Legends of the Shawangunk2 JR.pdf - Friends of the Sabbath ...

84 Legends of the Shawangunk.
Baffled in their attempts to force an entrance, they collected a heap of combustibles and
set fire to the premises. The savages then retired a short distance to watch the result. The
man ran out with a couple of buckets, procured water, and with it extinguished the
flames. The Indians ran down upon him, but not being quick enough to prevent his
gaining the door, they hurled their tomahawks at his head—happily without effect.
Pawling’s force being augmented by Col. Cantine’s troops of Rochester and those of the
garrison at Wawarsing, the little army amounted to about four hundred men. They
lodged at the Wawarsing stone fort Sunday night and early the next morning set out in
pursuit of the enemy.
When they came to Grahamsville they saw where the Indians had lodged the night
before, and where they had attempted to make bread out of ground plaster. Towards
night the pursuers arrived at Peenpack, along the Delaware, when the advance-guard
returned and informed the officers that they had come to a fire of small sticks, and that
the sticks were not burned through. This was evidence that the Indians could not be far in
advance. It having been proposed to double the advance-guard, Captain Kortright offered
to go with his whole company. While a consultation was going on among the officers, a
gun in the hands of Dr. Vanderlyn, of Kingston, was discharged. The report alarmed the
enemy; the Indians of the party instantly fled in small squads, leaving their white
commander Caldwell alone with the Tories and the scouts, Hine and Bouck, whom they
had released on their return march and were conducting to Niagara. At this place large
packages of spoils, including quantities of clothing; were left by the Indians in the
confusion of their hasty flight; but they were not found by the whites until several months
afterwards. A council of war was held to determine whether to advance or retreat, at
which it was resolved to give up the pursuit and return home. Capt. Hardenburgh and
some others were anxious to pursue; but Col. Cantine opposed it. Capt. Hardenburgh,
vexed at what he considered Cantine’s somewhat questionable prudence; observed to his
Colonel that “he could not die before his time;” to which the latter replied that if the
Indians held a tomahawk above his head his time would be then and there.
A German by the name of Vrooman deserted the Indians on Honk hill, while
Wawarsing was in flames. He had been with them three years; and becoming tired of his
allegiance, he left his gun at a distance and approached the troops, making signs of peace.
Some of the soldiers wished to kill him, but this was not permitted. From this man much
of the matter embraced in this narrative was obtained. Vrooman said the invading horde
was a party from Niagara, and that they consumed more than a month on their journey to
Wawarsing. During this time they were so much distressed for want of provisions that
they ate up their pack-horses and dogs. He reported that the garrison at Niagara was in a
melancholy situation for want of provisions, and that the Tories there most bitterly
execrated the day that they were deluded by a tyrant’s emissaries to take up arms against
their native country. It is said