Col Zackwell Morgan to General Hand
August 29th 1777
May it please your Excy It is with the utmost anxiety that I now inform you that our march is retarded for some time against the natural enemies of our country A few days ago the most horrid conspiracy appeared. Numbers of the inhabitants of this country have joined in a plot and were assembled together to join the English and Indians.
This forces me to raise what men were enlisted as well as others to put a stop to this unnatural unheard of frantick scene of mischief that was in the very heart of our country We have taken numbers who confess that they have sworn allegiance to the King of Great Britain & that some of the leading men at Fort Pitt are to be their rulers & heads. The parties I have out are bringing in numbers of those wretches & they those that confess all agree in their confession that the English French & Indians will be with you in a few days when they were with numbers of others to embody themselves & Fort Pitt was to be given up with but little opposition some are taken that really astonish me out of measure.
Good heavens that mankind should be so lost to every virtue & sense of their country I am this moment informed that Gideon Long & Jeremiah Long two deserters are gone to Fort Pitt to deliver themselves up should this be the case & as they have been very active in this conspiracy I hope your Excy will punish them as they deserve I am now at Minor's Fort4 with about 500 men & am determined to purge the country before I disband as it would give me much satisfaction to have this matter settled I shall wait yr Excellency's instructions & am with respect your most obed humble serv
Zack MorganTo say this is uncommon is an understatement. Both Gideon and Jeremiah were mere privates but somehow they were specifically called out from hundreds of other soldiers on the frontier but there is no follow up nor is there any record of what happened at Fort Pitt.
To understand this letter we need a bit of backstory. When the American Revolution erupted in 1775 the brunt of the fighting was done mostly by men from New England. Everything changed in as young men joined the war from every colony but there was one problem. Most governors preferred their men to stay close to home to keep their citizens safe.
It is for this reason George Washington asked Congress to authorize the raising of soldiers from each state that would be part of what he called the Continental Line. This would be a group of more professional soldiers that would be the backbone of his army of volunteers. In July 1776, Congress called for the formation of the 8th Pennsylvania as a frontier defense and both Gideon and Jeremiah Long joined this unit.
Western Pennsylvania was in a different situation than most of the states in the east for two reasons: British forts and their Native American allies.
The British easy access to threaten their northern and western approaches just about any direction using the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes as a mode of travel. The western base of operations hinged on two forts - Fort Niagara guarding the land between Lake Ontario and Erie and Fort Detroit in the west.
In between the Americans and the British forces were the Native Americans, some of whom had already been moved a couple of times and now lived in the area north of the Ohio River under the Crowns protection. This is why you don't find any settlements in this state until after the war as it was illegal for colonists to settle in this land.
That didn't stop American settlers from making forays into this land. On the other hand, natives had always hunted in Western Pennsylvania, Western Virginia, and Kentucky and no piece of paper could change that.
Raids by both sides were common and before long a quasi-war existed.
Settlers would kill natives on sight. Natives would kidnap and sometimes torture their prisoners. The British did their best to stop the fighting but once war broke out, they decided to start using their Native American allies as a weapon of war.
That is what the 8th Pennsylvania was tasked to protect when it formed in 1776 and hundreds of young men flocked to join its ranks Most of the men joined with a thought they would head into the Ohio territory and get payback on the tribes that had been attacking them but circumstances made that impossible.
The 20,000 man army General Washington commanded in July had dwindled to under 5,000 by December and half of those were scheduled to leave when their enlistments expired at the end of the year. This is when Thomas Paine wrote his famous words in The Crisis:
"These are the times that try men's souls: The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.Calls went out to the Continental units all over the country ordering they join the main army "where ever he can be found". At this time General Washington was massing his troops on the banks of the Deleware River and had a Christmas day engagement with the Hessians.
The 600+ men of 8th Pennsylvania did as they were ordered, marching 300 miles on bad roads through the worst part of winter without tents, without proper provisions or sufficient clothing. The regiment's 2nd-in-command, James Wilson, wrote this to the commander, Aenas Mackay before departing:
"To march east is disagreeable to me for both officers and men understood when entering the service that we were to defend the western frontier. Now to leave their families in so defenseless a situation as they will be in their absence seems to give great trouble here.... We are ill provided for a march at this season. We need tents kettles blankets and clothes that we may not cut a despicable figure in the east I have recommended all to lay aside personal resentment and issued orders to have your soldiers meet at Hannastown by December 15."Half the of the men deserted the regiment during the journey. Both commanding officers, Mackay and Wilson, died within days of the unit's arrival at Quibblestown, New Jersey. A full third of the men that arrived were put on the sick list. Fifty of them died. General Washington made this comment on the poor state of the 8th Pennsylvania after he saw them:
"I ... desire that you will order the three new field Officers to join immediately, for I can assure you, that no Regiment in the Service wants them more. From the dissentions that have long prevailed in that Corps; discipline has been much relaxed, and it will require strict care and attention to both Officers and Men to bring them back to a proper sense of Subordination and duty."Given the harsh nature of the journey, I don't think it's a far stretch to assume that all of the men in the 8th considered turning back at some point during the winter march. I doubt any of the soldiers had anything favorable to say about their experiences in the war thus far but in fact, they'd done well in just to get to the American army. Pennsylvania archival records state Gideon and Jeremiah Long made the grueling trek to New Jersey.
The army itself wasn't in great shape either. 1777 was a tricky time for General Washington as he couldn't allow a repeat of 1776 or it would surely be the end of the revolution. The British held New York City and parts of New Jersey when campaigning drew to a close. Knowing the British would need supplies, he ordered his soldiers to remove anything of use between the two armies. As the winter progressed, the British ranged further from their fortifications to find fresh food or forage for their horses and that's when Washington struck.
The Americans had the advantage of local knowledge and thousands of willing spies in the local population. As the British forces ranged further from their based they were met with larger numbers of American militia who harassed them eventually forcing the British to rely only on supply ships that had to travel across the ocean.
Even in its beleaguers state, the 8th got involved in the fighting as soon as they arrived fighting in Rahway, NJ on February 23rd along with dozens of smaller skirmishes. The unit received a new command staff under Daniel Brodhead on March 27th which began to improve matters but not before a major setback.
The 8th was tasked with guarding one of the outer American outposts at Bound Brook, NJ but expiring enlistments had shrunk the force there to half its size leaving the 8th practically alone. On April 13, 1777, whether by luck or treachery, 4,000 men under Charles Cornwallis launched the first real British attack of the year. The British achieved total surprise and the 8th barely escaped, saved only by a lack of coordination by the British forces as they surrounded the area.
The 8th's actions in this engagement drew condemnation from Benjamin Lincoln, the senior commanding officer at the fort, who ordered some soldiers to be executed for their actions during the battle. Here is General Washington's order granting clemency to these men:
The Commander in Chief (taking into consideration the late distracted State of the 8th. Pennsyl. Battalion, an inquiry into the cause of which he has directed to be made without loss of time) is pleased to suspend the execution of the Sentences of Alexander McKay, David Livinston, John Dilworth, John Edgar, Jacob Knight, John McClaugherry, William Roach, Daniel Clark, John Kirckendal, and Jacob Wilker.Note we see neither Gideon Long nor Jeremiah Long listed.
Dad,
I thought I’d make a couple of notes for you in case you want to look around Greene county. This is based on some documentation from another Long ancestor named James Overhuls who published research in 1974 John Long’s family that moved to SW Pennsylvania. You can read the whole thing here but I clipped some of my favorite parts:
http://freepages.rootsweb.com/
I’ve also found lots of ther things about Greene County and the Long brothers over the years that you might find interesting for your visit. All words in italics are from a source that I will list. Everything else is me and my opinions/findings. Included is the Homestead and where Gideon and Hannah are buried along with a ton of other details on the area.
I did my best to break it up to be more readable. It is LONG but that’s literal a part of my name.
*****
The Long Family Homestead
“This then is the precise spot where John and Ann Herrington Long family were living during the American Revolution; their home farm being on Big Whitely Creek. The second farm west of Monongahela River (with) only the Sarah Province farm intervening on the river side in present-day Monon. Twp. of now Greene Co., Pa.... I once drove by where this property is now supposed to be, but could see no 'old' houses, at least not near modern roads.”
From what I understand this homestead was about 500 acres of land (.75 sq miles) and as they were the first settlers no improvements had been made to the area so the house couldn’t be far from the creek. If you go to Greene County, find State Route 88. It is a north-south road that mostly follows the Monongahela River. Whiteley Creek crosses under route 88 just east of Garards Fort on the map, just before that creek drains into the Monongahela. If you stop at that bridge, you’re probably as close to the Long homestead as we’re going to find. As the guy who investigated this above said – he saw no old houses. I’m sure anything they built was of poor quality and would have been torn down long ago.
I suggest going west once you get to Mapletown. It follows Whiteley Creek a couple more times and eventually goes into Garards Fort itself. This was the site of one of two forts in the area during the Revolutionary War period. The other was Statler’s Fort at the mouth of Dunkard Creek, about six miles to the south.
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A man with a lack of imagination
On the map of the area you might see two towns that catch your eye. One is called Mapletown. The other is called Bobtown. Both were founded by Bob Mapel in the 1780s. I thought this was funny and decided to include it.
Tory or Whig – Rebel or Loyalist?
Back to the Long Family genealogy. I particularly liked genealogist John Overhul’s insight here. It is conjecture but it does fit.
John Long (1722-1786) was age 53 when the Am Rev. began and which may account for there being no record of his having any military service at this time. Longs are traditionally 'conservative' and with his cavalier Church of England background, one might imagine that John Long would have had 'Tory' feelings at first; but there is absolutely no record either of what his political leaning really were. However, with Indian depredation against the frontier officially encouraged by the British Government; no one there it could seem might be 'Tory' very long. All seven of John Long's sons, as they matured, have records of Rev. military service as evidenced by the scattered records of especially the local militia lists, preserved and printed in various volumes of the Pennsylvania Archives.
A Tory was another name for a loyalist to the king but Southwestern Pennsylvania was an early version of the Wild West during this time. There was little law or policing other than what the people did themselves. I suspect there was little regard for most outsiders.
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The confusion surrounding Pennsylvania and Virginia land grants
(You can ignore this section but it provides reasons why the are was so lawless)
The initial settlers of today’s SW Pennsylvania were initially sold their land by the Ohio Company of Virginia, an early type of corporation. They hired Christopher Gist, a man who happened to hail from eastern Maryland, to make a survey of the land in 1750. After a long arduous process because of war and Indian claims, it took the renamed Grand Ohio Company until 1772 to receive permission to begin settlement in earnest. Many moved into the area sooner but the records were all destroyed in a fire.
Brief side note - Pennsylvania’s charter only gave them the land 5 degrees west of the state’s eastern boundary. That would have made the boundary about 50 miles east of Pittsburgh though obviously the leaders of Pennsylvania felt that area should be part of their territory (or at least not part of Virginia). Settlers coming into the area weren’t sure if they were living in Pennsylvania, Virginia, or a new colony that was gaining favor in England named Pittsylvania (proposed by William & Benjamin Franklin).
The Virginia charter didn’t have a western limit which allowed them to claim Ohio and all the land west of that territory to the Pacific. They also saw the Potomac – Monongahela – Ohio rivers as their path to the west which is why they felt they had to have complete access to these three rivers. The Franklin’s proposal would have been the most likely result if not for the American Revolution which ended discussions of boundries until after the war. After the American victory, colony charters no longer mattered and in the spirit of reconciliation Virginia agreed to give up its claims north of the Ohio River and allowed the Pennsylvania border to be extended to include Pittsburgh.
Is is just a coincidence that the surveyor of the land was originally from the same area as the Long family? Maybe. Gideon testified at his pension hearing in 1832 that he’d lived in Greene country for more than 60 years (so earlier than 1772). He never moved away from the area.
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Long family Revolutionary War service
First in the fight:
Earliest in the War are Gideon and Jeremiah Long who volunteered in 1776, going east with the 8th Pa. Regiment of the regular army Continental Line and besides fighting, spent the famous winter of 1777-78 at Valley Forge. Later in the war, Gideon says in his pension application, he was with the group which went out to build Ft. McIntosh (Pa.) and onward to Tuscarawas River to build Ft. Laurens, only Rev. fort in now Ohio. Only two of the 'Long' brothers, Gideon and Elial lived long enough or applied for Rev. Soldiers' Pensions.
One thing not mentioned by Mr. Overhuls is the claim by Zack Morgan (founder of Morgantown, WV) of the two serving Long brother’s activities in 1777. This is a long statement by him that I found fascinating (the 2nd paragraph is about the Long brothers).
Col Zackwell Morgan to General Hand – August 29, 1777 – It is with the utmost anxiety that I now inform you that our march is retarded for some time against the natural enemies of our country. A few days ago a most horrid conspiracy appeared. Numbers of inhabitants of this country have joined into a plot and were assembled to join the English and Indians. This forces me to raise what men were enlisted as well as others, to put a stop to this unnatural unheard of frantick scene at the heart of our country. We have taken numbers who confess that they have sworn allegiance to the King of Great Britain & that that some are to be their rulers & heads. The parties I have out are bringing in numbers of those wretches & they (those that will confess) all agree in their confession that the English, French, & Indians will be with you in a few days, when they were with numbers of others to embody themselves, & Fort Pitt was to be taken with little opposition; some are taken that really astonish me out of measure. Good heavens! That mankind should be so lost to every virtue & sense of country.
I am this moment informed that Gideon Long & Jeremiah Long, two deserters, are gone to Fort Pitt to deliver themselves up. Should this be the case, and as they have been very active in this conspiracy, I hope your Exc.will punish them as they deserve. I am now at Minor's Fort with about 500 men, I am determined to purge the county before I disband ... I shall wait your Excellency's instructions, I am wih respect your most humble servant, Zack Morgan (written at Statler’s Fort, in today’s Greene County, PA)
The summer of 1777 in western Pennsylvania was filled with accusations traitors among the population. Rumors abound that the British and their Indian allies would soon arrive and take over the territory with the help of traitors in their midst. It is reminiscent of WW2 and the Japan scare that led to the internment camps. In this case there were British sympathizers and ironically, Zack Morgan’s brother David was actually put on trial but acquitted. Even the man who Zack directed this letter, General Hand - the commander at Fort Pitt, was accused by mobs of being a traitor. Most of the claims were were groundless and I think it is safe to say this is true of the Longs in SW PA at the time.
It’s not like many settlers had much choice as they were caught in the middle. Some settlers had already started to organize to kill natives which led to more retaliation. When the British gave the natives more supplies and asked them to start attacking settlements more earnestly in 1778 the King lost any settlers that might have supported him.
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An oddity related to Zackwell Morgan’s note
There is something that trouble me about Zackwell Morgan’s note. It was written at Statlers Fort on August 29, 1777 but we know Zack Morgan was at the battle of Saratoga. NY on October 7, 1777 where he lost half his troops in fierce fighting. Did he march 500+ miles in a month over non-existent roads to get to this battle? That’s 20 miles a day assuming he left right after we wrote the note and knew exactly where to go to find the Colonist forces. It is possible but not likely. It is also possible we are talking about two different Zack Morgans. I know there was another Zack Morgan at the time, Col Morgan’s nephew, but he was a Sergeant. This discrepancy makes me wonder about the timing of this note and I need to research it more.
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Did the Long brothers desert the 8th Pennsylvania?
Zackwell Morgan’s note claims the brothers were deserters in headed for Pittsburgh in August, 1777. Yet we have Gideon’s sworn statement at his pension hearing that he joined the 8th Pennsylvania in 1776 for a three year enlistment and that he served his time. During the summer of 1777, the 8th Pennsylvania was either in New Jersey or near Philadelphia. So who is telling the truth?
A little background - The men of the 8th enlisted with the understanding they’d protect the frontier but were ordered east in December 1776 after Washington’s disastrous summer left him with about 3,000 active soldiers. It took well over a month for the annoyed men of the 8th Pennsylvania to make the march to Morristown, NJ. They marched over non-existent roads and were provided with neither consistent food supplies nor shelter during the middle of winter. The two highest ranking officers died due to exposure on the march which added to the confusion. A month later the 8th Pennsylvania was put into the line in an overly exposed position without any support. The British saw this, attacked, and beat the 8th Pennsylvania badly. At this point the 8th been lied to, poorly supported, badly lead and ill-used. At least half had deserted by April, 1777.
Is it possible the two Long brothers in the 8th Pennsylvania deserted? Considering what we know I’d say it’s likely. The note was written at Statlers Fort about about five miles south of the Long homestead and I’m sure the return of two Continental deserters would have a big source of gossip in the area which is why Colonel Morgan learned of it. (though I do think his writing does sound a bit McCarthy in the 1950s - if you read his other correspondence, he was finding Tories everywhere in 1777).
I think it is safe to assume the Long brothers deserted but can we tell when they deserted? Maybe. I think the key is in Gideon’s testimony. These are his words:
That he enlisted in the army of the United States in the month of August 1776 for three years under Captain John Wilson in Greene (then Washington) County Penn where he now resides. That he marched to Kettanning where he joined his regiment (the 8th Pennsylvania Regiment) commanded by Colonel Enos McCoy ____ and Colonel George Wilson, Major Butler ___ ______ his Captain was John Wilson aforesaid marched from there, over the mountains and experienced much hardship and exposure. Went to Phila. Went from there to Morristown New Jersey and joined the main army under General Washington ____ marched to Boundbrook Jersey. There returned by rapid march across the Delaware and went to the Valley Forge where they remained in winter quarters
Boundbrook is where the British attacked the 8th Pennsylvania on April 13th, 1777. You can read about it here if you are interested –https://en.wikipedia.org/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
So why doesn’t Gideon mention this battle? He mentioned later excursions up Susquehanna and the building of Forts Laurens and McIntosh but not the time he actually faced the British? It seems unlikely that he would omit this unless he didn’t want to state something untruthful under oath.
I suspect Gideon and Jeremiah deserted sometime in April, 1777 to help their family plant crops and groused half the summer about their time in the army. They eventually began to feel guilty for leaving their buddies and eventually decided to go to Pittsburgh to present themselves to the commanding officer for service.
This wasn’t uncommon. Desertion during the revolution happened continously and Washington was usually lenient as he took whatever service he could get from the men. It sounds like Gideon and Jeremiah were sent back to their unit so they arrived in time to spend a very cold winter at Valley Forge. The remainder of Gideon’s testimony sounds like he was present at all the 8th Pennsylvania’s major events so I suspect this was the only time it happened.
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Friendship Hill National Park
This park sits a couple of miles east of the Long family homestead on the other side of the Monogahela. This 600 acre park was once a farmstead owned by Albert Galletin who emigrated from Switzerland to the United States in 1780. He originally settled in New England and even was offered a teaching position at Harvard but he grew bored deciding instead to move to Western Pennsylvania and become a farmer. That didn’t hold him long as the people in the area elected him to serve on the state’s constitutional convention. That led to stints in both the US Senate and the US House of Representatives. In 1801 Thomas Jefferson asked him to be his Secretary of the Treasury as did James Madison. After that he served as ambassadors to both Great Britain and France.
Albert Gallentin’s public service ended in 1827 and he returned home but he didn’t stay long. He sold Friendship Hill in 1832 and moved to Astoria in New York City where he died in 1849.
While the Longs and the Galletins were neighbors, I’m sure they didn’t see Albert very often as was rarely around. I suspect they knew the children quite well.
*****
Long Brothers Later War Service (1779 - 1783+)
The 8th Pennsylvania disbanded in 1779 as the men had only signed up for three years and few were willing to sign up again for service that might send them back east. It was around this time the commander at Fort Pitt began to rely on what were called ‘ranger’ units. These were militia units (as opposed to regular Continental unit like the 8th Pennsylvania) that drilled in local areas under elected leaders. Each unit was only as successful as the leader’s ability to attract more men. Dozens of these units protected the Pennsylvania/Virginia frontier during this time, all nomially under the command of General Brodhead in Pittsburgh. Here is what the genealogist has to say about the service of the Long brothers:
All seven of John Long's sons, as they matured, have records of Rev. military service as evidenced by the scattered records of especially the local militia lists, preserved and printed in various volumes of the Pennsylvania Archives. At one time, 1782 (Pa. Archives, Series 6, Vol. 2, pgs, 18-19) all seven "Long" boys were in the same Militia Co., under their neighbor, Capt. John Guthrey, with Gideon Long being the Ensign, and our particular ancestor Noah Long, one of the privates.
Also in 1782, the eldest of John's sons, David Long is listed in a Capt. Reed's Co. which is presumed to have travelled into Ohio on the ill-fated Col. Crawford's 'Sandusky Expedition' (David is reported pg. 607 in Biog. Cyclopedia of Butler Co. O.)Dto have been scalped, but lived; -- perhaps such wound was received at this time?)
… Many expeditions down the Ohio River or into Indian territory of what later became Ohio originated at this time in the Longs' Monongahela (Redstone) neighborhood. No doubt the Longs or their friends remembered the fine lands to be seen here when a few years later the Ohio territory was opened to settlement; and some of the Longs again turn their eyes westward.
I particularly like the last line. I know Noah went to live in Butler County Ohio. We know where Gideon’s son Solomon went as he was the start of the Long family tree in Knox County.
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Reverend Corbly
Here’s some information Mr. Overshun found of the connection of the Long family to one of Greene County’s more famous founders:
Rev. Corbley est'd in 1769 the only church near to our 'Long' in Greene Co. -- the 'Goshen' or 'Whitely' Baptist on Big Whiteley Creek at nearby Garrard's Fort, Pa. The 'Minutes' of this church (copy at D.A.R. Memorial Library, Wash. D.C.) show however, that our 'Long', only the Jeremiah Long family and Hannah Phillips (Mrs. Gideon) Long were regular members.
Members of the Long family attended Goshen/Whitely Church in Garrard’s Fort but it appears Gideon didn’t go though his wife Hannah did which means we Knox county Longs weren’t the first to skip Sunday church.
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Corbly Massacre
Reverand Corbly is most famous because of an Indian raid in 1782 that massacred a part of his family near Garards Fort. Here is an account:
The massacre occurred on Sunday morning, May 10, 1782. A party of Indians was on “Indian Point,” an elevation of land from which they could see John Corbly’s cabin, the log meetinghouse which was located on the edge of the graveyard, and the fort which was about four hundred yards east of the meetinghouse. Because of a rise of ground the fort was out of view of the massacre, but it was within hearing distance, for the screams of the Corbly family were heard there and in a very few minutes men on horseback rushed out from the fort to give help
The Corbly family had left their home and were proceeding on their way to worship where Mr. Corbly was to preach, when it was discovered that the Bible, which he thought was in Mrs. Corbly’s care, had been left at home. He returned to get it and then followed his family, meditating upon the sermon he soon expected to preach.
The Indians descended the hill, crossed Whitely Creek, and filed up a ravine to the place, about forty-nine rods (270 yards) north of the present John Corbly Memorial Baptist Church, where the helpless family was massacred.
You can read more about it here if you wish – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
As this happened in 1782, all seven of the Long boys were then serving with ranger units. I expect at least one was in the fort at the time but there aren’t specific records. Here is what is said to have happened next:
The lives of John Corbly and John, Jr., were no doubt saved by the quick action of the men in the fort who hastened on horseback to the scene of the massacre as soon as the first screams were heard. While some of the men who went out brought members of the Corbly family to the fort, others followed the savages as far as the Ohio River. When the Indians crossed into hostile territory, it was thought best not to pursue them further.
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Gnaddenhutten Massacre
For what it is worth, this raid was almost surely in retaliation for the March 1782 massacre of 96 peaceful Delaware women and children at Gnaddenhutten in Ohio by several detachments of ranger units.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Atrocities weren’t only committed by one side. Western Pennsylvania was filled with people who were a law unto themselves and at least in public, most involved refused to admit they were there. It is rumored David Long was involved but there is little evidence beyond the fact his ranger unit took part. He wouldn’t have been convicted by a jury even if the government decided to charge him. A couple of years after the massacre, the man who organized the Gnadenutten massacre was elected sheriff of Pittsburgh.
None of the other Long brothers were ever implicated in the Gnaddenhutten massacre.
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Crawford Expedition
Throughout the war, General Washington pressed his western generals to move to the fight to the natives in Ohio, the most hostile of whom had moved their towns further from the settlers into northwest Ohio. Washington’s eventual goal was to capture Fort Detroit so the American’s could claim it during the peace negotiations. Of course taking this area wasn’t easy as there weren’t any roads in Ohio and there was no river they could use as a supply route from their base in Pittsburgh to Detroit.
This is why Gideon Long helped build Fort Laurens in December 1778 but the location was so isolated that it had to be abandoned after a year. The truth was the American government didn’t have enough money to fund a true invasion.
Washington and his generals decided they had to take a different tack. Instead of a well supported invasion with Detroit as the goal, the goal in 1782 would be a focus on destroying the native villages along the Sandusky River. For funding, they would ask the people of Western Pennsylvania themselves. Every volunteer had to provide a horse, a rifle, ammunition, and rations for a month’s journey. Their only payment would be whatever they plundered from the natives.
While this sounds like a deal few might take up, volunteers from the ranger units streamed into Pittsburgh after the Corbly massacre in early May. Eventually there were about 500 in total. Because this wasn’t a regular army campaign the men got to elect their officers. To gauge the mood of the men, all you need to know is the men almost voted in as their leader the same the man who led the massacre at Gnaddenhutten. He would have won if not for a plea on the commanding general at Fort Pitt. Instead the honor went to William Crawford, a good friend of General Washington.
The volunteers left camp on May 25, 1782 with Washington’s stated goal “to destroy with fire and sword (if practicable) the Indian town and settlement at Sandusky”. It took ten days to get to their destination but they found the town deserted. That was a warning sign that the natives were prepared but they decided to march on.
Surprise was their best hope for victory but in reality the British and the natives knew the American plans before they broke camp. Tribes from all over were summoned and the British responded as well. It is estimated that about 350 natives and 100 British rangers lay in wait north of the abandoned town near today’s Carey, Ohio.
The battle raged for two days but slowly turned as more native forces arrived. The Americans decided to retreat during the 2nd night but many got lost in the darkness. 70 out of a total of 500 men never made it back to Fort Pitt. Many more were wounded including David Long who was said to have been scalped on the Crawford Expedition but survived the ordeal.
Colonel Crawford was captured and burned on a stake after being tortured for a day.
The other Long brothers weren’t able to go on the Crawford Expedition as they served in a different ranger unit. The way the story goes, they wanted to go. After all, the Corbly Massacre practically happened in their back yard. As they were about to leave they received a report of natives raiding towns in western Virginia and protecting the settlements took precedence over vengeance. So while David was losing his scalp, the other Long brothers spent a fruitless summer chasing natives through very tall mountains without result.
It was just as well. Considering 1 in 8 died on the Crawford expedition, the odds weren’t good all of them would have made it.
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Whiskey Rebellion
Reverend Corbley isn’t just known for the massacre of his family. He was a fierce proponent of individual rights and especially the rights of the people in western Pennsylvania. He was so prominent in his protest that he became one of the twenty men arrested at the end of the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794.
I have no direct evidence that any of the Long’s were involved in the Whiskey rebellion but I’d be shocked if most weren’t to some degree. I know Gideon’s brother Jeremiah had a distillery in the 1790s. Most farmers in the area turned their corn into alcohol because it was easier to ship. When President Washington sent 12,000 troops to the pacify the area, the ‘rebellion’ collapsed. Only two men of the arrested men were convicted and the president pardoned both.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
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Cumpston Cemetery
This is the cemetery where Gideon is supposed to be buried. It is on private property near Davistown which according to the map is northeast of Bobtown. Here’s one of the notes I found online:
By 1961 (Cumpston) Cemetery in Dunkard Township was badly overgrown and hard to find and enter but by 1964 had been cleaned up and fenced. On private property, it may be located on a hill originally owned by CUMPSTONS, then ROBERTS and now unknown.
Another person wrote:
I beleive we own the property that you are talking about...I know this post is old but I came across this by accident. We inherited the farm from my grandparents which I beleive they bought from the Roberts which they bought from the Cumpstons....there is a cemetary at the top of the hill...I would love to have old photos of the place if anyone has..There are still remnants of the old fireplace...rah
These were old notes with little follow up. I have no idea where it is located and these posts were from a long time ago so this doesn’t tell us the current state. Reading the history it sounds like some of the Cumpstons changed their name to Compton when they moved to Ohio. Probably no relation to the Comptons we know but I found it interesting.
https://www.findagrave.com/
https://www.findagrave.com/
The Find – A – Grave site 12 names listed at the Cumpston Cemetery with Gideon (1834) and his wife Hannah (1850) as the oldest. Their son Benjamin Franklin Long (1884) and his wife Nancy (1861) were listed as was Benjamin/Nancy’s daughter – Isabel (1882) who married James Cumpston (1893). The other names are mostly Isabel and Jame’s kids.
Considering this is private property and obviously a family cemetery two things are clear.
This was originally Gideon Long’s family cemetery. It got the name because his granddaughter Isabel Long married James Cumpston.
As this is a family cemetery and at one point owned by the Cumpston’s, it is likely this land was first owned by Gideon Long and the surrounding land was probably his last residence. He gave it to his son Benjamin Long who gave it to his daughter Isabel and her husband.
The bottom line - I demand a name change if we can ever find the place!
For what it is worth, Jeremiah Long is buried in Garards Fort Cemetery. It’s right next to John Corbly Baptist Church in Garards Fort. That’s the same church Hannah attended when Gideon slept in on Sundays. I wonder if that’s why Gideon was buried on his own land instead of in the church plot.