Disappointment
During this time of confusion, when the life of every white man in the
clearing was literally trembling in the balance, General Herkimer passed
the word from one to another that we were all to stand firm without show
of fear, and at the same time making no move which might be construed as
in enmity.
It was no easy matter to remain silent and motionless while the painted
villains were running to and fro making a hideous outcry, and, as we knew
full well, aching to strike us down.
I know that, as for myself, I trembled like a leaf upon an aspen-tree--so
violently that at times I feared the howling wretches would see the
quivering of my limbs, and understand that already was I getting a
foretaste of the death which they would have dealt out but for the
restraining presence of Thayendanega.
It was but natural I should look toward Sergeant Corney, and surely if
there was one man in that clearing who obeyed General Herkimer's command,
it was he! A graven image could not have been more stolid; one would have
said that the uproar everywhere around was as the rippling of waters to
him, and the Indians of less consequence than the dancing shafts of
sunlight flickering amid the leaves when they are stirred by the morning
breeze.
I question if Jacob realized anything of what was going on around him. All
his thoughts were centred upon the one idea of rescuing his father while
there was yet time, and the lad waited eagerly for the conference between
the leaders regarding the prisoner to be begun, heeding the remainder of
the howling gang hardly more than did Sergeant Corney.
Colonel Cox, the cause of all this disturbance, was even more terrified
than I, as could be told by the expression on his face, and the
finger-nails pressed deeply into the palms of his hands that he might
control himself in obedience to orders, while as for the others, I know
not how they deported themselves.
At that instant my world was of small dimensions, consisting of only so
much earth as that impassive red man and the open-hearted, honest patriot
officer stood upon.
Like bees the angry Indians swarmed to and fro between the encampment and
our place of meeting, until all were armed with rifles, and it needed but
the lightest word to convert that sunlit clearing into a theatre of the
bloodiest deed in the history of the tribe whose wildest delight was the
shedding of blood.
Not until his followers were in such a frenzied condition that it seemed
impossible another's will could restrain them, did Thayendanega speak, and
then in a few words of the Indian language, uttered in so low a tone that
I could not distinguish a single syllable, he calmed the tempest on the
instant, until those who had been howling for our lives became like lambs.
When all was hushed once more, the sachem said to General Herkimer,
speaking calmly, almost indifferently:
"The war-path has been opened across the country as far as Esopus, and the
Tories of Ulster and Orange will join with the braves of Thayendanega's
tribe to quell this revolt against the king, who is their father."
Now it was that General Herkimer spoke earnestly, pleadingly.
"Do not allow so weighty a question to be settled without further
consideration, Captain Brant. Why should not you and I discuss it calmly,
as we have in the olden days many a matter which was not so grave?"
"You have seen how well inclined my young men are toward anything of that
kind," Brant said, with a cruel smile. "Were I to say at this moment that
we would consider the matter in council, it might not be possible even for
me to restrain them, because their decision has already been made. The
hatchet is raised!"
"But surely you and I, Captain Brant, may talk of it among ourselves?"
"Yes, that can be done," Thayendanega replied, indifferently, "and if it
gives you pleasure to indulge in what can be of no profit, we will meet
here again to-morrow morning; but now it were wiser my young men went back
to the encampment."
Then the sachem turned as if to move away, and General Herkimer,
remembering what he had promised Sergeant Corney and Jacob, said, in a
friendly tone:
"Wait one moment, Captain Brant. I would make inquiries concerning a
prisoner from Cherry Valley, whom it is said your people hold at this
moment."
"I know of no prisoner in our encampment," Brant replied, stiffly.
"Let us not quibble on words, captain. Whether he be in your camp here, or
at Oghkwaga, makes no difference. I ask if you will tell me concerning one
Peter Sitz, who, but a few days since, when Lieutenant Wormwood of the
American army was killed in ambush, your people made a prisoner?"
"My young men may be able to tell you somewhat concerning him. I will ask
them."
"And will you, as a favor to a neighbor and an old friend, do whatsoever
you may toward releasing the unfortunate man?" General Herkimer insisted.
"I will ask my young men," was all the reply Brant would make, and then
the powwow was brought to a sudden close as the sachem stalked toward the
encampment, followed by all his people, and we of General Herkimer's party
were left alone in the clearing.
Now the word was given that we rejoin the main body quietly, and in double
file, with no man straying from the ranks; but Sergeant Corney and I led
Jacob between us, for the lad was well-nigh frantic with grief because no
satisfaction concerning his father had been obtained from Thayendanega.
We two said all we could in order to cheer the sorrowing lad, and that all
was little. Neither he, nor we, nor General Herkimer himself, could effect
anything whatsoever, save through the favor of the Mohawk sachem, and that
was withheld for at least four and twenty hours, with the chances that at
the expiration of such time we would receive nothing better from the wily
savage than a refusal to answer any questions.
I shall not attempt to set down very much concerning this long time of
waiting for the second powwow, when it was doubtful if we would be allowed
to leave the encampment without a bloody battle.
Even General Herkimer had lost all hope of being able to dissuade Joseph
Brant from the course he had already marked out for himself, and shared
with his men the suspicion that before the second interview was come to
an end we would be the victims of the sachem's treachery. This last we
knew from the information which was whispered about the encampment, to the
effect that the general had charged one of the soldiers--a man by the name
of Wagner--with the duty of selecting two others, that the three might
stand directly behind him at the next meeting with the Indians, and at the
first show of hostilities shoot down Brant and the two sachems next him in
authority.
Wagner selected George and Abraham Herkimer, nephews of the general, and
these three were prepared to face the most cruel of deaths, for certain it
was that if they were obliged to make an attack upon the Mohawk chieftain,
every Indian under his command would strive most earnestly to take them
prisoners in order that they be made to suffer death by torture.
How the day passed I hardly know. The soldiers talked among themselves in
whispers, as men do in the presence of death. No one strayed beyond the
limits of the encampment; but all waited in painful suspense for that hour
to come when it should be known whether Joseph Brant was of the mind that
we might return to our homes for the time being, or if he sought
immediately to compass our death through treachery.
Sergeant Corney and I spent our time in trying to soothe Jacob, who
alternately reproached himself for remaining idle at the moment when he
should be straining every nerve to aid his father, and relapsing into
moody silence, which to me was far worse than the angry words.
When another day had come we again marched into the clearing, the three
who had been selected for the dangerous duty of protecting our leader in
case of an outbreak, keeping close by his side.
As I look back now upon what was afterward done throughout the length and
breadth of that peaceful valley of ours, I regret most sincerely that
those young men did not violate the unwritten laws and usages which the
Indians themselves were ever ready to cast aside when it suited their
purpose, and kill the bloodthirsty Brant whether his men showed signs of
enmity or not.
On this occasion we had not long to wait.
Gathering in a semicircle behind General Herkimer as before, we were
hardly in position when Thayendanega, clad in all the bravery of his
savage garb, and, what was most ominous, bedecked in war-paint, strode
into the enclosure, followed by such members of his party as had
accompanied him the day previous.
He did not wait for greetings, but began boastfully, while his painted
fiends were yet taking their places, by saying, abruptly:
"I have five hundred warriors with me, armed and ready for battle. You are
in my power; but as we have been friends and neighbors, I will not take
advantage of you."
Then he made a gesture with his hand, and on the instant there burst from
amid the foliage a seemingly endless number of savages, all painted for
battle, who, coming down swiftly upon us as if to make an attack, uttered
wild war-whoops as they discharged their rifles in the air.
It was as hideous and terrifying a sight as I ever witnessed, and that our
little company stood its ground is much to the credit of every man among
us.
Thayendanega remained half-turned from General Herkimer, and within two
feet of the three men whose duty it was to shoot him with the rifles they
had concealed under their blankets in case an absolute attack was made,
and there watched the antics of his painted crew until perhaps five
minutes had passed, when the savages sank down upon the ground as if
exhausted, looking like so many images of demons.
What Thayendanega said when the uproar was thus stilled, I cannot rightly
set down, for my brain was in such a whirl, and fear so strong in my
heart, as to prevent me from taking due heed of all that was passing--I
realized only that death was literally staring us in the face.
As Sergeant Corney afterward told me, Brant advised General Herkimer to go
home, thanked him for having come to pay the visit, and said that at some
near day he might return the compliment.
"But the prisoner?" General Herkimer cried, when the sachem would have
stalked away with a great assumption of dignity.
"My young men will make no reply to my questions," Brant answered,
unblushingly, although he must have known beyond a peradventure that we
understood full well he was lying.
"Is Peter Sitz yet alive?" General Herkimer asked, sternly.
"There has been no prisoner put to death by my people since they left
Cherry Valley," Thayendanega replied, as if irritated by the general's
persistence, and, making another gesture with his hand, he sent back into
the cover of the forest all his motley crew.
Then he also walked away, as if fearing our commander would detain him
with yet further questions, and the powwow, to take part in which three
hundred men had marched so many miles, was come to an end without other
result than the knowledge that the Mohawk chief would harry us of the
valley to the best of his wicked powers.
Thayendanega had hardly gained the shelter of the thicket before black
clouds overspread the heavens, and it seemed as if in a twinkling the rain
came down in torrents; sharp flashes of lightning zigzagged across the
ominous-looking sky, and more than one around me declared it was a
portent, a sign, a token of the tempest which was about to break upon our
peaceful homes.
When we were in camp once more, and General Herkimer was making his
preparations to set off on the return march, Jacob declared that he alone,
if we did not accompany him, would go into the Indian village, and there
make inquiries for his father.
Sergeant Corney and I spent a long hour persuading the lad of his folly,
for after the powwow had come to such an abrupt end there was no question
whatsoever but that Thayendanega would kill or make prisoner of every
white man who crossed his path.
For a time it was absolutely necessary that we two hold Jacob by force to
prevent him from leaving us, and then gradually the boy came to understand
that for his father's life he could only hope in the mercy of God, since
even had General Herkimer been willing to risk a battle, in which he would
have been greatly outnumbered by the savages, there was no hope he might
effect the release of Peter Sitz.
Sergeant Corney had an interview with the general after we had succeeded
in quieting Jacob to a certain degree, and the commander advised that we
return home without delay in order to give information as to what we had
seen; but he did us three the honor of requesting, in case our services
should not be needed immediately at Cherry Valley, that we would rejoin
his force, which was to be stationed at the mouth of Oriskany Creek,
without delay.
He promised that we should have every opportunity of serving the patriot
cause, and in order that we might be allowed to leave Cherry Valley again,
he sent a written message to my uncle, of the purport of which I was then
ignorant.
We--meaning Sergeant Corney, Jacob, and myself--set off as soon as the
conference with General Herkimer was at an end, on the long journey to our
homes, knowing that the advance must be slow and cautious, for we had
heard from Thayendanega's own lips that he was fully committed to the work
of harrying the patriots.
As I look back upon it now I wonder that we succeeded in traversing the
wilderness, when Brant's force was so near at hand, without mishap; but,
as it proved, we had more difficulty in persuading Jacob to accompany us
than in eluding the foe whom we believed might spring upon us at any
moment, and when we arrived home it was to learn that the danger to the
inhabitants of the Mohawk Valley was more imminent even than when
Thayendanega stalked away from the interview with General Herkimer.
And this was the situation, as I afterward read it in printed letters:
"A few days after this conference with General Herkimer, Brant withdrew
his warriors from the Susquehanna and joined Sir John Johnson and Col.
John Butler, who were collecting a large body of Tories and refugees at
Oswego, preparatory to a descent upon the Mohawk and Schoharie
settlements. There Guy Johnson and other officers of the British Indian
Department summoned a grand council of the Six Nations.
"They were invited to assemble to 'eat the flesh and drink the blood of a
Bostonian'--in other words, to feast on the occasion of a proposed treaty
of alliance against the patriots, whom the savages denominated
'Bostonians' for the reason that Boston was the focus of the rebellion.
There was a pretty full attendance at the council; but a large portion of
the sachems adhered faithfully to their covenant of neutrality made with
General Schuyler, until the appeals of the British commissioners to their
avarice overcame their sense of honor.
"The commissioners represented the people of the king to be numerous as
the forest leaves and rich in every possession, while those of the
colonies were exhibited as few and poor; that the armies of the king would
soon subdue the rebels, and make them still weaker and poorer; that the
rum of the king was as abundant as the waters of Lake Ontario; and that if
the Indians would become his allies during the war, they should never want
for goods or money.
"Tawdry articles, such as scarlet cloths, beads, and trinkets, were then
displayed and presented to the Indians, which pleased them greatly, and
they concluded an alliance by binding themselves to take up the hatchet
against the patriots, and to continue their warfare until the latter were
subdued. To each Indian were then presented a brass kettle, a suit of
clothes, a gun, a tomahawk and scalping-knife, a piece of gold, a quantity
of ammunition, and a promise of a bounty upon every scalp he should bring
in. Thayendanega was thenceforth the acknowledged grand sachem of the Six
Nations, and at once commenced his terrible career in the midst of our
border settlements."
I had no more than time to tell my mother what I had seen, when my
comrades were ready to set out for Oriskany Creek, counting to make their
way over much the same ground we had just traversed.
My uncle, Colonel Campbell, gave his consent to our departure after
reading General Herkimer's message, and congratulated me, who deserved no
praise, because I had succeeded in so far winning the confidence of a
thorough soldier that he should make a personal request for the services
of myself and my companions.
It was not in our minds that we would remain very long with our new
commander. Sergeant Corney believed General Herkimer had some especial
matter in hand in which he thought we three might be of particular
service, and when that was done we would be allowed to return home.
Therefore it was that we still counted ourselves Minute Boys of the Mohawk
Valley, and left our company in charge of John Sammons, who was to act in
my stead until I came back.
It pleased Jacob that we were to return to that portion of the country
where we would be near Brant's forces, for he still cherished the hope of
being able to aid in the rescuing of his father, if peradventure Peter
Sitz yet remained in this world.
Our stay in Cherry Valley was of no more than two hours' duration; but we
learned much concerning the war in that time. Our little settlement seemed
overrun with people because of the soldiers quartered there, regarding
whom I have already written, and the inhabitants from miles around who had
come to find a place of refuge.
Already had word been brought in that there were then gathered at Oswego
seven hundred Indians and four hundred British soldiers, under command of
Sir John Johnson and Colonel Claus, and at Oswegatchie, or, as it is now
called, Ogdensburg, were six hundred Tories ready to join Johnson's force.
All that stood between these enemies and the broad bosom of the Mohawk
Valley was Fort Dayton, that poor apology for a defence, and Fort
Schuyler, not yet completely built and illy manned. That this last named
fortification could withstand an assault by such an army as Sir John was
evidently making ready to bring against it, few believed, and all with
whom I talked during the short time of our stay at home, were looking
forward to the future with the gravest fears and keenest anxiety.
When, already weary and footsore, we took up our line of march to traverse
the same paths over which we had just come, my company of Minute Boys
insisted on accompanying us during the first half-dozen miles of the
tedious journey; but it was not in triumph or rejoicing that we, all lads
of Cherry Valley, left the little settlement. Our elders were disheartened
and afraid, therefore we could well be excused for gloomy looks and timid
whisperings, as we spoke of what might take place before I was able to
resume command of the company which Sergeant Corney had spent so many
hours in drilling.
When the afternoon was well-nigh spent, and we had come to a halt that we
might take leave of our escort, Sergeant Corney seemed to think it
necessary he should do what he might toward putting courage into the
hearts of those who had accompanied us, by saying, as if haranguing a full
army:
"You lads are looked upon in the settlement only as boys, and yet already
have two of your number shown that they could stand steady, facing the
gravest danger without flinching. Now is the time when you may prove
yourselves men, as I believe you are in courage and ability. If you are
called upon to confront the enemy, remember that there is nothing more
glorious than to die in defence of your homes and your country. There is
no way by which you can earn more honor than to have it said of you, 'He
gave up his life for those he loved.' Better be shot down at the opening
of an action, than to live through it in such a manner that your neighbors
can point the finger of scorn at you, saying, 'There goes a coward!'"
The old man ceased speaking abruptly, turned about without word or sign,
and plunged into the thicket, Jacob and I following close at his heels.