The Virginia Gazette

Extract of a letter from a Gentleman at Snook-kill, dated July 27, 1777.

"The frequent injuries and horrible actions committed by General Burgoyne's scouting parties on single unarmed men, and defenseless women, are sufficient, in my opinion, to give every man a thorough detestation of their whole conduct; and were not the Tories hearts made of more than iron hardness, it would inspire them with a desire of ridding this world of such a set of villains as their army is in general composed of. Several of our officers and soldiers have been inhumanly shot as they passed from one fort to another unarmed, and scalped while yet alive. It would take too much time to enumerate every action of this kind. One instance which happened yesterday, during the skirmish, may serve for the whole; a young lady of the name of Miss Jenny M'Crea, of a good family, and some share of beauty, was by some accident at Fort Edward when the enemy attacked the picket guard; she and an old woman, whom she was with, were taken by the savages, who generally serve as an advanced guard or flanking parties to the regulars, the latter of whom were drawn upon a hill just above the fort, and then with a barbarity unheard of before, they butchered the poor innocent girl, and scalped her in the sight of those very men who are continually preaching up their tender mercies, and the forbearance of more than Christian King. Is not this sufficient to congeal the heart of humanity with horror, and even oblige a Tory of liberal sentiments to curse the cause which approved or winked at such worse than hell like cruelties.

"Every circumstance of what I have related above, you may depend on. The unfortunate maid's corpse was brought here last night, together with a young Lieutenant, Mr. Vanracter of Brunswick, who is also scalped, and will be interred to day. What renders this affair more remarkable is, that Miss M'Crea has a brother an officer in the British service, now at New York, and herself leaned to that side of the question; but thus they treat their friends as well as enemies! The young Lady has also a brother a senior surgeon in our hospital, whom I am intimately acquainted with, a worthy sensible young fellow, and who, I am sure, will not forget the injury, but revenge it tenfold."