of the valley.
This evacuation is, of course, the Great Runaway.[34] It is interesting
to note, however, that the bearer of this petition was Robert Fleming,
one of the regional leaders of the territory.

Although forced to leave the West Branch Valley, the Fair Play settlers
responded to Colonel Hunter's fervent plea to stay at Fort Augusta to
help in the defense of this last frontier. Their gallant stand on the
West Branch and their earnestly successful support of Fort Augusta, the
last frontier outpost in central Pennsylvania, protected the interior,
enabled the Continental Congress "to function in safety at a period when
its collapse would have meant total disaster to the American cause," and
provided a vivid demonstration of what a later president of the United
States would call "that last full measure of devotion."[35]

In the fall of 1778, following the earlier alliance with France, the
tide of the Revolution began to flow in favor of independence,
notwithstanding the fact that the Fair Play territory was now deserted.
But for two years previous, when the issue of independence had been in
grave doubt, the courageous pioneers of the West Branch stood their
ground in tiny garrisons at Fort Antes, Fort Horn, and Fort Reed,
resisting the attacking Indians at the insistence of their leaders, that
freedom might be preserved. Perhaps it is a little-known story, but the
fate of independence was in good hands with the Fair Play settlers of
the West Branch Valley, who fought to preserve it.

Towards the end of the Revolution the Fair Play settlers returned to the
territory, and a new problem arose, that of title claims or, more
particularly, the right of pre-emption. Still outside the bounds of the
Commonwealth and organized government, these frontier squatters
petitioned the Supreme Council for validation of their land claims.[36]
Two petitions, one in August, 1781, and the other in March, 1784, were
sent. Their claims were recognized by an act of the General Assembly
passed in May, 1785.[37] By this time, the land in question had been
opened for settlement by virtue of the Treaty of Fort Stanwix in 1784.
Needless to say, their petitions had been prompted in part by fear of
land speculators who were attempting to buy up their lands through the
Land Office in Philadelphia. The prominence of local leaders, such as
Alexander Hamilton and John Walker, is once again noted in these
petitions. These petitions achieved notable