Tench’s Ride ghman. They traveled up to Albany, then west into the Mohawk Valley. The 31-year-old auburn-haired paleface must have made something of a hit, for he was admitted into the Onandago tribe. The chief adopted Tench as his son and gave him the name Teahokalonde ~ a powerful deer with antlers ~ which the tribe considered an emblem of strength, v ir tue and courage. Tench took some ribbing from his friends about being given horns, and, though he admitted finding some of the Indian girls “pretty and extremely cleanly,” there is no indication that he accepted the offer to choose one for a bride. Events then began to move very quickly for Tench. The week after returning to Philadelphia, the Second
Continental Congress convened on September 13, with the Maryland delegation headed by his uncle Matthew Tilghman, his father’s younger brother. Unlike James, Matthew was outspoken in his defiance of the British Crown; some considered him an incendiary. Yet even during this Congress, while Matthew was in Philadelphia he stayed in James’ home, as did Tench, revealing how close the Tilghman family ties were despite their deep political differences. This time in Philadelphia also brought Tench into close contact with his Uncle Matthew. Tench’s links with him would be forged during the Revolution. When war was declared in 1776, Tench immediately joined a Philadelphia volunteer regiment as a lieutenant in the 3rd battalion; the force was soon incorporated in
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