To George Washington from Colonel Zebulon Butler, 2 April 1780
From Colonel Zebulon Butler
Wyoming [Pa.] April 2nd 1780
May it Please your Excellency—
I arived at this post the 22d Ult. after Tedious Journey and Obliged to Travil about Forty miles of the last of it on Foot the snow Being so Deep, and is yet too Deep to get A Horse Through the woods, Am Making Preparation to Joine as soon as Possible—I think it my duty to Inform your Excellency with the late Transaction of the Enemy near this Post on the 27th March as three men were at work About Three miles Above the Garrison by the River they were taken on the 28th early in Morning as two men were Making Sugar—About eight miles Down the River one was Killed and the other taken, on the 29th, early in the Morning about Twenty miles further Down on Fishing Crick three men were killed And three taken; on the same day in the Afternoon on their Return they came across A party that went out to give Notice to some Men that were out making Sugar Wounded two of them but they all Saved themselves by taking A House and all with the two Wounded a⟨r⟩e Come in, the two Wounded like to Recover, on the 30th as they were still Returning they took one Man his Wife and Child who were out making Sugar: they Dismissed the Woman and Child—Who, say they were About thirty in Number And Confirms the Acct of above Mention’d prisoners And on the Evening of the same day the Three Men Mentiond of being taken the 27th March Came in with Indians guns Tomhocks &c. And say that they were taken as above Mention’d and Carried about forty miles up the River and that on the 28th March afternoon they met a party of About thirty Indians one White man and one of the Indians they Know’d, and they met two small partys Afterwards Pushing down the River. those partys Told our men that there were five Hundred out And A large Party Coming on after them—Brant with A party was gone to the Mohoak River1 A Party to Menisinck and A Party to the west Branch of Susquehannah.
Those three men early in the Morning of the 29th March Arose on their Masters Killed three wound’d the fourth and two Ran, which is Confirm’d by their Bringing in Five Indians guns⟨, one⟩ Silver mounted Hanger2 some Tomhocks and Other Indian affairs. the Partys they Met on the 28th March Afternoon have not done any Mischief hear yet as it was Impossible for them To be Down so Low as where the Above Mention’d was done. we are looking for them every Hour. the three men further say that by the Appearance of Snow Shoe tracks as far up as They went that there had been Numbers of Indians there for some Months.3
From the Above Representation which I have Carefully taken and have no Reason to Doubt the Truth of them your Excellency will be able to Judge What is Nessesary for the Defence of the Frontiers in these Parts4 and can only say I am with all attention you[r] Excellencys most Obt Humbe Servt
Zebn Butler Col.
ALS, DLC:GW; Revolutionary War—Wyoming Sufferers, H. Doc. 203, 25th Cong., 3d sess. (1839), 28–29. Mutilated material on the ALS is supplied in angle brackets from the printed version.
1. For the military operations of Joseph Brant in early April, see , 2:55–58.
2. Butler is referring to a kind of sword.
3. County Lieutenant Samuel Hunter of Northumberland County, Pa., corroborated Butler’s intelligence when he wrote Joseph Reed, president of the Pennsylvania Supreme Executive Council, from Sunbury on 2 April: “The Savages have made their appearance on our Frontiers in an Hostil manner. The Day before yesterday they took seven or eight Prisoners, about two miles above fort Jenkins, and two Days before that Carryed off several People from about Wyoming; this has struck such terror to the poor scattered Inhabitants of this County, that all the setlers above this will be in the Towns of Sunbury and Northumberland before two Days. Our case is Realy Deplorable, and without some speedy assistance being Ordered here, I am afraid the County will break up intirely, as the German Regiment thats stationed here is no ways adiquit to Grant us the Necessary Releife Required.” Hunter continued that the small garrison at Fort Jenkins “was not able to spare men enough … to pursue the Enemy that Carryed of[f] the Prisoners, suppose there was not above thirty Indians and Torys in the party, and a prity Deep snow had fallen the night before, which they could be easily tracted” (, 1st ser., 8:157). Reed replied to Hunter from Philadelphia on 7 April: “We sincerely regret & sympathize with you on the unhappy state of your County in Consequence of the late Incursions of the Indians. As the German Regim. was procured with some Difficulty we flattered ourselves it would have given general satisfaction. Col. Weltner informs us that he is now straightened for Provisions, & we really have the greatest Difficulties in supplying him—in what Manner therefore we should furnish what would be necessary for a great Number of Militia in the present exhausted State of the Country I cannot be informed … it is our earnest Desire that you would encourage the young Men of the Country to go in small Parties & harass the Enemy. In former Indian Wars it was frequently done & with great Advantage.” To promote local efforts, Reed relayed the council’s decision “to offer the following Premiums for every male Prisoner whether white or Indian if the former is acting with the latter 1500 Dollars & 1000 for every Indian Scalp. The Proof must be left to your own Discretion not doubting your Care to prevent Imposition—Last French War Secret Expeditions were set on foot by the Inhabitants which were more effectual than any Sort of defensive Operations. We most earnestly recommend it to you to revive that same Spirit & any Plan concerted with Secrecy & Prudence shall have our Concurrence & Support. … Our Situation is so critical & difficult that your own Exertions must now be depended on—& with the Assistance of the German Regiment, which is considered no inconsiderable Support, we trust your Difficulties will grow less” (, 1st ser., 8:166–68). For other accounts of the frontier attacks mentioned in Butler’s letter, see Ludwig Weltner to the Board of War, and William Maclay to the Pennsylvania Supreme Executive Council, both 9 April, in , 1st ser., 8:171–73, and , 278–81; see also Reed to Jacob Stroud et al., 11 April, and Hunter to Reed, 17 April, in , 1st ser., 8:176, 189–90.
4. GW replied to Butler from Morristown on 7 April: “I received Yesterday your letter of the 2d Instant, and I am extremely sorry to find that parties of the Enemy have appeared & committed hostilities in the neighbourhood of Wyoming. It is not in my power to afford any Troops from the Army and I should hope those already there & the Inh⟨a⟩bitants will be able to repel at least in⟨cu⟩rsions by light parties. It was my intention as I informed you that you should join your regiment immediately after your return; however I am induced from the face of things, to let you continue where you ar⟨e⟩ for the present and you will remain till further orders. Should further depredations & mischiefs be committed by the Enemy—You will take occasion to inform me of them” (LS, in Richard Kidder Meade’s writing, PWbH; Df, DLC:GW; Varick transcript, DLC:GW; mutilated material on the LS has been supplied in angle brackets from the draft manuscript, which is in the writing of GW’s secretary Robert Hanson Harrison). Harrison initially had written “check” on the draft but struck out that word in the second sentence and wrote “repel” above the line.