USA > New York > History of the state of New York, for the use of common schools, academies, normal and high schools, and other seminaries of instruction > Part 8
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14. The Marquis de Montcalm, the successor of Dieskau in
Campaign of 1756. - Arrival of Lord Loudoun, Abercrombie, and Webb.
- Dilatory proceedings. - Abandonment of the attack upon Crown Point. - Attack upon Oswego. - Neutrality of a portion of the Iroquois tribes.
69
THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR.
the command of the French army, after strengthening the defences of Fort Carillon at Ticonderoga, proceeded, early in August, with three regiments from Quebec and a large force of Canadians and indians, to the attack of Fort Ontario, which was in charge of Colonel Mercer, Shirley being in command of the principal fort, Oswego, on the west bank of the river, nearly op- posite. The fort was gallantly defended for several hours by its garrison, when, their ammunition having been expended, they spiked their guns and retreated to Fort Oswego.
15. Montcalm immediately occupied the height, and turned such of the guns of the fort as were still serviceable upon the remaining fortress. Colonel Mercer was shot down, and a formidable breach made in the walls. On the succeeding day (August 14), as Montcalin was making preparations for storming the intrenchments, the garrison, about sixteen hundred in num- ber, capitulated. One hundred and twenty cannon, six vessels of war, three hundred boats, three chests of money, and stores of ammunition and provisions, with fourteen hundred prisoners, fell into the power of the conquerors as the spoils of victory.
16. After demolishing the forts, Montcalm returned to Canada, leaving the entire region of the Six Nations open to the incur- sions of the French. A thousand of the regular troops were billeted by Loudoun upon the citizens of New York, notwith- standing the remonstrances of the authorities against this inva- sion of their rights and privileges under the common law as Englishmen. Overawed by the threats of Loudoun, a subserip- tion was raised by the magistrates, and the demand reluctantly complied with.
Montcalm attacks Forts Ontario and Oswego. - Surrender of the gar- rison. - Death of Mercer. - Quartering of troops in New York.
70
FOURTH PERIOD.
CHAPTER II.
SIEGE OF FORT WILLIAM HENRY. - CAPTURE OF TICONDEROGA, CROWN POINT, NIAGARA, FORT DU QUESNE, QUEBEC, AND MONTREAL. - GOVERNORS COLDEN AND MONCKTON.
1. After an ineffectual effort on the part of Lord Loudoun to capture Louisburg, Montcalmn, towards the close of
1757. July, 1757, proceeded, with a force of about seven thou- sand whites and two thousand negroes, to lay siege to Fort Wil- liam Henry, then under the command of Colonel Monro, with three thousand troops. General Webb was at Fort Edward with four thousand men ; and with this combined force Colonel Monro deemed his position impregnable. To the demand of Montcalm, on the 4th of August, for surrender of the fort, he returned a defiant answer, and the siege progressed.
2. An express was despatched by Monro to Webb for rein- forcements, which was repeated during the ensuing six days, without eliciting any action on his part other than an advice to capitulate, which was intercepted by the French and forwarded to Monro. Under these discouraging circumstances, and having exhausted his means of defence, that gallant officer sent a flag of truce to Montcalm, with the view of negotiating terms of surrender.
3. The French commander, after a council with the Indians, consented to allow the English to depart from the fort with the honors of war, - delivering up all their prisoners and leaving all their military stores, with a pledge not to serve against the French for eighteen months, - and to furnish an escort for their departure. On the 9th of August this arrangement was carried into effect, - the French took possession of the fort, and the English retired to their intrenched camp.
4. The Indians, meanwhile, having procured from the Eng- lish the means of intoxication, spent the night in feasting and revelry, and when, on the ensuing morning, the English were preparing for their march to Fort Edward, commenced an in-
Siege of Fort William Henry. - Treachery of Webb. - Negotiation for a surrender. - Surrender of the fort.
71
THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR.
discriminate attack, plunder, and massacre. In spite of all the efforts of Montcalm and the officers under his command, a large proportion of the defenceless troops were slain or taken captives, and only about six hundred of the whole number succeeded, after encountering the utmost peril, in reaching Fort Edward. Four hundred were rescued by Montcalm from the French camp and sent under a heavy escort to rejoin their comrades, and an officer was despatched by him to ransom the captives. The fort and its appendages were destroyed.
5. The campaign of 1758 commenced under more 1758. favorable auspices. William Pitt had succeeded to the reins of government in England, and under his instructions Lord Loudoun was recalled from the command in America, and General Abercrombie appointed in his place. A strong naval force was sent out under Admiral Boscawen, and twelve thou- sand additional troops forwarded for the defence of the colonies. To these the latter added nearly thirty-five thousand men, of which New York furnished about three thousand, so that on the arrival of Abercrombie he found an effective army of nearly fifty thousand men at his disposal.
6. Three several expeditions were speedily organized. Gen- eral Amherst, with the English troops under the intrepid James Wolfe, was assigned, in conjunction with the naval armament of Boscawen, to the conquest of Louisburg ; General Forbes to that of Fort du Quesne and the Ohio Valley ; and to Abercrombie himself, with Lord Howe as his lieutenant, was intrusted the capture of Ticonderoga and Crown Point.
7. General Amherst, with a fleet of twenty-two ships of the line and fifteen frigates, and ten thousand effective men, disem- barked in front of Louisburg on the 8th of June, and entered vigorously upon the siege of that important fortress. It was not, however, until the 26th of July, that its French defenders, finding further opposition futile, surrendered the town and fort, together with the islands of Cape Breton and St. John (now Prince Edward) and their dependencies, leaving the English masters of the entire territory nearly to the mouth of the St. Lawrence.
Massacre of the garrison by the Indians. - Noble exertions of Montcalm for their rescue. - Destruction of the fort. - Campaign of 1758. - Organi- zation of forces, and plan of the campaign.
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72
FOURTH PERIOD.
8. Meanwhile Abercrombie, with seven thousand regulars, nine thousand provincial troops, and a heavy train of artillery, was thundering against the fortifications of Ticonderoga, then occupied by Montcalm with an inferior force. The gallant Lord Howe, on his march from Lake George, had been attacked and slain by a scouting-party of the enemy. Abercrombie, on the 8th of July, was severely repulsed in an attack upon the fort, and after a bloody conflict of several hours' duration was com- pelled to retreat to Lake George.
9. The French fort at Frontenac was then attacked by Gen- eral Bradstreet, aided by a detachment of three thousand men sent by Abercrombie, and a hundred and fifty warriors of the Six Nations. On the 26th of August it was surrendered, with a large collection of military stores for Fort du Quesne, and nine armed vessels. Bradstreet, after destroying the fort, re- turned to Rome, where he built Fort Stanwix. Abercrombie, having garrisoned Fort George, returned to Albany with his remaining forces, and was soon afterwards superseded in his command by General Amherst.
10. Fort du Quesne, on the 24th of November, surrendered under an attack of the provincial troops, commanded by Wash- ington, though nominally under the control of General Forbes. Its name was changed to that of Fort Pitt, in honor of the great English minister, whose energetic counsels had infused so much spirit into the affairs of the colonies, and contributed so largely to the triumph of its arms. .
11. Abercrombie having been succeeded by General 1759. Amherst, twenty thousand provincial troops were, early in the spring, placed at his disposal, and a large land and naval force of regulars sent over from England. General Wolfe was directed to ascend the St. Lawrence and attack Quebec ; Am- herst himself undertook the conquest of Ticonderoga, after which he was to seize Montreal and unite his forces with those of Wolfe before Quebec ; and General Prideaux was to capture Fort Niagara, and proceed to Montreal.
Attack upon Fort Ticonderoga. - Death of Lord Howe. - Repulse of the English. - Retreat to Lake George. - Attack upon Fort Frontenac by Bradstreet. - Recall of Abercrombie and appointment of Amherst. - Cap- ture of Fort du Quesne. - Amherst succeeds Abercrombie. - Plan of the campaign.
73
TICONDEROGA, CROWN POINT, AND NIAGARA.
12. Ticonderoga was abandoned by the French without a struggle, on the 26th of July. Crown Point surrendered soon afterwards, and was occupied by Amherst, who strengthened its defences by the erection of a strong and impregnable fortress. Prideaux appeared before Niagara on the 17th of July, and, having been mortally wounded on the same day by the bursting of a gun, was succeeded in command by General Johnson. The garrison, in expectation of reinforcements, held out for three weeks. On the 25th, however, after a severe conflict, the fort and its dependencies were compelled to surrender, notwithstand- ing the accession of an additional force of nearly three thousand French and Indians.
13. General Wolfe, with eight thousand troops, landed, on the 27th of June, upon Orleans Island, a few miles below Quebec. The town was strongly defended by the French troops, and its approaches were held by Montcalm in person at the head of the main army. After several ineffectual efforts to gain possession of the city, it was determined, at a council of war, to attempt the Heights of Abraham, a level plateau, three hundred feet above the water, in the upper part of the town.
14. ' At sunrise on the morning of the 13th of September the whole English army stood in battle array upon the plains in front of the heights, and being immediately confronted by the French, a general and fierce battle ensued. Wolfe, severely wounded, led the van, and at the head of his men received another bullet in his breast, which compelled his removal to the rear. Monckton, who succeeded him in command, was also mortally wounded, and replaced by Townshend. Montcalm also fell, and the order for retreat was given by the French. Amid the shouts of victory, and the acclamations of the conquerors, Wolfe's gallant spirit passed away at about the same time with that of his heroic but defeated opponent. On the 18th the city was formally surrendered to the English.
15. Montcalm's successor, Levi, made an ineffectual
1760. effort, in the spring of the succeeding year, to recapture Quebec ; and on its failure the French forces under Vaudreuil
Capture of Ticonderoga, Crown Point, and Niagara. - Siege of Quebec. - Death of Wolfe and Montcalm. - Surrender of the city.
1
74
FOURTH PERIOD.
were concentrated for the defence of Montreal. Early in Sep- tember, Amherst arrived before the city at the head of ten thousand troops ; Johnson followed with a thousand Indian warriors, Murray with four thousand troops from Quebec, and Colonel Haviland with three thousand from Crown Point.
16. Vaudreuil, conscious of his inability to resist this for- midable force, on the 8th of September, signed a capitulation surrendering Montreal and all other French posts in Canada. It was not, however, until 1763- the interval having been spent in naval warfare, where the English were -almost uni- formly successful - that a definitive treaty of peace between the two nations was concluded, by which France ceded to Eng- land all her American possessions.
17. On the morning of the 30th of July, 1760, Lieuten- 1760. ant-Governor De Lancey was found dead in his study, from the effects of a chronic disease, and the government devolved upon the venerable Cadwallader Colden, now seventy-three years of age. Governor Colden had long been intimately familiar with public affairs, and possessed superior literary and adminis- trative abilities. He entered upon his new duties, however, at a most critical period in the history of the province and of the nation, and found himself utterly incapable of resisting the pro- gress of events tending rapidly to the dissolution of the existing formì of government.
1761. 18. His administration was temporarily interrupted in October of the following year by the arrival of a com- mission for General Robert Monckton, then commanding a mili- tary force on Staten Island. His public announcement on the assumption of his duties, that he had no instructions, and hoped never to have any, was highly acceptable to the people. The new Assembly gave him a warm reception, and the usual honors were conferred upon him.
19. His administration opened under the most favorable auspices, had he only the ability and the disposition to profit by them. The English Government had conceded to the colo- nies many of the rights so long and pertinaciously withheld, had
Capture of Montreal. - Naval warfare. - Treaty of peace. - Death of Governor De Lancey. - Administration of Cadwallader Colden and Robert Monckton.
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75
THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR.
abandoned its demands for a permanent revenue, and had left them in most respects, financial and otherwise, to their own guidance. Occasional aggressions on their rights were still in- flicted and impatiently endured ; and judicious legislation and prudent administration alone were requisite to have insured permanent peace and continued union.
20. The independence of the Judiciary was, soon after his ac- cession, threatened by the appointment of Pratt, a lawyer of Bos- ton, as the successor of Chief-Justice De Lancey, to hold his office "at the King's pleasure," instead of as formerly " during good behavior." The Assembly regarded this innovation as inconsist- ent with the rights and liberties of the province. Monckton himself disapproved of it, and even Colden advised against it ; and Pratt, while accepting the office, was forced to concede and koenly to feel the repugnance of the people to the proposed tenure. The Presbyterians and Congregationalists were also jealous of the favor shown by the officers of the Crown to Epis- copacy, especially in the government of the college, which was placed under Episcopal direction.
21. The Assembly having refused to provide for the 1762. salary of the Chief-Justice, unless he should receive an independent commission, the Board of Trade advised that the income for the royal quit-rents should be applied to this object. This course was accordingly adopted, and the Judiciary were subjected to the power and influence of the Crown, who named the judges, removed them at pleasure, fixed their salaries and paid them from funds beyond the control of the colonial legis- lature.
The independence of the Judiciary assailed.
Spier
Washington's Head-quarters at Newburgh, on the Hudson.
FIFTH PERIOD.
THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR.
CHAPTER I.
THE STAMP ACT. -- FIRST COLONIAL CONGRESS. - SONS OF LIBERTY. - SIR HENRY MOORE. - LIBERTY POLE.
1. The relations which, during a period of upwards of a cen- tury, had existed between the American colonies and
1763. the English Government, had been generally of a peace- ful nature. With the exception of occasional remonstrances on the part of the representative Assemblies of the provinces against various enactments of Parliament, and regulation of the Boards of Trade, affecting injuriously the manufactures, con- merce, and navigation of the colonies, an uninterrupted spirit of loyalty prevailed among them, and voluntary contributions of men and money were cheerfully and promptly furnished
.
Relation between the colonies and the home government.
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77
THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR.
whenever the military exigencies of the parent government ren- dered such aid necessary or desirable.
2. The imposition upon them of forms of government and executive officers not of their own choice, or without in any manner consulting their wishes or inclinations ; the vexations restrictions upon their domestic and foreign trade by the pro- hibition, except under high duties and onerous regulations, of the importation and exportation of articles necessary to their prosperity and welfare ; and various arbitrary and tyrannical en- actments, affecting their civil, religious, and social rights and privileges, had hitherto failed sensibly to weaken their regard for the institutions and their attachment to the government with which they had so long been familiar. But the time had finally arrived when patience and unquestioning submission to the increasing exaction of arbitrary power had ceased to be vir- tues. Their experience in self-government, and the gradual growth among them of a representative democracy, had pre- pared them for the firm and manly assertion of their rights, and taught them the value of freedom.
3. Their prompt and lavish expenditure of blood and treasure during the war just closed had materially contributed to pro- cure for the mother country a vast and valuable accession to her territory in America, and to expel from her possessions the enemy who had apparently obtained so firm a footing. Thirty thousand of the bravest soldiers of the colonies, and a debt of thirteen millions of pounds, had been the price ungrudgingly paid for the conquests which had added such signal lustre to the Crown of Great Britain. The arrogant and insatiable de- mands of a tyrannical government, however, required addi- tional sacrifices, and nothing less than the abject concession of unlimited powers over their persons and property would satisfy the haughty ambition of the English aristocracy.
4. Notwithstanding the repeated and persistent refusal 1764. of the provincial Assemblies to recognize the right of the English Parliament to impose taxes upon them without their own consent, Lord Grenville, then at the head of the British Ministry, submitted, in 1764, a proposition for the raising of
Restrictions upon commerce and navigation. - Sacrifices of the colonies, and demands of the government.
78
FIFTH PERIOD.
a permanent revenue upon the colonies, by the establishment of stamp duties, and taxation of various articles of foreign pro- duce. During the sessions of that and the succeeding year va- rious enactments were made in conformity with these sugges- tions; and in contemptuous disregard of the earnest remonstrance 1765. the 22d of March, 1765, to take effect on the first day of of the colonies, the celebrated Stamp Act was passed on November subsequently.
5. By the provisions of this act all legal and mercantile documents and contracts, newspapers, pamphlets, almanacs, &c., were required to be written or printed on stamped paper, upon which a duty was to be imposed payable to officers appointed by the Crown. Its promulgation created a general feeling of indig- nation throughout the colonies, accompanied by a determination, at all hazards, to resist or evade its enforcement. In New York the obnoxious act was publicly paraded through the streets of the city, with a death's head affixed, bearing the significant in- scription, " The Folly of England, and the Ruin of America." Similar demonstrations were made in Boston, Philadelphia, and other principal cities and towns.
6. On the 7th of October the FIRST COLONIAL CONGRESS, con- sisting of twenty-eight delegates from nine colonies, assembled at New York, and remained in session for two weeks. The body was presided over by Timothy Ruggles of Massachusetts, and after mature consideration adopted a Declaration of Rights, drawn up by John Cruger of New York ; a calm and temper- ate, but firm and decided, statement of grievances in the form of a Memorial to Parliament, prepared by Robert R. Livingston, also of New York ; and a Petition to the King, by James Otis of Massachusetts.
7. These documents asserted the inalienable right of the in- habitants of the several colonies to all the privileges of free-born Englishmen ; the protection of life, liberty, property, and per- son ; exemption from all taxes, restrictions, and imposts not voluntarily assumed by themselves or assented to by their rep- resentatives freely chosen ; and denounced in glowing terms the
Passage of the Stamp Act. - Its reception in the colonies. - Proceedings at New York. - Proceedings of the first Colonial Congress. - Its composi- tion and officers. - Declaration of Rights and Memorial to Parliament.
79
THE STAMP ACT.
continued and systematic invasion of these rights and privileges, under pretence of law, by a body in which they were wholly unrepresented. Protesting their unimpaired confidence in the wisdom and justice of Parliament, and their earnest desire for a continuance of the friendly relations hitherto existing between the two countries, they respectfully demanded the repcal of the obnoxious acts complained of, and the discontinuance in future of all similar arbitrary legislation.
8. On the Ist of November, the day on which the Stamp Act was to go into effect, the shops, stores, and public offices of the city were closed ; the flags of the vessels in the port were floating at half-mast ; the bells of the several churches were tolled, and numerous other manifestations of the public borrow way displayed. All business was pended, the courts were closed, and the city was clothed in mourning. Meanwhile the obnoxious stamps had reached the city, and been deposited in the fort for safe-keeping by the direction of Governor Colden, who had recently succeeded Monckton in the administration of the province.
9. MeEvers, the agent appointed by the Crown for the distri- bution and sale of the stamps, intimidated by the manifesta- tions of the popular feeling on every hand, had resigned his com- mission ; the association of the "Sons of Liberty," headed by Isaac Sears, John Lamb, Alexander McDougall, Francis Lewis, Marinus Willett, and other patriotic leaders, had been revived, and an engagement entered into by the merchants generally to cease all importation of goods from Great Britain while the act remained in force. Handbills were circulated throughout the city, warning all people against the purchase or use of stamps at their peril.
10. In the evening two organized companies, under the lead of the Sons of Liberty, paraded the streets, one of which pro- ceeded to the Commons, the site of the present City Hall, where they suspended an effigy of the Governor with the stamped paper in his hands, and other contemptuous devices ; while the other proceeded to the fort with another effigy of the obnoxious Governor, broke open the stable of his residence, and
Arrival of the stamps. - The Ist of November. - Proceedings of the Sons of Liberty. - Demonstration of the Sons of Liberty.
80
FIFTH PERIOD.
taking from it his carriage and, placing in it the effigy, returned in triumph to their associates on the Commons, from whence, consolidating their ranks, they took up their march in strict order and unbroken silence to the fort.
11. Here they found the troops, under the command of Gen- eral Gage, drawn up on the rampart for their reception, and the muzzles of the cannon aimed directly at their ranks. The Brit- ish commander, however, prudently reserved his fire ; and the procession, being denied admission to the fort, repaired to the Bowling Green, tore down the wooden palisades, and contented themselves with burning the carriage with its effigy and other accompaniments. Some of their more violent associates, dis- regarding the remonstrances of their comrades, proceeded to the residence of Major James, a British officer, who had rendered him- self obnoxious to the populace, broke open and rifled the house, and burned the furniture, carrying off the royal standard in triumph.
12. The next evening the people again assembled at the Com- mons with the intention of renewing the attack upon the fort and gaining possession of the stamped paper. Governor Colden, however, anticipated their action on this occasion by sending a communication to the city authorities, declaring his intention not to issue any of the stamps while he remained in office. Not content with this assurance, another demonstration was made on the ensuing evening, and the Governor, having failed in his efforts to place the stamps under military protection, delivered them up in due form to the Mayor and Corporation, taking from them a receipt for their safe-keeping. This proceeding quieted the popular leaders for the time, and restored order to the city.
13. In the mean time, the Committee of Correspondence, ap- pointed by the citizens, through their Chairman, John Lamb, had addressed circular letters to the merchants of the sister- cities of the colonies, inviting their co-operation in the non-in- tercourse policy, which was promptly acceded to by all. They had also drafted artieles for a general union and confederation of the colonies in resistance to the arbitrary measures of the
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