USA > Connecticut > The history of Connecticut, from the first settlement of the colony to the adoption of the present constitution, vol. II > Part 3
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This storm, that had been gathering so long, at last burst upon the English. Early in the year 1750, a French army of two thousand five hundred men, and with a numerous body of Indians, were sent by the governor of Canada to reduce a large part of Nova Scotia. Such was the celerity of their movements, that they took possession with little difficulty of the vast region stretching from Chignecto along the north side of the bay of Funda to the Kennebeck river. This tract they declared was under the jurisdiction of their king, and they called upon all French neutrals to resort to it for shelter.t
This incursion was followed by skirmishes attended with various success, between the troops of Cornwallis and the French and Indians. Forts were built and destroyed, and settlements were made and abandoned, on both sides ; but the French, if they gained no decisive victory, found themselves able to keep their footing and strengthen their posts. Corn- wallis, alarmed at the growth of an enemy that was agile and keen, as well as too numerous for them to cope with, begged for aid from Massachusetts to subdue them. This prayer was denied on the ground, that all the forces of that colony would be needed at home to protect their own borders.
* The Hon. Edward Cornwallis, governor and commander-in-chief of Nova Scotia, accompanied three thousand seven hundred and sixty adventurers from Great Britain to that island, in 1749. They settled at the bay of Chebucto, which place was fixed upon as the seat of government, and was named Halifax, in honor of the Earl of Halifax, their first commissioner of trades and plantations.
+ Holmes, i. 41 ; The " French neutrals" were the French inhabitants of Nova Scotia, who were permitted to remain there on their taking the oath of allegiance to the king of England.
27
THE OHIO COMPANY.
[1751.]
At last, the commissioners appointed by France and Eng- land, to settle the questions arising under the treaty of Aix la Chapelle, met at Paris ; but not until those hostile measures had been taken to widen still more the breach that separated the two nations. The countless documentary proofs, the voluminous maps, the claim of jurisdiction by discovery, by possession and by purchase ; the discordant parole testimony, the falsehoods that were dressed up in the guise of truth and presented by diplomatic lawyers, whose object it was to mis- lead and confound the commissaries-all helped to distract rather than enlighten the minds of the men who had been chosen for this delicate task. It is not surprising that they gave up all hope of ever coming to a friendly issue, and abandoned their undertaking in despair. The fault of this failure to avail themselves of this last opportunity of settling their old disputes by means of amicable negotiations, can be exclusively charged to neither party, but must be attributed in part to a necessity growing out of the complex nature of the claims, the remoteness of the territory, the uncertain sources of the evidence, and especially enhanced by the natural hatred and the tares which had been sown with the seeds of emigration upon the new continent.
Nor were the signs of French ambition visible only in the north and east. The arts of peace had already drawn the enterprising traders of Virginia deeper into the interior re- gions of the continent than even the adventures of Smith and Raleigh had at first tempted them.
A number of noblemen, merchants, and planters, of West- minster, London, and Virginia, had already procured a char- ter grant of six hundred thousand acres of land on and near the Ohio river, far in the interior, in a soft, sunny land that lay beyond the Alleghany mountains. By the superior advantages held out to them, in the prospects of a large and thriving trade with the Indians, as well as from the fertility of the soil, the hardy adventurers hoped to make up for the inconveniences arising from their distance from the sea. The navigable waters of the vast stream that had lent its
28
HISTORY OF CONNECTICUT.
name to their company, helped to supply this deficiency in a good degree.
The intention of the French, to keep the English hemmed in by the Alleghanies, was now made apparent, by unmis- takable proofs. They claimed all the lands between the Mississippi and the mountains, by right of their first discovery of that river ; and to secure their claims and to keep open the communication between Canada and Louisiana, they had already built a fort on the south side of Lake Erie; another about fifteen miles south of that, on a branch of the Ohio ; and a third, at the confluence of the Ohio and the Wabash. The governor of Canada, therefore, as soon as he became aware of the contemplated settlement, gave public notice that he would treat as public enemies all subjects of Great Britain who should venture to settle on or near the Ohio river, or should dare to trade with any of the Indians who dwelt there. No sooner did he find that the Ohio company had set his threat and pretended title at defiance, than he proved himself as good as his word by seizing a number of British traders, whom he caused to be taken to the French fort on Lake Erie.
The policy of restricting English emigration to the line of the seaboard, was fully disclosed, and they had no other course than to throw off the already threadbare cloak of dis- simulation, and show their intentions. They immediately built a fort at Niagara, and two others upon the banks of the Ohio. Their line of fortifications was now completed from the mouth of the Mississippi to the St. Lawrence.
The English colonies were by this time thoroughly aroused, and with the cooperation of the disappointed noblemen and merchants who formed the Ohio company, were able to gain the ear of the English government .* A memorial was pre- sented by Lord Albemarle, the British ambassador at Paris, calling in decided terms for reparation ; demanding that the fort at Niagara should be evacuated and razed to the ground, and that the French military chieftains in America should be
Graham's History United States, vol. iii. p. 361.
29
FORT DU QUESNE ERECTED.
[1754.]
instructed to desist from all further encroachments upon the English colonies.
This remonstrance produced a qualified effect upon the French government. A polite though very equivocal answer was given to it. A few English prisoners who had been sent to France, were set at liberty, and the English government were assured that such orders should be sent to the governor of Canada as would be satisfactory. Thus was England again lulled into security. The governor of Canada heeded the public instructions given him from the court as little as it was intended he should do. Instead of deserting and dis- mantling the forts that inspired the English with such well- grounded fears, he continued to strengthen them ; and instead of putting an end to the depredations complained of by the British minister, he stirred up the Indians to join his own people in renewed attacks upon the English settlers in Nova Scotia and along the banks of the Ohio .*
The English colonies soon became aware that the frontier line stretching like a belt of fire for a thousand miles along the western horizon, bristling with the arms of a proud, im- placable enemy, must be removed still further toward the setting sun, were it to be done, as Louisbourg had been taken, without the aid of the mother country. On the other hand, the British government was willing to aid in the enterprise with more than its usual energy, as it was seen that the dominion of Nova Scotia and the central regions of the con- tinent drained by the Ohio, would be likely to go hand in hand with that of the gulf of Mexico, the southern Atlantic, and the West Indies. On the very ground, where the mer- chants of Virginia had begun their fortifications upon the Ohio, the French had already erected a fort that they named Fort Du Quesne. This stronghold was the key to the Ohio and Mississippi rivers.
The British ministry now directed the Virginians to resist the French aggressions upon the Ohio by force of arms. Orders were also given, that several independent companies
* Graham's United States.
30
HISTORY OF CONNECTICUT.
should be raised in other colonies to aid Virginia in the undertaking. Major George Washington, (then a modest retiring planter,) was elevated to the rank of colonel, and appointed to the command of the Virginia troops. As soon as the tidings reached South Carolina, that the attempt was to be made to drive the French from the Ohio, Captain James Mackay set out on his march with an independent company to join Colonel Washington. The companies from New York were also ordered to unite with them. Colonel Wash- ington, without waiting for further recruits, advanced with the Virginia and Carolina forces, consisting of about four hundred men, to meet the enemy. In May, 1754, he fell in with a party from Fort Du Quesne, under Jamonville, and totally defeated them.
De Villier, who was the chief officer in command at Fort Du Quesne, enraged at the discomfiture of the advance party, now marched against Washington with nine hundred French troops and several hundred Indians. The young Virginian, whose name is now known and honored where- ever throughout the world there beats a heart that loves liberty or does homage to valor, had hastily thrown up a frail protection for his handful of provincials, that he called Fort Necessity. Behind its slender embankments he hoped to be able to defend himself until the arrival of the two companies that were expected from New York. If Washington was ever known to commit a rash act, it was in setting out upon this dangerous march before he had been reinforced, and the . early lesson that was taught him at Fort Necessity, may have tempered his then impetuous nature with that happy element of caution and foresight that could alone have sustained the leader of the colonies in the long struggle for which he was then unconsciously undergoing a preliminary discipline. Whether this is true or not, the brave and desperate defense that he made when assailed at Fort Necessity, induced De Villier to tender him honorable terms of capitulation, and allow him to retreat to Virginia without further molestation.
* Trumbull, ii. 354.
31
PROPOSED UNION OF THE COLONIES.
[1754.]
Letters had already arrived from the lords of trade and plantations, advising a meeting of commissioners from the several colonies to devise a general plan of union and defense against the common enemy, and to make a league in the king's name with such of the Indian tribes as could be induced to join in it.
In accordance with this recommendation, in June 1754, a convention of the governors and principal gentlemen of the several colonies met at Albany. The commissioners from Connecticut, were William Pitkin, Roger Wolcott, and Elisha Williams .* After a short conference, the convention became satisfied that a union of the colonies was necessary to make a stand against the enemy. It was proposed that " a grand council should be formed of members chosen by the assemblies, and sent from all the colonies ; which council, with a governor general to be appointed by the crown, should be empowered to make general laws, and to raise money in all the colonies for the defense of the whole." This plan did not meet with the approbation of the Connecticut commis- sioners. Indeed, it might easily have been foreseen that it could not do so, by those who composed and advocated it, had they remembered with what determination the colony had resisted all attempts on the part of the crown and the gov- ernors of other provinces to merge the charter government in a larger one ; and at a later day, to get the control of the train-bands and to draw money from the pockets of the peo- ple without their consent. Consolidation was the one thing that had been dreaded by the colony for years, and her com- missioners now regarded it as a worse enemy even than the French. That provision in the proposed plan that authorized a governor general appointed by the crown, to exercise authority over the colony, to command her troops and handle her money at pleasure, was enough of itself to secure the dissent of Connecticut.
When the commissioners returned home and reported this scheme to the General Assembly, it was attacked in a most
* Colonial Records, MS.
32
HISTORY OF CONNECTICUT.
merciless manner by the colonial orators and rejected with indignation. It was declared to be the opinion of the assem- bly that the limits of the proposed plan of union were of too large extent to be administered by a governor general and council. They added, too, with characteristic good sense, that "a defensive war managed by such a government, hav- ing so large a frontier, will prove ruinous to it ; that the same in course of time may be dangerous and hurtful to his majesty's interest, and tends to subvert the liberties and privileges, and to discourage and lessen the industry of his majesty's good subjects inhabiting these colonies."* The assembly further desired the governor to send a copy of their resolution to the agent of the colony in England, with in- structions to use his influence against the proposed formation of a general government, and if any attempt should be made there to enforce it, by act of parliament, to resist it to the last.
Nor did the assembly stop here. They begged the gov- ernor to have an eye upon the other colonies, and see that no measures were taken by them to circumvent Connecticut and bring her into an alliance that was so revolting to her.
But all these precautions proved unnecessary. The con- templated union was as unpopular in England as in Connec- ticut. Thus the mutual jealousies of the mother country, and of the most free-born of all her colonies, actuated by different motives, united to defeat a union that would have been premature and ineffective had it been formed.
The ministry had hit upon another scheme that would be likely to secure their own purposes much better. They pro- posed that the governors of the respective colonies, with one or more of their councils, should form a convention to devise measures for the general defense, build forts and levy troops at discretion, and draw upon the British treasury for such sums of money as they should need to pay the bills ; while on the other hand, the colonies were to be taxed by parlia- ment to supply the ultimate funds to meet this contingent
* Colonial Records, MS.
33
DEFEAT OF COL. WASHINGTON.
[1755.]
demand. Had this measure met with the approval of the other colonies, whose inhabitants were habituated to the arro- gance of a provincial court holding at the pleasure of the crown, it is certain that Connecticut would have resisted it much more vehemently than she had opposed the one recom- mended at Albany. But the other colonies viewed as she did this shrewd contrivance to inveigle them into the net cunningly baited and spread by the hands of politicians and court favorites, who were eagerly awaiting the opportunity held out by it to provide for themselves and their needy rela- tives at the expense of honest men.
When the news of Colonel Washington's defeat reached England, the whole country was filled with indignation. Again the court remonstrated against the French in America, and in turn the French government made evasive answers, filled with hollow professions of friendship. The British ministry now ordered active measures to be taken to put an end to these disturbances by force. They bade the colonies arm themselves against the enemy. The plan of operations for the compaign was, to fit out four expeditions and march into the several districts invaded by the French, and compel them to retire within their old limits. One detachment, under command of General Braddock, was to repair to the Ohio settlement, another was to hasten to the province of Nova Scotia, a third was to make an attack on Crown Point; and the last was to restore Niagara to its old dominion.
As the position of the French on the Ohio appeared to be the most threatening to the peace of the English colonies, and to the general interests of the British government, it was thought expedient that this point of attack should be reached as speedily as possible. About the middle of January 1755, therefore, General Braddock embarked at Cork with about fifteen hundred veteran troops for Virginia .*
The French were equally vigilant in their preparations. Early in the spring, a powerful armament set sail for Canada. It consisted of twenty ships of the line, with a corresponding
* Graham's History United States; see also, Holmes' Annals, ii. 59.
35
34
HISTORY OF CONNECTICUT.
number of frigates and transports, and four thousand regular troops, with a large amount of military stores .* The army was under the command of Baron Dieskau.
Admirals Boscawen and Holborn, with seventeen ships of the line and seven frigates, were sent out by the English with a land force of six thousand men, to watch the motions of the French. Boscawen sailed for the coast of Newfoundland with all haste. Scarcely had he arrived there, when the French fleet touched at nearly the same point ; but owing to the thick fogs that settle over that coast like clouds during the spring months, these dangerous war-dogs did not discover each other. A part of the French fleet sailed up the St. Lawrence, and the other found an entrance into the river by the straits of Belisle. While the English squadron lay off Cape Race, two French ships, the Alcide of sixty-four guns, with four hundred and eighty men on board, and the Lys also a sixty-four gun ship, though mounting only twenty-two guns, with eight companies of land troops, fell in with the Dunkirk under Captain Howe, and the Defiance under Captain Andrews ; and after a severe struggle, that lasted several hours, were compelled to strike their colors.t These ships were prizes, aside from the soldiers that they contained, as they had on board many brave officers and skillful engi- neers, and about £8,000 in money. The other French ships found a safe passage to Canada.
While these preparations were going on, the English colonies were far from being inactive.
In the spring of 1755, special assemblies were convened in all the northern provinces, and messengers were sent from one to another to encourage them in the work, to learn the measures adopted by each other, and to devise some general plan of operations.
During the winter, Sir Thomas Robinson, one of the king's principal secretaries, had addressed to Connecticut a letter
* Trumbull, ii. 358.
¡ Holmes, ii. 68. Eight companies of French troops were taken prisoners by the capture of the Alcide and Lys.
35
[1755.] PROPOSED EXPEDITION AGAINST CROWN POINT.
in his majesty's name, informing her that troops were about to be sent to America, and calling upon her to raise her share of the forces that the colonies would be expected to furnish for the war .* In obedience to this requisition, the General Assembly was convened on the 8th of January 1755. The legislature, after making a grateful acknowledgment to the king for the tender regard that he manifested for the welfare of his colonial subjects, declared their readiness to respond to the call, and to show their sincerity by unmistakable signs. t They authorized the governor to comply in every particular with the king's requisitions, at the expense of the colony. To meet any contingent expenses that might arise, bills of credit were again issued to the amount of £7,500.±
Soon after, Governor Shirley and the General Court of Massachusetts sent to Connecticut a proposal that a provin- cial army should be raised, including Shirley's regiment, upon the following basis : Massachusetts was to furnish twelve hundred men, New Hampshire six hundred, Rhode Island four hundred, and Connecticut one thousand. It was proposed that this army, when raised, should proceed to Crown Point and erect a fort as near that of the enemy as should be found practicable, and prevent any further encroach- ments there, even should they fail in driving the French from their position.§ 1208921
This large number of troops was allowed by the assembly with great unanimity. The governor was authorized to raise five hundred more troops, should they be called for, to rein- force the army. The assembly desired the governor to write letters to the other colonies, pressing upon them the necessity. of making a like provision for a reinforcement.|| Bills of
* This letter was dated at White Hall, Oct. 26, 1754, and was laid before the assembly at a session in January 1755.
+ Colonial Records, MS.
# Colonial Records, MS.
§ This proposition was laid before the assembly in March 1755, through the Massachusetts commissioners, Messrs. Samuel Welles and John Choate.
| To meet the exigencies of the war, all outstanding bills were ordered to be paid, with interest. Taxes were levied amply sufficient to redeem all the notes called in, and for the reimbursement of the expenses of the war.
36
HISTORY OF CONNECTICUT.
credit with interest at five per cent, were emitted to the amount of £12,500. At the same session, the officers of the army were appointed, and their wages, with those of the soldiers, fixed .* William Johnson, Esq., of New York, was agreed upon as the commander-in-chief of the army ; Phineas Lyman, Esq., was appointed major-general. The first Con- necticut regiment was placed under the immediate command of General Lyman ' The second regiment was under the command of Elizur Goodrich, Esq. John Pitkin and Nathan Whiting were appointed lieutenant colonels, Robert Denni- son and Isaac Foot, majors.t
The expedition against Crown Point was prepared with such haste, that the troops arrived at Albany, their place of rendezvous, before the end of June. Johnson and Lyman, when they reached Albany, were at the head of an army of about six thousand men, together with a large body of Indians under Hendrick, sachem of the Mohawks. Major General Lyman soon marched with the main body of the army along the banks of Hudson's river, as far as the "carrying place," fourteen miles south of the southernmost waters of Lake George ; while General Johnson stayed at Albany to forward the artillery, batteaux, and military stores .¿ At this place, where the overland transportation between the river and the lake was to commence, it had been thought necessary to build a fort, to protect the military stores as well as to afford a safe retreat for the army to fall back upon, should it happen to prove unsuccessful. Six weeks were consumed in erect- ing the fort and in transporting the cannon, provisions, bat- teaux, and stores, before the army was in readiness to advance to Lake George. It was not until late in August, therefore, that General Johnson set out from Fort Edward for the southern point of Lake George. He was not long in reaching the lake ; but the bringing forward of the batteaux
* In addition to their regular pay, each soldier was to receive a premium of thirty shillings on enlisting; and each soldier who shall equip himself, should re- ceive an additional premium of sixteen shillings.
t Colony Records, MS.
# Trumbull, ii. 363.
37
FORT EDWARD.
[1755.]
and the other baggage, preparatory to crossing the lake, was a work that was certain to consume a good deal of time, and as the army would be exposed to a stealthy enemy, ac- quainted with the country, of which the English were them- selves ignorant-an enemy unscrupulous in the mode of war- fare as were the hordes of savages that followed in their train- he therefore pitched his camp upon a piece of upland, with the lake in the rear, and flanked by a dense wood and a swamp that appeared to be inaccessible, while the front was protected by a breastwork of trees. Hardly had the army become domiciled in the new camp, when the Indian runners, who were sent out daily to reconnoitre and guard against surprise, brought to General Johnson the unwelcome tidings, that a large body of the enemy was advancing from Ticon- deroga, by south bay, towards Fort Edward .* The garrison that had been left to keep this important post, consisted of only five hundred provincial troops from New York and New Hampshire, under the command of Colonel Blanchard. Should this garrison be overpowered, and the fort, with the military stores, fall into the hands of the French, the expedi- tion would be nipped in the bud, and the whole army perhaps would fall victims to Indian torture and the vengeance of their more civilized masters.t
Startled at this intelligence, the general sent out several expresses, one after another, to inform Colonel Blanchard of the danger that was impending, and strictly commanding him to call in all his detached parties, and to keep his whole force within the entrenchments of the fort.
In the dead of the night, one of these couriers returned to the camp with the news that the enemy had approached within four miles of Fort Edward. A council of war was immediately called, and early the next morning, pursuant to their advice, a party of one thousand men under the com- mand of Colonel Williams of Massachusetts, and Colonel Whiting of Connecticut, with the Mohawk sachem, and his warriors, were sent forward to intercept the enemy .¿
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