Our county and its people : a memorial record of St. Lawrence County, New York, Part 5

Author: Curtis, Gates
Publication date: 1894
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason
Number of Pages: 1328

USA > New York > St Lawrence County > Our county and its people : a memorial record of St. Lawrence County, New York > Part 5
USA > New York > St Lawrence County > Our county and its people: a memorial record of St. Lawrence County, New York > Part 5

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).

CONFLICTING INTERESTS.

the Catholic and England of the Protestant powers of Europe. Relig- ious prejudice thus intensified the natural jealousy of the two nations.

The Hudson and the St. Lawrence Rivers were then, as now, in di- rect antagonism in the matter of trade. Commerce sought the most advantageous market, and drew much of the traffic of the Indians by the valley of the Mohawk into the hands of the English. This naturally embittered the feelings of the French against their hereditary enemy of the sea-board and gave local zest to the contest which was long waged between the two powers. In pursuit of the fur trade, that great source of wealth to the people of both nations, these trails to the west became avenues of commerce which it was important for the French to hold and equally so for the English to obstruct.

CHAPTER V.

CONFLICTING INTERESTS.

Jesuit Enterprise -- Alarm of the English-Conflicting Claims and Measures-Wash- ington's Mission to the Ohio Valley-Fort Duquesne -- Washington at Fort Necessity - General Braddock's Expedition-Vigorous Movements of the French -- Father Piquet at La Galette -- His Successful Establishment -- His Report Concerning the Location -- French Industry in Founding Establishments for Civilizing the Indians -- The English Awakened to Action -- English Endeavors to Secure an Alliance with the Indians- Piquet's. Improvements at La Galette.

W HEN by the enterprise of the Jesuit missionaries the French began to build fortifications along the Ohio River and its tributaries and monopolize the fur trade, the English colonies were greatly distressed, and it was only a question of time when this unreasonable jealousy would bring on a collision between them. For some time the strolling traders of Virginia and Pennsylvania in purchasing furs had frequented the In- dian villages on the upper tributaries of the Ohio. The French were equally active and began to visit the same places and to compete for the trade. The French traders were regarded by the English as un- warranted intruders, and the Virginians united in a body, called "The Ohio Company," with a view to the immediate occupation of this dis-

HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY.

puted territory, and sent on a large colony of families to take posses- sion of the valley of the Ohio. This expedition was followed by a still more vigorous movement on the part of the French, who built fortifica- tions at several strategic points. The Indians of that territory were somewhat jealous of these movements, not knowing which side to favor ; but after the murder of their chief, Miami, by a French scouting party, their hostility towards the French became more decided, and at a council of war a delegation was sent to the French headquarters to remonstrate with the commander against a further invasion of their country. "The land is mine and I will have it," replied the French- man, with decision and contempt. This insulting remark caused the Indians to raise the hatchet against the enemy of their people, and their chief met Benjamin Franklin at the town of Carlisle, Pa., and formed a treaty of alliance with the English. Virginia was now thor- oughly aroused ; but before proceeding to actual hostilities the governor determined to try the effect of a final remonstrance with the French. Accordingly a paper was drawn up setting forth the nature and extent of the English claim to the valley of the Ohio, and solemnly warning the authorities of France against further intrusion into that region. George Washington, a young man, a surveyor by profession, was select- ed as the bearer of this important dispatch, to be delivered to St. Pierre, the general in command, then stationed at Erie, Pa. Washington set out on his long journey October 31, 1753 ; but before he had completed it he learned that St. Pierre had come down to superintend the fortifica- tions at Labœuf, where the conference was held. Washington was received with great courtesy by the French general, but he refused to enter into any discussion on the rights of nations. He said he was act- ing under instructions from the governor of New France, and his orders were to eject every Englishman from the valley of the Ohio, and he meant to carry out his instructions to the letter. Washington was kindly dismissed, but not until he had noted, with keen anxiety, the immense preparations which were being made by the French to defend their rights to the country. It was in the dead of winter when Wash- ington returned to Virginia, and the defiant dispatch of St. Pierre was laid before Governor Dinwiddie. The first public services of Washing- ton, the future president of the United States, were then acknowl- edged.

pas à dent. E. P. Machary

CONFLICTING INTERESTS.

In the mean time a company was organized under the command of Trent, with orders to proceed at once to the source of the Ohio and erect a fort. About the middle of March the party reached the con- fluence of the Alleghany and the Monongahela Rivers, and there built the first rude stockade fort on the present site of Pittsburg, Pa., this being the key to the Ohio valley. The French, however, rallied soon after and captured the place and laid the foundation for Fort Duquesne.

Washington was commissioned by the governor of Virginia as lieutenant-colonel in the spring of 1754, to command a little army of Virginians, with orders to construct a fort at the source of the Ohio ; to destroy whomsoever opposed him in the work, and to capture, kill. or repel all who interrupted the progress of the English settlements in that country. Washington reached the Great Meadows in the latter part of May, and was informed that a company of French was a few miles away and on the march to attack him. A stockade was immediately erected, to which was given the appropriate name of Fort Necessity. Ascertaining from an Indian that the French company in the neighbor- hood was only a scouting party, Washington, after conferring with the Mingo chief, determined to strike the first blow. Two Indians followed the trail of the French and discovered their hiding place in a broken ravine. Washington's troops advanced cautiously, intending to surprise and capture the whole force ; but the French were on the alert, saw the approaching soldiers and prepared to meet them, when Washington, at the head of his company, with musket in hand, gave the command " fire," and the reverberating sound rang through the forest as the first volley of a great war went flying on its mission of death. The engage- ment was brief and decisive. Jumonville, the leader of the French, and ten of his party were killed and twenty-one were made prisoners of war.

In July of the following year, when General Braddock was about to make a move against Fort Duquesne, Washington, who was acting as his aid-de-camp, cautioned him as to the danger of being led into an ambuscade. This advice touched Braddock's pride and he angrily ex- claimed, " It is high times when Colonel Buckskin can teach a British general how to fight." The result was that Braddock lost his life and

HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY.

his main forces were destroyed, while Washington with thirty Virginians remained alive to cover the flight of the ruined army. Thus our brave Washington commenced his military career and continued to render efficient services to the English against the French during the war.

The collisions which often took place between the French and English scouting parties, who were contending for the possession of the Ohio valley in 1754-55, created a distrust all along the line, and both sides were eager to make allies of the Indian tribes. The French, however, were very successful in gaining the confidence of the Indians, and for a year or two drove every English family from the Ohio valley as well as from the basin of the St. Lawrence. The territory the French then oc- cupied comprised twenty times as much as the English possessed.

The vigorous efforts put forth by the French in encouraging such hostilities caused Great Britain to make an open declaration of war, May 17, 1756, which was followed by a similar declaration on the part of France.

We have in this chapter diverged somewhat from the direct history con- nected with Ogdensburg, in order to note the operations of the French in the southwest, thus continuing the chain of circumstances which led to the war and the final cessation of French rule in America. Let us now return to the record of events in the vicinity of the territory of which this work treats.

Francois Piquet, a Sulpitian, who was a successful missionary at the NY. NG CO . SYP Lake of Two Mountains, was among the first to foresee the coming war be- FATHER PIQUET. tween France and England. He had, therefore, prepared himself as early as 1742, for the coming struggle. The French had long seen the necessity of forming an alliance with the Indian tribes on the borders of their territory, and of fortifying every avenue of approach whereby the English could reach the St. Lawrence

CONFLICTING INTERESTS.

River; therefore, it became necessary to fortify La Galette in order to hold the British in check, as the latter could descend from the Mohawk, by the way of Cranberry Lake and the Oswegatchie River, to the St. Lawrence.

The French authorities had great confidence in the zeal and executive ability of Father Piquet, as he had a military turn of mind. He was a theologian, an orator and a poet ; he also sang and composed songs in French as well as in Iroquois (with which language he was familiar), which greatly interested and amused the savages. "He was a child with one, and a hero with another ;" therefore he was commissioned to take charge of this enterprise, and left Quebec September 30, 1748, for Fort Frontenac, where he wintered. On the 4th of May, 1749, he left Frontenac with twenty-five Frenchmen and four converted Indians, in several bateaux, laden with provisions and the necessary outfit to erect a fort.

Landing with his forces on the west shore of the Oswegatchie at La Galette, May 30, 1749, he first erected a storehouse for his provisions, then a stockade fort, also a house which served them as a bastion, on the spot near where the Rome, Watertown and Ogdensburg station now stands. Shortly afterward five two-pounder cannons were sent him from the fort, to give it the appearance of stability and to inspire the Indians with confidence in his strength.

Piquet with his assistants, after fitting up their houses and laying in provisions for the winter, commenced work among the various Indian tribes, to bring them into friendly relations, and to induce them to join his mission. On the 26th of October a party supposed to be Mohawk Indians, being instigated to this attack by the English, surprised the camp and burned everything excepting Piquet's house, including a quantity of hay on two barges which had been gathered for shipment, causing a loss to the settlers of about $600. The loss would have been greater, but for a detachment of Sieur de Vassau's command froin Fort Frontenac, and four Abenakis, who furnished on this occasion good proof of their fidelity. No lives were lost, but one man had his hand carried away by a ball, and his arm had to be amputated. Nothing daunted by this unexpected check, they went to work at once to make repairs and build their winter quarters. Piquet had a special interview

HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY.

with the Iroquois Indians, who were satisfied with all he had done, and six Indian families took up their abode with him. Father Piquet, in making his report to the governor of New France, said, " This post was very advantageous ; it is on the borders of the River de la Presentation at the head of all the rapids, on the west side of a beautiful basin formed by the river and capable of easily holding forty or fifty barks, drawing ten or twelve feet of water. The bank is very low, in a level country, the point of which runs far out. The passage across is hardly a quarter of a league, and all the canoes, going up or down, cannot pass elsewhere. A fort on this point would be impregnable ; it would be impossible to approach and nothing commands it. The east side is more elevated, and runs by a gradual inclination into an amphitheatre. A beautiful town could hereafter be built here."

Abbe Piquet also stated that he would like to clear up a portion of the forest and accustom the Indians to raise cows, hogs and poultry, as there were beautiful prairies, acorns and wild oats in the vicinity, which could be brought into use. In order to induce the natives to settle there, the governor is said to have placed at this point a large magazine of all kinds of clothing fitted for Indians; also provisions, arms and ammunition, which were distributed very liberally among them.

In the summer of 175 :, having materially strengthened the fortifica- tions and gathered three hundred and ninety-six families about him, Father Piquet turned his attention to the erection of a saw-mill for the use of his settlement and for the government. He also obtained a per- petual lease, from the authorities at Quebec, for the mill privilege on the river, with one and one-half square arpents1 of land for a mill yard, at the annual rental of five sous and six deniers, payable to his majesty's domain, on the festival day of St. Remy, which occurs on the first of October.

The industry of the French in founding establishments among the Indian tribes at this period sufficiently evinces the anxiety they felt to secure the interest and influence of the savages, to the prejudice of the English colonies. How far the French had succeeded in drawing away the Indians at this date may be inferred by the words of the son of the

1 An arpent is ten rods square (100 square rods), French measure ; a rod is eighteen feet English measure.

CONFLICTING INTERESTS.

Indian chief, Black Prince, in his interview with the English officer, Colonel Johnson : " I hear a bird sing that a great many Indians, from my castle and others from the Five Nations, had gone to Swe-kat-si. All this grieves me and I see things going very wrong. If a stop is not put to it the Five Nations will soon be ruined."

The English colonies were now thoroughly aroused over their late reverses, and from the fact that, since Braddock's defeat, the Indians were more inclined to tender their allegiance to the French. A con- gress of representatives from the several English colonies was called, and assembled at Albany, N. Y., on the 19th of June, 1754, to agree upon a plan of union for the common defence against the enroachments of the French and the hostilities of the Indians. The measure, which was the great object of this congress, ultimately failed, from its strong republican tendency, which alarmed the minions of royalty then in power. Several points of interest were discussed which have a direct relation with our subject. Among the commissioners from the several colonies appeared those who afterward shone with distinguished reputa- tion in the Revolutionary War. Undoubtedly this congress was the starting point where the question was raised as to the God-given right of self government for the protection of their lives and property, which was so signally carried out by the colonists in 1777.

During the session of the Congress it was stated that the French were continually drawing off the Indians from the British interest, and had lately persuaded one-half of the Onondaga tribe, with many from the other nations, to remove to a place called Oswegatchie, on the River St. Lawrence, where they had built them a church and fort, and that many of the Senecas, the most numerous nation, appeared wavering and rather inclined to the French.

Hendrick, the Mohawk chief, and a friend of the English, endeav- ored to dissuade his confederates of New York from joining the settle- ment at Oswegatchie. At one of their councils he said : " It grieves me sorely to find the road hither so grown up with weeds for the want of being used, and the fires almost expiring at Onondaga, where it was agreed by the wisdom of our ancestors that it should never be extin- guished. You know it was a saying among them, that when the fire was out here, you would be no longer a people. I am now sent by

HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY.

your brother, the governor, to clear the road and make up the fire with such wood as will never burn out, and I earnestly desire you will take care to keep it up, that it may always be found the same when he shall send among you a belt."

There were only a few of the many expected representatives of the Indian tribes present at this congress to show their friendship to the English cause. The Indian chief, Red Head, who was chosen a repre- sentative at a council held at Onondaga, in reply to the Mohawk chief, said : " We acknowledge with equal concern with you that the road be- tween us has been obstructed and almost grown up with weeds; that our fire is scattered and almost extinguished. We return you our most hearty thanks for recruiting the fire with such wood as will burn clear and not go out, and we promise that we shall, with the utmost care, dress and keep it up, as we are sensible from what has been said by our forefathers, that the neglect of it would be our ruin. We rejoice that we see the fire burn pure where it should, and you may depend upon our quenching that false fire at Oswegatchie, and doing all we can to recall our brothers, too often seduced that way. Though we did not imagine we had done so much amiss in going thither, when we observed that you white people pray. We had no nearer place to learn to pray and have our children baptized than there. However, as you insist upon it, we will not go that way nor be any more divided. I must now say it is not with our consent that the French have committed any hostilities in Ohio. We know what you Christian English and French together intend. We are so hemmed in by both that we have hardly a hunting place left. In a little while, if we find a bear in a tree, there will immediately appear an owner of the land to claim the property, and between both we hardly know what to say or think."

The sentiment expressed by the last speaker is so prophetic and true that it cannot fail to excite our sympathy at the fate of this unfortunate race, made so by the hand of a Christian people in whom at first they had placed great confidence.

After the saw mill here was put in operation, the facilities for build- ing were much greater and the mission increased rapidly. They also commenced to clear up the forest at the rate of about one hundred arpents a year, and to plant corn, keep cows, pigs and sheep.

CONFLICTING INTERESTS.

In 1753 Father Piquet, accompanied by a converted Indian chief, made a trip to France to render an account of his stewardship and to solicit aid for his little colony. He was kindly received by the king, who made him presents of money, pictures, a banner and books. This mark of distinction caused some jealousy, however, on the part of other priests. On his return, Father Piquet accompanied his people on sev- eral expeditions against the English. One was around Lake Ontario where the English sent brandy into his camp, thus making the Indians drunk and greatly embarrassing his plans. Piquet, with his braves, was present when Fort George, near Saratoga, was taken from the English, August 9, 1757, by the French commander, De Longuil Sabervois, who captured one hundred prisoners without losing a man. The scalping expeditions that went out from the post at La Galette greatly annoyed the English settlements on the Mohawk, so much so that the British commander determined to put a stop to them by capturing the fortress whence they issued The English were thoroughly aroused and made great preparations to close in on their enemies all along the line, while the French were equally determined to defend their position.

The fort at La Galette in 1755 is described by the French general De Barre, as follows: "The fort Presentation consists of four battle- ments in the form of bastions, of which the curtains are palisades. It is sufficient to resist savages, but could be but poorly defended against troops who might attack it." Therefore, the fort was strengthened and the Marquis de Levis commenced to fortify Isle Royal. The Indian name of this island is Oraquointon, now known by the name of Chim - ney Island.1 The fort was completed in 1759 and christened Fort Levis, after the general who built it. At this fort the main force of troops was thereafter garrisoned. as Father Piquet was opposed to having many of the soldiers stationed at his post. He had found by

| The name of " Isle Royal," became changed to Chimney Island, soon after the country was occupied by the Americans from the fact that many chimneys were left standing among the ruins of the fortress. It is situated some three miles below Ogdensburg on the American side of the channel, and about half a mile due north from "Indian Point." The island is low, irregular in shape, and contains about six acres. For many years traces of the fortress were clearly visible, but it having been dug over time and again by parties in search of treasures, who were led astray by the pretended indications of the divining rod, or the impositions of fortune tellers, have nearly obliterated all traces of the former works. These scenes of money digging. however, have discov- ered a great number of metallic relics, such as tomahawks, hoes, axes, picks, gate hinges, cannon balls and lead bullets, relics of the French and Indian occupation of the place.

HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY.

sad experience that the troops demoralized the savages whom he was laboring to Christianize and greatly retarded the missionary work. For said he, "No one knows better than myself of the disorders which in. crease in proportion as the garrison becomes more numerous. Liber- tinism, intemperance, and all kinds of debauchery, which were intro- duced by the whites, happily were unknown among the savages." 1

SCALE OF FEET.

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150

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RIVER

WRENCE

ST.

Ditch!

LAWRENCE RIVER

Ditch.

ST.

FORT LEVIS ON CHIMNEY ISLAND,

Father Piquet was as much abhorred and dreaded by the English, as he was honored and esteemed by the French. At a grand council held by the French, on the progress of the war in Montreal, a member

1 The experiences of many of the French missionaries are somewhat different. They find, as a general rule, that the morals of the Indians were very low.

LANDING

ENGLISH SUPREMACY.

by the name of Eastburn said that a priest called Piquet, stationed at Oswegatchie, and who understood the Indian language well, did more harm to the English than any other of his order in Canada; that his raids had proved very harassing to the white settlements along the frontier at New York.

In 1757 General Gage was ordered by the British commoner that if Fort Niagara, which was then under siege, should be reduced, he should immediately proceed to capture the fort at La Galette, so that the Eng- lish settlements might be free from the enemies' scalping parties. But owing to the lateness of the season, the order was not carried out.

CHAPTER VI.

ENGLISH SUPREMACY.

Campaign of 1758-Campaign of 1759-Campaign of 1760 -- Military Operations in the Vicinity of La Galette -- Capture of the Post by the English-Treaty of Paris -- Failure of French Hopes -- Piquet's Departure.

A NEW ministry was formed in England, with the great commoner, William Pitt, at its head, and General Abercrombie succeeded the deposed Lord Loudon at the head of the army in America. Substantial success followed this charge, attained chiefly through the operations of the subordinate officers, Admiral Boscawen, General Amherst, Lord Howe, General Forbes, General Washington, Col. Robert Montgomery and General Wolfe.

Three campaigns were planned for 1758-Amherst in conjunction with the fleet to capture Louisburg ; Lord Howe to reduce Crown Point and Ticonderoga ; while the Ohio valley was entrusted to General Forbes, with the assistance of Washington. As a result of Amherst's operations, Louisburg, Cape Breton, and Prince Edward's Island sur- rendered on the 21st of July. On the 5th of July the French repulsed Lord Howe at Ticonderoga, who returned to Fort George at the head of Lake Champlain, whence he sent a force under Colonel Bradstreet

HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY.

against Fort Frontenac. After a siege of two days, this fortress, so im- portant to the French, surrendered, with forty-six cannon, nine vessels of war, and a large quantity of stores. Late in the summer General Forbes, with 9,000 men, advanced against Fort du Quesne, Washington leading the Virginians. On the night of November 24, when Washing- ton's forces were within ten miles of the fort, it was burned by the French garrison, who floated down the river. The English flag was raised over the ruins and the place named " Pittsburg, the Gateway of the West."

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Our county and its people : a memorial record of St. Lawrence County, New York, Part 5

Author: Curtis, Gates Publication date: 1894 Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason Number of Pages: 1328

Author: Curtis, Gates
Publication date: 1894
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason
Number of Pages: 1328