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CPL Douglas Chrysler
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I would think, unpopularly, that the men wanted to stay and defend the fort.
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PO1 Kevin Dougherty
PO1 Kevin Dougherty
10 mo
Perhaps, however most of the forts were quite small. I assume most were similar to the ones Franklin built in the Lehigh, Bucks, and Berks counties and could hold at the most about 50 men. Also by this time of the war, most of the men had joined the army leaving the local militias critically short handed. Realizing they were short handed, and short on ammunition, the settlers retreated to Fort Augusta in Sudbury PA. (About halfway between Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Harrisburg.)

That retreat was known as "The Big Runaway." This article makes some pretty good reading: https://allthingsliberty.com/2023/02/the-big-runaway-turning-point-of-the-susquehanna-west-branch-settlers/
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