FRENCH and INDIAN Cruelty

Exemplified in the

L     I       F      E

And various Vicissitudes of Fortune, of

PETER WILLIAMSON

A DISBANDED SOLDIER.

CONTAINING 

A particular Account of the Manners, Customs, and Dress, of the SAVAGES; of their scalping, burning and other Barbarities, committed on the ENGLISH in NORTH AMERICA during his residence among them: Being at eight Years of Age, Stolen from his Parents and sent to PENNSYLVANIA, where he was sold as a SLAVE: Afterwards married and settled as Planter, ‘till the Indians destoy’d his House and every Thing he had and carried him off as a Captive; from whom after several Months Captivity, he made his Escape, and serv’d as a Volunteer and Soldier in many Expeditions against them.

COMPREHENDING IN THE WHOLE, 

A SUMMARY of the Transactions of the several Provinces of PENNSYLVANIA, (including PHILADELPHIA), NEW YORK, NEW ENGLAND, NEW JERSEY, &c, &c. From the Commencement of the War in these parts; particularly, those relative to the intended Attack on CROWN POINT and NIAGARA.

 And, an accurate and succinct detail, of the operations of the FRENCH and ENGLISH Forces at the Siege of OSWEGO, where the AUTHOR was wounded and taken Prisoner; and being afterwards sent to ENGLAND, was on his Arrival at Plymouth, discharg’d as incapable of FURTHER Services.

It may be proper to observe, that the author of the following treatise was born in Aberdeenshire, in the north of Scotland, and was carried off in his infancy from that city, by his own countrymen, and sold as a slave in America; after continuing in this state of slavery for many years, he was at last unfortunately taken captive by the savage Indians, in whose hands he remained for some years, and suffered, during their hunting expeditions, the most severe hardships. At the same time, he was eye-witness of many instances of the most diabolical cruelty, perpetrated by those savages on the persons of several of the inhabitants of the back-settlements, who met with still worse fates than the author.

After making his escape from these inhuman wretches, which he effected almost in a miraculous manner, he entered a volunteer in his Majesty's service, and was in several expeditions against the French and Indians in the late war, in which he endeavoured to revenge the cruel treatment he had met from the latter; but was, at last, taken prisoner at the siege of Oswego, and sent to England in a cartel ship. Soon after, receiving his discharge from the service, he published a book, entitled, French and Indian Cruelty, &c. in which he recites, in a concise, but distinct manner, a series of the most unexampled cruelty and barbarity, committed by these savages, to which they were excited in a great degree by the influence of French gold.

Know, therefore, that I was born in Hirnlay, in the parish of Aboyne, and county of Aberdeen, North Britain, if not of rich, yet of reputable parents, who supported me in the best manner they could, as long as they had the happiness of having me under their inspection: but fatally for me, and to their great grief as it afterwards proved, I was sent to live with an aunt at Aberdeen; when, under the years of pupillarity, playing on the quay, with others of my companions, being of stout robust composition, I was taken notice of by two fellows belonging to a vessel in the harbour, employed (as the trade then was), by some of the worthy merchants in the town, in that villainous and execrable practice called Kidnapping; that is, stealing young children and selling them as slaves in the Plantations abroad. Being marked out by these monsters of impiety as their prey, I was cajoled on board the ship by them, when I was no sooner got, than they conducted me between the decks to some others they had kidnapped in the same manner. At that time, I had no sense of the fate that destined for me, and spent the time in childish amusements with my fellow sufferers in the steerage, being never suffered to go up on deck whilst the vessel lay in the harbour, which was until such a time as they had got in their loading, with a complement of unhappy youths for carrying on their wicked commerce.

The account she gave of their disastrous fate and dire catastrophe, besides what I have already mentioned, was that the savages had no sooner seen all consumed but they hurried off with her and her brother, pushing and sometimes dragging them on, for four or five miles, when they stopped; and stripping her naked, treated her in a shocking manner, whilst others were stripping and cruelly whipping her unhappy brother. After which, they, in the same manner, pursued their journey, regardless of the tears, prayers, or entreaties of this wretched pair; but with the most infernal pleasure, laughed and rejoiced at the calamities and distresses they had brought them to; and saw them suffer, until they arrived at the place we found them; where they had that day butchered her beloved brother in the following execrable and cruel manner: they first scalped him alive, and after mocking his agonising groans and torments, for some hours, ripped open his belly, into which they put splinters and chips of pine trees, and set fire thereto; the same (on account of the turpentine wherewith these tress abound) burnt with great quickness and fury for a little time, during which he remained in a manner alive, as she could sometimes perceive him to move his head, and groan. They then piled a great quantity of wood all around his body, and consumed it to ashes.

The enemy in three columns, consisting of 2500 Canadians and savages, crossed the river, some by swimming, and others by wading, with the water up to their middles, in order to invest and attack the old fort. This bold action, by which they entirely cut off the communications of the two forts; the celerity with which the works were carried on, in ground that we thought impracticable; a continual return of our fire from a battery of ten cannon, twelve pounders; and their preparing a battery of mortars and hoyets, made Colonel Mercer think it advisable  (he not knowing their numbers) to order Colonel  Schuyler, with 500 men, to oppose them; which would accordingly have been carried into execution, and, consequently, every man of the 500 cut off, had not Colonel Mercer been killed by a cannon ball, a few minutes after. The resolution of this valiant Colonel seemed to be determined to oppose the French to the last extremity, and to maintain his ground at Oswego, but his final doom came on so unexpectedly, that his loss was universally regretted.

OF VIRGINIA.

The extent of this province is computed to be 260 miles in length and 220 miles in breadth, being mostly flat land. For one hundred miles up the country there is scarce a hill or a stone to be seen. The air and seasons (it lying between 36 and 39 of north lat.) depend very much on the wind, as to heat and cold, dryness and moisture. The north and north-west winds are very nitrous and piercing cold, or else boisterous and stormy: the south and south-east winds, hazy and sultry hot. In winter they have a fine, clear air, which renders it very pleasant; the frosts are short, but sometimes so very sharp, that rivers are frozen over three miles broad. Snow often falls in large quantities; but seldom continues above two or three days at most.