USA > New York > Onondaga County > Onondaga, or, Reminiscences of earlier and later times, being a series of historical sketches relative to Onondaga, with notes on the several towns in the county, and Oswego, Vol. II > Part 32
USA > New York > Oswego County > Onondaga, or, Reminiscences of earlier and later times, being a series of historical sketches relative to Onondaga, with notes on the several towns in the county, and Oswego, Vol. II > Part 32
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32
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kiah Ketchum, of the riflemen, and Lieutenants John Dela- mater and Robert Cummings, of the artillery, all of Manlius and Pompey, were ordered to Oswego, and there spent the greater part of the season till the close of the campaign. Several companies were present from other parts of the county, viz : Capt. John Sprague, of Pompey ; Capts. Forbes and Mead, from Onondaga ; Capt. Turner, of Marcellus, who died during the summer, and Capts. Davidson and Dodge, from Madison County. These were mostly volunteers of independ- ent companies, some of whom volunteered for a year, and were called to Queenston, and participated in the battle there, on the 11th of October. In the month of November, Col. Fleming left for home, and the command devolved upon Col. Cleveland, of Madison County, who had just arrived with a re-enforcement of militia. The terms of service of the militia who had spent the summer, expired on the 1st of January, 1813, upon which they returned home, and during the next summer the post was feebly garrisoned by new levies, who de- pended mainly upon the naval force upon the lake for the safety of the place.
Early in the spring of 1814, in anticipation of an attack upon Oswego, Col. Mitchell was dispatched by General Brown from Sackett's Harbor, with four companies of heavy and one of light artillery, serving as infantry, with orders to occupy and defend the old fort at the mouth of the river, so long as would be consistent with the more important duty of covering the naval stores at the falls. For the advancement of the pro- ject of creating a superior naval force upon Lake Ontario, a large amount of naval and military stores had been concentra- ted at Oswego falls, waiting a fair opportunity to be conveyed to Sackett's Harbor, the principal place of shipbuilding. In obedience to these orders, Col. Mitchell began his march and arrived at Oswego on the 30th of April. Finding the fort in no condition for defense, with its stockade much broken down and decayed, and only five rusty iron guns, two of which had lost their trunions, and all without sufficient carriages, the Colonel had barely time to supply some of these defects,
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when on the morning of the 5th of May, the British fleet con- sisting of four ships, three brigs and a number of gun boats appeared off' the harbor. At one o'clock, P. M., the larger vessels took a position for battering the fort, and soon after opened upon it a heavy fire. At this time there were but three or four small guns at Fort Ontario, and a one gun battery, on the west side of the river, all of which were in a most miser- able condition. The fire was returned with much spirit from the fort and a battery on the beach. The firing on the part of the British was evidently made to ascertain the strength of the American garrison. After making considerable display and doing some trivial damage without loss of life, the British fleet hauled off. Early the next morning they again appeared before the fort in nearly the same order as before, only a little nearer the land, and opened a brisk cannonade, which lasted near two hours. The little means of defense at the disposal of the Americans was put in active requisition, but the artil- lery being in such miserable condition was soon disabled by use, except one twelve pounder. The firing from the British was mainly directed to the woods surrounding the fort and vil- lage, with the evident design of deterring the inhabitants of the adjacent country from coming in to oppose the landing. At that time, all East Oswego was a forest except around the fort. Some idea may be formed of the cannonading, from the fact that one individual gathered and sold to the United States, a few weeks afterwards, about five tons of 18, 24 and 32 pound shot. About half past twelve o'clock, the enemy com- menced a heavy fire of grape shot, under the cover of which, a portion of the British force with General Drummond at their head, effected a landing on the beach below the fort. Anoth- er party consisting of sailors and marines under Capt. Mul- caster, landed under the high bank in front of the gate of fort Ontario. A third party landed on a high point north-east of the fort. This latter party were unfortunate, inasmuch as sev- eral were killed by the grape from the fleet, which fell short of the mark. Muleaster's party rushed up the steep bank under the muzzle of the redoubtable twelve pounder, the only
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gun in condition for use, which continued to pour forth its warnings to the last. As the British sailors reached the top of the bank on which it was mounted, two American sailors were ramming down another charge. The two or three other volunteers who had been managing the gun fled within the gate as the red coats sprang upon the bank in front. One of the men at the muzzle also effected his escape, but the other, an old tar, insisted on having another shot. He was surrounded by the enemy, who had possession of the gun, yet he seized the linstock and struggled hard to fire the piece. The British sailors not desirous of killing so gallant a man, seized and drag- ged him away from the battery by main strength, rejoicing that they were in possession of so brave a prisoner. The old fellow however escaped the following night by stratagem. As Capt. Mulcaster's party entered the gate of the fort, a few men who had been engaged on the parapets, fled over the walls on the opposite side.
The British now in full possession, instantly wheeled to the north-west bastion, where stood the flag-staff to which Col. Mitchell had nailed the stars and stripes. Two men success- ively attempted to climb the staff for the purpose of cutting off the flag. The fugitives from the opposite wall shot them off. Capt. Mulcaster himself, then sprang up the staff and ere his hand touched the fatal prize, fell pierced by three balls. The fourth man was more successful, and bore it to the ground.
Capt. Mulcaster, although he lived several years, never re- covered from the effects of his terrible wounds. Col. Mitch- ell, finding further opposition at the fort useless, and that any further attempt to defend it would jeopard the naval stores at the falls, determined in the spirit of his orders to retire upon that point and avail himself of the defiles it presented. Nor was this determination executed with less coolness and courage than it was formed ; every foot of ground being well contested with the head of the British column for half an hour, after which no further annoyance was given to the re- treat. Col. Mitchell on his way to the falls, destroyed the
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bridges and filled the roads with timber. The British were sadly disappointed in finding that the principal stores had been removed to the falls, and that their only booty comprised a few barrels of pork, whiskey and salt, which poorly compen- sated them for the loss of two hundred and thirty men killed and wounded. The American loss was reported at sixty men killed and wounded.
After the battle was over, several of the citizens of Oswego were taken prisoners and held as hostages, for fear the Ameri- cans would wantonly kill the straggling soldiers of the Brit- ish. Among these were Mr. Bronson, Mr. Beach, P. D. Hu- gunin and Matthew McNair; and on the whole the British were not remarkably civil, for while these gentlemen were de- tained as hostages at the fort without comfortable refresh- ments, the British officers feasted themselves upon the fowls obtained from McNair's roost.
A vast amount of provisions and salt were thrown into the river by order of Col. Mitchell, and one vessel on board of which were naval stores, was sunk. After making all the de- struction of property in their power, before daylight on the following morning the British unceremoniously decamped.
This attack upon Oswego created a great alarm through- out the country at the time, and the militia flocked there in great force, but arrived too late to render assistance.
The alarms of war had now ceased upon our frontier, and quiet again reigned in the land. But it took several years for the villages along the lines to regain their wonted prosperity.
A small grist mill and saw mill was built by Forman & Brackett, at the falls, in 1809. These were the first mills erected in later times, on the Oswego River, although it has been often stated (and was probably true) that small mills had been put in operation by the English during their occupancy of Oswego, about the year 1750.
Mr. James Lyon was the only forwarding merchant at the upper landing, till after the war, and Falley & Crocker at the lower landing. Through these two houses, was transacted all the commerce which passed Oswego, by way of the river.
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The salmon fishery at the falls, formed an important busi- ness. Hundreds of barrels of these delicious fish, were an- nually taken, and found their way to a foreign market. An experienced fisherman would sometimes take them as fast as he could ply his spear. Since the erection of the State dam,
they have not visited the waters of the Oswego. With the construction of the Oswego Canal, died the forwarding and carrying business at the falls; but the village of Fulton has since grown up, and contains several dry good stores, five houses for public worship, three extensive grist mills, several saw mills, and an almost unlimited water power. A wealthy company has lately secured the valuable privileges on the west side of the river, and contemplate soon to improve them, and con- sidering what has been done at this place, within the last five years, it would be nothing unwarrantable, to predict. that at no very distant day, it will be connected with Oswego, and altogeth- er become one of the greatest manufacturing places in the world.
The county of Oswego was organized in 1816, taken from the counties of Onondaga and Oneida. The towns of Oswego, Hannibal and Granby on the west side of the river, were a part of the Military Traet in Onondaga County, including the original township of Hannibal and thirty-three lots from the north part of Lysander. The towns east of the river were from Oneida County, constituting a portion of "Scriba's Patent." These lands were originally granted to Nicholas Roosevelt, of New-York, who not complying with the terms .of sale, they were sold to George Scriba, a native of Germany, and at that time a merchant of New-York. A part of the lands included in Seriba's Patent were jointly purchased by Gen. Alexander Hamilton, John Lawrence and John B. Church. Several distinet grants were made along the bank of the river from the falls, of from two hundred to fourteen hundred acres each. The state also reserved a traet half a mile wide and a mile long, securing the water power at the Oswego Falls, which was afterwards sold out.
Further up the river is the village of Phoenix, in the town of Schroppel, about a mile or mile and a half below Three-
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River-Point, and about fourteen miles north of Syracuse. This is a flourishing village, with about nine hundred inhabi- tants, and forms a sort of connecting link between Syracuse, Fulton and Oswego.
In the Oswego River opposite to the village, is an island called Baldwin's Island, and is owned by Harvey Baldwin, Esq., of Syracuse. It contains, or rather the two contain (being separated by a narrow channel) about ten acres of land. There is a tradition extant, that at the time the French Colony was broken up at Onondaga, in 1656-7, the colonists pursuing their course down the river, and the Indians being in full pursuit, the fugitives took refuge on this island, and after relieving their boats of a small brass cannon, emptied the contents of their military chest, (as the tradition goes) containing a quantity of gold, which was buried in the sand, and from thence they immediately fled down the river to Oswego, and thence across the lake to Canada. Repeated attempts have been made to recover the cannon and also to secure the gold, but hitherto without effect.
Excavations are continued even to this day to secure these hidden treasures.
The employment of steam for purposes of navigation com- menced on Lake Ontario, in 1816. In that year, the steam- boat Ontario, Capt. J. Mallaby, of four hundred tons, was built at Sackett's Harbor, and commenced running in the spring of 1817, being the first built upon the lakes. Gen. Jacob Brown, Com. M. T. Woolsey, Hooker & Crane, Charles Smith, Erie Lusher and Elisha Camp, proprietors. She was the first vessel built west of the Hudson propelled by steam, and the first sea vessel of the kind built in the country. At the time, her construction was considered an experiment and an enterprise of the first magnitude. She was received on her first trip to Oswego by the people, with the most extrava- gant rejoicings, which continued during the whole night and till the boat left for Niagara the following day. She en- grossed the attention of the whole people, and excited their wonder and admiration. The steamer Frontenac, of seven
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hundred tons, was built by some Canadian gentlemen, in 1817. Her machinery was imported from England.
In 1818, the Sophia, of seventy-five tons, was built at Sack- etts Harbor, and ran between that place and Kingston, com- manded by S. Thurston. In 1823, the Martha Ogden, Capt. D. Ried, one hundred and fifty tons, was built at Sacketts Harbor, under the directions of Albert Crane, Esq., of Os- wego, which formed the line of American Steamers, till 1830, when the Brownville, of one hundred and fifty tons, Capt. N. Johnson, was set afloat. After these, followed the Charles Carroll, 100 tons, Capt. D. Howe, built in 1831; Paul Pry, 50 tons; Capt. E. Lusher, 1831; United States, 450 tons, Capt. Joseph Whitney, 1832: Black Hawk, 100 tons, after- wards the Dolphin, 1833; Wm. Avery, 200 tons, Capt. Vaughn, 1833; Oswego, 400 tons, Capt. Evans, 1834 ; Onei- da, 300 tons, Capt. Child, 1836 ; Telegraph, 200, Capt. Ma- son, 1837; John Marshall, 60 tons, Capt. J. F. Tyler, 1838; St. Lawrence, 450 tons, J. Van Cleve, 1839; Express, 150 tons, Capt. H. N. Throop, 1839; Geo. Clinton, 100 tons, Capt. Chapman, 1841 ; President, 60 tons, Capt. Isaac Green, 1841; Lady of the Lady, 450 tons, Capt. S. H. Hoag, 1842 ; Rochester, 400 tons, Capt. H. N. Throop, 1843; Niagara, 746 tons, Capt. R. F. Child, 1815; Cataract, 620 tons, Capt. J. Van Celve. 1847.
Besides these, have been launched upon the lake, numerous sloops and schooners, cutters, &c., which are doing an im- mense business on the lakes, through the Welland Canal.
Messrs. Brunson and Morgan, erected the first mills at Os- wego, in 1820, with five run of stone, Mr. Ilenry Fitzhugh, built the second mill with six run of stone, in 1830, and Messrs. Gerritt Smith and Richard L. De Zeng another ; soon after, these were severally burned down and rebuilt. The Oswego Canal was completed, 1826-27, which opened an avenue to trade, which has been vastly improved by the erection of fac- tories and mills, carried by the surplus water. Mr. Varrick's ditch, completed in 1834, one of the most extensive aud val- nable improvements for Oswego, bears upon its banks ou the
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west side of the river, a great amount of manufacturing and mill machinery, which adds very much to the business opera- tions of the place.
Wonderful improvements have been made within the last few years, in the construction of machinery for mills, at Os- wego, and a single run of stone will turn out from one hun- dred to one hundred and fifty barrels of flour, daily. Many of the improved mills, have a separate water-wheel for every run, which expedites the process of manufacturing flour, be- yond anything of former invention. The spacious store- houses, with their grain elevators, unloading a vessel contain- ing thirty thousand bushels of wheat in a few hours, arc truly a wonder of the age.
Considerable additions have been made to the Oswego flour- ing mills during the past year. The mill of Henry Wright, on the Varrick Canal, west side, is capable of manufacturing four hundred barrels of superfine flour, daily, and his machines for cleaning, screening and separating impurities, are decided improvements upon any hitherto in use. The new mill of Messrs. Mills, Whitney & Co., up the river, has five run of stone, and his water power is improved, directly from the river. Messrs. Merrick, Davis & Co., have just put in operation a new and improved mill, with eight run of stone, capable of manufacturing over eight hundred barrels of flour, daily.
The City of Oswego has now the facilities and power to manufacture more flour than any place on the globe, and prob- able does, independent of the mills at Fulton situated ten miles above, where this branch of business is rapidly increasing.
The great Pier at Oswego was commenced in 1827 and com- pleted in 1830, by Messrs. Mc'Nair and Hatch, and has since been annually improved by government agents, and now affords ample protection to the harbor.
The old light house, built on the north side of the fort, was first lit up in 1822. The new one was erected on the pier in 1836, and first lit up in 1837. Mr. Steele has been their only keeper.
Oswego was incorporated as a village, 14th of March, 1828,
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the first village meeting was held in the school house, 13th day of May, 1828, and Alvin Bronson chosen President, and Dan- iel Hugunin, jr., George Fisher, Nathaniel Vilas, jr., David P. Brewster, Theophilus S. Morgan, Joseph Turner and Orlo Steele, Trustees.
Oswego contains now, 1848, about 12,000 inhabitants, 10 ministers of the gospel, 20 lawyers, 14 physicians, and trades- men, millers, mechanics, machinists, &c., unnumbered. It re- ceived its Charter as a City, in the spring of 1848.
It was our design at the commencement to have given a far more extended notice of modern Oswego, than here appears, but having greatly exceeded our limits in giving the interest- ing details of events previous to the settlement of the country, we reluctantly dismiss the subject, leaving those who shall suc- ceed, to complete that important portion of its history.
CONCLUSION.
GENTLE READER ; these sketches and reminiscences have been prolonged to an unwarrantable length. Imperfect from the nature of things we know them to be. Correctness and truth have been aimed at throughout every part : if these have been departed from, it arises from false information, not from a desire to mislead, or underrate, or overdraw. If they have been the means of affording you the slightest gratification, the object of the author is accomplished. Sixty years have rolled around, since the first permanent white settlement was made within our borders ; sixty years have added their periods to the flight of time, since the ax of civilization has been successfully applied to the tree of barbarism in this land ; sixty years have gone by, and the face of things is entirely changed. What unlooked for events in the great wheel of human life shall rise before another sixty years shall succeed, it would be in vain for us to inquire. But when that remote period shall come, not one of us, not one of our children now on earth, except as a gray and wrinkled relic of the past, shall be found among the living. Our hills then, as now, will catch the first glim- merings of the morning, and the last rays of evening will linger on their bald and ragged brows,-but of all that our hands have wrought, and our hearts have loved, not a vestige will remain as we now behold it. What future good or ill, what storms of civil violence may pass over this land, we know not; but so may we live, that the inheritance we have received, of freedom, truth, intelligence, virtue and faith, may be handed down unspotted, to those who shall succeed us.
END OF VOL. II.
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