USA > New York > Erie County > Buffalo > An authentic and comprehensive history of Buffalo : with some account of its early inhabitants, both savage and civilized ; comprising historic notices of the Six Nations or Iroquois Indians, including a sketch of the life of Sir William Johnson, and of other prominent white men, long resident among the Senecas ; arranged in chronologial order > Part 26
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No. 115, E. A. Bigelow, November 30th 1827.
do do No. 116, James W. Stevens, April 2d, 1810.
do No. 117 Heman B. Potter, May 18th, 1815.
do No. 118, David E. Evans, April 5th, 1811.
do No. 119, Isaac Davis, October 9th, 1812.
do No. 120 and 121, M. A. Andrews, July 28th, 1831.
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Outer Lot No. 122, (part of, ) Walter M. Seymour, January 5th, 1827.
do No. 4
Jonas Harrison, May 17th, 1814.
do No. 123 66 Ira A. Blossom, June 30th, 1828.
do No. “ .. Oziel Smith, June 26th, 1815.
do No. 124, Oziel Smith, February 26th, 1813.
do No. 125, (part of, ) William Williams, April 13th, 1830.
do No. 4 Ira A. Blossom, June 30th, 1828.
do No. 126, Isaac Davis, October 9th, 1812.
do No. 127, 128, 129 and 130, M. A. Andrews, July 28th, 1831.
do No. 131 and 132, M. A. Andrews, March 19th, 1828.
do No. 133 and 134, James Rough, October 9th, 1812.
do No. 135, Jabez Goodell, November 11th, 1834.
do No. 136, do do June 14th, 1817.
do No. 137, do do July 22d, 1825.
do No. 138, Jas. and Henry Campbell, June 22d. 1815.
do No. 139, Eli Hart, April 1st, 1815.
do No. 140, Amon Teft, October 23d, 1815.
do No. 141. Matilda Sharp, July 26th, 1814.
do No. 142 Philo Andrews, April 16th, 1810.
do No. 143, Henry Lake, March 16th, 1810.
do No. 144, Samuel Helm, December 22d, 1809.
do No. 145, Jabez Goodell, April 8th, 1816.
do No. 146, do do July 22d, 1825.
do No. 147, do do December 1st, 1823.
do No. 148, Silas A. Fobes, November 8th, 1834.
do No. 149, James Sweeney, August 23d, 1825.
do No. 150 and 151, Walter M. Seymour, December 1st, 1827.
NO. 6. [PAGE 295.]
[From the Buffalo Gazette, December 1st, 1812. ]
From the time the armistice expired until Saturday last, the weather, with the exception of one day, inclement and extremely unfavorable to military movements and warlike operations. However, on Friday last, a movement being resolved upon, the troops removed from their several encampments and concentrated their forces in the vicinity of Black Rock. On Saturday morning, a party of about two hundred sailors and soldiers, under the command of Capt. King, made a descent upon the enemy's shore-attacked and carried three several batteries, dis- mounted and spiked their cannon, and destroyed their gun carriages.
The most determined and intrepid bravery was displayed on this occa- sion. About thirty prisoners, among whom were two British officers, were captured. A large two-story house was burned, in which was a quantity of ammunition. A barn near the house was also fired and con- sumed, in which, it is said, were the enemy's light artillery. Several horses, already harnessed, were also destroyed.
The loss of the British, in killed and wounded, is uncertain; it is rated at between twenty and thirty. Our loss consists of four or five killed and (say) twenty wounded; Capts. King and Dox taken prisoners-the latter wounded and retaken. Sailing-master Watts was killed. The party returned to Black Rock about six o'clock.
A short time after this achievement, Col. Wynder, with a column of three hundred regulars from his regiment, embarked (whether to cross the river, or to reconnoitre, we know not, ) at the mouth of Conjockety Creek, behind Squaw Island, and after passing the foot of the Island, dropped a few minutes down the river on the enemy's shore, when the boats were furiously attacked with grape and musketry from a consider- able force on the shore, which had lain in ambush; the fire was very spirit- edly returned from the boats for several minutes. Seeing, however, the danger of effecting a landing against a superior force on shore, possessing
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every advantage, the boats returned, with small loss in killed and wounded.
A detachment of Col. Porter's light artillery had now passed over to Squaw Island, where two pieces played upon the enemy with some effect. From an early hour in the morning until twelve o'clock, the several bat- teries at Black Rock, mounting twenty-four, eighteen, twelve and six pounders, played upon the opposite shore. The enemy returned but a few shots-from a six pounder which had escaped spiking. Between nine and ten o'clock, three sailors embarked in a boat, passed over to the enemy's shore, and set fire to the house of B. Hardison and the store of Mr. Douglass, which were consumed. After remaining on that shore about two hours, they returned, with a boat loaded with articles taken from the houses. We understand that this act was unauthorized.
From seven until ten or eleven o'clock in the morning, there was a constant embarkation of troops at the Navy Yard, and before the hour of eleven, there were about sixty boats loaded and stationed on shore, awaiting the signal to make a descent. The day was fine. The troops were in excellent spirits. No opposing force appeared on the shore. A flag was now sent by Gen. Smyth to the British commander. The flag returned. The troops on the boats were ordered to debark, and the vol- unteers who were ready for embarkation, were ordered back to their re- spective encampments.
[From the Albany Gazette, December 14th, 1812. ]
On Saturday last, arrived in this city, on his way from the camp at Buffalo to his family at Troy, Capt. Wool, of the Thirteenth U. S. Regi- ment, whose distinguished and gallant conduct in storming the batteries on the heights of Queenston on the 13th September last, in which he was severely wounded, and his subsequent conduct on that day, gained him the respect and applause of Major-General Van Rensselaer, and of the whole army, and the universal esteem of his fellow-citizens. We are happy to observe that he is in good health, and has nearly recovered of his wounds. He was a volunteer with Col. Winder in the late unsuc- cessful attempt at crossing the Niagara river.
Capt. Wool has put into our hands, for publication, the following paper, containing Gen. Smyth's reasons for not planting the American standard on the Canada shore, agreeably to his late proclamations. We submit it to our readers without comment :
HEADQUARTERS, CAMP NEAR BUFFALO, Dec. 3d, 1812. GENTLEMEN :- Your letter of 2d December is before me, and I answer
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it in the following manner: On the 26th of October, I ordered that twenty scows should be prepared for the transportation of artillery and cavalry, and put the carpenters of the army upon that duty. By the 26th of November, ten scows were completed, and by bringing some boats from Lake Ontario above the Falls of Niagara, the number was increased to seventy.
I had, on the 12th November, issued an address to the men of New York, and perhaps three hundred had arrived at Buffalo. I presumed that the regular troops and the volunteers, under Cols. Swift and Mc- Clure, would furnish thirteen hundred men for duty, and from Gen. Tannehill's brigade, (from Pennsylvania, ) reporting a total of one thou- sand six hundred and fifty men, as many as four hundred and thirteen had volunteered to cross into Canada. My orders were to " cross with three thousand men at once." I deemed myself ready to fulfill them. Preparatory thereto, on the night of the 21st November, I sent over two parties-one under Lieut. Col. Boestler, the other under Capt. King, with whom Lient. Angus, of the Navy, at the head of a body of sea- men, united. The first was to capture a guard, and destroy a bridge about five miles below Fort Erie; the second party were to take and ren- der useless the cannon of the enemy's batteries and some pieces of light artillery. The first party failed to destroy the bridge; the second, after rendering unserviceable the light artillery, separated by some misappre- hension. Lieut. Angus, the seamen and part of the troops, returned with all the boats, while Capt. King, Capt. Sproal and Lieut. Houston, and about sixty men, remained. The party, thus reduced, attacked, took and rendered unserviceable, two of the enemy's batteries, captured thirty-four prisoners, found two boats, in which Capt. King sent the pris- oners and about half his party, with the other officers, he himself re- maining, with thirty men, whom he would not abandon.
Orders had been given that all the troops in the neighborhood should march at reveille to the place of embarkation. A part of the detachment sent in the night having returned and excited apprehensions for the residue, about two hundred and fifty men, under the command of Col. Winder, suddenly put off in boats for the opposite shore. A part of this force had landed, when a force deemed superior, with one piece of artillery, was discovered. A retreat was ordered, and Col. Winder's de- tachment suffered a loss of six killed and nineteen wounded, besides some officers.
The general embarkation commenced as the troops arrived, but this being a first embarkation, the whole of the scows were occupied by about
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one-third of the artillery, while about eight hundred regular infantry, about two hundred twelve months volunteers, under Col. Swift, and about two hundred of the militia, who had volunteered their services for a few days, occupied all the boats that were ready. The troops then embarked, moved up the stream to Black Rock without loss. They were ordered to disembark and dine.
I had received from my commanding-general an instruction in the fol- lowing words: " In all important movements, you will, I presume, con" sider it advisable to consult some of your principal officers." I deemed this equivalent to an order, and the movement important. I called for the field officers of the regulars and twelve months volunteers embarked. Col. Porter was not found at the moment. These questions were put: "Is it expedient now to cross over? Is the force we have, sufficient to conquer the opposite coast?" The first question was decided in the negative by Col. Parker, Col. Schuyler, Col. Winder, Lieut. Col. Boerst- ler, Lieut. Col. Coles and Major Campbell. Col. Swift, of the volun- teers, alone gave an opinion for then crossing over. The second ques- tion was not decided. Col. Parker, Col. Coles and Major Campbell were decidedly of opinion that the force was insufficient. Col. Winder, Col. Swift, Lieut. Col. Boerstler and Capt. Gibson, deemed the force suffi- cient. I determined to postpone crossing over until more complete prep- aration would enable me to embark the whole force at once-the counsel prescribed by orders. The next day was spent in such preparation, and the troops were ordered to be again at the place of embarkation at eight o'clock on the morning of the 30th of November.
On their arrival, they were sent to the adjoining woods, there to build fires and remain until three o'clock in the morning of the 1st of Decem- ber, when it was intended to put off two hours before daylight, so as to avoid the fire of the enemy's cannon in passing the position it was be- lieved they occupied below, to land above Chippewa, assault that place, and if successful, march through Queenston, to Fort George.
For this expedition, the contractor was called on to furnish rations for twenty-five hundred men for four days, when it was found that he could furnish the pork, but not the flour; the deputy quarter-master called for sixty barrels, but got but thirty-five. The embarkation commenced but was delayed by circumstances so as not to be completed until after day- light, when it was found the regular infantry, six hundred and eighty- eight men; the artillery, one hundred and seventy-seven men: Swift's volunteers, estimated at twenty-three; six companies of the Federal vol- unteers, under Captains Collins, Phillips, Allison, Moore, Mather, and
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Marshall, amounting to two hundred and seventy-six men, commanded by Lieut. Col. McClure; one hundred men of Col. Dobbins' militia, and a few in a boat with Gen. P. B. Porter, had embarked-the whole on board, exclusive of officers, amounting to one thousand four hundred and sixty-six men, or there-abouts -- and it was now two hours later than had been contemplated. There were some groups of men not yet em- barked. They were applied to, requested and ordered, by the Brigade Major, to get into the boats; they did not. The number of these, the · Brigade Major estimated at about one hundred and fifty. It was prob- ably greater.
It then became a question whether it was expedient to invade Canada in open daylight, with fifteen hundred men, at a point where no rein- forcements could be expected for some days. I saw that the number of regular troops was declining rapidly. I knew that on them I was chiefly to depend. I called together the officers commanding corps of the regu- lar army. Col. Parker being siek, those present were Col. Porter, of the artillery, Col. Schuyler, Col. Winder and Lieut. Col. Coles. I put to them this question: "Shall we proceed?" They unanimously de- cided that we ought not. I fore-saw that the volunteers, who had come out only for a few days, would disperse. Several of them had, on the evening of the 28th, broken their muskets. I fore-saw that the number of regular troops would decrease-measles and other diseases being among them; and they were now in tents, in the month of December. I informed the officers that the attempt to invade Canada would not be made until the army was reinforced; directed them to withdraw their troops and cover them with huts immediately.
You say that on Saturday every obstruction was removed, and that a landing might have been effected "without the loss of a man." This proves you unacquainted with the occurrences of the day. Col. Winder, in retreating from the enemy's shore in the morning, lost a tenth part of his force in killed and wounded. The enemy showed no more than five or six hundred men, as estimated by Col. Parker, and one piece of ar- tillery, supposed a nine pounder. That force, we, no doubt, might have overcome; but not "without loss,"-and that, from the great advantage the enemy would have had, might have been considerable.
To recapitulate: My orders were to pass into Canada with three thousand men at once. On the first day of embarkation, not more than fourteen hundred were embarked, of whom four hundred-that is, half of the regular infantry-were exhausted with fatigue and want of rest. On the second embarkation, only fifteen hundred men were embarked,
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and these were to have put off immediately, and to have descended the river to a point where reinforcements were not to be expected. On both days, many of the regular troops were men in bad health, who could not have stood one days march-who, although they were on the sick report, were turned out by their ardent officers.
The affair at Queenston is a caution against relying on crowds who go to the banks of the Niagara to look on a battle as on a theatrical exhi- bition, who, if they are disappointed of the sights, break their muskets; or, if they are without rations for a day, desert .*
I have made to you this frank disclosure without admitting your au- thority to require it, under the impression that you are patriotic and can- did men, and that you will not censure me for following the cautious counsels of experience, nor join the senseless clamor excited against me by an interested man.
I have some reason to believe that the cautions counsel given by the superior officers of my command was good.
From deserters, we learn that two thousand three hundred and four - teen rations were issued daily on the frontiers on the British side. Capt. King, a prisoner at Fort George, writes to an officer thus: " Tell your friends to take better care of themselves than it appears I have done."
I am, gentlemen, with great respect, Your most obedient, ALEXANDER SMYTII, Brigadier-General.
To Messrs. GEO. MCCLURE, JOHN GRIFFEN and WM. B.
ROCHESTER, Committee from the patriotic citizens of Western New York.
GEN. PETER B. PORTER'S STATEMENT.
TO THE PUBLIC :- In the Gazette of last week, I promised to give an account of some of the most " prominent transactions of the 28th Novem- ber and 1st December." Having, since that time, received from Gen. Smyth assurances-which, as a man of honor, I am bound to believe-that the course pursued by him on those days was such as was required by his
* Six hundred of Gen. Tannehill's brigade deserted in twenty-four hours. A court-martial of this brigade have fined a man twelve-and-a- half cents for the cr.me of desertion.
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orders and instructions from the Secretary of War and Gen. Dearborn, this communication will assume a character quite different from the one then contemplated; I am pledged, however, to the public, to give facts, which I shall proceed to do, without comment-leaving it to time to de- velop the object of military movements which have appeared to me and others not only extraordinary, but inexplicable.
On the 27th November, there was collected at this point a military force of about four thousand five hundred effective men, consisting of regular troops, New York and Pennsylvania and Baltimore volunteers, all under the command of Gen. Smyth. There were lying at the Navy Yard near Black Rock, which had been previously prepared for the pur- pose of transporting the troops across the river, seventy public boats, calculated to carry forty men each,-five long boats belonging to private individuals, but which had been taken into the public service, calculated to carry one hundred men each, ten scows for artillery and twenty-five men each-besides, a number of small boats; in all, capable of carrying three thousand five hundred and fifty men. At two o'clock on that day, I received a copy of Gen. Smyth's order for the march of all the troops, the succeeding morning, at reveille, to the Navy Yard to em- bark for Canada. I immediately gave orders for the New York volun- teers, who had been placed under my command, to parade at four o'clock in the morning, at their encampment, about one-and-a-half miles from the Navy Yard. In the evening, I learned that the parties mentioned in Gen. Smyth's dispatch, were to cross the river at eleven o'clock at night, to attack the enemy's batteries opposite Black Rock. Gen. Smyth not being here, I waited on Lieut. Angus, and suggested to him the propriety (if within the scope of his orders, ) of postponing the en- terprise until nearly morning, to give as little time as possible, before the passage of the army, for the enemy's troops to collect from their stations down the river. They landed at three in the morning, under a severe fire of musketry and grape-shot from two pieces of flying artillery. Lieut. Angus, with our little band of sailors, assisted by Capt. Craig and a few of his party, attacked the principal force of the enemy, con- sisting of about one hundred, at the red house-the seamen charging with their pikes and swords against muskets and bayonets-and routed them in all directions. Capt. Dox, who took a distinguished part in the affair, was severely wounded. After a hard and desperate struggle, the enemy was completely dispersed, the two field-pieces spiked, and the house, in which the enemy quartered, fired. The seamen returned to our shore, bringing off their wounded and several prisoners. Out of
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twelve naval officers who embarked in this enterprise, nine of them, with more than half their men, were killed or wounded. If bravery be a virtue-if gratitude of country be due to those who gallantly asserted its rights-the government will make ample and honorable provision for the heirs of those brave tars who fell on this occasion, as well as for those who survived. Capt. King proceeded to spike and dismount the guns in the batteries. Lieut. Col. Boerstler dispersed the enemy lower down the river, taking a number of prisoners.
By sunrise in the morning, most of the troops had arrived at the place of embarkation, and the day was fine. I marched three hundred of the volunteers who had rallied under Gen. Smyth's invitation, well armed and provided, and in high spirits. About one hundred and fifty more. who came in the evening before, were at Buffalo drawing their arms and ammunition, with orders to join us as soon as possible. I stationed my men, as instructed by Gen. Smyth, in a field at the Navy Yard, with di- rections to wait for further orders. The parties which had crossed in the night, aided by our batteries-which, at daylight, opened a powerful and well directed fire-and a piece of flying artillery on the Island, under charge of Capt. Gibson, had driven everything from the opposite shore. Col. Winder, an officer of great intelligence, zeal and bravery, under the mistaken apprehension that the party under Lieut. Col. Boestler were in danger of being cut off, made an unsuccessful attempt (though his own boat landed) to land two hundred and fifty men at a difficult point down the river, and had, as stated by Gen. Smyth.
The general embarkation now commenced, but it went on so tardily that, at twelve o'clock, the whole of the regular troops and Gen. Swift's regiment were not in boats. A considerable number of boats were lying upon the shores of the river and creek, having been thrown up by the high water of the preceeding day. Several were in the creek, half filled with water and ice. I called on Gen. Smyth, and proposed to occupy a part of these boats with my volunteers, many of whom were impatient to embark. Being at this moment informed by Col. Porter that the , boats which had been used by Col. Winder were lying about a mile be- low, Major Chapin and myself, with about thirty men, went down the shore, brought up five boats, filled them with men, and arrived at Black Rock, the point at which it was proposed to put off, as soon as any of the regular troops. About two o'clock, all the troops which, it appears, were intended to be crossed at first, were collected in a group of boats at Black Rock, under cover of our batteries. I have no official account of the number of men in the boats. My opinion was that the number ex-
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ceeded two thousand. Most men of observation who were present, esti- mated it at two thousand six hundred. The men were in fine spirits, and desirous of crossing.
Gen. Tannehill's volunteers, Col. F. McClure's regiment, some rifle- men, cavalry, &c., amounting to about two thousand, were still paraded on the shore, and, as I am informed, were ready to cross. Several boats, of sufficient capacity to carry one thousand men, were still lying at the . Navy Yard unoccupied. I have not been able to learn that any order or request was made for the embarkation of the troops, other than the reg- ulars of Col. Swift's regiment. The enemy, estimated at about five hun- dred, were drawn up in a line about half a mile from the river.
After remaining in the boats till late in the afternoon, an order was received to disembark. It produced, among the officers and men gener- ally, great discontent and murmuring, which was, however, in some de- gree allayed by assurances that the expedition was only postponed for a short time, until our boats could be better prepared.
On Sunday, another order was issued by Gen. Smyth for the march of the troops to the Navy Yard, to embark at nine o'clock on Monday morning. I was at Buffalo when it was received, and found that, as to . time aud manner, it was generally disapproved by the officers of the vol- unteers. I saw Gen. Smyth in the evening, at Black Rock, with Col. Winder, and stated my objections to his plan.
The enemy had re-mounted his guns on the batteries, so as to render it inexpedient to cross at the favorable point which had been taken on Sat- urday, above the Island, that covers the Navy Yard. Immediately be- low the Island, the enemy lay in force, much augmented in consequence of the affair of Saturday, occupying a line of shore of about a mile, where the current is rapid and the banks abrupt. I did not bel eve it possible to effect a landing with raw troops, in any tolerable order, if at all, in the face of artillery and infantry. which a full view of our move- ments in the day time would enable them to o; pose to us I proposed to postpone the expedition till night; to march and embark the troops silent- ly ; to put off about an hour and a half before day-light. so as to l'a-s this dangerous line of shore in the dark. when we should > uffer less from their tire, and to la id about five miles below the Navy Yard, where the stream and t e binks of the river were peculiarly favorable to a safe and orderly landing. Col. Winder seconded my proposals with gr at earnest- ness and force, and it was adopted.
The army embarked about three o'clock on Tuesday morning, and to proceed, at half-past four, according to the order of line of battle sub-
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mitted a few days before by Gen. Smyth-the regulars on the right, or in the front boat, Gen. Tannehill's troops in the centre, and the New York volunteers on the left. I was to go in the front boat with a chosen set of men, direct the landing, and join the New York volunteers on their arrival.
On Monday evening, seven boats for Col. Swift's regiment, and eight for the late volunteers, were brought some distance up the river and left at different points, to avoid the noise and confusion of embarking the whole army in one place. At half past three on Tuesday morning, eight boats were filled with volunteers (a corps which has on every occasion while on the lines, shown great exactness of discipline, promptitude and zeal for the service, ) had embarked, and the residue were embarking. Not a man of the regular infantry was in the boats for half an hour, when Col. Winder's regiment entered their boats, with great order and silence.
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