This arrangement for the frontier defense was intended to rendezvous at Sunbury 1050 troops, as follows: Part of Hartley’s Regiment at Philadelphia, 100; two companies recruited at Wyoming, 100; militia from Lancaster County, 400; from Berks, 150, and Northumberland, 300.
On July 16 the Board of War advised Council that they learned by letters that General McIntosh, who was at Carlisle, hearing of the Indian incursions, ordered Colonel Brodhead, then on his way to Fort Pitt, to hurry his Eighth Pennsylvania Regiment to the Susquehanna, “to stop the progress of the enemy & encourage the militia to stand in their own defence.”
Then General J. P. DeHaas, who was stationed at Lebanon, sent an express to Colonel Samuel Hunter, at Fort Augusta, to learn the exact situation, when he offered his services to the Board of War.
Colonel Brodhead and the Eighth Pennsylvania Regiment arrived at Fort Augusta and soon as the colonel learned he could not be of assistance there, he took up his march and arrived at Fort Muncy July 23, and immediately sent out scouting parties in every direction.
When Colonel Hartley and 300 of his command arrived at Fort Augusta, General John P. DeHaas was already there and had assumed command.
General James Potter wrote from Fort Augusta August 1, 1778: “I came here last week to station the militia. I found General DeHaas here, who said he commanded all the troops. The next day Colonel Hartley came and showed me his orders to command the troops, and politely requested me to take the command, which I declined, as I never was very fond of command, and this is a disagreeable one.”
Colonel Hartley wrote to Council from Fort Augusta August 1, advising the conditions when he arrived, and that General DeHaas, who was in command, had given the command to him. Hartley gave a very correct statement of the distressed situation following the great Wyoming Massacre of July 3.
Soon as Colonel Hartley arrived at Fort Muncy, Colonel Brodhead led his troops off toward Fort Pitt, via Carlisle, and Colonel Hartley settled down to the difficult task of handling the unfortunate conditions on that harassed frontier.
Colonel Hartley’s men built Fort Muncy. It was about a half a mile above the present Hall’s Station, on the Philadelphia and Reading Railway, in Lycoming County, a few hundred yards directly in front of the famous Hall’s Stone House, built in 1769. It was intended to be the most important stronghold, next to Fort Augusta, on the West Branch of the Susquehanna.
Colonel Hartley immediately planned an expedition against the Indians, as he believed the way to successfully combat the savage foe was to carry the war into his own country.