taken at Jenkins' and Wintermute's Forts had been held during the battie, as narrated on page 1013), went down to the river-side. There they saw several naked men driven around a stake in the midst of flames. The groans and screams of the men were most piteous, while the shouts and yells of the savages-who danced around, urging the victims on with their spears-were too horrible to be endured. The Pittston men were powerless to help or avenge these tortured prisoners, and they withdrew, heartsick, from the sight of the horrid orgies-glad that they did not know who were the sufferers. Later in the night the savages engaged in a "Scalp Dance"-a weird jollification always performed after a victorious battle, as explained on page 126, Vol. I. To those who were in the forts, and to those elsewhere who had escaped the pursuit of the murderous savages, the night of July 3d was one of consternation, of alarm, and of terrible agony. The shrill whoops of the Indians, mingled with the yells and hootings of the Tories, as they gathered near, portended to the surviving Westmorelanders a fate as horrible as any that had befallen their late compatriots, whose mangled bodies were then lying cold in death on Abraham's Plains. All through the night was heard the voice of lamentation for the fate of husbands, fathers, sons, brothers and friends who had fallen by the hands of the enemy. To the survivors it was a night long to be remembered—never to be forgotten. Early in the morning of Saturday, July 4th, Major Butler sent a detachment of his " Rangers" and some Indians across the river to the Pittston fort to demand its surrender. There was nothing for Captain Blanchard to do but to capitulate on the fairest terms he could get, and this he did. The articles of capitulation which were drawn up provided for the surrender of "three forts at Lacuwanack," to wit: the Pittston fort, commanded by Capt. Jeremiah Blanchard (see page 1004), "Rosecrants' Block-house" (mentioned on page 925), and another block-house, neither the name nor the exact location of which is now known, but undoubtedly it stood in Pittston Township. The articles of capitulation further required that the different commanders of the said forts should immediately deliver them up, with all the arins, ammunition and stores in the said forts." On the part of Major Butler it was promised "that the lives of the men, women and children" should be "preserved entire." The Indians present at the capitulation of Pittston fort marked the faces of the inmates with black paint, telling them not to remove it, and that if they should go beyond the limits of the fort they should carry a bit of white cloth attached to a stick, so that, being thereby recognized as having surrendered, they would not be hurt. by any of the Indians. Among the Indians who were there at that time were "Tom Turkey," "Anthony Turkey," "David Singsing" and "Anthony Cornelius," who had formerly resided in Wyoming and were well known to some of the inhabitants. Trailing along in the rear of these Indians were a number of squaws, smeared with blood and carrying strings of scalps; "of which, with more than a demon's malice, they would smell, and then exultingly exclaim, 'Yankee blood!"" After the capitulation the "Rangers" and Indians demolished the pickets, or stockade, surrounding the three block-houses which formed the fort, and then the Indians began to pillage the people of everything portable and valuable which they could find. About eight o'clock Saturday morning Major Butler despatched to Forty Fort a messenger with a flag, bearing a request to Colonel Denison to come up to Butler's headquarters, adjacent to the ruins of Wintermute's Fort, to discuss terms of surrender. Accompanied by Obadiah Gore, Sr., and Dr. Lemuel Gustin, Colonel Denison set out without delay, bearing a flag of truce. At the interview which took place Major Butler demanded that all the Continental officers and soldiers in the Valley (particularly mentioning Lieut. Col. Zebulon Butler) should be delivered over to him, to be held as prisoners of war. Relative to this demand Colonel Denison expressed a desire to consult with his officers, to which Major Butler assented. Promising to return at one o'clock in the afternoon, Colonel Denison and his companions returned to Forty Fort. Thence, without delay, Colonel Denison hastened to WilkesBarré. Here he thoroughly discussed the situation with Lieut. Colonel Butler, and the conclusion was reached that the only course of procedure open to the people in Wyoming was to make a full and complete surrender to the invaders on the best terms possible. It was agreed, however, that, before arrangements for the surrender should take place, Lieut. Colonel Butler, the fifteen or twenty survivors of Captain Hewitt's Continental company (including Lieut. Timothy Howe), and those survivors of the officers and privates of Captain Spalding's Westmoreland Independent Company* in the Continental service who had taken part in the battle of July 3d, should leave the Valley and get to places of safety. Directing these men to proceed to Shamokin, Colonel Butler threw a feather bed across his horse, took his wife and infant sont up behind him, set off over the Wilkes-Barré Mountain by way of the old "Warrior Path" (see page 237), for Fort Allen, at Gnadenhütten, on the Lehigh River (see page 339), and that night bivouacked in Sugar Loaf Valley, some twenty miles from Wilkes-Barré. Colonel Denison returned to Forty Fort, and, accompanied by the Rev. Jacob Johnson and Zerah Beach, Esq., proceeded thence shortly before one o'clock to Major Butler's headquarters, where negotiations for a surrender of the various settlements and defenses in the Valley were renewed-Major Butler being first informed that all the surviving Continental officers and privates had fled from the Valley. The terms of the capitulation were soon agreed upon, but as there were no conveniences at Wintermute's for writing, it was arranged that the articles should be drawn up and signed at Forty Fort at four o'clock in the afternoon-the time fixed upon for the formal surrender of the fort. "There were, at the time," states Colonel Franklin, "seven barrels of whisky in the fort, and this becoming known to Major Butler he proposed to Colonel Denison to have it destroyed; that if the Indians got hold of it they would get drunk; that they could not be commanded, and would probably massacre all in the fort." Colonel Denison and Messrs. Johnson and Beach returned to Forty Fort, where preparations were made for the reception of the enemy-one of the first things done. being the rolling of the barrels of whisky down the bank of the river, where their heads were knocked in and the liquor was emptied into the water. *Among these survivors were Lieut. Phineas Peirce, Sergt. Thomas Baldwin, Sergt. Thomas Neill, James Stark, Jr., Constant Searle, Jr., and Rufus Bennet. †ZEBULON JOHNSON BUTLER, two years old. The two other children of Colonel Butler-Lord and Hannah-were at that time living with relatives in Connecticut. The following account* of the entry of the victorious enemy into Forty Fort is drawn from the writings of Col. John Franklin mentioned on page 994, ante. 'Preparations were made to receive the enemy into the fort. The few fire-arms were laid down in the center, and the gates set open at four o'clock P. M., the hour appointed. Maj. John Butler, with his Tories and Indians, appeared, marching in a body-the Tories at the left hand in four regular files, and four abreast, and Major Butler at their head. The Indians at the right hand, in the same order, and 'Queen Esther' at their head. From appearance, there was about an equal number of Tories and Indians, and not less than 600 in the whole. I marched out with Colonel Denison a short distance from the fort, to escort them through the gate, when 'Queen Esther,' with all the impudence of an infernal being, turned to Colonel Denison and said: Well, Colonel Denison, you make me promise to bring more Indians. Here, see! (turning her head) I bring all these!' Major Butler observed to her that women should be seen and not heard. They marched into the fort, the Indians turning to the right of the fire-arms that were lying in the center, and the Tories to the left, where they halted. The Tories immediately seized all the arms, taking them up. Major Butler ordered them to lay them down again, which being done, he informed the Indians that Colonel Denison made them a present of all the fire-arms, and the Indians took them into possession. "I went into the cabin† in the fort in company with Colonel Denison, Zerah Beach, Esq., and Dr. Lemuel Gustin, also Maj. John Butler, with two or three of his Tory officers, and about the same number of Indian chiefs, where the articles of capitulation, as verbally agreed upon, were committed to writing by the hand of Zerah Beach, Esq." The articles were, undoubtedly, executed in duplicate, inasmuch as Colonel Franklin wrote in May, 1827 (see farther on in this Chapter), that he then had "the original" articles "in keeping." As to where the document referred to by Franklin is at this time, no one seems to know. In efforts to ascertain the whereabouts of the duplicate (?) of the original articles which was retained by Major Butler, the present writer has spent a good deal of time and considerable energy. From a careful examination of documents, etc., in the British Museum and the Public Record Office, London, made for the writer at the instance of the Hon. Whitelaw Reid, United States Ambassador to Great Britain, it is learned that within a few days after the capitulation of Forty Fort Major Butler forwarded the articles of capitulation of the various forts in Wyoming Valley, together with a lengthy report of his operations (see hereinafter), to his superior officer, Lieut. Col. Mason Bolton, commandant of Fort Niagara. By the latter copies were made of the various documents received from Major Butler, and these copies, together with a letter from Lieut. Colonel Bolton, were forwarded (see hereinafter) to Captain Le Maistre, Deputy Adjutant General to General Haldimand, at Quebec. These particular copies are now preserved among the Haldimand Papers, mentioned in a note on page 963, ante. On the opposite page is a photo-reproduction (specially made for this work) of the veritable copy of the articles of capitulation of Forty Fort which was prepared by Lieut. Colonel Bolton and forwarded to Captain Le Maistre, as mentioned above. The names of the three Westmorelanders, attached to the document as principal and witnesses, are misspelled, because of either the carelessness or the ignorance of the copyist. "Beech" should be Beach; "Samuel Gustin" should be Lemuel Gustin; "Denniston" should be Denison. The names of the three Tories are correctly spelled. William Caldwell was one of the original Captains of "Butler's *This differs somewhat from the account printed in Miner's "Wyoming" and in other histories and pamphlets. We deem this, however, to be the most accurate account, because it was written and printed ten years prior to Stone's account and about twelve years prior to Miner's. Its author was a keen, a wide-awake, an intelligent and an observant man-in a word, he was a very remarkable man; and as he was on the ground, and took part in the doings of that stormy period in Wyoming's history, it is fair to presume that he was familiar with his subject and that he wrote with superior understanding. This was that compartment of the fort which was then occupied by the family of Thomas Bennet of Kingston. Rangers," and his name is several times mentioned hereinbefore. John Johnston was a Captain in the Indian Department-as mentioned on pages 967 and 985. کات If that the arabitants are to occupy this farm, Peacably of the lion of the Inhabitants, sewervedeation and unburt 3. That the Continental'àtores in accidend a Fr. That Major Butter will use his almost Suence, Fantine purivate properly of the arabitants aald be neverved satire litium. تھی Busters 5. That the prisoners in Calze Cork in delidend O.. That the properties taken from sui Propie hat the unhabitants that Got. Denniston nois capitulates for, together with hemeet? do not taker dich. drons during the present Conduct. Zrah Bruch & Jamuel Gustin Nathan Conniston The following is a printed copy of the foregoing articles, and is introduced here for the convenience of the reader. "WESTMORELAND July 4th 1778. “CAPITULATION made, & compleated between Major John Butler on behalf of His Majesty King George the 3d and Colo Nathan Denniston of the United States of America. ARTICLE 1ST That the Inhabitants of the Settlement lay down their Arms, and their Garrisons be demolished. 66 "2p That the Inhabitants are to occupy their farms, peacably, & the lives of the Inhabitants preserved entire and unhurt. "3D That the Continental Stores be delivered up. 4TH That Major Butler will use his utmost influence, that the private property of the Inhabitants shall be preserved entire to them. 5TH That the prisoners in Forty Fort, be delivered up, and that Samuel Finch now in Major Butler's possession be delivered up also. "6TH That the properties taken from the People called Tories up the River be made good; and they to remain in peacable possession of their Farms, and unmolested in a free Trade, in and throughout this State as far as lies in my power. "7TH That the Inhabitants that Colo Denniston now capitulates for, together with himself do not take up Arms during the present Contest. "ZERAH BEECH, SAMUEL GUSTIN, Capitalation made and compleated between Major "Butter on behalf of His Majesty King George the 3. and colone : Nathan Demister of the United States of America Dalid Westmoreland July 4th, 178 enclosed in Liew Cold Boltons Letter 5714 July 1778. 1 It will be noticed that the capitulation was general in its character, and embraced not only Forty Fort, Fort Wilkes-Barré, and the several block-houses which had not yet been formally surrendered, but included also the fort at Pittston and its inmates, as well as those persons who had been occupants of Jenkins' Fort and Wintermute's Fort. Samuel Finch, named in the 5th Article of the capitulation, was the Westmorelander who had been captured by the "Rangers" on July 2d, as narrated on page 994. Why no mention was made of John Gardner and Daniel Carr, who had been captured at the mouth of Sutton's Creek; of Daniel Ingersoll and the various other persons who had been made prisoners when Jenkins' Fort and Wintermute's Fort were surrendered, and who were still detained in custody; and of Samuel Carey, who had been captured after the battle (as previously related), it is impossible to say. "The prisoners in Forty Fort," referred to in the 5th Article, were the two Indian spies who had been seized early in June and confined in the fort, as narrated on page 976. One of these Indians was known as "Black Henry" and as "Captain Henry" (see pages 720 and 922), and Miner observes" Wyoming," Appendix, page 54-that 'Queen Esther' had been down from her palace at Sheshequin to obtain their release, which Colonel Denison had deemed it proper to refuse. In anger at her disappointment she probably made a threat that she would bring down more Indians-which would account for the taunt that she flung at Colonel Denison when she entered Forty Fort. Photo-reproduction of the original endorsement made by Captain Le Maistre on the back of the foregoing document. The Westmoreland Tories who marched into the fort in the ranks of the "Rangers" had their faces painted in Indian-fashion, presumably hoping and expecting that they would not be recognized by their old friends and neighbors; but the disguises of several-among the number being Parshall Terry, Jr.-were soon penetrated. After the capitulation many Indians went about the fort shaking hands with the inmates and exclaiming: "Brothers now! All good friends!" Other Indians, who also seemed to be well disposed, tied white bands around the heads |