Extracted from the American Remembrancer (an impartial and authentic collection of facts, published in London during the Revolutionary War) for the year 1782, vol. 14, p. 185.
Boston, March 12.
Extract of a letter from Captain Gerrish, of the
New-England Militia, dated Albany, March 7.
"The peltry taken in the expedition, will, you see, amount to a good deal of money. The possession of this booty at first gave us pleasure; but we were struck with horror to find among the packages, eight large ones containing scalps of our unfortunate country folks, taken in the three last years by the Seneca Indians from the inhabitants of the frontiers of New-York, New-Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, and sent by them as a present to Colonel Haldimand, Governor of Canada, in order to be by him transmitted to England. They were accompanied by the following curious letter to that gentleman.
"Tioga, January 3d, 1787.
"May it please your Excellency,
"At the request of the Seneca Chiefs, I herewith send to your Excellency, under the care of James Hoyd, eight packages of scalps, cured, dried, hooped, and painted with all the triumphal marks, of which the following is the invoice and explanation.
"No. 1. Containing forty-three scalps of Congress soldiers, killed in different skirmishes. These are stretched on black hoops, four inch diameter—the inside of the skin painted red with a small black spot, to note their being killed with bullets. Also, sixty-two of farmers killed in their houses; the hoops painted red—the skin painted brown and marked with a hoe—a black circle all round, to denote their being surprised in the night—and a black hatchet in the middle, signifying their being killed with that weapon.
"No. 2. Containing ninety-eight of farmers, killed in their houses, hoops red—figure of a hoe, to mark their profession—great white circle and sun, to shew they were surprised in the day-time—a little red foot, to shew they stood upon their defence, and died fighting for their lives and families.
"No. 3. Containing ninety-seven of farmers. Hoops green, to shew they were killed in the fields—a large white circle with a little round mark on it for the sun, to show it was in the day time—black bullet-mark on some, a hatchet on others.