USA > New York > Oneida County > History of Oneida County, New York : from 1700 to the present time, Volume I > Part 4
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"But before this dreadful time shall come, the Great Spirit will take home to himself all the good and faithful. They will lay themselves down to sleep, and from this sleep of death, they will rise, and go home to their Creator. Thus they said.
"I have now done. I close thus, that you may remember and understand the fate which awaits the earth and the unfaithful and unbelieving. Our Creator looks down upon us. The four Beings from above see us. They witness with pleasure this assemblage, and rejoice at the object for which it is gathered. It is now forty-eight years since we first began to listen to the renewed will of our Creator. I have been unable during the time alloted to me, to rehearse all the sayings of Ga-ne-o-di'-yo. I regret very much that you cannot hear them all.
"Counsellors, warriors, women and children-I have done. I thank you all for your attendance, and for your kind and patient attention. May the Great Spirit, who rules all things, watch over and protect you from every harm and danger, while you travel the journey of life. May the Great Spirit bless you all, and bestow upon you life, health, peace and prosperity; and may you, in turn, appreciate his great goodness. Naho'."
The eloquence of the Iroquois was also frequently shown in conversation. It is related of Hone-yost, or Honaguwus, an Oneida chief, that when he heard the Revolutionary war was ended he said: "The Great Spirit spoke to the whirlwind, and it was still."
In one of the councils called by Samuel Kirkland to further education among them, one of the chiefs said: "You, my friends, are increasing, and we
Iroquois Girl, Ga-hah-no, in costume
Iroquois Indian young man, Da-ah-de-a, in costume
Iroquois Indian house Ga-no-sote
Iroquois ornamental work, Gos-to-well or headdress
Ornamental work of the Iroquois Indians upon buckskin with moosehair and porcupine quills
Ga-ka-ah or skirt
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HISTORY OF ONEIDA COUNTY
are decreasing. Our canoes were once on the rivers and lakes, which are now full of your great ships. The land which you bought of us for a trifle you now sell for thousands of dollars. Your villages and great cities cover the land where once rose the smoke of our wigwams. Why this difference? It is the curse of the Great Spirit resting upon us for some unknown sin."
Much has been said and written upon the subject of the United States tak- ing the lands of the Indians without proper compensation. Undoubtedly there were many abuses in regard to purchasing land of the Indians, but there is one phase of the question which is rarely mentioned, and which presents the situation in a different light, so far as the government of the United States is concerned and the Iroquois nations.
It must be remembered that all of the nations of the Iroquois league, ex- cept the Oneidas and a portion of the Tuscaroras, took sides with England; that by the treaty of peace between Great Britain and the United States all the territory controlled by the Iroquois was ceded by Great Britain to this government. The Five Nations, which had cast their lot with England and had been conquered in the war, had, according to the rules of war, forfeited their domain to their conquerers. The United States, therefore, had the right to insist on the forefeiture of all the land controlled by the Mohawks, Onondagas, Cayugas and Senecas. The Tuscarora nation was divided, and if the unfriendly part controlled any territory, that, also, belonged to the United States govern- ment for the same reason. The Oneidas and a portion of the Tuscaroras were in a very different situation, and were entitled to the greatest consideration on the part of the government.
Largely through the influence of Washington and General Schuyler the unfriendly Indians were accorded merciful treatment. They had been aban- doned by their friends, the English, and were left without any protection from the United States government. After many negotiations between representa- tives of the Iroquois and the Federal government a settlement was made of the whole question, and the lands of the unfriendly Indians were ceded to the United States, except such reservations as had been agreed upon between the contracting parties.
The services rendered by the Oneidas to the colonies cannot well be over- estimated. As guides, scouts and spies they many times did what white men could not have accomplished. They also aimed to prevent cruelties, and ren- dered protection to the white settlers in the valley of the Mohawk. They carried on the war on the principle of civilized nations.
Stone, in his life of Joseph Brant, says of them: "They neither hurt the women, children or old men, nor took the scalps of those whom they killed. 'We do not take scalps,' said one of their chiefs, 'and we hope you are now convinced of our friendship to you in your great cause.''
In 1823 a large number of the Oneidas removed to Green Bay, Wisconsin. They were opposed to the removal, but were helpless to resist. The government concluded a treaty with them and the Tuscaroras, giving them about 65,000 acres of land near Green Bay, Wisconsin, in exchange for their territory in the state of New York.
In opposing the removal the eloquent Oneida chief, Daniel Bread, among
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HISTORY OF ONEIDA COUNTY
other things, said to the governor of this state: "Father, the white men are powerful and they are rich. You can turn the rivers of the waters; you can dig away the mountains; why then do you want the little spot that we have? It is but a little time since, and we possessed the whole country; now you have gained all but a few spots. Why will you not permit us to remain?"
The march of civilization, however, said that the Indian must go, and they sorrowfully took their departure for their home in the west, where, on Green Bay, they were accorded a strip of land about eight or nine miles wide and twelve miles long. A small stream flowed through it, and there were fish, game and wild fowl there in abundance. Here they have made their home since, and have learned more thoroughly the art of husbandry than they had known it before.
Peace between the United States and England was concluded in 1783. In 1795 a treaty was made with the Oneidas, Onondagas and Cayugas, and the bounds of the lands of the Senecas were specified. The Oneidas, Tuscaroras and Stockbridge Indians were paid for their losses during the war at the same time.
In 1796 it was estimated that there were 1,031 Oneida Indians still in New York.
In 1845 Henry R. Schoolcraft was employed by the state to take a census of the Indians. He reported 210 Oneidas in this state and 722 in Wisconsin. The government census of 1890 showed 212 Oneidas in this state, and the census of 1910 showed only 37 Oneidas within the county of Oneida, while at the pres- ent time, 1911, there are only about 100 still remaining within the state. These are all that now remain within this commonwealth of the once famous and powerful O-ná-yote-kä-o-no.
CHAPTER II
FRENCH-ENGLISH-INDIAN WAR
In 1754 the controversy between Great Britain and France had taken such shape that it was evident war in America between them was imminent. The Iroquois Confederation was an important factor to be considered, and the Brit- ish ministry advised the Colonies to secure, if possible, the support of the Six Nations.
The Colonies were notified to send representatives to a council to be held at Albany in 1754, but only seven of them responded to the call. It was to this council that the plan of confederation among the colonies, prepared by Dr. Franklin, was submitted and adopted by the council, but afterward rejected by the colonies themselves, acting independently of each other.
An amicable agreement was made by the English and the Six Nations for mutual support against the French. With the English upon one side and the French upon the other there was continuous controversy and some armed con- flicts, although no declaration of war had been made, and this condition con- tinued for more than a year, without either side gaining any especial advantage over the other.
Then followed the disastrous year of 1755, for the British. Braddock was defeated and slain at Fort Duquesne. General John Winslow, with 3,000 men, sailed from Boston for the Arcadian country, landed at the head of the Bay of Fonda, and was joined there by Colonel Monckton and about 400 reg- ulars. He then took and destroyed the settlements of the Arcadians and car- ried away the people. This expedition of Winslow's has ever been severely condemned, and has furnished rich material for song and story.
It was in this year that Governor Shirley of Massachusetts, then command- er-in-chief of the British forces in America, made his expedition to Oswego, intending to take Niagara and Frontenac, but failed.
Sir William Johnson also undertook the capture of Crown Point, but failed, although he repelled the attack of Baron Dieskau, who, with about 2,000 Cana- dians and Indians had come from Montreal to drive the English from that part of the country.
Up to this time no important military encounter between the English and French had occurred in the Mohawk valley. Forts Craven, Bull, Williams and Newport had been erected, in whole or in part, at Rome, and some prepa- ration had been made by the colonies for the impending arbitrament of arms. New York was destined to be the principal place of conflict. The colony, by its legislature, voted to raise a liberal sum to carry on the war and to raise 2,680 men, and offered a bounty of 15 pounds for each volunteer.
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HISTORY OF ONEIDA COUNTY
In 1756 M. De Lery, in command of about 362 men, of which about 100 were Indians, having passed from Montreal by the way of Ogdensburg and the Black river and then by land to what is now Rome, captured and destroyed Fort Bull. This fort was located on Wood creek near the westerly terminal of the "Carrying Place." De Lery reached this vicinity on March 27, early in the morning, attacked Fort Bull garrisoned by about 60 men, captured the fort, a large quantity of stores and ammunition, put nearly the whole garrison to death, and escaped with substantially no loss to himself.
Fort Williams was situated on the Mohawk, and was not attacked by De Lery. The distance between Fort Williams and Fort Bull is supposed to have been between two and four miles. The history of Fort Williams is somewhat uncertain. It was said to have been much more formidable than Fort Bull, but little more is known about its early history.
This incursion of De Lery's resulted in a loss of one soldier and one Indian killed and five men wounded, while the loss to the English is said to have been ninety men, of which only thirty were made prisoners. It was estimated by the French commander that he had destroyed about 40,000 pounds of powder.
At about this time a conference of the Six Nations was held at the resi- dence of Sir William Johnson at Johnstown, with reference to the political situation. Sir William also visited the Oneida Indians in June, and met the representatives of the Iroquois League at Onondaga July 19, 1756. On his return from the council he stopped with the Oneidas and heard their com- plaints against Captain Williams, who was the commander of Fort Williams, and the officer in whose honor the fort was named. It does not appear what the complaints were, but soon thereafter he was relieved from command and placed upon half pay.
It was during this summer that Colonel Bradstreet made his ascent of the Mohawk for the purpose of re-enforcing and carrying munitions of war to Oswego. He left Albany in June with 200 men, a number of boats and 32 cannon, together with ammunition and supplies, as it had then been deter- mined to fortify at Oswego. He reached his destination July 1, and three days after, started on his return. He had proceeded only about ten miles when he was suddenly attacked at Battle Island, July 3, by a body of French under M. de Villiares, but he repulsed the assault with severe loss, and has- tened back through the Mohawk valley to Albany. Lieutenant, afterwards General Philip Schuyler accompanied this expedition.
Sir William Johnson, Colonel Bradstreet and General Schuyler endeavored, in vain, to convince the Earl of Loudon, then the commander-in-chief, of the necessity of protecting the Mohawk valley by an armed force. Their warn- ing was unheeded for some time. They also used their endeavor to convince Loudon that Oswego was a strategic point, to be well fortified and guarded.
Too tardily did Loudon awake to the necessity of doing what had been recommended by his subordinates, but at last he sent Colonel Webb, with a force of about 1,500 men, up the Mohawk valley to Oswego to re-enforce the garrison and to repel the threatened attack by the French. Assistance did not arrive, Oswego was attacked by Montcalm; its commander, Colonel Mercer, was killed, and the garrison was compelled to surrender. The French report
CL. JAMES
STREET.
STREET LINE
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STREET LINE
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LENPIRE
HIGGINS
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W.J.P. KINGSLEY
W.R.H. OFFICE
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MARTIN
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BROCKET.
C.L. SPRING
STREET.
FORT STANWIX.
-
THE BUILDING IS NOW THE ROME CLUB
SITE OF FORT STANWIX, CANNON MARKING THE SOUTHWEST BASTION.
C.L. DOMINICK STREET
C.L. LIBERTY STREET
Scale.
EENGE
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HISTORY OF ONEIDA COUNTY
states that "the Indians perpetrated a multitude of horrors and assassinated more than a hundred persons included in the capitulation, without our being able to prevent or having the right to remonstrate."
Colonel Webb had proceeded as far as Wood creek when he heard that Os- wego had fallen. When he received this news he destroyed all the forts at the Carrying Place, caused trees to be felled across Wood creek to impede the progress of Montcalm's army should he, as was expected, make an advance from Oswego to the Mohawk valley, and then hastened with all speed back to Albany, to the disgust of his Indian allies.
Sir William Johnson had been ordered by Loudon to go to the assistance of Webb, but it was too late. Webb was already upon his retreat before John- son could render any assistance. For his conduct Webb has been severely criticised, as having been a coward or utterly incompetent.
Up to this time the war had gone decidedly against the English. The French held Oswego, Niagara, Ticonderoga, Crown Point, and, after the re- treat of Webb, the Mohawk valley was virtually abandoned by the British.
M. de Bellestre, with a body of French Canadians and Indians, made in- roads into the Mohawk valley in 1757. He passed down the valley in Novem- ber, and on the 12th destroyed the village of German Flats, took several small fortifications, and returned entirely unmolested. He destroyed much prop- erty, killed about 40 of the inhabitants, and carried away about 150 more.
General Abercrombie, then in full command of the British forces, had been warned by Johnson and the Indians of the threatened attack by de Belles- tre, but paid no attention to the warning.
In 1758 General Stanwix was sent to the Carrying Place to build a fort. Pomroy Jones, in his "Annals of Oneida County," says that this fort cost 60,000 pounds, and that it was built on the most "approved scientific principles of military engineering, having four bastions surrounded by a broad ditch eighteen feet deep, with a covert way and glaces. In the center of the ditch was a row of perpendicular pickets, and a horizontal row from the ramparts."
It is stated by Lossing (page 198), that Colonel Bradstreet, when on his return from Frontenac with his troops, assisted in building this fortification. Bradstreet had been sent with 3,000 men to take Frontenac, now Kingston, Canada. This he accomplished without serious resistance, captured the fort, garrison and shipping, losing only three or four men. Afterwards, however, he lost a large number of his men by sickness. It is estimated that about 500 died, and the sickness is supposed to have been caused by bad water.
The progress of the war during 1758 had been most favorable to the Eng- lish. In the next year, 1759, a determined effort was made by the English government to drive the French from the continent. The commander-in-chief, Jeffrey Amherst, with a strong force, drove the French from Ticonderoga and northward into Canada. Wolfe defeated Montcalm at Quebec, and Gen- eral Prideaux, with Sir William Johnson as second in command, undertook the capture of Niagara. He had 3,100 soldiers and Indians, and on July 20 he commenced the attack, and was killed the first day. Johnson immediately assumed command, and handled his forces most skilfully. He was attacked in the rear by about 3,000 French and Indians, but repelled the attack, and
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HISTORY OF ONEIDA COUNTY
the next day, July 25, the fort, with its garrison and about 700 men and a large quantity of supplies, was surrendered. Johnson was not able to procure transportation for his army, in order to re-enforce Wolfe at Quebec, so he re- turned to the Mohawk valley.
It was in this year that Fort Schuyler was built near the ford, which is now near the foot of Genesee street, Utica. Dr. Bagg, in his "Pioneers of Utica," describes this fort as follows: "This fort, which was designated to guard the fording place in the Mohawk river above it, was situated on the south bank, a very little distance southeast of the present intersection of Second street and the Central Railroad. The left bank of Ballou's creek, which joins the river just below, was formerly much depressed a short distance above its mouth, so as to form, in high water, a lagoon that must have reached almost to the walls of the fort, and thus have facilitated the landing and embarkation of troops. The fort consisted of an embankment surrounded by palisades, nearly all traces of which had disappeared at the time of the arrival of the first set- tlers, although its site could still be distinguished less than thirty years ago by the presence of a large apple tree that had been planted within the inclosure. It was named in honor of Colonel Peter Schuyler, an uncle of General Philip Schuyler of the Revolution. During and subsequent to this war it went by the name of Old Fort Schuyler, to distinguish it from another fortress erected at Rome, and which was sometimes known as Fort Schuyler, though it had been christened and was therefore more correctly called Fort Stanwix."
At the opening of the campaign of 1760 there were undertaken three grand operations by the British military forces for the purpose of dealing a crush- ing blow to the French on the American continent.
Vaudreuil, the French commander, concentrated his forces at Montreal. Amherst, with 10,000 men and 1,000 Indians under Sir William Johnson, passed up the Mohawk valley and on to Oswego, and advanced on Montreal. General Murray, with 4,000 men (Wolfe's army), arrived in front of the city on the same day, September 6; on the very next day, Colonel Haviland arrived with 3,000 men, making a combined force of nearly 17,000. Against this for- midable army resistance on the side of the French was useless, and on Septem- ber 8, 1760, Vaudreuil surrendered the city and all the French territory in Canada to the British government.
Thus passed away the French power in the American colonies. A continent had been lost and won; and, although no more fighting occurred between the British, French and Americans, the treaty of peace was not concluded between the two great nations until February 10, 1763, in Paris. From the surrender of Montreal until the stirring events of the Revolutionary war peace reigned in the Valley of the Mohawk.
FORT SCHUYLER (CORNER PARK AVENUE AND MAIN STREET)
SITE OF FORT BULL AT THE WESTERLY END OF THE CARRY ON FISH CREEK
CHAPTER III
REVOLUTIONARY WAR
From 1760 to July 4, 1776, there had been many acts of the British govern- ment oppressive to the American colonies. An act had been passed imposing a duty upon sugar, coffee and other articles imported from the West Indies. The "Writ of Assistance," which authorized the searching of any citizen's house or store to find therein goods imported without the payment of duty, had given rise to fierce opposition, and the famous Stamp Act had been im- posed upon the Americans.
The eloquence of Patrick Henry of Virginia, and James Otis of Massa- chusetts in denunication of these measures was the vocal expression of what was in every patriot's mind. Public meetings were held to denounce these acts of oppression, and a congress of delegates from several of the colonies was held in New York in October, 1765, to put its condemnation of them in formal shape.
On the first day of November, 1765, the Stamp Act was to take effect. The feeling of opposition was so intense that the day was set apart as a day of mourning. Bells were tolled, funeral processions paraded the streets, ships lowered their flags to half mast, buildings were draped in mourning, and other evidences of intense opposition were manifested throughout the colonies.
It was expected that in the accession of William Pitt to the office of Premier of England some remedies would be applied, and such was the case, but these remedial acts did not allay the excitement caused by the ill-advised measures of prior ministries. The Pitt government insisted upon the fundamental prin- ciple, with others, of former ministries, that the government had the right to tax the colonies without their consent.
This was intolerable to the Americans, and, so long as this principle was insisted upon by the home government, no reconciliation was possible. Even a duty on tea would not be tolerated. New York and Philadelphia refused to allow ships laden with this commodity to land their cargoes, and the renowned "Tea Party" of Boston might have occurred at any other seaport in the col- onies had occasion afforded an opportunity.
As if an intent existed in Parliament to add fuel to the fire, it had enacted a bill closing the port of Boston to imports. It was also provided that the · trial of Americans should be had in England instead of in the colonies, and British troops were sent to Boston to enforce these obnoxious laws.
Anglo-Saxon could not and would not longer submit. Then came Lexing- ton, Concord, Bunker Hill and July 4, 1776, the day above all others, on which Liberty, civil and religious, came into the world.
It is probable that the first public assembly held in what is now Oneida
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HISTORY OF ONEIDA COUNTY
county to consider the grave questions which had arisen between the colonie: and the mother country, was held in July, 1774, in the district of Tryon county A committee was appointed at this time to confer with others and to take charge of operations.
The spirit which had been manifested elsewhere in the colonies existed alsc among the sturdy Germans and Hollanders who had settled along the fertile valley of the Mohawk. Sir William Johnson, who had great influence with them, died in 1774. His death was very sudden, and it is claimed by Camp- bell, in his Annals, that it was caused by his own hand, because of the threatened contest between the king and the colonies, and realizing that he would soon be called upon to decide between his government and the colonies, he pre- ferred to die. Colonel Stone, however, in his life of Joseph Brant, says that Sir William died of apoplexy.
He was succeeded by his son, Sir John, and he, with a nephew, Guy John- son, exerted all their influence with the Iroquois Indians to hold them to the side of the king in the impending conflict.
Philip Schuyler, Reverend Samuel Kirkland and General Nicholas Herki- mer were equally persistent in their efforts to induce the Indians to side with the colonies, or, at least, to remain neutral.
Nicholas Herkimer was chairman of the Tryon county committee, and he was afterwards created a brigadier general, placed in command of the militia in the Mohawk valley, and won immortality in the bloody ravine at Oriskany.
As an evidence of the unsettled state of the public mind at this time it is a notable fact that Washington passed through the city of New York, on his way to take command of the Continental army then at Boston, and was received with great attention. At the same time Governor Tryon, intensely British in his sympathies, who had been on a visit to England, returned, and was ac- corded a cordial reception.
Even at this time hopes were entertained that some satisfactory settlement of differences might be made without resort to arms. This hope was, however, illy founded, and the Continental Congress commenced preparation for war, called for 20,000 men, and appointed major and brigadier generals, Philip Schuyler being named as one of the former and placed in command of the northern district, which included central New York.
In 1775 Colonel Guy Johnson, with his armed force, passed up the Mo- hawk valley. He held a council with the Indians at Fort Stanwix, then went on to Oswego, and finally settled at Montreal. With him were Colonel Butler and his son, Walter Butler. Joseph Brant, with his Indians, also joined Johnson at Oswego.
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