History of Oneida County, New York : with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 24

Author: Durant, Samuel W
Publication date: 1878
Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts & Fariss
Number of Pages: 920

USA > New York > Oneida County > History of Oneida County, New York : with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 24

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t Colonel Peter Gansevoort was a native of Albany, and then twenty-eight years of age.

# Colonel Marinus Willett was a native of Jamaica, L. I., .then thirty-seven years old.

OR KING'S REGIMENT

FLANKS

HISTORY OF ONEIDA COUNTY, NEW YORK.

generation the noble heroism of those brave defenders of the Mohawk Valley.

Colonel Gansevoort, after a careful inspection of the works, wrote General Schuyler the following letter :

" FORT SCHUYLER, July 4, 1777.

"SIR,-Having taken an accurate review of the state of the garri- sen, I think it is incumbent on me to inform your Excellency by ex- press of our present circumstances. Every possible assistance is given to Captain Marquizee# to enable him to carry en such works as are deemed absolutely necessary for the defense of the garrison. The soldiers are constantly at work,-even such of thein as come off guard are immediately turned out to fatigue.

"But I cannet coocenl from your Excellency the impossibility of attending fully te all the great objects pointed out in the orders issued to the commanding officer on the station without further assist- ance. Sending out parties of observation, felling the timber inte Weed Creek, clearing the road from Fort Dayton, which is se em- barrassed in many parts as to be impassable, and prosecuting, at. the same time, the internal business of the garrison, are objects of the greatest importance, which should, if possible, he immediately con- sidered. But while.no exertions compatible with the circumstances we are in, and necessary to give your Excellency satisfaction with re- spect to all these internal mutters, shall be omitted, I am very sen- sible it is not in our power to get over some capital obstructions without a reinforcement. The inclosed return, and the difficulties arising from the increasing number of hostile Indiuns, will show tu your Excellency the grounds of my opinion. One hundred and fifty men would be needed speedily aod effectually to obstruct Wood Creek ; an equal number will be necessary to guard the men at work in fell- ing and hauling timber. Such a deduction from our oumber, together with smaller deductions for scouting parties, would scarcely leave a man in the garrisun, which might therefore be easily surprised by a contemptible party of the enemy. The number of inimical Indians increases. Oo the affair of last week only two made their appear- ance. Yesterday a party of at least 40, supposed to be Butler's emis- saries, attacked Ensign Sporr with 16 privates, who were out on fatigue, cutting turf about three-quarters of a mile from the fort.t One soldier was brought in dead, and inhumanly mangled ; twe were brought in wounded, one of them slightly and the other mertally. Six privates and Mr. Sperr are missing. Two parties were immedi- ately sent to pursue the enemy, but they returned without being able to come up with them. This success will, no doubt, encourage them to send out a greater number ; and the intelligence they may possibly acquire will probably hasten the main body destined te uet against us in these parts. Our provision is greatly diminished by rensen ef the spuiling of the beef, and the quantities that inust be given from time to time to the Indians. It will not hold out above six weeks. Your Excellency will perceive, io looking over Captain Savage's returo of the state of tho artillery, that some esscotial articles are very scarce. As a great number of gun-bullets do not suit the fire- lecks, some bullet-moulds of different sizes for casting others would he of great advantage to us. Our stock of powder is absolutely too little; a ton, in addition to what we have, is wanted as the lowest pre- portion for the shet we have on hand.

"We will, notwithstanding every difficulty, exert ourselves to the utinost of our power ; and if your Excellency will be pleased to order a speedy reinforcemcot, with a sufficient supply of provisions and ammunition to enable us to hold out a siege, we will, I hope, by the blessing of God, be able to give a goed account of any force that will probably come against us."}

In addition to all the other difficulties under which Colonel Gansevoort labored, was the incompetency of the

engineer who had been sent up by General Schuyler to superintend the work of repairing the fort. The practiced eye of Colonel Willett soon discovered his unfitness for the position, and he was arrested soon after Willett's arrival, and sent back to Albany under guard. From this time on the work was under Colonel Willett's direction, who pushed it as rapidly as possible.

With the gathering of St. Leger's forces at Oswego, the Indians daily became more bold and venturesome, and their scouting parties began to appear more frequently in the surrounding forests, and constant precautions were neces- sary to guard against surprise whenever a working party was sent out from the fort.

It was during this critical period preceding the siege that the following incidents occurred. The first was the adventure of Captain Gregg, which is briefly narrated in the suhjoined letter from Colonel Gansevoort to General Schuyler :

" FONT SCHUYLER, June 26, 1777.

" I am sorry to inform your Honor that Captain Gregg and Cer- poral Madison, of wy regiment, went out a gunning yesterday morning, contrary te orders. It seems they went out just after breakfast, and at about ten o'clock Corporal Madisun was killed and scalped. Captain Gregg was shet through his back, temabawked and scalped, and is still alive. He informs me that the misfortune happened about ten o'clock in the morning. He looked at his watch after he was scalped. He saw but two Indians. He was about ono mile and a half from the fort, and was not discovered until two o'clock in the afterneen. I immediately sent out a party and had him brought into the fort, just after three o'clock ; also the corpse of Madison. Gregg is perfcetly in his senses, and speaks strong and hearty, netwithstanding that his recovery is doubtful."

This incident, related with the customary brevity of a soldier accustomed to scenes of misery and blood, was amplified and given to the public in a variety of forms, the most interesting of which was from the pen of Dr. Dwight, who collected much interesting data in the valley of the Mohawk during his travels. This account was published in the old American Preceptor as early as 1820, under the title of " The Faithful Dog."

According to the doctor's narrative, it appeared that Captain Gregg and his friend had been tempted to trans- gress Colonel Gansevoort's orders by the immense number of pigeons which were in the vicinity. When they were fired upon and fell, the Indians instantly rushed from their coverts and tomahawked and scalped them, and then as suddenly fled, for fear of pursuit. The corporal was killed by the shot, but Captain Gregg was only severely wounded, and, lying perfectly quiet, he submitted to the torture of having his scalp torn from his head without betray- ing any signs of life. After the Indians had fled he crawled to his murdered companion and laid his head upon his breast, expecting that death would soon come to his relief. According to the story, he had a faithful dog, who had accompanied him, and when he saw the condition of his master, he ran to a place not far distant, where a couple of men were engaged in fishing, and, by imploring looks and cries, finally induced them to follow him to the place where lay his wounded master. The fishermen, upon making the discovery, immediately ran to the fort and alarmed the garrison, when a party was sent out and brought in the

# Captain Marquizee was a French engineer, who had been sent to superintend the werk of repair; but he was subsequently found wholly incompetent, and seat back to headquarters.

t This was the same party sent out by Colonel Claus te recenneitre the fort mentioned in his letter to Secretary Kaex. The colonel calls the ensign a licutenant.

# It is possible that Colonel G. had some knowledge of St. Leger's force, for Frederick Summons had been sent on a scout to the Black River country in June, to learn the strength and probable route of his army.

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IHISTORY OF ONEIDA COUNTY, NEW YORK.

two unfortunate men .* Captain Gregg eventually recovered from his terrible wounds, and lived many years afterwards.

When the friendly Indians, who were chiefly Oneidus, heard of this outrage, they were alarmed lest the aet should be charged upon them, and hastened to present an address

Detne Ganswoord

of condolence to Colonel Gansevoort, which, though not preserved, will be readily understood by a perusal of the aunexed reply of the colonel :

" Brother Warriors of the Six Nations: I thank you for your good talk.

" Brothers : You tell us you are sorry for the cruel usage of Captain Gregg and the murder of one of our warriors; that you would have immediately pursued the murderers, had not General Schuyler, General Gates, and the French Generalt desired you not to take any part in this war ; and that you have obeyed their orders, and are resolved to do so. I commend your good intentions and inclinations.

" Brothers : You say you have sent a runner to the Six Nations, to inform them of what has happened, and that you expect some of your chiefs will look into the affair, and try to find out the murderers. You have done well. I shall be glad to smoke a pipe with your chiefs, and hope they will do as they speak.

" Brothers : I hope the mischief has been done, not by any of our good friends of the Oneidu nation, but by the

Tories, who are enemies to you as well as to us, and who are ready to murder yourselves, your wives and children, if you will not be as wicked as themselves.

" Brothers : When your chiefs shall convince me that Indians of the Six Nations had no hand in this wicked thing, and shall use means to find out the murderers, and bring them to justice, you may be assured that we will strengthen the chain of friendship, and embrace you as good brothers. I will not suffer any of our warriors to hurt you."

" Another tragie incident occurred at nearly the same time. About noon, on the 3d of July, the day being per- fectly clear, Colonel Willett was startled from his siesta by the report of musketry. Hastening to the parapet, he saw a little girl running with a basket in her hand, while the blood was trickling down her bosom. On investigating the facts, it appeared that the girl, with two others, was picking berries, not two hundred yards from the fort, when they were fired upon, and two of the number killed.# Happily, she, who was left to tell the tale, was but slightly wounded. One of the girls killed was the daughter of an invalid, who had served many years in the British artillery. He was entitled to a situation in Chelsea Hospital, but had preferred rather to remain in the cultivation of a small piece of ground at Fort Stanwix than again to cross the ocean."§

The storm was now rapidly gathering, and by the middle of July the Indians became so numerous and troublesome. . that only large and well-armed parties were safe in ventur- ing any considerable distance from the fortress. Even one of these was attacked, a number of the men killed and wounded, and the commanding officer taken prisoner.

The force of the garrison at this time amounted to about 550 men, but partially supplied with provisions and muni- tions, as we have seen from Colonel Gansevoort's letter. But supplies were on their way, and the very day in which Thuyendanegea and Lieutenant Bird appeared in front of the works, Lieutenant-Colonel Mellon, of Colonel Weston'sll regiment, arrived with 200 men escorting two bateaux, loaded with provisions and stores. This reinforcement was most welcome, and came not a moment too soon. The stores were instantly conveyed to the fort, but the enemy was so close upon the party, that the officer who commanded the boats was taken prisoner by the advance of Brant's Indians. Had this detachment been an hour later, or the arrival of Brant and Bird an hour earlier, the history of the Mohawk Valley, and, indeed, of the struggle for indc- pendence, might have been altogether different. On such slight contingencies hang the destinies of nations. Here was a new Thermopyla, as important perhaps as the one where Leonidas and his gallant band were " buried under a trophy of Persian arms ;" but with this difference, that the defenders were to issue victorious from the conflict, while the fate of the Spartan king was reserved for Herkimer and two hundred of his hardy followers.

With the addition of Lieutenant-Colonel Mellon's force,

* Notwithstanding the high authority here given, the story earors very much of the romantie and marvelous. It is singular that the fishermen were not molested, and still more singular that when they saw the captain they did not take him at once to the fort.

t The French general here alluded to was undoubtedly the Marquis de La Fayette.

# To the disgrace of Cornplanter, the Seneca chief, he acknowl- edged, in 1797, having fired one of these shots.

¿ From Willett's Narrative.

| This name is spelled Wesson hy some writers, but its correet spelling is undoubtedly Weston. The name is invariably pronounced in New England as if spelled Wesson.

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HISTORY OF ONEIDA COUNTY, NEW YORK.'

Colonel Gansevoort found himself at the head of about 750 men, which was probably all the fort could contain with. advantage. These troops consisted of Gansevoort's own regiment, the 3d New York, and the 200 already men- tioned, of Colonel Weston's regiment of the Massachusetts line. . The place was fully provisioned for six. weeks, and there was plenty of fixed ammunition for small arms, but in artillery ammunition there was only sufficient to serve the guns with nine rounds each for the same period. This did not allow of a fire sufficient to prevent St. Leger from erecting. his siege batteries within ordinary range,-600 yards,-though his light pieecs proved of very little ser- viee, except for throwing shells.

It seems from all accounts that the garrison had no colors with which to represent their nationality. The new national standard had been adopted, and the defenders of' the fort, understanding its make-up, set about constructing one from the materials at. hand. Colonel Stone says, " Stripes of white were eut from ammunition shirts; bluc from a eamlet cloak, captured from the enemy ;* while the red was supplied from such odds and ends of elothes of that' hue as were at. hand." They undoubtedly used the best materials to be found, and improvised a flag, which may well be called a " storm flag," and flung it to the free winds of heaven, never to come down in disgrace from the native hickory whenee it streamed.

The storm-flag, from the hastion flung,. Streamed in the toying breeze, While from beneath its folds outrung, With feu-de joie and chcering tongue, ' A salvo o'er the trees That compassed it on every side; Proclaiming, by the Mohawk's tide,. Defiance to the kingly crown, Whose miscreant hordes were trampling down The rights of men who would be free, Or pile a new Thermopy læ. Beneath that primal hanner stood Heroes from vale and shadowy wood; Grave veterans from New England's soil, . ; . And men weil used to battte broil, From where broad Hudson rolls his tide- From sunny glen and green hillside- Gathered to battle for the Right- To win or perish in the fight.

The following roster of officers with the garrison of Fort Stanwix is from the Oriskany Memorial Volume, gathered, at considerable trouble, by the Utica Herald :

COLONEL GANSEVOORT'S REGIMENT.

Peter Gansevoort, Colonel ; Marinus Willett, Lieutenant- Colonel ;1 Robert Cochran, Major ; George Symes, Adju- tant; Thomas Williams, Quartermaster. -

First Company .- E. Van Bunschooten, Captain ; John. Pearcy, First Lieutenant ; Thomas Oostrander, Second: Lieutenant.

Second Company .- Thomas Dewitt, Captain ; Benjamin Bogardus, Second Lieutenant. i

. vi

Third Company .- Cornelius T. Jansen, Captain ; N. Vander Heyden, First Lieutenant; James Dubois, Second Lieutenant; Samuel English, Ensign.

Fourth Company .- Abraham Swartwoudt, Captain ; Philip Conine, First Lieutenant; G. R. G. Livingston, Second Lieutenant; Samuel Lewis, Ensign.

Fifth Company .- Aaron Austin, Captain ; John Ball, First Lieutenant; Gerritt Staats, Second Lieutenant.

Sixth Company .- James Gregg, Captain; Levi Stock- well, First Lieutenant ; James Blake, Second Lieutenant ; George Dennison, Ensign.

Seventh Company .- Henry N. Piebout, Captain ; Isaac Bogert, First Lieutenant; William Mcad, Second Lieu- tenant; Christopher Hutten, Ensign.

Eighth Company .- John Houston, Captain ; John Welch, First Lieutenant ; Prentice Bowen, Second Lieu- tenant.

Lieutenant-Colonel Mellon, Major Bedlow, Captain Al- len, Captain Bleeeker, Captain John J. Davis, Captain Johnson ;} Lieutenants Dicfendorf, MeClenner, and Cof- fraunder ; Captain Johannes Roof; Ensigns Chase, Bailey, Magee, Arnent, and Jonathan Dean ; Gershorn Gilbert, Jabez Spicer, Isaae Covenhoven, John Sehuyler.

Thus situated, this sturdy band of gallant men, on the border of the wilderness, many miles from sueeor, in the certain pathway of the advaneing enemy, and with a full knowledge of all the horrors of savage warfare, prepared to defend their little fortress against whatever foree might come before it. It is not probable that the actors in the drama of those stirring days realized the vast importance' of the situation ; but they are none the less entitled to the. loftiest praise as the snecessful defenders of the key-point of the Revolution.

- If St. Leger was successful at Fort Sehuyler, the valley: of the Mohawk at onee became an open highway to Albany, the whole Iroquois confederacy would undoubtedly join the. British army, and the force under Schuyler battling with: Burgoyne in front would be taken in reverse, and defeat and disaster must inevitably overwhelm the American arms. Had Burgoyne's two outlying columns been victorious at- Fort Sehuyler and Bennington, the entire army would easily have converged upon and concentrated at Albany, loaded with the spoils of the rich valley's of the Mohawk and Hud -. son, and the grand projeet of the British government, the severing of the New England colonies from those beyond the Hudson, would have been consummated. Even had. the British advance been checked at the mouth of the Mo- hawk, the valley of the latter stream would have been open to Burgoyne, and he could easily have fallen baek upon Oswego and placed the Six Nations between him and the American army. The issue of the campaign hung in the scales on the Wallomsic and the Mohawk, and the bravery.

Judge Jones says the, camlet cloak was furnished by Captain Abraham Swartwoot, of Poughkeepsie. From Colonel Willett's nar- rative it appears that the cloak was taken from the British in the affair at Peekskill, March 22, 1777.

t. There is some discrepancy in this roster or in other statements. It is stated in Stone that Colonel Willett was ordered to join the garrison with his regiment, and cither Colonel Gansevoort must have been without a command or his regiment was not with him at first, ns the roster shows that hoth he and Willett, were officers of the same regiment. We cannot reconcile the discrepanoy ..

# This officer and Captain Jansen of the 3d company may be identical.

HISTORY OF ONEIDA COUNTY, NEW YORK.

and patriotism of Gansevoort, and Willett and Herkimer, with their gallant companions in arms, and of Stark and Warner at the head of the pioneers of New England, turned the rising tide of British success into a disastrous deluge of reverses, put 10,000 of the enemy hors du combat, gained the alliance of France, and made possible the independence of the British colonies in North America.

Many people will take exception to these conclusious, but a careful examination of all the facts, together with the expressed opinions of Washington, Burgoyne, and other military leaders fully competeut to judge, and the evidence of contemporaneous historians, all bear us out in the state- ment that upon the issues of Oriskany, Fort Stanwix, and Benningtou depeuded the success or failure of the American cause.

The insignificant affair at Thermopyla, where a small band of 300 devoted men perished in defense of their in- vaded country, was the turning-point in the most critical period of Grecian history, and the cackling of geese ouce saved the " Eternal City" from the Vandals of the North. There are times when the destinies of nations hang upon a thread, when the most trivial circumstances determine the existence of unborn millions, and one of those important mile-stones of history, marking a great epoch, should stand upon the field of Oriskany, having inscribed upon its tri- angular shaft the memorable names, ORISKANY, FORT STANWIX, BENNINGTON.

We will turn back a few months, and see how the gath- ering of the ominous clouds of war on their northern and western horizon was looked upon by the people of the State of New York.

The Oneida Indians were the first to become acquainted with St. Leger's movements. Thomas Spencer, an Oneida half-breed, first brought the news to the people of the Mo- hawk Valley. Spencer stated that he had been in Canada, whither he had gone as a secret emissary for the purpose of obtaining information, and had attended a council held at the Indian castle of Cussusseny, at which Colonel Claus presided .* According to his relation Colonel Claus had strongly urged the Indians to join St. Leger's expedition. He spoke boastingly of General Burgoyne's army, and the number of Indians who had accompanied him, and assured the Indians present that Ticonderoga would surely be taken. He also predicted the same fate for Fort Stanwix, saying, " I am sure that when I come before the fort, and the command- ing officer shall see me, he also will not fire a shot, but will surrender the fort to me." The Oneida also informed the people that Sir John Johnson and Colonel Claus were then at Oswego with their families, with 700 Indians and 400 regular troops. He stated that there were 600 Tories on one of the islands in the St. Lawrence, above Oswegatchie, preparing to join them ; and Colonel Butler was to arrive at

Oswego on the 14th of July, from Niagara, to hold a coun- cil with the Six Nations, to all of whom he would offer the hatchet to join them and strike the Americans. He concluded his information with the following exhortation :

" Brothers : Now is your time to awake, and not to sleep longer ; or, on the contrary, it shall go with Fort Schuyler (Stanwix) as it went already with Ticonderoga.

" Brothers : I therefore desire you to be spirited, and to encourage one another to march on to the assistance of Fort Schuyler. Come up and show yourselves as men, to defend and save your country before it is too late. Despatch your- selves to clear the brush about the fort, and send a party to cut trees in the Wood Creek to stop up the same.

" Brothers : If you don't come soon, without delay, to assist this place, we cannot stay much longer ou your side ; for if you leave this fort without succor, and the enemy shall get possession thereof, we shall suffer like you in your settlements, and shall be destroyed with you. We are sus- picious that your enemies have engaged the Indians, and endeavor daily yet to strike and fight against you ; and General Schuyler refuses always that we shall take up arms in the country's behalf.

" Brothers : I can assure you that as soon as Butler's speech at Oswego shall be over, they intend to march down the country immediately to Albany. You may judge your- selves, that if you don't try to resist we shall be obliged to join them or fly from our castles, as we cannot hinder them alone. We, the good friends of the country, are of opinion that if more force appears at Fort Schuyler the enemy will not move from Oswego to invade these frontiers. You may depend on it, we are willing to help you if you will do some efforts too."

This most excellent counsel, and the information accom- panying it, had very uearly come too late. Such was the desperate alternative presented to the inhabitants of the Mohawk Valley that they seemed to have lost all courage, and to be on the point of making terms with the enemy like the frightened Oneidas. Truly, the situation was most disheartening, with Burgoyne pressing southward on the east, and the formidable army of St. Leger on the west, ready to scatter death and destruction if any resistance were made. Even those who had heretofore borne themselves nobly in the van appeared to have reached a point where they could see no hope in further resistance, and to have given up in despair. Treason was doubly active, and strove by every meaus to encourage the loyal element, and in proportion to depress those who favored the cause of the colonies. " Upon this subject, and with special reference to the pop- ular feeling and conduct in Tryon County, John Jay, then sitting in the State Convention at Kingston, addressed the following letter to Gouverneur Morris, a member of the Council of Safety, who was at that time with General Schuyler, in the North :

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History of Oneida County, New York : with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 24

Author: Durant, Samuel W Publication date: 1878 Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts & Fariss Number of Pages: 920

Author: Durant, Samuel W
Publication date: 1878
Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts & Fariss
Number of Pages: 920