The Virginia Gazette

Extract of a letter from a Gentleman at Westmoreland, to his friend in this place, dated Dec. 27, 1775.

"It will not be in my power to be in your parts this winter, as we have lately had an invitation by a body of Tories, under the command of one Plunket, they pretended, by orders from Penn. Be that as it will, the bottom of it is Toryism. As we were threatened with death and destruction, we had no other way but to fight. They had 6 or 700 men, two cannon, &c. I marched with about 400 of my regiment, which I thought enough for 700 of such wretches. As soon as they came in sight, they fired without saying a word, and rushed to surround us. Our people met them with as much resolution, and a very heavy fire ensued. We soon drove them, killed a number, and drove one wing of the body into the mountain; the main body retreated. This was on the 21st of December.

On the 23d, at night, they attempted to cross the river, to destroy our settlements, where the men were chiefly drawn off. I sent a party to receive them, and just as their boat came to shore, with about 100 men, our people poured in a shot upon them at about three rods distance, and obliged them to retreat and make off as well as they could. By the best accounts we can get, they had 50 or 60 killed and wounded. We had two killed and three wounded, one of which is since dead. Our enemies are all gone off, I believe, for the winter."