*Dec.* 3 From an officer who was in the fort at Cherry Valley, Nov. 11th, when it was attacked, we have the following account, viz.

On Saturday night 8th November er, an express arrived from Fort Stanwix, informing that an Oneida Indian had acquainted them that he sat in Council in the Seneca country with the Six Nations, and other tribes, and that they had concluded to attack Fort Alden, in Cherry Valley. On Sunday morning a serjeant and 12 men were sent on the road by Beaver Dam, toward the enemy, to continue five days; another scout with a non-commissioned officer, and five men were sent on the road to Springfield, to continue four days. These two roads being the only avenues from the enemy’s country to this place, except an old Indian path which had been neglected by us; at the same time we sent by the same roads scouts in the morning, which returned at night. On Wednesday the 11th, it rained very hard, the enemy came by the above-mentioned path, past by two houses, and lodged themselves in a swamp a small distance back of Mr. Wells’s house, headquarters; half past eleven, A. M. Mr. Hamlin came by and discovered two Indians, who fired upon him and shot him through the arm; he rode to Mr. Wells’s and acquainted the Colonel, the Lieut. Colonel, Major and Adjutant, being present, the two last (the house at this time being surrounded by Indians) got to the fort through their fire, the Colonel was shot near the fort; the enemy, 800 in number, consisting of 500 Indians commanded by Brant, 50 regulars under Capt. Colvill, and another Captain with some of Johnson’s rangers, and above 200 tories, the whole under Col. Butler’s command, immediately surrounded the fort, excluding several officers who were quarter out of the garrison and had gone to dinner; they commenced a very heavy fire on the fort, which held three and an half hours, and was as briskly returned; they were so near as to call to the fort and bid the damn’d rebels surrender, which was answered with three cheers and a discharge of cannon and musquetry; at four, P. M. the enemy withdrew, Capt. Ballard sallied out with a party, which the enemy endeavoured to cut off, but were prevented by a reinforcement; the next day they made it their whole business to collect horses, cattle and sheep, which they effected, and at sunset left the place. On Friday morning the fort was reinforced by 80 militia. The enemy killed, scalp’d, and most barbarously murdered 32 inhabitants, chiefly women and children, also Col. Alden, and the following soldiers of his regiment, viz. Robert Henderson, Gideon Day, Thomas Sherridan, Pelletiah Adams, Simeon Hopkins, Benjamin Worcely, Thomas Holden, Daniel Dudley, Thomas Knowles and Oliver Deball.—The following officers were taken prisoners, viz. Lieutenant Colonel Stacey, Lieut. Aaron Holden, Ensign Garret, Surgeon’s mate, Francis Souza de Bierve, and 13 privates—burnt 24 houses with all the grain, &c. took above 60 inhabitants prisoners, part of whom they released on going off. They committed the most inhuman barbarities on most of the dead. Robert Henderson’s head was cut off, his scull bone was cut out with the scalp—Mr. Willis’s sister was rip’t up, a child of Mr. Willis’s 2 months old, scalp’d and arm cut off—the clergyman’s wife’s leg and arm cut off, and many others as cruelly treated. Many of the inhabitants and soldiers shut out from the fort, lay all night in the rain with children, which suffered very much. The cattle that were not easy to drive they shot. We were informed by the prisoners that they sent back, that the Lieutenant Colonel, all the officers and Continental soldiers were stript and drove naked before them.

The fort was commanded by the brave Major Whiting of Dedham, and the two cannon under the direction of the brave Capt. Hickling, of this town, who was chief engineer in building the fort, and whose assistance contributed in saving of it.

Source: Poulson’s American Daily Advertiser, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Saturday, December 19, 1778, page 2. See https://hoboes.com/cherry for more about the Cherry Valley Massacre.