History of Oneida County, New York : with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 32

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 32

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" The loss was supposed to be on their side nbont four hundred killed nod about half that number prisoners. It was thought of the greater consequence, as almost all those who were considered the principal leaders and instigators of rebellion in that country were now destroyed. The triumph and cxultation were accordingly great, and all opposition from the militin in that country was supposed to be at an end. The circumstance of old neighborhood and personal knowledge between innny of the parties, in the present rage and animosity of faction, conld by no means be favorable to the exten- sion of mercy, cven supposing that it might otherwise have been practiced with prudence and safety, at a time when the power of the Indians was rather prevalent, and their rage was implacable. For, according to their computation and ideas of loss, the savages had purchased their victory exceeding dearly, thirty-three of their number having been sinin and twonty-nine wounded, nmnong whom were several of their principal leaders and of their most distin- guished and favorite warriors. The loss accordingly rendered them so discontented, intractable, and ferocious that the service was grently affected by their ill disposition. The unhappy prisoners were, however, its first object, most of whom they inhumanly butchered in cold blood. The New Yorkers, rangers, and other troops were not without loss in this action.

"On the day, and probably during the time, of this engagement the garrison, having received intelligence of the appronch of their friends, endeavored to make n diversion in their favor hy n vigorous and well-conducted sally, under the direction of Colonel Willett, their second in command. Willett conducted his business with abil- ity and spirit. He did considerable mischief in the camp, brought off some trophies, no inconsiderable spoil, some of which consisted in articles that were greatly wanted, a few prisoners, and retired with little or no loss. He afterwards undertook, in company with another officer, a much more perilous expedition. They passed by night through the besiegers' works, and, in contempt of the danger and cruelty of the savages, made their way for fifty miles through path- less woods and unexplored morasses, in order to raise the country and bring relief to the fort. Such an action demands the praise even of an enemy.

"Colonel St. Leger left no means untried to profit of his victory by intimidating the garrison. He sent verbal and written messages, stating their hopeless situation, the utter destruction of their friends, the impossibility of their obtaining relief, as General Burgoyne, after destroying everything in his power, wns now at Albany receiving the submission of the adjoining counties, and by prodigiensly magnify- ing his own force. Ile represented that, in this state of things, if through an incorrigible obstiuacy they should continue n hopeless and fruitless defense, they would, according to the practice of most

# Col. Claus' description of matters in the valley is a curious com- mentary on the foolhardiness of the proposition of Sir John Johnson to march through it with a small party,

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HISTORY OF ONEIDA COUNTY, NEW YORK.

civilized nations, be cat off from all conditions and every hopo of mercy. But he was particularly direct upon the pains he had taken in softening the rage of the Indinns in their late loss, and obtaining from them security that, in case of an immediate surrender of the fort, every man of the garrison should be spared, while on the other hand they declared, with the most bitter execrations, that if they met with any further resistance they would not ouly massacre tho garrison, but that every man, woman, and child in the Mohnwk Vul- ley would necessarily, und bowever against his will, fall sacrifices to the fury of the savages. This point he said he pressed entirely on the score of humanity. He promised on his part, in case of nu im- medinte surrender, every attention which a humane and generous enemy could give.

"The governor, Colonel Gansevoort, behaved with grent firmness. He replied that he had been intrusted with the charge of that garri- son by the United States of America; that he would defend the trust committed to his care at every hazard und to the utmost extremity ; and that he should not nt all concern himself about any consequences that attended the discharge of his duty. It was shrewdly remarked in the fort thut bolf the pains would not have been taken to display the force immediately without, or the success at n distance, if they bore any proportion nt all to the magnitude in which they were rep- resented.

" The British commander was much disappointed in the state of the fort. It was stronger, in better condition, and much better de- fended than he expected. After great Inbor in his approaches, he found his artillery deficient, being insufficient in weight to make any considerable impression. The only remedy was to bring bis ap- pronches so acar that they must take effect, which he set about with the greatest diligence.

" In the mean time the Indians continued sullen und intractable. Their late losses might have been cured by certain advantages, but the misfortune was they had yet got no plunder, and their prospect of getting any seemed to grow every dny fainter. It is the peculiar characteristic of that people to exhibit, in certain ins!naces, degrecs of courage and.perseverance which shock renson und credibility, and to portray io others the greatest irresolution and timidity, with a total want of that constancy which might enable them for any length of time to struggle with difficulty.

" Whilst the commander was carrying on his operations with the utmost industry the Indians received n flying report that Arnold was coming with 1000 men to relieve the fort. The commander endeavored te reassure them, by promising to lead them himself, to bring all his best troops inte action, and by taking their leaders out to mark a field of battle, and the flattery of consulting them upon the intended plans of operation. Whilst he was thus endeavering to soothe their temper, and to revive their flagging spirits, other scouts arrived with intelligence, probably contrived in part by themselves, which first doubled und afterwards trebled the number of the enemy, with the comforting addition that Burgoyne's army was entirely cut to pieces.

"The colonel returned to camp, and called a council of their chiefs, hoping that by the influence which Sir John Johnson and Superintendente Claus and Butler had over them, they might still be induced to make n stand. IIe was disappointed. A part of the Indians decamped whilst the council was sitting, and the remainder threatened peremptorily to abundoo him if he did not immediately retreat.

"The retreat was of course precipitate, or it was rather, in plain terms, flight, attended with disagreeable circumstances. The tents, with most of the artillery, fell into the hands of the garrison. It appears by the colonel's own account that he was as apprehensive of danger from the fury of his savage allies as he could be from the re- sentment of his American enemies. It also appears, from the sumo authority, that the Mensuragoes, a nation of savages to the west, plundercd several of the bonts belonging to the army.

"By the Americ in necounts, which are in part confirmed.by etbers, it is said that they o' ed the officers of their baggage und of every other article to which they took any liking, and the army in general of their provisions. They also say that, a few miles' distance from the camp, they first stripped of their arms and afterwards murdered with their own bayonets, all those British, German, and American soldiers who, from any inability to keep up, fear, or any other enuse, were separated from the innin body.

"The state of the fact with respect to the intended relief of the

fort is, that Arnold bad advanced by the way of Half Moon up the Mohawk River with 2000 men for that purpose; and that for the greater expedition he hud quitted the main body, and arrived by forced marches through the woods, with a detachment of 900, at the fort, ou the twenty-fourth, in the evening, two days after the siege had heen raised. So that upon the whole the intractableness of the Indians, with their watchful apprehension of danger, probably saved them from u chastisement which would not have been tenderly ndininistered.

"Nothing could have been more untoward in the present situa- tion of affairs than the unfortunate issue of this expedition. The Americans represented this and the affair at Bennington as great and glorious victories. Nothing could excel their exultation und confidence. Gansevoort and Willett, with General Stark and Colonel Warner, who had commanded nt Bennington, were ranked among those who were considered as the snviors of their country. The northern militia began new to look bigh and to forget all dis- tinetions between themselves and regular troops. As this con- fidence, opinion, and pride increased, the apprehensions of General Burgoyne's army of course declined, until it soon came to be talked of with indifference and contempt, and even its fortune to be pub- licly prognosticated."

"'The History of the Civil War in America, by an Officer in tho British Army,' Captain Hall, London, 1780, says, p. 397 : 'The re- treat of Colonel St. Leger inspired the enemy with fresh nrdor, and, as they hud now no lenger anything to fenr on the Mohawk River, a numerous nud hardy militia from that country immediately joined their army in the neighborhood of Albany, which now advanced and took post near Stillwater, where they were also joined by a body of troops under Arnold, who had, in fact, heco detnched to the relief of Fort Stanwix, though he was at a great distance when the finesse of the garrison succeeded in saving the place.'

"'Bottu's History of the United States' declares specifically : 'The successes of the Americans under the walls of Fort Sehuyler (Stan- wix), besides having inspired the militia, produced also the other happy effect of enabling them, relieved from the fear of invasion in the country upon the Mohnwk, to unite all their forces against the army of Burgoyne.'

"In the ' History of the War with America, France, and Spain,' by John Andrews, LL.D. (London, 1786), vol. ii. p. 402, the case is thus stated : 'The failure of the expedition against Fort Stanwix, to= gether with the defent at Bennington, were very severe blows to the British interest in these parts. They animated the Americans to a surprising degree. They began aow confidently to promise them- selves that General Burgoyne himself would share the same fate na his officers.'

" General Burgoyne, in a letter to Lord Germaine, dated Camp near Saratoga, Aug. 20, 1777, says : 'I am afraid the expectations of Sir J. Johnson greatly fail in the rising of the country. On this side I find daily reason to doubt the sincerity of the resolution of the professing loyalists. I have abont 400, but not half of them armed, who may be depended upon; the rest are trimmers, merely actuated by interest. The great bulk of the country is undoubtedly with the Congress, in principle and zeal, and their measures are executed with a secrecy and dispatch that are not to be equaled.'"

The general, in his defense, produces the following as conclusive argument in his own behalf :

" The circumstances of the action at Bennington established a yet more melancholy conviction of the fallacy of any dependence upon supposed friends. The noble lord has said that ' I never despaired of the campaign before the affair nt Bennington ; that I had no doubt of gaining Albany in as short time as the army (in due condition of supply ) could accomplish the march.' I acknowledge the truth of the assertions in their fullest extent; all my letters nt the time show it. I will go further, aod in one sense apply with the noble lord the epithet 'fatal' to the affair of Bennington. The knowledge I acquired of the pre- fessers of loyalty was ' fatal,' and put an end to every expectation from enterprise unsustained by dint of force. It would have been excess nf frenzy to have trusted for sustenance to the plentiful region of Albany. Hlad the march thither been unopposed, the enemy, finding the British army unsupplied, would only have had to compel the Tories to drive the cattle and destroy the cera, and the capitulation of Albany instead of Saratoga must have followed. Would the Tories have risen ? Why

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IHISTORY OF ONEIDA COUNTY, NEW YORK.

did they not rise aronnd Albany and below when they found Mr. Gates' army increasing by separate and distinct parties from remote distances ? They were better qualified by their situation to catch the favorable moment than I was to advise it. Why did they not rise in that popu- lous and, as supposed, well-affected district-the German Flats-at the time St. Leger was before Fort Stanwix ? A critical insurrection from any one point to create diversion would probably have seenred the success of the campaign. But to revert to the reasons against a rapid march after the affair of Bennington. It was then also known that, by the false intelligence respecting the strength of Fort Stanwix, the in- famous behavior of the Indians, and the want of the promised eo- operation of the loyal inhabitants, St. Leger had been obliged to retreat. The first plausible motive in favor of hazardous haste, the facilitating his descent of the Mohawk, was at an end."#

DR. YOUNGLOVE.

The subjoined affidavit and fragment of a poem by Dr. Younglove, surgeon in General Herkimer's army, and who was taken prisoner, are curiosities in their way, and, while probably overdrawn, are worth perusal, as giving yet another phase of this interesting subject.

" The fury and cruelty of the Indians and Tories," after the battle of Oriskany, may be learned by the following affidavit, the original of which is in the office of the Secre- tary of State. The high standing of Dr. Younglove, who died a few years since (written in 1831) in the city of Hud- son, is a sufficient voucher for its truth.

" Moses Younglove, surgeon of General Herkimer's brigade of mili- tia, deposeth and saith, that being in the battle of said militia above Oriskany, on the 6th of August last, toward the close of said battle he surren lerei himself a prisoner to a savage, who immediately gave him. up to a sergeant of Sir John Johnson's regiment; soon after which a lieutenant in the Inlian department came up in company with several other Tories, when said Mr. Grinnis, by name, drew his tomahawk at this deponent, andI with deal of persuasion was hardly prevailed on to spare his life. He then plundered him of his watch, buckles, spurs, etc., and other Tories following his example, stripped him almost naked with a great many threats, while they were stripping and inassacreing prisoners on every side, That this deponcot on being brought before Mr. Butler, Sr., who demanded of him what he was fighting for; to which this deponcot answered, 'he fought for the liberty that God and nature gave him, and to defend himself and dearest connections from the massacre of savages.' To which Butler replied, . You are a damned impudent rehel;' and so saying immediately turned to the savages, en- couraging them to kill him, and if they did not, the deponent and the other prisoners should be hangel on a gallows then preparing. That sev- eral prisoners were then taken forward toward the enemy's headquarters, with frequent soenes of horror and massacre, in which Tories were active as well as savages; and in particular one Davis, formerly known in Tryon County on the Mohawk River. That Lieutenant Singleton, of Sir John Johnson's regiment, being wounded, entreated the savages to kill the prisoners, which they accordingly did, as nigh as the deponent can judge, about six or seven.

" That Isaac Paris, Esq., was also taken the same road without receiv- ing from them any remarkable insult, except stripping, until some Tories came up, who kicked and abused him, after which the savages, thinking him a notable offender, murdered him barbarously. That those of the prisoners who were delivered up to the provost-guards were kept without victuals for many days, and had neither clothes, blankets, shelter nor fire, while the guards were ordered not to use any violence in protecting the prisoners from the savages, who came every day in large companies, with knives, feeling of the prisoners to know who were fattest.

" That they dragged one of the prisoners out of the guard with tho most lamentable eries, tortured him for a long time; and this deponent was informed by both Tories and Indians that they ate him, as appears they did another on an island in Lake Ontario, by bones foundl there nearly picked, just after they had crossed the lake with the prisoners.

That the prisoners who were not delivered up were murdered in con- siderable numbers from day to day around the camp, some of them so. nigh that their shrieks were heard. That Captain Martin, of the ba -; teaux men, was delivered to the Indians at Oswego, on pretense of his having kept back some useful intelligence. That this deponent during. his imprisonment, and his fellowe, were kept almost starved for pro -.. visions, and what they drew were of the worst kind, such as spoiled. flour, biscuit full of maggots and mouldy, and no soap allowed or other. method of keeping clean, and were insulted, struck, etc,,. without merey, hy the guards, without any provocation given.

" That this deponent was informed by several sergeants, orderly on General St. Leger, that twenty dollars were offered in general orders for every American sealp.

" JOHN BARCLAY,

" MOSES YOUNGLOVE.t

"Chairman of Albany Committee."

Dr. Younglove, after his return from captivity, wrote a poem descriptive of his adventures and sufferings, and also of the terrible conflict in which he was taken. The follow- ing is an extract descriptive of the battle of Oriskany :

" The time and place of our unhappy fight To you at large were needless to recite ; When in the wood our fierce, inhuman foes, With piercing yell from circling ambush rose. A sudden volley rends the vaulted sky ; Their painted bodios hideous to the eye ; They rush like hellish fnries on our bands, Their slaughter-weapons brandished in their hands. Then we with equal fury join the fight, Ere Phoebus gained his full meridian height; Nor ceased the horrors of the bloody fray "Till he had journeyed half his evening way. Now hand to hand, the contest is for life, With bay'net, tom'hawk, sword, and scalping-knife; Now more remote, the work of death we ply, And thick as hail the show'ring bullets fly ; Full many a hardy warrior sinks supine, Yells, shrieks, groans, shouts, and thund'ring volleys join ; The dismal din the ringing forest fills, The sounding echo roars along the hills. Our friends and foes lie struggling in their blood; An undistinguished carnage strews the wood, And every streamlet drinks the crimson flood. True valor, stubbornness, and fury here, There, fell revenge, despair, and spite appear ; Long raged surrounding death, and no deliv'rance near, While mangled friends, not fated yet to die, Implore our aid in vain with feeble cry. Of two departments were the assailiog foes : Wild, savage natives led the first of those ; Their almost naked frames of varions dyes, And rings of black and red surround their eyes; On one side they present a shaven head ; The naked half of the vermilion red ; In spots the parti-colored face they drew, Beyond description horrible to view ; Their ebon locks in hraid, with paint o'erspread ;

The silvered ears depending from the head ;

Their gawdry my descriptive power exceeds,

In plumes of feathers, glittering plates, and heads. With them of parricides a bloody band Assist the ravage of their parent land, With equal dress, and arms, and savage arts, But more than savuge rancor in their hearts. These for the first attack their force unite, And most sustain the fury of the fight ; Their role of warfare devastation dire, By undistinguished plunder, death, and fire; They torture men and beast with barb'rons rage, Nor tender infant spare, nor reverend suge.

Annals of Tryon County, by Hon. William W. Caropbell.

# From the Oriskany Centennial volume.

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INSTORY OF ONEIDA COUNTY, NEW YORK.1

O'er them a horrid monster bors command, Whose inauspicious birth disgraced our land. By malice urged to evory barb'roos art; Of cruel temper, but of coward heart. The second was a renegado crew, Who arm and dress as Christian nations do, Led by a chief who bors the first command, A bold invader of his native land. Such was the bloody fight, ond such the foe; Oor smaller force returned them blow for blow; By turns successfully their force defied, And conquest wavering seemed from side to side."

The following interesting items connected with the Rev- olution were copied from the original documents among. the. papers of Hon. Morris S. Miller, formerly a member of Congress from Oneida County. A portion of them ap- peared in the Utica Herald of Jan. 8, 1878 :

" Matthias Burnet Miller, mentioned in the order of the Council of Safety concerning Cadwallader Colden, Esq., and one of the gentlemen to whom the appeal of Pierre Van Cortlandt, President of the Senate, and Evert Bancker, Speaker of the Assembly, is addressed at Nine Partners, in the precinct of Charlotte, was a physician of high stand- ing in the city of New York. He served as o surgeon in one of the regiments of the State of New York during the Revolutionary war, and was a member of the Constitutional Convention at New York in 1777. His father, Burnet Miller, was a member of the New York Assembly during the Revolution and from the year 1777 to 1783. ITis grandfather was a member of the old Colonial Assembly from the year 1748 nntil the year 1769, a prominent man in his day, and known in the histories of Long Island as ' Assemblyioan Miller,' and descended from Juhn Miller, one of the patentees of Easthampton, Long Island. Ilon. Rutger B. Miller, recently deceased, was the grandson of Matthias Bornet Miller.

" HOW MONEY WAS RAISED.

" GENTLEMEN,-We have received authentic intelligence that a con- siderable land and naval force is daily expected from France, and Congress has made a requisition upon the several States for moneys to be paid immediately, in order to put our army in a condition effectually to co-operate with our allies. The exigency will not admit of the slow operation of a tax or the formality of a law for luan, and the taxes, as they from time to time come into the treasury, are anticipated to discharge past contracts. We have, therefore, had recourse to the patriotism of individuals, and for that purpose have opened subserip- tions, of which you have one inclosed.

" This subscription we must entreat yon to promote, and offer it to every person in Charlotte precinct whom you may suppose to have ability or inclination to subscribe. By the terms of this subscription you will observe the money is to be repaid in six months or a year, at the option of the respective lenders, with interest at six per cent. per annum, and secured against a forther depreciation. We are author- ized to give the fullest assurances that the Legislature will, before they adjourn, make an effectual provision for the punctual discharge of this. debt, and also provide that if any of the subscribers shall become pur-, chasers of the forfeited lands, they may have credit opon soch pur- chase for the sums subscribed, with the interest dus thereon. We most request you to use your influence with the subscribers to pay the money upon or shortly after subscribing, in which case you will please to receive the money and pass your receipt ontil the subscription rolls can be returned, when you will be fornished with proper treasury notes in order to cancel your receipts, and within fourteen days from this day a messenger will wait upoo you with an order from the treasurer for the subscription rolls and the moneys you may have col -. lected. You will be allowed your expenses. Congress, in their letter communicating this important intelligence, declare 'That the som they required is necessary to put an army in motion, and observe that this armament from France, generously calculated either to produce a diversion in our favor or to forward the operation of our arms by being directed to the same object, may either by our oxertions be made the means of delivering our country, in the course of the campaign,

from the ravages of war, or being rendered ineffectual through. our- supineness serve only to sully the reputation of our arms, to defeat the benevalent intention of our great ally, and to disgrace our con- federacy in the eyes of all Europe. In short, if ever there was a period in the war which called for virtoe and spirit, it is the present. You doubtless have the same conviction, and therefore we flatter our- selves with your utmost and immediate exertions.'

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History of Oneida County, New York : with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 32

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