Pages

Wednesday, October 21, 2020

The first Night we lay near Tonoloways

 





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.”