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Show By ELMO SCOTT WATSON A MOXG this year's sesqulcentecnial IXi. observances of Revolutionary war events, none has more dramatic K " Interest than the series of cele-m,wi cele-m,wi bratlons commemorating the Sul- Hvan-Clinton campaign against v V the Iroquois Indians In 1779. Con-jj Con-jj ' Twk slderlng the size of the army en-K en-K fflk S&ed and the results accom- pMshed, it seems strange that SKiJ our school historians give so lit-i lit-i tie attention to this expedition 4 and that It is so little known to most Americans. Yet It was a campaign which required the services of between 3,000 and 4.000 Continental soldiers. They were in the field for nearly six months and they effectually broke the power of the strongest league of American Indl-" Indl-" ana ever formed, a league which had been an Important ally of the British, and they won. for the nation a veritable empire of unsurpassed fertility. fer-tility. ' But New Tork and Pennsylvania, where these etlrrlng events took place, are commemorating them In a fashion worthy of their Importance. New York has appropriated ?70,000 for the principal prin-cipal observances which are being held at the battlefield of Newtown, near Elmlra, at Geneva find at the old Genesee castle, which marks the western terminus of the expedition. Pennsylvania Is Joining New Tork In exercises held at Athens. Pa and at Salamanca, N. Y and historic markers mark-ers are being placed along the whole route of the campaign, Including the march of Gen. James Clinton through the Mohawk and Susquehanna valleys to Join the column led by Gen. John Sullivan. Sul-livan. National recognition of the campaign, however, how-ever, has come In the form of. a commemorative two-cent stamp, bearing the portrait of General Sullivan which was put Into circulation earlier In the summer. The expedition set out on foot early In 1770 not only to avenge the Cherry Valley and Wyoming massacres by the Indians and Tories but also to strike a decisive blow at the Iroquois. Their presence on the frontier was a constant threat of a stab in the back of the Colonies, Intent upon the campaigns by the British forces on the Atlantic Atlan-tic seaboard. The Iroquois, or Six Nations, had also been an Important source of food supply for the British and the Tories, since the region they held was one of the richest agricultural sections east of the Alleghenles. However, Washington's detenmlnatlon to strike a blow at the Indians was based upon a bigger and more Important objective than punishment for the massacres or cutting off this food supply. Peace talk was already In the air In 1779 and the great commander saw that If peace came at that time the United States would be a small fringe of territory on the Atlantic coast And the Interior must be taken by force of arms if It were to be included In the new country. So It was for the stake of a great empire th:it Washington was playing when he launched the SuMvan-Clfnton expedition. The command of the expedition was at first offered to Geru Horatio Gates, the undeserving .Tlctor at Saratoga. But Gates declined on the plea that he was unable to undertake a campaign Involving such hardships. So Washington next turned to another general who had repeatedly proved his mettle on the battlefield. He was John Sullivan, a young lawyer and" commander of the militia at Durham, N. IL. who in 1774 had committed com-mitted the first overt. act of the Revolution by the - capture of Fort William and Mary, In New Hampshire, Hamp-shire, and all the- British stores In It. Appointed a brigadier general in 1775, Sullivan had made a good record even though it was not particularly brilliant. Characterized as a "plodder," Sullivan was Just the kind of dependable commander whom Washington knew he could trust for such a campaign. cam-paign. rt . The first success of the campaign was scored Y by Clinton who sent a force of 500 men under. Colonel Van Schnfck, who made a rapid march of J 900 miles up the Mohawk valley, scattered the Onoiidagas, destroyed their villages, laid their fields waste nnd returned to Fort Schuyler with Ms force Intact ne then ascended the Mohawk to Canajobarle and opened a road to Otsego lake, pver which be transported 240 boats with supplies for his l,4UO troops. By the end of June Clinton had reached the lake and was ready to float down the Susquehanna to Join Sullivan. Sullivan had established his headquarters at Easton, Pa., late in May nnd Immediately found himself In difll-cultles difll-cultles because of the rivalries and jealousies among the ofliceis and men from the different colonies. But be succeeded In smoothing out most of these troubles, nnd on July 23 began his march with between 3.000 nnd 3,500 men. At Tioga he was Joined by General Clinton and pushed boldly forward Into the Indian country. After an occasional skirmish with a few casual--Itles, he reached the village of Newtown, near the city of Eliuira, on August 29. Here the Indians and Tories numbering about 1,100 had laid an ambush for the Americans. Their plan was to draw Sullivan Into a defile between river and ridge and after his army was well strung out, to enfilade both flanks with their fire. If they had succeeded, suc-ceeded, "the bloody business of Braddock" ml'ht easily have been repeated there and Sullivan's expedition failed disastrously at the start. But fortunately for him, among his forces were three companies of Morgan's riflemen, those stalwarts in buckskin who had played such a prominent part In the defeat of "Gentleman Johnny Bur-goyne," Bur-goyne," and who could out-Indian the Indian at his own game. Among them was the famous Timothy Tim-othy Murphy, serving In the company of Capt James Parr nnd Lieut Thomas Boyd the same Tim Murphy who had fired another "shot heard round the world" when he killed General Fraser at Saratoga and whose fame as the scout of the Schoharie was to go ringing along the whole frontier. It was these riflemen who detected the breastworks, breast-works, masked by bushes, which the Indians and Tories had thrown up, In time to save Sullivan from marching Into the trap. He immediately deployed his nrniy for attack, sent General Poor with his New England regiments to outflank the enemy on his right, and brought his artillery to play upon the breastworks. The movement was an Instantaneous success. Terrified by the roar of the big guns, the Indians fled and Sullivan scored a decisive victory. The news of this victory spread over the Indian country and brought great discouragement to the enemy. Meanwhile Sullivan was pushing on, destroying every village which he reached, cutting down the corn In the fields, girdling the fruit trees and in general sweeping like u wave of destruction through the rich country where the Indians had lived in pence and plenty. By September 12 Sullivan Sul-livan had reached the head of Conesus lake and found the deserted village of Chief Elg Tree. He knew that he was In the neighborhood of the Genesee river, the heart of the Senecu country, where lived the most numerous and most warlike of the five tribes. But he did not know where the principal village was located, and In order to find out he sent Lieutenant Boyd on a scouting expedition. expe-dition. Boyd was instructed to select four or five men to accompany him but made the mistake of taking twenty-six Instead, a party much too large to escape detection by the Indians and at the same time too small to put up an effective fight In case he came Into contact with the enemy. Today there stands near the town of Cuyler-ville, Cuyler-ville, N. Y., a granite boulder bearing a bronze tablet on which appear these words: "This wayside way-side shrine marks the place where on September 14, 1779. Lieut Thomas Boyd and Sergt Michael Parker met death undaunted In the line of duty after lingering torture. They marked with their ; blood the western limit In the state of New York of the great struggle for. American freedom." Not far away stands a great elm tree, known as "the torture tree." For this Is the spot where took place a tragedy of the Revolution which Is but little lit-tle known to most Americans but which stands as one of the most thrilling stories of dauntless heroism In the whole history of that conflict. On the evening of September 12. Boyd und his party found themselves at a deserted Indian village vil-lage near Canascragn creel:. The 5'oung lieutenant sent two of his men back to Sullivan to report his situation and these two reached their destination safely. In the meantime a force of five or six hundred Indians under the command of Col. John Butler, the notorious Tory leader, took up their position on Groveland hill to resist Sullivan's The 3oyd-7&rr ZzrAef" advance into the Genesee valley. They had no idea that the Boyd party was behind thorn nnd Boyd had no Idea that he was cut off from Sullivan's Sulli-van's army by such a force. Early In the morning of September 13. Boyd started to return to the main army. One of his men. seeing some Indians prowling about the village, made the fatal mistake mis-take of firing upon them, thus revealing the position posi-tion of Boyd's party to the savages. For a short time the scouting party was unmolested, although as Boyd traveled back along the trail through the forest he saw several Indians trotting along ahead of his column. He did not realize that they were enticing him Into an ambush. Finally they closed in and the next few moments witnessed one of the most desperate combats In the history of the frontier. Boyd . and his men fought with their rifles until their ammunition ran out nnd then It was a struggle at close quarters, clubbed musket and fists against tomahawk and scalping knife. Fourteen of Boyd's party were killed on the spot but several among them the redoubtable Tim Murphy managed to break through the cordon of death and by their- fleetness of foot escaped to Sullivan's Sul-livan's army. IXyd and Sergeant Parker were taken prisoners. The next morning the hot September suu looked down upon a terrible scene in the Seneca village. Tied to the torture tree was young Tom Boyd, bravely facing the howling mob of savages which surrounded him. Mary Jamison, the famous white captive of the Senecas. has told about the scene of that morning as follows: "Poor Boj-d was stripped of his clothing and then tied to a sapling, where the Indians menaced his life by throwing their tomahawks at the tree directly over his head, brandishing their scalping knives at him In the most frightful manner and accompanying their ceremonies with the most terrific 6houts of Joy." She also described further details of his, lingering death but they were too ghastly to be recorded, "lie was then beheaded.'hJs lc-ad was stuck upon a pole and his body left oTi the ground unhurfed." Later In the day Sullivan captured the village and found the bodies of Boyd and Parker. The sergeant ser-geant apparently, however, had been killed with comparatively little torture.' The story has often been told that Colonel Butler questioned Boyd and tried to get Information Informa-tion about Sullivan's army from him. but that Boyd refused to reveal his commander's plans, whereupon the Tory leader shouted: "Take him, Senecas I" Bad as was Butler's record as a leader of bloody raids against the colonists, historians have generally absolved" him from responsibility for Boyd's horrible fate. Terrible as had been their fate, their sacrifice had not been In vain. For the Indians, hearing the . uproar behind them, caused by the tight put up by Boyd's party before it was overcome, abandoned aban-doned their position and hurriedly retreated westward. west-ward. So when Sullivan advanced up that hill he met with no resistance, and it Is probable that Boyd's party saved Sullivan's army from a severe engagement In which a large number of men probably prob-ably would have lost their lives. On September 14 of this year the granite boulder boul-der on which Is inscribed the deathless heroism of Boyd and Parker will be formally unveiled as a part of the celebration of the SuIIf van-Clinton' sesquicentennlal. Although It was a minor Incident Inci-dent In that campaign, no tribute that will be paid to the participants In that campaign will be more, deserving than the tribute there honoring the memories of the two young soldiers who "marked with their blood the western limit In the state of New York of the great struggle for American freedom. |