Chew on Abercrombie's Disaster
We strive to keep our stories short and simple and not always succeed, but this one attracts our attention for more than one reason.
Of local interest is Joseph Chew, who is up in Connecticut writing a letter 17 July 1758 about Abercrombie's disaster at Fort Carillon (Ticonderoga).
Sidebar to allay confusion on fort names:
The French call their own fort - Fort Carillion. The British referred to it as Ticonderoga, and then later built their own fort there.
Joseph Chew writes this letter of 17 July 1758 to Colonel George Washington commanding operations presently at Fort Cumberland, whose headquarters is still Fort Loudoun Winchester VA and the town where he is running for office in a 24 July 1758 election to House of Burgesses.
And our local interest extends to Joseph Chew having a brother in George Washington's Virginia Regiment who worked alongside Cherokee allies who had Conjurers in their team when they spied on Fort Duquesne.
Conjurers.
We all need something like that before we launch into something we fear.
We will have a more detailed story on those Cherokee Conjurers in August 2022.
In 2022 we are covering 1758.
And Colby Chew, brother to the Joseph Chew who wrote to GW, is an Ensign in the Virginia Regiment and who travelled with those Cherokee with their Conjurers right up to Fort Duquesne to spy in August 1758.
Touch or click on picture about those Cherokee Conjurers.
More on this matter next month.
But the other point
that doesn't keep this story simple
in just addressing one point is this question:
Why don't we refer to the disaster up in NY on the battle of Carillon (Ticonderoga) as Abercrombie's Defeat, like we refer to Braddock's Defeat?
In many ways, Abercrombie's debacle was just as bad or worse, just by the numbers of dead and wounded alone, but even worse for incompetence and lack of mindfulness far above any seen in Braddock.
For the experts, they know far and above all the details of this disaster.
For those new to this, may this attract you to dig in to it more.
And there's always more.
Read bits and pieces below.
Skip around.
Okay.
That's it.
That's our lead story.
Compiled and authored by Jim Moyer updated 7/18/2022
Read the letter by
Joseph Chew about Abercrombie's disaster.
To George Washington
from Joseph Chew,
17 July 1758
From Joseph Chew New London [Conn.] July. 17th 1758
Dear Sir: I was on a Vissit over to Long Island a few days agoe and unexpectedly Came here.1
shall Return in the morning for New London.
am Very sorry to give an Accot of the Repulse our Forces met with before Tiondoroga[.]
we Landed on the 7th near that Fortress with the Loss of abt 30 men. but what was Very Fatall, the Gallant Lord How there Lost his Life, we drove the Enemy from all their out Posts and killed an took abt 400 Prisoners—the 8th our army attacked the Retrench’d Camp before The Fort sword in hand, there is so many Various Reports of the attack and Loss; that it is Very hard to Come at the truth, however we met with a Very Warm Reception, the Enemy were ⟨trebly⟩ intrenched to their Teeth, how Long the attack lasted I cannot Say but the General has Retreated in good order to the Placee where Fort William Henry Stood with the Loss of near 1600 men killed missing and wounded[.] it is Said 97 officers are killed missing & wounded[.]2
their is as yet no Returns, or List Come to hand theirfore I can give you the Names of but Very few and them only of the greatest Note—Vizt
Lord How. Colo. Donaldson. Colo. Beaver, Majr Proby Majr Rutherford, Majr Tulithen, these most People agree are Certainly amongst the Slain[.] wounded, Colo. Gage. Colo. Delancy of the Yorks Colo. Grant Majr Ayers, Mr Clark Enginere, & I am Very Sorry for an occassion to give you any accot of this kind but as it is so wish it was in my Power to give you a more Particular one, of this severe and unexpected blow.3
I Sincerely hope we shall have a Better story to tell Very soon from you in the neighbourhood of Fort Duquesne, where may he who governs the universe have you under his Peculiar Care and send you back Loaded with Honnour a thing you have always so much merrited. Please to give my Love to my Brother. I have not time to write to him. Excuse this scrawl being in great haist and accept of my most sincere wishes for your safety & welfare and assure your self that I am my Dear Sir Your affectionate Jos. Chew
our Friend Beverley is at Albany wth Govr Delancey his Dear good woman and Prety Boys are Very well—if Doct. Thomas Walker is with you Pray give my best Respects to him. I greatly thank him for his kindness to my Brothers.
ALS, DLC:GW.
Founders Online Footnotes:
1. The postscript suggests that Chew wrote this letter in New York City where he saw the family of his friend Beverley Robinson.
2. On 4 July Gen. James Abercromby with about six thousand regulars and ten thousand provincials sailed up Lake George to attack the French at Fort Carillon (Ticonderoga).
After Abercromby’s army landed at the head of the lake on 6 July, his second in command, George Augustus, Lord Howe, colonel of the 55th Regiment, was killed;
and on 8 July the French led by the marquis de Montcalm repulsed the British attack on Ticonderoga, inflicting heavy losses on the British regulars.
Abercromby reported on 12 July to William Pitt 464 men killed, 29 missing, and 1,117 wounded.
Fort William Henry at the south end of Lake George was destroyed the year before by Montcalm.
3. Among those Chew names here as killed or wounded at Fort Ticonderoga are: John Donaldson and Thomas (or James) Proby, lieutenant colonel and major respectively of Howe’s 55th Regiment; John Tulleken (who in fact survived), major in the 60th Regiment; Samuel Beaver, lieutenant colonel of the 46th Regiment; Thomas Gage (who was unhurt), lieutenant colonel of the 44th Regiment, and William Eyre, major of that regiment; Francis Grant, lieutenant colonel of the 42nd; John Rutherfurd, formerly of an Independent Company in New York and more recently of the 60th Regiment; James De Lancey, Jr. (who survived), of the New York forces; and Matthew Clark, an engineer.
Source:
Preview of Chew's brother with the Cherokee Conjurers
The Virginia partisan Colley Chew [Correct Spelling of name should be: Colby Chew] depicted one party at work in August [1758] near Fort Duquesne:
.
We hid ourselves in a thicket
until the Indians had congered and painted
after which
we went down the river
within 3/4s of a mile of the fort
then turned to the SE,
and went up a stony ridge
where the chief warrior
took his congering implements
and tied them about the necks of the three . . . young Indians . . .
and told them they could not be hurt;
round my neck he tied the otter skin
win which congering implements
ad ben kipt
and round the sgt's necek
he tied a bag of paint
that had been kpt with the implements,
he then told us not one of us could be shot . . .
he then made us strip ourselves of all our clothes
except our breechcloths and mocasins
and then shook hands with us
and told us to go fight like men
for nothing could hurt us.
Page 155 of The Cherokee Frontier, Conflict and Survival 1740-1762, by David H Corkran, published by the University of Oklahoma Press 1962.
.
.
.
.
Colley Chew and Colby Chew -- one and the same guy?
This proves that David Corkran's book has a misspelling of Chew.
Colley Chew is supposed to be Colby or Colbey Chew.
See this link in Hamilton where David Corkran got his quote:
We know Joseph Chew in New London Connecticut is brother to Colby Chew in 1st VA Regiment.
To George Washington from Joseph Chew, 14 March 1757
From Joseph Chew New York March 14th 1757
I have a Brother who has acted as under Commissry for Mr Walker at Winchester he is young and I hope of a good Disposition. I trouble you with the inclosed for him and Pray the favour of you to show him any Countenance his Situation may admit of; and give him on my Accot any Friendly advice you think Proper. I hope he himself will be greatfull, and I assure you I Shall Ever be so, indeed I make no doubt but you will Receive a satisfaction in showing Favour to a Poor youth whose Fathers bad œconomy has turn’d into the world to shift for himself, but this subject would be only troubling you with Mallencholly Scenes you have no Connection with.1
Founders Online Footnote:
1. Colby Chew was associated with Thomas Walker as early as 1750 when Walker led his expedition into the Kentucky territory. GW made Colby Chew an ensign in the Virginia Regiment in October 1757.
.
.
file:///C:/Users/jim-m/Downloads/59230.pdf
.
.
Last Conjurer Of The Cherokee Nation
ABOUT JERAMY NEUGIN
Jeramy Neugin was the son in a father & son Oklahoma Magicians act who use unique one of a kind stories, illusions and humor to promote and preserve their Native American culture and Oklahoma heritage as Lost City Magic. The Cherokee was one of the few tribes who had sleight of hand Magic as part of their culture. They were known as Conjurers. it was all but erased by the genocide removal known as the trail of tears and subsequent interference by missionaries. it's being attempted to return it back to the culture and remove the taboo that is attached to magic by Jeramy and his father Bobby Neugin which is why they are known as the Last Conjurers of the Cherokee Nation. After six years of non stop traveling street and table Magic shows, his father was forced to retire from performing due to health issues, leaving Jeramy to continue on solo as the Last Conjurer of the Cherokee Nation. He currently resides in Lost City, where he can be close to his father and the Cherokee roots that inspire many of his routines. When not performing, Jeramy spends his time researching myths, legends, ghost stories looking for inspiration for a new routine scanning Magic and mentalism books or in his shop building supernatural props and sideshow museum displays, all of which can be seen on his social media sites.
.
.
GREAT STATE Great State: The Last of the Cherokee Conjurers Posted: Oct 31, 2013 / 01:00 PM CDT Updated: Oct 31, 2013 / 01:00 PM CDT
SHARE
This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.
LOST CITY, OKLAHOMA — The eye of a witch, the shrunken head of an Oklahoma Outlaw; these are among the ‘tools’ of Jeramy Neugin and his father Bobby, who bill themselves as the last of the Cherokee conjurers.
“We are, as far as we know,” says Bobby. “We don’t know of any other Indians that perform magic.”
From their lonely house in rural Lost City, near Tahlequah, the Cherokee capital, this father and son act spent years researching family history, native lore, and good magic tricks.
ADVERTISING
“The storytellers that the Indians have today, back in the old days they illustrated those stories with magic,” says Jeramy Neugin.
In the five years since they went professional, Bobby and Jeramy’s tricks include calling up a ‘demon’, who appears in the form of a wasp swarm.
A live wasp emerges from a closed fist. “There goes the first one,” says Jeramy.
They have what they playfully claim is the finger of Sasquatch which turns squiggly lines on a piece of paper into real worms when their finger is waved over a velvet bag.
The eye of their witch has magical powers too, helping them perfom card tricks.
“They say whoever possesses that eye can see things no other person can see,” says Jeramy during a performance.
Bobby used to do a few magic tricks for his son, but it wasn’t until he started telling old stories with them that they stuck in Jeramy’s imagination.
That’s why they dug up the old Illinois River monster legend which includes what they tell audiences is the body of an infant monster.
They call on the forces of a Thunderbird too.
That, they tell spectators, is the fossil of a dragon.
Another Cherokee legend tells on a race of forest guardians they call the Little People.
The Neugins have what they call a skeleton specimen which communicates through a bell on a wooden box.
“If you’re here in spirit, let us know,” says Jeramy.
Then the bell rings.
The Neugins say the original Cherokee conjurers used all kinds of trick magic to help tell their stories.
Even the old cup and ball trick has links to Native American heritage.
Jeramy says of his ancestors, “If they were alive today they would be Chris Angel or David Blayne doing this stuff.”
They perform their magic show all over the country.
The Neugins might come off as a little spooky at first, but from bleeding ghosts to resurrected vampires and more, this show aims for entertaining their audience instead of scaring it.
Bobby and Jeramy perform under the name ‘Lost City Magic’.
They have an interesting website at www.neugin.vpweb.com
.
.
.
.
.
miscellaneous finding
.
.
.
.
.
4. Mr. Chew probably was Ens. Colby Chew of the 1st Virginia Regiment though it may have been his younger brother Larkin Chew, who became an ensign in the 2d Virginia Regiment. See Joseph Chew to GW, 10 May 1758. GW sent young Billy Fairfax £50 which his brother Bryan Fairfax repaid in 1761, a year and a half after Billy’s death on the Plains of Abraham (General Ledger A, folio 50).
From George Washington at Fort Loudoun Winchester VA to William Henry Fairfax, 23 April 1758
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
..
.
.
.
.
..
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
