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Fort Roberdeau Was a Stockaded Structure, Apparently the Only One In

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Fort Roberdeau Was a Stockaded Structure, Apparently the Only One In Fort Roberdeau was a stockaded structure, apparently the only one in the present-day Blair County region to have been authorized by the Pennsylvania Assembly, built expressly for the security and protection of the men engaged in mining the lead that was abundant in the Sinking Spring Valley. Fort Roberdeau is the only one of the six fortified structures known to have been constructed within the limits of present-day Blair County during the American Revolutionary War to be reconstructed. The numerous veins of lead that were a trench nearly six miles in length to connect believed to exist in the soil of the valley lying various mines. between the twin ridges of Brush Mountain drew On 23 February 1778 Major General John the attention of the Patriots during the Armstrong wrote to Thomas Wharton, Jr, the Revolutionary War. It has been claimed that the President of the Supreme Executive Council of French were the first to attempt to extract the the State of Pennsylvania to acquaint him with valuable mineral from the Sinking Spring the fact that the veins of lead that lay near Valley. Although not proven by any surviving Frankstown would be advantageous to the Patriot documentation, the French who claimed trading cause. He noted that the mine on the rights throughout the region west of the Proprietaries’ Sinking Valley tract of 9,056 Susquehanna River may have learned of the lead acres, which occupied roughly the entire valley deposits as early as 1750 from the Indians who formed by the V-shaped Brush Mountain, should inhabited this region. Apparently, these early be seized by the newly declared state of lead miners had opened a number of pits and dug Pennsylvania for its use. Sir, As at present there appears to be a Scarcity of the important article of Lead, and it's certain a Mr. Harmon Husbands, now a member of Assembly for our State, has some knowledge of a Lead Mine, situate in a certain Tract of Land not far from Franks Town, formerly surveyed for the use of the Proprietary Family. General Gates, President of the Board of War, having signified his earnest desire to see & converse with Mr. Husbands on the subject of the Mine, and being greatly hurried with business, I have at his instance undertaken the present line, that you wou'd please to use yr influence with the House of Assembly, and with Mr. Husbands, that he, as soon as possible, may be spared to consult with the Board of War, on the best measures for making a tryal of & deriving an early supply from that source. The General is of Opinion with me, that the Mine ought or may at least for the present be seized by, and belong to the State, and that private persons who without right may have sat down on that reserved Tract, shou'd neither prevent the present use of the Lead, nor be admitted to make a monopoly of the Mine. I'm of opinion that a few faithful Labourers may be sufficient to make the experiment, and that the Lieut. of the County, or some other good Man, may be serviceable in introduceing the business. I cannot doubt the Compliance of the honorable Assembly & Council. And am, Sir, with great respect, Yr Excellencys most. In March of 1778 the General Assembly of Pennsylvania gave approval to General Daniel Roberdeau to begin mining operations at the site. Although its original source is not known, Eugene R. Craine, in his book The Story Of Fort Roberdeau 1777 To 1783 provided a transcription of a resolve of the General Assembly of Pennsylvania in response to an earlier petition of General Roberdeau ‘with others’: On considering the petition of the Honorable Daniel Roberdeau and company, for vesting the lands therein mentioned, whereon there is a lead mine, in Frankstown Township in Bedford County, in the said Daniel Roberdeau and company, to which they lay claim; Resolve, that this house will not determine in whom the title of said lead is; but being of opinion that the utmost encouragement should be given to opening said mine and smelting the ore therein for public benefit, will indemify the said Daniel Roberdeau and company from any loss they have already sustained or may sustain in opening the said mine and smelting the ore, if they shall immediately proceed upon said work, and diligently and faithfully prosecute the same. One of the greatest needs of the Patriot armies based soil, giving it the name of Sinking Spring was ammunition. There were only a few lead Valley. It was to this place that Daniel mines in operation when the War started, and Roberdeau traveled in the spring of 1778. their output was not sufficient to meet the On the 17th of April, General Roberdeau sent demand. There was a possibility of a good a letter to President Wharton from his camp at supply of lead in Bedford County in the valley Carlisle, in Cumberland County. He wrote: where streams rose and sunk into the limestone “The confidence the Honorable the Representatives of our State, have placed in me, by a late resolve, together with the pressing and indispensible necessity of a speedy supply of lead for the public Service, induced me to ask leave of absence of Congress to proceed with Workmen to put their business into a proper train, and have reached this place on that errand, and having collected men and materials and sent them forward this day, purpose to follow to-morrow. My views have been greatly enlarged since I left York, on the importance of the undertaking and hazard in prosecuting it, for the publick Works here are not furnished with an ounce of lead but what is in fixed ammunition, on the other hand the prevailing opinion of people as I advance into the Country, of Indian depredations shortly to commence, might not only deter the Workmen I stand in need of, but affright the back settlers from their Habitation sand leave the Country exposed and naked. To give confidence to one and the other, I have drawn out of the publick Stores here, twenty five stand of arms and a quantity of Gun powder, and intended to proceed this morning, but was applied to by John Caruthers, Esqr., Lieut. of this County, and Wm. Brown, Commissary of provisions for the Militia, who advised with me on the subject of their respective Departments, and by the account they gave of the orders from your Honble Board to them as to calling out and supplying the Militia, I find the State is guarding aganst the incursions of the Savages; this confirmed me in a preconceived intention of erecting a Stockade Fort, in the neighbourhood of the Mine I am about to work; if I could stir up the Inhabitants to give their labour in furnishing an Asylum for their Families in case of imminent danger, and prevent the evacuation of the Country. Mr. Caruthers, convinced of the necessity of the work for the above purposes, condescendingly offered one Company of the Militia, which he expected would consist of about 40 men, under my command , to co-operate in so salutary a Business; as it consisted with the orders of Council respecting the Station, being only a deviation of a very few miles; and that one other Company of about the same number should also join me for the greater Expedition, until the pleasure of Council was known, which he presumed might coincide with such dispositions, otherwise it might be deranged by an immediate Express, and that the pleasure of Council might be known without delay, I give this intelligence. If these measures are for the good of the publick wheel, I hope to be honored with a confirmation, and orders to the Militia to exert themselves in carrying the design into immediate execution; if otherwise, I rely on the well known candour of Council, that I shall not be suspected of any sinister design, in leaning to an offer freely made as above, from, I believe, the best motives; much less that I have presumed to interfere with the arrangements of Council, as this early notice is a full proof the Contrary, as the whole is in their power as much as if nothing had passed betwixt the Lieut. and myself. I have only to add on this subject that your design of patroling parties of good Riflemen shall be encouraged by me. The Commissary, Mr. Brown, being destitute of money, would have spared it out of my small stock, but that by my interferance 1200 Dollars, all he asked, was supplied by a public officer here, but further sums, will, he said, be soon necessary and he expressed much concern for the scarcity of provisions. I was advised very lately by Judge McKean, of a quantity of salted beef, in the neighbourhood of Harris's Ferry, and before I left York I applied to him by letter to advise me of the quantity and quality, with a design to purchase, as I intended to employ a much greater number of men than are already employed at the lead mine, to carry on the Business with vigour. If Council should think proper to order a quantity of said provisions up the Juniata, for the Militia, I should be glad of being favored with what I want thro' the same Channel. I intend to build such a Fort, as, with sufficient provisions, under the smile of providence, would enable me to defend it against any number of Indians that might presume to invest it.
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