Cause of Battle

The cause of the battle is perhaps irrelevant, however the Franklin Papers that are available online from the American Philosophical Society revealed an interesting document.  It is a letter from one Charles Thompson dated May 14, 1758.  This letter quotes another letter from one S. Wright dated April 18, ????.

A partial text of the letter is below.  In summary it says that the Indian attack on the McCord family was the result of earlier mistreatment of the Indians by McCord.  It can't be determined with any certainty if this is the same McCord or McCord family that built Fort McCord.  However from the rivers and creeks mentioned, it is certainly in central Pennsylvania.  The "McCords family on Conewago" is not consistent with Fort McCord, however the West Conewago Creek does show on watershed maps very close to Franklin County and it cannot be determined how much further it runs after it is too small for the map.  It could also be a simple confusion of the Conewago and Conocosheague names.  The current locals should have some input as to this question.

A reasonably thorough search for other incidents between the Indians and McCord's during this period yields only one other such incident, but it occurred in extreme northern New Jersey.

Eschenmann notes that the Indians always had a precise target selected before initiating their raids.(1)  This would support the idea that the McCords were specifically selected for this attack.

In summary it is interesting to consider that the deaths and captivity of those at McCord's Fort and the deaths of those at Sideling Hill were the result of Indian vengeance because of a McCord being less than friendly to the Delawares near his home.

From Charles Thomson

 Sun, May 14, 1758 

"The Indians you know are a revengeful People, and what Injury they received you will best know by an Extract of another Letter from your friend S. Wright, 23 April “The Destruction of McCords family on Conewago seems probably to have been a Piece of private Revenge; we heard a good many flying Stories to that Purpose, but two Days ago we saw a sober sensible Man, who lives about 7 Miles from that Place and seems not under any great apprehensions of Dangers.

He told us McCord was a morose rash Man; that for some years past great Numbers of Indians had Cabbins about the heads of Swatara and some other Creeks viz. Conewago and Chickus, for the Convenience of hunting; that soon after Braddocks defeat about 100 Delawares and Nanticokes had cabins near McCord’s Place; that he went to them and bid them be gone, for he would burn their Cabins: they refused to leave the Place as it was so convenient for hunting, said they would not hurt any thing, nor so much as come near his House. Upon which he set fire to their Cabins and burned them all down with whatever little things were in them; the Indians still unwilling to shift their Quarters, put up other Cabins, these he served in the same Manner and laid them all in ashes, upon which the whole body of Indians quitted those parts but told him, they would one time or other take a proper Revenge, of which Menace he lived in continual fear, till it was put in Execution.

Now these who destroyed McCord and his family passed several Plantations, where they might as easily have perpetrated their barbaritys as there: they lodged one night in a Man’s barn as the People found by their tracks &c. in the Morning, but did no damage nor injured any person in that Neighbourhood except that one single family.”  

The Franklin Papers are made available online through Yale University and the Packard Humanities Institute.