USA > Vermont > Chittenden County > History of Chittenden County, Vermont, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 20
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When winter set in MacDonough repaired to Vergennes, where timber was
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plenty, and began building a new fleet upon Otter Creek. The situation was well chosen, the entrance to the river being protected by a fort under charge of Lieutenant Cassin, after whom it was named. On the 29th of May, 1814, MacDonough brought his fleet out of Otter Creek, and on the same evening cast anchor off Plattsburgh. The fleet consisted of the ship Saratoga, com- manded by MacDonough himself; the brig Eagle, Captain Henley ; schooner Ticonderoga, Lieutenant Cassin ; sloop Preble, Lieutenant Charles Budd, and the galleys Allen, Burrows, Borer, Nettle, Viper, Centipede, Ludlow, Wilma, Alwyn and Ballard, manned by 882 men, mounting in all eighty-six guns.1
In the summer of 1813 General Izard had been ordered by the secretary of war, for some unexplainable reason, to remove from this department to the West with the troops under his command, which left General Macomb at Platts- burgh with only about 3,000 men.
Sir George Provost, who was making preparations to invade the States, regarded this movement upon the part of the Americans as tantamount to a retreat, and rendering to him a victory sure and easy. And this would have been most certainly the result had not the militia of Vermont and Northern New York hurried to the assistance of General Macomb.
General Izard protested against the order, and endeavored to convince the War Department that his retirement would greatly endanger the whole north- ern frontier and give to the enemy the possession of Lake Champlain ; but his entreaties were unavailing, and he abandoned camp at Champlain on the 29th of August and took up his march towards Schenectady, and on the next day Major-General Brisbane advanced his position from Canada and occupied the camp.
General Izard abandoned the camp at Champlain on the 29th of August, and the next day Major-General Brisbane advanced his division from Odletown to that place. On the 3d of September 14,000 British troops were collected at Champlain. This force was composed of four troops of the Nineteenth Light Dragoons, 300 men ; two companies Royal Artillery, 400 men ; one brigade of Rocketeers, 25 men ; one brigade Royal Sappers and Miners, 75 men ; the First Brigade of Infantry, consisting of the first battalion of the Twenty-seventh Regiment, the Fifty-eighth and Fifth, and the Third or Buffs, in all 3,700 men, under command of Major-General Robinson; the Second Brigade, formed by the Eighty-eighth and Thirty-ninth, and the third bat- talions of the Twenty-seventh and Seventy-sixth, in all 3,600 mnen, under Major-General Powers ; the Third Brigade, composed of the second battalion of the Eighth or King's, and the Eighteenth, Forty-ninth and Sixth, 3,100 men, under Major-General Brisbane. There was also a light brigade, 2,800 strong, composed of Muron's Swiss Regiment; the Canadian Chasseurs, the
1 The following description of the Battle of Plattsburgh is substantially the same as written by Peter S. Palmer, in his history of Lake Champlain, and inserted in the Vermont Historical Magazine in an able article written by Thomas H. Canfield.
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Voltigeurs, and the Frontier Light Infantry. The whole was under Sir George Provost, governor-general of Canada, Lieutenant-General De Rottenburgh being second in command.
On the 4tli the main body reached Chazy village, and the next night encamped near Sampson's, about eight miles from Plattsburgh. At the same time Captain Pring, with a number of gun-boats, moved up the lake as far as Isle La Motte and erected a battery of three long eighteen pounders on the west side of that island, to cover the landing of the supplies for the troops.
Brigadier-General Macomb was now at Plattsburgh, actively engaged in preparations to resist the expected attack. On the 3d of September he issued a general order detailing his plan of defense. "The troops [says this order] will line the parapet in two ranks, leaving intervals for the artillery. A reserve of one-fifth of the whole force in infantry will be detailed and paraded fronting the several angles, which it will be their particular duty to sustain. To each bastion are to be assigned, by the several commanders of forts, a sufficient number of infantry to line all the faces (in single rank) of each tier. Should the enemy gain the ditch, the front rank of the part assailed will mount the parapet and repel him with its fire and bayonet. If the men of this rank are determined, no human force can dispossess them of that position."
The American works were built upon an elevated plain, lying between the banks of the river Saranac and Lake Champlain. The river descends from the west until it approaches within about 160 rods of the lake, and then turns to- ward the north and runs about one mile in a northeasterly direction to the lake. The land between the river and lake at this point is nearly in the shape of a right-angled triangle, the perpendicular being formed by the lake shore. About eighty rods above the mouth of the river, and near the center of the village, is the "lower bridge "; and about one mile higher up, following the course of the stream, was another bridge, on the road leading south to Salmon River, called the "upper bridge." One mile and a half above this bridge is a ford of the river.1 The stream can also be forded at the bridges and at a point about midway between them. The south bank of the river, above the village, is from fifty to sixty feet high, and steep. About sixty rods above the "lower bridge " is a deep ravine, running back from the river and extending nearly to the lake shore. The principal work, called Fort Moreau, stood opposite the bend of the river, and about half way between it and the lake. It was three- fourths of a mile south of the "lower bridge." A redoubt, called Fort Brown, stood on the bank of the river, directly opposite the bend, and about fifty rods west of Fort Moreau. There was another redoubt to the east of Fort Moreau, near the bank of the lake, called Fort Scott. On the point, near the mouth of the river, was a block-house and battery. Another block-house stood on
1 This ford is near the spot where General Pike encamped in 1812. The buildings were burned by Colonel Murray in 1813.
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the south side of the ravine, about half way between the river and the lake. The defense of Fort Moreau was entrusted to Colonel Melancton Smith, who had for its garrison the Twenty-ninth and Sixth Regiments. Lieutenant-Col- onel Storrs was stationed in Fort Brown with detachments of the Thirtieth and Thirty-first, and Major Vinson in Fort Scott with the Thirty-third and Thirty-fourth. The block-house near the ravine was entrusted to Captain Smith of the Rifles, and had for its defense a part of his company and of the convalescents of one of the absent regiments. The block-house on the point was garrisoned by a detachment of artillery under Lieutenant Fowler. The light artillery was ordered to take such position as would best annoy the ene- my. When not employed they were to take post in the ravine with the light troops.
As soon as the British had advanced to Chazy village, Captain Sproul was ordered by General Macomb, with 200 men of the Thirteenth and two field pieces, to take position near the Dead Creek bridge and to abattis the road be- yond, while Lieutenant-Colonel Appling was stationed in advance with IIO riflemen and a troop of New York State cavalry, under Captain Safford and Lieutenant M. M. Standish, to watch the movements of the enemy. Macomb also made arrangements with Major-General Mooers for calling out the New York militia, and addressed a letter to Governor Chittenden, of Vermont, requesting aid from that State. On the 4th, 700 of the Clinton and Essex mili- tia had collected at Plattsburgh.1 They were advanced the next day about five miles on the North Road, and lay during the night in the vicinity of the pres- ent stone church in Beekmantown. The militia were directed to watch the enemy, skirmish with him as he advanced, break up the bridges and obstruct the road with fallen trees.
On the 5th, as we have already stated, the British occupied a position near Sampson's, on the lake road. The troops were there divided into two col- umns, and moved toward the village of Plattsburgh on the morning of the 6th before daylight, the right column crossing over to the Beekmantown road, the left following the lake road leading to the Dead Creek bridge. The right col- umn was composed of Major-General Powers's brigade, supported by four companies of light infantry and a demi-brigade under Major-General Robin- son. The left was led by Major-General Brisbane's brigade. Information of this contemplated movement having reached General Macomb on the evening of the 5th, he ordered Major Wool, with a detachment of 250 men, to advance on the Beekmantown road to the support of the militia. Captain Leonard, of the light artillery, was also directed to be on the ground before daylight with two field-pieces.
The right column of the British advanced more rapidly than the left, and,
1 These belonged to Colonel Thomas Miller's and Colonel Joiner's regiments, Major Sanford's bat- talion and the Thirty-seventh regiment.
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at an early hour, met Major Wool's detachment and the militia, who had taken a position near the residence of Ira Howe, in Beekmantown. Wool's party opened a brisk fire of musketry upon the head of the British column as it ap- proached, severely wounding Lieutenant West of the Third Buffs, and about twenty privates. Near this place Goodspeed and Jay, two men of Captain At- wood's company of militia, were wounded and taken prisoners. Wool, with his men, now fell back as far as Culver's Hill, four and a half miles from the village, where he awaited the approach of the British. He was supported by a few of the militia who had been rallied by their officers, but the greater por- tion had retreated precipitately, after the first fire near Howe's. The resist- ance at Culver's Hill was intrepid but momentary, for the British troops pressed firmly forward, occupying the whole road, and only returning the fire by their flanks and leading platoons, the latter of whom were once driven to the base of the hill, after having reached its summit. At this point Lieutenant-Colonel Willington, of the Third Buffs, fell as he was ascending the hill at the head of his regiment. Ensign Chapman, of the same regiment, was also killed there, and Captain Westropp, of the Fifty-eighth, severely wounded. Several of the Americans were killed, including Patridge, of the Essex militia.
Learning that a large body of the British were advancing on a parallel road, leading from Beekmantown Corners, to gain his rear, Wool fell back as far as " Halsey's Corners," about one and a half miles from the village bridge. He was there joined, about eight o'clock in the morning, by Captain Leonard with two pieces of light artillery. Leonard placed his guns in battery at an angle in the road, masked by Wool's infantry and a small body of militia, and as the British approached opened a most galling fire upon the head of the column ; the balls cutting a narrow and bloody lane through the moving mass. Three times were the guns discharged, but even this terrible fire did not check the progress of the column, for the men, throwing aside their knapsacks, pressed forward, the bugles sounding the charge, and forced Leonard hastily to withdraw towards the village. At this place a number of the British were killed or wounded. Among the latter was Lieutenant Kingsbury, of the Third Buffs, who was taken into the adjoining farm-house of Isaac C. Platt, esq., where he soon afterwards died.
Finding that the enemy's right column was steadily approaching the village, General Macomb ordered in the detachments at Dead Creek; at the same time directing Lieutenant-Colonel Appling to fall on the British flank. The rapid advance of the column on the Beekmantown road had reversed Appling's position, and he had barely time to save his retreat, coming in a few rods ahead, as the British debouched from the woods a little north of the village. Here he poured in a destructive fire from his riflemen at rest, and continued to annoy the enemy, until he formed a junction with Wool, who was slowly retir- ing towards the lower bridge. The field pieces were taken across the bridge
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and formed a battery for its protection, and to cover the retreat of Wool's, App- ling's and Sproul's men. These detachments retired alternately, keeping up a brisk fire until they got under cover of the works.
The left column of the British army did not arrive near the village until after Sproul's and Appling's detachments had been withdrawn ; their march having been retarded by the obstructions placed in the road, and by the re- moval of the bridge at Dead Creek. As this column passed along the beach of the lake, it was much annoyed by a brisk fire from several galleys, which MacDonough had ordered to the head of the bay. After this fire had continued for about two hours, the wind began to blow so heavy from the south as to en- danger the safety of the galleys. Mr. Duncan, a midshipman of the Saratoga, was therefore sent in a gig to order them to return. As that officer ap- proached he received a severe wound from the enemy's fire, which for a few minutes was concentrated upon his boat. About this time one of the galleys drifted under the guns of the British and sustained some loss, but was eventu- ally brought off.
As soon as the American troops had crossed the river the plank were re- moved from the lower bridge and were piled up at its east end to form a breast- work for the infantry. A similar breast-work was made by the militia at the upper bridge. The British light troops made several attempts, in the course of the day, to cross at the village, but were repulsed by the guards at the bridge, and by the sharp fire of a company of volunteers who had taken pos- session of a stone grist-mill near by. An attempt was also made to cross at the upper bridge, which was gallantly resisted by the militia. The loss this day, on both sides, was greater than the whole loss during the rest of the siege, forty-five of the Americans and more than 200 British having been killed or wounded.1
The configuration of the land on the north side of the river differs some- what from that on the south side. The bank at the mouth of the river is ab- rupt and about thirty feet high. This bank, with a depression above the lower bridge, opposite the mill-pond, follows the margin of the stream until within about eighty rods of Fort Brown, when the hill recedes from the river and is less abrupt. The flat and hill opposite Fort Brown were covered with small trees and bushes. About one mile back from the river is an elevated ridge running to the north. At Allen's farm-house, which stood upon this ridge at the distance of one and one-fourth miles from the American forts, Sir George Provost established his headquarters. The army were encamped upon the ridge and on the high ground north of the village.
From the 7th to the 10th Provost was busily engaged in bringing up his battering trains and supplies and in preparing his approaches. He erected a
1 General Macomb, in his general order of the 7th, estimates the British loss at from two to three hundred. The Burlington Sentinel of the 9th states it to have been about three hundred.
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battery on the bank of the lake north of the mouth of the river ; another near the edge of the steep bank above the mill-pond; another near the burial ground, and one, supplied with rocket works, on the hill opposite Fort Brown. Besides these there were three smaller batteries erected at other points within range of the American forts.
While Provost was thus engaged the American troops were diligently at work day and night in strengthening their defenses. The barracks and hos- pitals in the vicinity of the forts were burned and the sick removed to Crab Island, about two miles distant, where they were protected from the weather by tents. A small battery was erected on that island, mounting two six pounders, which was manned by convalescents. The Americans also, during this time, fired hot shot into and burned some fifteen or sixteen buildings on the north side of the river, which had afforded protection to the British light troops.I
From the 7th to the 10th the pickets and militia were engaged in frequent skirmishes with the enemy at the two bridges and at the different fords along the river. On the morning of the 7th a party of British under Captain Noadie attempted to cross the river at a ford about five miles west of the village. They were, however, met by a company of Colonel Miller's regiment of militia, under command of Captain Vaughan, and were repulsed with a loss of two killed and several wounded. The same day Lieutenant Runk, of the Sixth, was mortally wounded as he was passing in the street near the present dwell- ing of A. C. Moore.
On the night of the 9th, while the British were engaged in erecting their rocket battery near Fort Brown, Captain McGlassin, of the Fifteenth Infantry, obtained permission from General Macomb to take a party of fifty men and attack a detachment of British troops at work upon the battery. The night was dark and stormy and favored such an enterprise. Ordering his men to take the flints from their muskets, McGlassin crossed the river, and passing through a small clump of dwarf oaks, reached, unobserved, the foot of the hill upon which the enemy were at work. There he divided his force into two parties, one of which was sent by a circuitous route to the rear of the battery. As soon as this party had reached its position, McGlassin in a loud voice ordered his men to charge " on the front and rear," when they rushed for- ward with all the noise it was possible for them to make and entered the work at both sides on the run. The working party were taken by surprise, and sup- posing themselves attacked by overwhelming numbers retreated precipitately towards the main camp. McGlassin spiked the guns and led his party back
1 The Burlington Sentinel says, that up to the evening of the 8th the following buildings had been burned : Jonathan Griffin's house and store; Roswell Wait's house and store ; Mr. Savage's house; D. Buck's house; Mr. Powers's store ; Widow Beaumont's house and store ; Charles Backus's house and store; Joseph Thomas's two stores, and Mr. Goldsmith's house. The court-house and jail were also burned.
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to the American fort without losing a man. The whole affair was boldly con- ceived and most gallantly executed. It was long before the British officers would believe that fifty men could make so much noise or so badly frighten over three hundred of their veteran troops.
When the British army reached Plattsburgh their gun-boats had advanced as far as the Isle La Motte, where they remained under command of Captain Pring. On the 8th Captain Downie reached that place with the rest of the fleet, and on the morning of the IIth the whole weighed anchor and stood south to attack the Americans, who lay in the bay off Plattsburgh.
As the British vessels rounded Cumberland Head, about eight o'clock in the morning, they found MacDonough at anchor a little south of the mouth of the Saranac River and abreast, but out of gun-shot of the forts. His vessels lay in a line running north from Crab Island and nearly parallel with the west shore. The brig Eagle, Captain Henley, lay at the head of the line inside the point of the Head. This vessel mounted twenty guns and had on board 150 men. Next to her and on the south lay MacDonough's flag-ship, the Saratoga, mounting twenty-six guns, with 212 men. Next south was the schooner Ti- conderoga, of seventeen guns, Lieutenant Cassin, with 110 men, and next to her, and at the southern extremity of the line, lay the sloop Preble, Lieutenant Charles Budd. This vessel carried seven guns and was manned by thirty men. She lay so near the shoal extending northeast from Crab Island as to prevent the enemy from turning that end of the line. To the rear of the line were ten gun-boats, six of which mounted one long twenty-four pounder and one eighteen pound columbiad each; the other four carried one twelve pounder. The gun-boats had on an average thirty-five men each. Two of the gun-boats lay a little north and in rear of the Eagle, to sustain the head of the line ; the others were placed opposite the intervals between the different vessels and about forty rods to their rear. The larger vessels were at anchor while the gun- boats were kept in position by their sweeps.
The British fleet was composed of the frigate Confiance, carrying 37 guns, with over 300 men, commanded by Captain Downie ; the brig Linnet, Captain Pring, of 16 guns and 120 men ; the sloop Chub, Lieutenant McGhee, and the sloop Finch, Lieutenant Hicks, carrying II guns and about 45 men each. To these vessels were added 12 gun-boats of about 45 men each ; 8 of them carried 2 guns, and 4 one gun each. Thus the force of the Americans consisted of I ship, I brig, I schooner, I sloop, and 10 gun-boats, manned by 882 men, and carrying in all 86 guns. The British had I frigate, I brig, 2 sloops and 12 gun- boats, manned by over 1,000 men, and carrying in all 95 guns. The metal of the vessels on both sides was unusually heavy. The Saratoga mounted 8 long twenty-fours, 6 forty-twos, and 12 thirty-twos, while the Confiance had the gun- deck of a heavy frigate, with 30 long twenty-fours upon it. She also had a spacious top-gallant forecastle, and a poop that came no further forward than
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the mizzen mast. On the first were a long twenty-four on a circle, and 4 heavy carronades ; 2 heavy carronades were mounted on the poop.
When the British fleet appeared in sight the Finch led and kept in a course toward Crab Island, while the other vessels hove to opposite the point of Cum- berland Head, to allow the gun-boats to come up and receive final instructions as to the plan of attack. The vessels then filled and headed in towards the Ameri- can fleet, passing inside of the point of Cumberland Head, the Chub laying her course a little to windward of the Eagle, in order to support the Linnet, which stood directly towards that vessel. Captain Downie had determined to lay the Confiance athwart the Saratoga, but the wind baffling, he was obliged to anchor at about two cables' length from that ship. The Finch, which had run about half way to Crab Island, tacked and took her station, with the gun- boats, opposite the Ticonderoga and the Preble.
As the British vessels approached they received the fire of the American fleet, the brig Eagle firing first, and being soon followed by the Saratoga and the sloop and schooner.I The Linnet poured her broadside into the Saratoga as she passed that ship to take her position opposite the Eagle. Captain Dow- nie brought his vessel into action in the most gallant manner, and did not fire a gun until he was perfectly secured, although his vessel suffered severely from the fire of the Americans. As soon, however, as the Confiance had been brought into position, she discharged all her larboard guns at nearly the same instant. The effect of this broadside, thrown from long twenty-four pounders, double- shotted, in smooth water, was terrible. The Saratoga trembled to her very keel ; about 40 of her crew were disabled, including her first lieutenant, Mr. Gamble, who was killed while sighting the bow gun.
Soon after the commencement of the engagement the Chub, while manœeu- vering near the head of the American line, received a broadside from the Eagle, which so crippled her that she drifted down between the opposing vessels and struck. She was taken possession of by Mr. Charles Platt, one of the Sarato- ga's midshipmen, and was towed in shore and anchored. The Chub had suf- fered severely, nearly half of her men having been killed or wounded. About an hour later the Finch was driven from her position by the Ticonderoga, and, be- ing badly injured, drifted upon the shoal near Crab Island, where she grounded. After being fired into from the small battery on the island, she struck and was taken possession of by the invalids who manned the battery.
After the loss of the Finch the British gun-boats made several efforts to
1 The first gun fired on board the Saratoga was a long twenty-four, which MacDonough himself sighted. The shot is said to have struck the Confiance near the outer hawse-hole, and to have passed the length of her deck, killing and wounding several men, and carrying away the wheel. In clearing the decks of the Saratoga, some hen-coops were thrown overboard and the poultry permitted to run at large. Startled by the report of the opening gun of the Eagle, a young cock flew upon a gun-slide, clapped his wings and crowed. The men gave three cheers and considered the little incident as a happy omen. - Cooper's Naval History and Niles's Register.
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