USA > New York > Jefferson County > A history of Jefferson County in the state of New York, from the earliest period to the present time > Part 54
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64
As soon as the last of the flotilla had left the Niagara, Chaun- cey again sailed to divert or engage the enemy, and on the 5th, when near the False Dueks, on the north shore recaptured the Growler and the Julia (named Hamilton and Confiance by the
32
502
The War of 1812-15.
enemy ), the Mary Ann, the Drummond and the Lady Gore, gun vessels, and caused the enemy to abandon and burn a sixth. The Enterprise, a small schooner, was the only one that escaped. The prizes, mounting one to three guns each, were taken to Sackets Harbor. They had 300 troops of De Waterville's Ger- man regiment on board, from the head of the lake, but last from York, bound for Kingston.
Sackets Harbor had for several weeks been alive with the bustle of preparation for the approaching descent upon Canada. A great number of armed boats and transports were built, and large quantities of supplies were collected. Immediately after Wilkinson's arrival, he waited upon the secretary of war and remonstrated against making an attack upon Kingston. The secretary differed from this opinion, but appointed a meeting on the 5th to hear the opinions and arguments on this subject. The chief objection against this attack arose from the apprehension of delays, and the lateness of the season. Much correspondence ensued, in which various modes of operation were proposed, and several days in a season already too late for operations of this class and magnitude, were trifled away to no purpose. Gen- eral Wilkinson had been sick at fort George, and was still unwell.
At this late season of the year, when, with no other enemy but the weather, it would seem the extremity of folly to attempt the navigation of the lake in open boats, froin the peril arising from sudden tempests, it was decided to pass the enemy's fleet and army, and descend upon Montreal, allowing the enemy the privilege of attacking on his own territory in both front and rear, with an intimate knowledge of the country and its resour- ces, and every advantage that a skillful commander could have desired, had the selection of circumstances been left to him. Viewed in its proper light, the expedition may be justly con- sidered an outrage upon reason and common sense, and justly entitled to the odium which has been attached to it and its imbecile commander; and in its results it forms one of the dark- est pages of American history.
Our forces were first to be assembled at Grenadier Island, and on the 16th of October Hampton was ordered by Wilkinson to ad- vance to the mouth of the Chateaugay, or any other point that might better favor the junction of the two armies, and hold the enemy in check.
On the 12th, the plan of encampment and order of battle on the opposite page was issued, for which we are indebted to Dr. Amasa Trowbridge of Watertown, who attended the expedition as a surgeon, and was present at several of the engagements on the Niagara frontier in the ensuing campaign.
ters a
0
503
The War of 1812-15.
1.
Third Brigade.
2.
First Brigade.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
First Division. MAJOR GENERAL MORGAN LEWIS.
10.
Fourth Brigade.
11.
Second Brigade.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
Second Division.
Riflemen.
Reserve.
Riflemen.
0000
0000
Park.
-
1. Major Pitt's artillery,
2. Capt. Leonard's "
3. Lt. Col. Eustis' "
4. Colonel Pearce, 16th, .... 377
5. Lieut. Col. Cutting, 25th, 562
6. Lieut. Col. Aspinwall, 9th, 468
7. Colonel Preston, 12th, ... 369
8. Major Huyke, 13th,. 391
9. Colonel Bissel, 5th, . 553
10. Capt. Brook's artillery.
11. Capt. 66
12. Capt. Archer's 66
13. Lieut. Colonel Dix, 14th, 267
14. Colonel Ripley, 21st., ... 632
15. Lieut. Col. Upham, 15th, 449
16. Colonel 459
17. Colonel Brady, 462
18. Brevet Colonel Miller, .. 368
This order was to be the same, where the ground would per- mit, with the exception, that in battle, the rifle corps was to act on the flanks, or in advance of the first line, and the cavalry to take post on the flanks of the second line. Both of these corps were to encamp generally with the reserve.
On the 26th October, at noon, orders were issued for the heavy, light, and flying artillery, commanded by Colonels Por- ter, Eustis and Macomb, and the fourth brigade, commanded by Brigadier General Swartwout, of the infantry, to embark, and proceed immediately to Basin Harbor, in Grenadier Island. At six P. M. the whole embarked, and put off with a favorable wind, the transports mostly consisting of scows, Durham boats, common lake sail boats, and bateaux; containing besides offi- 'ers and soldiers, ordnance, ammunition, hospital stores, baggage, ind two months' provisions for the troops. An unpardonable
504
The War of 1812-15.
negligence was evinced during these, and the following move- ments, in the custody and safe keeping of the supplies, immense quantities of which were ultimately lost. There was a deficien- cy of experienced pilots, and the men in the boats were mostly unaccustomed to their management, either in good or bad weather, and particularly in a dark night, and, in passing points of land where they were unacquainted with the soundings and currents, and at a season when sudden and violent tem- pests are liable to arise without warning.
The wind and weather favored until one o'clock A. M., when the boats appeared to be much scattered; some had landed on Pillar Point, and Point Peninsula; some had entered Chaumont Bay, and other inlets; others had landed on Cherry, Stony and Horse islands, and others stood off for Kingston, where one boat, with an officer and ten men, is said to have arrived in safety. Several boats landed on Long Island, in British territory, and some safely reached their destination at Basin Harbor. At half past two the wind shifted nearly ahead, and blew fresh from the lake, by which many boats got in the rear, and discovering lights on the shore, attempted to reach them, in which some suc- ceeded. It soon began to rain, and the wind increased to a gale, in which the boats and scows which had landed, were drifted and beaten on the shore, which in some places was rough and rocky, while others, still on the lake, made the first point of land they could discover, to save themselves. The morning disclosed a scene of desolation truly distressing. The shores of the islands and main land were strewn with broken and sunken boats, and the day was spent in unloading such as could be reached, and in endeavoring to save such perishable articles as could be found, the gale continuing through that day and the following night. On the 18th, the wind having abated, several boats were got off from the rocks, and arrived at Basin Harbor, but on the next day the storm increased, and several boats that had attempted to gain their rendezvous, were driven back upon the shores. On the 20th the day was favorable, and many of the sound boats reached Basin Harbor.
The brigades of Generals Brown, Boyd, and Covington which had encamped at Henderson Harbor, arrived at Grenadier Island on the 20th. Of the flotilla that had left Sackets Harbor, fifteen large boats were entirely lost; many others, with several scows were much damaged, and a large quantity of bread was destroyed. The troops remained encamped on the island until the 1st of November, engaged in repairing the boats and making prepara- tions to descend the St. Lawrence. The weather meanwhile continued stormy, and snow fell to the depth of ten inches. Many of the regulars were from the southern states, and unac-
505
The War of 1812-15.
customed to the severity of a northern winter, and in this expe- dition, especially at a later period, suffered extremely from the rigor of the climate, which produced a frightful mortality among them.
On the 28th, 196 of the sick were put on board a schooner, and sent to Sackets Harbor. Wilkinson arrived on the 27th, and finding a large body still in the rear, wrecked or stranded, returned to Sackets Harbor to order a supply of winter cloth- ing and shoes, for the troops on the island, some of whom were nearly destitute. He observed many fires of troops along the shore, but the wind was so violent that he could not communicate with them. On the 23d, Colonel Cole arrived with 200 men, of the 12th regiment, and sailed for the rendezvous, and the Growler was sent to Oswego for Colonels Randolph and Scott, who were expected there, and as many men as the vessel could carry. The general returned the same day to Grenadier Island and arrived off the island at eight in the evening, the weather continuing boisterous during this night and the day following, with fre- quent rains and heavy gales, so that a landing could not be effected until the 25th.
In the intervals of the gale, opportunities were watched to slip detachments of boats into the St. Lawrence, but so treach- erous were the lulls of the tempest, that great peril was encoun- tered in passing from Grenadier Island to Cape Vincent, a distance of nine miles. Many boats were driven ashore and much provisions and clothing were lost. General Brown was ordered to take command of the advance and post himself at French Creek, where the detachments were ordered to rendez- vous. The Growler arrived at Grenadier Island on the 31st, with 230 men of the 20th regiment, and on the 2d of November, Chauncey took a position to protect the south channel, where it was apprehended the enemy would enter and occupy Fort Carlton, which, with some repairs, would have effectually com- manded that channel, and compelled the American army to winter on Lake Ontario, or run the gauntlet under the batteries of Kingston. Perhaps no point on the river is so admirably adapted for a strong military post, as the head of Carlton Is- land, and it has been justly called the Gibraltar of this pass- age.
On the evening of the 1st of November, the enemy having observed the concentration of our forces at French Creek, attacked General Brown about sunset with two brigs, two schooners, and several boats laden with infantry. The encampment of Brown was a short distance up the creek, and he had caused a battery of three eighteen-pounders to be erected on Bartlet's Point, a short distance above, which, from its elevation, gave it a superi-
506
The War of 1812-15.
ority over that of the enemy. This battery was under the com- mand of Captain McPherson, of the light artillery, and was served with such effect that the assailants soon dropped down the current beyond its reach. The next morning the attack was re- newed without success, and one of the brigs was with difficulty towed off by the squadron. Our loss was two killed and four wounded; that of the enemy, much more. On the the 5th, Gen- eral Wilkinson, having collected his tempest-tossed flotilla, passed down the river to below Morristown and encamped. It is not in our province to follow the details of this disastrous ex- pedition. The secretary of war proceeded by land as far as Antwerp, from whence, on the 27th of October, he returned. The batteries at Prescott were passed in the night, and on the 11th of November was fought the battle of Chrysler's Field; soon after which, the American flotilla entered Salmon River, and took up winter quarters at French Mills, now Fort Coving- ton .* During much of this time, General Wilkinson was con- fined to his cabin, and, it has been said by some, was intoxicated. On the 11th, General Hampton informed Wilkinson of his ina- bility to meet him at St. Regis, and announced his intention to return to Lake Champlain, which was done. In February, the camp at French Mills was broken up, Brown (who, on the 24th of January, 1814, had been promoted to the rank of major general), conducting a part of the army to Sackets Harbor, and the commander-in-chief the remainder to Plattsburgh.
This inglorious issue of events on the northern frontier excited the murmurs of the nation, and Generals Hampton and Wilkin- son were arraigned before courts martial, the latter being re- moved from command, and succeeded by General Izard.
To return to the operations of the American fleet on Lake On- tario, in the fall of 1813: On the 2d of November, the Pike and other armed vessels passed down the St. Lawrence to the foot of Long Island, where they remained several days, when they re- rurned on the 12th, with the view of laying up at Sackets Har- bor; but a letter from the secretary of war was received, direct- ing Chauncey to sail to the head of the lake, and transport the army of General Harrison to the harbor, for its defence against any attempt that might be made from Kingston. The wind be- ing fair, he sailed immediately, and the third day after embarked the troops. A violent snow storm and east wind ensued, which lasted three days, scattered the fleet, and, had it continued a day longer, most of our vessels must have perished with their crews. Some of them lost their masts, some sails, one her rudder, and many men were washed overboard; others rode out the gale and landed on the enemy's lee shore. At length, after great peril,
* See History of St. Lawrence and Franklin Counties, pages 637, 655.
da
507
The War of 1812-15.
the fleet all arrived at Sackets Harbor, excepting one vessel that was driven on shore in the Niagara River. General Harrison, soon after his arrival at the harbor, resigned his command.
The winter was devoted to the prosecution of ship building, which the large addition made to the British fleet at Kingston, was thought to render necessary. The crews of the vessels em- ployed themselves in erecting fortifications, under the direction of Captain Crane, who was left in command in the absence of Chauncey. Circumstances render it probable that the enemy were kept informed of our movements by spies, which led to an advertisement in April, by Chauncey, offering $500 reward for the apprehension of each. The ingenuity and boldness of some of these informers was remarkable.
The official returns of the department, on the 4th of March, 1814, gave the following as the list of vessels then on this sta- tion, with the denomination and number of guns of each, and names of commanders:
Ship General Pike, Isaac Chauncey, Commodore, . 24 guns
Madison, William M. Crane, Master, Commandant, .... 20
16
Brig Oneida, Thomas Brown, Lieutenant, Commandant, .... .. Schooner Sylph, Melancthon T. Woolsey, Master, Commandant, 14 Governor Tompkins, St. Clair Elliott, Midshipman, Commandant,. 6
66 Hamilton, 8
66 Growler,. 5
66 Pert, Samuel W. Adams, Lieutenant, Commandant,. 3
66 Conquest, Henry Wells, Lieutenant, Commandant, ... 2
Fair American, Wolcott Chauncey, Lieutenant, Com- mandant,. . 2
" Ontario, John Stevens, Sailing Master, 2
Asp, Philander A. Jones, Lieutenant, Commandant, . 2
Julia, . 2
Elizabeth. 1
66 Lady of the Lake, Mervin P. Mix,. 1
66
66 Bomb vessel, Mary.
As soon as the ice broke up, the Lady of the Lake was sent out to cruise, and on the 24th of April run close into Kingston harbor and showed her colors which were answered by the ene- my's fleet and batteries. Their fleet appeared to be nearly ready for a cruise.
On the night of the 25th, Lieutenant Dudley with two guard boats fell in with three of the enemy's in the bay, who were hailed, but not being properly answered, were fired upon when the latter fled. A reinforcement was hastily obtained but noth- ing was seen or found of the enemy except six barrels of pow- der, slung in pairs to be carried on the shoulders of men, and doubtless intended to fire our vessels stealthily. This accounted for their hasty retreat when fired upon, for fear of accidental explosion. This insidious plan of the enemy could scarcely
508
The War of 1812-15.
have succeeded, as, besides two lines of guard boats, all the ap- proaches were secured by booms, and a marine guard boat, and numerous sentinels were posted near. The guns of the Madison that was close to the stern of the Superior, were kept loaded with canister and bags of musket balls, to rake under if neces- sary.
The armaments of the small vessels were abandoned early in the season, and they were used mostly as transports. On the 1st of May, the frigate Superior (66 guns), built in eighty days, was launched, and the day after there occurred an incident which well-nigh led to serious consequences. The ship carpenters and sailors, having no interests in common with the soldiers, had acquired a feeling of mutual hostility, and on this occasion, there had been an unusual degree of convivial excess in celebrat- ing the launch. A dragoon, being assaulted by two or three carpenters, fled for protection to a sentinel placed over a store house, and with the obstinacy and insolence of half drunken men, they were persisting in the pursuit, in which one of their number was shot, and the remainder fled. This at once led to the most intense excitement. The ship carpenters, with axes, and adzes, hastily rallied, with the sailors, armed with boarding pikes and cutlasses, who, forming in a solid body, marched in pursuit of the sentinel. The troops were hastily formed in a hollow square around him and drawn up in the street, where they stood prepared to meet and repel any attack, and the former had advanced to within a few yards, and were yelling and bran- dishing their weapons in the wildest phrensy of rage, when Eckford, Chauncey and Brown, hastened to the spot, threw themselves between the parties, and by a well-timed and judi- cious appeal, checked the advance, and soon persuaded the car- penters to desist, on the assurance that the sentinel should be impartially tried, and suitably punished, if convicted. He was taken to Watertown, an examination held, and he was sent to a distant station to be out of their reach.
The Mohawk and Jones were still on the stocks, the armament of which, as well as that of the Superior, must be transported through Wood Creek and Oswego rivers, as the roads through the Black River valley were nearly impassable from mud. This the enemy well knew, and were also informed that the rigging and armament of these vessels was on its way to Oswego. To possess these supplies would be equivalent to the destruction of our squadron, as without them the new ships could not appear on the lake, nor could the fleet of the pre- vious year venture out in the presence of the greatly increased naval armament of the enemy, with the slightest hopes of suc- cess. This descent upon Oswego was therefore planned with
509
The War of 1812-15.
great foresight, and had its execution been as successful as its conception was bold and masterly, the beam of fortune must have preponderated with the British, and the results of this cam- paign might have been as disastrous, as those of the previous year had been disgraceful, to the American arms. This fact be- ing remembered, will enable us to duly estimate the value of the services which rescued this property from the grasp of the ene- my, and secured the defeat of the detachment that was sent in quest of it, as completely as could have been possible.
Oswego had not been occupied by regular troops since the Revolution, and Colonel Mitchel had arrived at Sackets Harbor April 30th, with four companies of heavy, and one of light ar- tillery, serving as infantry. Of cannon, the fort had but five old guns, three of which had lost their trunions. Platforms and pickets were repaired, and the place was hastily put in as good a state of defence as possible; when the enemy appeared, on the 5th of May, with a force of four ships, three brigs, and a num- ber of gun-boats. A cannonade was begun and returned with much spirit, and a landing attempted, but not accomplished, when the enemy stood off from the shore for better anchorage. One or two of the enemy's boats were picked up, and guards were stationed at various points along the shore. At day break on the 6th, the fleet again approached the village, and after a fire of three hours, landed six hundred of De Waterville's regiment, six hundred marines, two companies of the Glengary corps, and three hundred and fifty seamen, who took possession of the public stores, burned the old barracks, and returned on board their fleet on the morning of the seventh. The land forces were under Gen- eral Drummond, and the fleet under Commodore Yeo. The naval stores were then at Oswego Falls (now Fulton), but Colonel Mitchel having retired in that direction, destroying the bridges, and filling the roads with timber after him, the enemy thought it inexpedient to follow, and soon after the fleet returned to its sta- tion near the Galloo Islands, to blockade the passage of the stores, which it was known must pass in that vicinity. These stores, under the charge of Lieutenant Woolsey, and escorted by Major D. Appling,* of Ist rifle regiment, with a company of one hundred and fifty men, left Oswego on the evening of the 28th of May, in nineteen boats, in the hope of gaining Stony Creek unmolested, from whence there would be but three miles of land carriage for the heavy ordnance and stores, to Henderson Har- bor, twelve miles from Sackets Harbor. The evening being dark
* Appling was a young officer from Georgia, who, on the occasion above re- lated, first rendered himself conspicuous for his personal valor. For this, on the same day, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He subse- quently acted a conspicuous part in the battle of Plattsburgh. A post office in the town of Adams bears his name.
510
The War of 1812-15.
and rainy, the brigade of boats rowed all night, and at dawn on Sunday morning met a party of Oneida Indians, under com- mand of Lietunant Hill, of the rifle regiment at Salmon river, and at noon, May 29th, entered Sandy Creek, except one boat, which from the misfortune or treachery of its pilot, fell into the hands of the enemy. This boat contained one cable, and two twenty-four pounders; and from those on board the enemy learned the particulars of the expedition, and of the force by which it was escorted. Upon entering Sandy Creek, Lieuten- ant Woolsey sent an express to notify Commodore Chauncey of his arrival, and couriers were despatched in various directions to rally teams to get the stores removed by land to their destination. The boats were run up the south branch of the creek, till they grounded, a distance of two miles from its mouth. The lake is here, for a great distance, bordered by a low ridge of sand hills, slightly wooded, behind which is a marsh with open ponds. Through this marsh, which is destitute of trees or bushes, and at that time was partly flowed from high water, the two branches of Sandy Creek meander, and unite but a few yards from their mouth, where then, as now, a solitary family dwelt.
On Monday morning, a lookout boat in charge of Lieutenant Pierce, discovered the enemy making for the creek, and commu- nicated the news to Lieutenant Woolsey who, at dawn, dispatched messengers to call in the neighboring militia, and made hasty arrangements to meet the enemy, who were seen soon af- ter sunrise to enter the creek with three gun-boats, three cutters and one gig, and commenced a cannonade with a sixty-eight pounder in the direction of the flotilla of Lieutenant Woolsey, the masts of which were visible in the distance across a bend in the creek. These shots were directed in part against a thick wood, that extended on the north side of the south branch to nearly half a mile below the boats, in the edge of which, front- ing the open marsh, the rifle company of Major Appling was concealed behind a brush and log fence, entirely unobserved by the enemy. At nine o'clock, Captain Harris, with a squadron of dragoons, and Captain Melvin, with a company of light ar- tillery, and two six-pounders, arrived. This reinforcement was directed to halt a short distance in rear of the boats, as the force best calculated for a bush fight was already on the ground they could occupy with the best advantage. Meanwhile, the cannon were posted in a position where they could be used with effect if necessary, and the fences thrown down, that the dragoons might maneuvre without obstruction. The enemy slowly ad- vanced up the creek and landed on the south side, but finding it impossible to proceed, on account of the slimy condition of the marsh, they re-embarked and proceeded on to within about
511
The War of 1812-15.
twenty rods of the woods, where they landed, and formed on the north bank, at a place now occupied by a store house, and which afforded the first solid ground for marching. The advanc- ing column, headed by Mr. Hoare, a midshipman of the British navy, had approached to within ten rods of the ambush, when, on a signal, the riflemen of Major Appling arose from their con- cealment and fired. Several fell dead, and their leader fell pierced with eleven balls. So sudden and effectual was this movement, that it threw the enemy into confusion, and, after a fire of a few minutes, the order was given to charge, upon which the rifle men rushed forward with loud cheers, holding their rifles in the position of charged bayonets. The result was the surrender of the enemy at discretion. This was scarcely done, when the Indians, true to their character as savages, came furiously on, yelling and brandishing their weapons, and were with the greatest difficulty prevented from murdering the dis- armed prisoners; and, indeed, it has been generally believed that one or two British officers were mortally wounded after they had yielded. The enemy were commanded by Captains Popham and Spilsbury, and their loss was nineteen killed, fifty wounded, and 133 taken prisoners. A few landed on the south bank and fled, but were pursued, and not one escaped to report their de- feat. Among the prisoners were twenty-seven marines, 106 sailors, with two post captains, four lieutenants of the navy, one captain of marines, two lieutenants and two midshipmen. The captain of marines and one midshipman died of their wounds. Popham is said to have been an old acquaintance of Woolsey's, and as he came forward to surrender his sword, the latter ex- claimed, " Why, Popham ! what on earth are you doing in this creek?" After some indifferent reply, and a survey of our force, he replied, " Well, Woolsey, this is the first time I ever heard of riflemen charging bayonets!" At the moment after the first fire, the enemy had attempted to retreat, but the recoil of their heavy ordnance had forced the stern of their larger boats into the mud, and they found it impossible. Upon this they attempted to throw overboard their armament, and succeeded in getting out one brass piece, but were prevented from further mischief by our men. Our loss was one Indian killed and one rifleman wounded. On the morning of the battle, Captain Smith was ordered on, with 120 marines, and Colonel Mitchell, with 300 artillery and infantry, who did not arrive in time to participate in the engagement. The same was the case of the neighboring militia, who soon after arrived in great numbers.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.