USA > New York > Pioneer history of the Holland Purchase of western New York : embracing some account of the ancient remains > Part 60
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NIAGARA COUNTY.
When the division of the old county of Niagara took place, in 1821, although Niagara retained the name, the county buildings, and of course, the old county organization, belonged to Erie. The separate organization of the Courts of the present county of Niagara took place in May, 1821. The first Courts were held at the school . house, in the village of Lewiston. The act making the division of the old county of Niagara, appointed Lothrop Cooke, Sheriff, and Oliver Grace, Clerk, of the new county. Silas Hopkins was first Judge; James Van Horn, and Robert Flemming, were the two additional Judges. The first Circuit Court held in the county, was at Lewiston, Judge Platt presiding.
The first Commissioners to locate county buildings, were, Erastus Root, Jesse Hawley, William Britton. Mr. Britton died soon
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after his appointment. Messrs. Root and Hawley, upon visiting the county in 1821, disagreed; the former taking ground in favor of Lewiston as the county site, but expressing a willingness to compromise and make the site at Molyneux's; the latter adhering to Lockport. At the next session of the Legislature, a new Commis- sion was instituted, consisting of James M'Kown, Abraham Keyser and Julius H. Hatch. In July, 1822, they fixed upon Lockport as the county site; locating the buildings upon two acres of land, deeded to the county for that purpose, by William M. Bond. The Courts were held at Lewiston until July, 1823, at which time the Circuit Court was held in an upper room of the old Mansion House, in Lockport, Judge Rochester presiding. The Court House was completed, and the first court held in it, in January, 1825. At this period, Samuel De Veaux had been added to the bench of Judges, before named.
At the first annual election, after the organization of the county -in Nov. 1822-Almon H. Millard was elected Sheriff; Asahel Johnson, Clerk; Benjamin Barlow, Member of Assembly. The duties of Clerk, principally devolved upon James F. Mason, Esq. during the term of Mr. Johnson, and he was elected as his successor. The aggregate vote of the county, at the first election, was 1,324.
The members of the bar of the county, in '23, were, John Birdsall, W. Hotchkiss, Z. H. Colvin, Bates Cooke, J. F. Mason, Elias Ransom, Hiram Gardner, Theodore Chapin, Sebride Dodge, Harvey Leonard.
Niagara county lies about one half, (the north,) on the first or lower plateau, and the other on the second or upper plateau, as designated in the topography of the Purchase. It contains about 329,500 acres of land, 148,108 acres of which, were under culti- vation in 1845, according to the state census of that year. It then contained a population of 17,827 males, of whom 6,784 were entitled to vote, and 16,724 females; 9,552 were children between 5 and 16 years of age and 243 persons of color. The year pre- ceding (1844,) the territory produced 713,318 bushels of wheat, 58,340 of barley, 188,166 of corn, 498 of rye, 292,099 of oats, 20,101 of buckwheat, 2,185 of beans, 84,626 of peas, 333,658 of potatoes, and 170 pounds of flax. It then contained 27,836 head of neat cattle, 11,924 of cows, from which 861,300 pounds of butter and 154,976 pounds of cheese were made the preceding year; 8,614 horses, 80,549 sheep, 49 churches, 1 academy, 1 female seminary, 156 common schools, 14 grist mills, 58 saw mills, 59 clergymen, 37 attornies and 51 physicians.
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PART SIXTH.
CHAPTER I.
BRIEF REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR OF 1812.
[General histories of the war have been multiplied to an extent that brings them within the reach of all classes of readers; it was the original intention of the author, however, to embody in this work a brief account of most of the events upon the Niagara frontier, and for that purpose he prepared himself with materials. When collected, their magnitude, the extent to which it would be necessary to go to preserve an unbroken chain of events, with any degree of minuteness, soon convinced him of the impracti- cability of the original design. The subject upon which he could bestow but a few pages, required three hundred; and that without going but incidentally beyond local events. He is, therefore, under the necessity of disposing of the subject, at present, with a few brief reminiscences, that will serve to illustrate the condition of the Holland Purchase when the war commenced; its effects upon settlement and progress; and an account, somewhat in detail, of events, the effect and bearing of which, had a direct relation with the main subjects of his history. The materials in his hands, and which can now be obtained, are ample for a separate volume, confined to local reminiscences of the war; so full of interest, throughout, as to render it difficult to discriminate, in the selection of a few pages. At a period of more leisure, it is his present intention to pre- pare and publish in a cheap form, a separate volume of some three hundred pages, devoted to the local events of the war of 1812, and such portions of its general history as are necessary to a connected and intelligent narrative. ]
There are no statistics from which the precise amount of the population of the Holland Purchase, at the commencement of the war of 1812, can be ascertained. In 1811, it was, in the estimation of Mr. Ellicott, a little over 23,000; in 1812, probably not far from 25,000; distributed as has been indicated in our account of the progress of settlement. The only portion of the entire Purchase where there was anything like compact settlement, was in the few small villages, and upon the Buffalo road. Mr. Mellish, who was in this country in 1811, in an account of his journey from Buffalo to Batavia, says, that " the houses were so thick along the road" that he " was seldom out of sight of one." This was far more than could have been said of any other road upon the Purchase at that period. Aside from the villages, there were more framed tenements upon this road. than upon all the rest of the Purchase;
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HOLLAND PURCHASE.
indeed, elsewhere, there was not one settler in an hundred that had dispensed with his primitive log house, and not one in fifty that had even a framed barn. Away from the main thoroughfare, the popula- tion existed in detached neighborhoods and isolated families; it was in but few instances that settlers had fifty acres under improvement; the average extent of improvements upon the entire Purchase did not exceed fifteen acres. The Buffalo road - bad enough, as all will recollect - was by far the best road at the period of which we are speaking; all else, even those most traveled, were but the primitive roads of a new country; but few of the streams were bridged, and but the deepest mud holes crosswayed. A framed bridge over a stream was a novelty; and a chinked or covered crossway was a luxury that marked a neighborhood that was get- ting ahead of the country generally in the march of improvement. Away from the villages, and off the Buffalo road, not over one in ten, of all the public houses, were other than log tenements. Such, briefly, was the condition of the Holland Purchase in 1812. Add to this, the consideration that nine-tenths of the population were poor; struggling for a scanty subsistence upon small patches of openings in the forest; the soil as yet but partially subdued; and it will be seen that the frontier region was but illy prepared to encounter the shock of war in its midst; to adapt itself to its ex- igencies, and participate in its burthens and dangers, as its local position rendered necessary.
It was as illy provided for war, in its military, as in its civil condition. Military organization under our then imperfect militia system, had been but partially consummated. Here and there, were those who had participated in the war of the Revolution; but those few were legally exempt from military duty; the local militia consisted of those whose military experience and discipline, had been acquired in no better school than the semi- annual backwood's muster; an enrolment, an answering to names; an imperfect "inspection and review;" and, generally, an easy compliance with requirements, far from being either stringent or effective. But, as in other similar cases, the exigencies of war converted the peaceable pioneer settlers, from raw and inexpe- rienced soldiers, into brave and effective ones, as the local annals of the war often evince. There were no better soldiers upon the lines, in the war of 1812, than those who were called out, or came out as volunteers from the backwoods of the Holland Purchase;
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and upon the other hand, justice, perhaps, requires us to say, that there were no worse ones.
There had been forebodings of the event of war in the proceed- ings of Congress, and in some preliminary military preparations; and yet the arrival of the news of its actual existence, created consternation and alarm. The proclamation of President Madison was carried through the country by expresses, which reached Fort Niagara on the 26th of June, 1812, and Col. Swift at Black Rock, the same day. The express riders spread the news as they passed upon the main roads, the Buffalo road and the Batavia and Lewiston road, and thence it spread in every direction, from settlement to settlement. The usual avocations of life were suspended; here and there, in all the detached neighborhoods, were small collections of citizens, deliberating and consulting upon measures of safety, defence or flight. The more timid resolved upon the latter alternative, while the more resolute determined to remain and abide the consequences. There was a general feeling of insecurity, induced by a knowledge of the fact, that the enemy upon the Canadian frontiers were prepared even for a war of invasion, while upon this side, the preparations for defence were inadequate. Many, over-estimating the immediate danger, made hasty preparations, and were soon on their way, seeking asylums beyond the Genesee river. The singular spectacle was presented upon most of the main thoroughfares, leading east from the Holland Purchase, of families fleeing from supposed danger, meeting emigrants, who were undismayed by the terrors of a frontier residence. Many families who left, returned after a few weeks' absence.
The news of the declaration of war had reached Canada twelve hours before it was received upon our frontier. John Jacob Astor, had sent an express from New York, announcing it to Thomas Clark, Esq., of Queenston. This was a measure of precaution, having reference to the fur trade at the west, and the safety of the cargoes of fur that might be coming down the lakes. In conse- quence, preparations for hostilities and overt acts of hostility, had actually preceded the reception of the news upon this side. As soon as the news was received by the British authorities, all Americans in Canada were arrested and detained; among whom was Lieut. Gansevoort, of Fort Niagara, who happened to be at the time, on the wrong side of the lines. At Buffalo, the citizens
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were first apprised of the existence of war, by the capture of a small vessel, which had just started from Black Rock with a load of salt, bound up the lake. The vessel, cargo and crew, were taken to Fort Erie. The tidings of all this, did not fail to reach the greater portion of Western New York simultaneously with the news of the declaration of war. All was bustle and confusion; then followed days and weeks of musters, and drafting of militia, marching to the lines in small squads from the back settlements, and in consolidated ones, along the main Buffalo road. Batavia was soon converted from a quiet country village, into a military rendezvous. Then was heard there, the constant rolling of the drum, the shrill tones of the fife, the din of weapons of war, the rattling of the wheels of baggage wagons; troops were arriving and departing in constant succession.
On the 21st of May, 1812, there were but six hundred men under arms upon the Niagara frontier, beside those attached to the garrison at Niagara. These had been called out in pursuance of an act of Congress, and the requisition of the Governor of the State. The requisition ordered a draft of miltia, but generally, the force was composed of volunteers. They were placed under the command of Col. Swift; several volunteer companies were added previous to the declaration of war; on the 4th of July, eight days after the news of the declaration of war had been received, the aggregate militia force upon the frontier, was about three thousand. Soon after the declaration of war, Gen. William Wadsworth assumed command. On the 28th of July, the command devolved upon Gen. Amos Hall, and on the 11th August, upon Major General Van Rensselaer, who established his head quarters at Lewiston.
Such was the state of alarm upon the Holland Purchase, that Mr. Ellicott deemed it necessary to quiet it, by an address to the settlers dated on the 4th of July, in which he assures them of the effectual guarding of the lines, and of the safety of the whole region from invasion.
War preparations were as active in Canada as upon this side of the lines. When the declaration of war came, the state of defence there was by far the best; there were from six to seven hundred regular troops stationed between the lakes, along the Niagara river. The militia of the Upper Province were ordered out en masse. While there was no artillery upon this side, until some weeks after the declaration of war, upon the other were over one hundred
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pieces. Fort Erie was put in repair, a redoubt was thrown up opposite Black Rock; a battery erected at Chippewa, and another below the Falls. Defences were also erected on Qucenston Heights directly opposite Lewiston village, on the river opposite Youngston, and Fort George was strengthened. One of the incipient steps in Canada, was to secure the services of the Indians in the Province. This had been too long a favorite policy of England, to be aban- doned. Gen. Brock, the acting Governor of the Province, assumed the immediate command of the troops.
The prompt assembling of troops upon our frontier had the effect to quiet alarm, and many families who had left returned to their homes. After the first turmoil and bustle were over, there sue- ceeded comparative quiet; weeks and months of inactivity upon the lines; the usual avocations were partially resumed in the settlements, though frequently disturbed by militia drafts and harrassing, unfoun- ded rumors of actual or contemplated incursions of the British and Indians. There was little real cause for anticipating danger of this nature, for the preparations upon the other side were wholly defensive ones, and the state of alarm among the inhabitants there, was even greater than here. So far as the respective inhab- itants upon each side of the lines were concerned, there was the singular spectacle presented of mutual fear of invasion. There was cven a greater fleeing from the lines in Canada than upon this side.
One of the most fruitful sources of apprehension and alarm in the earlier stages of the war, was the fear that the Seneca Indians would revive their ancient predilections, and be found allies of the British and Canadian Indians. Their position was at first enigmat- ical-undefined. Their chiefs, prominent among whom was Red Jacket, at that period, counseled and maintained neutrality; and neutrality was unfavorably construed by the border settlers. Their position of neutrality was, however, early secured by a talk in council. But when these apprehensions were partially quieted, every breeze that came from Canada, or from the west, brought with it to the scattered border settlements of the Holland Purchase, rumors rife with accounts of contemplated Indian leagues, and banded descents with the tomahawk and scalping knife. Judge Erastus Granger, the then Government Agent of the Senecas, took an early opportunity to hold a council with them and get assuran- ces of neutrality. In a letter from Mr. Ellicott to Mr. Busti, dated July 7, 1812, he assures him of the entire safety of the country
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from invasion-of comparative quiet, and adds :- "I send by the mail that carries this letter, our last newspaper, which contains a speech made by an Indian chief to the inhabitants of this village, and our reply, by which it will be seen that our Indians are disposed to be on good terms with us-and that they have declared the Mohawk Indians, residing in Canada, out of the confederation of the Six Nations, and of course, 'enemies in war, in peace, friends.'" This position of neutrality, partially preserved in the first stages of the war, was not long maintained. The Senecas, rightly deter- mining their true position and interests, soon became fast friends to the United States,-useful armed allies, in several contests.
Having thus given a brief pioneer sketch of war preparations: the condition of this region when the trying and eventful crisis arrived; and arrayed the combatants, ready to commence a long series of engagements, to encounter the vicissitudes and the vary- ing fortunes of war; we proceed to occupy an allotted and stinted space, with two prominent events, selected for their more immediate bearing upon the frontier settlers of the Holland Purchase, and their prominent participation in them; and for the additional reason that, while a faithful relation of the one is humilia- ting to pride of country, and sullies the reputation of our citizen sol- diery, that of the other elevates the former, and redeems the latter.
The calamities with which the Niagara frontiers were visited, in the winter of 1813 and '14, had their origin, as it is well known, in the injudicious (not to say wanton,) destruction of Newark, now Niagara village. After nearly two years' duration of a war, which, upon this frontier at least, had been wretchedly conducted; a vas- cillating policy prevailing that, even now, after the lapse of thirty- six years, is a mystery yet unraveled; the whole sum of the tri- umphs of our arms, was the military possession of this small town, and its garrison, Fort George. This constituted our only foothold in Canada, and that, as it will be seen, was to be most shamefully abandoned.
The withdrawal of the entire regular force from this frontier, had left Gen. M'Clure, of the New York State militia, in command of the conquered territory. After an unprofitable occupancy of a few weeks, he ordered the evacuation of Fort George, and applied the torch to the village of Newark, destroying every house in the village, and leaving its population houseless, exposed to the inclem- ency of the season.
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M'Clure and his army took shelter in Fort Niagara, and the abandoned ground was soon occupied by Col. Murray with a force of five hundred British soldiers and Indians. The news of this rash and improvident act, met with unqualified disapprobation every where; and especially upon the frontier, where the blow of retribution was soon to fall; among those who justly appreciated the penalty they must pay for the act of folly. If, as was alleged, by the few apologists of Gen. M'Clure, it was an act of retaliation for British spoilations elsewhere, it was an untimely one, taking place under circumstances that insured a heavy penalty. The weak defences then upon our frontier, to encounter the retaliation that but a little foresight would have anticipated, should have counseled prudence, if not a warfare more in consonance with humanity. But we drop a fruitful source of comment and reflection, that belongs to a general history of the war, and proceed to sketch briefly the consequences that followed; and they were not slow in coming.
Gen. M'Clure remaining but a short time at Niagara, took up his head-quarters at Buffalo, from'which place he, in a short time, had occasion to address a dispatch to the Secretary of War, containing, in his own language, and what must have been, the "mortifying intelligence of the loss of Fort Niagara." With that disgraceful surrender, even the partial reader of war history is familiar.
The force that landed at the Five Mile Meadows, under Col. Murray, was about 500 -they completed the landing before day- break.
A party of Indians, leaving the main body, came up to Lewiston, -arriving about sunrise. There was stationed there but a small force under the command of Major Bennett, that retreated with the loss of six or seven men; among whom were two sons of Horatio Jones. The attack upon the village, was after the Indian fashion, a sudden surprise. There was little of warning; the Indians preceding for a few minutes, a detachment of British soldiers, swarmed out of the woods, and commenced an indiscrimi- nate shooting down of flying citizens, plundering and burning. Among the slain in the attack on Lewiston, was Dr. Alvord, who has been mentioned as the early physician at Batavia. He was shot from his horse while endeavoring to make his retreat. Miles Gillitt and a younger brother, sons of the carly pioneer, Solomon
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Gillitt; Thomas Marsh, William Gardner, Tiffany and Finch. That day, December 19th, the Ridge Road presented some of the harshest features of war and invasion. The inhabitants upon the frontier, en masse, were retreating castward; men, women and children; the Tuscarora Indians having a prominent position in the flight. The residents upon the Ridge that had not got the start of the main body, fell in with it as it approached them. There was a small arsenal at the first four corners, west of Howell's creek, a log building, containing a number of barrels of powder, several hundred stand of arms, and a quantity of fixed ammunition. Making a stand there, the more timid were for firing the magazine and continuing the retreat. The braver councils prevailed to a small extent. They made sufficient demonstrations to turn back a few Indian scouts that had followed up the retreat to plunder such as fell in the rear. The mass made no halt at the arsenal, but pushed on in an almost unbroken column, until they arrived at Forsyth's, where they divided, a part taking the Lewiston road, and seeking asylums in Genesee county, and over the river; and a part along the Ridge Road, and off from it in the new settlements of what is now Orleans and Monroe counties, and in what is now Wayne, and the north part of Ontario counties. All kinds of vehicles were put in requisition. It was a motley throng, flying from the torch and the tomahawk of an invading foe, without hardly the show of a military organization to cover their retreat.
Almost the only resistance that the invaders encountered, was an attack upon Lewiston Heights, in their attempted advance to Niagara Falls, by Maj. Mallory, and his small corps of Canadian volunteers, who were stationed at Schlosser. They compelled them to retreat below the mountain, and afterwards contested the ground to Tonawanda, with a bravery that was the more creditable, as it was a rare article at that unfortunate period. And it should be mentioned to the credit of a small band of Tuscarora Indians, that they effectually aided the flight of the citizens of Lewiston, by firing upon the Indian scouts that were following them up, from an ambush, upon the side of the mountain, near where the road from their village comes upon the Ridge. ' It helped to turn back the pursuers.
There are many interesting reminiscences connected with the at- tack upon Lewiston and the flight of its citizens, but a small portion of which can be given in this brief notice of the events of the war.
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At the period of the invasion, Judge Lothrop Cooke, was an invalid, having had, but a short time previous, one of his legs amputated. He was laid upon an ox-sled, and accompanied by his brother, the late Hon. Bates Cooke. When they had proceeded but a few miles upon the Ridge, a scout of five Indians overtook them, and ordered a halt. Bates Cooke seized a gun that was lying upon a sled directly behind them, fired, and shot one of the Indians through the neck. He fell from his horse, jumped upon his feet, and after running about fifteen rods, fell and died. Mr. C. having no farther means of defence, ran, the Indians making two ineffectual shots at him in his retreat. The firing of the guns brought some Tuscarora Indians to the spot, who fired upon the British Indians that remained, and compelled them to turn back; the sled with the invalid passing on in safety. In the pocket of the dead Indian, was found a paper addressed to the Indian Agent at Niagara, saying that the bearer was an "Ottawa brave, worthy of being entrusted with any daring expedition.",
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