We have numerous accounts which state that on July 18, 1757 Indians attacked a group of men and boys who were trying to harvest their fields about 7 miles from Shippensburg. John Kirkpatrick and Dennis O’Neiden were killed. John Cessna, two of his sons and a son of John Kirkpatrick were taken captive.
We also have evidence that John Cessna returned home about 1759 because his last son was born in 1760. We know the three boys had returned in 1762. We have testimony from Joseph Glass Cessna (grandson of one of the boys) that they were held by the Pottawatomie in their village near Detroit for about five years. NOW COMES NEW INFORMATION: Jeff Lightener recently shared references he has found: From the book “Setting the Captives Free” he found that on December 4, George Croghan (the British Indian Agent) was assured that the Potawatomie had returned all of their captives “except those who refused to return.” Later the book reports that on 1 October 1761 two sons of John Sisney and a son of the Widow Kirkpatrick presented themselves at the gate of Fort Detroit. From “The Papers of Henry Bouquet”, found at the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commision, Volume 5, page 822: Col Bouquet writes from Fort Pitt that he has received a letter from Col Burd at Detroit that he has in his company the two sons of John Sisney & one son of Widow Kirkpatrick. Col Bouquet return letter of 13 October 1761 requests that the three boys be sent to Pittsburgh as soon as possible. The above indicates that the three boys taken by Pottawatomie from John Cessna’s field on July 18, 1757 returned to Pennsylvania, and their home in Shippensburg late in the year 1761 or early 1762. The length of travel time would have been subject to the weather and method of travel. They would not have been sent alone, and needed to wait for an escort.
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AuthorBill Cissna Archives
June 2023
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