USA > Vermont > Early history of Vermont, Vol. III > Part 16
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
16
----- --
242
EARLY HISTORY
account was given of the battle at the time as follows :
"General Wilkinson so disposed the troops as nearly to encircle the mill and brought up a how- itzer and one 12 pounder to batter the walls, but after considerable time it was found little effect was produced. The enemy kept up a galling fire during the whole time our troops lay before the place from the loop holes cut in the Mill, and di- rected a great portion of his fire on the two pieces of artillery; our troops returned the fire with great coolness and with deliberate aim. The enemy made two sallies and charged Brig. General Smith's left in the first, but were repulsed with considerable loss. Towards the evening, a British regiment arrived and made a charge on part of Brig. General Bissell's brigade, but was so warmly received that they instantly fell back, leaving twelve men dead on the field, and suffered severely in wounded, (from their own accounts.) The American troops behaved with the utmost coolness and suffered less than the enemy, notwithstanding the advantage he had in point of position.
"The enemy's force was. not ascertained, but computed at 1500; our force was double that number, but not more than one-half was brought into the action. The whole of Brig. General Ma- comb's command was in the reserve and not at all engaged. Maj. Forsyth's Riflemen and Clark's detachment formed the line round the Mill. The American army returned to their camp late in the evening, without leaving a single man behind, or even a single article for the enemy to claim as a trophy."
243
OF VERMONT.
The mill in which the enemy sheltered them - selves, was a heavy stone structure, with walls eighteen inches in thickness, and its windows bar- ricaded with heavy timbers, through which were loop holes for muskets. The British also occupied a block-house and a strong barn, around which were entrenchments. On the other hand the Americans were in the open fields exposed to the galling fire from the protected enemy, who re- peatedly charged upon them, but in vain. General Wilkinson was tried by court martial in 1815, in which his connection with this affair was fully in- vestigated, but he was honorably acquitted; he failed on account of the mill being imprevious to such artillery as he had ; the eighteen pounder that the Americans broke down on the march could not be brought on to the field. There was no six pounder, but they had a five inch mortar, which with the twelve pounder was placed in battery at the distance of two hundred and fifty yards from the mill, under the command of Capt. McPherson, who was wounded and compelled to retire; Lieut. Larabee succeeded him in command of the battery, who was also wounded and retired, when Lieut. Sheldon commanded and continued to ply his artil- lery vigorously until he was ordered to withdraw with the army.
On General Wilkinson's trial Col. Isaac Clark testified that "the mill he should judge is about fifty or sixty feet long and forty feet broad. It is a strong building, and the stones which form the walls are principally large and heavy. The wall must be from two and a half to three feet thick,
:
244
EARLY HISTORY
and resisted what were called twelve pound ball for two hours, and no visible impression was made on them. There were several log buildings adjacent to the mill which appeared to be occupied by the enemy and from which there was firing. There was also a building called a block-house, but he did not conceive it was built purposely for that use. He thought the enemy had one piece of artil- lery ; but whether the shot proceeded from the mill or from a gun-boat adjacent he could not say. It was impossible to ascertain the number of the enemy from appearance, as they were under cover. But from information given by deserters and pris- oners there must have been six or seven hundred men in and about the mill, consisting of four com- panies of the 18th regiment and forty or fifty in- corporated militia. In addition to these, two companies of voltigeurs, came up, an hour and a half after the commencement of the action, at- tacked our line, and on being repulsed also retired into the mill. The walls of the mill are three stories high, and in every direction were loop holes and apertures for musketry, and some through the roof. The mill had one door on the east side, but none was visible in the south, where we made our approaches. Half an hour after the attack commenced, two pieces of artillery, a twelve and a six pounder [mortar,] were brought up and opened a fire upon the mill, but the eighteen pounder did not approach the scene of action within a number of miles. Why it remained be- hind he could not say; but after finding that no impression was made by the two pieces employed,
24.5
OF VERMONT.
he rode to General Wilkinson and asked if he had not some heavy artillery. The adjutant-general, or some other officer near him, replied that the carriage of the eighteen pounder was broken. He also deposed, that the root of the mill was of wood, but that no red hot shot was used to set fire to it as they had no furnace. During the attack two companies, who he understood from deserters were part of the 13th regiment, sallied from the mill upon the center of our line, apparently to take the field pieces. They were defeated with great loss, very much cut to pieces, and after their re- pulse re-entered the mill. It would have been rather difficult for our troops to have followed them up and entered the place with the enemy, as the mill was very well guarded, and he heard no proposition of that effect at the time. He does not know whether the surrender of the place was demanded, but was confident there was no flag sent out.
"The mill was on the north side of a stream frozen over; our attack was against the south side. The advance was regularly posted, and the fire of the artillery was kept up about two hours ; there was perhaps a short cessation for want of cartridges. The firing of musketry, on both sides, continued until our artillery was moved out of danger, and the whole ceased near sundown."
The army returned from the field and the next day commenced their retrograde march to Platts- burgh. It was evident that the failure to capture the mill was the want of artillery sufficently pow- erful for the work and not to any lack of bravery
246
EARLY HISTORY
of the men. Nine or ten of the killed and one- third of the wounded were from the corps, com- posed of Vermont troops commanded by Colonel Clark; this indicated that the Vermont troops bore their share in the fight.
On March 31st General Wilkinson in a general order, said, " The affair is honorable to the troops, and gives them a title to the thanks of the General and their country. The constancy and courage exhibited under tedious galling fire of the enemy was exemplary, and would have done credit to the oldest troops in the world." He closed his order as follows: "Let the meritorious dead be collected and buried with the honors of war in the same grave. Let the wounded be cherished with the utmost tenderness, and removed to the hos- pitals in the rear. And let the troops be immedi- ately completed to sixty rounds of ammunition, and held perfectly ready to meet the enemy should he venture to advance."
On April 1814, General Wilkinson, who was at Champlain, informed Macdonough, who was at Vergennes, that the vessels of the enemy on Lake Champlain would soon be ready to sail, and prob- ably would attempt to land a force for the purpose of destroying his vessels that were in the Otter Creek and on the stocks; Wilkinson added that he could not erect batteries at Rouses Point to command the lake for want of canon. Governor Chittenden ordered out the militia in Franklin. Chittenden and Addison Counties, five hundred of which were to be stationed at Burlington, and one thousand at Vergennes to guard the shipping and
247
OF VERMONT.
public property on the lake. Most of the Vermont militia were soon discharged on condition that they should rally on the firing of alarm signals, and General Macomb was ordered to send a force of five hundred men to Vergennes.
On May 14th a little before sunrise, the British fleet, consisting of a bomb sloop and eighteen gal- lies, commenced a heavy and spirited fire on the battery, that had recently been erected at the mouth of Otter Creek. The fire was returned by the battery by the men stationed there aided by some militia from the town of Addison and other neighboring towns. Macdonough promptly came down the river with his new sloop of war and several galleys and in one hour and a half the enemy were forced to retreat. The Americans suf- fered no loss; the British lost two fine new row- boats. After this repulse, their gallies entered the river Bouquet to seize some government stores, and on returning, were fired upon by a body of New York militia, and nearly all the men in the last galley were killed or wounded. Within a few days of this affair, Macdonough entered the lake with his fleet and anchored in Cumberland Bay near the site of his subsequent memorable victory.
By the month of Juue both armies had been largely increased. Maj. Genenal Jacob Brown suc- ceeded Gen. Wilkinson to the command of the ninth military district, and Maj. General George Izard, a native of South Carolina, was in command of the right wing of the northern army. The British concentrated at Lacolle and other points near the line, with their fleet near at hand. Between the
248
EARLY HISTORY
11th and the 31st of June the American army in- cluding the 30th and 31st U. S. regiments, ad- vanced from Plattsburgh to Champlain and Chazy. Macdonough co-operated by anchoring his fleet in King's Bay, north of the mouth of the big Chazy River.
On June 24th Lieut. Colonel Forsyth, advanced to Odletown with seventy riflemen, where he was attacked by a detachment of two hundred light armed British troops. Forsyth repulsed them and returned to Champlain with a loss of one killed and five wounded, the British loosing three killed and five wounded. On the 28th he was ordered to enter Canada again for the purpose of driving the British across the line into an ambuscade and suc- ceeded in drawing out Captain Mayhew with about 150 Indians, and as they approached the am- buscade, Forsyth stepped upon a log to watch their movements and was shot through the breast by an Indian. The American rifles were immedi- ately uncovered and fired upon the enemy, who retreated in great haste, leaving seventeen of their number dead upon the field. Forsyth was from North Carolina and had distinguished himself on various occasions and was regarded as one of the best officers in the army ; and his men declared they would avenge his death, and this they did by kill- ing Captain Mayhew, who, with Forsyth was buried at Champlain. Forsyth and Col. Isaac Clark of the 11th U. S. infantry had been as- sociated in active service on the frontier, and in April 1814, were transferred to the 26th in- fantry, consisting of riflemen; and on June 30th
249
OF VERMONT.
Colonel Clark, learning of the death of Forsyth who bravely fell at Odletown on the 28th fighting the defence of the rights and liberties of his country, announced that the officers of the regiment "will wear crape on the left arm thirty days in testimony of their regret for the loss of that valuable and distinguished officer." This order was issued at Burlington.
Lieut. Colonel Forsyth was suceeded by Maj. Daniel Appling of Georgia, who also distinguished himself, subsequently at the battle of Platts- burgh. Captain Z. Taylor was made Major of the said 26th regiment, and became President of the United States in 1849.
During the summer of 1814, military opera- tions on the frontier farther west were very active. Two fierce battles in which Vermont troops parti- cipated should be specially mentioned : viz, Battle of "Chippewa Plains" and "Lundy's Lane." The battle ground of the first was between the streets and Chippewa Creek and bounded on the east by Niagara River, and on the west by a forest. The plain admitted of close work, face to face; that battle was fought on July 5, 1814, the day was clear and hot. After the contending forces had got hotly engaged the description of the con- flict is as follows :
"The battle raged with fury along the entire line of both armies. Several times the British line was broken, and then closed up again; and it often exposed as many flanks as it had regiments in the field. This unskillful manœuvring had been observed by Scott, who had advanced, halted, and
250
--
-----
EARLY HISTORY
fired alternately, until he was within eighty paces of the foe. Observing a gap in his lines which made a new flank, he ordered a quick movement in that direction by McNeil's Eleventh Regiment. He shouted with a voice that was heard above the din of battle, 'the enemy say we are good at long shot, but cannot stand the cold iron; I call upon the Eleventh instantly to give the lie to that slander. Charge!' This movement was immedi- ately made, with the most decisive effect. A similar charge was made by Leavenworth, who held an oblique position on the American right. At the same time Towson's battery poured in an oblique fire of murderous canister-shot, after silence the enemies' most effective battery by blowing up an ammunition wagon; and presently the whole left and center of the British broke and fled in confu- sion. The effective flank movement by McNeil was the one, there can be no doubt, which gave the vic- tory to the Americans."
Maj. General Brown in his report of the battle to the Secretary of War July 7, 1814, says, "Brig. General Scott is entitled to the highest praises our country can bestow-to him more than to any other man am I indebted for the victory of the 5th of July. His brigade has covered itself with glory. Every officer and every man of the 9th and 22d. 11th and 25th regiments, did his duty, with a zeal and energy worthy of the American character. When every officer stands so pre-eminently high in the path of duty and honor, it is impossible to dis- criminate, but I cannot deprive myself of the pleasure of saying that Major Leavenworth com-
251
OF VERMONT.
manded the 9th and 22d, and Major McNeil the 11th. Col. Campbell [of the 11th] was wounded early in the action, gallantly leading on his regi- ment."
The American loss, killed, wounded and missing was 308; the British loss was 494. The loss in the 11th U. S. regiment to which most of the Ver- monters belonged were seventy-three; this was the heaviest loss of any American regiment en- gaged in the battle.
On the morning of July 25, 1814, while the army under Maj. General Brown was encamped on the field of their victory, last above described, Maj. General Brown received a report that the British were in force at Queenstown, but nine miles distant, and that Brown's depot of supplies was their object. In the afternoon Brown ordered General Scott "to march down to Queenstown, and find the enemy and beat him;" he found the enemy in Lundy's Lane drawn up in line of battle; the force of the enemy was more extensive than those that the American's had met on the 5th at Chippewa, some of which were fresh troops from the victorious army of Wellington. Scott at once sent word to Gen. Brown of his critical situation, but he held the enemy, by fierce fighting until Brown arrived about 9 o'oclock in the evening. The enemy were finally repulsed, but no attempt to secure the fruits of the victory in the darkness and in the shattered condition of the American troops, and under the order of Gen. Brown the Americans returned to Chippewa for rest and reorganization, and the British reoccupied their position and re-
252
EARLY HISTORY
gained their lost cannon except one that the Americans carried away as a trophy. Maj. Gen. McNeil was severely wounded and removed from the field. After General Brown arrived on the field with Ripley's brigade Gen. Brown and Gen. Scott were both wounded and retired and the command devolved upon Gen. Ripley. In this bat- tle the British had about 4500 men and the Ameri- cans a little less than 2600 men; the grand and brave work of the Americans is seen when it is re- membered that from the beginning of the battle until nine o'clock at night, less then 1200 Ameri- cans held the entire British force and repeatedly repulsed their advances and badly cut them up. The American loss in the battle was 853 men and that of the British 878 men. Maj. General Brown's return for the 11th regiment was 28 killed, 102 wounded and 3 missing. An extract from a letter written soon after the battle by Lieut. F. A. Saw- ver of Burlington, of the 11th regiment and who participated in the battle, gives many particulars of the contest, he says, " the late engagement was perhaps the most sanguinary one ever fought on this continent. We engaged the enemy the 25th of July, at 6 P. M. near the falls of Niagara, and con- tinued the fight until half past eleven at night, when by very inferior numbers the enemy was compelled to retire, leaving us in quiet possession of the field of battle.
"The first brigade, [Scott's,] as usual, bore the brunt of the action. We maintained our ground for one hour and a half against the whole forces of the enemy, which were four times our number,
253
OF VERMONT.
before we were supported by a solitary individual of Gens. Ripley's and Porter's brigades-they how- ever joined in time to prevent us from being wholly cut up, and contributed a little in giving the enemy a hearty drubbing.
"On leaving camp, no one anticipated a general engagement. It was the impression that the brig- ade was ordered out to disperse four or five hun- dred, as it was supposed, of the enemy's militia and Indians, who were hanging on our rear for the purpose of annoying our piquets and kidnap- ping those who might be led by curiosity to visit the falls. As we advanced, a few of the enemy would form, and then retire; this manœuvre was continued until we had advanced within half mus- ket shot of the enemy's lines, when the battle com- menced. The enemy's position was a most excel- lent one-their line of infantry was posted behind a fence, which formed a semicirele and encompassed a field which our troops were compelled to accept of, if they made the attack : their flanks were pro- tected by woods filled with militia and Indians, and in their rear, at a desirable distance, was a height on which their artillery was planted; na- ture could not have formed a more advantageous position. Under these disadvantages our troops attacked them. The 9th and 25th were ordered to attack their flanks, while the 11th and 22d met their front. We endeavored to form a line in face and eyes of all their infantry and artillery, but they opened such a deadly and destructive fire up- upon us that we were compelled to retire a few paces and form in the skirts of a wood, and before
254
EARLY HISTORY
we opened upon them more than two-thirds of the two regiments were cut down. However, we then maintained our ground until a reinforcement joined us, when we advanced and drove the ene- my in every direction. Col. Miller with his regi- ment charged and took their artillery consisting of nine pieces, but they repossessed themselves [on the next morning, when our army had left the field,] of all but two brass six pounders. For an hour the two lines were within four rods of each other, firing with as much deliberation as if it had been a sham fight, and now and then for a change the point of the bayonet was used. Here for the first time I witnessed a charge. It did not prove as destructive as I had expected, but God knows it was destructive enough. Towards the close of the action, as there was hardly a company remaining of our regiment, and but one man in my platoon, I volunteered in the 9th, and was assigned to Capt. Hull's company. He was killed in the last charge we made upon the enemy. Capt. Pentland and two or three subalterns were also wounded. The latter part of the action was the most severe. Generals Brown and Scott remained untouched, as well as the greater part of the field officers, until the action was near at an end. That part of the fight proved much more destructive to the enemy than to us, as our men did much better execution when in close contact with them. Our fire at length proyed so destructive, that the enemy's bugle sounded the retreat for the last time, and our troops were left in undisturbed pos- session of the heights."
255
OF VERMONT.
On the night of Aug. 15, 1814, the Battle of Fort Erie was fought, when, after a severe and bloody contest in which the 11th regiment and many Vermont troops were engaged, the Ameri- cans were completely successful. The American forces were under the command of General Gaines. The enemy undertook to take the fort by storm; at one time they gained possession of a bastion, but were driven from it and the entire force put to flight. The enemy admitted their loss to be 805 men. The American loss was 17 killed, 56 wounded and 14 missing.
On Sept. 17, 1814, the Americans under Gen. Brown made a sortie from the fort against the British army encamped about two miles from the fort, when another battle was fought and in which a large part of the British force on the Niagara frontier was put hors du combat-the remnant of their force abandoned their encampment and re- treated to Chippewa. The total loss of the British in this battle was about 1000 men, while the American loss killed, wounded and missing were but 511. The battle closed the severe, brave and honorable service of the 11th infantry on the Niagara frontier.
It would not be out of place to give individual instances of meritorious service and the conspicu- ous, brave and heroic conduct of the rauk and file of Vermont troops, butitdoes not seem best to go too much into details.
During the summer months of 1814, it was evi- dent that the time was hastening when a trial of strength must .come between the American and
256
EARLY' HISTORY
British arms on or near Lake Champlain, in which Vermonters would be especially concerned. Prep- eration for the contest was being made by both of the contending parties.
Late in the summer of 1814, not less than fif- teen thousand troops, most of them Wellington's Veterans fresh from victories over the French, ar- rived in Canada and were encamped between the St. Lawrence and Sorel rivers. The British Naval force on Lake Champlain had also been strongly reinforced. The British forces were under the com- mand of Sir George Prevost. Prevost was born in New York City, May 19, 1767, and son of Maj. General Augustine Prevost of the British Army, and entered the army young and served with dis- tinction. In 1805 he was made Major General and created a baronet; and in 1811, was made Lieu- tenant General and military commander of British North America. His plan of the campaign was a repetition of Gen. Burgoyne's in 1777, supplemented by a naval force that he supposed to be sufficient to command thelake; and like Burgoyne, he began his undertaking with a proclamation bearing date Champlain town, Sept. 2, 1814, that read as fol- lows :
"The Commander of His Britannic Majesty's FORCES, which have entered the State of New York, makes known to its peaceable and unoffend- ing inhabitants, that they have no cause for alarm from this invasion of the country, for the safety of themselves and families, or for the securety of their property. Heexplicitly assures them, that as long as they continue to demean themselves peaceably,
----
257
OF VERMONT.
they shall be protected in the quiet possession of their homes, and permitted freely to pursue their usual occupations.
"It is against the GOVERNMENT of the United States, by whom this unjust and unprovoked war has been declared, and against those who support it, either openly or secretly, that the arms of his Majesty are directed. The quiet and unoffending inhabitants, not found in arms, or otherwise not aiding in hostility, shall meet with kind usage and generous treatment; and all just complaints against any of his Majesty's subjects, offering vio lence to them, to their families, or to their posses_ sions, shall be immediately redressed.
"Those, therefore, who may have been induced to retire at the approach of his Majesty's troops, from any mistaken apprehension respecting their object and their views, are hereby invited to return to their farms and habitations as the best means of securing them.
"The magistrate and other civil authorities, who in the faithful discharge of their respective stations shall continue to exercise their ordinary jurisdiction, for the punishment and apprehension of crimes, and the support of good order, shall not fail to receive countenance and protection."
Prevost was assisted by an experienced General, De Rottenburg, with his splendid army of veterans of fourteen thousand men preparing to advance as soon as his flotilla could co-operate.
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.