USA > New York > Pioneer history of the Holland Purchase of western New York : embracing some account of the ancient remains > Part 22
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* The battle ground is a mile and a half below the Five Mile Meadows, at a place called Bloody Run. Skulls and other human bones, bill-axes, pieces of muskets, &c., were strewn over the ground there, long after the settlement of the country commenced.
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battle. Those that could, made their escape, and went down the river. Upon the return of our troops to Gen. JOHNSON with the prisoners, he immediately sent a flag of truce. in to the commander of the fort, and demanded a surrender, telling him of the defeat of the reinforcement he expected; but the French commandant would not give credit to what Gen. JOHNSON said, till he had sent a flag of truce with a drum, into our camp, and found it but too true ; and immediately on the officer's return to the fort. the French commandant offered to capitulate, provided Gen. JOHNSON would permit the garrison to march out with all the honors of war, which was agreed to; but that they must immediately, upon their coming out, lay down their arms, and surrender them- selves, which they accordingly did; and Gen. JOHNSON took possession of the fort directly after. The garrison consisted of 607 men, among which were 16 officers, 7 of which were captains, besides the chief commander, and we hear they are shortly after their surrender, embarked on board of batteaux, and sent up to Oswego, and from thence were to be sent down to New York, and may be expected here every day. The number of our killed and wounded in the defeat of the reinforcement from Venango, we cannot as yet justly ascertain, but there were five of the New Yorkers among the slain in that affair. It is said we had not lost 40 men in the whole, since the landing of the troops at Niagara. The Indians were allowed all the plunder in the fort, and found a vast quantity of it, some say to the value of £ 300 a man. The fort, it is said, is large enough to contain 1000 fighting men, without inconvenience; all the buildings in and about it are standing, and in good order; and it is thought, had our forces stormed the place (which was intended) they would have met with a warm reception; and beating the Venango party, will undoubtedly crown with laurels the ever deserving JOHNSON "*
From the Maryland Gazette, Aug. 23d, 1759: Under Philadelphia head, Aug. 16th:
By a letter from Niagara, of the 21st. ult. [?], we learn that by the assiduity and influence of Sir William JOHNSON, there were upwards of eleven hundred Indians convened there, who, by their good behaviour, have justly gained the esteem of the whole army: That Sir William being informed the enemy had buried a quantity of goods on an Island, about twenty miles from the fort, sent a number of Indians to search for them, who found to the value of eight thousand pounds, and were in hopes of finding more, and that a French vessel, entirely laden with beaver, had foundered on the Lake, where her crew, consisting of forty-one men, were all lost.t
From the Maryland Gazette, Thursday, Aug. 30, 1759. "NEW YORK, August 20, 1759.
JOURNAL OF THE SIEGE OF NIAGARA, TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH:
Friday, July 6, 1759. About seven at night a soldier, who was hunting, came with all diligence to acquaint Monsieur POUCHOT, that he had discovered at the entrance
* The following eloquent description of the battle scene upon the river bank, occurs in Graham's Colonial History: - "The French Indians having raised the fierce, wild yell, called the war-whoop, which by this time had lost its appalling effects on the British soldiers, the action began by an impetuous attack from the enemy; and while the neighboring Cataract of Niagara, pealed forth to inattentive ears, its everlasting voice of many waters, the roar of artilley, the shrieks of the Indians, and all the martial clang and dreadful revelry of a field of battle, mingled in wild chorus with the majestic music of nature."
t Some may be disposed to infer that the anchor, cannon, &c. which the author has assumed, were those of the Griffin, are as likely to have belonged to the shipwrecked vessel here spoken of. But forty-six years intervened between the loss of this vessel, and the finding of the relics near the mouth of the Eighteen Mile creek; not a sufficient period to allow of the appearance those relics presented: the anchor deeply embedded in sand and gravel, the timber growth, &c.
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of the wood, a party of savages, and that they had even fired on some other hunters. Mons. POUCHOT immediately sent M. SELVIERT, Captain in the regiment of Rousil- lon, at the head of one picquet, a dozen Canadian volunteers preceded them, and on their coming to the edge of the woods, a number of Indians fired upon them whichi they returned, and were obliged to retire. They took Messrs. FURNACE and ALOQUE, Interpreters of the Iroquois, two Canadians, and two other gentlemen. They made another discharge and retired. Monsieur POUCHOT fired some cannon upon them. Mons. SELVIERT lay all night, with 100 men, in the Demilune,* and the rest of the garrison was under arms on the ramparts till midnight.
Saturday, July 7th. We perceived 7 barges on the Lake, a league and a half distance from the fort; we judged by that it was the English come to besiege us: Mons. POUCHOT ordered the general to be beat, and employed all hands to work on the batteries, to erect embrasures, t all being en barbet # before. He immediately des- patched a courier to Mons. CHEVERT, to give him notice of what happened; he also sent out Monsieur LA FORCE, || Captain of the Schooner Iroquois, to destroy the English barges where he could find them. All that day several savages showed themselves on the edge of the desert. Monsieur LA FORCE fired several cannon shot at them; and perceived they were working at an entrenchment at the Little Swamp, " which is a league and a half from the fort. The guards this night as the night before.
Sunday, 8th July. The schooner continued to cruise and fire on the English camp. About nine in the morning, an English officer brought a letter from Brigadier PRIDEAUX, to Mons. POUCHOT, to summons him, proposing him all advantages and good treatment, all which he very politely refused, and even seemed to be unwilling to receive the English General's letter. The remainder of this day the English made no motions.
[There is no entry for Monday.]
Tuesday, 10th. At 2 o'clock all our men were on the ramparts, and at day-break we perceived they had opened their trenches, at the entrance of the wilderness, at about three hundred toises from the fort; we made a very hot fire upon them all day. M. CHABOURT arrived with the garrison of the Little Fort, § and seven or eight savage
* The work in front of the curtain or main breast-work.
t A narrow orifice through which the cannon is fired.
# In a condition to allow of cannon being fired over them.
|| We first hear of this early navigator upon lake Ontario, in Washington's diary of his mission to the Ohio, in 1753. He accompanied him in a part of his tour, and in the ensuing spring was captured and sent a prisoner to Williamsburg. He was the French leader and Indian negotiator in the early contest between the French and English in the neighborhood of Fort Du Quesne, (Pittsburgh). He was the JONCAIRE of that region, though not as successful, as was the adopted son of the Senecas. He broke jail at Williamsburg, and going at large, excited terror among the border settlers of Virginia, by whom he was regarded as a dangerous ally of the Indians. In his attempted escape, he was arrested by a back woods-man, who resisted his offers of wealth and preferment, and conveyed him back to prison, where he was loaded with a double weight of irons and chained to the floor of his dungeon. Washington, hearing of the hard fate of his old acquaintance, remonstrated with Gov. DINWIDDIE, but failed to excite his sympathies. LA FORCE remained in prison two years. The next we hear of him, he is captain of the "Schooner Iroquois " on lake Ontario. Cruising on the lake, he escaped the fate of his countrymen at Niagara.
T The Little Swamp is forty rods west of the mouth of the Four Mile Creek. Some of the remains of the battery are still there.
§ At Schlosser
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Iroquois and Missagoes. Monsieur POUCHOT went to palisade the ditches: The service as usual, only the addition of two officers to lie in the covered way. About 11 o'clock at night, orders were given to make all the picquets fire from the covered way, to hinder the workmen of the enemy. M. LA FORCE sent his boat on shore for Monsieur POUCHOT's orders.
Wednesday, 11th July. The works continue on both sides. At noon a party of about fifteen men, soldiers and militia, went very nigh the trenches of the enemy, and perceived them sally out between four and five hundred, who came towards them at a quick pace, but they were stopped by our cannon. They began on the other side of the swamp, which is the left of their trench, another about twenty yards; and at 5 o'clock they began to play two Grenadoe Royal Mortars. At 6 o'clock two savages of the Five Nations, who were invited by one CAYENDESSE, of their nation, came to speak to Monsieur POUCHOT; the firing ceased on both sides during this parley. At 10 o'clock we began to fire again, and then we found the English had eight mortars.
Night between the 11th and 12th. The enemy ran their parallel from their first trench to the lake side, where it seemed they intended to establish a battery. At two in the afternoon, [of the 12th, doubtless, ] four chiefs of the Five Nations came to us on parole, and said they were going to retire to Belle Famille. The enemy wrought the rest of that day, and perfected their night's work. Monsieur LA FORCE had orders to proceed to Frontenac, and to return immediately. In the night between the 12th and 13th they fired many bombs. I went with thirty men to observe where the enemy wrought.
Friday, 13th July. A canoe arrived from Monsieur DE VILLE, to hear how we stood at this post (or rather for the Canada post.) The enemy threw a great many bombs all this day, and continued to work to perfect their trenches: we fired a great many cannon shot. Many of their savages crossed the river, and desired to speak with us; there were but two of those nations with us. I went out with five volunteers, to act as the night before. The enemy fired no bombs till about midnight.
Saturday, 14th July. At day-break we found they had prolonged their trenches to the lake shore, in spite of the great fire from our cannon and musketry, during the night, and perfected it during the day time; they have placed four mortars and thrown many bombs. All our garrison lay in the covered way, and on the ramparts.
Sunday, 15th July. In the morning we perceived they had finished their works begun the night before. During the night they threw three hundred bombs; the rest of the day and night they threw a great many, but did not incommode us in any shape.
Monday, 16th July. At dawn of day we spied, about half a league off, two barges, at which we discharged some cannon, on which they retired. In the course of the day they contined to throw some bombs. They have already disabled us about twenty men. All our men lie on beaver, or in their clothes, and armed. We do what we can to incommode them with our cannon.
Tuesday, 17th July. Until six this morning we had a thick fog, so that we could not discern the works of the enemy; but it clearing a little up, we saw they had raised a battery of three pieces of cannon, and four mortars on the other side of the river; they began to fire about 7 A. M., and Monsieur POUCHOT placed all the guns he could against them: The fire was brisk on both sides all day, they seemed most inclined to batter the house where the Commandant lodges. The service as usual for the night.
Wednesday, 18th July. There was a great firing as on the preceding day; we had one soldier dismembered, and four wounded by their bombs.
Thursday, 19th July. At dawn of day we found the enemy had begun a parallel eighty yards long in front of the fort. The fire was very great on both sides. At 2 P.
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M. arrived the Schooner Iroquois, from Frontenac, and laid abreast of the fort, waiting for a calm, not being able to get in, the enemy having a battery on the other side of the river. Monsieur POUCHOT will have the boat on shore as soon as the wind falls.
Friday, 20th July. The English have made a third parallel, towards the lake; they are to-day about one hundred and sixty yards from the fort. They cannot have worked quietly at the Sappe, having had a great fire of musketry all night long, which they were obliged to bear. During the day they made a great firing with their mortars, and they perfected their works begun the night of the 19th to the 20th. We had one man killed, and four wounded. The fire of the musketry was very hot on both sides till eleven at night, when the enemy left off, and we continued ours all night. Two canees were sent on board the schooner, which are to go to Montreal and Tironto.
Saturday, 21st. During the night the enemy made a fourth parallel, which is about one hundred yards from the fort, in which it appears they will erect a battery for a breach in the flag bastion. They have hardly fired any cannon or bombs in the day, which gives room to think they are transporting their cannon and artillery from their old battery to their new one. The service as usual. Their battery on the other side fired but little in the day. The schooner went off to see two canoes over to Tironto, one of which is to post to Montreal, and from thence she is to cruise off Oswego, to try to stop the enemy's convoys when on their way. The company of volunteers are always to pass the night in the covered way.
Sunday, 22d. All the night was a strong conflict on both sides. We had one man killed by them and by our own cannon. We fired almost all our cannon with cartridges. They worked in the night to perfect all their works begun the night before The enemy began to fire red-hot balls in the night; they also fired fire-poles. * All day they continned at work to establish their batteries. They fired, as usual, bombs and cannon. The service as usual for the night of the 22d and 23d. They worked hard to perfect their batteries, being ardently sustained by their musketry.
Monday, 23d. We added two pieces of cannon to the bastion of the lake, to oppose those of the enemy's side. At 8 A. M. four savages brought a letter from Monsieur AUBREY to Monsieur POUCHOT, by which we learn, that he has arrived at the Great Island, t before the Little Fort, at the head of twenty-five hundred, half French and half savages. Monsieur POUCHOT immediately sent back four savages with the answer to Monsieur AUBREY's letter, informing him of the enemy's situation. These savages, before they came in, spoke to the Five Nations, and gave them five belts to engage them to retire from the enemy. They saw part of the enemy's camp, and told us the first er second in command was killed by one of our bullets, and two of their guns broken and one mortar. We have room to hope, that with such success we may oblige the enemy to raise the siege, with the loss of men, and as they take up much ground, they must be beat, not being able to rally quick enough. At 2 P. M. they unmasked another battery of -- pieces of cannon, three of which were eighteen-pounders, the others twelve and six. They began with a brisk fire, which continued two hours, then slackened. Abont 5 P. M. we saw a barge go over to Belle Famille, on the other side of the river, and some motions made there. One of the four savages which went off this morning, returned his Porcelain (i. e. wampum), he had nothing new. The service of the night as usual. We worked hard to place two pieces, twelve-pounders, on the middle of the curtains, to bear upon their battery.
* Fire-balls.
t Navy Island, which the French may have regarded as but a continuation of " Great " or Grand Island
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Tuesday, 24th July. The enemy began their fire abount 4 o'clock this morning, and continued to fire with the same vivacity the rest of the day. At 8 A. M. we perceived our army was approaching, having made several discharges of musketry at Belle Famille. At 9 the fire began on both sides, and lasted half an hour. We wait to know who has the advantage of those two. At 2 P. M. we heard by a savage, that our army was routed, and almost all made prisoners, by the treachery of our savages: when immediately the English army had the pleasure to inform us of it, by summon- ing us to surrender."
The above with some letters, were found in an embrasure, after we were in possess- sion of the fort, since which, translated, and the original given to Sir WILLIAM JOHNSON.
Since our last seven sloops arrived here [N. Y. ] from Albany, with about six hun- dred and forty French prisoners, officers included, being the whole of the garrison of Niagara. Among the officers are Monsieur POUCHOT, who was commander-in-chief of the fort, and Monsieur VILLARS, both captains, and knights of the order of St. Louis. There are ten other officers, one of which is the famous Monsieur JOINCŒUR, a very noted man among the Seneca Indians, and whose father was the first that hoisted French colours in that country. His brother, also a prisoner, is now here, and has been very humane to many Englishmen, having purchased several of them from the savages."
While British arms were achieving victories at Ticonderoga, Crown Point, Frontenac, Du Quesne, and Niagara, Gen. WOLFE was at the same time, vigorously carrying forward his operations before Quebec. In the midst of his exertions, he received intelli- gence of the capture of Niagara and the retreat of the French before Gen. AMHERST. The advanced period of the season, the strong French force at the isle Aux Noix, satisfied WOLFE that the union of the force under Gen. AMHERST with that under himself, could not take place. Neither was it probable that Sir WILLIAM JOHNSON would be able to march against Montreal, to divide the forces and divert the attention of the French. Notwith- standing all this, WOLFE resolved to continue the siege, make superior caution and daring, activity and bravery supply the place of numbers and strength. Though in body so weak and feeble from the effects of a painful and wasting malady, that he was often confined to his room, Gen. WOLFE, by his cheerful and confident bearing, inspired the minds of all around him with the highest expectation, that under him their brightest hopes would be fully realized-their toils and sufferings be rewarded with the noblest triumph British valor had ever before achieved on the American continent.
With an army of eight thousand men, under a convoy of British vessels, Gen. WOLFE landed on the Isle of Orleans, lying in the St. Lawrence, a few leagues below the city of Quebec, near the
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close of June, 1759. Here he had a full view of the dangers and embarrassments that he must encounter, and of the bold yet cautious course he would have to adopt and pursue, in order to succeed. Nobly exclaiming that "a victorious army finds no difficulties," WOLFE resolved to hazard every thing to gain every thing. With the hope that MONTCALM, the French commander, might be induced to change his strong and well chosen position and enter into a general engagement, WOLFE brought about the battle of Montmorency, and was repulsed with the loss of five hundred of his best men. At this critical juncture, the daring resolution was made to carry on all future operations above the town. At the greatest risk and the most imminent danger, by a bold and master movement, the English finally gained the Heights of Abraham, which overlooked and commanded the city. So great were the astonishment and surprise of MONTCALM, when first informed of this sudden change of the enemy's position, that he refused to believe it possible. He saw that a fatal battle could not much longer be avoided-a battle that inevitably would deeide the fate of the empire of France in America-and he made his preparations accordingly. An engagement soon after took place between the two armies, in which the steady, unflinching bra- very of the British, and the reckless, impetuous courage of the French were both tried and proved. The English were victorious and to them the French surrendered Quebec-their last remaining strong hold that had not yet fallen into the possession of their enemies.
WOLFE and MONTCALM, the commanding generals, were foemen worthy of each other. The wonderful coincidence and contrast presented in the closing scene of their fortunes and life, have forever blended their memory in glorious union on the Historian's page, the Painter's canvass, and in the Poet's numbers. Both had distinguished themselves during the war-both were in the thickest and fiercest of the battle storm-both led their emulous columns on to the deadly charge-both were mortally wounded and reluctantly carried from the field-both died - one as the shouts of victory were ringing louder and louder in his failing ears, and words of peaceful resignation were falling from his closing lips,-the other, with the fervent aspiration that he might not " live to see the surrender of Quebec," and his country's dominions pass into the hands of his conqueror.
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The loss of these two brave and accomplished commanders was deeply lamented and regretted by their respective nations-their names united and honored by their enemies. With what truth and beauty does their kindred fate illustrate, though under widely different circumstances, how often it is,
"That the paths of glory lead but to the grave."*
Thus triumphantly with the English, ended the campaign of 1759; but not the mutual exertions of the French and English for supremacy over the Indian nations. After the conquest of Quebec, two Indians of the Six Nations, at the suggestion of the English, it is presumed, visited a settlement of their people that had removed to Canada and were in the French interest. They endeavored to persuade their people to make a timely secession from the French, and come home to their own country; telling them that " the English, formerly women, were now all turned into men, and were growing as thick in the country as trees in the woods, that they had taken the French forts at Ohio, Ticonderoga, Louisburg and Quebec, and would soon eat all the French in Canada, and the Indians that adhered to them." The French Indians were inered- ulous; they said to their visitors: - " Brothers you are decieved; the English cannot eat up the French; their mouths are too little, their jaws too weak, and their teeth not sharp enough. Our father, Yonnondio, has told us, and we believe him, that the English, like a thief have stolen Louisburg and Quebec from the great king, while his back was turned, and he was looking another way; but that he has turned his face, and sees what the English have done, he is going into their country with a thousand great canoes, and all his warriors; and he will take the little English king and pinch him till he makes him cry out and give back what he has stolen, as he did about ten summers ago, and this your eyes will see." The French Indians came near making converts of the English agents. The result of the visit was at least to make the Six Nations more
*An affecting incident is related of Gen. Wolfe, which presents his character in the most amiable light. It is said that when Wolfe and his army were noiselessly floating down the St. Lawrence, at midnight, to the place where they were to land and begin their difficult ascent to the Heights above, he, in a low, tender tone, repeated the whole of Gray's plaintive and touching " Elegy in a Country Church Yard," in which occurs the prophetic line above quoted; and at the conclusion of it, he remarked :- " Now, gentlemen, I would rather be the author of that poem, than take Quebec." What a noble tribute for a Warrior to render a Poct.
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wavering in their adherence to the English, and distrustful as to their final supremacy.
While this war had been waging, as in those that had preceded it, there were frequent incursions of French and Indians to the frontiers of Massachusetts and New Hampshire; but their visits were less sanguinary and barbarous in their character, than those of former years. Bounties were paid, to encourage the Indians to deliver all English prisoners alive.
French determination to maintain their ground, was revived after a short recoil from the capture of their strong hold; and new and large levies of troops were made from the English colonies. No sooner had the English fleet retired from the St. Lawrence than LEVI, who had succeeded MONTCALM, resolved to attempt the recovery of Quebec. In April, 1660 he embarked with a strong army from Montreal, and having by means of armed frigates, the control of the St. Lawrence, he took position at Point au Tremble, within a few miles of Quebec. In a few days, Gen. MURRAY, who had succeeded WOLFE, sallied out and attacked the French in their then position, near Sillery. He retreated, after a severe engage- ment, and the loss of one thousand men; the French loss still larger. The French soon after, opened trenches against the town, and commenced an effectual fire upon the garrison. It was vigor- ously resisted, but so well conducted was the siege, that the fate of the English was only decided by a squadron of theirs passing a French armament that had been sent out, and entering before it the mouth of the St. Lawrence. The English ships attacked the French frigates that had come down from Montreal, destroyed a part of them, and obliged the others to retreat up the river. The siege was raised; the whole French army making a hasty and rapid retreat to Montreal.
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