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15. St. Leger having received information of his approach, sent forward a detachment under the command of Sir John Johnson, including the entire body of Indians, headed by Brant, to intercept his progress. At about two miles west of Oris- kany an ambuscade was prepared by Brant along the margin
Attack upon Fort Schuyler. - Battle of Oriskany.
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of a deep ravine, through which the advancing party were com- pelled to pass, and into which, followed by their baggage- wagons, they passed, and were immediately surrounded and hemmed in by their savage foe, shouting the war-whoop and pouring in upon their disorderly and panic-stricken columns a torrent of rifle-balls. The rear-guard, cut off from their ad- vancing comrades, fled with precipitation, closely pursued by the Indians, by whom they were severely harassed, while the main body, recovering from their surprise, maintained the un- equal contest with the skill and desperation of veterans.
16. Early in the action, General Herkimer was severely wound- ed by a musket-ball, which killed his horse and shattered his own leg. At his request he was placed upon his saddle at the foot of a tree, where he coolly continued to direct the battle, which raged with the utmost fury for nearly an hour, when it was interrupted by a heavy thunder-storm, which enabled the little band to gain a more favorable position. The struggle was again renewed, and just as the Indians were beginning to give way before the skilful and persistent attacks of the Americans, a reinforcement of Tories was sent by St. Leger to their relief, and the hand-to-hand contest continued with increased deter- mination and ferocity on both sides.
17. The signal guns from the fort now announced a sortie from the garrison, which had been previously concerted by Gen- eral Herkimer, and, a ruse of Butler's for deceiving the Ameri- cans by the appearance of relief having been detected, the Tory reinforcement were driven from their ground with great slaughter, followed by their associates and the Indians, who, perceiving the retreat of their allies, immediately fled in every direction, leav- ing the heroic band, after a contest of eight hours' duration, in possession of the field.
18. Meanwhile the detachment from the fort, under the com- mand of Colonel Marinus Willett, made an impetuous attack upon St. Leger's advanced guard, and speedily succeeded in gaining possession of his camp, military stores, and baggage, without the loss of a single man, driving the Indians into the woods and compelling Johnson to a hasty retreat. Five British standards were captured and immediately hoisted on the flag-
Indian ambuscade.
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staff of the fort, under the American colors. The siege was con- tinued until the 22d, when the appearance of General Arnold with reinforcements from Schuyler induced the prompt with- drawal of the British and their savage allies. General Herkimer soon after died from the effects of his wound.
CHAPTER VIII.
FIRST AND SECOND BATTLES OF STILLWATER. - VICTORY OF THE AMERICANS. - SURRENDER OF BURGOYNE AT SARATOGA.
1. GENERAL BURGOYNE, weakened and discouraged as he was by the defeat at Bennington of an expedition sent into
1777. Vermont for supplies to his army, by the scarcity of pro- visions, and by the numerous obstructions which were interposed to his progress on every hand, still persisted in his determina- tion to carry out the original plan of the campaign by effecting a union with the forces of Lord Howe, and thereby cutting off all communication between the eastern and the middle and southern colonies. With this view, on the 13th and 14th of September he crossed with his army to the western bank of the Hudson, and encamped on the heights and plains of SARATOGA, on the ground now occupied by the village of Schuylerville, - the American army being stationed in the neighborhood of Stillwater, about nine miles distant.
2. On the 18th he advanced to a position within about two miles from the American camp, near what is now known as Wilbur's Basin, where, having strengthened himself by throwing up intrenchments and redoubts, and being further protected by a deep ravine in front, preparations were immediately made for an attack on the American lines. The right wing of his army consisted of light-infantry and grenadiers, supported by the Hes- sian rifleinen and a body of Canadian Tories and Indians as skir- mishers, and was placed under the command of General Frazer,
Termination of the siege. - Reinforcements from Arnold and Schuyler. - Retreat of the British. - Plan of the campaign. - Burgoyne advances to Saratoga. - Position of the armies.
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Major Ackland, and the Earl of Balcarras ; the centre, of Eng- lish troops under Burgoyne in person and General Hamilton ; and the left, of the artillery regiments and Hessians under Gen- erals Riedesel and Philips. '
3. The Americans occupied an advantageous position on Bemis's Heights, which they had taken care strongly to pro- tect, by the erection of breastworks and redoubts. Its right, commanded by General Gates, who had recently superseded Schuyler, occupied the meadows between the heights and the river ; and the left, under General Arnold and Colonel Morgan, occupied the heights and the high grounds to the west. A deep, closely wooded ravine also protected the front of the right wing, and, at a little distance north, another of a similar char- acter intervened between the two armies.
4. On the afternoon of the 19th the enemy in three divisions advanced to the attack, - the centre crossing the ravine in a line directly in front of the American camp, the right around its head, and the left passing down the road skirting the river. Colonel Morgan's regiment of riflemen, led by Major Morris, en- countered the advanced column, and after an impetuous attack were driven from the field with the loss of twenty men. Arnold was immediately despatched with two regiments to their relief; but notwithstanding his accustomed display of vigor and brar- ery, he was forced to retreat, Gates having refused the reinforce- ments which he required.
5. Arnold immediately, by a rapid countermarch, fell sud- denly and with great precipitation upon the enemy's centre, commanded by Burgoyne himself, and, having been strength- ened by the accession of several regiments belonging to his own division, - comprising the New York troops, under Colonels Pierre Van Courtlandt and the Livingstons, with the New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Massachusetts troops, - main- tained the action for four hours, until darkness separated the combatants, when he retired in good order and without pursuit. The forces of the two armies were nearly equal, the superiority in numbers being with the enemy, who had thirty-five hundred men against Arnold's three thousand. The British loss was six
Battle at Bemis's Heights. - Arrangement of forces. - Repulse of Mor- gan and Arnold. - Renewal of Arnold's attack.
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hundred killed and wounded, while the Americans' was only about half that number. The enemy retained possession of the field ; and both parties strengthened their positions pre- paratory to a renewal of the battle.
6. Meantime an unfortunate and serious misunderstanding had sprung up between Generals Gates and Arnold, growing out of the removal of Schuyler ; and an unpleasant interview, follow- ing the detachment of Morgan's riflemen and Dearborn's infantry from Arnold's division, had resulted in his removal from all command, and exclusion from head-quarters, the left wing being assigned to General Lincoln. So far was this bitter feud car- ried, that no mention was made by Gates, in his official despatches to the Commander-in-Chief, of the important part taken in the battle of the previous day by Arnold.
7. For upwards of two weeks following the battle of Bemis's Heights, or Stillwater, as it is more generally designated, the enemy's lines were incessantly harassed by sorties from the American camp, though no general engagement occurred. The supply of provisions and forage for the British was daily dimin- ishing. The difficulties of a retreat to Canada, combined with the hazard of leaving Gates free to turn his army against Howe, inclined him to await communications from the latter ; but the pressure of want, and the necessity of some movement to supply the deficiencies of the soldiery, rendered a second and decisive battle imperative.
8. On the 7th of October, accordingly, General Burgoyne, in the absence of all information from Howe, deemed it advisable to make a demonstration on the left of the American lines. A detachment of fifteen hundred regular troops, with a heavy battery of artillery and field-pieces, accompanied by Generals Philips, Riedesel, and Frazer, was moved, under his immediate command, to a position within three quarters of a mile of the left wing of the Americans, while Captain Frazer's rangers, the Indians, and Tory refugees, were directed to effect, if possible, a diversion of their attention from the operations on their flank.
Dissension between Gates and Arnold. - Arnold deprived of his com- mand. - Unworthy conduct of Gates. - Temporary cessation of hostili- ties. - Embarrassing position of Burgoyne. - Active operations determined upon. - Movements of the enemy.
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Their movements were, however, seasonably discovered, and Morgan was ordered by Gates to gain the high ground on their right, while General Poor, with the Eastern and New York regi- ments, advanced against their left.
9. By a sudden and rapid movement the attack was com- menced on the extreme left of the enemy's line, where Major Ackland was in command, and soon reached the centre, while Morgan appeared on the right, and the action became general. Burgoyne finding himself unable effectually to resist this com- bined attack, attempted to form a second line in rear of the first, to secure the retreat of the latter ; but, before this object could be effected, Major Dearborn had effected a breach in the enemy's left wing, compelling the right to rally to its relief.
10. In the execution of this movement, General Frazer re- ceived a mortal wound, and Burgoyne found it necessary to order a retreat of the main body, under cover of the forces of Generals Philips and Reidesel, and such assistance as he him- self might be able to render with such troops as could hastily be collected. With great difficulty they were enabled to regain their camp, with the loss of six pieces of artillery and several of their men.
11. Arnold, notwithstanding orders to the contrary, had occu- pied his usual place at the head of his troops, and participated in the attack with his usual bravery and determined energy. Flying in hot haste from one part of the field to the other, he cheered on his men, everywhere received with the greatest enthusiasm, his orders carried out and his example emulated throughout the line. Chiefly by his indomitable spirit and gal- lant exertions the right and rear of the enemy's forces were carried and held by Lieutenant-Colonel Brooks, when the ap- proach of darkness again put an end to the contest.
12. The Americans had, however, obtained a complete and brilliant victory. The British had been driven from the field with the loss of several of their best officers, six hundred men killed, wounded, and prisoners, and most of their artillery, am- munition, horses, and baggage. The American loss did not exceed one hundred and fifty killed and wounded, among the
Counter-movements of the Americans. - Second battle of Stillwater. - Bravery of Arnold. - Retreat of the British. - Victory of the Americans.
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latter of whom was General Arnold, who, just as the victory was won, received a ball which fractured his leg, killing his horse. How noble and brilliant would have been his record, could it only have terminated here !
13. General Burgoyne, on the night of the 7th, changed his position to the heights on the west bank of the Hudson, near the present village of Wilbur's Basin. On the morning of the 8th the Americans took possession of his abandoned camp ; and although a random fire of artillery and small-arms was kept up between the armies during the day, no further attack was made on either side. General Gates despatched a brigade under Gen- eral Fellows to take post on the east side of the Hudson, oppo- site Saratoga, to cut off the enemy's retreat. Another detach- ment of two thousand men was sent to intercept him at Fort Edward, and a third, with a similar object, to the ford higher up.
14. Breaking up his command, and leaving behind him some three hundred of his sick and wounded in consequence of the bad state of the roads, Burgoyne, on the night of the 8th, re- treated with great secrecy, with all his remaining baggage, to Saratoga (now Schuylerville), which he reached on the succeed- ing night. On the afternoon of the 10th he was overtaken by the Americans, and on the following morning an injudicious attempt on the part of Gates to bring on a general action, in ignorance of the position of the enemy, was only frustrated by the disobedience of his peremptory orders by the officers under his command.
15. On the 12th, no reliable information having been re- ceived either from Clinton or Howe, and the supply of pro- visions continuing inadequate, a council of officers decided upon the necessity and expediency of a retreat, if possible, by way of Fort Edward or Lake George. This having been found wholly impracticable, by the report of scouts, and three days' supply only remaining, a capitulation was determined upon on the next day. On the 16th the negotiations for this purpose were completed, and on the 17th the surrender effected in the presence of both armies, with all the usual formalities.
General Arnold wounded. - Movements of the two armies. - Burgoyne's retreat cut off. - Retreat to Saratoga. - Injudicious conduct of Gates. - Surrender of Burgoyne.
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THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR.
16. Twelve general officers, some thirty regimental officers, nearly nine hundred subalterns, and four thousand eight hun- dred and thirty-six privates, amounting in all to five thousand seven hundred and sixty-three, laid down their arms; and twenty-seven pieces of cannon, with implements and stores com- plete, five thousand stands of arms, and great quantities of ammunition, were captured.
17. The surrender of Burgoyne was followed by the evacua- tion of Ticonderoga and Crown Point, and the total prostration of the British power in the northern section of the State. Its effect upon the American army and the American people gen- erally was electric. Following, as it did, upon the disastrous results of the campaign of the preceding year, and the recent defeats in Pennsylvania, it infused fresh spirit into the hearts of the desponding, encouraged and strengthened the timid, ap- palled the domestic traitors, and cheered the patriots through- out the country. It riveted the alliance of the French auxilia- ries, and secured the respectful regards, if not the effective aid, of foreign States. Even in the British Parliament it called forth the indignant remonstrances of the ablest English states- men, and enlisted the ardent sympathies of the friends of frec- dom throughout the world.
18. Sir Henry Clinton, with the view of co-operating with Burgoyne, had, carly in October, ascended the Hudson with a strong force, and on the 6th a detachment under Lieutenant- Colonel Campbell gained possession of Forts Montgomery and Clinton, on the boundaries of Orange and Rockland County, after a severe contest, maintained, under the immediate direction of Governor Clinton, by Colonels Livingston, Bruyn, and Me- Loughry. Having also secured the occupation of Fort Con- stitution, opposite West, Point, with the uninterrupted com- mand of the river, they contented themselves with burning Kingston, and, intelligence of the defeat of Burgoyne rendering further advance unnecessary, returned to New York, while Gen- eral Gates, with a thousand of his victorious troops, rejoined Washington's camp in Pennsylvania.
Effects of the surrender. - Capture of Forts Clinton, Montgomery, and Constitution, on the Hudson. - Burning of Kingston. - General Gates joins Washington's army in Pennsylvania.
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FIFTH PERIOD.
CHAPTER IX.
INDIAN BARBARITIES. - MASSACRE AT CHERRY VALLEY. - SULLIVAN'S CAMPAIGN.
1. THE succeeding year was chiefly distinguished, in the an- nals of the State of New York, by an atrocious succes-
1778. sion of Indian and Tory barbarities and massacres in the Mohawk Valley and among the interior settlements, under the auspices of Joseph Brant, the well-known chief of the Six Nations, and Walter Butler, the son of the fiendish miscre- ant John Butler, the chief agent in the famous massacre in Wyoming.
2. On the 1st of June, Captain Patrick, of Colonel Alden's Massachusetts regiment, with a small party of volunteers, was attacked at the little settlement of Cobleskill, on the Mohawk River, in Schoharie County, by a party of Indians and Tories commanded by Brant and one Service, numbering over three hundred and fifty. After a bloody and desperate contest, Patrick, with twenty of his men, was killed, and several others wounded and captured ; and the enemy, having phundered and burnt the houses of the settlers, returned to Canada.
3. During the spring of this year, in apprehension of Indian hostilities, General Lafayette had directed a fort to be built at Cherry Valley, in Otsego County, then a part of Tryon County. Brant, with his savage warriors, hovered around the settle- ment while the work was in progress, destroying Springfield, and continuing his aggressions from time to time in the neigh- borhood, until they assumed so formidable a character that Colo- nel Ichabod Allen, with a regiment of Continental troops, was ordered to the village, and took possession of the church, sur- rounded by a heavy stockade, for the protection of the in- habitants.
4. At the approach of winter, however, the settlers returned to their deserted habitations, - further hostilities having ap- parently been abandoned, - and Brant retired with his forces
Indian and Tory atrocities. - Attack upon Cobleskill. - Destruction of the settlement.
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CHERRY VALLEY.
to Niagara. On his journey he was met by Walter Butler at the head of a detachment of two hundred men known as " But- ler's Rangers,"- a band of Tories commanded by his father. Smarting under the indignities inflicted upon him by the patriots, who had a short time previous arrested and confined him as a Tory, and burning for revenge, he was on his way to destroy Cherry Valley, whither he was accompanied by Brant with five hundred of his party.
5. On the 6th of November, information of the intended attack was communicated to Colonel Alden by Colonel Gan- sevoort, the commander of Fort Schuyler ; but the warning was contemptuously disregarded by the former, who refused to per- mit the return of the settlers to the fort, with their families and effects, and contented himself with sending out scouts, who fell victims to their wary and vigilant savage enemies, without having been able to apprise the garrison of the imminent danger hanging over it.
6. On the morning of the 11th of November, in the midst of a heavy storm of snow and rain, the enemy having on the pre- vious night gained the outskirts of the town, and encamped upon a hill thickly covered with evergreens, about a mile from the fort, advanced upon the unsuspecting settlement by a path which had been left unprotected, and took possession of a swamp in its vicinity. Colonel Alden was again warned of their ap- proach by a traveller, who had been shot at and wounded by two of their number on his way to the village, but still persisted with an inexplicable infatuation in discrediting the report.
7. The attack immediately commenced, Brant with his In- dians leading the way, closely followed by Butler and his rangers. The house of Mr. Wells was first entered by a mixed party of Tories and Senecas, and his whole family, with one exception, - consisting of himself, wife, four children, mother, brother, sister, and three domesties, - ruthlessly massacred, one son, absent at school, only escaping. Colonel Alden, also an inmate of the house, was tomahawked and sealped in his at - tempted flight. The house of the aged pastor, Mr. Dunlap, was next attacked, his wife slain before his eyes, and his own life
Attack upon Cherry Valley. - Indiscriminate massacre of the inhabitants.
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FIFTH PERIOD.
spared only through the interference of one of the Mohawk chiefs.
8. Colonel Campbell's house was then surrounded, and in his absence his wife and four children were taken prisoners. The in- discriminate slaughter of men, women, and children went on with relentless ferocity, until thirty-two of the inhabitants and eleven soldiers were slain ; all the dwellings and out-houses, with their contents, burned ; and forty prisoners, including the officers of the garrison, carried into captivity. On the next day, after securing all the sheep, cattle, and horses of the settlement, and discharging the captured women and children, the enemy re- tired.
9. It is but justice to Brant to state that the chief responsi- bility of this savage outbreak and wholesale massacre and rob- bery of innocent and defenceless women and children rested upon the head of the infamous Butler and his malignant band of traitors and Tories. Brant exerted himself throughout the fearful conflict to save the effusion of blood and arrest the indis- criminate slaughter going on around him. He succeeded in protecting and concealing several of the inhabitants, while But- ler personally directed all the operations of the party.
10. Of the wretched survivors of this bloody massacre, nearly two hundred were deprived of house and home, and left almost entirely destitute of provision and clothing. Most of those killed were women and children, and many of the prisoners consisted of men suspected of Tory principles, and who conse- quently deemed themselves secure of protection from their cap- tors. No distinction, however, seems to have been made be- tween them and others by their infuriated enemies, and not even the influence of Brant was able to afford them any exemp- tion from the general slaughter.
1779. 11. Early in June, 1779, General Clinton conducted an expedition up the Hudson, resulting in the capture of Stony Point, a rocky promontory at the head of Haverstraw Bay, on the west bank of the river, and Verplanck's Point, nearly opposite on the castern side. On the 15th of July, how- ever, General Wayne, acting under detailed and minute instruc-
Brant's complicity. - Wretched condition of the remaining inhabitants - Capture and recapture of Stony Point and Verplanck's Point.
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THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR.
tions from General Washington, recaptured the first-named fortress after a spirited and severe contest, with heavy loss of men and military stores on the part of the British. The fort on Verplanck's Point was immediately surrendered, and soon afterwards Major Lee surprised a British garrison at Paulus Hook, now Jersey City, on the west side of the Hudson, oppo- site New York, killing thirty men, and taking a large number of prisoners.
12. On the night of the 19th of July, Brant, at the head of sixty warriors of his tribe and twenty-seven Tories in Indian dis- guise, attacked the settlement at Minisink, in the western part of Orange County, lying on the Neversink River, at the foot of the Shawangunk Mountains. After setting fire to ten houses of the inhabitants, and destroying the church, barns, and mills in the neighborhood, they retired with their plunder, without attempting further violence.
13. Intelligence of this outrage having been forwarded to Colonel Tusten at Goshen, that officer at once proceeded with about a hundred and fifty men, many of them volunteers, to the settlement, where a council was held as to the best mode of avenging the injury. Colonel Tusten. opposed pursuit until the arrival of reinforcements to his small band ; but the major- ity, under the advice of Major Meeker, counselled an immediate march, which was accordingly directed. On the following morn- ing, Colonel Hathorn arrived with a few recruits, and assumed command of the party as the senior officer.
14. Ascertaining the superiority of the enemy's force, of which the predatory band of the preceding day was only a portion, the officers of the detachment again counselled prudence, but were again overruled by their rash associates ; nor did the death of Captain Tyler, who was soon afterwards shot down in a recon- noitring expedition by a party in ambush, induce greater cau- tion. They soon came up with the main body of the enemy, moving towards the ford at the mouth of the Lackawaxen Creek, when Colonel Hathorn, with the view of intercepting their flight, turned to the right to escape observation until he could accomplish this object.
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