destruction and desolation, the main body of the enemy returned to Niagara, taking with them all the horses, cattle, and other property which they did not think proper to destroy, leaving behind them nothing but one vast, melancholy scene of universal desolation. It may be proper to notice the generally received opinion, that colonel Zebulon Butler and colonel John Butler were cousins. This is a mistake. Both the parties denied having any knowledge of any relationship subsisting between them. From Gnadenhutten colonel Butler wrote to the board of war, giving an account of the fatal disaster of the 3d of July. He then went to Stroudsburg, in Northampton county, where he found captain Spalding's company, and some fugitives from Wyoming. Colonel Butler was ordered to collect what force he could, and with Spalding's company return and retake possession of the country. This he did in the month of August following. On his return to the valley, he found some straggling Indians, and also a small party driving off cattle. These were soon dispersed, and their booty taken from them. He immediately erected a fort at Wilkesbarre, and established a garrison. By orders from the board of war, he continued in the command of the place until the fall of 1780, during which time the garrison and the inhabitants generally suffered from the incursions of the Indians. Several lives were lost, and they killed a number of the Indians, though no general battle was fought. General Sullivan's expedition checked for a while their ravages. He arrived in Wyoming in the spring of 1779, and as soon as proper arrangements could be made, he marched into the country of the Indians, leaving colonel Butler in the command at Wyoming. By orders from general Washington, dated, "Head Quarters, New Windsor, December 29th, 1780," colonel Butler was directed to deliver the post at Wyoming to captain Alexander Mitchell, and to march with the men under his command and join the army. This was stated by general Washington to be in consequence of "Congress having, in order to remove all cause of jealousy and discontent between the states of Pennsylvania and Connecticut, directed me to withdraw the present garrison of Wyoming, and replace them with troops from the continental army, not belonging to the line of Pennsylvania or Connecticut, or citizens of either of said states." In obedience to these orders, he repaired to head quarters, and remained with the army during the rest of the war. In the unhappy dispute between the citizens of Connecticut and Pennsylvania, arising out of the claims which the latter advanced to the lands on the Susquehanna, upon which the former had settled, colonel Butler took an active part in fa vour of the Connecticut settlers. He considered them as acting on the defensive, and the others as the aggressors. Open hostilities commenced between the parties as early as 1769, and were continued until after the revolutionary war. The New England people were twice driven from their settlements, though they returned immediately with reinforcements, and repossessed themselves of the country. Many lives were lost on both sides, and innumerable hardships endured, during this unfortunate contest. No very general engagement ever took place between the parties. The principal array of forces which was at any time made against each other, was at the defeat of captain Plunket, in 1775. This officer had marched from Northumberland, for the purpose of dispossessing the settlers at Wyoming, and taking possession of it themselves in the name of the Pennsylvania claimants. Colonel Butler with a party of settlers met them at the lower end of the valley, defeated them, and drove them back. The decree of Trenton, as it is called, put an end to hostilities, by determining, that the jurisdiction of the state of Pennsylvania extended over the disputed territory. To this determination colonel Butler, with most of the settlers, yielded. After the war he continued to reside at Wyoming, and received appointments under the state of Pennsylvania, particularly the situation of lieutenant of the county. He died at Wilkesbarre, on the 28th of July, 1795, in the sixty-fourth year of his age. As numerous and very incorrect accounts of the "Massacre of Wyoming," (as the foregoing battle has generally, and with great truth, been called,) have been published and incorporated in the histories of the times, the compiler is induced to state, that the foregoing sketch was politely furnished by a descendant of colonel Butler, residing in the valley, and may be relied on as a correct and faithful narrative of the transactions of that fatal and disastrous day. CADWALADER, JOHN, born in Philadelphia, was distinguished for his zealous and inflexible adherence to the cause of America, and for his intrepidity as a soldier, in upholding that cause during the most discouraging periods of danger and misfortune. At the dawn of the revolution, he commanded a corps of volunteers, designated as "the silk stocking company," of which nearly all the members were appointed to commissions in the line of the army. He after wards was appointed colonel of one of the city battalions; and, being thence promoted to the rank of brigadier general, was intrusted with the command of the Pennsylvania troops, in the important operations of the winter campaign of 1776 and 1777. He acted with his command, and as a volunteer, in the ac tions of Princeton, Brandywine, Germantown and Monmouth, L and other occasions; and received the thanks of general Washington, whose confidence and regard he uniformly enjoyed. When general Washington determined to attack the British and Hessian troops at Trenton, he assigned him the command of a division. In the evening of Christmas day, 1776, general Washington made arrangements to pass the river Delaware, in three divisions: one, consisting of 500 men, under general Cadwalader, from the vicinity of Bristol; a second division, under the command of general Irvine, was to cross at Trenton ferry, and secure the bridge leading to the town. Generals Cadwalader and Irvine made every exertion to get over, but the quantity of ice was so great, that they could not effect their purpose. The third, and main body, which was commanded by general Washington, crossed at M'Konkey's ferry; but the ice in, the river retarded their passage so long, that it was three o'clock in the morning before the artillery could be got over. On their landing in Jersey, they were formed into two divisions, commanded by generals Sullivan and Greene, who had under their command brigadiers lord Sterling, Mercer, and St. Clair: one of these divisions was ordered to proceed on the lower, or river road, the other on the upper or Pennington road. Colonel Stark, with some light troops, was also directed to advance near to the river, and to possess himself of that part of the town, which is beyond the bridge, The divisions having nearly the same distance to march, were ordered immediately on forcing the outguards, to push directly into Trenton, that they might charge the enemy before they had time to form. Though they marched different roads, yet they arrived at the enemy's advanced post within three minutes of each other. The out-guards of the Hessian troops at Trenton soon fell back, but kept up a constant retreating fire. Their main body being hard pressed by the Americans, who had already got possession of half their artillery, attempted to file off by a road leading towards Princeton, but were checked by a body of troops thrown in their way. Finding they were surrounded, they laid down their arms. The number which submitted, was twenty-three officers, and eight hundred and eighty-six men. Between thirty and forty of the Hessians were killed and wounded. Colonel Rahl was among the former, and seven of his officers among the latter. Captain Washington, of the Virginia troops, and five or six of the Americans were wounded. Two were killed, and two or three were frozen to death. tachment in Trenton, consisting of the regiments of Rahl, Losberg and Kniphausen, amounting in the whole to about fifteen hundred men, and a troop of British light horse. All these were killed or captured, except about six hundred, who escaped by the road leading to Bordentown. The de The British had a strong battalion of light infantry at Princeton, and a force yet remaining near the Delaware, superior to the American army. General Washington, therefore, in the evening of the same day, thought it most prudent to recross into Pennsylvania, with his prisoners. The next day after Washington's return, supposing him still on the Jersey side, general Cadwalader crossed with about fifteen hundred men, and pursued the panic struck enemy to Burlington, The merits and services of general Cadwalader, induced the congress, early in 1778, to compliment him by an unanimous vote, with the appointment of general of cavalry; which appointment he declined, under an impression that he could be more useful to his country in the sphere in which he had been acting. The victory at Trenton had a most happy effect, and general Washington, finding himself at the head of a force with which it was practicable to attempt something, resolved not to remain inactive. Inferior as he was to the enemy, he yet determined to employ the winter in endeavoring to recover the whole, or a great part of Jersey. The enemy were now collected in force at Princeton, under lord Cornwallis, where some works were thrown up. Generals Mifflin and Cadwalader, who lay at Bordentown and Crosswicks, with three thousand six hundred militia, were ordered to march up in the night of the first January, 1777, to join the commander in chief, whose whole force, with this addition, did not exceed five thousand men. He formed the bold and judicious design of abandoning the Delaware, and marching silently in the night by a circuitous route, along the left flank of the enemy, into their rear at Princeton, where he knew they could not be very strong. He reached Princeton early in the morning of the third, and would have completely surprised the British, had not a party, which was on their way to Trenton, descried his troops, when they were about two miles distant, and sent back couriers to alarm their fellow soldiers in the rear. A sharp action ensued, which however was not of long duration. The militia, of which the advanced party was principally composed, soon gave way. General Mercer was mortally wounded while exerting himself to rally his broken troops. The moment was critical. General Washington pushed forward, and placed himself between his own men and the British, with his horse's head fronting the latter. The Americans, encouraged by his example, made a stand, and returned the British fire. A party of the British fled into the college, and were attacked with field pieces. After receiving a few discharges they came out and surrendered them selves prisoners of war. In this action upwards of one hundred of the enemy were killed on the spot, and three hundred taken prisoners. The Americans lost only a few, but colonels Haslet and Potter, two brave and valuable officers, from Delaware and Pennsylvania, were among the slain. General Cadwalader's celebrated duel with general Conway, arose from his spirited opposition to the intrigues of that officer, to undermine the standing of the commander in chief. The anecdote relative to the duel, in "Anecdotes of the Revolutionary War," by Alexander Garden, of Charleston, South Carolina, is not entirely correct. It will be recollected that general Conway was dangerously wounded, and while his recovery was doubtful, he addressed a letter to general Washington, acknowledging that he had done him injustice. Among many obituary notices of general Cadwalader, this patriotic and exemplary man, the following outline of his character, in the form of a monumental inscription, is selected from a Baltimore paper, of the 24th of February, 1786: In memory of General John Cadwalader, In the character of a Soldier and Statesman: He took an active part, and had a principal And, although he was zealous in the cause His conduct was not mark'd with the He always treated with singular tenderness, He had no superior, And few, very few equals: His death was a stroke still more severe. |