58

JOURNAL OF THE SECOND ESOPUS WAR.

10 th ditto. A detachment was out with the wood cutters; nothing else occurred.

11 th ditto Sunday, nothing was done except sending a party to the river side with bread for thepeople in the Redoubt.

12 th ditto. A detachment was out in the bush with the woodcutters. Nothing else transpired.

13 th ditto. The Company’s Yacht arrived ; brings some provisions for the garrison ; also arrivedat the Redoubt a Wappinger Sachem with eight Indians, bringing a female Christian Captive whomhe had purchased from the Esopus Indians and which he had promised us on the 8 th inst. on boardRut Jacobson’s Yacht . The Council of War resolved that he and his attending Indians should bebrought up to Wildwyck; they were accordingly conducted up by Lieutenant Couwenhoven andCaptain Thomas Chambers and brought to Wildwyck. Sent for him to the Council of War and asked,what he had to communicate! He answered, I am come to perform my promise which I gave onboard the Yacht at the Redoubt, to bring in the Christian Woman whom I bought from the EsopusSquaw, and I bring and present her to- you now, because we are both friends. Whereupon wethanked him and said, that we should speak together on the morrow. Lodged them in Capt. Cham-bers house and had food furnished them. Meanwhile a detachment went down to the river side.Otherwise nothing occurred to-day.

14 th ditto. The Council of War met again and resolved to release the Wappinger Indian, and togive him back to the Chief with one of the Esopus captive Squaws, pursuant to our previouspromise, made on the eight of November to the Wappinger Chief, on board the Yacht at the Redoubt.Invited the Chief and his Indians into the Council chamber and presented him the Esopus Squawand a little sucking infant, which they took ; presented him also with two pieces of cloth in tokenof friendship. The Chief then requested that we should live with him in friendship, which shouldbe preserved by him. He gave us, in token thereof, a Bow and arrow and said, I will not make waragainst the Dutch, but live in peace with them. We promised him likewise ; gave each other thehand, and the said chief promised us to do his best to obtain back for us all the prisoners from theEsopus Indians that a mutual exchange should be made ; for to morrow being Thursday, the EsopusSachem would then come with the prisoners according to the promise he gave Lieutenant Couwen-hoven and the provisional truce agreed upon for ten days with him, for he had promised to fetchthe Christian prisoners to the Redoubt in the space of ten days, to be then exchanged one for theother. Now, what the result will be, when the ten days are expired, time will tell. So they againdeparted well satisfied. Gave them an escort to conduct them to the river side, and the Councilresolved that the sloop shall remain until the expiration of the time agreed upon between LieutenantCouwenhoven and the Esopus Sachem on the 5 th November, on board the Sloop in the WappingerCreek, to wit: that the Esopus Chief should bring up all the Christian prisoners to the Redoubt toexchange them then, one for another, whereupon a ten days’ truce was mutually agreed to. A soldiernamed Jurien Helm died to day. An escort was also down to the river side. Nothing else occurredto day.

15 th ditto. A vessel arrived from fort Orange with cattle; sent a convoy to the river side.Nothing else happened.

16 th ditto. Another detachment was down to the river. A yacht bound for the Manhatansarrived from fort Orange to day. Nothing else occurred.

17 th ditto. Arranged every thing in order and departed with some of the Military for the Man-hatans leaving in Wddwytk about sixty soldiers under, the command of Ensign ChristiaenNiessen.*

* That part of the Journal between Asterisks, which follows, is by Ensign Niessen. Ed.