Crooked Trails Page 7

  JOSHUA GOODENOUGH'S OLD LETTER

  THE following letter has come into my possession, which I publishbecause it is history, and descends to the list of those humble beingswho builded so well for us the institutions which we now enjoy in thiscountry. It is yellow with age, and much frayed out at the foldings,being in those spots no longer discernible. It runs:

  ALBANY _June_ 1798.

  TO MY DEAR SON JOSEPH.--It is true that there are points in the historyof the country in which your father had a concern in his early life, andas you ask me to put it down I will do so briefly. Not, however, my dearJoseph, as I was used to tell it to you when you were a lad, but withmore exact truth, for I am getting on in my years and this will soon beall that my posterity will have of their ancestor. I conceive that nowthe descendents of the noble band of heroes who fought off the indians,the Frenche and the British will prevail in this country, and mychildren's children may want to add what is found here in written totheir own achievements.

  To begin with, my father was the master of a fishing-schooner, ofMarblehead. In the year 1745 he was taken at sea by a French man-of-waroff Louisbourg, after making a desperate resistence. His ship was in asinking condition and the blood was mid-leg deep on her deck. Yourgrandfather was an upstanding man and did not prostrate easily, but theFrencher was too big, so he was captured and later found his way as aprisoner to Quebec. He was exchanged by a mistake in his identity forHuron indians captivated in York, and he subsequently settled nearAlbany, afterwards bringing my mother, two sisters, and myself fromMarblehead.

  He engaged in the indian trade, and as I was a rugged lad of my years Idid often accompany him on his expeditions westward into the Mohawktownes, thus living in bark camps among Indians and got thereby aknowledge of their ways. I made shift also to learn their language, andwhat with living in the bush for so many years I was a hand at a pack orpaddle and no mean hunter besides. I was put to school for two seasonsin Albany which was not to my liking, so I straightway ran off to ahunters camp up the Hudson, and only came back when my father would saythat I should not be again put with the pedegogue. For this adventure Ihad a good strapping from my father, and was set to work in his tradeagain. My mother was a pious woman and did not like me to grow up inthe wilderness--for it was the silly fashion of those times to ape themanners and dress of the Indians.

  My father was a shifty trader and very ventur-some. He often had troublewith the people in these parts, who were Dutch and were jealous of him.He had a violent temper and was not easily bent from his purpose byopporsition. His men had a deal of fear of him and good cause enough inthe bargain, for I once saw him discipline a half-negro man who was oneof his boat-men for stealing his private jug of liquor from his privatepack. He clinched with the negro and soon had him on the ground, wherethe man struggled manfully but to no purpose, for your grandfather soonhad him at his mercy. "Now," said he, "give me the jug or take theconsequences." The other boat paddlers wanted to rescue him, but Imenaced them with my fusil and the matter ended by the return of thejug.

  In 1753 he met his end at the hands of western Indians in the Frenchinterest, who shot him as he was helping to carry a battoe, and he wasburried in the wilderness. My mother then returned to her home inMassassachusetts, journeying with a party of traders but I staid withthe Dutch on these frontiers because I had learned the indian trade andliked the country. Not having any chances, I had little book learning inmy youth, having to this day a regret concerning it. I read a few books,but fear I had a narrow knowledge of things outside the Dutchsettlements. On the frontiers, for that matter, few people had muchskill with the pen, nor was much needed. The axe and rifle, the paddleand pack being more to our hands in those rough days. To prosper though,men weare shrewd-headed enough. I have never seen that books helpedpeople to trade sharper. Shortly afterwards our trade fell away, for theFrench had embroiled the Indians against us. Crown Point was the Placefrom which the Indians in their interest had been fitted out to goagainst our settlements, so a design was formed by His Majesty theBritish King to dispossess them of that place. Troops were levid in theProvince and the war began. The Frenchers had the best of the fighting.

  Our frontiers were beset with the Canada indians so that it was not safeto go about in the country at all. I was working for Peter Vrooman, atrader, and was living at his house on the Mohawk. One Sunday morning Ifound a negro boy who was shot through the body with two balls as he washunting for stray sheep, and all this within half a mile of Vrooman'shouse. Then an express came up the valley who left word that theProvince was levying troops at Albany to fight the French, and I took mypay from Vrooman saying that I would go to Albany for a soldier. Anotheryoung man and myself paddled down to Albany, and we both enlisted in theYork levies. We drawed our ammunition, tents, kettles, bowls and knivesat the Albany flats, and were drilled by an officer who had been in herMajesty's Service. One man was given five hundred lashes for enlistingin some Connecticut troops, and the orders said that any man who shouldleave His Majesty's service without a Regular discharge should sufferDeath. The restraint which was put upon me by this military life was notto my liking, and I was in a mortal dread of the whippings which menwere constantly receiving for breaches of the discipline. I felt that Icould not survive the shame of being trussed up and lashed before men'seyes, but I did also have a great mind to fight the French which kept mealong. One day came an order to prepare a list of officers and men whowere willing to go scouting and be freed from other duty, and after sometime I got my name put down, for I was thought too young, but I said Iknew the woods, had often been to Andiatirocte (or Lake George as it hadthen become the fashion to call it) and they let me go. It was dangerouswork, for reports came every day of how our Rangers suffered up countryat the hands of the cruel savages from Canada, but it is impossible toplay at bowls without meeting some rubs. A party of us proceeded upriver to join Captain Rogers at Fort Edward, and we were put to camp onan Island. This was in October of the year 1757. We found the Rangerswere rough borderers like ourselvs, mostly Hampshire men well used tothe woods and much accustomed to the Enemy. They dressed in the fashionof those times in skin and grey duffle hunting frocks, and were wellarmed. Rogers himself was a doughty man and had a reputation as a boldRanger leader. The men declaired that following him was sore service,but that he most always met with great success. The Fort was garrissonedby His Majesty's soldiers, and I did not conceive that they were muchfitted for bush-ranging, which I afterwards found to be the case, butthey would always fight well enough, though often to no good purpose,which was not their fault so much as the headstrong leadership whichpersisted in making them come to close quarters while at a disadvantage.There were great numbers of pack horses coming and going with stores,and many officers in gold lace and red coats were riding about directinghere and there. I can remember that I had a great interest in thisconcourse of men, for up to that time I had not seen much of the worldoutside of the wilderness. There was terror of the Canada indians whohad come down to our borders hunting for scalps--for these werecontinually lurking near the cantanements to waylay the unwary. I hadgot acquainted with a Hampshire borderer who had passed his life on theCanada frontier, where he had fought indians and been captured by them.I had seen much of indians and knew their silent forest habits whenhunting, so that I felt that when they were after human beings theywould be no mean adversaries, but I had never hunted them or they me.

  31 NOT MUCH FITTED FOR BUSH-RANGING]

  I talked at great length with this Shankland, or Shanks as he was calledon account of his name and his long legs, in course of which heexplained many useful points to me concerning Ranger ways. He said theyalways marched until it was quite dark before encamping--that theyalways returned by a different route from that on which they went out,and that they circled on their trail at intervals so that they mightintercept any one coming on their rear. He told me not to gather upclose to other Rangers in a fight but to keep spread out, which gave theEnemy less mark to fire upon and als
o deceived them as to your ownnumbers. Then also he cautioned me not to fire on the Enemy when we werein ambush till they have approached quite near, which will put them ingreater surprise and give your own people time to rush in on them withhatchets or cutlasses. Shanks and I had finally a great fancy for eachother and passed most of our time in company. He was a slow man in hismovements albeit he could move fast enough on occassion, and was a greathand to take note of things happening around him. No indian was betterable to discern a trail in the bush than he, nor could one be found hisequal at making snow shoes, carving a powder horn or fashioning anyknick-nack he was a mind to set his hand to.

  The Rangers were accustomed to scout in small parties to keep the Canadaindians from coming close to Fort Edward. I had been out with Shanks onminor occasions, but I must relate my first adventure.

  A party... (here the writing is lost)... was desirous of taking acaptive or scalp. I misdoubted our going alone by ourselvs, but he saidwe were as safe as with more. We went northwest slowly for two days, andthough we saw many old trails we found none which were fresh. We hadgone on until night when we lay bye near a small brook. I was awakenedby Shanks in the night and heard a great howling of wolves at somedistance off togther with a gun shot. We lay awake until daybreak and atintervals heard a gun fired all though the night. We decided that thefiring could not come from a large party and so began to approach thesound slowly and with the greatest caution. We could not understand whythe wolves should be so bold with the gun firing, but as we came nearewe smelled smoke and knew it was a camp-fire. There were a number ofwolves running about in the underbrush from whose actions we located thecamp. From a rise we could presently see it, and were surprised to findit contained five Indians all lying asleep in their blankets. The wolveswould go right up to the camp and yet the indians did not deign to givethem any notice whatsoever, or even to move in the least when one wolfpulled at the blanket of a sleeper. We each selected a man when we hadcome near enough, and preparing to deliver our fire, when of a suddenone figure rose up slightly. We nevertheless fired and then rushedforward, reloading. To our astonishment none of the figures moved in theleast but the wolves scurried off. We were advancing cautiously whenShanks caught me by the arm saying "we must run, that they had all diedof the small-pox," and run we did lustilly for a good long distance.After this manner did many Indians die in the wilderness from thatdreadful disease, and I have since supposed that the last living indianhad kept firing his gun at the wolves until he had no longer strength toreload his piece.

  32 THE MARCH OF ROGERS'S RANGERS]

  After this Shanks and I had become great friends for he had liked theway I had conducted myself on this expedition. He was always ar-guyingwith me to cut off my eel-skin que which I wore after the fashion of theDutch folks, saying that the Canada indians would parade me for aDutchman after that token was gone with my scalp. He had.... (writingobliterated).

  Early that winter I was one of 150 Rangers who marched with CaptainRogers against the Enemy at Carrillion. The snow was not deep atstarting but it continued to snow until it was heavy footing and many ofthe men gave out and returned to Fort Edward, but notwithstanding myexhaustion I continued on for six days until we were come to within sixhundred yards of Carrillion Fort. The captain had made us a speech inwhich he told us the points where we were to rendevoux if we were brokein the fight, for further resistence until night came on, when we couldtake ourselvs off as best we might. I was with the advance guard. We layin ambush in some fallen timber quite close to a road, from which wecould see the smoke from the chimneys of the Fort and the Gentrieswalking their beats. A French soldier was seen to come from the Fort andthe word was passed to let him go bye us, as he came down the road. Welay perfectly still not daring to breathe, and though he saw nothing hestopped once and seemed undecided as to going on, but suspecting nothinghe continued and was captured by our people below, for prisoners werewanted at Headquarters to give information of the French forces andintentions. A man taken in this way was threatened with Death if he didnot tell the whole truth, which under the circumstancs he mostly did tosave his life.

  The French did not come out of the Fort after us, though Rogers tried toentice them by firing guns and showing small parties of men whichfeigned to retreat. We were ordered to destroy what we could of thesupplies, so Shanks and I killed a small cow which we found in the edgeof the clearing and took off some fresh beef of which food we were sadlyin need, for on these scouts the Rangers were not permitted to fire gunsat game though it was found in thir path, as it often was in fact. I canremember on one occassion that I stood by a tree in a snow storm, withmy gun depressed under my frock the better to keep it dry, when I wasminded to glance quickly around and there saw a large wolf just ready tospring upon me. I cautiously presented my fusee but did not dare to fireagainst the orders. An other Ranger came shortly into view and the wolftook himself off. We burned some large wood piles, which no doubt madewinter work for to keep some Frenchers at home. They only fired somecannon at us, which beyond a great deal of noise did no harm. We thenmarched back to Fort Edward and were glad enough to get there, since itwas time for snow-shoes, which we had not with us.

  The Canada indians were coming down to our Forts and even behind them tointercept our convoys or any parties out on the road, so that theRangers were kept out, to head them when they could, or get knowledge oftheir whereabouts. Shanks and I went out with two Mohegon indians on ascout. It was exceedingly stormy weather and very heavy travellingexcept on the River. I had got a bearskin blanket from the indians whichis necessary to keep out the cold at this season. We had ten days ofbread, pork and rum with a little salt with us, and followed the indiansin a direction North-and-bye-East towards the lower end of LakeChamplain, always keeping to the high-ground with the falling snow tofill our tracks behind us. For four days we travelled when we were wellup the west side. We had crossed numbers of trails but they were allfull of old snow and not worth regarding--still we were so far from ourpost that in event of encountering any numbers of the Enemy we had butsmall hope of a safe return and had therefore to observe the greatestcaution.

  As we were making our way an immense painter so menaced us that we wereforced to fire our guns to dispatch him. He was found to be very old,his teeth almost gone, and was in the last stages of starvation. We weremuch alarmed at this misadventure, fearing the Enemy might hear us orsee the ravens gathering above, so we crossed the Lake that night onsome new ice to blind our trail, where I broke through in one place andwas only saved by Shanks, who got hold of my eel-skin que, therebyhaving something to pull me out with. We got into a deep gully, andstriking flint made a fire to dry me and I did not suffer muchinconvenience.

  The day following we took a long circle and came out on the lower end ofthe Lake, there laying two days in ambush, watching the Lake for anyparties coming or going. Before dark a Mohigon came in from watchsaying that men were coming down the Lake. We gathered at the point andsaw seven of the Enemy come slowly on. There were three indians twoCanadians and a French officer. Seeing they would shortly pass under ourpoint of land we made ready to fire, and did deliver one fire as theycame nigh, but the guns of our Mohigons failed to explode, they beingold and well nigh useless, so that all the damage we did was to kill oneindian and wound a Canadian, who was taken in hand by his companions whomade off down the shore and went into the bush. We tried to head themunsuccessfully, and after examining the guns of our indians we fearedthey were so disabled that we gave up and retreated down the Lake,travelling all night. Near morning we saw a small fire which we spiedout only to find a large party of the Enemy, whereat we were muchdisturbed, for our travelling had exhausted us and we feared the pursuitof a fresh enemy as soon as morning should come to show them our trail.We then made our way as fast as possible until late that night, when welaid down for refreshment. We built no fire but could not sleep for fearof the Enemy for it was a bright moonlight, and sure enough we had beenthere but a couple of hours when we saw the Enemy c
oming on our track.We here abandoned our bear-skins with what provissions we had left andran back on our trail toward the advancing party. It was dark in theforest and we hoped they might not discover our back track for sometime, thus giving us a longer start. This ruse was successful. Aftersome hours travel I became so exhausted that I stopped to rest, whereatthe Mohigans left us, but Shanks bided with me, though urging me to moveforward. After a time I got strength to move on. Shanks said theCanadians would come up with us if we did not make fast going of it, andthat they would disembowel us or tie us to a tree and burn us as wastheir usual way, for we could in no wise hope to make head against solarge a party. Thus we walked steadily till high noon, when my wretchedstrength gave out so that I fell down saying I had as leave die there aselsewhere. Shanks followed back on our trail, while I fell into a drousebut was so sore I could not sleep. After a time I heard a shot, andshortly two more, when Shanks came running back to me. He had killed anadvancing indian and stopped them for a moment. He kicked me vigorously,telling me to come on, as the Indians would soon come on again. I gotup, and though I could scarcely move I was minded diligently topersevere after Shanks. Thus we staggered on until near night time, whenwe again stopped and I fell into a deep sleep, but the enemy did notagain come up. On the following day we got into Fort Edward, where I wastaken with a distemper, was seized with very grevious pains in the headand back and a fever. They let blood and gave me a physic, but I did notget well around for some time. For this sickness I have always beenthankful, otherwise I should have been with Major Rogers in hisunfortunate battle, which has become notable enough, where he wasdefeated by the Canadians and Indians and lost nigh all his private men,only escaping himself by a miracle. We mourned the loss of many friendswho were our comrades, though it was not the fault of any one, since theEnemy had three times the number of the Rangers and hemmed them in. Someof the Rangers had surrendered under promise of Quarter, but weafterwards heard that they were tied to trees and hacked to deathbecause the indians had found a scalp in the breast of a man's huntingfrock, thus showing that we could never expect such bloody mindedvilliains to keep their promises of Quarter.

  I was on several scouts against them that winter but encountered nothingworthy to relate excepting the hardships which fell to a Ranger's lot.In June the Army having been gathered we proceeded under Abercromby upthe Lake to attack Ticonderoga. I thought at the time that so many menmust be invincible, but since the last war I have been taught to knowdifferent. There were more Highlanders, Grenadiers, Provincial troops,Artillery and Rangers than the eye could compass, for the Lake was blackwith their battoes. This concourse proceeded to Ticondaroga where we hada great battle and lost many men, but to no avail since we were forcedto return.

  The British soldiers were by this time made servicible for forestwarfare, since the officers and men had been forced to rid themselvs oftheir useless incumbrances and had cut off the tails of their long coatstill they scarcely reached below thir middles--they had also left thewomen at the Fort, browned thir gun barrells and carried thir provisionson their backs, each man enough for himself, as was our Ranger custom.The army was landed at the foot of the Lake, where the Rangers quicklydrove off such small bodies of Frenchers and Indians as opposed us, andwe began our march by the rapids. Rogers men cleared the way and had amost desperate fight with some French who were minded to stop us, but weshortly killed and captured most of them. We again fell in with themthat afternoon and were challenged Qui vive but answered that we wereFrench, but they were not deceived and fired upon us, after which a hotskirmish insued during which Lord Howe was shot through the breast, forwhich we were all much depressed, because he was our real leader and hadraised great hopes of success for us. The Rangers had liked him becausehe was wont to spend much time talking with them in thir camps and usedalso to go on scouts. The Rangers were not over fond of Britishofficers in general.

  33 THE STORMING OF TICONDEROGA]

  When the time had come for battle we Rangers moved forward, accompaniedby the armed boatmen and the Provincial troops. We drove in the Frenchpickets and came into the open where the trees were felled tops towardus in a mighty abbatis, as though blown down by the wind. It was all wecould undertake to make our way through the mass, and all the while thegreat breast-works of the French belched cannon and musket balls whilethe limbs and splinters flew around us. Then out of the woods behind usissued the heavy red masses of the British troops advancing in battlearray with purpose to storm with the bayonet. The maze of fallen treeswith their withered leaves hanging broke their ranks, and the FrenchRetrenchment blazed fire and death. They advanced bravely up but all tono good purpose, and hundreds there met their death. My dear Joseph Ihave the will but not the way to tell you all I saw that awfulafternoon. I have since been in many battles and skirmishes, but I neverhave witnessed such slaughter and such wild fighting as the Britishstorm of Ticondaroga. We became mixed up--Highlanders, Grenadiers, LightTroops, Rangers and all, and we beat against that mass of logs and mazeof fallen timber and we beat in vain. I was once carried right up tothe breastwork, but we were stopped by the bristling mass of sharpenedbranches, while the French fire swept us front and flank. The ground wascovered deep with dying men, and as I think it over now I can remembernothing but the fruit bourne by the tree of war, for I looked upon somany wonderous things that July day that I could not set them downe atall. We drew off after seeing that human valor could not take that work.We Rangers then skirmished with the French colony troops and the Canadaindians until dark while our people rescued the wounded, and then wefell back. The Army was utterly demoralized and made a headlong retreat,during which many wounded men were left to die in the woods. Shanks andI paddled a light bark canoe down the Lake next day, in the bottom ofwhich lay a wounded British officer attended by his servant.

  34 PADDLING THE WOUNDED BRITISH OFFICER]

  I took my discharge, and lived until the following Spring with Vroomanat German Flats, when I had a desire to go again to the more activeservice of the Rangers, for living in camps and scouting,notwithstanding its dangers, was agreeable to my taste in those days. Soback to Albany I started, and there met Major Rogers, whom I acquaintedwith my desire to again join his service, whereat he seemed right gladto put me downe. I accordingly journeyed to Crown Point, where I wentinto camp. I had bought me a new fire-lock at Albany which was providedwith a bayonet. It was short, as is best fitted for the bush, and about45 balls to the pound. I had shot it ten times on trial and it had notfailed to discharge at each pull. There was a great change in theprivate men of the Rangers, so many old ones had been frost bitten andgone home. I found my friend Shanks, who had staid though he had beenbadly frosted during the winter. He had such a hate of the Frenchers andparticularly of the Canada Indians that he would never cease to fightthem, they having killed all his relatives in New Hampshire which madehim bitter against them, he always saying that they might as well killhim and thus make an end of the family.

  In June I went north down Champlain with 250 Rangers and Light Infantryin sloop-vessels.

  The Rangers were.... (writing lost).... but it made no difference. Theparty was landed on the west side of the Lake near Isle au Noix and layfive days in the bush, it raining hard all the time. I was out with arecoinnoitering party to watch the Isle, and very early in the morningwe saw the French coming to our side in boats, whereat we acquaintedMajor Rogers that the French were about to attack us. We were drawn upin line to await their coming. The forest always concealed a Rangerline, so that there might not have been a man within a hundred miles forall that could be seen, and so it was that an advance party of the Enemywalked into our line and were captured, which first appraised the Frenchof our position. They shortly attacked us on our left, but I was sentwith a party to make our way through a swamp in order to attack theirrear. This we accomplished so quietly that we surprized some Canadaindians who were lying back of the French line listening to a prophetwho was incanting. These we slew, and after our firing many Frenchgrenad
iers came running past, when they broke before our line. I took aFrenchman prisoner, but he kept his bayonet pointed at me, all the timeyelling in French which I did not understand, though I had my loaded gunpointed at him. He seemed to be disturbed at the sight of a scalp whichI had hanging in my belt. I had lately took it from the head of anIndian, it being my first, but I was not minded to kill the poorFrenchman and was saying so in English. He put down his fire-lockfinally and offered me his flask to drink liquor with him, but I did notuse it. I had known that Shanks carried poisoned liquor in his pack,with the hope that it would destroy any indians who might come intopossession of it, if he was taken, whether alive or dead. As I wasescorting the Frenchman back to our boats he quickly ran away from me,though I snapped my fire-lock at him, which failed to explode, it havingbecome wet from the rain. Afterwards I heard that a Ranger had shot him,seeing him running in the bush.

  35 THE CAPTURE OF THE FRENCH GRENADIER]

  We went back to our boats after this victory and took all our woundedand dead with us, which last we buried on an island. Being joined by aparty of Stockbridge Indians we were again landed, and after marchingfor some days came to a road where we recoinnoitered St. John's Fort butdid not attack it, Rogers judging it not to be takeable with our force.From here we began to march so fast that only the strongest men couldkeep up, and at day-break came to another Fort. We ran into the gatewhile a hay-waggon was passing through, and surprised and captured allthe garrison, men women and children. After we had burned and destroyedeverything we turned the women and children adrift, but drove the menalong as prisoners, making them carry our packs. We marched so fast thatthe French grenadiers could not keep up, for their breeches were tootight for them to march with ease, whereat we cut off the legs of themwith our knives, when they did better.

  After this expedition we scouted from Crown Point in canoes, Shanks andmyself going as far north as we dared toward Isle au Noix, and one daywhile lying on the bank we saw the army coming. It was an awesome sightto see so many boats filled with brave uniforms, as they danced over thewaves. The Rangers and Indians came a half a mile ahead of the Army inwhale-boats all in line abreast, while behind them came the lightInfantry and Grenadiers with Provincial troops on the flanks andArtillery and Store boats bringing up the Rear.

  Shanks and I fell in with the Ranger boats, being yet in our small barkand much hurled about by the waves, which rolled prodigious.

  The Army continued up the Lake and drove the Frenchers out of theirForts, they not stopping to resist us till we got to Chamblee, where westaid. But the French in Canada had all surrendered to the British andthe war was over. This ended my service as a Ranger in those parts. Iwent back to Vroomans intending to go again into the indian trade, fornow we hoped that the French would no longer be able to stop ourenterprises.

  Now my dear son--I will send you this long letter, and will go onwriting of my later life in the Western country and in the War ofIndependence, and will send you those letters as soon as I have themwritten. I did not do much or occupy a commanding position, but I servedfaithfully in what I had to do. For the present God bless you my dearson.

  JOSHUA GOODENOUGH.