The Second Esopus War
page 2

      On the 26th of July a party of upwards of two hundred men, including forty-one Long Island Indians and seven negroes, left Kingston to attack the savages at their fort about thirty miles distant, “mostly” in a southwest direction.  They had as a guide a woman who had been a prisoner of the Indians, and took with them two pieces of cannon and two wagons.  The cannon and wagons they were forced to abandon before reaching the fort.  They intended to surprise the Indians, but found the fort untenanted except by a solitary squaw.  The next day they sent a force to surprise the savages on the mountain, but were unable to surprise any.  For two days and a half the whole party then employed themselves in destroying the growing crops and old maize of the Indians, the latter of which was stored in pits.  Over two hundred acres of corn, and more than one hundred pits of corn and beans, were rendered worthless by the invading forces.  The natives witnessed these proceedings from their lookout stations on the Shawangunk and neighboring mountains, but made no resistance.  Quinlan supposes this fort to have been on the headwaters of the Kerhonkson.  After this expedition the savages proceeded to build a new fort thirty-six miles south-southwest of Kingston.  The site of this fort is on the right bank of the Shawangunk kill, near the village of Bruynswick.  Against this fort  Capt. Kregier marched the following September, with a force of fifty-five men and an Indian guide. Kregier says in his journal, in substance:
     It having rained all day the expedition must rest for the present.  Asked the Sheriff and commissaries whether they could not get some horses to accompany us, so that we may be able to place the wounded on them if we should happen to have any.  After great trouble obtained six horses, but received spiteful and insulting words from many of the inhabitants.  One said, let those furnish horses who commenced the war.  Another said, if they want anything they will have to take it by force.  The third said he must first have his horse valued and have security for it.
     About one o'clock on the afternoon of the 3d we started from Fort Wiltwyck; marched about three miles to the creek and lay there that night, during which we had great rain.  The next morning we found such high water and swift current in the kill that it was impossible to ford it. Sent men on horseback to Fort Wiltwyck for axes and rope to cross the creek.  Crossed over about two o'clock in the afternoon and marched four miles further on, where we bivouacked for the night. Set out again at we discovered two squaws and a Dutch woman who had come from their new fort that morning to get corn.  But as the creek lay between us and the corn-field, though we would fain have the women, we could not ford the stream without being discovered; we therefore turned in through the wood so as not to be seen.



                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
Table of Contents