PAGE TWO THE POST, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 1940 Col. Butler Was First Commander During The Yankee-Pennamite War William H. Zeirdt Tells About Regiment's Baptism Of Fire More Than 165 Years Ago (Continued from Page 1) oT IT’S A SMALL WORLD SAYS DALLAS RECRUIT TO TRUCKSVILLE SOLDIER oY General Assembly and commissioned by the Governor. The chief com- missioned officer of each company was empowered to designate the “days of training and trooping”’— three days warning to the men to be given through the clerk of the com- pany. It was provided that the training days should be “in some or either of the months of March, April, May, September, October and November of each year.” The law also required that ‘every centinel shall appear compleat in his arms on every such day; and every person liable to train, having been duly warned and not appearing and at- | tending the same, shall pay a fine Ci of three shillings—except he make within twelve days a satisfactory ex- | cuse to the commanding officer.” The annual inspection of arms and ammunition was required to be held on the first Monday in May. While on the train going to Schofield Barracks from the army transport which had car- ried him to Hawaii, Gilbert Huey, recently enlisted son of Mr. and Mrs. Milton Huey of Dallas, saw someone waving outside his car window at a station stop. Investigating, he was asked by a uniformed stranger, “Are you from Dal- | las?” “Yes,” he replied, “but I | don’t know you!” To which | e the answer, “You should, m Roy LaFrance from Trucks- | ville.” | UNITED STATES NEw ORLEANS TAMPICO Mer’ ° MErico eiTY Ending a dramatic attempt by four German merchantmen to run the British blockade, the 4,137-ton freigh- . i ter PHRYGIA lies in the Gulf of Mexico, a scuttled, charred derelict. Her three companion ships turned back to river, above the falls, with orders ; the Mexican port of Tampico (see inset map), where the vessels are shown previous to their sortie. The Nazi to lie in ambush and prevent the! captains believed they were being pursued by British warships, but there is a possibility the warships were part Some of our officers had prior landing on that shore of any boat’s of the United States neutrality patrol. service in the French and Indian : l Nw! crew. Col Ww it wars and it is more than probable | olonel Butler, with the re- NAZI MERCHANTMAN SCUTTLED OFF MEXICO : | { that they made efforts during the ; mainder of his force, then retired discharge of musketry, crackling | fortunately without mishap, and summer ‘and fall to perfect them-|up the river about a mile to a point | selves and their men in military ex- | of natural defense where a precipi- ercise and discipline. Each officer |tous ledge of rocks extended from and man furnished his own arms the Shawnee mountain in a south- | and accoutrements. The men were | easterly direction almost to the | from end to end of the long extend- ed rampart, and giving no uncertain notice that this unlooked for bar- ricade was well garrisoned. One of | were brought to in the pool at Har- | vey’s Landing. Thus ended the oc- currences of Sunday. Early in the morning of Monday —which was Christmas day—the not uniformed, and it is doubtful if bank of the river, a distance of |Plunket’s men was killed and three | Pennamites, who had bivouacked on more than a very few of the chief nearly half a mile. The land in the. others were wounded, while the | the flat at the mouth of Harvey's officers possessed uniforms. Each | vicinity was well covered with trees, | body of the invaders was thrown | Creek, were astir. Colonel Plunket, of the officers, however, wore some |and the road from Harvey’s Creek into great confusion, and, without | having formed his men in two di- distinctive badge of rank—as, for to the village of Plymouth passed returning the fire of the Yankees, | visions, again marched up the river example, a cockade or sash. For |between the lower point, or end, of | immediately retreated to Harvey's | to the breast works, or “rampart some years prior to the Revolution, | the ledge and the river bank. The! and during the first year of the Yankees took up their position at! war, none of the militia organiza- this rocky rampart, and wherever past Nanticoke Falls by land, and | tions in the Colonies were uniform-{it was defective for their complete ed, except those companies which | defense they erected breastworks were located in the principal towns of logs and stones. and cities. Later in the morning of Sunday, There were Pennsylvanians who | about eleven o’clock, Ensign Alden, contested the right of the fJon-|being apprised at the mouth of Har- necticut Yankees to settle in the | vey’s Creek of the approach of the Wyoming Valley and historians re- | Plunket expedition, retired with his ‘fer to these conflicts as the Penna- | men up the river and joined Colonel mite Wars. Late in 1775 Pennsyl- | Butler. Deploying his column on the vania land claimants, eager to strike |flat just abandoned by the Yankees, a decisive blow at the Yankee set-| Plunket directed a spirited advance tlements, carefully planned and or- |in pursuit of Alden, not doubting ganized an expedition under the, but that the main force of the set- command of Colonel William Plun-,tlers was near, and that the hour ket, who purposed conquering and | of conflict had arrived. In less than subjugating the men of Wyoming | thirty minutes the advancing line without delay. Some 600 or 700 was halted by Plunket, who was at well-armed and equipped men were its right, in front, and was heard soon embodied at Fort Augusta, now | to exclaim, “My God! what a breast- Sunbury; and in order that the pro- work!” Scarcely had these words posed expedition might have im-|been uttered when there came a Creek. They then brought two of their boats from Harvey's Landing made preparations to cross the river by detachments, in order to march by way of the eastern shore against the village of Wilkes-Barre, the chief objective point of the ex- pedition. After nightfall, boats, well filled with soldiers, started across the river some distance above the falls. When the boats had nearly reached the opposite shore, they were, with- out warning fired upon by Captain Stewart and his men who were con- cealed in the thick woods on the bank. Two or three men in the first boat were wounded, one of whom subsequently died. The ‘boats were hastily and excitedly backed astern into the channel of the river, whereupon, having got within the suction of the falls, they shot down through them and the rapids below, parted to it a civil, rather than a| SS —————— y ARIE IEEE AUT military character, this small army RZ was denominated the “posse comita- | 4 tus of Northumberland”. It was to | NH be accompanied on its march by the! /} Sheriff of Northumberland County— within whose jurisdiction the Wyo-| ming lands lay, acording to Penn- sylvania law. The formidable preparations being made at Fort Augusta caused con- siderable uneasiness and excitement among the people of the valley. By virtue of his rank as chief militia officer and by reason of his exten- sive experience in actual warfare, Colonel Zebulon Butler was given charge of the preparations for de- fense, as well as command of the in- habitants who responded to the call to arms. Neither our regiment nor eC RRS RI TR IS TR TR TE TE BET 3 any one of the companies COmpos- | z ing it was ordered out, as a militia | { Pla-Mor organization, to oppose the oncom- ¥ SCOOTER ing Pennamites; but the inhabitants | F-957 An inexpensive scoot- er of great appeal. Heavy-gauge steel. 7- inch wheels. %-in. of the valley generally were sum- |¥ moned to this duty. The men who I responded were mainly—in fact, al- § most exclusively—enrolled members ] L of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and solid rubber Fires 6th companies of the 24th Regiment. | Embossed platiorm D | gives greater Scouts, sent out every day, reported | the progress of the Pennamites—| % strength. 33x30 who had taken up their line of : $42 march about the 15th of December, { from Fort Augusta. On the 20th the | ) invaders had arrived opposite the | mouth of Nescopeck Creek, some] nineteen miles below Nanticoke Falls, but were advancing slowly on | g& account of the snow which had fal- E | § § len and the ice which was gathering hg in the river. Colonel Butler mus- | tered his available force—which wriUM numbered about 400 men—on Sat-| 2X-258 urday, December 23rd, and marched to the left bank of Harvey's Creek, | : e where he encamped for the night | ¥ You cen lead on a level stretch of land near the 8 aradic i river. It was impossible to pass ¥ with this big 13 in. drum. Two Nanticoke Falls with a laden boat, '¥ fabric heads, real snares on back. either going up or down the river. |# going assembled. Nice, deep Early Sunday morning, December | tone. Colorful circus designs on 24th, Ensign Ne [den fn) § motal shell. Pair of 12-in. sticks, command of a detail of eighteen shoulder straps. men, was directed to remain on guard at Harvey's Creek. Captain Lazarus Stewart, with twenty men, detached to the east side of the, TRS SST——— 1 Aii Metal Submarine Runs on water. Submerges and returns to the surface. Fun for young C and old FRESH MINED L. V. R. R. OAL Buy the best coal for the same money as cheap coal and get it the day you order it. We deliver fresh- from the mines or our pock- ets. products. WESTERN A 175 MAIN STREET — H.L.STILL > For BOYS & GIRL USE OUR LAYAWAY PLAN pinafore print apron; and play package of cleaning 1 ORAOL rine ts en 2 ASSOCIATE — STORE — TOWN FOR ALL THE FAMILY Pe YANKEE CLIPPER No. 12 975 A sturdy sled well con- - structed. Steel run- ners. Easy to stear. AIRACUDA U. S. FLYING FORTRESS Bombing plane with two machine gun mounts.. 2 can- nons. Rubber ¢ +ivng, 2X317. Flying “G” MEN A brand new game in which G- men trail foreign spies across the country in attempted capture. A fascinating game for young and old alike. Very educational in the way of learning geo- 95 graphical locations. 2X-111 It’s easy to help mother keep the house clean with this complete set. HE Carpet sweeper with revolving brushes and pan that emp- ties; broom; " hooded dust pan; dust mop; UTO STORE Shavertown, Pa. PHONE DALLAS 17 ¥ + A TATA Tac TA Toa GIFTS FOR EVERY MEMBER OF THE FAMILY WEY GE 2 ’ LUZERNE, PA. : * OR SR ME FRE FETE RAI rocks”, held by the Yankees. While one division stormed the works, the second division ascended the moun- i tain on their left and attempted to turn the right flank of the Yankees. The conflict lasted, with frequent cessations, during the greater part of the day, and on the side of the settlers some three or four men were killed and three times as many were wounded. Towards the close of the day Colonel Plunket, GAY-MURRAY — NEWS — SANTA CLAUS Tl be at Gay-Murray’s next Saturday, December 7, at 7:30 P. M. with a grand assortment of bikes, sleds, skiis, skates and more useful gifts than ever before. I'll have a bag full of lollypops, too. Better come! x Each Christmas finds more useful things and more health building sports equip- ment in Santa’s deliveries. Useful gifts give pleasure long after trinkets are gone and forgotten. We have useful gifts for ‘Pop’, “Mom”, ‘Sister’, and “Brother”. Pee Charles Humphrey at Montrose and Archie Ells- worth at South Montrose are recent customers for Suburban Bottled Gas Ser- vice and Bengal Ranges. Say fellows! Wouldn't one of these outfits be a swell Christmas gift for your “Missus’’ ? tk Good days to reroof are getting scarce but it’s wiser to put it on before it snows than to groan after. Law- rence Mock at Jenningsville and Frank Spadine at Nich- olson are using Moredrain galvanized sheets. Albert Race at Vernon is trying our 5-ply roll roofing. — Dairymen! In our Harness Shop we can now give you prompt sharpening service on clippers with new factory grinding equipment. Barney says, “We'll fix your harness too.” Bring or send them in. ee J ee Try Graylawn louse pow- der on your cows. If it does- n’t get ’em we pay you. Cees Wie Gay-Murray Co. Ine. finding the position of the Yankees too strong to be carried, withdrew from the field and immediately be- gan his retreat down the west side of the river. This was the baptism of fire for the regiment. Colonel Butler's tact- ical decisions and selection of ground for the defense were sound and logical. The dispute between Connecticut and Pennsylvania was now laid aside and all energies were bent toward winning independence from England. Colonel Wright, who later com- manded our regiment, recites the following story which is interesting and helpful in seeing the picture of those times. Benjamin Bidlack was a remark- ably good singer. During the Penn- ER rey, SPARKLING BEAUTY — Plus Many Features To Make Your Work Easier In This New BENGAL DUAL RANGE AT ONLY 159° New Peek-In Oven % Lightning Change From Coal to Gas % Oven Heat Control % Coveralls Over Cooking Surface % Light, Timer, Condiment Set “Peek-in” oven means you never haye to open the door to see how your food DISTRIBUTORS OF Will Preach Sunday Miss Charlotte Mintzer, of Dallas, will preach Sunday morning at 11 o'clock in the Glen View Primitive Methodist Church, Fern Brook. A short song service, led by John Lowe, will precede the service. amite-Yankee conflict he was ar- rested and lodged in the Sunbury jail, where his songs led the people to collect about the grated window of his cell and in the evening men, women and children. would gather there to listen to the Yankee’s songs. They finally prevailed upon the jailer to let the man out that they might see him. Upon one of these occasions, in singing a song called “The Swagger- ing Man”, he told his audience that to give them a proper appreciation of the character he was represent- ing, they must give him a cane, and make room for him, as he could not do his subject justice otherwise. They gave him a cane, and cried out, “Give him room, make way, let him have a fair-chance”. The pri- soner, after taking a drink, and passing backwards and forwards several times, acting out the charac- ter of a drunken man, to the -word, when he came to the chorus, “Here goes the old swaggering man”, he bounded from them like a wild deer. Pursuit was in vain, “ the swagger- ing man” was too fleet of foot and strong of limb for the pack at his heels. Dawn of day found him thir- ty miles from his prison door; and before sunset, he rejoined his family in his log house in Plymouth. At this period of his life Mr. Bidlack seems to have been addicted to ha- bits of intemperance, later he re- formed, became a religious man, joined the Methodist church, and devoted the remainder of his day to preaching the Gospel. He became an Ensign in our re- giment in 1793; his brother was killed in action at the battle of Wyoming. (To Be Continuel) Scout Women Plan Activities To Entertain Scouts At Christmas Party Committee members of Girl Scout Troop No. 9, Shavertown, were en- tertained at the home of Mrs. Os- car - Dymond, Thursday Evening. Plans were made for the supper meeting to be held at the Shaver- town Methodist Church December 9th when the committees of troops No. 66 and 9 will be hostesses to the Dallas District Council... Plans were also made to entertain the scouts at a Christmas party Decem- ber 12th. Mrs. Edward Gilroy, cap- tain of the troop made a fine report concerning the activities of the troop. Present were: Mrs. Delbert McGuire, Mrs. Martin Porter, Mrs. S. R. Schooley, Mrs. Hayden Wil- liams, Mrs. Herbert Lundy, Mrs. 'Gil- roy and the hostess. : Pinochle Club Mrs. Mabel Davis, Parrish Heights, entertained the members of her Pi- nochle Club at her home on Monday afternoon. Those present were: Mrs. Emma Stookey, Mrs. Eleanor Wilson, Mrs. Jennie Thomas, Mrs. Margaret Adametz, Mrs. A. C. Woolbert, Mrs. Eva Meade, Mrs. Elsie Van Buskirk and the hostess. Prize winners were Mrs. Woolbert and Mrs. VanBuskirk. Fernbrook Scouts Meet Twelve Girl Scouts of Fernbrook Troop met Monday afternoon under the leadership of Miss Margaret Ger- lach. Jean Russell passed her tenderfoot test and the second class scouts worked on the Health and Safety Field and the International Friend- ship Field. Games were played before good- night circle at which group singing was enjoyed. Joy ™ gas. The ex- light and look your cooking is cooking. You merely snap on the through the double pyrex glass. It’s convenient, it saves fuel, and is improved. The BEN- GAL dual range keeps your kitchen warm in winter, cool in summer, cooks your food, and heats water. 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Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers