[FN-3] MS. narrative of Jacob Sammons.
[FN-4] Willett's Narrative—Campbell.
There was one very painful circumstance attending this battle. In their excursion to Currietown, the day before, Doxstader and his Indians had made nine prisoners, among whom were Jacob and Frederick Diefendorff, Jacob Myers and a son, a black boy, and four others. The moment the battle commenced, the prisoners, who were bound to standing trees for security, were tomahawked and scalped by their captors, and left as dead. The bodies of these unfortunate men were buried by Colonel Willett's troops. Fortunately, however, the graves were superficial, and the covering slight—a circumstance which enabled Jacob Diefendorff, who, though stunned and apparently dead, was yet alive, to disentomb himself. A detachment of militia, under Colonel Veeder, having repaired to the field of action after Willett had returned to Fort Rensselaer, discovered the supposed deceased on the outside of his own grave; and he has lived to furnish the author of the present work with an account of his own burial and resurrection. [FN]
[FN] Statements of Jacob Diefendorff and Jacob Sammons, in the author's possession.
Captain McKean died, greatly lamented, a few days after the detachment had returned to the fort, as will be seen by the annexed letter, addressed by Colonel Willett to the commanding officer at Albany:—
"Colonel Willett to General Clinton.
"Sir:—I have just sent some of the wounded levies to Schenectady, there being no surgeon here. Doctor Petrie, the surgeon of the levies, is at German Flats, where he has several sick and wounded to attend; and the intercourse between here and there is too dangerous to allow traveling without a guard; I could wish, therefore, to have a surgeon from the hospital posted in this quarter.
"This place does not afford a gill of rum to bathe a single wound. The two barrels designed for this quarter a few days ago, met with a regular regiment passing down the country, who very irregularly took away from the person that had them in charge those two barrels of rum. I need not mention to you, Sir, that the severe duty and large portion of fatigue that falls to the lot of the troops in this quarter, make rum an article of importance here, and that I should be glad to see some in the County of Tryon.
"This morning Captain McKean died of the wound he received yesterday. In him we have lost an excellent officer. I feel his loss, and must regret it." [FN]