History of Oswego County, New York, with illustrations and Biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 16

Author: Johnson, Crisfield. cn
Publication date: 1877
Publisher: Philadelphia : L.H. Everts & co.
Number of Pages: 798

USA > New York > Oswego County > History of Oswego County, New York, with illustrations and Biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 16

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In fact, a few had come in, but the population was ex- ceedingly scattered, and the greater part of those who had been notified had not arrived ; those who had, were posted in the woods near the fort. Colonel Mitchell ever bore in mind that his main business was to protect the guns and stores at the falls, and that he must keep his command in a position where they could not be caught. He therefore left only a few men in charge of the artillery in the fort, and posted his battalion in the underbrush to the east of it.

About one o'clock, when all but one of the American guns were disabled, the British boats again left the fleet. For a description of their force we are indebted to Lossing's " Field-Book of the War of 1812," though most of the inci- dents of the fight are derived from still surviving witnesses. The enemy's attacking force consisted of two companies of De Watteville's regiment of infantry, under Captain De

HISTORY OF OSWEGO COUNTY, NEW YORK.

Bersey, one company of the celebrated "Glengarry" regi- ment, under Captain MeMillan, a battalion of marines, under Lieutenant-Colonel Malcolm, and two hundred sea- men, armed with pikes, under Captain Muleaster, of the royal navy. The whole was commanded by Lieutenant- Colonel Fischer. Sir George Drummond remained on shipboard.

The boats containing the infantry and marincs headed for the brush-covered shore where Mitchell was stationed, while Muleaster led his sailors directly towards the fort. Undeterred by the fire of the solitary American gun, Mul- caster's men sprang from their boats through the water to the shore, and rushed up the high bank before them. Another blast of grape from the old twelve-pounder mowed down a number of the sailors, and the few infantry in the fort did considerable damage during a brief period, but the British were in too large force to be stopped by such feeble means of resistance, and in a moment gained the top of the bank.

There they found two American sailors ramming down a charge, while two or three other men who had been helping them were just scurrying through the gate of the fort. One of the sailors, too, flung down his rammer, and made good his escape. The remaining old tar, however, was determined to have another shot. Though surrounded by foes, who, with leveled pikes, ordered him to surrender, he seized the linstoek and endeavored to fire the cannon. The British might easily have run him through with a dozen pikes, but, admiring his valor, they seized him ere he could apply the linstock, and dragged him by main force away from the gun.

There was no time to tarry, and, with Mulcaster at their head, the British sailors flooded over the feeble ramparts of the fort. The few men on the parapet who were not struck down fled across the open space of the little fortress, but, determined to fight to the last, turned at bay on the outside of the southern wall and began firing back upon the foe. In the northwestern bastion stood the flag-staff, to which the star-spangled banner had been nailed by order of Col- onel Mitchell. One of the British sailors climbed up to take it down, when a bullet from the southern wall stretched him lifeless on the ground. Another attempted the perilous task, and he, too. fell beside his com- rade. Captain Mulcaster himself than sprang on the par- apet, and endeavored to tear down the defiant banner. The next instant he, too, fell severely wounded to the ground. It was not till the fourth attempt was made that the flag was removed. The few defenders of the southern wall were either slain, captured, or driven away.

Meanwhile a still sharper battle had been going on to the eastward. Colonel Mitchell, with Captains Romeyn and Melvin, and the principal part of his battalion, met the enemy in front as they landed, while Captains MeIntyre and Pierce annoyed them on the flank. For near half an hour the ground was hotly contested. The eracking of muskets and rifles was incessant, and the bullets flew thick and fast among the saplings and underbrush. But the British, outnumbering the Americans two to one, steadily advanced, and the latter as constantly fell back. Finally, Colonel Mitchell, seeing that the fort was captured and

that his little force was likely to be surrounded, and the munitions at the falls thus exposed to seizure, gave the order to retreat. The battalion fell back in good order, and took their line of march up the river.

The enemy did not pursue. It is doubtful if they knew that the principal articles of value were at the falls, and even if they had their loss had been such, and the road through the forest was so easily defensible, that it is not probable they would have followed. The Americans lost six killed, one of whom was Lieutenant Blaney, thirty-eight wounded (thirteen mortally), and twenty-five missing. The British loss is reported by Lossing at nineteen killed and seventy-five wounded. Although it is customary to exag- gerate an enemy's losses, yet we presume that Lossing had access to the British official records, and has given the numbers correctly. That the English, though successful, should suffer far more heavily than the Americans, is ex- tremely probable, since the former had to take the offensive and attack the latter behind trees and intrenehments. The value of a defensive situation is rarely appreciated by civilians, who consider nothing but the numbers engaged ; especially if their feelings dispose them to misunderstand the facts. Thus, secession sympathizers are in the habit of dilating on the great superiority in numbers of the national troops during the war for the Union, but earefully forget to consider that the rebels had mountains, rivers, forests, and swamps as their auxiliaries, all guarded, and doubly guarded, by the most formidable intrenchments, behind which they lay in comparative safety,-before which the friends of the Union fell by thousands.

Two citizens of Oswego, Abram D. Hugunin and Wil- liam Squires, who had crossed the river with their rifles and attached themselves to the American troops to aid in repelling the invaders, did not retreat quickly enough, and were captured. Peter D. Hugunin, afterwards judge, also occupied the breastwork on the west side of the river, occasionally sending a bullet from his rifle at the invaders, until the fort surrendered, when he made his escape.

When Mr. Bronson saw how matters were going, he began hastily to load some stores on to his schooner, the " Syren," preparatory. A sergeant's guard came up to the opposite side of the river and fired across at the laborers, one of the bullets passing within two feet of Mr. Bronson, and striking in the end of his warehouse. Nevertheless he persisted in sinking the vessel. Meanwhile, the British burned the barracks, but could do little to the fort, as it was already in ruins. Presently Sir George Drummond eame ashore, and he and Sir James Yeo devoted themselves to seizing what publie property they could. They suc- ceeded in raising the " Growler" and the "Syren," which were the principal prizes they made. There was no sys- tematie injury to private property, but the soldiers and sailors did considerable plundering whenever they had an opportunity.

From the storehouse of Mr. McNair, the government commissary, were taken some twelve hundred barrels of hard bread, and a quantity of other provisions, whisky, etc , but these and all the other prizes were very poor compen- sation for the loss suffered by the British. The work of seizure and loading went on for several hours. While Sir

HISTORY OF OSWEGO COUNTY, NEW YORK.

James was superintending the loading of some of the stores on a captured schooner, he saw Mr. Bronson walking about on the wharf, dressed as became a merchant, and sharply addressed him,-

" Here, sir, I want you to furnish pilots to take these boats over the bar."

Mr. Bronson replied that all the men had left the place, and that he had no pilots under his control. With a vulgar oath, Sir James seized him by the collar, and shoved him back across the wharf, saying,-

" Then go yourself and take the boat out, and if you get her aground, God damn you, I'll shoot you !"

Without making any reply, Mr. Bronson started towards the boat. Before reaching it, however, Lieutenant-Colonel Harvey, a gallant British officer, much respected on both sides of the line, who was standing a short distance away, called out, ---

" That is the public storekeeper, Sir James ; he may be useful to us."

" Here, come back !" cried Yeo. Mr. Bronson did so, and awaited the course of events.

An hour or so later, Sir James sent for Mr. Bronson, who obeyed the call, when the following conversation took place between them. Sir James began,-

" You are the public storekeeper here ?"

" Yes, sir."

" And you are my prisoner ?"

" Yes, sir."

" Now, sir, I want you to tell me all about the public stores : what have been sent to Sackett's Harbor and Ni- agara, if any ; what have been detained at posts in the rear; and what, if any, are concealed in the vicinity. If you will give me full and correct information on these points, you can remain here ; if not, you will be taken a prisoner to Quebec."

" Well, Sir James," replied Mr. Bronson, " my books and papers have been sent away for safety; I do not think I could give you this information if I would, and I am sure it would be inconsistent with my duty for me to do so if I could."

" I have nothing to do with your duty," said the com- modore ; " all I have to say is,-if you give the information I want, correctly, you can stay ; if not, you go to Quebec."

" Very well, sir," replied the faithful storekeeper, " that settles it ; I will go to Quebec."

Sir James then called Captain O'Conner, his flag-captain, and said,-

" Take that man aboard the ' Prince Regent,' and take care of him."

Mr. Bronson requested O'Conner to let him go to his room to get his trunk or some clothes. The officer con- sented, and sent a subordinate to accompany the prisoner to his room. On their arrival there, however, he found, as he expressed it, "Jack Tar had been ahead of me," and neither clothes nor books were to be found. Mr. Bronson was then taken on board the " Prince Regent."

Four other residents of Oswego were also taken as prisoners on board the fleet,-Abram D. Hugunin and William Squires, the volunteer riflemen before alluded to; Eli Stevens, and Carlos Colton. Of these, Mr. Squires

still survives, a resident of Oswego. Mr. Colton is also living, but resides at Toledo, Ohio. Thus, out of the five Oswego prisoners then taken on board the British fleet, three still survive, sixty-three years after that event,-a most remarkable coincidence in longevity. Mr. Hugunin came of a warlike family, two of his brothers being then in . service,-Robert as a midshipman in the navy, and Daniel (afterwards a member of Congress) as a lieutenant in the army.

Four of the five prisoners were grown men, but Carlos Colton was then a boy only fourteen years old, and a clerk for Mr. Bronson. It was doubtless this circumstance that caused his capture, for he was taken on another vessel from his employer, and his captors there endeavored to obtain from him the information which they had failed to get . from the storekeeper.

" Come, now," they said, " Mr. Bronson has owned up all about the public stores, and you may as well do so, too, and save going to Quebec."

"I don't believe a word of it," promptly replied the plucky boy. The British officers were highly amused, and soon abandoned their attempts to cajole him into giving information.

The fleet lay off the harbor all night. About midnight Sir George Drummond came on board the " Prince Regent." Walking up to Mr. Bronson, where the latter stood on the deck, the high-toned major-general and knight thus accosted him, his prisoner,-

"So you are the public storekeeper, are you ? You are a pretty damned son of a -! You said there were no stores concealed, and now we have found cannon sunk at your own wharf."

" I did not say so, Sir George," replied Mr. Bronson ; " I said that my books and papers were gone, which was true, and that it would not be proper for me to give any information concerning the stores, even if I could." .

The general glared at him for an instant, and then broke out again,-

" Damn you, you ought to be strung up to the yard- arm !"

The insulted prisoner made no reply, and Sir George presently left him.

At daylight the next morning (the 7th) the fleet set sail for Kingston. In the course of the day, Colonel Harvey, in conversation with Mr. Bronson, apologized for the ruffianly language of Sir George Drummond and Sir James Yeo, saying that they had lost heavily and gained little by the expedition, that their friend, Captain Mulcas- ter, was severely wounded, and that they both felt terribly out of humor. Mulcaster was then on board the " Prince Regent," and the groans of the stout sailor showed how severely he was suffering. He died of his wound, hut not till two years later.

But the behavior of Sir James Yeo towards Mr. Bron- son was quite in harmony with his usual style. In the beginning of the war he had sent, by a paroled prisoner, from the West Indies, where he was then stationed, to the gallant Captain Porter, the following message, as printed in the Philadelphia Journal of September 18, 1812:

" A passenger of the brig ' Lyon,' from Havana to New

·HISTORY OF OSWEGO COUNTY, NEW YORK.

York, is requested by Sir James Yco to present his compli- ments to Captain Porter, commander of the American frigate ' Essex ;' would be glad to have a tête-à-tête any- where between the Capes of Delaware and the Havana, where he would have the pleasure to break his own sword over his damned head and put him down forward in irons."

Captain Porter sent a courteous acceptance of this re- markable cartel, but Sir James did not come to the tête-à- tête he had requested.

The Drummonds, also, were a brutal race. Lieutenant- Colonel Drummond, the brother of the bully of the " Prince Regent," was killed a short time after, in the assault on Fort Erie, while crying out to his men, " Give the damned Yankees no quarter!" and pistoling with his own hand the wounded who asked for mercy. We mention the be- havior of Sir George and Sir James because it is connected with the history of Oswego County, not with the idea of sanctioning the common clap-trap notion that all the ruffian- ism in any war is on one side.

The British fleet proceeded to Kingston, where the prisoners were kept in the guard-house a day or two. Mr. Bronson was fortunate enough to have an acquaintance there who supplied him with money for his immediate needs. After the fleet had been renovated at Kingston, Sir James Yeo blockaded Commodore Chauncey for a fortnight, in Sackett's Harbor, the prisoners being kept on shipboard. At length they were dismissed, one at a time, and sent home. Even Mr. Bronson, though holding a semi-military position, was finally released, on the representation of Com- modore Chauncey that he was only a merchant in charge of public property. The difficulty which kept Commodore Chauncey cooped up in Sackett's Harbor, while Sir James Yeo rode insultingly before him, was the fact that the great frigate " Superior," designed to be the monarch of Lake Ontario, was still without her armament. To see how it was obtained, and chronicle other matters worthy of men- tion, we must return to Oswego County.

As was said in the description of the battle, a large number of militiamen arrived after the fate of the day was decided. Most of them at once returned home, having families in a state of terror on account of the approach of the enemy. Although no Indians accompanied the in- vading force, yet those merciless foes had been largely employed by the British on the frontier, and the traditions of the Revolution led every one to expect the presence of the red men whenever a British force appeared. Every- where the sound of the cannon was listened to with gloomy forehodings, and when the fleeing fugitives brought the news of disaster, universal consternation prevailed. Hun- dreds placed their families and a few household goods on whatever vehicles they could command, and hastened towards the interior.

Mr. John B. Johnson, now a venerable resident of Oswego, relates that he was then a child of three years ; his father residing in the present town of Scriba, on the second farm east of the city line, and his grandfather on the first one. When the news of the American defeat went flying on the wings of terror through the country, his grandfather's family was placed on an ox-sled, the only vehicle to be had, and started eastward. Arriving at his

father's residence, his mother and children were added to the load. As they pursued their course, almost expecting to hear the Indians' war-whoop echoing in their rear, his infant recollections vaguely preserve the appearance of a company of militia marching past the sluggish team, one of whom carried something which flashed brightly in the sun, and which the boy was afterwards told was an officer's sword.

When they arrived at Major Stone's tavern, now called Scriba Corners, after sundown, he dimly remembers seeing a large crowd, and hearing fearful outcries, which he has since learned came from a wounded man, from whose shoulder a surgeon was cutting a bullet.

As, however, it was learned the next day that the British had retired, and, above all, that no Indians were in the vicinity, the panic soon subsided, and the fugitives returned home.

An immense number of cannon-balls were fired into the woods by the British vessels, and the very next day all the boys and some of the men who had not left the vicinity were at work picking up these relics of battle. They were not sought as relics, however. Dr. Deodatus Clarke, father of E. W. Clarke, Esq., then residing on a farm just inside the present eastern city line, knowing that cannon-balls were in good demand, offered to pay for all the eighteen-pound, twenty-four-pound, and thirty-two-pound balls that should be brought him. What he picked up himself and what he bought amounted to nearly five tons. Besides these there were some still larger, and some twelve-pounders that he would not buy. He readily sold his " pile" to Judge For- man, at Onondaga Hollow, the contractor for furnishing the government, as these balls were much better than those which that gentleman could cast in his forge.

The munitions at Onondaga IFollow, by the way, were the subject of a curious order, illustrative of the fact that official ignorance flourished in the days of the fathers as well as in our own. At one time when ordnance stores were needed on Lake Ontario, the secretary of the navy sent an order to a naval officer at Oswego, directing him to take his ves- sel at once to Onondaga hollow, load it with shot and shell, and to return to the lake with the needed articles. The existence of Oswego falls and a few other obstacles pre- vented a compliance with the order.

There were other relies in which young Edwin, with the other boys, took perhaps still greater interest. At the gate of the fort the retiring British threw down a large quantity of wet cartridges. These the boys gathered up, and long afterwards youthful soldiers stole out from many a log cabin into the roads, and re-enacted the bombardment of Oswego, by exploding those old cartridges, to the infinite gratification of themselves, and the terror of their small sisters.

Mitchell, when he retreated, marched up to the falls, filling the road with trees behind him, and took post there to defend the precious arms and munitions. He was accompanied by Captain Woolsey and one or two other naval officers. Find- ing they were not pursued, Woolsey set his wits to work to get the guns, etc., to Sackett's Harbor. The chance of carry- ing them on schooners, in face of the British flect, was poorer than ever. In this strait Woolsey sent a messenger to Chauncey proposing to take them quietly along the shore

HISTORY OF OSWEGO COUNTY, NEW YORK.

in open boats to the mouth of Stony creek, some twelve miles this side of Sackett's Harbor, and then up that creek and overland to Henderson bay, thus giving the go-by to Yeo's blockaders. Chauncey assented, and General Gaines gave the necessary orders to insure the co-operation of the troops.

For two or three weeks Woolsey and his men were very busy. Even before the fight many of the guns had been run over the falls in scows,-a feat which looks hazardous, but was found entirely practicable. The rest were now taken over in the same way, all were loaded into boats, the cordage was stowed, and all the needful preparations were made with the utmost care. Then the precious freight was carefully rowed down the turbulent Oswego to its mouth. The flotilla consisted of nineteen large open boats, and car- ried twenty-two long thirty-two-pounders, ten twenty-four- pounders, three forty-two-pound carronades, and twelve large cables, besides other munitions. The main cable for the "Superior" was an immense thing, which filled one of the largest boats, being twenty-two inches in circumference, and weighing nine thousand six hundred pounds. Besides a strong complement of oarsmen, the boats carried an escort consisting of a hundred and thirty riflemen, under Major Daniel Appling, and an arrangement had been made by which a hundred and fifty Oneida warriors were to meet at the mouth of Salmon river.

At sunset on the 28th of May the flotilla stole quietly out of the harbor of Oswego, and with eastward-pointing prows began its hazardous journey along the shore. All night long the rowers plied their oars so vigorously that, not- withstanding their heavy freight, at dawn they had reached the mouth of Salmon river. In the latter part of the night the darkness was increased by a fog, in which one of the boats got lost from its companions. The other eighteen safely entered the mouth of the river at daylight, where the Oneidus awaited them on the shore, but the estray was caught up by a British cruiser. The captain soon learned what was going on, and immediately stood away towards the blockading squadron, under every sail that his craft would bear, to inform Sir James Yeo of the Yankee manœuvre.

Meanwhile, Captain Woolsey had discovered the loss of his boat, and as it did not appear at the rendezvous, he could easily gness that it was captured, and that there would soon be a squadron looking after the great prize. He con- cluded that it would be too dangerous to try to take the boats along shore as far as Stony creek. He thought, how- ever, that he could reach the mouth of Big Sandy creek, in the town of Ellisburg, Jefferson county. At top of speed a messenger galloped northward to inform General Gaines, and ask for aid to be sent to that point.

Then, after recruiting their energies with a hasty brcak- fast, the wearied oarsmen rowed their boats into the lake, turned their prows to the north, and bent resolutely to their work, while every officer's eyes nervously scanned the hori- zon to see if British men-of-war were coming to derange their well-planned scheme. The Oneida warriors, stripped and painted for battle, each arrayed in only a breech-cloth and a crest of feathers, and armed with rifle, tomahawk, and scalping-knife, strode proudly along the sandy shore, abreast of the flotilla. Thus escorted, the squadron swept by the

outlet of Little Sandy Creek bay, and soon passed the north- ern boundary of Oswego County. It would hardly do, how- ever, to suspend the story of the expedition at so interesting a juncture, and a brief sketch of its further fortunes will be subjoined, although they carry us for a little while out- side of the county which is our especial subject.

At noon the boats reached the month of the Big Sandy, and quickly sought its friendly shelter. They proceeded a mile or so up the south branch as far as the depth of water would allow, and then the hard-worked sailors at length found an opportunity to rest.

Meanwhile, as was expected, Commander Yeo had been informed of the expedition, and had sent a light squadron, consisting of two gun-boats, three cutters, and a gig, to in- tercept it. These did not arrive in the vicinity until after Woolsey had entered the creek. They cruised along the shore all the afternoon, and not until the evening did the commander learn that the American boats had gone up Big Sandy creek. Nothing could be done that night, so he de- termined to lie off shore till morning, and then sail in and gain an easy victory over the heavily-laden boats ; probably being ignorant of the presence even of Appling's men.

But that same afternoon a company of cavalry and another of light artillery had come dashing through from Sackett's Harbor, in response to the request of Woolsey and Appling, and still later a small detachment of infantry came up. Boatmen of the vicinity were kept out on the lake all night watching for the enemy, and soon after daylight the Ameri- can commanders were notified of the approach of the British squadron. Major Appling placed the artillery and the other reinforcements from Sackett's Harbor near the boats and just above a bend in the creek. Below the bend he ambushed his riflemen and Indians. The British came confidently on, having apparently little idea of serious resistance. When they came in sight of the boats they opened on them with solid shot, but with very little effect. Landing a flanking party on each side of the stream, they moved forward, con- stantly assailing the bushes with which the creek was then fringed, in advance of the flankers, with grape and canister. The Indians, always easily frightened by artillery, soon fled, but the riflemen hugged the ground and let the noisy storm pass harmlessly over them.

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History of Oswego County, New York, with illustrations and Biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 16

Author: Johnson, Crisfield. cn Publication date: 1877 Publisher: Philadelphia : L.H. Everts & co. Number of Pages: 798

Author: Johnson, Crisfield. cn
Publication date: 1877
Publisher: Philadelphia : L.H. Everts & co.
Number of Pages: 798