USA > New York > Schoharie County > Military records of Schoharie County veterans of four wars > Part 6
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In Testimony whereof, We have caused our Seal for Military Com- missions to be herennto affixed : Witness our trusty and well beloved John Taylor Esquire Lieut. Governor of said State, General and Commander in Chief of all the Militia, and Admiral of the Navy of the same, by and with the advice and consent of our said Council of Ap- pointment, at our city of Albany, the Fourth day of March in the
WAR OF 1812.
year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and seventeen,-and in the 41st year of our independence. JOHN TAYLOR.
[Seal Passed the secretary's office the 24th Day of April 1817.]
CHARLES D. COOPER Secretary.
WAR OF 1812.
The causes leading to the war of 1812 and '14 may, in a general way, be set down as equally aggravating and oppressive as those which brought on the war of the Revolution. Before the former war England claimed the right to control the government, commer- cial interests, and revenue of the Colonies. After the Revolution and as early as 1794, she insisted upon ber right to search American ves- sels for deserting British seamen ; a practice which led to the im- pressment of American sailors under a pretense. England was undis- puted ruler of the seas, and any forcible resistance to her system of wholesale kidnapping was met by overpowering force. In June of 1807, the commander of the English frigate " Leopard " opened fire on the American frigate " Chesapeake," after its commander had re- fused to suffer search of his vessel, or show the muster-roll of his crew. After this insult, President Jefferson issued a proclamation ordering all British vessels to leave American waters. The British govern- ment disavowed the act of the admiral commanding their fleet, but still maintained the "right of search "; which was simply the right in nearly every case to recruit the crews of her navy by impressing American sailors. The episode of 1807 contributed to make British naval officers more insolent and aggressive ; while on the other hand it awoke the American people from their apathy and forbearance. A system of discipline and training was introduced into the naval ser- vice, and the crews of trading vessels were trained to repel hostile attacks, which bore fruit in the war which followed, in overthrowing the supremacy of " Britannia " on the high seas. Owing to the in- significance of the American Navy, wholesale spoliation of Ameri- can ships continued, vessels were seized, crews impressed, remon- strances ignored, and to complete the servitude of the States, a "paper blockade " was set forth, forbidding intercourse with other nations. France prohibited trade with England, and England de- clared an embargo against all countries from which her ships were excluded. To this Napoleon replied by declaring that any vessel, of whatever nation, which submitted to English search would be liable
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to capture as English property. And thus the commerce of America eame between two fires. In these unjust acts, Napoleon was the most reasonable of the two powers. It is estimated, that during the five years preceding the war of 1812, over one thousand American vessels, with their cargoes, were captured. In March, 1809, James Madison assumed the executive, and the British minister proposed a settlement of disputes between the two countries. His proposals were very grati- fying to the American people. A treaty was ratified by the Ameri- can Cabinet on the 19th of April, 1809. Relying on the sincerity of the British minister, President Madison issned a proclamation to the American people, that trade between the United States and England would be resumed on the 10th of June following. The British government disavowed the treaty, recalled Minister Erskine, and appointed F. J. Jackson as his successor, who subsequently and publicly insulted the American government by his insolent language. Insolence and abuses on the part of the British Navy continued without hindrance or reparation until the night of May 16, 1811, when, off the coast of Virginia, Commodore Rodgers, of the United States frigate " President " hailed a strange vessel in the darkness. His hail was answered by a shot, and broadsides from both vessels followed. The enemy proved to be the English sloop of war " Little Belt," and her loss of thirty-two men killed and wounded should have convinced her commanding officer, Captain Bingham, that his manner of answering a civil question, on a dark night, was not in accordance with American etiquette. This determined act of resist- ance was prodnetive of some good, but the teasing insolence of British naval officers and the seizure of American vessels continued. After negotiations, Napoleon repealed his restrictions to American com- merce, April 28, 1811, and England followed June 23, 1812, but her duplicity and stubbornness had deferred action until too late to avert the punishment which followed. On June 1, President Madison, in a message to Congress, proposed war, and after an excited debate a declaration of war was passed in the House by a majority of thirty, and in the Senate by a majority of six, and signed by the President on the 18th of June, 1812. At this time party spirit ran high, and as there was strong opposition to the war among the wealthy and speculating class of people in the eastern cities, the two questions, purse or principle, as in other critical periods of our history, divided the people to a serious extent. War between the two countries was inaugurated by Commodore Rodgers on the 21st of June, and three days after the declaration, by sailing in search of the British lion on
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his own highway. During the remainder of the year a series of vic- tories were gained by Yankee skill and "pluck," which surprised both nations. Yankee privateers also made handsome returns, in the capture of between two and three hundred prizes before the end of the year. During the war of 1812 and 1814, the American sailor had potent cause to fight the "Sea Robber," and the victories he achieved stand unprecedented in naval warfare. We crown him hero, and commend him with his commanders, Rodgers, Hull, De- catur, Jones, Porter and Bainbridge, to the' unlimited respect of a free people. We will now refer to affairs nearer home, and within the province of this record. The campaign began by the occupation of Detroit, by General Hull at the head of about two thousand five hundred Militia. The British, as usual, had gathered a large force of Indians for service, and with an army contingent, took advantage of the cowardice or imbecility of General Hull, to gain important posts and positions. After a few weak and vacillating attacks, and on his position being threatened by the British General Brock, he surrendered his army. Hull was exchanged for thirty prisoners, court-martialed and sentenced to be hung ; but like other traitors, his life was spared. While repeated victories crowned the efforts of the navy, disaster and defeat met our army along the frontier at every step. Drafts of Militia from Ohio, Kentucky and Pennsyl- vania were made in August, and on the 24th of September General William H. Harrison was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Army of the North-west.
The principal American posts on the northern frontier were, Sack- ett's Harbor and Plattsburg - Buffalo, Black Rock and Lewiston be- ing in the series, but located on the so-called Niagara frontier.
On the 11th of October, 1812, an attack was made by General Van Rensselaer, with a large force of Militia and a detachment of Regulars, on Queenstown, opposite Lewiston. Van Rensselaer at the head of one hundred men erossed the river and silenced the fort. Both sides being reinforced, a general engagement ensued, and success appeared assured, but when the Militia were called upon, they re- fused to eross the river, beyond the territory of the United States.
General Van Rensselaer was obliged to abandon the advantage gained, and recross the river with a loss of six hundred killed and wounded and thirty captured.
Van Rensselaer resigned, and General Smyth, of the Regular Army, was assigned as his snecessor, but did nothing to encourage the people or the troops under him. In the meantime, war vessels had been
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set afloat on the lakes by both powers. On Lake Ontario, Commo- dore Chauncey commanded seven small schooners, which maintained the supremacy throughout the season against double the force of the enemy. The only armed vessel on Lake Erie at the beginning of the war had been surrendered at Detroit.
In November, 1812, Congress negotiated for peace on condition that British seamen should not be employed on American vessels, and that England should not employ American subjects on British vessels. The British government refused to entertain the proposal, and still claimed the right to impress American seamen. Early in June, 1813, General Harrison sent out two detachments under Gen- eral Winchester and Colonel Lewis, which were successful, and con- centrated at Frenchtown in the present State of Michigan, and be- low Detroit.
Here Winchester neglected precaution, and was unexpectedly at- tacked at daylight on the 22d of January, by British and Indians under Colonel Proctor. Winchester and Lewis were taken prisoners and a portion of their troops routed, while the remainder held their position. Proctor assured the American general that unless the bal- ance of his troops surrendered they would be taken and massacred by the Indians, but if they would lay down their arms immediately, they would be treated as prisoners of war. Under a flag of truce, Winchester ordered his men to surrender, and after their compliance, they were tomahawked, shot and burned alive, while Proctor made no effort to prevent the inhuman slaughter. The massacre at Frenel- town aroused the people of Ohio and Kentucky, and large bodies of volunteers joined General Harrison. During the spring, Fort Meigs was erected at the rapids of the Miami river. On the 1st of May, this place was besieged by a large force of British and Indians under Proctor. On the 6th of May, General Clay with one thousand two hundred Kentuckians charged on the besiegers from several points, and drove them from their position. The Kentuckians became care- less and scattered after their supposed victory, and were charged in turn by the British, and completely routed. On the 9th the enemy raised the siege and retreated.
Early in the spring of 1813, a body of troops had been coneen- trated at Sackett's Harbor, under General Dearborn. After naval preparations had been sufficiently completed, General Dearborn with one thousand seven hundred men embarked for an attack on York, the capital of Upper Canada. An advance party under General Pike gained the shore, drove the enemy from their outer works, and after
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being joined by the remaining troops, carried the first battery by assault. At this moment the enemy's magazine exploded, hurling a shower of stones and timbers upon the victorious Americans. Al- though the city fell to the Americans, the victory cost them dearly in the loss of three hundred and twenty killed and wounded ; and nearly all by the explosion. General Pike was mortally wounded. According to tradition, his body was preserved in a pipe of rum, for transmission home. On the 27th of May, Fort George was captured from the British. During a night engagement, June 5th at Stony Creek, Generals Winder and Chandler of the American Army were taken prisoners. On the same day the Americans attacked Fort George, the British made an attack on Sackett's Harbor. The Militia stationed at that post, numbering about one thousand un- der General Brown, fled at the first assault, but the Regulars under Colonel Backus made a stubborn resistance, which enabled General Brown to rally his Militia, and by a stratagem, to create a panic among the enemy and cause him to retreat to his boats, and pull for the other shore. From February to July, the notorious Admiral Cock- burn amused himself by burning villages, plundering farm-houses, and committing revolting outrages upon the inhabitants along the shores of Chesapeake bay.
In August of 1813, the British began a campaign against all the American posts along the Erie frontier. Sufficient volunteers had not arrived to warrant an attempt to hold all those positions, and General Harrison ordered Major Croghan, a young officer command- ing a small fort at Lower Sandusky, to retire, if attacked, after de- stroying the works. With a force of one hundred and sixty men and one six pounder the young major took the responsibility of disobeying his superior officer, when attacked by Proctor with five hundred Regulars, seven hundred Indians and some gunboats. Proc- tor charged the little fort with his overwhelming force, but his men were ent down and routed, with a loss to the Americans of but one killed and seven wounded. Croghan and his companions were highly complimented by General Harrison, and received the thanks of Con- gress, while the major received promotion. Meantime Commodore Perry had been making great effort to complete and arm a fleet on Lake Erie.
On August 4, 1813, he was able to leave Port Erie, and on the 13th he anchored in the Bay of Sandusky. At this place he re- ceived additional troops and started on a cruise with a fleet of nine vessels and fifty-four guns. On the 10th of September, at Put-in-
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Bay, the fleet of the enemy, consisting of six larger vessels and carrying sixty-three guns, was discovered advancing to the attack. At a quarter to twelve, noon, the enemy's flag-ship, " Queen Charlotte." opened fire on Perry's vessel, "The Lawrence," which he was soon compelled to abandon and transfer his flag to another vessel, "The Niagara," under the fire of the enemy. After a contest of three hours every vessel belonging to the enemy was captured, and Commodore Perry announced his victory to the people by the message : "We have met the enemy and they are ours." The American loss was twenty-seven killed and ninety-six wounded, while the loss to the British amounted to two hundred killed and wounded and six hun- dred prisoners ; more than the whole number of Americans engaged.
On the 2d of October General Harrison, at the head of about three thousand five hundred men, crossed the river near Malden, Canada, and overtook the enemy at the Moravian towns on the Thames on the 5th. At this time the American force consisted of the Ohio contingent and four thousand Kentnekians under General Shelby. After preparation the Americans charged upon the enemy, who made a short resistance. The greatest opposition was made by the noted Indian chief, Tecumseh, and his followers, and after that warrior was slain by the Kentucky colonel, Johnson, the fight was abandoned. Proctor, who had been in command, fled at the first charge of the Americans and escaped. This victory ended hostilities from the Indians. Detroit was occupied by General Cass with about one thousand men, and General Harrison with the balance of his army proceeded to Buffalo.
The successes of the North-western Army had opened the way to invade Canada under less diffienlties. A strong force had been col- lected and were commanded by more experienced officers. After the death of Tecumseh the Indians declared themselves hostile to the British. General Wilkinson had been transferred from the South to the command of the Ontario frontier, having eight thousand men under him, and augmented by the troops under General Har- rison ; General Hampton with abont four thousand men occupied Plattsburg. During October operations against the enemy were initiated by the occupation of Grenadier Island at the head of the St. Lawrence river, and between Sackett's Harbor and Kingston. The plan of the campaign embraced the descent of the St. Law- rence, passing the British posts, the concentration of troops, and after forming a junction with the troops under General Hampton from Plattsburg, the invasion of Montreal. On the 6th of Novem-
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ber the army was put in motion with the advance under the com- mand of Brigadier-General Brown, and in the evening landed a few miles above the British Fort Prescott. After a reconnoisanee the ammunition was transported to a safe point below the fort by land, while the flotilla and troops passed safely down the river, but not without being discovered and fired on. Before ten o'clock of the 7th the whole army had reached Ogdensburg. Two vessels of the flotilla had been driven to shelter near Ogdensburg by the enemy's fire, but after some skirmishing were released by the army. After leaving Ogdensburg the advance of the American troops was eon- tested both by land and water, though not seriously interrupted. On the 11th a serions engagement took place at Chrysler's Field, which resulted in the withdrawal of both armies. On the same day the Americans concentrated at a place ealled Barnhart. At Ogdens_ burg, Wilkinson had sent couriers to Hampton at Plattsburg, request- ing his co-operation, and at Barnhart he received a reply that Hampton could not join him at St. Regis as ordered.
During the latter half of October, Hampton had descended the Cha- teangay river on a reconnoisance, erossing the boundary line on the 21st to find his course obstructed by Sir George Provost, who had suspected the design of the Americans against Montreal. After sev- eral skirmishes with the enemy, and finding his advance obstrueted, Hampton retreated and went into winter quarters at French's Mills. With his failure to join Wilkinson afterward, the campaign ended, to the disgust of the people, who had expected much. But not so with the little fleet under Chauncey. From the 17th of September until winter he chased the British Admiral Sir James Yeo from port to port, making some captures and remaining master of Lake Ontario. General Harrison arrived at Buffalo soon after the departure of Wil- kinson, but for want of transports was unable to follow until he had gone into winter quarters. During December, the term of service of the Militia under him having expired, General McClure in com- mand at Fort George blew up the fort and retired across the river. On the 19th, Fort Niagara was surprised by British forces under Colonel Murray, and the garrison put to the sword. Lewiston and other small villages along the Niagara were burned, and many of the inhabitants butchered. On the 30th of December, a detachment of British crossed at Black Roek, proceeded to Buffalo, burned that vil- lage and devastated the adjoining country. At the end of the year 1813, the prosecution of the war against England had become more popular. The continued series of victories over the naval forces of
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England, on both ocean and lakes, had aroused the courage and grati- tude of the nation, while the system of warfare adopted by the British, and supplemented by the Indian massacres in Georgia, aroused a spirit of determination to drive the enemy from American terri- tory.
During the winter of 1813 and 1814 a brisk war was carried on against the Creek Nation of Indians who had begun hostilities the sum- mer previous. They were defeated in several engagements, and in the spring of 1814 the greater part of them surrendered. A treaty of peace. in severe terms, was dictated by General Jackson during the summer following, which the Indians accepted. In February, 1814, the Northern Army removed from winter quarters to Plattsburg, and from that point a detachment of two thousand men under General Brown marched to Sackett's Harbor, and in March to Niagara.
On March 30, 1814, General Wilkinson crossed the Canada line and attacked the enemy at La Cole Mill, near Rouse's Point, and was defeated with a loss of over one hundred and forty men killed and wounded. During the fall and winter of 1813 and 1814, Commo- dore MeDonough had been busily engaged in building a fleet for the protection of Lake Champlain, but did not receive the neces- sary guns and ordnance stores until spring. On the 25th of April, an attempt was made by the British to blow up the American fleet ly- ing in Saekett's Harbor, which failed. Early in May, Sir James Yeo bombarded Oswego, and after a third attempt landed his force and captured the town, but failed to secure the naval stores - the ob- ject of the expedition. On the 29th of May a party of four lieu- tenants of the British Navy, with two lieutenants of Marines and one hundred and thirty men, were captured at Sandy Creek, below Oswego. The campaign on the Niagara did not open until July. On the 2d, General Brown crossed the river and captured Fort Erie. On the 5th, he advanced against General Rial, who was posted in a very strong position at Chippeway. A general engage- ment took place on the plain before the town, in which the British were repulsed and driven to their batteries, when, night coming on, the battle ended. Great praise was due the Americans for this victory, as most of the troops engaged were raw recruits, while the enemy were veterans who had fought in Europe. General Brown continued his advance while the enemy fell back in the direction of Fort George. After some skirmishing the two armies met for battle, on the 25th of July, at Bridgewater near Niagara Falls, and after a stubborn and unequal contest the enemy were driven from the field. Generals
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Brown and Scott were both wounded during this battle. The American Army fell back to Fort Erie and began strengthening its defenses. General Drummond appeared before the place on the 3d of August, and began a siege which lasted until before daybreak of the 15th, when his forees stormed the fort in three columns, under the order to " give no quarter." Under such circumstances the fighting became desperate, and the British were defeated with a loss of five hundred and ninety-two killed, wounded, and prisoners. Among the killed of the enemy were fourteen officers, including General Drum. mond, who gave the infamous order. The loss to the Americans was eighty-three. The enemy remained in three positions in front and rear of the fort until the 17th of September, when the Americans made a sortie on the British batteries in their front, carried the works, spiked the eannon, and took the besiegers prisoners back to Fort Erie.
The Americans lost five hundred and eleven men ; the British one thousand men and their cannon. Near the 1st of September Sir George Provost led his army against Plattsburg, while his fleet pro- ceeded up the lake on his left, for a combined attack on that place. To oppose his large force, General McComb had but one thousand five hundred troops and no proper defenses. He called on General Mooers for New York Militia, and received about seven hundred men. With this small force he harassed the enemy on his march to Plattsburg. General McComb abandoned the town and fortified himself on the south side of the Saranae river, opposite, by removing the planks from the bridge and converting them into breast-works. Instead of making an immediate assault, the British commander erec- ted works and began a siege. By the 11th of September a consider- able force of New York and Vermont Militia had been collected, and stationed along the south bank of the Saranac. After the first day's service under fire, the Militia bore up to the work bravely, and resisted all attempts of the enemy to cross. In the meantime Com- modore MeDonough with his little fleet of four ships and ten gal- leys, carrying eighty-six guns, lay in Plattsburg bay, awaiting the British flotilla ,which had been delayed. At eight o'clock on the morning of the 11th of September, 1814, the British fleet were sighted, and at nine o'clock it came to anchor abreast of the American squad- ron, and about three hundred yards distant. A fierce conflict be- gan at once, between the two fleets, and between the two armies on shore. The fight on the water was carried on with such obstinacy and fierceness, that when the enemy were obliged to surrender, there was scarcely a mast in either squadron capable of carrying a sail.
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While the two squadrons were fighting, the British were making desperate efforts to cross the river, and failing in each attempt. Under cover of the night, Provost retreated with his baggage and artillery, leaving his sick and wounded behind. A large quantity of military stores fell into the hands of the Americans. The un- usual feature of a battle between opposing powers, on land and water, so near as to be almost united, characterizes the battle of Plattsburg as a notable engagement in the list of battles of modern times. The victory gained by the Americans over a number so greatly superior is the highest compliment to their bravery, and gave to the wag poet license to tell how "MeDonough had a little boat " and whipped " Provost on a little pond, baek side of Albany." 'The battle of Plattsburg ended the series of noteworthy engagements on our northern frontier.
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