Our county and its people; a descriptive work on Oneida county, New York;, Part 18

Author: Wager, Daniel Elbridge, 1823-1896
Publication date: 1896
Publisher: [Boston] : The Boston history co.
Number of Pages: 1612

USA > New York > Oneida County > Our county and its people; a descriptive work on Oneida county, New York; > Part 18

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On the 3Ist of July Commodore Chauncey sailed up the lake from Sackett's Harbor, blockaded Kingston and vainly endeavored to draw Sir James Yeo into action. With the completion of a man-of-war of 112 guns in that port in September the American commander pru- dently returned to Sackett's Harbor, where the building of two first- class frigates was begun ; they were never finished. When the ice closed in on the lake, the war had ended on the northern frontier.

Other principal military operations of the year 1814, ending with the final victory of General Jackson at New Orleans, January 8, 1815, were those at Fort Erie July 3, and August 13-15; at Lundy's Lane July 25 ; on Lake Champlain and at Plattsburg September II ; at Chippewa October 15, and the victories of Decatur and others at sea.

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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.

A treaty of peace was agreed to between commissioners of the United States and those of Great Britain, at Ghent on December 24, 1814, and ratifications were exchanged at Washington February 17, 1815. The treaty provided for the mutual restoration of all conquered territory, and for three commissions-one to settle the title to the islands in Pas- samaquoddy Bay ; one to lay out the northeast boundary of the United States as far as the St. Lawrence, and the third to run the line through that river and the lakes to the Lake of the Woods. Other minor mat- ters were embraced in the treaty. The reception of the news in this country spread joy throughout the land, reaching New York city Feb- ruary II, 1815. Banquets and illuminations followed, not alone in the metropolis, but in many principal villages and cities. No one can now tell us of what he saw in the small villages of Oneida county when the news of peace came slowly northward ; but we may well believe that in proportion to numbers of population, the joy and exultation of our peace-loving settlers were demonstrated with the same enthusiasm dis- played elsewhere through the country.

The following list of officers is copied from the rolls on file in the office of the county clerk at Utica. From a note at the bottom of the roll it would appear that a part of them belonged to the Third Brigade :

Brigadier-Generals .- Oliver Collins, Joseph Kirkland, Henry McNeil.

Colonels .- William Stone, Caleb Clark.

Majors .- James Dodd, Samuel Dill, David Curtiss, Gardner Avery, James Lynch, Eleazer Dickinson, Theodore W. Sill (Artillery), Jonathan Tower, John Westcott.

Captains .- Francis Brown, Amos Wetmore, William Ilubbard, Gurdon Caswell, Fortune C. White, Orrin Gridley, John Harris, Joseph Stone, Asa Bullock, James Gardiner, Jacob Hovey, Timothy L. Bacon, Ichabod Davis, Samuel Shepherd, jr .. Edward Grannis, Zimri Howland, G. Chamberlain, Rice Austin, Benjamin Rudd, Peleg Matteson, Asa Baker, Daniel Butts, Joshua Northrup, Edward Grannis, Ed- ward Fuller, Ichabod Cole, Enos Githert (Artillery), John Wright (Cavalry).

Lieutenants .- Amos Woodward, Bradford Seymour, Salmon Laird, Nathan Rose, Seth Hastings, Henry Bingham, Stephen Leonard, Bridge Wakefield, Samuel Com- stock, Nicholas Smith, Albion Smith, W. B. Savage, Abram Catlin, Abel Dewey, James Lynch, Rollin Blount, Chester Andrews Nathan Eells, A. Earms, John Z. Hartwell, Edward Allen, Dan Bosworth, Calvin Church, Arunah Wright, Jos. A. Clark, J. C. Greene, Ezekiel Clark Seth Langdon, Gates Peck, A. Spencer (Cav- alry), Paul Taft (Cavalry), Charles Wylie (Artillery), Levi Green (Artillery).

Ensigns .- Abel Downey, Job Herrick, Saml. Comstock, Frederick Kellogg, Bar- nabas Cook, Rollin Blount, Oren Betts, Wm. B. Savage, James Sage, A. W. Gridley,

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1814 TO 1819.

Amasa Rowe, Job Herrick, Calvin Pierce, Eliphalet Hotchkiss, Reuben Daggett, Roswell P Hayes, A. W. Gridley, Abel Mosher, Abram Young, Jared Vining, Am- asa Hinckley, Jonathan Tibbitts, Hazel Lathrop, Ely Wheelan, Joseph Hallock, William Parker, Aaron Smith, Simeon Fuller.

Cornets .- Job Williams, Joel Parker.

Adjutants. - Timothy L. Bacon, William Williams, Jonah Bacon, Joshua Bushnell.

Quartermasters .-- Jonah Bacon, Silas Judson, Waitstill Wolcott, Warren Kent.

Paymaster .- Jesse Doolittle.

Surgeon .- Roswell P. Hayes.

Surgeon's Mate .- Zenas Huntington.

Brigade Inspector .- Richard Sanger.

Names of officers on file in the county clerk's office belonging to the One Hundred and Fifty seventh Regiment New York Militia in 1818: Colonel John Westcott; Lieu- tenant-Colonel, Benjamin Rudd; Major, Joshua G. Green ; Surgeon, George Brown; Quartermaster, B. B. Lansing; Paymaster, B. B. Hyde; Adjutant. Robert G. Clark ; Captains, Wm. Tallcott, Jonathan Tibbits, Joseph Hallock, David Hill, Simeon Fuller; Lieutenants, John Bailey, James Snyder, James Knox, Milton Bird, Abner Chase; Ensigns, Chester Hayden, Peter Hartwell, James Powell, Benjamin Wig- gins, Harvey Phelps.

Officers of the rifle company attached to the One Hundred and Fifty-seventh Reg- iment, 1818: Captain, Archibald T. Frink; Lieutenant, J. Hathaway; Ensign, Amos Flint.

Part of the officers of the Seventy-second Regiment, 1818: Lieutenant-Colonel, Ichabod Davis; Major, Henry Sheldon; Lieutenants, Aaron White, Andrew Bill- ings, Eusebius Ball; Ensigns, Stephen Brooks, Matthew Buck; Surgeon, Jeremiah Carrier.

CHAPTER XVI.

1814 TO 1819.

When the war of 1812 had been in progresss nearly two years, the United States government commenced the erection of United States arsenals in the States for the manufacture of gun carriages, machines, ammunition, and military supplies, and for the deposit of those articles. The one at Watervliet, in Albany county, erected in 1814, was and is the most formidable, outside of the city of New York. On the Ist of March, 1814, the government purchased of Dominick Lynch in Rome, N. Y., a parcel of land on the southerly side of Dominick street, extend-

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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.

ing from that street (then known as the Sackett's Harbor road) southerly to the then Inland Canal. October 9, 1815, the government bought of Mr. Lynch other grounds adjoining the above on the south side of that road for arsenal purposes, and also a parcel on the northerly side, oppo- site, for a site for the residence for the officers in command. July 4, 1816, the government purchased other lands on both sides of said roads, for the same purpose as above. The work of constructing the arsenal buildings was commenced in 1814, and was completed in 1816. This was the first and only United States arsenal erected in Oneida county, or of one nearer than Albany and the Madison Barracks at Sackett's Harbor in 1816 and 1819 D. W. Flagler, brigadier-general and chief of ordnance at Washington, has kindly furnished the author the follow- ing facts relative to this Rome arsenal, and the officers in charge of it at various times :

The total cost of the land and buildings, as completed in 1816, was $36,078.61. The work of construction was under the supervision of James Dallaba, who com- manded the arsenal from August 5, 1813, to February, 1816. [He was a brother-in- law of the late B. N. Huntington, of Rome. ] The records in the department show that no moneys were expended for ordinary repairs after 1816, until 1838, when there was an expenditure of $1,124.38. Again from 1838 to 1842 there were no expendi- tures, except for ordinary repairs, but between 1842 and 1851 there were consider- able improvements amounting in all to $6,164.85. The following are the officers who commanded the Rome arsenal, and the dates of their commands: Major James Dallaba, August 5, 1813, to February, 1816; Third Lieutenant John Hills was stationed at the arsenal as an assistant, March 2, 1815, and Third Lieutenant James Simonson, September, 1816; Lieutenant Richard C. Pomeroy, February, 1816, to April, 1817; Capt. D. T. Welch, April, 1817, to January, 1821; Lieutenant John W. Thompson, June, 1821 to January, 1825; Lieutenant J. H. Cooke, April 29, 1826, to 1827; Lieutenant A. D. Tompkins, March, 1827 to 1828; Lieutenant of Artillery James S. Abeel, 1 April, 1828 to 1833; Lieutenant H. S. Mallory January 1834, to November, 1836; Military Storekeeper S. Perkins, December, 1836, to December, 1837; Lieutenant and Captain James S. Abeel, military storekeeper, January, 1838, to March, 1855. On May 7, 1855, in obedience to instructions of the war department, Captain Abeel turned over the arsenal to Captain Delos B. Sackett for a recruiting station. Captain Sackett left the arsenal with his command August 21, 1855, and from that date until 1862. there was no officer stationed at the Rome arsenal, in com- mand of the same; but the arsenal was under the control of the commanding officer of Watervliet arsenal at West Troy, N. Y. J. Molinard, military storekeeper, 1862 to 1863; Captain James S. Abeel, military storekeeper, June, 1863, to February, 1870. February 16, 1870, the arsenal was again turned over to the commanding

I A sketch of Captain Abeel is elsewhere published in this volume.

JAS. S. ABEEL.

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1814 TO 1819.

officer of the Watervliet arsenal, who remained in charge of the same until the arsenal grounds south of Dominick street were sold June 2, 1873, to Jerome L. Mudge.

Mr. Mudge sold to the Mudge & Ames knitting works. In 1891 the premises southerly of Dominick street became and is now (1896) the property of R. M. Wilson, who is extensively engage .. in the manu- facture of bath tubs.

The premises where the brick dwelling is, north of Dominick street, in 1883 became and is now the property of Leopold Hower, senior, and Leopold Hower, junior, as a residence. The arsenal at Rome was erected and used simply as a depository of military stores. In the magazine was gunpowder only, sometimes as much as twenty tons. In the basement of the arsenal were saltpeter, bomb shells, cannon balls, grape and cannister shot, cartridges, flints, boxes of sabres, cavalry pistols, cartridge boxes, belts, holsters In the second story in cases, in racks, were muskets, carbines, sabres, pistols, and base and snare drums and bugles. On the third floor were swords, sabres, and swabs used for cannon. There were in sheds, cannon, twenty-five immense guns, two brass pieces, captured from the English at Sackett's Harbor in 1813. In the laboratory rockets were made, and in the repair shop was the polishing wheel, where arms were kept bright. The map shows the other buildings on the grounds, and their use, on each side of the road. Some ten to a dozen men were employed looking after the arms and keeping them in order, and were subjected to stricter discipline than ordinary laboring men. John B. McHarg, of Rome, the only man now living who was employed in the arsenal as early as 1830, furnishes the foregoing information. His father, James McHarg, came from the Watervliet Arsenal to the Rome Arsenal in 1818.

Here is as good a place as any, to make mention of the cold summer of 1816, characterized as "the year without a summer." It was not confined to Oneida county, but extended over most of the Northern and Eastern States. In fact, it has passed into history as the coldest year ever known in the United States and Europe. The month of May in the New England States was unusually cold for the season, buds and fruits were frozen, cornfields were again and again replanted, until deemed too late. June was the coldest ever known in that month in

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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.

that latitude; frost and ice were common. In Vermont snow fell to the depth of ten inches, seven in Maine, three in the interior of New York State, and one in Massachusetts. In a town in Vermont a flock of sheep belonging to a farmer had been turned out as usual to pasture. On the 17th of June a heavy snow fell, the cold was intense and the

owner started at noon for his sheep. Night came, the storm increased

the snow had covered up all the tracks and not until the end of the and he did not return. The next morning the family started for help,

third day did they find the man, on the side of the hill with both feet frozen an unable to move. Farmers built large fires around their corn- fields to keep them from freezing. Coming down to Oneida county,

cold summer of 1816, informed the author that there were frosts in old residents who were old twenty-five years ago and remembered the

Oneida county every month that year ; corn which had come up was cut down by the frosts in June. The fore part of the month the nights

had been unusually cold, and on the 6th of June it snowed in all parts of

But little corn, wheat and potatoes were raised that year. Wheat was the county ; in some places snow fell to the depth of several inches.

$3 a bushel ; corn $1.50. Jones's Annals of Oneida County mentions that cold summer and relates the story of four children in the town of Annsville, residing in the neighborhood of "Cold Hill Bridge," over

they usually walked to and from school. The youngest girl was the other six, the other two of the four were girls, about the same ages ; Fish Creek, attending school three miles distant; one boy was nine, the

only one who had a pair of shoes; none of them had stockings. On the 6th of that ever-to-be-remembered June, the four children were punctual at school in the morning. At 2 P. M. the weather had become

so cold the teacher concluded to dismiss the school and send her scholars home. About one-quarter of a mile from the school house a family resided, and the four children mentioned passed that way on their way home, but when they got there the inmates were absent, and

inches deep. The oldest boy had on his father's roundabout. He took the house was locked. Snow was falling fast and it was already two

the six year old boy on his back, put the little fellow's feet in the pockets of the roundabout and directed the two little girls to go ahead as fast as they could, and when tired sit down and rub each other's bare

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1814 TO 1819.

feet until he came up. When the large boy came up to the girls, he put the boy down from his back, took the large girl on his back, who had no shoes, and the boy and the small girl pushed on. When within forty rods from home, the father heard the cries of the children, and hastened to their aid. The feet of the larger boy were so lacerated with sticks and stones and frozen on the way, that it was several days before he could go out. Such were the sufferings of many who became pioneer set- tlers in the country.

On the 4th of July, 1817, the opening ceremonies of commencing work on the Erie Canal were observed in Rome, a little to the south- west of the then United States Arsenal. The following account is taken from the newspapers of the dates as named below, and hence the account may be considered authentic :

[From the Utica Gazette, July 15th, and New York Columbian, July 18th. 1812.]

An intention to celebrate the anniversary of American Independence, at the vil- lage of Rome, on the Fourth of July instant, having been announced in the public papers, and the preparation of the Canal Commissioners being in a state of suffi- cient forwardness, an engagement was made by the Hon. S. Young (the only com- missioner present), and the committee of arrangements, to unite with this joyous festival, the commencement of the excavation of the Grand Erie Canal.

Accordingly on that day, at sunrise, a large number of citizens, accompanied by the commissioners and engineer, assembled and proceeded to the place appointed on the line of the canal.

The Hon. Joshua Hathaway, of Rome, on the part of the citizens present with a few pertinent observations delivered the spade into the hands of the commissioner, by whom it was delivered to Judge Rich- ardson, of Cayuga county, who had entered into the first contract for constructing a portion of the canal. The contract bore date June 27, 1817. Judge Richardson said :

" Fellow Cltizens :- We have assembled to commence the excavation of the Erie Canal. This work, when accomplished, will connect our Western Inland Seas with the Atlantic. It will diffuse the benefit of internal navigation over a surface of vast extent, blessed with a salubrious climate and luxuriant soil, embracing a tract of country capable of sustaining more human beings than were ever accommodated by any work of the kind.

" By this great highway unborn millions will easily transport their surplus produc- tions to the shores of the Atlantic, procure their supplies, and hold a useful and profitable intercourse with all the marine nations of the earth. The expense and labor of this great undertaking bear no proportion to its utility. As nature has

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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.

kindly afforded every facility, we have all the moral and physical means within our reach and control. Let us, then, proceed to the work, animated by the prospect of its speedy accomplishment, and cheered by the anticipated benedictions of a grate- ful posterity."

Judge Richardson then broke the earth, and was followed by the citizens, and his own laborers, each vieing with the other in this demonstration of the joy of which all partook on that interesting occasion.

Thus, accompanied by the acclamations of the citizens, and the discharge of can- non from the United States Arsenal, has been struck the first stroke towards the con- struction of a work, which, in its conception, will unite Erie with the Hudson; the West with the Atlantic; which will scatter plenty along its borders; carry refinement and civilization to the regions of the wilderness, and ever remain a proud and useful monument of the enlightened views of its projectors and of the wisdom and mag- nanimity of the State of New York.

The foregoing account from the Utica Gazette and the Columbian makes no mention of Governor De Witt Clinton being present at the ceremonies, and awards to Judge John Richardson the honor of shovel- ing the first spadefulof earth. Jones's Annals of Oneida County awards that honor to Hon. Joshua Hathaway, of Rome, and it is so inscribed on the tombstone of Judge Hathaway in Rome cemetery. History records (E. H. Roberts's History of New York) that Governor Clinton was present, and that he entered upon the duties of his office only three days before. Further, the late Judge Henry A. Foster informed the author of this work, that when he (Judge Foster) was senator in 1828, Governor Clinton informed him (Judge F.) that he was present at those ceremonies and stated that to him (the governor) really belonged the honor of casting the first spadeful of earth.

On the 21st of October, 1819, the channel of the canal between Utica and Rome, was filled with water from Oriskany creek, and on the next day a boat named the "Chief Engineer," in honor of Judge Benjamin Wright, made a trial trip from Rome to Utica. A military band and a number of citizens were on board, and they were received by the Uticans by the ringing of bells, the firing of cannon and the applause of the multitude. On the 23d of the same month, that boat returned to Rome with a company of 70 ladies and gentlemen, among whom were Governor Clinton, General Van Rensselaer, the canal commissioners, Colonel Lansing, Judge Morris S. Miller and Judge Benjamin Wright. The boat was 61 feet long, 7} feet wide, a cabin at each end, and each cabin 14 feet in length, with a flat deck between the two cabins. At 9 that morning, the excursionists embarked at Utica for Rome, amid the ringing of bells, the firing of cannon, and the shouts of the people. 1n 40 minutes the boat reached Whitesboro, and at 1 P. M., arrived at Rome. All along the route, the canal banks, the fences, the trees and the buildings, were crowded by an eager, curious and excited multitude, to witness the novel sight. At 3 P. M. the boat

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1814 TO 1819.

started from Rome on its return trip, and reached Utica a little before 8in the even- ing.

In the spring of 1820 the canal between Utica and Montezuma was open for busi- ness, and about the middle of April of that year the first boat of the season, and the first packet which ever run on the Erie canal, started from Utica for Montezuma. The boat was the "Chief Engineer;" it left Utica early in the morning of Thursday, having on board John T. Clark, (afterwards state engineer,) Mayor Burse, (or Buss,) John B. Pease, then sheriff of Oneida county, (father of the late Harmon Pease,) and others. It reached Rome about 1 P. M. and took on board Henry A. Foster, (now ex-Judge Foster, and who is my informant,) Colonel John Westcott and his son, Simon Matteson and his brother, Clark Matteson. Jesse Matteson was captain. About 5 p M. that boat reached Brandy Brook, in the town of Verona, and there was obliged to remain until Friday afternoon, owing to the low state of the water in the canal, by reason of a break. That night (Friday) the boat reached a point in the town of Sullivan in Madison county, and there remained all night. Saturday night the boat and its company reached "old Real's tavern" in the town of Manlius in Onondaga county, and there remained over night, and Sunday night the party reached "Corinth" (now Syracuse.) Some twelve to fifteen horses were taken along, to distribute along the route to be used as packet horses and for a change. Portions of the way oxen were used to draw the boat along. The return trip was made a little quicker, and the party reached home in time to vote at the general election, then held the last of April, at which De Witt Clinton was elected governor over Daniel D. Tompkins.

On the 20th of May of the same year an excursion was made by the "Chief Engi- neer" and "Montezuma" from Utica to Seneca river, and among the excursionists were Governor Clinton, the canal commissioners, and a large party from Utica, Whitesboro, Rome, and other points.

In June, 1820, the ' Erie Canal Navigation company" advertised that 100 miles of the canal was open from Utica westward, and that boats left Utica Mondays and Thursdays at 9 A. M. and and reached Canastota at ? r. M., and that the fare was $4 including meals.

In the same year that the work was commenced on the Erie Canal, President James Monroe made a partial tour through the Northern States. It is not definitely known whether he passed through Oneida county or not, but it is thought he did not. The object of the tour was to inspect the military condition of the northern frontier. He came up the St. Lawrence River as far as Ogdensburgh ; there he was met August 1, 1817, by Gen. Jacob Brown and others, escorted over the country to Rossie, Antwerp, Leray and thence to Watertown. He proceeded from there to Brownville and to Sackett's Harbor, which place he reached August 4 There he was received with military honors and a brief address and on the 6th he embarked on board the United States brig Jones, bound for Niagara.

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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.

It has been incidentally mentioned in a previous chapter that the Rome jail, which was erected.before 1800, was destroyed by fire in 1817. That fire was an incendiary one, set by the prisoners confined therein, and occurred August 19, 1817. There were a number of prisoners in the jail at the time, and some five of them attempted to escape by set- ting fire to the jail. The flames, however, got under such headway be - fore being discovered by outsiders, that many of the prisoners came near to death by suffocation. It was some time before the doors were opened. They all crowded to the door, through a small crack in which a little fresh air came, and where they crowded each other and struggled and fought for a breath of air and for life. One of the prisoners. Elisha Green, was killed in the struggle, or died of suffocation. When the doors were opened the prisoners were so much exhausted as to make it difficult to revive them. They were laid out in the open air upon the grass and as they revived their agony and contortions were dreadful. One of the prisoners, John J. Sundown, an Oneida Indian, was alive some twenty-five years ago, living at Oneida. Five of the prisoners who were implicated in the offense of setting the fire were indicted for arson at the December term of the court held by Judge Platt at Whites- town in 1817, and tried at the same term. Their names were John Harris, John Denny, James O'Brien, David Linus, and Roswell T. Pratt. Denny and Linus were Oneida Indians. Denny was in jail under an in- dictment for an assault with intent to kill; Pratt under an indictment for passing counterfeit money. Harris, Linus and O'Brien were in jail under sentence to the State's Prison for three years for grand larceny. The prisoners were defended by T. R. Gold and F. C. White, of Whitesboro. All of the five indicted persons were convicted, the penalty of which was death, and were sentenced to be hung the 2d (Friday) of February, 1818. Apollos Cooper, of Utica, was sheriff and John Westcott, the Rome jailor. The coffins were made for the prisoners and a gallows erected for the five. The day of execution was in midwinter and old residents gave to the author a quarter of a century ago an account of the burning of the jail, the scene presented by the suffocating prisoners, and the looks of the gallows and the crowd that came to witness the execution. Men, women, and children, came in sleighs, on horseback, and some on foot, from all parts of the county, some of the way through

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Our county and its people; a descriptive work on Oneida county, New York;, Part 18

Author: Wager, Daniel Elbridge, 1823-1896 Publication date: 1896 Publisher: [Boston] : The Boston history co. Number of Pages: 1612

Author: Wager, Daniel Elbridge, 1823-1896
Publication date: 1896
Publisher: [Boston] : The Boston history co.
Number of Pages: 1612