Jane Mc Crea

August 6, 1777
The Pennsylvania Gazette
Text Courtesy of: Accessible Archives


FISHKILL, July 31.
Extract of a letter from MosesCreek, July 26.

"We have just had a brush with the enemy at Fort Edward, and in which Lieut. Van Veghten, was most inhumanly butchered and scalped. Two sergeants and two privates were likewise killed and scalped, one of the latter had both his hands cut off. They took a young woman, Janey McCrea, by name, out of a house at Fort Edward, carried her about half a mile into the bushes, and there killed and scalped her in cold blood. They have killed and scalped another woman near the same place.

Last Monday was hanged at Fort Montgomery, one of Lord Howe recruiting officers.

Last week another of the same gentlemen was hanged at PeekKill.

Last Tuesday, two men were taken up and interrupted in their errand to General Howe. They, being both Germans, were recommended to one Freleigh, their countryman, a staunch Tory, to direct them the road. They unluckily made a mistake by calling on a Whig of the same name, who heard their enquiries and found out their errand; thinking it rather unsafe to let them pass without a further examination into their real business, sent them for that purpose, under convoy to the Commissioners at Poughkeepsie.

August 13, 1777
The Pennsylvania Gazette

The taking of Manley will be of the utmost bad consequence to the rebels, he being the chief executive officer of their navy in whom the Congress placed all their confidence, and who is the only man of real courage they have by sea. His loss will be full as severe a stroke upon them as that of General Lee. Extract of a letter from Stillwater (ten miles on this side Saratoga, and twenty-five miles above Albany) dated August 4, 1777.

"Our army has retreated to this place. We are about three thousand eight hundred regulars, and a thousand or twelve hundred militia. Burgoyne is at fort Edward, and has about six thousand regulars, three or four hundred Indians, and two hundred Canadians. We brought off the grain and forage, and destroyed what we could not remove; many families fled; those that would not come away, relying on Gen. Burgoyne proclamation; were killed, scalped and inhumanly butchered by the Indians, without any discrimination of Whigs or Tories. A miss McCrea , who was to have been married to one Jones, a Tory, who had joined the enemy, and who she daily expected to bring her off, was dragged by the Savages out of her house, shot twice through her body, her clothes torn off her back, and left scalped in the bushes. This brutal scene was transacted by four Indians, under cover of three hundred British regulars, drawn up at a small distance, and in sight of an advanced party of ours, who could give her no assistance. Several families whom we know, have been murdered and scalped by the Indians, man, wife and five or six children, and their Negroes. Many families, we know not, have fell a sacrifice to their credulity in Burgoyne proclamation, which promised protection to all who remained peaceably and quiet at their houses, with their stock, &c. &c. If the New England militia will not turn out to our assistance, our wives and children must fall into the hands of bloody Burgoyne, and his merciless Savage allies, and this country will be lost to the United States. Will our Southern brethren and allies remain idle spectators of our misery? One regiment of riflemen would beat the Indians. God and southern troops alone can save us."

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