USA > Massachusetts > Berkshire County > History of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of its prominent men, Volume I pt 1 > Part 19
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Brown penetrated to the gates of Chamblee. There he left one-half his force, while with the remainder he out of communication between St. Johns and the interior, took several prisoners, and intercepted eight carts going to the fort laden with rum and gun carriages for the armed vessels which threatened the lake. General Montgomery, being delayed by a storm, did not encamp before St. Johns until the evening of the 17th. The next morning he crossed with 500 men to the north side of the Sorel where he had directed Brown to join him. But Brown, trusting to his earlier arrival, which was prevented by the inexperience of his raw troops in marching, had imprudently thrown his little company before a supe rior force of the king's troops and been repulsed. Montgomery's corps came up, however, in time to turn the fortunes of the day and secure the booty which Brown had bethought himself to hide before the engage ment.
The siege of St. Johns having been formally commenced Major Brown and Ethan Allen were ordered to La Prairie and Longniel to recruit a corps of Canadians, which, although they were successful, led to a most unhappy affair. Brown was so fortunate as to capture a quantity of stores intended for the Indians who had been induced by General Carle- ton to operate against the Americans at La Prairie. On the 20th of Sep tember Allen had 250 Canadians under arms, and boasted to Montgomery that in a week or two he could obtain one or two thousand : Brown had about the same number. All was going on with the most encouraging promise, when the all important work was interrupted by one of those tempting opportunities which neither seems to have been capable of resisting.
Allen, desirous of taking a personal part in the capture of St. Johns. set out for that place on the 24th of September, with a gnard of eighty men. He had gone. however, only about two miles from Longueil when. on the banks of the St. Lawrence, nearly opposite Montreal, he met Major Brown who proposed a plan for the capture of that city by surprise. which he thought might easily be effected by their combined forces. No project could have been more fascinating to the captor of Ticonderoga He readily assented and a plan of operations was agreed upon. Allen was to cross the river at night in canoes, a little below the city: Brown with his corps of 200 was to cross above, and a simultaneous attack was to be made on the signal of three huzzas from the latter. After its fail- ure, this plan was denounced as rash and impracticable, but it would probably have succeeded had neither party failed to keep his appoint ment.
The night was so rough and the canoes that could be obtained were so small that Brown supposed that Allen would defer the attempt. as he did; but at the appointed time. having increased his force to Ho by the addition of thirty Anglo- Americans, Allen was over the river. He waited for the co-operating corps impatiently and anxiously until the sun was two hours high, when, as he writes, he " legan to suspect that he was in
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a premunire." It was too late to retreat. A prisoner who escaped from his guard had carried information of his position to the city. The canoes which carried them over were not sufficient to carry one third of the number back before the enemy would be upon them. All but things- eight finally abandoned him but he could not find it consistent with his sense of honor to abandon any. He therefore sont messengers to Major Brown and Mr. Walker asking aid: and stood his ground manfully for an hour and three quarters, when attacked by about forty regulars and a city rabble of about 200. A smart skirmish ensued, with some loss of life on each side; but, no re-enforcements appearing. he was compelled to capitulate, and. in violation of the terms of surrender. to enter upon that long and cruel imprisonment the rigors of which have awakened the sympathy of every reader of Revolutionary story. But his treatment shows at what rate the British goverment estimated their loss of Ticon deroga.
Allen attributed his disaster to Brown's failure to keep his appoint- ment, of which both he and his friends spoke bitterly: but Gen. Mont- gomery and all the officers who mentioned the affair in their correspondence fixed the blame on his own rashness and obstinacy. But Allen's commandes did not grant the same indulgence to his infirmities of temper, which posterity, with a just and grateful memory of his heroic patriotism. bas accorded. In any view of the unfortunate occurrence. we are compelled to believe that, if we were fully acquainted with all the circumstanoss. John Brown would be acquitted of all blame, except perhaps for propos. ing the scheme in the first place. If he had failings as an officer they certainly did not lie in the direction of excessive prudence. shigwishes in action, or remissness in duty. Of treachery he was incapable. It is much also that by this affair be lost nothing of the very high favor in which he was held by that noble commander. Gen. Montgomery.
September passed into October, and still the siege of St. Johns lingered, and was greatly retarded by the lack of ammunition, It was even feared that this lack would compel its abandonment altogether. General Schuyler earnestly appealed to the New York Congress for at least five tons; all that their most zealous exertions could provare was 1,400 pounds. Governor Trumbull, of Connectient, with all his willing. ness to do what he could. had none to spare. The Continental Congress ordered a single ton from New York city. But what he received from all sources would not last Montgomery until the 18th of October.
Happily a method of relieving the army from this serions stait was suggested to Major Brown. At Chamblee, on the Sorel, stoole strongly constructed fort containing a large quantity of gunpowder and offer military stores, but feebly armed and garrisoned. Carleton believing that the Americans could not approach its walls with artillery until they had taken St. Johns, which commanded the river twelve miles abase that is, twelve miles nearer Lake Champlain. But some of Livingston's Canadians volunteered to place cannon upon hatteans. in the making-
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ment of which they were daring experts, and take them at night past the fortifications of St. Johns. This they accomplished on a dark night. Major Brown, who had been entrusted with the enterprise by Mont gomery, took part in the perilons feat. and about fifty American soldiers appeared with him before the fort. when he was reenforced by Major Livingston with 300 Canadians.
Major Stopford. the commander of the fort, was completely ani prised, and hopeless of relief. and proposed articles of capitulation. among which was the extraordinary condition that the garrison should be permitted to march out unmolested. drums beating, colors flying. with their arms, accoutrements, twenty four rounds of communities each. carts and provisions sufficient to march by the shortest rolle to Montreal or any other place in the province at the option of Major Stopford. Of course, Major Brown found it impossible to accept this cool proposition, and the fort with its garrison and stores was sur. rendered on the 18th. The prisoners were one major, three captulto. three lieutenants, one commissary, one surgeon, with eighty three non commissioned officers and privates of the Royal Pusilers. The pro visions found in the fort were eighty barrels of four. eleven barrels of rice, seven barrels of peas, six firkins of butter, 134 barrels of purh. These were of great service, but the grand acquisition was 131 barrels of gunpowder, 300 swivel shot, one box of musket shot, 4,564 mycket cu tridges, 154 stand of French arms, three royal mortars, sixty-one shells, 500 hand grenades, rigging for at least three vessels, and the arms and accoutrements of the eighty- three fusileers. These were at least as ac- ceptable for the siege of St. Johns as the cannon captured at Ticonderoga were for that of Boston. The possession of Fort Chamblee also gave the Americans the command of the river below St. Johns, so that the place was invested on all sides. Overjoyed at so splendid an acquisition. Gen- eral Montgomery thus announced it to Gen. Schuyler :
" Dear General :- I have the pleasure to acquaint you with the surrender of Chamblee to Majors Brown and Livingston. I send you the colors of the Seventh regiment and a list of the stores taken. Major Brown assures me we have por si tons of powder, which by the blessing of God will do our business here Major Brown offered his services on this occasion. Upon this and all occasions I have found him active and intelligent."
The Continental Congress being informed of the achievement in structed a delegation which it was about sending to the army " to assure Majors Brown and Livingston that the Congress had a just sense of their important services and would take the first proper opportunity to reward them." Livingston was made a colonel of Canadian volunteers. How Major Brown was received will presently appear.
St. Johns surrendered November 24. Both aming the siege ami previously it had suffered severely from disease induced by insufficient shelter, nuwholesome food, and lack of medical store. Between the 9th of July and the 12th of October, 143 of its men were sent home invalided.
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but their places were more than filled by new recruits, for at the close of the siege the corps numbered about Boompen. We have nocertain knowl edge of what its services had been. Major Brown was almost constantly employed on detached special duty.
As soon as the surrender of St. Johns was certain. Colonel Easton Major Brown having rejoined him -pushed his command, consisting of his own and Colonel Livingston's larger regiment of Cingoli. rapidly down the Sorel, driving before him Allen Mrbean, who communed an irregular body of king's men. Meloan attempted to fortify ar Sort at the point formed by the junction of the Sorel with the St. Lawrence, but was chiven from his works by Easton, Who proceeded at once to complete and strengthen them : so that, in a few days, mounted with three twelve pound cannon, one nine, and two sixes, they effectually commanded the passage of the St. Lawrence.
On the 6th Major Brown was patrolling the north bank of the St. Lawrence, intending to raise a party to cover Montgomery's landing I. fore Montreal: but on that day he learned :hat General Carleton hood informed the citizens of his intention to quit the place within a couple of days. Hesent this information to General Montgomery with a request that he might be permitted to leave his post at Sorel and enter the city with the army, which he did on the 13th.
On the night of the 12th Carleton with his garrison. some prominent loyalists, and such stores as he could take, expected to drop quietly down the river to Quebec. On the sith he was still vainly endeavoring to pass Colonel Easton's batteries, and Montgomery wrote that the color nel had " not only prevented it but twice compelled him to move up the river." He added that he was himself making all despatch to attari the fleet from his side, but it capitulated on the 19th. General Carleton luv ing escaped in a boat with muffled oars during the preceding night which happened to be very dark.
With the fleet there fell into the hands of the Americans General Prescott -- infamous for his ill treatment of Ethan Allen-thirteen other officers. 120 privates, and several prominent loyalist gentlemen. Of ond nance, small arms, and other military stores the fleet was found to con tain two nine and two six-pound cannon, two or three smaller guns, there barrels of gunpowder, a large quantity of artillery cartridges and well. 2.300 musket cartridges, eight chests of small arms besides those borne by the prisoners, 760 barrels of flour, 675 barrels of beef. 317 firkins of butter, 200 pairs of shoes, a large quantity of intrenching tools, ale Truly the Berkshire men were doing a great deal to provide for this little army which entered on its campaign so illy appointed with all the nebes saries for it.
.. Colonel Easton'S regiment." wrote Montgomery to Schuyler. .. while employed in this important service of stopping the flat ware half naked. and the weather was very severe. I was afraid not only that they might grow impatient and relinquish the business in hand, but I saw the relue.
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tance the troops in Montreal had to quit it. * By way of stimu lant, I offered as a reward all public stores taken in the vessels except ammunition and provisions to the troops who went forward." But this stimulant induced only Bedeli's New Hampshire regiment to foral .. their comfortable quarters in the city to share the labors and the honors of the half naked and almost shelterless Berkshire men at Sorel.
With the capture of this fleet. a flotilla on the upper St Lawrence. the first northern campaign closed ; for, although the war in Canada con tinned with little interruption, the arrival of Arnold soon afterwant at Quebec caused it to assume a new character when operations were point- ed before that city.
The great services rendered to the expedition by the chief Berkshire officers were handsomely acknowledged. On the 22d of November Mont gomery wrote to Schuyler : " Colonel Easton has shown so much zel and activity in the important service he has been employed open that I think myself obliged to speak of him in the warmest terms of acknowledgment." Other letters in which his commander warmly enlogized Colond Baston will be referred to hereafter. For Major Brown, Montgomery had the warmest friendship and esteem. Even Schuyler wrote to the Continental Congress that he had ". certainly in the course of the last year done ar- traordinary services." In October, 1776, five of the best officers associated with him in this campaign certified that in it be " was the most active man in the army, being employed in the beginning of the campaign in long. tedious scouts, and in the latter part before the army with a de tachment."
A well authenticated tradition has been handed down that the call- nonading at the battle of Bunker Hill was heard by various persons in Berkshire. At Lee, persons digging a well heard the reports with poen liar distinctness. In Pittsfield, several men of undoubted veracity d. clared that they heard them. In Cummington. in the adjacent comty of Hampshire, some recruits going to the army, and reclining on the gromad for a rest, were startled by the sound. So in other towns. By bringing the ear to the earth the sounds became much more clear. The character of the witnesses who continued to aver the truth of this story from June 17th, 1775, until their death forbade all doubt of their sincerity, though many supposed that their excited imaginations had transformed somje nearer natural sound into these weird and ghostly echoes of battle; hurt in considering the probable truth of the story it must be remembered that the intervening space between Charlestown and Berkshire was then free from the noises of railroads, manufactories, and cities which now abound. Remembering this, the invention of the telephone has removed all improbability from a tradition which there was before much inclina tion in some quarters to scoff.
During the year 1775 certain assignments of public dnsles wage made to the towns of the province after careful examination of their wealth.
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population, and capacity otherwise, which will afford some basis for estimating their relative position at that time. On the 1st of May the following assignment was made of the number of poor of Boston to be received by each Berkshire town, not as panpers but distressed friends :
Sheffield, 54 : Great Barrington. 24 ; Stockbridge, 25 ; Pittsfield. 31 : New Marlboro. 30; Egremont, 13: Richmond, 23: Lenox, 16: Tyring ham, 13 : Lanesboro, 32 ; Sandisfield, 23; Williamstown, 20; Kast Hoosac. 10.
July 12th a call was made for coats for the army with the following assignment : Shefield, 61 ; Great Barrington. 37: Sockbridge. 00 ; Pittsfield, 37: New Marlboro, 34: Egremont. 14 : Richmond, 20 : Lenos. 16: Tyringham, 14; Lanesboro, 37 ; Sandisfield. 26; Williamstown. 23 ; Becket, 10: Gageboro. 12: Partridgefield. 7: East Hoogte. 11 : Jericho. 5 ; Plantations 5 and 7. seven each.
Early in August, 1775. Washington found that he could very well spare from the army besieging Boston a detachment of 1.000 of 1,200 men for a movement against Quebec by the way of the Kennebec River in Maine. This expedition was suggested by Col. Brewer, of Massachu- setts; but the commander in chief gave the command to Arnold, who had ingratiated himself with him. although he was filling the camp with loml mouthed complaints against the men who were, at that moment of som. after. doing the same splendid service in Canada, which they had ahvidy done at Ticonderoga.
The little army entrusted to him numbered 1.100 when it left Cam bridge, September 15th, and was, by extreme suffering from hunger. exposure, and disease, reduced to less than 300 effective men whoy reached Point Levi, opposite Quebec. November 9th. There were a farm- ber of Berkshire soldiers among them, but no distinctive Berkshire corps
Arnold, eager to distinguish himself before the arrival of his superior officer, made some bold demonstrations against the city, but learning that Carleton was approaching from Montreal he retreated to Point at Trembles, twenty miles above. There, on the first of December, he was found by Montgomery, who assumed command of the combined forces which, in all, did not count so many effective men as Arnold had brought to Point Levi: so rapidly had their battalions been depleted by disease and the expiration of enlistments.
Montgomery soon discovered that an attempt must be made to stop the city; and night assaults were planned, to be made simultaneously upon the upper and lower towns by divisions led respectively by himself and Arnold in person, with feints in two or three other quarters. But he was much chagrined to find three companies of Arnold's detachment re fusing to serve under him in the attack, although eager to act with either of the other parties.
He had been much struck with the superiority of AArnold's troops to his own in discipline and subordination; and he was annoyed and dis pleased by a proceeding which might lead to a deterioration of both divi
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sions in those qualities. Being also satisfied that the refusant companies had no just cause of complaint against their commander he refused to make the change which they demanded. Still the dissatisfaction was so great that the proposed plan was given up. Montgomery attributed the disaffection to a certain Captain --- who had inenriedl Amold's dis- pleasure, and a certain field officer who, as he thought, desired : soporte command of the reeusant companies, and he added : "I fear my friend --- is deeply concerned in this business. I will have an defaireist ment with him on the subject." The names here supplied by dash lines are carefully erased from the original letter : but it has been assumed. with much to favor the supposition, that the friend alluded to was Major Brown. Major Brown had Known Arnold well before the war. hay. ing studied law with his consin, Oliver Arnold, of Providence, He had gained a further insight into his character in the Ticonderoga affair, and fully believed that the incipient traitor would have sold the flotilla on Lake Champlain to the British commander at St. Johns if he had not been presented by the vigorous measures of Colonel Easton. This epin- ion he expressed long before Arnold's treason at West Point, when. indeed, he was dead. It is entirely probable that he had given his views to Montgomery with bitter force : and hence the fear of the latter that he was involved in the insubordination of Arnold's troops. The éclaircissement probably dispelled this suspicion. If there had been any ground for it it would not have escaped the vigilant Arnold, who would not have failed to make it a prominent charge in the acrimonious hand-to-hand conflict which they carried on for the ensuing two years So reckless were his charges that no one can believe that he would have waited even for a semblance of proof had the rumour come to his ears that his enemy had been guilty of a crime so odious to every commander, and especially to Washington and Schuyler, as incitement to mutiny.
As the time approached when the enlistment of Colonel Easton's men would expire Major Brown willingly yielded to General Montgomery's desire that he should remain in the service and attempt to raise a regi- ment from the men abont to be disbanded from the men in his own and other corps. From this source, with a considerable number of recruits from Berkshire, he was able by the 23d of January to muster a respecta ble number of men. In the meantime events occurred which chihgst the whole face of affairs.
Colonel Easton's regiment was mustered out of service December 31st. On the day previous occurred the disastrous attack on Queber. which cost the American armies the noble Montgomery. The assault was made in two divisions, commanded respectively by Montgomery and Arnold in person. A part of Colonel Easton's regiment was in the command of Montgomery, who fell mortally wounded while gallantly leading his men. Arnold, while no less gallantly leading his, was
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wounded in the leg and carried of the field. The attack was abandoned. We need not enter here into the sad and familiar details.
No officer in the patriot ranks feil during the war whose death was so much to be regretted as that of Richard Montgomery -not even Waneh -and no especial locality had so much cause to mourn his loss as the county of Berkshire.
General Wooster, who sneeded to the chief command in Canada kept his quarters quietly in Montreal during the winter, while Arnold doggedly maintained the siege of Quebec, where Carleton held out, con- fident that relief would reach him from England as soon as spring opened navigation on the St. Lawrence.
Colonel Brown was now under the immediate command of his great enemy and was posted with his regiment at the advance post, within cast- non shot of the city fortifications. His apprehensions are indicated in several of his letters. " A plenty of 36 1b. balls," said he in a letter to his father, February 7th. "come to our Ilor without hands. Two of them we use for andirons." Writing to his wife. March 13th, hocox. pressed great pleasure in the rumor that General Lee was near at hand. " Gen. Arnold and 1," said he. "do not agree very well. I expect another storm [of Quebec] soon and that I must be the Uriah. Yestoy day the enemy made a sally on our working party, as it was said with 500 men. Gen. Arnold immediately ordered me to attack them with my detachment which consists of 200 men. one-half of themt sich in the hits pital. I accordingly marched against the enemy who retired too quick for me to attack them. I expect to be punished for disobedience of of- ders next."
On the 25th of June the Massachusetts Assembly resolved to mise 5,000 men to reinforce the continental troops in Canada and at New York. and the quota of Berkshire was assigned as follows: Sheffield. 27 ; Grim Barrington, 16 ; West Stockbridge. 6: Pittsfield, 17 : New Mallory, 13: Egremont. 9 ; Richmond. 14 : Glass Works Grant and part of Harrwood [afterward united in the town of Lee). 5: Stockbridge. 14: Lenox. 9: Tyringham, 11 ; London [Otis] 4; Alford, 6 : Lanesboro. 19: New As ford, 3; Sandisfield, 14 : Plantation of Hartwood ( Washington), 5; Wil- liamstown, 13; Becket, 6; Gageborough Windsor, 7; Partridgefjell [Peru], 5 : East Hoosac [Adams and North Adams], 9: Jericho Han cock ], 9 ; New Providence [ Cheshire]. 6.
By means of this call and with other reinforcements from Now Eng. land, General Wooster's force was increased by April 1st to 3,000, But of these abont 800 lay sick with small pox.
General Thomas succeeded General Wouter in command May Ist. Theodore Sedgwick of Stockbridge being one of his aids , but Burgoyne bringing succor soon afterward to the British garrison in Quebec. the AAmericans were compelled to abandon the siege and conidetely evnenals Canada.
Captain Noble, the brave and generous commander of the Pittsfield
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and Richmond minute men of 1775, died at Crown Point in July. of the secondary effects of small pox. Many of the Berkshire men died of that and other diseases during the campaign or, after their return home, from disease contracted in it.
The calamitous termination of the Canadian campaigns brought to its culmination the distrust of General Schuyler, which had been growing up after his appointment to the command of the northern department, among the radical whigs of Berkshire county, the New Hampshire Grants, and some sections of New York. Possibly his old and prominent connection with the controversy concerning the Westenhook Patent may have created an early prejudice against him But, setting that entirely aside, he was a conservative whig. one of a class particularly obnoxious to the radicals who, after the opening of the war, ruled Berkshire, and thought the conservatives but a shade better than the tories, if any. Schuyler and the radicals stood upon planes so entirely different that they could not at all understand each other. He had no faculty to win their confidence and friendship as Montgomery did, and when they found the advantages, which had been gained chiefly by their own officers and soldiers, lost under his management or that of his lieutenants they were naturally ready to charge him rather with treachery than with incapacity. In truth, unblemished patriot, gallant soldier, and safe statesman, and noble spirited gentleman as he was known to have been, he was neverthe: less entirely unfitted for the command to which he was assigned, in which it was necessary to rely to a large extent upon what was almist a parti. san soldiery, and which was certainly impetuous. Ever ready to rally upon a sudden emergency, to march as long as an advance was made, to join in the most dangerous and even seemingly rash enterprises, yet if an opportunity to meet the enemy was not speedily accorded them they grew impatient of the necessary restraints of military discipline : often with baleful results to their own health. This class of soldiers was not to the mind of Schuyler, who declared he would rather have one Virgin- ian than three of them. And still they alone in his department won victories, and always won them in their own way, as the Stockbridge chief when volunteering declared that he could only fight in his. And yet they were of a class which a commander of real genius could have readily won to submit to his wishes, even in a matter so repugnant to them as the routine discipline of an army, and rendered them so devoted to himself that they would have followed him to the death in serried ranks, as they did their own loved officers in a less regular fashion.
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