Sept. 2, 1756 Maryland Gazette
By Letters lately received from the Frontiers, we learn, That on the 24th of August, Col. Cresap, Capt. Lashmatt[?], with a Party of Militia, and an Officer, with a Detachment from Fort-Frederick, in all about sixty, marched thence in Pursuit of the Indians who lately made an Incursion into Pennsylvania, and, this Province, and who have almostentirely broke up the Settlement of Conococheague; The Party is returned without having seen an Enemy, but the following is an Extract from their Journal: “The first Night we lay near Toonalloways, where Stoddert’s Fort was, and the next Morning went to Combe’s Plantation, and thence through several deserted Plantations, to a Place where one Ryley had a Fort; here we discovered the Tracks of several Indians who had gone down Great-Tonaliways since the Rain felon Sunday Night; these Tracks we followed about a Mile to a Place of one Elias Stillwell, where we found a very large Indian Camp, which seemed to have been a Place of general Rendezvouse for a considerable Time past, for there had been six Fires, the Rails that inclose’d the Plantation were all burnt, and a Row of Beds, near 30 Yards in Length, had been made with Flax on each side off the Fires; the Place was commodiously situated near a Spring, and the Bones, Skins, &c. lying about shewed that several Beeves and Hogs had been killed there: We found here a large Scalping-Knife, an Iron Ram-Rod, a small Bag of Powder, some Bullets and some Thongs or Ropes that had been just cut out of a Horse’s Hide; we saw Tracks leading in and out of this Plantation, but as the freshest seemed to lead toward Rays-Town, we pursued them several Miles through the Woods without Success: We apprehend that that Party is gone quite off, as we discovered the Tracks of seven or eight Horses among the Tracks of the Indians, and all tending Westward: While we were in Pursuit of the Indians, we found a Dutch Woman’s blue Apron, and suppose the Owner of it is carried away Prisoner. In the Evening we came round to one Hick’s and remained there all Night: On the 26th we left Hick’s, crossing a Branch of Big-Tonalloway, and came down the Ridge, between that and Licking-creek. On the Ridge we fell in with a Track of Indians, which was much larger and more beaten than that we made, it seemed to come from the Big-Cove or Sugar-Cabbins, and to go towards the Rendezvous at Stillwell’s, above mentioned; as this Tracks seemed to have been made before the Rain, we proceeded down Licking-Creek to Mills’s, and thence returned the same Night to Fort-Frederick.”
