Bradford County Was the Scene of a Battle in the Revolutionary War September 29, 1778
The Battle of Indian Hill in Bradford County on September 29th, 1778, was not a decisive one regarding the overall picture in the American Revolution. Its importance was more regional and strategic.
Until that point, much of the 1778 story in the Susquehanna Valley had consisted of American retreat—Wyoming, raids, abandoned farms and the Great Runaway. Colonel Thomas Hartley demonstrated that a relatively small Continental force could reverse that movement: leave the West Branch, cross the mountains, penetrate the upper North Branch country, reach Tioga, destroy settlements, and then fight its way home.
To provide some background on the war itself: By 1778, the American Revolution in Pennsylvania was being fought in two very different ways. Washington's Continental Army confronted the principal British armies farther east, while settlers along the Susquehanna faced a frontier war involving British-allied Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) warriors, Loyalist rangers and Patriot militia and Continental troops.
For the Middle Susquehanna Valley, 1778 was especially frightening. Raids threatened isolated farms and settlements. Then came the catastrophic Patriot defeat at Wyoming on July 3, 1778, in today's Luzerne County. News and rumors of the fighting contributed to panic farther west.
Settlers fled down the West Branch in what became known as the Great Runaway. Settlers left farms deserted, left crops in the fields, lost their livestock, and destroyed buildings. Settlers fled down the West Branch in what became known as the Great Runaway. When Colonel Thomas Hartley arrived in the region, he described Northumberland County as “distracted & distressed,” with many inhabitants having fled. He was simultaneously trying to protect settlements and provide enough security for people to harvest their crops.
Hartley's expedition wasn't simply an isolated raid into Bradford County. It was an attempt to reverse the direction of the frontier war. Hartley was colonel of the 11th Pennsylvania Regiment. In August 1778 he replaced Col. Daniel Brodhead in command of the West Branch defenses.
One of his immediate concerns was Fort Muncy, erected near present-day Muncy. According to later Lycoming County accounts, frightened residents—particularly women reluctant to return to exposed farms—wanted a defensible post before going home. Hartley also distributed troops among frontier positions and assisted residents in bringing in what remained of the harvest.
Congress authorized Hartley to carry the fight northward. He hoped for roughly 400 men. Only about 200 rank and file were available. Nevertheless, at approximately four o'clock on the morning of September 21, 1778, Hartley marched from Fort Muncy carrying twelve days' provisions and spare ammunition.
Hartley's men moved westward and north from the Muncy area, crossed Loyalsock Creek and reached the old Sheshequin Path near present-day Williamsport. They then followed the route northward along Lycoming Creek. This was difficult country. Contemporary roads in the modern sense did not exist. The column encountered narrow trails, swamps, and rough mountain terrain.
The first significant encounter occurred on September 26, roughly between present-day Grover and Canton. An Indigenous leader was killed in the fighting. Near LeRoy, Hartley's men subsequently discovered a recently abandoned camp reportedly used the previous night by upwards of seventy warriors. Hartley kept moving.
Near Sheshequin, Hartley's force recovered prisoners and livestock. Older Bradford County history says fifteen prisoners were recovered there. The expedition then reached Tioga, near present-day Athens, at the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chemung rivers.
Hartley's force destroyed settlements in the vicinity, including Tioga and the settlement associated in the historical accounts with Queen Esther, and seized canoes, livestock, and other property. Then Hartley turned south.
He had penetrated deeply into hostile territory with only about 200 men. His provisions were running low, opposing forces were gathering, and he had to get his command back down the North Branch.
Hartley's men reached Wyalusing after an exceptionally long march. The Bradford County account says that what little beef remained was cooked there. The column now included recovered livestock and prisoners and was moving through country from which an attack might come almost anywhere.
On September 29, Hartley moved south from the Wyalusing vicinity. His force was attacked more than once. The most serious attack came at a place subsequently remembered as Indian Hill, in southern Tuscarora Township. This is the landscape shown in the 1916 photograph.
Hartley's column had infantry on the road, a small mounted component, and men traveling in boats on the Susquehanna. As the force reached Indian Hill, a substantial opposing force attacked the left flank and rear. The rear guard began to give way.
Hartley sent Captain Simon Spalding to reinforce it. Hartley then maneuvered portions of his command onto elevated ground that overlooked and flanked the attackers. Another small party moved in an attempt to get behind them. Then something particularly interesting happened. The men traveling downriver in boats heard the firing. They landed and hurried toward the battle.
Suddenly Hartley's opponents faced pressure from several directions. The Americans advanced with considerable shouting and noise. According to the nineteenth-century Bradford County account, the attacking warriors believed they were in danger of being surrounded and withdrew. Hartley's force held the field.
The traditionally reported American casualties were four killed and ten wounded. The historical account says ten opposing warriors were left dead on the field. Hartley continued south and reached Wyoming on October 1.
The expedition reportedly covered roughly 300 miles in less than two weeks. That mattered psychologically as well as militarily. Less than a year later, Washington launched the Sullivan-Clinton Campaign of 1779.
Hartley's expedition therefore can reasonably be regarded as a forerunner of the Sullivan campaign. The Muncy Historical Society even describes it as a possible “pilot” for the larger 1779 operations.