Call Out The Troops
November 6, 2007 - 11:54am — Storytrax
Location(s)
Bedford, PA
The following was written by Paula Zitzler. I thought with celebration of Veteran's day this might be a good read.Several years ago Paula was writing about special events that happpened on specific days in history. Events that centered around a region called Westsylvania. To read more about the region called Westsylvania check back at the site as we update that story. This particular story was written on January 20, 2004. Thanks Paula! (ecooley)
Troops On The Frontier
Almost every day we hear of a group of soldiers returning from or heading to Iraq, Afghanistan, or the Balkans. On this day in 1778, Westsylvania faced a similar problem.
Things were nasty on the frontier, particularly along the Allegheny Front (in what is now Bedford, Blair, Somerset and Huntingdon counties) during the American Revolution in the winter of 1778. A terrorist campaign was waged by Tories (those who remained loyal to King George), British Rangers from Fort Niagara, and the Seneca.
Typically, winters were quiet times during colonial wars because it was difficult to move troops and supplies. George Washington collected his army at Valley Forge that winter, where he could keep an eye on the British, who’d captured and occupied the provincial capital of Philadelphia. But on the frontier, small bands of Tories continued to kill and burn out their neighbors throughout the winter. As the dangerous conditions persisted, many people considered packing up and moving somewhere - anywhere - safer.
It was up to Col. John Piper and Hugh Davidson to protect the frontier. They were the officers of the Bedford County militia. The militia was the grandfather of today's National Guard, and all men were required to register for military duty and were called up for 6 to 9 months when needed. On January 20, 1778, Col. Piper wrote to President Wharton of the Supreme Executive Council (this was the provisional government that took over when Pennsylvania overthrew its existing government by signing the Declaration of Independence) requesting permission to call up the militia. Specifically, he wanted to raise 30 men for the defense of the Glades (now Somerset County), 40 for the town of Bedford, 30 for Frankstown, 30 for Sinking Valley, and 30 for the valleys around Hart’s Log and Shaver’s Creek. A hundred and sixty guys to defend the area now included in four counties, against an enemy that traveled fast and could pop up anywhere with deadly consequences. And we think we’ve got homeland security issues!
Col. Piper didn’t wait for a response from the government meeting in Lancaster to start calling out the militia. The Tories continued their frontier raids and planned a get together in Kittanning to better organize their efforts. But a funny thing happened to the Tories on their way to that meeting . . . and that’s another story.
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Comments
Heritage conservation?!
Geez, I guess EVERYTHING gets recycled these days! I forgot about this little story -- I wonder what else I can find in my old files . . .