Fort Robinson (Perry County, Pennsylvania Frontier Series) by Chandler Roy F

Author:Chandler, Roy F. [Chandler, Roy F.]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Katherine R. Chandler
Published: 2012-03-14T16:00:00+00:00

Only the oldest Woolcomber boy survived. Shawnee came to the cabin during an evening meal. The Quaker offered them food. The killing began, and the son escaped across Sherman's Creek, the screaming of his family ringing in his ears.

At dawn Robert led a force of forty men to high ground above Woolcomber's cabin. Lessons bitterly learned at Sideling Hill were part of his plan. The line spread in pairs, each pair staying close and firing alternately if targets appeared. One third of the force was held in reserve to be committed where needed or to guard a withdrawal.

Robert expected the Shawnee to be long on their way, but the cabin was not burned, so they might be close by.

The company attacked at a steady walk and moved on past the starkly silent cabin taking cover at the far side of the small clearing. The Shawnee were gone, but their work remained. The colonists buried the scalped and mutilated bodies in a common grave. They salvaged the few possessions and returned to the fort.

— — —

George had become more than captain of his family effort. A few Robinsons had even returned to Manada, but Robinsons were not outnumbered by families with other names. The fort was George's, and the families that swarmed to its safety turned to him for justice and security.

George worked at it. He acted as judge for disputes needing decisions. He organized the harvesters, the lookouts, and the division of supplies to the cooks. His was the final word on who could remain at the fort and who must move on or fend for themselves. The responsibility was heavy.

Few contested George Robinson's actions; most because they approved or were grateful for any reasonable authority; some because they feared being marched from the fort and turned loose on their own.

Occasionally, armed bodies of troops or volunteers came from Carlisle to guard settlers attempting to harvest, but those efforts were sporadic and undependable. Fort Robinson relied on its own abilities.

Most outlying fields were abandoned, their weed-choked crops too poor to harvest. Fields surrounding the fort profited by the many hands available and the people's delight in any excuse to leave the fort's confines. From those fields would come the grain and vegetables that would stave off starvation through the next winter and spring, so men and women worked the fields with diligence.

Robert Robinson had sobered noticeably, but his aversion to field work had not lessened. He clutched his role of hunter ever closer, and although the dangers were great, his rifle kept the fort supplied with venison, bear, and turkey. While a few claimed they could do as well given the chance, no one actively challenged Robert's position. Hunting alone in the Indian infested woods lacked general appeal.

Since James's death, Ann had moved to George and Mary's cabin. Mary was again expecting. With five children already present, Ann's help was welcome.

Although Martha Robinson had moved to the blockhouse where she would best guard her supplies, George's cabin fairly bulged. They got along though, and Ann seemed to have always been part of the family.

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