USA > New York > St Lawrence County > Our county and its people : a memorial record of St. Lawrence County, New York > Part 13
USA > New York > St Lawrence County > Our county and its people: a memorial record of St. Lawrence County, New York > Part 13
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139
WAR OF 1812 TO 1815.
ships of the line, not one of which carried less that seventy- four guns large calibre. At various stations on the American coast there were eighty-five war vessels bearing the English flag and ready for immedi- ate action. Lake Ontario was commanded by four British brigs, carry- ing an aggregate of sixty guns. The Canadian armies of England numbered 7, 500 regulars and 40,000 militia. Back of all these forces and armaments stood the seemingly inexhaustible British treasury.
The movements of the war so far as affecting Ogdensburg were as fol- lows : There were eight schooners in the harbor on the 29th of June, when an attempt was made to take them to the lake. While on the way they were overhauled by a Canadian party and a few Indians just above Elizabethtown (now Brockville), and two unarmed vessels were taken and burned ; the other six returned to Ogdensburg. A section of the bridge was opened and the boats passed above for better protec- tion. During an armistice the latter part of summer the vessels were moved up to the lake.
As soon as war was declared General Brown drafted six companies from the regiments of Colonels Benedict and Stone, the drafted com- panies being under Captains Griffin of De Kalb, Armstrong of Lisbon, Cook and Hovey of Lewis county, and Bell and Weaver of Herkimer county. In July General Brown dispatched the schooner Julia, of the . navy, armed with one eighteen-pounder and two six-pounders and laden with military stores, under the command of Lieut. H. W. Wells, for the upper ports. On the 3Ist she arrived at Morristown and was met at 3 o'clock by a British vessel, The Earl of Moira. The two boats dropped anchors, brailed up their canvas and began a cannonade which lasted upwards of three hours, with but slight injury to either. Near dark the enemy's vessel was taken to Elizabethtown (Brockville), and the Julia weighed anchor and fell down the current, reaching Ogdens- burg before morning. The report of the capture of the two vessels, the engagement of the other two vessels at Morristown, and the news of the general order issued at the same time to march to Ogdens- burg, ran through the county with the swiftness of wind, and all the men of the town prepared for immediate action, creating indescribable confusion. The settlements on Black Lake and along the St. Lawrence were entirely deserted, people everywhere running through the woods in
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HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY.
great dismay. At 2 P. M. they were all under arms, an immediate attack being expected from the enemy, for the purpose, as it was supposed, of burning the vessels in the harbor. The alarm had neces- sitated a hasty draft from the militia of the adjacent towns, who arrived in the forenoon and were, from the necessity of the occasion, put on duty before they had time to learn the discipline of camp or the duties of a soldier. The articles of war were read in their hearing, in which the penalty of death was declared to be the doom of every offender who should violate the regulations or be found wanting either through sins of omission or of commission in the routine of the soldier's duty. To those who had just been called from the quiet labors of the field to participate in the events of the war and to share in the rigid dis- cipline of the camp, the soldier's life appeared to depend upon more contingencies than casualties of battle, and the profession of arms to be a path beset with pitfalls and dangerous passes, so straight and nar- row that the utmost caution was required so to conduct one's de- portment as to not incur the death penalty. Such, doubtless,' were the the sentiments of Seth Alexander, a brawny man from De Kalb, who could wield an axe or handle a gun equal to any backwoodsman and who was the subject of the following incident : On the evening of his arrival he was placed on duty as a sentinel, with the usual injunction to . let no one pass without the countersign. Through either accident or design the countersign was not given him. The omission was noticed by him at the time and he asked one of the party who had previously known something of the usages of the camp, what he should do in this emergency. The reply was that he must do as he had been ordered. He accordingly formed the resolution to obey his orders to the letter :- ' To know no man in the dark, and to stop all persons passing by land or by water." There are those who believe that the sentinel was thus pur- posely left in order to test his fidelity by an effort to deprive him of his arms, and thus make him a subject of ridicule. Indeed, one of the officers who was subsequently detained by him, is said to have boasted that he had got two or three guns away from sentinels that night and intended to get as many more. The guard had all been posted and his party of some six or eight men were returning to the guard house when, on approaching the spot where the man without the countersign had
141
WAR OF 1812 TO 1815.
been stationed, they were halted and one by one were commanded to advance, lay down their arms and sit down on the ground. Here they were kept in perfect silence by the resolute orders of the sentinel, who watched every motion of his prisoners and with loaded musket threatened instant death to the first one who should offer to leave his place or make the slightest move towards recovering his arms. The answer returned by the sergeant on being first hailed (which was that Colonel B- had given orders to allow a boat to pass up) had made the sentinel suspicious. About II o'clock at night when preparing to go the grand rounds, the captain of the company on duty made inquiry for the sergeant of the guard and his relief; no one knew what had become of them, as they had not been seen since dark. The cor- poral of the guard was also missing. Captain Hawkins, to whose com- mand these belonged, Adjutant Church and two privates immediately started to go the rounds and learn the cause of the absence of the missing ones. They were proceeding in single file, the two privates in advance, when they were stopped with the usual challenge, "Who comes there ?" to which they replied : " Grand rounds." This was as unintel- ligible as Greek to the new recruit, who abruptly replied, "I'll grand rounds you," and he ordered the first one to advance and sit down. The captain was next disarmed and placed beside his soldiers, forming al- together a group of a dozen or more, including all the missing ones, who were not only kept in their places, but kept absolutely still by the resolute sentinel armed with a loaded musket. The other privates were soon added to the captain's party and Adjutant Church was next ordered to advance, an order which he promptly refused to obey. No sooner did he refuse than the sentinel instantly fired, but in the darkness the shot fortunately went wild. Upon this, Captain Hawkins sprang to his feet and endeavored to seize the sentinel's musket, but he was col- lared and kept at arm's length in the iron grasp of the sentinel. A struggle followed in which the bayonet was loosened from the musket but retained by its owner, and the captain received a severe wound in the arm. The sergeant was also wounded in the leg, upon which the party retreated, leaving their arms on the field. In the excitement of the moment the captain had ordered the stubborn guardsman to be shot, but second thought dictated a more humane policy, and a line of sentries
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HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY.
was posted around him to keep others from falling in his way until morning. The line beyond him was at length relieved, wondering what had kept them on duty so long. Meanwhile, Mr. Alexander, conscious of having committed some error the nature and consequences of which he knew not, resolved to still act upon his orders and trust to common justice in the results. He carefully stacked the weapons he had captured, hanging the swords and hats upon bayonets, and on top of all placed the military hat of his captain; he then resumed his duty, re- solved to defend his position. Two or three companies were ordered out to take him forcibly from his post, but after a little discussion it was thought expedient to let him remain. A young officer, hearing of the affair, offered to go alone and get him off and he left with that intention, but nothing more was seen of him till next morning, when he was found sitting very quietly under guard not far from the stack of trophies of the last night's adventure. The sentinel refused to let the young officer off, notwithstanding some of his neighbors went to intercede in his be- half, until the man who had given him the orders on leaving him the night before should grant him the authority, but as the latter had been wounded and was unable to walk, he was carried to within speak- ing distance of the sentinel and was successful in procuring the release of the young officer. Alexander, the sentinel, still refused to leave his post, until assured by an officer whom he knew that no harm could come to him. He appeared deeply affected at the mistake he had made and especially at the unhappy consequences. Public censure after the first impulse fell justly upon the officer who had posted the sentinel with orders involving the death penalty, to stop all persons, and at the same time neglected to give him the countersign. It was understood that the officers connected with this incident soon found an excuse for relieving Mr. Alexander from further military duty, and sent him home, as his presence in the army would have had a tendency to keep alive the re- markable story which reflected somewhat on the standing of the officers.
Near the close of the season Captain Benjamin Forsythe with a com- pany of riflemen arrived and were quartered at the old barracks.
On the 2d of October, 1812, about forty British boats escorted by two gunboats came up the river and opened a cannonade on the village, which was renewed the following day. The Americans, having two
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WAR OF 1812 TO 1815.
twelve-pounders at the Parish dock and 1,200 infantry on the west side of the Oswegatchie River, returned the fire with their cannon for a short time. On the following morning (Sunday, the 4th) the enemy opened fire on the village, and moving over in the harbor came within musket range. The two cannon at the Parish dock were brought into use, and a lively fusillade kept up by the soldiers on the west side of the river caused the fleet to turn back with a disabled gunboat, having had one small boat sunk and a number of men killed and wounded. Nothing further occurred that season of more importance than an oc- casional bombardment from the fort at Prescott.
Several buildings were struck by cannon balls. One shot entered Mr. Curney's dwelling on the lot where the Seymour House now stands and passed into the room where the family were at dinner. Another struck the frame of a house which stood a block north of the present Custom House site, shivering a rafter. Another entered a gable end of a small hotel on the lot where the National Hotel now stands, passed through a brick chimney, rolled across the room and dropped through a pipe-hole to the floor below. Another struck a pile of wood just back of this last named house, landing in the clay pit of the brick-yard, and splashed mud on some boys, who took refuge behind a wood pile. Henry Plumb of this city was one of those boys. Several shots struck the Parish stone store, the indentations being visible on the walls to-day. A shot from a gunboat struck the west quarter of the roof, and passing diagonally across, went through a brick chimney, out of the gable window, and struck a lumber pile in the saw-mill yard at the dam, which frightened the men away from their work.
There were many amusing incidents mingled with the terror of those hours of bombardment. The casualties were far less than they other- wise would have been on account of the few buildings in the place being so scattered. Most of the shots, however, dropped along the shore or into the rush bed. It was the custom of the people to keep a watch and when they saw the smoke from the cannon at the fort, warning was given to seek shelter, there being time to do so before the ball would strike.
Henry Plumb relates an incident that occurred to a relative of his who was in an open yard, having the skirt of her dress turned to guard
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HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY.
her face from the sun, and being in a stooping posture engaged in pick- ing herbs, when the sharp warning cry came. She suddenly drew the skirt over her face and started as she supposed for the place of safety, but, like all humanity when off their guard, the step of one foot being longer than the other caused her to travel in a circle, stooping as she went at a lively pace around the yard as the ball came screaming over her head, to the great delight of the boys who were watching her peculiar antics.
In the winter of 1813 news came from Brockville that a large num- ber of American prisoners were confined there, some being charged with desertion from the British army, were to be tried for the same, and all were cruelly treated. A party of about two hundred, con- sisting of Captain Forsythe's company and a few citizens, left Ogdens- burg at 9 P.M., February 6, for Morristown. Some went in sleighs and others on foot. They crossed the river in two divisions and were placed in position for an assault if found necessary, while Captain For- sythe with a few men entered the jail and brought away fifty- two men, including a few of their citizens, one hundred and twenty muskets, twenty rifles, two casks of fixed ammunition, and some other public stores, without a casualty except one man wounded by a shot from a chamber window. They arrived safely at Ogdensburg before daylight the next morning. This bold affair led the enemy to take measures for retaliation. The following is given on the authority of a British soldier, Jehial Phillips : A British captain, whose pride was touched by the suc- cessful raid on Brockville, called for volunteers to retaliate by capturing the American sentinel, who was boldly treading his beat on Lighthouse Point in full view of the British camp. A soldier who was called " Bob" said, " Give me Bill Todd and 'Supple Indian' and I will undertake the job." The party, dressed in Indian blanket coats, pro- ceeded cautiously under cover of darkness that night, captured the guard and returned to Prescott with him, from whom it was learned that the militia had gone home, thus leaving Ogdensburg poorly guarded. They at once planned a raid on the place, which was carried out the following day.
Captain Forsythe, being aware of the design to retaliate, had asked General Dearborn of Plattsburg for reinforcements, but could not get
300
14
18
8
5
14
15
7
7
9
Oswesatch
12
U
13
+
H.J.O Eng. Co Syr. N. Y.
5000
OGDENSBURG IN 1812.
I. Rushbed, or Sand Bar.
2. Lighthouse Point.
3. Railroad to Ferry.
4. French Fort and Buildings,
5. French Burying Ground,
6. Early Grist Mill and Store House.
7. Saw Mill and Dam. 13. Court House.
8. Nathan Ford's House. 14. Morristown Road.
8. Parish Stone Store. 15. Black Lake Road and Bridge.
IO. American Hotel. 16. Flume to Grist Mill.
II. Parish Dwelling. 17. Oswegatchie Fort, or Redoubt.
12. Hasbrouck House and 18. Barn.
Indicate Batteries.
Dotted lines show recent survey for wharf lines.
19
146
HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY.
them, receiving word instead that if he could not defend the place, he was at liberty to evacuate it; that the loss of the place might arouse the American spirit. Upon receiving this letter Captain Forsythe assembled the officers, consisting of Captain Kellogg, Lieutenant Smith of the rifle company, Lieutenants Baird, Lytle and Wells, of the volun- teers, then just raised, Adjutant Church and a few others. The result of the council was a determination to defend the place as long as prac- ticable, and to abandon it only when compelled.
The defense of the place was made as follows: Near the intersection of Ford and Euphemia (now State) street stood an iron twelve pounder under command of Captain Kellogg of the Albany volunteers. In front of the arsenal a few doors towards the bridge on Ford street was a brass six-pounder on wheels, under command of Joseph York, and a few men mostly citizens and volunteers. On the bank near the Plumb ferry was a rude wooden breastwork, defended by an iron twelve pounder, mounted on a sled carriage (one of the trophies won from Burgoyne), under command of Capt. Joshua Conkey of Canton. It was said that this gun was not fired, although it was so placed that it might have done the enemy much injury; it would have checked them, and per- haps saved the place. On the point where the lighthouse now stands was a brass nine-pounder mounted on a sled carriage, under command of a sergeant in the company of Captain Kellogg. This piece was fired repeatedly with good effect, and its commander was one of the last to retreat when the place was finally evacuated. Back of the old stone garrison were two old fashioned iron six-pounders, mounted on sleds; one of these pieces was under the orders of Daniel W. Church, and the other under Lieutenant Baird of Captain Forsythe's company. In front of the gateway between the two buildings which formed the stone gar- rison was a six pounder brass piece on a sled carriage. About twenty feet to the left of this was an iron six-pounder on a sled carriage, which had been taken from a gun boat (French gun-boat without doubt) ; be- sides these were several other cannon in front of the stone garrison, which were frozen into the ice.
Early in the morning of February 22, 1813, Lieutenant-Colonel Mc- Donnell's command marched out on the ice in two columns with the intention, as stated by British authority, of only making a demonstra-
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WAR OF 1912 TO 1815.
tion, but which changed to a real attack. One of the columns, about five hundred strong, directed their march to the lower end of the vil- lage, and the other, about three hundred strong, approached from a point above the stone garrison. Besides the United States regulars, there were not more than fifty at Ogdensburg to show their faces to the enemy. Captain Forsythe had drawn up his men in rear of the garrison and facing the column that was approaching from that quarter, and when the latter were within half musket shot, he walked down in front of his men and directed them to reserve their fire until the word of command was given. Near the right of the line Lieutenant Baird was stationed with an iron six-pounder, and Adjutant Church was about two-thirds the way down the line with a brass six-pounder. No order was given to fire until the enemy had nearly reached the bank where the snow had drifted about knee deep, and here they delivered their first volley, but without effect. Captain Forsythe then ordered his troops to fire, and a volley was discharged from the rifles and the two cannon. Upon hearing the order the enemy fell prostrate, and immediately after the discharge they jumped up and ran off without ceremony, leaving eight of their number dead on the ice. This detach- ment consisted of provincial militia and volunteers under British officers. The column of five hundred from below under McDonnell marched into the village without resistance. When coming up Wash- ington street, as they were turning the corner at the Parish place to go up State street, a citizen from the opposite corner fired and killed a British soldier, the ball lodging in an elm tree, and the citizen was also killed by a return shot. Captain Kellogg's gun was disabled on firing the first shot, when his squad retreated across the Oswegatchie River. Mr. York made good use of his gun. which was charged with canister, disabling several of the enemy and riddling the Parish high board fence. The British officer observed the movements of Mr. York in time to order his men to cross the road and drop on the ground, or the casualties would have been much greater. Two of York's men (citi- zens) were severely wounded, and the squad was captured.
As the British troops were marching up to Ford street, a boy soldier named Jones, from Canton, on duty at the arsenal, standing on the east side of Ford street. just below State street towards the bridge, gave the
148
HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY.
usual challange and fired into their ranks with fatal effect. He was ordered to surrender, but cried out " never !" and attempted to reload his gun as he passed into a shop near by, when the British soldiers, en- raged by his resistance, fired a volley upon the courageous youth and finished their bloody work with the bayonet, pinning him to the coun- ter.
Meanwhile the greatest confusion and alarm prevailed throughout the village, and numbers of citizens were hastening away, most of them in the direction of Heuvelton. The nine- pounder which was posted on the Point under charge of a sergeant, was fired with effect upon the first column the moment they began to show disorder and began a re- treat, but its position was such that it could not reach the lower body. Captain Conkey surrendered himself without resistance. These three cannon being in their possession, together with the village, the enemy next directed their efforts towards the position of Forsythe to capture the fort. Captain Forsythe had two cannon planted in front of the garrison, the brass piece charged with canister and grape, ready to fire on the enemy when they reached the Hasbrouck place. But before the order was given to fire, two men were observed coming towards them bearing a white flag. The object of the visit was to demand the immediate surrender of the garrison, otherwise " every man would be put to the bayonet !" Captain Forsythe promptly replied : " Tell your commander there must be more fighting done first." The bearers of this dispatch had no sooner reached their own ranks than the cannon at the garrison was discharged. The enemy watching the movement, dropped to the ground, so that the greater portion of the charge passed over them, disabling only eight men. The casualties would have been much greater had not Captain Forsythe commanded the gunner to " give an- other turn of the screw to elevate the muzzle," which the latter sullenly obeyed, and thus the lives of many British soldiers were saved. The grape shot struck the side of Hasbrouck's barn, which stood at the upper end of the present Hasbrouck brick block (see engraving), rak- ing the boards with numerous long, deep furrows, which remained visi- ble to the passer-by as a reminder of the war, until the building was destroyed by the great fire of 1852. The enemy immediately took shelter behind the Parish stone store and other available objects, and began firing at Forsythe's men, wounding several of the gunners.
149
WAR OF 1812 TO 1815.
Captain Forsythe, seeing that it would be useless for him with his small force to undertake to hold out against such odds, ordered a re- treat up the lake to Thurber's tavern, and thence they crossed over to De Peyster Corners. The British troops proceeded to ransack and pillage the town, carrying off or wantonly destroying a great amount of public and private property. In their carousal they shot through a cellar window and killed a boy. They burned the old barracks,1 and made several attempts to burn the bridge, but the snow and ice with which it was heavily covered saved it. Finding no more government property to destroy they left for Prescott that afternoon, carrying away fifty-two prisoners, mostly citizens, who were soon afterward paroled ; also taking away eleven pieces of cannon and a quantity of provisions belonging to citizens, which they paid for.
The wanton destruction of private property, which is said to have extended to every house in the place but three, was not perpetrated by the British soldiers, but by the abandoned of both sexes from Canada and the States. In this engagement the British lost but six killed and thirty-eight wounded, and of the Americans five killed and fifteen wounded. Captain Forsythe and his commond left De Peyster and joined the American forces at Sackett's Harbor, leaving Ogdensburg wholly without military defence thereafter. A portion of the citizens who had left the place during the season, returned soon afterward to the homes which had been made desolate by the ravages of war. Being unprotected, they were frequently subjected to insults by parties from Canada.
In May, 1813, some deserters coming over from the enemy, an officer with a flag was sent over with a demand for their return ; otherwise the town would be burned. To this Judge Ford promptly replied that if they attempted to carry out that threat he would rally his neighbors and burn every house from Prescott to Brockville. This reply settled the matter, and the British officer apologized for his conduct.
1 The place was left unguarded thereafter, and the barracks were never repaired. The walls and chimneys stood for many years, a monument recalling to mind the efforts made and privations endured by the first white settlers for our benefit. The place should have been repaired and pre- served by the government, instead of having been ruthlessly destroyed by thoughtless men for mercenary objects. Some of the stone of these ruins may now be seen in the road bed west of the Rome depot.
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