USA > New York > Franklin County > The north country; a history, embracing Jefferson, St. Lawrence, Oswego, Lewis and Franklin counties, New York, Volume 1 > Part 7
USA > New York > Jefferson County > The north country; a history, embracing Jefferson, St. Lawrence, Oswego, Lewis and Franklin counties, New York, Volume 1 > Part 7
USA > New York > Lewis County > The north country; a history, embracing Jefferson, St. Lawrence, Oswego, Lewis and Franklin counties, New York, Volume 1 > Part 7
USA > New York > Oswego County > The north country; a history, embracing Jefferson, St. Lawrence, Oswego, Lewis and Franklin counties, New York, Volume 1 > Part 7
USA > New York > St Lawrence County > The north country; a history, embracing Jefferson, St. Lawrence, Oswego, Lewis and Franklin counties, New York, Volume 1 > Part 7
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49
Captain Pouchot now commanded the little French force that guarded the rapids islands. There were but a couple hundred of them with few guns and they were poorly supplied with provisions. This was the force called upon to make this last stand for France against the grand army of 11,000 men commanded by Sir Jeffrey Amherst. Leizurely the English force moved down the St. Law- rence and on August 22 stood before Fort Levis, the principal French fortification at the rapids. A terrific bombardment was started which continued for three days. The French fort was liter- ally smashed to fragments by the fire from the powerful British bat- teries. At the end of this time with but two guns effective and not a bullet left, the French capitulated. So the French lost La Presen- tation. Three weeks later Montreal fell.
THE FALL OF PONTIAC
After the Seven Years War Northern New York reverted to its old solitude. With the English controlling Canada, the North Country was no longer a frontier and lost the importance it had when it was disputed ground. Now the Union Jack waved over the stone fort at Oswegatchie where so long the Abbe Picquet had reigned supreme. The La Presentation Indians scattered. Some of them established a village near the present Lisbon, St. Lawrence county, which existed for thirty or forty years. Others returned to Canada and many joined the colony at St. Regis. The Iroquois visited the beaver-hunting grounds in the Indian river section and fished in Lake Ontario.
75
HISTORY OF THE NORTH COUNTRY
White traders established themselves at Oswegatchie and on Buck Island, the present Carleton Island.
Immediately after the surrender of Montreal, the 55th Infantry was sent to garrison Oswego. The commander was a Scotchman, Major Alexander Duncan, who was commonly called "Duncan of Lundie." An interesting picture of garrison life in Oswego at that time is preserved in the "Memoirs of an American Lady," by Mrs. Grant. This Mrs. Grant, as a child, was stationed with her father, Captain Duncan McVicar, at Fort Ontario in the days immediately following the "Old French War," as the Seven Years War was com- monly called. Mrs. Grant recalled the Fort Ontario of that period as a large structure built of "earth and logs" and its commander as a strict disciplinarian who resided in a curious house of skins which he placed on wheels so that it could be moved to any part of the parade ground. During this same period old Fort Brewerton was also garrisoned by a company of the 55th under Captain Mungo Campbell. It was in the Oswego of this period that James Fenimore Cooper laid the scenes of his famous novel, "The Pathfinder." Some years later Cooper was stationed at Oswego as a young midshipman on the Oneida, an American brig, and became thoroughly steeped in Oswego history and tradition.
Pontiac's war occasioned excitement in Oswego as it did in all the frontier posts. In 1764 General Bradstreet, hero of the bitter engagement on the Oswego river during the French war, passed through Oswego at the head of a large force, bound for the Illinois country. At Oswego he was joined by Sir William Johnson at the head of a large body of Indians. Later when Pontiac was subdued there occurred in Oswego one of the most dramatic events in the dramatic history of that frontier post. It was the great council be- tween Sir William Johnson and Pontiac at which the peace between the western Indians and the British was formally ratified. The council was held in July, 1866. Pontiac with a few members of his tribe arrived at Oswego on July 18th, having paddled all the way from distant Lake Michigan. Sir William Johnson with the chiefs of the Six Nations arrived two days later. As there was no place at Oswego big enough to house the council, a great awning of ever- greens was erected. Here Sir William, wrapped in a scarlet blanket,
76
HISTORY OF THE NORTH COUNTRY
richly trimmed with gold lace, and surrounded by the Iroquois chiefs in their most colorful regalia and British officers in their brilliant uniforms, met in solemn council with the great western chief, who, with his headdress of eagle feathers, was an imposing figure, him- self. The council went on for several days with much oratory, feast- ing and drinking. The peace pipe was smoked, the peace agreed to, and silver medals distributed to all the participants. On the last day of July Pontiac and his chieftains took their departure, Sir William Johnson waving adieu as the Ottawa canoes disappeared in the dis- tance.
THE REVOLUTION
Then after years of smoldering rebellion came the Revolution. There was a moment of restless uncertainty along the Mohawk and the die was cast. Sir William Johnson had died in 1774, just as the first mutterings of the Revolution were making themselves heard. Col. Guy Johnson, his nephew, called a great council of the Iroquois nations at Oswego and they declared for the British cause. Sir John Johnson, son of the great Sir William, stayed on at Johnson Hall, but the Patriots became convinced that he was organizing the loyal- ists for action and a detachment of Continentals was sent to the Hall to place Sir John under arrest. Hearing of this plan, Sir John gathered together his Highlanders, his Mohawk Valley Germans and his Indians and fled in the dead of the night. It has usually been supposed that he took the well known trail to Racquette Lake and from there followed the Racquette river to the St. Lawrence. But Mr. Richard C. Ellsworth, secretary of St. Lawrence University, than whom there is no more exact student of North Country history now living, is not at all sure that Sir John and his retainers did not go down the Grass. Two, old, brass fourteen-pounders were discovered some twenty-five years ago, one near the outlet of Long Lake, the other about two miles south of Big Tupper Lake and these are presumed to have been abandoned by Sir John on his march through the wilderness. In a letter written January 20th, 1777, Sir John, himself, says simply: "Upon my arrival at St. Regis with my party consisting of one hundred and twenty men who were almost starved and wore out for lack of provisions being nine days without anything to subsist upon but wild onions, roots and the leaves of the
77
HISTORY OF THE NORTH COUNTRY
beech trees, I was received in the most friendly manner by the In- dians."
The Mohawks, the Senecas and the Onondagas took the war path. Only the Oneidas lingered uncertainly. Once more the old trails from the Mohawk to the St. Lawrence were trod by stealthy braves, hun- gry for scalps. Oswegatchie became a post of some importance again. The rebellious German farmers held the Mohawk river; the British held the St. Lawrence and the lake. Northern New York again became a frontier and a battle ground.
ST. LEGER'S EXPEDITION
Not until 1777 did the war touch Northern New York. Burgoyne had set forth on his expedition to split the rebellious colonies in twain and thus end the war at one stroke. Colonel Barry St. Leger was to lead another expedition having for its object the capture of Fort Stanwix, which stood like a sentinel guarding the Mohawk re- gion, and then to ravage the Mohawk and join Burgoyne at Albany. St. Leger with his force of British soldiers, Hessians, Tories and Indians, were to rendezvous at Buck Island, proceed from thence to Oswego and then march to Stanwix. He was an able officer with considerable experience in border warfare gained in the French war, but pig-headed and reluctant to accept advice from the Tory officers who served under him. Twenty-five years before Braddock had made the same mistake.
Buck Island, now known as Carleton Island, lies just off the village of Cape Vincent in the St. Lawrence river. For many years its importance from a military standpoint had been recognized. The island is about three miles long by half a mile wide and is composed entirely of stone with a thin covering of extremely fertile soil. Tory refugees had gathered on the island soon after the outbreak of the war and by 1776 a storehouse was located there to which stores were brought from La Chine and later loaded for Niagara and Os- wego. It was a natural point for troops to concentrate before mov- ing on to Oswego, isolated as it was and far from the seat of war. By the middle of June the commanding officer at Oswegatchie had been notified to hold himself in readiness to move to Buck Island with St. Leger, leaving only an officer and twenty men at Oswegatchie.
78
HISTORY OF THE NORTH COUNTRY
And by early in July, St. Leger and his whole force were on the island busily engaged in building bark huts for a short stay.
St. Leger had about 500 white men and an indeterminate number of Indians. There was a detachment of the 34th regiment, the or- ganization of which St. Leger was an officer, a portion of the famous Eighth regiment, or the King's Regiment of Foot, one of the most noted regiments in His Majesty's service, Sir John Johnson's regi- ment of Royal Greens, mostly Tories from the Mohawk, some of Butler's rangers, one company of Hessian riflemen, a group of Can- adian axemen and the Indians under Col. Daniel Claus. According to Sir John Johnson's Orderly Book, the little army arrived at Buck Island July 8th and immediately started to erect temporary dwell- ings and to clear a portion of the plateau of the island. St. Leger made sure of the industry of his troops by directing that they be furnished liquor while at work "as might seem proper."
It was while the force was at Buck Island that orders were re- ceived from the King appointing Col. Claus superintendent of the Indian department for the expedition. He was the son-in-law of Sir William Johnson, had served with distinction during the French war and had early in life acquired the ability to converse fluently in the Iroquois tongue. Already the expedition was beginning to feel the lack of provisions. Also strict orders were given about is- suing rum to the Indians who were already giving trouble. But St. Leger was unable to adhere to this resolution and soon after we find Claus complaining that the commander had issued a quart of rum apiece to the Indians "which made them all beastly drunk, and in which case it is not in the power of men to quiet them."
On July 11th, St. Leger proudly announced to his men that Fort Ticonderoga had fallen and that his troops were to hold themselves in readiness to embark at an hour's notice. Provisions for 500 men for forty days were stored in the boats and ammunition prepared for use of the two six-pounders and the two mortars which com- prised the artillery of the expedition. On July 19th, the long line of batteaux, piloted by the armed sloop, Charity, set out for Oswego.
What a stirring scene it must have been as the heavy, cumbersome boats were slowly rowed along the old water route to Oswego which had been followed in days gone by by the armies of de la Barre, Frontenac and Montcalm. The sun was just rising over the broad
79
HISTORY OF THE NORTH COUNTRY
bosom of the St. Lawrence as the advance guard moved forward. The big batteaux, forty feet in length by six beam, were each pro- pelled by four oarsmen selected from among the Canadian familiar with the route. In the foremost of them were picked men from the 34th and the Eighth regiments, the 34th gay in their new scarlet coats piped with yellow, the Eighth in that distinctive blue uniform in which they had won glory on many a battle field. On the flanks hovered the Indians in their bark canoes, glistening with grease and brilliant with the vermillion Col. Claus had secured for them at his own expense. From the sloop which carried the commander-in-chief, the Union Jack waved to the breeze. Behind came the long line of heavily-laden boats. Here were Tories smarting for revenge, Hes- sian bearded and booted, knowing little and caring less about the causes of the war, Canadian boatmen singing snatches of French boating songs as they bent at the oars, British regulars in bright uniforms-what a colorful sight on this July morning with all about them blue water and the green of the forests.
Southward and westward they moved, following the old Onondaga canoe route, past Henderson Bay where Champlain and his red allies had landed 150 years before, past Six Town Point where the mighty Montcalm had marshalled his host for the advance on Oswego, past La Famine, scene of the great council between the French and the Iroquois, until Oswego with the blackened ruins of old Fort Oswego and the log and mud walls of new Fort Ontario hove into view.
At Oswego there was a brief pause and then a detachment of the Eighth regiment and a number of Indians under Lieut. Bird were sent forward as an advance guard, followed a few days later by St. Leger and the main body of troops. Past Bradstreet's Rift where the bitter fight between the British boatmen and the French and Indians had occurred in the Seven Years War, went the motley, little army, until finally the whole force was drawn up before sturdy Fort Stanwix and the seige started.
It is no part of this tale to tell the stirring story of the seige of Fort Stanwix, of Herkimer's march and the bloody battle at Or- iskany, of the first Stars and Stripes, a blotch of color in the smoke of the battle, and finally of St. Leger's retreat with a beaten and discouraged force. Off Point Peninsula, on the way back to the St. Lawrence, a number of the British boats were wrecked in a high
80
HISTORY OF THE NORTH COUNTRY
wind, and there is an old legend that a paymaster in one of the wrecked boats buried his gold somewhere on Point Peninsula. Nu- merous treasure hunters throughout the years have dug for it, never securing anything for their pains excepting exercise.
FORT HALDIMAND
Determination to build a fort at Buck Island followed the St. Leger expedition. In August, 1778, Lieut. William Twiss of the en- gineers visited the island and was greatly impressed with its de- fensive possibilities. It was Lieut. Twiss who named the island Carleton Island and it was also he who proposed that the fort to be built there be named Fort Haldimand. Captain Aubrey was in com- mand of the island when the fort was building and on September 8th, 1778, he was able to report to General Haldimand that "all the lower logs for the works here will be laid this afternoon, a general hospital is building ... and your excellency may be assured of ev- ery precaution for the security and defense of this island and against surprise. That same date Lieut. Twiss reported that a long parapet eight feet high and eight feet thick at the bottom was in the course of construction.
A detachment of Royal Yorkers was then stationed at the post. This was Sir John Johnson's regiment, first known as the Royal Greens from their uniforms but now attired in scarlet coats faced with blue. Later there was a detachment of the Tory regiment known as the Royal Highland Immigrants on the island, their colorful Highland garb a continual source of admiration on the part of the Indians. Oneida Indians in the service of the Continentals hung about the mainland and severely tried the nerves of the garrison. There were strict orders about fires at night and only young and active men were placed on guard duty. On June 3rd, 1779, cere- monies were held on the island in honor of the birthday of George III. The troops were lined up on the parade ground and the great guns in the fort and upon the ships in the harbor thundered out the royal salute.
Today one may see the crumbling, stone chimneys and the trenches cut in solid rock which are all that remain of once proud Fort Haldi- mand. Here was one of the most important outposts of England
JI
FORT HALDIMAND, CARLETON ISLAND, AS IT APPEARED DURING THE REVOLUTION
RUINS OF FORT HALDIMAND, CARLETON ISLAND, TODAY
81
HISTORY OF THE NORTH COUNTRY
during the Revolution. Men whose names are written in blood in our border history made this their base. Joseph Brant, the scourge of the border, Col. Claus, the ranger chief, Sir John Johnson, the two Butlers and many others here organized those terrible raids upon the Mohawk settlements that fill one with horror to this day. Here Eng- lish agents paid a bounty to the Indians for scalps and the scalps that were paid for were often those of defenceless women and chil- dren. Here Brant's Indians made their headquarters, sometimes hun- dreds of them, supported and furnished with cheap finery by the British military authorities and from here they set forth on their expeditions of murder and pillage. It was a strong fortress for its day and was never attacked by the Continentals although often American scouts would watch the garrison from the mainland and perchance capture a Britisher or two to be taken back to Fort Stan- wix for questioning.
But one attempt was made against the British posts along the St. Lawrence and that a minor one, from a military standpoint, against Oswegatchie. About the middle of April, 1779, Lieut. Thomas McClennan left Fort Stanwix, or Fort Schuyler, as the Americans called it, with Lieut. Hardenbergh and about thirty men of the Continental line together with some Oneida Indians for Oswegat- chie. It took the little force a week to reach the vicinity of Oswe- gatchie, travel at that time of the year through the northern forests being especially difficult. Two Onondagas in a canoe were captured on the Oswegatchie river by McClennan's Oneidas and the prisoners told the Americans that Oswegatchie was garrisoned by about forty men. Four soldiers were captured before the British became aware of the presence of the Americans. Then they sent out a small party to ascertain the strength of the foe. The Continentals, adept at bush fighting, prepared an ambush for them and killed two before the British retreated to the fort. The British then opened fire with their artillery and the Americans were forced to retreat to the shelter of the woods, finally returning to Fort Schuyler when it became ap- parent that they could not hope to capture the fort.
This is the same Lieut. McClennan, who the year previous had been sent by Col. Gansevoort to destroy Fort Ontario. Here he was more successful than at Oswegatchie. The Continentals found no one there but a woman and her children. This family they placed in an
82
HISTORY OF THE NORTH COUNTRY
outhouse with their furniture, and then proceeded to burn Fort On- tario and the buildings about it.
THE LAST RAID OF THE REVOLUTION
But while Oswego was seldom garrisoned during the Revolution and Oswegatchie was an insignificant post at best, Carleton Island became one of the most formidable outposts of England, with some- times as many as 600 men stationed there in addition to hundreds of Indians. The winter of 1779-80 Molly Brant, sister of Joseph and known generally as "Brown Lady Johnson" from the fact that for years she had been the consort of His Majesty's Superintendent of Indian Affairs, spent several months on the island and although she was insatiable in her demands and insisted that a home should be built for her, her influence over the Indians was great and her every whim was granted. Gen. Haldimand cautioned the commander at Fort Haldimand to keep "Miss Molly" in a "good temper" and later Cap- tain Fraser, the commander, was able to write the general that Molly had "got into her new house and seems better satisfied than I have ever seen her." But satisfied or not "Miss Molly" must have con- trasted many times her residence in the wilderness of Northern New York with the years when she was the respected mistress of Johnson Hall and, surrounded by her half-breed children, lived in all the lux- ury that a wealthy and indulgent man could lavish upon her.
It was from Carleton Island that the last British raid upon the Mohawk Valley during the Revolutionary War was launched. Bloody days had come to the "Valley." The Tories and their Indian allies had ravished it from one end to the other. Men, women and children had been butchered and their scalps carried back to Carleton Island. Ruin, desolation and discouragement reigned all along the Mohawk and there seemed some justification for the stories told by Major John Ross, commander of His Majesty's forces at Fort Haldimand, that the rebels were all but beaten and that before many months the Tories and their red-skinned allies would be back in their old homes, avenging themselves upon their misguided neighbors at their leisure. But although it would be many weeks before the news would pene- trate to this wilderness post, Cornwallis was already at Yorktown. Within a week he would be hemmed in by Washington's little army
83
HISTORY OF THE NORTH COUNTRY
and would be forced to yield up his sword to the great American leader.
But there was no thought of defeat on this fall day as the long line of heavily-laden batteaux moved slowly away from Carleton Island and swung towards the lake, the Canadian boatmen grunting from the efforts of their labor. From the bow of the leading boat the Union Jack flapped lazily. It was October and there was a breath of winter in the air. The soldiers, wedged into the clumsy boats, drew their greatcoats about their ears, grumbling among themselves. It was a long way to Oswego and poling was slow work at best. But to the Indians who glided along over the bosom of the river in their light, bark canoes, it was a different matter. Ahead were scalps, plunder and probably rum. Certainly there would be little fighting. Had not Major Ross assured them that the rebels were disheartened and would flee at the slightest provocation?
There were 600 men in the force which Major Ross, command- ant at Fort Haldimand, led in his expedition against Warren's Bush. News of the raid had been carefully guarded. Gen. Haldimand had laid great store upon this expedition. He proposed to give the rebels a lesson which they would not soon forget. At Oswego troops from Niagara were to join Ross. It was to be the most pretentious British raid on the Mohawk settlements in many a day. Probably Gen. Haldi- mand and Major Ross little dreamed that it was to be the last one and that the battles which were to be fought in the course of this expedition were to be the last battles of the Revolution on the soil of New York State.
It was well that Major Ross had taken precautions to carefully conceal news of his expedition. Continental scouts were continually prowling around the island and often took prisoners almost under the eyes of the British sentinels. What a sight it would have been for an American scout this October morning, viewing boat after boat loaded to the gunwales with scarlet-coated soldiers, other boats piled high with supplies, and Indians, greased, plumed and painted for battle. The scout, were he a resident of the Mohawk Valley, would have seen that many boats were loaded with Tories of Sir John Johnson's regiment of Royal Yorkers. He could have told them from the blue pipings on their scarlet coats and probably would have rec- ognized many of the officers and men as former neighbors. And he
84
HISTORY OF THE NORTH COUNTRY
would have seen, too, that there were a goodly number of British regulars in the party, including a company of the famous Eighth regiment of Foot, sometimes called the King's regiment. It was not the first time that grenadiers of the Eighth had followed this route to Oswego, nor was this expedition of Major Ross to be any the less disastrous than the earlier one of St. Leger.
It is no intention of this writer to give a detailed account of Ross' raid on Warren's Bush. That belongs to the history of the Mohawk Valley and not to the history of Northern New York. One who likes to go to the original sources can read the British story of the raid in the report of Major Ross to Gen. Haldimand in the Haldimand Papers in the Canadian Archives. Or, if he prefers the American account, he can read Col. Willett's report in the Clinton Papers, probably as realistic and vivid account of an engagement as ever was incorporated in an official report. Or he can turn the pages of Chamber's "The Reckoning" and read how Walter Butler died at the ford on West Canada creek, praying for the mercy he was never known to give.
It is sufficient for this story to say that Ross had anything but easy going after he had left his boats at Oneida Lake and followed the trail to the Mohawk. True his men burned some twenty houses in the vicinity of Warren's Bush and killed two men besides destroy- ing a large quantity of grain before crossing the Mohawk and march- ing to Johnson Hall, closely pursued the while by Col. Willett and a force of Continentals. Here a sharp engagement was fought which ended in Ross retreating into the woods with Willett hard after him. An American detachment by forced marches reached Oneida Lake and destroyed the British boats leaving Ross but one alternative and that was to get back to Carleton Island over the old Oswegatchie trail which followed West Canada creek and then crossed the divide into the Black River Valley.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.