L. Reighter.
This company, organized by Capt. Hunter under what was known as "the
ten regiments' bill," embraced recruits from Cumberland, Perry and
Franklin Counties, and probably some from others. They were enlisted
to serve during the war, and were rendezvoused at Carlisle Barracks.
The company required sixty-six men, but left Carlisle with some forty-
six, additions having been made to it en route for Mexico. It was
known as Company G, Eleventh Infantry.
The following is the roster of enlisted men as it left Carlisle:
first sergeant, E. G. Heck; second sergeant, Wm. Blaine; third
sergeant, Alex. F. Meck; fourth sergeant, F. O. Baker; first corporal,
S. W. Hannon; second corporal, Wm. Hipple; third corporal, Jacob
Bender; fourth corporal, John Thompson; drummer, George King; fifer,
Archibald Rowe; privates, Applegate, John Brannon, George Boyer, Samuel
Baxter, Wm. Biceline, Crell, James Carey, Culp, Deung, John Evinger,
Joseph Faust, James Gallagan, Graham, John Gill, Samuel Guysinger,
George Hikes, Higbee, Wm. Hudson, Leonard Hoffman, Wm. Hollinger,
Hetrich, Wm. James, Kunkle, Casper Kline, George Lamison, McCracken,
Wm. Moore, McIntire, Wm. McDonald, Misinger, Samuel Peck, Lafayette
Searey, Amos Steffey, Scheime, Samuel Swigert, Stein, George Shatto,
Emanuel Weirich, Lewis Weaver, Wilde, Samuel Zell.
This company was first under command of Capt. Hunter, but on reaching
the field he was promoted to be major of the Eleventh Infantry, and
Lewis Carr, of Philadelphia, was chosen captain. Lieut. Gray finally
became commander of Capt. Waddel's company, Eleventh Infantry.
The company left Carlisle Barracks on Monday morning, March 29, 1847,
for the field. Marching to town it was halted in front of the court
house, where the men were addressed by L. G. Brandeberry, Esq., in a
few appropriate and well-timed remarks. They were then presented, each
with a new testament, by Mr. Samuel Ensminger, after which they marched
to the cars to the tune of "The Girl I Left Behind Me." Going by rail
to Harrisburg, the company proceeded thence by canal-boat to
Pittsburgh, whence it sailed by boat to New Orleans, and thence to the
mouth of Rio Grande River via Brazos Island. After a time it sailed
for Vera Cruz, but after eighteen days' detention on the Gulf, it was
compelled to stop at Tampico, where it lost about one-third of its
number by yellow fever and other forms of disease. The company, from
no fault of its own, never reached Vera Cruz, and did not fight.
Other companies were organized in Cumberland County and their
services tendered to the Government, but not accepted. In this list is
found a company of young men organized, in May, 1847, with the
following officers: Capt. R. M. Henderson; Lieuts. Hampton R. Lemer,
Robert McCord.
In June, 1846, Capt. Samuel Crop tendered a company with full
complement of men known as Carlisle Light Infantry.
Edward Watts, formerly a student of West Point, established a
recruiting station at Winrot's Hotel (now Mansion House) for a company
of infantry. This was in June, 1847.
Capt. R. C. Smead, Fourth United States Artillery, superintended
recruiting service at the barracks during several months in 1847.
From the time Capt. Washington relinquished command of the barracks
(June 23, 1846) George M. Sanno, barrack master, had charge of the
public property until the return of Col. A. C. May, August 25, 1847.