Person:James Smith (537)

James Smith

• A couple of times, James Smith and John Ormsby (Pittsburgh) respectfully enshrine a Virginian, Lemuel Barrett who was in charge of a small group of Pennsylvania Rangers that left Carlisle in 1763. It was Lemuel Barrett's scheme that had made Captain Henry Bouquet's reputation a success at the Battle of Bushy Run. Captain Henry Bouquet arrived at Fort Bedford on July 25. Before continuing west, he raised a company of 14 rangers, commanded by Captain Lemuel Barrett, to act as scouts, complaining "the Highlanders lose themselves in the Woods as soon as they got out of the Road." The Higlander's Smith refered to here are the 42nd Regiment of Foot and the 77th Regiment of Foot (Montgomerie's Highlanders), which were a British relief column of 500 soldiers, left Carlisle, Pennsylvania, to relieve Fort Pitt, then under siege by indians led by Guyasuta.

[1] Barrett's insight that the way to get Indians to commit themselves on the battlefield is to appear to be disintegrating, is incorporated in James' schema in an incidental way. That is, James Smith says that even if there is a collapse of part of the square in which the soldiers are fighting and the Indians rush in, they will be rushing deeper into a trap.^S5

Source - [1] J. Smith, Treatise, 6-7, 21.^S5 While not perfectly clear, it seems likely that Ensign Smith was talking of Captain Henry Bouquet's command at Bushy Run when he wrote: "they knew no more about fighting Indians, than Indians do about ship building." Treatise, 52.^S5

• 05,06 Aug 1763 - Battle of Bushy Run - Western Pennsylvania - War Bounty Land Grant - "three thousand acres of land due unto the said Saml. Sample for Military service performed by him as a Captain in the late war between Great Britain and France according to the terms of the King of Great Britain proclaimed of 1763." This land was later sold by said Samuel Sample to Robert Hunter.

It was later proved in 1780 Yohogania County Court Records to the satisfaction of the court that Samuel Semple served as a Captain in a Corps of Rangers in Pennsylvania.

• Bates, Samuel Penniman; Fraise, Richard Jacob. History of Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Publisher Warner, Beers & Co. Chicago, 1887.

Page 505 - Chapter 20 – Borough of Mercerburg – Early Traffic – It was nothing uncommon at that time to see from fifty to one hundered pack-horses in a row, laden with salt, iron and other commodities for the Monongahela, Pennsylvania country. Sometimes dishonest and unscrupulous people surreptitiously took goods which, falling into the hands of the Indians, were injurious to the settlers. This led to the practice of inspecting, military-like, whatever these tradesmen carried. Justice William Smith was one of these inspectors.

Page 506 – (Taken from) Pritts, Joeseph. Incidents Of Border Life... Published by Author, Chambersburg, Pa. 1841

“In the life and travels of Colonel James Smith, an interesting incident, having some relation to this place, is mentioned. The King’s Royal Proclamation of 1763 was then circulated, prohibiting any person from trading with the Indians until further orders.

“Notwithstanding all this, about the 1st of March, 1765, a number of wagons loaded with Indian goods and warlike stores were sent from Philadelphia to Henry Pollen’s, Conococheague, and from thence seventy pack-horses were loaded with goods in order to be carried to Fort Pitt. This alarmed the country, and Mr. William Duffield raised about fifty armed men, and met the pack-horses at the place where Mercersburg now stands. Mr. Duffield desired the employers to store up their goods and not proceed until further orders. They made light of this, and went over the North Mountain, where they lodged in a small valley called the Great Cove. Mr. Duffield and his party followed after, and came to their lodging, and again urged them to store up their goods; he reasoned with them on the impropriety of their proceedings, and the great danger the frontier inhabitants would be exposed to if the Indians now should get a supply; he said it was well known that they had scarcely any ammunition, and were almost naked; to supply them now would be a kind of murder, and would be illegally trading at the expense of the blood and treasure of the frontiers. Notwithstanding his powerful reasonings these traders made game of what he said, and would only answer him by ludicrous burlesque.

“When I beheld this and found that Mr. Duffield would not compel them to store up their goods, I collected ten of my old warriors that I had formerly disciplined in the Indian way, went off privately after night, and encamped in the woods. The next day Smith and his men brought the traders to their own terms, prevented them from carrying the goods to their place of distination.”

06 March 1765, James Smith, leader of the Black Boys, stopped a pack train led by Robert Callender of the Baynton, Wharton, and Morgan Co., and burned illegal goods, including rum and gunpowder, that British official George Croghan was trying to trade to the Native Americans. The British authorities, however, sided with Croghan.

• Alvord, Clarence Walworth, The New Régime, 1765-1767, Vol. 11, Page 162, 163, 164, Illinois State Historical Library, 1916.

02 March 1766 - PENNSBOROUGH - Letter from Robert Callender to Messr Baynton, Wharton, and Morgan.

"Gentlemen, Since my return home, I have been informed by sundry persons, that the rascally part of the Inhabitants of Conegocheage are determined, and now laying a plan, to do you some piece of injury, by either stopping or destroying some part of your last Cargo that yet remains with the Carriers in that Neighborhood, on account of Justice Smith's [nee Justice William Smith, brother-in-law of James Smith] discharge from the Magistracy, for which they entirely blame your House, thinking that it is you alone have excited the Governor to do it. As you have already experienced so much of their Villainy, they are not to be trusted farther than seen, and therefore I have advised Irwin to go immediately up to that Neighborhood, and stop the proceedings of the Carriers till there is some methods fixed upon for the safe Conveyance of these Goods, now in their Charge, least the Devil should tempt them to commit some Outrage of that kind, which I have great reason to believe they will. Sincerely, Robert Callender"

1. ↑ ^1.0 1.1 Col. James Smith, Sr., in Find A Grave.
2.   James Smith (frontiersman), in Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia.
3.   Alvord, Clarence Walworth, and Clarence Edwin Carter. The New Régime 1765-1767. (Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1987)
   Vol. 11, Page 162, 163, 164. .

   Gentlemen,
   "Since my return home, I have been informed by sundry persons, that the rascally part of the Inhabitants of Conegocheage are determined, and now laying a plan, to do you some piece of injury, by either stopping or destroying some part of your last Cargo that yet remains with the Carriers in that Neighborhood, on account of Justice Smith's discharge from the Magistracy, for which they entirely blame your House, thinking that it is you alone have excited the Governor to do it. As you have already experienced so much of their Villainy, they are not to be trusted farther than seen, and therefore I have advised Irwin to go immediately up to that Neighborhood, and stop the proceedings of the Carriers till there is some methods fixed upon for the safe Conveyance of these Goods, now in their Charge, least the Devil should tempt them to commit some Outrage of that kind, which I have great reason to believe they will."
   Sincerely, Robert Callender

4.   Bates, Samuel Penniman; Fraise, Richard Jacob. History of Franklin County, Pennsylvania: containing a history of the county, its townships, towns, villages, schools, churches, industries, etc., portraits of early settlers and prominents men, biographies, history of Pennsylvania, statistical and miscellaneous matter, etc., etc. (Chicago, Illinois: Warner, Beers & Co., 1887).

   Page 505 - Chapter 20 – Borough of Mercerburg – Early Traffic – It was nothing uncommon at that time to see from fifty to one hundered pack-horses in a row, laden with salt, iron and other commodities for the Monongahela country. Sometimes dishonest and unscrupulous people surreptitiously took goods which, falling into the hands of the Indians, were injurious to the settlers. This led to the practice of inspecting, military-like, whatever these tradesmen carried. Justice William Smith was one of these inspectors.
   
   Page 506 – Incidents of Border Life, etc.,
   
   “In the life and travels of Colonel James Smith, an interesting incident, having some relation to this place, is mentioned. The King’s proclamation was then circulated, prohibiting any person from trading with the Indians until further orders.
   
   “Notwithstanding all this, about the 1st of March, 1765, a number of wagons loaded with Indian goods and warlike stores were sent from Philadelphia to Henry Pollen’s, Conococheague, and from thence seventy pack-horses were loaded with goods in order to be carried to Fort Pitt. This alarmed the country, and Mr. William Duffield raised about fifty armed men, and met the pack-horses at the place where Mercersburg now stands. Mr. Duffield desired the employers to store up their goods and not proceed until further orders. They made light of this, and went over the North Mountain, where they lodged in a small valley called the Great Cove. Mr. Duffield and his party followed after, and came to their lodging, and again urged them to store up their goods; he reasoned with them on the impropriety of their proceedings, and the great danger the frontier inhabitants would be exposed to if the Indians now should get a supply; he said it was well known that they had scarcely any ammunition, and were almost naked; to supply them now would be a kind of murder, and would be illegally trading at the expense of the blood and treasure of the frontiers. Notwithstanding his powerful reasonings these traders made game of what he said, and would only answer him by ludicrous burlesque.
   
   “When I beheld this and found that Mr. Duffield would not compel them to store up their goods, I collected ten of my old warriors that I had formerly disciplined in the Indian way, went off privately after night, and encamped in the woods. The next day Smith and his men brought the traders to their own terms, prevented them from carrying the goods to their place of distination.”

5.   Smith, James. A Treatise on the Mode and Manner of Indian War: Their Tactics, Discipline and Encampments, the Various Methods They Practice, in Order to Obtain the Advantage, by Ambush, Surprise, Surrounding, &c. Ways and Means Proposed to Prevent the Indians from Obtaining the Advantage ... Also a Brief Account of Twenty-three Campaigns, Carried on Against the Indians with the Events Since the Year 1755; Gov. Harrison's Included. (Paris, Kentucky: Lyle, Joel R. printer, 1812).