Previous to the arrival of Clinton’s brigade, Sullivan (August 11) had sent westward up the river valley, a party of eight of his bravest officers and men, to reconnoiter the Indian town of Chemung. This collection of bark houses was built on the first great river flat above the village in Chemung county, at present called by that name. Keeping away from the trail they reached the hill top and looked down upon the town, finding everything in confusion. The Indians fearing an immediate attack in force, were getting ready to move westward. When this scouting party returned to the main camp at three o’clock the next day, Sullivan ordered his whole force to be ready to march at a moment’s notice. At 8 P. M., August 12, he started with most of his force on a night march and pushed on through swamps and forests. At morning finding themselves in a fog, they also discovered that the enemy had fled.
General Hand asked that he be allowed to take Colonel Hubley’s regiment and the Wyoming companies to pursue the foe. This request was granted and our men pushed eagerly on. In spite of all wariness, Captain Bush’s company of the Eleventh Pennsylvania got into an Indian ambush, and six of the Continentals were killed and nine wounded. Our men rallied and drove the Indians off the ground with a loss equal to their own. Then they began destroying sixty acres of standing corn, then in the milk, by cutting down the stalks. While at this work they were again fired on by the Indians in hiding, and one man was killed and five were wounded. Forty acres of maize were left untouched for the future use of the army, and then the whole force returned, greatly wearied with fatigue and the extreme heat. The bodies of the dead were brought back to camp for decent burial.
It was a sad occasion, when in the forest, the seven slain were buried in one grave, which, as was usual, had all outward marks obliterated, so that the savages could not exhume and mutilate the corpses. Then their comrades fired memorial vollies. Thus perished by the bullets of the enemy the first of the men in Sullivan’s main expedition. Two days afterwards, a corporal and four men, who were guarding cattle on Queen Esther’s plains, were fired on by sneaking Indians. One was shot dead and one wounded. In the rude hospital, quickly built out of green wood, within the lines of the diamond-shaped Fort Sullivan, the fifteen wounded men found shelter and care. In 1897, in digging foundations for the edifice of the Tioga Point Historical Society, at Athens, Pa., the bones of the buried Continentals were exhumed, and with other relics of 1779 are now under glass in the cases of the Spalding Museum.
Having his whole effective force under his direct command, Sullivan reorganized the army, and announced both the order of march and the order of battle. The light troops under General Hand were to form the advance, the riflemen acting as scouts. Poor’s brigade was to guard the right and Maxwell’s brigade the left of the army, Clinton’s brigade forming the rear guard. The park of nine pieces of artillery was placed in the center, with three columns of pack horses on either side. A morning and evening gun was to be fired daily and on account of the length and narrowness of the moving line through the woods, a horn, instead of drums, was to announce the orders to march or halt. The corps of engineers and surveyors were to measure each rod of ground traversed, and maps of the region traversed were to be made.
In the fort, Colonel Shreve was left with a garrison of two hundred and fifty men of the New Jersey regiment. It was ordered that when further supplies should come up from Wyoming, Captain Reed should proceed up the Chemung Valley, build a fort where Newtown Creek joins the river (at Elmira), and there await the return of the army from the Genesee valley.
The army was now eager to move into the unknown wilderness. The route was up the Chemung river, into the Seneca country, and through the Land of Lakes. There was no hope of reinforcements or relief, and, in case of defeat, of any quarter from the foe. Over paths never trodden by any white man, save the lone trader, trapper, or captive, they must now find much of their food and rely wholly on their own valor. How brave must these men have been, and how equally worthy of fame and honor, was this expedition in comparison with Sherman’s march through Georgia to the sea in 1864.
(It is to be noted that in the Centennial celebration of 1879, General William Tecumseh Sherman, was present in the Chemung valley, with words of memorial and congratulations to the thousands present, as well as with praise of the men of 1779 who had given him so inspiring a precedent of success.)
CHAPTER V
THE GREAT BATTLE NEAR ELMIRA
One of the first obstacles to the army, was a very high hill at the edge of the river. To avoid this, all but the infantry crossed the river twice, being supported and guarded against hostile attack by Maxwell’s New Jersey regiments. The other brigades marched over the hill, and camp was made on the site of the Indian town of Chemung which the advanced detachments had destroyed two weeks before.
Our fathers thought few articles of food more delicious than green corn roasted in the ear. So the maize in the fields near by helped to make a good supper. In addition, the army enjoyed a feast of potatoes, beans, cucumbers, watermelons, squashes and other vegetables which were here in great plenty. It was the season of ripeness.