362 men in campaign

A total of 362 men and officers took part in the campaign.
Gen. Hand informed Maj. Gen. Gates of the results of that expedition in a letter (hand correspondence) now filed in the Library of Congress.
He explained that he formed the company to seize the Indian town by surprise as the Indians would expect the Americans to be inactive then.
He described the event: "Unluckily, the heavy rains that fell soon after we set out, together with the melting of snow raised the waters to such a pitch that, after swimming some creeks and going around the heads of others, we were obliged to return."
"About 40 miles from the mouth of Beaver Creek, we discovered the tracks of some Indians, and detached small parties to reconnoiter."
"Some of them returned and and informed me they had discovered a camp of some 50-60 Indians. I conjectured they were warriors on the way to our settlements, proceeded to attack them, but found to my great mortification only one man, with only some women and children. The men were so impetuous that I could not prevent them from killing the man and one of the women. Another woman was taken, and with much difficulty saved. Two women and the children escaped which I was sorry for. The prisoner told us that 10 miles higher, 10 Muncy men (Indians) were making salt."
"I detached a party to secure them and they turned out to be four women and a boy. Of these, one woman only could be saved and is a prisoner."
"Notwithstanding, this brutal conduct, I verily believe the party would behave well if they had the men to contend with."
"As only a few of the Virginians and these most officers were out on this occasion, these gentlemen express a desire to show what they can do. I am determined not to balk, and hope to make some advantage of this spirit of emulation."
Hand concluded his letter by saying he attempted to send a small quantity of ammunition, but it was lost and one of the men who navigated the canoe drowned.
Gen. Hand repeated this account of his expedition to Jasper Yeates in a letter recorded in the New York Public Library.

Details murder

A more detailed account of the murder of the Indians is given by Samuel Murphy in the Thwaites Kellogg book. He notes:
"Orders had been given as they approached the town to surround it. but Col. Mounts did not fully accomplish his part and left a gap. Pipe's wife and children got off, a little fall of snow on the ground. This Pipe was a brother of Captain Pipe."
"The mother of the Pipes, an old squaw, was pursued and shot at repeatedly. Thomas Ravenscroft ran up to the old squaw and tried to pull her away, but the bullets were still flying and he had a ball through his legging when a major came up and put a stop to the firing. The only injury she had received was the loss of a little finger."
"An old squaw was shot by Lt. Hamilton and wounded in the leg, mistaking her for a warrior. A soldier ran up and tomahawked her, and a second ran up and shot her. Pipe shot and wounded Capt. Scott and disabled his arm. When he was nearly ready to shoot again, someone shot Pipe, and Reasin Virgin passing sunk the tomahawk in his head."
"Then commenced a wild yelling and shooting without giving the least heed to the officers. A few cabins only were there, a little plunder obtained."

Take squaws prisoner

"That afternoon a part started off for a small Indian settlement several miles up the Mahoning at a place called the Salt Licks. Simon Girty went as pilot. They did not reach the place until in the night, found the warriors all absent hunting, found a few squaws there, and took one prisoner and brought her off. The others were left."
"A small Indian boy out with a gun shooting birds was discovered and killed. Several claimed the honor. It was left to Girty to decide and his decision was that one Zach Connell killed the lad."
"At the first town, the mother of Pipe was left. An old Dutchman scalped the squaw that had been killed and put the scalp in his wallet with his provisions."
"In swimming a stream on return, the Dutchman lost his wallet and exclaimed pathetically, 'O, I loss my prosock and my sculp.' This was long a byword with the troops."
Murphy added that Hand was greatly displeased at this campaign and "doubtless, it contributed greatly toward his leaving the frontiers and rejoining the main army."
It was probably at this time that Shenango and Pymatuning Towns in Mercer County were abandoned by the Indians, according to Hunter.
He refers to a diary of the Moravian mission of Lichetenau which cites this campaign.
The entry on March 18 notes, "We also received news that the Indians above Gnadenhutten (Moravian mission on the Muskingum) have all fled, and Gnadenhutten is now the (Indian) frontier against the white people. The occasion for this is the murdering on Beaver Creek."
It was Captain White Eyes, head chief of the Delawares from 1776 until his death in 1778, who managed to keep the Delawares neutral for a few months after this Squaw Campaign. Captain Pipe wanted war. George Morgan, Indian agent for the United States, wrote to White Eyes March 20, 1778, to try to get him to dissuade the Indians from going to war against the Americans.