Morrison's Pensions
SKIRMISH NEAR LAMPMAN'S FARM
by James F. Morrison
In
the morning of Sunday July 29, 1781, Lieutenant Jacob J. Klock with about
thirty Indians and Loyalists encamped in the woods near one Lampman's farm
and after resting they would attack the nearby settlement.
Philip Helmer
one of the party told Lieutenant Klock that he was going to get a Negro belonging
to Richard Failing. Helmer after leaving the encampment went to Fort Hess and
informed the garrison there of the enemy's whereabouts. A messenger was sent
to Fort Paris about the presence of the enemy.
Captain
Henry Miller at Fort Paris on receiving this intelligence gathered some of
the militia at the fort and a few more joined them that were at church. Lieutenant
Jacob Sammons with about ten levies joined them making their party about twenty‑five
men.
Captain
Miller and Lieutenant Sammons with their men now went to where the enemy was
encamped. William Feeter, Andrew Gray with four other men were in advance discovered
the enemy's encampment and fired at them. One of the Indians fell to the ground
with a musket ball from Gray's musket.
Now the
enemy scurried to their feet and grabbed their muskets and then returned the
fire. After about fifteen minutes of fighting, the enemy retreated leaving
the dead Indian behind and taking with them one wounded Indian back to Canada.
One of Captain
Miller's men was slightly wounded and after Gray had scalped the Indian that
he had killed, they returned to Fort Paris.
The following
are names of the raiding party that are known: Lieutenant Jacob I. Klock; Philip
Helmer, who gave himself up as a prisoner to the garrison at Fort Hess; Matthias
Wormwood; Nicholas Rosencrantz; John Anquish; Henry Heiney and Nicholas Herkimer.
The following
is a list of the militiamen and levies that are known to have been at Lampman's:
Captain Henry Miller; Lieutenant Isaac Paris; Lieutenant Jacob Sammons; Sergeant
Jacob Snell; Corporal John L. Nellis; Privates William Feeter; Christopher
W. Fox; Peter W. Fox; William W. Fox; Andrew Gray; Peter N. Kilts; Wyant Lepper;
Adam A. Loucks; George Loucks; George Saltsman; Henry Shults; Peter Sits; Isaac
Walrath and George Walter.
ANECDOTES
OF SKIRMISH NEAR LAMPMAN'S FARM ON JULY 29, 1781
WILLIAM
FEETER, pension no. S13013 (N.Y.), applied Feb. 11, 1833, residing at Little
Falls, Herkimer County.
"In
June Jacob Klock who resided on the Mohawk River in the (now town of Oppenheim
in Montgomery County) & who had been a Lieutenant in the Continental Service
turned Tory & went to Canada, he took with him several of his neighbors,
in four weeks said Klock & those who left with him returned with a party
of Indians & Canadians, one Philip Helmer, who went to Canada with said
Klock left the enemy & informed the inhabitants of the approach of the
Indians & tories. An express was sent to Stone Arabia on Sunday & deponant & all
the militia marched out. they were Joined by a company of new levies under
the command of Capt Jacob Sammons & Lieutenant Isaac Perry (ed. note Isaac
Paris not Perry) & went in search of the enemy ‑ deponant & six
others were sent as an advance guard & to follow the trail of the enemy ‑ they
overtook the enemy about noon, in the woods & fired upon them & killed
one Indian. the enemy were resting when they were discovered & when fired
upon fled & left all their packs, & many left their guns & hats ‑ one
of the party scalped the Indian that was killed & Andrew Gray carried the
Scalp to the Fort at Stone Arabia ‑ the enemy fled immediately from the
Country".
WILLIAM
W. FOX, pension no. S10690 (N.Y.), applied Sept. 6, 1832, age 78 yrs., resided
at Palatine, Montgomery County.
"This
deponant further saith, that on the 29th day of July on a Holy Sabbath day
Morning when the distressed Inhabitance happened to be Gathered and Collected
together at their Church in Stone arabia, Town of Palatine Aforesaid. An
express came informing the people at the Meeting house that an Number of
Indians and Tories were situated at a distance About five or Six miles from
the aforesaid church, in the woods, whose object were to Exercise their Customary & Usual
cruelties on some of the Inhabitnats near their encampment ‑ the manner
discovery was made, One of their party with an Indian was sent as Spys and
The White man, Treacherous to the party left in the woods, they both crawling
near to a house where an respectable family were residing ‑ the Indian
at once Struck with fear and Jealousy, hastening to his Comrades from Canada,
our men all flying to their Arms, as they were ready doing Execution at all
times, when called as many could be gathered those at the Church left it
Instantly, and Emediently flying to their Arms after returning to their respective
homes, marching in a body to their encampment into the Woods, discovering
that they had Shifted their Position about fifty rods further in to the Woods,
taking them on surprise, the chief of the Indians killed, and two or three
wounded the forgoing happened on 29th July 1781".
Feeter and
Fox both were serving as privates in Col. Jacob Klock's Regt. of Tryon County
Militia in 1781 and both were involved in the Battle of Johnstown on October
25, 1781.
EXAMINATION
OF NICHOLAS HERKIMER
taken
3d Nov., 1781
Nicholas
Herkimer, being examined under oath, saith that he left Palatine district
on Sunday evening, the first of July, in company with Jacob I. Klock; Adam
Klock; John Anguish; Old Bangle and John Bangle; Henry Heiney; Matthias Wormwood;
Philip Helmer and Nicholas Rosencrantz, and went to Swagachie, where they
arrived in 11 days. After being there near two months, himself and six more
of the company, viz: Jacob I. Klock; Philip Helmer; Matthias Wormwood; Nicholas
Rosencrantz; John Anguish and Henry Heiney, set out with a party consisting
of nine white men, besides their party, and 14 Indians, and in 11 days arrived
in the neighborhood of Canajoharie and concealed themselves in a field behind
Adam Nellis's. That in the night of the day of their arrival, himself, Rosencrantz
and one Indian, went to the house of Petrus Ehle. On their arrival near the
house, Rosencrantz went ahead, and after awaking up Ehle and his family,
called to this examinant, who, together with the Indian, went into the house,
where they found Ehle, his wife and daughter, who expressed great joy in
seeing them, and furnished them with provisions to replenish themselves,
and gave them as much bread, smoked meat, butter and cheese as they could
carry, for the use of the party.
They then
went back to the party, where they arrived about the dawning of the day. While
they were at Ehle's, Ehle promised to send somebody to acquaint Thomas (Last
name illegible in original manuscript) and Daniel Hess, to inform them that
they were arrived, and the place where they lay. About 1O o'clock in the morning
those two Hesses came to the party, and after some consideration they removed
to another place, and the Hesses went, in order to fetch some other men who
were to have joined them. Some time early in the morning, Philip Helmer left
the party, in order, as he said, to fetch a negro belonging to Richard Failing.
They continued in this position, without anything further taking place that
this examinent recollects, until about three o'clock in the afternoon, when
they were surprised by a party of men, upon which they ran off and scattered
in the bush, having one Indian killed and one wounded and one of their white
men missing. They did not get together until they arrived at Canada creek;
from which place they went, in five or six days, to Point‑a‑Lake,
where he stayed three days, and returned again to Swagachie, where he got some
provisions and went to Carlton Island, where he tarried two days, and embarked
on board a vessel and went to Niagara. Then Rosencrantz entered into the ranger
service as a volunteer, and Wormwood as a private; and he himself stayed at
Niagara till such time as Butler was ordered to join Maj. Ross, and then he
came along as a volunteer and continued with the party until the evening of
the action at Johnstown, and then he left them; and further this examinant
saith not.
Nicolas
Herkimer
Sworn before me the 3d Nov., 1781
Andrew Finck,
Jr., Justice
Copied from the Frontiersmen of New York, Jeptha R. Simms, George C. Riggs, Publisher, Albany, 1882, Vol. II, pages 517‑519.