History of Oswego County, New York, with illustrations and Biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 7

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

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Firing was kept up briskly from Fort Ontario through- out the day, but at eleven o'clock at night it ceased. It was not until midnight that the French were ready to begin work on the trenches, and then labor was at once com- menced in the darkness, among the stumps, and continued until daylight. In this time a parallel six hundred feet long had been erected within a little over five hundred feet from Fort Ontario. The French now opened a heavy fire on the fort, which responded to them through the fore- noon, but with constantly decreasing energy. At three in the afternoon the watchful Frenchmen observed a great commotion between the fort and the river, and in a few moments it was evident that Fort Ontario was being evaeu- ated. Colonel Mercer sent over some whale-boats for the purpose, and in great disorder the garrison passed to the other side. They were so well protected by the guns of Fort Oswego that the French were not able to do them any serious damage in their retreat. Only four men had been killed and wounded in Fort Ontario. Perhaps, in view of the small size of his foree, Colonel Mercer was justified in contracting his lines, but the movement greatly encouraged the French, and correspondingly depressed the English. Eight small cannon and four mortars were left in the de- serted fortress, which was at once taken possession of by

the joyful French, while their red allies made the woods re-echo with their yells of triumph, striking terror into all the timorous hearts in the beleagured garrison.

Mercer soon sent Pepperell's regiment and a hundred of Smiley's to reinforce Colonel Schuyler at the redoubt on the hill, where they were employed during the day in cut- ting down the bushes which afforded a cover for assailants, and making other preparations against an attack.

All day De Montcalm pressed on the siege with renewed vigor. A small, lithe, active man, as rapid of speech as of motion, the marquis hurried to and fro, regardless of dan- ger, supervising everything, pouring out censure or praise as occasion required, and infusing his own impetuous spirit into all his men.

The guns of Fort Ontario were turned upon Fort Oswego. The south end of the new trench was curved to the west and carried down to the river's edge, where at nightfall a battery was erected, designed to beat down the walls of Fort Oswego, and also reach the line of communication between that and Fort George. Darkness only increased the labor. The whole army was set at work, and twenty cannon were carried in their arms (a Herculean task) to the places designed for them.

At daylight the ever-active Montcalm ordered Rigaud de Vaudreuil, with his Canadians and Indians, to cross the river a little way up, occupy the woods on the other side, and harass the English rear. The gallant partisan imme- diately flung himself into the foaming stream and made his way across it, followed by the whole body of provincials and savages, some swimming, some in water to waist or neck, but all successful in reaching the western shore. They took positions in the edge of the forest, and made a target of every Englishman who showed his head above the parapets.

At six o'clock Montcalm had nine heavy guns ready for use in his new battery, and then the game commenced in earnest. This was the most serious fighting during the siege. The roar of the heavy battery resounded through the forest and rolled out upon the lake; other French guns in various locations added to the din. The English responded with the fire of twelve cannon and four mortars, while the yells of the furious Indians in the forest added to the terrors of the scene. One of the English mortars burst. Soon afterwards, and between eight and nine o'clock, Colonel Mercer was killed while gallantly directing the fire of the English guns.

The command devolved upon Lieutenant-Colonel Jolin Littlehales, who certainly seems to have lost his head amid the terrible confusion reigning aronnd. He ordered Colonel Schuyler to abandon Fort George, where Mercer had placed him, thus leaving Fort Oswego liable to be commanded from that important position. Two of Schuyler's men were killed while marching down. The firing was still kept up from Fort Oswego ; but Littlehales had evidently lost heart as well as head. He soon called a council of the field-officers and captains, and they, taking their tone from their com- mander, quite readily agreed to a capitulation. A flag was sent to Montcalm, and after some parleying the forts were surrendered, the garrison became prisoners of war, and not only all the ammunition, stores, etc., were yielded up, but

HISTORY OF OSWEGO COUNTY, NEW YORK.

all the vessels, finished as well as unfinished, with twelve naval officers and nearly two hundred scamen.

From a comparison of different accounts, it is quite cer- tain that at the time of the surrender not over thirty of the Anglo-American force had been killed or wounded. The Freuch loss was stated by themselves at thirty ; that of the English, who were sheltered, could not well have been larger. Several of Shirley's regiment who escaped fixed it at twenty-fonr, and the latter number is probably very near correct. The total number of men made prisoners was fifteen hundred and twenty, but of these, as has been said, soveral hundred were sailors, carpenters, artifieers, etc .; all of whom, however, worked the guns, or did other duty about the forts. There was an ample supply of provisions and ammunition, no less than twenty-three thousand pounds of powder being among the spoils gained by the victors ; and under all the circumstances the surrender must be considered highly discreditable to Colonel Little- hales. The vietors themselves were surprised at the case with which their triumph was gained.

The French took immediate possession, and then fol- lowed one of those scenes so frequent in the old border wars of America, which sully the lustre of the brightest victory. Near one hundred of the captives were slain by the enraged Indians, and their scalps, torn from their man- gled remains, were borne to decorate the wigwams of their murderers on the banks of the St. Lawrence, the Ottawa, and Lake Huron. The massacre was at length stopped by the interposition of Montcalm ; bnt one cannot help think- ing that he must have known how the savages would act, and that he might have prevented their cruelties entirely if he had been very anxious to do so. It looks as if he thought it would cause disaffection if he prevented entirely their feast of blood, and did not interfere till they had been partially satiated.

We are aware that it has been doubted whether any massacre was perpetrated, but all the statements point the same way. One French writer, who was present, says dis- tinctly that the Indians " perpetrated there a multitude of horrors, and assassinated more than one hundred persons, included in the capitulation, without our being able to pre- vent them, or having the right to remonstrate with them." Another stated that one hundred and fifty English were killed and wounded, " including several soldiers, who, wish- ing to escape into the woods, fell into the hands of the Indians." Deducting thirty for the number killed and wounded in the fighting, leaves a hundred and twenty who fell beneath the savage tomahawks. This accords with the statement of the first-mentioned writer, that over a hun- dred were massacred. Hle said nothing about their at- tempted escape, and that was probably a mere excuse. Montcalm himself wrote that the savages attempted a mas- sacre, but that he prevented it. But that intervention did not take place until after many had been slain ; too late to clear the memory of Montcalm from the suspicion of con- nivance.

There is reason to believe, too, that some of the prisoners were reserved by the savages for the still more horrible fate of death by torture. Among the prisoners was Francis Lewis, afterwards a distinguished citizen of New York,

and one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. His biography, together with that of Governor Morgan Lewis, has lately been published by his descendant, Mrs. Delafield. There is one anecdote, which the authoress received from her grandfather, Morgan Lewis, and he from Francis Lewis, which bears directly on the question of the treatment of the Oswego prisoners. Although it comes to the public at third hand, yet the main facts are so impor- tant, and must have been so well known in the Lewis family, that there could hardly be any serious mistake; and besides, in regard to the atrocities committed by the Indians, it harmonizes but too well with accounts derived from French sources. Mrs. Delafield says :

" Montcalm allowed his Indian allies to select thirty prisoners as their share of the booty, and Lewis was one of the unmber. The Indians retreated northward. Towards the close of each day, when they found by the side of a mountain stream, or in a sheltered valley, a pleasant spot which invited them to rest and to feast, they lit their fires and celebrated their victory by the sacrifice of a captive.

"" The bloody rite was repeated so often that Lewis was certain of the fate awaiting him. He was not a man under any circumstances to lose his presence of mind or to de- spair. He seemed to submit, watched, and waited. Two warriors were selected as his guard. As the prisoner showed no disposition to escape, they were satisfied with binding his arms, allowing him to walk otherwise un- shackled while they beguiled the time talking together.

" Presently words familiar to his childhood struck his car. Acquainted with both the Gaelic and Cymraeg dia- lects, it was easy for him to join in their conversation. It may be that Lewis was gifted with the power of controlling men,-it may be that his calm and dignified bearing had already had an influence upon the savages. When they found that there was the tie of a common language between them, he was no longer a prisoner,-he was treated as a friend and brother. They accompanied him to Montreal, recommended him to the protection of the governor, and requested that he might be permitted to return at once to his home. This permission, however, was not granted. He was sent to France in a cartel and exchanged."

Lewis was a native of Wales, where he learned the "Cymraeg dialect ;" and it is suggested that the Indians might have acquired some knowledge of the Breton lan- guage, which is almost identical with the Welsh, from the French settlers at Cape Breton. It would be foreign to our purpose to enter into any discussion of this branch of the subject, but the story, coming from so distinguished a man as Francis Lewis, adds much to the evidence that a portion of the captured garrison of Oswego was massacred by Montcalm's Indian allies.

The Indians departed for their homes almost immedi- ately after the close of the siege. The main body of the French remained for a week. During that time the re- maining prisoners were sent away under guard ; the cap- tured supplies and artillery, as well as what the French had brought, were shipped, and then the fortifications of Chou- aguen, so long an eye-sore to French officials, were razed to the ground. The buildings were burned, and utter deso- lation reigned over the locality so long considered the bul-

HISTORY OF OSWEGO COUNTY, NEW YORK.

wark of the province of New York. On the 21st of August the victorious army re-embarked and returned to the bay of Niaoure, whence the various corps were distributed where their presence was needed, and the commander-in-chief proceeded to Montreal.

The numbers engaged were small, but in every other re- spect this achievement of the Marquis de Montcalm is entitled to rank as one of the most brilliant in the annals of war. From beginning to end not a misstep was made. The concentration of forces at Frontenac and Niaoure, the engaging of the enemy's attention by the appearance of the marquis on Lake George, his rapid return and advance up the St. Lawrence, the silent movement along the lake-shore in the night, the unloading the artillery in face of the enemy's fleet, the amazing energy with which the siege was pushed forward, and the valor with which the example of the commander inspired his soldiers, all show the work of the master, and display in the clearest light the remarkable military genius of Field-Marshal the Marquis de Montcalm. It is the more to be regretted that the suspicion of conniv- ing at cruelty mars the lustre of the brilliant achievement. Possibly that suspicion is unfounded.

During all this while the English authorities were as stupid and dilatory as the French were skillful and ener- getic. We have mentioned that the Earl of Loudon had at length ordered Colonel Webb, with a brigade of troops, to march to the relief of Oswego. That officer, faithfully copying the example of his superiors, did not get his com- mand under motion from Albany till the 12th of August, two days before the surrender. On his way up the Mo- hawk he was met by an express bearing the news of the arrival of the French before the fated fortress. The mes- senger went on to Albany, and Lord Loudon, on learning the news, ordered Sir William Johnson to march to the support of Webb.

At the " Oneida carrying-place," now Rome, the latter officer was met by a few scattered fugitives, bringing news of the surrender. Although it was to be expected that Montcahn would advance upon the settlements, and though the safety of the Mohawk valley depended on holding the forts at the portage, Webb turned and fled with rapid steps towards Albany. Everywhere consternation reigned su- preme. Oswego had so long been considered the main defense from attack in that quarter, that the news of its capture filled all minds with the expectation of a hostile army marching down the valley, and, worse still, of blood- thirsty Indians making that peaceful land hideous with indescribable atrocities. Fortunately, Montcalm's force was too small to justify a farther advance.

The remainder of 1756 and the whole of 1757 passed away very quietly, so far as Oswego was concerned, though the province of New York suffered severely on account of its loss. The Mohawks had been profoundly impressed with the prowess of the French in capturing the very gate- way of their domain, and in April, 1757, a delegation of their chiefs visited Montreal to treat for peace. Satisfactory arrangements were made, and all the Iroquois except the Mohawks remained neutral, while the French and the Canadian Indians ravaged the frontiers. The British gen- erals acted as if they, too, were neutral, and the year 1757

closed in disgrace, foreboding the destruction of the English dominion in America.

But in 1758 the celebrated William Pitt became prime minister of England, and new vigor was at once infused into all the English operations. Various important French posts were captured. All of De Montcalm's energies were required to defend Lower Canada from invasion. Fort Frontenac was left with but a small guard. The enter- prising Bradstreet being commissioned as brigadier-general, asked permission to take a force by way of Oswego and capture Frontenac, but was refused by General Abercrom- bie, now become commander-in-chief. But in July, Aber- crombie was defeated with terrible slaughter at Ticonderoga. Bradstreet then renewed his request, and, as it was desira- ble to do something to ameliorate the effects of that defeat on the public mind, his petition was granted.

Provided with the requisite orders, and accompanied as usual by his deputy,-Major Philip Schuyler,-Bradstreet hastened to the Oneida portage, where he found General Stanwix with nearly three thousand provincial troops, re- building the fort at that point, which thenceforth bore his name. Of these Bradstreet took command, and proceeded with all speed to Oswego. In the words of a contemporary, he flew rather than marched. Fast as he went, however, still faster sped Major Schuyler, in command of the advance- guard, accompanied by a corps of ship-carpenters and other artisans. He arrived at Oswego several days before Brad- street, and instantly began the construction of a schooner, called the " Mohawk," intended to carry the necessary can- non for the expedition. He urged on the work with such energy that in three weeks the vessel was ready for sea. Meanwhile Bradstreet had arrived, bringing with him the bateaux and whale-boats with which he had so often navi- gated the Oneida lake and river, and about the 20th of August his army embarked on Lake Ontario.

Among the New York regiments in this expedition was one commanded by Colonel Charles Clinton, the ancestor of a family which has had more influence than any other over the destinies of the State of New York. The captain of one of its companies was the colonel's third son,-James,- afterwards a distinguished Revolutionary general, and the father of De Witt Clinton. The lieutenant of Captain James Clinton's company was his younger brother, -- George,-governor of New York for nearly twenty years after its independence, and for eight years vice-president of the United States.

After a short voyage the expedition arrived before Fort Frontenac, and as that post was defended by only a hun- dred and fifty men, it was soon surrendered to the English commander, together with an immense quantity of stores. Early in September, the army returned to Oswego, whence the greater portion of it proceeded to the settlements. A detachment (but whether detached before or after the expe- dition to Frontenac is uncertain) built in that year (1758) a new fort, a short distance below Oswego falls. Its name, if it had one, is unknown. It was octagonal in form, with the sides eurved inward, and the angles very acute, making it almost star-shaped. The west part of it was cut off when the Os- wego canal was dug, but the remains of the rest could be traced down to a few years ago. Fifty rods below was also

HISTORY OF OSWEGO COUNTY, NEW YORK.

to be seen, within the recollection of the earliest settlers, the remains of another fortification, semicircular in form, situated on the high bank of the river; but this is supposed to have been built before the coming of the white man, either by Indians or some still carlier raec.

A fort was also built-probably this year (1758), but possibly the next-at Three Rivers point, on the east side of the Oswego, in the present town of Schroeppel,-a small fortification only about twenty yards square, but provided with four bastions, and having three large store-houses on the inside.

Early in 1759, General Amherst was appointed com- mander-in-chief, and herculean efforts were made by Eng- land and her colonies to overthrow the French power in America. Owing to her superiority by sea, Great Britain could transfer much larger armies to the seat of war than could her Gallie rival, and the populous colonies which bor- dered the Atlantic could give far more aid than could the scattered settlements on the shores of the St. Lawrence.

Again Oswego County became the scene of hostile opera- tions. Captain Ponchot, the engineer at the capture of Oswego, was in command at Fort Niagara. Early in June he sent a colonial officer named Blainville, with a company of Missisauga Indians, to see what was going on in this vicinity. They went up the Oswego a few miles, and then went back and reported to Ponchot that there were no English to be found. Had they gone as far as the falls they would have found an English army even then making the portage around that obstruction. It was under the command of General Prideaux, who, with two thousand regulars and provincials, was on his way to attack Fort Ni- agara. At Oswego he was joined by Sir William Johnson with about seven hundred warriors of the Six Nations. They had evidently become satisfied that the English would succeed in the contest, and had recovered from their nentrality. In a short time some two hundred and fifty more Iroquois, from the banks of the St. Lawrence, who had long been under French influence, came to place them- selves under the command of the baronet.

On the first of July, Prideaux and Johnson, with their motley command, embarked on Lake Ontario in open boats and turned their prows toward Fort Niagara. Colonel Haldimand, with five or six hundred provincials, was left to guard Oswego. It was supposed that the French were all gathered on the lower St. Lawrence to resist Wolfe, but still it was deemed advisable to erect a stockade. A large portion of the men were daily sent to the forest to cut logs for that purpose. Meanwhile, Haldimand made a kind of wall around his camp out of barrels of pork and flour, of which there were an immense number.

On the 5th of July, the workmen to the eastward of the camp were suddenly fired on by a body of French and In- dians. Retreating quickly to the camp they found it in wild confusion, men rushing from the forest in all directions, while those already there were ensconeing themselves behind the barricade of barrels to repel the foe. The assailants were the advance-guard of a considerable force under the Chevalier de la Corne. He commanded five or six hundred Canadians from Frontenac, and several hundred Christian Indians from the mission of La Presentation (now

Ogdensburgh). The Abbé Picquet, the chief of that mis- sion, accompanied his converts.

De la Corne had landed without discovery at the same point, about a mile and a half east of the mouth of the river, where Montcalm had disembarked three years before. IIad he pushed forward his whole force to the attack it is quite probable that he would have defeated the surprised and ill-prepared English,-a defeat which would almost have insured the ruin of Prideaux's army. According to Pou- chot's account of the affair, however, the Abbé Picquet, when he heard the firing of the advance-guard, insisted on making a short exhortation to the troops and giving them absolution. Meanwhile the opportune moment was lost, and when De la Corne arrived before the camp with his main force, he found the English under arms behind their barrels, and ready for fight.

He had no artillery, and he could not induce his Canadi- ans and Indians to attack even that feeble barricade. A desultory fire was kept up on both sides for two or three hours, but De la Corne was unable to accomplish anything of moment. Finally his men exclaimed that the blow had failed, and in spite of their officers made their way as fast as possible to their boats. The belligerent abbé endeav- ored to rally them, but was thrown down in the rush, and escaped being left only by his vigorous eries of " Save your chaplain ! at least, save your chaplain !"

The English lost about a dozen men killed and wounded, and the French probably about the same. One account states that another attack was made the next day. This is doubtful, and if true the attempt had no results, and De la Corne returned to the St. Lawrence. Between three and four weeks later the successful English were still further gladdened by the appearance from the west of a detach- ment of the Forty-sixth Regiment, escorting between seven and eight hundred French officers and men, captured at Fort Niagara. The prisoners were soon sent forward to Albany. On the 7th of Angust the main army, except a garrison left at the conquered fortress, and the Indians also, returned under the command of Sir William Johnson, Gen- eral Prideaux having been killed during the siege.

On the 16th of the same month General Gage, afterwards celebrated as the commander at Boston in the beginning of the Revolution, arrived at Oswego to take command in place of Prideanx. All was now as animated at Oswego as it had been desolate three months before. The gayly-dressed Eng- lish officers, the sturdy provincials, and the painted Iroquois were alike jubilant over the capture of Niagara, the great French stronghold of western New York, and all (except perhaps the Indians) were eagerly watching for news from Quebec, where Wolfe and Montealm were measuring swords for the last deadly conflict.

Gage had received orders to go down the St. Lawrence and capture the post of La Galette, below Ogdensburgh. There was much counseling between the general, Sir Wil- liam, and Colonel Haldimand on the subject. The vigorous baronet was in favor of going, but Gage, like almost all the English generals of that day, was very dilatory, and after allowing much valuable time to slip away he finally deelined to go, on account of the lateness of the season.

Sir William was, in modern phrase, "full of business."

HISTORY OF OSWEGO COUNTY, NEW YORK.

Indians were constantly coming and going, and the baronet's diary is full of memoranda of conferences, speeches, giving belts, and all the other formalities essential in the manage- ment of the red man. His entries for one day were two in number,-the first being : "Fine morning; I propose this day speaking to the Indians;" the second : "All drunk ; could not meet 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 7

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