Landmarks of Oswego County, New York, Part 4

Author: Churchill, John Charles, 1821-1905; Smith, H. P. (Henry Perry), 1839-1925; Child, W. Stanley
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason
Number of Pages: 1410

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SAMUEL DE CHAMPLAIN.

winter threaded the forest along their banks. But, although the seat of government of each of their tribes was within a few miles of the territory, now Oswego county, no permanent Indian village of any tribe is believed to have existed upon that territory. For a long period no section of country south of the St. Lawrence and the lakes was of more vital importance to the French, the English, and the Indians, and here history of a deeply interesting character was created.

CHAPTER III.

The First French Explorer into New York State Territory-Champlain's Attack upon the Indian Fort-Discovery of the Hudson River-The Plymouth Company and Its Grant from King James-Arrival of the Jesuits in the Western World-Notes from the "Relations"-Their Journeys up and down the Oswego River-Expedition of Du Puys-Its Failure.

The historian tracing the annals of Oswego county1 must go far back into the past. More than 160 years before the Declaration of Inde- pendence was signed; five years before the Pilgrims landed on the shores of Massachusetts ; just a century before the thrifty and con- scientious Palatines made their homes in the Mohawk valley; at a period when not another white man had set his foot on the soil of the Empire State excepting in the immediate vicinity of the Hudson River and of Lake Champlain, Samuel de Champlain, the intrepid French explorer, who, six years earlier, had gained his first victory over the Iroquois on the shore of the lake that bears his name, marched with a company of ten Europeans and hundreds of red allies, principally Hurons, into the territory of Oswego county. This was in October, 1615. It was a memorable event. Champlain had been emboldened by his earlier operations, and had, therefore, as a part of his general plan of subjugating the Iroquois and securing their domain to the French

'The reader will notice that we use the name of Oswego county long before the county was created, and will understand that in so doing we refer only to the territory now embraced in the county.

LANDMARKS OF OSWEGO COUNTY.

power, projected this invasion into the heart of the Indian territory, the stronghold of the Onondagas, the central one of the Five Nations.1 He underrated his task. Let us permit the Frenchman to describe his experiences in his own quaint way :

On the assembling the major part of our forces, we set out from the village [in the Huron country] on the first day of September, and passed along the border of a very small lake. There is another lake adjoining, twenty-six leagues in circum- ference, descending into the smaller by a channel where a great catch of fish is taken by means of a number of stakes, which almost close the passage, leaving only small openings, over which they place their nets to catch the fish. These two lakes dis- embogue into the Fresh Sea [Lake Huron.] We sojourned a while at this place to wait for the rest of our Indians, where, being all assembled with their arms, meal and necessaries, consultation was had for the selection of some of the most resolute men of the troop to carry advice of our departure to those who were to assist and join us with five hundred men, in order that we may meet at the same time, before the enemy's fort. This deliberation adopted, they dispatched two canoes, with twelve of the most robust Indians, and one of our interpreters, who requested of me to make the voyage. This I willingly permitted him, as he was so disposed, and would see the country by that means and acquire a knowledge of the people who inhabit it. The danger was not trifling, inasmuch as they had to pass through the midst of enemies. We continued our route toward the enemy, and made five or six leagues through the lakes, whence the savages carried the canoes about ten leagues over land and came to another lake ex- tending about six or seven leagues in length, and three in width. A river issues from this which discharges into the great lake of the Entouhonorons2. And having trav- ersed this lake, we passed a waterfall, proceeding always down along the course of said river, about sixty-four leagues, which is the entrance of the said valley of the Entouhonorons, and passed by land five rapids (sauts), some four or five leagues long, where there are several lakes of pretty considerable extent; the said river which flows between them also abounds with good fish, and all this country is very fine and agree- able. In several places along the banks the trees would seem to have been planted for

'The precise location of the fort against which Champlain directed his attack has long been in. dispute. The editor of the "Documentary History of the State of New York," Dr. E. B3. ' 'Callaghan, assigns it to the neighborhood of Canandaigua Lake. Gen. John S. Clark, of Auburn, an excellent authority on Indian antiquities, studied the subject carefully in person, and gives it as his opinion that it was situated about three miles east of Perryville, in Madison county. The late O. H. Marshall, of Buffalo, a learned historian, arrived at the conclusion that it was on the shore of Onondaga Lake. Joshua V. H. Clark, in his History of Onondaga county, agrees with him and says : "It is highly probable that it [the fort] was on the ground subsequently occupied by Sieur Dupuis in 1665, and also by Count Frontenac in his expedition against the Onondagas in 1696, and by Colonel Van Schaick in 1779. The locality has always been described by the Fathers as being destitute of trees and as a place of surpassing beauty." The date 1665 should be 1656.

2 Lake Ontario, presumed to have been so called by the Hurons from the fact of their having to cross it to get to the country of the Antonoronons, or Senecas. Father Henepin accredited the derivation of "Ontario" to the Iroquois name of the lake, "Skanadario." The Jesuit wrote (Tome I, p. 23): "The river St. Laurence derives its source from Lac Ontario, which is likewise called, in the Iroquois language, Skanadario, that is to say, very pretty Lac."

CHAMPLAIN'S NARRATIVE.

ornament. All this country was formerly inhabited by savages, who have since been constrained to abandon it through fear of their enemies. Vines and nuts are in great quantities, and grapes come to maturity there, but they leave always a sharp sour taste, which proceeds from want of cultivation ; but those that have been cultivated in these parts are of pretty good flavor. We continued along the border of the

Entouhonorons always hunting ; being there we crossed over at one of the extremities, extending eastward, which is the beginning of the River St. Lawrence, in the parallel of forty-three degrees of latitude. There are some beautiful and very large islands in this passage. We made about fourteen leagues to cross to the other side of the lake, proceeding southward towards the enemy's country. The Indians concealed all their canoes in the woods near the bank. We traveled by land about four leagues over a sandy plain, where I observed a very pleasing and fine country, watered by numerous small streams [this is in what is now Oswego county], and two little rivers which empty into said lake, and a number of ponds and prairies, where there was an infinite quantity of game, a great many vines and fine trees, vast numbers of chestnuts, the fruit of which was yet in the shell. It is quite small but well flavored.

All the canoes being thus concealed, we left the bank of the lake, which is eighty leagues long and twenty-five wide. It is inhabited for the greater part by Savages, along the sides of the streams, and we continued our journey overland some twenty- five or thirty leagues. In the course of four days we traversed a number of streams and one river issuing from a lake which empties into that of the Entouhonorons. This lake is twenty five to thirty leagues in circumference, with many beautiful islands, and is the Iroquois fishing ground, fish being in abundance there. [Oneida Lake].

The 9th of October, our Indians going out scouting, encountered eleven Savages, whom they took prisoners, to wit: four women, three boys, one girl and three men, who were going fishing four leagues distant from the enemy's fort. Now is to be noted that one of the chiefs seeing these prisoners, cut the finger off one poor woman, as the commencement of their usual tortures. Whereupon I interfered, and censured the Iroquois Captain, representing to him that a warrior, as he called himself, was not in the habit of acting cruelly towards women, who had no defense except their tears, and who, by reason of their helplessness and feebleness, ought to be treated with humanity. That ¿on the contrary this act would be supposed to proceed from a vile and brutal courage, and that if he committed any more of these cruelties, he would not encourage me to assist them nor to favor their war. Whereupon he replied, that their enemies treated them in the same manner. But since such customs displeased me, he would not act so any more to women, but exclusively to men.

Next day, at three o'clock in the afternoon, we arrived before the enemy's fort, where the savages had some skirmishes, the one against the other, though it was not our design to discover ourselves until the morrow. But the impatience of our savages would not brook this, as well through the desire they felt to see us fire on their ene- mies, as to liberate some of their men who had ventured too far. Then I advanced and presented myself, but with the few men I had; nevertheless I showed them what they never saw nor heard before. For as soon as they saw us, and heard the reports of the arquebus, and the balls whistling about their ears, they retired promptly within

LANDMARKS OF OSWEGO COUNTY.

their fort, carrying off their wounded and dead; and we retreated in like manner to our main body, with five or six of our wounded, one of whom died.

This being done, we retired within gun shot, beyond the view of the enemy, con- trary, however, to my advice, and to what they had promised me. Which moved me to make use of and express to thiem pretty rude and angry words, in order to incite them to their duty, foreseeing that if everything went according to their fantasy and counsel, nothing but misfortune would result, to their ruin and destruction. Neverthe- less, I failed not to send to them and propose means necessary to be used to overcome their enemies; which was to construct a movable tower of timber to overlook their pickets, whereupon I should post four or five of our arquebusiers who would fire over the palisades and galleries, which were well supplied with stones, and by this means the enemy who annoyed us from their galleries would be dislodged; and in the mean- time we should give orders for some boards to form a species of parapet to cover and protect our men from the arrows and stones. These things, namely, the tower and parapet, could be moved by main force ; and one was made in such a way that water could not extinguish the fire to be applied to the front of the fort; and those on the tower would do their duty with some arquebusiers posted there, and thus acting, we should so defend ourselves that they could not approach to extinguish the fire that we should apply to their pickets. Approving this, they began next morning to construct said tower and parapets ; and made such progress that these were finished in less than four hours. They were expecting the arrival this day of the five hundred men that had been promised, which was however doubtful ; not being at the rendezvous as directed, and as they had promised, our savages were much afflicted. But seeing that they were numerous enough to capture the forts and for my part, considering delay to be always prejudicial at least in most cases, I urged them to attack said fort, representing that the enemy discovering their strength and the effect of our arms, which pierced what was arrow proof, would barricade and shelter themselves, which, indeed, they did very well. For their village was inclosed with strong quadruple palisades of large timber, thirty feet high, interlocked the one with the other, with an interval of not more than one foot between them, with galleries in the form of parapets, defended with double pieces of timber, proof against our arquebuses, and on one side they had a pond with a never failing supply of water, from which proceeded a number of gutters which they had laid along the intermediate space, throwing the water without, and rendered it effectual inside for the purpose of extinguishing fire.

Such was their mode of fortification and defense, which was much stronger than the villages of the Attigouatans [Hurons] and others.

We advanced then to attack the village, causing our tower to be carried by two hundred of our strongest men. They placed it within a pike's length in front, and I posted on it four arquebusiers, well sheltered from any arrows and stones that might have been shot at them. Nevertheless the enemy did not, for all that, cease discharging and throwing a great number of arrows and stones over their pickets. But the multitude of arquebus shots that were fired, constrained them to vacate and abandon their galleries. But according as the tower was moved, instead of bringing the parapets as ordered, and that on which we were to have placed the fire, they abandoned them and commenced

CHAMPLAIN'S NARRATIVE.

to yell against their enemies, shooting arrows within their fort, which, in my opinion, did not do much execution. They are very excusable, for they are not soldiers, and are, moreover, averse to discipline or correction, and do only what they like. Where- fore, one inconsiderately applied the fire to the wrong side of the fort, or to leeward, so that it produced no effect. On the fire being kindled, the most of the savages began to set wood against the pickets, but in such small quantities, that they did not do much good. The disorder that supervened was in consequence so great, that it was impossi- ble to hear. In vain I cried to them and remonstrated as well as I was able against the imminent danger to which they exposed themselves by their stupidity. They heard nothing in consequence of the violent noise they made. Seeing that by shouting I was only splitting my skull, and that my remonstrances were in vain, and that this disorder was irremediable, I resolved to do what was in my power with my men and fire on those we could discover or perceive. Yet the enemy profited by our disorder. They went to the water and discharged it in such abundance that rivers, it may be said, spouted from the gutters, so that the fire was extinguished in less than no time, and they continued to pour arrows on us like hail. Those on the tower killed and wounded a great many.

The engagement lasted about three hours. Two of our chiefs and leaders were wounded ; to wit, one called Ochateguain, the other Orani, and about fifteen individuals besides. The rest, seeing their folks and some of their chiefs wounded, began to talk of retreating, without fighting any more, expecting the five hundred men, whose arrival was not far off; so they withdrew having accomplished nothing save this disorderly splutter. However, the chiefs have no absolute control of their companions who fol- low their whim, and act their pleasure, which is the cause of their disorder and ruined all their affairs. In having taken a resolution, any poor devil can make them violate it and change their plan. Thus, the one with the other, they effect nothing, as may be seen by this expedition.

Having received two wounds from arrows, one in the leg and the other in the knee, which sorely incommoded me, we withdrew into our fort. Being all assembled there, I remonstrated with them several times on account of the disorder which had occurred. But all my talk was in vain; they said many of their men had been wounded and I also, and that it would be very inconvenient and fatiguing to carry them on the retreat; that there was no means of returning again to the enemy as I had proposed to them; but that they would willingly wait four days more for the five hundred men that were expected, on whose arrival they would renew the effort against the enemy and execute what I had told them, better than they had already done. It was necessary to stop there to my great regret.

Next day blew a very strong and violent wind which lasted two days, particularly favorable for setting the enemy's fort in a blaze, which I strongly urged on them. But fearing a failure, and moreover representing themselves as wounded, they would not do anything.

We remained in camp until the 16th of the month. Several skirmishes occurred dur- ing that time between the enemy and our people, who became oftenest engaged with them rather by their imprudence than through want of courage; and I can assure you,

LANDMARKS OF OSWEGO COUNTY.

Champlain's Attack on the Indian Fort., From the original in State Library.

that every time they made a charge, we were obliged to extricate them from the difficulty, not being able to help themselves, except by the help of our arquebuses, which the enemy dreaded and greatly feared. For as soon as they perceived one of our arque-

1242617 CHAMPLAIN'S RETREAT.

busiers, they immediately retired, telling us by the way of persuasion not to meddle with their fights, and that their enemies had very little courage to require our assist- ance ; with many other such like discourses.

Seeing that the five hundred men were not coming, they proposed to depart and re- treat at once, and began to make certain litters to convey their wounded, who are put in them, tumbled in a heap, doubled and strapped in such a way that it is impossible to stir less than an infant in swaddling clothes, not without considerable pain, as I can certify, having been carried several days on the back of one of our Indians, thus tied and bound, so that I lost all patience. As soon as I had strength to bear my weight, I got out of this prison, or to speak plainer out of hell.

The enemy pursued us about the distance of half a league, endeavoring to catch some of the rear guard. But their labor was in vain and they retired. Our re- treat was very tedious, being from twenty-five to thirty leagues, which greatly fatigued the wounded and those who carried them, though they relieved each other from time to time.

On the 18th of said month some snow fell which melted rapidly. It was accompanied by a strong wind that greatly annoyed us. Nevertheless we contrived to get to the border of the Lake of the Entouhonorons and at the place where we had concealed our canoes which we found safe; for we feared lest the enemy might have broken them.

This very interesting account by Champlain is accompanied by a drawing, in which art he was quite proficient, from which we give the engraving herewith. Although the battle did not take place on the soil of Oswego county, the march to its scene was directly across the county. This was the first time that white men had mingled with the natives on the ground of which we are writing.

The retreating party hurried on to the Huron country, though Cham- plain was anxious to return at once to Montreal. He was greatly chagrined at the inglorious termination of the foray which he had pro- jected with so much ostentation, confidently expecting to overwhelm his enemy. This unprovoked attack by the French upon the Iroquois began the long era of hostility, which ended only with the extinction of French power in North America. After the battle which we have de- scribed, the Iroquois artfully sued for peace, to which the French willingly listened. The overtures came from an enemy whom, in their weak condition, they had every reason to fear,1 and a truce was ar- ranged, imposing on the Indians only the one condition, that the French should be permitted to send missionaries among them. This latter

1 The French admitted that if the Iroquois had known their weakness at the time, they might easily have destroyed the whole colony .- [Colden.

...

LANDMARKS OF OSWEGO COUNTY.

purpose was ultimately effected through the work of the remarkable religious sect known as Jesuits, the followers of Ignatius Loyola ; but even these did not extend their efforts to the Onondagas, and hence did not enter the territory of Oswego county until nearly forty years after Champlain nursed his wounded leg on his retreat through the same region after his failure in fighting the Onondagas.

Previous to these latter operations of Champlain, Hendrick Hudson, then in the employ of the Dutch East India Company, discovered the river that bears his name, and soon thereafter the Hollanders established a trading post at its mouth (laying the foundation of New York city), and another on the site of Albany. They also set up a claim of an indefinite character to the territory extending westward. Meanwhile, and as early as 1606, King James of England had granted to an asso- ciation called the Plymouth Company, all the region of New England and the territory extending westward between the 40th and 48th degrees of north latitude to the Pacific Ocoan, thus bringing the territory of Oswego county within the English claim. In December, 1620, the Pilgrim Fathers, under authority from the Plymouth Company, landed on Plymouth Rock. Thus at the close of that year there were three distinct sources of emigration from the Old World, each under authority of one of the great powers, and all tending toward occupancy and claim - ing ownership of the territory under consideration in these pages.

The vanguard of the Jesuits arrived in the western world in 1625, but it was not until 1655 that their efforts were directed to the conversion of the Onondagas. While their primary object was the conversion of the heathen and the extension of the church, their purpose, also, was the promotion of the power and dominion of France. In their work they cheerfully suffered almost incredible hardships, tortures, and often death itself, living on the coarsest of food, sleeping on the bare earth, and laboring with their red companions on their long and trying journeys.1 The Jesuits who came among the Onondagas, and who, therefore, were more or less intimately connected with the territory

1 For fifteen years Brebeuf (one of the very earliest comers) carried on his missionary labors among the Hurons, scourging his flesh twice a day with thongs ; wearing an iron girdle armed at at all points with sharp projections, and over this a bristly hair shirt, which continually " morti- fied the flesh ;" fasted frequently and long; kept his pious vigils long into the night, and by peni- tential acts resisted every temptation of the flesh .- [Lossing's Cyclopedia of U. S. History, vol. II, P. 719.

THE JESUITS.

of Oswego county, were Francis Joseph Le Mercier, May 17, 1656, to March 20, 1658 ; Paul Ragueneau and Francis Duperon, 1657-1658; Simon Le Moyne, first with the Onondagas a short time in 1654, and afterwards at different periods down to July, 1661 ; Pierre Joseph Mary Chaumont, September, 1665, to March 20, 1658. Réné Ménard was with Le Mercier in the Onondaga country in 1656-58. Claude Dablon was with the Onondagas a few years from or about 1655; Jacques Frémin from 1656 to 1658; Pierre Rafeix during the same period ; Jean de Lamberville, 1671-72; Jacques Bruyas, 1679, 1700 and 1701, and a very few others during short periods. There were many others who ministered among the Cayugas, the Oneidas, and the Mohawks, who need not be mentioned here.

In July, 1655, Father Le Moyne passed through Oswego county on his mission to the Onondagas. Most of the Jesuit fathers kept journals of their wanderings and many of them read like romances. Le Moyne left Montreal on the 17th of July, proceeded up the St. Lawrence to Lake Ontario, which he reached on the 30th, and landed on its shore on the. Ist of August. The precise point of this landing is not known, but it was at a hamlet of fishermen and was probably at the mouth of Salmon River, but may have been nearer the Oswego River. We quote briefly from his journal :

2d. We began our march in the forest and, after travelling twelve or fifteen leagues, encamped about sunset.

3d. At noon we found ourselves on the bank of a river, one hundred or one hundred and twenty paces wide, on the other side of which there is a village of fishermen. An Iroquois, whom I had befriended at Montreal, set me across in his canoe, and kindly bore me to the shore on his shoulders,1 being unwilling that I should put my feet into the water. Every one received me with joy, and these poor people enriched me with their poverty ..

5th. We traveled four leagues before reaching the principal Onondaga village. I passed many persons on the way who kindly saluted me, one calling me brother, an- other uncle, and another cousin. I never before had so many relations.

Le Moyne then recounts his experience at the Indian village, where he was treated in the most kindly manner .; baptized "a young captive taken from the Neuter nation," the first adult baptism made at Onon-

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Landmarks of Oswego County, New York, Part 4

Author: Churchill, John Charles, 1821-1905; Smith, H. P. (Henry Perry), 1839-1925; Child, W. Stanley Publication date: 1895 Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason Number of Pages: 1410

Author: Churchill, John Charles, 1821-1905; Smith, H. P. (Henry Perry), 1839-1925; Child, W. Stanley
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason
Number of Pages: 1410