po 



THE MUSEUM. 



after a few years of many vicissitudes, 

 was a quiet and uneventful one, until 

 the gathering storm of the Revolution 

 broke upon them in 1775. 



While the settlers were for the most 

 part loyal to the mother country, they 

 were literally forced through persecu- 

 tions and taxes to espouse the cause 

 for liberty. 



During the two years subsequent to 

 1777, no large party of the enemy ap- 

 peared, but individual after individual 

 and family after family were missing 

 from the more remote parts of the set- 

 tlements. The smoking ruins of their 

 dwellings, the mutilated remains of 

 the inmates and the butchered do- 

 mestic animals killed by the enemy re- 

 cord their fate. Many of their old 

 neighbors were Tories who were gen- 

 erally in command of the Indians in 

 the raids upon the valley. It can be 

 said of the former, that in point of 

 ferocity and inhumanity they were 

 worse than the Indians. Many of the 

 Tories lived in isolated or secluded 

 places, and their Tory friends would 

 come down from Canada and there 

 find place of retreat. Not infrequent- 

 ly on such occasions would they take 

 back to Canada the scalps of their 

 former neighbors and friends. Nor 

 was this all, many of these same Tory 

 friends were poor and had to be fed 

 by the very men the heads of whose 

 families they were helping to destroy. 

 Early in 1777 the enemy matured 

 their plans and Captain McDonald — a 

 a refugee from Johnstown, a noted 

 Tory leader — was to make his way 

 from the Susquehanna through the 

 Schoharie settlements, destroying as 

 he went, and then to proceed on to Al- 

 bany to meet Col. St. Ledger — who 

 with a large body of British Tories 

 and Indians was to start from Oswego, 

 and ravage the Mohawk valley. Sir 

 Henry Clinton was to do mischief on his 

 march from New York to Albany and 

 Gen. Burgoyne was to leave Crown 

 Point on the north and push his way 

 outh to Albany also. Thus were the 

 four worthies to each do his part of 



the campaign, and all to meet at the 

 general rendezvous — Albany. 



This was a most trying time to the 

 people of New York. To meet and 

 repel the several attacks appeared to 

 some of the most patriotic a matter of 

 impossibility. Let us see what was 

 done by the people of Schoharie. 



The Schoharie militia was called in- 

 to service early in the year. They 

 lirst proceeded to arrest several Tory 

 leaders who lived in their midst and 

 were enlisting recruits for the Royalist 

 forces. After thirteen days' search 

 Col. James Hultson was secured to- 

 gether with some twenty genial spirits, 

 who were delivered at Albany. fHult- 

 son was afterwards hung.) Learning 

 that Capt. Mann — a resident and 

 member of the Schoharie militia was 

 enlisting a force of Tories, he was ar- 

 rested. Through fear of him Capt. 

 Mann was causing the patriotic inhab- 

 itants to take up arms against their 

 own people. He also was in corres- 

 pondence and league with Capt. Mc- 

 Donald who was in the upper part of 

 the valley. 



Col. Harper being notified that Mc- 

 Donald's force was at Breakabeen, 

 and being afraid to risk an attack with 

 so small a force, proceeded at once, 

 alone, on horseback, to Albany for 

 assistance. His trip was full of dan- 

 gers and escapes, as the road was be- 

 set by Tories to stop him. He reach- 

 ed that city in safety however and re- 

 turned with a "mounted army of 

 twenty-eight stout looking men." 



The effect of these few men was 

 marvelous; soon a large body of the 

 friends of liberty gathered, who pro- 

 ceeded to Breakabeen. In the bat- 

 tle which followed Lieutenant Wirt 

 of the cavalry was killed and two were 

 wounded. McDonald fled towards 

 Niagara. Thus did the bold settlers 

 of Schoharie do their part in the cam- 

 paign of 1777. During the Fall, to bet- 

 ter protect themselves they began the 

 erection of the Upper, Middle and 

 Lower Forts. The principal event of 

 the ne.xt year was the battle between 



