of their troops had assembled, and where they were to receive supplies. On the 3d. they proceeded to “Larner's," a public Inn near the Pokono mountain, at a place which coinmanded the entrance into the swamp through which the road to Wyoming passed, and which had been designated as the place of general rendezvous for all the troops composing the expedition. In order to secure possession of the road which led to Wyoming, and to prevent any surprize of his troops on their march, Armstrong had thought it necessary to occupy an eminence called Locust Hill, and a number of men having volunteered for this service, Colonel James Moore was appointed to command the party, who proceeded immediately to that position and took possession of a small log house erected there.

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The inhabitants of Wyoming having received notice that troops were organizing beyond the Pokono mountain to attack them, and that a party had already taken possession of Locust Hill, a compaof volunteers was immediately formed, to attack them, under the command of Capt. John Swift. They commenced their march, and on the morning of the 2d. of August, having advanced near the house under cover of the woods, opened their "fire upon it; and a shot passing in at a window, killed Jacob Everet, and wounded two others, when the besieging party withdrew, and again returned to Wyoming Armstrong in his letter to the Council, gives the following account of the affair:

Colonel Moore, aggreeably to a plot which we

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had concerted in Philadelphia, had collected about twenty volunteers with whom he had taken possession of a little height about mid-way in the swamp merely to command the avenue by which we proposed to march. The Colonel had lain there some days, believing himself to be perfectly secure, as they were still in Northampton county, when without any provocation on his part, or previous notice on theirs, he was fired upon by the insurgents, drawn into a little hut and there obliged to suffer a two hours attack of great violence, in which three of his men were wounded and one killed. The assailants then withdrew into the swamp and the Colonel retired hither. This little rencontre would have been much more equal had not the Colonel himself been sick of a fever, and his party so much dispersed."

Armstrong continued at Larner's until the 14th. of August, although the 7th. had been appointed for their march, but the delay, and difficulty of collecting and providing for the militia who were to accompany him, continually retarded his movements. At length, having called only a small force, he pro- . ceeded to Wyoming where he found the magistrates, Hewit, Meade and Martin, together with same troops who had arrived from Northumberland. These re-enforcements, together with those previously stationed there, constituted a force of about four hundred men, the command of which devolved upon Armstrong, who having received

* The same John Armstrong who has since been Secretary at War and Minister to France

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information that the inhabitants were in garrison at Forty Fort, conceived the design of ensnaring them into his power, rather than to attempt reducing them by force. Accordingly a message was sent to them with assurance that both parties would be required to lay down their arms, and that peace and tranquility should be again restored. This was accompanied with a copy of a manifesto which he had caused to be published immediately after his arrival, declaring that he came for the purpose of executing the laws, establishing order, and "protecting the more peaceable inhabitants." Many of the inhabitants suspected treachery, and for a time refused to disarm themselves; but the itive assurances of Armstrong, who was Secretary to the Council, and whose public character seemed to repel suspicion, at length prevailed. They repaired to Fort Dickinson to present claims for the property which had been unlawfully taken from them, and were immediately seized by the troops -under the command of Armstrong, and closely confined in the Block house during two days, after which they were bound together in pairs and sent to prison at Easton. Forty-two others who had previously put themselves into Armstrong's power. under the same assurances, were also bound with ropes, and afterwards sent under a strong guard to the prison at Sunbury, where they arrived on the 24th. of August, and the next morning ten of them made their escape. A sergeant's guard was immediately mounted at the prison to secure the remain.der who were thrown together into a dirty apart

ment, and treated with great rigour. Those whe were sent to Easton were confined in one large apartment in the Jail at that place, until the 17th.. of September. On that day the assistant keeper of the prison came to the apartment as usual to furnish supplies, when one of the prisoners, of the name of Inman, seized him by the neck, and forcing the keys from his hands, knocked him down with them by which blow the man fainted, and all the prisoners made their escape. After the prisoners had been sent to Easton and Sunbury, most of the troops remaining at Wyoming were discharged; the remainder formed a garrison in Fort Dickinson, while Armstrong, Patterson, and their associates, proceeded to gather the harvest which had been planted by the inhabitants.

Many of those who resided in the remote parts of the settlement, and who had not put themselves in the power of Armstrong, assembled at Bowman's creek, where their numbers were considerably augmented by the return of some of the prisoners, and by some re-enforcements from Vermont ; and having been informed that Armstrong's forces at Wilkesbarre were much reduced by the discharge of a portion of the troops, took possession of Forty Fort, and prepared themselves to protect the remainder of the harvest. About the 20th. of September as a party of Armstrong's men were attempting to gather a part of the harvest, they were attacked by a number of the inhabitants from Forty-Fort who compelled them to abandon their pluneler and seek refuge in Fort Dickinson. Immedi

ately on receiving notice of this affair, Armstrong detached as many men as could be spared from the garrison in pursuit of what he called the "insurgents," who took refuge in a cluster of log-houses from which his troops attempted to dislodge them, but were driven back with the loss of two men wounded. Armstrong by way of apology for this retreat, observes in his letter to the president of the Council I need scarcely observe to your Excellency, that four log houses so constructed as to flank each other, become a very formidable post." He retired with his troops to the fort where he found himself capable of defence, and dispatched a messenger to the Council to request re-enforcements. These proceedings served to convince the inhabitants that Armstrong's force was small, and as they severely felt the loss of the fire arms which he had so treacherously taken from them, they concluded it would be a favorable time to recover them previous to the arrival of any re-enforcements, and having ascertained that they were deposited in a house near the bank of the river they proceeded to the house on Sunday night, the 25th. of September, and as they were attempting to break it open, they were attacked by a detachment of Armstrong's party, placed in a proper position as a guard, and after exchanging a few shots the inhabitants retired. The next day Colonel Armstrong set out for Philadelphia, to represent the state of affairs at Wyo-` ming, and to request of the Council the appoint" ment of a sufficient force to protect the Pennsylvania claimants. On the night of the 27th, about fif.